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Save Documents on a Flash Memory Stick
Save Files to a USB Flash Drive
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HOMEPAGE COMPUTERS & ELECTRONICS
How to Save Data to a Western Digital My Passport External Drive
Written by: Lindsay Howell
Western Digital's line of My Passport external hard drives make it possible for users to move large amounts of data from place to place more easily. The hard drive connects to the computer via a USB cable that comes with the device, and appears in your Computer window under Devices with Removable Storage.
Avoid having to save data to your computer and move it to your external hard drive by saving data directly to the external hard drive.
Connect the external hard drive to an available USB port on your computer.
Open a Web browser, then navigate to the site where the file you want to download is located.
Right-click the file, then select "Save file as."
Click "Computer," then double-click the drive labelled "Passport." The file will be downloaded to the external hard drive. When the file has saved to the drive, a small box will appear in the right corner of the screen.
Western Digital's line of My Passport external hard drives make it possible for users to move large amounts of data from place to place more easily.
When the file has saved to the drive, a small box will appear in the right corner of the screen.
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Lindsay Howell has been writing since 2003. Her works have been featured in "Bittersweet," her campus literary magazine. Howell has a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Frostburg State University.


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Geosgaeno
Ruins — Antichamber
The Baaj Temple is the ruins that Tidus ends up in after being taken from Zanarkand in the beginning of the game. You can come back to this area after gaining access to the airship, where you can now get the Onion Knight and Anima.
To unlock this location in the airship, search for the coordinates x14, y57. Then, fly to the 'Baaj Temple' location.
Once you arrive, head forward until your party jumps in the water. Make sure you have armor with 'Stone Ward' or 'Stoneproof' on Tidus, Wakka, and Rikku before continuing, and equip any weapons that deal elemental damage (the specific element doesn't matter). When you're ready, swim forward towards the temple entrance, and you will be put into a boss fight.
Geosgaeno will mainly attack with Stone Punch, which will hit one of the party members and will have a chance to Petrify them. Since you're underwater, if a party member is inflicted with it they will instantly shatter, removing them from the battle. Once it is under 50% HP, it will begin using KO Punch as well. This attack will inflict Curse on a party member, and has a chance to instantly kill them.
After three attacks, Geosgaeno will inhale a party member, disabling them. This will also transfer most of the positive and negative status effects to it (for example, if it inhales Tidus while he has Protect, Haste, and Darkness, these effects will all transfer to Geosgaeno). While inhaled, the character can either use the Trigger Command 'Struggle' or Defend.
The boss has three versions of Regurgitate — an attack it uses that frees the party member:
If the character uses Struggle, the boss will use the attack immediately, and will damage the inhaled character for all of their HP, killing them.
If the character does not use Struggle by Geosgaeno's next turn, Geosgaeno will then use the attack on its turn. This time it will leave the inhaled character with 1 HP, and deal the same amount of damage to the rest of the party.
For example, if Tidus has 1500 HP when Regurgitated, he will be brought down to 1 HP, and Wakka and Rikku will be damaged for 1499 HP.
If the boss is killed while a character is still inhaled, it will use the move before dying, and deal 9999 damage to the entire party.
As long as your party has resistance to Petrify, the fight is straightforward. Since the boss is weak to all elements, you can take it down quickly by attacking with weapons that have an element attached to it, and using Use items that deal elemental damage with Rikku.
Just be mindful of any possible status effects it will gain when inhaling a party member, and make sure no one is inhaled when you finish the boss off (or have Auto-Life on someone to avoid a game over).
After the battle, swim to the center of the area, dive down, then swim south to find a chest with the Onion Knight (you will need to have the
Celestial Mirror to obtain it, however). Swim north after that to enter the Temple.
In the southwest corner of the room, you will find a chest containing a
Megalixir. Meanwhile, in the southeast corner you will find another chest with
4 Mega Phoenixes.
Inside the Antichamber you will see six statues, as well as a seal at the end of the room. Each statue represents one of the Cloisters of Trials you went through during the story — they can be activated by collecting the Destruction Sphere treasure in the respective Cloister. If you collected the Destruction Sphere treasure, the statue will light up when you approach it.
When you activate all of the statues, the seal will break: you will then be able to go inside the next room to recruit Anima. If you need help getting treasures you're missing, you can check out our dedicated Anima guide for instructions and tips on how to get each one.
When you're ready to leave, head back to the water and press
to return to the bridge from where you arrived. Then, use the Save Sphere to return to the airship.
Final Fantasy X Side Content
EIP Gaming > Final Fantasy X/X-2 > Final Fantasy X: Baaj Temple

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Artist Boz Schurr's mural is a reflection on her summer art residency in Iceland. The imagery focuses on the feelings of loneliness and depression she experienced while living in a former dairy farm on the outskirts of Reykjavik, while also documenting the transformation she felt upon her return to Hawai'i.
Schurr uses water-based house paint to create her murals, which can be seen around town in places like at the corner of Pi'ikoi and Kona streets.
Feb. 24 to April 21 Schurr leads a mural class, for students in grades 7 to 12, that will interact with her mural. "I feel it is also important for the kids to paint over these feelings as part of the healing process focusing on how things in our lives, while seemingly huge and insurmountable at the time, will eventually pass," says Schurr.
Schurr is no stranger to the museum. She took part in a now-defunct Artist in Residence program in the museum's basement gallery (it is now used as a space for school tours). See a video of her in action.


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Pine Gate Renewables' 108-MW Trent River solar project now online
By SB Staff July 14, 2021
Pine Gate Renewable's Trent River Solar project located in Pollocksville, N.C., is now online and generating 108 MW of energy. The project is one of the first to be awarded a 20-year PPA through Duke Energy's Competitive Procurement of Renewable Energy (CPRE) program.
Trent River Solar broke ground in July 2020 and reached its commercial operation date this month. The site features 832,170 solar panels covering about 725 acres, which provide power to more than 16,000 homes a year. The clean energy generated by Trent River is equivalent to removing 134,094 tons of greenhouse gas emissions or 148 million pounds of coal burned.
"We're thrilled to bring low cost, clean power options to the local residents and businesses of Jones County," said Ben Catt, CEO of Pine Gate Renewables. "It's exciting to see such a big project like Trent River Solar come to life. This is another testament to Blue Ridge Power's team of in-house experts, who conducted all the engineering, procurement and construction for this project."
Trent River Solar is only the latest Pine Gate Renewables site to go online amongst its portfolio of 36 solar projects already in operation or under construction in North Carolina. Silver Pine Energy Holdings and Pine Gate Renewables are joint venture partners for the project.
Tags: Duke Energy, North Carolina, Pine Gate Renewables, Pollocksville, Trent River Solar
Best of RE+ 2022 (lighter side edition)
ConnectDER's Solar Collar available in Nebraska to ease new residential solar installations
SiteCapture acquired by FotoNotes, looks to streamline solar operations in the field
LONGi's HJT solar cell achieves 26.5 percent conversion efficiency


These electrodes connect to the ECG machine via wires, where the signals that they measure are reported. These wires typically clip onto the back of the ECG electrodes after they are affixed to the patient's skin, which allows the electrodes to be placed before the machine must be attached.... 25/11/2003 · Does someone have a reference for an ECG (EKG) machine schematics or any other technical info about that? I'm going to build an ECG in order to measure the heart activity.
There are several elements to consider when shopping for the best price and quality on EKG equipment. The EKG, or electrocardiograph machine, is an essential diagnostic tool for practicing physicians and the accuracy and reliability of the office EKG machine is critical to diagnosis.... Download Document of Welch Allyn CP 100 Resting ECG / EKG Machine (DEMO). Discount Cardiology ships via the Federal Express Service, which delivers shipments anywhere in the United States -- usually within 2-5 business days -- at low rates.


