text:
Show Finale Recption |
Show Finale Recption
Art Garage
sydney.l.waller@gmail.com
689 Beaver Meadow Rd, Cooperstown, NY 13326
Art Garage/Finale Winter Show Closing Reception Cooperstown, NY—The Art Garage Winter Show ends with Winter's passing on Friday April 26, with a Finale Celebratory Reception, 5-7PM.
A last chance to catch the paintings of emerging artist, Nora Ashwood, the final featured artist on the special Winter Wall. To mark the occasion, a single work by the other three Winter Wall Featured Artists will also be on display – art by Tracy Helgeson, Michael Binder and Lucia Phillips. All are welcome to attend the reception, made possible in part with support from Pailshop Vineyards, Fly Creek.
In addition to the Winter Wall artists, the Winter Show offers works by five established artists: Robert Ginder, assemblages; Alice Hudson, tiny creatures; Lavern Kelley, carvings and drawings; Gail Peachin, photo collages; and Louis Sherry, free standing abstract sculptures. The Art Garage is the exclusive representative of the estates of Lavern Kelley and Alice Hudson, whose work is in various museum collections.
Through April 26, the gallery is open daily by appointment, between the hours of 10am and 6pm. Simply call 607-547-5327, text 315-941-9607 or email leartgarage@gmail.com. The gallery will reopen for the Summer season in late May.
ABOUT Nora Ashwood, Finale Featured Artist on Winter Wall Nora Ashwood is a home-schooled senior from Roseboom, NY who will be attending the prestigious Cooper Union School of Art this fall (2019). Using acrylic paints, oil pastels, watercolor and/or ink, and sometimes collage elements, she has created a recent body of small yet striking abstract works. "I approach each painting with no preconception other than to be true to the materials and to trust my intuition," she noted. "I try to become one with the inherent logic embedded in each material to the point that I can not separate a thought process from the creative act….it is the only process that holds meaning for me." The daughter of Mary Ashwood and Tom Lane, Ashwood was born into a family of artists– her great-grandfather, her grandmothers, her aunts, her uncle, her brother, and her writer/artist mother, all share her passion– and throughout her life have encouraged her creativity. "More significantly," Ashwood noted, " they have inspired [me] to take what is innate and grow as an artist through arts education." Since 2010, she has been taking private lessons with painter Richard Saba, Cherry Valley, NY; in 2016 she attended the New York State Summer School of the Arts: School of Visual Arts for printmaking and collage/assemblage; and she has taken classes in drawing, painting, and figure drawing through the ongoing Performance and Production Workshops at The Old School in Cherry Valley, NY. Ashwood is the founder and chairman of The Old School Student Gallery in Cherry Valley, an exhibition space run by students and for students. She curates group and solo exhibitions and guides high school students through the gallery process with the goal of merging arts education and business to provide more opportunities in the visual arts for rural students. In 2017, she created Art Beat,a monthly column in the local newspaper, The Cooperstown Crier, on the art events in the area with the hope of exposing the richness of the local art community to a larger audience. For the past three years, Ashwood has interned at Denicola Design, Inc., where she assists with informational design, brand identity, book design, and environmental graphics for the Glimmerglass Opera, Cooperstown Graduate Program, private clients, and the town of Cooperstown. These three professional experiences represent her interests and the various aspects of her artistic vision. Ashwood has participated in the Congressional High School Art Show at the Cooperstown Art Association, where she has won six Awards of Merit and two Juror's Citations (2016–2019). In 2018, she won the Curator's Choice and a Juror's Award in the Hyde Collection High School Juried Art Show, Glens Falls, NY where she was represented by three pieces in a show of 100 works chosen from over 1,000 entries. Ashwood has been in various other group and high school art shows: TheAnnual Regional High School Art Show, Perrella Gallery, SUNY Fulton-Montgomery Community College, Johnstown, NY (2017, 2018); Student Exhibition at the Cathy and Jesse Marion Art Gallery (2016), SUNY Fredonia, Fredonia NY; The Roseboom Historical Association's Local Art Show (2015–2018), Roseboom, NY; a two-person exhibition Inaugural Show: Ashwood/Voss (2017), at The Old School Student Gallery, Cherry Valley, NY; and a solo exhibition, Nora Ashwood: Paintings, at the Fort Plain Cooperative Gallery (2017), Fort Plan, NY. ###
Winter Show Finale Reception, Fri. April 26, 5-7PM, features Nora Ashwood, emerging Roseboom artist. All four Winter Wall artists will be present, each offering one last work. Also on display in the Winter Show: Robert Ginder (NV & CA), Alice Hudson (Norwich, NY) Lavern Kelley (Oneonta, NY), Gail Peachin (So. Worcester & Hudson, NY), Louis Sherry (Ithaca, NY). The Art Garage, 689 Beaver Meadow Rd, Cooperstown, NY 13326 FB/ArtGarageCooperstown. Gallery hours: Daily by appointment, 10am-6pm. Tel.: 607-547-5327, cell/text: 315-941-9607, leartgaragae@gmail.com.


text:
Results 1-5 of 5 for Paul Korda
I, Robot: A Look Beneath the Action
By Paul Korda
At this perplexing time in the evolution of mankind, when morality is under extreme magnification, it will be a welcome relief today to be able to escape those dilemmas for a future one -- that being robots who kill ...
TECHNOLOGY AND MUSIC
What Is 'State of the Art' Without Art?
In previous columns, I've described the benefits of transportable music files, especially for getting your music heard [Paul Korda, "Kissing Big Music Goodbye: Diary of an Online Musician," TechNewsWorld, April 7, 2004]. To balance the virtues of such thinking, one must ask oneself whether the method of digital sampling and recording -- or even, for that matter, digital video -- is really capturing the essence of the matter being recorded...
Kissing Big Music Goodbye: Diary of an Online Musician
With the latest news from Harvard Business School that CD sales are plunging because the record industry is releasing fewer albums -- and not, as the RIAA is stating, because P2P file sharers are undermining sales -- isn't it time for you to release your own music? ...
Super Vision: Technology, Music and the Inventive Spirit
I've been looking forward to publishing my first column for ECT News Network. After doing an interview with TechNewsWorld about the intersection of technology and music, I was invited to write a regular column on music, technology and related subjects ...
Technology Meets Music: An Interview with Composer-Singer Paul Korda
By Kirk L. Kroeker
As the writer for several top-20 MP3.com hits last year, Paul Korda's perspective on the convergence of technology and music comes from many years of working as a musician and songwriter -- not to mention being a producer at EMI in the late 1960s. He has seen the old technology meet the new -- and witnessed the transformation of monolithic Big Music into a distributed network of thousands of peer-to-peer enthusiasts.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Is there a better way to write this select query SELECT t1.X,
       t1.Item_Code,
       t2.X,
       t2.Item_Code
FROM  (SELECT Sum(e.item_qty) AS X,
              A.Item_Code
       FROM   [Item Master]A
              INNER JOIN [Counter Issue Details] e
                      ON e.Item_Code = A.Item_Code
              INNER JOIN [Counter Master] CM
                      ON CM.Counter_Code = e.Counter_Code
       WHERE  e.Item_Code = A.Item_Code
              AND A.Type_Code = 0
       GROUP  BY A.Item_Code)t1,
      (SELECT Sum(e.item_qty) AS X,
              A.Item_Code
       FROM   [Item Master]A
              INNER JOIN [Counter Return Details] e
                      ON e.Item_Code = A.Item_Code
              INNER JOIN [Counter Master] CM
                      ON CM.Counter_Code = e.Counter_Code
       WHERE  e.Item_Code = A.Item_Code
              AND A.Type_Code = 0
       GROUP  BY A.Item_Code)t2

Iam getting the outpt has
X                                       Item_Code                               Y                                       Item_Code
--------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------
3998.000                                1                                       2.00                                    11
2000.000                                2                                       2.00                                    11
2000.000                                3                                       2.00                                    11
2504.000                                4                                       2.00                                    11
2384.000                                5                                       2.00                                    11
2456.000                                6                                       2.00                                    11
2372.000                                7                                       2.00                                    11
4900.000                                9                                       2.00                                    11
2000.000                                10                                      2.00                                    11
3948.000                                11                                      2.00                                    11

