Has RAFAEL a license to cheat?
I have been a physicist, an expert for infrared technology and complex warfare systems. My Israeli employer - RAFAEL - coerced me to retire, because I was a WHISTLEBLOWER. The "misguided men" apparently knew that I would not agree to retire. Allegedly they conspired with a small business firm in NJ, USA, M.L. Energia, Inc. This tiny "less than arm length" firm has been owned by Moshe and Nira Lavid, a married couple - Israelis who live in the U.S.A. since the 1970s. There is a reason to believe the Lavids have maintained a networking with few officers of RAFAEL. Why would RAFAEL attempt to get rid of me? The background is illustrated below.
My legal actions in the U.S.A.
My story might have started in 1986, when I was a System Engineer at a the manufacturing plant in RAFAEL. My colleague (an economist of the air-to-air manufacturing HQ, Mr. Michael Cahn) asked me to help him investigating missing monies, about a million dollars ($1,000,000). Mr. Cahn found that despite a technical upgrade (that I had approved as the Head of the Committee for Technical Changes) making the production more economy, it was reported (by the vendors) to be produced at the previous higher costs. Mr. Cahn and I investigated this matter and found that indeed the hardware was produced as I had approved, but the costly bills reflected the older technology.
A few days later, I was alerted by the deputy manager of the manufacturing plant that we (Mr. Cahn and I) erred. Despite the recent technical change, the reflected the actual manufacturing costs. Moreoevr, I was advised not to "waste additional time" dealing with this investigation, otherwise I might be harmed. . . In spite of this threat, I testified in this matter before investigators nominated by the Israeli Ministry of Defense. The 1990 annual report of the Israeli Comptroller General published (ibid. page 870) that there were over $22 million dollars missing at RAFAEL, without a reasonable explanation.
During 1987-1990 I was acting as project manager, developing a unique system for the U.S. Marine Corps and the Israeli Air Force. In 1989, I signed on behalf of RAFAEL a contract with TAMAM, subsidiary of IAI - Israeli Aircraft Industry by the amount of $13,550,000 ($9,5M U.S. funds and the rest Israeli funds). I was reporting monthly (CDRL A018) to the U.S. Marine Corps via IAI. Then I discovered that the reported working hours quite exceeded my long term plans.
It was Mr. Giora Shalgi currently CEO of RAFAEL but then the head of Missiles Division (the boss of my boss at RAFAEL) who was concerned that the project, (which I directed) was quite successful (i.e. not losing moneys) unlike other projects in his division. Undeniably, Mr. Giora Shalgi instructed others to report on "my" project's account. I outraged and demanded that all the workers who reported improperly should immediately amend their hourly reports (i.e. return all the robbed working hours). Consequently, I was advised by Shalgi's deputy that my behavior in this regard "would not be tolerated".
Nonetheless in June 1990, before I left for a (two years) sabbatical I was tentatively assigned to a respected position, following my anticipated return in September 1992. It was written in my personal file that if I did not return to RAFAEL from Sabbatical, it might have adversely affected our department. Surprisingly, a year later Mr. Giora Shalgi offered me to retire at age of 46 years, being paid forty percent (40%) lifetime pension. Conditionally I accepted this offer, only if I would be recruited by OpGal (a daughter company of RAFAEL located near my home in Karmiel). This condition has never been fulfilled, and thus, my resignation from RAFAEL was revoked. To coerce my resignation they planted a libelious letter in my personal file depicting me as "a security an a commercial risk" to anyone who would deal with me.
At the end of my sabbatical term I returned from New Jersey to Israel. RAFAEL refused to respond any of my terms. Moreover, as a result of this libelous letter maliciously planted in my personal file at RAFAEL I was unable to obtain any decent job with RAFAEL or elsewhere. I became quite frustrated. No one would help me with it, and I had to find out all the answers by myself, alone.
Why is there a missing stamp-of-incoming-mail on the two libeluous letters that Dr. Moshe Lavid (M.L. Energia, Inc. in NJ) sent to Dr. Zehava Shmueli (RAFAEL, Israel)?
Why has the Israeli State Attorney volunteered to defend seven employees of RAFAEL sued over libel? A note: According to the Israeli law the State may not be deemed liable for damages caused by a libel or a transgression of privacy. Only the individual(s), who caused such damage(s) might be found liable and guilty, either in civil and/or criminal proceedings.
Why has RAFAEL refused to show me my personal file, in complete disregard of an order issued (November 6, 1994) by the Regional Labor Court in Jerusalem?
Why has the State Attorney disregarded a decision of the Israeli Supreme Court 453/87 (dealing with a similar case)?
Please read the article, Doron Tal Declares War on Corruption at RAFAEL.
Would the Israeli Supreme Court cover-up corruption?
As a WHISTLEBLOWER I have paid a very serious price for my moral acts. The establishment has retaliated against me. Still I attempted to file criminal charges against those Israeli public officials, who allegedly violated my rights. The Counsel for the Israeli Government has entitled them qualified immunity from my actions. In my petition 3434/98 (see below) I contended that the Counsel for the Government and the State Attorney are disregarding that these public officials had improperly extended their duties and intentionally transgressed my privacy libeling against me. They did it in an attempt to cover-up ultimate corruption and crimes within RAFAEL, the Israeli Armament Development Authority. I revoked my petition on Oct 14, 1999, having the understanding that the Attorney General would investigate the odd relationships that Dr. Moshe Lavid has apparently had with high ranked officials at RAFAEL.
RAFAEL is condemned by Supreme Court in the matter of Mr. Israel F.


New Saloon Theater Co. handcrafts original performances — from evening-length dramas to two-minute dance videos — with dedication and love. We celebrate the unique and enduring aspects of live performance and the dramatic canon, while simultaneously embracing social media and our smartphones as new platforms for thinking and playing.
We find joy in anachronism, sincerity, theatricality, hard work, and color.
The company was founded in 2012 by Madeline Wise, Milo Cramer, and Morgan Green. Caroline Gart joined as Managing Director in 2018.
In New York City they have presented BUSTER KEATON'S RIDE BUSTER KEATON RIDES AGAIN: A SEQUEL, a devised work after Spicer after Lorca, at Dixon Place in November 2012. BKRBKRA: A Sequel was adapted from two poems by Jack Spicer and was performed in a previous iteration at Bard College, in collaboration with Amy Pedulla.
In January 2013 they presented a new play written by Milo Cramer and directed by Morgan Green called William Shakespeare's Mom at the Brick in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
In April 2013 they presented a new play with music, Cooking to me is Poetry, directed by Morgan Green and co-written by Milo, Morgan, and Madeline, at Galapagos Art Space in DUMBO, Brooklyn.
In June 2013 they presented a new iteration of William Shakespeare's Mom as part of Ars Nova's ANT Fest in Manhattan.
In March 2014 they presented Milo's latest work, I'm Miserable But Change Scares Me, at the Brick in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Their first ever film, SMUSHKISS, premiered as part of the Tank's Noir Fest on July 20 and 25, 2014.
New Saloon was a 2014-15 Mabou Mines/Suite Resident Artist. They presented a work-in-progress showing of TROPES, their Anton Chekhov mashup play, at the Flamboyán Theatre in Manhattan in May 2014. They presented another work-in-progress iteration of the play, now titled THREE TRANSLATIONS OF UNCLE VANYA AT THE SAME TIME, in March 2015 as part of Mabou Mines/RAP, and yet another iteration in April 2015 at the Invisible Dog.
In June 2016 they presented a complete iteration of their Uncle Vanya adaptation, now titled MINOR CHARACTER: Six Translations of Uncle Vanya at the Same Time, at the Invisible Dog. Emily Kaplan produced, in association with Immediate Medium.
In January 2017 they presented a condensed & expanded version of MINOR CHARACTER as part of the Public Theater's Under the Radar Festival. Caroline Gart acted as producer.
In June 2017 they presented nearly the same version of that condensed & expanded version of MINOR CHARACTER at the Sharon Playhouse in Sharon, Connecticut. Caroline Gart produced that iteration as well.
In January 2018 they presented, in a coproduction with the Bushwick Starr and Clubbed Thumb, the world premiere of Milo Cramer's CUTE ACTIVIST. Caroline Gart produced for New Saloon, and subsequently joined the company in a formal capacity as Managing Director.
Morgan and Madeline were grade school class presidents. Milo was voted Class Gossip.


text:
Vishwanath Shastri was an Indian politician. He was elected to the Lok Sabha (1991–1996), the lower house of the Parliament of India, as a member of the Communist Party of India.

