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COP26: God-consciousness demands protecting our planet
Right now, the world's leaders from governments, institutions, corporates, scientists, environmentalists, and others alike are meeting over a two-week period to save our planet. By saving, they mean each country agreeing to a set of commitments to lower carbon dioxide emissions (and other greenhouse gases) that will collectively mean that our planet doesn't warm up beyond 1.5°C by the year 2100. Most countries of the world have made some policies and statements about cutting carbon dioxide or achieving "net zero", whereby the amount of carbon dioxide a country adds is no more than the amount taken away from the atmosphere. But even if everyone keeps to their long-term "net zero" promises, we'll still get a 2.4°C increase in global temperatures by 2100. And if countries only keep to their existing policies, the world will warm by 2.7°C to 3.1°C by 2100. Worst still, if countries do nothing then the world will likely warm up more than 4°C by the end of this century. By then most of us will be long dead of course, but we have a moral and God-given duty to take care of and safeguard the well-being of our planet for today and future generations. Read on to find out how.
What is COP and why is COP26 so important?
For decades, the countries of the world have been working to edge closer to a set of legally-binding achievable commitments to help with climate action. These have been termed COP for "Conference of the Parties" which is an annual event that brings governments together to discuss and review how climate change is being managed domestically and internationally. The first COP (COP1) meeting was held in 1995 in Berlin, Germany. What makes COP26 (in 2021) so special is partly because it is the first one since the Covid-19 pandemic began and is being hosted in Glasgow, in the UK. Covid-19 of course demonstrated to the world the kind of temporary climatic restoration that is possible if it wasn't for human activities. COP is usually attended by countries that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) treaty in 1994. In COP26, there are 197 countries participating. Six years ago, in 2015, in Paris, in COP21, there was a shared aspirational goal which was jointly agreed to limit global warming to well below 2°C, and preferably to 1.5°C. However, what wasn't agreed in Paris is how countries would do that, and since then, by 2020, countries were supposed to have submitted their climate action plans – which is now up for negotiation in COP26, which is the other fundamental reason why COP26 is so special. We have plenty of gaps to achieve 1.5°C. Being transparent in how countries plan to achieve this is at the crux of whether it will be at all achievable in practice.
Why 1.5°C global warming target?
This figure of 1.5°C global warming is against the average global temperature in pre-industrial times. It is important because there's already more carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere (the air we breathe in all the way up to the edge of the Earth's atmosphere) than we've had historically, thanks to over 200 years of industrialisation and human consumption linked to our habits, modern lifestyles and population increases. We've been burning fossil fuels such as coal to generate electricity, as well as burning petrochemicals for vehicle fuel and making plastics. In these processes, large amounts of greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere Greenhouse gases trap heat from escaping from the Earth, which also includes methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases. In 1751 carbon dioxide emissions were near zero, but this has grown to 9800 metric tonnes by 2014. Because we've been doing this for decades and centuries, it's meant that there's already momentum – an unstoppable juggernaut – in the Earth's climatic system which means the world is already warmer than before and will continue to warm up regardless of what we do. Based on this, some scientists are saying that limiting the warming to 1.5°C target is now beyond practical reach. However, at the same time, doing nothing isn't an option. It's never too late to do as much as we can (e.g. 2°C is better than 2.7°C), as it means we will limit global warming from escalating to a level that makes life on earth evermore challenged, and eventually completely unbearable. If that does happen one day, humanity's time on earth could be more about surviving under harsh conditions, rather than as it is today, where generally we can all hope to live a fulfilling life and enjoy the natural world. While humanity may adapt, other animals and plants would be far less able to.
That said, let's also not hide the fact that not all of humanity will be affected in the same way, in intensity and duration. Rich countries will have the means and tools to at least mitigate some of the worst risks and quite possibly raise the draw bridges to ignore the impacts elsewhere. But the poor, especially if they are in the direct line of the impacts, will have little to no resources to help themselves.
The ripple effect of greenhouse gas build-up
Each year we put more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than natural processes can remove, which means the net global amount of carbon dioxide rises. The more we overshoot what natural processes remove, the faster the annual growth rate. Carbon dioxide in the air acts like a blanket keeping heat trapped in the Earth and, over a period as it builds up, starts a ripple effect that has far-reaching consequences all over the world.
For example, the extra heat means we have warmer seas, and having warmer seas means less fish (and fauna population generally) can survive and coral reefs die, which in turn means catastrophic disruption to vast oceanic ecosystems. Warmer seas also mean warmer air, which in turn means disruption to "normal" jet streams, which means we get more rainfall (flash flooding) and extreme weather – more heat, fires, and drought in some places – while a rise in sea level due to melting polar ice caps will submerge large parts of the world, particularly low-lying and coastal areas. The consequence of losing low-lying land on its own is large scale displacement of people, hunger, political instability and ultimately the death of millions of people. Bangladesh is a good example of this, as is the Maldives, but closer to home, the Netherlands and historic cities like Venice. Even closer to home, parts of the UK coast will be underwater, too.
And it's not just the impacts from warmer oceans. Deforestation, for example, has accelerated at an alarming rate in recent decades, which is having similar ripple effects. Just like coral reefs play a regenerative role by soaking up carbon dioxide in the sea, when we cut down forests, we lose the trees that would otherwise clean the air, not to mention the loss of biodiversity and the consequences of disrupting the natural habitats of thousands of species. Some scientists are predicting the extinction of 550 species this century. A warmer climate means other historical stores of greenhouse gasses such as in Permafrost's, which store vast amounts of methane, start defrosting releasing methane into the atmosphere causing yet more warming. Methane degrades quicker than carbon dioxide, but it is 30% more warming, and it is also released when we burn oil and gas. In this way, the Earth gets warmer and warmer in a self-perpetuating cycle.
This warming of our planet then impacts animals and plant life. We have less biodiversity. Changing rainfall patterns, less green areas, permanent flooding, extreme weather events, and ocean acidification (due to more carbon dioxide in oceans) all disturb the natural habitat and ecosystem balances of millions of animals and plants.
As you can see, the global climate system is a complex web of climate and ecosystem related dependencies, requiring global action across multiple – perhaps even all – areas of human activity.
Has humanity started acting too late?
Yes. Partly this is because for decades there's been an unresolved debate about whether the temperature increase is due to natural warming of the Earth (like it has in previous ages of the Earth), or if the current warming is a genuine reflection of increased human activity? This debate became polemic and politically binary, with far too many people either in denial or catastrophising.
The good news is that the impacts of climate change have started to be felt more frequently in recent decades, and across the world, which has tended to hit home the realness of global warming. Air pollution (e.g. smog-filled cities) and impacts in our seas (plastic, chemical pollution and reducing fish sticks) have also visibly shown the consequences of inaction. It's no longer the concern of people in faraway lands. The data is also much clearer and comprehensive, which means disagreeing with it is much harder.
However, a lot of damage is already done and the consequences are in motion. We, therefore, need to plan on how we become more resilient to the impacts of global warming. That in itself will require huge investment.
What are the sticking points of COP26?
Currently, global carbon dioxide emissions are set to rise by 16% by 2030. Yet, they must fall by 45% from what they are today to meet the 1.5°C target. As with every 1°C increase in temperature, the volume of reduction increases exponentially, so the later we leave things the harder it will be to limit warming.
For example, it's expected that the US will generate 22% more coal-fired power in 2021 than in 2020. While the US is the biggest emitter of carbon dioxide per person, China is the world's biggest emitter of carbon dioxide in absolute terms and is still increasing construction of coal-fired power plants because it doesn't want to destabilise economic growth. Countries like Saudi Arabia are entirely built on selling oil and have targeted 2060 to achieve net-zero, like China. Other countries like India, starting from a less privileged position, is targeting 2070 for net-zero output. This variation exists because the economies of industrialised and industrialising countries decarbonise at different rates. That is, they must transition from one that is dependent on burning fossil fuels to one that uses green/renewable energy. This isn't easy and governments need to manage the transition by working through all the politics that comes with it. It could mean, for example, people lose jobs in some sectors (with growth in other sectors) or some companies need to go bust, while others need greater incentives (tax breaks, subsidies, financing etc.) to help with the transition.
The contribution to the climate crisis is vastly imbalanced between developed and developing countries. Most emissions are from already developed countries. In other words, rich countries have already been burning greenhouse gases for decades and centuries to become industrialised and enjoy a higher quality of living standards. Yet, just as poorer countries want to do the same, they're being asked to commit to carbon-neutral economic growth, even though their emissions levels are small in comparison to rich countries. Thus, to make this fair, poorer countries need to be compensated and helped towards transitioning to a decarbonised industrialisation path. But are the richer countries prepared to compensate with the extraordinary sums of money needed, and how this is equitably worked out across countries? In addition, this isn't just about money. The money from richer countries needs to go towards renewable energy transition and carbon-neutral activities. And what about resilience planning for the impacts that will happen – is this part of the deal for developing countries?
A third sticking point is in the politics of carbon accounting which means that the climate action a country takes can be far from clear. Loopholes have opened up in how we count carbon emissions, with the market of carbon offsetting and territoriality.
Avoided deforestation is a way to offset carbon emissions. It works on the principle that, people in say the Amazon rainforest can be paid to find alternative livelihood to cutting down trees. To measure whether deforestation has been avoided, a baseline is set, and then after a year (or whatever period is used) and the project launches, if the rate of deforestation falls to a certain level, then the project developer can create offsets based on emissions avoided because some trees weren't cut down. Other companies can then purchase these offsets to reduce emissions from their carbon balance sheets. These arrangements lack regulation and sellers can manipulate baselines to create tiers of pricing, such that the larger the purchase the cheaper the prices. There is no real incentive to decarbonise. Even if the offset did in fact cut emissions, there's also the risk of double counting. A company gets to delete emissions from their own accounts and the country in which the offset project exists also cancels the same number of emissions from its national inventories.
What does God have to say?
From a theological perspective, the starting assumption for Muslims is that nothing truly belongs to human beings. Instead, everything in material existence that we own, consume or benefit from in our Earthly life has a basic trust relationship with God through which they are to be approached. Of course, how much we live by this or not in practice is a different matter – and a point of test for us. Nevertheless, this is the concept of amanah (security, trust, shelter, peace, protection etc.), which, by default, entails responsibility. In other words, we are given provisions and ownership over things on Earth, but this is on the condition that we act with competence, honesty, responsibility, gratitude, and appropriate measure in taking due care in our use and engagement with what we've been given.
In this sense, we have a default higher-order responsibility to take care of the Earth. Not doing so is sinful and we'll be individually (and collectively) accountable or rewarded by God for the things we did or didn't do as individuals, within our contexts, which honoured or violated this basic amanah. This amanah condition applies to our treatment of mundane things like a piece of cloth to how we use water etc. to as profound as say how we protect the ozone layer, and fish stocks etc. God is ever watchful (Al-Baseer) and All-Knowing (Al-'Aleem) and our consciousness of God is lived out based on knowing that either we "see" Him or, if that's too difficult, that He sees us.
The second, somewhat related, is the principle of stewardship (khulafah) of the Earth. Muslims are meant to be moral guides, and we're meant to be thinking and extracting guidance from the Qur'an and Prophetic life to help guide ourselves and fellow human beings towards mutually beneficial outcomes, prosperity, and productive lives. Protecting the environment is therefore a highly sacrosanct endeavour that should become part of the modern believer's DNA. Well, aside from the fact that it should be by default, with a clearer view of the climate crisis, Muslims need to up their game in championing, doing, and working out the best path for averting climate disaster for future generations. As the current generation of Muslims to have inhabited the Earth, it is our time to act as stewards, more so than at any time in the history of Islam, even going back to Prophet Abraham.
As Muslims of the UK, we have our own God-centred role to play individually and as part of wider society. The list of what we can do is long and identical for those from non-faith backgrounds, and conceptually embracing zuhd (detachment from excessive consumption) and intermittent fasting (sawm) should be helpful catalysts. We can, for example, eat less red meat, only buy food that we can eat, make purchasing decisions based on how good the product or service is for the environment, reduce-reuse-recycle more, avoid buying one-time-use plastics, embrace sharing, switch to hybrid and battery-powered cars, cycling more, promote cyclical economy, invest in green-tech, be happy to share in the burden of subsidising developing countries to help them transition to carbon-neutral economies, learn about green economics, encourage the organisation we work for to increase their care for the environment etc. The governments and citizens of Muslim countries likewise have their own context-specific roles to play.
God says in many points in the Qur'an that without virtue human beings would cause destruction of things like crops, fellow human beings, and kill-off fish. This goes back to the primordial covenant (before time) when the Angels asked God as to why He created Adam and his progeny for time on Earth. God's answer was that it would be a place for mankind to accede to virtue. In this sense, global meetings like COP26 are a sign of our willingness to accede to virtue.
God wants us to recognise our own contribution to the impact we have on the Earth. God says, "Corruption has appeared throughout the land and sea as a result of what the hands of people have earned so God may let them taste part of the consequence of what they have done that perhaps they will return to righteousness" (Qur'an, 30:41).
God wants us to preserve and not waste things: "God is the One Who produces cultivated and wild gardens, and palm trees, crops of different flavours, olives, and pomegranates, similar in shape, but dissimilar in taste. Eat of the fruits they bear and pay the dues at harvest, but do not waste. Surely, He does not like the wasteful" (Qur'an, 6:141).
God wants us to shun wantonness and excessiveness – an unchecked desire to need and want more. "Do not be like those who leave their homes boastfully and showing off to people to hinder them from God's way" (Qur'an, 8:47). "How many cities have We destroyed that exalted in their livelihood? Here are their homes now uninhabited after them except for a few (Qur'an, 28:58). "Indeed, Korah was from the people of Moses, but he behaved arrogantly towards them. We had granted him such treasures that even their keys would burden a group of strong men. Some of his people advised him, "Do not exalt! Surely God does not like those who exalt" (Qur'an, 28:76).
God wants us to problem solve. Every Prophet, including the Prophet Muhammad, has been a problem solver of one kind or another. To emulate them we must solve the big and small problems of our time, as a manifestation of belief.