Now I am getting duplicate records for Item code 11 as 2 for all the 10 records.
I want the Y value to be mapped on the item code 11 itself and all other should be null

A: Your issue is that old style cartesian join which acts as a CROSS JOIN. If you consider a proper join you won't be doubling up your data;
SELECT t1.Item_Code
    ,t1.X t1_x
    ,ISNULL(t2.X,0) t2_x
FROM (
    SELECT SUM(e.item_qty) AS X
        ,A.Item_Code
    FROM [Item Master] A
    INNER JOIN [Counter Issue Details] e ON e.Item_Code = A.Item_Code
    INNER JOIN [Counter Master] CM ON CM.Counter_Code = e.Counter_Code
    WHERE e.Item_Code = A.Item_Code
        AND A.Type_Code = 0
    GROUP BY A.Item_Code
    ) t1

LEFT JOIN
    (
        SELECT SUM(e.item_qty) AS X
            ,A.Item_Code
        FROM [Item Master] A
        INNER JOIN [Counter Return Details] e ON e.Item_Code = A.Item_Code
        INNER JOIN [Counter Master] CM ON CM.Counter_Code = e.Counter_Code
        WHERE e.Item_Code = A.Item_Code
            AND A.Type_Code = 0
        GROUP BY A.Item_Code
        ) t2
ON t1.Item_Code = t2.Item_Code

This will return all values from t1, and matching information from t2. Edit: t2.X will now show 0 with no data rather than NULL as requested.
There are some great resources around on this subject;

*

*Which join syntax is better?

*Bad habits to kick : using old-style JOINs

A: You've got no JOIN specified between your derived tables t1 and t2.  You need to use a LEFT JOIN if you expect results from t1, but not t2 for every row.
SELECT  t1.X
      , t1.Item_Code
      , t2.X
      , t2.Item_Code
FROM    ( SELECT    SUM(e.item_qty) AS X
                  , A.Item_Code
          FROM      [Item Master] A
                    INNER JOIN [Counter Issue Details] e ON e.Item_Code = A.Item_Code
                    INNER JOIN [Counter Master] CM ON CM.Counter_Code = e.Counter_Code
          WHERE     e.Item_Code = A.Item_Code
                    AND A.Type_Code = 0
          GROUP BY  A.Item_Code
        ) t1
        LEFT JOIN ( SELECT  SUM(e.item_qty) AS X
                          , A.Item_Code
                    FROM    [Item Master] A
                            INNER JOIN [Counter Return Details] e ON e.Item_Code = A.Item_Code
                            INNER JOIN [Counter Master] CM ON CM.Counter_Code = e.Counter_Code
                    WHERE   e.Item_Code = A.Item_Code
                            AND A.Type_Code = 0
                    GROUP BY A.Item_Code
                  ) t2 ON t1.Item_Code = t2.Item_Code;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Tennis elbow, also referred to as lateral epicondylitis is a condition where the outer part of the elbow becomes tender and sore. The inflammation can be chronic or acute and will involve the tendons connecting the outside part of the elbow which is referred to as the lateral epicondyle and the forearm muscles. In this condition, the damage of the tendons and forearm muscles will be as a result of overuse that involves repetitive strenuous movements. This overuse leads to pain, tenderness and inflammation on the outer part of the elbow.
The first description of this condition is credited to Runge in 1873 with the term 'tennis elbow' first appearing in 1883 paper by Major which was dubbed Lawn-tennis elbow. Tennis involves repetitive movements of the arm which utilize the forearm extensor muscles and this is what can lead to the chronic or acute tendonitis affecting the tendinous insertion of the muscles around the elbow's epicondyle. This condition has been found to be common in athletes, carpenters and other laborers who swing tools such as a harmer using their forearm.
Pain will be experienced when making gripping wrist movements especially when lifting or when making extension movements.
Pain is also associated with the use of wrist extension movements such as pouring liquid from a container, sweeping, or lifting with palm down.
Most patients have reported morning stiffness.
Other symptoms may include pain during the extension of the wrist, forearm weakness, pain radiating from the outer part of the elbow all the way to the forearm and the wrist, pain experienced during a handshake and doorknob turning, inability to hold items that are relatively heavy using the hand. This pain is similar to the pain experienced by golfer's elbow patients only that the latter is experienced in the medial side.
The most common opinion is that tennis elbow is a condition caused by the overuse of tendons around the elbows accompanied by failed normal healing of these tendons. Extensor Capri radials brevis muscles have also been found to play a major role in the development of this condition. There were initial experiments that suggested that the condition was as a result of overextension. Overextension is still a cause but other causes have been identified.
Studies have indicated that trauma is also a cause especially a blow to the epicondyle, forceful extension, and a sudden forceful pull. Playing tennis incorrectly will also cause tennis elbow because there is shock caused by the wrong hitting of the tennis ball.
There is a proposed explanation by Cyriax of the occurrence of the tennis elbow. This hypothesis explains that there are macro and microscopic tears that occur between the lateral humeral epicondyle periosteum and the common extensor tendon. In a study involving 39 patients, 28 had tearing of the tendon cuff. Kaplan stated that the radial nerve was a key player in tennis elbow. He identified a constriction of the radial nerved caused by the adhesion to the radiohumeral joint capsule and the short wrist extensor muscle. Chances of tennis elbow developing are increased by certain disorders such as the bicipital tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome or calcification of the rotator cuff.
Experience and ability are other factors in tennis elbow. Most of the players who reported tennis elbow history had played for a number of years. Just like any other sport, poor techniques in playing tennis will increase the risk of tennis elbow development. This means that players should learn how to properly hold the racket and swing to hit the ball to avoid any injuries. Professional tennis players on the competitive level will report this condition more than novices and lower class players. However, because of the wrong techniques, a lot of cases are also reported as the level of ability decreases.
There are other ways to prevent this condition such as the reduction of play time if there is some pain experience or an injury to the outer part of the elbow. The players should stay in good shape. This should include the strengthening of the muscles of the forearm the upper back and the shoulder. The increased strength will aid in stabilizing the elbow joints. Equipment should be used appropriately and the player should learn how to balance between their muscular strength, body size and ability.
Most physicians will perform tests where they press on the affected elbow and ask the patient to move the wrist, fingers and elbow. X-rays may be used in ruling out any other conditions that might be causing the pain and are not associated with tennis elbow such as arthritis or bone fractures. The diagnosis also uses signs and symptoms that are characteristic and discrete. This might include point of tenderness with a fully extended elbow. Pain with passive flexion of the wrist and resistive extension of the wrist might be used in the diagnosis. When there is a middle finger resisted extension, the condition might be affecting the extensor digitorum.
Lateral epicondylitis treatment evidence is still poor. In some cases, patients have reported the mending of the symptoms without treatment in a period of between 6 and 24 months. Tennis elbow, when left untreated, can cause chronic pain and this will generally lower the quality of life and affect daily life activities. Treating a minor tennis elbow is a simple as relaxing the affected arm.
NSAIDs may be used on a short term basis to relieve the pain. There is poor evidence on the effectiveness of different injections. Surgery becomes an option only when the case is recalcitrant. Most cases will respond to therapy but there are chances of relapse especially when the individual has to go back to the movements that caused the condition in the fits place.


text:
namespace media_router {

// AccessCodeCastDiscoveryInterface is responsible with communicating with
// the casting discovery server.
class AccessCodeCastDiscoveryInterface {
 public:
  using DiscoveryDevice = chrome_browser_media::proto::DiscoveryDevice;

  using DiscoveryDeviceCallback =
      base::OnceCallback<void(absl::optional<DiscoveryDevice>,
                              access_code_cast::mojom::AddSinkResultCode)>;

  using AddSinkResultCode = access_code_cast::mojom::AddSinkResultCode;