References

External links
Official biographical sketch in Parliament of India website

India MPs 1991–1996
Lok Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh
1945 births
Living people
Communist Party of India politicians from Uttar Pradesh

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
In tight Worcester County sheriff's race, Crisafulli wins
Mike McDermott, Matt Crisafulli, Scott Bernal and George Truitt are all running for Worcester County sheriff.
In tight Worcester County sheriff's race, Crisafulli wins Mike McDermott, Matt Crisafulli, Scott Bernal and George Truitt are all running for Worcester County sheriff. Check out this story on delmarvanow.com: http://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2018/06/26/primary-election-results-worcester-county-sheriffs-race/726137002/
Rose Velazquez, Salisbury Daily Times Published 10:43 p.m. ET June 26, 2018 | Updated 2:50 p.m. ET June 27, 2018
Matt Crisafulli is a Republican candidate for Worcester County sheriff.(Photo: Matt Crisafulli submitted image)
The following are unofficial results of the Maryland Primary election on June 26, 2018.
After a close race for Worcester sheriff, Matt Crisafulli has come out on top.
He was one of four Republicans vying for the top law enforcement office in the county and will succeed outgoing Sheriff Reggie Mason who was elected in 2010 and has been serving the agency since 1984.
Crisafulli received 2,274 votes, Mike McDermott received 2,113 votes, Scott Bernal received 541 votes and George Truitt received 136 votes, according to the state board of elections.
BACKGROUND: Candidate for sheriff looks to bring 'fresh ideas, postive solutions' to Worcester County
BACKGROUND: Maryland Primary Election 2018: Get to know the Worcester County Sheriff candidates
Mike McDermott, candidate for Worcester County Sheriff, poses for a photo at his home in Pocomoke on Friday, June 30, 2017. (Photo: Staff photo by Ralph Musthaler)
Crisafulli has lived in Worcester County since 1995 when he began his law enforcement career with the Pocomoke Police Department. Four years later, he took a job with the sheriff's office as a Drug Abuse Resistance Education Officer and he now supervises the agency's school division.
Crisafulli was endorsed by Mason, Former Sheriff Charles Martin and the Worcester Teachers Association and highlighted the following issues as top priorities in his campaign: Second Amendment rights, drug enforcement and education, community-oriented policing, fiscal responsibility and school safety.
"I have basically spent the vast majority of my career working proactively with our children and our families, so running for sheriff is basically an extension of the continued work that we have put in over the years," he said in June 2017 of his campaign.
This report will be updated.
More: Primary Election Results: Maryland Delegate 38C
More: Primary Election results: 1st Congressional District
More: Primary Election results: Maryland governor
Read or Share this story: http://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2018/06/26/primary-election-results-worcester-county-sheriffs-race/726137002/
Lewes to honor Dr. King with street name

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Do You Want To Sport Cute Nails?
We all want cute nails, right? But not every woman or girl has the time to go to a fancy nail salon, nor the money to pay for weekly manicures. Luckily, there a plenty of cute nail designs you can duplicate at home. Or, if you prefer to be pampered at a salon, you can ask your manicurist to try one of our favorite designs for pretty nails.
DIY nail art designs are so trendy right now. You can easily master some of these popular nail designs at home rather than spend much money on a professionally done manicure.
From matte nails to glittery nails to floral designs, there are many ways to get fun-to-look-at nails on your own. All your girlfriends might envy you, as your manicure will be exceptional.
So, call your girlfriends and have a girls night in and try out these fun cute nails designs! You will be sure to get compliments on your adorable nails, if you opt for one of these nice designs!
Click NEXT PAGE below to see more fun and beautiful nails!


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Q: What does AttributeError: 'LpElement' object has no attribute 'cat' and why is this error produced? I am trying to model the following equation using Python PuLP

I have written the following Python Code
prob = LpProblem('Resource', LpMaximize)

# x variables

xs = [LpVariable("x{0}{1}{2}".format(i + 1, j + 1, k + 1), cat = "Binary")

    for i in range(0, 3)
    for j in range(0, 5)
    for k in range(0, 2)
]

print("\nX Variable\n")

for i in range(0, len(xs)):
    print(xs[i])

# y variables

ys = [LpVariable("y{0}{1}".format(i + 1, j + 1), cat = "Binary")

    for i in range(0, 3)
    for j in range(0, 5)
]

print("\nY Variable\n")
for i in range(0, len(ys)):
    print(ys[i])

for j in range(0, 5):
    for k in range(0, 2):
    for i in range(0, 3):
    con = "x{0}{1}{2} <= y{3}{4}".format(i + 1, j + 1, k + 1, i + 1, j + 1)
prob += LpAffineExpression(LpElement(con))
print(con)

status = prob.solve()

This gives the following PuLP error:

Traceback (most recent call last):
    File "C:\Python34\Cloud 3.py", line 446, in
      resource(request, pmachine, l, q)
    File "C:\Python34\Cloud 3.py", line 136, in resource
      status = prob.solve()
    File "C:\Python34\lib\site-packages\pulp-1.6.1-py3.4.egg\pulp\pulp.py", line 1643, in solve
      status = solver.actualSolve(self, **kwargs)
    File "C:\Python34\lib\site-packages\pulp-1.6.1-py3.4.egg\pulp\solvers.py", line 1303, in actualSolve
      return self.solve_CBC(lp, **kwargs)
    File "C:\Python34\lib\site-packages\pulp-1.6.1-py3.4.egg\pulp\solvers.py", line 1325, in solve_CBC
      tmpMps, rename = 1)
    File "C:\Python34\lib\site-packages\pulp-1.6.1-py3.4.egg\pulp\pulp.py", line 1431, in writeMPS
      if mip and v.cat == LpInteger:
  AttributeError: 'LpElement' object has no attribute 'cat'

What does AttributeError: 'LpElement' object has no attribute 'cat' and why is this error produced?

A: The AttributeError: 'LpElement' object has no attribute 'cat' is produced when there is an incompatibility between the problem variable which in this case is prob = LpProblem('Resource', LpMaximize) and the constraint being added.
This can be fixed by getting rid of the redundant LpAffineExpression(LpElement(con)) calls when the variables are defined using the PuLP specified LpVariable.dicts instead of dynamic generation of variables as has been done above.
A better approach incorporating the changes would be as follows:
prob = LpProblem('Resource', LpMaximize)

xdict = LpVariable.dicts('', ["x{0}{1}{2}".format(i + 1, j + 1, k + 1)
        for i in range(0, len(request))
        for j in range(0, len(pmachine))
        for k in range(0, pmachine[j].npj)
    ],
    0, 1, cat = 'Binary')

ydict = LpVariable.dicts('', ["y{0}{1}".format(i + 1, j + 1)
        for i in range(0, len(request))
        for j in range(0, len(pmachine))
    ],
    0, 1, cat = 'Binary')

for i in range(0, len(request)):
    for j in range(0, len(pmachine)):
        for k in range(0, pmachine[j].npj):
            con = xdict["x{0}{1}{2}".format(i + 1, j + 1, k + 1)] <= ydict["y{0}{1}".format(i + 1, j + 1)]
            prob += con
            print(con)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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If you are looking for a world-class learning, education in Canada is what you need. With meticulous control over the quality and the standards of academic tutoring, Canada is one of the top international student destinations across the world.
Canada has two official languages: English and French. When you plan your higher-education in this bilingual country, you can brush up your linguistic skills in the midst of like-minded people. With fluency in both languages you can further your studies.
Students looking to study abroad undergo 'price' barrier. Universities in Canada provide quality education at affordable fee. Admissions are more competitive with no comprise on education standards.
During the first six months of the program, students are allowed to work while they study with twenty hours per week. Students who have enrolled in the one-year program can work for one more year whereas students under two-year program can work up to 2-3 years upon completion of their course successfully.
Students can collaborate and interact with industry leaders. Employment opportunities are available while you study and also after your graduation in leading industries and firms. Even if you choose to move elsewhere in the world, studying in Canada will open the doors to get placed in global companies.
There is a certain misconception as regards the safety prevailing among the students willing to pursue their education abroad. Canada, with a highly non-discriminatory society, has the lowest crime rate. Canada has the highest quality of life which makes it the preferred choice for higher education.


text:
SanDisk teases 8TB SSDs for next year, 16TB SSDs in 2016
Thought your 240GB SSD was big? What about 1TB? That's nothing compared to what SanDisk sees for next year - 8TB SSDs, with 16TB SSDs planned for 2016
By: Anthony Garreffa from May 3, 2014 @ 20:43 CDT
It wasn't long ago when SanDisk unveiled the world's first SSD with 4TB capacity, but now we're hearing about 8TB and 16TB SSDs - things that should really begin to excite everyone.
The storage giant believes that flash-based storage devices will begin leaving mechanically driven HDDs for dust when it comes to both performance, and capacity - in at least one market segment. Mission-critical storage applications are very important, as is the entire enterprise storage market. SanDisk now plans 6TB and 8TB drives by next year.
SanDisk has confirmed 6TB and 8TB Optimus Max SSDs for next year, but even better, we have 16TB drives on the map for 2016. Right now, the price per GB is still higher than most would like it - sitting at around $2 per GB for consumer SSDs. But by 2017, this will drop to close to $0.50, which is when we should see some gigantic, and much cheaper SSDs.
NEWS SOURCES:kitguru.net
>> NEXT STORY: Epic Games teases that Unreal Tournament is making a comeback
<< PREVIOUS STORY: Killzone developer rumored to be unveiling new IP for PS4 at E3 2014
sandisk 8tb SSD
sandisk 16tb SSD


text:
Q: How to do NFC peer to peer connection in android? I need to do peer to peer connection between two nfc enabled device, i need some tutorial to do it if anyone done it send me link or explain.