Greetings from the Manning Clarke Centre at ANU where Professor Ian Young, the newly appointed Vice Chancellor is discussing the preparation of a new strategic plan for ANU. The current plan is entitled "ANU by 2010". It was decided not to revise this until the new VC arrived. He is outlining a process where staff will be consulted on clear measurable goals. As an example he displayed a graph of Research Income per FTE (full time equivalent staff). This is an approach I am very comfortable with as should staff from the sciences and engineering: we like numbers.
Professor Young pointed out that in terms of students, ANU is much smaller than other leading Australian universities. In terms of revenue, ANU's is trending downwards, both absolutely and per staff member. More positively, ANU is at the top Australian university on the Shanghai Jiaotong Academic Ranking of World Universities and QS World University Rankings as well as being second on the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. ANU ranks top on the ERA.
Overall the metrics show ANU ranks well, with high student satisfaction. But Professor Young asked what is unique about ANU? One feature was the high proportion of students from elsewhere and the number living on campus. In terms of research, ANU lacks the independent medical research institutions around some other major Australian universities.
Professor Young asked how to obtain industry research support. To me the obvious answer is by addressing the needs of Canberra's major industries, which are public administration, education, ICT and defence/aerospace.
Professor Young pointed out that ANU can't use revenue from increasing student numbers to subsidise research. This is because ANU has a relatively small number of students.
Professor Young then outlined the elements of a strategic plan. The key areas are: research, education, revinue, ANU as the national university (alliances), student and staff quality, infrastructure (especially equipment) and recognition by he community.
One point which interested me was in terms of infrastructure. ANU has some impressive buildings, but lacks a large scale conference and learning centre. The Australian Centre for Dialogue and Australia Forum are looking at a building for public meetings in Canberra. In my view, rather than a standard alone centre, this could be combined with a teaching facility at ANU, along the lines of the Learning and Innovation Centre at Royal Roads University.
As my area of interest is in flexible modes of learning, particularly online e-learning and blended learning, I looked trough the existing plan and what the Professor Young has said on this in the past and what the policies of the organisations he has been associated with have been.
The ANU plan mentions "flexible modes of learning". This has been implemented through initiatives such as the Wattle Learning Management System and the Digital Lecture Delivery System.
simulations, discussion forums and online chats. You will have plenty of study style opportunities to meet and interact with other students to optimise your learning and build professional networks.
The ICT in Everyday Learning – Teacher Online Toolkit project ... The project aims to change classroom practice by increasing teachers' capacity to incorporate technologies into teaching and learning as they implement the Australian Curriculum. It will assist teachers to access online professional learning with local support to analyse, plan and implement changes to their teaching approaches and to access quality online resources .


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Simon Powell may refer to:

Simon N. Powell (born 1955), British cancer researcher
Simon G. Powell, British writer, filmmaker and musician

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Sid Meiers Civilization V Crack introduces a policy system, permitting you to form, little by little, the nature of your civilization. As your Culture increases, new policy bushes become available, with each selection marking a full-size milestone. As the trait bushes aren't collectively exceptional, mix and match alternatives for unique Policies to create your flavor of the presidency.... When I first started playing Civilization 5, one of the first things I looked for on the internet was a list of all civilizations and their leaders.
You cannot cancel or move a trader once its route is established. It can be annoying if you send 3 ships to a civ, and they go to war and plunder them all. That is why if you are trading with people (especially online) make sure you get mutual ships.
28/09/2010 · For Sid Meier's Civilization V on the PC, a GameFAQs message board topic titled "How to End Turn without City Production".
27/09/2010 · Unit maintenance. Units can be pricey, in my game every two units (seems like it didn't matter what kind) cost me $16/turn. Instead of keeping a large standing army that costs you per turn, pre-build units in your production queue with 1 turn left and then place it at the end of the queue.
check out the "eras collection" in the workshop. lets you stop tech past a certain era, and slightly rebalances the tech tree around that era. for example, you get a melee galley if the game is locked around the classical era. you are also more likely to play against AIs who have unique stuff in that era.
23/09/2010 · One major difference I've noticed between IV and V is that production is much, much rarer in V. It takes me 40-50 turns to produce something in my citites(20-30 in the larger ones).


This limited edition Canvas Print, designed by Eileen Wu, comes with a numbered and signed certificate of authenticity. Ready to hang, this image is printed onto a 450gsm white finish, 100% cotton canvas and stretched over 1.5" deep wood stretcher bars (3/4" for XS). Each print comes with wall hanging hardware.
Digital Illustration | A reminder for myself really: don't get too caught up in all the chaos in your head.


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Q: Direct Channel usage vs using a Proxy? As the title implies I am trying to get an understanding of why in WCF sometimes people choose to "generate proxies" vs using a ChannelFactory to manually create new channel instances. I have seen examples of each, but haven't really found any explanations of WHY you would go for one vs the other.
To be honest I have only ever worked with channels and the ChannelFactory<T> from code I have inherited, ie:
IChannelFactory<IDuplexSessionChannel> channelFactory =
    binding.BuildChannelFactory<IDuplexSessionChannel>();

_duplexSessionChannel = channelFactory.CreateChannel(endpointAddress);

So why would I "generate a proxy"? What are the benefits and drawbacks?

A: Using a proxy is simpler and easier to understand. You get to deal in terms of simple things - classes and methods on those classes - instead of complex, network-related things like channels.
OTOH, this is not made easier by the design flaw in WCF that prevents the same simple use of a WCF proxy that we could do with ASMX proxies:
using (var client = new MyServiceClient())
{
}

If you use this pattern with WCF, you can lose the original exception when the block is exited due to an exception. client.Dispose() can throw an exception, which will overwrite the exception originally being thrown. A more complex pattern is required.

