text:
After years of serving A"s and Raiders fans…
After years of serving A"s and Raiders fans and players, Francesco"s says "arrivederci"
OAKLAND — After nearly a half-century serving an assortment of celebrities, sports stars, families, businessmen, policemen and firefighters, the famed Francesco"s is saying "arrivederci."
The old-style Italian restaurant nestled between the Oakland Airport and O.co Coliseum will serve its last meals on March 31. "The years haven"t been kind to this part of town," said Theresa Erwin, third generation manager of the family-owned restaurant that in its heyday was the hub for owners and players from the A"s, Raiders, Warriors, and, some remember, the Seals hockey team.
Many nights the restaurant and bar that opened September 1968 was jammed with patrons standing shoulder to shoulder. Sundays the place hosted families including their many celebrations.
But when the Raiders went south in 1982, not returning until the 1995 season, business was hurt. Coupled with the downturn in the economy and families moving out the area, it took a toll on the eatery.
"Families aren"t coming on a regular basis," said Erwin. "They don"t need to come this far."
Distance is not the only reason families don"t come so much anymore.
"This style is a little heavy for some people." Erwin said. "The menu is the same with only a few changes."
There aren"t too many restaurants where a Caesar salad it still mixed tableside, but Francesco"s is one of them. Specialties such a veal scallopini with mushrooms, veal saltimbocca, chicken liver saut and Italian pot roast are popular. Executive Chef Mike Erwin, is known for his osso buco served every Tuesday, and his ham hocks and lima beans served on Wednesday.
The decor and menu are the same as when Dewey Bargiacchi convinced his mother Josephine, one-time owner of the North Pole Club, a jazz hot spot in West Oakland before World War II and the Villa de la Paix near Jack London Square, to invest in the three-acre site at the corner of Pardee Drive and Hegenberger Road.
Dewey"s daughter Theresa recalled the day when her gregarious father, a pilot, and a could-have-been pro baseball player who once thought of making a bid to buy the Oakland A"s from Charlie Finley, opened the doors.
The main dining room is filled with mahogany-hued booths that can easily hold four or six people. A long counter facing the open kitchen allows people to watch their food being prepared.
"Everything was jumping. A lot of show people came through — Elvis Presley. It was exciting times," Erwin said. "Those first years were really great."
Sports figures and airport personnel were regulars of Francesco"s, as was World Airways founder Edward J. Daly, best known for taking two 727s to Saigon to evacuate women and children from Da Nang, Vietnam.
Major League Baseball player Billy Martin, who while with the Oakland Athletics perfected a style of play that became known as "Billy Ball," was a frequent customer, along with A"s players Joe Rudi, Sal Bando, Campy Campaneris and Ray Fosse. Raider"s owner Al Davis had his own table and was said to have loved the veal cutlet Milanese.
Across the lobby from the main dining hall is the roomy bar where intimate tables of four are quickly filled with regulars conducting business meetings over cocktails. The Oakland police and fire department have held their retirement parties at Francesco"s, one of the few places that can handle a crowd. The smallest room holds up to 25 people and the largest holds up to 225 people.
Greg Hughes, a detective with the Alameda District Attorney"s Office and a former Oakland Police detective is commissioner of one of the fantasy football leagues that holds its annual meetings at the restaurant.
"It was just a really, really neat atmosphere all the time," he said. "We are going to have to find another place."
But many patrons aren"t sure where they will find a place like Francesco"s and have been coming in almost daily since learning of its closing.
"We"ve been coming here before we were married," said Marty and April Frates. "That"s 40 years."
April Frates tears up when she speaks of her memories. Many patrons have begged the owners to stay open, but Theresa Erwin says she is looking forward to retirement.
Mike Erwin says he will go somewhere else and continue cooking. "I am too young to retire and too old to start over.
Bob Baldwin, a regular in the bar, is planning a big send off for the restaurant"s last day, but hasn"t worked out all the details.
He, along with many regulars say they will start dieting April 1.
"I"ve been coming here for 44 years," he said, while sitting at the same table he"s inhabited whenever he comes in, which is several times a week. "Oakland will not be the same without Francesco"s."
'Squid Game,' 'Star Wars' actors among featured guests at Kyber Con 3
Photo: Looking for an evening meal under the setting Sun


text:
Q: the requested linked library openssl has the wrong version installed I recently ran composer update and this is the error I get:

*

*namshi/jose 5.0.2 requires lib-openssl * -> the requested linked library openssl has the wrong version installed or is missing from
  your system, make sure to have the extension providing it

.
I am using MAMP. How may I get this fixed ?
I tried upgrading the openssl version on my mac as some stack overflow answers said , but no luck
which openssl

shows
/usr/local/bin/openssl

openssl version

shows
OpenSSL 1.0.2h  3 May 2016

A: The final conclusion was to UNINSTALL MAMP , and then install apache,mysql and php using brew (it took me less than 5 minutes to set up all three).
Then installation of 3rd party packages(including openssl) was a breeze.
Overall it took me 10 minutes, and I would say its worth it.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Browser OS coming, Technorati woes, Brobeck's dot-bomb record & more
Matt Marshall	 December 29, 2006 12:45 PM
Here's the latest Silicon Valley round-up:
Is the "Browser Operating System" finally coming? — Google and others have built all these online applications that can, collectively, take the place of Microsoft Office. All we need now is a browser operating system, which makes it easy to switch back and forth between these applications online — so we're not tied to Microsoft's XP or other desktop-based operating systems. The home-page companies like Netvibes and Pageflakes appear to be headed that way. Google's personal homepage is the "fastest-growing Google product," according to Marissa Mayer, Google vice president. Now, the integration of theses apps via the browser needs to improve, and investors at Intel Capital tell VentureBeat they think a "Browse OS" is coming next year, and several players will be in the running. We'll be moderating a SVASE panel Thursday discussing what's hot and what's not. Newsweek calls 2007 the "year of the widget;" it may also be the year of the browser-based OS. Btw, the image above comes from a decade-old CNET story, showing how readers have long preferred the Web experience not be integrated with the PC.
Technorati used to be hip — Technorati used to be how you searched the blogosphere for people, conceptual memes and companies. But two trends appear to be hurting it: Blogs have become main-stream, and so they're getting tracked by other search engines. If you're searching blogs, you can first try Google's general search. If that doesn't yield anything, Google has a blog search, with a link directly from its news page. After suffering criticism early on, Google's blog search has improved, and has apparently overtaken Technorati. And there are internal problems at Technorati. A Handelsblatt reporter sent us a story this morning (scroll down) saying Technoratic's PR relationship with Edelman has foundered over frustration with Technorati's service in Germany.
Apple safe from Jobs fallout, for now — Apple today said its chief executive, Steve Jobs, didn't do anything wrong in the stock options backdating scandal rocking the company (update: though as this Merc story shows, there is still some intrigue). This is a relief to investors, who pushed up Apple's stock by 5 percent. Earlier this week, an SF publication, The Recorder, reported that options documents had been falsified, and Apple's stock had plunged on worries Jobs might be vulnerable. What this shows is that a great portion of Apple's value is dependent on Jobs staying at the company. As such, Jobs is probably the most valuable executive alive — arguably more indispensable to Apple than the Google guys are to Google, for example, or Gates to Microsoft, and Ellison to Oracle — all companies with perceived depth of talent extending beyond the founders. In other words, its time for Apple to engage in successor plans.
Google's fixed Zeitgeist — Now we find out, through Google's recent admission, that the most popular searches on 2006 really isn't the one we were led to believe. The real list apparently contained "eBay," a competitor, which Google conveniently chose to knock of the official list. It's another example of Google's tendency to avoid transparency. If you read Google's explanation, it all makes sense enough — but we agree with other bloggers that Google's hand-picking of words based on what Google thinks is relevant removes much of the exercise's meaning.
The dot-bomb records of Brobeck opened for public viewing? — There's quite a brouhaha over the project led by professor David Kirsch to open up the records of Silicon Valley law firm Brobeck. You'll remember that Brobeck was at first fantastically successful, cashing in on the dot-com era IPOs, but then suffered a spectacular crash when the bubble burst. Now, former clients are being informed that if they take no action, their records will be turned over to the Library of Congress's National Digital Infrastructure and Preservation Program, for perusal by academics and others. See details here. There's outrage, given the files contain social security numbers and other private data. However, Kirsch seems to have shut everyone up for now with this comment at Techcrunch, where he says some individual information "may need to be scrubbed by archivists for sensitive information." We're wondering what clients Kleiner Perkins, Cisco, and Accel and the other Silicon Valley heavyweights will think of their bubble-era laundry being aired.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The form Nonfiction films represents a specific category or genre of resources found in Old Colony Library Network.
American moments, Henry Ford and the automobiles that changed America.
American moments, The Golden Gate Bridge.


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text:
Q: Дата рождения, значение по умолчанию Нужно создать класс "Human" с полями "Пол", "Дата рождения", "Фамилия", "Имя", "Отчество". Значение по умолчанию для поля "Дата рождения" должно быть = "Текущая дата - 30 лет". Например, сегодня 18.11.2018. По умолчанию дата должна быть 18.11.1988. А при запуске приложения завтра — 19.11.1988 и т.д. Как получить эту дату на языках С++ и Java? Спасибо за помощь.