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Top Sydney Motor Sports
You are viewing Virtual Experiences in Sydney. See more Virtual Experiences around the globe. 🌎
114 results | All Sydney Tours
Wild Australian Wildlife 4WD Tour from Sydney
See Australia's most famous native animals in their natural habitat on a full-day tour from Sydney. In a comfortable 4WD, explore the Southern Highlands with a naturalist guide to look for koalas, kangaroos, platypus, emus, wombats and other critters in the wild. Your small-group tour includes refreshments and dinner in a classic pub, and you stay out after dark in order to view nocturnal animals in action. With numbers limited to 11 people, enjoy a more customized experience.
Blue Mountains Ultimate One-Day Tour
Explore the beautiful Blue Mountains National Park on this small-group excursion with a local guide. After a convenient hotel or AirBnB pickup, watch for koalas, wombats, and crocodiles at Featherdale Wildlife Park, marvel at Katoomba Falls and the amazing Three Sisters rock formation, enjoy a rainforest railway ride and a complimentary lunch, and learn about important elements of aboriginal culture.
Beautiful Sydney Sunriser Kayaking Tour
During our 28 years on Sydney Harbour, we know all the top spots to visit. We can explore many different locations depending on the conditions and we will do it in style by using beautiful Australian made lightweight sea kayaks (made by Mirage Sea Kayaks). On our paddle, it is more enjoyable that we cruise at a leisurely pace, therefore you will only need a moderate level of fitness. You will need to be at least an intermediate or experienced kayaker. We do not recommend this tour for beginner paddlers. Beginner paddlers should first start with our Middle Harbour Eco Tour
Manly Self-Guided Bike Tour
Escape the city for a full-day cycling adventure and pedal your way along the soaring sea cliffs, golden beaches and tree-lined promenades of Manly. Hop on your rental bike and set out on a self-guided route, passing landmarks like Manly Corso, Manly Lagoon and Cabbage Tree Bay. Stop along the way to take a dip at Shelly Beach, see the Collins waterfall or admire the scenery of Sydney Harbour National Park.
Ultimate Blue Mountains Private Tour including Scenic World and Featherdale
Experience the beauty and history of the Blue Mountains on this private full-day tour. Start with a cable car journey for views of the Jamison Valley and then see the Three Sisters rock formation. Visit Scenic World and ride the 'world's steepest railway', and stop for lunch in the picturesque town of Leura (own expense). Next you'll experience a traditional Aboriginal dance performance, and feed a Kangaroo if you choose. This tour is ideal for visitors who want to get out of the city learn about Australian culture and history.
Hawkesbury River Kayak Adventure
Come & explore the unspoilt wilderness on Sydney's northern doorstep, just 45 minutes from the CBD - The mighty Lower Hawkesbury. See shipwrecks and waterfalls, hear the Indigenous heritage and settlers' history – all from our stable and stylish double sit-on top kayaks. The perfect way to experience this incredible Country. Paddle past the towering sandstone cliffs, and pull in to untouched beaches for a tea or a coffee. Take a short hike to a clifftop lookout with breathtaking views over the meeting of the 3 great waterways: Berowra, Marramarra, and the Hawkesbury. All food and equipment provided, no experience required. Tea, coffee, and snacks also provided. Kayaking is easy and fun for everyone, we welcome all ages, just bring a sense of adventure! Come by train: A scenic one hour ride from Central, with trains leaving each way every hour. Or drive a car 45 minutes north from the CBD to Deerubbun Reserve boat ramp. Pick ups also available if you're staying on the river.
U-Fly Aerobatics Flight Experience
Experience the ultimate thrill as you take to the skies for a high-altitude high-adrenaline 45-minute aerobatics flight. Soar over Sydney's suburbs in a Robin 2160i aircraft, specially designed for aerobatic training, then hold on tight as you try daring loops, rolls and turns. If you dare, you can even take control and learn the basics of climbing, turning and leveling, before coming in to land at Sydney's Bankstown Airport. Best of all, with full instruction provided and an expert pilot by your side, no previous flying experience is needed!
Blue Mountains Deluxe Small-Group Eco Wildlife Tour from Sydney
Leave the bustle of Sydney behind during a full-day tour of the World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains. Enjoy a picturesque morning tea picnic at Calmsley Hill before seeing the highlights of Blue Mountains National Park including the Three Sisters rock formation and Govetts Leap. Have the option to include a 2-course lunch at the elegant Hydro Majestic Hotel. This is a small-group tour, with numbers limited to 17 people, for a more intimate experience.
Imagine yourself spending a leisurely afternoon sitting on the comfort of a modern electric bike, sweeping past the Sydney Opera House, gliding over the iconic Harbour Bridge and taking in unforgettable views of the world famous Sydney Harbour! And experiencing all of this through the eyes of friendly local Aussie tour guides. That is The Big Easy guided bike tour! Join a small group of no more than 6 guests for our signature sightseeing tour, and you will experience all of the highlights of Sydney and some hidden gems, learn about Sydney's amazing history and funny stories from locals, and leave with unforgettable memories!
Blue Mountains Private Day Tour from Sydney with Wildlife Park and Cruise
Explore the beautiful Blue Mountains on this small-group excursion with a local guide. After a convenient hotel pickup, watch for koalas, wombats, and crocodiles at Featherdale Wildlife Park. Then, take an optional cable car ride with amazing views of Katoomba Falls, visit Australia's Grand Canyon, and enjoy a relaxing cruise back to Sydney on the Parramatta River.
Blue Mountains Deluxe Overnight Eco Experience - Small Group (2-day)
Enjoy a luxurious overnight stay in the Blue Mountains on this partially guided 2-day tour from Sydney. Visit highlights including Three Sisters, Govetts Leap, Bridal Veil Falls, Blue Mountains Botanic Gardens at Mt. Tomah, and Calmsley Hill Farm for a comprehensive look at this stunning UNESCO World Heritage-listed region. Your small-group tour includes deluxe accommodation at Lilianfels Blue Mountains Resort and Spa, breakfast and an elegant 2-course restaurant lunch, transportation with live onboard commentary, hotel pickup and drop-off at select hotels, and entrance fees to listed attractions.
Intense Aerobatic Experience in the Open Canopy Red Baron Pitts Special
Experience the thrill of an aerobatics flight with an expert pilot who provides a once-in-a-lifetime adventure over Sydney. After an introduction to basic tricks, your pilot takes your small plane through a sequence of aerobatic maneuvers used in modern-day competition. These daredevil moves were perfected by fighter pilots during World War I in order to avoid being shot down during attacks. Your pilot explains each move via headsets that allow for two-way communications throughout your adrenaline-filled flight.
Blue Mountains Wildlife Full-Day Sights and Hiking from Sydney
Venture off-the-beaten-track on this full-day Blue Mountains adventure from Sydney. Enjoy morning tea at Calmsley Hill Farm and admire indigenous animals such as koalas, kangaroos, emus, and wombats. Next, get a unique view of the Three Sisters from the little-known Eaglehawk Lookout; and enjoy spectacular views of Jamison Valley. Then, set out on a 2-hour self-guided hike from Evans Lookout to Govetts Leap, stopping to tuck into a picnic lunch (included) overlooking the dramatic canyon and waterfalls of the Grose Valley.
Blue Mountains Private Tour with Wildlife Park and River Cruise
Explore the beautiful Blue Mountains on this private excursion with just your party and a local guide. After a convenient hotel or AirBnB pickup, watch for koalas, wombats, and crocodiles at Featherdale Wildlife Park. Then, enjoy an optional cable car ride with amazing views of Katoomba Falls, visit Australia's Grand Canyon, and learn about important elements of aboriginal culture.
Sunset Blue Mountains Wilderness & Wildlife Tour (Without the Crowds)
Nature lovers—this is the tour for you! Swap the hustle and bustle of Sydney for a day exploring the natural beauty outside the city. Avoid spending time stuck in traffic by going on a tour designed to miss peak hour traffic jams. A guided bushwalk is included, so you won't have to worry about studying a map. See Wentworth Falls, and the Three Sisters rock formation. A highlight is an incredible sunset over the Blue Mountains—the ideal photo opportunity.
Blue Mountains 4WD Eco-Tour with Helicopter Flights
Soar over the Blue Mountains in a helicopter, then venture off-road in a 4WD, on this 6-hour tour from Sydney. Take off over Sydney Harbour and enjoy spectacular aerial views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House and the Parramatta River, before landing in Blue Mountain. Then, embark on a thrilling 4WD adventure, exploring the dramatic peaks and caves of the Megalong Valley, and stopping to spot kangaroos and enjoy a picnic lunch in the rainforest.
Blue Mountains Private Tour - wild kangaroos, waterfalls and The Three Sisters
Benefit from traveling with your own private guide to explore Blue Mountains National Park on this personalized full-day tour from Sydney. The UNESCO World Heritage-listed park features an abundance of natural wonders including the Three Sisters rock formations, Wentworth Falls, native Australian animals at Featherdale Wildlife Park, and picturesque Katoomba and Leura. Customize your itinerary, and have the option to return on a scenic Parramatta River cruise.
Kiama South Coast Tour with Coastline, Farmlands, Aboriginal Engravings & Lunch
Escape the city and explore the Kiama Coast region, its bushland, forests, farmlands and coastal beaches on this full-day adventure. Travel from Sydney taking in panoramic views along the route including clifftop lookouts and multiple viewpoints. Look out for indigenous wildlife, walk across secluded beaches and discover aboriginal engravings before indulging in a freshly prepared BBQ lunch outdoors. Enjoy a more personal experience on this small-group tour led by a local guide.
Private Blue Mountains Tour with Kangaroo and Koala Experience
Benefit from a private full-day tour of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains with round-trip transport from Sydney. Visit popular destinations and lesser-known spots in Blue Mountains National Park, and meet some of Australia's native animals at Featherdale Wildlife Park. You'll make the most of your time with a private guide, and have the option to return on the scenic Parramatta River cruise (additional cost).
Eastern Sydney Panorama trike tour
Open for tours! We are following the NSW Government health guidelines re: COVID19. You will have a safe and clean tour. We have experienced, NSW Government accredited riders who just love their job. They are knowledgeable and fun. You will feel the breeze on your face and the sun warming your skin. There is not much of an opportunity to feel free these days. Our tours will give you the chance to 'let your hair down'. The adventure of a lifetime! We can provide Harleys instead of a trike if you'd prefer.
Sydney Harbour, Northern beaches and National Park
Take a day away from Sydney and head north: filled with beaches, historical sites, and Australian bushland. This private tour includes time to linger at Manly Beach and a stop at West Head Lookout in Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park to view aboriginal rock art. At Palm Beach we visit Barrenjoey Lighthouse and have a nutritious lunch. We then have a brief stop at Avalon and Bilgola Beaches, and catch a return ferry on Sydney Harbour from Manly. The day covers a lot of ground, with exceptional scenery.
Sydney Harbour Hike to Manly
Get out of the city for a 4-6 hour hike though Sydney Harbour National Park. Swim at secret beaches, learn about Australia's flora and fauna, and feel good doing it with all of the proceeds going to Indigenous Literacy Foundation who's mission is to improve literacy among Indigenous children in Australia. After the hike, explore Manly's cafes, restaurants, and surf shops, and opt to take a scenic ferry ride back to circular quay.
Ultimate Blue Mountains and Wildlife Tour
We provide an experience, not just a tour. Be in the Blue Mountains National Park at sunset, a truly unique and magical experience. See Wallabies and Kangaroos in their natural habitat, away from the crowds and buses.
3 Day Pittwater Escape
Take the time to fully explore this incredible paradise, on our 3 day tour of Pittwater and Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park. The pristine beaches, crystal clear waters, hiking trails and breathtaking lookouts have made this a favourite playground for the people of Sydney for thousands of generations. With a kayak tour and a boat trip included, this is a chance to get up close and personal with this gorgeous Country. Try wakeboarding or tubing, swimming, snorkelling, you might even see some seals. Pull into a deserted beach and let the worries of the world slip away. The trip is fully catered, but you can choose to take advantage of some of wonderful waterfront restaurants on offer. Camp in comfort at The Basin - Sydney's famous family campground, complete with showers and bathrooms. Or, stay at the YHA, or a fabulous waterfront Boat Houses. All food and equipment is provided, no experience necessary, all you need to do is show up with a sense of adventure.
What are the best Motor Sports in Sydney?
The best Motor Sports in Sydney according to Viator travelers are:
See all Motor Sports in Sydney on Viator.
What Motor Sports in Sydney are taking additional safety precautions?
These Sydney experiences are providing additional COVID-19 safety measures:
What Motor Sports in Sydney are good for avoiding crowds?
These hidden gems in Sydney may have limited interaction with crowds:
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Recommended for Sydney