A: This may help you:
When to use a proxy?
If you have a service that you know is going to be used by several applications or is generic enough to be used in several places, you'll want to use the proxy classes.
When to use ChannelFactory?
ChannelFactory class is used to construct a channel between the client and the service without the need of a proxy. In some cases, you may have a service that is tightly bound to the client application. In such a case, you can reference the Interface DLL directly and use ChannelFactory to call your methods using that.
You could also refer following link to understand the difference between Channel Factory and Proxy class
http://ashishkhandelwal.arkutil.com/wcf/channelfactory-over-proxy-class-in-wcf/

A: The main difference is this:

*

*generating a proxy only requires you to know the URL where the service resides. By generating the proxy, everything else (the service contract and the data contracts involved) will be determined by inspecting the metadata of the service

*in order to directly create a ChannelFactory<T>, you must have direct access to the assembly that contains that service contract T for which you're generating a channel factory. This only ever works if you basically control both ends of the channel and you can share the assembly that contains those service contracts. Typically, with a third-party service, this won't be the case - with your own services, yes.
The second important point is this:

*

*creating a generated proxy basically does the two steps that you would do - create a ChannelFactory<T>, and from that, create the actual channel - in a single constructor. You have no control over these two steps.

*doing your own Channel creation is beneficial, since the creation of the ChannelFactory<T> is the expensive step - so yo could cache your channel factory instance somewhere. Creating and re-creating the actual channel from the factory is much less involved step which you can do more frequently
So if you do control both ends of the communication, service and client, you do have the option to share the service contracts in a separate assembly, and thus you have more options.
With most third-party services, you just simply don't have that option.

A: The main advantage of the channelFactory is you can create the proxy at runtime dynamically on the fly. With SvcUtil (Add web reference in VS) you create the proxy at design time, so it's implementation is more static.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


This unique opportunity allows Tulare County artists to share their creative process and work environment.
Pelicans from Avila Beach will be on display at the Creative Center as part of the "For the Birds" exhibit.
© Jeri Burzin Fox pm is at the Fox Den.
"Copycat" Jeri Burzin © for Sofa Art? This cat enjoys the warmth of the copy machine which serves as his sofa…at The Cub Inn B & B in Yosemite.


If your phone has actually been read effectively, you will see �USB [device name or number] or a similar title for your phone. Search the files from your PS3 system. You may now open music, video and picture files on your PS3 system from your phone through the USB link.
So just like a normal controller, your android needs to connect to the PS3 using bluetooth as well. Now turn on your PlayStation 3 and then go to settings . Keep the bluetooth window open on your android device and search for the device using your PlayStation 3.
10/11/2013�� This can be used for devices which shows "HIGH POWER USB DEVICE CONNECTED" when your directly connect the controller with the device. And it will work with any Android Device.


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'It's all Greek to me' – British Butterflies and their Scientific Names
by will.langdon12 · Published 1st March 2016 · Updated 1st March 2016
One of the things that characterises the common or garden naturalist, is their obsession with what seems, on the face of it, trivial, small details that separate species or make them unique and interesting, it's these details which give them a richer understanding of the natural world around them, and give its study its enormous depth and interest. I am no different, and I'm particularly delighted by butterflies and moths, and their ecology and life cycles, but also, with that classic naturalist's love of the trivial, their scientific names, having done a bit of Latin and Greek at school, ostensibly useless, dead subjects, it's nice to find a purpose for all those 'wasted' hours in the classroom and tease out the meanings of the mighty binomial system that defines everything living on earth. First up is a favourite spring species, Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi), flying on moorland, downland and light woodland across the UK from April to June, it is, like most hairstreaks highly territorial and males often engage in vicious dogfights from favoured perches along tree-lines. Callophrys means 'beautiful eyebrow' (kallos – beautiful, and phrys – eyebrow, spliced together), and rubi means 'of the bramble', a bit of a misnomer, since Green Hairstreaks are polyphagous and feed on foodplants from several plant families, not just bramble, but others, including Gorse, various legumes, and bilberry. A close relative of the Green Hairstreak is the Purple (Neozephyrus quercus), which tends to be a bit more elusive, favouring the tops of oak trees during July and August – check the crowns at about 6:00 on warm evenings, and you should see these silvery butterflies, like the Green Hairstreak, engaging in frequent territorial dogfights. A loose translation of Neozephyrus quercus is something like 'young west wind of the oak', wh ere 'Neos' is greek for young or new, Zephyrus is the Greek god of the West wind, and quercus, of course, is oak. Interestingly, in Greek Mythology, Zephyrus was married to Iris (the god of the rainbow), who is commemorated in the Purple Emperor's scientific name – Apatura iris, perhaps this hints at the way the two species share habitats, both having an affinity for oaks, the Hairstreak as a foodplant, and the Emperor as master trees where males congregate. Another branch of the Lycaenidae is the blues, including the aptly named Small Blue, which, measuring in at just 20mm, is Britain's smallest butterfly. Its scientific name (Cupido minimus) also picks up on its small stature (Small Blues could be forgiven for feeling downtrodden) with 'minimus' the Latin for very small, and cupid the tiny love god of Roman mythology. Keeping with the small theme, Small Skippers get the label Thymelicus sylvestris, where Thymelicus was a dancer in ancient greek drama known for a strange, erratic dance, picking up on the Small Skipper's bouncing flight style, whilst sylvestris means 'inhabiting wild places' – so we have the skipper of the wildlands! The Large skipper (Ochlodes faunus) also receives a wild name tag, with 'Faunus' another name for the god of mysterious wild places – Pan/Bacchus, and 'Ochlodes' meaning turbulent, relating to the territorial behaviour of male Large Skippers, which often sit motionless, with their wings held at 45 degrees before attac king anything that dares to enter their territory, so this gives us 'the angry wild thing' in a rough translation. Returning to the blues, the Large Blue's Maculinea arion picks up on its life cycle (the story of the Greek musician arion provides a neat allegory for its adoption by ants as a larva, and its colouring, maculinea means 'many-spotted', referring either to its underside, with the black spots on a silvery field, or its upperside, with the strong black forewing markings which make it so unique among British butterflies (I haven't quite decided which). It's smaller relative, the Silver-Studded Blue (Plebejus argus) again gets its underside examined, with argus a nod to the many-eyed giant of Greek mythology, and the spotting on this butterfly's underwing, and 'Plebejus' meaning 'plebeian' – it sounds rather damning now, but it was the name given to 'the common people' in ancient Rome, and suggests that this exquisite heath-dweller is a pretty widespread species (if only!) A common theme in these names, should, by now be making itself obvious, many of them refer to Greek mythology, they fete butterflies as god-like, ethereal beings, indeed, in ancient Greek, the same word is used for both soul, and butterfly (psyche), these creatures appealed to both the ancients, and more modern taxonomists on a very spiritual level. An interest in butterflies is not a strange delight in the trivial; it is more complex than that, as these 2000 year old roots will testify. They hint at the place of butterflies, and the natural world (at the risk of melodrama), at the centre of the way we live, and teach us a lesson, that now, more than ever, we should learn to live by. The modern, urban world, and the more primal, natural world are not mutually exclusive, the two are intertwined, nature governs our economies, be it through water purification, soil formation (or as we've seen, flood defence), and we must not by slow to embrace it and work with it, now, more than ever, an holistic approach is the future.
will.langdon12
As with most naturalists, I've loved wildlife from an early age, with particular interest in Butterflies (transect recorder and obsessive Hairstreak hunter), Moths (weekly trapping in the garden), and Birds (trainee ringer), I also dabble in the dark art of blogging when not busy on the patch in native Somerset.
Latest posts by will.langdon12 (see all)
'It's all Greek to me' – British Butterflies and their Scientific Names - 1st March 2016
Tags: butterfliesGreekGreen HairstreakInsectsLarge SkipperLatinPurple HairstreakScientific NamesSilver-Studded Blue
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Report shows binge drinking prevalent among underage drinkers in Utah
By: Caroline Connolly
WEST JORDAN, Utah -- Utah has some of the strictest alcohol laws in the country, but according to a new report, Utah teens who drink tend to engage in binge drinking more than their peers in other states.
The Underage Drinking in Utah report was compiled with the help of the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and released by the Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health. According to the experts, consuming five or more drinks in a short period of time constitutes binge drinking.
For one mother from West Jordan, the study highlights a problem she herself tragically encountered.
"Something good has to come from Braxton's death," said Bobbi Anderson, whose 16-year-old son died after a night of binge drinking in 2011. "This is what happened from one time."
On February 5, 2011, Braxton left to meet up with some friends, agreeing that his mother would pick him up at 10:00 p.m. However, when texts and phone calls went unanswered, Anderson and her husband grew worried.
"It was really odd for him to be late," Anderson said. "He had never been late. He was just never like that."
They spent the night driving around looking for him, but it wasn't until a friend returned Anderson's phone call the next morning that she found him.
"He ended up calling me about ten minutes later and said Braxton was laying there, that he had never left, that he was not breathing," she said.
Braxton was found lifeless on a field, where just hours earlier he and a group of friends had been drinking, heavily. Anderson said some of the boys he was with didn't even recall how they made it home.
"They were drinking energy drinks with vodka," Anderson said. "Braxton had basically 8 ounces of alcohol in him. That's what killed him. Drinking as much as you can as fast as you can."
It underscores the dangers found in the study, which shows that compared to national averages, fewer Utah teens drink alcohol, but those who do drink admitted to drinking more. Nationally, about 55 percent of 12th graders who consume alcohol binge drink, compared to 72 percent of Utah high school seniors who drink. Among 10th graders the national average is 54 percent, and in Utah it's 73 percent.
"They want to have that buzz, and they want to feel it immediately, so they consume more. And our bodies, at that age, don't tell us to stop like they do when we're adults because our brains are not fully formed," said Susannah Burt, Program Manager for the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health.
The findings only underscore the problem Anderson has set out to diminish. She now travels the state to give lectures at town halls and schools, sharing Braxton's story.
"This can happen to any kid in any family," Anderson said. "If I can help one person to not have to do this, then that's what my goal is."