A: Как я понимаю, вопрос в том, как получить текущую дату?
Например, так (для C++):
time_t t = time(0);
struct tm * now = localtime( & t );
cout << now->tm_mday << "."
    << (now->tm_mon + 1) << "."
    << (now->tm_year + 1900) << endl;

Вот вариант вывода в строку, раз это вызывает такие проблемы...
string back30years()
{
    time_t t = time(0);
    struct tm * now = localtime( & t );
    ostyringstream os;
    os << now->tm_mday << "."
       << (now->tm_mon + 1) << "."
       << (now->tm_year + 1900-30);
    return os.str();
}

A: Используем java.time.*
public static void main(String[] args) {
    Period period = Period.of(30, 0, 0);
    LocalDate localDate = LocalDate.now();
    LocalDate minus = localDate.minus(period);
    System.out.println("minus = " + minus); // minus = 1988-11-18
}

A: Представлением даты в Java занимаются классы Date, Calendar и DateFormat.
Для работы используются их комбинации.
Date это отдельная дата. Calendar это целое "устройство" для работы со множеством дат. DateFormat удобно использовать для форматирования вывода (отображения).
Пример
long currentMoment = System.currentTimeMillis(); // текущая точка времени.
// Сейчас 18 ноября 2018г.
Date currentDate = new Date(currentMoment); // текущая дата
Calendar calendar = Calendar.getInstance(); // получаем объект календаря
calendar.setTime(currentDate); // устанавливаем ему текущее время
int currentYear = calendar.get(Calendar.YEAR); // узнаём текущий год
calendar.set(Calendar.YEAR, currentYear - 30); // устанавливаем календарю
// значение по умолчанию

Date defaultDate = calendar.getTime(); // получаем значение календаря по умолчанию

// Пример форматирования
// Класс SimpleDateFormat является подклассом класса DateFormat
// и позволяет определять собственные шаблоны форматирования для отображения даты и времени.
SimpleDateFormat simpleDateFormat = new SimpleDateFormat("dd.MM.yyyy");
String result = simpleDateFormat.format(defaultDate);

System.out.println(result); // тестовый вывод -> System.out: 18.11.1988

Пример очень подробный и многословный (можно сократить), чтобы вы поняли, в какую сторону можно углубиться с изучением.


We hope you will never use these tips, but if you ride on 2 wheels in Miami, you will inevitably crash. Our firm developed these tips from our years of experience in riding bikes and representing those that have been injured.
Don't rush to stand up. If you're alone take a second to gather your thoughts, and inspect your body from head to toe. Just because you're not bleeding, that doesn't mean your not injured. Aside from road rash, the most common injuries are fractured collarbones, and head injuries. Check your helmet for damage. If your helmet is cracked call for help, and seek medical attention to make sure you didn't suffer a traumatic brain injury.
Are you able to stand up without assistance? If yes, take a couple of moments and consume a sugary drink is possible. Next, see if you can get on your bike and pedal safely. For example, swelling of the knee may prevent you from being able to pedal. Don't be a hero -it won't loosen up. Are you able to hold the handlebars? Can you support your weight? If the answer to any of these questions is NO, you know what to do-call for help.
Sounds silly, but just because you are able to ride away from the scene, that doesn't mean your bike is. If your frame is made of carbon fiber make sure you inspect it for hairline cracks. As bicycle accident lawyers, our firm handles all property damage claims for our clients. We require insurance companies to replace our client's bikes, and we won't settle for less. Carbon fiber cannot be repaired.
Always ride with your cellphone. If you are in an area with bad cell service, let your spouse or friend know your route for the day. If you're able, take pictures of the accident scene and your injuries. While not the first thing you should do, pictures are very helpful in resolving disputes and often are helpful to prove both liability and damages.


text:
JOHNNY HORTON ON DVD
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(Nashville, TN-8-31-12) Donna Cunningham's new single, "Don't Tell Me That You're Gone," is by far the best song that she has ever r...Read More
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Here is your Country Music News of the day from Country Music News International http://www.CountryMusicNewsInternationa.blogspot.com...Read More
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Miranda Lambert TV Series Lands at NBC ...Read More
Kimberly Williams-Paisley Joins ABC's 'Nashville'
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"LARRY'S COUNTRY DINER" AND "COUNTRY'S FAMILY REUNION" ANNOUNCES FULL SERIES LINEUP FOR STARLITE THEATRE IN BRANSON
"LARRY'S COUNTRY DINER" AND "COUNTRY'S FAMILY REUNION" ANNOUNCES FULL SERIES LINEUP FOR STARLITE THEATRE IN BRANSON Nashville, TN...Read More
"LARRY'S COUNTRY DINER" AND "COUNTRY'S FAMILY REUN...


Fraxel® Laser Treatment is designed to target ageing and damaged skin by creating microscopic "wounds" within the targeted areas that penetrate well beneath the skins outermost layer. In this way, Fraxel® Laser Treatment combines the impact of ablative lasers with the gentleness of non-ablative lasers, healing occurs so quickly that there is very little downtime for patients.
Fraxel ® laser uses patent technology to target ageing and sun damaged skin with microscopic laser columns that penetrate deep into the skin.
The laser treats only a fraction of tissue at a time, leaving the surrounding tissue in tact which promotes rapid healing.
This stimulates your own bodies natural healing process, replacing the old and damaged cells with fresh, glowing, healthy skin.
Over the years your skin is exposed to sun, air pollution, stress, fatigue, and lifestyle factors such as smoking which can affect your skin texture, colour and tightness.
Your skin contains two proteins, collagen and elastin, which keep your skin youthful and tight. But as you age and get more sun damage those proteins break down faster then your body can rebuild. As a result, your skin may start to sag and show damage like wrinkles, deep frown lines or sun spots.
After cleansing your skin, anaesthetic gel is applied 50 -60 minutes prior to treatment.
The aesthetic gel is completely removed before treatment starts.
The treatment takes approximately 25-35 minutes for a full face.
To minimize discomfort, a topical anaesthetic gel is applied before the procedure and cold air is used on the treatment area during the procedure.
After treatment, most patients feel like they have a sunburn, which usually diminishes in 1-3 hours.
During the first 24 hours after treatment, your skin may feel as though it is sunburned and will appear pink or red, you may also experience some slight swelling. Cold packs can be used to reduce this appearance. You may wear mineral make up to soften the sunburned appearance.
Your skin will naturally bronze over in the next week or two. As you continue treatment, the sunburned-to-bronzed appearance will repeat.
As with a sunburn your skin will flake and exfoliate normally. Use a moisturizer to reduce the appearance of dry flakes as instructed.
Is there special post-care treatment?
There is no special care after treatment. Generally most patients return to their normal routine within 3-5 days.
You will be able to put on your mineral make up and continue your skin care regimen.
We recommended wearing sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher and avoid sun exposure for at least 3 months after your last treatment.
Depending on the person and results desired, an effective treatment regimen is 3 treatments spaced 4 weeks apart and with yearly maintenance. This time frame and treatment structure allow for complete healing and the production of new collagen and elastin to replace damaged tissue.


