text:
Preface to Homer
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and euill, thou ſhalt not eate of it: for in the day that thou eateſt thereof, thou ſhalt ſurely die.
— Genesis 2:17 (King James Version)
I'm going to suggest a hypothesis on the evolution of societies, natural languages, and memetic organisms. Relating human language and human thought to programming is a straightforward exercise left to the student.
Eric Havelock in his magnum opus Preface to Plato (fascinating stuff) describes two profoundly different stages in the evolution of human societies, which he calls oral society and literate society. Greek society, reckons Havelock, was transforming from oral to literate around the time of Plato; the epics of Homer are characteristic of oral culture. I suggest that there is a stage of societal evolution before that of oral poetry such as Homer's — and that just as Afghan culture is a surviving example of oral society, the Pirahã culture recently studied in the Amazon is a surviving example of... verbal society. (I can't bring myself to call it "pre-oral", since language is still spoken; but it does have words, and is missing oration, so "verbal" will do till something better comes along.)
Scientific organisms need a literate environment to survive; religious organisms don't need literacy, and were, I reckon, the giants that roamed the ideosphere in the age of orality. But in the age before Homer's, religions could not have survived either. If ever there were an actual event that fits beautifully with the myth of Adam and Eve eating of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, the transition from verbal to oral society would be it.
Oral thought
In an oral society (in Havelock's vision — I've also read parts of Walter Ong's Orality and Literacy, which follows Havelock's paradigm), knowledge is preserved through an oral tradition. The form of the account matters; facts are mutated as convenient to put them in a form that will be successfully replicated over many retellings. Standard patterns are used. Repetition is used. A good story also always has an actor: things don't just happen, they are done, by somebody, which may favor a polytheistic society, with deities personifying what we (in a literate society) would call "abstract" forces. One might well end up with some such pattern as
And God said, let there be x. And there was x. And God saw the x, and saw that it was good. And the morning and the evening were the nth day.
And God said, let there be y. And there was y. And God saw the y, and saw that it was good. And the morning and the evening were the n+1st day.
(Note the repetition of each item, repetition of the pattern, and the actor.) For a more concrete example, here is the start of Thomas Hobbes's 1676 translation of Homer's Iliad:
O goddess sing what woe the discontent
Of Thetis' son brought to the Greeks; what souls
Of heroes down to Erebus it sent,
Leaving their bodies unto dogs and fowls;
Whilst the two princes of the army strove,
King Agamemnon and Achilles stout.
Notice that things here don't happen, somebody/something does them. The goddess sings. The discontent (of Thetis' son) brings, sends, leaves. The two princes strive.
The things that are acted on are concrete as well; nothing is abstract in our literate sense.
Such oral tradition can be written down, and was written down, without disrupting the orality of the society. Literate society is what happens when the culture itself embraces writing as a means of preserving knowledge instead of an oral tradition. Once literacy is assimilated, set patterns are no longer needed, repetition is no longer needed, pervasive actors are no longer needed, and details become reliably stable in a way that simply doesn't happen in oral society — the keepers of an oral tradition are apt to believe they tell a story exactly the same way each time, but only because they and their telling change as one. When the actors go away, it becomes possible to conceive of abstract entities. Plato, with his descriptions of shadows on a cave wall, and Ideal Forms, and such, was (Havelock reckoned) trying to explain literate abstraction in a way that might be understood by someone with an oral worldview.
Note that science can't possibly survive in an oral environment. It relies on an objectively fixed record of phenomena, against which to judge theories; and it centrally studies abstract forces. Religion, on the other hand, is ideally suited to an oral environment. I suggest that religious organisms were the dominant taxon of memetic organisms in oral society, and the taxon of scientific organisms evolved once literate society made it possible. Leading to a classic Darwinian struggle for survival between the two taxa.
Verbal thought
Those who study natural languages have a luxury not afforded to artlangers, those who create languages artistically: When a natural language crops up that violates the "natural" rules that linguists thought they understood, new rules can be invented to fit. But, if an artlanger creates a language that violates the rules linguists think they understand, their creation is likely to be ridiculed. This was the observation of David J. Peterson in an essay in 2007 (he gives a "Smiley award" to a conlang each year, and does so in essays containing some brilliant deep insights into conlanging).
What is it to a linguist if Pirahã exists? "That sounds totally fake," says the skeptic. Says the linguist, "Yeah, doesn't it?" But in a world where Pirahã doesn't exist, imagine the conlanger who created it. "I just made up a language with no temporal vocabulary or tense whatsoever, no number system, and a culture of people who have no oral history, no art, and no appreciation for storytelling. Oh, yeah, and the language can just as easily be whistled, hummed or drummed as spoken. Oh, and the men and women have different phonologies. Oh yeah, and it's spoken in an area with a dominant language, but nobody speaks it, because they think their language is the best. Oh yeah, and it's supposed to be a naturalistic language." Suddenly when someone counters and says, "That sounds totally fake," the conlanger is put on the defensive, because they do have to account for it—in other words, "Yeah, doesn't it?" isn't going to fly.
— David J. Peterson, The 2007 Smiley Award Winner: Teonaht
Which is interesting for a conlanger, but fascinating in light of Havelock's notion of oral society. That list of features is pretty much explicitly saying the language doesn't and can't support an oral society: "no oral history, no art, and no appreciation for storytelling" (doesn't), "no temporal vocabulary or tense whatsoever, no number sytem" (can't). And for a verbal society to survive in a world where the main Darwinian memetic struggle is between literacy and orality, of course it would have to be an extraordinarily compelling instance of verbality — "nobody speaks" the dominant language of the area, "because they think their language is the best."
The fruit of the Tree of Knowledge
The Pirahã were studied by Daniel Everett, who originally approached them with an evangelical mission — the point of such efforts is to learn an isolated people's language, then translate the teachings of Christianity into that language. Of course this failed miserably with the Pirahã, with their compellingly verbal language and culture (J.R.R. Tolkien criticized the international auxilliary language Esperanto as sterile because it had no mythology behind it (one could argue Esperanto now does have a mythology of a sort (but I digress))). Within a few years after completing his dissertation, Everett became an atheist. (Everett's 2008 book on his experiences with the Pirahã is Don't Sleep There are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle.)
All of which goes to show that the myth of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge can be handily applied to the transition from verbal to oral society. However, as I pointed out in my earlier post on memetic organisms, religious teachings are naturally selected for their ambiguity, their ability to be given a wide variety of different interpretations. The plausibility of an interpretation of the myth is, therefore, pretty much meaningless — the myth is a contextual chamelion, expected to blend plausibly into different belief systems. But it is interesting to consider how the myth might have evolved. The early Judaic written tradition is evidently a written record of an originally oral tradition, and an oral tradition mutates events into a good story (i.e., a highly replicable one). If the verbality conjecture is somewhere in the general neighborhood of the truth, there may once have been a vast cultural upheaval as orality supplanted verbality, perhaps (or perhaps not) on a par with the modern struggle between scientific and religious thinking (a major theme of current geopolitics). Such an upheaval might be expected to make a lasting impression on the oral societies that emerged; the lasting impression would be a myth; and the myth would be shaped into the forms of orality, with concrete actors and objects. What sort of myth do you think might result?
[Update: I further discuss the timing of the verbal/oral transition in a 2015 post Sapience and language.]
Posted by John Shutt at 8:17 AM 12 comments:
Labels: conlanging, evolution, linguistics, memetics, oral society, religion, science, verbal society
The trouble with monads
Might satisfy his mind.
— The Blind Men and the Elephant, John Godfrey Saxe
Note: So far, I've found three different ways of applying this epigraph to the following blog post.
Monadic programming is a device by which pure functional languages are able to handle impure forms of computation (side-effects). Depending on who you ask, it's either very natural or preposterously esoteric.
I submit there is a systemic problem with monadic programming in its current form. Superficially, the problem appears technical. Just beneath that surface, it appears to be about breaking abstraction barriers. Below that, the abstraction barriers seem to have already been broken by the pure functional programming paradigm. I'll suggest, broadly, an alternative approach to functional programming that might resurrect the otherwise disabled abstraction barriers.
