text:
Pyrolysis of tobacco residue: Part 1. Thermal
Akalin, M. K., and Karagöz, S. (2011). "Pyrolysis of tobacco residue: Part 1. Thermal," BioRes. 6(2), 1520-1531.
The pyrolysis of two types of tobacco residue was carried out at different pyrolysis temperatures between 300 and 600 °C and a residence time of 1 h in a nitrogen atmosphere. The effect of pyrolysis temperature on the product distributions was investigated and the composition of the bio-oils identified. The variation in product distribution depended on both the temperature and the type of tobacco residues. The maximum liquid yields were obtained at 400°C for one sample and at 500°C for the other. The compositions of bio-oils from the pyrolysis of the two samples were found to be very similar. N-containing compounds were found to be the major compounds identified in ether extracts for both samples.
Mehmet K. Akalın a and Selhan Karagöz a,*
Keywords: Biomass; Tobacco residue; Pyrolysis; Bio-char
Contact information: a: Department of Chemistry, Karabük University, 78050 Karabük, Turkey; *Corresponding author: skaragoz@karabuk.edu.tr
The term "biomass" refers to any plant-derived organic substance. There are two main processes to convert biomass into fuels and/or chemical feedstocks: biological and thermochemical. Thermochemical conversion of biomass is achieved by pyrolysis, gasification, and combustion processes (Bridgwater 2006). Pyrolysis is one of the promising technologies for liquefaction of biomass (Beis et al. 2010; Bridgeman et al. 2007; Karagoz 2009; Stojanowska and Jones 2005). Biomass is converted into gaseous, condensable liquid products, and residual solids in the pyrolysis process.
Currently the most important biomass resources are in the form of agricultural crops, wastes, and residues, forestry products and wastes, animal wastes, and municipal solid wastes. Agricultural products have been considered as a potential feedstock to produce liquid fuels and /or valuable chemicals. Tobacco is one of the most valuable agricultural products as long as it is treated with respect (Rodgman and Perfetti 2008). Tobacco is produced from the dried leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. Products from tobacco can be used for a variety of purposes including biofuel. Thus, research efforts with tobacco plants will play an increasingly important role in the development of agricultural science (Rodgman and Perfetti 2008).
Most of the early studies on pyrolysis of tobacco and tobacco residues were focused on determining the chemical compounds of tobacco smoke (Yi et al. 2004; Bi et al. 2005; Liu et al. 2010). Limited information is available in the literature concerning the production of condensable liquid products from the pyrolysis of tobacco (Putun et al. 2007; McGrath et al. 2009). Fast and slow pyrolysis of tobacco residue was investigated under various conditions. The maximum oil yield (27wt. %) was obtained at the pyrolysis temperature of 550°C (Putun et al. 2007).
The focus of this study is to investigate processability of pyrolysis of two types of tobacco residue sample and to obtain bio-fuel and/or valuable chemicals. In this work, the pyrolysis of two types of tobacco residue was carried out in relation to different pyrolysis temperatures between 300 and 600 °C and a residence time of 1 h in a nitrogen atmosphere. The effect of pyrolysis temperature on the product distributions was investigated and the composition of bio-oils identified. Functional group chemical analysis of tobacco sample, and bio-char was also carried out using Fourier transform infra-red spectrometry with an accessory for attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR).
Tobacco residues were kindly provided by European Tobacco Company, Mersin Turkey. Tobacco samples were used as received and kept in closed plastic bags before being tested. Two types of tobacco residues originated from the mixture of Virginia, Burley and Oriental was used in the pyrolysis experiments. Tobacco residues are denoted as TR1 (rejected from packaging, tobacco stem) and TR2 (rejected from silo, tobacco dust). Table 1 shows the proximate and ultimate analyses of the tobacco residues pyrolysed. All chemicals and solvents used in this study were of analytical grade.
Pyrolysis Procedure
Pyrolysis experiments were carried out in relation to different pyrolysis temperatures between 300 °C and 600 °C and a residence time of 1 h in nitrogen atmosphere. The reactor was purged before experiments by nitrogen gas flow of 30 mL min-1 for 30 min to remove air inside, and the purging with nitrogen was continued after the end of the reaction was completed, which includes cooling down of the reactor to room temperature. The pyrolysis reactor was a fixed bed design of stainless steel with 6 cm diameter and 21 cm height. The pyrolysis vapors on exiting the reactor were passed through three condensers. The first two stages of condensation were carried out with glass condensers cooled with a water and ice mixture. The third condenser was cooled using water. Tobacco residue samples of 25g (dry basis) were placed into the reactor. The system was heated at a rate of 5 °C min-1 to the desired temperature, and held at that desired temperature for 60 min. The volatile products were swept by nitrogen gas (30 mL min-1) from reactor to collection flasks. The pyrolysis products were classified into three groups: gases (products that were not condensable at water–ice mixture cooling temperature), liquid products, and solid residues (bio-char). The pyrolysis experiments were repeated three times with an average standard deviation of 2 wt% for liquid, solid, and gaseous yields.
Analysis procedure
Liquid products were extracted with an equal quantity of diethyl ether. The ethereal solutions thus obtained were dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and evaporated in a rotary evaporator at room temperature. Upon removal of diethyl ether, this fraction was called diethyl ether extract (bio-oil). The diethyl ether extracts were analyzed by GC-MS. The separation was made on a 30m×0.25mm i.d. phenyl methyl siloxane capillary column HP-5MS using a 6890 Gas Chromatograph Agilent. The GC oven temperature was programmed to start at 40 °C, held for 10 min, then raised at a rate of 2 °C to 170 °C, held for 5min, then raised to 250 °C at a rate of 8 °C, held for 15 min, then raised to 300 °C at a rate 15 °C, and held at this final temperature for 10 min. The injector temperature was 250 °C with split mode. A 1 mL min-1 of helium was used as the carrier gas. The end of the column was directly introduced into the ion source of Agilent 5973 series mass selective detector operated with electron impact ionization mode. The data acquisition system used was G1035A software with a NIST library.
Solid residue (bio-char) products were analyzed in terms of their elemental analysis using a LECO CHNS 932. Higher Heating value of biomass, and chars were calculated according to the Dulong formula, which has been widely used by other researchers (Brown et al. 2010; Xu and Lad 2008).
Functional group chemical analysis of tobacco residue samples and selected chars was carried out using Fourier transform infra-red spectrometry with accessory for attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR). A Perkin Elmer FTIR 100 spectrometer was used for functional group chemical analysis of tobacco residue samples and selected chars.
Table 1. Properties of Tobacco Residues
a, c by difference
b daf: dry basis ash free
dHigher Heating Value (HHV) calculated by the Dulong Formula, that is,
HHV=0.338C+1.428(H-O/8) +0.095S
The results from the pyrolysis of samples TR1 and TR2 are summarized in Table 2. The variation in product distribution depended on both the temperature and the type of tobacco residues. The liquid yields were lower and solid residue yields were higher for TR2 than for TR1 at all tested temperatures.
Table 2. Product Distributions from the Pyrolysis of Tobacco Residues
a G = 100-(L+R)
The yield of liquid products (wt%) =
The yield of solid products (wt%) =
The solid residue yield was reduced as the pyrolysis temperature was increased, from 52.46 wt% at 300 °C to 33.70 wt% at 600 °C for TR1. The solid residue yield was reduced as the pyrolysis temperature was increased, from 59.90 wt% at 300 °C to 39.60 wt% at 600 °C for TR2. The highest liquid yields were obtained at 400 °C for TR1 and at 500 °C for TR2. In contrast to TR2, the gas yield was almost same with increasing the temperature from 300 to 400 °C in the case of TR1. The increase in the temperature from 500 to 600 °C led to more gas and less liquid formation for both TR1 and TR2. The reason for more gas and less liquid formation is the secondary degradation of the volatile products at higher temperatures. From work by other researchers using biomass it has been observed that high yields of gases were obtained at higher temperatures (Williams and Nugranad 2000; Beaumont and Schwob 1984; Samolada et al. 1990).
Figure 1 shows the yields of ether extracts from the pyrolysis of TR1 and TR2. The yields of ether extracts were higher for TR2 than for TR1 at the temperatures of 300 and 400°C, whereas TR1 produced higher yields of ether extracts than TR2 at higher temperatures (500 and 600 °C). The maximum ether extract yield was obtained from the pyrolysis of TR1 at 600 °C.
Figure 1. Yields of ether extracts from the pyrolysis of TR1 and TR2 at 300, 400, 500, and 600°C
GC–MS analysis was carried out to identify compounds of bio-oils (ether extracts) from the pyrolysis tobacco residues at 500 °C. The results of the chromatographic areas (% of total area) are set out in Table 3 for compounds of bio-oils from the pyrolysis of tobacco residues at 500ºC. The compounds were grouped and ordered according to increasing retention time. The difference from 100% represented the proportion of unidentified compounds. Bio-oil contained a large variety of compounds including N-containing compounds, phenols, alkanes, alkenes, steroids, acids and esters, ketones, benzene derivatives, alcohols, PAHs, and Vitamin E. By comparing the peak areas and the relative abundance in terms of area percentage, it is clearly seen that N-containing compounds were the major compounds identified in ether extract for both TR1 and TR2.