text:
2014 Training Camp Reports
Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report: Day 2 - Packed House
By Chris Pokorny@DawgsByNature Jul 27, 2014, 6:35pm EDT
Share All sharing options for: Cleveland Browns Training Camp Report: Day 2 - Packed House
Day 2 of Cleveland Browns training camp took place on Sunday, and I ventured out to Berea for my first scheduled trip of the season I have three more planned, with the next one being this Friday).
Temperatures in the morning started off around 75 degrees, but the humidity was hovering close to 100%. When I left the house and stepped outside, my legs were immediately covered in moisture. Yes, humidity doesn't make for the best-feeling conditions, but I'll still take it over practice being rained out.
CLEVELAND BROWNS TRAINING CAMP REPORT - DAY 2 (7/27/14)
Setting the Scene in Berea: This year, the Browns implemented a new ticket registration system for camp that was capped at 4,000 tickets per session. When entering on Beech street this year, most of the people begin in the big line on the right side. There is an express line on the far left for fans who took an additional step during the registration process (I am trying to get this for Friday's session).
Fans who stay on the right eventually move up and get partitioned into six mini-lanes, where you then present your ticket to somebody with a bar code scanner. Upon scanning my ticket, I entered the facility (when I got home, I saw the email that confirmed I had attended the event). I had arrived at Beech Street at about 8:28 AM, when gates were about to open, and I probably only had to wait in line for 3 minutes despite the long stream of fans. All things considered, it seemed like an efficient setup.
Please Don't Let it Be Field 2: There are four football fields in Berea, and the team typically rotates which field the bulk of the action will take place on. Every year when I go to training camp, I pray that the action isn't going to be on Field 2, because that is the only field that is impossible to get a good glimpse of because of how far away from the fans it is. Well, sure enough, I was greeted with this:
D'oh! Oh, well. One good decision that I made this year was to bring my own foldable chair, because I was tired of standing in the hot sun for 2.5 hours or being scrunched on bleachers for 2.5 hours. Because I arrived early and picked my spot quickly, I had plenty of leg space and room for my water bottles and notebook (well, that is, until I was engulfed by fans who surrounded me after practice because Donte Whitner was a couple of feet away from me to sign autographs).
Grading the Quarterbacks: Most training camp evaluations are premature, but you can at least get a vibe based on rep distributions and general competency as to who is doing well and who isn't. Here is how I assessed the four quarterbacks on Day 2 of practice:
Hoyer: Clearly the best of the bunch. He threw a pretty deep ball early on in practice to WR Anthony Armstrong, who caught it despite double coverage from CB Joe Haden and FS Tashaun Gipson. Hoyer also displayed the same qualities that made him an effective quarterback in 2013: he got rid of the ball quickly. There were several pass plays in which he took the snap and immediately fired the ball out to his left. The play might have yielded a couple of yards only, but it still moves the ball and keeps defenses guessing. He also had nice zip on an intermediate pass to WR Andrew Hawkins, one that he easily could have taken the distance in open field if it were a real game.
Manziel: I didn't have time to do a predictions post before training camp, but if I could have, this would have been one of them: a healthy Hoyer will start all 16 games in 2014. I love what Manziel can and will bring to the table, but he's no where near as polished as Hoyer is. I know it's his style, but too often on Sunday, he seemed to move out of the pocket just for the sake of moving out of the pocket. He made some nice throws -- such as an intermediate laser he fired to WR Taylor Gabriel -- but he also threw balls behind, over, or at the feet of receivers, like when he missed WR Willie Snead on an out route for the final play of practice.
Thigpen & Shaw: Wow, this was pretty ugly, particularly with Thigpen. His throws weren't even close when he got the reps. Shaw got a very limited sample size since he is the fourth-string guy, but he didn't make the most of his opportunity either. For the record, even though I hammered Manziel in my assessment above, Manziel was still light years more accurate than these two.
A Little Boring: Overall, practice was pretty boring. I didn't want to use that word, but I convinced myself after I saw that Craig over at Waiting for Next Year agreed with me. The first two days of practice weren't in pads, though, and it looked like the drills were designed around that fact. Contact wasn't permitted. Monday's practice will be in full pads, and I can only hope the same will be true when I go out again on Friday.
Hawkins Delivers the Goods: The best receiver of the day was WR Andrew Hawkins. The funny thing is that when you think of him, you think of the bubble screen type of play where he makes defenders miss. All of the receptions I saw for Hawkins came on intermediate passes with tight windows and two-three defenders collapsing around him as the ball game. Hawkins kept his concentration on each play -- the most impressive one was the aforementioned throw from QB Brian Hoyer that would have gone for a big gain after the catch too.
Armstrong Making His Case: Besides Hawkins, WR Anthony Armstrong again made an early impression. I already mentioned the deep connection he had with QB Brian Hoyer, but shortly after that, Armstrong made another nice catch off of a playaction pass from Hoyer. I officially regret not including Armstrong on my first 53-man roster projection, not just because of two nice catches today, but because he reportedly did this regularly throughout all of OTAs and minicamp.
Gordon's Talent Doesn't Match Practice: WR Josh Gordon seemed to be running limited reps, or at least not with the first-team units again. Early in practice, one of QB Johnny Manziel's first throws was a pass to Gordon on a dig route. It was right in his breadbasket, but he dropped it -- Gordon has always, to be frank, looked like an average receiver whenever I've seen him in previous years at training camp. Obviously, that's not the case when gameday hits.
There was also one instance in which a deep ball was thrown for Gordon. He had to wait on it a little, and that allowed CB Buster Skrine to make up some ground and break up the pass at the last second. That play might be more of a tribute to Skrine, but in a game situation, it's a play where you'd hope Gordon would jump back to the ball more, alas what Bears WR Alshon Jeffery did against our secondary in 2013.
The view of where we camped our foldable chairs right after the gates opened.
Other WR Notes: I didn't really see much of WR Miles Austin and WR Nate Burleson, but maybe they got some work on the field I couldn't see in one-on-one type of drills. When it came to the 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 action, it seemed like WR Willie Snead was being targeted at a high rate. I didn't see WR Chandler Jones once during practice, and I had wondered if he'd fallen big time on the depth chart. After practice, though, I saw that Jones missed practice. I saw WR Travis Benjamin fielding some punts, but not getting much action at receiver.
Lastly, WR Taylor Gabriel was on the receiving end of a deep pass from QB Brian Hoyer, again amidst double coverage. Gabriel is off to a hot start to camp, but the issue again becomes that he seems too similar to Hawkins.
Positional Drills: When the team broke into positional drills during practice, I had an up-close look at the defensive line, as you can see from the lead photo. All of these guys seemed to have the nasty combination of power and quickness, but DE Desmond Bryant was particularly impressive. The effort was there from everybody, including youngsters Calvin Barnett and Jacobbi McDaniel. Because of how stacked the defensive line is, those guys could be duking it out between each other for a practice squad spot.
The drills themselves were interesting. The coaches would have a football attached to a stick sitting on the ground to simulate when the snap actually took place vs. reacting to a cadence. That drill was for both the defensive linemen and the outside linebackers, and I think OLB Edgar Jones might have been the only one to bite on a false start. The defensive line must have won a bet against their coaches, because at one point, four defensive line coaches/assistants dropped to the ground and started doing pushups, much to the amusement of the players.
One other early drill for the cornerbacks had a coach lobbing the ball in the air for a cornerback (with the defense only being on the field). After the cornerback caught the ball, a convoy of defensive players would begin blocking in front of the intercepting player.
RB Notes: It's hard to judge running backs in practice because you know the defense isn't allowed to tackle them. With that said, I didn't expect RB Terrance West to look as quick as he did. West and RB Ben Tate were getting most of the reps, so I saw very little of the other backs on the roster. I was hoping that "my guy," RB Dion Lewis, would catch fire again, but I barely saw him. Lewis did have two touches late in the day, and on both of them, he was putting on the same moves he did last year. Lewis is going to have to capitalize during the actual preseason games or as the kickoff returner to make the team, though, based on the running back reps he is getting.
Gray is Back in Business: I saw FB/TE MarQueis Gray on the field Sunday, and he was off to the side practicing long snaps with the punter. Gray is already taking on a versatile role, so why not add "backup long snapper" to his resume? After practice, Gray tweeted, "I'm in shape!! Just a minor setback with cramps the other day! Moving forward." The Browns want to get him some more reps to see if he can be the team's lead fullback.
Camp Chatter from the Fans: I always try to listen for the logical or absurd "camp chatter" from opposing fans around me. Here is a sample:
(1) During the first couple of minutes of practice, someone said, "Is Buster Skrine still on the team? He sucks." Well, way to show confidence in a much-improved corner, one who has gotten off to a good start in camp.
(2) Every year, you see the Browns set up a machine that simulates a punt or kickoff -- it shoots the football deep or sky-high into the air for the return man without wasting the punter's leg. Well, this machine did this several times, and then one fan behind me said, "Man, who is throwing that ball? That's going REALLY high in the air." They said this a few times, and once some people moved out of the way, they realized it was a machine, to which I think, "come on, you really thought a quarterback could or would be throwing the ball as high as a punter kicks the ball?"
(3) "Who the hell is McDaniel?" in reference to DL Jacobbi McDaniel, one of the lesser-known defensive linemen in our area.
(4) One fan behind me was insistent that the Browns did not let QB Brian Hoyer take any snaps under center on Day 1 of camp (he was telling this to a friend). I actually laughed out loud a little to myself because I knew it was not true. Right around the same time, Hoyer (from under center) had just completed the early deep ball to WR Anthony Armstrong. As fans were clapping, the two people behind me started talking again.
"Who threw that?" said one fan.
"Well, like I said, Hoyer isn't taking snaps under center yet, so that must have been Manziel," replied the other fan.
And that's how things can get lost in translation. I thought about correcting the guy, but I didn't feel like taking my attention off the field.
(5) After practice ended, players came to sign autographs. SS Donte Whitner was a few feet away from me, and I didn't have time to move my chairs out of the way. It was too late -- kids had pushed through the ropes and now circled me 360 degrees. I just had to sit still for a few minutes until I had a slight opening to move behind me.
Hat tip to my brother for relaying this one, though: QB Johnny Manziel was signing autographs at a different part of the field, and my brother overheard one fan complaining about Manziel leaving the field when the horn sounded (signifying that players can leave now):
"Fuck Manziel! That prick...motherfucker. I waited out there, had everything ready for him to sign, and then he blew off like he doesn't even have the time to sign my stuff while I'm waiting there. Fuck him. Fuck Manziel."
(6) It never fails me how fans go, "Wow!" every time a running backs goes through the entire defense to green pastures, not realizing that tackling isn't allowed and that's a large part of the reason they appear to be "free."
Concession Stand Prices: What would you buy?
Brownies (Part 1): LT Joe Thomas had the day off, as he is on a "veteran pitch count," according to head coach Mike Pettine (well earned if you ask me). ... With Thomas having the day off, OT Martin Wallace filled in at left tackle with the first-team offense. ... OG Jason Pinkston has missed two practices, and a DBN reader tells us that he might have an issue with his lungs again. ... The final drill of the day had QB Brian Hoyer and QB Johnny Manziel taking three snaps each from Shotgun. ... RB Ben Tate caught a pass on the sideline with ILB Craig Robertson in coverage.
Brownies (Part 2): On one of the poor throws from QB Tyler Thigpen, CB Leon McFadden dropped an interception. ... I saw S Jordan Poyer covering TE Jordan Cameron deep on one play. ... QB Johnny Manziel began practice with bright neon green cleats, but had to take them off (league policy) and replace them with orange cleats. ... Reports say that CB Buster Skrine and WR Willie Snead, as well as TE Emmanuel Ogbuehl and OLB Edgar Jones, got into mini-skirmishes, but I didn't witness either one of them.
Brownies (Part 3): Just from my visuals, it seemed like P Spencer Lanning was getting good lift on his punts, compared to last year. ... Per Kevin Jones of Browns.com, CB Isaiah Trufant is getting the nickel back work for the Browns right now, because the team wants CB Justin Gilbert to just focus on learning the outside cornerback position for now. ... RB Isaiah Crowell is now No. 34 instead of No. 30. ... There was a zip line at practice today, and it will be in Berea two more times, as well as at Family Day in Akron, according to Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland.
Photos & Videos from Twitter
The #DawgPound is out in force for day two of #BrownsCamp14! pic.twitter.com/Gr42p4vaLX
— Kevin Griffin (@KevinGriffin425) July 27, 2014
Link Collection / Training Camp Sources
Most of the information in today's report came from my in-person experience. With that said, I always double-check additional sources for further nuggets:
Surprises so far in Cleveland Browns training camp (Jones, Browns.com)
Ray Farmer speaks, Brian Hoyer looks sharp (Cabot, Plain Dealer)
Hoyer Sharp During Day 2 And Other Notes (Ruiter, 92.3 the Fan)
The Browns have some veteran confidence (Lyndall, WFNY)
Pettine cautions against grading the QB competition day by day (Grossi, ESPN Cleveland)


Carat (abbreviation: «ct» «CD») is a measurement unit of weight which is used to determine the weight of gemstones and pearls. The name comes from the carob seed. One carat equals to 0.2 grams or 200 milligrams (or 0,007055 oz), also can be calculated in 100 points.
Ton (symbol: t) is a mass measurement unit which equals to 1000 kg (2,204.6 lbs). This is a non-systemic measure that does not admited in the International System of Units, in the US and the UK it is also known as metric ton.


The Government reform to increase the use of the internet to contact the DVLA, to make routine enquiries and to book services, may have left the door open to unscrupulous traders seeking to take advantage. While many reforms are still to be implemented the confusion it creates may have left many counting the cost. There appears to be a growing number of bogus websites charging the unaware motorist highly inflated fees to book routine theory and practical driving tests.
The fees for booking a theory or practical test are priced at £31 and £62 respectively, the bogus websites claim to offer DVLA test booking services and are charging the unsuspecting as much as three times over these prices. Even though such independently run sites charge these prices the Office of Fair Trading has confirmed that they are not illegal. Generally the sites show as sponsored links when an internet search is made, they pay for a high ranking which make them appear high on the listings when a search is carried out which attracts the unaware to click through. Under experienced learner drivers and those whose internet use is limited, appear to be the prey for these fake sites.
Such outlets offer services which are known as "click and send" in which unsuspecting customers supply their details thinking that they have applied for their respective test only to receive a paper application completed with their details. The completed paper application still has to be sent off to officially apply for their tests. This is clearly not what the subscriber thought they had applied for but by then it's too late as they have the money and as stated before, while it may be misleading, it is not illegal.
Any driver young or old who has any concerns on this or indeed any other motoring issues should check the official Government website of the DVLA. To remove any confusion when visiting websites that may appear to be "official" a vital indicator is that all official government websites always end with the letters GOV.UK without exception. The DVLA website can supply you with all the relevant information you require in conjunction with theory or practical driving tests.
Additionally if you, your friends or anybody you know has been a victim of these unscrupulous website traders there is some action you can take by contacting theAdvertising Standards Agency. Additionally, if you see a website or advertisement that appears to be dubious they can be reported to the aforementioned body that can check on the validity of their claims or terms. In the case of the websites who dupe people into thinking they have completed their application for theory or practical driving tests, because they are not illegal, you will not get your money back and the ASA may be limited as to what they can do. However, in cases where advertising law has been broken they present a formidable opponent to illegal traders who prey on the innocent.


text:
Лютеїн ( — жовтий) — жовто-помаранчевий ксантофіл і разом з β-каротином є найпоширенішими каротиноїдами. Лютеїн дозволений до використання в Україні як харчовий барвник, позначається E161b.

Походження
У природі лютеїн є найпоширенішим ксантофілом і постійно супроводжується зеаксантином. Високий вміст знаходиться у темних листяних овочах (наприклад, у капусті кале до 0,25 мг/г свіжої маси, у шпинаті до 0,12 мг/г свіжої маси). Пелюстки чорнобривців містять до 8,5 мг/г свіжої маси і використовуються у промисловому виготовленні лютеїну. У тварин лютеїн відіграє роль жовтого барвника у жовтку. В сліпій плямі ока міститься лютеїн і зеаксантин — єдині представники каротиноїдів.

Добування і синтез
Біосинтез лютеїну здійснюється з α-каротину шляхом гідроксилювання за допомогою спеціальних ферментів гідроксилаз. Цей біосинтез, як і біосинтез α-каротину проходить тільки у рослин.
В промисловості отримують шляхом екстракції з лютеїнвмісних частин рослин, найчастіше з пелюсток чорнобривців.

Лютеїн міститься у помаранчових овочах і фруктах, зустрічається також у яєчному жовтку, деяких водоростях. Цей пігмент надає жовтого відтінку багатьом плодам, серед яких: манго, папая, кукурудза та томати, а найбільш багаті на нього листкові овочі з темним листям: шпинат, броколі, брюссельська капуста, цибуля порей.

Властивості
Лютеїн утворює оранжево-жовті кристали.

Застосування
Лютеїн застосовують як харчовий барвник (E161b), як харчову добавку для птиці з метою забарвлення жовтка.
Крім того, використовується як лікарський засіб при лікуванні макулодистрофії, спосіб дії лютеїну досі лишається неясним.

Найновіші дослідження показали, що вживання лютеїну навіть у літньому віці дозволяє запобігти або пом'якшити перебіг макулодистрофії. Для перевірки цих даних в 2008 році стартувало дослідження AREDS II.

У 2010 році в дослідженні Вісконсинського університету в Медісоні з 1800 учасницями було виявлено, що при вживанні лютеїну і вітаміну С можна знизити ризик розвитку катаракти у жінок.

Лютеїн вважається особливо важливим для очей, оскільки його концентрація в людини є максимальною в центральній частині сітківки — жовтій плямі, що відповідає за гостроту зору. Чим більше лютеїну в їжі, тим нижче ризик дистрофії жовтої плями (що приводить до сліпоти людей у віці 55 років і старше).

Біологічне значення
Лютеїн складова антенних комплексів хлоропластів, в них підвищене утворення енергії і активується захисна функція. У подальшому служить як місцевий барвник в пелюстках і фруктах. У людини лютеїн (разом з зеаксантином) відіграє істотне значення для зору.

Джерела
 F. Granado, B. Olmedilla, I. Blanco: Nutritional and clinical relevance of lutein in human health, in: British Journal of Nutrition, 2003, 90 (3); S. 487–502; PMID 14513828; doi:10.1079/BJN2003927 PDF

Примітки

Див. також
 Лікопен

Каротиноїди
Харчові барвники
Дієтичні антиоксиданти

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
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GUILD ESPORTS STRENGTHENS VALORANT ROSTER WITH...
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Should MMOs be more like single-player games?
by Joao Beraldo on 03/15/11 01:33:00 am
The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra's community.
The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.
Most of today's single-player action games like Bioshock and Assassin's Creed have around 15-25 hours of gameplay. These games share some similarities as the player progresses: the character gains more abilities that affect gameplay (weapons, moves, new mission types, etc), he advanced in a linear story, meets new characters, kills new enemies and often has the chance to explore something extra. Also they all share about the same payment method: you pay around $40 and you have access to all the game for as long as you like.
They are also, of course, single-player experiences.
In most MMOs today, like in World of Warcraft, you take 20 hours to reach a third or less of the your game progression. And, most of the time, that means little gameplay, hardly any story, a multitude of disposable npcs and tons of variants of the same enemies, all of that often focused on a limited repetition of completing the same kinds of quests with the obvious lack of effect to the game world.
I am not oblivious to what is new or is to come. Cataclysm has added many minigames to their quests and Guild Wars 2 promises much with their dynamic events, but the question remains: Did we need to make MMOs so much differently then our single-player games?
The first thing that came to my mind when I wrote the above question was that it was a matter of using a different media. Just like a scriptwriter has to adapt when he turns a novel into a movie, a game designer must adapt as he turns a single-player into a massive multiplayer. But how much of this adaptation has actually occurred in MMOs?
If you go back to Ultima Online and other similar 'original' MMOs (and you might add MU*'s here), they were virtual worlds in which players had a certain amount of freedom. Today's MMOs evolved from that experience, adding quests and raids to make the experience less daunting and therefore widening the audience. We could go on for days on yet another discussion about how to improve MMOs, but that's not the purpose of this article. The real purpose is to ask: Did it evolve from the best starting point?
The single-player experience
I have often complained about MMO's single-player narratives. You are the chosen one. You are the hero. You are the one who killed the dragon and saved the princess. We all suffer from autism in these massive worlds. So you ask: "why the hell is that guy now saying MMOs need to be more like single-player games?"
When you write a novel, you have to describe scenes: Objects, body language, places and often characters. In a movie, that's already on the screen. In a novel you often write in one or more character's point of view, so that you can transmit personality, perception and thought with how the scene is described, the words you use and directly through what the character is thinking. That is no so easy to do on movies. There are also situations that work greatly in words but not as a visual scene and vice-versa. Hence, adaptation is needed.
That means that giving MMO players an experience that is a facsimile of a single-player game is an absurd. It's like a silent movie in which scenes are cut by a black screen with text explaining what is going on. Or a popup window with a wall of text out of a generic character that never moves, for that matter.
Now you see I'm referring to the single-player NARRATIVE, not the single-player GAMEFLOW.
In a MMO, you take 20+ hours just to learn to play the game. Are they so much more complex than single-player games to require that long? If they take that long, are they really any good?
The single-player gameflow
While it often varies to some extend, single-player games often follow a basic flow: you are presented with a level in which you learn the basics of the game during about an hour or so. After that, you are given the 'liberty' to get used to that gameplay while new elements are slowly added: A weapon that does spread damage instead of line hit, a different kind of ammo, a new way to bypass threats, etc. Using my first examples, in Bioshock you find new powers and new weapons (as well as variants of the same few basic enemies) during most of the game. In AC you begin with many items, then must regain them slowly and, eventually, acquire new ones.
Both games also add an element of exploration: While not required, in each level you are able to search for recordings and hidden treasure (Bioshock) or complete side quests and collect flags (Assassin's Creed). Both are presented in discreet ways that do not get on the way of the 'common' player, but still attract several others, like, to use Bartleanism, the achiever and explorer. Sometimes, because you noticed there must be something over that building, you end up going for it, just for the experience.
Now you could come up and say "yeah, but MMOs are far more complex than single-player games." And I agree… to an extent.
How complex are MMOs?
One of the main complexities of MMOs is what humans are made for: Social interaction. While it may vary from culture to culture, what attract humans to MMOs are social interactions, either direct or indirect. So features like chat, friends list, party, guilds, group missions, etc, are a necessary complexity in MMOs. It does, then, take up a good share of the time players need to learn from games.
You might also add that, if the player doesn't play well (in his peers' perspective), he sucks, so he is no good to play with. It means that players are more inclined to want to learn so that they do not look bad in front of others (even faceless strangers). Social pressure just like in high school is here. Weee!
Another complexity is the character build. You may argue that class-based is better than skill-based or vice-versa. Here, it doesn't matter. Players want to be different both in looks and in abilities. You might even evoke the holy trinity if you will. In that sense, how much the single-player game comparison is possible? One might say that you could have a Bioshock MMO where players had a limited number of powers and weapons so that a party might be composed of players that permanently or temporarily have a different set of abilities just like I played Bioshock different from you or your friends.
But players need to experiment, to choose and to be able to go back and say 'this build is not good for me'. We go back to the social pressure of not wanting to fail. It also goes back to the fact that, in that case, class, skill or simply item-based abilities makes no difference. How many times did you go shift between weapons, powers and enhancements in Bioshock?
Now, I return to my question: How complex do MMOs need to be? And why?
MONEEEEY, WO-HOOO!
It's a fact: studios need money to make games. In the end, even a studio that focus on making games for gamers need to think about profit. MMOs are no exception. MMOs are designed based on their payment method. If the studio needs you to stay as long as possible, paying monthly fees, they will require you to take hours to progress and reach new gameplay. They need you to want to spend money on a XP booster gem or a new adventure pack so that you can have fun NOW.
They are not evil, of course. A lot of people are happy to provide them with this money in exchange for what they offer. If they didn't, WoW wouldn't be the absurd success it is; neither would Blizzard have sold so many celestial mounts in so little time. But it is how MMOs are made today.
Now let's look at this following list of games: Neverwinter Nights, Guild Wars, Freelancer.
They share three main similarities: First, you pay once for the game and play as long as you want and they have massive communities that still play them even after years of their release. They also have given their respective studios profit despite their models. Note that I did not mention that GW has expansions (and does NWN) or that NWN and FL are basically single-player games with server support to (supposedly) up to 128 players. It doesn't matter.
What matters is that these games still live as multiplayer communities despite not following the classic MMO monetization concepts.
You might talk about the power of user content in NWN or the love for some specific game mechanics. The fact is that these games were made to last not to make money, but to be played. I didn't have to play Freelancer on a server with friends just to rise up my level so I could access a raid 10 hours away from me. I played it because it was fun to play with my friends.
Isn't that the point of massive multiplayer games?
Mixing it all together
I'd be an ass if I came in here without some sort of solution. Again, if I had one, I'd probably be rich. As I'm not, this is just an idea of someone with some experience both as player and as designer.
Design the gameflow as if designing a single-player. It doesn't matter if the player picks a class to start with or has a generic Joe that adds items/skills/abilities as he goes. Present him to a small sandbox, like one of Assassin's Creed cities. Allow for experimentation. Let the player choose abilities and go back to change it if he must.
In this small sandbox, guide him with quests that may be generic in form, but personal in context. Say, locations, characters, names and items vary, but the general concept is the same. So that, when you play it, you speak with the thug Hassan who tells you to find the traitorous Nasin at the Mosque and kill him, while when I played it, I had to speak with the merchant Freda who told me to go to the temple and vanquish a possessed monk. As the player plays the game, each decision or quest context is recorded for future reference, so that quests become every time more tailored to the player's experience.
Pepper this small sandbox with extras: exploration, access to group content, raids, whatever. What is important is the freedom to experiment, but without the fear of been lost.
After an average 2 hours, allow the player to exit this small sandbox and access other, larger ones. Impose some expected limitations here. For instance, outside this initial sandbox, your capacity to experiment with abilities is limited, so that it doesn't become meaningless. The concept of small interconnected sandboxes may sound absurd, but it's a conceptual thing that the player may not even be aware of.
Outside the initial sandbox, continue adding exploration and adaptative quests. More the player plays more information the game may have to tailor the same quests to his personal context without the need for handmade content. And then you add dynamic content, like what Guild War 2 promises to have. A certain sandbox may have cycles of invasions or minor events players are groups may interfere. More than that: Individual quests could take in account current conditions of a sandbox to tailor a given quest to that specific player. So, if you have been playing the game as a stealthy assassin, taking contracts to murder members of the merchant's guild, when the city is under attack by demons, maybe a quest suggests members of the guild were involved in it to try to protect themselves and now you must punish them and steal the tome they used to gain knowledge on the demons.
The concept makes players feel they have a stake in the game. They want to keep playing to find out what will happen next to their world just like you do with Civilization or Total War games. They want to show their friends what they helped create so that new players come in often. And they want more, so they will buy expansions.
Back to the beginning to close up with the question I wanted to bring up:
What if MMOs did not evolve from virtual worlds, but from single-player games?
What do you think? Do MMOs need to be adapted from single-players? Do you see a different way of doing it? Or do you just think I should shut up and let MMOs continue to evolve the way they do now?
Airship Syndicate — Austin, Texas, United States
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text:
![Cilindrical Part Support](./CilindricalPartSupport.jpeg)

Based on an original design by Joao Sequeira

Support piece for a cilindrical part, like an LM8UU linear bearing.
The design is symmetric (just print two) and tries to save filament
for 3D printing while maintaining resistance.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


19 relations: Apache License, C (programming language), Fortran, Git, GitHub, Hamiltonian Monte Carlo, IA-32, Journal of Machine Learning Research, List of statistical packages, MacOS, Markov chain Monte Carlo, Microsoft Windows, Open-source software, Python (programming language), Stan (software), Theano (software), Unix-like, Variational Bayesian methods, X86-64.
The Apache License is a permissive free software license written by the Apache Software Foundation (ASF).
In mathematics and physics, Hamiltonian Monte Carlo algorithm (originally known as hybrid Monte Carlo), is a Markov chain Monte Carlo method for obtaining a sequence of random samples from a probability distribution for which direct sampling is difficult.
The Journal of Machine Learning Research is a peer-reviewed open access scientific journal covering machine learning.
Statistical software are specialized computer programs for analysis in statistics and econometrics.
In statistics, Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods comprise a class of algorithms for sampling from a probability distribution.
Stan is a probabilistic programming language for statistical inference written in C++.
Variational Bayesian methods are a family of techniques for approximating intractable integrals arising in Bayesian inference and machine learning.


Let's get the day started with some fabulous Tuesday morning stories. Ravi Kapur, Tom Colicchio and Jonathan Waxman all share some thoughts in individual Q&A sessions. Oakland's Southie gets more good buzz, while a grilled cheese truck ramps up and Domino's puts 10 toppings on a single pizza. There's also free lunch in Union Square today.


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My lab is active in three somewhat related research areas: 1) the mechanism of mitotic recombination, 2) the genetic regulation of genome stability, and 3) genetic instability associated with interstitial telomeric sequences. Almost all of our studies are done using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Mitotic recombination, an important mechanism for the repair of DNA damage, is less well characterized than meiotic recombination. One difficulty is that mitotic recombination events are 104-fold less frequent than meiotic recombination events. We developed a greatly improved system for identifying and mapping mitotic crossovers at 1-kb resolution throughout the genome. This system uses DNA microarrays to detect loss of heterozygosity (LOH) resulting from mitotic crossovers. We identified motifs associated with high levels of spontaneous mitotic recombination. In particular, we demonstrated that a "hotspot" for mitotic recombination was generated by a pair of inverted retrotransposons. We also used this system to make the first genome-wide map of UV-induced recombination events. Finally, and most importantly, we demonstrated that most spontaneous mitotic recombination events reflect the repair of two sister-chromatids broken at the same position. This result argues that the DNA lesions that initiate mitotic recombination are a consequence of chromosome breakage in unreplicated DNA, contrary to the common belief that most recombinogenic lesions reflect broken replication forks. We are currently analyzing recombination events that occur in the absence of DNA mismatch repair.
In wild-type cells, the frequency of genomic alterations of any type (point mutations, deletions, insertions, and chromosome rearrangements) is very low. We are interested in the genes that regulate genome stability. One rationale for this interest is that the cells of most solid tumors have very high levels of chromosome rearrangements (deletions, duplications, and translocations) as well as high levels of aneuploidy. To understand this type of instability, we are examining the chromosome instability associated with various genome-destabilizing conditions in yeast. We are currently concentrating on mutations that affect DNA replication. We have mapped chromosome rearrangements in yeast strains with low levels of DNA polymerase alpha. This mapping indicated that DNA breaks occur in regions of the genome in which replication forks are slowed or stalled. This pattern of recombination events is quite different from that observed in cells with normal replication. In collaboration with Sue Jinks-Robertson's lab, we have also characterized chromosome alterations in strains with mutations in Topoisomerase I and cells treated with Topoisomerase I inhibitors. Our analysis is currently being extended into strains with mutations affecting Topoisomerase II, and mutations in DNA damage repair checkpoint genes. Our preliminary study shows that loss of Topoisomerase II results in an interesting pattern of chromosome non-disjunction in which chromosomes segregate in a manner similar to the first division of meiosis.
Although telomeric sequences are usually located at the ends of the chromosome, mammalian chromosomes also have interstitial telomeric repeats (ITSs), and these ITSs are often sites of chromosome rearrangements in tumor cells. In collaboration with Sergei Mirkin's lab, we developed methods of detecting ITS-induced genome instability in yeast. We are currently examining the effects of mutations in recombination (RAD52, RAD51, MUS81, RAD50, MRE11, LIG4, RAD59), DNA repair (RAD1, MSH2), DNA replication (REV3), and telomere length maintenance (TEL1, RIF1) pathways on the rates and types of ITS-induced events. The goal of this project is to identify the proteins required to initiate DNA lesions at ITSs and the proteins required to catalyze the ITS-associated rearrangements.


text:
Mars Attacks! is a 1996 American science fiction comedy film directed by Tim Burton, who also co-produced it with Larry J. Franco. The screenplay by Jonathan Gems was based on the Topps trading card series of the same name. The film features an ensemble cast consisting of Jack Nicholson (in a dual role), Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J. Fox, Rod Steiger, Tom Jones, Lukas Haas,  Pam Grier, Natalie Portman, Jim Brown, Jack Black, Lisa Marie, and Sylvia Sidney in her final film role.

Alex Cox had tried to make a Mars Attacks film in the 1980s before Burton and Gems began development in 1993. When Gems turned in his first draft in 1994, Warner Bros. commissioned rewrites from Gems, Burton, Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski in an attempt to lower the budget to $60 million. The final production budget came to $80 million, while Warner Bros. spent another $20 million on the Mars Attacks! marketing campaign. Filming took place from February to June 1996. The film was shot in California, Nevada, Kansas, Arizona and Argentina.

The filmmakers hired Industrial Light & Magic to create the Martians using computer animation after their previous plan to use stop motion animation, supervised by Barry Purves, fell through because of budget limitations. Mars Attacks! was released theatrically by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States on December 13, 1996, and received mixed reviews from critics. The film grossed approximately $101 million in box office totals, which was seen as a disappointment. Mars Attacks! was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and earned multiple nominations at the Saturn Awards.

Plot

When Earth is visited by a massive fleet of flying saucers from Mars, President of the United States James Dale addresses the people of the United States. Talk show host Nathalie Lake and her boyfriend, news reporter Jason Stone, attempt to capitalize on the developing story with an interview with President Dale's scientific advisor Professor Donald Kessler, which is unexpectedly interrupted by a broadcast from the Martian leader. As the Martians prepare to land outside Pahrump, Nevada, numerous people around the country react to their arrival, including donut shop employee Richie Norris and his older brother Billy Glenn, flamboyant casino operator Art Land and his hippie wife Barbara, divorced ex-boxer Byron Williams and his former wife Louise, and Byron and Louise's children Cedric and Neville.

Against the advice of the hawkish General Decker, President Dale chooses to greet the Martians as foreign dignitaries, ordering military officer General Casey to welcome them to Earth. Billy Glenn, a private in the US Army, is among the soldiers who volunteers to accompany General Casey as he greets the Martians in Nevada. Despite the translated message from the Martian ambassador stating that the Martians "come in peace", they turn on the assembled crowd and attack them with rayguns, killing General Casey, Jason, and Billy Glenn, and abducting Nathalie and her pet chihuahua Poppy.

Kessler convinces President Dale that the Martians' attack in Nevada may have been the result of a cultural misunderstanding, and President Dale agrees to let the Martian ambassador address Congress after the Martians issue a formal apology for their actions. Once again, the Martians turn on the assembled humans, massacring most of Congress and abducting Kessler. While Nathalie and Kessler are held captive in the Martian mothership, the Martians switch Nathalie and Poppy's heads and reduce Kessler to a disembodied head.

President Dale narrowly survives an assassination attempt by a Martian disguised as an attractive blonde woman, who infiltrates the White House by seducing and killing his press secretary Jerry Ross. Following the assassination attempt, the Martians commence a full-scale invasion of Earth, attacking major cities throughout the world. When Martian soldiers overrun the White House, First Lady Marsha Dale is killed by a falling chandelier as President Dale escapes to a secure bunker. Shortly after, Land is killed when the Martians destroy his casino in Las Vegas.

In Las Vegas, Barbara prepares to flee to Tahoe in Art's private plane, and offers to let Byron accompany her. The pair are joined by Byron's co-worker Cindy and singer Tom Jones, who offers to pilot the plane. Meanwhile, Richie abandons his parents in their mobile home and goes to his grandmother Florence's retirement home to escort her to safety, leaving his parents to be killed by a Martian piloting a giant robot. At the retirement home, the Martians' brains unexpectedly explode when they hear Florence's record of Slim Whitman's yodeling on "Indian Love Call", revealing one of their only weaknesses.

Eventually, Martian soldiers breach President Dale's secure bunker, crushing General Decker after reducing him to minuscule size with a shrink ray, then leveling their weapons on everyone else in the bunker, causing many to be killed while others flee the bunker, leaving President Dale the last alive in the room. He makes an eloquent, impassioned speech exhorting the Martians to make peace with humanity, but the now teary-eyed Martian leader kills him with a fake-hand-prank device after offering a handshake.

Barbara, Byron, Cindy, and Tom Jones reach Art's plane, but find the runway overrun by a group of Martians led by the Martian ambassador. To buy time for his companions to escape, Byron steps forward to challenge the ambassador to a boxing match, and beats him to death before being seemingly overrun by Martians as the plane takes off. Around the world, the Martians are defeated as humans play "Indian Love Call" to incapacitate them.

In the aftermath of the war with the Martians, President Dale's teenage daughter Taffy awards the Congressional Medal of Honor to Richie and Florence. In Washington, D.C., Byron—who survived his encounter with the Martians—walks up to Louise's home to greet his family. In Tahoe, Barbara, Cindy, and Tom Jones emerge unharmed from a cavern.

Cast

Other notable actors to appear in the film include Willie Garson as Corporate Guy, John Roselius as GNN Boss, Michael Reilly Burke and Valerie Wildman as GNN Reporters, Rebecca Broussard as a Hooker, Steve Valentine as TV Director, Enrique Castillo as Hispanic Colonel, John Finnegan as Speaker of the House, Gregg Daniel as Lab Technician, and J. Kenneth Campbell as a Doctor. Ron Howard's father Rance Howard has a small part as a Texas Investor, while The Simpsons writer Josh Weinstein portrays the Hippie who sets loose the dove. Voice actor Frank Welker provided the voices of the Martians.

Production

Development
In 1985, Alex Cox pitched the idea of a film based on the Mars Attacks trading card series as a joint-production to Orion and Tristar Pictures. He wrote three drafts over the next four years, but was replaced by Martin Amis before Orion and Tristar placed Mars Attacks in turnaround.

Jonathan Gems, who had previously written multiple unproduced screenplays for director Tim Burton, came up with his own idea for a Mars Attacks film in 1993. The writer pitched both concepts of Mars Attacks and Dinosaurs Attack! to Burton, who both realized we couldn't do it because of Jurassic Park (1993). Steven Spielberg had done a movie with dinosaurs killing people. And there were rumors, at that time, that he was gonna do Jurassic Park #2, with dinosaurs coming to Los Angeles — that Dinosaurs Attack! would be too similar. Burton convinced Gems Mars Attacks! could be like a big ensemble-1970's disaster picture; they re-watched The Towering Inferno (1974) together, focusing on the Robert Wagner character, specifically how a featured player (movie star) is killed off early in the picture. Gems said, 'after seeing that it all came to me fairly quickly. And, in about a week, I had it roughed out: the story and the characters. And when I finished it, I realized it was inevitably going to be – it couldn't help being – a portrait of America because, following the Irwin Allen formula, I'd sketched out a range of different characters from different walks of life, and placed the action in different locations — in this case: California, Nevada, Kansas, New York, Mount Rushmore in Washington D.C.'

Burton, who was busy preparing Ed Wood (1994), believed that Mars Attacks! would be a perfect opportunity to pay homage to the films of Edward D. Wood Jr., especially Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959), and other 1950s science fiction B movies, such as Invaders from Mars (1953), It Came from Outer Space (1953), The War of the Worlds (1953), Target Earth (1954), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) and Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956).

Burton set Mars Attacks! up with Warner Bros. and the studio purchased the film rights to the trading card series on his behalf. The original theatrical release date was planned for the summer of 1996. Gems completed his original script in 1994, which was budgeted by Warner Bros. at $260 million. The studio wanted to make the film for no more than $60 million. After turning in numerous drafts, the studio grew frustrated with Gems after insisting he remove the film's cold open, specifically 'the cows on fire'; they demanded there be no burning cows, but Gems contends he couldn't devise another sequence (albeit anything he and Burton could agree improved on his initial 'barbecue bovines' prologue). When Gems' latest script revision still included burning cows the studio dismissed him; prior to leaving the project Gems recommended the writing-duo behind  Ed Wood, Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski as his replacement(s). Alexander and Karaszewski worked on the film through July 1995, focusing the characters and making the tone less satirical — they re-wrote the third act, incorporating the military and a finale that mirrored Independence Day (1996), according to Gems.

Gems eventually returned to the project, writing a total of 12 drafts of the script (well over 90% of the finished shooting script). Although he is credited with both the screen story and screenplay of Mars Attacks!, Gems dedicates his novelization of the movie to Burton, who "co-wrote the screenplay and didn't ask for a credit". Warner Bros. was dubious of the Martian dialogue and wanted Burton to add closed captioning subtitles, but he resisted. Working with Burton, Gems pared the film's 60 leading characters down to 23 and the worldwide destruction planned for the film was isolated to three major cities. Scenes featuring Martians attacking China, the Philippines, Japan, Europe, Africa, India and Russia were deleted from the screenplay, leaving only Paris, London and the Taj Mahal. "Bear in mind this was way before Independence Day (1996) was written," Gems commented. "We had things like Manhattan being destroyed building by building, the White House went and so did the Empire State Building. Warner Bros. figured all this would be too expensive, so we cut most of that out to reduce the cost." Further discussing the differences between Mars Attacks! and Independence Day, Gems stated, "Independence Day is more like a movie called Fail-Safe and Mars Attacks is like Dr. Strangelove", in that both films had a similar story, but with different tones. Howard Stern claimed that the film's climax, where an attack by Martians was thwarted by playing Slim Whitman songs to them, was originally created by him when he worked at WNBC in 1982, in a sketch named  "Slim Whitman vs. The Midget Aliens From Mars."

Casting
The decision to hire an A-list ensemble cast for Mars Attacks! parallels the strategy Irwin Allen used for his disaster films, notably The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and The Towering Inferno (1974). Jack Nicholson, approached for the role of the President, jokingly remarked that he wanted to play all the roles. Burton agreed to cast Nicholson as both Art Land and President Dale, specifically remembering his positive working relationship with the actor on Batman.

Susan Sarandon was originally set to play Barbara Land before Annette Bening was cast. Bening modeled the character after Ann-Margret's performance in Viva Las Vegas (1964). Hugh Grant was the first choice for Professor Donald Kessler, a role which eventually went to Pierce Brosnan. Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton and Stockard Channing were considered for First Lady Marsha Dale, but Glenn Close won the role. In addition to Nicholson, other actors who reunited with Burton on Mars Attacks! include Sylvia Sidney from Beetlejuice (1988), O-Lan Jones from Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Danny DeVito from Batman Returns (1992), continuing Burton's trend of recasting actors several times from his previous works.

Roger L. Jackson, best known as the voice of Ghostface in the Scream film franchise, makes an uncredited appearance as the voice of the Martian translator device. His performance in Mars Attacks! helped him get the audition for Scream.

Filming
The originally scheduled start date was mid-August 1995, but filming was delayed until February 26, 1996. Director Tim Burton hired Peter Suschitzky as the cinematographer, because he was a fan of his work in David Cronenberg's films. Production designer Thomas Wynn (A Beautiful Mind, Malcolm X) intended to have the war room pay tribute to Dr. Strangelove (1964). During production, Burton insisted that the art direction, cinematography and costume design of Mars Attacks! incorporate the look of the 1960s trading cards.

On designing the Martian (played by Burton's girlfriend Lisa Marie Smith) who seduces and kills Jerry Ross (Martin Short), costume designer Colleen Atwood took combined inspiration from the playing cards, Marilyn Monroe, the work of Alberto Vargas and Jane Fonda in Barbarella (1968). Filming for Mars Attacks! ended on June 1, 1996. The film score was composed by Burton's regular composer Danny Elfman, to whom Burton was reconciled after a quarrel that occurred during The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), for which they did not co-operate in producing Ed Wood (1994). Elfman enlisted the help of Oingo Boingo lead guitarist Steve Bartek to help arrange the compositions for the orchestra.

Visual effects

Tim Burton initially intended to use stop motion animation to feature the Martians, viewing it as a homage to the work of Ray Harryhausen, primarily Jason and the Argonauts. Similar to his own Beetlejuice, Burton "wanted to make [the special effects] look cheap and purposely fake-looking as possible." He first approached Henry Selick, director of The Nightmare Before Christmas, to supervise the stop motion work, but Selick was busy directing James and the Giant Peach, also produced by Burton. Despite the fact that Warner Bros. was skeptical of the escalating budget and had not yet greenlit the film for production, Burton hired Barry Purves to shepherd the stop motion work. Purves created an international team of about 70 animators, who worked on Mars Attacks! for eight months and began compiling test footage in Burbank, California. The department workers studied Gloria Swanson's choreography and movement as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard for inspiration on the Martians' movement.

When the budget was projected at $100 million (Warner Bros. wanted it for no more than $75 million), producer Larry J. Franco commissioned a test reel from Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), the visual effects company he worked with on Jumanji. Burton was persuaded to change his mind to employ computer animation, which brought the final production budget to $80 million. Although Purves was uncredited for his work, stop motion supervisors Ian Mackinnon and Peter Saunders, who would later collaborate with Burton on Corpse Bride, received character design credit. Warner Digital Studios was responsible for the scenes of global destruction, airborne flying saucer sequences, the Martian landing in Nevada and the robot that chases Richie Norris in his pickup truck. Warner Digital also used practical effects, such as building scale models of Big Ben and other landmarks. The destruction of Art Land's hotel was footage of the real life nighttime demolition of the Landmark Hotel and Casino, a building Burton wished to immortalize.

Soundtrack

The film's music was composed by Danny Elfman. The soundtrack was released on March 4, 1997, by Atlantic Records.

Track listing

Reception

Release and box office
Warner Bros. spent $20 million on the movie's marketing campaign; together with $80 million spent during production, the final combined budget came to $100 million. A novelization, written by screenwriter Jonathan Gems, was published by Puffin Books in January 1997. The film was released in the United States on December 13, 1996, earning $9.38 million in its opening weekend. Mars Attacks! eventually made $37.77 million in U.S. totals and $63.6 million elsewhere, coming to a worldwide total of $101.37 million.

The film was considered a box office bomb in the U.S., but generally achieved greater success both critically and commercially in Europe. Many observers found similarities with Independence Day, which also came out in 1996. "It was just a coincidence. Nobody told me about it. I was surprised how close it was," director Tim Burton continued, "but then it's a pretty basic genre I guess. Independence Day was different in tone – it was different in everything. It almost seemed like we had done kind of a Mad magazine version of Independence Day." During the film's theatrical run in January 1997, TBS purchased the broadcasting rights of the film.

Critical reception
The film received mixed responses from critics. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 56% based on 86 reviews, with an average rating of 6.00/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Tim Burton's alien invasion spoof faithfully recreates the wooden characters and schlocky story of cheesy '50s sci-fi and Ed Wood movies -- perhaps a little too faithfully for audiences." On Metacritic, the film received a score of 52 based on 19 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Roger Ebert observed the homages to the 1950s science fiction B movies: "Ed Wood himself could have told us what's wrong with this movie: the makers felt superior to the material. To be funny, even schlock has to believe in itself. Look for Infra-Man (1975) or Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973) and you will find movies that lack stars and big budgets and fancy special effects but are funny and fun in a way that Burton's megaproduction never really understands."

Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times wrote that "Mars Attacks! is all 1990s cynicism and disbelief, mocking the conventions that Independence Day takes seriously. This all sounds clever enough but in truth, Mars Attacks! is not as much fun as it should be. Few of its numerous actors make a lasting impression and Burton's heart and soul is not in the humor". Desson Thomson from The Washington Post said "Mars Attacks! evokes plenty of sci-fi classics, from The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) to Dr. Strangelove (1964), but it doesn't do much beyond that superficial exercise. With the exception of Burton's jolting sight gags (I may never recover from the vision of Sarah Jessica Parker's head grafted on to the body of a chihuahua), the comedy is half-developed, pedestrian material. And the climactic battle between Earthlings and Martians is dull and overextended."

Richard Schickel, writing in Time magazine, gave a positive review. "You have to admire everyone's chutzpah: the breadth of Burton's (and writer Jonathan Gems') movie references, which range from Kurosawa to Kubrick; and above all their refusal to offer us a single likable character. Perhaps they don't create quite enough deeply funny earthlings to go around, but a thoroughly mean-spirited big-budget movie is always a treasurable rarity." Jonathan Rosenbaum from the Chicago Reader praised the surreal humor and black comedy, which he found to be in the vein of Dr. Strangelove and Gremlins (1984). He said it was far from clear whether the movie was a satire, although critics were describing it as one. Todd McCarthy of Variety called Mars Attacks! "a cult sci-fi comedy miscast as an elaborate, all-star studio extravaganza."

Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "B" on a scale of A+ to F.

Awards
Mars Attacks! was on the shortlist for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects nomination, but the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences selected Independence Day, Dragonheart, and Twister instead. The film was nominated for seven categories at the Saturn Awards. Danny Elfman won Best Music, while director Tim Burton, writer Jonathan Gems, actor Lukas Haas, costume designer Colleen Atwood and the visual effects department at Industrial Light & Magic received nominations. Mars Attacks! was nominated for both the Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film (which went to Independence Day) and the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.

