text:
Gehl's proposal removes the parking lot, connecting the two monuments. Prague Institute of Planning and Development
Prague is Looking to Renovate the North-South Highway
By Luka D'Amato -
Gehl, an architecture firm, proposed their dream to revamp Prague's North-South Highway on Tuesday, June 27. The Danish company markets itself as an international firm seeking to redesign cities and make them better suited for people.
Gehl's proposal. An example of a simple solution to make the area more friendly to pedestrians and cyclists.
Source: Prague Institute of Planning and Development
The stretch which the Gehl architects have proposed to rehabilitate experiences heavy traffic, passing through heavily populated neighborhoods and important institutions, such as the National Museum and the State Opera.
While much of the surrounding area is beautiful, the stretch of highway is an eye-sore. With few places to cross on foot, the roadway is also inaccessible to pedestrians. The idea is to improve the area, making it visually alluring, as well as practical. The project follows three primary principles in its design: environment, people, and mobility.
"The highway should become a vibrant city boulevard with wide walkways, active parks and alleyways. We know that this will be a long way to go, but thanks to Gehl Architects we know what to begin with and how to gradually build a consensus on the future shape of the highway," said Petra Kolínská, Deputy Mayor for Territorial Development.
Gehl's proposal to make the area more people friendly.
The proposal includes both short and long-term ideas which Prague can implement and improve life in the city. One potential major drawback with turning areas like roadways, or city centers, into publics spaces is that it can constrain, or eliminate, traffic flows. However, this will not be the case for Prague.
"The important quality of the proposal is that their vision does not include any radical limitation of car traffic – the key to transformation is the improvement of adjacent public spaces," said Prague's mayor, Adriana Krnáčová in a press release.
The company focuses on creating public spaces, making cities accessible to people. With diverse client base, the company works for city governments, NGOs, as well both private and public developers. The company's services range from design to implementation.
Prague City Council, along with affiliated organizations and many independent individuals have put significant efforts into creating and improving public spaces around Prague. Gehl has concentrated its efforts in designing public spaces in order to improve life.
New design is more pedestrian friendly, featuring more greenery.
"Our work focuses on the human dimension, focusing on how the built environment is connected with the everyday life of people," said Jan Gehl, one the primary founders of the company. The cooperation was approved in October of 2016.
Gehl has worked in London, Vienna, Copenhagen, Oslo, Moscow, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sydney, and many more. The firms has previously done two projects in Prague, one from 2006-07 and another in 2008.
Here is a list of some of the main goals:
Connect public buildings to city space
Improve park quality and create green spaces around the highway
Make the National Museum one Prague's icons, connecting it to Wenceslas Square
Add pedestrian crossing areas
Promote active land usage (playgrounds, city benches, etc)
Improve pedestrian and bicycle traffic
Establish a bus or tram line
Convert the highway into a bidirectional road
Relocate the parking lot in the city center to the edge of the city's center
Gehl's proposal removes the parking lot, connecting Wenceslas Square with the National Musuem.
Prague Institute of Planning and Development
Luka D'Amato


04 Aprilia Tuono 1000 Left Tail Trim Fairing Cover as pictured for sale in good used condition. This listing is for the actual item in the photograph in the condition pictured, we do not use stock images. Please take a moment to review all pictures of the item. The package you receive will contain only what is in the pictures nothing more and nothing less. This part has been carefully removed and inspected from a 2004 Aprilia Tuono 1000 that had 20,428 original miles.


text:
Q: PHP password_verify false negative Background -
I have spent the last hour or so looking through various posts sites and so on to see why my password checking function has suddenly stopped working.
Every time I try to use it, it returns false, including when the inputted password is correct.
I have echoed my input and my hash, both of which match fine (by comparing the hash in the table to the one echoed).
However, when these variables are put through password_verify, it returns false 100% of the time.
What do I think is wrong? - Based on a post from an external site, I think this is due to the way that my hashedPassword variable is being parsed. When is compares the two, something goes wrong in the variable type and returns false.
What does my code and database look like? -
users table. Contains other columns.
userId | username | password
----------------------------
  1    | example  |  temp1

Class containing the password checker function. (Have trimmed away try/catch)
public function checkPasswordCorrect($username, $password) {  // Returns true is the entered password is correct and false if it isn't.

   // This creates a mysqli context to run the connection through.
   $mysqli = new mysqli($this->dbHost, $this->dbUsername, $this->dbPassword, $this->dbPlusPlus);

   // If there is an error connecting to the database, it will be printed and the process will close.
   if (mysqli_connect_errno()) {
       printf("Connect failed: %s\n", mysqli_connect_error());
       exit();
   }

   $sql = "SELECT password FROM users WHERE username='$username'";
   $result = $mysqli->query($sql);
   $row = $result->fetch_array(MYSQLI_ASSOC);

   $hashedPassword = $row["password"];

   $mysqli->close();

   echo $password."
".$hashedPassword."
"; // The input is correct and the hash matches that in the table.

   // We return a value of true or false, depending on the outcome of the verification.
   if(password_verify($password, $hashedPassword)) {
       echo "return true";
       return true;
   }
   else {
       echo "return false";
       return false;
   }
}

By echoing $hashedPassword just before using password_verify, the hash matches by manually checking it, as you can see by the output below.
temp0022
$2y$10$9TgjJzSaqOB
return false

What am I asking? -

*

*Is there a better way of checking password inputs, more specifically, the way I'm pulling the information from the table (there must be some simpler way of doing this).

*Is the variable parsing to blame? Is there any documentation or articles available for this topic that I haven't seen?
What am I aware of? - My usage of mysqli is shocking, I'm new to it. I am also aware that there are similar answers out there, but seem to be down to some kind of syntax error more than anything else.
Thank you for taking the time to help! :D

For all of those of you who are worried that I'm going to be hit by SQL injection attacks: I have since modified this example code
  massively and am using prepared, statements. Thank you for your
  concern :)

A: Check your table structure. Your hash field needs to be of length 60 (for PASSWORD_BCRYPT) or 255 (for PASSWORD_DEFAULT) (ref) to save the whole hash. What you got from the database is 18 characters long. You probably have it as VARCHAR(18), so it's getting truncated upon saving, which is why you're not getting a match.
Edit: Added length for the PASSWORD_DEFAULT algorithm. Thanks @Don'tPanic.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
A perky high-schooler takes on the mob in Sailor Suit and Machine Gun, a one-of-a-kind genre-bender that riffs on the yakuza film, coming-of-age drama and 'idol movie', inventively adapted from Jiro Akagawa's popular novel by director Shinji Somai (Typhoon Club, Wait and See), a massively influential figure in Japanese cinema whose work has been little seen outside his homeland. Hoshi Izumi is a young innocent forced to grow up quickly when her father dies and she finds herself next in line as the boss of a moribund yakuza clan. Wrenched from the security of her classroom and thrust into the heart of the criminal underworld, she must come to terms with the fact that her actions hold the key to the life or death of the men under her command as they come under fire from rival gangs. Presented in both it's Original Theatrical and longer Complete versions, and the first time one of Somai's films has been released on home video in the West, this landmark work from his early career was responsible for launching teen talent Hiroko Yakushimaru (Legend of the Eight Samurai; Detective Story) as the iconic face of a generation, with the catchy theme song she performs indelibly etched into the zeitgeist of early-1980s Japan
Sailor Suit And Machine Gun
Artist: Sailor Suit and Machine Gun