  AccessCodeCastDiscoveryInterface(Profile* profile,
                                   const std::string& access_code);

  // Used for tests. Can be used if caller constructs their own EndpointFetcher.
  AccessCodeCastDiscoveryInterface(
      Profile* profile,
      const std::string& access_code,
      std::unique_ptr<EndpointFetcher> endpoint_fetcher);

  virtual ~AccessCodeCastDiscoveryInterface();

  AccessCodeCastDiscoveryInterface(
      const AccessCodeCastDiscoveryInterface& other) = delete;
  AccessCodeCastDiscoveryInterface& operator=(
      const AccessCodeCastDiscoveryInterface& other) = delete;

  // ValidateDiscoveryAccessCode is an asynchronous call that attempts to
  // validate given |access_code| with the discovery server. The status
  // of this attempt will be stored in the |callback| -- either returning an
  // error or the actual DiscoveryDevice found on the discovery server.
  void ValidateDiscoveryAccessCode(DiscoveryDeviceCallback callback);

 private:
  std::unique_ptr<EndpointFetcher> CreateEndpointFetcher(
      const std::string& access_code);

  void SetDeviceCapabilitiesField(
      chrome_browser_media::proto::DeviceCapabilities* device_proto,
      bool value,
      const std::string& key);
  void SetNetworkInfoField(
      chrome_browser_media::proto::NetworkInfo* network_proto,
      const std::string& value,
      const std::string& key);
  std::pair<absl::optional<DiscoveryDevice>, AddSinkResultCode>
  ConstructDiscoveryDeviceFromJson(base::Value json_response);
  void HandleDiscoveryDeviceJsonError(const std::string& field_missing);
  void HandleServerResponse(std::unique_ptr<EndpointResponse> response);
  void ReportError(AddSinkResultCode error);

  Profile* const profile_;
  // Access code passed down from the WebUI and used in the construction of the
  // discovery interface object.
  const std::string access_code_;

  std::unique_ptr<EndpointFetcher> endpoint_fetcher_;

  const GURL discovery_url_;

  DiscoveryDeviceCallback callback_;

  base::WeakPtrFactory<AccessCodeCastDiscoveryInterface> weak_ptr_factory_{
      this};
};
}  // namespace media_router

#endif  // CHROME_BROWSER_MEDIA_ROUTER_DISCOVERY_ACCESS_CODE_ACCESS_CODE_CAST_DISCOVERY_INTERFACE_H_

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Senator Warren Joins with Colleagues to Introduce Legislation Giving Students a Fair Shot at an Affordable Education
"Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act" Would Allow Borrowers to Refinance Existing Student Loans at Today's Rates
Fact Sheet on the Legislation Available here.
Bill Text Available here.
Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) today introduced the Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act, which would allow those with outstanding student loan debt to refinance at the lower interest rates currently offered to new borrowers. The legislation is co-sponsored by Senators Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai'i), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.)
Many borrowers with outstanding student loans have interest rates of nearly 7 percent or higher for undergraduate loans, while students taking out new undergraduate loans pay a rate of 3.86 percent under the Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act passed by Congress last summer. The Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act would allow our students and young people to pay back their outstanding loans at the same rates that Senate Republicans overwhelmingly embraced just last summer as appropriate for new borrowers.
"Exploding student loan debt is crushing young people and dragging down our economy," said Senator Warren. "Allowing students to refinance their loans would put money back in the pockets of people who invested in their education. These students didn't go to the mall and run up charges on a credit card. They worked hard and learned new skills that will benefit this country and help us build a stronger middle class and a stronger America."
"It is outrageous that students can't refinance at these historically low interest rates," said Senator Boxer. "This legislation gives students the same fair shot as other borrowers have when interest rates decline."
"Too many Americans across the country are struggling right now with the overbearing financial weight of college debt, and that needs to change," Senator Murray said. "By allowing borrowers to refinance their loans, this legislation would put more money in people's pockets by bringing down the costs of the investments they made in their education. The choice should be clear: Instead of allowing millionaires and billionaires to pay a lower tax rate than middle-class families, we should be helping borrowers better afford their college education."
"For too many of America's young people, pursuing a college education has become a one-way ticket to a lifetime of student loan debt.," said Senator Durbin, author of the Student Loan Borrower Bill of Rights Act. "Giving student loan borrowers the option to opt into a lower interest rate by allowing them to refinance their loans will be a financial relief to millions of families in Illinois and America. I am happy to join Senator Warren on this important issue."
"We can't allow student loan debt to drag down economic opportunity and growth for an entire generation. Students and parents who borrowed at needlessly high rates should be given an opportunity to refinance at a lower rate. The federal government can and should play a more constructive role in giving struggling borrowers the opportunity to refinance and save money and passing this legislation would be a smart step in the right direction," said Senator Reed.
"Today, too many people are saddled with decades of debt just because they wanted a fair shot to go to college and get ahead," said Senator Stabenow. "That is why I'm fighting alongside Senator Warren and my other colleagues to make college more affordable and to help borrowers who are already weighed down by exploding and unsustainable levels of student debt. Helping these borrowers will improve the lives of millions of Americans and boost our economy by allowing them to spend their money on a home, a car, or the needs of their families instead of on interest payments."
"Instead of being saddled with student loan debt, our graduates should be able to start businesses, buy homes, and contribute to their communities," said Senator Brown. "Ensuring that students and graduates can refinance their loans for more affordable monthly payments is not just the right thing to do, it will also strengthen our economy."
"The oppressive debt shouldered by students, graduates, and their families can shadow them for decades and affect everything from their job choices to their ability to buy a house. This legislation would offer students less costly loans and pay for that relief by asking multi-million-dollar earners to pay their fair share of taxes" said Senator Whitehouse, the original author of the Buffett Rule legislation for tax fairness. "I thank Senator Warren for introducing this legislation, and I strongly urge all of my colleagues to support it."
"College loans should open a path to a brighter future to the middle class, not to a pile of bills with no end in sight," said Senator Tom Udall. "When a student leaves school with so much debt they struggle to pay the bills and they're barely able to make ends meet, the system is broken. Reining in the cost of student loans by allowing borrowers to refinance at a lower rate is the one important step to keeping college within reach for all students."
"Across the country people are struggling with the increasing costs of higher education and that's hurting our students and our economy," said Senator Shaheen. "This is especially true in New Hampshire, where an estimated 74 percent of students graduate with debt averaging nearly $33,000. Our plan represents an important step toward addressing the student loan crisis by helping borrowers refinance their student loans and pay down their debts."
"More and more middle class families are seeing the dream of college for their children disappear because of the high cost of a college education and the mountains of debt that students have upon graduation," said Senator Merkley. "I'm committed to strengthening our middle class families instead of forcing Oregonians deeper into debt. This legislation would help Oregonians refinance their student loans and inject our economy with a much needed boost with the savings on interest payments. This is a common sense solution to a huge issue facing our students and middle class families."
"I'm proud to co-sponsor this commonsense bill which will make college more affordable and accessible for Alaskan students and their families," said Senator Begich. "By allowing students to refinance at a lower rate, and giving them more flexible repayment options, we give the opportunity of higher education to millions of students without the crippling burden of debt too many individuals currently face. Making college more affordable is good for our economy, good for our country, and good for Alaska families."
"While a higher education remains the clearest path into the middle class, more of our graduates and middle class families are burdened by student loans than ever before and are struggling to repay a higher amount of debt than ever before," said Senator Gillibrand. "This high amount of student debt is dragging down our economy, stopping graduates from buying homes and cars, or starting businesses and families. The solution is right in front us - our graduates should be able to refinance their debt in the same way that our businesses and homeowners do. This will help to strengthen our middle class families instead of forcing us deeper into debt. When we price young people out of a college education we all pay a price. We can't afford any more delay."
"College students in Minnesota often struggle to cobble together the funds necessary to pay for their education, and many still graduate with enormous amounts of debt," said Senator Franken. "And the last thing our students need is to be saddled with high interest rates on student loans that continue to burden them long after graduation. This bill would give Minnesotans the opportunity to cut down their debt and keep more of their hard-earned money."
"Present student debt is crippling - economically, emotionally and morally - making this measure an historic imperative," said Senator Blumenthal. "Young people are postponing purchases likes homes and cars and delaying major life decisions - whether to get married and when to have children - because of crushing student loan debt. We should reward students who invest in their education, not punish them with high interest rates or profit off their backs. By allowing students to refinance their loans, this bill will give graduates a fair shot at better lives and brighter futures."
"A college education is supposed to be a path to opportunity, not a life of debt," Senator Schatz said. "Giving students the opportunity to refinance their loans at a lower interest will make a college degree more affordable and accessible."
"Making college affordable is one of the most important steps we can take toward building a strong path to the middle class for all Americans," said Senator Baldwin. "A college education should be a path to prosperity not a path to indebtedness, but student loan debt is holding back an entire generation and creating a drag on economic growth for our country. The ability to refinance at lower rates provides some relief to borrowers and gives them a fair shot at building a stronger future for themselves."
"As someone who paid for college with the help of student loans, I know how important it is for us to make sure students have access to affordable student loans," said Senator Heitkamp. "The amount of debt North Dakota students are burdened with has skyrocketed. This not only hurts them and their families, but it is a huge drain on our state's economy. The bill I helped put forth today will send the message that we are investing in our young people, just like previous generations invested in me."
"The promise of a college education shouldn't be accompanied by the hopelessness from overwhelming debt," said Senator Markey. "In the same way refinancing helps underwater mortgage holders, students drowning in debt would benefit from refinancing student loans at the current lower rate. This legislation would ensure that current students have access to the same lower interest rates that benefit current borrowers. I thank Senator Warren for her leadership on this important issue, and will work with her and all of my Senate colleagues to support greater access to higher education and to make college more affordable."
"Student loan debt has become debilitating for middle class families and graduates," said Senator Booker. "We see this first hand in New Jersey where graduates face an average debt of $30,335. Student loans should help bring our young people closer to the American Dream, but instead, current interest rates set them up for a lifetime of paying interest. Commitment to our youth means a commitment to responsible reforms."
There are nearly 40 million Americans with outstanding student loans. The Bank on Students Emergency Refinancing Act could lower payments for millions of those individuals by hundreds or thousands of dollars a year. The average student loan debt among those who borrow to get a bachelor's degree is nearly $30,000 - and a shocking 30% of Federal Direct student loan dollars are in default, forbearance, or deferment. Meanwhile, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently projected that the government will bring in $66 billion in revenue on its federal student loans made between 2007 and 2012.
The legislation is fully funded by enacting the Buffett Rule, which would limit special tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans that allow millionaires and billionaires to pay lower effective tax rates than middle class families. A companion bill is being introduced today in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representatives John Tierney (D-Mass.) and George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.