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Derelict passive mouse blog on the weekend has several jobs: primarily to make sure she makes sense. The second is bloggier: I make sure any pregnant children get health-care of the highest quality. The best cheeses at the corporate supermarket (Safeway) are fine if they're already in your fridge, but when it comes time to replace them, the best cheeses, why not go to the worker-owned grocery store (Rainbow) and buy that Leftist cheddar. Once everyone's sure they make sense — in the sense that the language pour is robust or solid, making sure the iPod is charging, don't telegraph anything, — break open a Thought Experiment Set Piece: the adult stoner's choiceless afternoon (multiplex).
If it's on my blog, you can be sure it's vegan AND kosher, so sup.
the false choice of the breastless necktie.
If it's important for fiction to advertise itself as socially conscious and that some of the proceeds will go toward buying the author's daughters farmer's cheese, please, please, revise, revise. Salad like typos cranberries itself up into a defecit — My deficit. A blinded salad's cranberries flare out ("like jeans"–Cricket Pete). If a college salad freezes on a plate, it'll be imperative that your reading end quickly. And begin again just as soon.
I'll not make a plate of sense for you, Imperativa. And a beautiful name, totally — Imperativa. Your purple Honda conceals many curves — I'd love to ride shotgun and change the CDs for you. Let's meet back here later; "Continue the Story." I've got a Nintendo DS full of stories for you. Knowing, winking, awful self-conscious stories about children of privilege ruining themselves against backdrops of total suffering.