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


There are and have been many incidents involving painters while working on commercial buildings or offices of their clients and, often, these incidents affect the clients who own the structures and the company that the painter works for. The compassionate human factor and this are the major reasons why safety is important for commercial painters and commercial painting as a whole.
Before hiring a commercial painting contractor or company, it is important to consider their policies on painting safety for commercial jobs and thereby, determine whether or not to hire them. This way, you are prepared for what they are bringing to your premises and you would be better informed on what they plan to use and the results. Here are some tips to consider with regards to safety and hiring a commercial painting contractor.
You can start by researching their website, and their past blog articles too. See where their priorities lie, and what they like to promote about themselves and their work. It's also a good idea to simply ask if they have a safety program in place. If your prospective painter is cagey, and you can't quite get a straight answer, it might be time to move on. On the other hand, if they can easily articulate where their safety program looks like, it's a sign that you're in good hands.
We hold quarterly company meetings to discuss various company policies, safety concerns, training, etc.
It's a proactive approach, rather than reactive, and it puts the well being of the painting team and customers above all else. This is equally as important, as it distributes the responsibility across all of our shoulders; everyone is involved and working toward the same goal, so everyone is held accountable for job site safety.
Ensuring your painter or painting contractor has and uses safety apparatuses is important for them to work on your painting task. This way, you can save yourself the stress and headaches of post-incident expenses. Also, ensuring your commercial painting contractor and the painters working on your tasks have appropriate work-related insurance is a great way of protecting yourself from unnecessary stress and expenses.
For a commercial painting contractor, it is essential to ensure that there are no physically harmful objects around the area where you are supposed to be functioning your duties as a painter. This way, you ensure your safety while doing your job and you save yourself the unnecessary stress of treating wounds in the case of an incident.
In the same vein, it is important for you, as a building owner, to ensure that there are no physically harmful objects around the area of your painting. This way, you protect your commercial painting contractor or interior painter from plausible harm.
Everyone has this notion that commercial painting is easy work. This causes a lot of shying away from the profession, especially when it comes to commercial building painting. People believe that accomplishing a commercial painting task is doable by an average painter. When in fact, it's a herculean task. And not just painting can be daunting, water-proofing often as well. Consulting with commercial painters and painting consultants who have experience can help greatly. But, commercial painting doesn't have to be hard.
Painting is just technical. It requires a lot of patience, experience and expertise. It's not just enough to know how to choose paints or how to glide a paint roller over the surface of a wall or boards. You need to have the knowledge of preparation of the surface, how to apply the paint and how much time the paint needs in order for it to cure properly. There are a lot of intricate aspects to consider with commercial painting, power washing or waterproofing.
In this post, we are going to consider some of the best methods to making your commercial painting journey a successful one. These methods have been tested and are trusted by industry professionals in the business. They can be considered efficient for use in most cases.
Whether you are using a high power washer to clean walls & surfaces, or simply the planks of a wooden pier, the importance of cleaning dirty surfaces should never be neglected. In fact, to a large extent, the effort you put into cleaning your dirty surfaces before commencing your painting determines how well the paint job is going to turn out.
Dirt on surfaces impacts the effect of the paint and determines whether the coating is going to provide protection and longevity. This is why it's very important to always clean your dirty surfaces before commencing the painting process.
Professional painters all across the commercial painting industry understand that the application of primer is a game changer! The process makes your work easier and ensures a professional outcome. It will always make your application smoother and better looking.
Professional painters even prefer to use tinted primer because, in comparison, the tinted primer does a more competent job when it comes to covering the existing paint color. This makes the final result more vibrant and distinct, reducing the number of coats needed to get the job done.
Professionals know that there are pros more than cons to using professional painter's tape when commercial painting. Generally, there are benefits to using professional tools when painting and with professional tapes, you are able to prevent the paint from bleeding onto the floor, or other unwanted surfaces.
Professional painters understand that choosing the right combination of colors for each job is as important as the task of applying the paint itself. Professionals know that sometimes, they need to employ the services of a color psychologist to determine what colors fit what purpose or client. They are intentional about the color schemes they implement in their painting and they go the extra mile to do it right.
In conclusion, commercial painting possibly could be best left to the experts. But with the proper methods and consistency; you too, can achieve outstanding results!
When considering long-term management and building maintenance of a commercial facility, use of the proper paint and waterproof coatings is crucial. Achieving the goals of long term appearance and protection from the harsh elements should be the primary focus of any commercial building or facility.
Research and evaluation should focus on overall value! Reducing costs on the initial application may not be as efficient as up-grading to high performance products and coatings from the commencement of your rehab or maintenance project. Keep in mind, through years of cost analysis, most project costs breakdown to; 80% labor and 20% materials. This eludes to the fact that; longevity is an important factor as to achieve value.
All too frequently, choices of coatings are decided by the preliminary cost to the scope, not considering the long-term outcome and durability. The adage; "you get what you pay for" holds true here. When attacking a large commercial project, you'll always want to go with the top-grade products within the budget allowances.
With modern technology paint coatings have advanced eons past what they used to be capable of. It may surprise you that even many acrylic formulas are meeting the commercial and industrial quality thresholds and beyond. They remain flexible, allow your surface to breath, and retain color far better than traditional coatings of the past. Lastly, the impact on the environment is much less harsh than traditional solvent based products!
When maintaining your commercial facility, researching coatings and products that offer value is paramount. Forethought on longevity and minimizing maintenance issues will go a long way with the efficient upkeep any commercial building. Allowing for minimal maintenance issues down the road and cost savings.
This holds true with the simple things such as cleaning. Did you know that your commercial building's exterior surfaces should be power washed at least every 12-18 months in order to get the optimal performance out of your coatings? It will deter mold, mildew and algae growth, which can all eat away at your exterior finishes over time. In addition, most paint manufactures will mandate this as to honor any finish paint warranties.
Don't rely on maintenance staff with only primary knowledge of products and methods, find seasoned niche professionals to scope your commercial project. Many offer a free evaluation of your office space or commercial building's exterior surfaces.
A professional painting company can assist with commercial waterproofing and painting maintenance throughout the life of your building.
Pro Color is a Jacksonville, Florida painting contractor. Offering commercial painting and waterproofing services. We are experienced painting contractors, call 904-420-2117 for a no obligation quote in or around the Jacksonville area.
Painting plays a vital role in is no doubt the best way to give your building a new, captivating look. Now when it comes to a painting project, you have two options: doing it yourself or hiring commercial painters to do it for you. Without any second thought in mind, people who have enjoyed the service of professional will pick a professional do it for them. IF you are thinking of doing it yourself, know that is a difficult job and by trying your hand on the job for the first time and you are putting your project success at risk.
If you are still wondering why it's not advisable to do your paint job and consider hiring a painter, then this is the right article for you. So, if you are considering changing the looks of your office to make it look more modern, then hiring a professional painter to do it for you is the best option. Here are five reasons to assist you to understand why you need a professional to do the quality painting your commercial project needs.
Professional painters comes prepared with the right equipment they need to complete your projects. They come with equipment like lifts and ladders. Also, rollers, sprayers, paint brushes, drop cloths and many other necessities. This means that you don't have to spend extra money buying all the necessary tools, then store them until your next project.
Just as we have stated earlier on, painting is not an easy task. If you are thinking of doing it yourself, then you must reach higher points of the building with ladders or a lift. This means that there is a huge risk in the process that might pose serious health issues. However, hiring a pro means you don't have to worry about any of this issues as the licensed and insured professionals are expert and they know what to do.
If you are considering adding accent walls to your interior space or making some creative finishes, commercial painters are creative people. They can help suggest innovative ideas that will enhance the curb appeal of your facility. Also, they can inform you on waterproofing solutions for your building.
