More than 5,700 of you took our survey on falling in love. Lots of you know what it feels like to be in love: 46% of our survey takers said they're in love now or have been in the past. But an almost equal number (43%) said that, although they like someone, they're just not sure it's really love. And 11% said they'd never been in love (mostly because they haven't met the right person yet).
Attraction is the "chemistry" part of love. It's all about the physical — even sexual — interest that two people have in each other. Relationships that are based on attraction alone are usually more about fun and infatuation than real love.
Conventional wisdom says that, for guys in their early teens, relationships are mainly about physical attraction. That explains why some guys responded like Trent, 13, who told us the things he likes about his girlfriend are "her hair and body." Experts say that it's not until guys reach their later teens that they rate a person's inner qualities as most important.
Our survey showed that this "conventional wisdom" doesn't mean all guys fall into this mold. First, we saw that it's not just younger guys who go mainly for the way someone looks or their physical attributes: We had a few older guys say they were most interested in looks. And most of the 13-year-old guys in our survey say they appreciate a person's inner qualities, like kindness and intelligence.
As with guys, looks can also catch a girl's attention. But when it comes to being attracted to someone, girls typically emphasize the importance of character.
Sometimes a new relationship starts with attraction. A new couple might have fun together and enjoy the process of getting to know each other better. Some relationships don't last beyond that phase, but other relationships deepen into love.
Closeness is the bond that a couple develops when they feel comfortable enough to share thoughts and feelings that they don't share with anyone else. The connection between them deepens to include qualities like trust, respect, and honesty.
But closeness is not all about what you have in common. Ironically, when two people are really close, they are better equipped to deal with the things they don't agree on.
Commitment is loyalty. Together you've made a decision to stick with each other through the ups and downs that are part of any relationship. Lots of you mentioned the things that you see as important when a relationship reaches this stage: honesty, fidelity, trust.
Whatever you're looking for right now, relationships are a great way to learn about love, and what you may want in the future.


