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Tag Archives: Escapism
It's Been A While Since I've Been a Sports "Fan"
03 Thursday May 2018
Posted by decollins1969 in 1, Boy @ The Window, culture, Eclectic, Mount Vernon New York, New York City, Pittsburgh, Politics, Pop Culture, race, Sports, University of Pittsburgh, Youth
DC, Disillusionment, DMV, Escapism, Evolution, Fandom, Misogyny, Narcissism, Pitt, Politics and Sports, Racism, Sports
Cropped image of seven year-old Linus Van Pelt sucking his thumb and holding his security blanket (like the average American sports fan), May 3, 2018. (http://amazon.com).
If my 25 year-old self and my 48 year-old self met in the same hotel bar on Rolling Rock Beer and Wings night in Pittsburgh, Buffalo, or Cleveland, they would have so much in common (or explode space-time). But they would have one hell of a disagreement about the quality, purpose, and feeling of being a sports fanatic. We'd both be ex-baseball fans, courtesy of the sports' over-inflated view of itself, its long history of racism, exclusion, and paternalism, and George Will's ludicrous books on America's so-called pastime. We'd both watch NBA basketball, NHL hockey, a fútbol match or a tennis tournament or a golf major here and there. But the reasons for watching, the rationale for whom to root for and why, the purpose for either of us to indulge in such athletic delights? We would be at an obtuse angle, at least 120 degrees apart.
My history of sports fandom began pretty much in middle school, even though I'd been exposed to all of New York's underdog teams from the womb. Mets, Jets, and Knicks (Mom still doesn't watch or understand hockey, by the way) were her teams by the time she and my dad conceived me. But me being me, I reinvented the wheel between the end of '81 and the spring of '84. I watched/listened to Yankees and Mets games, as well as the Knicks and Nets, the Islanders, Rangers, and Devils, and the Jets and Giants.
I picked my childhood teams based on low expectations, the balance between them being underdogs and being doormats, the players I'd most likely would want to emulate if I ever wanted to be a professional athlete. And, mostly important, based on that team's ability to help me forget about all that was wrong in my world, for at least three hours per day (in baseball), or six hours a week (between the other sports combined).
The Mookie Wilson-Bill Buckner connection, Game 6, 1986 World Series, Bottom 10th, Shea Stadium, Queens, NY, October 25, 1986. (http://halloffamememorabilia.net).
That gradually began to change once my teams started winning championships, or at least, regularly competing for them. The change accelerated once I left the New York area for Pittsburgh and its Western Pennsylvania ways. Between my Mets winning a World Series and my Giants winning two Super Bowls between '86 and '91, I found myself no longer a fan of hometown underdog teams. Sports weren't an escape from my reality anymore. Especially as I began regularly working out and playing sports myself.
But I still saw sports fandom as a good thing, something that could unite people and cross the barriers of racism, classism, and even sexism (depending on the sport). That was my next phase of fandom, beginning around '93. This view was what fueled my divorce from baseball after the '94 MLB strike and lockout, and what caused me to begin watching more golf and international soccer, and not just falling asleep to it.
I still rooted for my Giants, Rangers, and especially the Knickerbockers. Too bad only the Rangers broke through in the '90s, although the Knicks had their chances between '93 and '99. With living in Pittsburgh, though, I also began to cheer for the Steelers, the Penguins (except when they played the Rangers), and sometimes the Pirates.
But even in this phase of my fandom, I recognized the basic truth. I was cheering for athletes and their talent and will to shine in competition. That they happened to be a linebacker for the Giants or a pitcher for the Mets was a bonus, but I would've enjoyed their talent on other teams and in other athletic contexts anyway. I recognized this already with Reggie Jackson and Dave Winfield in the '80s, and I saw another glimpse of it in '96, when Dwight Gooden, at this point with the Yankees, finally threw a no-hitter. I wasn't even a baseball fan anymore, but I was so happy for the diminished Gooden to achieve this feat.
Venus hitting a backhand against Elise Mertens in 1st round of Wimbledon, Wimbledon, England, UK, July 3, 2017. (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/; John Walton/PA).
I think that's why I started rooting for Venus (who does not get nearly enough credit for being an elite athlete and tennis player) and Serena Williams, Tiger Woods, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, and so many others while they were still in their teens. I'm sure that's why I stopped putting up with cockamamie excuses from other fans about too much money in professional sports, about free agency, about the difficulties of running a franchise, when I'd see the same teams losing year after year. It didn't help that the athletes I rooted for growing up or in the '90s began to retire, often with a vocal and unappreciative fan base trying to shove them out to door.
Most importantly, I saw the greed and narcissism and conservative politics and racism and misogyny and homophobia that is embedded in the ownership of teams and in the building of franchises. That sports are no more divorced from the politics and malignancies in society than our choices in food and clothing, or the decision of most Americans to berate the poor for their poverty. That sports teams and franchises are about as "clean" and "merit-based" as legacies in college admissions (the ultimate form of affirmative action) and the American election process at any and all levels. Despite this, a hundred million people still entertain this naive view that sports fandom is an essential good, a form of escape, a place for camaraderie. It is not. It's escapism, a form a narcissism that allows millions to feel a bit better about their lives without doing anything to change their lives and the lives of untold others for the better.
Maybe my jadedness comes from nearly two decades in the DC area, where I regularly root for the local teams to fail, because I love it when the fans here are disillusioned. Maybe it's because of the poor quality of most of the sports I watch (or in the case of the NFL, have stopped watching for going on three years now). Or, maybe it's because my Knicks haven't a title since Nixon was president! Whatever it is, I will continue to root for athletes, but not for teams. Especially those who take a stand, those who have a purpose beyond their athleticism, those whose bodies make me a bit envious, but only envious enough to keep working out, to keep running, to keep draining Js. Also, the NFL is still blackballing Colin Kaepernick!
David Wolf, A Teacher I Hope To Never Become
Posted by decollins1969 in 1, Academia, Boy @ The Window, Carnegie Mellon University, culture, Eclectic, Jimme, Mount Vernon High School, Mount Vernon New York, My Father, New York City, Pop Culture, race, Sports, University of Pittsburgh, Youth
1986 World Series, 616, 616 East Lincoln Avenue, AP Physics, Bad Teaching Habits, David Wolf, Escapism, Humanities, Jesse Orosco, Mets, Mother-Son Relationship, MVHS, New York Mets, Senioritis, Teaching and Learning
Film critic Gene Shalit (closest approximation I could find to David Wolf), circa 1980. (http://imdb.com).
This date was one of the great ones during my Boy @ The Window years. It was a day (and evening) that almost made me forget the role I'd been in since the spring of '81. One as the sometimes adult male with adult responsibilities on the one hand, and as the nearly ostracized emotional equivalent of a twelve-year-old on the other. But yes, even small miracles (at least in my mind at the time) did happen. The New York Metropolitans, my Mets, won Game 7 of the 1986 World Series thirty years ago on this date 8-5, a biting cold Monday night at the end of October! My Giants beat and beat up the Redskins that same evening 27-24, on their way to a 14-2 record and their first Super Bowl. My underdogs weren't anymore.
Within three days of that ultimate day of vicarious escapism, the reality of having neglected my studies had sunk in. Or, to be completely honest, the reality of needing much more time to study than I could've ever devoted, even without the distractions of senioritis, my Mets and Giants winning or on their way to championships, set in. Because that's what it would've taken for me to have a successful senior year at Mount Vernon High School academically. A greater commitment to AP Physics C, AP English, and AP Calculus AB than my bifurcated life would have allowed. Between four siblings ages two to seven, college applications, and constant errands and chores for my Mom, my weekends of tracking down my father at one watering hole or another, I should've gone off to college after my junior year. I should've used the summer of '86 to take gym or something to get the one-quarter credit I needed to graduate.
Instead, here I was with the one teacher who was probably the one most ill-equipped to handle any students other than near-genius devotees to AP Physics. I had David Wolf the year before in high school Physics, so I knew how intolerant he could be toward students who were unprepared, or "just [didn't] get it." Or, at least I thought I knew. The week before the Mets' Game 7 win, Wolf had given us our end-of-marking-period exam on mechanics, and the day after was when we received our exams back with grades. I had the fourth highest score out of seven students, a 22 out of 100. You can look at any grades I'd earned prior to and since this exam in any course between kindergarten and doctorate, and none come close to a 22.
But it obviously wasn't just me.
David Wolf was another character who was sometimes funny but otherwise sucked as a teacher. It would've been hard for me to know what Butler had been like as a teacher when he was happily married. Wolf was a mediocre teacher on his best days because he simply didn't care if we learned anything in his class. Of course that didn't make him much different from most of our other teachers. What made Wolf different was the fact that he went out of his way to embarrass students, as if the shock of being outed by him would somehow make us better.
Wolf "taught" us the more difficult AP Physics C version of this Physics course, involving mechanics, electricity and magnetism. It was the equivalent of second semester Physics right from the start, and most of us needed at least a semester of Calculus to keep up with him. Had I known this was Wolf's plan, I may well have taken my former classmate Laurell's advice (eight years too late) and switched to AP Biology. Instead, I chose to see this as a new challenge I could take on and will myself through, just like I had in every other difficult class I'd taken up to that point. But after the first two months of the year, it crossed my mind that struggling through this course wasn't worth it.
Sink or Swim Republican Lifeguard Cartoon, Mike Luckovich, March 14, 2013. (Luckovich/Atlanta Journal-Constitution; http://luckovich.blog.ajc.com).
When I wrote in Boy @ The Window, "Laurell was practically using third-semester Calculus to build the Great Pyramids by comparison," it was hyperbole, of course. Partly because Egyptian calculus was likely more complicated. And partly because Laurell had done something that I couldn't do. She had gone to Wolf at the end of eleventh grade and borrowed from him a copy of the AP Physics textbook. She had devoted much of her summer to studying up on AP Physics and AP Calculus BC (once the harder version of AP Calculus) before day one of twelfth grade. So Laurell was going to do well, no matter what. Dozens of hours to study wasn't sometime I had at chaotic 616, textbook weeks ahead of time or otherwise.
However, me doing well or terribly wasn't my issue with Wolf. It was his sink-or-swim approach, with no attempt to help struggling students in any way. It was his dickish attitude, where he would literally lean on his stool or against the chalkboard insulting us as we attempted to answer a Physics problem.
Wolf's class remained the most painful academic experience I'd have in Humanities. Period…Wolf continued to berate and belittle us, wondering, 'Why are you still here?,' or exclaiming 'You decided to show up today!' On the rare occasions I managed to solve a problem at the chalkboard, he gave me a Bronx cheer, the kind good Yankees fans gave when their team was down ten runs and a Yankee hit a home run to close the gap to nine.
Now, some would say this was good preparation for college. Where? While I certainly have known indifferent professors regarding my own abilities or their distance from other students in general, I've only known a few who even threw out the rare bit of sarcasm in the classroom. Plus, for courses like Physics, there were TAs who could walk students through problems better than Khan Academy. Even saying that Wolf was good preparation for graduate school would be a stretch. Quiet exclusion, rather than insults and ostracism, is the rule at the doctoral level. And having an advisor like Wolf would've led to blood, and not my own, plain and simple.
After years in the classroom with high school, undergrad, and grad students, I understand that being a professor isn't the same as being a K-12 teacher. Most of the time, I'm not dealing with parents (except as students), I don't teach five days a week, and I have the expectation that my students should behave as college students. All the more reason that as I have grown older and more experienced as an educator, the more I've found Wolf's behavior objectionable, even almost unforgivable. In all seriousness, why even show up to teach if your primary form of solace at work is yelling insults at students while standing in the hallway in between class periods?
My Inevitable Walkman Era
Posted by decollins1969 in 1, Academia, Boy @ The Window, Christianity, culture, Eclectic, eclectic music, High Rise Buildings, Jimme, Mount Vernon New York, music, My Father, New York City, Pittsburgh, Pop Culture, race, Religion, University of Pittsburgh, Work, Youth
616, 616 East Lincoln Avenue, Black Masculinity, Coping Strategies, Disillusionment, Escape, Escapism, Manhood, Masculinity, Self-Discovery, Sony Walkman, Walking, Walkman
This version was my first Sony Walkman (between May 1987 and June 1988), posted August 28, 2013. (http://ebay.ie).
This week marks three decades since I finally entered the '80s technologically, buying my first portable radio/cassette player with headphones. It wasn't the Sony Walkman — I'd get my first one of those a year later. No, it was a Taiwan-made knockoff that I got at Crazy Eddie's on 46th and Fifth in Manhattan, on sale for $22, that was my jump into the era of the Walkman. After a year and a half of carrying around a plug-in radio, playing with records on cheap $15 turntables (that cost $130 and much more in 2016), contemplating boom boxes, and having no control over what music I listened to outside of laundromat runs and 616, I found a new way to escape.
As I wrote in my memoir, this new toy was
my passport to another world, a world where I could make anything happen and no one could hurt me. Taking the Subway to go to The Wiz or Crazy Eddie's or Tower Records was as much a part of mine and Darren's Saturday ritual as our tracking down of Jimme. I no longer had to wait for WPLJ or Z-100 or WBLS to play the music I wanted to hear. I could buy a cassette tape for as little as six dollars. In the month after I'd bought my Walkman I'd gone out and bought more than twenty tapes. Whitney Houston, Simple Minds, Phil Collins, Sting, The Police, Mr. Mister, Mike + The Mechanics, Tears for Fears, even Sade. All were welcome who could contribute to my all-consuming effort at conquering my courses.
I was tough on my first Walkman, though. I must've dropped it a dozen times in two months, as it barely made it to Memorial Day '86. My second one was a $42 Panasonic, which I bought with my Technisort earnings, and it lasted from July 4th until the end of October. I bought a decent Aiwa knockoff of the Sony Walkman in December, and that one made it to April '87. before I finally found the $60 I needed for my Sony Walkman the month before high school graduation.
In a span of a year, I would accumulate more than seventy tapes, covering everything from pop and hard rock to rap and R&B, new age and jazz. As anyone who knew me in the spring of '87 could attest, I carried my tapes with me in my book bag to have at the ready, the same way in which I had toted my Bible everywhere when I became a Christian three years earlier.
I walked everywhere in the Upper Bronx and Southern Westchester County for nearly three and a half years before I bought a Walkman of any kind. But in that window between March '86 and my college move to Pittsburgh seventeen months later, my walks became much more frequently and much more eventful. I was walking to escape, to find mental space away from the gang of under-five-year-olds that ruled the too-small, two-bedroom space of pain in which I had grown up. I walked to figure out who I was and who I wasn't, to be angry at my family, at the world, and at myself. I walked to find meaning in a chaotic life and world. I walked because I could wear myself out with warp speed, spin moves and high-falsetto highs, with questions and emotions and sometimes even, some answers, before coming back to 616 and grabbing some sleep. I must've have gone on 100 or 150 walks of five miles or more in that year and a half before college.
Inception (2010), Paris dream construct screen shot, April 27, 2012. (http://dpmlicious.com). Qualifies as fair use under US Copyright laws because of poor resolution of shot, not intended for distribution.
That doesn't even count my more frequent forays into the city, not to do anything or be anything. I wasn't working for my father anymore, and after he repeatedly called me a "Faggat" in August '86 and tried to set me up with a prostitute in December '86, I hardly went to see him at all until the last few weeks before leaving for Pitt. I didn't even take Darren down to Midtown Manhattan, the Upper West Side, Harlem or Flatbush with me. That's what I did with the spare hours I started stealing from my Mom on weekends during that year. I'd go down to the city, maybe buy a few tapes at Tower Records on 66th and Broadway (usually not, since most of my tapes came via Terra Haute, Indiana). Sometimes if I had a few dollars, I'd go to MOMA or Radio City or some other place and go into escape/observation mode there. Mostly, I walked and people watched for an hour or so, and then take the long way home between the 2 train, 241st Street and the heart of Mount Vernon.