For those who work during the day throughout the week or on weekends as well, painting your office or building might not be possible. You need to do painting during the daylight, and you also need enough time to allow the paint dry before it might rain (if for example, you are painting the exterior). However, hiring professionals means they can do the job at just about any time. This means that you can go about doing your daily job while someone handles the hard tasks for you.
It will likely take you days or weeks when you paint your own commercial building. When professionals do it, they can move much more quickly as some have crews that can do a lot of work at once.
You'll see why hiring a professional was a good decision once you see the results. Nothing beats a craftsman's quality work. Hire a commercial painting company with a proven track record!
Maintaining commercial buildings goes beyond just slapping plaster onto the walls of your office complex to cover cracks or rolling cheap paint over the plastered walls just to give it a new color scheme. Commercial building maintenance is actually a very intricate and important task which requires complete attention to detail to the process of preparation, commencement and completion.
Commercial building maintenance is not something that just anyone can handle or should handle. It is a responsibility that requires the industry experience, high-grade materials and the best tools. It is a task meant for only those who have a proven track record in handling similar tasks. Luckily, we are one of such companies; with many years of commercial building maintenance.
Over the years that we have been operating in the business of painting and maintenance of private residences, commercial buildings and social structures, we have gathered a 5star reputation for offering the most effective and efficient service when it comes to commercial building maintenance.
Our commercial services include interior and exterior painting & commercial waterproofing of buildings, homes and structures. Including walls, basements, below-grade surfaces, doors, windows, etc. Most any maintenance services on homes, facilities, commercial structures, and retail spaces. What is more admired about our service is the fact that we offer real value for professional services in these areas with the best customer service.
In this post, we have compiled a few reasons why you should choose us to handle the commercial painting or maintenance of your building today.
Despite being referred to as the best in the industry, the cost of hiring our commercial services is still considered one of the most affordable around. With prices that work for both private, State and government clients. We have overtaken over the Jacksonville, Florida market. We offer prices and maintenance plans that are suitable for all ranges of clients with all types of budgets.
Despite being one of the foremost propagators of the belief that the tools do not define the artist, we believe so much in the idea that the tools play a vital role in the definition of the artist's work. This is the same with our work. We feel the best and most reliable professionals who work to ensure that your commercial building is maintained to the best possible condition or renovated to a newly improved building must have adequate equipment, field tested. Tools that have been tried and certified in the field our industry are what our workmen use when they work on your structures.
One final reason why people think of us before anyone else when it comes to commercial building maintenance is that we put our customers first in every process of the project. We understand that the customer is the king and we know that the customer satisfaction is of more value than a quick profit.
Popcorn ceilings used to be a very popular texture application for ceilings, but in more recent times, the use of popcorn ceilings has lost it's appeal. However, removing popcorn ceilings can often pose a daunting task. Painting popcorn can be an intense strain both physically and financially, especially in cases where asbestos is involved. Often painting over them poses a great option.
Then, there comes the challenge of successfully painting over popcorn ceilings due to the constrain of applying the paint and managing the resultant mess from the entire process. Here, we will show you the professional process of painting over popcorn ceilings without making so much mess in your home.
Popcorn Painting Tools: the importance of assembling your tools way before you commence work cannot be overemphasized. The tools you would use for your work determine how effective the work would be. For painting over popcorn ceilings, the tools you would need are; a step ladder, plastic sheeting for covering specific areas, dust mask for your mouth and nostrils, protective eye wear, vacuum with a dust brush attached, paintbrush, paint roller/nap with extension handle, paint and flat head screwdriver. Getting your tools ready means you'll have them on hand when you need them.
Preparing to Paint Popcorn: When rolling paint over popcorn ceilings, the texture is bound to cause a splattering of paint on the surrounding walls. To avoid getting paint all over your walls, consider taping plastic sheeting on the walls to provide a form of coverage from the splattering paint. After this has been done, cover the floors of the room with drop cloths or the plastic sheeting. Also, consider covering and masking ceiling fixtures such as electrical appliances and chandeliers with plastic sheeting or painter's tape. Painting preparation is key!
Prep for Painting Popcorn Ceilings: Using the vacuum and attached duster, clean off the dust in the crevices of the popcorn ceiling and make sure there are no specks anywhere that would spoil the painting. After removing the dust, you may commence with the application of the paint using the roller with the handle extension and paint brush. To paint in the corners, use the flat brush. Apply plenty paint on the brush as not to remove too much texture, and around the corners with a light gentle touch.
Hire a Painting Company: We offer services ranging from commercial painting to home painting. Painting popcorn ceilings is one of the many services we offer, and our commercial services are always professional, affordable and customer service oriented. If the idea of painting over your popcorn ceilings seems like a laborious task, you should consider engaging our commercial services for affordable and incredibly efficient painting.
If you have pondered about painting your home to give it a new look, but still not sure where to start, then worry no further as we have compiled most essential & up to date tips & steps. Read on; you can achieve your fantasy like paint results ever so seamlessly!
There is no paint in the world which serves all purposes, many have universal qualities. Different paints will have different capacities like the paints specific for the interior, wood, metal or exterior and so forth. In such a scenario, what you need to do is to be concise about your requirements and buy best-suited paint for the job.
Painting proves to be a job which may cause plenty of mess and in such case, you would not want your expensive sofa to be the victim of it. So, to save it from paint stains, what you could do is to transfer your furniture in a vacant room or either move it in the middle of the room and cover it. But do not forget your floor, you could cover that with a drop cloth or any similar item. You can tape for other electronic gadgets & sockets to be at the safe side.
After the safety aspect of your home & devices is on point, be sure to do justice with your own protection as well. Apart from any old shirt or fabric what you need to do is to protect your eyes, body, and hair from getting in contact with paint. There are numerous types of hats, caps and other safeguards available which could be used.
A wise man once said, "If you fail to plan you plan to fail"! This is ever so true with painting or waterproofing. So, as soon as you have sorted out all the fine points, you are all set to start painting at your very convenience in a cost-effective way.
When considering long-term management and maintenance of a commercial facility, the use of the proper paint and waterproof coatings is crucial. Achieving the goals of long term appearance and protection from the harsh elements should be the main focus on any commercial building.
Research and evaluation of products should focus on these two key factors. Reducing costs on the initial application may not be as efficient as up-grading to high-performance products and coatings, from the start of your rehab or maintenance project. Keep in mind, most project costs are 80% labor and 20% materials.
All too frequently, choices of coatings are decided by the preliminary cost to the scope, not considering the long-term outcome and durability. The old adage; "you get what you pay for" holds true here. When attacking a large commercial project, you'll always want to go with the top grade products within the budget will allowances.
With modern technology paint coatings have advanced eons past what they used to be capable of. Many all acrylic formulas are broaching the commercial and industrial quality thresholds and beyond. They remain flexible, allow your surfaces to breath, and retain color far better than traditional coatings of the past.
When maintaining your commercial facility, researching coatings and products that offer value is paramount. Forethought on longevity and minimizing future maintenance issues will go a long way with the efficient upkeep any commercial building maintenance plan.
For a free evaluation of your office space or commercial exterior contact Jacksonville's commercial painters of choice. They can assist you with your painting, waterproofing and maintenance needs.
Your Jacksonville building, whether residential or commercial, is a tangible asset that requires regular maintenance to keep it in top shape. One of the best ways to protect your building is by applying quality coatings. Although most people think that painting a building is basically for aesthetics, applying quality coatings (paints-water-proofers) also enhances the functionality of the building and protects it from the harsh elements.
Applying quality coatings on the exterior walls will help to protect the building from inclement weather especially wind driven rain, which can affect the building's structure and encourage mold and rot.
Painting the walls or surfaces of the bathrooms and kitchens with impervious coatings protects the wall from exposure to humidity and steam caused by constant use of those rooms.
Building with plaster walls requires quality coatings especially on the interior walls and other surfaces to reduce lime and alkaline that comes from the walls themselves. Besides, quality coatings help to keep plaster in check and reduce dust to the minimum.
It is essential to protect your building with a high-grade coating not only for aesthetics, but also for waterproofing, and adds functionality to a surface. High-quality coatings also extend the durability of your building and accessories.