text:
Showing posts with the label new york yankees
AL East: What Every Team Needs to Accomplish this Offseason (2022 Free Agency)
The American League East was one of the most competitive divisions in the entire MLB last season, with three out of five teams making the playoffs. With the offseason in full-effect here is what each team needs to accomplish this offseason in the hopes of a great 2023 season: Baltimore Orioles - Improve Pitching Depth + Sign Veteran Infielders The Baltimore Orioles' past season can be described as a stepping stone within the organization. For the first time in countless years the Orioles' did not finish last in their division, they even made a brief push for a playoff spot. The young Orioles team surprised many as they finished with a 83-79 record, finishing just three games out of a wild card position. Like reinstated Baltimore has one of the best young cores in the entire MLB, with the likes of Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle. In addition, the O's should look to improve their starting pitching depth if they were to take another step next season. Jo
AL East Notes: Bogaerts Batting Average, Yankees Win Crucial Series, Bichette POTW, Yu Chang to Boston
The MLB regular season is coming to a close, we can now diffreniciat the teams capable making the playoffs, and teams that will most definitely not make a run for a pennant. Here are some of the biggest rumors and news from the day: Bogaerts Leading for AL Silver Bat Award Xander Bogaerts is in the running for the Silver Bat Award, an award given to the player that has the highest batting average in each division. Bogaerts has had a tremendous contract season. He constantly puts the ball in play and often finds himself on base. The Red Sox have been struggling lately, but Bogaerts has been putting together a great second-half of his season. Although the shortstop is failing to hit for power, his offensive totals are still all-star caliber numbers. Bogaerts is currently hitting .319 with 13 home runs and 66 runs-batted-in. The 29-year-old is currently hitting .003 points higher than Twins' second-baseman Luis Arraez. As Bogaerts is set to become a free agent by the end of th
The Andrew Benintendi Trade is Looking like a Disaster for Boston
Andrew Benintendi was once prized as a top prospect within the Boston Red Sox organization. Benintendi also known as "Benny Bombs", was Boston's seventh overall selection during the 2015 MLB Draft. The Arkansas product was even named the #1 prospect during the 2017 MLB season, by Baseball America and the MLB. Benintendi broke into the league during the 2016 season, he would get off to a hot start in his 34 game stint. The rookie concluded his short season with a .295 batting average, two home runs and 14 runs-batted-in. The following season Benintendi would take massive strides within his development. Playing in 151 games, the still-rookie hit 20 home runs and batted in 90 runs. But why did the Red Sox trade Benintendi if he was looking like a future all-star? The answer is simple, Benintendi slumped during the 2020 season. The now veteran outfielder battled injuries and poor play during the shortened season. Benintendi hit for a career low .103, in 14 games. The followin
MLB Game Recap: Yankees at Blue Jays (6/18/22)
Jameson Taillon pitched five plus scoreless innings, leading the Yankees over divisional rival Blue Jays. Batting : Aaron Hicks opened the scoring for New York, doubling to right field. He would bring in Kiner-Falefa, Torres, and Rizzo, giving NY a 3-0 lead after four innings. Isiah Kiner-Falefa would add an insurance run during the sixth inning. He hit his 11th double of the season, driving in Gleyber Torres. Toronto was held to just five hits compared to eight for the Bronx Bombers. Pitching : Alek Manoah got the ball for the home team Blue Jays. He wouldn't be his best today, pitching in 5.1 innings of work. He allowed four runs off of six hits and struck out five. Manoah currently has an 8-2 record and a 2.00 ERA after his start. Jays' relievers David Phelps, Tim Mayza, and Trent Thornton; were all solid. They each pitched scoreless relief outings. Jameson Taillon was great for the visiting Yankees. The thirty-year-old allowed just four hits in 5.2 innings. He would record