Setting of another political explosion, BJP is planning to unveil mystery behind the death of one of its founders Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee.
According to sources, BJP state unit has decided to vigorously pursue the issue with its own government. They added that the decision was taken during the working committee meeting of the state BJP. This was made public on Saturday, April 9 in an official communiqué issued by the party from it's headquarter in Kacchi Chawni.
Having formed the government in the state for the first time, BJP has made up its mind of making public facts behind the death of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee. Sources said that the state unit will soon be meeting the Chief Minister and requesting her to open the files which have been closed several years ago. Truth must come out is what the state unit has said in its resolution passed some days ago.
On being asked, State Spokesperson of BJP Prof. Virender Gupta said that party has issued a resolution which will help in throwing a light on the mysterious death of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee. "The reports must be made public like they were made in the case of Subhash Chandra Bose. We want the government to come out with facts, the way the central government unmasked reality behind the mysterious disappearance of Netaji," added Gupta.
How the reports have been publicized just like that Mookerjee's case file will also be publicized, he added. He also added that before BJP was not in power, so it took bit longer to bring this case in limelight. On being asked about implications of this demand on the PDP-BJP alliance, Gupta said that the issue has neither any connection with Kashmir nor in favour of Jammu; so it will not affect the PDP-BJP alliance at all.
He said "Mookerjee's family has been waiting since last several decades to find out actual reasons behind his death." He maintained that BJP has every right to find out how the founder of party was martyred. It would now be of great interest to find out how PDP responds to this new demand of BJP.


text:
Карл Емануил I Велики (на италиански: Carlo Emanuele I di Savoia; 12 януари 1562, Риволи – 26 юни 1630, Савиляно) е 11-и херцог на Савоя от 1580 г.

Единствен син на херцога на Савоя Емануил Филиберт и на съпругата му Маргарита Валоа.

Способства за въвличането на Савоя в много войни. Дълги години се бори с Франция за Маркграфство Салуцо (1588—1601) и през 1601 г. се добива до признанието на Анри IV за своята власт над тези владения за сметка на преостъпването на редица свои територии между Бургундия и Дофине (Брес, Бюже, Же).

Семейство

От 1585 г. е женен за Каталина Австрийска (10 октомври 1567 - 6 ноември 1597), дъщеря на испанския крал Филип II. Те имат децата:
 Филип Емануил (1586-1605)
 Виктор-Амадей I (1587-1637), 12-и херцог на Савоя
 Емануил Филиберт (1588-1624), вицекрал на Сицилия (1622–24)
 Маргарита (1589-1655), омъжена 1608 г. за Франческо IV Гонзага, херцог на Мантуа и Монферат
 Изабела (1591-1626), омъжена 1608 г. за Алфонсо III д'Есте, херцог на Модена и Реджо
 Маврикий (1593-1627), кардинал
 Мария-Аполония (1594-1656), монахиня в Рим
 Франческа Катерина (1595-1640), монахиня в Биела
 Томас-Франциск (1596-1656), княз на Каринян.
 Джована (1597)

Източници
 Merlini, Carlo (1938). Ambienti e Figure di Torino Vecchia. Turin.
 Marek, Miroslav. GENEALOGY.EU. Genealogy.EU.
 Louis Charles Dezobry et Théodore Bachelet, , Paris, 1863 [détail de l'édition].
 Stéphane Gal, Charles-Emmanuel de Savoie. La politique du précipice, Payot, collection "Biographie Payot", 2012.

Херцози на Савоя
Савойска династия


St. Andrew's Church has 10 ringable bells - 13 cwt. They are rung regularly on practice night which is Mondays 7.30 - 9.00 pm. and for chuch services on Sunday mornings from 9.30 - 10.10 am.
For more information about services for Watchfield and Bourton see website.
Each Sunday 10:30am and 6:30pm except the first Sunday of the month, when the service is held at 3pm at Longcot Chapel.
Morning services include a Sunday Club (age 3+) and a Creche for under 3's.


Our streaming platform utilizes a global CDN to deliver content. Depending on your geographic location, internet provider, and current bandwidth, video quality can vary from person to person.
Bitrate switching is enabled on the videos, which means the streaming service will deliver the "best quality" video that it sees your bandwidth can currently accept.
Things such as routing issues on your internet provider can also temporarily cause buffering issues. You can choose your own video quality by selecting "HD" on the video player and selecting the quality. Please note that this will produce varied results (buffering time and video resolution) based on your current internet speed, usage, and quality chosen.
You can also try the steps listed here to see if the problem can be resolved.


Snowtrooper at St. Andrew's Catholic Church in Roanoke, a gorgeous fall Sunday morning.
The winding roads that unfurl before us.
We rode them on this trip to Roanoke, descending from the top of Mill Mountain to the stately St. Andrew's Catholic Church below. We couldn't see our destination at first, but took faith in the ribbon of the road down the mountain.
For those of you new to this blog, #GirlsRock is a series of interviews with women who do incredible things, from musicians to writers to bloggers to those who take a dream and make it a reality. Read other #GirlsRock posts here.
Today's guest knows all about those winding roads that bring us to our fate.
She's Kitt O'Malley. Many of you know her for her blog, on how to Learn, Love & Live With Bipolar Disorder. It's an incredible and inspiring journey. She's here today to tell us a little about the roads she's taken. Please give her a warm CD welcome.
Long before Kesha and Jennifer Lawrence, way back on the timeline before Ingrid Michaelson and Laura Linney, in a time Hope Solo, Sue Bird and Paula Creamer were just youth-league cuties … there was the MCI girl.
Guys, this is Jean Louisa Kelly.
Her cute but creepy ad for the soon-defunct MCI became all sortsa Dream Weaver for me. She resurfaced in Mr. Holland's Opus, as star-dreaming Rowena Morgan in 1995. In 2000, you could see her in Yes, Dear, married to a dude even dweebier than yours truly.
I thought she'd disappeared after that feeble TV show.
Then I watched 1,000 to 1: The Cory Weissman Story. I resisted, invoking my "No Movies That Star Kids From Disney Shows" clause. But … Cory's mom looked, so sweetly familiar. The curls were now straight; her lipstick less pow than fire-engine red.
Happiness glows from within one. Or from directly behind one.
It's there. We must practice patience. It's like a Taco Bell burrito. Sometimes, they're made incorrectly. All the cheese or sauce or sauce and cheese get tucked into the final fifth of the burrito. One must endure dry beans for a while, but eventually you'll get the cheese.
Or the sauce or sauce and cheese.
Laura writes the blog Riddle from the Middle. It's real life, as she says, with a side of snark. She's a lover of family, words, and music, and really, with proper snacks, isn't that what we all love? She writes a thoughtful, enlightening blog I hope you'll check out.
To remain in this moment becomes perhaps the closest we can come to ultimate harmony. It's tricky.
It requires dismissing the past, shunning self-imposed limitations and savoring every ounce of life. Living in the moment also gets a bad rap. That's what happens when folks jet to Vegas or say yes when they should say no, invoking a Carpe Diem Clause.
The Carpe Diem Clause, however, doesn't cover gambling losses, lost teeth, lost wages, marriage annulments or penicillin shots.
Brianna Wiest wrote a book called The Truth About Everything. She also wrote a post for Elephant Journal that I wrapped in cheesecloth and hid behind my disc golf bag. It's 10 questions to ask yourself when you don't know where your life should go next.
Do you know where that water's been, brother?
NPR just made rain kind of gross.
A show promo pointed out that water we drink today has passed through the kidneys of a brontosaurus. Japanese freestyle swimmer Shigeo Arai probably swam through it in the 1936 Olympics.
It might have lived in a water pitcher on the set of the Dominican telenovela Tropico, too. I try not to think of that, but it's true. Water's the original repurposed thing.
Sure, rain's kind of nasty, but it's also beautifully poetic. It made up puddles my girls stomped in walking into the grocery store with dad. It helped soil uniforms – school and soccer – and locked in stories and memories and history.
The search for the right word can sometimes be like this.
This one time, Grace thought she'd become famous.
All it took was a parade. We'd talked in church about joining the Pride Parade a few years ago. Grace heard keywords – parade … ride a float … matching T-shirts! She was stoked. So I explained what the Pride Parade meant.
We didn't end up walking. She went off with the grandparents that day. The conversation happened, though. When I wrote about it, today's guest poster, Mo of Mocadeaux, chimed in on the CD for the first time.
I call this one, Distortion. Grace's Coca-cola glass, though, also makes me thirsty.
I won't divulge individual names right now.
Consider all three girls implicated, though. The injuries they've suffered number in triple digits for sure. The injuries they've suffered have only a few been serious. The injuries they've suffered occurred at the hands of – their other sisters. Well, mostly.
He gets just enough of the save to keep the match level!
Well, okay. I'm not happy. I noticed Hopey Solo – I mean, Hope – trending on Twitter the other night. That can't be good, I thought. And it wasn't. Turns out, Boo got suspended for six months for mouthing off after a shootout loss to Sweden in the World Cup.
The USWNT also terminated her contract. She called the Swedes "cowards" for their conservative tactics in a tied match against the U.S. I disagree with her. In my eyes, Sweden played legal tactics that give them the best chance at winning.
Hope's diatribe was only words. No mammals were traumatized. Amphibians either. It might have lacked class, but Hope responded honestly to a question.
This week has given me new news to hate and reminders of old news that I still hate.
So extensive is my disdain for the decision to suspend USWNT goalkeeper Hope Solo for six months – and terminate her contract – that I rattled off a topper to this week's Go Ask Daddy in defense.
I started to bang out a list of people who deserve harsh words more than Hopey.
I got to 35, and saw the word count bulge to 600+ – and I hadn't even gotten to my kids' questions! I contained all the vitriol, and will continue the thought for Monday's post. You've been warned.


Looking for Newborn, Baby, Child or Family Photography at a location near you? Contact us now to reserve a date for your unique session!
Remember to include due date for newborn sessions, how many children you have, their ages and any locations you may be interested in having your photos done!