All the while, my music was on, often at full blast. It was a coping strategy, a pain and stress reliever, my sword and my shield. It took my Phyllis obsession and my freshman year at the University of Pittsburgh to break the link between music, Walkman, and the need to escape. It took the pain of rejection, removal from an anti-Donald environment, and a bout of homelessness to make music about enjoyment and education. When that happened, sometime in '88, I knew I couldn't escape anymore.
"Back In The Summer of '85"
Posted by decollins1969 in 1, Boy @ The Window, culture, Eclectic, eclectic music, High Rise Buildings, Jimme, Mount Vernon New York, music, My Father, New York City, Pop Culture, race, Sports, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Work, Youth
"Summer of '69" (1985), All-Nighter, Atlanta Braves, Back To The Future (1985), Bryan Adams, Darryl Strawberry, Davey Johnson, Dwight Gooden, Eleanor Bumpurs, Escapism, Fireworks, Gary Carter, Howard Johnson, Independence Day, It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back (1988), Jesse Orosco. Cy Young Award, Keith Hernandez, Lenny Dystra, Michael Stewart, Mookie Wilson, New York Mets, Public Enemy, Rafael Santana, Ron Darling, Tom Gorman, Wally Backman
Dwight Gooden in 1985, 24-4, 1.53 ERA, 268Ks, Cy Young Award winner, intimidator. (Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images; http://espn.go.com).
Michael Stewart (1958-1983) and Eleanor Bumpurs (1918-1984) had me thinking about police brutality long before my first Walking While Black encounter, July 4, 2015 (via Adobe Photoshop).
Since this is Independence Day Weekend, it makes thirty years since the official release of Back To The Future. And with me beyond the forty-five-and-a-half year mark, I am officially middle-aged. Funny, though. I don't feel that different. My knees ached when I was fifteen sometimes, and so also did my feet. We had gas-guzzling cars in '85, and we still have plenty of them on the road in '15. White Americans treated Black lives cheaper than manure in '85 (e.g., Michael Stewart in '83 and Eleanor Bumpurs in '84), and evidence from the police shootings and acts of White terrorism — especially in South Carolina — in recent years/days show that it still "takes a nation of millions to hold" Blacks back because of their indifference in '15.
Rafael Santana, Mets shortstop from 1984-87, 1986 World Series, Boston's Fenway Park. (AP; http://www.newsday.com/ ).
One thing that has changed in the past three decades has been me as a fan. I loved — I mean, LOVED — the New York Metropolitans in '85. I was a baseball fan through and through, and had become a diehard Mets fans by the time I finished my first stage of pubescent growth in the spring of '84. I read the Daily News for box scores. I would get peeved hearing bad commentary on WABC-AM 770 — from listening to the late Art Rust, Jr.'s show — about the terrible hitting of shortstop Rafael Santana or the constant criticism of Darryl Strawberry (they were the Yankees radio station). I'd schedule my spring and summer afternoons and evenings around whomever the Mets played that day.
The summer of '85 didn't truly start for me until June 11, when the Mets proceeded to lose a game to the Phillies by the score of 26-7. I'd been working with my older brother Darren for my father down in the city, and was on the 2 Subway and on my way home before I learned of the news. They were down 16-0 after two innings, with Mike Schmidt, Juan Samuel, Von Hayes and company having had as many as three or four at-bats in those couple of innings. The Mets managed seven runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings but with our then weak bullpen, had no chance to hold the Phillies the rest of the way. "If only I'd been home to listen to the game from the beginning," I thought. "Then maybe they wouldn't have been down so many runs." Those are the thoughts of a fan whom lived and died with his team. I'm sure my blood pressure went up to 135/80 (mind you, I was fifteen, still a teenager) on days like that day.
But as I wrote in Boy @ The Window, that was hardly the end of my second full summer of Mets, Mets, and more Mets.
After the hungry end to tenth grade and three weeks of torture with my father, I had more important things to do. Watching Dwight Gooden pitch the Mets into a pennant race they'd almost fallen out of, for starters. I either listened to or watched Gooden win sixteen straight decisions between May and the end of August. And the Mets…made the '85 season one to remember. Despite working nights, I managed to watch a rain-delayed Independence Day game with the Mets playing the Braves in Atlanta at the old Fulton County Stadium. The Mets won in nineteen innings, 19-16. The game ended at 4:05 am on the fifth of July, and the Braves still set off their fireworks at the end of the game.
Actually, the final score was 16-13 in nineteen innings (will correct in an eventual new edition). Originally scheduled for a 7:35 pm start, the game had been delayed by thunderstorms in Atlanta for nearly an hour and a half. There were at least two other rain delays during the game. Gooden was the Mets original starter that Thursday, but after two and a third innings, had stiffness in his throwing arm, had left some runners on, and left the game. The rest of the game was a roller coaster ride, as the Mets jumped out to a 7-4 lead thanks to Keith Hernandez's cycle, then Jesse Orosco, our shutdown closer, gave up four runs in the bottom of the eighth to yield the lead to the Braves. Then the Mets scored a run in the top of the ninth to send the game to extra innings.
Scoring runs in the 13th and 18th innings didn't help, as the Braves matched the Mets run for run, thanks in part to a pitcher with a .060 career batting average who hit a home run. When I saw Ron Darling (whom had started two nights earlier) warming up in the bullpen around 3:30 am, I knew this game had been on too long. I stayed up just long enough to watch the Mets score five more runs in the 19th inning, then dozed up until the fireworks went off at the end of the game.
(Note: just watch the first four minutes, including Marv Albert's '80s hair while still doing sports anchor work for WNBC-4 in New York)
Bryan Adams, "Summer of '69" (1985), December 6, 2006. (Purdy via Wikipedia, originally A&M Records). Qualifies as fair use, as image is low-resolution and for illustrative purposes only.
I'd never been up that late into the next day before. Since no one at 616 was up with me, I'd been able to do for once what I've done most nights as an adult in the nearly three decades since. I thought about the future, and laid down some plans to ensure it. In this case, I planned to keep working for my father so that I could escape more into the world of the diehard Mets fan. I hoped that Bryan Adams was wrong, that the days of my Mom's second trimester with me, the "Summer of '69," (a bit hit in the summer of '85) weren't "the best days of my life."
But, as I correctly wrote in the memoir
Yeah, you could say that my summer was going better than expected, having worked and watched my Mets play quality baseball in July and into August. I had my usual set of chores to be sure, runs to the store, weekly washings of clothes and watching after the kids. I took Maurice and Yiscoc out for walks, would sometimes respond to the occasional bill collector on Mom's behalf, would check the mail and give Sarai and Eri baths. I'd cook weekend brunches of fried beef bologna, scrambled eggs and grits and occasional spaghetti and broccoli dinners for my siblings. I'd long since known that I'd become the first-born of the family, in that I was filling Darren's role on so many levels.
Hence, the welcome relief of Gary Carter, Keith Hernandez, Howard Johnson, Gooden, Strawberry, Fernandez, and the rest of the '85 Mets crew. While I may not like everything going on in my life and world now, I don't need to escape it through baseball — or any other form of entertainment, really — to deal these days. At least there's that.
Not Finding My Musical Center
Posted by decollins1969 in 1, Boy @ The Window, culture, Eclectic, eclectic music, Mount Vernon High School, Mount Vernon New York, music, My Father, New York City, Politics, Pop Culture, race, Religion, Youth
616, 616 East Lincoln Avenue, Authentic Blackness, Authenticity, Bad Ideas, Bad Music, Black Masculinity, Columbia House, Coping Strategies, Crush #2, Dahlia, David Wolf, Escapism, Estelle Abel, Glass Tiger, Honors Convocation 1987, MVHS, Phyllis, Richard Capozzola, Self-Discovery, Silent Treatment, Sylvia Fasulo, Terre Haute, Thompson Twins, Tower Records
Glass Tiger, The Thin Red Line (1986) album cover, June 6, 2015. (http://www.amazon.ca).
June '15's calendar is exactly the same as the one I lived through in June '81, June '87, June '98, and June '09 (you can look it up). But June '87's the month I graduated from Mount Vernon High School. At seventeen, my Blackness, my authenticity as a young man and as a Black man, my place in the world, all were question marks. Between Black administrators like Estelle Abel and Brenda Smith (not to mention White ones like Richard Capozzola and Carapella), teachers like David Wolf and my guidance counselor Sylvia Fasulo, plus the fifty or so "cool" kids with their '80s pre-Nu Jack Swing/post-Purple Rain Prince look, I might as well have been an alien from another planet. That's not even counting my strange and out-of-character incident with Dahlia, the humiliation of the Sam and Laurell Awards Show, the dissonance of dealing with Mom, my idiot stepfather Maurice and my siblings at 616, my father Jimme's drinking, and the run-ins with not-so-normal Crush #2 in Phyllis.
The day I realized most how differently the world outside of Mount Vernon viewed me from how I viewed myself came the day after graduation at Tower Records on West 66th and Broadway. I've told this story before, here and in Boy @ The Window, about how some NYPD officers working security there accosted me and accused me of stealing tapes that I had bought the previous week. What I have left out, though, was my state of mind in the two-week period prior to this incident. As I said in the memoir
I had my latest Walkman, my first Sony Walkman, actually, and my book bag with my recent tape investments, including a few I'd bought at Tower Records the previous Friday. Investments like Fleetwood Mac's Tango In The Night, Genesis' Invisible Touch, Whitney Houston's Whitney and Glass Tiger. Glass Tiger, by the way, was a good indication of my state of mind. Boy was I pathetic!
Here I was, attempting to discover myself through what was then my normal coping strategy of escapism via eclectic music. Given my long periods of deprivation from pop culture between religion, abuse and poverty, I'd really only been at this discovering music thing for a little more than three years. I was basically a preteen in terms of pop culture and musical development outside of choir in elementary and middle school and playing the trombone and fife.
Seriously, I look at this Canadian group Glass Tiger's '86 album cover The Thin Red Line now and think, "this stuff isn't even Michael Bolton worthy!" Songs like "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" and "Someday" were actual Billboard chart-toppers in '87, though, and because I had no friends in whom I placed trust, I trusted my coping strategies and Casey Kasem.
That, and Columbia Record Club, which I signed up for off and on between '86 and '89, with my high point for using their Terra Haute, Indiana mailing operation being the spring and summer of '87. I could use them to find music I wouldn't dare buy even at Tower Records or Crazy Eddie's. I bought new age music by Phillip Glass, took a hand at jazz with Dizzy Gillespie, bought Van Halen's 1984 and 5150 (California-crazy me), and went for it with Big Daddy Kane, MC Lyte and Salt 'n Pepa.
Thompson Twins, Here's to Future Days (1985) album cover, June 6, 2015. (http://audiokarma.com).
But for every Simple Minds' Once Upon A Time (1985), there was Toto's The Seventh One (1988), or Thompson Twins' anything, really. For every song that stuck with me, like Sting's "Be Still My Beating Heart" (1987) or Anita Baker's "No One In The World" (1986), there was Whitney Houston's "Love Is A Contact Sport" (1987) — one of the worst songs I've ever heard a voice as awesome as Whitney's sing — and Howard Jones' "Things Can Only Get Better" (1985). "Things Can Only Get Better," by the way, is in my iPod's random rotation, as I have come around to it again in the past decade.
I was trying to figure out what I liked and didn't like musically on the fly, having lost a significant amount of time growing up for the triviality of enjoying music. This was hard to do, though, in a world in which my peers and many adults assumed that I knew myself well at the ripe old age of seventeen. No matter what my IQ score was in '87 (about a 130, for the eugenicists out there), my emotional and psychological development probably put me about five years behind my now former classmates.
So my music tastes varied from genius to God-awful. They still do. The difference is, I recognize I may be the only one who listens to DMX for comic relief, because there's no way to take him or his rap seriously. Or that I find Tupac and Eminem equally compelling and equally problematic. I still
Taco Bell's Waffle Taco w/ syrup, sausage, eggs and cheese, March 27, 2014. (http://vice.com).
don't understand the genius of Miles Davis, no matter how many times jazz enthusiasts like my friend Marc try to convince me to keep listening. Still, half of my music comes from the period between May '87 and October '97, and the rest crosses boundaries in time, genre, race and language (Deep Forest, anyone?).
I also recognize complete schlock, too. Unfortunately, commercial music these days is about as emotionally and mentally nutritious as a McDonald's Big Mac and a Taco Bell Gordita combined. I try every few weeks to find out about the latest artists, just in case my son ever becomes interested in music again. Thank goodness, though, there's no Lil' Wayne, Rick Ross, or Iggy Izalea in our house! I'll take my Glass Tiger (not really) any day over that!
Super Bowl XXI and Vicarious Living
Posted by decollins1969 in 1, Boy @ The Window, culture, Eclectic, Mount Vernon High School, Mount Vernon New York, New York City, Pop Culture, Sports, Youth
Coping Strategies, Escapism, Living Vicariously, Mount Vernon High School, Mount Vernon New York, New York Giants, Super Bowl XXI, Underdog, Underdog Mentality
In little more than a week, my New York (football) Giants will play against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI, and hopefully win their fourth NFL championship. It's good for me to watch this process unfold — again. Only without the significant emotional and psychological attachment I had to my Giants back in the days of Bill Parcells, Phil Simms, Mark Bavaro, Phil McConkey, Joe Morris, Lawrence Taylor, Leonard Marshall, Carl Banks, Elvis Patterson, and Harry Carson, among so many others.
It's been twenty-five years and three days since my Giants won their first Super Bowl, against John Elway and the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXI. Or, as Dick Enberg put it over and over again, "the man with the golden arm," who looked like Tim Tebow most of the game against the Giants pass rush. At times after that win on January 25, '87, it seemed as if that was the only thing that went right for me that year.
Of course, that wasn't true. After all, this was also my senior year at Mount Vernon High School, about to graduate and move on to the University of Pittsburgh that fall. But at seventeen years old, in the middle of my obsession with Crush #2, and feeling the pressures of life at 616, the ridicule of some classmates at MVHS, and the need to grasp my future, I needed many forms of escape.
The Giants had served as one major form of escape for me since the '83 season. Yeah, their 3-12-1 season. I was neither a Giants nor a Jets fan, but after watching what had happened with both teams that year, I felt sorriest for the Giants. With a first-year coach like Bill Parcells not knowing yet how to coach his team, I just felt they had nowhere else to go but up. They hadn't won a championship since '56, and didn't look like they were going to win one anytime soon.
Just like me. As an underdog in life, I already was rooting for teams that no one else would care to talk
Mark Bavaro after touchdown catch in Super Bowl XXI, January 25, 1987 (note the kneel down that people now attribute to Tebow). (Walter Iooss, Jr. via http://nypost.com).
about. The Jets just looked like a team that squandered talent, they had Richard Todd, and they never played as hard as the Giants. So by the end of the year I didn't care to watch them anymore.
I watched or listened to my Giants play football virtually every Sunday from that point on, but that didn't interfere with my studies. It often helped me remember obscure information, especially as my ability to study at 616 complete deteriorated. Through a visual cue, like Phil Simms throwing a touchdown pass on a crossing route or post pattern to Mark Bavaro, I could remember how to solve a specific function or recall a series of "if-then" statements for a Pascal program.
Then, after disappointment in the playoffs in '84 and '85 at the hands of the 49ers and the Bears, the Giants won Super Bowl XXI, blowing out and brutalizing each team they faced along the way. My underdog team had become a juggernaut in three seasons, meaning that there was hope for me yet.
But it would take me a bit longer to see myself as a winner, a champion, someone deserving of a victorious life. When I did, a couple of years before the Giants' second Super Bowl victory in January '91, I realized that I didn't need to live and die with any team I was a fan of in order to validate the meaning of my own life. Rooting for the Giants, win or lose, has given me a small degree of joy over the years, like a kid just enjoying the excellence of his team. How it translates for my own life is immaterial. It's up to me to decide how much victory in my life I'm willing to fight for, and how much success I can stand.