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A Foxconn housing boom would start with apartments
If the arrival of an enormous Foxconn plant in Racine or Kenosha counties touches off a housing boom in the area, it's likely to start with a build-up of apartments.
A Foxconn housing boom would start with apartments If the arrival of an enormous Foxconn plant in Racine or Kenosha counties touches off a housing boom in the area, it's likely to start with a build-up of apartments. Check out this story on jsonline.com: https://jsonl.in/2wfeeBz
Paul Gores, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Published 4:30 p.m. CT July 31, 2017 | Updated 4:54 p.m. CT July 31, 2017
Foxconn Technology Group's development of a huge factory in southeast Wisconsin could start a local housing boom.(Photo: Associated Press)
If the arrival of an enormous Foxconn Technology Group plant in Racine or Kenosha counties touches off a housing boom in the area, it's likely to start with a build-up of apartments.
With a low jobless rate in Wisconsin, the facility — which eventually may have 13,000 workers — is going to have to attract employees from inside and outside the area and state. They'll need a place to rent before deciding whether they want to stay in southeast Wisconsin and buy a house or condominium.
Foxconn announced last week that it would invest $10 billion to build a display panel plant in Wisconsin. At 20 million square feet, the factory would be one of the largest manufacturing campuses in the nation. Initially, it would hire 3,000 workers and over time could more than quadruple that.
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"When this comes about, the housing is going to come in stages, because the first thing that's going to happen is they're going to build apartments if they can get zoning," said Russell Kashian, an economics professor at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater who tracks residential real estate. "We have a very low unemployment rate, so we're going to have to pull people in from outside. And they are not going to come here and say, 'Well, I'm buying a house tomorrow.'"
Over time — perhaps two or three years, Kashian said — many workers who decide they like Wisconsin and their job well enough to stick around will want to buy a house or a condo unit. That would launch the second phase of housing growth spurred by Foxconn.
When it happens, home builders will be eager to jump in, the leader of their trade association said.
"This will have a big impact on our industry to provide safe and affordable housing in southeastern Wisconsin," said David Belman, president of Belman Homes and president of the Wisconsin Builders Association. "Members of the WBA are ready to help provide housing options for those who are new to the area and those who are looking for new housing options in the future."
But putting up housing won't be without obstacles. So-called workforce homes costing less than $250,000 — instead of the $350,000-and-up price tag on many of the homes being constructed in southeast Wisconsin today — would need to be allowed by local municipalities. That might mean some communities would have to change lot size requirements and some other factors that raise the cost of home-building, industry professionals say.
"We're going to have to really work with local officials to say you need workforce-size housing that people can afford," said Mike Ruzicka, president of the Greater Milwaukee Association Realtors.
Said Belman: "If there is demand and a willingness and workability with the municipality, builders will come there and they'll build there."
RELATED: Foxconn announces $10 billion investment in Wisconsin and up to 13,000 jobs
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Belman said that over time, there would be market for higher-end homes not far from Foxconn, too.
"Eventually there are going to be management positions, and people grow and get their roots in a community and spouses get income and they are going to be buying houses, and there probably won't be enough supply of those homes there," Belman said.
Construction workers needed
New homes would add to a community's tax revenue, Belman noted. The builders association estimated that building 1,000 new single-family homes would generate $12.4 million in taxes for state and local governments annually.
With Foxconn putting the average salary of its employees at about $53,900 and many households having two earners, mortgages should be available.
But a housing building boom radiating from Foxconn could have an employee issue of its own: A lack of skilled construction workers.
When housing went bust in the Great Recession, many workers in the building trades were left without jobs and switched careers. Now, as the economy has improved, building companies are having trouble finding all the workers they need.
Belman said, "We're working on things, but it's not a fast solution."
The builders are working with the technical colleges and even the Department of Corrections to develop the needed home-construction workforce.
It's not too soon to talk about the possible impact of Foxconn on housing, Belman said. He said state trade associations plan to get together in August to discuss what a Foxconn plant would mean and how to be ready for it.
"This stuff is going to take a lot of planning," Belman said.
Will affordability be an issue?
As in most of southeast Wisconsin, the prices of homes in Kenosha and Racine counties have been going up. Through the first half of 2017, the median price of homes sold in Kenosha County was 10.4% higher than in the same period last year, rising to $163,950 from $148,500. In Racine County, the median price was $152,000, or 9.7% higher than $138,600 in the first six months of 2016.
The prices for houses and rents for apartments are only expected to increase with Foxconn coming to town.
"The demand curve just shifted," Kashian said. "Supply is going to take time to catch up. You just don't suddenly put up houses."
Kashian said not since farm equipment maker Allis-Chalmers supplied thousands of jobs to West Allis and metro Milwaukee has one company had the potential to be such a huge employer and have such a massive impact.
"Based upon the magnitude of what has been proposed, we can certainly expect to see growth in the local economy across the board — housing sales and construction, overall spending, expansion of infrastructure, etc.," said Jim Popp, president of Racine-based Johnson Bank.
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The 'patriotism' of not speaking Uyghur
Darren BylerJanuary 2, 2019
FeaturedPolitics
Urumqi No. 1 Primary school, 2018: Uyghur script "disappeared."
Photo by Joanne Smith Finley
Uyghur "patriotism" now requires the active disavowal of the Uyghur way of life. Vague euphemisms like "patriotism," "harmony," "stability," "vocational training," and "poverty elimination" gaslight the erasure of a native system of knowledge and the basic elements that make Uyghur life Uyghur: language, religion, and culture.
On October 27, 2018, Memtimin Ubul, a Communist Party deputy secretary of Kashgar's Qaghaliq County, stated publicly something that had increasingly become the norm over the past two years in the Uyghur homeland. In the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, it was now officially unpatriotic for Uyghur state employees to speak or write in Uyghur language. In a statement that was circulated to more than 750,000 readers, the ethnically Uyghur state official wrote that any state employee who spoke Uyghur in public "should be classified as a 'two-faced person.'" This is a charge that has resulted in the detention of hundreds, if not thousands, of Uyghur public figures, in addition to the untold number (possibly more than a million) who have been sent to "transformation through education" prison camps.
Memtimin wrote that the patriotic duty of state employees extended throughout all aspects of their lives. Patriotism should be present in the way they dressed, talked, and ate. Even in one's home life, Uyghurs should refuse to speak Uyghur and instead speak Chinese. From his perspective, government employees had the "highest levels of knowledge and culture" in Uyghur society, and as such they had "immeasurable social influence." It was therefore up to them to demonstrate what it meant to be patriotic Uyghur citizens. "Speaking the 'language of the country' should be the minimum requirement for patriotism," he wrote. Chinese was no longer the language of Han people, but the language of reeducated patriotic Uyghurs.
A short documentary on rural Uyghur life in the county where Memtimin Ubul works as Party official. The documentary demonstrates the richness of Uyghur rural traditions before the mass detention of Uyghurs and the rise of new forms of "patriotism" across the Uyghur homeland.
Why Chinese?
From the perspective of state authorities such as Memtimin, learning the "national language" (国语 guóyǔ; Uy: dolet tili), which had previously been known as "the Han language" (汉语 hànyǔ; Uy: Hanzuche), was important for a number of reasons. First, and most importantly from Memtimin's perspective, he said it aided the fight against religious extremism. By emphasizing Chinese as a test of patriotism, he argued that Uyghurs would "finally break free from the shackles of religion" — a statement that ignores the fact that millions of Chinese-speaking citizens, the Hui, remain devout Muslims.
A second reason for embracing Chinese was that it would lead to a new kind of "cultural self-confidence" when it came to Uyghurs performing "Chinese traditional culture." By embracing Han cultural traditions, Uyghurs would claim their Chineseness more fully. They would learn "basic quality" (基础素质 jīchǔ sùzhì), which he associated with Han cultural knowledge.
This led to the third reason why Uyghurs should only speak Chinese: Doing so would allow them to "freely pursue a blessedly modern civilized life under the clear sky." It would offer them a path to work in the Chinese economy.
One example of a concrete benefit of embracing Chineseness: They would be able to interact with the hundreds of thousands of Han "relatives" who monitored their behavior, encouraged language learning, and provided them with modern conveniences. Memtimin wrote that through this process, many Uyghur farmers had been given advanced household appliances by the state, such as expensive multifunctional washing machines. Why, he wrote, do these machines sit "abandoned in the corner?" To his thinking, it was because the "farmers cannot understand the Chinese character manual," a statement that ignores the resentment that Uyghurs feel toward the Han "relatives" who occupy their homes and the way many view such appliances as machines that waste water.
In general, Memtimin argued, learning Chinese would aid Uyghurs in the "poverty alleviation" that, according to a declaration from Xi Jinping, was to come by 2020. Chinese language learning would allow Uyghurs to fully embrace new lifestyles in government housing, in government-subsidized cottage industries, government-sponsored animal husbandry, and relocation to Han majority areas.
Since the beginning of the "People's War on Terror," Mandarin Chinese has been referred to almost exclusively as the "national language" in official texts — the language of the nation, of patriotism — as opposed to merely "the Han language."
Indeed, one of the central goals of the mass internment camps that hold Uyghurs in extrajudicial detention is language training. Over and over, detainees who feature in state propaganda videos speak about how learning the "national language" has freed them from their "extremist thoughts." Detainees speak Chinese with "vigor and enthusiasm," while also having developed skills in Chinese calligraphy. One observer noted that even their "spirit" seemed to be transformed through their imprisonment and the prohibition of Uyghur speech. Through indoctrination in the camps, they learned to talk in Chinese about "civilization, hygiene, morality and law."
The reason the detainees were in the prison camps in the first place was "to learn the national language, law, and skills," as one state observer noted. "We have seen that some of the 'students' have been able to master more than 3,000 characters. Now they can read newspapers, they use very good pronunciation, and can talk to us fluently.
"A 'trainee' told us: 'In the past, we were influenced by religious extreme thoughts. We didn't study the common language of the country. When we got to 'the center,' we became more and more fond of learning the common language of the country. Now I feel very happy! Thanks to the Party and the government for saving us!'"
Language training extends beyond the camps to the factories that are being built as part of the "poverty alleviation" program for the family members of detainees and prisoners and other targeted populations. As one document puts it, one of the primary goals of these facilities is training in basic "quality" (素质 sùzhì) which is defined by understanding the "common language" (通用语言 tōngyòng yǔyán), their legal obligations, and the tenets of productive discipline. As another document noted, the private companies that were subsidized to use Uyghur forced labor "not only will guide (minority workers) in operational discipline, but also assumes responsibility for teaching them the Han language and life skills."
According to state media, in rural Uyghur areas there is now a Chinese language learning fervor. As the Xinjiang Daily noted, Uyghur children are now teaching their grandparents how to speak with correct tones.
I spoke recently to a Uyghur contact about the pressure her mother felt to learn Chinese, a retiree who lives in a rural Uyghur village. My contact said that the last time she was able to get some news from her home village, she said it had become the primary focus of her mother's life. She said, "I asked my cousin, 'How is my mom?' She said that every day my mom is learning 'the language of the country,' and writes a few thousand Chinese characters from a book as her homework. She said, 'She is busy, don't worry.' I am happy she is not in the camp, but basically she is spending the whole day mimicking characters, as she doesn't know any Chinese. Every week at the (village) flag raising, she has to bring her 'homework' to show the leaders."
Chinese as the national language
On three occasions, Memtimin slipped up and called Chinese the "Han language" (汉语 hànyǔ). In most references though, he remembered to refer to it the "national language" (国语 guóyǔ). This term, or the terms "common language" (sometimes referred to as 普通话 pǔtōnghuà, i.e., Mandarin) or the "common language of the country" (国家通用语言 guójiā tōngyòng yǔyán), became the preferred terms only in the past four years, since the beginning of the "People's War on Terror." Prior to this, Chinese was referred to almost exclusively as the language of Han people in Uyghur speech (Uy: Hanzuche). Now, though, Chinese is the language of the nation, the language of patriotism.
In dozens of government documents that touch on contemporary language policy in Xinjiang, the word "Han language" was used in the phrasing only once. Chinese was referred to almost exclusively as the "national language" and "common language."
Near the end of his essay, Memtimin acknowledged that "some people may say that learning to use Mandarin would destroy Uyghur language and traditional culture." Then, ignoring the fact that Uyghur language instruction has nearly been eliminated from Uyghur schools, that hundreds of books have been banned, and Uyghur language publishing has ground to a halt, he argued that the state had not "stopped" Uyghur language learning, which remains a "right" all citizens possess; the state was simply advocating that Uyghurs "learn the strengths of all ethnic groups, especially the outstanding ethnicities."
According to Memtimin, Uyghur knowledge is degraded knowledge steeped in Islam. It means not only that Uyghurs are less than the "outstanding" Han, but also that they will forever remain "shackled" to a religion that state authorities have come to view as a "mental illness." From this perspective, excising Uyghur language from their minds is the only way to fully access Chinese patriotism. This is the kind of patriotism that will keep Uyghurs out of the prison camps.
In Xinjiang, Chinese is increasingly the only permitted language. This purging of language publicly began with Arabic. The most notable way this was done was through the elimination of the common Arabic greeting "Peace be unto you." Then the state eliminated Arabic-sounding names. Then they erased the Arabic in restaurant signage and mosques.
Now, Uyghur script is being erased from street signs and wall murals.
Xinjiang State University Campus, Urumqi, via Bitter Winter
Memtimin's essay is an example of the way Uyghurs have been compelled to profess "vows of loyalty" (发声亮剑 fāshēng liàngjiàn; Uy: ipade bildürüsh) to the state. These statements force Uyghurs to articulate views that are often not their own. The statements ask them to re-narrate their personal biographies in a way that emphasizes undying loyalty to the state. They strongly resembled the personal statements that many were forced to publicly declare during the waves of Maoist class struggle and thought reform in the 1950s, but in this case they are directed only at Uyghur ways of life and directly oriented toward Han state culture.
In the language of a totalitarian regime, Uyghur "patriotism" now requires the active disavowal of the Uyghur way of life. In the Uyghur homeland, political speech and writing has become the defense of the indefensible. Vague euphemisms like "patriotism," "harmony," "stability," "vocational training," and "poverty elimination" gaslight the erasure of a native system of knowledge and the basic elements that make Uyghur life Uyghur: language, religion, and culture. Even Uyghur family life is threatened by a state that actively separates children from their parents or forbids parents from teaching their children significant elements of what it means to be a Turkic Muslim.
In a process similar to North American attempts to eliminate Native American language, faith, and culture in the 19th and 20th centuries, the Chinese state is now asking Uyghurs to claim new forms of Chineseness and reject their own traditions. The language of "patriotism" and other vague euphemisms allows state authorities to name their priorities without conveying an image of violence — the one they are exacting.
Darren Byler's Xinjiang Column is published on the first Wednesday of every month. Previously:
'As if you've spent your whole life in prison': Starving and subdued in Xinjiang detention centers
Xinjiang Column
The most bizarre China news of 2018, from cheating pigeons to Jacky Cheung concerts Previous post
'Food God' blasted for trashing Chinese hotpot Next post
Darren Byler
Darren Byler is a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Asian Studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he studies the technology and politics of urban life in Chinese Central Asia and around the world. His writing has appeared in Logic, Guardian, and ChinaFile among other publications.
One of the most-watched La Liga goals ever? Wu Lei scores against Barcelona
Gerry Harker January 11, 2020
A thousand-dollar plane ticket? For some, just the cost of democracy in Taiwan
Katharin Tai January 10, 2020
Abhishek January 2, 2019 at 8:18 pm Reply
Americans and their propaganda, I know Americans are pushing this cause China isn't allowing evangelism, but can u tell me these lies will work?
Jared January 3, 2019 at 5:35 pm Reply
As a citizen of a country which previously interned hundreds of thousands of its own people in "re-education" residential schools, I can confidently affirm that this method of systematic cultural obliteration does not work. It breeds only two things: Resentment, and resistance. It damages the perpetrator of the offense, and the person offended.
It damages the social and moral credibility of the country. It reduces national prestige, and it creates pervasive bonds of mistrust that destroy the moral license needed to undertake large-scale infrastructure projects for the national good. Repairing this breach of trust is a costly and painful moral and legal undertaking requiring decades of reform.
Randy Benjamen February 6, 2019 at 1:49 pm Reply
Reading about my hometown is like a getting dose that accelerates depression these days..
My heart is heavy and feel utmost helpless, no word to express my anger toward Chinese regime
One point is clear, Yes! China has the largest foreign currency reserve and the longest high speed trains but China is far from decent, civilized society where powerfull normally takes care of powerless and embrass diversity and uniqueness
Shame on you China! You are the most disgracefull country on earth