A: That sample is old and uses deprecated APIs (which are still needed though to support GB). Please look at this one instead if you are working with ICS:
http://developer.android.com/resources/samples/AndroidBeamDemo/index.html
And check out the docs here:
http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/nfc/nfc.html#p2p
Basically, what you need to do is create an app that creates the NDEF message, registers the message to be pushed, and also creates an intent filter in the android manifest to also filter for the intent that is created when the application pushes the ndef message.
When to devices come in contact (with the application installed), one device will push the data onto the other. The other device has an intent filter that correctly filters for the message and handles it.
That's the basic mechanics of it. Check out the Android beam demo for more info.

A: Did you look at http://developer.android.com/resources/samples/NFCDemo/index.html
It contains the tutorials you are looking for


My ideas come from nature and my life experiences. My subject matter varies from birds and bugs to dolls, music and lyrics, spirituality and infinitely more. I capture the beauty of each idea by selecting outstanding characteristics to tell a story. Beauty and craft are always at the top of my agenda. Each piece has its own personality as it is designed and created by hand. Slight variations in color and placement of enamel and gemstones also add to the individuality of all my work.


text:
Home Tags Technology
New iPad to go on sale Friday: Apple
prao - March 16, 2012
San Francisco: Apple on Wednesday made an official announcement that the third-generation iPad will arrive at Apple's retail stores and its online store on...
Yahoo! offers Malayalam content to internet users
prao - March 2, 2012
New Delhi: Yahoo! India and Malayala Manorama, the leading Malayalam language daily, Thursday announced a partnership to deliver premium digital content in Malayalam."The co-branded...
Apple plans new-generation iPad event
San Francisco: Apple has announced an event March 7 that may see the introduction of the company's next generation of iPad tablet computer.The event...
Cellphone holding shows your dominant side of brain
prao - February 23, 2012
If your left brain is dominant, then you are likely to hold your cellphone in the right hand and place it against the same...
Obama-driven car for sale
prao - January 29, 2012
London: A car driven by US President Barack Obama is up for auction on shopping website eBay at a whopping starting bid of $1...
India is holding the world to ransom on DRS: Harper
Adelaide: Former Test umpire Daryl Harper, who was forced into premature retirement earlier this year in the West Indies, said India's ludicrous refusal to...
Steve Jobs to be honoured with Grammy award posthumously
prao - December 23, 2011
Los Angeles: Apple co-founder Steve Jobs will be posthumously honoured with a Grammy award for his contribution to music technology, The Recording Academy announced...
Zuckerberg's private Facebook photos go viral
prao - December 8, 2011
London: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's private photos were made public after a web expert managed to gain access to his page due to a...
iPad encrusted with T-rex bone
prao - November 3, 2011
London: An iPad worth five million pounds has been customised by a specialist designer with gold, diamonds and shavings of a Tyrannosaurus Rex bone.Believed...
Google Maps takes us inside shops
Google's online map service is allowing small businesses such as shops, gyms, restaurants to provide viewers glimpses of what exists beyond facades seen on...


As I have mentioned before, sartorial matters have not always been my specialty. I am embarrassed to admit that there was a time when I shied away from purchasing any clothing that could not be handled by a normal cycle in the washing machine and tumble dried low, because I was too intimidated by the alternative.
Even more embarrassingly, there was at least one year in which I did not wash my bras at all, because I wasn't sure how and was afraid of damaging them.
Enter the drying rack. Once I purchased one, I felt I could tackle washing delicates and other finicky clothing items with confidence! Delicate cycle. Gentle soap (although from the reviews, it looks like the formula was recently changed. I may have to search for an alternative…). Lay the items out to air dry. No problem!
Except, there was a problem: My drying rack took up a huge amount of space. It was two large mesh squares with plastic frames, which stacked. In theory, removing the plastic feet would allow one to stack the racks flat, but popping the feet off was a pain, and even then, the large mesh squares remained. They didn't fit in the laundry room or a closet, so were often awkwardly stowed behind a chair. When in use, they took up valuable floor space.
Last month I decided I had had enough of dragging these squares around the house, did some research, and found this lovely hanging drying rack. It easily collapses to store completely flat, does its job out of the way of traffic, comes with a complimentary lingerie bag (something I have yet to fully embrace), and costs less than $10! What a revelation!
How about you? What is your delicates laundry routine? Any new game changing items in your life?


text:
"Get a backbone!" Kochie resigns from organ donation council on air.
Alex Greig
He quit spectacularly.
Broadcaster David Koch has resigned as chairman of the Organ and Tissue Authority Advisory Council (OTA) after criticising Assistant Health Minister Fiona Nash live on Sunrise this morning.
Nash has ordered a review of the council, established in 2009, because transplant rates have not increased as much as expected.
Kochie accused Nash of giving in to "this rich lobby group", also known as ShareLife, an organisation dedicated to increasing Australia's organ donation rates so they're on a par with other developed countries.
"It's an absolute disgrace. Fiona Nash, get a backbone.
"You didn't even ring me as chairman of the advisory council to get my view or even tell me it's coming," he said.
"Obviously I've got no choice but to resign from the position and actively counter the tripe dished out by a whole bunch of rich lobbyists that just talk and do nothing."
Koch called out Fiona Nash live on air and resigned from his position as chairman of the OTA. Image via Sunrise.
Koch also bit the hand that feeds him during the heated Sunrise segment, calling out Channel 7 programs Seven News and Today Tonight for their coverage of the reform of Australia's organ and tissue donation system.
The program's alleged mismanagement of $250 million in funding for organ donation, referring to it as "not well spent."
Nash declined to appear on Sunrise but she says Koch had been made aware of the review a week ago and has been invited to add his own input.
More Koch capers?
Entirely unedited: Mia Freedman interviews David Koch.
Sunrise's Kochie slams anti-vax defenders.
Dear Kochie. It's not OK to humiliate your colleague on television.
Willcando 7 years ago
Looks as though he is being called to account and is running for the hills. Good on you Fiona Nash. Our organ donation rates are a disgrace.
Brett 7 years ago
Sounds an awful lot like the time Fiona Nash caved in to rich lobbyists over the food packaging star system, where her chief of staff had shares in that lobbying group!


text:
About Robert Peters
Robert Peters on Dallas, TX
Dallas, TX During the Holiday Season
by Robert Peters | Nov 28, 2017 | Dallas, Robert Peters, Texas, Travel
Like any city, Dallas has a wide array of events occurring during the holiday season. We love celebrating Christmas in Dallas and you'll see this fact is true. Although it's extremely unlikely there will be snow, you can still make the most of the holidays in the...
Iconic Texas Foods
by Robert Peters | Oct 30, 2017 | Dallas, Robert Peters, Texas, Travel
Some say that everything is bigger in Texas while others go the extra mile and say that everything is simply better in Texas. Everyone might not agree with those first two statements, but something people from all over can agree upon is that Texas has fantastic food....
How to Help Those Affected by Hurricane Harvey
by Robert Peters | Sep 21, 2017 | Community Leadership, Dallas, Robert Peters, Texas
When Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, it led to widespread destruction and quite a few deaths. It was a disaster on a scale that Texas hasn't ever seen before. Flooding occurred in the city and in many miles of the surrounding area, leading to numerous people evacuating...
Brief History of Dallas, Texas
by Robert Peters | Aug 17, 2017 | Dallas, Robert Peters, Texas
Dallas, Texas is a place filled with rich history and has cultivated many great people and moments throughout its existence and continues to be a solid breeding ground for excellence. However, many people outside of its residents do not know much about its humble...
Best Historic Sites in Texas
by Robert Peters | Jul 26, 2017 | Robert Peters, Texas, Travel
Texas is a huge state that's home to many incredible historic landmarks. This state has a rich history that's gone on for centuries, even before it was known as "Texas." Some people think of Texas as merely desert, but that's far from the truth. The state has endless...
8 Famous People from Dallas, Texas
by Robert Peters | Jun 19, 2017 | Dallas, Robert Peters, Texas
Besides being home to incredible sites and food, Dallas is also home to many famous people. Various well-known actors, singers, athletes, and philanthropists have come from Dallas, which makes us proud to call it our home. It's also likely that you may see some of...
The Importance of Making Time for a Family Dinner
How to Actually Get People Engaged in Town Hall Meetings
Visit These 6 Incredible Cities in Texas
6 Tips for Preparing Your Home for Winter Weather in Texas
How to Avoid Getting the Flu