What monads do for pure FP
A pure function has no side-effects. Pure functional programming —programming entirely with pure functions— has some advantages for correctness proofs, which is (arguably) all very well as long as the purpose of the program is to produce a final answer. Producing a final answer is just what a pure function does. Sometimes, though, impurities are part of the purpose of the program. I/O is the canonical example: if the point is to interact with the external world, a program that cannot interact with the external world certainly misses the point.
If the point is to interact with the external world, and you still want to use a pure function to do it, you can write a pure function that (in essence) takes the state of the external world as a parameter, and returns its result together with a consequent state of the external world. Other forms of impurity can be handled similarly, with a pure function that explicitly provides for the particular variety of impurity; monads are "simply" a general pattern for a broad range of such explicit provisions.
Note, however, that while the monadic program is parameterized by the initial state of the external world, the monad itself is hardcoded into the type signature of the pure function.
What goes wrong
The essential difficulty with this approach is that since the monad is hardcoded into the function's type signature, it also gets hardcoded into clients who wish to call that function.
To illustrate the resulting brittleness, suppose some relatively small function f is used by a large program p, involving many functions, with calls to f at the bottom of many layers of nesting of calls. Suppose all the functions in p are pure, but later, we decide each call to f should incidentally output some diagnostic message, which makes no difference to the operation of the program but is meant to be observed by a human operator. That's I/O, and the type signature of f hadn't provided for I/O; so we have to change its type signature by wiring in a suitable I/O monad. But then, each function that directly calls f has to be changed to recognize the new signature of f, and since the calling function now involves I/O, its type signature too has to change. And type signatures change all the way up the hierarchy of nested function calls, until the main function of p gets a different type signature.
Every direct or indirect client of f has been forced to provide for the stateful I/O behavior of f. One could ask, though, why this stateful behavior of f should make any difference at all to those clients. They don't do any I/O, and if not for this type-signature business they wouldn't care that f does; so why should f's I/O be any of their business? For them to bother with it at all seems a violation of an abstraction barrier of f.
Actually, this very real abstraction violation was not caused by the introduction of monads into pure functional programming — it was highlighted by that introduction. The violation had already occurred with the imposition of pure functional programming, which denies each component function the right to practice impurities behind an abstraction barrier while merely presenting a pure appearance to its clients.
The introduction of monads also created the distracting illusion that the clients were the ones responsible for violating the abstraction barrier. On the contrary, the clients are merely where the symptoms of the violation appear. The question should not be why the client function cares whether f is internally impure (it doesn't care; its involvement was forced), but rather, who is it who does care, and why?
Bigness
Monads come from a relatively modern branch of mathematics (it's a mere half-century old) called category theory.
A category is a well-behaved family of morphisms between objects of some uniform kind. The category provides one operation on morphisms: composition, which is defined only when one morphism ends on the same object where the next morphism starts. (Technically, a category is its composition operation, in that two different categories may have the same objects and the same morphisms, and still be different if their composition operation is different.)
The canonical example is category Set, which is the family of mathematical functions between sets — with the usual notion of function composition. That's all possible functions, between all possible sets. This is typical of the scale at which category theory is brought to bear on computation theory: a category represents the universe of all possible computations of interest. The categories involved are then things like all computable pure functions, or all computable functions with a certain kind of side-effect — it should be clearly understood that these categories are big. Staggeringly, cosmologically, big.
Besides well-behaved families of morphisms between objects of a uniform kind, there are also well-behaved families of morphisms from objects of one uniform kind to objects of another uniform kind. These families of heterogenous morphisms are called adjunctions. An adjunction includes, within its structure, a category of homogeneous morphisms within each of the two kinds of objects — called the domain category (from which) and codomain category (to which the heterogeneous morphisms of the adjunction go). The adjunction also projects objects and morphisms of each category onto the other, projects each of its own heterogeneous morphisms as a homogeneous morphism in each of the categories, and requires various relations to hold in each category between the various projections.
The whole massive adjunction structure can be viewed as a morphism from the domain category to the codomain category — and adjunctions viewed this way are, in fact, composable in a (what else?) very well-behaved way, so that one has a category Adj whose objects are categories and whose morphisms are adjunctions. If the categories we're interested in are whole universes of computation, and the adjunctions are massive structures relating pairs of universes, the adjunctive category Adj is mind-numbingly vast. (In its rigorous mathematical treatment, Adj is a large category, which means it's too big to be contained in large categories, which can themselves only contain "small" categories — an arrangement that prevents large categories from containing themselves and thereby avoids Russell's paradox.)
A monad is the result of projecting all the parts of an adjunction onto its domain category — in effect, it is the "shadow" that the adjunction casts in the domain. This allows the entire relation between the two categories to be viewed within the universe of the domain; and in the categorical view of computation, it allows various forms of impure computation to be viewed within the universe of pure computation. This was (to my knowledge) the earliest use of monads in relation to computation: a device for viewing impure computation within the world of pure computation. A significant limitation in this manner of viewing impure computations is that, although adjunctions are composable, monads in general are not. Here the "shadow" metaphor works tolerably well: two unconnected things may appear from their shadows to be connected. Adjunctions are only composable if the domain of one is the codomain of the other — which is almost certainly not true here, because all our monads have the same domain category (pure computation), while the shadows cast in pure computation all appear to coincide since the distinct codomains have all been collapsed into the domain.
Who is viewing these various forms of computation, through the shadows they cast on the world of pure computation? Evidently, the programmer — in their role as Creator. A God's eye view. Viewing the totality of p through the universe of pure computation is the point of the exercise; the need for all clients of f to accommodate themselves to f's internal use of I/O is an artifact of the programmer's choice of view.
Rethinking the paradigm
So, here are the points we have to work with.
A monad represents the physical laws of a computational universe within which functions exist.
The monad itself exists within the pure computational universe, rather than within the universe whose laws it represents. This is why monads are generally uncomposable: they have forgotten which actual universes they represent, and composition of adjunctions wants that forgotten knowledge.
Function signatures reflect these computational laws, but serve two different purposes. From the client's eye view, a function signature is an interface abstraction; while from the God's eye view (in the pure computational universe), a function signature is the laws under which the function and everything it uses must operate.
To uncouple a function's interface from its laws of computation, we need a function signature that does not take a God's eye view. The most "purity" one can then ascribe to a function f, looking at the definition of f without the definitions of other functions it calls, is that f uses other functions as if they were pure, and doesn't itself introduce any impurities. From a God's eye view, computational laws then have to pass from function to function, either
by synthesis — when function f calls function g, g returns its computational laws along with its result value, and f works out how to knit them all into a coherent behavior, and returns its own knit-together computational laws along with its own result value — or
by inheritance — when function f calls function g, f passes in its computation laws along with its parameters to g, and g works out both how to knit them into its own computational laws internally, and how to present itself to f in terms f can understand.
For purposes of abstraction, inheritance ought to be the way to go, because the point of abstraction is to reduce the conceptual burden on the caller, rather than increase it. Not surprisingly, inheritance also appears to be the more daunting strategy to figure out.
Posted by John Shutt at 10:43 AM 15 comments:
Labels: monads, programming languages