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Jack Link's Protein Snacks Beefs Up its Media Game and Names Empower Agency of Record
Meghann Craig
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CINCINNATI (May 21, 2018) – Empower is taking a walk on the wild side and teaming up with Jack Link's Protein Snacks, the category leader in meat snacks.
As part of the company's broader agency evaluation process, Jack Link's was looking for a new media partner that could deliver effective and efficient media plans. Empower was recently awarded the media business from the family-owned and -operated company. According to the Star Tribune, the meat snack category is booming. In the last year alone, dried meat snacks earned $2.8 billion in sales, a nearly 4 percent jump from the year before, according to IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm. Despite an increasing appetite for protein snacks like Jack Link's, other snack categories such as crackers, chips and cookies still hold 99 percent of share compared to meat snacks, which weigh in at 49 percent penetration.
"Being an independent and family-owned media agency, we have a mutual respect for the grit and determination required for each other's businesses to thrive," Empower CEO Jim Price said. "For us it's personal. And Empower makes media personal," Price explained.
"Ultimately, the goal is to routinize the purchase of meat snacks, and that vision requires a media partner that truly understands channel planning within the path to purchase. We think Empower will be that partner for us," said Tim Goldsmid, vice president of marketing for Jack Link's Protein Snacks. "Our category leadership position was built on forward thinking and being strategically scrappy and nimble. Empower impressed us by sharing this approach to media and a demonstrated ability to generate meaningful results."
Based in Minong, Wisconsin, Jack Link's Protein Snacks joins Empower's CPG portfolio of brands including Bush's, Land O'Frost and Kroger's Private Selection® products.
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We are Empower, The Un-Holding Company. Our advantage is simple. Clients first – not shareholders.
From the day we opened our doors in 1985, Empower has challenged the media status quo. Decades later, this hustle manifested into what we call Creative Media.
Recognized by The One Show, as Campaign US's Agency of the Year, as an Ad Age Agency A-List Standout and as MediaPost's Media Agency of the Year, our integrated team of experts in Creative, Media, Analytics, and Word-of-Mouth Marketing outperforms expectations.
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Ranked: The World's Most Powerful Passports
By Eve Watling On 10/12/18 at 10:26 AM EDT
Ranked: The World's Most Powerful Passports Getty Images
The 2018 Henley & Partners Passport Index examined the travel policies and international relations of 199 different countries, counting how many travel destinations each citizen could travel to without needing a visa, or by getting a visa on arrival.
Visa requirements are always changing, but as 2018, the U.S. tied with Norway, the United Kingdom, Austria, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Portugal in fifth place, with visa-free access to 186 destinations. That's a major decline from just a few years ago.
Related: Do I Need a Visa to Travel to Europe?
"With stagnant outbound visa activity compared to Asian high-performers such as Japan, Singapore, and South Korea, it seems increasingly unlikely that the U.S. and the U.K. will regain the Number One spot they jointly held in 2015," the report says.
Benefits of a powerful passport include ease of travel, fewer fees and more overseas employment and study opportunities. Some 143 countries saw more visa-free destinations added to their passport in 2017, while seven countries saw a reduction.
Related: How Will Brexit Affect U.S. Travelers?
Using this data from the Henley & Partners Passport Index, below are the 50 most powerful passports in the world today.
Francois Nel/Getty Images
JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images
MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Getty Images
ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP/Getty Images
Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images
PASCAL PAVANI/AFP/Getty Images
DANIEL MIHAILESCU/AFP/Getty Images
Sean Gallup/Getty Images


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NewsNational PoliticsThe Race
Emotional toll of racism impacts both mental and physical health
Emotional toll of racism impacts mental and physical health
By: Alexa Liacko
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The moment Ryan Houston-Dial stepped on The University of Texas at San Antonio campus, he felt at home.
"This is where I want to be," said Houston-Dial of the feeling he got when he visited the school.
The university offered everything he wanted, but somehow, several semesters later, the psychology major was left feeling empty.
His classes were the first place he felt alone.
"Typically, I was the only African American male, so sometimes I feared tokenism, that I would have to be the speaker for a certain demographic," he said.
The feelings of worry and stress only grew with the racial unrest this year, and the pandemic.
"My mental health was pretty low. When you have to be able to try to process a lot of these things that are going on in America, and still have to go to work or go to school and act like that did not happen, I feel like you lose a part of yourself."
But Ryan couldn't accept that loss. He reached out to The Steve Fund: a nonprofit providing mental health resources specifically for students of color.
He joined an advisory board there to help develop solutions for colleges to support students of color better, especially through the pandemic.
Psychologists there also opened up conversations that helped him understand the emotional weight he was carrying inside himself.
"Racial trauma is real, and college students are likely entering into college already with racial trauma in their systems," said David Rivera with The Steve Fund. Rivera is also an Associate Professor at the Queens College of New York. "Racial trauma is inherited from our ancestors who had to endure very traumatic events, so we carry that with us."
We spoke with several psychologists to explore the conversation of healing racial trauma and where it comes from. We spoke with Dr. Theopia Jackson of the Association of Black Psychologists and the Chair for the Clinical Psychology degree program at Saybrook University and Winley K., a clinical psychologist who specializes in mental health care for young people of color.
Below, Jackson discusses the roots of institutional racism in the U.S.
"We glorify our forefathers in the efficacy, that they were trying to move forward. But we have to critically think, they were limited by what they knew at that time. At that time, we might presume, that there's this assumption they were not aware of their cognitive dissonance, thinking one way and behaving another. We can't say everyone has unalienable rights while you're still taking people's lands, owning people, and even the ways in which we have thought about and treated women in general and children in general, when they were owned by their husbands, so that's the cognitive dissonance. So we have to critically look at that and see how do we recognize where there are still roots of this in our ways of being?" said Jackson.
Winley K. said students come in for counseling often with racial trauma, and many don't fully realize it.
"People often come in and say, 'I just don't feel good, I don't have motivation for stuff, but I'm not sure why I feel like this,' but then they'll tell me that two days ago, someone called them the N word or in the classroom they're the only person of color and they feel like they're under a microscope and whenever something race related is brought up, people look to them for the answer, but they're still saying I don't know why I feel bad I don't know why it's hard for me to do things I don't understand, so a lot of the work is helping them draw connections between those pieces."
Houston-Dial realized he'd been living with that trauma for years.
"I believe around 12 or 13 years old, it started with the Trayvon Martin case, and I remember sitting in my living room, and I just started crying. It hit a certain point to where I almost didn't even know why I was crying. And as I became older, I began to more realize I was crying because when I saw Trayvon Martin, I saw a reflection of myself that, being an innocent Black boy very well in his neighborhood minding his own business could very well lose his life," said Houston-Dial.
This pain can be lessened with time and support. But without that, racial trauma can have real consequences on a person's health.
"There is a wellness impact to experiencing microaggressions, and when they go unchecked, they can create anxiety, they can create depression symptoms such as sadness, such as fatigue," said Rivera.
These microaggressions can take many forms. It can be a subtle racist comment or a derogatory look.
Below, Jackson discusses how consistent microaggressions can impact a person's health
All are damaging. That's why researchers say it's more important than ever to get young people mental health resources, because 50% of life long mental illness start showing up by the time a person turns 14, and 75% of chronic mental illness will likely emerge by age 24.
"The more that we can equip the young person in terms of helping them to understand the various dynamics they're likely to endure in their life, such as microaggressions and racial trauma, the better off this young person will be in the end," said David Rivera.
"There are those unseen or unrecognizable or small instances that can happen, and that is when we talk about microaggressions and people say, 'you speak really well' to a person of color, which is sort of a backhanded compliment." said Jackson. "The speaker may really have the intentions of giving a compliment, and the receiver may think it really was one, but within their spirit of some space, is what people may call the unconscious if you will, or the unknown parts of ourselves, these types of comments for the receiver can generate this idea of, 'wait a minute, why do I need to be complimented that I speak so well?' That has something to do with not being expected to speak so well particularly when our mainstream messages will in fact suggest that certain people from certain groups aren't supposed to speak very well," said Jackson. "We have science that suggests that exposure to consistent microaggressions can lead to physical challenges such as health care issues around diabetes and obesity and other things like that."
Psychologists say improving the situation will not only start on the individual level by giving young people better tools to help improve their mental health, but it will also take conversations about dismantling the institutional racism that exists all around us, including here on college campuses.
"The impact of institutionalized racism is pretty deep," said Rivera. "Their systems, their procedures, their structures were created for a very few at the expense of many."
But, both Rivera and Houston-Dial believe this system can be rebuilt.
"I believe right now, it's going to take empathy," said Houston-Dial.
More than that, it will take deep, honest conversations between all groups to come together, not grow further apart.
"It's gonna take those who are unaffected to be just as enraged as those who are affected on a daily basis, and from there we can start to have more honest conversations about what race is," said Houston-Dial.
With those conversations, this college student is hopeful change will come.
But, Houston-Dial is already creating change working with The Steve Fund, and his on-campus publication The Paisano.
He and a group of students, including Chevaughn Wellington, a medical student at Quinnipiac University, developed a report with ways to support youth of color, especially during the pandemic.
The Steve Fund is also now reaching out to high school students to provide mental health resources and a safe place to open up about emotional racial trauma.
On his own campus specifically, Houston-Dial and other students petitioned for more counselors to be available to students on campus, and the petition was successful. The university now has more options and mental health resources available for students.
These successes have been a beacon of hope to Houston-Dial in spite of the obstacles this year placed in front of him.
"I have a voice as an African American male in a society that very well may try to oppress me and put me down, but I can still be the icon to another African American male saying, 'Hey it is okay to want to cry, it is okay to want to talk about certain things that are bothering you and that: we can do this together,'" said Houston-Dial.
Because together, their plea for a better tomorrow cannot and will not be ignored.
"We just want to be seen as your equal. That's all we want," said Houston-Dial.
Words that exist in a complicated reality, but a reality this student and his peers will not stop fighting for.