Among the N-containing compounds, (S)-3-(1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinyl)-pyridine (Nicotine) was the major component. Thermal transfer of nicotine to the gas phase from various tobacco types was investigated by TG/DTA/MS analysis (Seeman et al. 1999). It was reported that nicotine in the absence of oxygen will not begin to decompose thermally until temperatures in excess of 600 °C. It can be concluded that nicotine itself is also stable under our pyrolytic conditions and could be transferred to the diethyl ether extract.
Table 3. Identified Compounds in Bio-oils (ether extracts) from the Pyrolysis of Tobacco Residues at 500 °C
Table 3 (Continued)
Table 3. (Continued)
The other N-containing compounds were mostly pyridine derivatives for both TR1 and TR2. Chitin and tobacco were pyrolyzed separately and in admixture under identical conditions (Schlotzhauer et al. 1976). It was reported that the major basic components of tobacco pyrolysis were pyridine and nicotine. Our results are in good agreement with this previous report. Alkanes having high boiling points, i.e. docosane, octacosane, heneicosane, etc., were also identified in ether extracts. Bio-oils both from TR1 and TR2 contained phenol derivatives. Recently, McGrath and coworkers (2009) have investigated formation of phenolic compounds from the pyrolysis of three main tobacco types at temperatures between 350 and 600 °C. It was reported that the tar fraction from the pyrolysis tobacco at 600 °C was dominated by phenol, mono-, di-, and tri-methyl phenols. Steroids and Vitamin E were also found in both TR1 and TR2. Pyrolysis of two types of tobacco, bright and burley were studied using thermo-gravimetry mass spectrometry (TG–MS) and field ionization mass spectrometry (FIMS) analyses (Oja et al. 2006). Steroids such as stigmasterol, campesterol, and Vitamin E were observed in the pyrolysis of tobacco samples.
Functional group analysis of tobacco residue samples and selected chars was analyzed by FTIR spectrometry. Figure 2 shows the FTIR spectra of tobacco residue samples and selected chars. The FTIR spectra of TR1 and TR2 sample and their corresponding chars at 500 °C were almost the same. TR1 and TR2 samples showed broad bands at 3280 cm-1, as OH and NH groups overlapped. This band represents both hydrogen bonded OH and NH groups. The peak at 2918 cm-1 wavenumber represents aliphatic CH2. The peak at 2845cm-1 is assigned to CH stretching vibrations of alkane functional groups. The peaks at 1603 and 1537cm-1 are assigned to NH bending vibration. The peak at 1380 cm-1 wavenumber represents C-H bending vibration of methyl group. The peak at 1231 cm-1 represents C-O bending vibration. The peak at 1026 cm-1 is assigned to C-H out-of-plane bending vibrations of alkene groups. The overall spectrum of tobacco residue samples are indicated the presence of multiple molecular components as tobacco consist of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, starch, sucrose, glucose, fructose, alkaloids, and other plant components.
The bands at 3280 cm-1 due to hydrogen bonded OH and NH groups were totally absent for both TR1 and TR2 derived chars. The peak at 1731 cm-1 wavenumber is an indication of the formation of carbonyl groups. Sharma et al. (2002) characterized char from the pyrolysis of Tobacco, and they reported that the C=O stretch was seen in the region between 1731 and 1525 cm-1. Absorption seen at 1400 cm-1 wavelength represents mostly aromatic bands. The peak at 873cm-1 represents wag of aromatic CH groups. The overall spectrum of tobacco residue chars are indicated the presence aromatic character dominantly.
The elemental compositions of the bio-chars from the pyrolysis of TR1 and TR2 at 500°C are shown in Table 4. The results for elemental compositions of the bio-chars are given on a dry basis ash free. Tobacco residue samples produced the bio-chars with high ash contents. Ash contents of the bio-chars were 40.8wt% for the TR1 derived bio-char and 47.3wt % for the TR2 derived bio-char.
Figure 2. . FTIR spectra of tobacco residue samples and selected chars obtained from the pyrolysis of TR1 and TR2 at 500°C.
Ash content of the tobacco residue samples is a key parameter that affects the quality of bio-chars. The ash contents in bio-chars were 2 to 3 times higher than that of tobacco residue samples. TR1 derived bio-char contained in slightly higher amount of carbon and lower amount of oxygen content than that of TR2 derived bio-char. HHV values for bio-chars derived from TR1 and TR2 were 27.94 and 26.76MJ kg-1, respectively.
Table 4. Elemental Analysis of Bio-chars Obtained from the Pyrolysis of TR1 and TR2 at 500°C
a daf: dry basis ash free; b by difference; c Higher Heating Value (HHV) calculated by the
Dulong Formula, that is, HHV = 0.338C + 1.428(H-O/8) + 0.095S
Pyrolysis of two types of tobacco residues were carried out in relation to temperature at 300, 400, 500, and 600 °C. The liquid yields were lower and solid residue yields were higher for sample TR2 (rejected from silo, tobacco dust) than for TR1 (rejected from packaging, tobacco stem) at all tested temperatures. TR1 produced higher yields of ether extracts than TR2 at the temperatures of 500 and 600 °C.
Bio-oils both from TR1 and TR2 contained a large variety of compounds including N-containing compounds, phenols, alkanes, alkenes, steroids, acids and esters, ketones, benzene derivatives, alcohols, PAHs, and Vitamin E.
N-containing compounds were found to be the major compounds identified in ether extract for both TR1 and TR2.
Tobacco residue samples produced the bio-chars with high ash contents. The overall spectra of tobacco residue chars were consistent with the dominance of aromatic groups in the material.
The authors would like to thank the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) for the pyrolysis setup being provided for other projects (109M745). Otherwise, this research work would not have been possible. We gratefully acknowledge European Tobacco Company, Mersin, Turkey for providing tobacco residue samples.
Beaumont, O., and Schwob, Y. (1984). "Influence of physical and chemical parameters on wood pyrolysis," Ind. Eng. Chem. Process. Des. Dev. 23, 637-641.
Beis, S. H., Mukkamala, S., Hill, N., Joseph, J., Baker, C., Jensen, B., Stemmler,
E. A., Wheeler, M. C., Frederick, B. G., van Heiningen, A., Berg, A. G., and DeSisto, W. J. (2010). "Fast pyrolysis of lignins," BioRes. 5(3), 1408-1424.
Bi, X., Sheng, G., Feng, Y., Fu, J., and Xie, J. (2005). "Gas- and particulate-phase specific tracer and toxic organic compounds in environmental tobacco smoke," Chemosphere 61, 1512-1522.
Bridgeman, T. G., Darvell, L. I., Jones, J. M., Williams, P. T., Fahmi, R.,
Bridgwater, A. V., Barraclough, T., Shield, I., Yates, N., Thain, S. C., and Donnison, I. S. (2007). "Influence of particle size on the analytical and chemical properties of two energy crops," Fuel 86, 60-72.
Bridgwater, T. (2006). "Biomass for energy," J. Sci. Food Agric. 86, 1755-1768.
Brown, T. M., Duan, P., and Savage, P. E. (2010). "Hydrothermal liquefaction and gasification of Nannochloropsis sp.," Energ. Fuel 24, 3639-3646.
Karagoz, S. (2009). "Energy production from the pyrolysis of waste biomasses," Int. J. Energy Res. 33(6), 576-581.
Liu, C., Feng, S., van Heemst, J., and McAdam, K. G. (2010). "New insights into the formation of volatile compounds in mainstream cigarette smoke," Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 396-5, 1817-1830.
McGrath, T. E., Brown, A. P., Meruva, N. K., and Chan, W. G. (2009). "Phenolic compound formation from the low temperature pyrolysis of tobacco," J. Anal. Appl. Pyrol. 84, 170-178.
Oja, V., Hajaligol, M. R., and Waymack, B. E. (2006). "The vaporization of semi-volatile compounds during tobacco pyrolysis," J. Anal. Appl. Pyrol. 76, 117-123.
Putun, A. E., Onal, E., Uzun, B. B., and Ozbay, N. (2007). "Comparison between the "slow" and "fast" pyrolysis of tobacco residue," Ind. Crop Prod. 26, 307-314.
Rodgman, A., and Perfetti, T.A. (2008). "Introduction," in: The Chemical Components of Tobacco and Tobacco Smoke, Taylor & Francis Group: CRC Press.
Seeman, J. I., Fournier, J. A, Paine III, J. B., and Waymack, B. E. (1999). "The form of nicotine in tobacco. Thermal transfer of nicotine and nicotine acid salts to nicotine in the gas phase," J. Agric. Food Chem. 47 (12), 5133-5145 and references therein.
Samolada, M. C., Stoicos, T., and Vasalos, I. A. (1990). "An investigation of the factors controlling the pyrolysis product yield of Greek wood biomass in a fluidised bed," J. Anal. Appl. Pyrol. 18, 127-141.
Schlotzhauer, W. S., Chortyk, O. T., and Austin, P. R. (1976). ''Pyrolysis of chitin, potential tobacco extender," J. Agric. Food Chem. 24-1, 177-180.
Sharma, R. K., Wooten, J. B., Baliga, V. L., Martoglio-Smith, P. A., and Hajaligol, M. R. (2002). "Characterization of char from the pyrolysis of tobacco," J. Agric. Food Chem. 50, 771-783.
Stojanowska, G., and Jones, J. M. (2005). "Influence of minerals and added calcium on the pyrolysis and co-pyrolysis of coal and biomass," J. Energy Inst. 78(3), 126-138.
Williams, P. T., and Nugranad, N. (2000). "Comparison of products from the pyrolysis and catalytic pyrolysis of rice husks," Energy 25-6, 493-513.
Xu, C., and Lad, N. (2008). ''Production of heavy oils with high caloric values by direct liquefaction of woody biomass in sub/near-critical water," Energ Fuel 22, 635-642.
Yi, S. C, Hajaligol, M. R., and Jeong, S. H. (2004). "The prediction of the effects of tobacco type on smoke composition from the pyrolysis modeling of tobacco shreds," J. Anal. Appl. Pyrol. 74(1-2), 181-192.
Article submitted: November 17, 2010; Peer review completed: March 11, 2011; Revised version received and accepted: March 14, 2011; Published: March 16, 2011.