Here is what the Guilford County Middle School Football Schedule was looking like for Today(9/18/18):Gonna be some games later in the week!!!
This is what the Guilford County Middle School football schedule was looking like for today, but it is hard to see any of these games being played due to wet fields, No practice last Thursday and Friday and No School or practice on Monday/Yesterday, and the next date that the Middle Schools play may well be next Monday or Tuesday….Your guess is as good as mine, to when the games scheduled for today, will be made up….Stay tuned, we should know something soon, and if you see or hear about somebody that may play today, have a say, and let us know which way and we may get to one of these GCS Middle School contests…..
NEMS vs NGMS has been canceled for today. NEMS was not aware they had a game today and are not prepared. Looking to reschedule tomorrow.
I don't think the Mendenhall vs Kiser game took place. I stopped by to check it out and the stadium was empty.


[04-Oct-2014 01:36:27 UTC] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library 'W:/wamp/bin/php/php5.5.12/ext/php_intl.dll' - The specified module could not be found.
[04-Oct-2014 01:36:27 UTC] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library 'W:/wamp/bin/php/php5.5.12/ext/php_ldap.dll' - The specified module could not be found.
[04-Oct-2014 01:36:27 UTC] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library 'W:/wamp/bin/php/php5.5.12/ext/php_smtp.dll' - %1 is not a valid Win32 application.
[04-Oct-2014 01:37:28 UTC] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library 'W:/wamp/bin/php/php5.5.12/ext/php_intl.dll' - The specified module could not be found.
[04-Oct-2014 01:37:28 UTC] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library 'W:/wamp/bin/php/php5.5.12/ext/php_ldap.dll' - The specified module could not be found.
[04-Oct-2014 01:37:28 UTC] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library 'W:/wamp/bin/php/php5.5.12/ext/php_smtp.dll' - %1 is not a valid Win32 application.
[04-Oct-2014 01:37:29 UTC] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library 'W:/wamp/bin/php/php5.5.12/ext/php_intl.dll' - The specified module could not be found.
[04-Oct-2014 01:37:29 UTC] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library 'W:/wamp/bin/php/php5.5.12/ext/php_ldap.dll' - The specified module could not be found.
[04-Oct-2014 01:37:29 UTC] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library 'W:/wamp/bin/php/php5.5.12/ext/php_smtp.dll' - %1 is not a valid Win32 application.
[04-Oct-2014 01:38:42 UTC] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library 'W:/wamp/bin/php/php5.5.12/ext/php_intl.dll' - The specified module could not be found.
[04-Oct-2014 01:38:42 UTC] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library 'W:/wamp/bin/php/php5.5.12/ext/php_ldap.dll' - The specified module could not be found.
[04-Oct-2014 01:38:42 UTC] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library 'W:/wamp/bin/php/php5.5.12/ext/php_smtp.dll' - %1 is not a valid Win32 application.
[04-Oct-2014 01:38:43 UTC] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library 'W:/wamp/bin/php/php5.5.12/ext/php_intl.dll' - The specified module could not be found.
[04-Oct-2014 01:38:43 UTC] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library 'W:/wamp/bin/php/php5.5.12/ext/php_ldap.dll' - The specified module could not be found.
[04-Oct-2014 01:38:43 UTC] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library 'W:/wamp/bin/php/php5.5.12/ext/php_smtp.dll' - %1 is not a valid Win32 application.
[04-Oct-2014 01:44:47 UTC] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library 'W:/wamp/bin/php/php5.5.12/ext/php_intl.dll' - The specified module could not be found.
[04-Oct-2014 01:44:47 UTC] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library 'W:/wamp/bin/php/php5.5.12/ext/php_ldap.dll' - The specified module could not be found.
[04-Oct-2014 01:44:47 UTC] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library 'W:/wamp/bin/php/php5.5.12/ext/php_smtp.dll' - %1 is not a valid Win32 application.
[04-Oct-2014 01:44:48 UTC] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library 'W:/wamp/bin/php/php5.5.12/ext/php_intl.dll' - The specified module could not be found.
[04-Oct-2014 01:44:48 UTC] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library 'W:/wamp/bin/php/php5.5.12/ext/php_ldap.dll' - The specified module could not be found.
[04-Oct-2014 01:44:48 UTC] PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library 'W:/wamp/bin/php/php5.5.12/ext/php_smtp.dll' - %1 is not a valid Win32 application.
Все файлы библиотек все еще присутствуют в правильной папке. Кто-нибудь знает, что может вызвать это?
Обновление: я полностью переустановил wamp, и я все еще получаю эти ошибки.
Это всего лишь икота в процессе установки 2.5.
Это заставит wampmanager перестроить все SYMLINKS в папке apache / bin и перезапустить Apache. Это должно устранить проблему и помешать появлению ошибок в php error log .
Это несоответствие версии или отсутствующая зависимость этих расширений dll.
В сборниках PHP VC9 (5.4) требуется, чтобы на Visual C ++ распространялся для Visual Studio 2008 с пакетом обновления 1 (SP1) x86 или x64.
Для сборки VC11 (5.5, 5.6) требуется, чтобы на Visual C ++ Redistributable для Visual Studio 2012 установлена x86 или x64.
php_ldap может понадобиться libeay32.dll и ssleay32.dll тоже ... но этот файл является частью дистрибутива PHP. Это было бы проблемой только в том случае, если они были удалены или если папка PHP не находится в вашем ENV PATH var.
Это можно исправить, используя меню Wamp .
Проверьте версию apache, которая у вас есть. Это может быть 2.4.9 .
Это вызовет WAMPServer to rebuild of all the SYMLINK's in the apache2.4.9/bin folder and that will put the correct symlinks in there for these 2 extensions. , как сказано .
Пожалуйста, удалите wamp, который вы установили. Попробуйте установить Visual C ++, то есть ссылка приведена здесь Ссылка используйте эту ссылку.
1) PHP Startup: невозможно загрузить динамическую библиотеку 'c: /wamp/bin/php/php5.5.12/ext/php_intl.dll' - указанный модуль не найден.
2) Программа не запускается, так как MSVCP110.dll отсутствует на вашем компьютере. Попробуйте переустановить программу, чтобы исправить эту проблему.
Ошибка была все еще там, даже после установки Visual C ++ Redistributable. Я разрешил его, скопировав файл MSVCP110.dll в папку Windows \ System32. Теперь он работает и работает!
Почему падение индекса занимает больше времени, чем его создание?


This is your chance to meet Christ for the first time or get to know Him all over again!
A time to encounter the Savior that laid down His life for you... a time to find out what this sacrifice meant for you and your life... a time to commit or re-commit your life to Him. And, finally, a time to celebrate the life He offers you!
A special Agape feast and encounter with the cross.
A look at what His death meant for you.
A celebration of Christ's resurrection through music and the Word!
Invite your friends and family to this special evangelistic event!
KIDS: There will be special programming and crafts for kids!


Buick had a dream, to make driving a more relaxing experience. Working with JN Events, Buick launched its 24-Hour Happiness Test Drive campaign with an experiential event in the Ace Museum, Los Angeles. The event brought together some of America's leading experts on happiness and well-being to curate an exciting program of talks and experiences. JN Events used the beauty, calm and refined comfort of Buick vehicles to inspire their specialised environment and content.


text:
White House plans holiday parties as Americans urged to stay home
WASHINGTON, November 24, 2020 05:33 IST
Health professionals within the administration have advised against large indoor gatherings.
A nurse collects a nasal swab sample from a traveller at a COVID-19 testing site at the Los Angeles international airport, in Los Angeles on November 23, 2020. | Photo Credit: AP
The White House plans to hold indoor holiday receptions in the coming weeks despite ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks and the advice of public health professionals urging Americans to sacrifice their normal holiday gatherings to curb the spread of the virus.
U.S. officials have warned against large gatherings on Thursday's Thanksgiving holiday, instead urging Americans to stay home and forgo travelling to see relatives in a bid to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus and protect vulnerable individuals as cases topped 12 million over the weekend.
While the White House has said President Donald Trump and his wife Melania will remain in Washington this week, skipping their annual Thanksgiving at Trump's private club in Florida, the first lady plans to hold a holiday reception a few days later on Nov. 30, according to an invitation obtained by ABC News.
That follows a series of White House events in recent months that have been linked to a rash of outbreaks, including Trump's own bout with the disease from late September into early October. A White House aide and four others have tested positive in recent days.
Stephanie Grisham, a spokeswoman for the first lady, said the White House would provide the "safest environment possible" for the Christmas and Hanukkah celebrations with smaller guest lists than years past, masks "required and available," social distancing encouraged and hand sanitizer provided.
"Guests will enjoy food individually plated by chefs at plexiglass-protected food stations. All passed beverages will be covered," she said in a statement. "Attending the parties will be a very personal choice. It is a longstanding tradition for people to visit and enjoy the cheer and iconic decor of the annual White House Christmas celebrations."
"We want everyone to understand that these holiday parties can be super spreader events," U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams told ABC News in an interview on Monday, urging celebrations to be held outdoors with as few people as possible and pointing to recommendations by the U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
"These apply to the White House, they apply to the American people, they apply to everyone," Adams said.
Still, it appeared as if many Americans were not heeding the advice. While the number of U.S. air travelers was still down about 60% compared to a year ago, federal transportation officials on Monday reported screening the highest number of passengers since March.
U.S. to review Houthi terrorist label, says Blinken
Israel rights group breaks taboo with 'apartheid' tag
Printable version | Jan 21, 2021 4:41:09 PM | https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/white-house-plans-holiday-parties-as-americans-urged-to-stay-home/article33165076.ece
Homemaker, student bring laurels to district
Sweets, prayers and souvenirs in Kamala Harris's ancestral village Thulasendrapuram
36mins Mason dies after fall from Govt. Medical College building in Virudhunagar
39mins COVID-19 active caseload further dips to 1.81% of total cases
42mins Competition Comm dismisses complaint against Bar Council of India
57mins Railway station masters protest, demand filling up of vacancies
1hr Cabinet approves closure of Scooters India: Sources
1hr Suicide bombing at Baghdad, several killed
1hr TN CM defends Panneerselvam, warns DMK against levelling false allegations

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
package format

import (
	"encoding/json"
	"encoding/hex"
	"encoding/binary"
	"io"
)

// APNS New Notification Format (command 1)
//
// This format is the same as the simple notification format except for two
// additional fields: Identifier and Expiry.
//
// 		{
//			"command": 1,
// 			"device-token": "beefca5e",
// 			"identifier": 42,
// 			"expiry": 0,
// 			"payload": {
// 				"aps" : {
// 		   	    	"alert" : "Hello World",
// 	       			"badge" : 0
//     			}
// 			}
//		}
type EnhancedNotification struct {
	// The first byte in the enhanced format is a command value of 1 (one).
	// This field is automatically set.
	Command int8 `json:"command"` // = 1

	// The device token in binary form, as was registered by the device.
	Token string `json:"device-token"`

	// A fixed UNIX epoch date expressed in seconds (UTC) that identifies when
	// the notification is no longer valid and can be discarded. The expiry
	// value should be in network order (big endian). If the expiry value is
	// positive, APNs tries to deliver the notification at least once. You can
	// specify zero or a value less than zero to request that APNs not store
	// the notification at all.
	Identifier int32 `json:"identifier"`

	// An arbitrary value that identifies this notification. This same
	// identifier is returned in a error-response packet if APNs cannot
	// interpret a notification.
	Expiry int32 `json:"expiry"`

	// The JSON-formatted payload. The payload must not be null-terminated.
	Payload JSON `json:"payload"`
}