Helping homeless families in our community break the cycle of homelessness.
Mark your calendars for the 8th annual BBQ competition featuring music, games for the kids, live and silent auction.
With your support, families will receive one-on-one counseling, Life Skill's, GED Fast Track, Parenting Classes and Peer to Peer Tutoring. Our goal is to provide each family with higher education/training to move them toward financial independence.
With the loyal and continued support of our donors, our goal of $1M is nearly realized. We've raised $602,000. Please consider donating to this worthy cause.
Families wishing to participate in our program are encouraged to contact the Life Skills Center to make an appointment for an intake interview.
Finding yourself without a home for your children is one of the most devastating and scary situations a parent can face. Not only does Family Promise help children and their families at this time of crisis, but we also help them long after they move into their new home to ensure a future of self-sufficiency and independence. Donations are vital to enabling Family Promise of Lake Houston to keep helping families in crisis.
Family Promise of Lake Houston is a 501(c)(3) organization, so your contribution is tax deductible. Please consider what you can do to help our families!


text:
How Hadoop is Transforming Telecom
Telecommunications has changed a lot since the breakup of the AT&T monopoly. But one thing hasn't changed: telecommunications is a capital intensive business with big appetite for data. Now it's competitive and capital-intensive. Telecom data hunger continues.
Telecom Big is Nothing New
Big Data is not new to telecom. Information about calls, or call-detail records (CDRs), has been collected for monitoring and billing purposes for decades. High speed performance has been a requirement, not a nicety, for telecom. As a result, in-memory databases were first deployed by telecoms in the 80's.
The scale of these collections became clear when the NSA's MAINWAY database came to light in 2006. According to estimates made at the time MAINWAY contained 1.9 trillion records. A given carrier probably stored more than this, depending on how much history was maintained. A 2003 listing of large databases included AT&T's Security Call Analysis and Management Platform (SCAMP). At the time AT&T was keeping two years of call data, which amounted to 26.3 TB, running on AT&T's Daytona database. A dated report on Daytona, which called it a "data management system, not a database," indicated that in 2007 Daytona was supporting 2.8 trillion records.
In 2007, it was becoming clear that the 2005 Sprint – Nextel merger was going to be a financial calamity for Sprint. What else has changed in the telco landscape over the past seven years or so?
That was Then. Now Cometh the Petabyte.
As T-Mobile's IBM project member Christina Twiford said in 2012, it's that data volumes grow quickly. The Netezza platform she discussed then had to scale from 100TB to 2 petabytes. The operation she described then loaded 17B records daily, and was supported by 150K ETL or ELT processes. Access to this data was provided to 1300 customers through a web interface.
"Hadoop is exciting in that you can through in the structured and the unstructured data for advanced analytics. . . And you can process streams of data without 'landing' the data. . . Telcos are all over M2M or the Internet of Things," she said.
Tim Eckard of Zaloni presented some telecom use cases at a 2013 Telecom Analytics conference in Atlanta. One unnamed wireless operator had a Central Data Mediation Archive used for e-discovery, billing disputes and the like. The size was a total of about 1PB growing at 12TB/day in 2012, and doubled to 25TB/day (5B records) in 2013. According to Eckard, the customer was able to move to a Hadoop environment for ¼ the cost of moving to a traditional (relational?) database setting.
Pervasive described similar results with a smaller telco provider whose Call Descriptor Records were captured with Pervasive's DataRush. Telco switches dump data every 5 minutes, hundreds of thousands of records per dump, so the telco objective was to increase their speed of processing by an order of magnitude. This was essential in order to improve decision processes, measures of real time profit margin and operational analysis.
IBM's Robert Segat likewise suggested that telcos would be using analytics for purchasing and churn propensities. Challenges faced by telcos: disruptive competitors, LTE / 4G, increased regulation, support for streamed data – each would be opportunities for Hadoop and Hadoop-like platforms. In particular, wireless data is expected to grow by 50X over the next decade. There are also 30 billion RFID sensors, customer social network information and a greater variety of traffic types – especially video.
What, Me Archive?
According to Hortonworks, its Hadoop distro is being used at seven US carriers. Despite the volume – which BITKOM's Urbanski indicates in Gigaom is around 10 million messages per second — a telco can save six months of messages for later troubleshooting. This is both an operational and a competitive advantage if it can save churn.
Wireless data is expected to grow by 50X over the next decade
Leading edge solutions include using Hadoop data to allocate bandwidth in real time. This opportunity is appealing to telcos because service level agreements may require dynamic adjustments to account for malware, bandwidth spikes and QoS degradation. Such solutions likely involve all facets of Big Data: volume, velocity and variety of data sources.
Forrester's Brian Hopkins identified big data for real-time analytics as the number 2 "most revolutionary technology" according to a 2013 survey of enterprise architects.
This optimistic picture clearly omits some of the detailed steps needed to fully deploy a telco Hadoop application. Far from being a greenfield application, most telco Big Data deployments will be bigger and faster with more data sources. But how is that data to be loaded into Hadoop?
Expectations for data pipeline speed are high. ETL toolkits must play nicely with the Hadoop ecosystem. Its proponents in telco, or elsewhere for that matter, have high expectations for developer ease of use and execution-time performance. Convenience, typified by offerings like as Syncsort's Mainframe Offload allow for Hadoop to coexist with legacy mainframe tools like COBOL copybooks and JCL – without the need for additional software on mainframes. For telcos considering AWS, projects can be rapidly provisioned in EC2 and connect to ETL data sources in RDBMS, mainframe, HDFS, SF.com, Redshift or S3.
From CDR to CSR
If your phone rings a few seconds after your next dropped wireless call, it may well be a customer service agent with access to real time analytics to aid in troubleshooting the problem.
Assuming you've paid your bill. They'll know that, too.
hadooptelecom
Data Scientist and Beyond: Jobs in the Big Data World
5 Big Data Integration Obstacles
Hadoop, Mainframe & Syncsort: Simply the Best, Part 2
Offload the Data Warehouse in the Age of Hadoop


Childhood trauma such as neglectful parenting causes physical scarring to the brain and increases the risk of severe depression, a new study has found.
For the first time, scientists have linked changes in the structure of the brain both to traumatic early-years experiences and poor mental health in later life.
Published in the Lancet, the study found a "significant" link between adults who had experienced maltreatment as children with a smaller insular cortex, part of the brain believed to help regulate emotion.
It focused particularly on a phenomenon known as "limbic scarring", which previous research has hinted is linked to stress.
It involved 110 patients admitted to hospital with major depressive disorder who were then monitored for relapses over the following two years.
They were subjected to a detailed childhood trauma questionnaire, which retrospectively assessed historical incidents of physical abuse, physical neglect, emotional abuse, emotional neglect and sexual abuse.
The patients were then given MRI brain scans, which looked for changes to brain structure.
Dr Nils Opel from the University of Münster, Germany, who led the research, said: "Given the impact of the insular cortex on brain functions such as emotional awareness, it's possible that the changes we saw make patients less responsive to conventional treatments.
The findings suggest that the reduction in the area of the insular cortex due to limbic scarring could make a future relapse more likely, and that childhood maltreatment is one of the strongest risk factors for major depression.
All participants in the current study, aged 18 to 60 years, had been admitted to hospital following a diagnosis of major depression and were receiving inpatient treatment.


You will hear from a Dreamer at our forum this Sunday, February 4th from 1:30-3:30 at the El Paso Public Library downtown, 501 N. Mesa. Free street parking on Sundays with more slots available between Mesa and Oregon. We promise to have you home in time for the Super Bowl!


• Authentic African Clothing! • Exquisite color selection! • Quality clothing at affordable prices!
Our talented designers craft each article of clothing with pride and style. Whichever item you choose, you can be assured that you're buying the very best in authentic traditional African clothing. You'll find shirts, hats and more – in assorted sizes. All clothing items can be shipped to U.S.A, Canada, Brazil, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and the Caribbean.


Readers of the New York Post got an unexpected message Saturday night, as the newspaper's mobile push notifications were compromised by an April Fools' Day hack.
The hack resulted in the Post sending out a string of nine bizarre alerts to users of its mobile app, beginning with the phrase "Heil President Donald Trump." The messages began around 10:45 p.m. Eastern, the New York Daily News noted.
"Hear me now, for I speak as an angel in the words of God," the news alerts continued. "In casting truth into the darkness of your shadow, you have gravely sinned... and yet, for your generosity of spirit and sharpness of mind, salvation remains within reach."
"Open your heart to those you do not understand and listen to all those you fear and look down upon," the messages implored Trump, before warning the president that "the fate of [his] soul is soon to be decided."
"With Lucid Love, Selah," the last message read.
It's not clear whether or not Trump received the hacker's messages. Axios noted in January that Trump allegedly considers the Post to be the "paper of record for him." However, Trump reportedly received the newspaper daily in print form, so he may not have the Post's app installed on his phone.
The Post apologized to its readers for the hack early Sunday morning, sending out a message on social media and through another mobile alert.
"We are working to resolve the issue. Please accept our apologies," the mobile alert read, as quoted in the Daily News.