Hi, I've disfigured 6 bridges so far and have learned a lot from each. I've played with 3 sound posts and even put in two at one time to learn the effects. I've tried so far, 5 different brands of strings to learn their sounds. And I'm having a ball.
It would be helpful if you share with us what your results and what you learned as you perform your experiments.
Sure Uzi, as long as you keep in mind that I first touched a violin in January.
The sound post was moved all around with no real improvement noted. The double post took away the highs and did very little for the lows,,kinda a waste. But fun. I ended up putting it right where it should be.
The bridge that came with the violin had to be wrong,,,I kept hitting other strings,,ha. So I started making changes. Had one very high, which took the strings way up. Supposed to be louder, I couldn't tell. But it did make it slower to move, lot farther to push down. Then I made the bridge a lot smaller, the strings were barely off the board. It just felt weird. But I bet it would be a lot faster. I wouldn't know about that, I'm still at the "hunt and peck stage". Then I started making changes that made everything feel better and when I was done and started measuring,,surprise,,surprise, I was right where I was supposed to be and right at 42mm radius. I laughed.
Whew. I'm exhausted now. But I enjoyed reading about your experiments. You sound like my boyfriend with his guitar...always tinkering. Have fun!
Thanks Mr. Yikes. I got my first fiddle toward the end of January also. With regard to the bridge, it looks like you learned a lot. From what I've read, so far, it is important when making a new bridge to make sure that there's adequate space in the string slots for the string to move smoothly when it is being tightened, does not have any sharp edges to cause string abrasion and that the slot is lubricated with a bit of graphite from a pencil lead, so that it can move smoothly. Also here's a pretty information article from this web site from a few years ago on bridges. It seemed pretty informative to me.
With regard to the strings, they do make a significant difference. I too quickly removed the original strings and replaced them with D'Addario Zyex strings. They do sound better than the original. I also have a set of D'Addario Pro Arte strings which I have yet to try and am considering testing the Dominant and Obligato strings pretty soon. The Obligato strings sound fantastic on my grandson's viola, but it is a much more expensive instrument and not a violin, so I'm not sure how they will sound on this inexpensive fiddle, but I'd like to find out. The one issue that I have with the Zyex strings is that I have a whispering E string which really bugs me, so I'd like to find something to fix that.
I've discovered that the biggest factor in improving the tone of this particular violin is practice. For the first month I thought the violin sounded just horrible (oh and it really did and still does -- but less so.) Yet, for some reason the more I practice the more this thing's tone improves.
@MrYikes It's always so much fun to experiment. I haven't gotten to experiment with shaping my bridges yet but it sounds like so much fun! My old violin could use a new bridge so maybe, just maybe, i'll take it and go play around with some bridges! And strings really do make a huge difference with violins. Hope you find the right set, or group of strings you really like!
I know very little about strings, but I have learned one important thing. If you use the following idea, It may help a lot with intonation.
You should get strings that are sensitive enough to vibrate sympathetically with one another.
For instance, when you play G on the D string, you should hear ringing from the open G string. When you play A on the D string, you should hear the open A string ring like crazy. If you aren't sure whether a string is ringing, stop it with a spare finger to hear the difference. If you never hear any such ringing, try some better strings. You don't have to spend a fortune. I first heard sympathetic vibrations when I installed Preludes, at a cost of about $15.
When you play a tone that is a unison, octave, fourth, or fifth relative to some open string, you should hear some ringing---when you play the tone accurately, that is. There are other intervals that produce weaker ringing.
The ringing provides points of reference for intonation, so you can nail down the notes precisely without needing to look at a tuner.
Thanks RU, I hear a booming sound when on the note and am not sure if I like it. It sounds like the note is locked inside the violin. I've heard that the varnish can mute a violin, so one day I started scrubbing the side with steel wool (bet Fiddlerman wouldn't do THAT to his violin, ha.), but since I wasn't sure that the varnish was the problem, I held off doing the whole thing. My ears can't tell me if that helped or hurt.
The bow that came with the violin wouldn't allow the hair to loosen, the frog nut would hit the front of the slot, so I drilled out the slot so that it works now.
My A peg worked too deeply into the peg box so that the string coming out of the hole was marking the side of the wood, so I took out the peg, moved in about a quarter inch and redrilled at 90 degrees. It works okay, but seems to want to slip. If that continues, I have some sidewalk chalk, I'll put on it.
I keep trying to find things to make it better or things to buy to make it better,,,,but in the end there is only one thing that will make it better,,,,pratice.
I imagine that it's the sound of the bow hairs going across the string and being amplified by the bridge and sound post along with the sound of the string vibrating. It is only evident on the E string. I have heard others mention this before and one person claimed to have fixed it by replacing the E string with a "Kaplan" E string, which I am not familiar with.
I doubt that the whispering sound travels very far, since I don't hear it on any recordings and in any event any live listeners (or "victims" as they prefer to be called) would have fled in terror long before they noticed the whispering (ssshhhhh) sound.
Ha, that's how I think of it also Uzi.
On the bridges, I find the white color distracting, so I stain them walnut,not dark, just a little, then sand them off a little, then I harden them by rubbing them on a block of pine 2x4. That puts a shine on them and they are ready to set. It's better but still needs work.
I use a cheap Hamilton music stand, but had to drill two holes at the bottom so that I could use it while sitting. It works but sure does splay the legs out. I also put "Goop" on the corners of the shelf and thumb adjusters to hopefully prevent scratches and the shelf becomes a handy violin holder for those 47 bar rests (123,223,323)(during practice, I have a lot of those)ha.
On the bow, the wrapping was very loose so I put super glue on the bottom of the wrap. It worked. I also put super glue in the grooves in the nut for the E and A. That worked also, but I've had to add some more after three weeks of practice.
I am kinda proud of my bow now, it was scratchy on the really high notes of the DEF double octive scales (of which, I sometimes find myself "sliding" into). There's almost no scratching now. yea.
@Uzi : You're right, it is not a wolf tone you hear but a whistling sound. It's caused from the bow not making immediate contact with the E string to start it vibrating, therefore the bow hair's just slide over the E string until there's enough contact to make the string vibrate. The normal E string is a solid wire, the "Kaplan non Whistling E string is a wound string which prevent's the sliding of the bow hair's over the string, just like the other three wound string's and eliminates the whistle.
I use the "Kaplan" non whistling string with any set of string's I buy.
It's a bit more expensive than the regular E string, but well worth it.
I put on a set of Hauyin perlon strings on my new, old, mv650 and used a Yeto amber rosin on the bow. That was a bad combination. I would get three tones on one bowing stroke. The rosin was really grabby and the strings would flex. I had to wash out the bow hair, dry it and brush it out (I think my wife is jealous). I changed strings to a steel core and things are back to normal. I need to find a "slicker" rosin. I have some light colored which is okay but I need to try others.
You might find that "slick" doesn't last as long per application. I use poor man's "student block" and it is definitely on the slickier side.
I sanded off the bottom (back) of Jane (plain Jane, my first violin,,the new one is Vanessa) and stained it and then put on a thin layer of tinted varnish. I'm not good enough to match varnish, so I wasn't trying. Just trying to see if I can get the sound to come out better. I ordered another set of perlon strings from Texas and two types of rosin from some other places. California is sending another violin for me (free this time). It should be here sometime next week. Still thinking about a carbon bow, but I'm not ready for a good one yet,,there's just so many lesser ones to try. I did learn America the Beautiful. Which was super easy and fun. Funny thing in that song. In the middle of the song, it goes like this: dc dead gee dc. I just thought how appropriate.