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Twenty years have passed since the U.S. Postal Service first started transitioning from lickable stamps to the peel-and-stick squares used today, thanks to the research by the U.S. Forest Service's Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wis.
The two agencies first research collaboration focused on developing the peel-and-stick – or pressure-sensitive adhesives – that didn't gum up the equipment used to recycle paper. By using this adhesive an additional 20 million tons of waste paper can be recycled annually.
It was research that reached beyond just stamps, according to Carl Houtman, a chemical engineer at the Forest Products Lab.
The Forest Service's work with the Postal Service is two-fold: improving stamp performance and reducing the environmental impact of stamp materials.
Houtman is also creating experimental methods for determining the biodegradation rate of new materials.
The introduction of the Forever Stamp has kept researchers busy developing improved performance and accelerated aging tests to ensure that the stamps indeed remain useful, if not forever, at least close enough to qualify for the name.
John Considine, Forest Products Laboratory research materials engineer, conducts accelerated aging tests using a chamber and meteorological data from various U.S. locations. Considine can subject stamps to rapid cycles of heat and humidity, mimicking conditions the stamps might have to tolerate in the real world.
Research and development will continue as Forest Products Lab and the Postal Service work together to build on the successes of the past 20 years. And while stamps aren't something most of us give much thought to, perhaps next time you use one you'll at least be grateful that you don't have to lick it.


Design is not a series of disparate elements. Change one thing and you affect another. And this is a concept your church clients may not necessarily grasp without your counsel.
In writer Dan Daley's Up-to-the-Task Audio Systems, source Nick Dressler of Clearwing Systems Integration finds, "We get many churches coming to us and saying they need a new sound system, [but] what they really needed was a new set of microphones, or else they had systems that had never been properly tuned."
Likewise, in cases of extremely wide seating configurations, new LED video walls have required supplementation with secondary LCD screens so people sitting off-axis could see, reports Ford AV's Mike Jarnagin in LED Display Design Smarts.
From audio to video to seating—to anything, really—every element of design is connected, as you will rediscover in this April edition of Cover Stories.


All inmates aged between 15 – 17 yrs old. Testimony of Rosalyn, leading the course in a jail of Staffordshire (UK) in 2006.
To begin with I really didn't know how to approach these boys with Sahaja Yoga. It became obvious that the boy's attention was not going to be sustainable for very long and also the language used would have to be very simple and open so they could not only understand, but also take on board the knowledge I wished to share with them.
On arriving at the entrance of the prison the candles brought along would not be allowed inside, nor the incense or anything to light it with. So although resources were very few, I was amazed and heartened that these boys had such a good experience.
Finally 7 boys came along to this first meditation, and their drama teacher came with them to experience her realisation also.
These 7 boys were rowdy and boisterous but not aggressive and really quite polite. Some were very self-conscious and kept their heads down in the beginning, but fortunately there was one boy who was bold, outspoken and was the 'spokesman' for the group. He asked many questions. Honest questions and he wanted honest, straightforward answers. This was very helpful as the others didn't have as much confidence to speak out.
Beginning with a simple relaxation session, with music, some deep breathing and carried out a relaxation session with them first. (They would not take their shoes off). To begin with just basic relaxation always aiming their attention at the fontanelle area, at the top of their head.
On finishing this initial part I asked for their experiences. Half of the group had very strong feelings of relaxation and enjoying the session - they felt different things such as heaviness and one felt a lot of heat.
"What can it do for me"?, "Why did I feel heat"?, "How can I say to myself 'I am not guilty', when I am, that's why I'm in here"? (in prison).
The boys became quite animated again and the quieter ones were now talking much more and exchanging their ideas with each other. Some did say that they couldn't relax well but in all the boys could clearly be seen that their eyes had changed, their demeanor was more open, relaxed and cheerful.
We then had a talk about freedom and how things could change for them, particularly when they leave the prison. The confident spokesman 'Wesley' was very open and talked about his aims and what he felt he wanted from life, this helped some of the others to talk more about themselves too.
Then they were quietened down again in preparation for Realisation session.
Gradually as their attention was taken more 'inside' they became more relaxed and you could see the meditation beginning to work. They all moved their hands on the chakras and concentrated on the inner affirmations lifting their hands to Sahasrara.
I felt Vibrations suddenly blow across both my hands, and cool vibrations were gushing out above my own head. I opened my eyes to look at the boys. No matter what these boys had done in the past, no matter what their background or history was, I could see the pure innocence on their faces whilst they experienced the deep meditation. I could feel nothing but love at that moment, and a big smile came to me and tears in my eyes at the same time.
As we ended the session they all opened their eyes, and ALL, were bubbling with their own experience and the one boy who had felt nothing earlier and was hunched over with crossed arms, his face was clear and open and his eyes shining. Wesley told us that whilst he was meditating he felt an old anger welling up in him, he described how this happened to him at school where he used to throw chairs around in his anger, but he said it subsided naturally during the meditation.
As they began to leave us, the warden 'searched' them and took them all back to their rooms, they turned back to me and asked me to please come back again for more meditation.


Patio Heaters are a radiant heating appliance that are used for generating thermal radiation for outdoor use. They burn liquefied petroleum gas, propane or butane and directs the flames against a perforated metal screen. Heat is radiated from the surface of the screen in a circular pattern around the appliance. A reflector a top the burner reflects heat that would otherwise be lost upwards. This is because the reflecting hood which makes it a poor absorber of heat but excellent at reflecting infra-red radiation back. This reduces the amount of heat lost by conduction as silvered surfaces will not absorb infra-red light.