A quick and minor update snuck in over the weekend for the Node.js Tools for Visual Studio (NTVS) settling into the version to 1.2. This version, as with others, is focused on increasing a developer's productivity with basic upgrades to current tools already available.
Overall, the small update to the plug-in improved a lot of stability and performance issues, including reducing the out-of-memory crashes that many users were experiencing beforehand.
Visual Studio (NTVS) is an open source project that is available on the GitHub repository. The update is compatible with VS Community 2015, VS 2015 Express for the Web, and VS 2015 Professional or above. The update doesn't apply for Visual Studio Express for Windows. Check it out or download the newest version here.
How will the update to Node.js Tools 1.2 in Visual Studio (NTVS) affect you?


text:
Hawaii Department of Education > Connect with Us > Organization > Offices > Information Technology Services
Office of Information Technology Services
Exercises technical oversight of information and telecommunication systems, facilities, and services of the public school system and department-wide operations to ensure that information technology and telecommunications support are being provided efficiently and effectively, and in accordance with laws, policies, and accepted principles of management.
The Office of Information Technology Services includes:
Enterprise Architecture Branch (EAB)
Enterprise Infrastructure Systems Branch (EISB)
Enterprise Systems Branch (ESB)
Project Management Branch (PMB)
School Process and Analysis Branch (SPAB)
School Technology Support Branch (STSB)
Bullying is not acceptable in Hawai'i's public school system Bullying is not acceptable in Hawai'i's public school system
Learning code through a technology strategy Learning code through a technology strategy


Explore our "Getting Started" and Troubleshooting sections for solutions to the top inquiries and common problems related to your protein assays and quantitation experiments. Browse through our "Guides and Tools" section to access a comprehensive portfolio of product-related support resources.
What protein assays do you offer for total protein quantitation?
I need to measure the concentration of a peptide, which protein assay can I use?
Why is the choice of protein standard important?
What should I dilute my protein standard in?
What proteins do you offer as standards for your protein assays?
Which protein assay is my lysis buffer compatible with?
My spectrophotometer doesn't have a filter set for the absorbance maximum. Can I use an alternate wavelength to read the protein assay?
My protein assay is not developing color or is developing too much color. What can I do?
A component of my lysis buffer is known to interfere with my protein assay of choice. How can I remove it?
My buffer or components of my buffer are not listed in the compatibility table. What should I do?


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Iroquois Steeplechase
Iroquois Steeplechase Fun Facts
Learn the history and find out everything you need to know about Iroquois Steeplechase.
The Iroquois Steeplechase has been Nashville's rite of spring since 1941, a time-honored tradition of Middle Tennesseans for seven decades. Its rich history dates back to the pasture races in Middle Tennessee during the 1930s, creating a legacy that resonates within the Nashville community.
2019 marked the 78th running of the Iroquois Steeplechase.
Even under threatening weather conditions such as the Nashville Flood of 2010, the Iroquois has run continuously since 1941 only taking one year off during World War II.
The list of Iroquois winners includes the greatest steeplechase horses in America. Five Eclipse Award winners – Flatterer, Lonesome Glory, Correggio, All Gong, and Good Night Shirt – have won the Iroquois. Several others have competed in the race.
When Iroquois, the namesake of the Nashville race, became the first American-bred winner of the English Derby in 1881, Wall Street closed temporarily for a celebration.
The Iroquois Steeplechase grounds were constructed in 1936 as part of a parks improvement project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA).
The Iroquois draws an average crowd of 25,000 on race day.
Improvements to the Iroquois Steeplechase grounds that are paid for by the Volunteer State Horsemen's Foundation from race proceeds provide year-round benefits and enhancements for the Equestrian Center at Percy Warner Park.
Since 1981, the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt has been the official charity of the Iroquois Steeplechase and has received nearly $10 million from the event proceeds.
Find More Fun Facts
Still Looking For More?
Purchase Tickets to Iroquois Steeplechase.
More Upcoming Events in Nashville.
Go to the main Iroquois Steeplechase page.


Tap into your creative side with our Stickers for Bible Journaling. These Bible Journaling Stickers include trendy and colorful stickers that have encouraging words of faith and lovely accents of nature. Add the watercolor stickers to your journaling Bible as you engage and learn more about Him. Whether you're journaling in your Bible or personal journal, scrapbooking or doing crafts, these inspirational stickers are wonderful touches of faith and will spark more creativity as you place them thoughtfully and intentionally during your activity. An ideal gift for the Bible journaler or anyone new to Bible journaling.
These journaling stickers come in a set of 3 sheets, with more than 80 stickers. A few of the stickers' messages and word include, "There is always something to be thankful for," "I am fearfully and wonderfully made," "Beloved," "The Lord restores my soul," "Seek, "Pray," "Hope," "Faith," "Amen" and more.


STM images of field emission induced surface modification of a word Hadi Nur on a Si(111) 7×7 reconstructed surface. Writing on a flat terrace by applying a continuous negative voltage pulse of 4.2 V for 0.1 ms. The image has a scan size of 45×75 nm2.


Each winter we dream of summer – the warmth, the easy living, and all of the weekend road trips we want to take – but as the season starts our schedules always seem to be packed full of commitments, conflicts, and often times stress. Destination Spas advise on taking a second to breathe and on enjoying the "lazy days of summer" (as best we can!) "Even in the summer, which is supposed to be a slower time of the year, we can all feel overwhelmed by life's curve balls and commitments," says natural health and wellbeing expert Debra Koerner.


text:
Q: What is prototype.constructor for? In continuation of this question, what is prototype.constructor for?
I thought that by simply doing:
new some_object()

that the function object became a constructor.  I don't understand why you would need to set it in this manner.
some_object.prototype.constructor = some_object;

A: Suppose class A inherit B using the following:
A.prototype = new B();

After this A.prototype.constructor == B. So instances of A have a constructor from B. It's a good practice to reset a constructor after the assignment.

A: Imagine a function that takes an object and constructs a new instance of that object's type:
function makeNewObjectWithSameType(typedObject) {
    return new typedObject.constructor();
}

There is why you might need a constructor property.
But constructor is already set when you define your constructor -- why would you need to define it again? Consider the following case:
function Foo() {
    // constructor logic...
}
Foo.prototype.constructor == Foo; // true by default

var f = new Foo();
f.constructor == Foo; // true!

But now consider that Foo.prototype is overwritten:
function Foo() {
    // constructor logic...
}
Foo.prototype = {
    // new prototype; this is an `Object`
}
Foo.prototype.constructor == Foo; // FALSE! Foo.prototype is an Object
// thus, constructor == Object

var f = new Foo();
f.constructor == Foo; // FALSE! again, this is Object

If you passed in f to my makeNewObjectWithSameType function above, it would construct an Object, rather than a Foo.
You can solve this by manually resetting Foo.prototype.constructor = Foo; after you reassign Foo.prototype to a new object.


KARACHI: Former first class player and renowned organiser Iqbal Umar passed away here at a local hopsital on Monday after a brief illness. He was 74.
His funeral prayers were held at Alhamra Masjid and he was buried at the Meva Shah Graveyard.
Iqbal Umar was the founder-director of Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association and played a key role in organizing Inter-School Cricket of PVCA. Iqbal, a left-arm spinner and a middle-order batsman, also featured in one first class match.
Iqbal used to play regularly for Karachi Gymkhana Veteran. He was also a former president of Karachi Cotton Exchange and Karachi Gymkhana Club.
Besides cricket, he was also instrumental in organising a number of basketball and football tournaments and supported many sports activities in Karachi during the past three decades.
He is survived by his wife, a son and three daughters. Dua for the departed soul will be held on Wednesday morning between 9:30am and 10:30am at Alhamra Masjid at Alhamra Society.
PVCA Chairman Fawad Ijaz Khan, former chief selector Salahuddin Sallu, Quetta Gladiators owner Nadeem Omar, NBP Sports Department head Ovais Asad Khan and several other prominent sports personalities have condoled his sad demise and have paid tributes to his long and meritorious services for sports.


If chiropractic sounds promising, we encourage you to have a firsthand experience in our Gibsons practice. It's easy to get started.
If you're the cautious type, click the "Email Doctor" link in the footer of this article to email us with your questions or concerns. We appreciate the opportunity to field questions, clear up concerns and put prospective practice members at ease before their first visit.
You don't need a referral to begin chiropractic care. Our knowledgeable staff can field most questions over the telephone. If you want to explore a concern more privately, just ask. Contact Gibsons Chiropractic, Health and Wellness Centre today.
Ready to begin care? Visit our What to Expect page to download your new patient paperwork and learn about how your first visits will go.


AHS Rescue sets the industry standard with top of the line rescue equipment, providing only the highest in quality for trained safety and rescue personnel.
AHS Rescue sets the industry standard with top of the line rope rescue equipment, providing only the highest in quality for trained safety and rescue personnel. AHS Rescue is a leader among search and rescue equipment suppliers throughout Arizona and the U.S., combining years of experience with seasoned advice and training to ensure the safety of rescue teams and the victims they are rescuing.
Emergency responders must be prepared at a moment's notice, with reliable rescue equipment they trust and depend upon. AHS Rescue specializes in providing safety equipment and product education and training for all types of rescue teams who are in need of quality technical rescue equipment. AHS Rescue fills the need to train and equip emergency service personnel who must have absolute confidence in the high quality of rope rescue equipment.
Petzl Grillon - This adjustable positioning lanyard allows you to get comfortable in two positions. You can attach the to side positioning loops on the harness, or to the central chest D-ring to hang vertically. The Petzl Grillon positioning lanyard must always be used with a fall arrest system. Tower climbers performing work on broadcasting towers, cellular tower technicians and wind energy employees use the Petzl Grillon for smooth adjustments making their work at height easier and more comfortable.
Petzl ASAP 'Sorber - The ASAP'Sorber Lanyard with energy absorber connects to the ASAP LOCK or ASAP mobile fall arrester allowing the user to work from a distance in certain work phases. The ASAP'Sorber features an energy tearing absorber designed to protect against abrasion, and is available in 20cm and 40cm for the best choice in balancing the distancing from the rope while reducing fall length.
Sterling Nylon / HTP Rope - HTP Static rope is widely utilized in rope access, rescue and tactical applications. The many benefits of this polyester material include solid resistance to water, Ultraviolet radiation, chemicals and abrasion providing strength and reliability.
CMC Rescue Arizona Vortex - The leader of portable Artificial High Directionals (AHDs), the Arizona Vortex (AZV) can be set up as a monopod, bipod or tripod in one all-inclusive kit. The AZV features a two-piece head that can be set up as an A-frame, gin pole, sideways A-frame or many other configurations. The AZV has additional attachment points that assist rope access when several lines might be required over the edge.
Petzl I'D – This self-braking descender features an anti-panic function that activates if the user pulls too hard on the handle, and an anti-error catch that reduces the chance of an accident. The I'D allows for more descent control, easier movement on either inclined or horizontal terrain, and easier work station positioning without the need to tie off the device.
This is just a sample of the wide variety of technical rescue equipment offered by AHS Rescue, a leader in Arizona and the U.S. among search and rescue equipment suppliers for trained professionals. We are a chosen supplier by many rescue teams including Arizona Public Service (APS) Power Utility, Phoenix Fire and Police Departments, Tower Safety & Instruction, Central Arizona Mountain Rescue and Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
When working from extreme heights or in confined spaces, you need reliable rope rescue equipment that you trust with your life. AHS Rescue has a large inventory and the best in class rope rescue equipment to provide peace of mind.
AHS Rescue is recognized as a leading supplier to rescue professionals who put their lives at risk in the line of duty. Search and Rescue teams, fire rescue teams and all rescue professionals rely upon AHS Rescue for trusted products lives depend upon. Contact us today by email or complete the form below for the most advanced technical and rope rescue equipment in the industry.