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London's Oldest Family-Owned Businesses
By Harry Rosehill Last edited 23 months ago
Harry Rosehill London's Oldest Family-Owned Businesses
In an age of buy-outs and corporate takeovers, it may come as a surprise that some major London businesses are still family-owned. These companies are still run by descendants of their original founder, their most valuable heirloom passed down through multiple generations. Here are London's seven oldest:
Lock & Co. Photo: shadow_in_the_water
1. Creed - 1760
In 1760 James Henry Creed's delivered a pair of scented gloves to the new monarch, King George III. The gloves came from Creed, the company that he had just founded. It started as a tailoring company but the focus quickly shifted to perfume. Creed's headquarters have now moved to Paris, but there's still a store in Mayfair and several other London stockists, and Creed's descendants still run the now-global business.
2. Floris - 1730
Juan Famenias Floris and his wife began selling perfume, combs and shaving products on 89 Jermyn Street, where their store — manned by their descendants — remains to this day. Floris has had more than a few notable customers in its history; Mary Shelley, Florence Nightingale and even James Bond, who always wore Floris No. 89.
Floris. Photo: shadow_in_the_water
3. Berry Bros & Rudd - 1698
Berry Bros & Rudd had humble beginnings, starting as a grocer's by a widow. Only the woman's last name is known; Bourne. Her descendants shifted from a simple grocer's to focusing exclusively on wine, becoming one of the world's premiere wine merchants. It also can lay a claim to fame as the first wine merchant to start an online shop, all the way back in 1995. It was also the first major UK wine retailer to stock Chinese wines.
Berry Bros. Photo: John Mugford
3. Lock & Co - 1676
St James's Street is home to the world's oldest hatters, Lock & Co. Robert Davis opened a hat store to cater to the fashionable upper classes during Charles II's reign. Davis's granddaughter, Mary, married the store's apprentice James Lock, from whom the store takes its name. Prime ministers, lords and even the Royal family have made Lock & Co their hatter of choice since then, and it's been responsible for many iconic headpieces. Admiral Nelson ordered a "cocked hat and cockade 7 1/8th full" at the store, and Lewis Carroll's Mad Hatter was apparently inspired by an eccentric member of the Lock family. Plus, the company lays claim to inventing the bowler hat.
4. C. Hoare & Co - 1672
A ghost sign from the old Hoare and Co's brewery. Photo: Stockcar Pete
Founded in 1672 by Richard Hoare, the bank C. Hoare & Co is the oldest bank in the UK. Today it's managed by the 11th generation of Hoare's direct descendants. Despite most independent banks being absorbed by larger conglomerates, it remains family owned. Most importantly, its name lends itself to the pun, "my bankers are Hoares". The family also owned a brewery in the 19th century (see ghost sign above).
5. Whitechapel Bell Foundry - 1570 (or 1420)?
Photo: Treble2309
And finally, an honourable mention to the now-defunct Whitechapel Bell Foundry. Before its closure in 2017, this was London's oldest family business. So old, in fact, that its exact age is a matter of dispute. It definitely reaches back to 1570, but some historians have traced the line of bell founders all the way back to 1420.
The foundry is best known for providing London with Big Ben, and the last bell to be cast here now belongs to the Museum of London. Whether it's the last bell it will ever produce remains to be seen — there's currently a campaign to revive Whitechapel Bell Foundry and prevent it from being turned into a boutique hotel.
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by Lesley Abravanel Aug 24, 2010, 9:53am EDT
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The Food Network has announced their September lineup, and it includes the 14th season of Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee, America's Best with Alton Brown, and a new show with a dirty-sounding name, Meat & Potatoes. Eater National has the details. [-E-]


Saurabh Pathak define himself as Experienced Teacher. He has done maths major at lucknow university. Subjects and Classes he teaches are 9th: Maths, Physics, 10th: Maths, 11th: Maths, 12th: Maths. Locations he preferred to teach in Lucknow are Indira Nagar, Janki Puram, Kursi Road.


"I still needed to gather a few more herbs to refine the Dragon Emperor Relic but now that I have this mysterious fruit, I no longer need to." Yi Yun's eyes shimmered as he revealed a look of great satisfaction.
There was no fixed Dragon Emperor Relic recipe to begin with. As long as one had the appropriate amount of treasured herbs, it could be refined.
Yi Yun's principal herb had been the Abyssal Red Lotus. As for the other rare herbs he had been seeking out, they were only meant to be auxiliary ones. However, with the mysterious herb's fruit added into the mix, the Dragon Emperor Relic that Yi Yun refined would probably have a very different level of effectiveness.
He planned on using the mysterious herb's fruit as the principal herb and the Abyssal Red Lotus as the auxiliary herb. With those two combined, he could refine a supreme-grade Dragon Emperor Relic.
Yi Yun had experience refining a Dragon Emperor Relic. He was even used as a catalyst herb for one; therefore, it was a simply a familiar job he could handle easily.
The world he was in was very silent. Yi Yun was not worried about any external disturbances as he stilled his mind in preparation to refine the second Dragon Emperor Relic.
Yi Yun first took out the Abyssal Red Lotus and some other herbs.
He had already processed the Abyssal Red Lotus through the Herb Nurturing Technique, making it go from a lotus seed to a fire-like lotus flower. Every petal was formed from a roaring abyssal flame.
Although it looked like a beautiful flower, one would be burned to a crisp by the abyssal flame if they tried to touch it without the necessary precautions.
Yi Yun extended his hand and guided the Abyssal Red Lotus until it was floating in front of him. He produced many hand seals, making golden lines appear around the Abyssal Red Lotus. He completely locked the Abyssal Red Lotus's medicinal essence onto the golden lines.
Following that, Yi Yun kept flinging other herbs out, either extracting their juices, removing their root tubers, or extracting their essence.
Finally, Yi Yun took out the mysterious herb's fruit.
The fruit had dark golden patterns on its surface. Upon closer inspection, he could see that these were infinite Dao patterns engraved by nature.
Yi Yun held the fruit and sensed the medicinal powers coming from within.
Following that, Yi Yun began forming seals with the utmost precision.
As wisps of Yuan Qi appeared in Yi Yun's hands like a thread that wrapped around the fruit, the dark golden Dao patterns on the fruit lit up. Drops of golden liquid slowly seeped out of the fruit.
Each golden liquid drop contained tremendous amount of lifeblood. In terms of medicinal strength, it was a lot more potent than the leaves.
Finally, the fruit produced dozens of golden liquid drops. They floated in mid-air before coalescing together, forming a sphere the size of a pigeon's egg. It was a coruscant gold that looked mesmerizing.
The sphere contained the essence of the mysterious herb.
Yi Yun had the sudden urge to immediately devour the golden sphere.
However, he repressed that thought. Refining it into a Dragon Emperor Relic would bring out its medicinal effects even more.
Yi Yun cried out softly as the Ascending Dragon Cauldron flew up. It spun in mid-air before the lid automatically opened.
Yi Yun guided with his fingers, sending the prepared herbs along with the golden sphere into the Ascending Dragon Cauldron one by one.
Following that, Yi Yun produced a flame in his palm with a whoosh.
The Heretical God Fire flew to the bottom of the Ascending Dragon Cauldron, as though it possessed intelligence, and began burning vigorously.
The lid closed and all the herbs were sealed inside the Ascending Dragon Cauldron, burning in the envelopment of the Heretical God Fire. The herbs' medicinal essences began to be extracted one by one before they clashed together and fused.
As for Yi Yun, he watched intently. He constantly monitored the situation in the Ascending Dragon Cauldron with his perception as he controlled the strength of the Heretical God Fire.
Gradually, the quiet valley produced sounds that resembled an airbox. It was as though the entire valley had turned into a furnace as it burned and crackled.
This lasted an entire month.
With a clear hum, the Ascending Dragon Cauldron's lid began to tremble as an indescribable medicinal fragrance emanated from the Ascending Dragon Cauldron.
The tiny waterfall immediately bloomed with flowers as a pleasant echo seemed to be heard from the void.
A glint appeared in Yi Yun's eyes as a look of unconcealed excitement flashed across his exhausted face.
After a month of constant supervision and refinement, the second Dragon Emperor Relic was finally finished!
When Yi Yun opened the lid, a glow burst out from within.
Yi Yun acted with his extended hand, sealing the space around the glow. And then he grabbed it in his outstretched hand.
Amid the glow, he could see an indistinct dragon phantom that struggled within. Following that, the glow revealed its true self. It was a crystalline pill with a surface that resembled jade. But most astonishing of all, the pill was still constantly palpitating like a tiny heart. It seemed to possess true life.
When pills were refined to the most supreme-grade, they could generate a form of intelligence. If the pill escaped, it could even cultivate itself into a spiritual object, no different from the treasured herbs that had gained sentience.
In fact, pills were the fusion of treasured herbs. They were truly the essence of heaven and earth.
The Dragon Emperor Relic had already produced some intelligence, the mark of a true supreme-grade divine pill.
"I just finished refining this pill and am not in the correct condition to consume the Dragon Emperor Relic," thought Yi Yun.
During the consumption of treasured items, some warriors would even first take a bath and burn incense, ensuring that they were completely calm before they consumed any treasured item.
Although Yi Yun did not want to go through that hassle, he still needed to regulate himself for a period of time.
With the pill refined, Yi Yun's taut mind could finally rest. He slowly sat on the ground meditating, enjoying a rare peace for a few days.
Only when Yi Yun felt that he was fully prepared did he slowly open his eyes.
The cultivation of the Dragon Emperor Technique meant that Yi Yun had to expend large amounts of treasured herbs. And this second Dragon Emperor Relic was only enough for Yi Yun to cultivate to the second level of the Dragon Emperor Technique.
But there was a decisiveness in Yi Yun's eyes. Regardless of how hard it would be in the future, he believed he could refine a third, fourth, and even more after refining the second Dragon Emperor Relic.
Without any delay, Yi Yun took out the second Dragon Emperor Relic and swallowed it.
Yi Yun immediately felt like he had swallowed lightning hell.
The wanton and violent strength went from Yi Yun's throat to his stomach. Then, it exploded in his dantian, instantly sending energy to surge through Yi Yun's entire body. It was as though it wanted to completely shatter his body.
Yi Yun's skin instantly turned blood red and, in his nearly translucent skin, he could actually see that his meridians were coursing with blood that resembled burning lava.
Simultaneously, the immense amount of medicinal essence blasted through all of Yi Yun's meridians as they surged.
And yet, despite being drenched in sweat, Yi Yun felt extremely comfortable.
He could feel that his strength, body, meridians, and dantian were being inundated by the medicinal essence and were rapidly transforming.