text:
Home >History > Front page updates November 2006
Updates made to The Millenium Project in November 2006
This week's excuse (4/11/2006)
See the gardening secateurs that I was using to trim a bush when the branch broke and my hand slipped? See the finger on my other hand that got in the way of the blades? See the finger after the doctor finished the repair job? See how I temporarily have one fewer typing fingers than usual? The secateurs can cut through about 1cm of tree branch and lopping off a finger would be no trouble at all, so I suppose I should consider myself lucky that the damage is restricted to a cut going around 50% of the circumference of the finger and there was no damage to tendons or bone. I don't think that there will be much guitar practice around my place for the next week or so. As for the autism resulting from the mercury in the tetanus shot, I will just have to wait and see how bad it gets.
Seriously, typing is difficult enough with fewer than the usual fingers (I have to change which fingers I use for which keys) and it is also quite uncomfortable because of the way I have to hold my hand (and the finger hurts), I have to watch for any adverse interaction between the antibiotic and my normal diabetes medication (there shouldn't be any, but they share some unpleasant possible side effects), the particular antibiotic I am taking doesn't seem to have any effect on blood glucose (although it can cause false readings in certain circumstances!) but stress and infection do so I have to be wary, and everyday things like tying shoelaces and turning on a tap to get water for the tea can't be as automatic as usual. Consequently, I will have to limit what I do here this week.
Lie with a question. Answer with a lie. (4/11/2006)
Last August I mentioned that the Australian Vaccination Network had conducted a lie-to-the-parents a seminar and I graciously allowed that a suggestion that children receive "up to 50 vaccines by school age" was not strictly lying as the real number, 10, does literally fall into the category of "up to 50". Of course it also would be literally true for claims of "up to 1000", "up to a million" and "up to a googolplex", but perhaps even the AVN places limits on its own mendacity.
I have just received a media release from the AVN announcing another of these liefests, and this one is addressing four questions. Two of these questions illustrate the deceptive disingenuousness typical of organisations like AVN, where the wording of the question is all that is necessary to start the fear running in the listener and the answer is really just icing on the cake. I do notice, however, that the "up to" has disappeared from in front of the "50". I have sent the following message to the President of the AVN, and I eagerly await a reply.
Dear Ms Dorey,
I have been sent a copy of the media release about your seminar at Byron Bay on November 15. I notice that you will be addressing two questions which could reasonably be assumed to have very short answers, so I am intrigued about how you plan to expand the answers.
Overvaccination - Are 50 vaccines by school age too many?
The obvious answer to this is "Probably, yes". It is however a very strange question. The list below shows all the vaccines currently recommended for children up to school age. (I have omitted the Pneumococcal polysaccharide (23vPPV) and Hepatitis A which are only recommended for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in high risk areas.) The numbers in brackets are the doses of each vaccine in the schedule.
Hepatitis B (hepB) (5)
Diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough (acellular pertussis) (DTPa) (4)
Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) (4)
Polio (inactivated poliomyelitis IPV) (4)
Pneumococcal conjugate (7vPCV) (3)
Measles, mumps and German measles (rubella) (MMR) (2)
Meningococcal C (MenCCV) (1)
Chickenpox (varicella) (VZV) (1)
As this list shows, there are eight vaccines addressing twelve diseases, given in a schedule of 24 doses. None of these numbers is 50. I am at a loss to understand why the number 50 is mentioned in your question unless the question is purely rhetorical and simply intended to create a climate of fear and doubt in the minds of parents who are concerned about their children's health and welfare. It might be much wiser in the future to stick to the wording used in previous seminar promotions as it can be argued that saying "up to 50" when the number is really 8 is not strictly dishonest. Of course, it still depends on your definition of "dishonest", and your definition might differ from mine.
Cervical cancer vaccines - are our babies at risk of this sexually transmitted disease?
The only sensible answer to this question is "No", so I wonder why you are asking the question at all. There is no suggestion that the HPV vaccine should be given to "babies", but even if there were it is obvious that prevention of disease should be started as early as possible. Cervical cancer is a major killer of women around the world and I am sure that you would agree that any action which can reduce this toll should be supported. I believe that I have heard you say that you are not opposed to vaccination per se but just want it to be safe, so I assume that you are not opposed to the HPV vaccine on safety grounds as there has not been any opportunity to gather after-market reaction statistics.
Again, I wonder why you are asking this question. I hope that the intention is not to cast doubt on a vaccine by using some weird appeal to morals, as has been done with the Hepatitis B vaccine, as if offering protection against disease somehow encourages undesirable behaviour. Surely, if parents are worried about their adolescent children engaging in sexual activity the correct approach is consultation, discussion and education about morality and appropriate behaviour while simultaneously ensuring that the children have protection against any serious consequences (even up to a death sentence) should they have an occasional lapse of judgment or grace.
I would be happy to discuss this on the AVN mailing list should you ever permit me to subscribe, but without access to that forum I have little choice but to conduct the conversation in public on my web site.
Top Ten Signs You're a Fundamentalist Christian (4/11/2006)
This list has been travelling around for some time. I don't know who originally wrote it and there was a bit of anonymity about the person who sent it to me, but I like it and it bears repeating. If the original author would like to contact me I will of course acknowledge its provenance.
You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours.
You feel insulted and "dehumanised" when scientists say that people evolved from other life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that we were created from dirt.
You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a Triune God.
Your face turns purple when you hear of the "atrocities" attributed to Allah, but you don't even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered all the babies of Egypt in "Exodus" and ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in "Joshua" including women, children, and trees!
You laugh at Hindu beliefs that deify humans, and Greek claims about gods sleeping with women, but you have no problem believing that the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed, came back to life and then ascended into the sky.
You are willing to spend your life looking for little loopholes in the scientifically established age of Earth (few billion years), but you find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by Bronze Age tribesmen sitting in their tents and guessing that Earth is a few generations old.
You believe that the entire population of this planet with the exception of those who share your beliefs -- though excluding those in all rival sects - will spend Eternity in an infinite Hell of Suffering. And yet consider your religion the most "tolerant" and "loving."
While modern science, history, geology, biology, and physics have failed to convince you otherwise, some idiot rolling around on the floor speaking in "tongues" may be all the evidence you need to "prove" Christianity.
You define 0.01% as a "high success rate" when it comes to answered prayers. You consider that to be evidence that prayer works. And you think that the remaining 99.99% FAILURE was simply the will of God.
You actually know a lot less than many atheists and agnostics do about the Bible, Christianity, and church history - but still call yourself a Christian.
The Yurko Story, the final chapter (4/11/2006)
On October 31, baby slaughterer Alan Yurko pleaded guilty to three charges of burglary and one of aggravated theft. He will be sentenced on November 21. A charge of drug possession had been dismissed a few days earlier. (It looks like he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time when the police raided a house looking for cocaine and scooped up everybody who was on the premises at the time. Someone without the resources to find a $250 bail deposit is not likely to be a useful customer for a coke dealer.) The absurdity of the cocaine possession charge was compounded by the fact that he was facing a sentence three times as long as he served for the death of baby Alan. Because he couldn't raise bail, he was imprisoned for more than a year before the charge was dismissed, although this might be moot as he was also being held on the burglary charges.
I have commented before that it is difficult to have any sympathy for someone who beats a child to death, but there is a real possibility that Yurko might not have needed to return to a career in crime if promises made to him when he was being used as a poster boy by the anti-vaccination liars had been kept. After all, he doesn't appear to be a very competent burglar because he keeps getting caught. I recently raised the matter of the way he had been abandoned by his erstwhile friends as soon as his usefulness to them was over with one of his strongest supporters and she was quite open about it. Her position was that he had gone back to his old haunts and companions so anything that happened to him was his fault. She had no time for my argument that he wouldn't have needed to go back to crime if the job offers and pretences of friendship had been real. She simply didn't care what happened to him now, and it was time to move on to new ways of campaigning against vaccination. Still, why should I expect even a hint of human decency from people whose pleasure in life is endangering the lives of children?
How ignorance kills (4/11/2006)
Elli Perkins believed the nonsense from Scientology that there is no such thing as mental illness, so she would not let her son Jeremy have treatment for his schizophrenia. He is now receiving treatment at the state's expense, because on March 13, 2003, (L. Ron Hubbard's birthday) Jeremy stabbed his mother 77 times. The CBS program 48 Hours covered the tragedy on October 28, 2006, and you can see the video below.
Time out (11/11/2006)
There will be no update to this site next week as I will be attending the Australian Skeptics national convention. If you can make it to Melbourne for either or both of the two days there is still time to make a reservation. As I did last year, I will buy a beer for anyone who can tell me the secret password.
Your money is in safe hands (11/11/2006)
The ANZ is Australia's third-largest bank by market capitalisation. Her Majesty has her salary from her above-top-secret government job paid into an account at the ANZ. Customers and shareholders of the ANZ probably assume that their money and the bank's assets are being carefully managed. At least we can be sure that the stacks of banknotes are kept in a very tidy condition. It gives a whole new meaning to the expression "arranging your finances".
I suppose I asked for this! (11/11/2006)
In response to last week's list of signs that someone is a fundamentalist Christian, regular visitor and correspondent Richard Scheffler sent me a list of ten signs that someone is an Australian. To allow for Australian Goods and Services Tax he sent 110% of the list. My only quibbles are that no Australian thinks that a koala is a bear and Number 10 is obviously about people from New Zealand. And what's wrong with travelling with a stuffed bear?
You misspell common words like "color" and "honor."
You believe a large island is actually a small continent.
You know all the words of "Waltzing Matilda."
You know "Advance Australia Fair" exists but know none of the words.
Your head of state is a woman who lives thousands of miles away with no apparent qualifications for the job. In addition, she can't understand a thing you say.
You pronounce "Aus" as "Oz" as in "The Wizard of..."
You think Mel Gibson is a great actor.
A large marsupial is a feature of your country's achievement of arms.
Another nasty tempered, foul smelling, slow moving marsupial is the symbol of your national airline. You think said marsupial is a bear.
You have strange feelings about sheep.
You travel with a stuffed bear.
Should I be skeptical? (11/11/2006)
The products of the Heineken corporation are very highly rated at my place. Now I find that not only do they make excellent beer, but they also run lotteries and want to give me a million pounds. Somehow, however, I feel that one of the world's largest brewers would have their own domain and wouldn't need to use a Hotmail address to write to me. They might even know that Australia isn't part of Africa.
Do people really fall for this nonsense? (And yes, Heineken do have a warning about the scam on a web site. It's a pity that it's not on the site where people are most likely to look.)
HEINEKEN BOTTLING COMPANY
#55 SCHOOL GATE PLACE,
STAMFORD BRIDGE,
LONDON, SW1V 3DW.
Dear Lucky Winner,
THE HEINEKEN COMPANY OFFICIAL PRIZE NOTIFICATION
We are pleased to inform you of the result of the just concluded annual final draws of Heineken Annual Promo. The online Heineken Annual Promo draws was conducted by a random selection of email addresses from an exclusive list of 29,031 E-mail addresses of individuals and corporate bodies picked by an advanced automated random computer (TOPAZ) search from the internet. However, no tickets were sold but all email addresses were assigned to different ticket numbers for representation and privacy. After this automated computer ballot, your e-mail address emerged as one of (12)twelve winners in the fourth category for the second prize with the following data:
Ref Number: ASL/941OYI/02/SHYN
Batch Number: 14/28/0046
Ticket Number: 025-11464992-750
You as well as the other winners are therefore to receive a cash prize of 1,000,000.00 (ONE MILLION POUNDS STERLING ) each from the total payout. Your prize award has been insured with your e-mail address and will be transferred to you upon meeting the requirements, statutory obligations, verifications, validations and satisfactory report. Please note that your lucky winning number falls within our African booklet representative office in West Africa as indicated in your play coupon. To begin the claims processing of your prize winnings you are advised to contact our licensed and accredited Processing manager/security company for SECOND category winners with the information below: You are required to fill and SUBMIT the following informations to the Processing manager via email below
NAME:..........................................................
AGE:.............................................................
SEX:.............................................................
ADDRESS:..................................................
PHONE:.......................................................
OCCUPATION:..........................................