Printing in the Department of Geography is managed separately from the College's ICIT computing facilities. Every geography computing account will be assigned a $15 virtual print allowance at the beginning of the Fall and Spring semesters. Print jobs sent to the mono printers will cost $.05 per page. Print jobs sent to the color printers will cost $.50 per page. Every time you send a job to the printer, a window will notify you of the cost and the amount remaining in your account.
To check your print balance, click on start -> accessories -> print balance.
Each $15 GTECH fee paid is eligible to receive an additional $10 worth of printing. For example, a student is taking both GTECH 709 and GTECH 710 would be eligible to receive an additional $20 worth of printing. To request this additional credit, send an email to Amy Jeu (ajeu@hunter.cuny.edu) with your request for a print upgrade and include your name, username and the GTECH course(s) you are currently enrolled in.
Adjuncts are eligible for a print upgrade to $50. To request for this upgrade, send an email to Amy Jeu (ajeu@hunter.cuny.edu) and include your username.
Faculty members receive unlimited printing privileges to the main office printers.
In all other cases, you will need to pay to add money to your account. See Amy Jeu, the College Laboratory Technician in room 1046 HN.
The Department of Geography owns a large-format HP DesignJet 5500ps plotter. Students and Faculty of the Department wishing to print to the plotter must contact the CLT, Amy Jeu, for the actual printing. She is reachable via email at ajeu@hunter.cuny.edu; phone 212-772-4019; office 1046 HN. In general, you will need to (1) fill out a Plotter Printing Form, (2) submit the form & file at least 2 days prior to the actual printing, (3) pay the total amount due, and (4) pick-up your printout.
* Pricing is for HP Coated Paper. Pricing for other sizes or types of paper is also available upon request. No proofing or copy editing is done to your poster.


Personal Injury – Phyllis R. Williams, P.C.
No one plans to get hurt in an accident. When the unexpected happens, you are left with much more than just aches and pains. In many cases, accident victims must deal with time off work, property damage, emotional troubles, and even damage to personal relationships.
Accidents create a lot of stress and raises many questions.
How will you pay your bills? How will you get better? Will you ever feel well again? And insurance companies can make you feel like a victim over and over again. Even when they accept "liability," they rarely accept "responsibility." This can leave you wondering: should you file a lawsuit? These are the questions that can keep you up at night. You deserve answers.
We firmly believe no accident victim should have to pay for someone else's mistake or negligence.
If you've been injured in an accident, you don't deserve the burden of physical pain, medical bills, and all the other problems that go along with being hurt at the hands of another person.
You deserve a lawyer who will fight for you every step of the way.
That's what we do: We fight back for the injured. We fight for you.


text:
Donkey dressed as Harry Potter helps terminally-ill woman fulfil her dream
Veronica has always loved donkeys and wanted to see one of the animals one last time
A terminally ill woman was left speechless when her family secretly arranged to fulfil her dream of seeing a donkey one last time - by bringing it into her living room.
Veronica Leaning, 78, was told she'd be able to stroke a donkey through the window of her Coventry Avenue house since she is bedbound.
However, her son-in-law Phil Ireland went one better by secretly arranging for Nuttalls Donkeys of Cleethorpes to bring one into her living room - dressed as Harry Potter - right up to her bed.
Veronica Leaning, of Grimsby, who is suffering from terminal cancer, was paid a surprise visit in her home, by Dudley the Donkey, from Nuttalls Donkeys of Cleethorpes.
Veronica, who is suffering from cancer and only has months to live, was surrounded by her family as Dudley the donkey was led into the room, causing her to cry tears of joy.
"I was so surprised, I thought I was dreaming at first. It was the only thing left on my wish list. I thought I would be able to stroke one through the window, not up close," Veronica said.
"I have always loved donkeys. They have such a gentle and placid nature, and they are so good with people."
Veronica was overcome with emotion as Dudley the donkey walked into her living room
The surprise was even more poignant for Harry Potter superfan Veronica as Dudley could have stepped straight out of the books with a Hogwarts cloak, tie, scarf and glasses.
The terminally-ill Harry Potter superfan, 78, planning her wizard and witches funeral - and already has a themed coffin
Phil said: "It was difficult to organise it all without her knowing. It took about two weeks to get it all ready, but we wanted to help her tick this off her list.
Dudley wearing a Harry Potter, cloak, scarf, glasses and tie.
"We'd told her she would be able to stroke a donkey through a window sometime next week, but she had no idea this was happening.
"We're very grateful to Nuttalls Donkeys as we couldn't have done this without them."
Veronica hands over a donation from the family for Nuttalls Donkeys to care for their donkeys, to Kenzie Sargent.
Dudley may be more used to giving rides on the beach than standing in people's living rooms, but he was content to munch on carrots throughout the visit, and came close enough for Veronica to stroke him.
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Veronica has been obsessed with JK Rowling's Harry Potter books and films for the past 10 years, and has signatures from nearly every member of the films' cast.
She has even planned a witches and wizards themed funeral, complete with a coffin decorated with the four colours of the Hogwarts houses.


text:
Eskimos
Terry Jones: There is more to the Edmonton Oilers than Connor McDavid
The only thing that could have made it better was if Connor McDavid had guaranteed victory.
If he had done that going into this Game 6, it would have been a distant replay of Mark Messier for Game 6 against New Jersey in the New York Rangers' Stanley Cup run of 1994.
And McDavid almost did.
"We'll be back here Wednesday," said the 20-year-old captain before leaving the room Friday night in Anaheim.
He just didn't add the "I guarantee it."
For many Edmonton Oilers fans who watched the team gag on Game 5 with a 3-0 lead with three and a half minutes to play on three goals with the Anaheim Ducks' net empty in favor of an extra attacker didn't have much more than McDavid's words to take to Rogers Place Sunday night.
I'm not sure if it was shown on Canadian TV from Anaheim, but there was a post game shot on NBC of a dejected Leon Draisaitl sitting on the bench after the goal that ended it in double overtime. McDavid was behind him. He gave the German a quiet tap on the shoulder with the blade of his stick and said, "Let's go."
Who would have believed these Oilers would have scored five goals in the first period and another 45 seconds into the second en route to a 7-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks and McDavid wouldn't have a point?
It was Draisaitl who put his name on the game and one of the most memorable nights in all 214 and a half games of Oilers playoff history, turning a playoff game into a scene similar to an Edmonton Oil Kings Teddy Bear Toss night with the phenomenal number of hats thrown on the ice. He became only the fifth Oilers player — Wayne Gretzky (9), Jari Kurri (3), Glenn Anderson (2) and Paul Coffey (2) — to score a hat trick in the playoffs. It was the first Oilers' post-season hat trick in 17 years.
It was part of a five-point night that gave Draisaitl 11 goals and 13 assists for the 12 playoff games.
But the fact McDavid didn't have a point in this game that also featured two goals and two assists by Mark Letestu, was the ultimate statement as Edmonton heads to Game 7 Wednesday in Anaheim.
There. Is. More. To. This. Team. Than. Connor. McDavid.
"It says we're a team," said coach Todd McLellan. "You can't do it alone. You can't do it on one man's shoulders."
These Orange Crush Era Oilers won the biggest playoff game of their modern-day existence without the NHL's leading scorer and likely Hart Trophy winner as MVP producing a single point.
With Draisaitl's success this season, much was credited to playing on the same line as McDavid. Sunday night, McLellan moved him back to centering his own line again.
He validated everything he did with McDavid away from him in one playoff game.
To the casual hockey fan who figure Edmonton is McDavid and just a bunch of other guys, this game and these playoffs are saying otherwise.
"I think it's easy, it's cliché, to put everything on him," said Letestu. "Since he's come, the team has been on the up and up. And even though he didn't score tonight, he did a lot of good things. He was leading us with his details.
"But I think it says a lot about how deep our team is that we can come out with an effort like that and score as many goals as we did without our best player contributing on our score sheet," said the native of Elk Point who had never had a four-point game of any ilk before.
"First and foremost, he's the driver. But in the playoffs there are times when other people have to step up," said Zack Kassian, who scored his third goal after potting two winners against San Jose.
"We know we're a good team in here. But he's the best player in the world in my opinion and in all of our opinions."
"It just speaks to our depth. We've been getting scoring from our depth guys. Letestu has been huge for us all playoffs. Kassian got another big one tonight. I just can't say enough about this group. We've done a heck of a job responding this year and we did a huge job responding tonight," said goaltender Cam Talbot.
"It just shows we were willing to do whatever it took to extend the series. With Leon stepping up and everyone following behind him it was a good team effort that we needed," said Milan Lucic.
"It's been a team all season long. It's been different guys stepping up at different times. You can't take anything away from what he's done. I mean, a 100 point season. Our captain. Our leader. He's driven the bus all season long.
"At different times you need different guys to step up, especially at this time of year. You can't just rely on one guy to do it. You need the whole team to get it going."
 Dan Barnes: Leon Draisaitl leads Edmonton Oilers to total beat-down of...  Edmonton Oilers score seven to force Game 7 against Anaheim
Oil Spills: Edmonton Oilers and forward thinking
Watch: The Stanley Cup visits Edmonton minor hockey players
Watch: Stanley Cup comes to Alberta small town
Oil Spills: Edmonton Oilers in an NHL salary-cap crunch
No games scheduled for
Toronto 114 Final
Golden State 110
Washington 8 Final
Arizona 5 Bot
NY Mets 3 Top
Tampa Bay 3 Final
NY Yankees 8
Toronto 10 Final
Detroit 0 Bot
Chi White Sox 0 Top
Houston 0 Bot
LA Angels 6
Seattle 1 Bot
LA Dodgers 8 Final
San Diego 7 Final
Cincinnati 3 Top
Chi Cubs 3
Atlanta 1 Bot
Pittsburgh 1 Top
San Francisco 2 Top
Thursday, Aug. 1
Denver 5:00 PT6:00 MT7:00 CT8:00 ET0:00 GMT8:00 5:00 MST6:00 CST7:00 EST7:00 CT4:00 UAE (+1)20:00 ET23:00
Thursday, Jul. 18
Toronto 9:00 ET
Friday, Jul. 19
Ottawa 8:30 ET
Edmonton 4:00 ET
BC 7:00 ET
Demoted Oilers chief scout Bob Green outperformed all past Edmonton scouts, except for Barry Fraser
Oil Spills podcast: Specific with the Pacific
Edmonton Oilers depth centre prospects have one thing in common -- they are a few ...