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Q: creating a matrix of flags for given dates in a pandas dataframe I want to create zeros in my dataframe for particular date ranges for selective columns. I am stuck at finding any efficient solution.
My code creates a matrix of 1s. lets say dates=1/10/2016 - 16/8/2018 (i.e.ytd). matrix1cols=A,B,C,D:
df = pd.DataFrame(np.ones(shape=(len(dates), len(matrix1cols))), index=dates)
df.columns = ['A','B','C', 'D']

Now, I wish to make the Q1 (jan-mar) dates for column A = 0, Q2 dates for B = 0, Q3 dates for C = 0 and Q4 dates for col D = 0, for all years, in df. (I am essentially creating flags for myself)
Ps- my date has many years, and I have simplified the dataset for purpose of ease.

A: One solution is to use a simple for loop. Take care to convert your index to datetime as a preliminary step, e.g. via df.index = pd.to_datetime(df.index).
for q, col in enumerate(df, 1):
    df.loc[df.index.quarter == q, col] = 0

Equivalently, in this case, but more verbose:
for q, col in zip(range(1, 5), df):
    df.loc[df.index.quarter == q, col] = 0

A: Setup
dates = pd.date_range('2016/10/01', '2018/08/16', freq='M')
matrixcols = list('ABCD')
df = pd.DataFrame(np.ones((len(dates), len(matrixcols)), int), dates, matrixcols)

            A  B  C  D
2016-10-31  1  1  1  1
2016-11-30  1  1  1  1
2016-12-31  1  1  1  1
2017-01-31  1  1  1  1
2017-02-28  1  1  1  1
2017-03-31  1  1  1  1
2017-04-30  1  1  1  1
2017-05-31  1  1  1  1
2017-06-30  1  1  1  1
2017-07-31  1  1  1  1
2017-08-31  1  1  1  1
2017-09-30  1  1  1  1
2017-10-31  1  1  1  1
2017-11-30  1  1  1  1
2017-12-31  1  1  1  1
2018-01-31  1  1  1  1
2018-02-28  1  1  1  1
2018-03-31  1  1  1  1
2018-04-30  1  1  1  1
2018-05-31  1  1  1  1
2018-06-30  1  1  1  1
2018-07-31  1  1  1  1

Numpy slicing
Create a custom array that defines where to place zeros
i = np.array([
    #A  B  C  D
    [1, 1, 0, 1],  # Q1 -> Only column C is zero
    [1, 0, 0, 0],  # Q2 -> cols B, C, D are zero
    [0, 0, 1, 1],  # Q3 -> cols A, B are zero
    [0, 1, 1, 0],  # Q4 -> cols A, D are zero
])

q = df.index.quarter - 1
df * i[q]

            A  B  C  D
2016-10-31  0  1  1  0
2016-11-30  0  1  1  0
2016-12-31  0  1  1  0
2017-01-31  1  1  0  1
2017-02-28  1  1  0  1
2017-03-31  1  1  0  1
2017-04-30  1  0  0  0
2017-05-31  1  0  0  0
2017-06-30  1  0  0  0
2017-07-31  0  0  1  1
2017-08-31  0  0  1  1
2017-09-30  0  0  1  1
2017-10-31  0  1  1  0
2017-11-30  0  1  1  0
2017-12-31  0  1  1  0
2018-01-31  1  1  0  1
2018-02-28  1  1  0  1
2018-03-31  1  1  0  1
2018-04-30  1  0  0  0
2018-05-31  1  0  0  0
2018-06-30  1  0  0  0
2018-07-31  0  0  1  1

Another view to see that it is working for correct quarters.
i = np.array([
    #A  B  C  D
    [1, 1, 0, 1],  # Q1 -> Only column C is zero
    [1, 0, 0, 0],  # Q2 -> cols B, C, D are zero
    [0, 0, 1, 1],  # Q3 -> cols A, B are zero
    [0, 1, 1, 0],  # Q4 -> cols A, D are zero
])

q = df.index.quarter - 1
df.set_index(df.index.to_period('Q'), append=True).swaplevel(0, 1) * i[q]

                   A  B  C  D
2016Q4 2016-10-31  0  1  1  0
       2016-11-30  0  1  1  0
       2016-12-31  0  1  1  0
2017Q1 2017-01-31  1  1  0  1
       2017-02-28  1  1  0  1
       2017-03-31  1  1  0  1
2017Q2 2017-04-30  1  0  0  0
       2017-05-31  1  0  0  0
       2017-06-30  1  0  0  0
2017Q3 2017-07-31  0  0  1  1
       2017-08-31  0  0  1  1
       2017-09-30  0  0  1  1
2017Q4 2017-10-31  0  1  1  0
       2017-11-30  0  1  1  0
       2017-12-31  0  1  1  0
2018Q1 2018-01-31  1  1  0  1
       2018-02-28  1  1  0  1
       2018-03-31  1  1  0  1
2018Q2 2018-04-30  1  0  0  0
       2018-05-31  1  0  0  0
       2018-06-30  1  0  0  0
2018Q3 2018-07-31  0  0  1  1

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Filemanager with tinymce laravel showing same page when browsing I am trying to use TinyMCE with UniSharp filemanager.
Whenever I click on the browse button of filemanager it opens my webpage (screenshot).

A: I'm using Laravel 5.4, and fixed this when I came across it by updating the 'middlewares' value in lfm.php to the following:
'middlewares' => ['web', 'auth']
If you don't have the lfm.php file, you need to export the config by running the following as described in Step 3 of the installation at http://unisharp.github.io/laravel-filemanager/installation
php artisan vendor:publish --tag=lfm_config


text:
Q: TFS and working with multiple solutions How do people generally deal with TFS when you've got to work with multiple solution files? If you've got one instance it's easy because you can always go to that window for the source control explorer, pending changes, check on builds or work items. But when you have 4-5 solutions, it becomes tricky to deal with. You might expand some folders or check some pending items on one VS instance but you have to remember which one you did it on.
Having a separate instance dedicated just to TFS tasks is tempting, but there's only one window state for the whole program. If that instance is closed last, all instances will come up with all the TFS windows open.
How do other people deal with this? Can you use separate profiles somehow and cordon off a "TFS" instance of Visual Studio?

A: Use the Pending Changes window.  View -> Other Windows -> Pending Changes.  This has a toolbar option to show only those changes pending for the current solution also.  It's the last toolbar button in the Pending Changes window.  I usually make this a full document in VS and then memorize the keyboard shortcut to it: ALT+V, E, H.  Obviously you could bind your own shortcut, but what fun is that.
Eclipse has a similar perspective/view to Pending Changes, but it's name escapes me and I don't have my Ubuntu VM up at the moment.
Solution Explorer and Source Control Explorer are definitely not my recommendation for check-in activities.  I personally like to clear out all of the checkboxes on Pending Changes and then Diff each file.  This keeps me from A) waiting too long before a checkin (it sucks to compare 20 files 1 by 1) and B) avoids checking in a change I didn't intend.

A: If you have multiple instances of Visual Studio open at one time (which I'm not quite sure why you would need to do this), your changes are "synchronized" across all instances of Visual Studio.  Don't do your check-in from the solution explorer, do it from the Source Control explorer, then you're sure to get all your updates in a single check-in.

A: You might find VSCommands useful when working with VS/TFS - it can be configured to display the Solution and TFS Branch name in the title bar, this indication is invaluable when working with multiple instances of VS (or multiple branches of the same project).


Swift Solution Pvt. Ltd. has provided on-line safety courses for various industries and manufacturing companies in various languages.
Worker safety training programs is different from other types of training in that employers are required by law to provide specific training courses to their employee and is mandatory by law to ensure compliance with safety regulations.
This includes training specific to an employee's particular job, the hazards to which he/she may be exposed, as well as the laws that apply to their particular workplace and job function.
It is critical that companies are able to track training status, set training and retraining assignments and produce accurate training reports. Swift Solution Pvt. Ltd. design e-Learning Programs including safety and health program to ensure compliance as per law.
Contact us at swiftsol@itswift.com for more information.