text:
Microcharacidium es un género de peces de la familia Crenuchidae y de la orden de los Characiformes.

Especies
 Microcharacidium eleotrioides (Géry, 1960)
 Microcharacidium geryi Zarske, 1997
 Microcharacidium gnomus Buckup, 1993
 Microcharacidium weitzmani Buckup, 1993

Crenuchidae

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Apr. 29 - May 5, 2020
Vol. 27, No. 18
Protest may look different but more urgent amid coronavirus
by Ashley Archibald | April 29th, 2020
The afternoon of May 1, 2019, hundreds gathered in Judkins Park for the slow procession from the central Seattle area that was once a rare haven for people of color to downtown, organized by El Comité and the May 1 Action Coalition.
Read more in the Apr. 29 - May 5, 2020 issue.
Read more about Protest may look different but more urgent amid coronavirus
In a 5-4 decision handed down April 23, the Washington State Supreme Court rejected arguments to protect local prisoners from the coronavirus by releasing them.
The suit, brought by Columbia Legal Services, would have reduced the prison population by thousands. However, the justices ruled that the organization had not shown that the Department of Corrections wasn't taking sufficient steps to care for incarcerated people.
Nick Straley, the attorney representing the plaintiffs, said that he was disappointed in the court's decision.
Read more about Locked up
Storm clouds gather over Seattle
Councilmembers spar over how to handle $300 million budget shortfall
The city of Seattle is looking down the barrel of a $300 million budget shortfall due to the impact of the coronavirus, and a plan to raise $500 million through taxes on the biggest businesses is receiving short shrift from the mayor.
In an April 21 press conference, Mayor Jenny Durkan and Budget Director Ben Noble told the public that the forecasted drop in revenues as the local economy grinds to a halt means that the city will be facing severe budget shortfalls, and that money spent on the coronavirus response could hit $100 million.
Read more about Storm clouds gather over Seattle
Streaming to stay sane
by Michelle Galluzzo | April 29th, 2020
Almost all King County events are canceled, so we're listing streaming events for optimal physical distancing
Online Sing Along/Play Along
7 p.m., Zoom access via link, free
tinyurl.com/y9t2bb8n
Read more about Streaming to stay sane
Art is 'practice, practice, practice' to muralist Dozfy
by Kamna Shastri | April 29th, 2020
Artist Dozfy aka Patrick Nguyen's signature style is minimal and breathtaking: a black background with naturalistic line drawings. He has a beautiful black-and-white landscape at Salare Restaurant in Northeast Seattle, and several neighborhoods west, a vibrantly orange and white tiger looking straight on with yellow eyes, jaw open outside a Rudy's Barber Shop.
Read more about Art is 'practice, practice, practice' to muralist Dozfy
The color and shape of Seattle's heart
Murals remind us that we still hold space for the place that we love, even in quarantine
In Patrick Nguyen's signature image painted on various walls around the city, the Space Needle is a beacon of hope. The heart at its base is a reminder of love and support, colored green to pay homage to the Emerald City. "The present times, dire times, a lot of fear and unknown," Nguyen said, "creating a Space Needle with a heart is a clear message. What we are doing is helping the greater good."
Read more about The color and shape of Seattle's heart
Download the Apr. 29 - May 5, 2020 issue PDF
by | April 29th, 2020
Because a large number of Seattle offices and businesses have shut down in response to the coronavirus, vendors have seen a large drop in the number of customers and locations to sell. We are choosing to offer the PDF of this week's paper to download in order to make sure readers are still able to access all our content. We will be uploading a PDF of our paper every week until vendors are able to sell normally again.
Read more about Download the Apr. 29 - May 5, 2020 issue PDF
Is the answer blowin' in the wind?
by Mike Wold | April 29th, 2020
According to Stan Cox's 'The Green New Deal,' it's complicated
In 2019, progressive members of the U.S. House of Representatives offered a resolution to frame sweeping legislation to deal with the approaching climate emergency. The resolution called for a "Green New Deal" — a massive effort to invest in renewable energy to replace fossil fuels.
Read more about Is the answer blowin' in the wind?
I'm fixin' a hole in New Zealand, where I'll live with the rest of the introverts
by Dr. Wes Browning | April 29th, 2020
"There's no circumstance in which you should take a disinfectant or inject a disinfectant. ... It can cause death and very adverse outcomes." — Former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb
Trump is actually leading his own supporters to inject themselves with Lysol by suggesting, essentially (not his exact words but close), "Hey, it's a disinfectant, right? Disinfectants kill the virus, right? Why wouldn't it work?" He actually said he thought it was a good idea to try injecting disinfectant directly into the lungs of a coronavirus patient. Wowwy wow.
Read more about I'm fixin' a hole in New Zealand, where I'll live with the rest of the introverts
Practicing social solidarity
by Rabbi Olivier BenHaim | April 29th, 2020
In a few days, Jews will celebrate the holiday of Lag BaOmer. This minor holiday marks the death of a towering mystical figure: Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.
There is a fascinating story describing Bar Yochai on his death bed as if possessed by a force compelling him to reveal all the mystical teachings he had yet to reveal, teachings that came pouring unceasingly out of him until a fire-like radiance, a brilliant light filled his house as his soul departed his body.
Read more about Practicing social solidarity
Homelessness and housing in America has been a tinderbox waiting to catch fire for generations
by Israel Bayer | April 29th, 2020
"It's a time bomb": 23 die as virus hits packed homeless shelters; Positive cases of COVID-19 at San Francisco homeless shelter grow to more than 90; One in three among Boston homeless tested positive for coronavirus
These are just some of the many headlines we had this month in the United States. There will be more. The global respiratory disease known as COVID-19 is hitting America's homeless population, and it's hitting it hard.
Unfortunately, it's not a surprise. There is no place for people experiencing homelessness to shelter in place and emergency shelters aren't the most ideal setting to fight a global pandemic. It's a harsh reality for more than 500,000 people experiencing homelessness on any given night.
Read more about Homelessness and housing in America has been a tinderbox waiting to catch fire for generations
Jan. 6-12, 2021
Real Change on Twitter
Tweets by @RealChangeNews

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Gothic furniture is a very beautiful, unique type of artwork that exemplifies Gothic architecture at its best. This style is also known as the French style of architecture. Some characteristic features of this bold architectural style are the use of heavy, dark woods, flying buttresses, pointed arches, and ribbed vaults. These elemental designs are also present in gothic furniture just on a much smaller scale. They translate it all as scroll work, or woodcarvings often times present with decorative creatures such as gargoyles and dragons.
Gothic furniture can be found all over the world due to its international appeal. You will be able to find this style furniture at any type of specialty store in just about any city. Shopping for Gothic dining chairs or tables can be a very rewarding process because this type of furniture is quite dramatic and ornate. The main consideration to take is scale. If you have a smaller dining room, you do not want to overpower the space with large Gothic renderings. Instead, you should aim for smaller tables and chairs that will better complement the Gothic architecture in your home.
There are additional accent pieces you can get in the Gothic style that are quite lovely. Gothic accent pieces can include anything from Gothic bookcases to end tables and candle stick holders. You can accent the beautiful Gothic architecture perfectly with just a few pieces. This is a great way to avoid overpowering the space while giving it that bold, Gothic grandeur affect.


text:
Viktorija Golubic saves match point, rallies in Oracle Challenger Series final
Down a set and facing match point, Golubic saved the point and rallied to win, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Viktorija Golubic saves match point, rallies in Oracle Challenger Series final Down a set and facing match point, Golubic saved the point and rallied to win, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Check out this story on desertsun.com: https://www.desertsun.com/story/sports/tennis/bnp/2019/03/03/viktorija-golubic-saves-match-point-rallies-challenger-series-final/3050748002/
Andrew L. John, Palm Springs Desert Sun Published 2:42 p.m. PT March 3, 2019 | Updated 9:28 a.m. PT March 4, 2019
Swiss tennis player Viktorija Golubic found herself in an against-all-odds scenario Sunday, yet somehow managed to find her way out of it and claim the Indian Wells Oracle Challenger Series singles title.
Down a set and facing match point against American Jennifer Brady, Golubic saved the point, broke Brady's serve and won the next four games to win the second set, before holding off Brady in the decisive third set to win, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Few players have ever come from down a set and two games on a match point, let alone in a singles finals match.
"It was a big challenge because she was returning so well," said Golubic, who ranks 103 in the world in singles. She added that "if I get the change, just go aggressive, and, well, it worked out."
In the men's final, Kyle Edmund of Great Britain cruised to victory over Russian Andrey Rublev, 6-3, 6-2. Edmund is the 27th ranked player in the world and will play in the BNP Paribas Open, the first Masters Series event of the calendar.
"it's good to be back here," Edmund said. "To come here, an amazing place to get ready for the Masters, and to have a good week — I'm really happy."
Of the two, however, Golubic's win provided much more drama.
More: 2019 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells: Tickets, parking, schedule and other details
More: Serena Williams has a recent history at BNP Paribas Open. How will she add to it this year?
More: Could this be Roger Federer's last hurrah at Indian Wells? It very well may be
Viktorija Golubic celebrates during her Oracle Challenger Series finals victory over Jennifer Brady. (Photo: Courtesy Jared Wickerham/BNP Paribas Open)
She found a rhythm by forcing Brady, the 93rd ranked singles player in the world, back on her heels at the baseline with a powerful backhand, then routinely mixed in drop shots that brought Brady to the net. Midway through the second set, just as her potential victory began to fall apart, the American appeared to be winded and overcome by the serve-and-volley game.
After a slow start in the third set, after Golubic had won eight of nine games, Brady limped off the court and called for the trainer. She returned to the match moments later and began to rally, winning two consecutive games, but the magic wore off as Golubic chased the ball all over the court and again forced Brady into tough spots.
With the crowd behind her, Brady didn't have quite enough to complete the rally.
"I played some of my best tennis this week and have been focusing every match," Golubic said. "Today, I had the toughest opponent so far this week."
The win was the second career singles title for Golubic, who prevented Brady, 23, from winning her first at the second-largest tennis tournament in the United States. Brady has already secured a wild card entry into the event's main draw.
Tournament owner Larry Ellison and Oracle's chief executive Mark Hurd sat high above the crowd to watch the action in Stadium 4. American Michael Chang, a former French Open champion, was also on hand and handed Golubic the winning trophy.
Viktorija Golubic won the Indian Wells Oracle Challenger Series final over American Jennifer Brady on Sunday, Marcyh 3, 2019 (Photo: Courtesy of Jared Wickerham/BNP Paribas Open)
Both Brady and Golubic spoke of how playing the Challenger Series will better prepare them for the BNP Paribas Open. On Saturday, Golubic beat Wang Qiang, the 18th-ranked player in the world. It was the third top 20 win of her career and her first since defeating Garbine Muguruza in 2016.
"It's the best preparation I could have," Golubic said.
Brady, who was unseeded entering the Challenger Series, beat fellow Americans Nicole Gibbs, Alison Riske and Madison Brengle, and defeated Kazakhstan's Zarina Diyas in the semifinals. Though she didn't capture the win Sunday, she said she told the crowd afterward that she hopes that the strong support she felt continues this week.
"It's good to see the support, supporting a fellow American," she said into a microphone after her loss. "Hopefully, you guys come out to support me in a few days in the BNP."
**Correction & clarification: An earlier version of this story stated that Golubic's win would provide her with an automatic spot in the main draw at the BNP Paribas Open. That is not true, as she had not accumulated enough previous points in the Oracle Challenger Series prior to Indian Wells. We regret this error.
Andrew John covers tennis for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com. Find him on Twitter: @Andrew_L_John
Stevie Nicks brings the house down at American Express
AmEx changes traffic plan for PGA West Luke Bryan concert after Stevie Nicks traffic 'disaster'
Landry watches lead disappear, then wins AmEx golf title
Country star Luke Bryan brings party to PGA West
One-armed golfer makes incredible hole-in-one at AmEx
Two years after playoff loss, Andrew Landry wins American Express


