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Home » World News » Paranoid Kim Jong-un flew into Trump summit flanked by two decoy jets
Paranoid Kim Jong-un flew into Trump summit flanked by two decoy jets
Kim Jong-un flew into Singapore flanked by two decoy jets as he's terrified he'll be assasintated.
The North Korean dictator is due to meet US president Donald Trump tomorrow at 2am UK time in what is set to be a historic meeting between the world leaders.
Jong-un arrived in an Air China plane at Cangi Airport on Sunday night in an attempt to trick a would-be assasin.
The other two planes, one of which was Kim's outdated Soviet-era Ilyushin-62 – known as Air Force Un – also flew to Singapore.
These planes contained items to keep him safe including his own food supply and a portable toilet that "will deny determined sewer divers insights into to the supreme leader's stools," reports the Korean news site Chosun Ilbo .
After he walked down the red carpeted steps from the aircraft, he got into a black Mercedes stretch limo and his bodyguards ran alongside the car to his hotel.
Footage showed the bodyguards, dressed in black suits, running alongside his car as part of convoy of vehicles which included an ambulance in case of any assassination attempts.
Trump arrived five hours after Kim in Air Force One, after jetting in from Canada where he attended the G7 summit.
Before boarding his plane, Trump said he viewed the trip as a "peace mission" and will know "within the first minute" of meeting Kim whether they can strike a deal.
The summit will take place at the Capella hotel on Sentosa, a resort island off Singapore's port with luxury hotels, a Universal Studios theme park and man-made beaches.
What the Trump-Kim summit means for the world
What do the two sides want?
Trump wants North Korea to ditch its nuclear weapons, which Kim threatened to use in strikes on the US mainland. North Korea wants its own security guaranteed and sanctions lifted.
Why does North Korea worry about its security?
The 1950s conflict between North Korea and the US-backed South ended without a peace treaty, so America and North Korea are technically still at war. Kim, sees the US, with its 30,000 troops in South Korea, as a threat, and the US campaigns in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya reinforced his view that nuclear weapons are necessary to deter a US intervention.
What might be the result of talks?
In exchange for economic assistance and security guarantees, North Korea would give up its nuclear weapons.
Is accepting North Korea as a nuclear-armed state an option?
Some analysts have suggested it is the best way to ease tensions, but doing so could lead South Korea, Japan and even Taiwan to seek their own nuclear arms.
Is "denuclearisation" actually feasible?
North Korea has talked about denuclearisation for years, but it has not stopped them beefing up their nuclear arsenal and conducting missile tests.
What will happen if the summit fails?
South Korea is expected to renew diplomatic efforts to restore stability and avoid military conflict.
Trump and Kim are staying in separate hotels in the famous Orchard Road area of Singapore, dotted with high-rise luxury apartment blocks, offices and glittering shopping malls.
The US President is expected to be alone in a room with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un for up to two hours when they meet from 2am UK time on Tuesday.
Only translators will be present for the meeting at a luxury Singapore resort, a US official said – suggesting there will be no aides or note-takers, a highly unusual move.
Officials could then drop in for a further hour but they admitted: "We will not be surprised by any scenario."
Trump himself has said he could make a decision in the "first minute" or "spur of the moment" – raising the possibility he could make a commitment with no aides or note-takers present.
The US is seeking "the complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula".
But North Korea has previously rejected the idea of unilateral disarmament.
It has also been reported that Trump will have access to the nuclear button at all times during his two-hour long meeting with Kim.
Trump warned last week the meeting may not give a clear outcome.
And many experts on North Korea, one of the most insular and unpredictable countries in the world, remain sceptical Kim will ever completely abandon nuclear weapons.
They believe Kim's latest engagement is aimed at getting the United States to ease the crippling sanctions that have squeezed the poor country.
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Amy Staats in Eddie and Dave. Photo by Ahron R. Foster.
BOTTOM LINE: A campy telling of the genesis and rise of the band Van Halen.
If you're a Van Halen fan, and you've been dying to see the band's story told onstage, you won't want to miss Eddie and Dave. The play is about the ever-evolving and tumultuous relationship between Eddie Van Halen (Amy Staats) and David Lee Roth (Megan Hill). I, for one, am a sucker for the backstage stories of famous artists or works of art. It's always fun to compare the mundane humanity behind eccentric personalities with the public image that they work so hard to craft. There's something irresistibly charming about hearing David Lee Roth refer to Eddie Van Halen as Edward. The full name immediately shatters the rock star's mystique and relegates him to another kid on the block with annoying friends and family who refuse to drink the Kool-Aid that we fans are intoxicated with.
I did a little bit of internet research about Van Halen's journey, and nothing in the play struck me as terribly outlandish or made up, other than the wink-wink style with which the story is told. If you're looking for a sincere, emotionally-driven rendition, this is not it. The performances are campy and over-the-top, and the actors are having a wonderful time laughing at the ridiculousness of their subjects as they bring them to life.
Staats stipulates in the script that Dave, Eddie, and Alex Van Halen should be played by women, and Eddie's wife Valerie Bertinelli (played hilariously by Omer Abbas Salem), should be played by a guy. The use of drag heightens the camp of the show, and reminds us we're not supposed to get too emotionally involved with the characters. Director Margot Bordelon maintains a sense of Brechtian alienation throughout the piece, which reminds us to laugh, have fun, and not take anything too seriously. Reid Thompson's extensive set design is a collage exhibit that celebrates the heyday of the Rock era. Atlantic's smaller theatre space feels like a Hard Rock Café, with memorabilia lining the walls that surround the audience.
Eddie and Dave is great fun, and fans of Van Halen will appreciate the light-hearted homage being offered here. If you're not terribly versed in rock trivia, you may enjoy learning a few facts. I never knew that Eddie Van Halen, for example, was the featured guitar soloist in the Michael Jackson classic "Beat It." But while you're likely to enjoy the playfulness and comedy, those who prefer sincerity and pathos over camp might leave wanting more. After 95 minutes of laughing at the characters, I found myself at a loss for a larger purpose. The show is like a marijuana high: it's good for a giggle, but when you come down, what are you left with?
Eddie and Dave is by Amy Staats. Directed by Margot Bordelon. Set Design by Reid Thompson. Costume Design by Montana Levi Blanco. Lighting Design by Jiyoun Chang. Sound Design by Palmer Hefferan. Additional Music by Michael Thurber. Projection Design by Shawn Boyle. Fight Director is Mike Rossmy. Hair and Wig Design by Cookie Jordan. Stage Manager is Megan Schwarz Dickert.
The cast is Vanessa Aspillaga, Megan Hill, Omer Abbas Salem, Amy Staats, and Adina Verson.