Orlando West, Soweto Edition by Noor Nieftagodien and Publisher WITS University Press. Save up to 80% by choosing the eTextbook option for ISBN: 9781776141142, 1776141148. The print version of this textbook is ISBN: 9781868145447, 1868145441.


text:
Tag: EU
British MPs Prepare To Seal Brexit Deal
After years of bitter arguments, British MPs will on Thursday finally approve the terms of Brexit, paving the way for the UK to leave the EU on January 31. The House of Commons will complete…
UK Minimum Wage To Increase By Four Times In April —Boris Johnson
Britain's minimum wage is to increase by more than four times the rate of UK inflation from next year, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government announced Tuesday. A 6.2 per cent increase from April takes the…
UK Lawmakers Set To Vote On Boris Johnson's Brexit Bill
British lawmakers were set to hold their first major vote Friday on Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Brexit deal, a bill that is all but certain to be approved by the country's new Conservative-dominated Parliament. The…
Nigerians Spent €5.3m On Visa Applications To Europe In 2018 —Report
Statistics by SchengenVisaInfo have shown that in 2018, Nigerians spent €5,315,220 on visa applications to Europe. The report added that €2,644,560 of the stated amount was spent by applicants who were refused visa. The statistics…
UK Brexit Laws To Be Put Before Parliament Friday
The laws needed to enact Britain's exit from the European Union (EU) will be put before parliament on Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman has said. The spokesman said that the bill would aim to…
World Leaders Laud Boris Johnson's British Election Victory
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party secured a majority in a landslide election victory, results showed on Friday. Following is reaction from leaders around the world: Trump said Johnson's win meant Britain and the…
Ending Gender Violence In Nigeria Our Top Priority ― EU Ambassador
The European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ambassador Ketil Karlsen, says ending gender-based violence and sexual assault remains a top priority of the mission in Nigeria. But to make the plan to work, the…
UK Will Leave EU By 31 January – Jean-Claude Juncker
The outgoing European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has told the BBC he believes the UK will leave the UK by 31 January 2020, the end of the current extension period. He told BBC Europe Editor…
British Lawmakers To Elect New Speaker After John Bercow's Retirement
British lawmakers are electing a new House of Commons speaker on Monday to replace the influential but controversial John Bercow. Bercow retired last week after a decade as speaker that saw him become a central…
Barnier Warns Risk Of No-Deal Brexit 'Still Exists'
European Union's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, Wednesday said the UK's chaotic departure from the EU without a Brexit deal "stills exists." Should parliament fail to ratify the Brexit deal that was agreed with the EU27,…
Hey Buddy!, I found this information for you: "British MPs Prepare To Seal Brexit Deal". Here is the website link: https://www.thepledge.ng/british-mps-prepare-to-seal-brexit-deal/. Thank you.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: How to animate UICollection View without scrolling? I have a collection view with this properties:

*

*collection.frame = CGRectMake(0,20,fullWidth,0)

*collection.contentInset = UIEdgeInsetsMake(100 , 0, 0, 0)
I run this animation:
 UIView.animateWithDuration(3.0,animations:{
                                let frame = CGRectMake(0, 20,fullWidth,200)
                                 collection.frame = frame
                      }completion: {})

the animation works perfect , but the problem is :
it appears that the collection scroll up automatically while the animation run !
so at the end of the animation the user should scroll up to see the first cell. How to solve that ? thanks
EDIT:
i solved this by changing contentOffset.y after the animation complete.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Initially known as ski ballet, Acroski is a winter snow sport in which athletes on skis carry-out different choreographed schedules. Until 2000, it was considered as a freestyle skiing discipline, but now, it does not fall under competitive freestyle skiing.
The schedules performed in Acroski are choreographed and consists of rolls, jumps, spins, leg-crossings and flips. The complete schedule is carried-out on a smooth slope, while background music is being played.
Only in the mid-1970s, the music concept was introduced to Acroski. The competitions in this sport are held for individual performers only. In the mid-1980s, pair competitions were held for a short while, but this practice was discontinued later.
Each schedule in Acroski is performed for 90 seconds. A panel of judges is appointed to judge these schedules. They judge those on the basis of features including artistic display, technical execution, and style. Each feature is judged by individual judges, and each feature carries a particular weighting in the total score. The highest scoring athlete becomes the winner.
In the 1992 and 1998 Winter Olympics, Acroski was introduced as a demonstration sport. But gradually its popularity declined, and it has now become a dying sport.


text:
from SocketServer import BaseRequestHandler, TCPServer
from itertools import repeat
import threading
import multiprocessing
import pickle
import socket
import time
import traceback
import itertools

class _noplogger(object):
    """ a fake logger that does nothing
    """

    def debug(self, *args, **kwargs):
        pass

    def info(self, *args, **kwargs):
        pass

    def warning(self, *args, **kwargs):
        pass

    def exception(self, *args, **kwargs):
        pass

    def critical(self, *args, **kwargs):
        pass

class ExplicitRequestClosingTCPServer(TCPServer):
    """ A tcp server that doesn't automatically shutdown incoming requests
    """

    request_queue_size = 1000

    def process_request(self, request, client_address):
        """Call finish_request.

            Different from parent by that that it doesn't shutdown the request
        """
        self.finish_request(request, client_address)

class CollectingNodeProxy(BaseRequestHandler):
    """ a proxy to the CollectingNode. Used by collecting leader to get info from collection Node.
    """

    # Default buffer sizes for rfile, wfile.
    # We default rfile to buffered because otherwise it could be
    # really slow for large data (a getc() call per byte); we make
    # wfile unbuffered because (a) often after a write() we want to
    # read and we need to flush the line; (b) big writes to unbuffered
    # files are typically optimized by stdio even when big reads
    # aren't.
    rbufsize = 0
    wbufsize = 0

    def __init__(self, leader, request, client_address, server, debug_log=None):
        self.leader = leader
        self.debug_log = debug_log if debug_log else _noplogger()
        BaseRequestHandler.__init__(self, request, client_address, server)

    ### BaseRequestHandler functions
    def setup(self):
        self.connection = self.request
        self.rfile = self.connection.makefile('rb', self.rbufsize)
        self.wfile = self.connection.makefile('wb', self.wbufsize)

    def handle(self):
        try:
            self.debug_log.debug("Handling an incoming registration request. Asking for node name.")
            node_id = self.receive()
            if node_id == "ping":
                self.debug_log.info("Got pinged.Acknowelding.")
                self.send("ack")
                self.close()
                return

            self.debug_log.info("Connected to node %s", node_id)
            self.id = node_id
            self.debug_log.debug("Registering node %s with proxy.", node_id)
            self.leader.register_node_proxy(self)
            self.debug_log.debug("Sending ack back to node %s.", node_id)
            self.send("ack")
            self.debug_log.debug("Done handling request from node %s.", node_id)
        except Exception as e:
            st = traceback.format_exc()
            self.debug_log.exception("Got an exception while dealing with an incoming request: %s, st: %s", e, st)
            self.close()
            raise

    def finish(self):
        pass

    ### Collecting Proxy functions
    def send(self, data):
        pickle.dump(data, self.wfile, pickle.HIGHEST_PROTOCOL)
        self.wfile.flush()

    def receive(self):
        return pickle.load(self.rfile)

    def send_and_receive(self, data):
        self.send(data)
        return self.receive()

    def close(self):
        try:
            if not self.wfile.closed:
                self.wfile.flush()
            self.wfile.close()
            self.rfile.close()
            self.connection.close()
        except (IOError, EOFError) as e:
            self.debug_log.debug("Proxy of Node %s: Swallowing io error (we're closing anyway): %s", getattr(self, 'id', None), e)

def normalize_hosts_and_ports(hosts_and_ports):
    """ normalize the various options of hosts_and_ports int a list of
        host and port tuples
    """
    if isinstance(hosts_and_ports[0], list) or isinstance(hosts_and_ports[0], tuple):
        # already in right format:
        return hosts_and_ports

    # a single tuple:
    return [hosts_and_ports]

class CollectingLeader(object):
    """
        A class which sets up a socket server for collecting reports from CollectingNodes
    """

    def __init__(self, hosts_and_ports=[("", 60709), ("", 60708)], debug_log=None):
        self.hosts_and_ports = normalize_hosts_and_ports(hosts_and_ports)
        self.debug_log = debug_log if debug_log else _noplogger()
        self.lock = threading.RLock()
        self.node_proxies = dict()
        self.tcp_server = None
        self.leading_level = None  # if leading this is set to the sequential number of the chosen host and port

    @property
    def leading(self):
        return self.leading_level is not None

    def try_to_lead(self, throw=False):
        """ Iterates of host_and_ports trying to claim leadership position.
           Returns none on success or the last error message on failure

        """
        for potential_level in range(len(self.hosts_and_ports)):
            try:
                self.tcp_server = ExplicitRequestClosingTCPServer(self.hosts_and_ports[potential_level],
                    self.make_stream_request_handler, bind_and_activate=False)
                #                self.allow_reuse_address = True
                try:
                    self.tcp_server.server_bind()
                    self.tcp_server.server_activate()
                except:
                    self.tcp_server.server_close()
                    raise