text:
Group Notes
A Young Person's Guide To Ghost Research
Ideas and Answers for Students and Young Persons
This area has two purposes... One is to answer the most common questions asked by students and the other is to give people under the age of eighteen (legal adult,) some ideas for their own investigations and how to do things.
To get to our FAQ section for students doing assignments immediately, please click here and I hope we have the answers you need.
As for the second part of this... ideas for young persons to do their own investigations into ghosts and hauntings, just continue reading this page.
Why does the GHRS and PSICAN have age limits to people who can go on investigations?
That's a good question and we get it a lot. The problem is that most places we visit need us to sign documents like non-disclosures (a thing that says you won't talk about what happens except with specific people,) as well as occasionally "waivers" (something to say that if you get hurt or anything, the people that own or run the place are not responsible,) and in order to do these things in Ontario, you must be at least 18 years of age.
It kind of puts us in a miserable position of not being able to take people under 18 with us on most of our on-site investigations.
BUT don't let that stop you! On this page, I'm going to tell you how you can look into all things "ghostly" without having to be a legal adult BUT FIRST, make sure you're parents or guardians are cool with you looking into these things. You're going to find out that in some cases, you may need their help and it's best you be honest with them right off the bat.
If you've decided that you want to do some study into the paranormal, it's a good idea to talk to your parents because sometimes, things can be mistaken and nobody needs that grief!
This is not to say that you have to sit down with them and say "Gee guys, I wanna go look at ghosts!" but dropping hints like "I'd like to read more about ghosts and hauntings. Do we have any books on it?" or even asking "I've gotten interested in ghosts. Does anyone in our family have a story or anything?" are good ways to start.
Remember: Some people believe that all ghosts and hauntings are demons and devils and may think that an interest in that topic is the start of you becoming a Satanist. (We hope that's not why you're interested!) If your family does not want you looking into these things then maybe you shouldn't for now and listen closely to their arguments. Don't "sneak" around because it's best that you have support for anything you do in life... especially from your family.
Okay, my parents are cool, now where do I start?
Well, I should tell you something right now. We've been doing REAL investigations (not "sort-of reality" television like those Fox shows,) and if you think that you're going to be going to these places and weird noises, screaming and things flying around is going to happen, trust me, it won't. Things occasionally (but not too often,) happen but think about it... If you could say "Go to this place at 'X' o'clock and books float off bookshelves and people hear weird sounds.", don't you think that EVERYONE would be crowding there to see it? Things DO happen at some places you can visit but you have to be patient, quiet and most importantly, be OBSERVANT! Watch, listen and take notes.
At our most "active" investigations (ones that have the most things happening,) it's not weird to have to wait hours (really, HOURS!) for the first things to start happening and even then, they sometimes weren't all that 'scary' or 'spooky'. Still, it is interesting.
Think about this... "The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'". This was said by author Isaac Asimov and is true with ghost research too. Anyway, time to get YOU started!
The first thing you're going to do is read. Once you've finished that, read some more!
I know, that can be REALLY boring but it pays off all the time!
Reading books on "ghost research" (I hate to use this term but "ghost hunting",) is helpful for you to see how people do the job. Sure, I'll cover some ideas on this page but the more information you have, the better you'll be able to do the job!
So, OFF TO THE LIBRARY!
Don't simply read the books you think might be cool or interesting, pick up ANY book! Some of my best suggestions on how to do an on-site investigation came from the last chapter of a boring book on Scottish ghost-hunters that I found in the Toronto Parkdale Public Library... I'll tell you these later on.
So, let's start with WHAT you want to look for.
It's easy to say "I wanna see a ghost!" but what TYPE of ghost did you want to try and look for and how?
Are you interested in the spooky legends and scary stories and just being at the spot these things happened or did you want to go whole hog and try to "capture" a ghost with a picture or a tape recorder? Maybe a bit of both?
Well, if it's just the "spooky tales" and being at the spot yourself, that's not too hard and very easy to do.
First, using the stories you've read here or anywhere, answer these questions...
Am I allowed to go to this place?
Who do I need to talk to about the place?
What am I going to do once I'm there?
What is the story about the place?
Let's look at these questions one at a time...
Am I allowed to go to this place?:
Is this a "public" place? Most museums and forts are and it's no trouble to go to them but homes and private buildings or businesses are another matter. In all honesty, going to a private site is difficult for anyone as there is usually at least one person in authority who will not be happy about kids and/or "ghost researchers" being there.
Who do I need to talk to about the place?:
It's best to start in a public building or space BUT if, say a friend's house is the place, just make sure the friend's parents or guardians are okay and if they say it's okay, then that's a good place to start. THINK ABOUT THIS THOUGH: If a friend says their OLD house is "haunted", do you really want to go to the door of this house, knock on it and say to the new people living there, "Hi, can we see your ghost?"... Not a good idea. Stick to what you know.
What am I going to do once I'm there?:
So, we have a place we're going to. You show up and NOW WHAT??? Well, if you've opted for an attempt to capture phenomena (phenomena - Fancy word for weird things that happen or are seen,) with equipment, then just keep reading BUT if this is for your own interest, then you should ALWAYS be armed with the facts. One thing though, almost EVERY psychic and researcher will give you one good piece of advice... NO OUIJA BOARDS! Below are the two main reasons they are not recommended for investigations...
#1: Ouija's are a dangerous and uncontrollable device that can unleash ANYTHING from the "spirit world" into our realm. Once there, this new entity may control events to such a degree as to screw up any "real" investigation. Instead of being "cool and scary", things become very nasty and uncomfortable.
#2: Ouija's are a dangerous and thoroughly controllable game mass marketed by Parker Bros. that can either make your team conjure up weird things from their own minds ("subconscious") that will affect their ability to do their job on the investigation OR some twit will lead the people that are either very scared or who want to think something REALLY weird SHOULD happen to believe something as a joke that isn't true and that will also affect the outcome of your investigation.
If you want another really good reason, we (The PSICAN/GHRS,) and many other people will never take you seriously. No matter WHO thinks this is cool idea or may make things "more scary", it's not. It's silly and dumb and if you want to be taken seriously and be treated with respect, don't do it.
What is the story about the place?:
Well, these are the "facts" you'd best be armed with. What is the "ghost story" at this place. It's great to say "We were in this one place where a lady in white floats down the staircase! Cool!" but you can see the next question, can't you? "Who is the lady in white and what happened to her?" You'll look pretty silly if you don't have a good answer for this.
Let's say you decide to go to Mackenzie House in Toronto for a look around. We know the ghost of a "small, bald man" has been seen and the sound of "ghostly children" have been heard. Can you find out WHO these might be? Heck yeah! Ask the tour guide! William Lyon Mackenzie, when he lived in the house, would fit the description of the man BUT no one seems to fit the story for "ghost children"... that is until the guide tells you that after Mackenzie died and his family moved out, the townhouse was home to many families... too many to look into but maybe the kids they hear are from one of the other families?
The next question is why would Mackenzie be there haunting? Well, why not find out what Mackenzie did (other than being a ghost,) and maybe that will give you a clue as to why he might still be haunting the house.
Now, finding out the history can be anything from visiting the site and talking to people to reading about it on the web or in the library... Like I said, the more information, the better! Believe me when I tell you that the staff of a place like Mackenzie House will be far more impressed and helpful to you if you know at least a little bit about William Lyon Mackenzie then they will if all you can ask is "Tell me about your ghost!"
RESEARCHERS TIP: Always ask about what the people know about the history of a place LONG before you ask about the ghost! They'll be nicer and know you're willing to learn rather than just be "spooked out".
This page is Copyrighted ©2003 through 2006 with the Ontario and Toronto GHRS which is a registered non-profit organization in the province of Ontario, Canada. If you have come to this page via a link that does not credit our group or organization, please let us know at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
If you wish to use any part of this or any of the other pages of our site, please request permission from us and ensure credit is given to the GHRS. Permission can be obtained by e-mailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Warning: Parameter 2 to modChrome_artblock() expected to be a reference, value given in /home/ghrs/public_html/torontoghosts.org/templates/dd_classiccarsgrunge_50/html/modules.php on line 39
Report Your Experiences
The City Of Toronto
The Province Of Ontario
Phantom Cars Ships Etc
Ghosts and Hauntings Coursebook
About TGHRS & OGHRS
Copyright © 2020 Ontarioghosts & Torontoghosts Rights Reserved.