text:
During River North gun case hearing, prosecutors face a reckoning caused by years of weak plea deals
October 16, 2021 CWBChicago River North
Brian Washington | CPD
Years of lenient prosecution decisions came back to haunt an assistant state's attorney when she asked a Cook County judge to hold a man without bail after cops allegedly caught him with a pistol capable of generating automatic fire in River North on Friday morning.
When Brian Washington was convicted of robbery and felony-level traffic violations at the age of 14, a judge put him on probation until his 18th birthday.
Exactly two days after Washington turned 18, on November 13, 2016, someone carjacked a driver in Englewood. Police arrested Washington the next day as he allegedly drove the hijacked car. Prosecutors charged him with criminal trespass to a vehicle. They eventually struck a plea deal in which he received one year of probation for a traffic charge.
That didn't go so well.
In March 2017, four months after he turned 18, Washington was charged with residential burglary. Prosecutors said he was one of four men who stole televisions, gaming systems, audio equipment, and computer equipment from the victim's home. The home was one block from where the carjacking took place in November.
While that case was still pending, Washington got arrested again — for armed carjacking.
Prosecutors said he and another man confronted a woman after she scraped snow off her car. Washington went through the woman's car looking for valuables while the accomplice pointed a gun at her, according to the allegations. The woman cowered with her head between the front seats as the men went about their business.
They eventually ordered her out of the vehicle, and the accomplice made her kneel in the snow at gunpoint. Washington and the other man then drove away with her car.
Prosecutors charged him with aggravated vehicular hijacking with a firearm and armed robbery with a firearm. But they pleaded all of that down to plain old robbery in a deal that resulted in Washington receiving three-year sentences for the burglary and the robbery.
Washington reported to Stateville Correctional Center on February 13 last year. The state applied its standard 50% sentence reduction for good behavior and then gave him credit for time spent in custody before he pleaded guilty. He went home from prison on the same day he arrived, records show.
Around 1 a.m. Friday, police on patrol in River North allegedly saw Washington, 22, drinking on the 100 block of West Kinzie. He clutched his waistband and ran when officers approached, prosecutors said.
As cops chased him, Washington grabbed a gun from his waist, tossed it into the air, and kept running, according to allegations made during a bond court hearing later in the day. Cops caught him. They walked back and found a 40-caliber handgun equipped with a switch allowing it to generate automatic gunfire, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors, who charged Washington with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, asked Judge Arthur Willis to hold Washington without bail on Friday.
But Willis took a moment to unpack everything prosecutors just told him about Washington and his history.
For one thing, Willis said, prosecutors were claiming that Washington posed such a serious threat to the public that the court should hold him without bail. Yet prosecutors only charged Washington with a Class 3 felony for the River North gun violation. Class 3 is the state's second-lowest felony category.
And while prosecutors told Willis all about the armed carjacking and Washington's other history, the judge pointed out that prosecutors have never convicted him of committing any crime with a handgun. The armed carjacking and armed robbery counts were pleaded down.
"There are no weapons convictions," Willis noted before denying the state's no-bail request.
Instead, Willis set bail at $50,000 and ordered Washington to go onto electronic monitoring. The judge separately held him without bail on an Illinois Department of Corrections warrant so authorities can review his parole status.
Washington's next court date is October 20.
5 stabbed in 3 separate incidents at Loop CTA stations overnight


text:
Q: In a system of stacked blocks with friction, how can the top block have no acceleration? Suppose I have a block of mass $m$ on top of a block of mass $M $. Friction exists between them. I apply a force $F$ on the top block. The equations of motion are thus $$F-f_{frictional}=ma$$
$$f_{frictional}=Ma $$Consider the case when $F=f_{frictional} $. Then acceleration of the top block is 0, however the bottom block has an acceleration $a=\frac {F} {M} $. Doesn't it seem unlikely? What am I missing?
P.S. No friction between bottom block and surface.

A: If $F=f_{friction}$ then, as you say, we must have $a=0$ and so from $f_{friction}=Ma$ we can conclude that $F=f_{friction}=0$ i.e. there is no force acting on the upper block.
If, however, $F>0$ then we must have $F>f_{friction}$, and we need to find values of $f_{friction}$ and $a$ that satisfy the simultaneous equations
$F-f_{friction} = ma \\ f_{friction}=Ma$
These equations are both satisfied when
$\displaystyle a = \frac {F}{M+m} \\ \displaystyle f_{friction} = F \frac {M}{M+m}$
So, as expected, we have $a>0$ and
$\displaystyle F = f_{friction} \frac{M+m}{M} = f_{friction} \left( 1+ \frac{m}{M} \right) > f_{friction}$

A:
Consider the case when $F=f_{frictional} $. Then
acceleration of the top block is 0, however the bottom block has an
acceleration $a=\frac {F} {M} $. Doesn't it seem unlikely? What am I
missing?

What you are missing is the applied force $F$ cannot equal the friction force. When approaching problems like this it is essential to draw a free body diagram (FBD). See the FBD below. It is based on your subsequent clarification that there is no friction between the bottom block and the surface underneath.
As long as the maximum possible static friction force, $\mu_{s}mg$, between the blocks is not exceeded the two blocks will move together. Ignoring all the vertical forces which sum to zero, there are two forces acting on the top block, the applied external force $F$ and the static friction force $f_f$ that the lower block applies to the top. There is only one external force acting on the bottom block, the friction force applied to it by the top block which is equal and opposite to the friction force applied to the top block by the bottom block.
The acceleration of the top block is
$$a_{m}=\frac {F-f_{f}}{m}$$
The acceleration of the bottom block is
$$a_{M}=\frac {f_f}{M}$$
As long as $F$ doesn't exceed the maximum static friction force between the blocks, the top and bottom blocks move together and therefore
$$a_{m}=a_{M}$$
Equating the two accelerations and doing some math gives us
$$f_{f}=\frac{F}{(1+m/M)}$$
The two forces $F$ and $f_f$ are therefore not equal.
Hope this helps.

A: When $F=f_\mathrm{friction}$ or $F<f_\mathrm{friction}$, the friction cannot be overcome, i.e., the top block will not move (no acceleration from rest). But, the applied force $F$ will be "transferred" into the bottom block, which then experiences an acceleration $a=F/(M+m)$, since both masses act as one in this case. As an example, consider sitting on a bobsled with a "grippy" rubber layer on top, which in turn rests on an icy surface (so the friction between the ground and the sled is basically 0). If your friend pushes you, he will also move the sled underneath you by transferring the force onto both the sled and you. But in absence of a grippy rubber layer and instead a slippery bare metal surface, he would just push you off the sled (of course, there is still some friction in real life, consider it just for illustration purposes).


text:
layout: post
title: Dotfiels
date: "2015-09-01 19:38:06 +0800"
categories: Program
---

TL;DR
These are my working envs.

- https://github.com/astrails/dotvim
- https://github.com/thoughtbot/dotfiles

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The cast of "The Imitation Game" offered their thoughts on artificial intelligence.
The film is directed by Morten Tyldum and follows the race against the clock to crack the German Enigma Code during World War II. It stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing and Keira Knightley as Joan Clarke.
Produced by Devan Joseph. Video courtesy of Associated Press.


text:
Parazilia strandi är en spindelart som beskrevs av Roger de Lessert 1938. Parazilia strandi ingår i släktet Parazilia och familjen käkspindlar.

Artens utbredningsområde är Kongo. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Käkspindlar
strandi


text:
Universal Studios in the Pre-Code Era
Universal Studios: The House that Horror Built
Universal Studios was founded in April 1912, and remains the oldest functioning American film studio. Carl Laemmle, Sr., is regarded as the founder and the company's first president. Universal, like many studios at the time, owned the production, distribution, and exhibition of their own pictures.
The Laemmles: Rosabelle, Carl Sr., and Carl Jr.
During the 1920s, the studio was mostly famous for a few lavish productions by Erich von Stroheim that almost bankrupted the studio. Also notable were its period films starring Lon Chaney: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925). Universal was also the originators of Oswald, the Lucky Rabbit—the animated character Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks created and filmed until a salary dispute led them to found their own production studio with a new mousy mascot.
Nepotism was a common policy at Universal when Laemmle Sr. passed his duties as head of the studio down to his son, Carl Laemmle, Jr. in 1928. The new president pushed for sound productions and prestige pictures, with the most notable product of this being 1930's winner for Best Picture, All Quiet on the Western Front.
Bela Lugosi in Dracula (1931), the talkie start of the studio's eponymous horror cycle.
However, it would be the studio's stylish horror movies that they're best remembered for today. 1931's Dracula with Bela Lugosi was a massive box office success, and its follow-up of Frankenstein with Boris Karloff also became legendary. This led to a series of fantastical horror films including The Mummy, The Invisible Man, Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Old Dark House, and The Black Cat, many starring Lugosi and Karloff, the two horror titans of the time.
Laemmle's obsession with prestige films would also lead to a number of acclaimed dramatic entries, like John Barrymore's Counsellor at Law and the still beloved melodrama Imitation of Life, a Best Picture nominee.
In 1936, after a production of Show Boat went over budget, the Laemmles lost control of the studio. It became a proprietor of mostly B-level pictures, usually borrowing stars and talent from other studios. Many mergers would continuously push the studio's output in different directions, making Universal known for the comedies of Abbott and Costello, the melodramas of Douglas Sirk, some of the better disaster movies of the 1970s, and Steven Spielberg's massive success of the 80s and 90s, like Jaws, E.T., and Jurassic Park.
And while these movies continue to capture the public imagination, it's without a doubt that when you ask someone about Universal Studios, the first movies that come to mind will involve some dear fellows named Dracula or Frankenstein.
Universal's Defining Films of the Era
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) – The studio's first Best Picture winner.
Dracula (1931) – This adaptation of the stage play made Bela Lugosi into a star overnight and helped to define the studio's image as a purveyor of classy but creepy horror films.
Frankenstein (1931) – James Whale's first monster movie is considered by many to be the best Universal horror film. Its success helped to launch the career of Boris Karloff.
The Mummy (1933) – Karloff's follow-up to Frankenstein is a strange, haunting beat poem of love across death.
The Invisible Man (1933) – James Whale's second horror entry is more humorous in its bent and made a star out of Claude Rains, even if he's only seen for a few seconds at the end of the picture!
The Black Cat (1934) – The first teaming of Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi in a weird, dreamlike horror film. The studio's last explicit horror film of the era.
Imitation of Life (1934) – A Best Picture nominee for the studio in 1934. Later remade by the studio in 1959 with Lana Turner with less success.
Notes and Availability
Thanks to a deal made back in 1957, Universal owns about 400 Paramount films that includes many pre-Code films such as the Marx Brothers movies
Universal released a pre-Code specific collection which included mostly Paramount films. For other releases, Universal usually pairs with TCM to release pre-Code offerings such as the Universal Rarities set, which, again, is mostly Paramount films.
Fox MGM Paramount RKO Warners
Columbia Universal United Artists
Studios Main Page | Home Page