Need help opening a file from user input.
I get an error that says, "no matching function." On the line with the file.open() function.
That function accepts a string parameter only from C++11 onwards. If you have an old compiler, get a new one, or use the other version of the function, that accepts a char* ( file.open(name.c_str()); ) .
This is the year 2018, and many good modern compilers are free. You should get one.
I am using c++11 and i still get that error message for some reason. But I've tried it with .c_str() and now it works fine.


Here are free Printable Thanksgiving place cards for your upcoming get together. Use these fun little kawaii Turkey and pumpkin place cards to label various Thanksgiving food items or seating arrangements for family and friends. This free printable includes 2 different place cards that measure 5 x 2 inches when folded. These place cards print from a PDF file on 8.5 x11 standard letter size paper.
You can either write names or labels on these Turkey and pumpkin place cards or type right into the PDF file. Download your free printable Thanksgiving place cards below.


Surroundings which a system or organisation affects, including air, water, land, natural resources, flora, fauna, and their interrelation with humans (third-parties).
An element of an organisation's activities or products or services that interacts or can interact with the environment.
A document that defines the strategy for addressing environmental protection and documents the Environmental Management System for a specific system.
An Environmental Management System (EMS) is a formal, structured approach to managing the aspects of a sites activities, products or services that have, or could have an impact upon the environment.
Prevention of harm to the natural environment.
Combination of the likelihood of harm to the environment and the severity of that harm.
c. Dis-application. Where specific legislation or a part thereof does not apply to the Military or Ministry of Defence and is expressly stated as such within the piece of legislation.


text:
Updated Jul 15, 2021 - Health
Los Angeles County to again require masking indoors
A crowd of people, some wearing face masks, walk through the streets of Solvang, California. Photo: George Rose/Getty Images
Los Angeles County will again require residents to wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination statues starting this Sunday because of recent increases in new coronavirus cases and rising concerns over the Delta variant of the virus.
Why it matters: The latest order in the most populous county in the United States comes after it reported 1,537 new COVID cases, an 83% increase over the last week.
What they're saying: Though the county will allow some exceptions to the order, the masking requirements will be similar to what they were before California officially reopened in June, Muntu Davis, the county's health officer, said Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Times.
"We're not where we need to be for the millions at risk of infection here in Los Angeles County, and waiting to do something will be too late given what we're seeing now," Davis said.
Zoom out: Local health officials in Sacramento and Yolo counties also called for residents to wear masks indoors, though neither are mandatory.
What to watch: Davis expects the latest order to remain "in place until we begin to see improvements" in community transmission," according to the Times.
"Anything is on the table if things continue to get worse, which is why we want to take action now," Davis added.
He said further restrictions could be implemented if conditions worsen.
Editor's note: This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
Kierra Frazier
Oct 22, 2021 - Health
Illinois mandates daycare workers to receive COVID vaccine or weekly testing
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks during a round table discussion with high school students in October 2018. Photo: Joshua Lott/Getty Images
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) announced Friday that all daycare workers in the state will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine or or submit to weekly testing.
Driving the news: Pritzker said he was issuing the requirement to protect "babies, toddlers, and young children not yet eligible for the vaccine."
Oriana Gonzalez
CDC director: U.S. may change definition of "fully vaccinated" as boosters roll out
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky. Photo: Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images
Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Friday the U.S. "may need to update" its definition for what it means to have full vaccination against COVID.
The big picture: The CDC and the FDA have officially approved boosters with every authorized vaccine in the U.S. for people who meet specific requirements. Walensky explained that since not everyone is eligible for a booster, the definition has not been changed "yet."
Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow
Jason Clayworth, author of Des Moines
Oct 22, 2021 - Axios Des Moines
More than 100 Polk County absentee ballot requests rejected
At least 130 Polk County voters submitted absentee ballot requests via mail after Monday's 5pm deadline, according to a county auditor's report provided to Axios by Polk County Democrats.
Why it matters: The Nov. 2 elections mark the first time voters head to the polls since Gov. Kim Reynolds signed new voting rules into law.
Shorter timeframes and far more restrictive rules could make it harder for communities of color, individuals with disabilities and elderly voters to cast ballots, groups like LULAC Iowa argue.