// Implement the PushNotification interface.
func (en EnhancedNotification) PushNotification() {}

func (en EnhancedNotification) ReadFrom(r io.Reader) (err error) {
	err = binary.Read(r, binary.BigEndian, &(en.Identifier))
	if err != nil {
		return
	}
	err = binary.Read(r, binary.BigEndian, &(en.Expiry))
	if err != nil {
		return
	}
	var tokenLen uint16
	err = binary.Read(r, binary.BigEndian, &(tokenLen))
	if err != nil {
		return
	}
	token := make([]byte, tokenLen)
	_, err = r.Read(token)
	if err != nil {
		return
	}
	en.Token = string(token);
	var payloadLen uint16
	err = binary.Read(r, binary.BigEndian, &(payloadLen))
	if err != nil {
		return
	}
	payloadData := make([]byte, payloadLen)
	_, err = r.Read(payloadData)
	if err != nil {
		return
	}
	payload := make(map[string]interface{})
	json.Unmarshal(payloadData, &payload)
	en.Payload = payload
	return
}

func (en EnhancedNotification) WriteTo(w io.Writer) (err error) {
	// Write Command
	err = binary.Write(w, binary.BigEndian, EnhancedNotificationCMD) // = 1
	if err != nil {
		return
	}
	err = binary.Write(w, binary.BigEndian, en.Identifier)
	if err != nil {
		return
	}
	err = binary.Write(w, binary.BigEndian, en.Expiry)
	if err != nil {
		return
	}
	token, err := hex.DecodeString(en.Token)
	if err != nil {
		return
	}
	err = binary.Write(w, binary.BigEndian, uint16(len(token)))
	if err != nil {
		return
	}
	err = binary.Write(w, binary.BigEndian, token)
	if err != nil {
		return
	}
	payload, err := json.Marshal(en.Payload)
	if err != nil {
		return
	}
	err = binary.Write(w, binary.BigEndian, uint16(len(payload)))
	if err != nil {
		return
	}
	err = binary.Write(w, binary.BigEndian, payload)
	if err != nil {
		return
	}
	return
}

func (en EnhancedNotification) String() string {
	en.Command = EnhancedNotificationCMD
	n, _ := json.Marshal(en)
	return string(n)
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
These Incredible Heated Pools Are Made from Shipping Containers
The best part: It takes only a few minutes to set one up.
By Jenae Sitzes
Installing a pool in your backyard can be a costly and time-consuming commitment, and some people simply don't have the space or right type of ground. But a new design from one Canadian company now makes it possible to set up a fully-functioning swimming pool pretty much anywhere in just a matter of minutes, equipped with a built-in sanitation and heating system so you can enjoy it year-round. Oh yeah, and it's made from an old shipping container.
We've seen shipping containers repurposed as gorgeous homes in the past, but converting one into an above-ground swimming pool might be the coolest thing ever. With a sleek design that comes in a wide range of colors and sizing, so-called Modpools are totally customizable. You can add glass panel windows, a built-in jet system, and even a special divider to create a hot tub on one side, according to the company's website. They're easy to relocate and better for the environment than normal pools, leaving a smaller carbon footprint. But the best part might just be how easy installation is: Modpools can literally be set up in minutes, as opposed to traditional pools that can take weeks before they're swim-ready.
https://www.facebook.com/Modpools/photos/a.2913412... data-width=\"800\"">
"Many people have ground that is too hard because of rock or, alternatively, have ground that is too soft because of high water levels," Paul Rathnam, owner of Modpools, told Digital Trends. "A Modpool can be placed above ground with decks built around, partial in-ground behind retaining walls, or completely in-ground."
Prices start around $27,000, roughly 50 percent of what a conventional in-ground pool costs; you can inquire about ordering your own on the Modpools website.
(h/t Thrillist)
Follow Country Living on Facebook.
Jenae Sitzes Editorial Assistant Jenae is the editorial assistant for Prevention.com, where she regularly covers nutrition, beauty, celebrity workouts, and health trends.
More From Country Life
J.Lo's Abs Look Insane In This Crop Top
Romantic Movies to Stream on Netflix Tonight
Is '1883' based on a true story?
The Best Masks to Protect Against Omicron Spread
Rita Wilson Is Joining '1883'
Fans Are Obsessed With Reese Witherspoon's Fam Pic
See Julianne Hough's "Scary" New IG Clip
Oprah Shares Her Go-To Reusable Water Bottle
A New 'Blue Bloods' Clip Has Fans Asking Questions
The Company Behind the DIY Show 'Containables'
Stay at Flophouze Shipping Container Hotel
22 Stunning In-Ground Pool Designs
Pallet Swimming Pools Are Here for Summer
10 DIY Ways to Throw a Better Pool Party
This Man Built a Gigantic Backyard Swimming Pool


My husband and I choose the Al Husn for our one week's stay to spend some leisure time and to celebrate New Year's Eve. When we were last time in Muscat, we stayed at the Al Bustan Hotel and decided to give the Shangri La a shot and were well-advised!
Our family (two adults and a teenage son) had a three night's stay at this lovely boutique hotel amidst Rome's old town. It's just off Campo dei Fiori, a bustling square, but on a quiet corner. The hotel is centrally located so that you can reach all points of interest by foot, we only needed a taxi for the trip to the airport.


text:
Mars Area School Board recognizes that public schools are established, maintained and operated at public expense. Therefore, school facilities and grounds should be made available for legitimate community purposes as long as such use does not interfere with the operation of the school program or result in undue operational costs to the School District. The Board provides for the use of school facilities in accordance with District policy in the following order of priority:
Class A - Public schools of the District, including approved school-related organizations, groups or individuals.
Class B - School-Affiliated Organizations, including Board-recognized booster groups, PTO, and Mars Planet Foundation. The primary purpose of these groups is to supplement and/or augment the District's educational programs.
Class C - District non-profit civic, recreational and church groups based within the School District's borders; with a non-profit status (in accordance with IRS guidelines); AND, prior to first usage, demonstrating that at least ninety percent (90%) of its active membership and/or participants are residents of the Mars Area School District.
Class D - Private individual/groups and commercial uses.
For a determination as to your organization's "class," call (724) 625-1518, ext. 1505.
Facility Requests
To complete a Use of Facilities Request, click on the "Facilities Request" link in the right-hand column or click here.
In the event of the rescheduling of school activities, such activities shall take precedence over any other scheduled use of facilities. The responsible administrator shall provide prompt notice and shall assist in rescheduling or relocating the displaced activity. On days when school is cancelled or dismissed early because of any circumstances, all activities are cancelled.
School facilities will be made available to responsible organizations and individuals of the community in accordance with District policy and administrative regulations. Mars Area School Board reserves the right to deny any request for use of facilities. Fees charged, if any, shall be determined by the nature and profit status of the organization and activity. Costs for services of the district personnel shall be the responsibility of the person(s) or organizations(s) using the facility.
For specific information regarding procedures, requirements and restriction for use of Mars Area School District's facilities, refer to District Policy 707 Community Use of School Facilities.
Facilities Rental Fee Schedule Update
Please review the updates fees associated with rental/use of Mars Area School District facilities. For more information, click on the "Rental Fees" link in the right-hand column of this page.
Questions regarding Public Use of School Facilities may be directed to Mrs. Lori Boggs, Buildings, Grounds & Custodial Support, at (724) 625-1518, ext. 1505, or lboggs@marsk12.org.
District Policy 707
Facilities Requests
Facilities Use Calendar
Rental Fees