See also

 List of films featuring miniature people
List of films featuring extraterrestrials
 List of films set in Las Vegas
Mars in fiction

References

Further reading

 Thomas Kent Miller. Mars in the Movies: A History. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2016. .
 Ron Magid. "Attack Formation" in Cinescape, Volume 3, Number 4. Lombard, IL: MVP Entertainment, Inc., January/February 1997.
 Jonathan Gems. Mila Pop. (April 2021). Mars Attacks Memoirs. autobiographical. Quota Books. ISBN 9781916246041

External links

 Mars Attacks (complete card set) (archive) – from trading-cards.org
 Mars Attacks (Don Markstein's Toonopedia) (archive) – from the 2012 original

1996 films
1990s parody films
1990s science fiction comedy films
American films with live action and animation
American parody films
American science fiction comedy films
Alien invasions in films
Alien abduction films
Films about size change
Films about extraterrestrial life
Films about fictional presidents of the United States
Films based on trading cards
Films directed by Tim Burton
Films scored by Danny Elfman
Films set in Kansas
Films set in Kentucky
Films set in the Las Vegas Valley
Films set in New York City
Films set in Washington, D.C.
Films set in Argentina
Films set in the White House
Films shot in the Las Vegas Valley
Mars in film
Warner Bros. films
Retrofuturism
1996 comedy films
1990s English-language films
1990s American films


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text:
Rita Colwell papers, addition 01
Unprocessed — Multiple Containers
Includes six boxes of material created and collected by Dr. Rita Colwell during her professional career. The materials include correspondence, notes, presentations, invitations, programs, and invoices, research materials including articles, studies, and reports, papers, drafts, and articles authored and co-authored by Colwell, and photographs. The contents relate to organizations, conferences, committees, boards, and projects where Colwell was involved, her service at the National Science Foundation and the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, and Colwell's research including but not limited to biotechnology, biowarfare, bioterrorism, and national security.
Acquisition Type
Donated by Rita Colwell
Select materials may contain sensitive information and may not be available for research use. Please consult an archivist for details.
circa 1990s - 2011
Colwell, Rita R., 1934- (Person)
6.25 Cubic Feet (6 cubic foot boxes)
See preliminary inventory in External Documents for detailed box list.
Research (documents)
Women's Archives. Susan Bulkeley Butler Women's Archives
Colwell, Rita R., 1934- (Donor, Person)
Box: 1 (Accession)
External Documents
Preliminary inventory for the Rita Colwell papers, addition 1


Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) accused President Barack Obama Wednesday of apocalyptic scare tactics on sequester budget cuts, particularly when the president claimed that criminals would run free as a result of the broad-based reductions.
Gowdy was especially steamed about Obama's comment in February that, due to the sequester, "Federal prosecutors will have to close cases and let criminals go."
"Who are those criminals that the president was referring to when he was invoking the Hale-Bopp Comet apocalypse talking about sequestration? Do you have any idea who those criminals would be?" Gowdy asked a panel of witnesses including Assistant Attorney General for Administration Lee Lofthus and Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz.
A White House spokesman had no immediate comment on the criticism.
Lofthus stated earlier in the session that the sequester, if carried into Fiscal 2014, would cause a reduction of DOJ staffing to 2009 levels. That prompted Gowdy to ask: "How many criminals were let go in 2009?....I think we would have heard about it if a bunch of criminals were let go due to a lack of funding."
"The resources that are provided to the United States Attorneys' organization influences the staffing and the prosecutors and the paralegals we have," Lofthus replied.
"We had furloughs in South Carolina. We had to furlough prosecutors. We had to furlough victim advocates. We had to furlough administrative assistants and investigators. Not a single, solitary criminal case was closed because of those furloughs," Gowdy said.
"What I'm trying to get at is the irresponsibility of threatening—whether it's the attorney general saying we're going to be less safe or the president saying we're going to let those criminals go—because we can't survive on 2009 funding levels," the lawmaker added.
Gowdy suggested that U.S. Attorneys' salary-funding cuts of about $100 million per year could be made up through taking on volunteer prosecutors and by cutting back on conferences, which Lofthus said cost $54 million department-wide last year.
However, Lofthus said coming up with $100 million to cover such cuts was difficult to do given the cuts applied across the department. "Our problem is we have to save $1.6 billion," he said, meaning that U.S. Attorneys would have little choice but to cut staffing levels.


This site contains a compendium of links, abstracts, papers, slides, programs, and tools that supplements the papers found in the proceedings.
CAMDA 2012 – The proceeding volume will be published as a special issue of Systems Biomedicine and will be available at the beginning of 2013.
CAMDA 2011 – Paper presentations including slides and videos!


I often meet parents who take pride in their child's ability to operate mobiles and similar devices at an early age. The younger the child, the higher the pride. And, I can't help but feel sorry for them, because rather than making effort themselves to entertain their children, such parents tread the way of technology. Don't do this! Is what I want to tell them.
We all boast our respective parenting practices but are they really working for our children, is what we need to ponder over and reflect upon.
Children usually throw tantrums for things not meant for them and especially those out of bounds, especially which aren't their toys. Parents need to be stubborn and say No.
For instance, your child wants an unbreakable and small object (can be used as their toy), and you give it to them. This act will tell the child that they can play with anything at home and raise his expectations. Now, what we do when our child asks for something which is breakable, expensive, memorable? Surely, we say No and scold our wailing child.
The fault here is not our child's, but our. If we hadn't agreed to their demand in the first place, this would never have happened. Children interpret such an act as if it's done once it can be done again. We should teach our children their boundaries from their age itself.
The below image shows a cabinet which my 2.5 yo daughter can easily access climbing up her chair and take whatever she wants. But, she doesn't, for she knows this part of the house is untouchable.
*She doesn't even touch her piggy bank house and asks me when she wants it.
Fix a place in your home as the crying corner. So, whenever your child cries for no reason, make them stand in the corner and tell them to move only when the crying stops. It Works!
It's not that my daughter never cried/cries or gets impossible to manage. She is just a kid. But, whenever she does cry unnecessarily we make her stand in the crying corner. And, if she wants to come to me or go to her father she has to stop crying, else she stands there (which ends soon, of course).
Be strong and never ever give in to your child's demand when they are crying. Never. This is a Big No. Trust me when I say- If you give in to their crying once, they make it a habit from the second time itself.
*I have been there and glad to realize this soon.
Nearly 90% of parents today give mobiles/tablets/toy laptops to children to pacify them in the initial years and later to keep them busy while the parents enjoy/work without being disturbed. This way the child gets used to screen and later we blame them for not spending time with us.
There are kids around 1.5-2 years, who can unlock mobiles, browse through the menu, and even play their song on youtube (yes, I have seen such kids).
My daughter doesn't touch our mobiles and laptops and in fact, watches rhymes only on the TV through Google Chromecast. This serves two purposes- she watches rhymes on a big screen and with a good distance between her eyes and the screen.
Don't say your child doesn't listen to you. This is the lamest excuse I hear. Your child who is say 2 yo doesn't listen to you, who is say 25-30 yo! Seriously?
No child is young to learn anything and I say this from my experience. My daughter eats all her meals by herself and I don't feed her anymore. I do small bites of roti, she takes some sabji, dips it in daal, and eats. Of course, she spills sometimes, but that's ok. She is learning to eat by herself. This continues at the restaurants too.
I am a blogger, so a stay-at-home working mother. Hence, it is extremely important that my child is independent in a few ways. Give your children toys (age specific) which involve activities like building blocks, play doughs, or even simple colouring books. There are times when I cannot play with her and if she can play by herself even for two hours, I am satisfied that she will not feel dejected and bereft.
The crux is we must start making our children independent from day one. You will feel proud later one day.
It is vital to make the child understand that they cannot do everything their parents do. Often parents stop eating, drinking, doing stuff they like, thinking their child might also want to do the same. And why not? Can't we give up certain things for our kids?
I, however, would differ here, not that I cannot give up for my child, I did give up drinking throughout my pregnancy and until breastfeeding. We belong to the modern era parenting age and have a very different lifestyle as compared to our parents.
So, I would want my daughter to understand if I am having or doing something doesn't mean she can have or do it too. If I am drinking or say applying makeup doesn't mean she can too. Yes, she has asked for these. We always keep tetra pack juices for her for these times, and she knows that our juices are different.
*For makeup it's a clear No.
I have spoken about my daughter in every point above, not to boast, but to break the myths around parenting and to prove that everything is doable. My kid still spills water, messes with food, and throws her toys and I let her do, because she is only 2.5 yo and do not want to discipline her childhood.
Our parents' have given us the best upbringing with minimum external factors, let's pledge to do the same.
Do you agree with me? Share your parenting practices, would love to learn more effective parenting practices.


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Support student success and the well-being of students by empowering them to attain personal, physical, and emotional health and well-being, supporting and improving accessibility through accommodations and inclusive practices, promoting community health and illness prevention, financial education, and access to basic needs. Also provide access to educational opportunities to local students, educate campus community members about community conduct standards and assist in the development of students as good citizen.
SA+CD Main Areas
Master of Arts Program - Postsecondary Educational Leadership with a Specialization in Student Affairs
SA+CD Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan
Christy Samarkos
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Christy Samarkos, whose professional career in Student Affairs spans more than 20 years, served in a number of progressively responsible roles at SDSU before being appointed Interim Vice President for Student Affairs. She has a broad range of leadership achievements and expertise in academic preparation; student advising, counseling, leadership training and development; co-curricular and multicultural programming; and staff development.
Samarkos, who has invested 20 years of her career at SDSU, is an advocate of student leadership development and success. Driven by collaboration and authentic leadership, Samarkos has devoted her career to advancing and adopting research-driven and data-informed practices that help ensure that programs and initiatives drive each student's propensity for personal, academic and, ultimately, career success.
Under Samarkos' leadership, the Division has continued to grow and also introduced a number of initiatives to build a community of support and leadership participation aimed at improving students' overall persistence and graduation rates. Key strategic priorities have included the expansion of academic and psycho/social support for underrepresented student groups, experiences promoting student involvement and efforts to close the achievement gap among student groups.
While Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, Samarkos oversaw the strategic planning and operations for four departments within the Division: the Center for Intercultural Relations, New Student & Parent Programs, Residential Education and the Dean of Students. She also oversaw several additional Division of Student Affairs programs and units collectively responsible for developing and providing transformational experiences for students and worked closely with the Associated Students, the independent student-directed corporation affiliated with SDSU.
Prior to her appointment as Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, Samarkos served as SDSU's Director of Residential Education.
Samarkos holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in social work from Concordia College in Minnesota, a Bachelor of Science in special education from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a Master of Science in counseling with a specialization in college student personnel from Shippensburg University.
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