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Ultimate Guide to Shop Online on this 11.11 Sale!
While household shopping is something that you ought to do every now and then, but there are many things that you have to purchase once in a long while. When we buy such products, we desire the best products of our choice at the cheapest price. Sadly it is not always easy to find what we want at our terms especially when it comes to shopping. But those who know the trick, often wait for the right time to catch up the best of deals and offers on the online shopping stores. If you have also been planning to buy any such product, it is the right time for you to get done with shopping on this 11.11 sale.
There would be a variety of products from different categories available with incredible offers that could give you the ideal chance to purchase the products of top brands at the best prices. You can also avail a number of offers and plenty of deals while shopping using these AliExpress Promo Codes to double up your savings from your shopping expenditure. So, if you want to buy more products within the budget limit, don't let this golden opportunity get away by shopping to the fullest.
The sales allow the users a great chance to get the products of their choices at minimal prices but people often end up committing blunders in a hurry. To avoid any such confusion or uncertainty, it is always advised to prepare a list of products that are amongst your priorities in that order. This can do a great help in keeping your shopping goals well defined and avoiding any distraction. It is often seen during such sales that people get attracted to some other products which they already have or don't even require due to the terrific discounts and end up wasting their money in an impulsive shopping spree.
There is one certain aspect which many people unknowingly fall for which is greed to get something just because it is put on sale with a great offer or discount. This triggers your mind to buy those products which were not even in your plan. When you do such a purchase, you are actually wasting your money no matter how you try to justify it. The amount that you should have used on buying the products on your list is spent on buying needless products ultimately forcing you to drop a product or two from your list. The best way to avoid this unplanned expenditure is by setting up your budget limits. So, you will be subconsciously aware of the line that you are not expected to cross.
It can be really tricky at times to search and buy the products of your wish when the sale is going on live. There are a number of factors that can kill your shopping experience. The most important one of them is the fact that the products which are kept on sale are limited in stock and it is often seen that a few of the top products go out of stock within moments of sale going live. In such a case, it is rather a disaster for you to keep searching for a product and only to find that it is already out of stock. To neglect the probability of any such situation, it is recommended to go and do the research well in advance and save the products of your choice before the sale goes live. This will enable you to ensure a quick and prompt purchase as soon as the offers are applied to the product.
One thing that you will get during this 11.11 sale is that the prices will be slashed by the E-commerce websites during the sale. But for those who are smarter, there are a plenty of additional discounts and offers at their disposal which gives them added leverage and the lowest possible price on every product that they purchase. You can easily use these Zalora Vouchers, Hotels.com Promo Code and Klook Vouchers to avail exclusive discounts and deals on your online purchases and travel bookings to extract the lowest price possible. The 11.11 sale along with these additional offers make it just the perfect combination that any shopper could ever think of.
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Want to Really Understand Your Customer Data? Try Hiring a Scientist
Home > In the News > Want to Really Understand Your Customer Data? Try Hiring a Scientist
By PMX Agency
In In the News
The next digital transformation battleground is the war for this talent
See the original article here in Adweek
Anyone who follows the NBA knows what shoes their favorite athletes are wearing, whether it's Lebron James (Nike), James Harden (Adidas) or Steph Curry (Under Armour).Now add Peter Fader to that list.
Fader isn't a world-class baller. He's a marketing professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business who invented a way for brands to calculate customer lifetime value. He's also a co-founder of Zodiac, a consumer data analytics startup acquired by Nike in March for an undisclosed sum.
Data scientists like Fader may soon be as important as star athletes in ensuring the success of companies like Nike, which is in a footrace with Adidas and Under Armour for using data to enhance the customer journey.
"Acquiring Zodiac brings a team of world-class data science talent, along with the best-in-class tools they've developed," says Sean Bruich, vp of global member services and consumer knowledge for Nike. The $34 billion sports apparel company is relying on data to power one-to-one relationships with customers and help personalize its offerings.
Nike is hardly alone. In the same month, Nordstrom acquired two digital startups that use artificial intelligence to personalize communications with customers. Other companies are staffing up internally. Top retailers and consumer brands are planning to hire nearly 50 percent more data scientistsover the next three years, according to a March 2018 survey by Salesforce and Deloitte.
"Data scientists are still relatively sparse resources, and companies are falling all over themselves trying to attract these folks," says Brandon Purcell, a principal analyst for Forrester Research.
The love vote
In 2016, Accenture surveyed more than 27,000 consumers in the U.S., U.K. and Brazil, asking which brands they truly love. Those that ranked highest on the Love Index—Apple, Google, Microsoft, Netflix, YouTube—are also among the most advanced in applying data science to the customer experience.
That's no accident, says Nan Nayak, managing director of design strategy for Fjord, a division of Accenture Interactive.
"These companies are [measuring] their key moments of customer experience and have data scientists constantly looking for patterns," she says. "One of the reasons digital-first brands did really well on the Love Index is that they are tapping into experience nuances most traditional brands do not."
By applying data science, brands are trying to answer three fundamental questions, says Chris Paradysz, co-CEO of digital marketing agency PMX: Who are my customers? What do they want today? How can I evolve to meet their needs in the future?
The answers aren't as simple as they may seem, in part because customer needs and desires evolve so rapidly.
"You can't hope to use legacy information and be right," Paradysz says. "You really have to use data. You need to have direct feeds of information into some kind of internal analytical tool or acquire the talent yourself."
Today, most brands are just beginning their data science journey, says Michel Ballings, assistant professor of business analytics at the University of Tennessee's Haslam College of Business.
There are three levels of maturity for companies using data analytics, he explains. The first stage is descriptive, using data to figure out what's happening now. That's where the vast majority of companies are. The second level is predictive; a smaller number of brands are beginning to use analytics to figure out what's likely to happen. The third stage is prescriptive, using data models to make decisions on what to do next. That's where digital natives like Amazon and Google live, he says.
Reaching level three requires major investments, says Ballings, but it's worth the effort.
"It will help you be creative in ways you couldn't imagine and point you in directions you wouldn't think of," he says. "You want to personalize your services, recommendations and products and to provide the best possible customer experience. For that you need data."
Tech talent crunch
But data by itself is worthless unless you have the ability to understand it, manipulate it and apply it to real business problems. That takes talent. And right now, data science talent is in great demand.
For the third consecutive year, "data scientist" has been named the best job in America by recruiting site Glassdoor, because of the copious opportunities and high salaries such positions command. And it's only going to get harder for brands to hire data scientists; IBM predicts by 2020 the demand for data science professionals will increase by 28 percent.
Competition for talent is fierce, and not just from other consumer brands. Companies must compete with tech giants on the West Coast and big financial service firms in the East, says Arnold Pravinata, chief decision science officer at Marlette Funding, which markets consumer loans via the Best Egg brand.
"Data scientists who move to the West Coast want to get a job at Google, Apple or Facebook," says Pravinata, who's based in San Francisco. "Attracting the best talent is a huge challenge."
But hiring or acquiring top-notch data scientists is just one part of the equation, says Forrester's Purcell. You also need to build a team around them.
Before analysts can crunch the data, apply machine learning and deliver new insights, brands need engineers who know how to store, manage and clean the data. And they need tech-savvy communicators who can take that analysis and translate it into business reality, Purcell says.
As a digitally native brand, the 4-year-old Best Egg has people with data analytics skills spread throughout the organization, notes Marlette CMO Bobby Ritterbeck. But that breadth of talent created a new problem: Different business units would sometimes arrive at novel interpretations of the same data.
"Even though you're looking at the same data sets, how you structure that data can lead to different answers," Ritterbeck says. "You really need to have a single source of truth in the organization so each group can make decisions that are congruent with each other."
At the same time, though, you need to avoid creating data silos that operate independently from the rest of the business, Purcell warns.
"Data scientists will go off and work on something for three months and bring it to the marketing team, and the marketing team will say, 'Oh, we already knew that.' That's a problem," he says.
It's a tricky balancing act. Data teams need to be centralized so their conclusions are consistent, but also must be embedded in the business units so they can deliver timely and relevant insights.
Data be the day
Solving these problems will require significant investments in talent and resources. Big brands like Nike and Nordstrom that can afford to gain expertise quickly by acquiring data analytics companies have a distinct advantage, says Paradysz. Midsize firms may need to engage with third-party analytics companies, while smaller brands may be forced to rely on data provided by platform partners like Google and Facebook.
"They won't answer all your questions, but they can give you a level of analytics that's affordable without being outrageous," Paradysz says. "The problem is that Google won't interpret the data for you; you have to figure out what it means for your business."
Agencies are also feeling added pressure to be m
Purcell notes that as more people enter the data analytics field, drawn by the allure of the "best job in America," the talent shortage should begin to abate. And as more intelligence is being baked into analytics software, the tools will become easier to master for less technical users.
Over the long haul, smart brands realize that they need to own not only their data but also the analytics skills that make it useful, says Rob Finora, svp for data at ShareThis, which provides social media sharing tools for publishers' content.
"Unless you truly take a position in data, go out on a limb and staff for the data science talent you need to bring in, you're not going to realize the promise of what big data can do," he says. "You need to bring these assets in-house, invest in the right people and go really deep into owning that whole process internally."
Ultimately, data is what will drive transformation, enabling companies to become more customer-centric and executives to make better decisions, says Jose Gomes, managing director of North America for dunnhumby, a global customer data science company.
"In the olden days you'd have a store and you'd know all your customers individually," he says. "But in modern times with millions of customers, you can't do that. The world of analytics becomes the only way for you to truly understand what your customers need and want from you."
ore strategic, informed and knowledgeable about data, he admits.
"We are definitely inside the problems clients are asking us to help solve," Paradysz says. "We're trying to bring their people up to speed as fast as possible, and to both bring this knowledge up to the decision makers and down into the ranks of people who run the day-to-day business."
AdWeek, analytics, Chris Paradysz, customer data, data
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Represent the interests of professionals in the mining and metallurgical industries.
The Institute thus brings together the mining and metallurgical fraternity in terms of research, technology development and application, education and professional development. The SAIMM publishes a prestigious open-access SAIMM monthly Journal, which serves as a platform for disseminating scientific and technical knowledge to the SAIMM membership, and the public at large, in the form of peer-reviewed technical papers. Since its inception in 1894 the SAIMM has published 4 317 papers, 2 903 of which are currently available via the Institute's website. The SAIMM organizes workshops, schools, colloquia, symposia, and conferences as platforms from which to inform our membership of current and cutting-edge developments in the mining and metallurgical technical disciplines. Typically, around 12 conferences are organized per year. The Institute actively supports the establishment and maintenance of branches and student chapters of the SAIMM so as to meet the regional needs of members for professional association and the exchange of technical information. Branches currently exist in Johannesburg, Pretoria, KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape, Zambia, Zimbabwe, the DRC, and Namibia. The Institute maintains good relationships with both local and international professional bodies and is a member of OneMine.


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Q: Does this circuit exist? Frequency comparator of sorts I need a circuit that compares two periodic pulse signals and outputs a low or high when the frequency of one is higher than the other.
The two input signals are coming from CMOS 74HC devices. The width of the pulses is fixed and in the ns range (so duty cycle is not variable so to speak), and the frequencies of either of the inputs are anywhere from 20 Hz-20 kHz (audio range).
I prefer to do this entirely with 74HC devices and not some specialized IC if possible. Maybe some such circuit already exists and I don't know to call it?

A: The 74HC4046 is a phase locked loop IC with several phase detectors. Phase detector 1 (PD1) is an XOR gate that provides an output of 0 to Vcc for phase difference of 0-180 degrees. PC2 uses flip-flops and a counter that allows for a variable output over a lock range of +/- 1 kHz to 4 kHz. See the application sheet for more information. For a wider range, you might use two frequency-to-voltage devices and a comparator.

A: One option is to feed to the pulses to a resistor in series with a capacitor (each of the signals to its own R-C block). The R-C block would act as a frequency average. If the frequency is greater, the Capacitor would go up in voltage, and vice versa (assuming constant amplitude). You'd first need to feed the pulses to a monostable vibrator which would output to the R-C blocks (two monostables - one for each pulse stream). The monostables would output a constant width pulse for each positive voltage pulse (otherwise, without a monostable, the lower frequency pulses would be wider and higher frequency narrower, such that the capacitor would have roughly the same voltage regardless of frequency, if the frequency range is narrow).
Finally the two capacitors can be fed to an Op Amp, which would compare their voltages, telling you which pulse stream has a higher frequency.
This is done in a type of FM demodulation (monostable FM demodulation) to convert frequency into voltage, except they don't have two streams, and they don't have a comparator at the end to see which comes higher.
Two 555 timers can be configured as your monostables.
The values of the R-C can be determined by experimentation (Falstad Circuit Simulator would be good for this). As a recap, the R-C come at the output of the monostables. And the monostables are fed with the original signals (one signal stream for each monostable 555).