text:
13 Senate committee backs Xenophon campaign
In a breakthrough for Senator Nick Xenophon's campaign against Scientology, an Australian senate committee has backed his call for closer monitoring of groups that enjoy tax-exempt status.
An Australian senate committee has endorsed Senator Nick Xenophon's call for a charity commission to monitor charities and religious groups that enjoy tax-exempt status – a keystone of his campaign against Scientology.
The Senate's economics committee called for the new body to apply a public benefit test, like the one already used in Britain and New Zealand, to ensure that groups deserve their tax-exempt status.
Xenophon had already proposed this in a private members bill.[1]
But the report said: "The Committee views the bill … as too narrow to respond to the broad range of issues identified by the Committee."
It therefore went beyond the tax issues covered in its inquiry and called for a review of cult-like organisations and their effect on individuals and society.
It noted in particular the work of the French government's cult watchdog Miviludes.[2]
A statement from Senator Xenophon's office welcomed the committee's report.
"This is a win for all taxpayers who have unknowingly been supporting organisations with no proof that they deserve charitable status," he said.
"More importantly, this is a huge win for people whose lives have been significantly damaged by the actions of certain organisations who have been enjoying tax exemption under the label of 'charity' or 'religion', but whose behaviours have been far from charitable," he added.
He called for the Committee's recommendations to be implemented as soon as possible.
"… time for action"
The committee was clearly impressed with the testimony of some former Scientologists who did not think the movement deserved tax-exempt status, quoting some of them at length in the report.[3]
The report quoted what former member James Anderson told the committee on this point:
One should be able to clearly identify groups who do good works, because they see the results.
If one cannot see those results, that particular group should be deemed to be highly suspect and should be treated as such.
I guarantee if you asked the same taxpayer what good works Scientology do and what they are known for, they would actually struggle to give you an answer. I know I do.
That was one of the things I found very difficult to reconcile in my association with Scientology over 25 years. I in fact found them to be quite self-serving and not really directed at the external environment.
The committee quoted another former member, Carmel Underwood, whose letter to Senator Xenophon helped persuade him to launch his campaign.
… as a former Scientologist I believe that the Church of Scientology is a prime example of why this tax amendment is required.
As I outlined in detail in the attachment to my submission, the Church of Scientology is a tax-exempt organisation which, one, enjoys tax-exempt status while it only serves itself at the detriment of others.
It does not even serve its members. Its members actually serve it.
Two, it is fraudulent. It deceives and heavily coerces its people in order to obtain so-called donations.
It often does not deliver what is promised, and in some cases it uses those funds for purposes other than what is stated.
This is fraud and it is a crime.
Three, it is an organisation which threatens its people with 'pay up or else'. This is extortion.
And perhaps most shocking of all, it quoted former member Janette Vonthenthoff:
The experiences include bullying and harassment; two coerced abortions; Scientology justice procedures, including court hearings resulting in removal of freedoms; forced financial donations; severe financial stress; working a minimum of 40 hours and up to 70 hours a week for no pay; removal of my Australian passport while studying for Scientology in the US, so I was unable to leave; working under duress all night on many occasions while my young children were forced to stay at the office and sleep on the lounge; threats of loss of my family if I tried to leave; psychological abuse; being forced to sign a suicide waiver, freeing Scientology of all responsibility if I caused myself any harm, when I made it clear how much I wanted to leave; and interrogation regarding my personal life and sex life.
The summary of the report made it clear that time for talk was over.
"The Committee agrees with the view expressed to it that there comes a time when a government has to make a decision either to do something or to stop saying that it is going to do something, because the matter has been on the agenda for many years.
"It is now time for action."
In its reference to France's Miviludes, the committee said:
The Committee recommends that the Attorney-General's Department provide a report to the Committee on the operation of Miviludes and other law enforcement agencies overseas tasked with monitoring and controlling the unacceptable and/or illegal activities of cult-like organisations who use psychological pressure and breaches of general and industrial law to maintain control over individuals. The report should advise on the effectiveness of Miviludes and other similar organisations, given issues that need to be addressed to develop an international best practice approach for dealing with cult-like behaviour.[4]
This goes substantially further than the public benefit test around which Xenophon had based his private members' bill.
That test drew on existing British legislation, which takes a more moderate approach in this area than France.
France's Miviludes takes a far tougher line on the issue of the groups it is happy to call cults, reflecting the fiercely secular nature of French society.
France goes further than most countries in having legislation that allows for the banning of a cult if convicted of serious criminal activities – though the law has yet to be applied to a major movement.
There is no suggestion that Australia is preparing to go down that path.
It is nevertheless remarkable progress for Xenophon's campaign, which started less than a year ago.
On November 17, the senator delivered a withering attack on Scientology, citing in detail from letters he had received from former members.[5]
His speech, in which he described the movement as a criminal organisation masquerading as a religion, called for a Senate inquiry into its tax-exempt status, something the previous government denied him.
His revised approach, focussing on a broader public test for all charities, has had greater success however.
Australia's Labor Party today confirmed its position as the new government, albeit with a majority of only one vote in the lower house of parliament, after winning the backing of two independent MPs.
The outgoing Labor administration under Kevin Rudd did not back Senator Xenophon's original campaign.
But last month the incoming government indicated that it was ready to take a closer look at regulation of the "not-for-profit" sector.
What is significant about the economics committee's recommendations is that they have the support of both the main parties.
With Labor's attitude having already shifted on this issue, it seems that much more likely that the government will look favourably on the committee's recommendations.
[1] The Tax Laws Amendment (Public Benefit Test) Bill 2010.
[2] MIVILUDES is the French acronym for the Inter-ministerial Mission for Vigilance and the Struggle against Cult-like tendencies. It is attached to the French prime minister's office.
[3] The following are from pp 47 and 48 of the report.
[4] Pages 3-4 of the committee's report.
[5] See Australian Senator attacks 'criminal' Scientology elsewhere on this site, and the subsequent articles in the same series.
Labels: abuse, Australia, Nick Xenophon, Scientology
Great--we can all support this effort. Maybe I'll write to him myself, although I'm not Australian.


From a photo series experimenting with the displacement of time and the concept of synchronicity between humans and technology.
A single vertical line of light moves back and forth in a sine-wave movement and I try to match the motion and speed with my own body. The movement occurs over 1 second and my camera is set to take a 1 second exposure. All three of us strive for perfect harmony.
The impossibility of total synchronicity between camera, light and human corrupts the integrity of the image, creating patterned artefacts: the architecture of passing time. A shadowy other world is revealed where the human form struggles to keep-up or escape from the technology.
The photograph is not digitally edited or manipulated.


text:
Near Me require(["jquery", "domReady!"], function($) { var root = $("[data-guid=7b37c2bd-bfee-495a-bd74-db4f68cb1d22]"); var container = $("[data-nearme-container]"); var headerButtons = root.closest(".headerButtons"); /* @318108 */ container.next().attr("style", "display: none;"); container.replaceWith(root); /* @318108 */ headerButtons.addClass("has-nearme"); });
{{title}} {{:price}} {{:commentBlock}} Show hardcoded "Price" if no preprice data exists {{/commentBlock}} {{!preprice}} Price {{?}} {{preprice}} {{/}} {{price}} {{:postprice}}{{postprice}}{{/}} {{?:pricing}} {{pricing}} {{/}}
Knyken Ski Center
Knyken, Orkland
www.orkdal-il.no
Knyken Centre is located in the municipality Orkdal, 4 mil south of Trondheim. Skiing is owned by Orkdal Sports and operated by skiavdelinga in sports, and it has become a plant of great regional significance. Skiing can now submit bids in most skidisipliner and is open to all who wish to use the facility for sports, exercise or outdoor activities. In 1996 Knyken Ski granted status as a regional facility.
The complex consists of five ski jumps. All the slopes are floodlit, judging towers and access to a lift. A lighted trail for about 5 km. Surrounding the plant, and in connection with the we have a great stadium and clearly with tidtakerbu and other necessary equipment selection. We also have a floodlit biathlon facility, in connection with the stadium, with 20 modern reversible shoot slices. Moreover, we have a network of trails at about 12 km. Knyken Centre has a separate play area for children with free children's ski lifts.
Skiing major driving force, has gradually turned out to be alpine plant as it stands today after two stages. With 2 lifts, 4 runs totaling approx. 3000 m and floodlighting, the resorts from all sides in the municipality.
All plants, except for ski jumps and biathlon facility, meet the requirements that had to be set for major events such as NM, etc. The most recent events in the plant was the Norwegian Championships in 1993.
We also have the machinery needed to prepare the facility. And get a machine with a winch was acquired in 2001.
In 2005, it acquired a track machine intended for use in skiing trails and hiking trails.
In connection with the resorts we have "Knykstuggu" which includes a large cafeteria, kitchen, flows office, office, meeting room, laundry room / storage, showers, changing rooms, gymnasium, stage, storage rooms, boiler rooms, etc. The plant has a large garage with garage, heated room, smørebod etc. . The total buildings in Knyken currently represents approximately 1200 m2.
The facility has two large parking spaces for use in connection with major events.
During the winter, the plant has opened every day and all the facilities may be used. It is only a lift system that is subject to a fee for users. Also the public from neighboring uses the facility regularly. In addition to normal activity the facility regularly used by the sports bar at Orkdal high school and open-air bar at Torshus Folkehøgskule. In addition, schools, and mental retardation facility.
The facility is at the level as it is today, and to keep it open for all who desire it, this requires a tremendous volunteer effort by members of Orkdal IL. At all times, be expected. 70 acres of land to be prepared. Orkdal IL Skiavdelinga currently has a staff of full-time and, in addition to what we have about 150 people go in shifts (by volunteers) in the kitchen, such as alpine guards, machine drive, etc. How many hours it is, we do not make figures on, but we know that there are more than 7,500 hours per season.
We dare say that Knyken Centre as "compact plant" is unique and that one must look far beyond Trøndelag boundaries before a find something similar. We have repeatedly confirmed from visitors from other parts of the country.
Source: Trøndelag Reiseliv AS
Visit Knyken Ski Center
About Trøndelag


text:
Seven Reasons to Invest in Frontier Markets
February 5, 2019|by Carl Delfeld
Don't get me wrong. I admire those of you following and investing in the 25 countries in the MSCI Emerging Market index (EEM). They will continue to offer outsized growth opportunities. But risk capital is increasingly pushing the envelope to even higher risk-reward stock markets – often referred to as frontier markets.
Where does the "frontier" theme actually come from?
In 1893, historian Frederick Jackson Turner gave a talk to the American Historical Society stressing the image of the frontier as defining the American idea. The edge of growth that kept moving westward across the continent has, with today's global economy, spread to every region of the world.
How big are these frontier markets? The top 26 countries that comprise the MSCI Frontier 100 index (FM) have a total population of more than 850 million. The remaining 75 have a combined population of about 800 million. In total, that's roughly 25% of the world's population.
U.S.-China Rivalry Will Soon Send this Secret $1 Stock Soaring
… this stock reached $20 during the last confrontation.
Not long ago, the value of this company's products soared 618% in three weeks.
Proven potential to turn $10,000 grubstake into $200,000.
CEO says recent pace of orders "absolutely buoyant."
These are countries that have less developed, less liquid stock markets and normally smaller economies. Frontier markets are also completely off the radar screen of Wall Street analysts and the financial pundits.
Here are seven reasons for you to get ahead of the game by leapfrogging to frontier market growth.
The Frontier Markets Edge
1. Faster Economic Growth
Thirty-nine of the 45 countries projected to grow 6-7% over the next five years are frontier markets. A study by Everest Capital puts 17 of the 20 fastest-growing economies in the world in the frontier camp.
2. Favorable Demographics
A young population means lower financial burdens for government and a dynamic consumer class catching up to the west. About 40% of the world's 15-to-24-year-olds live in frontier countries, versus less than 10% in North America, Japan and Europe
3. Low Debt
The government debt in frontier markets averages around 45% of GDP – half that of developed countries.
4. Integration with the Global Economy
Due to breakthroughs in communications and rising demand from multinationals for low-cost labor, resources and new consumer markets, frontier economies have gone from being out of the loop to smack in the middle of it.
5. Attractive Market Valuations
Because listed frontier market companies remain hidden to many investors, bargains abound.
Frontier markets account for 25% of the world's population and 12% of the global economy but less than 3% of the market value of all companies trading on world stock markets. This gap will eventually close.
And because frontier markets have been out of favor, valuations look particularly attractive. One private frontier-market fund I follow reports a portfolio with a trailing price-to-earnings ratio of 6.6, a price/book of 1.2, a dividend yield of 6.5%, and a return on equity of 25%.
6. Inefficient Markets
While this cuts both ways, one could argue that because frontier markets are small and less liquid, high-quality companies sometimes can be picked up at bargain prices by alert investors.
For example, fueled by Mongolia's globally significant copper and gold deposits, investors bid up Mongolia's stock market 900% in dollar terms from its 2009 low to its 2011 high.
Unfortunately, eight years on, that market is 69% below that high.
7. Low Correlation to Other Markets
Blending in some frontier stocks to your portfolio will actually lower your portfolio risk and volatility since these markets tend to march to the beat of a different drum. When developed or emerging markets head south, frontier market stocks can go the other way—their fates are not intertwined with the more developed markets.
Studies show that the frontier market index only moves with the MSCI World index or MSCI Emerging Markets index 35% of the time.
In short, frontier markets offer you the opportunities that emerging markets like China offered 20 or more years ago. To put this in perspective, China's total exports in 1980 were equal to one day of exports in the China of 2010.
In 1990, China's economy was equal to that of Taiwan; it is more than 15 times bigger!
The Frontier Market Challenge
It is not easy to find the right way to capture frontier market growth. With only a few exceptions, frontier market companies do not normally trade on major U.S. exchanges. And most frontier funds are private due to the high costs of following these markets.
Vietnam (VNM) is the only frontier market with a country ETF, and even then you must weigh its tremendous opportunities offered by its industrious, dynamic, fast-growing middle class against poor fiscal policies and the dead hand of its government. You could also invest in the iShares MSCI Argentina & Glbl Exps ETF (AGT), whose holdings are predominantly Argentinian public companies.
A more efficient way to invest in frontier markets is via the Templeton Frontier Markets Fund (TFMAX), which is up more than 7% so far this year and has exposure to countries like Argentina, Kuwait and Peru. After a rough end to 2018, it quickly vaulted above its 50-day moving average with an early-January push.
Frontier markets are not for the faint-hearted, but adding even a little exposure could add some high-reward punch to your portfolio.
The Best Stocks in the World
Carl Delfeld is your guide to growth trends and bull markets around the world. His Cabot Global Stocks Explorer will show you the vast profit potential of investing in emerging economies as well as other world stock markets.
5 Best Stocks to Buy in January
Find out which stocks you should buy this month to make money.
These winners should go much higher in this rising market—don't miss out!
2 India ADRs to Buy for 2020
These 8 Overseas Stock Markets are Beating the S&P 500
Two Luxury Stocks for 2020
Agricultural Stocks — Feed the World & Your Portfolio
Want to Capture Asian Growth without Trade War Risk? Invest in Australia
COST, country etf, developed markets, dividend, dividend yield, earnings, EEM, emerging market, emerging market index, emerging markets, emerging markets index, etf, frontier market, frontier market fund, frontier market stocks, frontier markets, GDP, high risk investment, invest, investing, investing in, investing in emerging markets, investment, investors, LOW, market index, MSCI, msci emerging markets, msci emerging markets index, msci world, msci world etf, msci world index, stock, stock market, stock markets, stocks, trading, volatility, wall street, world stock markets, yield.
Our Newsletter Updates
VIDEO: Still Bullish—but Keep Your Feet on the Ground | Cabot Weekly Review
• 2020 Market Outlook + 3 Stocks to Buy Now
FREE Webinar with Mike Cintolo, Chief Analyst of Cabot Growth Investor and Cabot Top Ten Trader
Thursday, January 23 at 2:00 PM ET | Learn More
• Cabot Prime Quarterly Analyst Call and Q&A
Prime & Prime Pro Members Only | January 15, 2020 | Membership Information
Cabot's Best Dividend Stocks
How Options Work—and How to Hedge Portfolios with Options
How to Find Undervalued Stocks
How to Invest in Stocks and Other Investing Basics
5 Best Canadian Stocks to Buy Now
The Best Investment Websites to Research Stocks
10 Forever Stocks to Buy Now
Passport to Profits
How to Invest in Marijuana Stocks
Hey guys, I just renewed my Cabot Top Ten for three hundred and something dollars. I consider this the world's biggest bargain. I "made" thirty eight hundred and something just today alone. Keep up the GREAT work!
From Cabot Growth Investor The market has remained in a steep uptrend with pullbacks limited to a couple hours here and there. Individual stocks haven't been as smooth but still look great, with a "rotational advance"underway, where some groups rest while others ramp for a couple of weeks, before they switch places. We're pleased to see most of the growth stocks that took a breather during December push to new highs in 2020. No question, it's fair to classify the advance as unusual, in a good sense—you don't see many straight-up rallies that go on for this long! But just because it's unusual doesn't mean it's wrong. In fact, we think the vacuum of selling pressure is a good sign that this bull market has plenty more in store. Updated January 16, 2020
call Cabot Wealth Network Customer Service at


text:
Maranatha tries to keep season alive
Over the past couple of weeks, Maranatha High School's football team has been somewhat of an enigma, never really knowing which team would show up.
The Minutemen struggled against some inferior Alpha League teams, and their high-octane offense was shut out in the regular-season finale against Brentwood. That resulted in Maranatha dropping from a second seed to no seed.
But the Minutemen still finished with a 9-1 overall record despite the see-saw performances.
And despite the ups and downs, Maranatha is in position to make a deep run in the CIF-Southern Section East Valley Division playoffs.
The Minutemen visit Big Bear for a quarterfinal-round game Saturday at 1 p.m.
"I think it's a great matchup," Minutemen coach Joel Murphy said. "Coach (Dave) Griffiths has done an incredible job with his program over the years and we're excited to get a chance to play for another week."
In last week's first-round win over Ontario Christian, Maranatha scored only 16 points despite two players combining for nearly 400 yards of offense.
Senior quarterback Matt Schilz completed 20 of 43 passes for 264 yards and one touchdown but threw three costly interceptions, including two in the red zone.
Senior running back Daniel Kopplin had 117 yards on 17 carries.
"We don't really have time to think about last week's game," Murphy said. "Did we trip up? Sure. But you learn and move on and choose to get better because of it."
There's been some question as to how strong Maranatha is given its relatively soft schedule and inability to win the "big games," like against Brentwood when a victory would have put the Minutemen on the opposite bracket of top seed and three-time defending champion St. Margaret's.
"Personally, I find it kind of funny that people are so worried about us this season," Murphy said. "What I feel I have to point out is just how far this team, not to mention the program, has come."
Before fall camp even started, the Maranatha football program received the tragic news that one of its players had been killed in a hiking accident at a summer camp in Southern California.
John Chavez, 16, died after he slipped and fell near the top of a waterfall.
Maranatha is dedicating its season to Chavez.
The son of Ramona Chavez, John would have been a junior starting linebacker at Maranatha.
The makeup of the Minutemen this season is young. They returned only three starters on both sides.
"We have a quarterback who had more pins and rods in his body than he did starts," Murphy said. "None of our returnees saw any legitimate action."
Maranatha has seven sophomores that all start.
"And yet, through it all, they've never quit on each other, never," Murphy said. "What more could a coach ask for?"
miguel.melendez@sgvn.com
(626) 578-6300, Ext. 4485