Kmart is an Australian icon that has become one of Australia's favourite and most recognisable retailers.
Today, Kmart delivers irresistibly low prices through more than 180 stores across Australia and New Zealand.
We work hard to ensure you get the lowest prices possible on the items you and your family need every day.
So, if you haven't been in to a Kmart store for a while, come in and experience the new Kmart for yourself. We're sure you'll like it.
Mathers has more than 40 stores across Australia, all dedicated to the same thing; delivering comfort and style to the feet of our valued customers. We stock a whole host of trusted brands that create fashionable yet functional footwear, including Supersoft by Diana Ferrari, Colorado, Enzo Garcia, Isabella Rossi, and more.
A three billion dollar global leader in the performance and lifestyle footwear industry, Skechers designs, develops and markets more than 3,000 styles for men, women and children. Skechers' success stems from its employees, high-quality, varied product offering, diversified distribution channels, and targeted multi-channel marketing.


text:
Cheap Croton-On-Hudson to Newport News train tickets
How much are Croton-On-Hudson to Newport News train tickets?
Lowest Price $107.00
Fastest 10h 0m
Daily Schedules 2
train carriers 1
How to find cheap train tickets from Croton-On-Hudson to Newport News ?
The most surefire way to find the lowest-priced train tickets from Croton-On-Hudson to Newport News is to plan ahead and book your train travel earlier. In the past 30 days, the cheapest average price users have found for trains from Croton-On-Hudson to Newport News was $107.00. If your travel date is still a number of days out, by booking your trip 11 days before you plan to travel, you could save an average of $73.00 compared to a typical last-minute fare. Trying to save on a last-minute fare and have a bit of flexibility on what day to travel? Take a look at midweek schedules, as these tend to be less busy and are often cheaper than buying tickets to travel on Friday, or a weekend departure.
Cheapest average price$107.00
How long is the train journey from Croton-On-Hudson to Newport News ? How far is Croton-On-Hudson to Newport News ?
The distance between Croton-On-Hudson to Newport News is 316.72 miles or 509.58 km. A train trip from Croton-On-Hudson to Newport News typically takes 13 hours, If you are looking to get to Newport News faster, the fastest advertised duration is offered by Amtrak. The fastest train trip covers the distance in 10 hours and 21 minutes to get from Croton-On-Hudson to Newport News.
Going from Croton-On-Hudson to Newport News by train takes over 13 hours to reach your destination. For a lengthy train journey we recommend you pack a great book, or download a few movies to have them available offline just in case you are outside of a service coverage area. Don't forget to bring some water and a battery pack to keep all of your electronics charged.
On Monday trains from Croton-On-Hudson to Newport News are the busiest. If you are looking for a great deal on your train tickets or to have extra room to stretch out, you might consider traveling on Saturday instead, as that tends to be the least traveled day of the week.
BusiestMon
Amtrak has the most connections between Croton-On-Hudson to Newport News
Typically there are 2 schedules to compare for your trip to Newport News. One train carrier operates regular service on the Croton-On-Hudson to Newport News route. Amtrak offers the most scheduled departures between Croton-On-Hudson to Newport News, usually offering 2 trips per day. On this route there are no direct schedules. This means that along your journey from Croton-On-Hudson to Newport News, you will need to disembark from the first train and board a connecting train. Depending on the carrier's policy, you may be responsible for transferring your own checked luggage, but you will definitely need to bring your hand luggage.
One train carrier connects Croton-On-Hudson to Newport News
Amtrak train tickets from Croton-On-Hudson to Newport News start from $102.00, and on average cost $137.42. Daily there are 2 Amtrak schedules to Newport News. Amtrak in Croton-On-Hudson leaves from 4 Veterans Plz and 1 Croton Pt Ave, And in Newport News trains arrive at 9304 Warwick Blvd,
From Croton-On-Hudson to Newport News train travel on Amtrak takes 13 hours and 5 minutes. If you are looking to get to Newport News faster, Amtrak offers more express schedule options with a travel time of 10 hours and 0 minutes.
If you're considering a weeked trip, Amtrak offers 3 schedules for you to choose from. You can expect to pay $147.58 for a one-way train ticket to Newport News.
Extra legroom
Daily Schedules2
Direct schedules0
First train9:00am
Last train9:00pm
There is one train trip per day from Newport News to Winslow $426.00+
Newport News to Antioch train $383.75+
Train from Newport News to Rockville $55.33+
Train from Newport News to GWTA Transfer Ctr, Goldsboro $88.00+
Amtrak serves Newport News to Kinston $118.50+
Newport News to Winston-Salem train $89.75+
Cheap train tickets to Somerdale from Newport News $80.25+
Newport News to Ardmore train $79.63+
Amtrak serves Newport News to Connellsville $64.00+
Travel from Newport News to Kutztown in 10 hours and 20 minutes $90.00+
Train Newport News to Blacksburg, VA $126.00+
Clifton Forge
Train from Newport News to Clifton Forge $53.00+
Newport News to Culpeper train $68.00+
Amtrak Northeast Regional serves Newport News to Manassas and one other train carrier $64.29+
Train Newport News to Roanoke, VA $96.00+
Train from Newport News to 1 Middlebrook Ave, Staunton $45.73+
Train from Newport News to Harpers Ferry $56.50+
Train Newport News to Martinsburg, WV $54.00+
Train from Croton-On-Hudson to New Haven $93.22+
Amtrak serves Croton-On-Hudson to Stamford $67.72+
Train from Croton-On-Hudson to Washington $146.00+
Croton-On-Hudson to Wilmington train $129.44+
Train Croton-On-Hudson to Galesburg, IL $137.75+
Choose from 8 train trips per day from Croton-On-Hudson to Mendota $125.19+
Cheap train tickets to Normal from Croton-On-Hudson $163.33+
Choose from 15 train trips per day from Croton-On-Hudson to Boston $124.24+
Train Croton-On-Hudson to Westwood $144.85+
Amtrak serves Croton-On-Hudson to Baltimore $145.42+
Croton-On-Hudson to Frederick train $144.75+
Travel from Croton-On-Hudson to New Carrollton in 6 hours $127.98+
Train Croton-On-Hudson to Cherry Hill $71.58+
Train from Croton-On-Hudson to Newark $53.18+
Travel from Croton-On-Hudson to Philadelphia in 4 hours $95.38+
Train from Croton-On-Hudson to Alexandria $130.38+
Choose from 10 train trips per day from Croton-On-Hudson to Richmond $124.40+
Amtrak serves Croton-On-Hudson to Milwaukee $136.93+
Croton-On-Hudson train stations serving Newport News :
There is one train station from which trains depart Croton-On-Hudson on their way to Newport News. The busiest departure station in Croton-On-Hudson serving this route is 4 Veterans Plz and 1 Croton Pt Ave.
4 Veterans Plz and 1 Croton Pt Ave
Arrival train stations in Newport News:
There is one train station where trains arrive in Newport News from Croton-On-Hudson., The busiest departure station in Croton-On-Hudson serving this route is 9304 Warwick Blvd.
Croton-On-Hudson to Newport News