                # success!
                self.leading_level = potential_level
                break

            except IOError as e:
                self.debug_log.info("Failed to setup TCP Server %s . Error: %s", self.hosts_and_ports[potential_level],
                    e)
                if potential_level == len(self.hosts_and_ports) - 1:
                    # nothing to do, give up.
                    if throw:
                        raise
                    return str(e)

        self.debug_log.info("Successfully gained leadership on %s (level: %s). Start responding to nodes",
            self.hosts_and_ports[self.leading_level], self.leading_level)

        def target():
            try:
                self.debug_log.debug('serving thread is running')
                self.tcp_server.serve_forever()
                self.debug_log.debug('serving thread stoppinng')
            except Exception as e:
                self.debug_log.exception("Server had an error: %s", e)

        t = threading.Thread(target=target)
        t.daemon = True
        t.start()

        return None

    @property
    def connected_nodes_count(self):
        with self.lock:
            return len(self.node_proxies)

    def disconnect_nodes(self):
        self._send_termination_msg("quit")

    def reconnect_nodes(self):
        self._send_termination_msg("reconnect")

    def _send_termination_msg(self, msg):
        with self.lock:
            for node in self.node_proxies.itervalues():
                try:
                    node.send(msg)
                except IOError as e:
                    self.debug_log.warning("Get an error when sending to node %s:\nerror:%s, \nmsg:%s", node.id, e, msg)

                try:
                    node.close()
                except:
                    pass

            self.node_proxies.clear()

    def stop_leading(self):
        if self.leading:
            self.tcp_server.shutdown()
            self.tcp_server.server_close()
        with self.lock:
            for node in self.node_proxies.itervalues():
                self.debug_log.debug("Closing proxy for %s", node.id)
                node.close()

            self.node_proxies = {}

    def send_to_all_nodes(self, data):
        with self.lock:
            error_nodes = []
            for node in self.node_proxies.itervalues():
                try:
                    node.send(data)
                except IOError as e:
                    self.debug_log.warning("Get an error when sending to node %s:\nerror:%s, \ndata:%s", node.id, e,
                        data)
                    try:
                        node.close()
                    except:
                        pass
                    error_nodes.append(node.id)

            for err_node in error_nodes:
                self.debug_log.debug("Removing node %s from collection", err_node)
                del self.node_proxies[err_node]

    def collect_from_all_nodes(self):
        """ returns a dictionary with answers from all nodes. Dictionary id is node id.
        """
        ret = {}
        with self.lock:
            error_nodes = []
            for node in self.node_proxies.itervalues():
                try:
                    ret[node.id] = node.send_and_receive("collect")
                except IOError as e:
                    self.debug_log.warning("Get an error when sending to node %s:\nerror:%s", node.id, e)
                    try:
                        node.close()
                    except:
                        pass
                    error_nodes.append(node.id)

            for err_node in error_nodes:
                self.debug_log.debug("Removing node %s from collection", err_node)
                del self.node_proxies[err_node]

        return ret

    def log(self, *args, **kwargs):
        if self.debug_log:
            self.debug_log.debug(*args, **kwargs)

    def register_node_proxy(self, proxy):
        with self.lock:
            self.node_proxies[proxy.id] = proxy

    def make_stream_request_handler(self, request, client_address, server):
        """ Creates a CollectingNodeProxy
        """
        return CollectingNodeProxy(self, request, client_address, server, debug_log=self.debug_log)

_GLOBAL_COUNTER = itertools.count()

class CollectingNode(object):
    def __init__(self, collect_callback, io_error_callback, hosts_and_ports=[("", 60709), ("", 60708)], debug_log=None):
        """ collect_callback will be called to collect values
            io_error_callbakc is called when an io error ocours (the exception is passed as a param).
                NOTE: ** IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO RE-Connect.
        """
        self.hosts_and_ports = normalize_hosts_and_ports(hosts_and_ports)
        self.debug_log = debug_log if debug_log else _noplogger()
        self.collect_callback = collect_callback
        self.io_error_callback = io_error_callback
        self.background_thread = None
        self.id = self.gen_id()
        self.wfile = self.rfile = self.socket = None
        self._shutting_down = False

    def gen_id(self):
        id = _GLOBAL_COUNTER.next()
        return socket.getfqdn() + "_" + str(multiprocessing.current_process().ident) + "_" + str(id) + "_" + str(
            time.time())

    def try_connecting_to_leader(self, throw=False, ping_only=False):
        """ tries to find an elected leader on one of the give hosts and ports.
            Returns None on success or the last error message on failure
        """

        self.socket = None

        self.debug_log.info("Trying to connect to leader")

        for host_port_index in range(len(self.hosts_and_ports)):
            cur_host_port = self.hosts_and_ports[host_port_index]
            try:
                self.debug_log.debug("%s: Trying to connect to a leader on %s.", self.id, cur_host_port)
                candidate_socket = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
                candidate_socket.settimeout(10)
                candidate_socket.connect(cur_host_port)

                self.socket = candidate_socket
                self.rfile = self.socket.makefile('rb', 1)
                self.wfile = self.socket.makefile('wb', 1)

                if ping_only:
                    self.debug_log.debug("Sending a ping to server.")
                    self.send("ping")
                else:
                    self.debug_log.debug("%s: Sending id to server.", self.id)
                    self.send(self.id)

                if self.receive() != "ack":
                    raise IOError("Failed to get ack from leader.")

                self.debug_log.info("%s: Successfully connected to server on %s.", self.id, cur_host_port)

                break  # success!

            except IOError as e:
                self.debug_log.debug("%s: Failed to find leader on %s . Error: %s", self.id,
                    cur_host_port, e)
                self._close_socket()
                if host_port_index == len(self.hosts_and_ports) - 1:
                    if throw:
                        raise
                    return str(e)

        if not self.socket:
            return "Could not find any leader!"

        self.socket.settimeout(None)  # needs to be without a time so recieving thread will block.

        if ping_only:
            self._close_socket()

        return None

    def connect_to_leader(self, timeout_in_sec=120):
        """ tries repeatedly to connect to leader
        """
        wait_times = [0.1, 0.2]
        wait_times.extend(repeat(1, int(timeout_in_sec)))
        last_node_attempt_error = None
        for cur_itr in range(len(wait_times)):
            last_node_attempt_error = self.try_connecting_to_leader()
            if not last_node_attempt_error:
                # success!
                self.start_background_receive()
                return

            time.sleep(wait_times[cur_itr])

        # if we got here things are bad..
        raise IOError("Failed to ellect a leader. Tried %s times. Last node attempt error: %s." %
                      (cur_itr, last_node_attempt_error)
        )

    def start_background_receive(self):
        def target():
            try:
                self.debug_log.debug('%s: Cmd exec thread is running', self.id)
                self.execute_commands()
                self.debug_log.debug('%s: Cmd exec thread stoppinng', self.id)
            except Exception as e:
                self.debug_log.exception("Cmd exec had an error (id:%s): %s", self.id, e)

        self.background_thread = threading.Thread(target=target)
        self.background_thread.daemon = True
        self.background_thread.start()

        return

    def send(self, data):
        pickle.dump(data, self.wfile, pickle.HIGHEST_PROTOCOL)
        self.wfile.flush()

    def receive(self):
        return pickle.load(self.rfile)

    def get_command_and_execute(self):
        cmd = self.receive()
        self.debug_log.debug("%s: Got %s", self.id, cmd)
        if cmd == "quit":
            self.close()
            return False
        if cmd == "reconnect":
            self._close_socket()
            self.connect_to_leader()
            return False
        if cmd == "collect":
            self.debug_log.info("'%s': Collecting.", self.id)
            v = self.collect_callback()
            self.send(v)
            self.debug_log.info("'%s': Done collecting.", self.id)
            return True

        if cmd == "wait":
            return True

    def execute_commands(self):
        go = True
        while go and not self._shutting_down:
            try:
                go = self.get_command_and_execute()
            except (IOError, EOFError) as e:
                if not self._shutting_down:
                    self.debug_log.warning("%s: Got an IOError/EOFError %s" % (self.id, e))
                    self._close_socket()

                    self.debug_log.info("%s: Call io_error_callback." % (self.id, ))
                    self.io_error_callback(e)
                go = False

    def _close_socket(self):
        try:
            if self.wfile:
                self.wfile.close()

            if self.rfile:
                self.rfile.close()

            if self.socket:
                try:
                    #explicitly shutdown.  socket.close() merely releases
                    #the socket and waits for GC to perform the actual close.
                    self.socket.shutdown(socket.SHUT_WR)
                except socket.error:
                    pass  # some platforms may raise ENOTCONN here
                self.socket.close()
        except (IOError, EOFError) as e:
            self.debug_log.debug("Node %s: Swallowing io error (we're closing anyway): %s", self.id, e)

        self.socket = None
        self.rfile = None
        self.wfile = None

    def close(self):
        self.debug_log.info("%s: closing..", self.id)
        self._shutting_down = True
        if self.socket:
            if self.wfile.closed:
                self.wfile.flush()

            self._close_socket()

def elect_leader(collecting_node, collecting_leader, timeout_in_sec=120):
    """ initiates the process of electing a leader between running processes. All processes are assumed to call this
        function whenever in doubt of the current leader. This can be due to network issues, or at startup.
        Protocol:
            - Try to connect to an existing leader.
            - Try to become a leader.
            - Wait (increasingly long, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 0.5, 1, 1, 1)
            - If got here scream!

        Input - configured collecting_node and collecting leader.

        returns:
            (Status, last_node_attempt_error, last_leader_attempt_error)
                Status= True if leader (collecting_leader is now answering requests), false if not (collecting_node is
                    connected to ellected leader)

    """
    wait_times = [0.1, 0.2]
    wait_times.extend(repeat(1, int(timeout_in_sec)))
    last_node_attempt_error = None
    last_leader_attempt_error = None
    for cur_itr in range(len(wait_times)):
        last_node_attempt_error = collecting_node.try_connecting_to_leader()
        if not last_node_attempt_error:
            # success!
            collecting_node.start_background_receive()
            return (False, last_node_attempt_error, last_leader_attempt_error)

        last_leader_attempt_error = collecting_leader.try_to_lead()
        if not last_leader_attempt_error:
            # success!
            return (True, last_node_attempt_error, last_leader_attempt_error)

        time.sleep(wait_times[cur_itr])

    # if we got here things are bad..
    raise Exception(
        "Failed to ellect a leader. Tried %s times. Last node attempt error: %s. Last leader attempt error: %s." %
        (cur_itr, last_node_attempt_error, last_leader_attempt_error)
    )