COMPANY:.................................................
ANNUAL INCOME:..................................
NEXT OF KIN...........................................
STATE.........................................................
COUNTRY:.................................................
NATIONALITY..........................................
Your Reference and Batch number at the top of this mail: Please you are adviced to complete the form and send it immediately to our Promotion manager through email or fax for prompt collection of your fund.
( CONTACT OUR PROMOTION MANAGER )
Overseas Claims/United Kingdom Payment Unit
Name : Mr. Lesley Macdavidson
Email : agent_lesley@msn.com
Phone : +44 (0) 7024035466
You are to keep all lotto information away from the general public especially your reference and ticket numbers. (This is important as a case of double claims will not be entertained).
NOTE: All winnings must be claimed within 20 days from today. After this date all unclaimed funds would be included in the next stake. Remember to quote your reference information in all correspondence with your Promotion Manager.
Members of the affiliate agencies are automatically not allowed to participate in this program.
Note that this program was largely promoted and sponsored by a group of philanthropist, industrialists from the internet hardware industry and some other big multinational firms who wish to be anonymous.
Thank you and Accept my hearty congratulations once again!
Mr. Allan Brown
HEINEKEN Games/Lottery Coordinator.
Hotmail is evolving - be one of the first to try out the Windows Live™ Mail Beta
Essential television (11/11/2006)
Next Thursday I will be going to the Sydney MindBodySpirit Festival with a reporter from the television program A Current Affair. I don't know when the segment will go to air, but as the MBS festival is only on for four days and ACA only runs on week nights I would assume that it will appear on either Thursday or Friday night.
If you have never been to one of these festivals I can highly recommend a visit, although you will have to have your emotions under control otherwise you will fluctuate between deep sadness and consuming hilarity as you walk past the often crazy exhibits. Most of it is harmless fun, however, if you allow "harmless" to include "taking money under false pretences". A lot of it is voluntary taxation, some of it is dangerous quackery (although this seems to have been getting better over the years), and some of it is even good and useful. I always manage to buy something, even if it's only a bottle of chilli sauce or a CD of relaxing music inspired by swimming with dolphins.
Admitting a mistake (11/11/2006)
One of the defining differences between science and pseudoscience is that science is a work in progress and mistakes are recognised, acknowledged and fixed. In pseudoscience however, and particularly in pseudomedicine, no mistakes are allowed as apparently a single admission of being wrong could cast doubt on the entire edifice. (Religious nuts have a similar problem, which accounts for the continued existence of Creationism.)
Probably the most important advance in the area of public health made over the last few months has been the availability of a vaccine against the human papilloma virus, strongly linked to cancer of the cervix. As this form of cancer is a major killer of women around the world and the methods of testing for its presence are less than perfect, having a vaccine is wonderful news. If you are not opposed to vaccines, of course.
The following saga was played out on the Usenet newsgroup misc.health.alternative this week, and shows how mad things can become when an anti-vaccination ideology is combined with a total resistance to admitting any error.
A news release is posted about how the HPV vaccine has been approved for distribution in the US. The poster is well known as an opponent of vaccination (although she denies this, of course), so it is reasonable to infer that she posted it as part of a scare campaign. (She is also well known for failing to understand material she quotes from other sources, so there is a bit of "doubt benefit giving" here.)
I rather slyly and sarcastically congratulate her on the message and for bringing us the good news. I do not expect a coherent response, as another thing this poster is famous for is absolute concrete thinking so sarcasm, allegory, metaphor, etc go over her head at an altitude which almost puts them in orbit.
A discussion starts up between me and another person in Australia about the situation in our country. The vaccine has been made available but it costs $465 per dose to the end consumer. If it was subsidised by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme it would cost a maximum of $29.50, with the rest of the manufacturer's price being paid by the PBS. The body responsible for making recommendations for inclusion in the PBS, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee, has recommended that the vaccine not be included in the PBS at this time. (You can see a media release about the PBAC recommendation here.)
The original poster butts in with a comment about the CDC and its "vested interest" in Merck.
I reply that we are talking about Australia where the CDC has no influence and the vaccine is manufactured by Commonwealth Serum Laboratories (CSL).
Without bothering to see what, if anything, I had said in response to the comments mentioned in 4, the poster then offers the following bizarre non sequitur as full comment: "The PBAC has vested interest".
I ask for evidence of this and receive the following: "It's all over the net--but you knew that". The response to my pointing out that the PBAC's refusal to allow the vaccine into the PBS must have cost CSL tens of millions of dollars is "And the four stockholders, and the 58 members who have a vested interest. Look it up".
I do indeed look it up, and provide links to the PBAC, the PBS and the list of the 14 (not 58) members of of the PBAC. I also reiterate the nonsensicality of suggesting that a committee which takes possibly hundreds of millions of dollars out of the pocket of a vaccine manufacturer is somehow acting in that company's interests. At $465 per dose the demand will be limited, but at $29.50 every sane woman between 10 and 26 will be rushing to get the shot with every shot returning just as much to the manufacturer as those provided at full cost.
Now here's where things get really weird. The poster responds to this by removing everything that I have said, reverting to the single statement "The PBAC has vested interest". She then reproduces in full a quite insane magazine article from 2003 in which I am outed as being a member of the Illuminati. (The article was not a surprise to me. It amuses me so much that I have had it available for download from here for a very long time.) She finishes off with "Now watch Peter try to trash Jennie Burke".
I ask what Jennie Burke has to do with Gardasil, the PBAC, or anything else even remotely related to the conversation.
The reply is to remove my words, repeat the full text of the mad magazine article and say "He is so predictable".
I give up and look for something more useful to do.
The amazing thing about this is that it seems to have arisen out of a misunderstanding of the roles of the CDC and PBAC in the US and Australia respectively, and could have been solved by simply saying "Ooops! I didn't notice that the country under discussion had changed". But that would have been impossible because that would have been admitting error, and this particular poster does not accept the concept of error and accuses people of lying all the time. (Except Hulda Clark, of course, who was simply mistaken when she called a book The Cure for All Diseases.)
You might think that this is an isolated incident and not representative of all alternative medicine supporters. Unfortunately, it follows a well-established pattern of alternauts rejecting anything which contradicts or conflicts with what they think they know, even if admitting being wrong makes no difference. You can see some more about this phenomenon here.
I'm back!! (25/11/2006)
It's been a hectic couple of weeks. There was TomKat's wedding in Italy, the launch of the Pope's new book (unfortunately too far away in time from the wedding to combine the two events in a single trip), Thanksgiving dinner at the White House, my daughter's 18th birthday, and the Australian Skeptics National Convention. I'm still catching up after all the excitement (and catching up with real life work as well) so this week's update will be a little patchy. Normal transmission should resume next week.
The Australian Skeptics 2006 National Convention (25/11/2006)
The convention was excellent, and a couple of speakers provided some useful (and informed) input into the debate about climate change, global warming, and what we are and could be doing about both. The 2007 convention will have the environment as its main focus, and I am looking forward to hearing speakers from all parts of the spectrum. This is something which we might have only one chance to get right, and (unlike, say, Holocaust denial and the people who deny the existence of AIDS or mental illness) there are respected scientists with differing views who can all make useful contributions to the debate. My own position is that while I might joke about how global warming could benefit me by moving Ratbag Castle from the middle of Sydney to the eastern suburbs and a water frontage, it will be no joke if we really do get it wrong and Manhattan, Melbourne and most of Bangladesh disappear. This is one case where I believe that the precautionary principle should be employed and if we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions we should, but we have to be wary of extremists on both sides of the argument.
The other main thrust of the convention was the media and how it interacts with and can be used by the skeptical and critical thinking movement to spread the word. Unfortunately, I came back from the convention to find that Australia's most respected television network is replacing its premier science program over the summer break with a series touting the successes of psychic investigators. I don't mean people who investigate psychics - the show is about people who use psychic powers to do the investigating. This time of year is called the "silly season" in medialand, but I never expected the Australian Broadcasting Corporation to be at the vanguard of the silliness.
It is traditional to award two prizes at the Australian Skeptics convention - Skeptic of the Year and the Bent Spoon. The name of the first award doesn't leave room for much confusion, and the 2006 Skeptic of the Year is Dr Karl Kruszelnicki. Dr Karl works for the ABC (among other jobs) and wears colourful shirts, so nothing more needs to be said to explain his win. The Bent Spoon Award is "presented to the perpetrator of the most preposterous piece of paranormal or pseudoscientific piffle" and this year went collectively to the retail pharmacists of Australia for their practice of overcoming both their professional training and cognitive dissonance to sell homeopathy and other nonsense alongside real medicines.
This convention was also the occasion for the announcement of the inaugural Australian Skeptics Prize for Critical Thinking, which went to Dr Martin Bridgstock for his university course encouraging critical thinking. A special award was made to Kylie Sturgess, a high-school English teacher, who has managed to teach thinking in an English class rather than a science class.
You can hear some of the voices from the convention here
Updates and catchups (25/11/2006)
Here are some follow-ups to things which have been mentioned here in the past:
The chopped finger - The bandages are off the finger that I almost cut off a week or so ago. The finger is still very tender around the wound, but it looks like everything will heal up eventually without any residual problems. I haven't lost any nerve function, and the only problem now (apart from soreness) is that I have lost some mobility in the finger and it won't touch the palm of my hand without being forced down. I expect that this will get better with some exercise. I played some Django Reinhardt to remind me how much damage you can do to your left hand and still be able to play the guitar, but as I don't claim to be a musical genius like him I am just happy that I still have all the fingers I need for the limited number of chords in my repertoire.
The huge number of vaccines - I haven't received a reply to my email to the president of the Australian Vaccination Network asking her how eight vaccines against twelve diseases given in a schedule of 24 shots becomes "50 vaccines by school age". I didn't really expect a reply, because I can't imagine how any reply could both make sense and be truthful.
The MindBodySpirit Festival - I apologise to anyone who sat through episodes of A Current Affair expecting to see me wandering among the woowoo at Sydney's MindBodySpirit Festival. The plan was to go in the morning before I drove to Melbourne for the convention. Unfortunately the expedition had to be cancelled at short notice because of some staffing problems at the television show. I have a date with the reporter to go to the festival next May.
The court case - You may remember that I was involved in a court case which was settled in February this year. Nine months later the MLM company decided that there were still things on this site that they objected to. I fixed the problems and some more were then discovered. I hope that this is not a reprise of the drip-feed of complaints that I had to endure last year, but I have spent some time to make sure that the company is not mentioned by name anywhere on this site now, so hopefully the saga really is over
Natural is better - Alternative medicine supporters are always telling us that anything natural is healthy, curative and cannot cause any harm. I mentioned recently that the purveyors of one of my favourite beverages, Heineken, had apparently awarded me a prize of a million pounds sterling, although there was some doubt about the legitimacy of the prize. Even if I don't get the money, however, I am pleased to report that I know that Heineken is good for me. It may even speed up the healing of nearly-lopped fingers. And how do I know this? Just look at the label from the back of a bottle of this wonderful brew. Pay particular attention to where it says:
Email of the week (25/11/2006)
Don't you just love this? I don't like scamsters selling sugar and pretending that it can cure things, and that makes me a homosexual? I think this email says much more about the mental state of the writer than it does about me.
Subject: About mannatech
From: Harrison Salisbury
You're a homo--you have no idea how well glyco helps the body. Wow! Stop fighting that which is doing so much good. It will knock you're socks off if you looked at it without the pride barrier.
I s he talking about gay pride? You can see more about the Mannatech scam here.
Just for fun (25/11/2006)
My friend Richard from the Mystery Investigators has suggested building a collection of photographs of skeptics reading Richard Dawkins' latest book, The God Delusion, in different places. I hope to have a review of the book here shortly (as well as a review of Unintelligent Design by Robyn Williams), but in the meantime, here is Cody The Religion Hating Dog relaxing on my front porch and waiting for the next Bible-thumper to come along. The reason I say "religion-hating" is that the JWs and Mormons don't need to ring the bell to tell me they are about to start proselytising because I wouldn't hear it anyway over the barking, growling and other signs of doggy displeasure.