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America's $16 Trillion Debt Bubble Is About To Burst
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Why A Strong Yuan Is A Promising Sign For The Trade War
By Anes Alic - Jan 10, 2020, 2:10 PM CST
With Beijing appearing to have stopped manipulating the Chinese currency, chances of a US-China trade deal seeing the light of day have increased significantly.
The phase one trade deal between the United States and China is set to be signed next week, calming fears of an escalating trade war in the near-term. A key tenet of the deal will be a clause that prohibits Beijing from manipulating the yuan, something it has repeatedly been accused of in the past.
Last year, President Trump directly accused Beijing of manipulating its currency, thus raising the specter of worsening trade relations between the two superpowers.
But the continued strengthening of the yuan against the dollar suggests that the PBOC is no longer trying to actively devalue it. Instead, it is allowing market forces to dictate its trajectory.
The partially-convertible yuan hit a five-month high at 6.94 per US dollar on Wednesday due to growing demand and supply forces.
Source: X-Rates
Trump and the US Treasury Department declared China a "currency manipulator" in August for the first time in 25 years after the yuan dropped to its lowest level in more than a decade.
That's a serious accusation, considering that the US has not labeled any country a currency manipulator since the Clinton administration did so for Beijing in 1994. Trump had repeatedly vowed to slap China with the damning label during his campaign though Washington had passed up on the opportunity to do so on no less than five occasions. Related: Millennials' Not-So-Healthy Health Craze
For years, the PBOC had been aggressively defending the yuan at the 6.9-to-the-dollar level but let it fall below the psychologically important level of 7 to the dollar in retaliation after Washington slapped an additional 10 percent tariff on $300 billion worth of Chinese exports to the United States. A weaker yuan would boost Chinese exports and negate some of the punitive effects of the tariffs.
The People's Bank of China (PBOC) chose an unusual modus operandi, with the bank taking a hands-off approach and allowing the currency to continue to slide though it did later correct.
China has in the past been clearly guilty of currency manipulation: In the period spanning 2006 and 2014, the PBOC spent $350 billion annually buying USD and selling the yuan, resulting in the depreciation of the yuan and giving Chinese exporters an unfair advantage while imports suffered.
The U.S. Treasury Department employs three tests to determine whether a country is guilty of currency manipulation.
First off, a country can be found guilty of the crime if it has a significant bilateral trade surplus with the United States. China obviously meets this test with its goods deficit in 2018 hitting an all-time high of US$419 billion.
The second check is persistent intervention in foreign exchange markets, which China no longer does.
Many economists believe that the PBOC has stopped actively devaluing the yuan and, therefore, no longer meets the set criteria for manipulation.
The third test is a large current account surplus with the world. China has frequently been accused of building a large current account surplus, especially with the US. However, under Beijing's ongoing rigid capital control regime, China is being forced to recycle its booming trade surpluses via official reserves. With these reserves needing to be invested in safe and liquid assets, the lion's share has actually been finding its way into the US Treasury market.
Trade Truce
Growing demand for the yuan has also been driving some of the recent gains, with traders and fund managers buying the currency as optimism for a trade truce between the world's two largest economies increases. Related: Trump Prepares For Another Key Tariff Decision
Meanwhile, Chinese exporters have been converting their US dollar receipts into the yuan ahead of the Lunar New Year, a week-long public holiday that begins on January 24.
As expected, the looming trade pact has placed safe-haven assets like gold and silver under pressure even as tensions between the United States and Iran begin to de-escalate.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, stocks have been rallying as the US market bull-run approaches an unprecedented 130 months.
By Anes Alic for Oilprice.com
What's Behind The Global EV Sales Slowdown?