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POLITICO Pulse
Will yearly Covid boosters become the norm?
By DANIEL PAYNE and KRISTA MAHR
Driving the Day
An FDA panel says Covid-19 vaccinations should be given as a booster every year. | Emily Elconin/Getty Images
NEW VACCINES FOR ALL — The FDA's expert panel on vaccines recommends that all future Covid vaccines be the new bivalent formulation, POLITICO's Katherine Ellen Foley reports.
The latest version of the shot was released in the fall to better protect against BA.4/BA.5 Omicron subvariants, which were widely circulating at the time and capable of infecting those who had received the original vaccine series and booster.
But it was given only as a booster; those who got their first shots received the original version, which hadn't been updated to better protect against new variants.
That left the overwhelming majority of Americans — about 85 percent — without the newest version of the vaccine.
The vote — 21-0 — is an important first step in a process that could mean Americans would get an annual Covid booster, similar to the yearly flu vaccine. Any such changes still require more discussion and decisions, but the FDA appears to be pivoting from responding to the acute phase of the pandemic to a longer-term norm.
It would also be a step toward trying to continue tailoring public health tools to recent variants of the virus.
But don't expect updated vaccines to fully address the risk, health experts say. Shots tailored to a Covid variant take significant time and money to develop — and by the time they're released, a new variant will likely be on the horizon.
That's the case for those who get the BA.4/5 booster now, well after a new variant, XBB.1.5, has taken hold.
But getting the shot still has big advantages. A CDC study released Wednesday found the Covid bivalent booster reduces the risk of symptomatic infection from XBB.1.5 by about half.
Those protections are being passed up, whether partly or entirely, by many Americans — about 20 percent haven't yet gotten a single shot.
WELCOME TO FRIDAY PULSE. The DNA case we wrote about Monday — about a 10-year-old who sent a half-eaten cookie and gnawed carrots to Rhode Island police — has a miraculous update: A partial match linked to a 1947 New York City case centered on 34th Street and reindeer DNA on the carrots.
What other important stories should we be following for updates? Let us know at [email protected] and [email protected].
TODAY ON OUR PULSE CHECK PODCAST, Alice Miranda Ollstein talks with Ruth Reader about Amazon's new $5-a-month generic prescription service for Prime members called RxPass.
Costly out-of-pocket expenses tied to deductible and coinsurance requirements are a leading concern for patients with commercial insurance. These harmful practices put in place by insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are even causing patients to abandon their medicines. New IQVIA data break down how insurers and their PBMs are impacting how patients access and afford their medicines.
Sen. Ron Wyden wants Medicare to pay for nonmedical expenses like adult daycare and other support services for family caregivers | Mandel Ngan/AP Photo
WYDEN LOOKS TO EXPAND CHRONIC CARE — Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) hopes to expand on his earlier legislation that allowed Medicare plans to pay for nonmedical services for people with chronic conditions, POLITICO's Ben Leonard reports.
That change affected most Medicare beneficiaries, two-thirds of whom have at least one such condition.
If Wyden introduces new legislation to further expand chronic care offerings, it could be a major win for telehealth and at-home care advocates.
And Wyden is eyeing some other issues, too, including reigning in pharmacy benefit managers and ensuring payment parity for mental health services, he told reporters Wednesday.
BUCHANAN TO CHAIR WAYS AND MEANS HEALTH SUBCOMMITTEE — Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) will serve as the chair of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee and vice chair of the full panel, Ben reports.
That subcommittee has significant jurisdiction over Medicare and Medicaid, government payments for health care, health delivery systems, health research and health care tax law.
One potential clue about what's to come: Earlier work from Republicans' Healthy Future Task Force, which Buchanan chairs with Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), looked to address the opioid crisis, modernize health care and reduce costs.
LONG COVID RATES DECLINE, STILL SIGNIFICANT — The rate of long Covid seems to be declining since last summer, according to a new analysis from KFF.
The report, using data from the federal government's Household Pulse Survey, found that, among those who have ever had Covid, the number who said they have ever had long Covid declined — from 35 percent last June to 28 percent this month.
Still, a significant number of people — about 11 percent of people who have ever been infected — said they currently have long Covid, according to this month's data.
About 15 percent of all U.S. adults reported having long Covid at some point, with about 6 percent saying they have symptoms now.
KAINE AND HHS HOST LONG-COVID SUMMIT — Today, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and HHS officials, including assistant secretary of health Rachel Levine, will host a summit to bring together patient and provider experiences with the syndrome.
The summit will also highlight a partnership between HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and Kaine.
MAPPING COVID RISK — New congressional district-level data developed by the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation provides a better idea of the geography of Covid risk, Ben reports.
A POLITICO analysis of the data found that the districts with the highest local Covid risk tended to be in the Southeast, Southwest and Appalachia.
The top-ranking areas weren't particularly partisan, either, with 22 of the highest-risk districts held by Democrats and 22 by Republicans, according to the POLITICO analysis.
At the Agencies
CBD NOT A SUPPLEMENT, FDA SAYS — The FDA won't regulate CBD as a dietary supplement despite calls from the hemp industry and legislation introduced by multiple members of Congress, POLITICO's Natalie Fertig and Paul Demko report.
"Given the available evidence, it is not apparent how CBD products could meet safety standards for dietary supplements or food additives. … Therefore, we do not intend to pursue rulemaking allowing the use of CBD in dietary supplements or conventional foods," the agency stated in a statement.
Instead, the agency is looking for a "new regulatory pathway" needed to regulate CBD, saying it's ready to work with lawmakers to develop a cross-agency strategy.
DEATHS OF DESPAIR GROWING AMONG NATIVE AMERICANS — A new study from UCLA researchers found that deaths from suicide, drug overdose or alcoholic liver disease — frequently thought of as primarily affecting middle-aged white people — are spiking most in Native American communities.
The new analysis, published in The Lancet, argues that previous literature misunderstands the communities most affected — and, therefore, some key factors believed to be causing the rise in deaths of despair.
Vibrant Emotional Health, nonprofit administrator of the national 988 crisis lifeline, appointed Tia Dole as chief 988 suicide and crisis lifeline officer.
The Healthcare Distribution Alliance announced three staff moves: Amelia Allert, who previously worked for Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.), was named new director of policy; Kristen Freitas was named SVP of federal government affairs and alliance development; and Leah Lindahl was named vice president, state government affairs.
JOIN TUESDAY TO HEAR FROM MAYORS AROUND AMERICA: 2022 brought in a new class of mayors leading "majority minority" cities, reshaping who is at the nation's power tables and what their priorities are. Join POLITICO to hear from local leaders on how they're responding to being tested by unequal Covid-19 outcomes, upticks in hate crimes, homelessness, lack of affordable housing, inflation and a potential recession. REGISTER HERE.
The Washington Post reports on the impact of Tennessee rejecting millions in federal money to stop HIV.
The New York Times Magazine goes inside the "hospital-at-home" movement looking to create inpatient care anywhere.
Kaiser Health News releases details of 90 previously secret government audits of Medicare Advantage plans.
About The Author : Daniel Payne
Daniel Payne is a health care reporter at POLITICO. Before becoming a health care reporter, he was a fellow at POLITICO.
Before POLITICO, Daniel worked to push The DeSoto Times-Tribune toward a digital-first approach as the Mississippi newspaper's executive editor. He emphasized aggressive accountability reporting on the pandemic and redesigned the newspaper, newsletters and social media accounts. A graduate of the University of Mississippi, Oxford, Daniel was editor-in-chief of The Daily Mississippian, where he also helped overhaul the newspaper's website and workflow. Daniel has interned for the Globe Post in Washington, D.C., and worked as a reporter and panelist for the Lens Collective researching, filming and editing short films on civil rights activists.
About The Author : Krista Mahr
Krista Mahr is a health care reporter for POLITICO Pro covering public health and the CDC. Before joining POLITICO, she was a senior editor at Time Magazine in Washington and was earlier based in Johannesburg reporting on public health and politics across Africa for the Los Angeles Times, NPR, Washington Post and AP. Krista was also based in New Delhi as a South Asia correspondent for Reuters and Time's South Asia bureau chief. She has an MA from UC Berkeley's journalism school and a BA from UC Santa Cruz.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


How many times have you scribbled something (un)knowingly on the wall, fabric, plastic and various other surfaces, not to forget your skin, with a permanent marker? We're sure at least once in your lifetime. Yes, we've all had that moment when no matter how hard we tried to get rid of the stains (before our mothers found out), our efforts were wasted because a permanent marker does just what its name suggests – mark permanently.
In dire situations, what would you do? Wash it with a detergent or use a nail enamel remover? Where, at times, these solutions do work, but you can't always count on them to bail you out. So, for all those desperate to get the permanent marker stains off of any possible surface, read on. Here are some ways on how to remove permanent marker from any type of surface, be it on your wall, carpet or even on your skin!
Oh the dreaded marker stains on the skin! Whether it's your little one's innocent face and hands painted with a permanent marker or your own (after a drunken night out? Just saying!), it is very likely that regular face wash and/or soap won't come to your rescue. Instead, try this trick the next time you are faced with the dilemma of getting rid of the marker stains off your skin.
For sensitive skin – Take some baby oil and pour it on a piece of soft cloth and rub the marked area with it. Considering the sensitivity of the skin, you don't want to rub the cloth too harshly. Be gentle enough that it doesn't cause any redness on the skin.
For normal skin – For those of you who can bear lingering strong smell, then rubbing alcohol is the answer for you. Anything that has a higher percentage of alcohol in it, will work wonders in getting rid of the stains for good. Take a cotton ball or a soft cloth, dip it in alcohol and rub the surface of the marked skin with it.
These techniques may not get rid of the stains completely, but for the most part, it's going to come right off.
All you need to remove marker stains from plastic are a hand sanitizer and a tissue. Put a coin sized drop of the hand sanitizer on the tissue and rub it on to the plastic surface that needs to be cleaned of the stains. In case the surface is very bumpy, it may take more tries than expected. Otherwise, if the surface is smooth, the marker stains come off pretty neatly.
For those of you who can't readily find rubbing alcohol, worry not, for there's another alternative to it – a deodorant spray, specifically Axe deo spray. Yes, you read that right! All you have to do is spray the marked surface with Axe deodorant spray and wipe it off with a tissue and you should be good to go.
For wooden surfaces, just like plastic surfaces, it is pretty easy to take sharpie stains off of them. Using a cologne or deo spray works. The moment you spray, the ink should start bleeding out and you can easily clean it with a tissue. Apart from that, a non-gel based tooth-paste works equally well. All you have to do is rub some tooth-paste on the marked area on the wood and wipe it off with a clean tissue or a piece of cloth. And your wooden furniture is as good as new.
A word of precaution – Using a cologne or deodorant spray on wooden furniture can, at times, ruin the finish of the wood. So it is always advisable to first experiment removing the marker stains from a hidden surface of the wood and if it causes no harm to its finish, then you may as well carry on using it where the stains really are.
Have you ever felt that no matter how desperately you try to keep the kids away from certain things, they always unknowingly end up playing or experimenting with those same things? What would you do if you found out that amidst all those experiments your sofa fabric got sacrificed with stains from a permanent marker? Freak out? Well, yes, that's precisely what anyone would do. But worry not, for we have a solution to fix those adamant stains.
Just to make sure this fix doesn't ruin the fabric, just test it on a safe spot first. Spray the portion of the sofa or fabric that got sacrificed with water to get it nice and wet. Now, take a little bit of baking soda and rub it on the surface of the fabric that needs to be cleaned. Better still, take a scrubbing brush, put some baking soda on it and rub the surface of the fabric until the stain comes off. Let it dry and voila! No more freaking out.
Something that works without fail in getting the stains off clothes is a hairspray. First off, you might have to dampen the stains a bit with water. Now, take a paper towel and spray some hairspray on it and gently blot it on to the damp part of the clothing where the stains are. You should start to see the ink from the permanent marker come off.
So, your kids designed your walls with murals with a permanent marker? Oh, the hidden designer in them! Can you ever get enough of their talent? Well, considering your walls got ruined, I think it's safe to say that you can!
Talking about murals on your white wall, here's what you can do to make them disappear (regardless of how cute the murals look). Take some non-gel based white toothpaste in a small container and mix it with some water. Add enough water so that it can be easily rubbed on the wall. Let it sit there for a three to four minutes and scrub it off using a brush. And, that's pretty much it. You should see the results for yourself.
Nothing works better in removing permanent marker stains from a leather surface than a hairspray. Not a lot of efforts go into this trick. Simply spray the leather surface with hairspray and wipe it off with a cotton roll or a clean tissue. It's as simple as that. However, if that doesn't work then try using a rubbing alcohol. It works wonders every time.
So whether it is a leather bag, a chair, a couch, a jacket… the possibilities are endless, you now know how to break the leather and permanent marker union, because some things are just not meant to be, right?
With all the possible surfaces covered, you won't nearly have an anxiety attack the next time you see a spot permanently marked. You'll know what you'll have to do. Now, that's one thing off your worry list. Good luck on others, though!
Have you ever tried anything other than the tips mentioned above for various surfaces? What did and didn't work for you?