Wow, what an insane week. Mine and Peter's brainchild isn't quite breathing yet, do to lack of motivation. We're pretty lame, I know, you don't have to remind us.
So, I'm now officially a high school student. I even go to a high school. These first 3 days have been really crazy, some good, and some bad. I'll give you the lowdown.
First off, I went from being known by everybody, and knowing everybody in 9th grade to being a speck in the midst of an incalculable number of other specks. No teachers know my name, I don't know teachers names. I don't know all the halls, and I don't know which key opens the auditorium or the storage room upstairs. For some reason that weirds me out. I was pretty used to being king of the mountain. And now here I am, a loser.
Taylorsville is a lot different from Eisenhower. The first difference you will notice is that the teachers are not trying to feed you the myth of the mad axe man like they were at Eisenhower. You see, the teachers at Eisenhower would have us believe that there is a mad axe man waiting outside the door of every class room, and if you go outside he's going to mutilate your body. Now, when the bell rings he leaves for approximately 5 minutes, and when the next bell rings, he comes back. Now, an ugly orange vest will ward him off for a small amount of time, but if he's exposed to it too much he'll become immune and kill you anyways. Don't go outside, or you're going to die.
Now, Taylorsville doesn't really care if you're in class on time or not. They give you 20 minutes to be tardy. After 20 minutes, it's considered a sluff. "Uhhh... my locker was jammed.... and it took my 19 minutes to get a drink.... and uhhhh... I like your shirt." "Alright, try to be on time next time."
I mean what the devil? Quite a difference. The next main difference is the amazing lack of windows. All the rooms seem like little prison cells. Maybe I'm just getting use to my glasses, but everything seems a lot darker and drearier. I want windows dangit, and I want sufficient lighting. That pale orange glow just isn't doing it for me these days.
Since it's the first week of school, I'm still afraid of everybody. So, nobody talks in classes yet, and that makes things very boring and very lonely. Sure the teachers are lecturing all the time, but it'd be nice to have some human interaction for once. I sure hope I meet friends, because right now its pretty slim pickin's.
However, the classes are pretty good. Most of my teachers are alright, and I'm learning things, or on the way to learning things. My only gripe right now is algebra. My teacher tries to get us to teach each other... without teaching us first. That'd work great if she'd let us, but she doesn't. She kinda just... plods on, with everybody else drowning in the wake. If I didn't already know what was going on today, I would have been 100% lost. Bad news, I'm a little worried about that class.
Other than that the physical aspects of the school are alright. I'm looking forward to actually getting to work, it'll be nice.
Now, that's not to say that the drama side of high school is done and settled. That's a whole different animal, one that isn't going to be slain any time soon.
Junior high was nice, like I said, I knew everybody. Not anymore. I don't know anybody, and all the people I used to know are now scattered to the far reaches of the galaxy. My classes are all mixed up. The most recurring person in my classes is either Courtney or some girl named Valerie from bennion. No Kyle, no Levi, no James, no Jason. Not even a nick. Pretty lonely business for a guy who relied on his friends for so much back in the day.
So, we're forced to find new friends. Too bad we're all afraid of each other.
There's a really cool kid named Austin (Yeah, the 6'5" one) that is in my physics class that I really wanna be buds with. He's just a stallion. However, I'm afraid to talk to the poor boy, and I just assume he's afraid to talk to me. That or he just doesn't want to talk to me. Either way, high school is lonely business.
Speaking of lonely business, neither Hope nor Jenny speaks to me now. I know why Jenny isn't talking to me, that's understandable. I have no idea what is going on with Hope though. Sigh, I'm tired of drama. Can't we all just get along and be happy?
I don't know how all this madness is going to turn out. I hope ever so much that high school ends up alright. I want things to go back to normal, or at least some semblance of it. I miss playing frisbee. I miss talking to people. All in all, I miss my junior high kingdom we had all built up.
But, things are going to be dandy. I need more sleep, and I think my English teacher needs some medication, but other than that we're going to be ok. I'm running cross country, and I'm sore for the first time in what seems a year. I never got sore last year, I don't know what the deal was. This year I stretch out like crazy and I still get way sore. Maybe I'm just out of shape. In fact, I am out of shape, but that's not the point. I want to get good at this whole running business, that'd be great.
All emo business aside. I'm tired of drama. Girls are poo. Guys are pretty stupid for trying to make them into what they want them to be. I want a windmill. Alright, have a nice day everybody, I'll be back (and probably happy) sometime later.
Oh, and my heart goes out to all the Katrina victims. very sad business.
I found a typo. teehehehe.
I told you you were going to have to meet new people. I told you.
I KNOW AUSTIN! I HAD A CRUSH ON HIM IN KINDERGARTEN! teehehehe. Hes wayyyyyyyyy cool. Just go talk to him. I'll introduce ya, ok? He's way cool. haha. And way tall. And smart, and stuff. haha.
And I agree. The algebra teacher has issues.
I really like how you explained the tardy thing. Its funny cause its true. An academic team shirt would ward him off too though! haha.
Thats weird that Hope isnt talking to you. I seriously think she has some serious issues.
well yeah, thats the end of my story. haha.
go post on your other blog.


text:
package ct

func init() { println("hello from ct2") }

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


B.O.S. Better Online Solutions Ltd. (BOSC) is a leading Israeli provider of RFID and Mobile solutions and a global provider of Supply Chain solutions to enterprises. BOS' RFID and Mobile division offers both turnkey integration services as well as stand-alone products, including best-of-breed RFID and AIDC hardware andcommunications equipment, BOS middleware and industry-specific software applications. The Company's Supply Chain division provides electronic components consolidation services to the aerospace, defense, medical and telecommunications industries as well as to enterprise customers worldwide. For more information, please visit: www.boscorporate.com.
IMS Investor Relations B.O.S. Better Online Solutions Ltd.


Our team has finally began the Post-Production work on our third narrative film titled, North Baldwin. Head over to the Contact page to Donate to it's incredible cause. 100% of funds raised alongside making this film will be donated to 9/11 Victims Organizations. This is our way of giving back through the power of film.


Futura – Automatic cabinet featuring a self-contained roller curtain. Automation is provided by a single field, Mitsubishi PLC, sensor and measuring suite.
Manual adjustment and positioning are provided by an ergonomic joystick control with limiting sensors. Counter balanced, brush-sealed curtain, with toughened viewing window that runs the width of the blasting aperture, illuminated by two LED lateral lamps.
Jobs are easily inserted via large door and telescopic roller-track system.
Safety systems include fully automatic and manual emergency shut-off.
Recommended Abrasive – 40/60 Aluminium Oxide or 35/70 Sintered Aluminium Oxide.
© Copyright 2019. The Blast Shop. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Scooped
Here's a piece I wrote for BBC Future this week, before discovering that the blighters on their science news desk were covering the work already. So there will be something else from me on Under the Radar later this week…
Attempts to measure and define intelligence are always controversial and open to interpretation. But none, perhaps, is quite as recondite as that now proposed by two mathematical physicists. They say that there's a kind of rudimentary intelligence that comes from acting in a way that maximizes your future options.
Alex Wissner-Gross of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Cameron Freer of the University of Hawaii at Manoa have figured out a 'law' that enables inanimate objects to behave this way, in effect allowing them to glimpse their own future. If they follow this law, they can show behaviour reminiscent of some of the things humans do: for example, cooperating or using 'tools' to conduct a task.
The researchers think that their mathematical principle might help to provide a "physics of intelligence": an explanation of smart actions rooted in the laws of thermodynamics.
Central to their claim is the concept of entropy. Popularly described as a measure of disorder, entropy more properly describes the number of different equivalent states a system can adopt. Think of a box full of gas molecules. There are lots more ways that they can disperse uniformly throughout the available space than there are ways they can all congregate in one corner. The former situation has greater entropy.
In principle, either arrangement could arise purely from the random motions of the molecules. But there are so many more configurations of the uniformly spread gas that it is much more likely, and in practice we never see all the gas shift into one corner. This illustrates the second law of thermodynamics, which states that the total entropy of the universe always increases – simply because that's more probable than the alternatives.
Some scientists have generalized this idea to propose that all processes of change happen in a way that has the greatest rate of entropy production. Not only do things head for the highest-entropy state, but they do so along a route that produces entropy at the greatest rate. There's no rigorous proof that all things must happen this way, but the hypothesis of maximum entropy production has been used to account for processes such as the appearance of life, and also to design artificial-intelligence strategies that allow computers to become adept at complex games such as Go.
Wissner-Gross and Freer wondered if this hint at a link between maximal entropy production and intelligence could be made more concrete. They hit on the idea that 'true' intelligence is not, as they put it, "just greedily maximizing instantaneous entropy production", but involves foresight: looking for a path that maximizes its production between now and some distant time horizon. For example, a good computer algorithm for playing Go might seek a strategy that offers the player the greatest number of options at all points into the future, rather than playing itself into a corner.
But how would an inanimate particle find that strategy? The researchers show that it can be defined via a mathematical expression for what they call the 'causal path entropy': the entropy production for all possible paths the particle might take. How would a particle behave if governed by the law that it must, at every instant, maximize this casual path entropy – which means, in effect, planning ahead?
Objects whose motions are guided solely by the conventional laws of motion are doomed to a blind, dumb presentism – they just go where the prevailing forces take them. Think again of those gas molecules in a box: each particle wanders aimlessly in a random walk, exploring the confining space without prejudice.
Yet when Wissner-Gross and Freer impose on such a meandering particle the demand that it move in a way that maximizes the casual path entropy, its behaviour is quite different: it tends to hover around in the centre of the box, where it suffers the least constraints on its future motion. They then explored the consequences of their new law for a so-called 'cart and pole' – a pendulum attached to a mobile cart, which can be stabilized in an inverted, head-up position by moving the cart back and forth, like balancing a stick on your palm. Early hominids are thought to have mastered such a delicate balancing act when they learnt to stand upright – and it's a trick achieved by a cart-and-pole obeying the 'maximum causal entropy' law.
Weirder things become possible too. Wissner-Gross and Freer looked at a system composed of three disks in a box: a large one (I), a small one (II), and another small one (III) trapped inside a tube too large for I to enter. Suppose now that the movements of disk I are dictated by causal entropic 'forcing'. In this case, the disk conspires to collide with II so that II can bounce into the tube and eject disk III. Liberating III means that the disks now have more ways to arrange themselves than when it was confined – they have more entropy. But to gain access to that entropy, disk I essentially uses II as a tool.
Similarly, two small disks governed by the causal entropic force showed a kind of social collaboration to collectively drag down a large disk into a space where they could 'play' with it, offering more possible states in total – another behaviour that looks strangely 'intelligent'.
In these cases there is no real reason why the particles should be controlled by the causal entropic force – the researchers just imposed that property. But they suggest that, in a Darwinian evolving system, objects that are able this way to 'capture' a greater slice of the future might gain an adaptive advantage, so that such a force might be naturally selected. Not only could this offer clues about the emergence of intelligent, adaptive behaviour in the living world, but the general principle might also be useful for designing artificial intelligent systems and perhaps even for understanding problems in economics and cosmology.
A. D. Wissner-Gross & C. E. Freer, Physical Review Letters 110, 168702 (2013).
Jarek Duda said...
This is similar to MERW: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximal_entropy_random_walk
Regarding its interpretation, let's look at the simplest situation: dynamics in [0,1] range.
Standard diffusion, chaos leads to uniform stationary probability distribution rho=1.
Such entropy maximization leads to rho~sin^2 instead - indeed localized in the center ... and this is the same as ground state probability distribution in quantum mechanics in this infinite potential well.
There is no magic in such entropy maximization - just repairing the difference between standard classical diffusion and quantum behavior - leading e.g. to Anderson localization effects, e.g. preventing semiconductor from being a conductor.
Just allow me this little rant, then normal servic...
Can Google predict the markets?
Crowdsourcing in manhunts can work
Mystical atoms
A demon-haunted theory


Meijer Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday & Saturday Santa Bucks Ad Previews are HERE!
Click here to view the Meijer Thanksgiving Day Sale Ad!
Click here to view the Meijer Black Friday Sale Ad!
Click here to view the Meijer Saturday Only Sale Ad Preview, 11/28 - with Santa Bucks!
WHAT ARE YOU EXCITED FOR?! DON'T FORGET TO SHARE WITH YOUR FAMILY & FRIENDS!!!