1 of 5 Mix cranberries and 1 cup sugar in saucepan. Cover; cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat 20 minutes, until thick and berries pop. Let cool.
2 of 5 Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out piecrust to fit 9-inch pie plate. Transfer into plate; flute edge. Prick crust with fork. Line with aluminum foil; fill with dried beans.
3 of 5 Bake in 400 degree F oven for 10 minutes. Remove foil and weights. Brush crust with egg.
4 of 5 Whisk remaining 3/4 cup sugar and cornstarch in large bowl. Add pistachios, apple and sour cream. Add cranberry. Scrape into crust. Place plate on baking sheet for drips.
5 of 5 Bake in 400 degree F oven 50 minutes or until bubbly. After first 20 minutes, cover edges of crust with foil to prevent overbrowning. Cool on rack. Serve with ice cream if desired. Makes 12 servings.


The next episode of the ongoing "series" regarding the insurance company VDV Leben will be issued on November 3rd.
According to sources, the Supervisory Committee didn't decide on whether to revoke the company's license or not at yesterday's meeting, apparently for legal reasons, and the consideration of the case has been moved to November 3.
Another insurance company has become the target of PISC and is facing similar developments.
However there have been developments regarding the Mediation Code of Conduct, since according to sources PISC members seems to have decided on the final draft of the Code. Its posting is expected to be made today or tomorrow.


text:
Selected Science News
A FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH IN YOUR MUSCLES
12/13/2010 06:33:00 PM Publicado por Alquimia
Etiquetas: Biology
Working out can help you shed pounds — but that's just the beginning. New research from Tel Aviv University has found that "endurance exercises," like a Central Park jog or a spinning class, can make us look younger. The key, exercise, unlocks the stem cells of our muscles.
Prof. Dafna Benayahu and her team at Tel Aviv University's Sackler School of Medicine say their findings explain for the first time why older people who have exercised throughout their lives age more gracefully. They have discovered how endurance exercise increases the number of muscle stem cells and enhances their ability to rejuvenate old muscles. The researchers hope their finding can lead to a new drug to help the elderly and immobilized heal their muscles faster.
The results of the study were recently published in the journal PLoS ONE.
The muscles and skeleton in our bodies work together, explains Prof. Benayahu. "When we age, we experience sarcopenia, a decline in mass and function of muscles, and osteopenia referrers to bone loss," she says. As a result, our musculoskeletal system is more susceptible to daily wear and tear, which also explains the increased risk of falling in the elderly.
Investigating a rat population, Dr. Gabi Shefer from the research team says that the finding shows that exercise increased the number of satellite cells (muscle stem cells) — a number which normally declines with aging. The researchers believe that a decline in the number of these cells and their functionality may prevent proper maintenance of muscle mass and its ability to repair itself, leading to muscle deterioration.
Comparing the performance of rats of different ages and sexes, they found that the number of satellite cells increased after rats ran on a treadmill for 20 minutes a day for a 13-week period. The younger rats showed a 20% to 35% increase in the average number of stem cells per muscle fiber retained — and older rats benefited even more significantly, exhibiting a 33% to 47% increase in stem cells.
Endurance exercise also improved the levels of "spontaneous locomotion" — the feeling that tells our bodies to just get up and dance — of old rats. Aging is typically associated with a reduced level of spontaneous locomotion.
The combination of aging and a sedentary lifestyle significantly contributes to the development of diseases such as osteoporosis, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, as well as a decline in cognitive abilities. If researchers can discover a method to "boost" satellite cells in our muscles, that could simulate the performance of young and healthy muscles — and hold our aging bones in place.
"We hope to understand the mechanisms for the activation codes of muscle stem cells at the molecular level," says Prof. Benayahu. "With this advance, we can let ourselves dream about creating a new drug for humans — one that could increase muscle mass and ameliorate the negative effects of aging."
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PRIMATES ARE MORE RESILIENT THAN OTHER ANIMALS TO ...
U OF M RESEARCHER HELPS UNLOCK 30 NEW GENES RESPON...
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It is important to floss your teeth every day to keep your mouth healthy. While you know that brushing your teeth at least twice a day is important, but what about flossing? It's just as important and that doesn't mean only a couple days a year right before your next dental appointment. Here are a few reasons why you shouldn't ignore the flossing aspect of your oral health.
Plaque doesn't rest. If you skip a few days of flossing, it allows bacteria the perfect amount of time to solidify. Plaque begins hardening within hours of eating. Once 48 hours have passed, the cavity-causing substance will be firmly stuck to your teeth. When this occurs, it is best removed by a professional cleaning.
Bleeding gums will stop. Are you skipping the floss because you don't want to bleed again? While this might seem counterintuitive, flossing can actually help to reduce the occurrence of bleeding gums. If you remove bacteria from the gum line, your body won't send blood cells to the area to fight the infection. Happy gums mean a happy you!
You'll be healthier. Heart disease, stroke, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and even respiratory disease have all been linked to gum disease. By maintaining your gum health, you can help cut down your risk of other serious conditions. You can also improve your condition, if you're already affected.
Your teeth will stay strong. What's worse than getting a cavity? Getting a cavity in between two teeth. Remove bacterial buildup in those hard-to-reach areas, and you'll save yourself the pain of going under the drill.
Schedule an appointment at James Ritter DDS in Virginia Beach, VA to learn more about the importance of brushing and flossing. Click here to schedule an appointment for a routine dental cleaning.


JERUSALEM – One of Israel's wealthiest businessmen may quickly be going from riches to rags, and experts warn he could drag Israel's economy down with him.
Nochi Dankner, a favorite of Israel's business community who is often credited with helping rescue Israel's economy at the height of a Palestinian uprising, is struggling to keep his mammoth holding company above water.
IDB Holding Corp., which controls a large piece of the Israeli economic pie — a large cellphone company, a major supermarket chain, an insurance company and a cement producer monopoly, among other concerns — announced over the weekend that it may not be able to pay tens of millions of dollars of debts in the coming year.
The plight of Dankner has raised concern that his bondholders could lose on their investments and Israelis could see their retirement funds, heavily exposed to IDB investments, in danger.
"We are now going through difficult times. It's not easy for any of us," Dankner began a letter to employees last weekend.
Israel's finance minister, Yuval Steinitz, sought to douse the flames, estimating a "less than one in a thousand" chance that Israeli citizens' pensions would be affected.
Economists forecast a much gloomier picture should Dankner's company founder. Because so much of Israel's economy is controlled by Dankner's holding company, Israel is in more danger than the U.S. economy was in during the credit crisis of the late 2000s, said Daniel Doron, director of the Israel Center for Social and Economic Progress.
"It's a domino effect," said Doron. "Creditors would lose money. A lot of people would lose jobs. It would be a great tragedy."
The 58-year-old billionaire's downturn has come swiftly.
Born to an aristocratic Israeli family with a powerful investment firm, Dankner made a mark in 1999 when he sold his shares in the firm to his relatives for $100 million.
His timing was right. A year later, a Palestinian uprising erupted, paralyzing Israel's economy and causing the shares in his family's business to tank.
At the height of the uprising, Dankner and his partners borrowed millions of dollars from Israeli banks and bought IDB Holding Corp.
"No one understood who would buy during the crisis ... it was a deal that amazed everyone," said Stella Korin Lieber, a commentator at the Globes financial newspaper. "He signaled the end of the crisis."
Under Dankner's leadership, IDB became Israel's largest holding company, and Dankner became a celebrity. Last year, he garnered 11th place on Forbes Magazine's ranking of wealthy Israelis. He was known to travel in a private jet and to lunch with his longtime friend, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
His public image was as a handsome, mild-mannered man with a spiritual side, traveling to Nepal to study Buddhism and forging a close relationship with a Kabbalistic healer in Israel known as the "X-ray Rabbi."
In 2006, as rockets rained down on northern Israel during its war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, Dankner visited Israelis in bomb shelters and donated large sums for their welfare.
Then he became overconfident, Korin Lieber said.
In 2007, he and another Israeli billionaire invested in plans to build a Las Vegas casino when U.S. real estate prices were at their peak, and the project quickly tanked. From 2008-2010, a Dankner subsidiary bought shares in the Swiss multinational bank Credit Suisse, but last year lost millions of dollars in the deal. He also bought Maariv, an unprofitable Israeli daily newspaper, in what was seen as more of an ego trip than a smart business decision.
Then last summer, hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets to protest the country's high cost of living.
Dankner's picture was plastered on protesters' posters — one of many business tycoons accused of monopolizing much of the Israeli market, keeping prices high.
Food prices came down, the government facilitated more cellphone companies to enter the market, and Dankner's supermarket chain and mobile phone company suffered losses.
"He didn't pay attention to the changes that were taking place in the business world," Korin Lieber said. "He had a lot of arrogance and conviction — 'we will be fine.'"
Dankner has vowed to meet an $8.8 million payment to one group of bondholders this week. The company owes about $425 million to bondholders and $75 million to Israeli banks, Israel's Haaretz daily reported. IDB Holding Corp. is asking for more time to find another investor for the company.
At a meeting of bondholders Monday, one bondholder told Israel's Channel 10 TV that Dankner should dip into in his own wealth to repay his debts.