Auditions for the 2011 amateur Open Mic Jazz Competition at GrandWest opens on Wednesday 3 August and runs through to 21 September at Jackson Hall.
Would-be songbirds need to present themselves at Jackson Hall on audition nights, and the competition is closed to anyone under the age of 18 and professional singers.
The quarter finals for the top 24 entrants will be held every Wednesday from 28 September to 5 October, followed by the semi finals for the top 12 entrants on Wednesday, 12 October. The final top six entrants will do battle for the top spot on Wednesday, 19 October. Contestants will get to perform two songs each on the night.
The winner of the contest will receive R25 000 in cash plus a two-night stay at the Table Bay with breakfast and dinner at the Atlantic Grill included. Wilde & Marr sound suppliers will also sponsor a microphone for the winner.� The second and third placed will receive R7 500 and R5 000 respectively.
Entrants will be required to choose the song they intend performing from a selection of well known classics such as Moon River, My way, Fever, Route 66, The way you look tonight, Crazy and Making Whoopie.
To assist the entrants with their audition, they will be accompanied by accomplished musicians Andrew Ford playing a baby grand piano, Westlin Rustin on double bass and Ivan Bell on drums.
The three judges will focus on vocal technique, song interpretation, stage presence and audience response so friends, family and fans are encouraged to cheer and support their favourite entrants.� This year, the judges will be popular personalities Bev Scott-Brown, Clarence Ford and Neil Potgieter.
Last year's winner, Sandile Gontsana will however, perform at the beginning of each audition round except on 20 and 31 August, when he has been selected to perform with the Standard Bank National Youth Jazz Band.
Entry forms can be collected from Jackson Hall and the song list is available on the Heart 104.9fm website. Registration opens at 20h00 and the competition begins at 21h00. Entry is free.


Key lime cheesecake is my favorite flavor at The Cheesecake Factory.
Andrew watched an Eater video that proves The NBA Loves Cheesecake Factory.
Andrew is convinced that we saw Dallas Mavericks NBA player, Ryan Broekhoff (#45, small forward, 6'7"), while shopping at Central Market the other day.
If we photoshopped Andrew's head on Ryan's body, maybe Andrew could get accepted to USC.
If you cheat to get into college (or lie or generally behave badly to try and get ahead in life), bad things will happen.
If you don't follow the instructions when baking, like not putting in the right amount of baking soda, it results in wacky, hollow chocolate chip cookies and that's bad because I really wanted a cookie.
You can learn life lessons from baking: follow the rules because karma is a b*tch.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Position one oven rack just above the middle position and another is in the bottom third of the oven. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan.
In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Add the melted butter and mix until the graham cracker crumbs are evenly coated in sandy in texture. Press the mixture into the bottom and 1/2-inch or so up the sides of the prepared pan.
Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool while you prepare the filling.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch and lime zest together until smooth and creamy, 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the lime juice and mix until combined. Add the eggs and mix until just combined (over mixing can cause the cheesecake to crack while baking thanks to all the extra air beat into the filling).
Pour the cheesecake filling over the crust and spread evenly. Place a metal 9X13-inch or similar-sized pan on the bottom rack of the oven and pour in 2-3 cups of boiling water. Immediately place the cheesecake on the upper rack and bake for 50-65 minutes until the cheesecake is set around the edges. A slight jiggle in the center of the cheesecake is fine.
Turn the oven off and prop the oven door open about 4 inches. Keep the cheesecake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove and let cool completely. Refrigerate the cheesecake overnight.
Combine the strawberries, raspberries, sugar and water in a medium saucepan, bring to boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries are soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
Transfer the berry mixture to a blender or food processor, add the raspberry preserves and lemon juice and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator stored in a container with a tight fitting lid for 1 week.
When ready to serve, serve the berry mixture with each slice (pour it on top of the slice of cheesecake or on the plate under the slice or on the side) and maybe even add a little whipped cream.


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Lee joins shame list
Last Updated: January 04, 2004 18:51 IST
This is one record tearaway Aussie bowler Brett Lee will be most unwilling to lend his name to.
The express speedster on Sunday became only the second Australian bowler in 70 years to concede 200 runs in a Test innings.
Kumble takes a world record
Tendulkar proves his stamina
India's highest total abroad
Lee, who missed the first two matches of the four-Test series in�Australia due to injuries, made a much hyped comeback in Melbourne but has failed to live up to to his reputation as a match-winner.
On the third day of the series-deciding fourth Test�at Sydney�today, Lee finished with four for 201 in 39.3 overs as India piled up a record 705 for seven before declaring their first innings.
Left-arm Aussie spin bowler Chuck Fleetwood-Smith holds the notorious record of conceding most runs in a Test innings of 1-298 off 87 overs against England at The Oval in 1938.
Lee was expected to rattle the pace-wary Indians with his 150 km/hr "chin music" but is now left with serious introspection to do about his technique and strategy.
Stakes high in Sydney
Australia hoping history will re
Factbox on Steve Waugh
Indian fans having a party
Lara fastest to 9,000 Test runs