The Himachal Pradesh government has been directed by the State Information Commission(SIC) to disclose information relating to Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi's land at Chabbra, 13 Km from Shimla.
The information is sought to be provided within 10 days.
"We hold the the disclosure of the information in the case is in the larger interest of the public. The Public Information Office(PIO) is directed to disclose the information within 10 days from today", ordered a bench comprising the state's Chief Information Commissioner Bhim Sen and Information Commissioner KD Batish.
The order was passed after RTI activist Devashish Bhattacharya filed an appeal against the order of the PIO that denied information on grounds that the disclosure would affect Priyanka's security as her name figured in the Special Protection Group.
The bench issued a show-cause notice to the PIO, saying the denial of the information had caused unnecessary delay.
Additional District Magistrate and District Commissioner sought reply by July 23 asking as to why penalty should not be imposed for not providing information within the stipulated time.
"The SPG security cover was provided to Priyanka, not to the land. Therefore to deny information on this pretext was extremely unfair", the Commission remarked.
Moreover, the Commission held that all elected MP's make known all details related to their properties during elections.
Priyanka had purchased the land in question in 2007 during the Congress government of Virbhadra Singh.
She had been given relaxation under Section 118 of the HP Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, a law which debars outsiders and non-agriculturalists to purchase land in the state.
Permission to purchase an additional piece of land where Priyanka is building a three storied cottage was given by the BJP government headed by Prem Kumar Dhumal.


"Two-Spirit Voices: Returning to the Circle" celebrates the 20th anniversary of Bay Area American Indian Two Spirits (BAAITS), an organization committed to activism and service for the Two-Spirit and ally communities of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Michael Horse, Artwork for BAAITS's First Annual Two-Spirit Powwow (2012), used with permission.
The exhibition focuses on four main themes: LGBTQ and Two-Spirit pride, the annual Two-Spirit Powwow organized by BAAITS, indigenous medicine and responses to HIV/AIDS, and Two-Spirit meaning within indigenous communities. BAAITS members Roger Kuhn, Amelia Vigil and Ruth Villaseñor have curated the show in collaboration with the GLBT Historical Society.
Drawing on materials such as regalia and textiles, medicines and herbs, and photography and video on loan from community members, as well as materials recently donated to the GLBT Historical Society, the exhibition highlights the resiliency of Two-Spirit people in Northern California.
Native American themed buttons from the GLBT Historical Society's Art & Artifacts collection.
According to the curators, Two Spirit is translated from the Northern Algonquin word niizh manitoag. The word is used by some American Indian/First Nation communities to signify gender and sexual orientation variance. The term Two Spirit gained popularity in the 1990s after indigenous community leaders offered it as a counterpoint to colonial terminology used by anthropologists and academics to signify practices of nonbinary gender and sexual orientation among the Native peoples of North America. Contemporary American society commonly identifies Two-Spirit people as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
Roger Kuhn is a member of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. He is a psychotherapist in San Francisco. His worked is informed by social and sexual justice perspectives. A former chair of BAAITS, he is completing a Ph.D. in human sexuality with a focus on decolonizing sexuality.
Elaine Gay Jarvis, Gay American Indians contingent in the 1978 Gay Freedom Day parade (1978), Elaine Gay Jarvis Papers (2018-90), GLBT Historical Society.
Amelia Vigil is a Two-Spirit and Latinx performance artist, poet and rock climber. Her indigenous heritage is Picuris Pueblo from her father and Purepecha from her mother. She serves as the events and communications manager for Outward Bound California, a nonprofit that promotes outdoor education. A graduate of Mills College in Oakland, Calif., she has been involved with Bay Area American Indian Two Spirits since 2013, joined the board of directors in 2015 and is currently chair of BAAITS.
Ruth Villaseñor is a Chiricahua-Apache Mexican woman who identifies as Two Spirit. She has been a member of BAAITS for 19 years. A filmmaker and activist, she was recognized by KQED Public Television in 2003 as a Bay Area Local Hero. Villaseñor co-owns Paws & Claws, a natural pet food store in Oakland, Calif. She serves on the board of BAAITS.
Founded in 1998, Bay Area American Indian Two Spirits (BAAITS) exists to restore and recover the role of Two-Spirit people within the American Indian/First Nations community by creating a forum for Two-Spirit spiritual, cultural and artistic expression.
BAAITS creates opportunities for Two-Spirit people to socialize, share, network and explore their rich heritage in a safe environment. To that end, the organization is committed to offering culturally relevant activities for LGBTQ individuals of Native American ancestry and their families and friends.


They are related by employment, if nothing else. And you are right. I was thinking of Nob's challenge to the two Black Riders who were bending over a prone Merry. It never really occured to me until I set this question that Nob played such a significant role, preventing as he did Merry's almost certain capture, if not death.
So, the thread is yours Sirithheruwen.
Weary with a broken neck.
Fresh in battle with a red axe.
Yeah...and I thought that was somewhat hard! Oh well...Your go, NightKnight!
Not too hard for me.
Thingol is right, Celeborn isn't.
Could the other be Finwe, who was the grandfather of Turgon who turned back from the Nirnaeth?
Could have been, but it isn't.
Not Eärendil. HINT: The one who turned back was a noldor.
He that turned back. I'm thinking Finarfin, but he had no grandpapa.
Is Eärendil a Noldo? If so, Huor?
Question: is the other guy pure noldor? or a mix like noldor/sindar or noldor/man or noldor/teleri?
Galadriel can't be a grandfather, can she?
No. The person is the grandfather of the children of he that turned back.
Then it must be Finwe.
but Finwe is already said....Fingolfin maybe?
Both are wrong. And Gil-Galad, you're supposed to name the grandfather to the children of he that turned back.
Olwe, father of Finarfin's wife, Earwen.
Well, since both Fingolfin II and Saucepan Man had one right guess each, one of you should continue. But that's up to you two to decide.
Cheers Saucy, thanks for that.
Tormented twice; repented thrice; yet I did not endure the Grinding Ice.
Much love did the greatest of them all have for many things, though he loved his father best.
These aren't too hard either. The greatest callenge in these games isn't getting the answer right, it's making your own riddles.
Maeglin is correct. Sauron isn't.
Maeglin and Eol? Eol was a Dark Elf and 'stole' Aredhel, forcing her to wed him.
Eol is correct. Since Fingolfin II & NightKnight had one each, whoever is first can continue.


This photo is one of the best examples I have of being creative and finding things around you to use for photography. With a little imagination, 'something old and something new and something borrowed and something spotted like a giraffe' (yes I kind of re-worked the old saying) will work just fine.
I can think of at least a dozen times I've come up with shots that didn't include any of the flowers or fabric I've specifically purchased for my chocolate photography hobby and instead used things already lying around (or growing around), and therefore the accessories ended up being free.
Oh yes. And tiny little cookies.
Stone-ground (read: gritty) chocolate makes good "chomping" bars (something to chow down on rather than melt in your mouth and savor slowly). I enjoyed the mix of chocolate and nuts and toffee; I think this chocolate would be fantastic coarsely chopped and generously added to sugar cookie dough.
These wolves with the almost chocolate-brown-colored eyes posed beautifully.
However, there were still some hiccups when it came to getting this photo taken.
First, the cranberries kept disappearing. It must have been the wolves' fault. Nobody else was around, yet I guarantee you the bowl of cranberries was noticeably less full at the end of the photoshoot than it was at the beginning.
On the plus side, everything was sparkly by the end of the day and there was an abundance of Endangered Species Cranberry Almond Chocolate to savor.
And in my opinion, you can't go wrong with sparkly and plenty of chocolate!
Nuts in Chocolate – Yay or Nay?
Many people say "anything is good when covered in chocolate". I dispute this. (After having tasted chocolate containing cilantro, chocolate studded with ants, and chocolate festooned with mushrooms…to name a few…I am definitely of the opinion that not everything is good with chocolate.) Covering nuts (or covering anything, for that matter) with chocolate doesn't necessarily mean that they're instantly turned into a tasty treat.
Then, just a week or so ago, a gift arrived in the form of milk chocolate covered almonds.


Take a sneak peek at our AW 2018 and Christmas Artisan jewellery shoot, featuring the best sparklers around. Because who doesn't want sparklers for Christmas?
Christmas 2018 is fast approaching and Luxiere have a wide range of Sparkles which make ideal Xmas gifts for her and for him. Our range includes semi-precious and precious gemstones, Swarovski crystals, Pearls and Sterling Sliver. We have Necklaces, Earrings, Bracelets and combination sets, all delivered in gift boxes.
All our Artisan jewellery is handmade in our studio in Maldon, Essex and their are pieces for Weddings and bridal parties, Christenings, Gifts for him, Gifts for her, Statement jewellery, Jewellery for work and evening wear.
If you are looking for gift ideas, check out our new products.


MasterCard MobileSend for BlackBerry is a convenient way to transfer money from person to person in the U.S. using the power of your BlackBerry. MoneySend works with debit, credit, and prepaid MasterCard cards issued by your bank. To find out if your bank is participating in MoneySend or to create a free virtual account with Bancorp Bank visit mastercardmoneysend.com Before MoneySend, personal payments were slow and old-fashioned. You could pay people with cash, write a check, or use clunky transfer services. MoneySend and Bancorp Bank change the game, allowing you to connect with your friends and family, and move money easily using your mobile phone.


Marya Hornbacher is an award-winning essayist, journalist, and the New York Times best-selling author of five books. Hornbacher's work has been published in eighteen languages, and her writing across genres appears regularly in literary and journalistic publications around the world, most recently in AGNI, Gulf Coast, The Normal School, Fourth Genre, DIAGRAM, Broad Street, and The Bellingham Review. Her sixth book, a work of long-form journalism, will be published in 2018, and her seventh, a collection of essays, is underway. She was recently honored with the Annie Dillard Award in Creative Nonfiction. Find out more about her work at www.maryahornbacher.com.
Caroline Casey is the managing director at Coffee House Press. She has a background in marketing, publicity, and acquisitions, including stints at Sarabande Books and Stanford University Press, and holds an MFA from the Nonfiction Writing Program at the University of Iowa.
Joanna R. Demkiewicz is a cofounder and the editorial director of The Riveter, a women's long-form lifestyle magazine both online and in print, as well as the publicist at Milkweed Editions, an independent nonprofit publisher. She received her Bachelors in Journalism from the University of Missouri Journalism School in 2013, where she studied Magazine Writing and Gender Studies. She lives in Minneapolis.