Speaking from Libya, Amnesty International Senior Crisis Response Adviser Donatella Rovera said: "After all the promises to get detention centres under control, it is horrifying to find that there has been no progress to stop the use of torture.
Donatella Rovera said: "So far there has been a complete failure on the part of those in power to take concrete steps to end torture and other ill-treatment of detainees and to hold accountable those responsible for such crimes.
Ensure that detainees undergo regular medical examinations and that medical certificates describing any injuries possibly resulting from torture are provided to the detainees and to the judicial authorities.


text:
The moratorium on stamp duty, with no duty payable in England for homes up to the value of £500,000, would save a buyer £15,000 on a £500,000 home, with a reduced rate above that price.
Despite the government's previous announcement that there would be no extension to the Stamp Duty (SDLT) holiday beyond March, industry experts have been speculating that the new lockdown may just change everything.
Fortunately, this time the property sale and rental business has been allowed to function as normally is it's possible to do, in the circumstances, allowing viewings, sales and lettings to proceed, at least until the situation is reviewed again in mid February.
There is always the possibility, according to comments made by the cabinet office minister Michael Gove, that this latest lockdown may not be lifted until March, just days before the amnesty is lifted.
The cliff-edge cut-off date this situation has created has resulted in a conveyancing scramble, where solicitors and town hall searchers are being overwhelmed with work and anxious property buyers and sellers.
Although buyers are still able to agree deals, and arrange house moves, they cannot be sure that completions will go through before the 31st of March because of these backlogs and delays in the system.
Agents, surveyors and solicitors were lobbying government to extend the holiday by up to six months at the end of last year. This was when it could be argued their case was weak, with what appeared to be an improving Covid situation. Now the tables have been turned and many are optimistic that their case is strengthened.
A letter has been sent to the government on behalf of several property industry bodies by the big players in the industry, citing the compelling reasons why an extension to the moratorium would benefit the industry, the economy as a whole and importantly those people who are committed in the process of purchasing a property.
Andrew Montlake, managing director of mortgage broker, Coreco, told Property Industry Eye:
"Though the property market remains technically open, there will now be considerably more logistical issues for the simple reason that a lot of people will be working from home.
"Lenders, valuers and conveyancers are already experiencing bottlenecks and delays given the sheer amount of applications going through and the administrative upheaval caused by the latest lockdown will only serve to accentuate them.
"We would not be surprised if the Treasury makes an announcement this week about extending the Stamp Duty deadline to keep demand alive and give the property industry some much needed wiggle room."


text:
14 ways to Dubai
Eurasian Stars-2021
Eurasian Music Games-2017
25 – 28 April, 2023
Kazakhstan, Astana
Eurasian Stars
National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan
In 1998, People's Artist of Uzbekistan Ismoil Jalilov was appointed artistic director of the orchestra, and composer Anvar Ergashev was appointed principal conductor.
In November 1998 the National Symphony Orchestra performed a concert dedicated to the 100th anniversary of George Gershwin, in which US soloists D. Washington (baritone) and D. Fergunes (piano) took part. The concerts organized by the US Embassy in Uzbekistan have become an important event in the cultural life of Uzbekistan.
The collective collaborated with musical ensembles from UK, USA, France, Thailand.
The National Symphony Orchestra has 101 employees, 89 of them are musicians. Artistic director of the orchestra is People's Artist of Uzbekistan Ismoil Jalilov, conductor - Alibek Kabdurakhmanov (since 2018).
© "Eurasian Stars" International Piano Competition 2023


A well-funded outside group helping Texas Sen. Ted Cruz fight for the Republican presidential nomination has purchased $2.5 million of television advertising time — an investment that catapults it to the top tier of spenders in the 2016 race.
Keep the Promise I, one of more than a half dozen Cruz-themed super political action committees, placed new TV ads to begin airing Tuesday in Iowa, the first state up in the primary contest, spokeswoman Kristina Hernandez said Monday. The ad buy expands to third-to-vote South Carolina in a week, she said.
The ads come as Cruz appears to be picking up steam in the still-crowded Republican primary. He is at or near the top of recent polls in Iowa without having spent much campaign money to advertise there. Likewise, his super PACs have been slow to start spending major money on commercials.
That changes with this ad buy.
The new investment more than doubles what Keep the Promise I had previously booked on ads and puts it well ahead of Cruz's official campaign spending on TV, according to advertising tracker Kantar Media's Campaign Media Analysis Group.
The message of the new 30-second ad echoes Cruz's campaign theme that he has stood up to Democrats and Republicans alike. It includes clips of Cruz at a debate and at some of his own campaign appearances, and features people asserting that he can be trusted.
"He actually went to Washington, D.C., and did what he told the voters he was going to do," one woman says.
"When I tell you I'm going to do something, I'm going to do exactly what I said I'd do," Cruz is shown saying at the end of the ad.
By law, super PACs cannot take directions from the candidate they're helping, but they can significantly influence the race because — unlike the candidates' official campaigns — they face no limits on fundraising and can tap trusted former aides of the candidate to shape their messages.
The Keep the Promise super PAC quartet raised more than $37 million in the first six months of the year, making it one of the best-funded outside efforts supporting any presidential candidate. Fundraising reports documenting what these kinds of outside groups raised between July and December are due to federal regulators at the end of this month.
Keep the Promise I, which so far is the most active of any of the four, is funded almost exclusively by Robert Mercer, a New York hedge-fund billionaire.


I won't wish you a happy Independence Day this year.
Not just this year. Henceforth.
Because unless I begin doing something for my country, I simply do not deserve to wish you.
I was notified of this day coming. By the facebook event which asked me to show my love for my country by setting up India's flag in my profile.
Is this how I should show my love for my country?
I was sure I wouldn't be attending the event. I said myself if at all I uploaded anything to facebook it would be photos of how I served my country this I'day.
But till this moment, I have not did anything worthy to be uploaded under that tag.
I'm disappointed at not being able to do anything for my country.
But I live only in dreams.
I have written dozens of essays on the role of students in improving literacy (the last one, today morning).
But I haven't taught a word to anyone. When will I? How long will I be a student, to do that?
Not that I didn't have a chance. There was a woman who sold helmets by the National Highway. Just opposite my house. And she had two children. One girl about 10 years, and her younger brother, my brother's age. I knew neither of them went to school. I knew they deserved school as good as my brother and I. Yet I simply walked past them for weeks. Many a times had my hands reached for the paper and pen in my pocket to teach that little boy something. I even planned giving them an apple and teaching them the letter 'A'.
But I never did these.
And I'm angry about that. There is no point in crying now. Because they've had enough sales here. They've gone.
I could have taught that little boy and little girl something. Anything. Anything would have been valuable for their lives.
I dream so much about changing India. About empowering lives. If I can't teach a boy of 6 ABCD, how am I going to change India?
I speak so passionately about how dirty politics is. About how we shouldn't vote on the basis of religion, race, caste. But who am I to say that?
I don't even deserve to be a citizen of a country where people like Nani Palkhivala lived and died for protecting the rights of the people. And I don't wish to be one in a country where his name or the names of the thousands of others like him are not even heard.
Sure I have published a few posts in this unread blog about changing India. And some essays in school competitions that not even the judges care to read. What do I hope to happen? That all of a sudden all the Indians will get motivated and change themselves reading what I've written?
And who is to change India? My readers?
I ask everyone to change.
And I now realize my mistake.
But I knew my mistakes even before. Just that I won't rectify. I won't change. I will continue to be a dreamer. I will get into a nice profession, fill my purse, and eat unhealthy till I die. I will never feed the hungry. I will never enlighten souls.
I will never bring about the change I always speak so high about.
Because I'm such a loser.
What is the point in fighting hunger through facebook? What's the point in feeding children through clicks? What's the point in filling truckloads of paper with essays about changing India, taking her to the heights of development, etc?
What's the point in blabbering about good leadership when you can't be a leader yourself?
What's the point in thinking about action?
Action is physical. Not mental.
Do I deserve to wish you a happy Independence Day? No. I don't.
I can't even promise you that I will change myself. For, if I could I would have done something for my country already. I can only tell you that I will try.
And for that reason I do not deserve to ask you to do something either.
And I do not possess the right to express myself. I must shut up. Now.
But you can promise yourself that you will deserve the right to wish everybody a Happy Independence Day and hopefully inspire others to do so.


text:
\section*{Introduction}
Research areas on topology are spanning from pure mathematics\cite{Hopf31,Sunada12,Thurston82,Perelman03}, physics\cite{Berezinskii71,Kosterlitz72,Tanda02,Kane05,Hsieh08}, to chemistry\cite{Bissell94,Fang09,Molen09,Sauvage17,Dabrowski-Tumanski17}.
Mathematicians could even classify the shape of our universe\cite{Thurston82} and proved the Poincar$\rm \acute{e}$ conjecture successfully\cite{Perelman03}.
In condensed-matter physics, vortex and anti-vortex pairs in superconductors exhibit unusual topological phase transitions due to their binding and dissociations across the transition temperature\cite{Berezinskii71,Kosterlitz72}.
More recently, a topological insulator was proposed theoretically\cite{Kane05} and discovered experimentally\cite{Hsieh08}, which showed insulating character in the bulk regardless of its conducting surface.
In these materials, quantum states exhibit inherent topological nature\cite{Berezinskii71,Kosterlitz72,Kane05} upon the appropriate choice of materials\cite{Hsieh08}.
On the other hand, nontrivial topological structures themselves were also chemically synthesised using polymers\cite{MacGillivray94,Carlucci03,Proserpio10}, macromolecules\cite{Bissell94,Fang09,Molen09,Sauvage17}, and proteins\cite{Dabrowski-Tumanski17}.
These pioneering works are well-established in soft materials\cite{MacGillivray94,Carlucci03,Proserpio10,Bissell94,Fang09,Molen09,Sauvage17,Dabrowski-Tumanski17}, and the scope of our present paper is to expand the concept to apply for hard materials made by strong covalent bonds while keeping the flexibility.