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Mycological Research (2)
Communications in Computational Physics (1)
Microscopy and Microanalysis (1)
Global Science Press (1)
Analytical Study on Piezoelectric Effects on Exciton Dissociation
SeongMin Kim, Jaewook Ha, Hyeok Kim, Jin-Baek Kim
Journal: Communications in Computational Physics / Volume 20 / Issue 1 / July 2016
We analytically and numerically compute the Onsager dissociation rate (exciton dissociation) on an interface induced by a piezoelectric potential in an inorganicorganic hybrid p-n junction system (ZnO + (poly(p-phenylene vinylene)); PPV). When a positive piezoelectric potential is created at the interface region owing to the deformation of the system, free electrons accumulate at the interface. Hence, screening effects are observed. It is assumed that the electron layer formed at the interface then attracts free holes from the p-type PPV region, which leads to exciton formation, possibly via the Langevin recombination process. The increased exciton density can then contribute to the Onsager dissociation rate, which is maximum around the interface. This paper focuses on the role of piezoelectric effects in promoting exciton formation at the interface and its relation with the exciton dissociation rate.
Microstructural Analysis of Dehydrogenation Products of the Ca(BH4)2–MgH2 Composite
Jong-Min Kim, Yoonyoung Kim, Jae-Hyeok Shim, Young-Su Lee, Jin-Yoo Suh, Jae-Pyoung Ahn, Gyeung-Ho Kim, Young Whan Cho
The microstructural analysis of the dehydrogenation products of the Ca(BH4)2–MgH2 composite was performed using transmission electron microscopy. It was found that nanocrystalline CaB6 crystallites formed as a dehydrogenation product throughout the areas where the signals of Ca and Mg were simultaneously detected, in addition to relatively coarse Mg crystallites. The uniform distribution of the nanocrystalline CaB6 crystallites appears to play a key role in the rehydrogenation of the dehydrogenation products, which implies that microstructure is a crucial factor determining the reversibility of reactive hydride composites.
Study on Resistance Increase Trends and Recovery Characteristics of YBCO Thin-film Wire According to Insulation Layer
Ho Ik Du, Byoung Sung Han, Yong Jin Kim, Dong Hyeok Lee, Sang Seob Song
Journal: MRS Online Proceedings Library Archive / Volume 1254 / 2010
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 April 2011, 1254-L07-04
To apply the superconducting wire to power machines, it is necessary to conduct research on the characteristics of wire phase changes in connection with insulating layers. In this study, according to the presence or absence of insulating layers in the wire, and to the thickness of such layers, the wire's resistance increase trends and the characteristics of its recovery from quenching were examined by current-applied cycle at the temperatures of 90 K, 180 K and 250 K. Towards this end, YBCO thin-film wires that have the same critical temperatures and that have copper and stainless-steel stabilizing layers were prepared. One level and three and five levels of superior-performance polyimide pressure-sensitive adhesive tape was attached to the wires at a very low temperature. The eight prepared test samples were wound around the linear frames, then the wire's voltage and current created owing to the phase change characteristics were measured at each prescribed temperature, using the four-point probe method. Further, near the examination temperatures of 90 K, 180 K and 250 K the wire's resistance and recovery characteristics were examined by cycle.
Effect of film thickness on the structural and electrical properties of Ga-doped ZnO thin films prepared on glass and Al2O3 (0001) substrates by RF magnetron sputtering method
Seung Wook Shin, S.M. Pawar, Tae-Won Kim, Jong-Ha Moon, Jin Hyeok Kim
Journal: Journal of Materials Research / Volume 24 / Issue 2 / February 2009
Thin films of Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) were prepared on glass and Al2O3 (0001) substrates by using RF magnetron sputtering at a substrate temperature of 350 °C, RF power of 175 W, and working pressure of 6 mTorr. The effect of film thickness and substrate type on the structural and electrical properties of the thin films was investigated. X-ray diffraction study showed that GZO thin films on glass substrates were grown as a polycrystalline hexagonal wurtzite phase with a c-axis preferred, out-of-plane orientation and random in-plane orientation. However, GZO thin films on Al2O3 (0001) substrates were epitaxially grown with an orientation relationship of . The structural images from scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy showed that the GZO thin films on glass substrates had a rougher surface morphology than those on Al2O3 (0001) substrates. The electrical resistivity of 1000 nm-thick GZO thin films grown on glass and Al2O3 (0001) substrates was 3.04 × 10−4 Ωcm and 1.50 × 10−4 Ωcm, respectively. It was also found that the electrical resistivity difference between the films on the two substrates decreased from 9.48 × 10−4 Ωcm to 1.45 × 10−4 Ωcm with increasing the film thickness from 100 nm to 1000 nm.
Erratum: "Seeded epitaxial growth of ZnO thin films on MgAl2O4 substrates using the chemical solution deposition method" [J. Mater. Res. 22, 943 (2007)]
Jin Hyeok Kim, Boram Kim, David Andeen, Fred F. Lange
Journal: Journal of Materials Research / Volume 22 / Issue 5 / May 2007
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 July 2011, p. 1425
Seeded epitaxial growth of ZnO thin films on MgAl2O4 substrates using the chemical solution deposition method
Journal: Journal of Materials Research / Volume 22 / Issue 4 / April 2007
Print publication: April 2007
Epitaxial ZnO thin films were grown on (111) MgAl2O4 with a pre-seeded, two-step chemical solution deposition process. Isolated, epitaxial ZnO islands (seeds) were formed on the substrate in the first step by spin coating a very thin layer of the precursor solution and heat-treating to 950 °C/3 h. In the second step, the seeded substrate was coated with another layer of precursor to produce an epitaxial film. The result was compared with the case in which a MgAl2O4 substrate was not seeded. Both the seeded and unseeded ZnO films have out-of-plane and in-plane orientation relationships of , respectively. However, only the seeded ZnO films have very faceted surface morphology without grain boundaries, indicating epitaxy, whereas the unseeded ZnO films have deep grain boundaries indicative of polycrystalline nature. This result shows that the formation of seeds in the first step plays an instrumental role in the formation of an epitaxial ZnO film.
A new Leptographium species associated with Tomicus piniperda infesting pine logs in Korea
Jae-Jin KIM, Young Woon LIM, Colette BREUIL, Michael J. WINGFIELD, Xu Dong ZHOU, Gyu-Hyeok KIM
Journal: Mycological Research / Volume 109 / Issue 3 / March 2005
Print publication: March 2005
During the course of a survey of sapstaining fungi in Korea, a Leptographium was isolated from Pinus densiflora and P. koraiensis logs, infested with the bark beetle Tomicus piniperda. The fungus grew optimally at 25 °C on 2% malt extract agar and showed a high level of tolerance to cycloheximide. The Leptographium has unusually short conidiophores and is morphologically similar to L. pini-densiflorae, L. lundbergii, L. yunnanense, and the Leptographium anamorph of Ophiostoma crassivaginatum. Comparisons of DNA sequence data for three gene regions, as well as morphological characteristics, confirmed that this fungus represents an undescribed taxon. We consequently provide the name Leptographium koreanum sp. nov. for it here.
Fabrication of Er3+/Pr3+ Co-doped Soda-lime Glass Thin Films Using RF Magnetron Sputtering Method and Optical Property Characterization
Sang-Hoon Shin, Sung-Dae Kim, Jong-Ha Moon, Jin Hyeok Kim
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011, V5.5/FF5.5
Er3+/Pr3+ co-doped soda-lime glass thin films have been fabricated using RF magnetron sputtering method and their structural and optical properties have been studied. Deposition rate, crystallinity, and composition of glass thin films were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and electron probe micro area analysis. Refractive index, birefringence and binding characteristics have been investigated using a prism coupler and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Er3+/Pr3+ co-doped soda lime glass thin films were prepared by changing substrate temperature (room temp.∼550 ), RF power (90W∼150W), and Ar/O2 gas flow ratio at processing pressure of 4mTorr. Glass thin films could be obtained at the optimized processing condition at 350, RF power (130W), and gas flow (Ar:O2=40:0) with maximum deposition rate of 1.6νm/h. Refractive index increased from 1.5614 to 1.5838 and birefringence increased from 0.000154 to 0.000552 as the content of Pr3+ increased. Binding energy of Pr3d increased as the content of Pr3+ increased.
Leptographium bistatum sp. nov., a new species with a Sporothrix synanamorph from Pinus radiata in Korea
Jae-Jin KIM, Young Woon LIM, Michael J. WINGFIELD, Colette BREUIL, Gyu-Hyeok KIM
Journal: Mycological Research / Volume 108 / Issue 6 / June 2004
Radiata pine (Pinus radiata) lumber from Australia, Chile, and New Zealand is imported into Korea where it represents one of the most important sources of timber. Blue stain of this timber is a serious problem for which an integrated control strategy is being developed. One of the fungi that has been isolated from stained radiata pine sapwood in Korea is a Leptographium sp. that has a distinct Sporothrix synanamorph. The aim of this study was to classify this fungus. Morphological comparisons showed that this fungus is distinct from all other species of Leptographium and especially L. elegans and L. francke-grosmanniae that also have Sporothrix synanamorphs. Comparisons of sequence data for the ITS2 and part of the 28S rDNA genes as well as the β-tubulin gene also confirmed that this fungus represents an undescribed taxon, described here as Leptographium bistatum sp. nov.
Fabrication of Tungsten-Tellurite Glass Thin Films using Radio Frequency Magnetron Sputtering Method and Optical Property Characterization
Ki-Young Yoo, Sanghoon Shin, Youngman Kim, Jong-Ha Moon, Jin Hyeok Kim
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 March 2011, L6.22
Tungsten-tellurite glass thin films were fabricated by radio-frequency (rf) magnetron sputtering method at various processing parameters such as substrate temperatures, Ar/O2 processing gas flow ratio, processing pressure, and rf power from a 70TeO2-30WO3 target fabricated by solid–state sintering method. The effects of processing parameters on the growth rate, the surface morphologies, the crystallinity, and refractive indices of thin films were investigated using atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscopy, and UV spectrometer. Amorphous glass thin films with a surface roughness of 4∼6 nm were obtained only at room temperature and crystalline phase were observed in all as-deposited thin films prepared at above the room temperature. The deposition rate strongly depends on the processing parameters. It increases as the rf power increases and the processing pressure decreases. Especially, it changes remarkably as varying the Ar/O2 gas flow ratio from 40sccm/0sccm to 0sccm/40sccm. When the films were formed in pure Ar atmosphere it shows a deposition rate of ∼0.2 μm /h, whereas ∼1.5 μm/h when the films was formed in pure O2 atmosphere.
Solvothermal Synthesis and Characterization of Zn(NH3)CO3 Single Crystal
Fushan Wen, Jiesheng Chen, Jin Hyeok Kim, Taeun Kim, Wenlian Li
A new 3-dimensional zinc carbonate Zn(NH3)CO3 has been synthesized from a glycol system with urea and zinc acetate as raw materials. The crystal structure and photoluminescent properties have been investigated using X-ray diffraction, smart CCD and FL. The compound had an orthorhombic system with space group of Pna21 with M = 142.41, a = 9.1449(18) Å, b = 7.5963(15) Å, c = 5.4982(11) Å, V = 381.95(13) Å3, Z = 4, R = 0.0285 and R W = 0.0745. The NH3 and CO3 2- were connected through the Zn-N bond and Zn-O bond in the symmetric unit. Photoluminescent property was observed in the compound at room temperature and the exited and emission peaks were located at about 350 nm and 426 nm, respectively.
Hydrothermal Synthesis of Ce3+ and Tb3+ co-doped Ca3Al2(OH)12 Luminescent Material
Ce3+ and Tb3+co-doped calcium aluminates luminescent material (Ca3Al2(OH)12: Ce3+, Tb3+) was synthesized at 453 K in hydrothermal system without any protective atmospheres. All the reactants used in the system were simple inorganic salts. The crystallinity and luminescent property of as-synthesized compound were investigated using X-ray diffraction and luminescence spectrometer. The compound formula was confirmed to be Ca3Al2(OH)12. The emission spectrum showed that only typical Tb3+ emission was observed and the emission from Ce3+ was almost not observed, which should be attributed to the energy transfer from Ce3+ to Tb3+ in the compound. The emission peaks at about 486 nm, 498 nm, 540 nm, 549 nm, 582 nm, 595 nm and 623 nm should be assigned to 5D4-7F6, 5D4-7F5, 5D4-7F4, and 5D4-7F3 transitions of Tb3+ ions. The weak emission peak at about 380 nm should be assigned to the emission of Ce3+ ions in the compound.
Effects of Annealing Atmosphere on the Characteristics and Optical Properties of SiON Films Prepared Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition
Ki-Jun Yun, Dong-Ryeol Jung, Sung-Kil Hong, Jong-Ha Moon, Jin-Hyeok Kim
SiON thin films were deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition method at 350 °C using N2O/SiH4 gas mixtures as precursors. As-deposited SiON films were annealed in different gas atmospheres (air, N2, and O2) and at different annealing temperatures (800 oC ∼ 1100 oC). Effects of annealing atmosphere on the Si-O, Si-N, Si-H, and N-H bonding characteristics in SiON films and their structural and optical properties have been investigated. Cross-sectional and planar microstructures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, and crystallinity was investigated by X-ray diffraction. Chemical bonding characteristics and optical properties SiON films were studied using fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and prism coupler. Xray diffractions showed no evidence of any crystals in all SiON films. The deposition rate strongly depended on the processing parameters such as radio frequency (rf) power, N2O/SiH4 flow ratio, and SiH4 flow rate. Deposition rate increased as N2O/SiH4 flow ratio increased and SiH4 flow rate increased. It was possible to obtain SiON films with surface roughness of about 1 nm and a high deposition rate of about 4 μm/h when the processing parameters were optimized as rf power of 200 W, N2O/SiH4 flow ratio of 3, SiH4 flow rate of 100 sccm. It was observed that the intensity and the shift of the Si-O stretch and Si-N peaks depended on the annealing atmosphere as well as the annealing temperature. The intensity of Si-O peaks increased in the samples annealed in oxygen atmosphere, but it decreased in the samples annealed in nitrogen atmosphere. The intensity of Si-N peak decreased in the samples annealed in oxygen atmosphere, but it increased in the samples annealed in nitrogen atmosphere. The position of Si-O peaks shifted from 1030 nm to 1140 nm in the samples annealed both in oxygen and in nitrogen atmosphere. It was also observed that the intensities of Si-H (∼2250 cm−1) and N-H (∼3550 cm−1) peaks decreased apparently as the annealing temperature increased in all annealed samples.
High-temperature interfacial reaction of an Al thin film with single-crystal 6H–SiC
Byung-Teak Lee, Yang-Soo Shin, Jin Hyeok Kim
Journal: Journal of Materials Research / Volume 15 / Issue 11 / November 2000
Interfacial reactions between an Al thin film and a single-crystal (001) 6H–SiC substrate were investigated using x-ray diffraction and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. Aluminum thin films were prepared by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering method on 6H–SiC substrates at room temperature and then annealed at various temperatures from 500 to 900 °C. A columnar-type polycrystalline Al thin film was formed on a 6H–SiC substrate in the as-deposited sample. No remarkable microstructural change, compared to the as-deposited sample, was observed in the sample annealed at 500 °C for 1 h. However, it was found that the Al layer reacted with the SiC substrate at 700 °C and formed an Al–Si–C ternary compound at the Al/SiC interface. Samples annealed at 900 °C showed a double-layer structure with an Al–Si mixed surface layer and an Al–Si–C compound layer below in contact with the substrate.
Fatigue Properties of Lanthanum Strontium Manganate–lead Zirconate Titanate Epitaxial Thin Film Heterostructures Produced by a Chemical Solution Deposition Method
Frank McNally, Jin Hyeok Kim, F. F. Lange
Journal: Journal of Materials Research / Volume 15 / Issue 7 / July 2000
A liquid-precursor process was used to produce an epitaxial all-oxide ferroelectric memory device structure. The lanthanum strontium manganate–lead zirconate titanate–lanthanum strontium manganate (LSMO–PZT–LSMO) structure used for this device shows excellent polarization and fatigue behavior with a remnant polarization Pr of 42 µC/cm2 and a coercive field Ec of 68 keV. The polarization was found to only slightly degrade after over 1010 fatigue cycles. This behavior is contrasted with epitaxial PZT using a metal top electrode. In addition, the use of a top LSMO electrode was a sufficient barrier to Pb loss during heating to allow subsequent (or prolonged) heat treatments that would generally lead to Pb loss.
Epitaxial Growth of Patterned SrBi2Ta2O9 Lines by Channel Stamping
Jin Hyeok Kim, Frederick F. Lange, Chae-Il Cheon
Patterned epitaxial SrBi2Ta2O9 (SBT) lines with (00l) out-of-plane orientation were grown on a (001) SrTiO3 substrate by the novel "channel stamping" method. Parallel channels in a poly(dimethylsiloxane) stamp were filled with a metalorganic precursor solution by spin coating. After solvent evaporation, the solid precursor within the channels was transferred to the substrate by stamping. Stamped precursor lines were pyrolyzed at 350 °C/1 h and then heated to 850 °C/1 h. It was shown by x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy that patterned SBT lines were epitaxial, had a smooth surface with c-axis out-of-plane orientation, and a single in-plane orientation.
Epitaxial films of Li12xNb1–xWxO3 prepared by chemical solution deposition
Charles D. E. Lakeman, Yin Xia, Jin-Hyeok Kim, Xuehua Wu, Hellmut G. Eckert, Fred F. Lange
Journal: Journal of Materials Research / Volume 13 / Issue 6 / June 1998
The growth of epitaxial thin films of Li1–xNb1–xWxO3 from solution precursors on single-crystal LiNbO3 substrates is reported. An all-alkoxide solution readily gave single phase powders after simply mixing the constituent components, whereas an acetate-alkoxide system required additional solution processing stages to give phase pure powders. Heat treatment of films on single-crystal, basal plane LiNbO3 substrates at 600 °C formed a nanocrystalline, porous film which was converted to an epitaxial film after heating to 800 °C. Measurements of second harmonic generation in powders indicate an increase in SHG efficiency with increasing tungsten content. Optical absorption data for films were calculated using reflectance and transmittance spectroscopy data, and indicate a decrease in bandgap with increasing tungsten.