Every so often, the co-founder of Carnelian Inc., James Kittock, hears the phones at his Silicon Valley start-up company begin to ring in order, from one cloth-covered cubicle to the next: 0976, 0977, 0978. . . . He knows -- everyone in the Valley knows -- it is the recruiters, calling to steal his programmers away, often at huge salaries.
Mr. Kittock, 27, cannot really blame them. Carnelian itself has been known to resort to guerrilla tactics in what has become an increasingly desperate scavenger hunt for highly paid digital-age translators who can mediate between mind and machine. And like other employers nationwide these days, Carnelian has found that there is simply not enough talent to go around at any price.
''For us, it was a choice of lowering our standards or waiting, and we chose to wait,'' Mr. Kittock said, ''but it's tough to see time slipping by and things not moving ahead because of a lack of horsepower.'' His company, which develops software for Internet publishing, could use twice the dozen programmers it now employs.
Mr. Kittock's lament echoes throughout the world of high technology and beyond. As America relies more heavily on computer software than ever before, the demand for people who can develop and use the tools of the modern age has vastly outstripped the existing supply. And the shortage is expected to get much worse as an estimated one million new programming jobs come open in the next nine years.
Help-wanted ads are multiplying for the coders who can write in fashionable computer languages like Java, for the testers who find the bugs that the coders invariably leave behind and for the systems analysts who figure out how to make it all work together.
The talent shortage is so pronounced that members of the Clinton Administration announced yesterday that the Government would invest $28 million in new initiatives to encourage training more programmers. The initiative was announced at a meeting that will continue today with industry officials and academics in Berkeley, Calif., to explore potential solutions.
Under the Administration's plan, which was first reported in The Washington Post, the Labor Department will offer $3 million in grants to schools, businesses and local governments to retrain laid-off workers as programmers, and it will spend another $8 million to build a World Wide Web site where employers can post job offerings and workers can post resumes. The Commerce Department will spend $17 million to bring technology resources, including training, to poor people.
The Administration's initiatives are driven by concern about the economic implications of the programmer shortage when information technology, grossing more than $865 billion a year, is the nation's largest industry, with the software segment growing more than twice as fast as the overall economy.
What is more, the shortage is contributing to a looming crisis known as the year 2000 problem, a legacy of a long-practiced programming economy in which years were denoted with two digits -- using 75 for 1975, for example. Unless all date-sensitive lines of computer code are tracked down and fixed, many businesses and institutions, from banks to government agencies to research labs and air traffic control centers, will be thrown into chaos or simply cease operating on Jan. 1, 2000.
Why the shortfall in programmers? For one thing, in Silicon Valley over the last two years, hundreds of new companies have opened, all hungry for someone -- anyone -- who can string together lines of computer code.
At the same time, the field has yet to recover from a downturn in the late 1980's and early 90's, when downsizing by aerospace companies and big technology concerns like the International Business Machines Corporation and the AT&T Corporation threw many computer scientists out of work and discouraged college students from pursuing computer careers. From a peak of 50,000 in 1986, the number of bachelor's and graduate degrees in computer science plummeted to 36,000 in 1995.
Yet, for students, job security is not the only issue when deciding for or against a career in computer science. Some cite its image: The ''nerd factor,'' marked by the pasty pallor known as a ''monitor tan,'' seems to trump a recent ''geek chic'' trend in a notoriously antisocial profession. And much of the work is tedious.
''We need a large technical class that is well trained to do work that is mind-numbingly boring,'' said Eric Roberts, associate director of Stanford University's computer science program.
Over the last two years, the overheated job market has pushed up computer science enrollment, but to nowhere near the level that analysts say will be necessary to meet the industry's needs. Between 1996 and 2006, more than a million new jobs requiring software skills should be created, according to a recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report. That represents a remarkable 6 percent of all new jobs expected to be created in that period.
But those numbers, which make no attempt to measure projected supply, join a slew of other emerging statistics that expose the extent of a labor shortage that could have significant economic repercussions. According to industry estimates, 200,000 to 400,000 jobs requiring computer software skills stand open now.
In Silicon Valley, where the competition for the best and brightest is most fierce, companies like the Netscape Communications Corporation offer perks like car washes at lunch and an in-house dry-cleaning service that provides cubicle-to-cubicle delivery. Alex Musil, a 22-year-old who was hired recently, said he particularly enjoyed Netscape's Le Concierge service, which handles entertainment purchases for employees.
''I bought my parents a cruise through them,'' said Mr. Musil, who was hired out of Stanford University with an annual salary of $54,000 last year.
Without enough programmers to go around, established companies are being forced to delay or even scrap technology projects, and start-ups are finding it harder to attract the workers they need.
If the talent drought continues, the entire national economy may feel the effect of lost wages and slowed innovation. And the competitive advantage that the United States has long held in technology may be at risk.
''This is like running out of iron ore in the middle of the Industrial Revolution,'' said Harris N. Miller, president of the Information Technology Association of America, which represents computing and telecommunications companies.
The most pressing question for both research and industry is how to get more computer scientists into the pipeline.
''Despite the fact that there are huge salaries to be made, kids don't choose these fields,'' said Richard Skinner, president of Clayton College and State University in Atlanta, who heads a Commerce Department task force on how universities are responding to the labor shortage.
A good programmer needs to exist comfortably in the ''machine state,'' writing and meticulously checking and double-checking hundreds of lines of code that are often just a small part of a much larger project. It is a talent that is hard to come by -- and one often disparaged in mainstream culture.
There are few role models for computer-related jobs, and even people like William H. Gates, the chairman of the Microsoft Corporation and something of a popular icon, tend to be far better known for their achievements as business moguls than for their skills as software engineers.
At this week's meeting in Berkeley, in the hope of countering the negative image, industry officials recommended a promotion campaign similar to the dairy industry's ''Drink Milk'' ads that feature basketball and football stars and other celebrities wearing milk mustaches. Such a campaign, which could be sponsored by the computer industry, would promote the positive aspects of information technology and possibly feature industry leaders like Kim Polese, the young founder of the high-profile software start-up Marimba.
Recruiting more women like Ms. Polese to the field is considered crucial because the share of computer science degrees awarded to women in the United States has fallen steadily, to 28 percent in 1994 from a peak of 36 percent in 1984. A more proportional representation of women could go a long way toward meeting the need for programmers.
Only 17 percent of those taking the advanced placement test for computer science in the nation's high schools last year were women, the lowest of any subject. Girls often lack the early math training that many boys get. And in what Jane Margolis, an anthropologist at Carnegie Mellon University, calls the ''computer gene'' response, many women she has interviewed simply believe they are not born with the ability to do computer science.
At the same time, many women who demonstrate both the aptitude and appetite for programming are turned off by the nature of the work. For example, Zoe Woodworth, 21, who was one of only six women in her freshman computer science class of 100 at Carnegie Mellon, is also one of three who have since dropped out.
''I love math, but I realized I'm just not a computer scientist,'' Ms. Woodworth said. ''I was burned out, and I didn't care about the subject matter. It just seemed passionless.'' She is now an art major.
The bigger problem may have less to do with image than with reality. The jobs where programmers conceive and design products are rare. The bulk of the openings are for what students refer to derisively as ''cubicle hackers'' or ''code machines,'' people who type endless streams of commands to someone else's specifications.
Mr. Edleson, who said he had intended to major in computer science, is now studying philosophy instead.
Even students like Eric Cheng, a much-sought-after Stanford graduate student, have doubts about the profession.
Still, for Mr. Miller and many of his colleagues, the payoff comes with the thrill of solving a problem, of making a program work. ''It's about understanding what the computer is thinking,'' Mr. Miller said.
The hunger for programmers is not limited to companies that make software to sell to others. As the nation's corporations reorganize themselves to take advantage of the huge digital file cabinets known as data bases and of communications networks and software that allow them to increase productivity, the high-technology help-wanted ads are increasingly posted by the likes of Wal-Mart, General Motors and Federal Express. In the job market, that leaves the software producers competing against the buyers of their products.
''In the past, it was just I.B.M., Intel and us looking for these people,'' said David Pritchard, director of recruiting for Microsoft.
Some economists argue that the work force will naturally swell to meet the demand as salaries for those with software skills climb as much as 20 percent annually compared with the 4 percent annual wage increase of the average American worker. The average programmer earned $58,200 in 1995 and $66,500 in 1996, according to the Information Technology Association of America. But a consensus is growing in industry, academic and government circles that the lure of higher pay may not, by itself, be sufficient to correct the skilled-labor shortage.
Nor is Ms. Tessler particularly encouraged by the increase in computer science enrollment last year. For one thing, not all of the new students -- particularly women -- will stay the course. In addition, almost one-fifth of all computer science students are foreign nationals, many of whom will return to their native countries after graduating.
Already, American technology companies have set up operations in India, Ireland and the Philippines to take advantage of increasingly skilled foreign labor pools. Information industry employers in the United States sponsor some 15,000 foreign professionals under Federal immigration law, which allows 65,000 professional foreign workers to come to the United States each year, and they are lobbying to raise the cap.
But some economists worry about relying on foreign workers to fill the software gap.
Even global supplies of technology workers are no longer as available as they once were. India's universities, for instance, turn out 55,000 students in the field each year but are not keeping pace with that nation's rapidly growing software industry.
What is more, the bidding war for software talent, in which corporations can offer stock options and salaries that universities and research institutions cannot match, makes it harder to find people who will devote themselves to the long-term research that might generate the next technological breakthroughs or to teaching the next generation of computer scientists. The number of advanced degrees granted in computer science has stayed flat, at about 1,000 a year, for the last decade, and doctoral students now often choose a dissertation project based not on whether it advances basic knowledge but on whether it represents a viable business opportunity.
To remove some of the barriers for people who lack experience, the University of Washington has begun offering a ''no background'' introductory class. But even if such programs succeed in broadening the appeal of the discipline, it will take time to produce employable graduates. Meanwhile, desperate employers are increasingly reaching out to people who have not traditionally considered technology jobs.
Microsoft has set up a division to train its recruits and others who will be hired by corporate customers. The Defense Department is sponsoring a retraining program for aerospace engineers and others who have skills that could translate into computer expertise. Some technology concerns are working with two-year community colleges to train people quickly and to impart the most current skills in a field where knowledge quickly becomes outdated.
Gail Fitzgerald, director of the Computer Task Group in Buffalo, a company that provides entire staffs of information technology specialists to corporations, says she is training almost anyone she can find. After 12 weeks of intensive training, graduates will not be able to design next-generation weapons systems, but they can diagnose certain kinds of computer problems and earn as much as $35,000 a year.
Whatever the frustrations for employers, and however cloudy the outlook for national competitiveness, there is one business group benefiting in a big way from the dearth of digital talent: technology headhunters.


One of the components most apps might want to use is the Spotify Player, this is the widget that allows you to play / pause albums, tracks and playlists.
Something I was quite interested in doing was having the ability to customise the player with my own images, by default Spotify will use the cover for the album or track or a mosaic of images if you are playing a playlist.
To override this default functionality took a bit of research but here is how I did it. This example creates a custom playlist with a couple of tracks and then attaches that to the player using jQuery's replaceWith() method.
Once that is done you can easily embed the widget by appending it to the DOM and your all set with your customised player image.