\subsection*{Topological molecules ($0D$)}
To start with, we considered many topological molecules (Methods, Figs. 1 and 2, Supplementary Videos 1 and 2).
The most direct applications of topological materials would be Nano-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (NEMS)\cite{Van18}, towards developing a molecular motor and associated advanced chemical technologies\cite{Bissell94,Tanda02,Fang09,Molen09,Sauvage17,Dabrowski-Tumanski17}.
Figure 1a shows an ultimate example of trapped 1 benzene molecule using a straight-chain alkane of 1D atomistic carbon atoms connected to a Graphene sheet (Supplementary Video 1).
It is technologically accessible to make such a molecular motor by combining patterning technologies of a free-standing Graphene sheet by ion or electron beam irradiations and growth technologies such as Chemical-Vapour-Deposition\cite{Kim09}.
The combination is very important to construct a topologically complex structures, because we must close the bond (in this case, the benzene ring) without affecting the other bonds (straight-chain).
Obviously, larger molecules and wider chain will be more suitable to construct a practical NEMS device.

In order to realise directional rotation of a molecular motor, it is important to control chirality of a molecule.
The most simplest nontrivial knot is the Trefoil knot, which has a chiral counter part (Fig. 1c).
The left (right) Trefoil knot has always left (right) spiral circulation as climbing up the strand (Supplementary Video 2).
In other words, handedness is memorised in the molecule, which will be useful for applications in molecular memories and polarisation rotators.

It is not possible to memorise the handedness solely by twisting a 1D carbon ring to the left or the right, since it merely change the geometry without changing the topology  (Fig. 1b).
In order to memorise the handedness, we need to lock the status of the twisted ring, by inserting the other molecule into the ring and close the bond.
Then, we can make left and right topological molecules of Whitehead-links, whose handedness will be protected against the deformations of molecules as far as the bonds are sustained.

The situation is slightly changed, if we employ a Graphene nano-ribbon\cite{Nakada96}.
Even if it consists of just several benzene rings, the ring will define a $2D$ plane to confine the ribbon so that it is different from a pure 1D chain.
As a result, the Möbius strip\cite{Tanda02,Flouris19} can memorise the handedness whether the Graphene nano-ribbons were twisted to the left or the right before bonding without using another Graphene nano-ribbon (Fig. 1d).
Moreover, the number of twisted rotations is also a topologically protected valuable as a winding number, which is also robust against the deformation.
We also made even more complex structure such as Borromean rings (Fig. 1e).
To our surprise, the converged structure is rather beautiful with a proper symmetry upon exchanging rings, which was energetically favourable rather than keeping random deformations.

Besides knots, the simplest nontrivial link is the Hopf-link\cite{Hopf31,Fang09,Sauvage17,Dabrowski-Tumanski17} (Fig. 1h-1o and Extended Fig. 2 ).
We found a benzene ring can sustain its $\sigma$ bonds, while allowing another benzene ring to penetrate without making a proper $\sigma$ bond.
The benzene ring can move freely without changing the topology of the Hopf-link, which will be a huge advantage to make flexible devices.
However, the bond lengths of the benzene-based Hopf-link are significantly expanded, so that the high tensile strains of the order of 20\% are accumulated (Extended Fig. 2a ).
Therefore, it is not possible to introduce 2 benzene rings into 1 ring (Fig. 2b and Supplementary Video 2).
This will certainly limit the use of the benzene-based Hopf-link towards the construction of the $1D$ chain.

However, if we use 2 connected benzene rings (Naphthalene, C$_{10}$H$_{8}$), we can overcome this problem, since the insertion of just 1 benzene ring into the Naphthalene is enough for extending the length of the $1D$ Carbon-Nano-Chain (Fig. 2c and Fig. 3).
We also considered to open-up one of the benzene ring of Naphthalene (Fig. 1 b), which corresponds to use a larger ring (Cyclodecapentaene, C$_{10}$H$_{10}$) for the Hopf-link (Fig. 2d), whose bonds are significantly relaxed.
In the larger ring, we could introduce as many as 4 rings (Fig. 2e), so that we can also construct the $2D$ 4-in-1 Chainmail (Fig. 3c) in addition to a standard Chain (Fig. 3b).

\subsection*{Topological Chains ($1D$) and Chainmail ($2D$)}

The unique features of these Chains and Chainmail are their flexibility with the rigidity ensured by the $\sigma$ bonds (Fig. 3 and Supplementary Video 3).
Our Chains can be aligned to be straight-lines or to be rolled-up without breaking the topological links (Fig. 4).
The lengths can be changed to be several times, while it will be difficult to change the lengths of Carbon-Nano-Tubes\cite{Iijima91} due to its strong rigidity.
The $\sigma$ bonds using SP$_2$ orbitals are considered to be even stronger than SP$_3$ bonds of diamond, so that our chains will be much stronger than flexible polyacetylene\cite{Shirakawa77}.
It is interesting to consider a similarity of our proposed Chain to a macroscopic metallic chain and chainmail, against the Fullerene\cite{Kroto85} to a football.
We think that it would not be mere coincidence that we came up to the same structure that the human race is already using for a long time.
The idea behind the football shape would be its high spherical symmetry.
It is the compatibility of flexibility with its rigidity why people made a chain, by introducing the Hopf-links\cite{Hopf31} even without being aware of mathematical rigidity.
The argument would also be true in the molecular level (Fig. 4).

We have simulated various configurations of Chains by changing the boundary conditions.
For example, by introducing a twisted boundary conditions between one end of the chain to the other for the $1D$ Hopf-linked Chain, we could introduce a global kink as a form of a soliton, which is a topologically protected excitation (Fig. 4).
Upon rotating twice, we found the chain was broken due to the high tensile strains accumulated in the Chain  (Fig. 4e).

The chain can memorise the global winding number and the chirality (the left or the right rotation) upon twisting the Chain (Fig. 4).
This situation is completely different from a $1D$ atomic chain like a polyacetylene (Fig. 4f), due to its rotational symmetry.
One might think that polyacetylene would be more tolerant against the rotational disturbance, but no restoration force will work to prevent the rotation.
On the other hand, the Hopf-linked chain can accumulate the global strain and the restoration force will be generated to protect itself against the structural deformation.
This would be related to the reason why DNA with a double-stranded spiral structure was naturally selected due to its stronger tolerance in a competitive environment.

The geometrical coordinates of straight and rolled Carbon-Nano-Chains are apparently different, while both structures are topologically equivalent.
Therefore, we can regard these chains as possessing {\it Topological-Long-Range-Order (TLRO)} even without having translational nor rotational symmetries.
We can construct whole new varieties of materials with TLRO, as {\it topological materials}, which will not be categorised as a conventional crystal nor a completely-randomised amorphous material.
Examples of Chains and Chainmail are clear examples of topological materials.

\subsection*{Topological Crystals ($3D$)}

The concept of {\it Topological-Long-Range-Order (TLRO)} is also applicable to a $3D$ structure, and the idea of a {\it topological crystal}\cite{MacGillivray94,Carlucci03,Proserpio10} would be as exciting as a time crystal\cite{Shapere12}.
We have conceived to the idea of a new $3D$ carbon allotrope by considering nested structures with stacked Graphene sheets both vertically and horizontally, while the intersections of these sheets are made of Hopf-links (Figa. 5 and 6, Supplementary Figs. 1-5, and Supplementary Video 4).
To our surprise, the optimised structures have almost perfect translational symmetries, so that these will be realised as a conventional single crystal.