text:
Episodes, Season 4, Season 4 episodes,
But Africa Is So... Fari!
Rich Correll
Jessie's Aloha-holidays with Parker and Joey A Close Shave
But Africa Is So... Fari! is the first episode Season 4 of JESSIE and the 79th episode overall. It aired on January 9, 2015. This episode scored 2.4 million viewers.
The Ross kids head for Africa, convinced Jessie wants to rekindle her relationship with Brooks, and determined to stop her, they find themselves on a wild adventure.
Pierson Fodé as Brooks Wentworth
Hina Abdullah as Kami
Jessie: Ravi, what are you doing?
Ravi: I could use some help here!
Bertram: Was that my stomach. Please tell me that's was my stomach.
Luke: We'll all be in that lion stomach if we don't get out of here.
This is the first episode of Season 4.
Brooks Wentworth returns in this episode.
It is revealed that the kids and Jessie went to the Mall of America in Minnesota before.
The title references Bertram's catchphrase of something being "Too far" even if it's right in front of him.
It's also a pun on the word safari.
The sport utility vehicle Brooks drives is a Land Rover Series III 88" model.
Luke explains to Ravi that when they are on vacation, they are only allowed to talk about sports and Mila Kunis, not science.
First episode to air in 2015.
This is the 6th time Luke has worn shorts throughout the whole show. Others are We Are So Grounded, The Secret Life of Mr. Kipling, Nanny in Miami, G.I. Jessie, and Jessie's Aloha-holidays with Parker and Joey.
No explanation was given as to how Emma left her Scarf by where Rory the Rhino is, urging her to get it back.
To view the But Africa Is So... Fari! gallery, click here.
But Africa is So-Fari - Sneak Peak Clip
Season Premiere! - But Africa is So-Fari - JESSIE
Retrieved from "https://jessie.fandom.com/wiki/But_Africa_Is_So..._Fari!?oldid=99885"


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22., 23., 24. September 2020
Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, Paris, Frankreich
WMO to open regional office for Africa in Ethiopian capital
The WMO will open its new regional office for Africa in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, with the aim of strengthening relations with key institutions such as the African Union.
The office will be situated in the new headquarters of Ethiopia's national meteorological agency, which is to be built over the next few years to meet the demands for reliable weather and climate services for the rapidly growing economy.
Demeke Mekonnen Hassen, Ethiopia's Deputy Prime Minister, said, "Ethiopia is highly vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters. Agriculture is rain-fed and so food security is frequently undermined by droughts such as the one which hit the country in 2015 and 2016."
"Meteorological services play a vital role in sustainable development, disaster risk reduction and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change," added Seleshi Bekele, minister of water, irrigation and electricity. Bekele said the expansion of Ethiopia's agricultural and renewable energy sectors depended on reliable weather and climate information and on early warnings against major hazards like drought.
Petteri Taalas, WMO secretary general, said the new regional office would strengthen the WMO's presence on the continent along with partnerships with key institutions including the African Union and the Economic Commission for Africa.
The regional office for Africa and Least Developed Countries is currently based in Geneva, Switzerland. It is responsible for 54 national meteorological and hydrological services in Africa.
The location of the office will enable the WMO to support the strengthening of early warning systems that incorporate climate management into development policies and strategies, which enhances socioeconomic development for the well-being of the people of Africa. WMO also has sub-regional offices in Nairobi, Kenya, and Abuja, Nigeria.
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Time to dance! Tristam makes a mighty return to Monstercat with his single brand new single Questions. Finally unveiling his face in the artwork, the once anonymous moniker seems to be not only be showing the world the man behind the music, but expanding on the world of music with Questions being a beautifully catchy pop fueled melancholic single (which I simply adore). And with hopefully more to come, we cannot wait to see what else Tristam has in store for us. Stream this gem below!
Not much is known about the life of Tristam. Although its been confirmed that he is from planet earth residing in Canada, his musical prowess suggests otherwise. Known perhaps to some by the name Leo, Tristam is one of the most recognized names on the Monstercat label and one of its most longstanding members.