To get a site to get popular in the various search engines like yahoo, it is quite necessary that the web page is posted to significant search engines and directories. An internet site is quite a strong tool which provides businesses which has a platform to talk to it is necessary dtcstudio.com target market. When seeking to hire an online site designer, you intend to be certain that occur to be getting the very best website likely.
Whenever you can construct a site yourself you might have it ready to go in a day. A web site is usually an essential component of your company image. When compared with restoring your existing site, seeking the help of a corporation specializing in website development will permit your business to visit beyond your anticipations.
If you would like increase your web page, then you should get in touch with all of us for a totally free analysis of the present web page and net sector. In addition , if you're banking on your web page, you require a really wonderful web page design, that is step one. Internet site speed Your internet site should fill up within a couple of seconds. Sign-up your HTTPS website with Google to be sure they know you've taken the relevant steps to make sure a nice and protect user encounter.
There ought to be a fantastic purpose that you are upgrading a web site. In the event you presently currently have a site then you definitely should ensure that you're optimized for the various search engines. A web site is a significant element of a firm's brand, and develop an excellent one, you should employ the assistance of a branding qualified. A expertly designed internet site is crucial to present your brand above your competitors.
If people call at your site or perhaps read the marketing and advertising components the very first thing that may register inside their mind is the color that you use. To get it differently, your site needs to be in a position to stand the test of time. Make a decision the key objective you've got to your site. As well if you're on the site simply for social networking reasons, the secret is to gain buddies. With all above top features of a CMS, it is simple to create a website for your company and consider your business to greater level of succeeding.
List elements that you want for your site. When your site is taking much longer than that, you'll be getting rid of visitors. For that matter, the site should be in a position to allow for for any photograph resolution or size. Additionally, websites with access to stats will also allow you to make sound decisions within the situations you have to do to further improve your webblog performance.
Some contain websites of their very own. Regularly check your site design intended for loading time as you are building your website. Your web blog should develop in regard to content material and functionality, so it's crucial you do reserve either period or cash to come up with this great article for your webpage. An sont sur le marché website includes plenty of property which have been accumulated during its lifetime.
There are countless ways to transform your site and make this even more interesting, more successful and SEO improved. It's for this reason quite clear your site has to be completed in a way that will receive a visitor really want to stick around on. Valuable websites are simply a close this article.


text:
class AddIncludeInDialogBoxBooleanOnPreferenceCategories < ActiveRecord::Migration
  def change
  	add_column :preference_categories, :include_in_dialog_box, :boolean, default: true
  end
end


As one of the TWO folks that checks this blog every morning, I am glad to see a new post! Thank you.
Now, at the risk of appearing derogatory, I have a sincere question: Do we not run into danger theologically when we claim that certain scriptures are myth? Is it not not wiser to assume that God's inspired Word is literal, except in such cases as the inspired author directly states that the intent is poetic, prophecy, or a parable?
As always thanks for your comments! I'm going to respond in another blog entry because I think this is really important and would make for a LONG comment.
Taking a deep breath after reading this.
How many of us I wonder thinks themselves one of the two? So, you're becoming a heretic with all this myth talk? Where will you be going next? I don't know if I'm ready to have my belief system challenged so sharply.
Jack, no danger at all of me becoming a heretic. In somebody's book I've been there for years. Just depends on who you ask.


Lease Home-Place…design & layout; editing & proofing; printing & binding oversight; 78 pages.
One Woman…design, & layout; editing & proofing (minimal); printing & binding oversight; 200 pages.
Make New Friends…design & layout; editing & proofing (minimal); printing & binding oversight; 38 pages.


text:
Reo Hatate hoping Ange Postecoglou's Celtic will help bring out best in him
January 8 2022, 4.38pm Updated: January 8 2022, 8.14pm
Ange Postecoglou added three Japanese players to his squad this month (Andrew Milligan/PA)
New Celtic signing Reo Hatate is excited at the prospect of fitting into Ange Postecoglou's attacking system.
Hatate took part in his first training session at Lennoxtown on Friday after arriving on a four-and-a-half-year contract from J-League champions Kawasaki Frontale.
The 24-year-old is one of three January arrivals to have joined fellow Japanese Kyogo Furuhashi at Celtic Park.
The other two, Daizen Maeda and Yosuke Ideguchi, were also in action as former Yokohama Marinos manager Postecoglou and his squad returned from their winter break.
Hatate said on the Celtic website: "As a Japanese, it's really exciting to see a manager who has experience in Japan and in the international stage.
"In Japan, I have always played against his teams but I've always observed and thought his way of playing is very strategical and attacking, so it's extremely fun for the audience."
Hatate has been earmarked for an attacking midfield role by Postecoglou but he can also play out wide and at left-back.
"Being able to play in different positions has given me confidence as a footballer," he said. "With this team, I want to be able to bring out the best in my style of play and contribute to the attacking side of things a bit more."
Postecoglou was keen to get his transfer business done early and is not anticipating any more major incomings, although on Saturday evening Celtic announced the signing of 18-year-old striker Johnny Kenny from Sligo Rovers on a five-year deal.
Kenny netted 12 goals in his debut season as a professional, including one in the Europa League.
Postecoglou, who has loaned Liam Shaw to Motherwell and offloaded Ewan Henderson to Hibernian, said about the rest of the window on Celtic TV: "Not too busy but we have got to stay agile through this period. We could have a couple of players out on loan, which is important.
"We will look at the squad through the whole January window and make sure what we need, if it's available, we will bring in.
"I don't expect it to be too hectic but we will stay alert and make sure, if the right thing comes along both in terms of incomings and outgoings, we will be able to move."
Christopher Jullien was on the training field with his team-mates and Postecoglou hopes to get him back on the pitch soon after more than a year out with a knee injury.
"Chris has worked awfully hard," Postecoglou said. "It's always difficult those long-term ones because there is no pre-determined end date.
"But he is training and training well and the next couple of weeks we will get him involved in playing some football and see where he's at and hopefully he hits the ground running and helps us on our course."
The likes of James Forrest and Karamoko Dembele were also training after being among a lengthy list of absentees.
Postecoglou, whose side return to action against Hibernian on January 17, said: "We expect the majority to be up and running and available when the season restarts, which will be great because hopefully we will have the depth now to be able to cope with a busy period."


text:
Steny Hoyer: The Republican shutdown hurts Maryland families
By Steny H. Hoyer
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-St. Mary's, represents Maryland's Fifth District in Congress. The district includes portions of southern Anne Arundel County. (Joshua McKerrow / Capital Gazette file)
Representing the people of Maryland's Fifth District, including the 62,000 federal employees, is one of my greatest honors. Every day, federal employees in Maryland and throughout the nation work hard to serve the American people by strengthening our national security, protecting our health and safety, and supporting economic development and the growth of prosperity.
They deserve our praise and respect, not to be treated as hostages to political disagreements.
Unfortunately, that is exactly what President Donald Trump is doing with his unnecessary partial government shutdown. Since Dec. 21, the president and his Republican allies have forced 800,000 federal civilian employees nationwide to go without pay — all because the president wants Congress to use $5.7 billion in taxpayer funds to build an expensive and ineffective wall on our Southern border.
Our Say: Naval Academy must change its business fees, be more transparent about finances
On Oct. 1, the Naval Academy Business Services Division crossed well out of bounds when it told companies providing services such as wedding photography to fork over 20 percent of what they charge — and then demanded they not to pass on the added expense to customers.
By Capital Gazette Editorial Board
Jan 14, 2019 | 5:00 AM
Instead of sitting down with Democratic and Republican lawmakers to reach a compromise on the best way to achieve border security, a goal of both parties, President Trump has refused to sign bills to fund portions of the government unrelated to border security until he gets everything he wants. That's not leadership; it's a temper tantrum.
When Democrats took control of the House of Representatives on Jan. 3, we took immediate action to end the shutdown. As House majority leader, I brought to the floor the same funding bills that the Republican-controlled Senate approved last year, in several cases, by votes of 92-6.
Unsurprisingly, the House immediately passed them with bipartisan support. Additionally, I brought up a continuing resolution to reopen the Department of Homeland Security through Feb. 8 while Congress and the president continue negotiations over border security. The premise is simple: let's not hold hardworking federal employees, their families, and the millions of Americans who benefit from their service hostage.
The next step in ending this shutdown would be for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to bring these funding bills up for votes in the Senate. However, he has refused to do so.
Now, even as some of his own Republican senators are calling for an end to the shutdown, Leader McConnell continues to block efforts to reopen the government on behalf of the president.
The House of Representatives will keep passing bills to reopen government as long as it takes for the Senate to act on them. We are serious about ending the Trump shutdown, and we believe that the issues of funding the government and reaching agreement on border security ought to be treated separately.
First and foremost, the responsibility of Congress and the president is to keep government open so it can serve our people. The House of Representatives has done its part; now it's up to the Senate and President Trump.
Meanwhile, millions of Americans are shut out of government services. Families are not safe at our national parks. Lines at airport security are getting longer, putting passengers at risk.
There are fewer food safety inspectors on hand to ensure that produce is safe to eat. Vulnerable people in our communities who rely on food stamps to stave off hunger may lose access to this lifeline if the Trump shutdown continues.
President Trump said on Dec. 11 that if a shutdown occurred, he'd be proud to take responsibility. He may be responsible, but there is nothing in this shutdown in which anyone can take pride.
Support local journalism. Subscribe to The Capital today! »