Memories of the Lovable but Dimwitted Duo – Travel. Garden. Eat.
Duffy was a mutt who appeared to be the product of a child's imagination gone wild — dog parts selected from multiple breeds and merged together in a one-of-a-kind way. A classic humane society rescue dog. He had been neglected at his first home, although not abused, as he was always was a trusting soul. He came to us severely underweight and malnourished, and having no knowledge of the joy of attention and physical love from human companions.
We brought Duffy into our lives when he was not quite a year old, as our first dog Bruce (not yet two years old) came to the premature end of his, suffering from uncontrollable seizures and medicated to the point that his quality of life was no longer positive. We adopted Duffy, thinking that Bruce would like the comfort of a companion as he declined, and that we would have a companion as we anticipated the need to help Bruce say good-bye and ease his pain.
We could not have asked for a better companion for our ailing Bruce than Duffy — that goofy-looking mutt adored Bruce. He gave Bruce moments of renewed playfulness and joy, but could not stop the inevitable decline that was only months away. Duffy was inseparable from Bruce, until the end.
Tearfully, we said good-bye and soon learned that Duffy needed his own companion now that Bruce was gone. Duffy cried. He barked a neurotic, repeated bark after he lost his friend. We were no substitute for the emptiness that poor dog obviously had gnawing at him inside. So, off to the humane society we went in search of a friend for Duffy. This resulted in Snowball ("Snowy") joining our little family.
She was not quite a year old when we adopted her; Snowy had been her name while in foster care with her pups. Her previous owner had abandoned her while she was pregnant. The neighbors in the rural area became aware of her plight, and cared for her until the pups were old enough to be adopted themselves. The neighbors told the humane society what a protective and caring mother Snowy was to her pups, digging out a little den under a woodpile on the property. She obviously had not had a good life leading up to that young stint of motherhood, as her ears already were scarred with frostbite nicks from her first winter.
Snowy was always somewhat standoffish or even crabby toward other dogs . . . except for her forever friend, Duffy. They bonded from the moment they met, and became inseparable for the next 14 years. (I admit to tearing up, as I reflect back on the incredible love those two animals had for each other, and for us, their human family). They were our "children" for several years, before our first two-legged child was born into the family.
Snowy and Duffy had it rough . . .
My husband and I took Snowy and Duffy to obedience class soon after they joined us, each taking responsibility for one of them during each class. We quickly learned that we needed to separate ourselves to opposite sides of the classroom, because our dogs otherwise would not focus on the task at hand; rather, they focused on each other. Even when separated, Snowy would cry and whimper from across the room whenever we stopped our heeling exercises — any extended "sit" or "stay" resulted in her looking longingly toward her buddy, accompanied by her whiny laments.
Snowy was the ring leader of our lovable but dimwitted duo. Perhaps it was the lack of nutritious sustenance for much of the first year of his life, but Duffy was not blessed with an abundance of intelligence. If dogs could talk, I am sure many of their exchanges would consist of Duffy saying in a bumbling, excited manner, "what do you think, Snowy, huh? huh? huh? should we run? should we play? yes? no?" And as soon as Snowy gave the signal, off they would go, racing playfully together, wrestling, snuggling, loving with a connection that words cannot explain.
From their harsh first year of life, Snowy and Duffy transitioned easily to lives as spoiled and much-loved pets. And they again transitioned beautifully to the role of children's friends and companions as our family grew to add two boys over the next few years.
Those dogs are intertwined with the memories of our boys growing up. Hikes, imaginary play, wrestling, romps in the snow — Snowy and Duffy were there. Patient, loving, forgiving. The unconditional love that animals bring to our lives was exhibited in this goofy twosome time and time again.
No better love . . .
Time at the cabin and on the lake were times of bliss for those two (not to mention the rest of us). They were with us for the first few summers we camped on the raw land (and Snowy was with my husband and son during a thunderstorm when she bolted straight through the zippered door of the tent, because she did not want to be left alone in the tent in the storm when my husband went to the car to retrieve something . . . . that neglectful first year of life resulted in some needy, neurotic tendencies on both Snowy and Duffy's parts, but can you blame them?).
Swimming with the boys, fishing off the dock, enjoying pontoon rides on the lake. The memories of the first few summers when we enjoyed time at the lake were inseparable from memories of the dogs enjoying time at the lake. As our boys grew, the dogs simply aged. The pace of hikes had to slow and shorten in distance, as Duffy was the first to remind us that they would not be with us throughout the boys' childhood years.
As is often the case with older dogs, they lost muscle tone and layers of fat, although Snowy's Samoyed-Husky fur kept her cozy on the coldest of days even as she reached the end of her life. I made Duffy a little polar fleece jacket for late fall nights at the cabin, before we had a heat source to keep the interior toasty warm. My husband would take Duffy onto the cots we slept on at the time, tucking him into the sleeping bag where Duffy would sleep with a happy sigh (after first repeatedly grunting for more tummy scrubs).
Duffy turned 14; we knew it was probably his last summer with us, as he began to lose control of his rear legs and mobility significantly declined. One of the most difficult things about owning a pet is knowing when it is time to help them say goodbye. The answer rarely presents itself in black-and-white, and no matter how many furry friends you have been fortunate to know over your lifetime, it never gets any easier when it comes to helping them .
We had a family wedding to attend mid-summer, and so we left Duffy and Snowy with the same caretakers we had used (and Duffy and Snowy had loved) for the prior 13+ years. One morning, only a couple of nights into our week-long vacation, I received a tearful call from the woman caring for them. Duffy was at the vet and he had tummy twist (bloat). Why it happened, no one will ever know, but given his already fragile elderly state, surgery was not advised. Our vet and vet's staff stood compassionately in our stead as they eased Duffy across the "Rainbow Bridge." To say that tears were shed by us during that day, and on and off throughout the remainder of our vacation, would be an understatement.
The next morning, I woke up with the most vivid dream seared into my mind. I told my husband that Duffy came to me that night, looking healthy and happy, leaning into me as I ran my fingers through his cinnamon-colored fur. I could feel his fur, feel his presence — it was not the typical feeling or memory one has when trying to recall a dream from the night before. My husband had an odd look cross his face as I told him this, and he said quietly, "Duffy came to me in a dream, too." He had the same sensation of petting him, feeling his fur, and that sense that Duffy was at peace. My oldest son claimed he dreamed of Duffy that night, as well, while my youngest son burst into tears because he could not recall having seen or felt Duffy in his dreams. We assured him that Duffy would not have missed visiting him as he made the rounds to all of us, letting us know that he no longer was in pain, and that we need not worry about the fact he passed without us being there to say our goodbyes. He came to us to say goodbye instead, just another example of that purest of love that sometimes only an animal or child can seem to share.
Our vacation ended and we picked up Snowy from her caretaker, bringing her home alone. As she ran into our house, we realized that she thought Duffy must be waiting for her at home. She frantically searched from room to room, whimpering in an increasingly panicked manner, which brought a new round of tears and feeling of helplessness on our part. Once she realized her faithful friend was not waiting for her, she sunk into the deepest of depressions and appeared to even suffer a seizure at some point. She stopped eating, withdrew, and was inconsolable.
We made a trip to the humane society and we hoped that perhaps Snowy would find some solace in another dog companion. Perhaps it was the taking of interest in a new friend, or perhaps it was just that Snowy was a tough old bird who was not going to give up on life that easily, but remarkably, Snowy was like the phoenix, rising again and enjoying life to the fullest for another three years, exceeding the ripe old age of 17!
When she turned 16, we had "Snowy's last birthday" party at the cabin, as she was increasingly showing her age and we figured it would be her last. The next year, we had the second annual "Snowy's last birthday" party! At her second "last" birthday party, on her 17th birthday, Snowy started marching slowly down the hill toward the lake, zig-zagging to minimize the strain on her arthritic and weakened joints. Over the previous couple of summers, she had voluntarily wandered down to the lake less and less frequently. My husband would carry her to the pontoon a few times each summer so she could enjoy her favorite boat ride and a paddle in the lake. She was determined on her birthday, though, and celebrated turning 17 by taking herself for a swim, joined by her new furry friend and my youngest son.
We all watched in awe as she swam and enjoyed wading in the water. No one had to say out loud what we all knew — that this was likely one of her last ventures down to the lake to enjoy some of the activities she enjoyed most in life, with the people she loved most, who loved her right back with all of their hearts.
That fall was her last with us. On Thanksgiving Day, we ventured out for a short hike. In the past year or two, when heading out for longer or more strenuous hikes, we would reluctantly leave Snowy behind, knowing she no longer had the strength or endurance to join us. It was a holiday and no one was in a hurry. We just wanted to wander leisurely through the forest and enjoy our family time together.
As I look back at these photos from that hike, some of the last that we have of Snowy, I see that happy grin on her face as she and our lab wait for the boys to catch up. Once again, she surprised all of us, even galloping exuberantly on the trail for a brief time, always with that dog grin, barking playfully as the boys ran past. The joy she so obviously experienced that day was infectious.
With another Thanksgiving holiday approaching, and that often frenzied holiday season already nipping at people's heels, perhaps we can take a cue from our animal friends as we did on that Thanksgiving several years ago. We all slowed our pace to enjoy the day with Snowy, and were reminded of one of the important things in life — that in this finite time we have together, we should always try to find joy in the moment and enjoy the simple things in life.
That was incredibly beautiful, Kat. Thanks so much for sharing this.
Nope, I just have to think about stories like these (which you seem to have plenty of 🙂 !) when I feel guilty about Zachary asking for a dog on about a daily basis!
That was a beautiful post!! Thank you so much for introducing us to Snowy and Duffy too!!
Lovely post. Dogs remind us of the importance of being present and mindful. I wasn't a dog owner until we got our fur baby 13 years ago. She keeps us grounded and balanced in our life and brings us countless joy. Duffy and Snowy were lucky to have found each other and your family.
Fabulous shot….especially the tiny claws.
Spectacular – especially the details of the feathers.
Gorgeous photos. The green in these photos is so vibrant. I think the frog looks like he visited your favourite watering hole! Hehe.
Oops – damn iPads. Sorry about that. I was commenting on Ron Mayhew's photos.
No worries — Ron's photos are great!
Kat, I'm sitting here bawling like a baby. It's been over a year since we lost our two big dogs within three weeks of each other, but I still miss them desperately. They came to me a few times in dreams. I didn't dream about them … they came to see me. It was as though they wanted me to stop crying and know they were all right. … This was a wonderful post with wonderful memories and pictures. Thank you for sharing.
Your post was so poignant – runny nose and teary eyes because it strikes a chord so strong in us dog-owners. They say dogs in our dreams are messengers- from my experience, and yours, I would have to agree. In real life, We are working on something to make our best friends' lives a little healthier and easier- will email you all about it when we are close to completion… Love the pup you're with!
I look forward to hearing more! Definitely love the pup (or kitty or whatever your companion animal choice may be) you're with!
Gosh, Kat, I wasn't ready for that tear-fest. This is beautiful and heart-wrenching and I completely understand the emotional attachment. The dreams, though, are really something – I've not experienced that, even having lost a number of pets over the years.
So moving & heart touching, i could actually feel a lump in my throat as i read through your beautifully written post! Glad to have stumbled upon your post!
What a beautiful and touching story, Kat. I was tearful as I read it and still have a lump in my throat. We recently lost my Mom's dog, our "family dog," just shy of her 15th birthday. I found great comfort in reading your story. You paint a beautiful picture — and your photos are lovely! It sounds like you shared many special moments with your wonderful duo!
Such a beautiful post. It brought tears to my eyes and I don't even own a dog!
Aw crap. You made me miss my incredibly stupid but amazingly cute, wonderful, and loving Lhasa Apso that I lost in the divorce. I never thought I could get so attached to "just a dog" – but there you have it!
I absolutely LOVE the dog tales, although I am sorry for your loss. Big hugs!!
Thank you, thank you. That was so lovely, and made me think of my pair of pups who are waiting for me on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge.
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Quantitative Frequently Asked Questions in various Quantitative Interviews asked by the interviewer. So learn Quantitative with the help of this Quantitative Interview questions and answers guide and feel free to comment as your suggestions, questions and answers on any Quantitative Interview Question or answer by the comment feature available on the page.
1 Tell me if PQRST is a parallelogram what it the ratio of triangle PQS & parallelogram PQRST?
2 If A worker is paid Rs.20/- for a full days work. He works 1,1/3,2/3,1/8.3/4 days in a week. What is the total amount paid for that worker?
3 What is a percent of b divided by b percent of a?
4 Perimeter of the back wheel = 9 feet, front wheel = 7 feet on a certain distance, the front wheel gets 10 revolutions more than the back wheel. What is the distance?
5 If Log2 x - 5 Log x + 6 = 0, then what would the value / values of x be?
6 To 15 lts of water containing 20% alcohol, we add 5 lts of pure water. What is % alcohol?
7 20% of a 6 litre solution and 60% of 4 litre solution are mixed. What percentage of the mixture of solution?
8 Pipe A can fill in 20 minutes and Pipe B in 30 mins and Pipe C can empty the same in 40mins. If all of them work together, find the time taken to fill the tank?
9 Three cards are drawn at random from an ordinary pack of cards. Find the probability that they will consist of a king, a queen and an ace?
10 There are two circles, one circle is inscribed and another circle is circumscribed over a square. What is the ratio of area of inner to outer circle?
11 If the 3 digit number AB9 is a perfect square then is A an odd digit?
12 The price of a product is reduced by 30% By what percentage should it be increased to make it 100%?
13 A student divided a number by 2/3 when he required to multiply by 3/2. Calculate the percentage of error in his result?
14 In objective test a correct ans score 4 marks and on a wrong ans 2 marks are subtracted, a student score 480 marks from 150 question. how many ans were correct?
15 What is the angle between the two hands of a clock when time is 8:30?
16 If x=y=2z and xyz=256 then what is the value of x?
17 A dishonest shopkeeper professes to sell pulses at the cost price, but he uses a false weight of 950gm. for a kg. His gain is____%.
18 If there are 1024*1280 pixels on a screen and each pixel can have around 16 million colors. Find the memory required for this?
19 How big will an angle of one and a half degree look through a glass that magnifies things three times?
20 If on an item a company gives 25% discount, they earn 25% profit. If they now give 10% discount then what is the profit percentage?
21 Five boys were climbing a hill. J was following H. R was just ahead of G. K was between G & H. They were climbing up in a column. Who was the second?
22 7^101+18^101 is a multiple ofa.15b.25c.35d.45?
23 A contractor agreeing to finish a work in 150 days, employed 75 men each working 8 hours daily. After 90 days, only 2/7 of the work was completed. Increasing the number of men by ________ each working now for 10 hours daily, the work can be completed in time?
24 Each side of a rectangle is increased by 100% .By what percentage does the areaincrease?
25 A fast typist can type some matter in 2 hours and a slow typist can type the same in 3 hours. If both type combinely, in how much time will they finish?
26 What is the sum of all numbers between 100 and 1000 which are divisible by 14?
27 If a sum of money compound annually amounts of thrice itself in 3 years. In how many years will it become 9 times itself?
28 If s(a) denotes square root of a, find the value of s(12+s(12+s(12+ ...... upto infinity?
29 There is a square of side 6cm . A circle is inscribed inside the square. Find the ratio of the area of circle to square?
30 If time at this moment is 9 P.M., what will be the time 23999999992 hours later?
31 Can you tender a one rupee note in such a manner that there shall be total 50 coins but none of them would be 2 paise coins?


text:
Q: Correctly Adding Style Resource Files to C# WPF Project I've read a lot about ResourceDictionaries, but I'm not sure what their relationship is with the filesystem.
If I reference a ResourceDictionary Source="/X/a.b", does this mean I can put the resource file a.b under directory X, where X is the same directory with my bin, obj, App.xaml, etc.?
I'm trying to do such a thing with the Selen.Wpf.SystemStyles, but I'm receiving an error of FileNotFound.