text:
Short summary - Thérèse Desqueyroux
Teresa Desqueiro leaves the courtroom. She was accused of trying to poison her husband, but through the efforts of her family, the case was dropped "for lack of corpus delicti." The family's honor is saved. Teresa has to return home to Arjeluz, where her husband is waiting for her, who saved her with his false testimony. Teresa is afraid of prying eyes, but fortunately, at this time of year it gets dark early and her face is difficult to see, Teresa is accompanied by her father Laroque and lawyer Duro. Teresa thinks of a maternal grandmother whom she has never met and about whom she only knows that she has left home. Neither her daguerreotypes nor photographs have survived. "The imagination prompted Teresa that she too could disappear like this, go into oblivion, and later her daughter, little Marie, would not find in the family album the image of the one who gave birth to her." Teresa says that she is going to stay with her husband for a few days, and when he gets better, she will return to her father. The father objects: Teresa and her husband must be inseparable, must observe decency, everything must be as before. "You will do whatever your husband tells you. I think I am making myself very clear, "says Laroque. Teresa decides that salvation for her is to open her whole soul to her husband, without hiding anything. This thought brings relief to her. She recalls the words of childhood friend Anna de la Trave. Pious Anna said to the judicious mocker Teresa: "You cannot even imagine what a feeling of liberation you experience when you confess to the spirit in everything and receive absolution - everything old will be erased and you can heal in a new way." Teresa recalls her childhood friendship with Anna. They met in the summer at Argeluse; in winter Teresa studied at the Lyceum, and Anna - at the monastery boarding house. Argeluse is located ten kilometers from the small town of Saint-Clair, in Landach. Bernard Desqueiro inherited from his father a house in Argeluse, which stood next to the house of the Laroques. The whole region believed that Bernard should marry Teresa, for their domains seemed to be created in order to unite, and the prudent Bernard, who studied law in Paris and rarely appeared in Argeluse, agreed with the general opinion. After the death of Bernard's father, his mother remarried, and Anne de la Trave was his half-sister. She seemed to him a little girl who did not deserve any attention. Teresa, too, didn't care much for him. But at twenty-six, after traveling to Italy, Holland and Spain, Bernard Desqueiro married Teresa Laroque, the richest and smartest girl in the entire region. When Teresa thinks about why she married Bernard, she recalls the childish joy that thanks to this marriage she will become Anna's daughter-in-law. In addition, she was not indifferent that Bernard had an estate of two thousand hectares. But, of course, this is not the only point. Perhaps she sought refuge in marriage, first of all, sought to join the family clan, "get settled", enter a respectable world, save herself from some unknown danger. After getting married, Teresa was disappointed. Bernard's lust did not evoke a reciprocal desire in her. During her honeymoon, Teresa received a letter from Anna, where she wrote that a young Jean Azevedo, ill with consumption, had settled in Vilmege next to them, so she stopped cycling in that direction - consumptive ones terrify her. Then Teresa received three more letters from Anna. Anna wrote that she met Jean Azevedo and fell in love with him without memory, but her family separated the lovers. Anna suffered and hoped that Teresa would help her convince her relatives who wanted to marry her off to young Degilem at all costs. Anna sent Teresa a photo of Jean. Teresa did not finish reading Anna's letter, full of passionate outpourings. She thought: "So, Anna tasted the happiness of love ... But what about me? And what about me? Why not me?" Teresa in her hearts grabbed a pin and pierced the heart of Jean depicted in the photo. Bernard, like his parents, hoped that Teresa would bring Anna to reason: Azevedo are Jews, it was not enough for Anna to marry a Jew! In addition, many in their family suffer from consumption. Teresa argued with Bernard, but he did not listen to her objections, confident that she was arguing only out of a sense of contradiction. Teresa had a desire to teach Anna a lesson, who believed in the possibility of happiness, to prove to her that happiness does not exist on earth. When Bernard and Teresa returned from their honeymoon and settled in Saint-Clair, Teresa became a mediator between the spouses de la Traves and Anne. Teresa advised Bernard's parents to be softer with Anna, to invite her to travel with them, while Teresa would do something about it. Anna lost weight, grew thin. Teresa persuaded her to go with her parents, but Anna did not want to leave Jean. Although they did not see each other, for Anna was forbidden to go outside the garden, the mere thought that he was close, near, gave her strength.
Continuation after commercial:
However, Teresa was persistent and finally Anna gave in. This was facilitated by the news of the imminent arrival of the Degilems - Anna did not want to see the young Degilem, whom everyone predicted to be her husband. Teresa had no pity for Anna. Her own pregnancy was also not a joy for her. "She wanted to believe in God and beg from him that this unknown creature, which she still carries in her womb, would never be born." After the departure of Anna and the de la Traves, Teresa promised to find some means to influence Jean Azevedo, but she was drawn to sleep, to peace, and she was in no hurry to fulfill her promise. In mid-October, Jean had to leave, and Bernard began to rush Teresa.
Bernard began to show the first signs of suspiciousness. He was haunted by the fear of death, surprising for such a big man. He complained of his heart and nerves. Teresa believed that Bernard was ridiculous, because the life of people like them is completely useless and surprisingly similar to death. When Teresa spoke about this to Bernard, he just shrugged. She annoyed him with her paradoxes. Teresa did not hate Bernard. At times he was disgusting to her, but it never occurred to her that another man would seem nicer to her. After all, Bernard was not so bad. She could not stand the images of extraordinary personalities created in novels, which are never found in life. She considered Bernard above her environment exactly until she met Jean Azevedo.
They met by chance. During a walk, Teresa came to an abandoned hunting hut, where she and Anna had once had an afternoon snack, and where Anna later made appointments to Jean Azevedo. There Teresa met Jean, who, recognizing her, immediately spoke to her about Anna. His eyes and glowing gaze were beautiful. Teresa spoke to him haughtily, accusing him of "bringing confusion and discord to a respectable family." In response, Jean laughed sincerely: "So you imagine that I want to marry Anna?" Teresa was amazed: it turns out that Jean was not at all in love with Anna. He said that he could not resist the charm of such a lovely girl, but he never behaved dishonestly and did not go too far. Regarding Anna's suffering, he said that this suffering is the best that she can expect from fate, that all her further sad life she will remember these moments of sublime passion. Teresa liked to talk with Jean Azevedo, she liked to listen to his reasoning. Teresa was not in love with him, she just met for the first time a person for whom the spiritual side of life was most important. Regarding Anna, Teresa came up with a plan that Jean carried out: he wrote her a letter, where in very mild terms he deprived her of all hope.
Bernard did not believe Teresa's story, it seemed to him incredible that Jean Azevedo would not dream of marrying Anne de la Trave. Teresa saw Jean five or six times. He described to her Paris, his circle of friends, where one law reigned - to become herself. At the end of October, Jean left, setting up a date with Teresa a year later. On the third day after his departure, Anna returned, she wanted to see Jean at all costs, believing that she could conquer him again. When Teresa told her that Jean had left, Anna did not believe until she was convinced of this with her own eyes. When Teresa had a daughter, Teresa did little to do with her, but Anna adored little Marie and gave her all her time.
One day a forest fire broke out near Mano. Everyone was agitated, and Bernard mistakenly drank a double dose of the medicine. Tired of the heat, Teresa saw this, but did not stop her husband, and when he later forgot whether he took the drops or not, and drank another dose, she again remained silent. At night Bernard was tormented by vomiting, Dr. Pedme was at a loss as to what it could be. Teresa thought that there was no evidence that it was due to the drops. She even wondered if the drops were really to blame? Using a fake recipe, Teresa bought drops and poured them into her husband's glass. When the pharmacist showed the doctor the prescription, the doctor filed a complaint with the court. Teresa said that a few days ago a stranger met her on the road and asked her to buy a prescription drug at the pharmacy: he himself allegedly could not do this, since he owed the pharmacist. Then this man came and took his drops. Her father begged Teresa to come up with something more believable, but she stubbornly kept saying the same thing. She was saved by the lies of Bernard, who confirmed that his wife had told him about the meeting with a stranger.
Teresa thinks about. what she would say to Bernard when she met. The only thing that would solve all the problems, he still will not do: if he opened his arms to her, without asking about anything! If only she could fall on his chest and cry, feeling her living warmth! Teresa decides to tell Bernard that she is ready to disappear, but when they arrive and she says these words, Bernard is indignant: how dare she have an opinion? She should only obey, only follow his orders. Bernard describes Teresa a new way of life: from now on Teresa is forbidden to walk around the house, food will be brought to her in her bedroom. On Sundays, he and Bernard will travel to Saint-Clair so that everyone can see them together. Marie with her mother Bernard and Anna will leave for the south, and in a few months, when public opinion believes that peace and harmony reign in the Desqueiro family, Anna will marry the young Deguilem. After her wedding, Bernard will settle in Saint-Clair, and Teresa, under the pretext of neurasthenia, will remain in Argeluse. Teresa is horrified at the thought that she will have to live in Argeluse without a break until her death. When, according to Bernard, an atmosphere of sympathy for Theresa develops in Saint-Clair, he relieves her of the obligation to attend Mass and leaves Arjeluse.
Teresa is left alone. She dreams of running away to Paris and living there, not depending on anyone. A letter comes from Bernard, where he promises to come with Anna and Degil. The young people got engaged, but before the official engagement, Degil wants to see Teresa. Bernard hopes that Teresa will behave with dignity and will not interfere with the successful implementation of the de la Trave family's plan. When the whole company comes to Argeluz, Teresa is not interested in her daughter. She is so full of herself that she despises Anna, who does not value her individuality and will forget all her high impulses "at the very first squeak of a baby that this dwarf will reward her with, without even taking off her business card." Teresa is ill. Bernard promises her that after Anna's wedding she will be free. He will take her to Paris under the pretext of poor health, and he will return to his homeland and send her her share of the income from collecting resin. Teresa establishes an even, calm relationship with Bernard.
When they arrive in Paris in the spring, Bernard in a cafe asks Teresa why she tried to poison him. It is difficult for her to explain this to him, especially since she herself does not fully understand it. She says that she did not want to play the role of a respectable lady, to utter hackneyed phrases. In addition to the Teresa that Bernard knows, there is another Teresa, and she is just as real. For a moment, Teresa thinks that if Bernard had told her: "I forgive you. Come with me, "she would have got up and followed him, but Bernard leaves, and soon Teresa is surprised by this fleeting feeling. Teresa is in no hurry to leave the cafe, she is not bored or sad. She is in no hurry to see Jean Azevedo. Having carefully painted her lips, she goes out into the street and walks wherever her eyes look.