We propose to call this new structure, as {\it Hopfene}, named after a mathematician, Heinz Hopf, because of the importance of Hopf-links\cite{Hopf31} for this crystal.
Similar to Carbon-Nano-Tubes\cite{Iijima91}, which has a family of allotropes depending on how to roll-up a Graphene sheet, Hopfene also has a family depending on how to insert Graphene sheets (Methods, Supplementary Figs. 1-5, and Supplementary Video 4).
Graphene sheets were inserted perpendicular to the other stacks, and it was important to align the directions of the zig-zag edges in parallel to match the periodicity of the Graphene lattice (Supplementary Fig. 2).
Let's assume that we inserted the first sheet to the bottom available slot, labelled as slot 0  (Supplementary Fig. 2).
If we insert next sheets into the most adjacent available slot, slot 1, for both horizontal ($x$) and vertical ($y$) directions, the structure is called as (1,1) Hopfene  (Figs. 5a, 5d, and Supplementary Fig. 2).
In this case, the adjacent stacks are half-lattice constant shifted ($c/2$) along zig-zag edge ($z$) direction, so that the stack is called as AB-stack.
On the other hand, if we insert Graphene sheets into slot 2, while making the slot 1 empty, the structure is called as (2,2) Hopfene  (Figs. 5b, 5e, and Supplementary Fig. 2).
In this case, the nearest adjacent sheets are aligned so that the stack is called as AA-stack.
We considered more complicated insertions, such as the insertion into slot 1 for $x$-direction, while the insertion along $y$-direction is from slot 2, whose structure is (1,2) Hopfene (Figs. 5c, 5f, and Supplementary Fig. 3).
In general, there exists $(n,m)$ Hopfene, where $n$ and $m$ are integers to describe the insertion of Graphene sheets, and if $n$ and $m$ are odd (even), the sheets are AB (AA) stack.
If $n=m$, the Hopfene structure is tetragonal with the lattice constants $a=b\neq c$, while it is orthogonal ($a\neq b\neq c$) for $n\neq m$.
Therefore, we can recognise rectangular holes if we see the structure from the bottom (Fig. 5).
Therese holes would allow carrier doping by intercalation, which may lead superconductivity similar to alkali-metal doped Fullerenes\cite{Hebard91}.
If $n$ and $m$ are large, the size of the hole will be large, so that the Graphene sheets and the crystal itself can be deformed substantially, breaking the translational symmetry.
It is also expected that the actual experimental structures would be different due to the huge strains accumulated in rings, as theoretically predicted in a highly-strained Graphene, which stabilised to be a dimerised Kekul$\rm \acute{e}$-like structure\cite{Sorella18}.
Even in that case, TLRO would be kept as far as $\sigma$ bonds survived to keep Hopf-links.

It is straightforward to extend this concept\cite{MacGillivray94,Carlucci03,Proserpio10} to make {\it heterogeneous topological structures} by introducing different materials such as boron-nitride and molybdenum-disulfide.
The unique aspect of this approach is a topological link to bind various sheets strongly together without forming a proper chemical bond.
This configuration is {\it topologically different} from the simple stacking weakly bound together by van der Waals force\cite{Koma84}.

As the first step towards making Hopfene, we propose to make Hopf-linked bilayer-Graphene (Fig. 7 and Supplementary Fig. 6).
Unlike to the stacked bilayer-Graphene\cite{Oshima97,Novoselov04,Ando05,Ferrari06}, the Graphene sheets are linked only at the $1D$ chain, so that the impacts of the coupling on the band structure would be limited.
Reflecting the double layers, momentum space will also be double, leading to the crossed layers even in momentum space (Fig. 7b).
The valleys are degenerate at the same points, because the direction of the zig-zag edge ($z$) is the same for both layers due to sharing of the $1D$ chain.
As we increase the number of inserted Graphene sheets, momentum space will be eventually filled by layers towards the complete $3D$ band structure.
It is beyond the scope of this paper to predict how the $2D$ Dirac Fermions\cite{Kane05,Ando05,Nakada96,Sorella18,Armitage18} are crossing over to the excitations in $3D$ Hopfene.

\section*{Conclusion}
We have validated the concept of topological materials\cite{MacGillivray94,Carlucci03,Proserpio10} in materials with hard covalent bonds, which we believe, will be discovered for the future.
$1D$ Carbon-Nano-Chains, Hopf-linked bilayer-Graphene ($2D$), and $3D$ Hopfene have been proposed as examples of new {\it topological carbon allotropes}, which will be useful to examine fundamental physics of massless Dirac Fermions\cite{Kane05,Ando05,Nakada96,Sorella18,Armitage18} in topologically nontrivial geometries.
We envisage various practical applications (Extended Fig. 12) of these hard and flexible topological materials for DNA-sensing, functional materials, and NEMS.

\section*{Methods}

We have used Chem3D, a molecular editor, for all our simulations\cite{Evans14}.

For the simulations of the rolled Chains (Figs. 3 and 4) and Chainmail (Fig. 3), we have gradually changed the initial coordination of atoms.
If we changed the initial condition significantly different from the previously converged geometries, Hopf-links were completely broken and the structures were topologically changed.
This will also happen in the real situation, where the external force exceeded the threshold enough to break one of the $\sigma$ bonds for the Hopf-links.
Conversely, the proposed Chains and Chainmail will be topologically robust as far as the $\sigma$ bonds are maintained.
Thus, we expect a topologically flexible material, which would be as flexible as a rubber, while it is very stiff as hard as or even harder than a diamond due to its SP$_2$ nature of the rings.

Hopfene was made by preparing AA-stacked Graphene sheets, separated by the distance of the lattice constant of a Graphene, which is the adjacent distance between the sides of the ring (Supplementary Figs. 4 and 5).
Depending on the targeted stacking, described by $(n,m)$ where $n$ and $m$ are integers for the available slots along horizontal ($x$) and vertical ($y$) directions, the number of inserted Graphene sheets and separations were adjusted.
We have prepared the Graphene sheets by hands using the GUI (Graphical User Interface) of the software, so that the position and the distance were not perfect.
This uncertainty resulted in the formation of {\it  topological defects} in the final structure (Supplementary Fig. 1), but we kept as it is to highlight new types of defects without broken bonds.
Then, we optimised the structure relying on the algorithm of the software to minimise the energy.
After the optimisation, for (1,1) Hopfene, AB-stack was automatically chosen for both $x$ and $y$ directions by shifting the Graphene sheets with the amount of the half of the lattice constant along $z$ direction, regardless of the initial condition of AA-stack.
Here, please note that AB-stack of Hopfene is different from AB-stack of Graphite.
AB-stack of Hopfene means the parallel-shift of the Graphene sheet along the zig-zag edge (Fig. 6), while AB-stack of Graphite is the parallel-shift along the arm-chair edge, so that the directions are perpendicular to that of Hopfene.
The process of the convergence of the structure would be similar to the growth process in experiments for the future, so that we have recorded as a video (Supplementary Video 4).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
17/02/2016 2:21 PM IST | Updated 15/07/2016 8:26 AM IST
Scrap Aamir, Make Nana The Face Of Maharashtra Drought Scheme Says Social Media
By Prajakta Hebbar
HuffPost India
When reports emerged that noted Bollywood star Aamir Khan was likely to be the brand ambassador of a project by Maharashtra government to make the state drought-free, all hell broke loose on social media.
The Twiterrati argued that Aamir Khan was not the right person to represent farmers' issues better in the Maharashtra government's flagship scheme, Jalyukt Shivar. What's more, they even nominated someone who they thought was better qualified: Nana Patekar.
Patekar, a National Award-winning actor has been donating ₹15,000 each to widows of the farmers who committed suicide in drought-hit Maharashtra through his NGO NAAM Foundation, since September 2015.
The move by the BJP-led state government to get Aamir Khan on board for the scheme comes less than three months after the actor found himself in the middle of an 'intolerance debate'. In fact, following Khan's controversial comments, the BJP government ended his contract as the brand ambassador for its 'Incredible India' campaign.
#Twitterati wants 'deserving' Nana Patekar to be face of 'Jalyukta Shivar' over #AamirKhanhttps://t.co/cIkZCNU9KNpic.twitter.com/NatqKhbA31
— India Samvad (@india_samvad) February 17, 2016
Patekar, on the hand, has been in the news for his advocacy of farmers' issues in drought-hit Maharashtra and has been urging people to join the cause and to contribute to the education farmers' children.
At a recent event in Nashik, he announced that his foundation had started a medical card facility under which free healthcare services would be rendered to those who hold a NAAM medical card.
Despite his involvement in this issue, Patekar has managed to stay surprisingly apolitical.
In an earlier interview to a news channel, Patekar said that he did not blame any government. "Drought is a natural calamity, you can't blame the government or the authorities for it," he said.
The actor, best known for his films such as Prahaar: The Final Attack (1991), Agni Sakshi (1996) and Ab Tak Chhappan (2005), was recently seen in the critically-acclaimed Marathi film Natsamrat (2016) which was an adaptation of a famous play by VV Shirwadkar.
Whatever social media may be clamouring for, though, AamirKhan and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis are expected to make a joint announcement of the initiative at the government guesthouse on Wednesday.
The year 2015 saw the highest number of farmer suicides in Maharashtra since 2001. Around 2,590 farmers ended their lives between January to October 2015, reported The Hindu.
Photo gallery Geeta, Deaf-Mute Indian Girl In Pakistan See Gallery
Geeta, Deaf-Mute Indian Girl In Pakistan
Prajakta Hebbar News Producer, HuffPost India
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