The assembly with display name 'Selen.Wpf.SystemStyles' failed to load
  in the 'Load' binding context of the AppDomain with ID 1. The cause of
  the failure was: System.IO.FileNotFoundException: Could not load file
  or assembly 'Selen.Wpf.SystemStyles, Culture=neutral' or one of its
  dependencies. The system cannot find the file specified.

I've put all of the resources in the directory and have confirmed that the files match the file system expectations as I think they are meant to be.
Am I missing other conventions?
The code for importing the resources is:
    <Application.Resources>
    <ResourceDictionary>
        <ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
            <ResourceDictionary
            Source="pack://application:,,,/Selen.Wpf.SystemStyles;component/Styles.xaml"/>
        </ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
    </ResourceDictionary>
</Application.Resources>

A: Your code tries to load the resource file from an external assembly, named Selen.Wpf.SystemStyles. Inside there is an embedded resource file named Styles.xaml.
From the exception it seems you are missing a reference to the assembly mentioned or it didn't get copied to the bin\Debug directory.
Also read into the pack URIs on MSDN.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
from subprocess import check_call

from tests.beeswax.impala_beeswax import ImpalaBeeswaxException
from tests.common.impala_test_suite import ImpalaTestSuite
from tests.common.test_dimensions import create_single_exec_option_dimension
from tests.common.test_dimensions import create_uncompressed_text_dimension
from tests.common.skip import SkipIfS3, SkipIfABFS, SkipIfADLS, SkipIfIsilon, SkipIfLocal
from tests.util.filesystem_utils import get_fs_path

@SkipIfS3.hive
@SkipIfABFS.hive
@SkipIfADLS.hive
@SkipIfIsilon.hive
@SkipIfLocal.hive
class TestRefreshPartition(ImpalaTestSuite):
  """
  This class tests the functionality to refresh a partition individually
  for a table in HDFS
  """

  @classmethod
  def get_workload(self):
    return 'functional-query'

  @classmethod
  def add_test_dimensions(cls):
    super(TestRefreshPartition, cls).add_test_dimensions()

    # There is no reason to run these tests using all dimensions.
    cls.ImpalaTestMatrix.add_dimension(create_single_exec_option_dimension())
    cls.ImpalaTestMatrix.add_dimension(
        create_uncompressed_text_dimension(cls.get_workload()))

  def test_refresh_partition_num_rows(self, vector, unique_database):
    """Refreshing a partition should not change it's numRows stat."""
    # Create a partitioned table and add data to it.
    tbl = unique_database + ".t1"
    self.client.execute("create table %s(a int) partitioned by (b int)" % tbl)
    self.client.execute("insert into %s partition(b=1) values (1)" % tbl)
    # Compute stats on tbl. It should populate the partition num rows.
    self.client.execute("compute stats %s" % tbl)
    result = self.client.execute("show partitions %s" % tbl)
    # Format: partition/#Rows/#Files (first 3 entries)
    assert result.get_data().startswith("1\t1\t1"),\
        "Incorrect partition stats %s" % result.get_data()
    # Add another file to the same partition using hive.
    self.run_stmt_in_hive("insert into table %s partition (b=1) values (2)" % tbl)
    # Make sure Impala still sees a single row.
    assert "1" == self.client.execute("select count(*) from %s" % tbl).get_data()
    # refresh the partition and make sure the new row is visible
    self.client.execute("refresh %s partition (b=1)" % tbl)
    assert "2" == self.client.execute("select count(*) from %s" % tbl).get_data()
    # Make sure the partition num rows are unchanged and still 1 but the #files is updated.
    result = self.client.execute("show partitions %s" % tbl)
    assert result.get_data().startswith("1\t1\t2"),\
        "Incorrect partition stats %s" % result.get_data()
    # Do a full table refresh and it should still remain the same.
    self.client.execute("refresh %s" % tbl)
    result = self.client.execute("show partitions %s" % tbl)
    assert result.get_data().startswith("1\t1\t2"),\
        "Incorrect partition stats %s" % result.get_data()

  def test_add_hive_partition_and_refresh(self, vector, unique_database):
    """
    Partition added in Hive can be viewed in Impala after refreshing
    partition.
    """
    table_name = unique_database + '.' + "partition_test_table"
    self.client.execute(
        'create table %s (x int) partitioned by (y int, z int)' %
        table_name)
    assert [] == self.get_impala_partition_info(table_name, 'y', 'z')
    self.run_stmt_in_hive(
        'alter table %s add partition (y=333, z=5309)' % table_name)
    # Make sure Impala can't see the partition yet
    assert [] == self.get_impala_partition_info(table_name, 'y', 'z')
    self.client.execute('refresh %s partition (y=333, z=5309)' % table_name)
    # Impala can see the partition
    assert [('333', '5309')] == self.get_impala_partition_info(table_name, 'y', 'z')
    # Impala's refresh didn't alter Hive's knowledge of the partition
    assert ['y=333/z=5309'] == self.hive_partition_names(table_name)

  def test_drop_hive_partition_and_refresh(self, vector, unique_database):
    """
    Partition dropped in Hive is removed in Impala as well after refreshing
    partition.
    """
    table_name = unique_database + '.' + "partition_test_table"
    self.client.execute(
        'create table %s (x int) partitioned by (y int, z int)' %
        table_name)
    self.client.execute(
        'alter table %s add partition (y=333, z=5309)' % table_name)
    assert [('333', '5309')] == self.get_impala_partition_info(table_name, 'y', 'z')
    self.run_stmt_in_hive(
        'alter table %s drop partition (y=333, z=5309)' % table_name)
    # Make sure Impala can still see the partition
    assert [('333', '5309')] == self.get_impala_partition_info(table_name, 'y', 'z')
    self.client.execute('refresh %s partition (y=333, z=5309)' % table_name)
    # Impala can see the partition is not there anymore
    assert [] == self.get_impala_partition_info(table_name, 'y', 'z')
    # Impala's refresh didn't alter Hive's knowledge of the partition
    assert [] == self.hive_partition_names(table_name)

  def test_add_data_and_refresh(self, vector, unique_database):
    """
    Data added through hive is visible in impala after refresh of partition.
    """
    table_name = unique_database + '.' + "partition_test_table"
    self.client.execute(
        'create table %s (x int) partitioned by (y int, z int)' %
        table_name)
    self.client.execute(
        'alter table %s add partition (y=333, z=5309)' % table_name)
    result = self.client.execute("select count(*) from %s" % table_name)
    assert result.data == [str('0')]
    self.run_stmt_in_hive(
        'insert into table %s partition (y=333, z=5309) values (2)'
        % table_name)
    # Make sure its still shows the same result before refreshing
    result = self.client.execute("select count(*) from %s" % table_name)
    assert result.data == [str('0')]

    self.client.execute('refresh %s partition (y=333, z=5309)' % table_name)
    assert '2\t333\t5309' == self.client.execute(
        'select * from %s' % table_name).get_data()

  def test_refresh_invalid_partition(self, vector, unique_database):
    """
    Trying to refresh a partition that does not exist does not modify anything
    either in impala or hive.
    """
    table_name = unique_database + '.' + "partition_test_table"
    self.client.execute(
        'create table %s (x int) partitioned by (y int, z int)' %
        table_name)
    self.client.execute(
        'alter table %s add partition (y=333, z=5309)' % table_name)
    assert [('333', '5309')] == self.get_impala_partition_info(table_name, 'y', 'z')
    assert ['y=333/z=5309'] == self.hive_partition_names(table_name)
    self.client.execute('refresh %s partition (y=71, z=8857)' % table_name)
    assert [('333', '5309')] == self.get_impala_partition_info(table_name, 'y', 'z')
    assert ['y=333/z=5309'] == self.hive_partition_names(table_name)

  def test_remove_data_and_refresh(self, vector, unique_database):
    """
    Data removed through hive is visible in impala after refresh of partition.
    """
    expected_error = 'Error(2): No such file or directory'
    table_name = unique_database + '.' + "partition_test_table"
    self.client.execute(
        'create table %s (x int) partitioned by (y int, z int)' %
        table_name)
    self.client.execute(
        'alter table %s add partition (y=333, z=5309)' % table_name)
    self.client.execute(
        'insert into table %s partition (y=333, z=5309) values (2)' % table_name)
    assert '2\t333\t5309' == self.client.execute(
        'select * from %s' % table_name).get_data()

    self.run_stmt_in_hive(
        'alter table %s drop partition (y=333, z=5309)' % table_name)