text:
Location : ?
Region : ?
Country : USA / Canada
Type : Varies / Blended and Bourbon
Distillery : Seagram Company Limited, The
http://www.seagram.com/
SEAGRAM DISTILLERY
Founded : ?
Owner : Seagram
Collingwood Ontario
Seagram Company Limited, The
Seagrams is now Pernod-Richard
Producer : ?
Water : ?
Seagrams :
Seagram's is a large company producing a lot of different whiskies. Further more they own a lot of distilleries etc.
The Seagram Company Ltd. was a large corporation headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that was the largest distiller of alcoholic beverages in the world. Toward the end of its independent existence it also controlled various entertainment and other business ventures. The Seagram assets have since been acquired by other companies, notably PepsiCo, Diageo, and Pernod Ricard.
The Seagram Building, the company's American headquarters office tower at 375 Park Avenue in New York City, was designed by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe with Philip Johnson. The former Seagram headquarters in Montreal now belongs to McGill University, under the name Martlet House.
In 1857, a distillery was founded in Waterloo, Ontario. Joseph E. Seagram became a partner in 1869 and sole owner in 1883, and the company became known as Joseph E. Seagram & Sons. Many decades later, Samuel Bronfman founded Distillers Corporation Limited, in Montreal, which enjoyed substantial growth in the 1920s, in part due to Prohibition in the United States.
In 1928, a few years after the death of Joseph E. Seagram (1919), the Distillers Corporation acquired Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, and took over the Seagram name. The company was well prepared for the end of Prohibition in 1933 with an ample stock of aged whiskeys ready to sell to the newly opened American market, and it prospered accordingly. Thus despite its earlier Waterloo history, the Seagram name is most closely associated with the Bronfman family. However, it is not correct to say, as is often done, that Samuel Bronfman founded Seagram, since the Seagram name itself pre-dated the company he founded.
It has been alleged that Seagrams had dealings with American bootleggers during Prohibition.[1]
Original Seagram Distillery buildings in Waterloo, now converted to residential condominiums
After the death of Samuel Bronfman in 1971, Edgar M. Bronfman was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) until June 1994 when his son, Edgar Bronfman, Jr., was appointed CEO.
In 1981, cash rich and wanting to diversify, Seagram Company Ltd. engineered a takeover of Conoco Inc., a major American oil and gas producing company. Although Seagram acquired a 32.2% stake in Conoco, DuPont was brought in as a white knight by the oil company and entered the bidding war. In the end, Seagram lost out in the Conoco bidding war. But in exchange for its stake in Conoco Inc, it became a 24.3% owner of DuPont. By 1995 Seagram was DuPont's largest single shareholder with four seats on the board of directors.
In 1986, the company started a memorable TV commercial campaign advertising its Golden Wine Cooler products. With rising star Bruce Willis as pitchman, Seagram rose from fifth place among distillers to first in just two years.
In 1987, Seagrams engineered a $1.2 billion takeover of important French cognac maker Martell & Cie.
On April 6, 1995, after being approached by Edgar Bronfman, Jr., DuPont announced a deal whereby the company would buy back its shares from the Seagram company for the amount of $9 billion. Seagram's was heavily criticized by the investment community—the 24.3% stake in DuPont accounted for 70% of Seagram's earnings. Standard & Poor's took the unusual step of stating that the sale of the DuPont interest could result in a downgrade of Seagram's more than $4.2 billion of long-term debt.
The rationale for this divestiture was that Edgar Bronfman, Jr., grandson of Samuel Bronfman, wanted Seagram to branch out into the entertainment business. Bronfman, Jr., used the proceeds of the sale to help acquire Universal Studios, MCA, PolyGram, and Deutsche Grammophon. Seagram also gained control of a number of Universal theme parks.
In 1997, the Seagram Museum, formerly the original Seagram distillery in Waterloo, was forced to close due to lack of funds. The building is now the home of the Centre for International Governance Innovation. The two original barrel houses are now the Seagrams Lofts condominiums. There are also almost 5 acres (2.0 ha) of land that will be the home of the future Balsillie School of International Affairs.[2]
In 2000, controlling interest in Seagram's entertainment division was acquired by the Vivendi Group, and the beverage division by Pernod Ricard. By the time Vivendi auctioned off Seagram's drink business, beyond its original high-profile brand names the once renowned operation consisted of around two hundred and fifty drinks brands and brand extensions.
In 2001, The Coca-Cola Company acquired the line of Seagram's mixers (ginger ale, tonic water, club soda and seltzer water) from Pernod Ricard and Diageo, as well as signing a long term agreement to use the Seagram's name from Pernod Ricard. Seagram's Ginger Ale was named the winner at the 2009 World Cup of Ginger Ale in Chicago.
On April 19, 2006, Pernod Ricard announced that they would be closing the Seagram Lawrenceburg Distillery located in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.
LINKS..........
to official Seagrams or related web pages.
The Seagram Company Limited.
Lawrenceburg, Indiana, USA
Crown Royal Crown Royal
Seagrams V.O. Seagrams V.O.
Pernod Ricard to acquire Seagram Spirits & Wine jointly with Diageo
Paris - 2000 Pernod Ricard announces that it has, jointly with Diageo, signed an agreement to purchase the Seagram Spirits and Wine business from Vivendi Universal for US$ 8.15 billion dollars in cash, on a debt free basis. Pernod Ricard will contribute approximately US$ 3.15 billion dollars (Euro 3.7 billion) or 38.6% of the total purchase price.
Pernod Ricard and Diageo will split the Seagram business based on the Framework Agreement signed between the two companies as previously announced.
The joint acquisition is subject to the consent of the relevant competition authorities. The necessary filings have been prepared and will be submitted shortly.
Patrick Ricard, Chairman and CEO of Pernod Ricard, declared, "I would like to say how excited we are by this acquisition which represents a unique opportunity to redefine the industry world-wide. I believe that Seagram's magnificent portfolio of brands has a distinguished heritage and a great future within our Group. Together with Diageo, we at Pernod Ricard look forward to working with the employees of Seagram to realise the strong potential that exists to grow our enlarged business."
Brands to be acquired by Pernod Ricard
The main brands to be acquired by Pernod Ricard include Chivas Regal, Glen Grant, Royal Salute and Glenlivet whiskies as well as Martell Cognac and Seagram's Extra Dry gin. Pernod Ricard will acquire several leading national brands in Latin America, Asia and Europe. In addition Pernod Ricard will own Seagram's Scotch whisky manufacturing and bottling facilities in Scotland.
The brands acquired by Pernod Ricard reported volumes of approximately 14 million cases and sales of approximately US$ 1.2 billion for the fiscal year 2000.
The price excludes any value for the distribution of Absolut vodka and Mumm champagne.
Enhanced global reach
Historically, Pernod Ricard has built a world class portfolio through the acquisition and development of international brands (Jameson, Havana Club and Jacob's Creek) and regional brands (Larios, Clan Campbell, Wild Turkey and Ramazzotti).
Prior to this transaction, Pernod Ricard was already the fifth largest distilled spirits company world-wide with distilled spirits and wine being at the core of the Pernod Ricard business.
The purchase of Seagram adds a number of well known brands to Pernod Ricard's portfolio, considerably improving the Group's existing presence in North America, Latin America and Asia and gives Pernod Ricard, as a major industry player, critical mass on a world-wide scale.
Pernod Ricard's enlarged Scotch whisky portfolio means that the Group will become the number 2 player world-wide in a key category for the spirits industry. Chivas Regal is the world-wide leader in the deluxe category and one of the few truly global brands in the spirits industry; its acquisition brings Pernod Ricard a unique opportunity to develop the brand's full potential. The addition of Chivas Regal to Pernod Ricard's distribution network will give added leverage to the whole portfolio.
With the acquisition of Martell and its existing Bisquit and Renault brands, Pernod Ricard becomes the number 2 player in the cognac market. Martell is an exceptionally prestigious brand with major strengths in the U.K and South-East Asia. Furthermore Martell complements Chivas Regal in the de luxe category of spirits. In Portugal, the addition of Macieira brandy and other local brands will create the number 2 of the spirits market.
The acquisition of Seagram's Extra Dry gin strengthens significantly Pernod Ricard's presence in the USA. Likewise the acquisition of Natu Nobilis, Orloff and Montilla in Brazil will considerably boost Pernod Ricard's presence in Latin America. In India, Royal Stag is the leading premium whisky in the market.
Overall, Pernod Ricard will emerge from the transaction as the third largest global distilled spirits company in the world with an impressive brand portfolio including 11 brands featured in the Impact International (February 2000) list of top 100 global brands.
Non strategic brands
Pernod Ricard and Diageo will jointly supervise the disposal of Seagram's non strategic brands.
Pernod Ricard will finance this acquisition through committed borrowing facilities. A refinancing programme has been arranged, including the sale of financial assets and non-core business and the issue of a convertible bond.
Pernod Ricard management expects the transaction to be earnings enhancing in year one.
Pernod Ricard was advised on this acquisition by J.P. Morgan and Societe Generale. The legal advisors were Macfarlanes, Debevoise & Plimpton and Arthur Andersen advised on tax matters.


text:
Q: Angular Ag Grid - cell render button to delete row? I have added a button in the cell which I want to act as a row remover. When clicked must delete that row of data and update grid.
Recreated:https://stackblitz.com/edit/row-delete-angular-btn-cell-renderer-y6gwdubutton?file=src%2Fapp%2Fapp.component.ts
Button render component
@Component({
  selector: "btn-cell-renderer",
  template: `
    <button (click)="btnClickedHandler($event)">DELETE!</button>
  `
})
export class BtnCellRenderer implements ICellRendererAngularComp, OnDestroy {
refresh(params: any): boolean {
throw new Error("Method not implemented.");
}
  private params: any;

  agInit(params: any): void {
    this.params = params;
  }

  btnClickedHandler() {
    let selectedData = this.params.api.getSelectedRows();
    this.params.api.updateRowData({remove: selectedData})
  }

App component
@Component({
  selector: "my-app",
  template: `
    <ag-grid-angular
      #agGrid
      style="width: 100%; height: 100vh;"
      id="myGrid"
      class="ag-theme-alpine"
      [columnDefs]="columnDefs"
      [defaultColDef]="defaultColDef"
      [rowData]="rowData"
      [frameworkComponents]="frameworkComponents"
      (gridReady)="onGridReady($event)"
    ></ag-grid-angular>
  `
})
export class AppComponent {
  private gridApi;
  private gridColumnApi;
  frameworkComponents: any;
  private columnDefs;
  private defaultColDef;
  private rowData: [];

  constructor(private http: HttpClient) {
    this.columnDefs = [
      {
        field: "athlete",
        cellRenderer: "btnCellRenderer",
        cellRendererParams: {
          clicked: function(field: any) {
            alert(`${field} was deleted`);
          }
        },
        minWidth: 150
      },
      {
        field: "age",
        maxWidth: 90
      },
      {
        field: "country",
        minWidth: 150
      },
      {
        field: "year",
        maxWidth: 90
      },
      {
        field: "date",
        minWidth: 150
      },
      {
        field: "sport",
        minWidth: 150
      },
      { field: "gold" },
      { field: "silver" },
      { field: "bronze" },
      { field: "total" }
    ];
    this.defaultColDef = {
      flex: 1,
      minWidth: 100
    };
    this.frameworkComponents = {
      btnCellRenderer: BtnCellRenderer
    };
  }

  onGridReady(params) {
    this.gridApi = params.api;
    this.gridColumnApi = params.columnApi;

    this.http
      .get(
        "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ag-grid/ag-grid/master/grid-packages/ag-grid-docs/src/olympicWinnersSmall.json"
      )
      .subscribe(data => {
        this.rowData = data;
      });
  }

This is not working as expected, would appreciate any help.
Recreated: https://stackblitz.com/edit/row-delete-angular-btn-cell-renderer-y6gwdubutton?file=src%2Fapp%2Fapp.component.ts

A: *

*You don't need the parameter you are passing in the columnDefs. You can get rid of that.

*You don't need to call getSelectedRows. The params have the node. Use that and grab the data. You just need to put it into an array.

You don't have rowSelection set on the grid, which is probably why getSelectedRows doesn't work - but you don't want to remove selected rows you want to remove this row.
This code will work:
let selectedNode = this.params.node;
let selectedData = selectedNode.data;
this.params.api.updateRowData({remove: [selectedData]});

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange