text:
\section{Introduction}
Low-dimensional Fermi gases and insulators with intermediate and strong
couplings show a plethora of interesting phenomena, both in the domains of
synthesizable materials~\cite{toyota07} and of ultra-cold atom
gases,~\cite{giorgini08} with the proximity of metallic, magnetic,
superconducting, and insulating phases being a key target for experimental
and theoretical studies. One-dimensional correlated electron systems are
hence good targets, to give an example, for the exploration of photo-induced
phase transitions,~\cite{shinichiro06} having in part extremely large
third-order non-linear optical susceptibilities, with possible applications
to all-optical switching devices.~\cite{kishida00}

Here, we are interested in the nature of the interaction-driven Mott-Hubbard
transition which occurs in the one-dimensional $t_1{-}t_2$ Hubbard model
at half filling. In particular, we will assess the evolution of the Fermi
surface by varying the Coulomb interaction. In the insulating state,
the underlying Fermi-surface is given by the boundary of the occupied states
of the renormalized dispersion relation, when the residual interactions giving
rise to the charge gap are turned off in a Gedanken
experiment.~\cite{gros06,yoshida06,gros07,sensarma07,prelovsek}
Mathematically, the underlying Fermi surface is defined in a non Fermi-liquid
state as the locus in $k-$space where the real part of the one-particle
Green's function changes its sign.~\cite{gros06,dzyaloshinskii03}
By investigating magnetic and charge properties, we find that the Fermi
surface reconstructs in a first-order manner right at the Mott transition.
In particular, the Fermi surface is generic, namely non-nesting, in the
metallic side, whereas it has perfect nesting properties in the insulating
state, at the transition point.

The paper is organized as follow: in section~\ref{sec:model}, we introduce the
Hamiltonian; in section~\ref{sec:approach}, we describe our variational wave
function; in section~\ref{sec:results}, we present our numerical results and,
finally, in section~\ref{sec:conc} we draw the conclusions.

\section{Model}\label{sec:model}
We consider the one-dimensional $t_1{-}t_2$ Hubbard model
\begin{equation}\label{hubbard}
{\cal H}=-\hspace{-1ex}\sum_{i,\sigma,n=1,2} t_n c^{\dagger}_{i,\sigma}
         c^{\phantom{\dagger}}_{i+n,\sigma}
        + \textrm{H.c.}
        +U \sum_{i} n_{i,\uparrow} n_{i,\downarrow},
\end{equation}
where $c^{\dagger}_{i,\sigma}$ is the electron creation operator,
$\sigma=\uparrow,\downarrow$ the electron spin, $i=1,\dots,L$ the site index,
$n_{i,\sigma}=c^{\dagger}_{i,\sigma}c^{\phantom{\dagger}}_{i,\sigma}$
the electron density, $t_{1}$ and $t_{2}$ the nearest
and next-nearest neighbor hopping amplitudes,~\cite{signt} and $U$ the on-site
Coulomb repulsion. In this work, we focus our attention on the half-filled
case with $L$ electrons on $L$ sites.

The ground state of the $t_1{-}t_2$ Hubbard model at half filling is predicted
to be an insulator with gapless spin excitations (conventionally labeled as
C0S1) for $t_2/t_1 <1/2$ and every finite $U/t_1$,~\cite{lieb} a spin-gapped
metal (C1S0) with strong superconducting fluctuations for $t_2/t_1 >1/2$ and
small $U/t_1$,~\cite{fabrizio} and a fully-gapped spontaneously dimerized
insulator (C0S0) for $t_2/t_1 >1/2$ and large $U/t_1$.~\cite{arita,daul}
Our findings, which are summarized in Fig.~\ref{fig:phase_diagr}, are in very
good agreement with these results.
The locus of the metal-insulator transition has been investigated by several
groups,~\cite{torio,aebischer,gros05,jap} with slightly varying outcomes.
Remarkably, a transition between incommensurate and commensurate spin
excitations is expected to take place inside the C0S0
phase.~\cite{daul,gros05,berthod06} Finally, we would like to mention that a
tiny C2S2 phase could be stable for $U/t_1 \to 0$, as suggested by a
weak-coupling renormalization group approach;~\cite{louis01} recent
calculations showed that this phase can be further stabilized in presence of
long-range interactions.~\cite{motrunich}

\section{Variational approach}\label{sec:approach}
In this paper, we present a variational Monte Carlo study of the Hubbard
model for $t_2/t_1 > 1/2$, which allows us to determine accurately the locus
of the metal-insulator transition, to study the transition between commensurate
and incommensurate spin-spin correlations in the large-$U$ (dimerized) phase
and to investigate its underlying Fermi surface. In particular, we will show
that the magnetic correlations are related to the single-particle spectrum in
the optimized variational wave function. Moreover, we will propose that the
metal-insulator transition is driven in the Mott state by a renormalization
of the underlying Fermi surface to perfect nesting.

\begin{figure}[t]
\includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{fig1.eps}
\caption{\label{fig:phase_diagr}
(Color online) Phase diagram of the $t_1{-}t_2$ Hubbard model at half-filling
with the metallic phase with gapped spin excitations (C1S0) and the insulating
phase with gapless spin excitations (C0S1). The insulating phase with gapped
spin excitations for larger $U$ and $t_2/t_1>1/2$ has regions with commensurate
($Q=\pi$) and incommensurate ($Q$ incomm) spin-spin correlations.
A crossover region separates the phase where the peak in $S(q)$ is
incommensurate and the one with the peak commensurate to a doubled unit cell
($Q\sim\pi/2$).}
\end{figure}

Both the metallic and the insulating phases can be constructed, in a
variational approach. In a first step, one constructs uncorrelated wave
functions given by the ground state $|\rm{BCS}\rangle$ of a superconducting
Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) Hamiltonian,~\cite{grosbcs,zhang88}
\begin{equation}
{\cal H}_{\rm{BCS}} = \sum_{q,\sigma} \epsilon_q c^{\dagger}_{q,\sigma} c^{\phantom{\dagger}}_{q,\sigma}
+ \sum_{q} \Delta_q
c^{\dagger}_{q,\uparrow} c^{\dagger}_{-q,\downarrow} + \rm{H.c.},
\end{equation}
where both the free-band dispersion $\epsilon_q$ and the pairing amplitudes
$\Delta_q$ are variational functions. We use the parametrization
\begin{equation}
\begin{array}{rcl}
\epsilon_q& =&  -2\tilde{t}_{1}\cos q-2\tilde{t}_{2} \cos(2q) -\mu \\
\Delta_q& =& \Delta_{1}\cos q + \Delta_{2}\cos (2q) + \Delta_{3} \cos (3q),
\end{array}
\label{def_epsilon_delta}
\end{equation}
where the effective hopping amplitudes $\tilde{t}_{1}$ and $\tilde{t}_{2}$,
as well as the effective chemical potential $\mu$ and the local pairing
fields $\Delta_{1}$, $\Delta_{2}$, and $\Delta_{3}$ are variational
parameters to be optimized. The excitation spectrum for Bogoliubov
excitations is given by
\begin{equation}
E_q=\sqrt{\epsilon_q^2+\Delta_q^2}.
\end{equation}
The correlated state $|\Psi_{\rm{BCS}}\rangle$ is then given by
\begin{equation}\label{eq_BCS}
|\Psi_{\textrm{BCS}}\rangle = {\cal J} |\textrm{BCS}\rangle,
\end{equation}
where ${\cal J}=\exp(-1/2 \sum_{i,j} v_{i,j} n_i n_j)$ is a density-density
Jastrow factor (including the on-site Gutzwiller term), with the $v_{i,j}$
being optimized independently for ever distance $|i-j|$. Notably, within this
kind of wave function, it is possible to obtain a pure (i.e., non-magnetic)
Mott insulator by considering a sufficiently strong Jastrow
factor,~\cite{capello} i.e., $v_q \sim 1/q^2$ ($v_q$ being the Fourier
transform of $v_{i,j}$) and a Luttinger-liquid wave function with arbitrary
critical exponents,~\cite{luttingerWF} whenever $v_{i,j}\sim \log|i-j|$.
In addition, a dimerized phase can be obtained just by considering a gapped
BCS spectrum $E_q$ together with $v_q \sim 1/q^2$ (that is the case
whenever $t_2/t_1> 1/2$ and $U/t_1$ is large enough).~\cite{capello}
Remarkably, in this case, finite dimer-dimer correlations are found at large
distance, even though the wave function does not break the translational
symmetry. Here, we do not report results on dimer-dimer correlations, that
are found in the C0S0 phase (see Ref.~\onlinecite{capello}), but we concentrate
on spin and charge properties, with a particular emphasis on the evolution
of the Fermi surface by changing $t_2/t_1$ and $U/t_1$.

As we demonstrated recently,~\cite{tocchio} the projected BCS state
$|\Psi_{\rm{BCS}}\rangle$ can be improved further by considering backflow
correlations, which modify the single-particle orbitals, in the
same spirit as proposed by Feynman and Cohen.~\cite{feynman}
In this way, already the determinant part of the wave function includes now
correlation effects. All results presented here are obtained by fully
incorporating the backflow corrections and optimizing individually every
variational parameter in $\epsilon_q$ and $\Delta_q$ of
Eq.~(\ref{def_epsilon_delta}), in the Jastrow factor $\cal J$ of
Eq.~(\ref{eq_BCS}), as well as backflow corrections.

\begin{figure}[t]
\includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{fig2.eps}
\caption{\label{fig:n_q}
(Color online) For a chain with $L=120$ sites, the density-density correlations
$N(q)$, divided by the momentum $q$, across the metal-insulator transition for
$t_2/t_1=0.75,1.1,1.5$. The metallic (insulating) state is characterized by
a finite (vanishing) value of $N(q)/q$, in the limit $q \to 0$.}
\end{figure}

\section{Results}\label{sec:results}
\subsection{Mott-Hubbard transition}
The ground-state properties can be easily assessed by computing density and
magnetic structure factors:
\begin{eqnarray}
N(q) &=& \frac{1}{L} \sum_{k,l} e^{i q (k-l)} \langle n_k n_l \rangle, \\
S(q) &=& \frac{1}{L} \sum_{k,l} e^{i q (k-l)} \langle S_k^z S_l^z \rangle,
\end{eqnarray}
where $n_k$ and $S_k^z$ are the total density and the $z$-component of the spin
operator on site $k$, respectively.