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Stomach-Powered Device Uses Vagus Nerve Stimulation to Achieve Weight Loss
Posted on: December 28, 2018 in News | Biotech News | Life Science News | Medical Device News
By: Candice Tang, MSc.
New research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests a tiny nerve-stimulating device can effectively cause weight loss in rats. This technology could be more effective and convenient than other devices on the market.
Our appetite for new obesity treatments will never be satiated – and for good reason. Obesity affected nearly 93.3 million US adults between 2015 and 2016, accounting for almost 30 percent of the total population at the time. Obesity increases the risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and hypertension.
From diet pills to gastric bypass surgery, there are a plethora of ways to reduce food intake or make individuals feel fuller. Medical devices also play a role in helping with weight loss.
According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), devices known as electrical stimulation systems block neurotransmission between the brain and the stomach. One such device, called the Maestro Rechargeable System, involves an external pulse generator which sends signals to electrodes implanted near the vagus nerve in the abdomen. Among its many functions, the vagus nerve stimulates muscle contractions to empty the stomach during digestion. The FDA approved Maestro for commercial use in 2015.
Engineers led by Dr. Xudong Wang at the University of Wisconsin-Madison developed a next-generation, implantable weight loss device. The 1cm-long device can send electrical signals to the vagus nerve through pulses of the stomach walls. That is, the "stomach power" and not a battery, is driving vagus nerve blockade.
"It's automatically responsive to our body function, producing stimulation when needed," said Wang. "Our body knows best."
The battery-operated Maestro could be cumbersome especially if the user must charge the battery frequently. In an article published in Nature Communications, the team demonstrates the safety and efficacy of the device when implanted in rats.
They found that rats implanted with the device for 15 days consumed only two-thirds the amount of food consumed by rats in the control groups. At the end of the 100-day study, the rats implanted with the device experienced a 35 percent weight loss within 2.5 weeks, and were able to recover their normal weight pattern after the device was removed.
The ability to reverse the effects of the device is an attractive feature. But practically speaking, how would this work for someone who has had the device surgically implanted into their stomach? Perhaps the researchers can learn from the team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who developed a wirelessly-controlled pill that can lodge into the stomach wall with expandable arms.
While the researchers did not report any toxicity or signs of inflammation from the device, it's hard to predict how the device will tolerate the highly acidic environment of a human stomach over a long period of time. The researchers' next step is to test their device in larger animal models.
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Cracked Mirror: Western 'Takes' on Japan
October 22, 2011 / HIDDEN JAPAN
"The achievements of the Japanese . . . have been cried down by the newspapers. But that's only to say foreign news appearing in American newspapers is seldom accurate and not always honest. In large part, it is written by bitter partisans, and not a few of them seem wholly unable to distinguish between agreeable fantasies and objective facts."
—H.L. Mencken, "A Word for the Japs," The Baltimore Sun, August 13, 1939
The Holy Terror from Baltimore had never set foot in Japan. But he understood instinctively that news from war-torn China often crossed the line into anti-Japanese propaganda. With Japan's army sweeping through Shanghai and Nanking in an orgy of rape and slaughter, the facts were horrible enough. But what editors at the Hearst publications and Henry Luce's TIME wanted was support for their friends in China, i.e. the Christian missionaries and the U.S. business community who then, as now, saw China as the world's largest market for souls to be saved and profits to be made. American reporters in China were thus encouraged to go beyond the facts and adopt broad, sweeping generalizations about the behavior of the Japanese race.
The reports both Mencken and U.S. readers were fed represented the continuation of, rather than the exception to, a long tradition of Western journalism on Japan. After the West's first Asian correspondent, Marco Polo, returned to Europe with tales of the mysterious Orient, an editorial policy slowly evolved for those who did follow-up reporting. Asia, and particularly Japan, was presented as The Other; a mysterious region diametrically opposed to Western civilization. When Francis Xavier arrived in Kagoshima in 1549 to spread the Gospel, Japan was fixed in the minds of the Western clergy, the most influential editors of the day, as a land of mythical beasts, castles of gold and rare gems, heathen natives who ran around naked and practiced strange rituals. . . in short, an alluring Shangri-La of all of the things that had to be classified, controlled, and, where necessary, edited for a God-fearing Western audience.
The exacting approach of the clergy differed in some fundamental ways with that of the merchant classes, who just wanted to do business. For them, Japan was a bizarre bazaar, often less inhibited than the world they left behind. A man could seek his fortune in the richness of Japan, where the streets were paved with gold, and where the ladies offered a special exotic charm that had to be experienced to be believed.
Thus, in the centuries following Marco Polo, two schools of thought towards Japan, which might be dubbed the Missionary and the Merchant, were born. The schools were not mutually exclusive ideologies but distinct approaches to understanding and explaining to the folks back home who the Japanese really were.
There were, however, fundamental differences. The Missionary School treated Japan philosophically, respecting aspects of Japanese culture but convinced the natives would be truly civilized when they had become Christian. The Merchant School was less concerned with spiritual dogma and intercultural theories. It relied on a universal language — money — as the primary form of communication and understanding.
The Missionary School reports ranged from high praise when it appeared the heathen were on the edge of conversion, to bitterness when they decided not to accept Jesus in their lives. The Merchant School's reports on Japan contained less dramatic written prose (but, in the company of good friends, lusty tales of gold and girls). Their works were tinged with amusement or amazement at non-Christian customs rather than hostility. Both schools were to prove not without merit. The Missionary School encouraged a rigorous academic approach to understanding Japan while the Merchant School encouraged mutual cooperation and made for good diplomatic relations. Throughout Japan's so-called Christian century (1549-1640), the Western world was exposed to both schools of thought. But it was the Missionary School that got the most attention among the powers-that-be. Missionary journalists dwelled on the "potential" for the Japanese to become "enlightened" but felt obligated to remind readers, through indignation at various native customs, that there was still much work to be done.
When Japan closed to the outside world in the mid 17th century, having decided that the nosy Church reporters were inciting the masses to an uncomfortable degree, the Missionary School had to make do with second-hand sources and pen op-ed columns along the lines of "Whither Japanese Christianity?" The few Missionary reporters who landed on Japan's shores during this time hoping for a chance to interview the locals were either flogged and executed or deported.
It was here that the Dutch, who offered lots of dry, scientific reporting and shunned investigative journalism, managed to get the media monopoly on information to and from Japan. The Dutch were firmly part of the Merchant School. They convinced Japan's leaders that keeping up their subscription to the Dutch World News Service would ensure a noncontroversial and profitable-for-all-concerned content provider. Dutch reporters, in turn, agreed, on pain of loss of exclusivity (and of life), not to say or write anything that would arouse the locals.
Thus, for next 200 years, official reports from the Dutch enclave at Dejima in Nagasaki had all the excitement of a government White Paper on sewage disposal. Of course, in private correspondence, the Dutch groused about the difficulties of being a Japan-based reporter, problems which, 300 years later, sound familiar to some foreign hacks: lack of access to official sources, a reluctance on their part to say anything of interest even when they did speak, and an inability to learn Japanese due to the difficult nature of the tongue and the guardedness of native interpreters jealous of their special status.
While the Dutch provided perfunctory details about commercial transactions, spiced with the occasional shocked or amused vignette about the habits of the natives, the Missionary School wrung its hands in frustration. Denied access to primary sources, they resorted to spreading tabloid stories about a country virtually no one in Europe had ever seen. Over the years the legends grew, and with them curiosity. Finally, when Japan reopened its doors to the West in 1868, a second wave of foreigners rushed in. Missionary-like in their zeal to discover and "educate" the heretofore mysterious Japanese, they were not, like the Roman Catholics of old, ordained men of one faith but a diverse, non-denominational lot that ranged from Puritans to atheists: stern military officers, prim and proper English teachers, vagabond writers, con artists peddling every conceivable scheme, distinguished diplomats, gamblers, thieves, escaped criminals, drunks, respected corporate titans and a hundred other types.
What they had in common was an urge to explain, either in serious magazines or pulp fiction novels, how Japan was different, innocent, and bizarre compared to Victorian England or the America of Teddy Roosevelt. Lafcadio Hearn, a journeyman writer of little previous note, became one of the most widely read chroniclers of Japan. Others, from a diplomat's wife who wrote about her travels around Japan to a military officer who penned a small work entitled My Musume — a whimsical account of his marriage to a Japanese woman — set the tone. The assumption on the part of the writers was that Japan was a quaint Lilliput, but one seeking to embrace Western civilization.
But the reporting soon turned from wondrous to nasty. As the 20th century progressed, a wave of Japanese immigration to the U.S. sparked racist sentiments. At the same time, American and European attention and sympathy turned toward China. U.S. businesses, afraid the European colonial powers would keep them out, insisted on an open-door policy for China and used their considerable clout with the media to ensure favorable reporting.
Anti-Japanese sentiment was also fueled by resentment, as Japan had gone from star pupil during the Meiji period to a threatening rival for power in Asia during the Taisho and Showa periods. During the 1930s, the U.S. media could find little good about Japan. Immediately after Pearl Harbor, one of the first institutions to take advantage of hostility towards Japan was Hollywood. Frank Capra's "Why We Fight" series of movie shorts was explicit, racist, and very effective in mobilizing U.S. anger. From 1941 to 1945, as reports filtered back about Japanese war atrocities against U.S. troops, hatred of Japan rose to the point that, by the end of the war, few in the U.S. media questioned the president's decision to drop two atomic bombs on civilian populations.
What followed was, perhaps, the Missionary School's high water mark, as the Merchant School, with its emphasis on getting along and just making a buck, was discredited. Fresh-faced reporters who arrived with the American Occupation had the reformist zeal of Xavier and a military backing he could only have dreamt about. The media followed the fundamental tenet laid down by Editor-in-Chief Douglas MacArthur: Japan had taken "a wrong turn" in the 1930s towards militarism. Under U.S. guidance, it would once again become a model democracy. Later, when it became necessary to portray Japan as a staunch U.S. ally in the fight against communism, the Missionary reporters hailed Japan as a "democratic nation and bulwark against communist expansion."
The view of Japan as America Jr. remained largely intact until Toyota, Sony, and Panasonic began receiving blame for putting American workers on the dole. In the late 1980s, as the Cold War faded, the Missionary School found itself challenged, not by the Merchant School but by The Four Heretics — two journalists (Karl van Wolferen and James Fallows), an academic (Chalmers Johnson) and a U.S. government official (Clyde Prestowitz) who argued the Occupation view of Japan as "just like us" was wrong and that the Editor/Priests ordained during that time were writing about a country that did not exist. Japan, they argued, was not like the U.S. and never would be.
Who, exactly, where the members of this new version of the Missionary School? Largely, they were young American journalists working with the wire services and the major newspapers who had crawled their way up the Pacific Islands with the Marines, watched as Japanese kamikaze pilots dive-bombed into ships and shuddered in horror as civilians jumped from the cliffs of Saipan. They arrived in Tokyo in September 1945 grateful to be alive, and determined to do their part in making sure Japan never threatened anyone again. As the years passed, they moved from reporting to editing, becoming Editor/Priests who reflected, rather than questioned, U.S. goals at democratizing (the 20th century word for "civilizing") Japan.
The Four Heretics were greeted with hostility in the academic world, which, at that time, consisted of many U.S. professors who had served with the Occupation and who had spent the Cold War painting a picture of Japan as a modern democratic state that adhered to free market principles. More importantly to the U.S. State Department and the Pentagon was the fact that Japan continued to host nearly 50,000 U.S. troops. Many in Washington D.C. joined American Japan scholars in condemning the views of the Four Heretics out of fears, real or imagined, that they posed a danger to the U.S.-Japan security relationship. But the Four Heretics found a ready audience among some in the U.S. mass media, and were to have a profound effect on the way the Western media dealt with Japan and the forcefulness of their views shook the Occupation Editor/Priests. Younger U.S. reporters and editors felt the Heretics, not the grizzled Occupation vets, had a better handle on the "real" Japan. Every new Japanese political and business scandal seemed to provide supporting evidence that, no, in the end, Japan was not a Western style democracy but a unique system not necessarily compatible with the rest of the world.
Today, ten years after Japan's bubble economy burst, the intense clash between the Occupation Editor/Priests and the Four Heretics has faded. In its place has arisen greater demand for "just the facts", and the Merchant School finds itself somewhat back in vogue. Where just a few years ago, U.S. reporters would try to explain the "real" Japan based on one school or the other, today, they are more likely to offer reports on Internet users and the number of failed banks. On military issues, the Occupation Editor/Priests do continue to inspire devotion among American scribes, who write about how quickly the region would descend into chaos without the Marine presence on Okinawa. But these claims are under serious questioning elsewhere. Meanwhile, the more dire warnings of the Four Heretics about Japan taking over the world sound outdated and foolish.
Of course, the technological changes of the past decade now mean that a handful of Western media are no longer the sole means by which information on Japan reaches the outside world. But they are still the main source of information for the movers and shakers in New York, Washington, London and Continental Europe, and, by extension, those who are moved and shaken. A New York Times or Independent piece on elevator girls and teenage prostitution, or a BBC piece espousing the latest electronic gizmos in Japan, have much more of an impact on public policy than less influential, but better informed, media reports on the problems of Japan's elderly or the criminal negligence of the country's nuclear power industry.
Thus, despite the changes and the multitude of information choices, the bitter partisans Mencken spoke of 60 years ago remain with us, influence perhaps weakened, but still fighting to shape the West's intellectual approach towards Japan and still providing readily accessible intellectual, spiritual, and economic comfort stations for those who cannot be bothered to seek the "real" Japan for themselves.
Eric Johnston is Deputy Editor for The Japan Times Osaka office and veteran of UN conferences in Japan and abroad, including the 1997 Kyoto Protocol conference and the 2009 Copenhagen conference. He covered the 2010 COP10 conference in Nagoya for The Japan Times, also contributing significantly to KJ's special issue on Biodiversity, produced for that conference.
Artwork by Rimi Yang