Personal: Anita was an Air Force brat who lived in Holland and Germany as a kid before settling in Fayetteville, Tenn. She lives in Chapel Hill with her husband, Wes, their two kids, Will and Cassie, and two poodle mixes, Bonnie and Thunder.
For a major change, I figure out who the change affects, exactly how their job will change and then I make sure that they have the information and the skills that they need to make the transition. I try to make it as smooth as possible. And then I also keep track of their transition.
My favorite thing is I get to interact with a lot of people across campus. For example, for Connect Carolina we have what we call training and implementation partners—people who are nominated from all the units across campus, plus on the finance side we have campus trainers. That group is about 110 people. I interact with them individually and as a group fairly often. It's so much fun for me to learn what they do and to go meet them in their various buildings. I get to see how different they are, the very different things that they do. Sometimes I get lucky and get to have a tour of a lab or a different facility. I love interacting with them and learning what they do. That's just a treat for me.
What's been the biggest challenge to get everyone ready for go-live on October 1?
There are plenty of challenges to choose from. One of the real challenges at UNC, I think, is that we're very decentralized. So lots of separate units that each do things very differently. You really can't take a top-down approach. You have to go try as much as you can to meet with each group individually and try to give then what they need.
What is key to helping users get comfortable with the new Connect Carolina HR/Payroll system?
I think the key to making each person's transition successful is if they feel a sense of ownership and a sense that they can own their change instead of feeling that it is foisted upon them. I don't think it's the only key and I don't think it's the magic bullet, but that has been our goal – not just mine, but the project team's goal – to try get people engaged and give them the opportunity to see things early and give feedback early. I do think it makes a difference.
ConnectCarolina is how a lot of people know you and may be the extent of what they know. What would people be surprised to learn about you?


Standing meals, challenging surgeries and 12-plus hour shifts.
Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a brain surgeon? We followed Dr. David Bonda, a Northwell Health neurosurgery resident, for a day to find out. What did we learn? For Dr. Bonda, it involves a lot of hard work, endless stamina, boundless curiosity, and a little love from Grandma and Grandpa.
His shift starts early. Dr. Bonda begins his day reviewing patient cases with his team at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens, NY.
He takes a few minutes to grab a quick breakfast in the hospital. Eager to get back to work, Dr. Bonda eats standing up —he has a long day ahead, packed with patient rounds and complex surgeries.
Dr. Bonda reviews imaging before his first procedure of the day, a spinal surgery.
It takes three to five minutes to scrub in the proper way to prevent an infection in the operating room. Dr. Bonda rigorously washes the side of each finger, between fingers, the back and front of hands and his arms.
Neurosurgery is very much about teamwork. Dr. Bonda operates alongside seasoned neurosurgeon Dr. David B. Weintraub and a dedicated team of nurses and anesthesiologists.
Dr. Bonda and Dr. Weintraub quite literally put their heads together to achieve the best possible outcome. Dr. Weintraub specializes in deep brain stimulation surgery for movement disorders, as well as surgery for pain disorders associated with degenerative spine disease.
After a busy morning, Dr. Bonda takes a short break to check emails and touch base with his girlfriend, Katie, a head and neck surgery resident at another hospital out of state. "We try very hard to make our long distance relationship work by keeping in touch as much as possible throughout the day and talking on the phone each night before going to sleep," he explains.
Dr. Bonda consults with a patient before another surgery.
Dr. Bonda finally heads home after a 12-plus hour shift. "Residency is a blast. It can certainly be stressful and exhausting between the work hours, responsibilities, and material that need to be learned, but overall it's been a great experience," he says.
Dr. Bonda eats dinner at home, where he lives with his grandparents.
Find out more about opportunities to apply for a residency in neurosurgery at Northwell Health.
Learn how Northwell is changing lives through advanced neurological care. Visit the Neuroscience Institute or call (844) 566-3876 for more information.


(Denver Post, Sept. 5) "McInnis: A Jobs Governor," say the bus benches and billboards that were to give the former GOP congressman a lift toward November after he won in August; only he lost. Still you see the slogan everywhere, as sad as a Christmas tree in spring, a reminder of how strange politics can be. Meanwhile the finalists for senator forge into fall with their own bizarre blemishes left over from summer – Democrat Michael Bennet alleged to have been a corporate looter, Republican Ken Buck scolded for joking that "I don't wear high heels." Has declining to cross-dress ever before been deemed politically insensitive? If such malefactors at the top of both tickets weren't enough to make nonvoters of us all, my fellow Republicans have the opportunity to lose sleep over the shockingly moderate coloration of Tambor Williams, Maes' designee for lieutenant governor. Becoming Light Guv is usually a disappearance sufficient to one's face on a milk carton. But suddenly Ms. Williams, unlikely ever to take office and powerless if she did, was held up as my party's bogeywoman of the center, sinister as Hillary Clinton. Come on.
Overall, it's painfully evident that in 2010, even more than in most election years, few of us are going to get what we want. But can we at least get, as the self-help guru Mick Jagger once promised, what we need? I think so.
Suppose the campaign was a supermarket. You could breeze in for a Lotto ticket, a six-pack, and a gossip magazine – resulting tomorrow in the lottery not paying off, a hangover, and Brangelina as remote as before. This is the dreamy wish-fulfillment approach to elections that too many Americans, left and right, indulge in. Embarrassingly juvenile, really.
As grownups, though, you and I know better. We're going to the store with a list, smart shoppers ready to turn last week's earnings into next week's eating. We'll go easy on the junk food, heavy on the healthy stuff, and if the menu in coming days isn't quite the banquet of our dreams, at least we've kept our self-reliance and our self-respect. We're not chumps for anyone's ad pitch.
Election Day will bring less frustration and more satisfaction (apologies to the Rolling Stones again), no matter where you're located on the political spectrum, if you use Labor Day to make up your campaign shopping list in this fashion. The eight intervening weeks will also be less of an ordeal, because you'll have a calm, cool sense of seeing through all the flimflam.
The aisles to avoid are the ones with entitlements, benefit goodies, borrowing from our kids, laws that play favorites, victimhood, appeasing aggressor, inflammatory wedge issues, hero-worship of my guys, demonizing the other guys, future scenarios with utopian fantasies or dystopian horrors. That stuff is junk no matter which party peddles it, and both sometimes do. It will only make a sick body politic sicker. Don't even feed it to your dog.
Seeing through the flimflam isn't the same as preventing it, of course. Some candidates and ballot issues perpetrating the above will win. Some opposed to it will lose. But your shopping list is good into 2011 and beyond, as a guide for holding all those darned politicians accountable. Do it!
And if your list includes the healthy restraints of divided government in Denver as well as Washington; the rebirth of competing media voices in our state; some soul-searching by Colorado Republicans and Democrats alike, after a sloppy show this year; a state Supreme Court chastened by voter vigilance; and a return to reality-based politics following the Obama euphoria of 2008 – well then, I can practically guarantee you a delicious, nutritious midnight supper on Nov. 2.