text:
WhatsApp usage highest in LatAm
Katie Young
WhatsApp hit headlines last week when it announced it was dropping its annual subscription fee. In part, this move was driven by the service's desire to make a real impact in fast-growth markets, where the charge may have been hindering uptake.
As this week's final Chart of the Day shows, WhatsApp has already made substantial progress in LatAm and the Middle East where around two thirds of internet users are now WhatsApping. In contrast, North America has always been a problem for WhatsApp, with Facebook Messenger being the dominant messaging service.
But it's in Asia where WhatsApp's free model could bring the biggest increases. Leaving aside China, where WeChat is in total control, WhatsApp can claim 35% usage rates across the rest of the region – a decent figure, certainly, but one which shows how much room there is for further expansion.
7 in 10 WhatsAppers also Using Facebook Messenger
Why WhatsApp is Launching Peer-to-Peer Payments in India


The lives of historians are generally a bore. After all, any historian worth writing about spends most of his time - like Gibbon - just scribble, scribble, scribbling. Yet Eric Hobsbawm's life is the exception that proves that rule. For his life helps us to answer one of the most puzzling historical questions of the 20th century: why did so many otherwise intelligent people become Communists?
That Hobsbawm is one of the great historians of his generation is undeniable. His quartet of books beginning with The Age of Revolution (1962) and ending with The Age of Extremes (1994) constitute the best starting point I know for anyone who wishes to begin studying modern history. Nothing else produced by the British Marxist historians will endure as these books will.
Though I cannot claim to know him well, Hobsbawm is also a man I cannot resist liking. Politics aside, I find we have an uncanny amount in common: like me, he reveres the great Viennese satirist Karl Kraus, is devoted to jazz, as I am, and for most of his career spent four months a year in New York, as I am about to do. We even come close to agreeing about the value of "what if" questions in history. Hobsbawm saves for his very last page the revelation that he too thinks "that the German Europe that would have emerged from the Kaiser's victory [in the First World War] might have been a better proposition than the world of Versailles".
Knowing all this, I found myself gripped by the central paradox that dominates this autobiography. How could such a brilliant and congenial scholar be so politically wrong for so long - for 50 years, to be exact, the period of his membership of the Communist Party? And how can he continue to believe, as he clearly still does, that something can be salvaged from the ghastly enterprise of Lenin and his cronies? "The dream of the October Revolution", he writes, "is still there somewhere inside me . . . I have abandoned, nay rejected it, but it has not been obliterated."
Interesting Times is, in some measure, an Apologia pro vita sua. It would be easy to read it and conclude: "Well, who would have done otherwise in his situation?" Born in 1917 - just months before the Bolshevik Revolution - Eric Hobsbawm's formative years were spent in Vienna and Berlin. As a half-English Jew (his grandfathers were a London cabinet-maker named Obstbaum and a Viennese jeweller named Grun) he already had two good reasons for feeling an outsider. What a time for a teenager to be reading the Communist Manifesto - with Hitler on the brink of power. Although it is worth remarking that there were plenty of people in much the same situation who did not rush to join the Communist Party.
Even after his arrival in England in March 1933, he remained in some measure a "natural" Communist. From St Marylebone Grammar School he won a scholarship to that greenhouse of the English Left, King's College, Cambridge. Being a Communist was almost obligatory for the scholarship boys of those days - the likes of John Cornford, the handsome great-grandson of Darwin, who later fought and died in Spanish Civil War. And what fun it all was later, in the 1960s, by which time Hobsbawm was one of the established stars in the Marxist intellectual firmament, egging on the students at Birkbeck College to revolt like their counterparts at the Sorbonne.
Yet there is a need to look a little more closely at all this. The Far Left will always be chic while the Far Right is irredeemably repulsive. But was there really such a great moral difference - as Hobsbawm insists there was - between being a fascist and being a Communist?
The essence of Communism is the abnegation of individual freedom, as Hobsbawm admits in a chilling passage: "The Party. had the first, or more precisely the only real claim on our lives. Its demands had absolute priority. We accepted its discipline and hierarchy. We accepted the absolute obligation to follow 'the lines' it proposed to us, even when we disagreed with it.We did what it ordered us to do.Whatever it had ordered, we would have obeyed. If the Party ordered you to abandon your lover or spouse, you did so."
Consider some of the "lines" our historian dutifully toed. He accepted the order to side with the Nazis against the Weimar-supporting Social Democrats in the great Berlin transport strike of 1932. He accepted the order to side with the Nazis against Britain and France following the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact of 1939. He accepted the excommunication of Tito. He condoned the show trials of men like Laszlo Rajk in Hungary.
In 1954, just after Stalin's death, he visited Moscow as one of the honoured members of the Historians' Group of the British Communist Party. He admits to having been dismayed when, two years later, Khrushchev denounced Stalin's crimes at the Twentieth Congress of the Soviet Communist Party. When Khrushchev himself ordered the tanks into Budapest, Hobsbawm finally spoke up, publishing a letter of protest. But he did not leave the Party.
In the end, the only way to understand this extraordinary trahison d'un clerc is precisely as a succession of acts of quasi-religious faith. In a surprising aside, Hobsbawm himself refers to "the Party" as the "Communist Universal Church" and later admits: "For young revolutionaries of my generation, mass demonstrations were the equivalent of papal masses for devout Catholics."
But what a curiously flexible faith this was in practice. On the one hand, Hobsbawm continued - and has continued - to "favour. insurrection or guerrilla conquest" wherever these seemed to be "realistically on the agenda", while denouncing "global neo-liberalism" and "[free] market fundamentalism". On the other, he has enjoyed all the imaginable benefits which free capitalist democracies have to offer.
Apart from being excluded from intelligence work during the war - which he rather bizarrely complains about - and having to wait rather longer than expected to be given a chair, his long allegiance to a hostile power has never been held against him here. Nor has it in the United States, where he spent a third of every year between 1984 and 1997. As for his continuing broadsides against "market fundamentalism" - as personified, of course, by Margaret Thatcher - these ring distinctly hollow coming from a man who has been substantially enriched by the publication of his books by a host of commercial publishers around the world.
But then, Communism always was a schizophrenic kind of faith, preaching equality for all, while preserving la dolce vita for the Party elite. Italian Communism, Hobsbawm confesses, was always his favourite variant. Where else do the Communists have Tuscan farmhouses, where one can "stretch out.on the terrace overlooking the Val d'Orcia after lunch, listening to the voice of Callas singing 'Casta Diva'.?" It's a far cry from the storming of the Winter Palace.
Can humanity live without the ideals of freedom and justice, asks Hobsbawm, "or without those who devote their lives to them?" The tragedy of Communism - and it was a tragedy that cost the lives of tens of millions - was that a man of Eric Hobsbawm's intelligence could not see, and still cannot see, that Communism was the negation of both freedom and justice, for the sake of a spurious and ultimately bogus egalitarianism.