The Combat Rogue is a Universal Petroleum light attack helicopter featured in Mercenaries 2: World in Flames.
The Combat Rogue is a lightly armed version of the Rogue Transport found mainly in Maracaibo, the Combat Rogue is armed with two rocket pods and .50 caliber HMG pods that block the rear passenger compartment. It is a five bladed, lightweight attack helicopter that trades armament for mobility. Like all Rogues, it use a NOTAR system instead of a tail rotor. It is very nimble but has a low lift capacity and weak armor. It struggles to lift and transport objects heavier than jeeps but it works well at transporting supply drops.
The mobility puts the Rogues in an arguably advantageous position over heavier helicopters in terms of survivability since Anti-Air fire, Surface-to Air-Missiles and Air-to-Air Missiles are much easier to dodge. The downside of the mobility is the lack of armor. The front window will not offer much protection and leaves AI occupants very vulnerable to any type of bullets or shrapnel.
The Combat Rogue is lightly armed relative to other helicopters, limiting it for fighting infantry, soft and lightly armored vehicles. A significant issue with this helicopter is the scarce amount of rockets available when fighting heavy armor and especially buildings.
It cannot be found anywhere but is one of the reinforcements that Universal Petroleum Mercenaries will receive after calling for backup.
Hijacking the Combat Rogue is the same as hijacking any other helicopter of the Rogue Series.
The Combat Rogue's gun pods have a faster fire rate than the Anti-Tank Rogue, they deal damage faster but can run out of ammunition easier.
It is available for purchase in UP shops for $75,000, same price as the Anti-Tank Rogue but it has a higher damage dealing potential but less accuracy (14 rockets = 210% damage vs. Diplomat Heavy Tank while 4 ATGMs = 120% damage vs. Diplomat Heavy Tank).
In terms of armament and overall performance, it is a better idea to use the Rogue Assassin sold at $100,000. It offers 5 more rockets, 2 Anti-Tank Guided Missiles and 2 miniguns with 6000 rounds of weaker but abundant 7.62mm rounds.
This helicopter is similar in armament to the VZ Kestrel.
The fact that the Combat Rogue is armed with rockets and HMGs means that it has to hover at a low altitude to have best effect, therefore it is more likely to be hit by fast explosive projectiles (grenade MGs, recoiless rifles, RPGs and tank shells) that would often be avoidable at longer ranges. While its agility makes it very difficult to hit with unguided munitions as well as guided missiles, succesful hits will hit this helicopter very hard. Avoid approaching or prioritize taking out Anti-Air weapons first and keep an eye out for Anti-Air Missile infantry.
Its .50 caliber guns and rockets make it a formidable foe, albeit against small enemy ground forces. It might struggle against attack helicopters since the rockets may often miss and the HMG pods cannot inflict damage fast enough. A good tactic against lighter helicopters is to shoot the pilot through the cockpit to save time and ammunition.
Stronger vehicles (armor type 3 or greater), such as armored personnel carriers or light tanks, are impervious to bullets and have better resistance to explosives, requiring more rockets to destroy than weaker vehicles, like trucks and jeeps. Most of the Combat Rogue's rockets would be used to destroy these vehicles. Fighting heavier vehicles, like IFVs and Heavy Tanks with the Combat Rogue is a significantly tougher challenge but still possible. Technically, if all rockets directly hit the intended target, it can take a minimum amount of 6 rockets to disable the heaviest tanks (with non-rear hits at 15% damage each) in the game, so it has the potential to destroy 2 heavy tanks and have 2 spare rockets.
It is a bad idea to call in a Combat Rogue to destroy multiple large buildings since it does not have many rockets, it could be more cost efficient to call in a more heavily armed helicopter, such as the Anaconda which has 80 rockets.
The Combat Rogue, and every other Rouge variant of helicopters, is based on the MH-6 Little Bird. A light scout and attack gunship introduced in 1980 and used by the United States Army.
If an AI occupant dies as he is exiting, the door has a chance of remaining open until it is either destroyed or 'reset' by entering a faction outpost.


Without warning, an earthly concoction of gray mud, steam and scalding water blasted in a steady stream hundreds of meters into the morning sky. A foul-smelling, rotten egg medley emanated from the site of the eruption, settling densely over the tropical landscape. Shrimp farmers tending the artificial pools within eyesight of the eruption began scrambling to protect their livelihood, unsure of what this catastrophe would mean.
On that day in 2006, local residents in the Sidoarjo Regency of East Java, Indonesia, didn't know that, 12 years later, mud would continue to disrupt their daily lives and engulf their homes. To date, 10 square kilometers of the former city are covered up to 30 meters (98 feet) deep with sludge. What no one knew for certain – and is still the burning question behind this event – is what caused this eruption known as "Lusi", a contraction of the Indonesian word "lumpur", meaning mud, and Sidoarjo.
Michael Manga, professor of Earth and Planetary Science at UC Berkeley, has travelled the world seeking to understand the cause of events like mud volcano eruptions. He specializes in hydrologic responses to earthquakes, and during a recent visit to Oregon State University, he explained the likely causes of the Lusi eruption and other hydrologic phenomena unleashed by the earth's shaking.
For Manga, the big question is: Did an earthquake cause Lusi? He thinks that's unlikely. To understand why, he describes how groundwater behaves during and after an earthquake and how it might produce mud eruptions.
These gray, bubbling phenomena result when water and gas heated underground mix with mineral deposits closer to the surface. The hot slurry of minerals, gases and water exerts pressure and eventually force the mud up to the surface through cracks or faults in the formation, producing an eruption.
Nearly 1,100 mud volcanoes have been identified on Earth, ranging in size from 1 to 700 meters (3 to 2300 feet) high. Most are associated with regions that are geologically active. The sulfurous mud pots in Yellowstone National Park are a well-known example. Lusi has produced more mud than any other.
The relationship between earthquakes and mud volcanoes is complicated and worthy of research. Nevertheless, Manga laments the fact that these phenomena are not as spectacular or famous as their lava-spewing cousins.
Scientists know that earthquakes can affect the movement of water underground and lead to a mud volcano eruption – or other surprises. Manga cites an example that occurred not far from his Berkeley residence. In 2014, a magnitude 6.0 quake struck near Napa Valley. Almost a billion liters of water, previously trapped in the surrounding hills, filled nearby streambeds, which had stood bone dry during months of drought.
When an earthquake occurs, waves of energy move through the Earth's crust. Groundwater interacts with these waves, and the hydrologic response can take different forms: geysers, soil liquefaction, mud volcanoes and sudden water flows in barren stream beds.
The magnitude of an earthquake and the distance from the epicenter, says Manga, can determine whether or not water — or mud — discharges to the surface in a specific area. Manga's research suggests that the most plausible explanation is an increase in the degree to which changes in rock and other subterranean material allow water to move. Ground shaking may create microscopic cracks that weaken the material to the point that water pressure will cause ruptures.
One detail about the Lusi eruption may not be surprising: It occurred a mere 200 meters (650 feet) from a natural gas drilling operation. The company, PT Lapindo Brantas, maintains that the eruption was caused by a distant earthquake and cites Manga's work as evidence. At first, Manga was thrilled to find that his work is relevant to the debate, but after investigating the event further, he realized there were inconsistencies between his models and Lusi.
For one, the epicenter of the earthquake that PT Lapindo Brantas cites was 190 miles away from the eruption. At the volcano site, the shaking from that earthquake would have been impossible to distinguish from the passing of a heavy truck. Additionally, data from the drilling operation shows a "kick," an influx of fluid into the bore hole, hours before the eruption. This finding indicates that the groundwater at this site was able to break through the hole because of cracks in the rock created by the drilling.
The question of what caused the Lusi eruption continues to be contested in the political sphere. Knowledge of its origin could lead to holding a party responsible for dealing with the eruption effects. To scientists like Manga, the larger issue of how earthquake deformation and tectonic interactions produce hydrologic responses could lead to a more complete understanding of the fallout from massive earthquakes.
One day, people on the West Coast may learn first-hand that an earthquake can have more devastating effects than we currently understand. Work by Manga and others will help us better prepare by anticipating the surprising effects that earthquakes might have on the groundwater under our feet.
Note: Luke Schindler is an undergraduate in the College of Science.
*To learn more about Michael Manga's research, visit his website.
**Oregon State University's Cascadia Lifelines Program sponsors research on ways to mitigate damage to Pacific NW infrastructure resulting from earthquakes.
Wear an emergency mask or hold a damp cloth over your face. If you are not evacuating, close windows and doors and block chimneys and other vents, to prevent ash from coming into the house. Be aware that ash may put excess weight on your roof and need to be swept away. Wear protection during cleanups.


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