    # Query the table. With file handle caching, this may not produce an error,
    # because the file handles are still open in the cache. If the system does
    # produce an error, it should be the expected error.
    try:
      self.client.execute("select * from %s" % table_name)
    except ImpalaBeeswaxException as e:
      assert expected_error in str(e)

    self.client.execute('refresh %s partition (y=333, z=5309)' % table_name)
    result = self.client.execute("select count(*) from %s" % table_name)
    assert result.data == [str('0')]

  def test_add_delete_data_to_hdfs_and_refresh(self, vector, unique_database):
    """
    Data added/deleted directly in HDFS is visible in impala after refresh of
    partition.
    """
    table_name = unique_database + '.' + "partition_test_table"
    table_location = get_fs_path("/test-warehouse/%s" % unique_database)
    file_name = "alltypes.parq"
    src_file = get_fs_path("/test-warehouse/alltypesagg_parquet/year=2010/month=1/"
      "day=9/*.parq")
    file_num_rows = 1000
    self.client.execute("""
      create table %s like functional.alltypes stored as parquet
      location '%s'
    """ % (table_name, table_location))
    self.client.execute("alter table %s add partition (year=2010, month=1)" %
        table_name)
    self.client.execute("refresh %s" % table_name)
    # Check that there is no data in table
    result = self.client.execute("select count(*) from %s" % table_name)
    assert result.data == [str(0)]
    dst_path = "%s/year=2010/month=1/%s" % (table_location, file_name)
    check_call(["hadoop", "fs", "-cp", "-f", src_file, dst_path], shell=False)
    # Check that data added is not visible before refresh
    result = self.client.execute("select count(*) from %s" % table_name)
    assert result.data == [str(0)]
    # Chech that data is visible after refresh
    self.client.execute("refresh %s partition (year=2010, month=1)" % table_name)
    result = self.client.execute("select count(*) from %s" % table_name)
    assert result.data == [str(file_num_rows)]
    # Check that after deleting the file and refreshing, it returns zero rows
    check_call(["hadoop", "fs", "-rm", dst_path], shell=False)
    self.client.execute("refresh %s partition (year=2010, month=1)" % table_name)
    result = self.client.execute("select count(*) from %s" % table_name)
    assert result.data == [str(0)]

  def test_confirm_individual_refresh(self, vector, unique_database):
    """
    Data added directly to HDFS is only visible for the partition refreshed
    """
    table_name = unique_database + '.' + "partition_test_table"
    table_location = get_fs_path("/test-warehouse/%s" % unique_database)
    file_name = "alltypes.parq"
    src_file = get_fs_path("/test-warehouse/alltypesagg_parquet/year=2010/month=1/"
      "day=9/*.parq")
    file_num_rows = 1000
    self.client.execute("""
      create table %s like functional.alltypes stored as parquet
      location '%s'
    """ % (table_name, table_location))
    for month in [1, 2]:
        self.client.execute("alter table %s add partition (year=2010, month=%s)" %
        (table_name, month))
    self.client.execute("refresh %s" % table_name)
    # Check that there is no data in table
    result = self.client.execute("select count(*) from %s" % table_name)
    assert result.data == [str(0)]
    dst_path = table_location + "/year=2010/month=%s/" + file_name
    for month in [1, 2]:
        check_call(["hadoop", "fs", "-cp", "-f", src_file, dst_path % month],
                   shell=False)
    # Check that data added is not visible before refresh
    result = self.client.execute("select count(*) from %s" % table_name)
    assert result.data == [str(0)]
    # Check that data is visible after refresh on the first partition only
    self.client.execute("refresh %s partition (year=2010, month=1)" %
        table_name)
    result = self.client.execute("select count(*) from %s" % table_name)
    assert result.data == [str(file_num_rows)]
    # Check that the data is not yet visible for the second partition
    # that was not refreshed
    result = self.client.execute(
        "select count(*) from %s where year=2010 and month=2" % table_name)
    assert result.data == [str(0)]
    # Check that data is visible for the second partition after refresh
    self.client.execute("refresh %s partition (year=2010, month=2)" % table_name)
    result = self.client.execute("select count(*) from %s" % table_name)
    assert result.data == [str(file_num_rows*2)]

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Google is a very useful and powerful tool for finding information through the Internet. This series of short tutorials will show you how to use Google well so that you find what you really need and don't end up with millions of useless links! You'll learn how to maximize your Google searching with databases like Google Scholar in order to access the full text of materials owned by UNB Libraries.
Read the complete Guide to Google@UNB Libraries.


Tarkett is a leader in environmentally responsible manufacturing and has been pursuing the development of sustainable products for decades.
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Our floors provide safe, healthy environments where people can work, learn, play, heal and enjoy their leisure activities. We systematically evaluate all our flooring for its contribution to indoor air quality. Our surface treatments help to conserve resources by reducing the need for water, detergents and energy.
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Tarkett's "Balanced Choice" approach balances the requirements of individual customers and projects against the need to provide more sustainable solutions.
We also believe that being sustainable, as an individual or a corporation, is an everyday practice not just an idea.
Our daily focus is on being more effective and environmentally friendly by reducing our consumption of resources and production of emissions, recycling and reusing materials and creating people friendly places. That's why we measure our environmental performance – to continue to improve and to share our progress with our customers, employees and local communities.


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Russian soldiers guard the center of Simferopol, Crimea, Thursday, March 27, 2014. Crimea's government has decided to disband self-defense forces which provided help to the Russian military, a classic example of grey zone operations. AP Photo/Max Vetrov
AI Is Reshaping the US Approach to Gray-Zone Ops
Artificial intelligence and machine learning tools aren't just for big hot wars, but also for places where the battle lines aren't clear.
About 15 years ago, the U.S. military's elite counterinsurgency operators realized that the key to scaling up their operations was the ability to make sense of huge volumes of disparate data. From 2004 to 2009, Task Force 714 developed groundbreaking ways to sort and analyze information gathered on raids, which allowed them to exponentially increase the number of raids from about 20 a month to 300, SOCOM Commander Gen. Richard Clarke said Monday on a Hudson Institute broadcast.
The lessons from Task Force 714, which Clarke discusses further in this August essay, are now shaping how special operations forces uses AI in difficult settings, leading to such things as the Project Maven program.
Military leaders are fond of talking about how AI will accelerate things like predictive maintenance, soldier health, and increase the pace of battlefield operations. "We're now seeing AI make some inroads into the command-and-control processes and it's because of the same problem SOCOM had…an urgent need to make faster more effective decisions," said Bryan Clark, a senior fellow and director of Hudson's Center for Defense Concepts and Technology. "They're finding in their wargaming that that's the only way U.S. forces can win."
And while service leaders have made a big show recently of how AI will accelerate operations in a high-end, World War III-style conflict, AI is more likely to see use sooner in far less intense situations, Clark said. AI might be particularly effective when the conflict falls short of war, when the combatants aren't wearing identifiable uniforms. Such tools could use personal data — the kind collected by websites and used by to sell ads targeted to ever-more specific consumer groups — to tell commanders more about their human adversary and his or her intentions.
Take the South China Sea, where China deploys naval, coast guard, and maritime militia vessels that blend in with fishing boats. "So you have to watch the pattern of life and get an understanding of what is their job on any particular day because if a fight were to break out, one, you might not have enough weapons to be able to engage all the potential targets so you need to know the right ones to hit at the right time," he said. But what if the conflict is less World War III than a murkier gray-zone altercation? What is the best way to defuse that with the lowest level of escalation? "The best way to do that is to identify the players that are the most impactful in this confrontation and... disable them somehow," he said. "I need enough information to support that decision and develop the tactics for it. So I need to know: what's the person on that boat? What port did they come out of? Where do they live? Where are their families? What is the nature of their operation day to day? Those are all pieces of information a commander can use to get that guy to stop doing whatever that guy is doing and do it in a way that's proportional as opposed to hitting them with a cruise missile."
You might think that grey zone warfare is a relic of the wars of the last ten years, not the modern, more technological competition between the United States, China, and Russia. But as the expansive footprint of Russia and China around the globe shows, confusing, low-intensity conflict, possibly through proxies or mercenary forces, should be an expected part of U.S., Chinese and Russian tension.
NEXT STORY: 'Artificial Skin' May One Day Make Troops Invisible, Even to Heat Sensors