text:
The Supersonic Rotor Helicopter
Today, thanks to former Head of Future Projects at Westland Helicopters, Dr Ron Smith, we have gleaned further information on this intriguing, and potentially world-beating, project.
"The Supersonic Rotor Helicopter. this was a project
completed by the long-term Future Project Office prior to my joining
Westland in October 1975. A report summarising the work was needed to
secure contract payment and I was tasked with pulling it together
(based on the work already conducted by others).
The SSRH proposition is based on the fact that if you increase the
rotor tip speed, the retreating blade stall boundary goes out to a
higher helicopter forward speed. (It's a function of the ratio of
forward speed to tip speed, which is known as the Advance Ratio).
Suppose the tip speed is Mach 0.6 and at a particular blade loading
(think weight), the retreating blade limit is at an advance ratio of
0.3. That means that retreating blade stall will occur at Mach 0.18
(about 230 mph). In this case, the VNE might be say 210 mph (10%
margin).
If you double the tip speed to M=1.2, you can, in principle, fly at the
same advance ratio at double the speed (roughly 400 mph).
The study report (early 1976) looked at the shock wave propagation
geometries and a relatively basic performance calculation, in the
context of various designs targeted at naval roles. A range of
different tip Mach numbers were studied. WG32 was one of the sample
layouts (looking at them now, it appears that single, twin and three
engine variants were schemed). As far as I can tell, they were not
allocated separate WG numbers.
The obvious potential issues would be external noise and high power
requirements. But, in principle, it ought to work.
Although I wrote the report, I was not involved with any customer
meetings, but the feedback I was given by the Research Director was
that both he and the customer were very pleased with the report.
This was a piece of research to examine feasibility and highlight risks
and issues. I would imagine that it was felt that there was too much
risk to go down this route when conventional helicopter solutions could
probably provide adequate operational performance with lower risk in a
shorter timescale.
(Studies had already been completed on WG26 (Multi-Role Fleet
Helicopter) which went on via WG31 (Sea King Replacement) and WG34 to
become EH101 / Merlin).
I was not involved in any of these airframe studies, other than some
limited supporting work that I contributed to, in respect of the stall
flutter analysis of what became the BERP rotor blade."
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Follow my vapour trail on Twitter: @Hush_kit
Have a look at How to kill a Raptor, An Idiot's Guide to Chinese Flankers, the 10 worst British military aircraft, The 10 worst French aircraft, Su-35 versus Typhoon, 10 Best fighters of World War II , top WVR and BVR fighters of today, an interview with a Super Hornet pilot and a Pacifist's Guide to Warplanes Want something more bizarre? The Top Ten fictional aircraft is a fascinating read, as is The Strange Story and The Planet Satellite. The Fashion Versus Aircraft Camo is also a real cracker. Those interested in the Cold Way should read A pilot's guide to flying and fighting in the Lightning. Those feeling less belligerent may enjoy A pilot's farewell to the Airbus A340. Looking for something more humorous? Have a look at this F-35 satire and 'Werner Herzog's Guide to pusher bi-planes or the Ten most boring aircraft. In the mood for something more offensive? Try the NSFW 10 best looking American airplanes, or the same but for Canadians.
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Written by Hush Kit Posted in Aviation, Uncategorized
November 29, 2018 - 10:58 am yorksranter
Pardon me? I can't hear you…
June 29, 2021 - 5:05 am Andrew Wagner
Great post, this is the first time I have seen this design from Westland. Pretty large contrast from the current Sikorsky Raider/Defiant with the pusher propeller in the back to help create thrust. Interesting read and thank you for the post.
First footage of debut RAF F-35 exercise (from F-15E cockpit, featuring Rafale Cs)
RC-135 pilot interview: Cold War Spyflights


Thank you andrewilley and flyingdutchman for your followups. I'll try these solutions, but I've already lost so much from changing SD Cards, phone re-sets, new phones, etc. that I've accepted losing 90% of my Poweramp data and slowing re-adding them as as inevitable. I wish there was a better player out there, but there isn't - which is why I paid for Poweramp. My point is (as I think a lot of other users agree) that one has to jump through unnecessary and complicated hoops and/or install (and sometimes pay for) external tools to do what Android and/or Poweramp should do on its own. It is SO COMMON to want to transfer ALL your Poweramp settings to a new phone or copy your music and playlists to a new SD Card and expect to have it not break everything. In fact, editing the unique SD Card ID for playlists when copying to a new SD Card should be AUTOMATIC - it's not that hard! But today we have to do it manually. I think this is what the recent poster is referring to as a "total mess" if you just copy your music files over to a new phone. Again, thank you for your followups.
I HAVE read this threat and I don't know what you are talking about. Per the above: "Things like ratings and most-played counts will not be transferred, and nor will downloaded album art." If you can direct me to where ratings, most-played, and the many thousand of "per-song" attributes are saved and able to be transferred to a new phone COMPLETELY, I am all eyes and ears. Also, I have stopped saving my music to an SD card on Android. It works fine until your SD card dies or you run out of space and have to move to a new SD card. It just isn't worth it. I have bought a new phone with 512 GB of internal storage and will use that instead. Please, users just want an EASY way to transfer EVERYTHING Poweramp stores from one phone to a new phone. Really, how hard can this be?
"Things like ratings and most-played counts will not be transferred, and nor will downloaded album art." These are huge feature gaps that paying users have been asking for years. I don't even bother to use star ratings anymore (which is a real shame) because I KNOW I'll lose them with an upgrade/reset.
Could you please be more specific? I tried deleting the file and it took me to a weird file tree view (external? app? I don't know). And it DID delete the file without a prompt to cancel. (I have a backup, so no big deal.) So, WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE TO GET Poweramp TO WRITE TO AN EXTERNAL SD CARD in Android 5.1.1??????


text:
3/11 Disaster
Around Asia
The Asahi Shimbun
Chastened Aso apologizes to victim of sexual harassment
May 15, 2018 at 14:20 JST
Finance Minister Taro Aso speaks with reporters at a news conference held after a Cabinet meeting in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on the morning of May 15. (Takeshi Iwashita)
A subdued Finance Minister Taro Aso, who had long defended the former senior bureaucrat in his ministry in an alleged sexual harassment scandal, finally relented and apologized to the victim on May 14.
"I apologize," Aso said during the Lower House Budget Committee session on the 18th day since the Finance Ministry admitted the harassment occurred.
The ministry apologized in writing toward the female journalist on April 27. Aso, however, has made controversial remarks since then, including that Junichi Fukuda, who resigned as administrative vice finance minister, may had been set up by the journalist.
"It is a problem that there has been no apology from (you) as the person who supervised and managed (Fukuda)," said Hiroshi Kawauchi, a member of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, during the May 14 session.
Aso disputed the assertion, saying that his ministry had already apologized in writing.
"(We) have properly done it," he said. "Are you ordering me to say it aloud?"
He finally apologized after being pressed again by Kawauchi.
Aso also said during a news conference on the morning on May 15 after a Cabinet meeting, "It is correct for you to think that I, as the finance minister as well as an individual, admitted that (Fukuda) did commit sexual harassment."
During the Lower House Financial Affairs Committee session on May 11, Aso refused to apologize after being requested to do so by an opposition party member, saying, "(We) submitted the letter of apology."
He added, "You cannot deny the possibility that (Fukuda) might have been set up."
Aso was criticized for the comment and forced to retract on the same day what he said after coming under fire from lawmakers.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed his intention to have Aso continue in his post during the Lower House Budget Committee session on May 14.
"Aso has withdrawn his comment that can cause misunderstanding," Abe said. "I want him to properly assume the leadership of the organization aiming to rebuild the credibility of the ministry."
(This article was written by Maiko Ito and Tetsuya Kasai.)
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This special page portrays the dramatic arrest of Carlos Ghosn and the twists and turns that followed.
Light and Darkness brought by Carlos Ghosn
This special page reviews what the former Nissan Motor Co. chairman left during his 19 years in Japan.
This special page details how journalists uncovered shady transactions through Bermuda and other tax havens.
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Here are reports about efforts in Japan and abroad to achieve the U.N. sustainable development goals.
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Asahi Shimbun on Twitter
Asahi Weekly
In-house News and Messages


Minister for Climate Change James Shaw has welcomed the 'Declaration for Ambition' on climate change, speaking on the importance of working with other countries to implement the Paris Agreement.
The 'Declaration for Ambition' is the UN Secretary-General's 2019 Climate Summit declaration, which has been signed by the High Ambition Coalition group of countries, committed to ambitious action to combat climate change. New Zealand is part of the Coalition.
"As the world works towards the next United Nations climate change conference in Poland later this year, it's important to join with other countries to push for effective climate action and implementation of the Paris Agreement," says Minister Shaw.
23 countries have signed up to this declaration, which commits signatories to exploring the possibilities for stepping up their own ambition, and underscore the important of securing strong implementation guidelines for the Paris Agreement.
"While our Government wants New Zealand to lead on climate change issues, we aren't alone and there is a growing group of countries who are agreeing to ambitious climate action," says Minister Shaw.
Read more at the Beehive.govt.nz.