Puzzle 65 – Riddle number 9. Wkh dqvzhu wr wkh ulggoh lv wkh zrug krxvh. The something to the? Every letter is plus 3 on it's alphabet position. The answer to the riddle is on the next line.
Answer: HOUSE. Nerdr.com original answer woo!
Puzzle 66 – Stopper 2. Easy reaction test.
Puzzle 67 – Tangram number 7 on the Curse. http://imgur.com/8P1Ay.
Puzzle 68 – Solitaire 2. Leave one stone in the middle. HELP.
Puzzle 69 – The curse Riddle 10. I can be curved or straight, and have many legs. And with four letters less, I'm exactly the same. Answer on next line.
Answer is QUEUE. Sounds the same as the letter Q. Larry C from the comments and that completes the riddles.
Puzzle 71 – Sliding blocks 7. HELP.
Puzzle 72 – Untangle #3. Like on other untangle questions, keep moving pieces until white connections are as many as possible.
Puzzle 73 – Match-it 3. Just keep guessing on until you get the correct answer. No cheats or hints for this puzzle.
Puzzle 74 – Button Gauge 3. Reaction and timing question.
Puzzle 76 – Riddle number 11. What can you put in a crate that makes it weigh less? The more you add, the lighter it becomes, yet the crate always stays empty. Answer on the next line.
Answer is HOLES. Another ancient riddle.
Puzzle 77 – Draw the line 5. Top left corner to bottom 6, top 6 to left 5, top right corner to bottom left corner, left 6 to right 7 and finally top 3 to right 4. http://imgur.com/cdxoq.
Puzzle 78 – Circuit 5. Hard question type. http://imgur.com/DnPrj.
Puzzle 79 – Sliding Blocks 8. HELP.
Puzzle 80 – Bulbs 3 memory test.
Puzzle 81 – Burn the rope #6. Cheat is http://imgur.com/6lA0K.
Puzzle 82 – Lights out 5. Solution from Steve again (Puzzle 62) from the comments for Lights Out number 5: http://imgur.com/hkNTl.
The Curse App Puzzle 83 – Tangram 9. Top left corner – green square. Under that a big blue triangle. Yellow is at bottom with a red triangle on top of it. OTher big blue triangle has its big edge on the right side of the silhouette. Orange and last red are on top row with the green square.
Puzzle 85 – Tower of Hanoi. Classic puzzle that just takes a very long time to complete.
Puzzle 86 – MimicDetect which of the 8 Mannequins busts is the mimic. Guess the solution, no cheats or hints possible.
Puzzle 87 – Riddle number 12. People want to keep me, I'm always very quiet. Half of me is a vegetable, the other is a card up your sleeve. Answer is on the next line. Solve the Riddle.
Answer is PEACE. From Jim in the comments. Pea and Ace up your sleave.


text:
China: Politicize Religion to Secure State
02/07/2019 Wang Anyang
Christian issues were considered as critical political tasks at the provincial conference convened in August 2018 in Hebei Province.
Increasing actions against religion, from arrests to deportation to anti-Christmas propaganda, aim to forestall a Soviet-style regime collapse.
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members are cracking down on religious groups at an increasing rate. In seeking to explain the pressure placed on believers, analysts point to one main fear on the part of the authorities: that religion could be the catalyst for a popular uprising, and thus must be stamped out.
One of the most common charges is that believers are "fraternizing with foreigners" and "subverting state power."
In 2018, the CCP cracked down on house churches across China for "fraternization with foreigners." According to internal documents, last year in Xinxiang city, in Henan province in central China, the municipality handled cases of 127 religious people, accusing them of fraternization with foreigners. Among those arrested was a Japanese missionary who was later deported.
Christian groups with Korean backgrounds have faced even more comprehensive attacks. A document entitled Special Work Program for Investigation into and Prosecution of the Infiltration of Korean Christianity According to the Law was issued in March 2018, by a city in Liaoning province near the North Korean border. The document calls for attacks against Korean Christian individuals and organizations engaging in "infiltration activities," the obstruction of the primary channels of communication of Korean Christian groups and the prevention of sending believers to events in neighboring countries.
On October 17, at a conference dedicated to religious affairs in Botou city, in Hebei Province in northern China, government officials claimed that they were attacking Korean Christianity because Korea was being influenced by the USA and becoming a Christian power. Furthermore, they claimed that the next goal of the USA would be to exploit Christianity to take control of China and that Korea was just a jumping-off point in their plan.
The conference also connected religious issues to China-US relations. It was claimed that, in the ongoing trade war between China and the US, foreign powers were attempting to destroy China through religion. Taiping Rebellion, a political and religious upheaval that lasted for 14 years (1850–64), took an estimated 20 million lives, and altered the Qing dynasty (1644–1911/12), was cited as an example that subversion of state power usually occurs in the name of religion and that religious groups all have specific political objectives. Speakers offered this view of Christianity as the reason to suppress the church.
After the US Congress mentioned the persecution of The Church of Almighty God (CAG) at an event last year, on January 29, Hong Kong's Ta Kung Pao newspaper, a media mouthpiece for the CCP, released an article in retaliation. It reported, "Amidst a deadlock in China-US relations, the US Congress has placed The Church of Almighty God on the international political stage with the intent of attacking China," and that they are "using freedom of religion to attack the Chinese government." The conflating of religious issues and China-US political relations is undeniable.
In September 2018, at a United Front Work Department (UFWD) meeting in Lanzhou city, in Gansu Province in the northwest of China, the secretary of the district party committee Wei Jinwen stated, "Religious tasks are political tasks. When the populace faces problems, it doesn't seek out the government, but rather goes to imams. Some people depend on [state] medical insurance for medical care while thanking Jesus for it. If things go on like this, it will weaken the foundation of the party's power, as well as the stability of the regime." Mr. Wei also suggested that Arabic architecture poses hidden dangers of affecting national unity and social stability.
Apart from inserting religion into international political disputes, authorities see believers as the seed of a future "Color Revolution" in China. According to a document that Bitter Winter previously exposed, the CCP has advocated "resistance of infiltration activities of foreign religions" and "prevention and handling of xie jiao" as priorities to avoid a Color Revolution in China. The prevention and mitigation of Color Revolution has been declared the Ministry of Public Security's primary task to maintain regime stability for 2019.
The numbers of those arrested and detained suggest how seriously China is taking the religious "threat" to its existence. In the name of combatting separatism and terrorism, the CCP has been imprisoning Uyghurs in droves, and detaining house church leaders such as pastor Wang Yi from the Early Rain Covenant Church on charges of "incitement to subvert state power."
Even Christmas has not escaped the CCP's fury, as propaganda against "threatening" western holidays escalates. Christmas is sometimes called a "holiday of national humiliation," even conflating Christianity with the Eight-Nation alliance invasion of China. (The Eight-Nation Alliance is the Chinese term for the coordinated invasion of eight powers to suppress the Boxer Rebellion in 1900.)
Some commentators say the CCP's treatment of religious belief as a dangerous force that could subvert state power has origins in the recent past.
Reportedly, after the massacre at Tiananmen Square, the CCP dispatched scholars to Eastern Europe to understand the cause of the destruction of the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc. They concluded that religion had been the single most important factor in mobilizing the masses against the Communist Parties in several Eastern European countries. This conclusion had a far-reaching influence on the top leaders of the CCP. They now believe that the West succeeded in destroying the Soviet Union and the Communist regimes in Eastern Europe by using religion as a weapon. Therefore, the CCP must crack down on religion so that China may avoid the fate of the Soviet Union.
Reported by Wang Anyang
Tagged With: Anti-Religious Campaigns, Authorities Against Christians
Wang Anyang
Outdoor Buddhist Statues Demolished Nationwide
Numerous Temples Shuttered in Two Shaanxi Province's Cities
Bitter Winter for the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief
More Bans on Religious Materials Not Approved by the State
Church of Almighty God Members Hounded Their Entire Lives
Countless members of this Christian new religious movement are blacklisted in China and are harassed and persecuted for years, pressured to renounce their faith.
160+ Folk Religion Temples Demolished, Shut Down in Sichuan
Chinese authorities crack down on all things religious, including venues of indigenous religions that have been an integral part of life in rural areas for years.
Religious Weddings and Funerals Banned as Illegal Activities
People of faith, Buddhists and Christians alike, are not allowed to celebrate life's most significant moments according to religious traditions and rites.
Spirit Breaking: On Mosque Rectification and Cultural Genocide
A public toilet installed on the remains of the Tokul mosque in Xinjiang—and other rites of humiliation the CCP performs against religion.