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We Can't Allow Sexual Harassment In The Herpes Community
Ella Dawsonabuse, feminism, herpesgenital herpes, herpes, herpes community, online violence, Rafaella Gunz, sexual harassment, social media1 Comment
Source: Flickr
UPDATE 4/21/2016: Although I will always stand by the contents of the letter below, I no longer feel comfortable endorsing the work of Rafaella Gunz going forward. While I wish her well, we have professional differences as activists and as writers. The headline of this post has been changed to reflect that.
No matter the circumstances, the sexual and digital harassment women receive in herpes support communities is unacceptable and must be taken seriously. We as a community have a responsibility to hold each other accountable for inappropriate behavior that makes marginalized individuals feel unsafe and unseen.
We are in solidarity with Rafaella Gunz. On December 18, 2015, a post written by Rafaella was published on the Guerrilla Feminism website. In it, Rafaella lays out the constant stream of sexual harassment that women are subjected to in coed support groups for people with herpes — in particular, one named Positively Kickin' It. She also highlighted that moderators of the group did nothing to address the harassment experienced by its members, even when concerns were brought directly to them. As a result of this post, she has been personally attacked and doxxed by members of the herpes community. These attacks culminated in her Facebook account being suspended, which has shut her out of a conversation she initiated and effectively silenced her.
What Rafaella did, in calling attention to the sexual harassment and abuse that take place in what are purported to be supportive spaces, took courage. In doing so, she gave a name to behavior and a voice to the many women who have been targeted in groups they joined hoping to find support and friendship. Sexual harassment, both online and off, is unacceptable. Refusing to take action in stopping this behavior when it occurs, as well as attacking the messenger who called it out, protects no one but the abusers. When reports of abuse are answered with "if you don't like it, leave," the targets of abuse are essentially punished for what was done to them, while those perpetrating inappropriate conduct are given a free pass to continue doing so towards other women. Tolerating this behavior is not a neutral stance; rather, it creates an environment that normalizes and encourages sexual objectification, unwanted interactions and boundary-crossing.
As fellow HSV+ women, we applaud Rafaella for bringing the issue of sexual harassment within our networks to light, and we call on the H support community to take the issue of women's — and all marginalized people's — safety seriously. Sexual harassment is not a matter of political correctness or sensitivity. Women face an avalanche of unwanted sexualized attention on the Internet on a daily basis, running the gamut from "Hey beautiful!" to the graphic and violent messages described in Rafaella's article. In the broader context of constant unsolicited attention, messages sent without intent to harm can still make women feel unsafe in the online communities that are supposed to exist for them.
The Facebook H community's denial of responsibility for the unsafe spaces it has created, and its unwillingness to even listen to the experiences of women who have spoken up about mistreatment, is disappointing. Its subsequent deluge of harassment towards the women calling attention to the violence they already endure is indefensible. We are horrified to watch as individuals in the H community, particularly other women, dismiss Rafaella's experiences as not "real" harassment and ask her for receipts as "proof" that she experienced these things at all. This response directly mirrors the silencing and victim-blaming characteristic of the wider rape culture in which we live, where people overwhelmingly choose to question and discredit women (or anyone else) who report harassment, assault, and abuse.
In supporting Rafaella, we not only write in solidarity with the women who have been direct targets of sexual harassment in H groups. We extend our solidarity to all those who contracted herpes or other STIs as a result of assault or within abusive relationships; to those who have faced assault or abuse because of their STI; and to those who have been forcibly outed or harassed regarding their STI status. We also recognize all those survivors of sexual violence within our spaces, who may have been revictimized or triggered while trying to seek support.
We acknowledge the immense value of the Facebook H community, encompassing thousands of HSV+ individuals of diverse backgrounds who find camaraderie and resilience in these spaces. We recognize the importance of groups that advocate for safety and comfort in aiding the growth of all their members. However, a space that does not support women in their quest to feel safe and comfortable is a threat to the welfare of the whole and an impediment to positive work that could be done. To be clear, an indictment of the behavior of some men is not an indictment of all men; rather, it is a challenge to men who don't engage in this type of behavior to listen and support the women who speak up against men who do.
As HSV+ people, we are subject to enough shame and stigma outside of our community. The same shame and stigma are often obstacles to HSV+ individuals finding each other — as well as the impetus for seeking community in the first place. This community is too necessary for us to be complacent in the exclusion of members of marginalized identities. We want to see communities of support that, first and foremost, believe survivors and actively strive to foster safe spaces for marginalized people, instead of idly replicating the oppressive and violent dynamics of society at large.
While it is difficult and dangerous for any women to speak up about these issues, the silencing is greater where womanhood intersects with other marginalized identities. We are aware that those of us writing this letter, as cis and white, represent a small segment of women, though we aspire to affirm and manifest our belief in the inclusion and safety of all marginalized bodies, particularly women, trans and non-binary folks, and people of color, in our work.
Being a marginalized community in its own right does not exempt us from reflection. Sexism, racism, classism, ableism, harassment and abuse thrive within H spaces. They will continue to do so when we react to criticism defensively. We need to raise the bar in the work that we do as activists, supporters, writers and friends. We need to hold abusers accountable. We need to fix networks that are broken. And we need to have the courage to admit when our community has caused pain. We do not always need to agree—herpes impacts people across every spectrum of life—but we need to value respect above all else.
Facebook communities, and all online communities, need clear expectations for conduct and enforcement of these expectations. Moderators and group admins have a responsibility to be transparent about what behavior is unacceptable and to act when those rules are violated. When they fail to do so, the community must hold them accountable. That is what Rafaella strove to do with her post: hold a community accountable for failing to abide by the rules and guidelines they set for themselves, a failure that resulted in harm being done to marginalized participants accessing that space.
It's disheartening to see members of the H community more upset with the naming of a (secret) group that permitted abusive behavior than at the abusive behavior itself. Rafaella's words should be a turning point for us, challenging us to take an honest look at the behaviors within our own communities, to strive and do better.
In light of these events, a support group founded on anti-oppressive values for women and all trans and non-binary folks with herpes is in the works, because we believe that everyone deserves a space to access support and community free from harassment and abuse. No one should have to be subjected to violence or made to feel unsafe in order to access support for an already marginalized identity.
If you are a marginalized person who has been the victim of harassment or abuse within the H support community, we see you, we believe you, and we love you.
Britni de la Cretaz
Ella Dawson
Kayla Axelrod
Sarit Luban
Lachrista Greco
Ashley Manta
Crista Anne
Update: I've noticed some confusion about Facebook's privacy settings for "secret groups" in the response to this post on social media. A "secret group" like Positively Kickin' It cannot be found through search by non-members. The only way to join the group (and to see what users are in it) is to be invited or added directly by a current member. At that point it is up to the administrators to prevent abusive folks from joining their community. I could not find PKI after reading Rafaella's article on Guerrilla Feminism, and I am a social media manager who knows every Facebook hack in the book. That's why Facebook calls it a "secret" group.
Us naming PKI in no way endangered the group, and the failure of its admins to make that clear to its panicked members—including survivors of assault and abuse, who we have no desire to worry or place in harm's way—is not our responsibility. While I have no doubt that there are sociopaths on the Internet who would enjoy enjoy outing members of the H community, Rafaella naming PKI in her article for Guerrilla Feminism and our decision to do the same here does not facilitate that. Not to mention PKI has been discussed at length in the public herpes Tumblr community, nicknamed "herpblr," which is how many of us found it in the first place. We are not publishing new information.
For more information on secret Facebook groups and who can find them, here's a chart from Facebook's Help Center:
Furthermore, the freaked out reaction of "ONCE PEOPLE KNOW THERE'S A SECRET H SUPPORT COMMUNITY ON FACEBOOK, THEY'LL LOOK FOR IT!" is strange, at least to me. Isn't it helpful for people in need of support to know that there are groups available for them to seek out? Isn't that the entire point? These are secret support groups, not secret societies.
I personally apologize to anyone who was frightened by this post. Several of this letter's signatories are survivors of abuse and assault, and several of us kept our herpes status private for years for our own safety. But I stand by our decision to name Positively Kickin' It on my website. Abusive environments that don't enforce their own rules to the detriment of their community members MUST be named and held accountable. — Ella
To The Woman Who Announced Her STI on Snapchat
Editor's Picks: Ella's Best Blogging of 2015
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English philosopher Sir Francis Bacon once said, "Knowledge is power". The more of it we have, the better informed and equipped we are to address any issues and drive improvements. And this too is true for health. Within Public Health England, much of this knowledge exists within our new and emerging health intelligence networks that specialise in several topic areas and based around England. These are part of a much broader service also delivered by our knowledge and intelligence teams (KITs), which all contribute to the local public health system in support of PHE Centres and local authorities.
It's essential we're using the most authoritative knowledge and information available about our health, to make decisions to help deliver the best outcomes.
Our health intelligence networks operate across organisations bringing together various holders of information, national charities, NHS partners, researchers and key users of health intelligence. The networks will work with other organisations to help strengthen knowledge translation locally using tools and resources with national expertise.
The first, and most established network is the NCIN, which coordinates the collection, analysis and publication of comparative national statistics on diagnosis, treatment and outcomes for all types of cancer. Since its operation, access to information has significantly improved cancer intelligence. We know more about patients, where and how they're diagnosed and when treatments start to best tackle any condition. The focus has to be on both early diagnosis and improved survival/outcomes. It's critical that we continue to build key links with the major charities to ensure there is a sustained focus on outcomes for users.
We're continuously being able to view more data to understand health throughout the population, from our patients to health services where we can make better informed decisions through the knowledge we obtain. Intelligence networks are fantastic means to achieve this.
Hello Brian, a really informative blog and the data is so important. I also think it is important we collect the right data on the right outcomes too. I also wondered when there would be an active url link to the National Mental Health Intelligence Network – est. 2013?
A really great blog that allowed the reader to get a good first hand understanding.
Thanks for your comment Bren, and interest in this subject. The National Mental Health Intelligence Network is still in development and we hope to provide an online presence in the early summer. We'll post news about this network on the PHE website (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/public-health-england) when it's available.


Federal and state regulations allow you to bring back one American litre (33.8 fl. oz.) of alcoholic beverages for USA personal use duty-free.
When you return to Canada from a foreign country, you may qualify for a Canadian personal exemptions. This allows you to bring goods of a certain value into the country without paying regular duty and taxes. The Canadian personal exemption allows you to bring in up to 1.5 litres of wine or 1.14 litres of alcoholic beverages or up to 8.5 litres of beer tax free. That's a two bottles of champagne, wine, or fine spirits, or a few bottles of nice craft beer.
Sometimes it's just cheaper to buy wine or beer in another city or country, and bring it home.
Who doesn't need a spare bottle of Champagne for those unexpected special occasions? Keep in mind: some states or provinces have a lower tax rate for alcohol, and depending on foreign exchange rates, you might find some deals.
We have some pretty great craft beer in Vancouver. I'll often give my family craft beer tours when they're here. And when I visit them in the UK or Japan, I'll tuck a few bottles in my luggage to give to them. It's a nice gesture to thank them for their hospitality too.
The least altruistic, most romantic reason, is because I want to savour the memories of a great trip. Opening a craft distillery sake from a small Japanese town, or popping the cork on a UK Kentish sparkling wine that tastes of the local chalk, and hay, and earth – I know it's going to be an exquisite beverage, but it will also remind me of the beautiful memories of a great trip.


After 20 years of growing churches in Pastoral Ministry, David Gallimore is fulfilling a lifelong dream as he answers God's call into Evangelism. A product of the evangelical camp meeting environment of the 20th century, David is a uniquely gifted communicator who is able to bridge the gap between the revival days of old and the modern day multi-sensory worship era. As a Pastor/Evangelist, David has held hundreds of evangelistic meetings in America, as well as conducting Missionary Outreach in Africa, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, and the Islands of the Caribbean.