The static density-density correlations behave qualitatively different in a
metallic and a Mott-insulating state for small momenta $q$, with the metallic
state being characterized by a linear dependence of $N(q) \sim q$, while in
the insulating phase $N(q) \sim q^{2}$.~\cite{capello} In Fig.~\ref{fig:n_q},
we present the behavior of $N(q)/q$ across the transition for three values of
the ratio $t_2/t_1$. The locus of the Mott-Hubbard transition can be determined
easily, allowing us to draw the phase diagram in Fig.~\ref{fig:phase_diagr}.
Our determination of the line separating the metallic and the insulating phase
is in good agreement with Refs.~\onlinecite{gros05,torio}.

The metallic region in the phase diagram can be described as a Luther-Emery
liquid, with a finite gap in the spin excitation spectrum and gapless charge
excitations.~\cite{solyom} The charge stiffness $K_{\rho}$ can be extracted,
for example, from the long-distance behavior of the density-density
correlations. In any conducting phase, we expect that $K_{\rho}$ is also
related to the slope of $N(q)$ at small $q$, i.e., $N(q) \sim K_{\rho}|q|/\pi$.
In fact, the latter equation, which is definitely valid in Luttinger liquids,
should hold whenever the charge degrees of freedom are gapless.~\cite{solyom}
This procedure to obtain $K_{\rho}$ works very well for the doped single-band
Hubbard model, namely for the model of Eq.~(\ref{hubbard}) with
$t_2=0$,~\cite{capello2} in comparison with the exact results, as obtained
by Bethe ansatz.~\cite{schulz} Unfortunately, in the metallic phase of the
$t_1{-}t_2$ model, the existence of very small gaps prevents us to obtain
accurate results for $K_{\rho}$.

\begin{figure}[t]
\includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{fig3.eps}
\caption{\label{fig:spin075}
(Color online) Upper panel: Spin-spin correlations $S(q)$ at $t_2/t_1=0.75$,
for a $L=120$ chain. Data are shown for $U/t_1=0,4$ (metal) and for
$U/t_1=5,6,12$ (insulator). Lower panel: Single-particle spectrum $E_q/W$ at
$t_2/t_1=0.75$ for the same values of the electron-electron repulsion $U$ and
the same chain length.}
\end{figure}

\subsection{Magnetic properties}
The presence of {\it short-range} magnetic order is signaled by the appearance
of a peak in $S(q)$, for a certain momentum $Q$. In the following, we will
compare the magnetic properties with the renormalized single-particle spectrum
$E_q$ of the optimized variational wave function. The energy scale for $E_q$
will be taken as the bandwidth $W$ of the original free dispersion
$\epsilon_q^0=-2t_1\cos(q)-2t_2\cos(2q)$. Note that, in the non-interacting
case, there is only a single, perfectly nested Fermi surface for
$t_2/t_1< 0.5$, with two Fermi points separated by $\pi$.
Instead, for $t_2/t_1>0.5$ there are two Fermi seas and four Fermi points.

\begin{figure}[t]
\includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{fig4.eps}
\caption{\label{fig:fermi_vect}
(Color online) Evolution of $2k_1$ (distance between the minima of the
single-particle spectrum $E_q$) in the insulating phase for $t_2/t_1=0.75$.
Note the transition from an incommensurate to a commensurate value for
$U/t_1 \simeq 9$.}
\end{figure}

In the metallic phase, the spin properties are only slightly modified by the
presence of a small but finite interaction $U$, with respect to the $U=0$
behavior; for $t_2/t_1>0.5$ the single-particle spectrum $E_q$ exhibits four
minima, at $\pm k_{1}$ and $\pm k_{2}$, and the peak of $S(q)$ is located at
$Q^{\rm{met}}=k_{2}-k_{1}=\pi/2$. The condition $Q^{\rm{met}}=\pi/2$ is
determined by the Luttinger sum-rule for the metal, which states that the
total volume of the Fermi sea equals the number of electrons.
In the insulating phase, the situation changes qualitatively and the magnetic
properties of the system become strongly affected by the value of $t_2/t_1$.

In Fig.~\ref{fig:spin075}, we show the behavior of $S(q)$ across the
metal-insulator transition for $t_2/t_1=0.75$, in comparison with
the variationally determined renormalized single-particle spectrum $E_q$.
It can be observed that, when entering the insulating phase, the
single-particle spectrum becomes strongly gapped and the two central minima
collapse into a unique relative minimum at $q=0$, that subsequently disappears,
as $U/t_1$ increases. At the same time, the peak in $S(q)$ shifts
from $Q^{\rm{met}}=\pi/2$ to $Q^{\rm{ins}}=\pi$.
Remarkably, just above the Mott transition, namely for $5 < U/t_1 < 10$, the
quantity $2k_{1}$ (i.e., the distance between the two absolute minima of $E_q$)
is slightly different from $\pi$ and becomes commensurate only after a second
transition (e.g., $U/t_1 \simeq 9$), inside the insulating phase,~\cite{gros05}
see Fig.~\ref{fig:fermi_vect}. However, the degree of incommensurability is
very small and does not show up in corresponding shift of the peak in
$S(q)$ from $Q^{\rm{ins}}=\pi$. Indeed, the magnetic correlations are
short-ranged and the peak in $S(q)$ is consequently broad. A shift of the
momentum away from $\pi$ will therefore result in a shift of the maximum in
$S(q)$ only for a substantial degree of incommensurability.

In Fig.~\ref{fig:spin09}, we plot the spin-spin correlations $S(q)$
and the single-particle spectrum $E_q$ for the ratio $t_2/t_1=0.9$.
In the metallic phase, the spin-spin correlations are always peaked at
$Q^{\rm{met}}=\pi/2$, while in the insulating phase the peak slowly shifts
to $Q\simeq 0.6\pi$. For $U=6$ and $7$ the single-particle
spectrum $E_q$ is qualitatively different from the one for larger $U$'s.
As shown later, this is related to the different behavior of the variational
hopping ratio $\tilde{t}_2/\tilde{t}_1$ close to the metal-insulator
transition with respect to the strong-coupling regime.
For larger values of the ratio $U/t_1$, $E_q$ shows four local minima,
with the peak in $S(q)$ located at $Q^{\rm{ins}}=2k_{1}$, where $2k_{1}$ is
the distance between the two absolute minima.

\begin{figure}[t]
\includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{fig5.eps}
\caption{\label{fig:spin09}
(Color online) Upper panel: Spin-spin correlations $S(q)$ at $t_2/t_1=0.9$,
for a $L=120$ chain. Data are shown for $U/t_1=5$ (metal)
and $U/t_1=6,7,8,12$ (insulator). Lower panel:
Single-particle spectrum $E_q/W$ at $t_2/t_1=0.9$ for the
same values of the electron-electron repulsion $U$ and the same chain length.}
\end{figure}

Finally, in Fig.~\ref{fig:spinU12}, we summarize the spin-spin correlations
for different $t_2/t_1$, at a given value of $U/t_1$, chosen to be far enough
from the metal-insulator transition in order to describe the large-$U$
behavior of $S(q)$. The peak in the spin-spin correlations exhibits the
commensurate-incommensurate transition moving far from $Q=\pi$,
as the ratio $t_2/t_1$ is increased. When $t_2/t_1=1.5$ the system behaves
already like in the $t_2/t_1\to \infty$ limit, with the peak commensurate to
a lattice with a doubled unit cell ($Q=\pi/2$). These results are in agreement
with previous studies for the Heisenberg~\cite{DMRG} and the Hubbard
model.~\cite{daul}

\begin{figure}[t]
\includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{fig6.eps}
\caption{\label{fig:spinU12}
(Color online) The spin-spin correlations $S(q)$ at $U/t_1=12$ and for $L=120$
sites, for different values of the hopping ratio $t_2/t_1$. Arrows indicate
the quantity $2k_{1}$, obtained from the single-particle spectrum $E_q$.}
\end{figure}

\subsection {Fermi surface renormalization}
Finally, we present our central result, namely the fact that the
metal-insulator transition is driven, in the Mott-insulating state, by a
renormalization of the underlying Fermi surface to perfect nesting.
With underlying Fermi surface, we mean the locus of the highest occupied
momenta in the non-interacting spectrum
$\epsilon_q=-2\tilde{t}_1\cos(q)-2\tilde{t}_2\cos(2q)$,
obtained from the optimized variational hopping parameters.
We would like to stress that the concept of an underlying Fermi surface is
of central importance for the angular resolved photoemission spectroscopy
(ARPES) studies of strongly correlated systems, like the high-temperature
superconductors.~\cite{gros06,yoshida06,gros07,sensarma07}
Note, that $E_q=\sqrt{\epsilon_q^2+\Delta_q^2}$ corresponds within
renormalized mean-field theory~\cite{zhang88} to the excitation spectrum of
projected Bogoliubov quasiparticles and $\epsilon_q$ hence to the dispersion
of the renormalized quasiparticles. Moreover, recent calculations on the
$t{-}J$ and the periodic Anderson models highlighted the possibility to assess
the Fermi surface from the parametrization of a variational wave
function.~\cite{himeda,watanabe} Here, the renormalization of the hopping
parameters made it possible to show non-trivial deformations of the
non-interacting Fermi surface, due to the Gutzwiller projection.

We show in Fig.~\ref{fig:ren-t} that the ratio $\tilde{t}_2/\tilde{t}_1$ in
the metallic phase is almost equal to the bare value $t_2/t_1$, regardless
of the degree of interaction. This weak renormalization of the band-structure
in the metallic state is in agreement with a renormalization-group
study,~\cite{louis01} which predicts that the renormalization of the
Fermi surface is proportional to $U^2$. Then, after the metal-insulator
transition, the ratio jumps to a smaller value, very close to $1/2$.
According to our data, we propose that the optimized variational ratio of
$\tilde{t}_2/\tilde{t}_1$ is renormalized to $1/2$, {\it exactly} at the
metal-insulator transition. This discontinuous behavior of the renormalized
band structure is also evident in Fig.~\ref{fig:spin09}, e.g., for
$t_2/t_1=0.9$, with the number of minima of the single-particle spectrum $E_q$
jumping from four to two when entering the Mott-insulating state.
We note that an analogous tendency towards a Fermi surface symmetrization
in the insulating state has been observed in a study of a two-dimensional
frustrated lattice.~\cite{liu05,tocchiotriang}

A renormalization of the variational hopping ratio to
$\tilde{t}_2/\tilde{t}_1=1/2$ implies that the Fermi surface is nested,
with two Fermi points separated by a vector $\pi$. This perfect nesting
condition drives the system to be an insulator, generating a charge gap as
soon as electron-electron interaction is switched on. Remarkably, while the
metal-insulator transition is driven by the renormalized dispersion
$\epsilon_q$, the pairing terms $\Delta_q$ are crucial in determining
the spin properties of the model, via the renormalized excitation spectra
$E_q=\sqrt{\epsilon_q^2+\Delta_q^2}$. Indeed, as shown for example in
Fig.~\ref{fig:spin09}, the minima of the single-particle spectrum at
$t_2/t_1=0.9$ are connected by an incommensurate vector, leading to an
incommensurate peak in $S(q)$.

\begin{figure}[t]
\includegraphics[width=\columnwidth]{fig7.eps}
\caption{\label{fig:ren-t}
(Color online) The variationally optimized hopping ratio
$\tilde{t}_2/\tilde{t}_1$ in $|\textrm{BCS}\rangle$, see Eq.~(\ref{eq_BCS}),
as a function of $U/t_1$. The metal-insulator transition takes place for
$U/t_1 = 4.5 \pm 0.5$, $5.5 \pm 0.5$ and $6.5 \pm 0.5$ for $t_2/t_1=0.75$
(triangles), $0.9$ (squares) and $1.0$ (circles), respectively.
The variational state $|\textrm{BCS}\rangle$ contains only a single Fermi
sea for $\tilde{t}_2/\tilde{t}_1\le 0.5$ (horizontal line).}
\end{figure}

\section{Conclusions}\label{sec:conc}
We have presented an extensive study of the phase diagram of the
one-dimensional $t_1{-}t_2$ Hubbard model at half filling, with emphasis on
the evolution of the magnetic properties and of the underlying Fermi surface
across the interaction-driven Mott-Hubbard transition.
We have shown that the magnetic correlations are related to the single-particle
spectrum in the optimized variational wave function and we have described how
they are affected by the metal-insulator transition. In the insulating phase,
the peak in the spin-spin correlations exhibits the commensurate-incommensurate
transition moving far from $Q=\pi$, as the ratio $t_2/t_1$ is increased,
and then becomes commensurate to a doubled unit cell when
$t_2/t_1 \gtrsim 1.3$.

Our main findings culminate in the hypothesis that the underlying Fermi surface
renormalizes to perfect nesting right at the transition in the insulating
phase, with a first-order reorganization when crossing the transition into
the metallic state. Similar renormalizations of the Fermi surface have been
observed in two-dimensional models.~\cite{gros06,liu05,tocchiotriang}
Therefore, we believe that our results are important for an improved
understanding of Mott-Hubbard transitions quite in general,
transcending the specific one-dimensional physics.

L.F.T. and C.G. acknowledge the support of the German Science Foundation
through the Transregio 49.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


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Virtual Undergrad Town Hall: Enabling Science Breakthroughs Using Computer Science
cra-w.webex.com
Melissa Borts
mborts@cra.org
Becoming a Leader, Deb Agarwal, Enabling Science Breakthroughs Using Computer Science, Gail Murphy, Virtual Undergraduate Town Hall
During the Virtual Undergraduate Town Hall Event, you will join students from around the world in a virtual mentoring event where you will learn about cutting edge research in the field of computing. You will have the opportunity to ask distinguished computer scientists any questions you might have. Speaker: Deb Agarwal, Senior Scientist, Data Science and Technology, Department Head, Computational Research Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Host: Gail Murphy, Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Associate Dean (Research & Graduate Studies) in the Faculty of Science at the University of British Columbia
Research Presentation: Enabling Science Breakthroughs Using Computer Science
Understanding climate change, developing improved batteries, finding predicted particles, monitoring radioactivity in the aftermath of nuclear accidents, understanding genetic function, and saving endangered species are just a few of the areas where breakthroughs in computer science topics are enabling science breakthroughs. This talk will describe some of these science challenges and the role for computer science in helping to address these challenges. In a national laboratory environment, the focus is on team science and tackling challenges that require an integrated team of people from many disciplines. During my career at Lawrence Berkeley Lab, a US Department of Energy Laboratory, I have had the privilege of working on many science projects. In this talk I will describe some of the challenges we as computer scientists are helping to solve and some of the next challenges that need to be tackled.
Mentoring Topic: Becoming a Leader
It is often hard to see how to become a leader without taking on formal leadership roles, this discussion will provide tips on how to practice leadership in your everyday life. Learning to lead without a formal title provides you the tools to become a better leader when you do have the title.
After the webinar, join Deb Agarwal and other attendees in a chat discussion about Science Breakthroughs Using Computer Science, Becoming a leader, and any other questions you may have.
Register for this event!
Speaker: Deb Agarwal, Senior Scientist, Data Science and Technology, Department Head, Computational Research Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Bio: Deb Agarwal is the Data Science and Technology Department Head, Inria International Chair, and a Berkeley Institute for Data Science Senior Fellow. Dr. Agarwal's research focuses on scientific tools which enable sharing of scientific experiments, advanced networking infrastructure to support sharing of scientific data, data analysis support infrastructure for eco-science, and cybersecurity infrastructure to secure collaborative environments. Some of the projects Dr. Agarwal is working on include: AmeriFlux data processing and management, advanced computational subsurface modeling data management, and infrastructure for carbon capture simulations. Dr. Agarwal co-leads the DALHIS associated team. Dr. Agarwal leads a team developing data server infrastructure to significantly enhance data browsing and analysis capabilities and enable eco-science synthesis at the watershed-scale to understand hydrologic and conservation questions and at the global-scale to understand carbon flux. Dr. Agarwal is an advocate for diversity in computing and is a member of the CRA-W Board working to increase the diversity in computing at all levels. Dr. Agarwal received her Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from University of California, Santa Barbara and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University.
Host: Gail Murphy, Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Associate Dean (Research & Graduate Studies) in the Faculty of Science at the University of British Columbia
Bio: Gail C. Murphy is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Associate Dean (Research & Graduate Studies) in the Faculty of Science at the University of British Columbia. She is also a co-founder and Chief Scientist at Tasktop Technologies Incorporated. Her research interests are in improving the productivity of software developers and knowledge workers by giving them tools to identify, manage and coordinate the information that really matters for their work. Dr. Murphy is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and an ACM Distinguished Scientist. She is serving as the general chair for SPLASH 2017 and has previously served as a program (co-)chair for ICSE and FSE. She is on the editorial boards for CACM and IEEE TSE.
All are welcome to participate, register here.
Please join us 15 minutes before the presentation begins, in order to not miss any valuable information. The entire webinar event will last 1 hour. The event is broken into 3 sections:
Deb Agarwal presents presentation on "Enabling Science Breakthroughs Using Computer Science"
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Brief Description of the Organization CBNA is the primary legal entity for Citi, providing products and services to consumers, financial institutions and corporate clients around the world. In the past, Citi has provided most of its internal reporting on a business by business basis. With the changes in the regulatory environment, strong legal entity reporting and governance has become essential. This team is responsible for ensuring that CBNA has the appropriate governance and control infrastructure to meet the demand for legal entity planning, execution, information management and the ever-evolving regulatory environment.
The Client Account Officer is responsible for ensuring a quick and seamless onboarding and account opening experience for our clients. Our ultimate goal is to exceed our clients' expectations by constantly innovating to improve the onboarding and account opening processes.
Ensure all documentation received is current, accurate and complete.
Develop in depth knowledge of onboarding/account opening processes, forms, and requirements.
Develop teamwork and leadership skills which can position the CAO to aim for Team Lead or management roles.


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Three-Vehicle Crash Kills Two By Rocky Walton on February 08, 2021
On the afternoon of February 5, 2021, three pickup trucks were involved in an accident at the intersection of County Road 1224 and Park Road 21 in Johnson County. According to reports, a pickup slowed down to make a turn when it was rear ended by another pickup. The impact caused the first pickup to enter oncoming traffic and was then hit by a third pickup truck. The third pickup caught fire after spinning out of control. The driver of that third pickup sustain injuries and was taken to a hospital. The driver and passenger of the pickup that rear ended the first pickup did not sustain any injuries. The driver and one passenger of the pickup that was rear ended were taken to a hospital for injuries while two other passengers in that pickup died at the scene.


This is "Price-Level Changes", section 5.2 from the book Macroeconomics Principles (v. 2.0). For details on it (including licensing), click here.
Define inflation and deflation, explain how their rates are determined, and articulate why price-level changes matter.
Explain what a price index is and outline the general steps in computing a price index.
Describe and compare different price indexes.
Explain how to convert nominal values to real values and explain why it is useful to make this calculation.
Discuss the biases that may arise from price indexes that employ fixed market baskets of goods and services.
Concern about changes in the price level has always dominated economic discussion. With inflation in the United States generally averaging only between 2% and 3% each year since 1990, it may seem surprising how much attention the behavior of the price level still commands. Yet inflation was a concern in 2004 when there was fear that the rising price of oil could trigger higher prices in other areas. Just the year before, when inflation fell below 2%, there was talk about the risk of deflation. That did not happen; prices continued rising. Inflation rose substantially in the first half of 2008, renewing fears about subsequent further increases. And 2010 brought renewed concern of possible deflation. Just what are inflation and deflation? How are they measured? And most important, why do we care? These are some of the questions we will explore in this section.
InflationAn increase in the average level of prices. is an increase in the average level of prices, and deflationA decrease in the average level of prices. is a decrease in the average level of prices. In an economy experiencing inflation, most prices are likely to be rising, whereas in an economy experiencing deflation, most prices are likely to be falling.
Inflation and deflation refer to changes in the average level of prices, not to changes in particular prices. An increase in medical costs is not inflation. A decrease in gasoline prices is not deflation. Inflation means the average level of prices is rising, and deflation means the average level of prices is falling.
Inflation and deflation refer to rising prices and falling prices, respectively; therefore, they do not have anything to do with the level of prices at any one time. "High" prices do not imply the presence of inflation, nor do "low" prices imply deflation. Inflation means a positive rate of change in average prices, and deflation means a negative rate of change in average prices.
What difference does it make if the average level of prices changes? First, consider the impact of inflation.
Inflation is measured as the annual rate of increase in the average level of prices. Figure 5.3 "Inflation, 1960–2011" shows how volatile inflation has been in the United States over the past four decades. In the 1960s the inflation rate rose, and it became dramatically worse in the 1970s. The inflation rate plunged in the 1980s and continued to ease downward in the 1990s. It remained low in the early 2000s, began to accelerate in 2007, and has remained low since then.
The U.S. inflation rate, measured as the annual rate of change in the average level of prices paid by consumers, varied considerably over the 1960–2011 period.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, All Urban Consumers CPI-U, 1982–84 = 100, Dec.–Dec. inflation rate.
Whether one regards inflation as a "good" thing or a "bad" thing depends very much on one's economic situation. If you are a borrower, unexpected inflation is a good thing—it reduces the value of money that you must repay. If you are a lender, it is a bad thing because it reduces the value of future payments you will receive. Whatever any particular person's situation may be, inflation always produces the following effects on the economy: it reduces the value of money and it reduces the value of future monetary obligations. It can also create uncertainty about the future.
Suppose that you have just found a $10 bill you stashed away in 1990. Prices have increased by about 50% since then; your money will buy less than what it would have purchased when you put it away. Your money has thus lost value.
Money loses value when its purchasing power falls. Since inflation is a rise in the level of prices, the amount of goods and services a given amount of money can buy falls with inflation.
Just as inflation reduces the value of money, it reduces the value of future claims on money. Suppose you have borrowed $100 from a friend and have agreed to pay it back in one year. During the year, however, prices double. That means that when you pay the money back, it will buy only half as much as it could have bought when you borrowed it. That is good for you but tough on the person who lent you the money. Of course, if you and your friend had anticipated such rapid inflation, you might have agreed to pay back a larger sum to adjust for it. When people anticipate inflation, they can adjust for its consequences in determining future obligations. But unanticipated inflation helps borrowers and hurts lenders.
Inflation's impact on future claims can be particularly hard on people who must live on a fixed income, that is, on an income that is predetermined through some contractual arrangement and does not change with economic conditions. An annuity, for example, typically provides a fixed stream of money payments. Retirement pensions sometimes generate fixed income. Inflation erodes the value of such payments.
Given the danger posed by inflation for people on fixed incomes, many retirement plans provide for indexed payments. An indexed payment is one whose dollar amount changes with the rate of change in the price level. If a payment changes at the same rate as the rate of change in the price level, the purchasing power of the payment remains constant. Social Security payments, for example, are indexed to maintain their purchasing power.
Because inflation reduces the purchasing power of money, the threat of future inflation can make people reluctant to lend for long periods. From a lender's point of view, the danger of a long-term commitment of funds is that future inflation will wipe out the value of the amount that will eventually be paid back. Lenders are reluctant to make such commitments.
Uncertainty can be particularly pronounced in countries where extremely high inflation is a threat. HyperinflationAn inflation rate in excess of 200% per year. is generally defined as an inflation rate in excess of 200% per year. It is always caused by the rapid printing of money. Several countries have endured episodes of hyperinflation. The worst case was in Hungary immediately after World War II, when Hungary's price level was tripling every day. The second-worst case of hyperinflation belongs to Zimbabwe, which is the first country to have experienced hyperinflation in the 21st century. Zimbabwe's price index was doubling daily: a loaf of bread that cost 200,000 Zimbabwe dollars in February 2008 cost 1.6 trillion Zimbabwe dollars by August."Zimbabwe Inflation Hits 11,200,000%," CNN.com, August 19, 2008, available at http://edition.cnn.com/2008/BUSINESS/08/19/zimbabwe.inflation/index.html. The annual inflation rate reached 89.7 sextillion percent in November of that year.Steve H. Hanke, "R.I.P. Zimbabwe Dollar," Cato Institute, May 3, 2010, available at http://www.cato.org/zimbabwe. (On the off chance you haven't been counting in the sextillions a lot lately, 89.7 sextillion equates to 897 followed by 20 zeroes.) Two months later, Zimbabwe finally gave up on printing money and took the Zimbabwe dollar out of circulation. Exchange is now carried out using U.S. dollars or South African rand—and Zimbabwe's period of hyperinflation has come to an end.
Do the problems associated with inflation imply that deflation would be a good thing? The answer is simple: no. Like inflation, deflation changes the value of money and the value of future obligations. It also creates uncertainty about the future.
If there is deflation, the real value of a given amount of money rises. In other words, if there had been deflation since 2000, a $10 bill you had stashed away in 2000 would buy more goods and services today. That sounds good, but should you buy $10 worth of goods and services now when you would be able to buy even more for your $10 in the future if the deflation continues? When Japan experienced deflation in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Japanese consumers seemed to be doing just that—waiting to see if prices would fall further. They were spending less per person and, as we will see throughout our study of macroeconomics, less consumption often meant less output, fewer jobs, and the prospect of a recurring recession.
And, if you had to use the $10 to pay back a debt you owed, the purchasing power of your money would be higher than when you borrowed the money. The lender would feel good about being able to buy more with the $10 than you were able to, but you would feel like you had gotten a raw deal.
Unanticipated deflation hurts borrowers and helps lenders. If the parties anticipate the deflation, a loan agreement can be written to reflect expected changes in the price level.
The threat of deflation can make people reluctant to borrow for long periods. Borrowers become reluctant to enter into long-term contracts because they fear that deflation will raise the value of the money they must pay back in the future. In such an environment, firms may be reluctant to borrow to build new factories, for example. This is because they fear that the prices at which they can sell their output will drop, making it difficult for them to repay their loans.
Deflation was common in the United States in the latter third of the 19th century. In the 20th century, there was a period of deflation after World War I and again during the Great Depression in the 1930s.
How do we actually measure inflation and deflation (that is, changes in the price level)? Price-level change is measured as the percentage rate of change in the level of prices. But how do we find a price level?
Economists measure the price level with a price index. A price indexA number whose movement reflects movement in the average level of prices. is a number whose movement reflects movement in the average level of prices. If a price index rises 10%, it means the average level of prices has risen 10%.
Select the kinds and quantities of goods and services to be included in the index. A list of these goods and services, and the quantities of each, is the "market basket" for the index.
Determine what it would cost to buy the goods and services in the market basket in some period that is the base period for the index. A base periodA time period against which costs of the market basket in other periods will be compared in computing a price index. is a time period against which costs of the market basket in other periods will be compared in computing a price index. Most often, the base period for an index is a single year. If, for example, a price index had a base period of 1990, costs of the basket in other periods would be compared to the cost of the basket in 1990. We will encounter one index, however, whose base period stretches over three years.
Compute the cost of the market basket in the current period.
Compute the price index. It equals the current cost divided by the base-period cost of the market basket.
Suppose that we want to compute a price index for movie fans, and a survey of movie watchers tells us that a typical fan rents 4 movies on DVD and sees 3 movies in theaters each month. At the theater, this viewer consumes a medium-sized soft drink and a medium-sized box of popcorn. Our market basket thus might include 4 DVD rentals, 3 movie admissions, 3 medium soft drinks, and 3 medium servings of popcorn.
Our next step in computing the movie price index is to determine the cost of the market basket. Suppose we surveyed movie theaters and DVD-rental stores in 2011 to determine the average prices of these items, finding the values given in Table 5.1 "Pricing a Market Basket". At those prices, the total monthly cost of our movie market basket in 2011 was $48. Now suppose that in 2012 the prices of movie admissions and DVD rentals rise, soft-drink prices at movies fall, and popcorn prices remain unchanged. The combined effect of these changes pushes the 2012 cost of the basket to $50.88.
To compute a price index, we need to define a market basket and determine its price. The table gives the composition of the movie market basket and prices for 2011 and 2012. The cost of the entire basket rises from $48 in 2011 to $50.88 in 2012.
The value of any price index in the base period is always 1. In the case of our movie price index, the 2011 index would be the current (2011) cost of the basket, $48, divided by the base-period cost, which is the same thing: $48/$48 = 1.
One widely used price index in the United States is the consumer price index (CPI)A price index whose movement reflects changes in the prices of goods and services typically purchased by consumers., a price index whose movement reflects changes in the prices of goods and services typically purchased by consumers. When the media report the U.S. inflation rate, the number cited is usually a rate computed using the CPI. The CPI is also used to determine whether people's incomes are keeping up with the costs of the things they buy. The CPI is often used to measure changes in the cost of living, though as we shall see, there are problems in using it for this purpose.
The market basket for the CPI contains thousands of goods and services. The composition of the basket is determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), an agency of the Department of Labor, based on Census Bureau surveys of household buying behavior. Surveyors tally the prices of the goods and services in the basket each month in cities all over the United States to determine the current cost of the basket. The major categories of items in the CPI are food and beverages, housing, apparel, transportation, medical care, recreation, education and communication, and other goods and services.
The current cost of the basket of consumer goods and services is then compared to the base-period cost of that same basket. The base period for the CPI is 1982–1984; the base-period cost of the basket is its average cost over this period. Each month's CPI thus reflects the ratio of the current cost of the basket divided by its base-period cost.
Like many other price indexes, the CPI is computed with a fixed market basket. The composition of the basket generally remains unchanged from one period to the next. Because buying patterns change, however, the basket is revised accordingly on a periodic basis. The base period, though, was still 1982–1984.
Values for nominal and real GDP, described earlier in this chapter, provide us with the information to calculate the most broad-based price index available. The implicit price deflatorA price index for all final goods and services produced; it is the ratio of nominal GDP to real GDP., a price index for all final goods and services produced, is the ratio of nominal GDP to real GDP.
For example, in 2011, nominal GDP in the United States was $15,094.5 billion, and real GDP was $13,315.3 billion. Thus, the implicit price deflator was 1.134. Following the convention of multiplying price indexes by 100, the published number for the implicit price deflator was 113.4.
In our analysis of the determination of output and the price level in subsequent chapters, we will use the implicit price deflator as the measure of the price level in the economy.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis also produces price index information for each of the components of GDP (that is, a separate price index for consumer prices, prices for different components of gross private domestic investment, and government spending). The personal consumption expenditures price indexA price index that includes durable goods, nondurable goods, and services and is provided along with estimates for prices of each component of consumption spending., or PCE price index, includes durable goods, nondurable goods, and services and is provided along with estimates for prices of each component of consumption spending. Because prices for food and energy can be volatile, the price measure that excludes food and energy is often used as a measure of underlying, or "core," inflation. Note that the PCE price index differs substantially from the consumer price index, primarily because it is not a "fixed basket" index.For a comparison of price measures, including a comparison of the PCE price index and the Consumer Price Index, see Brian C. Moyer, "Comparing Price Measures—The CPI and PCE Price Index" (lecture, National Association for Business Economics, 2006 Washington Economic Policy Conference, March 13–14, 2006), available at http://www.bea.gov/papers/pdf/Moyer_NABE.pdf. The PCE price index has become a politically important measure of inflation since the Federal Reserve (discussed in detail in later chapters) uses it as its primary measure of price levels in the United States.
Suppose your uncle started college in 2001 and had a job busing dishes that paid $5 per hour. In 2011 you had the same job; it paid $6 per hour. Which job paid more?
At first glance, the answer is straightforward: $6 is a higher wage than $5. But $1 had greater purchasing power in 2001 than in 2011 because prices were lower in 2001 than in 2011. To obtain a valid comparison of the two wages, we must use dollars of equivalent purchasing power. A value expressed in units of constant purchasing power is a real valueA value expressed in units of constant purchasing power.. A value expressed in dollars of the current period is called a nominal valueA value expressed in dollars of the current period.. The $5 wage in 2001 and the $6 wage in 2011 are nominal wages.
Given the nominal wages in our example, you earned about 5% less in real terms in 2011 than your uncle did in 2001.
Price indexes are useful. They allow us to see how the general level of prices has changed. They allow us to estimate the rate of change in prices, which we report as the rate of inflation or deflation. And they give us a tool for converting nominal values to real values so we can make better comparisons of economic performance across time.
Are Price Indexes Accurate Measures of Price-Level Changes?
Because the components of the market basket are fixed, the index does not incorporate consumer responses to changing relative prices.
A fixed basket excludes new goods and services.
Quality changes may not be completely accounted for in computing price-level changes.
The type of store in which consumers choose to shop can affect the prices they pay, and the price indexes do not reflect changes consumers have made in where they shop.
To see how these factors can lead to inaccurate measures of price-level changes, suppose the price of chicken rises and the price of beef falls. The law of demand tells us that people will respond by consuming less chicken and more beef. But if we use a fixed market basket of goods and services in computing a price index, we will not be able to make these adjustments. The market basket holds constant the quantities of chicken and beef consumed. The importance in consumer budgets of the higher chicken price is thus overstated, while the importance of the lower beef price is understated. More generally, a fixed market basket will overstate the importance of items that rise in price and understate the importance of items that fall in price. This source of bias is referred to as the substitution bias.
The new-product bias, a second source of bias in price indexes, occurs because it takes time for new products to be incorporated into the market basket that makes up the CPI. A good introduced to the market after the basket has been defined will not, of course, be included in it. But a new good, once successfully introduced, is likely to fall in price. When VCRs were first introduced, for example, they generally cost more than $1,000. Within a few years, an equivalent machine cost less than $200. But when VCRs were introduced, the CPI was based on a market basket that had been defined in the early 1970s. There was no VCR in the basket, so the impact of this falling price was not reflected in the index. The DVD player was introduced into the CPI within a year of its availability.
A third price index bias, the quality-change bias, comes from improvements in the quality of goods and services. Suppose, for example, that Ford introduces a new car with better safety features and a smoother ride than its previous model. Suppose the old model cost $20,000 and the new model costs $24,000, a 20% increase in price. Should economists at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) simply record the new model as being 20% more expensive than the old one? Clearly, the new model is not the same product as the old model. BLS economists faced with such changes try to adjust for quality. To the extent that such adjustments understate quality change, they overstate any increase in the price level.
The fourth source of bias is called the outlet bias. Households can reduce some of the impact of rising prices by shopping at superstores or outlet stores (such as T.J. Maxx, Wal-Mart, or factory outlet stores), though this often means they get less customer service than at traditional department stores or at smaller retail stores. However, since such shopping has increased in recent years, it must be that for their customers, the reduction in prices has been more valuable to them than loss of service. Prior to 1998, the CPI did not account for a change in the number of households shopping at these newer kinds of stores in a timely manner, but the BLS now does quarterly surveys and updates its sample of stores much more frequently. Another form of this bias arises because the government data collectors do not collect price data on weekends and holidays, when many stores run sales.
Economists differ on the degree to which these biases result in inaccuracies in recording price-level changes. In late 1996, Michael Boskin, an economist at Stanford University, chaired a panel of economists appointed by the Senate Finance Committee to determine the magnitude of the problem in the United States. The panel reported that the CPI was overstating inflation in the United States by 0.8 to 1.6 percentage points per year. Their best estimate was 1.1 percentage points, as shown in Table 5.2 "Estimates of Bias in the Consumer Price Index". Since then, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has made a number of changes to correct for these sources of bias and since August 2002 has reported a new consumer price index called the Chained Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (C-CPU-U) that attempts to provide a closer approximation to a "cost-of-living" index by utilizing expenditure data that reflect the substitutions that consumers make across item categories in response to changes in relative prices.Robert Cage, John Greenlees, and Patrick Jackman, "Introducing the Chained Consumer Price Index" (paper, Seventh Meeting of the International Working Group on Price Indices, Paris, France, May 2003), available at http://stats.bls.gov/cpi/superlink.htm. However, a 2006 study by Robert Gordon, a professor at Northwestern University and a member of the original 1996 Boskin Commission, estimates that the total bias is still about 0.8 percentage points per year, as also shown in Table 5.2 "Estimates of Bias in the Consumer Price Index".
The Boskin Commission reported that the CPI overstates the rate of inflation by 0.8 to 1.6 percentage points due to the biases shown, with a best-guess estimate of 1.1. A 2006 study by Robert Gordon estimates that the bias fell but is still about 0.8 percentage points.
Source: Robert J. Gordon, "The Boskin Commission Report: A Retrospective One Decade Later" (National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper 12311, June 2006), available at http://www.nber.org/papers/w12311.
These findings of upward bias have enormous practical significance. With annual inflation running below 2% in three out of the last 10 years and averaging 2.7% over the 10 years, it means that the United States has come close to achieving price stability for almost a decade.
To the extent that the computation of price indexes overstates the rate of inflation, then the use of price indexes to correct nominal values results in an understatement of gains in real incomes. For example, average nominal hourly earnings of U.S. production workers were $13.01 in 1998 and $17.42 in 2007. Adjusting for CPI-measured inflation, the average real hourly earnings was $7.98 in 1998 and $8.40 in 2007, suggesting that real wages rose about 5.3% over the period. If inflation was overstated by 0.8% per year over that entire period, as suggested by Gordon's updating of the Boskin Commission's best estimate, then, adjusting for this overstatement, real wages should have been reported as $7.98 for 1998 and $9.01 for 2007, a gain of nearly 13%.
Also, because the CPI is used as the basis for calculating U.S. government payments for programs such as Social Security and for adjusting tax brackets, this price index affects the government's budget balance, the difference between government revenues and government expenditures. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that correcting the biases in the index would have increased revenue by $2 billion and reduced outlays by $4 billion in 1997. By 2007, the U.S. government's budget would have had an additional $140 billion if the bias were removed.
Inflation is an increase in the average level of prices, and deflation is a decrease in the average level of prices. The rate of inflation or deflation is the percentage rate of change in a price index.
The consumer price index (CPI) is the most widely used price index in the United States.
Nominal values can be converted to real values by dividing by a price index.
Inflation and deflation affect the real value of money, of future obligations measured in money, and of fixed incomes. Unanticipated inflation and deflation create uncertainty about the future.
Economists generally agree that the CPI and other price indexes that employ fixed market baskets of goods and services do not accurately measure price-level changes. Biases include the substitution bias, the new-product bias, the quality-change bias, and the outlet bias.
Suppose that nominal GDP is $10 trillion in 2003 and $11 trillion in 2004, and that the implicit price deflator has gone from 1.063 in 2003 to 1.091 in 2004. Compute real GDP in 2003 and 2004. Using the percentage change in the implicit price deflator as the gauge, what was the inflation rate over the period?
The cost of a trip to the old ball game rose 2% in 2011, according to Team Marketing Report, a Chicago-based newsletter. The report bases its estimate on its fan price index, whose market basket includes four adult average-priced tickets, two small draft beers, four small soft drinks, four regular-sized hot dogs, parking for one car, two game programs, and two least expensive, adult-sized adjustable baseball caps. The average price of the market basket was $197.35 in 2011.
Team Marketing compiles the cost of the basket for each of major league baseball's 30 teams. According to this compilation, the Boston Red Sox was the most expensive team to watch in 2011; the Arizona Diamondbacks was the cheapest. The table shows the cost of the fan price index market basket for 2011.
Source: Team Marketing Report, "TMR's Fan Cost Index Major League Baseball 2011," available at http://www.teammarketing.com.
Real GDP in 2003 = $10 trillion/1.063 = $9.4 trillion. Real GDP in 2004 = $11 trillion/1.091 = $10.1 trillion.
Thus, in this economy in real terms, GDP has grown by $0.7 trillion.
Thus, the price level rose 2.6% between 2003 and 2004.


Windows makes it possible to change the welcome screens that appear when you start your computer to just about any image you want to use. It's easy to do in Windows 8 and 10, but fairly well-hidden in Windows 7.
In Windows 8 and 10, you actually see two different screens at sign in. The first is the lock screen—the one you have to click or swipe to get out of the way so you can sign in. The second is the sign in screen itself where you enter your password, PIN, or picture password. You can change the lock screen background through a simple setting, but you'll have to dive into the Registry to change the sign in screen background. In Windows 7, there's only one sign in screen and you'll have to enable a custom background for it in the Registry (or through Group Policy) before you can select a new background.
Windows 8 and Windows 10 make customizing your lock screen easy—all you have to do is head to Settings > Personalization > Lock Screen. The screens look slightly different in Windows 8 than they do in Windows 10, but they're the same settings.
To change the sign in background to a solid color, you'll need make a quick edit the Windows Registry.
To change the sign in background to a custom image, you'll need to grab a third-party tool named Windows 10 Login Image Changer.
And again, we suggest reading our guide for the full instructions.
To use a custom login background in Windows 7, you'll need to take two steps. First, you'll make a Registry edit that enabled custom backgrounds, and then you'll store the image you want in a special Windows folder. We'll also show you a third-party tool you can use as an easier alternative.
For Windows 7, the ability to set a custom logon background is intended for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to customize their systems, but there's nothing stopping you from using this feature yourself. All you have to do is change a single Registry value and then put an image file in the correct location.
This feature is disabled by default, so you'll have to enable it from the Registry Editor. You can also use the Group Policy Editor if you have a Professional version of Windows—we'll cover that a bit later in this section.
Launch Registry Editor by hitting Start, typing "regedit," and then pressing Enter.
Note: If you at any point select a new theme in the Appearance and Personalization window, this will reset this registry value. Selecting a theme will change the value of the key to the value stored in the theme's .ini file—which is probably 0. If you change your theme, you'll have to perform this Registry tweak again.
If you have a Professional or Enterprise edition of Windows, you can make this change using the Local Group Policy Editor instead of in the Registry. As an added bonus, changing the setting in group policy allows it to persist even when you change your theme.
Launch Local Group Policy Editor by pressing Start, typing "gpedit.msc," and then hitting Enter.
Whether you enabled custom background images by editing the Registry or using Local Group Policy Editor, your next step is to actually set the image you want to use.
Your image must be less than 256 KB in size. You may need to convert your image to something like JPG format to make that happen.
Try to find an image that matches the resolution of your monitor so it doesn't look stretched.
By default, the "info" and "backgrounds" folders don't exist, so you'll need to navigate to C:\Windows\System32\oobe folder and create the subfolders yourself.
Note: If you're interested, the image we're using comes from here.
The change should take effect immediately—no need to restart your PC. The first time you log out or lock your screen, you'll see your new background.
You don't have to do this by hand. There are a variety of third-party tools that automate this process for you, like Windows Logon Background Changer, which we've covered in the past. Windows Logon Background Changer and other utilities just change this registry value and put the image file in the correct location for you.
To get the default logon screen back, just delete the backgroundDefault.jpg file. Windows will use the default background if no custom background image is available.


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My husband I have two totally different vacation styles, so I'm feeling stressed about our vacation next week — instead of excited. I like to get up and do things and he likes to just hang out, stay at the beach (or lake) all day and not even go to dinner at night. I like to explore the places we visit and NOT cook. I know one way is not better than the other, but I'm not sure how to let him know I don't really enjoy our vacations.
We can usually only afford one vacation a year, so I'd really like to have fun, not be stressed out or irritated the whole time. What's your advice for making it work for both of us? I don't want to just go exploring by myself or with the kids. I'd rather have my husband with us since we could split up and do our own thing at home. What do you think?
GUEST HUSBAND: Vacations are often like marriages themselves, full of compromise. This can be especially true for couples who like to experience vacation differently.
My wife loves the beach and there is no doubt that is her happy place. Her VERY happy place is a beach 18 hours from here, so driving a family of 7 (dog goes too) is my self proclaimed biggest sacrifice for our beach vacations.
Unfortunately for my wife I tend to believe that this "sacrifice" excuses me from participating in other activities during our vacation. This obviously isn't true, but selfishly I do tend to think this way.
Step 1: Discuss your expectations of your vacation before you go, because even though you've dropped obvious hints numerous times, my guess is, he has no clue. (There is a part of the man's brain that is apparently missing where hints are acknowledged and decoded).
Step 2: Compromise on what you do during the vacation. Spend time doing what you love and spend time doing what he loves.
Hopefully this will lead to a better experience for everyone.
MAVERICK: I think in this case, communication and keeping expectations realistic is important.
He likes to relax and you like to go and do. So, you should do both, sorta.
Divide the vacation into some days where you get to do exactly what you want to do, and you get to do it all day long. Same for him.
Example, if it's a beach day for him, the family gets the whole day at the beach The whole day. No complaining, no whining, no sabotage. Same goes for you: a day shopping and eating out to your heart's content.
That way, each of you knows what to expect and no one is disappointed. Expectations are clearly communicated and both parties do their best to manage them.
Some days negotiate a split, maybe running around most of the day on the promise that the family is back at the beach to watch the sunset and then with plans to run out for a quick bite to eat. Or you go fishing at the lake early one day, have a quick lunch, and then spend the afternoon sightseeing and grabbing a special dinner.
Also, unless you're connected at the hip, it's allowable to do things on your own. If your husband likes to just hang out, arrange to go catch a show, grab a massage or visit a gallery on your own.
If kids are involved, likely they'll want to stay with dad if he's beaching or at the lake but consider allowing the kids to go with one of you if you're doing something solo that's kid friendly.
In the end, you can divide the time amicably if you work on it and communicate your needs.
There's nothing worse than being the spouse who wanted to be at the beach to watch the sunset while the other spouse insists on doing something, say like, wandering around a local flea market. Neither activity is better or worse, but unmet expectations can result in long-term resentment.
GRAY: Vacations should certainly not stress you out. It's never unreasonable to expect a few days of give and take for each other.
If you can endure a few days of beach-combing with him, then he should be willing to put up with tours and room service. Finding the right destination is the key with compromise because room service doesn't work if you're in a tent out in the middle of nowhere.
But instead of finding the right destination I think you should step back and think about how you want to feel when you return home. Does he want to feel the peace of having no schedules and expectations? Do you want to be entertained and pampered by city sites?
Maybe taking separate vacations is something you should consider. Different experiences can be vitalizing and sometimes a little time apart isn't a bad thing. Googling "separate vacations" will offer a ton of articles lauding the merits (as well as the shortcomings) of doing your own thing.
What about family time? You said you can do your own thing at home and the reverse is equally true. If you want family experiences it shouldn't be the responsibility of your vacation. Nor is it the burden of the vacation to make everyone happy – it's yours. And that happiness may not come from the same places. And if you're miserable doing what your husband wants and he's miserable doing what you want then that's not making everyone happy – it's just spreading the stress and irritation around.
And never underestimate the power of the staycation. It's rare that I encounter someone who has taken the time to explore many local attractions – and the obvious benefit is if you find new things you really like then you can enjoy it all year.
So my advice is compromising, splitting up or going nowhere. But no matter the choice, it should be what brings the most happiness to each individual without making someone suffer the experience.
Our thanks to Parker Law Firm for sponsoring the monthly installments of Inside His Head. Parker Law Firm is a full-service firm, offering legal counsel in areas including adoption, child custody, divorce, property settlement, and change of name. They can also guide clients through issues including estate planning, guardianships and probate matters. Click here to read more about the firm or call the office at 1-888-680-4933.
Inside His Head: The perfect Father's Day day?


Significant and sustained investments in personnel and funding at the nation's nuclear weapons laboratories are among a number of priorities outlined by the Trump administration Friday in an updated policy approach for how the United States will develop and potentially deploy nuclear weapons.
Previewing the matchup of UT Rio Grande Valley vs New Mexico State on 2/3/2018 6:00:00 PM.
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Who is the Argentina manager after Jorge Sampaoli paid price for disastrous World Cup campaign?
ARGENTINA have entered a new era after their disappointing World Cup showing.
Their round of 16 loss to eventual champions France spelt the end for head coach Jorge Sampaoli.
Now the squad is preparing for two friendlies with Guatemala and Colombia in Los Angeles on Friday and next Tuesday respectively.
The big surprise in training was the addition of Walter Samuel to the coaching staff.
Samuel was a member of the Argentina squads that played in the 2002 and 2010 World Cups.
So who is actually in charge of the Argentine national team?
For the time Lionel Scaloni has been named as caretaker-manager with Pablo Aimar as his assistant.
Scaloni has so far coached at one tournament, the COTIF Under-20 competition in L'Alcudia - and won it.
It was not a first team tournament, but nevertheless, he was successful at a job Sampaoli refused to do.
What are his chances of getting the gig full-time?
Reasonably good, it must be said.
The Argentinian FA seem to prefer a homegrown, young manager and former international defender Scaloni fits the bill.
He is only 40 having played most of his career in Spain before joining Sampaoli's coaching staff at Sevilla in 2016.
On top of that much of the squad included by Scaloni will be hitting their prime in the next four years and could play a significant role in the Copa America and World Cup.
Who else is in the frame?
The chances of Diego Simeone or Mauricio Pochettino taking over as coach are said to be slim to zero.
Elsewhere, experienced coach Jose Pekerman or young up and coming Matias Almeyda and Macelo Gallardo could also challenge for the job.
But it looks like Scaloni's to lose.


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Procession deaths: Be calm, Deputy Gov, CAN appeal to Gombe Christians
Report on alleged reduction of UTME scores is fake —JAMB
Thrills, kicks as Anambra tries to ban expensive funerals
by Oparah Kassy
It has been a longstanding tradition in Igbo land for funerals to be lavish, especially for titled men and the elderly. However, the tradition has often left families of the deceased in huge debts compromising their living standard, a situation a recent bill in Anambra State is trying to curtail. But not everyone is happy about it.
Since the dawn of civilization,the traditions of lavish funerals have been entrenched and are responsible for some of the greatest monuments in the world today, from the Pyramid of Djoser, Pharoah Kufu's great Pyramid at Giza and even the Taj Mahal of India.
Even, communist Russia seemed to forget the plights of workers when it expended huge resources for the Mausoleum of Lenin.
In Anambra State, the tradition of lavish funerals has been long standing, and over the years, the boundary of what a befitting funeral should be has continued to be pushed.
Often ceremonies are planned weeks, months or years in advance with bodies preserved in morgues until the funeral is held. Often, the families of the deceased go into huge debts in order to stage a befitting funeral. Often this has resulted in mortgaging the future of their children to meet social expectations, and score social points. This has become worrying for the state government.
Recently, the Anambra State House of Assembly passed a bill to ban expensive burial ceremonies, reduce cost of burials and the duration of mourning in the state.
The bill, when signed into law, will cap the duration of a corpse staying in the morgue at two months from the day of death, meaning all burials must be conducted under that period. It also stipulates that no person shall subject any relation of the deceased person to a mourning period of more than one week from the date of the burial ceremony.
This is designed to tackle the tradition in parts of Igbo land where widows a restricted from movement and withdrawn from societal affairs for some periods before and after the burial ceremony.
But this is not the first time an attempt has been made to curtail funeral excesses. The late president general of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo, Dr. Dozie Ikedife had insisted the ceremonies were useless to the dead and only lad to unnecessary waste of resources by the living.
For him, keeping a deceased in a morgue for months, or years in some cases as repugnant.
Incidentally, at Ikedife's own funeral, Senator Ikechukwu Obiora during the day of tribute for Ikedife in Nnewi,recently said that, funeral ceremonies are more for the living and avails the bereaved emotional distraction at the lowest moments in their lives as it provides opportunity for commencement of the process of healing and closure.
Participations in funerals, he said, helps to refocus attention to mortality, while speeches, orations and tributes contribute to the discourse on public morality.
For some people, like Mr Emeka Nworah, a coffin maker, the bill will not affect their business as it won't stop people from buying coffins but it will be unpopular for other reasons.
"The only reservation we have is the possibility of the law clashing with age-long traditions of the state, which demands that dead person be given befitting burial,"he said.
"During burial ceremonies many people are engaged in the preparation and putting them out of jobs will be dangerous to the government,"he said.
His words are echoed by another undertaker in Nnewi, who does not want his name in print. This one is optimistic the bill may not be signed into law because it is contrary to the traditions of the people.
He said some traditional rulers have started faulting the bill, because of lack wider consultation before passing it as the practices cannot be stamped out by law but by consultations with traditional rulers and town unions.
"Government cannot tell somebody how to bury his loved one. Churches have tried it but could not achieve any meaningful result," he said.
Some of the traditions the bill seeks to regulate are flamboyant celebrations that may cause destruction of property, gunshots, praise-singing, blocking of roads and streets during burial ceremonies with provisions for defaulters to be punished by law. It also limits burial ceremonies to be only for a day.
Sponsor of the bill, Charles Ezeani, representingAnaocha 11 Constituency, said that the bill made provision for a monitoring and implementation committee that would enforce the law as well as their responsibilities.
He described the bill as "an important and great achievement by the 6th Anambra Assembly," as it had put to rest the high cost of burial and funeral activities in the state.
The speaker of the House, Hon. Mrs. Rita Maduagwu, commended the quick passage of the bill, saying it would "moderate burial expenses in the state."
For Prince Isaac Onuka, Chairman, Anambra State Inter Party Advisory Council IPAC, the bill is a good development but one that shouldn't be the focus of the House.
Citing situations where Awka roads would be blocked because of a funeral he does wonder though how the government will control the rich from burying their dead the way they wanted
"There should be regulations to check the excesses in burial ceremonies, but that should not be the priority of the house," he said."We have unelected Local Government Officers and what is that house doing to make sure there are elected members in the local government.We have cult activities ravaging the state,cult boys killing themselves in Awka and many places, the house is not saying or doing anything about them."
Sir, Clem Ofoedu of Quincy Farms Limited, Abagana that the culture of spending too much on funerals.
"A lot of people spend much money on burials, they go on borrowing, selling property and mortgaging the future of their children in the name of giving befitting burial to their dead ones,"he said.
According to him, in some cases those whom they borrowed money to bury, died in poverty, uncared for and unkept while alive.
"How do you stop a rich man who wants to do his father's burial for a week? How do you stop a successful man from using gunshots to bury his titled father? How do you stop him from hiring praise-singers at the burial ceremony, infact the law is just for the poor,"he said.
Another person worried about the implementation of the law, if signed, is John Eya, a motor spare parts dealer in Nnewi.
"This law appears to me to be [targeted at] the poor only because the implementation committee may not be able to enforce it when a rich man violates it,"he said.
But for the former Vice Chancellor, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Prof. Pita Ejiofor, he is full of praise to the Anambra State House of Assembly for passing the bill.
In a statement in Awka,he described the bill as commendable as it would go a long way in saving the people from making unnecessary expenses in burying their dead ones.
Tags: Anambra
Oparah Kassy


I'm traveling to Nepal mainly to do the Annapurna Circuit Trek in November (with some other touristy things afterwards). Planning to start the trek shortly after flying into Kathmandu, so my dates are relatively fixed. Visited Nepal many years ago, did a bit of hiking then, but I always wanted to go back one day to hike the full Annapurna Circuit; so here I am. Was planning to do it independently, no guide; I remember the trails being well marked. I'm more comfortable going at my own pace anyways. Want to finish it in at least 16 days; as my flight out is fixed as well. I plan on a pretty steady pace, although I'll probably be stopping constantly for pictures. I like to get a fair price for stuff, although I've got no fixed budget for the hike. Even though I'm totally prepared to hike Annapurna solo, some company along the trek would be much appreciated. So if anyone's interested in hiking together, drop me a message.
i am landing on Nov 4, getting permits on 5th, plan to catch the bus/van on 6th, my flight out from Kath is on Nov 25. Happy to join force on all or part of the hike.. shoot me a msg!
I'll also be arriving in Kathmandu on Nov 4; Nov 5th to get all my permits and arrange my ride to Basisarah the next day; and to start hiking on the 6th. Allocating 16 days to do the circuit. My flight out is on Nov 26th.
looks like we have the exact same itin.. I just booked a hostel for Nov 4 and 5… if you're interested, at the min we can meet on 5th to get the permits and perhaps head out to Besi on 6th together.. let me know. I can msg you my contact/whatsapp/wechat and we can go from there..
Sure, it would be great if we can try to head out together. I'm booked at the Kathmandu Grand Hotel for Nov 4 and 5. I do have whatsapp installed on my phone, but I'm not that familiar with it. How do I add you to my contacts on whatsapp?
Hi folks, just want to know if you guys will be trek via Chame? If so wanna see can have the jeep shared.
6th landed KTM and on the same day having bus to Basisarah.
p.s. I have my own guide and trek w/ my dad. I aimed to find partner to share the cost of vehicles, if possible.


This 1959 album captured a famous date indeed, with Cannonball and brother Nat leading the way through This Here among other tunes. Throughout the decade when pop ruthlessly swept jazz aside, the Adderley brothers managed to stay in business with their distinctive "spirit of the south" – an optimistic, life-affirming style of modern jazz, bursting with colour yet steeped in the blues. The Liederhalle concert was the highlight of the Cannonball Adderley Quintet's 1969 European tour.


Put me down for one. 5k XP-G is ok, with 4k I def prefer Nichia. Thanks!
I'm in for one, aswell. Sounds like a great little light!
Neat… Put me down for two please.
Yep will update list later!
Please, one for me too.
To have a e-switch at tail, the light needs a double-layered body, one layer for switch signal and another for current?
Is that a common design? It seems quite complex … how are the two layers insulated, there is a layer of plastic in between?
I think I didn't make it onto the list. To be clear, I'm interested regardless of the emitters it comes with. I will buy one and possibly up to four depending on how much spare money I have and what interesting stuff I get in the next Nichia group buy.
Add me for one please.
am updating the list now.


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PS Plus Octubre 2017 - Indie and VR Game Predictions
Written by ringare
September is ending and the time to look for new games coming to Playstation Plus during October has arrived
Although the indie games that we see appearing in the list of Playstation Plus free games has decreased and sometimes these arrive in PS3 or PSVita, it is necessary to make a review of the possible games developed by independent studies that could arrive during the month of October of 2017. Similarly, Sony's interests in virtual reality is quite clear and the introduction of VR games among the titles available each month for Playstation Plus subscribers is already a reality.
The previous month we could enjoy games that although they were not developed by independent studies that they have simmilar philosophy. During the month of September Child of Light, a title of Ubisoft but with a very careful style remembermany indie titles that exist in the market. On the other hand, for PS Vita with PS4 cross-buy there is still available We Are Doomed, an arcade that mixes retro game mechanics like Space Invaders or Asteroids and in this case, the development studio is an independent one, Vertex Pop.
Having a list of free games that could be available in PS Plus, we discussed some of the possible indie and VR games that Sony could distribute for free to Playstation Plus subscribers.
It is within the predictions of many other sites and we wanted to introduce it in this list because it is a game developed by an independent studio such as Playdead, that is also responsible for Limbo. In a similar way to Limbo, Inside tells the story of a boy who lives in a dystopian world and will have to face his fears in order to survive. The adventure introduces us into a two dimensional perspective, within a title that mixes platforms and puzzles throughout the entire stage.
Inside, one of the possible games in October's PS Plus
Inside was a game that got a great reception by the press and also won the BAFTA 2017 Award for Best Game Design. Playing Inside takes us the vision of many of the moments we could enjoy with Limbo, that's the main reason that many media have qualified it as a spiritual successor to the first game released by Playdead.
StarBlood Arena (VR)
In order to promote virtual reality, Sony will give away some title for its VR glasses and also to attract potential new buyers who can also take profit from the free titles in Playstation Plus.
StarBlood Arena, a game focused on PS VR
StarBlood Arena is a first-person shooter or perhaps best it can be better described as a flight simulator in which we will operate a spaceship in a three-dimensional scenario. The goal of the game is to go through levels trying to get the highest score and also enjoying the competitive multiplayer mode in which the player will have to face other enemies online.
The title developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe came out last April. The contents of the title are somewhat limited. It contains a campaign, nine ships available to choose by the player and two online modes, cooperative and competitive. Its aesthetic remembers one of the masterpieces from the past: Descent, one of the first spaceship shooters of in three dimensions.
SUPERHYPERCUBE (VR)
This is one of the arcade games that Sony likes to introduce in the free games listings of Playstation Plus, but in this case it is focused at their virtual reality glasses.
SUPERHYPERCUBE, another of the possible PS VR games that could arriive in Playstation Plus
With very similar mechanics to the previously mentioned title, SUPERHYPERCUBE introduces the player in a world illuminated by neon lights in which we will have to face waves of geometric enemies. Although you can also play the game in 2D, it is especially focused to the use of virtual reality glasses.
Free games predictions for Playstation Plus August 2018
Here are the first predictions and rumours for the games coming to Playstation 4 for free in PS Plus during August 2018
PS Plus August 2018: A driving game could come to PS4
As rumours point, a driving game could appear among the free games given to the Playstation Plus suscribers during the month of August of 2018


This is a fine quality reproduction wood carving of the Japanese folk deity Hotei, or Budai in Chinese, the Happy Buddha in America. This is the Big Buddha with the round and lucky belly. It's an outstanding rendering; with a stunning, richly marbled faux wood grain finish. This is a sitting Lucky Buddha at his best. The details of the robe are also exceptional, with amazing texture and color, including hand inlaid glass and hand painted hems. His face, his hands, and his feet, are also remarkably real. This faux carved statue, crafted from cast heavy honey colored resin, is a beautiful, wonderful decorative accessory. If you know someone who likes beautiful decorative accessories, then this might be the gift you are looking for, for you or for them.
I purchased this along with the Fuk statue. I am waiting for the Luk statue as I am missing that. As for this figure,it is very well done and the colors are just right. I am hoping that the second figure will be out soon. I certainly will purhase that.
Just gorgeous dragon that shimers in the light. It is beautiful and has already brought good luck to this household. Shipped quickly and well packed, arrived w no damage.
Ordered this on Saturday evening, December 18th Received him Wed a.m. Dec. 23 for only $12 shipping! He is stunning! I absolutely love him. The detailing is excellent.


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Heini Klopfer, właśc. Heinrich Klopfer (ur. 3 kwietnia 1918 w Immenstadt im Allgäu, zm. 18 listopada 1968 w Oberstdorfie) – niemiecki skoczek narciarski reprezentujący RFN oraz architekt.

Biografia

Kariera skoczka narciarskiego
W wieku 17 lat Klopfer wziął udział w niemieckich kwalifikacjach olimpijskich na Zimowe Igrzyska w Garmisch-Partenkirchen w 1936 r., jednak dostał się do reprezentacji kraju. W noworocznym konkursie w Ga-Pa w 1936 r. zajął 2. miejsce, w dwa lata później zajął tę samą pozycję w mistrzostwach Węgier. W 1939 r. wygrał natomiast specjalne zawody w skokach narciarskich w Kitzbühel.

W 1941 r. zajął ósme miejsce na mistrzostwach świata w narciarstwie klasycznym, które odbywały się we Włoszech. W późniejszym czasie, FIS zdecydował się o nieuznaniu wyników tych zawodów ze względu na niewielką liczbę zawodników biorących udział ze względu na toczącą się wówczas II wojnę światową. W latach 40. i 50. XX wieku Klopfer wraz z Tonim Brutscherem oraz Seppem Weilerem zaczęli być określani mianem "Oberstdorf Trio", bowiem cała trójka zaliczana była do światowej czołówki skoków narciarskich. Nie mieli jednak okazji do występów na arenie międzynarodowej, ponieważ sportowcom z Niemiec zaraz po wojnie, odmawiano prawa do udziału w wielu międzynarodowych zawodach z Zimowymi Igrzyskami Olimpijskimi w 1948 r. na czele. W rezultacie, na przełomie lat 40. i 50. XX wieku, Klopfer wystartował tylko w kilku krajowych konkursach. W 1953 r. wziął udział w inauguracyjnym konkursie 1. Turnieju Czterech Skoczni – na skoczni w Partenkirchen zajął trzynaste miejsce. Start w drugiej edycji pokrzyżowała mu kontuzja, a do trzeciej natomiast się nie zakwalifikował. Wobec tego, w 1955 r. zakończył zawodniczą karierę.

Kariera jako architekt
Maturę zdał w szkole w Oberstdorfie, następnie ukończył architekturę na uczelni w Darmstadt. Zaprojektował 250 skoczni narciarskich na całym świecie, w tym jedną mamucią w Oberstdorfie, którą później nazwano jego imieniem – Heini-Klopfer-Skiflugschanze. Pierwsze zawody rozegrano na niej w 1950 r. Sepp Weiler, kolega Klopfera ze skoczni, ustanowił wówczas rekord świata w długości lotu narciarskiego – 127 metrów. Już dzień później wynik ten poprawił Dan Netzell po skoku na odległość 135 metrów.

Klopfer zaprojektował m.in. kompleks skoczni Papoose Peak Jumps w Squaw Valley, gdzie odbyły się Zimowe Igrzyska Olimpijskie w 1960 roku oraz kompleks Le Claret w Autrans, gdzie odbył się konkurs skoków w ramach Zimowych Igrzysk Olimpijskich w 1968 roku.

Zmarł na zawał serca w rodzinnym Oberstdorfie 18 listopada 1968.

Bibliografia

Niemieccy skoczkowie narciarscy
Urodzeni w 1918
Zmarli w 1968
Niemieccy architekci

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Home/Others/Latest developments/Iran Reaffirms Support for Syria's Territorial Integrity
Iran Reaffirms Support for Syria's Territorial Integrity
syriatr November 7, 2014
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said continued support for the legal government of Syria and its territorial integrity stands atop Tehran's foreign policy agenda.
"The Iranian government will continue helping Syria in its campaign against terrorism," Amir Abdollahian said on Friday.
The Iranian deputy foreign minister hailed the Syrian government's resistance against terrorism, and said, "If there weren't the strong resistance of the Syrian government under leadership of President Bashar al-Assad and the support of the Syrian people to the campaign against Takfiri terrorists, the world would have witnessed dominance of terrorists on Damascus."
On Thursday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem lauded Iran's support for his country's stability, and stressed that nothing can ruin the good and strategic relations between the two nations.
"Nothing can undermine Iran-Syria profound and strategic relations," al-Moallem told the Lebanese daily al-Akhbar on Thursday.
He called on certain regional states to avoid supporting anti-Damascus terrorist groups.
Maliki Urges Unity among Iran, Iraq, Lebanon to Prevent Fall of Syrian Gov't
Lebanese cleric: Aleppo battle will define fate for region
Syrian Army Breaks Militants' 1st Line of Defense in Rankus
Syrian Religious Endowments Ministry conference calls for launching project of Virtue


Hooray for KIDS of El Paso. They were able to overcome the bleeding heart liberal dingbat legal schmucks who take every opportunity to exhibit efforts to fight the problem. This instance is just one of many such efforts to keep solutions from working. Frankly, the spokesperson from the attorney general's office looked like she should be in the program, and what kind of a commission is it that tries so hard to kill a program that works? Those parents complaining their children were abused ought to take another look. Their lack of parental care is a form of abuse that caused their children to be in the KIDS program, so what right do they have to complain? At least KIDS does things they didn't have guts enough to do, or maybe they didn't care. Anyone who thinks you can reverse the drug problem by being a weak-kneed pantywaist is a jackass. It's a life and death issue and you have to be tougher than they are. It's like jumping in a pit with a mad dog. You gotta fish or cut bait. If you don't, you lose. I suggest the community support KIDS, and instead of giving money to beggars on the street, give it to KIDS and two problems are solved.


An essential component of our corporate social responsibility is to care for the community. BBM Endeavour's to make a positive contribution to the under privileged communities by supporting a wide range of social economic, educational and health initiatives. (ISAIAH 58:7) Some works by BBM as follows Books distribution, food for village people and Sarees for widows.


We are a restaurant. We are music venue. We are a lounge and bar. We are an art house and gallery. We host stand up comedy. We have Paint & Sip nights. We have family jams. We have trivia nights. We have open mic nights. We have board game nights. We host community events and fundraisers. We have Drink & Draw nights. We have multiple personalities.


Most fishermen hate winter fishing. But I love winter fishing. Full disclosure: I live in Florida. It's warm pretty much year round. But even when I lived in Virginia, I liked winter fishing. Not many people fish in January and February, so chances are you will get your favorite spots all to yourself.
Here are few tips to make the best of those colder days on the water.
Wear neoprene waders. Gloves and a good thermal cap are essential. Layer up, if possible. It's better to feel like the Michelin man than to freeze. Use a wading staff, if needed. No one wants to fall in the water. It's uncomfortable in the summer; it's potentially life-threatening in the winter.
And even if you stay dry, make sure to take breaks to stay warm. Drink a cup of coffee or crank up the heat in your vehicle.
Tailwaters are the obvious option in the winter simply because of the constant water temperature. Trout, for instance, like water temperatures in the 50s. You won't find that water that warm in the winter — unless it's a tailwater fishery.
My two favorites are the Nantahala in Bryson City, N.C.; the Jackson River in Hot Springs, Va.; the South Holston in Bristol, Tenn.; and the White River in Lakeview Ark. All are worth fishing, even when it's not bone-chilling cold.
There's no need to get up at the crack of dawn. I fish late morning until late afternoon. Sometimes, I go after lunch, when sun is up high enough to warm the water. This schedule applies to freshwater and salt.
For redfish on the Florida marsh, I wait until ankle-deep water covers the dark mud on the flats and in the creeks when the fish try to get warm off the heat from skinny water and dark bottom, always a good combination for winter fishing.
I typically fish too fast. My personality dictates more is better, particularly if the fishing is slow. This is the wrong approach in winter fishing. You need to slow down. Slow movements. Slow casts. Slow strips. Slow retrieves.
As the winter water temperature increases, a fish's metabolism increases. Decreasing water temperature makes fish lethargic. To compensate, make accurate casts and slow down.
The air temperature is important for personal safety. The water temperature dictates whether the fish will feed. Trout generally like temperatures in the 50s. Largemouth bass, on the other hand, prefer temperatures in the mid-60s and 70s.
I used to get wed to these guidelines, but don't make the same mistake. Instead pay attention to whether the water temperature is moving. If you're winter fishing, you want temperatures to rise. In the summer, you generally want temperatures to drop, preferably into each species' feeding zone.
Temperature, of course, is only one factor in winter fishing success. But the important thing is to get out and enjoy winter fishing. Trust me, it's worth braving the cold.
Any other tips you'd like to share, let us know with a comment or one of our social media pages.


The deadline for applications for the RBS Bursary Awards 2015 has been extended until Monday 13 July 2015 - a unique award designed to provide a pivotal platform for ten early career artists working in three dimensions, judged to be of outstanding talent and potential.
Integral to the society's aim to promote the diverse language of contemporary sculpture, the Bursary Awards are open to Sculptors of any age and nationality, with or without formal training, working in any style or media the awards and are designed to provide vital support during what for many is a difficult transition to successful professional practice.
Over two years we showcase the winning artists talent through a launch event, two Sculpture Slam talks, a group exhibition, an award catalogue, and a dedicated Bursary Awards section on the RBS website. Bursary winners are also invited to take part in a peer to peer mentoring scheme and receive two free years of membership to the society. With membership comes access to a community of nearly 600 practising sculptors, the unique RBS fellows mentoring scheme, and opportunities to apply for residencies, awards, exhibitions, as well as to present talks.
We are also currently actively seeking support to develop the Bursary Awards and enable us to offer a more concrete series of opportunities and prizes to help the ten winners establish their careers.
Supported by the Gilbert Bayes Charitable Trust.