A: Consider two clock signals, clk A and clk B.
Looking between two successive rising edges of clk A (the period), if we ever two or more rising edges of clk B then clk B is running faster.
If we don't see any clk B edges then clk A is faster.
If we see exactly one clk B edge then they're sort of close and we have to keep looking until we see a doubled or missing clk B.
In the simple circuit below we're trying to detect two clocks in a row before the other clock has a chance to reset the first flop via an asynchronous reset.
Any time a clock arrives it sets its first flop and resets the other clock's first flop.
If the 2nd flop ever triggers then that clock is faster and it sets or resets the final flop, latching the result for us to view with LEDs.
It is impervious to pulse width variation since it only looks at positive edges.

This algorithm could be implemented any number of ways but OP asked for 7CHC solution. Regardless of implementation, this algorithm has advantages over brute force "measure frequency or period and compare results" schemes because it directly determines "faster or slower?" without limitations of measuring period which both digital and analog solutions have trouble with at frequency extremes.

A: If pulses are narrow, you can use them to reset 2 sawtooth waves.
Sample the peak voltage.
The lowest is the most high frequency.
NB: you can replace the 2 sawtooths with two counters...
Just "compare" results.
When the frequencies are "near", probably another approach would be used to "confirm".

A: The minimum frequency of 20Hz is quite low and will force a long settling time if analog solutions based on frequency, like a phase frequency detector, are used. Anything that averages over several periods to measure frequency will take a while to settle at 20Hz.
So it would be more accurate to measure period instead of frequency. The maximum frequency of 20kHz is also quite low, which means this doesn't need any fast circuit.
The simplest way would be to use a micro with both signals going into the capture input of two timer/counter units. This can be used to measure the period accurately, then the micro can compare and output the desired value.
It would probably be possible to use a period to frequency converter, but the low frequency risks making the passive component values a bit impractical.

A: Here is another circuit using "only" digital circuits ... to be checked at all frequencies.
The idea is to convert the "period" to a voltage.
Thus I draw a digital circuit that could be used.
Something as this.

Configuration of swapped frequencies ...


currently: Film Photography Professor, Curator.
previously: RISD, Peters Valley School of Craft.
I'm constantly humbled by the deceivingly simple perfection of a feather or a seed. Balance and symmetry are often the rules nature adheres to, and the interconnected, cyclical quality of life is apparent in even the most commonplace objects scattered under our noses. In much of my work, I carefully incorporate treasures collected from my wanderings, attempting to let them articulate themselves. Occasionally, they reveal hidden, deeper meanings. I strongly believe that every piece of our world, no matter how small, has an important role to play, and a strong message to be heard if we are willing to listen.


These Solo Perfromance Mach Shorty Balanced and Unbalanced Exhaust Kits will get your Pontiac G8 GT racing down the road with a sound you could never get tired of!
This Solo Performance Mach Shorty kit for your G8 GT is guaranteed to make it sound like a drag monster! If you are a car enthusiast looking for a loud and mean sound without all the annoying drone inside of the cabin then look no further. This exhaust kit is made for a huge exhaust note that can be heard for miles but is nice and quiet from the driver's seat. And the removable J-Pipes cancel out all unwanted high frequencies and other spots in the sound that can cause buzzing or drone. This system comes with a beautiful, staggered stainless steel tip setup that will keep heads turning as you rumble down the street.
The sound at idle is ground shakingly low and lopey just like an American muscle car is supposed to sound. And when you get on it, the exhaust note immediately brings a smile to your face from the low, yet shouty, roar controlled by your right foot. The unbalanced model of this exhaust kit is even louder if you're seeking a HUGE sound. So if you're looking for an exhaust system for your G8 GT and don't mind having it sound like a V8 street demon, contact ModBargains for an order before these Solo Performance axle back kits are all out!
The balanced Mach Shorty exhaust provides a much more refined, but still loud, sound out of your Pontiac G8 GT. As for the unbalanced model, you get much more eardrum shattering sound, but you sacrifice a little bit of quality for that loudness. Both systems are amazing but probably for a different exhaust note seeker. For people who want that raw and untamed sound and don't care about a little bit of noise in the cabin, there is the unbalanced Mach Shorty. But for a person who still wants a mean sounding street machine that doesn't have as much drone and wants to have a normal conversation in their car on the freeway, then the balanced Mach Shorty is the way to go.
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Obama Orders Reduction In Government's Greenhouse Gas Emissions : The Two-Way He directed the federal government to cut emissions by 40 percent within the next decade and to increase its use of renewable energy sources to 30 percent of total consumption.
Obama Orders Reduction In Government's Greenhouse Gas Emissions
March 19, 20152:28 PM ET
President Obama on Thursday signs an executive order directing the federal government to cut greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade. Jacquelyn Martin/AP hide caption
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
President Obama on Thursday signs an executive order directing the federal government to cut greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade.
President Obama signed an executive order at the White House on Thursday directing the federal government to cut its emissions of greenhouse gases by 40 percent from 2008 levels within the next decade and to increase its use of renewable energy sources to 30 percent of total consumption.
"These are ambitious goals, but we know they're achievable goals," Obama said at the Energy Department, which he visited after signing the executive order at the White House.
NPR's Scott Horsley, who's reporting on the story, tells our Newscast unit that solar and wind energy are still a tiny slice of the nation's overall energy pie, but that Obama says they are growing rapidly.
It's unclear how the U.S. plans to meet its goals.
Major corporations such as GE and Northrup Grumman that contract with the federal government also announced plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions. IBM said it would cut CO2 emissions 35 percent by 2020 and buy energy from renewable sources for 20 percent of its needs.
The Associated Press adds:
"All told, the government pollution cuts along with industry contributions will have the effect of keeping 26 million metric tons of greenhouse gases out of the air by 2025, or the equivalent of what about 5.5 million cars would pump out through their tailpipes in an average year, the White House said. Yet it was unclear exactly how either the government or private companies planned to meet those targets."
With Thursday's decision, Obama hopes to persuade the world's major greenhouse gas emitters to follow in U.S. footsteps.


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Improvements in tech will safeguard UAE's nuclear future officials claim
UAE industry officials say safety is a top priority at the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, but confidence must be built.
Dr Mohamed Chookah and Barbara Thomas talk during the Middle East Nuclear Power Briefing in Abu Dhabi. Delores Johnson / The National
ABU DHABI // While countries such as Germany and Italy have chosen to pull back from nuclear power, the Middle East is taking the lead in adopting nuclear energy as one of its future sources of power.
But officials said on Tuesday that advancements in new technologies were needed to build public confidence in the industry and its safety.
"Safety is our overriding priority at the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, in every aspect of our life," said Dr Mohamed Chookah, Enec's director of regulatory affairs and health and safety.
"Coming from the oil and gas sector to nuclear was a big transformation. Safety is half the picture in oil and gas while in nuclear, you have to understand the full picture," he said.
"I am sure our new generation will do even better than us and excel in safety."
According to the World Nuclear Association, there are 437 reactors in operation at the moment. Since the nuclear accident in Fukushima in 2011, Japan closed all its 50-plus reactors with only Sendai, in August this year, back online.
"There are more reactors under construction and several others planned," said Lady Barbara Judge, former head of the UK Atomic Energy Agency and member of the international advisory board for the development of nuclear energy in the UAE.
"But the most interesting action is what is happening right here in the Middle East. The land of oil is where a lot of reactor action is starting.
"Notwithstanding the fact that there was much oil here, Abu Dhabi decided it would be a regional energy hub."
She commended the UAE's nuclear programme, adding that more than 20 per cent of the industry's personnel was made up of women.
"It is the most enlightened programme in the world," she said. "The interesting thing to me is that, not just Abu Dhabi started, but Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and maybe Iran are starting and the action started right here in Abu Dhabi."
With 7,500 dedicated safety training sessions since the beginning of the programme attended by 250,000 people, Dr Chookah said Enec would need about 2,500 highly trained personnel, including operators, engineers, technicians and support staff to take responsibility for the safe operation of the Barakah plant by 2020.
"Developing the next generation of nuclear energy leaders is one of our most important priorities," he said.
"Emiratis are leading with the support of expatriates and, in a few years, they will be able to lead and run it safely.
"We also have more than 1,400 employees today and about 400 students enrolled in the best academic and professional institutions to prepare to operate our plants under the highest standards of safety and quality."
But more needed to be done to convince the public.
"The International Atomic Energy Agency tells us that nuclear will comprise about 21 per cent of the power mix by about 2040," said Nobuo Tanaka, president of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and former IAEA executive director.
"But there are advanced technologies that can give a lot more confidence to the public and the future of the international framework for safety should accommodate these new technologies.
"Energy security must be considered as a formal focus of the future to solve long-term issues."
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After the relative confinement of home and high school, college offers the first sip of freedom—and to many, it tastes a lot like Fireball.
Booze doesn't exactly drip from the faucets of frat houses and campus-adjacent apartments, but sometimes, it might as well. Alcohol forms the center of many students' social lives. And binge drinking—usually defined as more than four drinks for women and five for men, within two hours—is far more common in college than most anywhere else. In one recent survey, two-thirds of students admitted to such a bender in the previous month.
In that setting, it isn't always easy to tell when a friend's behavior has crossed the line from standard experimentation to something darker. "College drinking has been a problem for a long time, and the norms that are set about what is normal drinking can be skewed," says Ralph Castro, director of the Office of Alcohol Policy & Education at Stanford University.
Of course, binge drinking and other forms of overconsumption can have serious consequences, from bad grades to accidents and injuries to death. So how can you spot people who are in over their heads—and if you're worried, what exactly can you do about it?
What are the signs my friend has a drinking problem?
Sheer quantity. The government defines "low-risk" drinking as no more than four alcoholic beverages on any single day or 14 per week for men, and three daily or seven weekly for women. If your buddy's regularly knocking back the weekly allotment in one day or one weekend, that's obviously problematic, says clinical psychologist Kevin Gilliland, executive director of outpatient counseling service Innovation 360 and adjunct instructor for counseling at Southern Methodist University.
Big changes. A shift from previous habits can also be a red flag for loss of control. Someone who once threw back a few every weekend night but is now partying during the week too, or who begins to pregame alone hours before everyone else meets up, could be headed down a dangerous path.
Inappropriate circumstances. A few beers at a football game or a house party? Probably within the bounds of normal. A few beers at every 10 am study hall or while alone in a dorm room? A little more concerning. When people can't adjust their consumption based on the setting, it's cause for alarm, Gilliland says.
Unexplained sloppiness. You may see your friend's health and lifestyle decline in other ways, says licensed drug and alcohol counselor Amy Sedgwick, director of clinical operations at Mountainside Treatment Center in Canaan, Connecticut. He or she may stop eating or sleeping well, withdraw, or skimp on hygiene. Relationships with family, other friends, and significant others may grow tense (you might start overhearing angry phone calls, Gilliland says).
Losing time. Getting black out might not be uncommon in college, but it's definitely high-risk. Related and alarming: If your buddy doesn't remember what happened later or behaves radically differently when drunk, such as picking fights when he or she never would sober, Gilliland says.
When should I talk to my friend about their drinking?
How can a caring friend bring up a potential problem? First, know you're not alone if it seems scary or overwhelming. "I'm a clinical psychologist by training, I've been doing this for almost 30 years, and I still hate talking with friends I'm really close to that I think may have a problem with drinking," Gilliland says.
Clarify your goals. Before you utter a word, adjust your own mindset. You're not lecturing, preaching, or confronting, you're merely starting a conversation. Reconcile yourself with the fact that your friend may not want to talk about it, Gilliland says. But even if you get shut down, you may still have planted a seed that encourages someone to seek help later.
Time it right. Choose a moment that's quiet and you aren't likely to be interrupted—and by all means, don't do it while or after you've been drinking. "Have this conversation when they are sober so that they are clear-headed and able to truly take in what you are saying," Sedgwick says.
Focus on changes. "I" statements are a bit of a therapy cliche by this point—that's because they work to defuse defensive reactions. "Instead of saying, 'You're drinking too much, you have a problem, you're doing this, it's more like: 'I'm concerned about what I'm seeing, I'm worried about what happened the other night," Castro says.
Cite the facts. The more objective evidence you can offer, the better. You drank too much, got behind the wheel, and wrecked your car—your friend can't argue with that, Gilliland says. You can also bring up the number of drinks considered "normal" or low-risk, a fact that often shocks even people who don't have an issue with alcohol.
Get reinforcements. Teaming up for an intervention doesn't usually work in a college setting—for one thing, you're trying to address problems early rather than after years of substance abuse. If you and another member of your social circle share the same concerns, have two separate chats with the person in question. "Individual conversations collectively have a bigger impact," Castro says.
provide strategies for recognizing a problem, getting help, or cutting back on drinking. ("It isn't always all or nothing," Gilliland says.) If your friend expresses a desire to get help, you can assist by providing suggestions, such as an alcohol and drug office like Castro's on your campus, the counseling center, or a residence director.
Call for backup (in extreme circumstances). The message may take a while to sink in, so allow time before you follow up. But safety should be your top priority—if your friend's drinking is putting them or others in imminent danger, contact a trusted authority, be it a professor, resident assistant, or campus physician.
If repeated conversations don't change anything, you can consider reaching out to parents or other family members. "That is obviously a big card to play," Gilliland says, and probably one you want to pull only if several friend agree it's the best move. "You may lose that friendship over it, which speaks to the seriousness." But often, he's seen, it's the thing that allows a person who really needs help to get it.