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European birds Bird names News Family groups 1-26 Glossary Plumage Tips Thumbnails Gen. info Credits Photos for sale
Common names sorted alphabetically: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T V W Y
Meadow Pipit
(Anthus pratensis)
German name(s): "Wiesenpieper"
Size: 14-15.5 cm; wing span 22-25 cm
Weight: 15-23 g
Europe: Family Group 24 Family Group 24 Table White Wagtail Western Yellow Wagtail Grey Wagtail Tawny Pipit Tree Pipit Meadow Pipit Water Pipit Greater Short-toed Lark Woodlark Eurasian Skylark Bearded Reedling House Sparrow Tree Sparrow Spanish Sparrow Rock Sparrow Trumpeter Finch European Serin Atlantic Canary Red-fronted Serin Eurasian Siskin Common Redpoll Arctic Redpoll Common Linnet Brambling Common Chaffinch European Goldfinch Eurasian Bullfinch Hawfinch Common Crossbill Common Rosefinch Yellowhammer Cirl Bunting Common Reed Bunting Ortolan Bunting Black-headed Bunting Corn Bunting Rock Bunting Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page
Meadow Pipits are a small member of the genus Anthus. Their plumage is highly cryptic. When the plumage is fresh, the front is off-white to olive-buff, with brown streaks, mostly on the chest, but also on the sides. The streaks on the sides are more sparsely spaced than those on the front. As the plumage wears, the olive-buff tinge disappears and the front turns white. The belly, vent and undertail coverts are light-grey. The head, which is brownish with dark streaking when fresh, also turns more grey as the plumage is worn down, with eyebrows and eye-rings becoming more prominent in light-grey. The crown and the back, including the tail, are mostly greyish-brown, with darker streaking in particular on the mantle and with dark brownish-grey flight feathers with lighter-brown to light-grey edge lining. The rufous rump is not streaked. The eyes have dark-brown irises. The slender dark-grey bill has a lower mandible with an horn-coloured base. The legs and feet are yellow-brown.
See Meadow Pipit at Wikipedia .
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed based on sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to the ebird.org website.
The global distribution of the Meadow Pipit is available HERE .
Meadow Pipits breed in an area spanning from the southern coastline of Greenland and all of Iceland in the West to central Asia in the East, at geographic latitudes from ca. 50 to 75 degrees. They are strongly migratory, spending the winters in temperate central to southern Europe, northern Africa, Asia Minor, parts of the Middle East and of the Arabian coastline, both along the northern Red Sea and along the North coast of Arabia, as far to the East as Musandam peninsula. They are permanent residents only in parts of western and central Europe, but there is an isolated permanent population in the Caucasus mountain range.
In Europe Meadow Pipits are permanent residents only on the British Isles, in the Benelux countries, northern to central France and western to southern Germany. During the summer months they extend their breeding range eastwards, crossing the river Rhine. They stay to the North of a line spanning from southern Germany to the North coast of the Black Sea, but they avoid the Balkans, the Danube catchment and the Tatras. In the North their breeding range includes the northern Atlantic islands off Scotland and Norway, all of Scandinavia and all of north-western European Russia. In the Alps, the Balkans, the Tatras and the Hungarian Pusta they are only found during migration, while in the entire rest of southern and south-eastern Europe they are winter visitors.
Meadow Pipits have a preference for open country, such as meadows, grassland, bogs, heath and moors. They require the presence of some shrubs to nest under and for males to perch commanding their territories.
J. Pires reports finding Meadow Pipits regularly during the winter months in various locations in central Portugal.
D. Wilczynska reports spotting a Meadow Pipit near Bergen, Norway, in May 2016.
Worn plumage
Frontal view of a Meadow Pipit in worn plumage - note the grey base colour (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Bergen, Norway, May 2016]
Frontal view of a Meadow Pipit in worn plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2014]
Near-frontal view of a Meadow Pipit (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
Near-frontal view of a Meadow Pipit (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, January 2018]
Near-lateral view of a Meadow Pipit (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
Near-dorsal view of a Meadow Pipit; note the long and curved hind claws (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
Fresh plumage
Near-frontal view of a Meadow Pipit in fresh plumage - note the creamy to buff base colour (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
Lateral view of a Meadow Pipit in fresh plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, October 2018]
Lateral view of a Meadow Pipit in intermediate plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, Coruche, Santarem, Portugal, January 2018]
[Sorraia River, Coruche, Santarem, Portugal, February 2018]
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, January 2017]
Lateral view of a Meadow Pipit in intermediate plumage (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[June 2018]
Near-dorsal view of a Meadow Pipit in fresh plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
Near-dorsal/ventral view of a Meadow Pipit in fresh plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
Near-dorsal view of a Meadow Pipit in intermediate plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, November 2017]
Dorsal view of a Meadow Pipit in fresh plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
Food, Diet
Lateral view of a Meadow Pipit in fresh plumage with its prey, a large beetle (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: Last updated: Thu, 6 June 2019, 22:24 -05:00


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this speaker could be pushed extremely hard.
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Bought this item to replace an MTX subwoofer rated for 400 watts and kept the same box. You can feel it crank out on the bass!!! Smooth and clean response. :) I'm purchasing another one no questions asked!


The blackbirds often frequent the yard throughout the year. The males are quite abundant and such proud birds with their pretty black feathers. In spring, during mating season, they sit on the tree tops or on the roof tops and sing loudly and lovely to mark their territory. Especially during the early morning and in the evening around sunset, you can hear their beautiful song. At the same time from these locations, they can see if any predators are approaching. When one is in sight, they simultaneously give warning calls which echos through the whole area to signal the threat.
Blackbirds are very common in our area and each spring and summer, we enjoy watching the young and helpless birds follow their parents around. Blackbirds are mainly ground birds. When left alone, the young birds have a call which cannot be overheard. It actually sounds like like they are in trouble but they are only calling after their parents, that are in the immediate area searching for worms to feed them.
One can assist the birds by shooing the neighborhood cats away. Cat owners could let their cats out for a shorter period of time during breeding and nesting time. Here, the cats constantly prey on the young birds which are simply to slow and unexperienced to escape them. It is sad enough that many of the birds already fall victim to martens and birds of prey such as the goshawks in the area.
Husum is known as the "grey town on the sea" by the German author Theodor Storm, who also was born in Husum. If you visit Husum during the month of March, grey is not the color you will see. You will think purple if you visit the castle grounds. The town is famous for its celebration of the crocus flowers. You will find millions of crocus flowers around the castle there. On the particular day that the photo above was made, the whole field was full of black birds that seemed to be enjoying the day just as much as the festival visitors. This particular blackbird was the star of the show and enjoyed its special place admist the beautiful blooms. Doesn't he look so proud standing there?
From this fence Mr. Blackbird has a great view over our yard. He keeps watch and warns when he sees cats approaching.
This gorgeous male blackbird had made his home in our yard (and in our hearts). The past spring and early summer months, he bred with his chosen female and while she is waiting in the nest for the eggs to hatch, he picks high places such as roof tops or high trees to keep guard for preditors, especially the local cats. When he sees oncoming danger, he has a special warning call that cannot be overheard. During breeding season, he sings such melodious songs each morning before the sun rises and each evening until it is dark. That is his way of marking his territory. When the conditions are right, he and his partner bring 2 sets of young birds each year.
It was early morning during summer and the weather was unsure what it was going to be like. There is a special feeling in the air at this time of the day. It is quiet and peaceful. This male blackbird was sitting in the tree and from this position, he was keeping watch over his territory. He normally sings beautiful songs but for the moment he seemed to be enjoying the serenity, too.
This pretty blackbird female can now enjoy herself a moment of peace on the fence after a busy year of raising young ones.
On a hot summer's day, the blackbird decided to make himself comfortable on the green grass and soak up the warmth of the sun. He had his beak wide open the whole time.
When birds want to freshen up the feathers, then it is done with a lot of splashing. They are so quick in their movements and almost seem acrobatic. Quite often the process takes up to 5 minutes and it is really fun to watch them.
Every spring one can enjoy seeing the young blackbirds hopping around the yard. There is something so cute and innocent about them. This young bird was stable enough the leave the nest yet young enough so that the parent blackbirds still have to keep watch over it. The parent birds show the little ones how to find food which usually consists of rainworms, bugs and berries. Sometimes one may think that the little ones are abandoned, but the parent birds are close by.
A view out of the kitchen window of a cute juvenile blackbird exploring his world. Nope, this twig of leaves is definitely nothing to eat.
A young European Blackbird discovering the yard. Its parents were keeping watch over it from a fence.


Hetal, originally from Hamilton, Ontario, now lives in the Town of Niagara. As an undergraduate student, Hetal majored in finance with a minor in economics. She will now be continuing her education at Canisius for her MBA. Throughout her years at Canisius, Hetal has been very involved on campus. Hetal has been a member of the American Marketing Association (AMA) since her sophomore year. In her junior year, she held the position of VP of Finance and was elected President her senior year. During her two years on the executive board, AMA has won Best Overall Exhibit at the annual International Collegiate Conference in New Orleans for both years. Aside from AMA, Hetal is very involved with Campus Ministry. She started volunteering her junior year, became a Campus Ministry Service Intern her senior year and will be keeping her position throughout graduate school.
As a service intern, Hetal has lead projects that aid the homeless community of Buffalo and has served at St. Luke's Mission of Mercy. Hetal is not only involved on campus but off campus as well. Coming from a Hindu family, Hetal volunteers her time with the Gujarati Samaj of WNY at the Hindu Cultural Center in Getzville. Hetal also currently holds two jobs. She works at Metcare Pharmacy at the Erie County Medical Center, where she helps in making sure less fortunate patients can obtain their medications. The second job is being a part of her family's business. Hetal aids her father, an entrepreneur, with his business ventures. After receiving her MBA, Hetal wants to work in management consulting. In the long run, Hetal wants to be able to help local businesses achieve their maximum potential while building a business of her own.