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Juno – rodzina czterostopniowych amerykańskich rakiet nośnych służąca do wynoszenia w kosmos pierwszych amerykańskich urządzeń (m.in. wynosiła sztuczne satelity z serii Explorer). Rakiety Juno zbudowano ze zmodyfikowanych pocisków IRBM Redstone. W skład rodziny Juno wchodziły rakiety:
 Juno I
 Juno II

Przypisy

Amerykańskie rakiety nośne

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


I'll start off by saying the whole water park is kept in wonderfully condition, it is so clean and well maintained. There are many sun beds if you want to relax. There are lots of characters dotted around the park so plenty of photo opportunities. Aqua Nick is a really fun place and has a big splash pad, a couple of slides and a lazy river, if you go expecting white knuckle water rides then you'll be very disappointed but for kids under ten it is an awful lot of fun!
When you enter Aqua Nick you give your room number to be entered into the slime raffle. Unfortunately we didn't get picked to have a family slime but you can actually pay to be slimed. If you don't fancy that then in the afternoon there is a mass sliming where they fill the huge orange bucket with slime and there is a big countdown which the kids absolutely loved so they weren't too disappointed that they missed the family slime.
During the day there are 'meet the character' opportunities, we met Dora & Boots, SpongeBob and Patrick and you got plenty of time to have your photo taken with them as a family as well as separate ones with just the kids. There was a photographer taking photos that you could purchase but the staff were lovely and just took loads on your phone or camera for you so there was really no need to purchase any unless you actually wanted professional photos that is.
We had a wonderful day at Aqua Nick, it all felt very relaxed and never too busy. Food is available at the barbecue or Aqua Bite and it was all very delicious. We had burgers, fries and Turtle powered flatbreads which were all cooked to order! Mmmm it's making me want to go back just thinking about them!
* We received free entry into Aqua Nick for the purpose of this honest blog post.
Oh wow, the water resort looks absolutely amazing. The kids must have had the time of their lives. My family would love to be slimed!
I must look into it. Thanks for sharing!
They have cocktails there too?! This would probably be the perfect day out for my family – except for the slime business anyway which I would run from!
What a a great park! I can really imagine us having a great time somewhere like that.
My twins love water parks and they would adore the Nickelodeon park, I know it. I'm not too sure about that slime though!


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Silver Sage Family Dentistry is one of the most experienced and effective providers in the area at addressing problems before they become painful and expensive. Silver Sage Family Dentistry incorporates a level of preventative care unmatched by competitors, and a treatment process focusing on a one-step-at-a-time mentality that preaches patience.
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EnergyTopicTypeAnalysis
Fusion "Breakthrough" Won't Lead to Practical Fusion Energy
Just one more step on the long road to commercialization
Dina Genkina
The target chamber of LLNL's National Ignition Facility contains 192 ultraviolet laser beams capable of delivering more than 2 megajoules into a single miniscule fuel pellet.
fusion energyLawrence Livermore National LaboratoryNational Ignition Facilityclean energylasersfusion
It's not about to solve climate change, but what happened at Lawrence Livermore National Lab's National Ignition Facility (NIF) early in the morning on 5 December is still noteworthy. In a press conference on the morning of 13 December, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm announced that one of NIF's experiments had, for the first time, resulted in a fusion reaction that produced more energy than required to kickstart it—a result called ignition. The achievement is a significant one for NIF, which uses lasers to kick-start the reaction, a process called inertial confinement fusion, rather than the magnetic confinement approaches that are more technologically mature.
The road from this achievement to green, safe, and abundant fusion energy is still murky at best. But, as Lawrence Livermore director Kim Budil said during the announcement, this result is a necessary first step.
NIF officials acknowledged during the announcement that the test's results would support Lawrence Livermore's work in nuclear weapons development and testing, as well as the facility's stewardship role in maintaining the United States' stockpile. Unlike previous milestone announcements from NIF in years past, officials were more candid this time around about that more central aspect of the laboratory's work (Clean energy research at the lab is generally seen to be an off-shoot of that work).
At NIF, located in Livermore, Calif., 192 ultraviolet laser beams were aimed at a peppercorn-sized capsule filled with partially frozen deuterium and tritium—two isotopes of hydrogen. The lasers caused the capsule to implode, and the hydrogen atoms collided with one another at roughly 400 kilometers per second. In a timeframe measured in billionths of a second, some of the hydrogen isotopes fused into helium atoms. In the process, they released neutrons and extra heat, which briefly drove further collisions—about 4 percent of the total hydrogen by the time the reaction petered out.
During NIF's 5 December laser shot, the amount of energy produced by the fusion reaction (3.15 megajoules) exceeded the laser energy (2.05 MJ) aimed at the capsule. Put another way, for the briefest blink of a moment, the deuterium and tritium within the capsule underwent a self-sustained reaction. From a scientific point of view, this is a tremendous step.
"The fusion reaction is heating the fusion reaction, which is making more fusions happen," says Steven Cowley, director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. "It's like the fire has been lit. This is the first controlled fusion ignition that we've ever seen, and that's spectacular."
From a practical standpoint, this is just one tiny step on the long and unclear road to commercial fusion power. "The extrapolations are enormous," says Martin Greenwald, deputy director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In particular, there are five major extrapolations—and they are major—that experts IEEE Spectrum spoke with highlighted.
First, the reaction needs to be at least one hundred times more effective than NIF's laser shot on 5 December. Although the energy that NIF produced within the capsule exceeded the laser energy aimed at it, the amount falls well short of the energy it took to fire the lasers, which draw about 300 MJ of power from the grid for every shot. Tammy Ma, the lead for Lawrence Livermore's institutional initiative in inertial fusion energy, acknowledged during the announcement that this so-called "wall plug" efficiency of the lasers isn't a factor for NIF's scientific experiments, but would need to be much better for any kind of working reactor.
(NIF has previously pulled some energy accounting sleight of hand. In 2014, the facility heralded a fusion breakthrough called fuel gain, an important step toward ignition. However, it turned out that NIF's researchers had made the assessment using only the laser energy that hit the capsule—discounting the vast majority of the lasers' energy in the process.)
Second, the rate at which any reactor fires its lasers at the hydrogen capsules needs to be orders of magnitude faster. Ideally, the lasers would be able to fire several times a second—NIF currently fires its lasers just several times a year, in part because the researchers are tweaking and redesigning their experiments after every shot.
Third, even if the inertial fusion process is more efficient, the produced energy still needs to be converted into usable electricity. For this, most proposals rely on a design that would wrap the entire setup in a "blanket," absorbing the ejected neutrons in order to produce heat and drive a steam turbine. "We've made mockups, but we've never made a working blanket," Cowley says. Magnetic confinement reactors including ITER, the international project based in Europe, are also counting on blanket technology.
The peppercorn-sized fuel capsule is held within a type of cavity called a hohlraum at the center of NIF's experimental setup.Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Fourth, the cost to run and maintain an inertial fusion reactor needs to decrease dramatically. Each of NIF's hydrogencapsules costs hundreds of thousands of dollars and takes several months to develop. The capsules need to be made just right—imperfections the size of a single bacterium can impact performance. During the announcement, Alex Zylstra, the principal experimentalist for the 5 December shot, said that the research team would sweat laser alignment discrepancies on the order of trillionths of a meter and time discrepancies of 25 trillionths of a second. And currently, NIF's lasers are so powerful that they damage their own guiding optics every time they fire.
Lastly and most crucially, even after all of those other concerns, it's still not obvious whether inertial fusion can be commercially competitive. The technology is so early in its development that no large-scale estimates of commercial viability have been made.
To say there's still plenty of work to be done is a bit of an understatement. But the project isn't entirely hopeless. For one thing, the energy output may improve rapidly with small increases in laser power. "It's almost a cliff once you start to self-heat. So [the energy output] rises very rapidly. For every inch you can give, it gives you another mile," says Cowley. How much energy bang NIF will get for each additional laser power buck is something to watch closely in the coming years.
During the announcement, NIF officials made that case that at the end of the day, the goal of clean abundant energy is important enough to invest in every possible solution. Their most recent result finally puts inertial fusion on the map as a contender.
"There's an awful lot of work to be done to make commercial fusion energy via magnetic [fusion] but it's pretty certain that it can be done. But this result says that [inertial fusion] could also be a route to commercial fusion. And we didn't know that two weeks ago," Cowley says.
National Ignition Facility: Mother of All Boondoggles? ›
NASA's New Shortcut to Fusion Power ›
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Santa Cruz do Sul Chacais é um equipe gaúcha de futebol americano. Fundada em 2007., originou-se do extinto Santa Cruz do Sul Bulldogs. No início, foi chamado de Santa Cruz do Sul Hurricanes
Os Chacais tem o time adulto, sub-19(junior), Flag Masculino e feminino adulto e sub-15. Os times estão abertos a receber novos jogadores.

A equipe possui um time principal, para maiores de 17 anos, e uma escola de futebol americano, para menores de 17 anos. Boa parte da atual equipe principal passou pela escola.

Títulos
 Vice-Campeão Gaúcho: 2008 (foi a sede do torneio)
 Vice-Campeão Gaúcho: 2010
 Winter Bowl: 2013
 Vice-Campeão Gaúcho: 2014
 Campeão da Copa Sul: 2015

Prêmios individuais
Em 2016, o RB Cleiton Paz foi eleito o melhor jogador de ataque do Campeonato Gaúcho de Futebol Americano 2016.

Ligações externas

Times de futebol americano do Rio Grande do Sul
Clubes esportivos fundados em 2007
Esporte de Santa Cruz do Sul
Fundações no Rio Grande do Sul em 2007


I'm Ischa, a veterinarian from Holland. I'm working in a very big veternary hospital and do a lot of cardiology and echocardiology. You can find me in the medical questions section!
Ischa, welcome to the forum. How great it is to have a veterinarian join our group!
Thanks a lot! I hope I can help you all with medical questions or problems!
Welcome to dog forum ischa!


Calling all Peace Region filmmakers – the chance to make a 2-6 minute film during an adrenaline-filled weekend is here!
There are PRIZES to be won and the qualifying films will screen at the 13th Reel Shorts Film Festival on Sunday, May 12 (Mother's Day).
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