Hans VandenNieuwendijk and Christa DeRidder are the leading native Dutch male and female voice talents in the U.S, providing clients all over the world with professional narration to bring text to life. Sincere, trendy, inviting, fun, smooth or authoritative; they have what it takes. With over 17 years of international experience their clients keep returning.
Listen to their demos and contact Hans or Christa for rates, booking or more information.
Have a script or other text in English? No problem! Let us translate it for you.
We have our own professional studio for voice recording.
Our studio with editor can be rented for US$100 per hour for other voice talents.


Pick this stuff up at the hardware store or order it online to mod your Stickvise.
Want to hold a PCB up higher? It is easy to add height by stacking the jaw plates on standoffs. This is great for PCBs with taller components on the bottom.
*McMaster Carr part numbers provided for convenience.
A very simple way to add more grip to the bottom of the vise if desired. If you do want to make this mod, I recommend using 6 rubber feet as shown in the picture.
The shaft provided with Stickvise is a standard 6mm diameter, 200mm (7.8 in.) long stainless steel guide rod. Feel free to swap in a different length shaft, just make sure to order something designed for precision linear motion (straight, ground, hardened). Here are some tested options from McMaster Carr.
To replace the shaft you will need a 1.5mm hex(allen) key. First remove the jaw plate on the fixed jaw (far left) using a phillips screwdriver. This reveals a set screw in the middle. Loosen the set screw (one turn is plenty) and the shaft should slide out as shown above.
If you don't have allen keys, order yourself a folding set from McMaster Carr, you won't be sorry. Here are McMaster part numbers: 7162A13 (inch sizes) and 5541A31 (metric).
Last step, loosen the Stickvise wingnut and slide the other pieces off.
Grab any 6mm diameter guide rod that will suit your needs and install it using the reverse of the steps above.


With the required curriculum for our district complete, I told my student teacher to have fun in creating lessons that she'd like to "try out" in the safety of student teaching. I like how she went about this lesson..different than I usually do. I may be "borrowing" her version of this lesson!!!! ha ha Just another reason I love having student teachers...it is a win-win situation(if they are good!).
Like the green stripe and swirly nose :) Picasso style faces are nearly always fail safe, effective and fun!
I'm trying to figure out what you meant by, "Our required curriculum being finished"? It's September 17th! Are you saying you've taught your entire curriculum from the 2nd week of August until now? Splain it to me, Teddy!
@ Pat - The students started Aug 1st in our district! There are 3 to 5 projects/items that are required each 9 weeks...depending on the grade level & 9 weeks. So..now that we're in week 6..yes, we've finished with the required elements. Crazy, eh?!


Our old friend, Jim Willie, joins us for our annual tradition where we wrap up the year that was and look ahead to the year that will be.
You'll no doubt enjoy this 65-minute call. It's going to be a wildly unpredictable and volatile 2018. My hope for everyone listening is that it begins with a safe and relaxing New Year's weekend.


text:
Ling Clobes Wins Smile Train's Inaugural College Scholarship
Award given to cleft-affected students
Eudora, Kansas (July 1, 2022) – Smile Train, the world's largest cleft-based organization, awards 18-year-old Ling Clobes a $5,000 college scholarship. Clobes, a 2022 graduate of Eudora High School, beat out dozens of applicants across the country based on her leadership, community service, extracurricular activities, and dedication to raising awareness about cleft lips and palates, a birth condition that can cause numerous health problems, including difficulty with eating, speaking, and hearing.
"I was born with a cleft lip and palate. My first surgery to correct my cleft was at the age of one. Since then, I've had a dozen procedures, including double jaw surgery," said Clobes. "I'm proud, excited, and honored to be awarded the 2022 Smile Train College Scholarship while continuing to raise awareness about cleft."
The award comes during the month of July – National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness Month. Clobes, a former member of her high school's marching band and basketball pep band and member of the National Honor Society, admits to being stared at because of her cleft.
"My scars are visible, and my speech is impacted. Nonetheless, being born with a cleft has made me more compassionate, especially toward those with a different ability," said Clobes.
The teen hopes to become a nurse. She'll study abroad in Ecuador for a year and begin college at Wichita State University in the Fall of 2023, where she'll major in Nursing and Spanish.
"I'm excited for my future and my education. Winning the 2022 Smile Train College Scholarship will help me accomplish my professional goals. I want to say thank you. And I want everyone to know that it's okay to be different. We're all unique, whether physically or mentally. People born with a different ability can accomplish anything anyone else can," she concluded.
****Clobes is available for media interviews upon request****
About Smile Train:
Smile Train empowers local medical professionals with training, funding, and resources to provide free cleft surgery and comprehensive cleft care to children globally. We advance a sustainable solution and scalable global health model for cleft treatment, drastically improving children's lives, including their ability to eat, breathe, speak, and ultimately thrive. To learn more about how Smile Train's sustainable approach means donations have both an immediate and long-term impact, please visit smiletrain.org.
Nicole Bell
Vice President, Public Relations, Smile Train
nbell@smiletrain.org