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A cottage reborn: Parmelia Street
Project | Rachael Bernstone
A sensitive reworking of a traditional cottage has transformed not only the house but also its owners, who initially felt indifferent about the prospect of renovating.
The double-storey addition reinterprets the form of the heritage cottage to become its "bigger sibling."
Image: Bo Wong
After she had lived in her renovated house for several months, homeowner and client Gillian sat down to write a list for her architect. She was somewhat surprised at how easy she found it to compile more than thirty-five bullet points to describe the joy she and her husband, Richard, experience in their new home. But no-one was more surprised than their architect, Philip Stejskal of Philip Stejskal Architecture. "It was quite unusual to receive such a list," Philip says. "It's the first time that we've had client feedback documented so formally."
The couple had bought the house – a picture-book corner cottage in South Fremantle, Western Australia – for Richard's mother in 1990, when she moved to Australia. She lived there for twenty-six years before she passed away. At that point, Richard and Gillian carried out a cosmetic overhaul, repainting inside and out and removing the carpets for polished timber floors before renting out the tiny house for four years.
More recently, the couple undertook a more substantial renovation – they wanted to enlarge and update the home without sacrificing any of its charm or their precious family memories. "We hadn't planned to build a house at this stage in our lives, but because we had this lovely cottage, and we knew how this great corner block worked with the weather, it made sense," Gillian says. "Before we started this project, I wasn't interested in building, or houses, or the things in them." But while they began the renovation somewhat reluctantly, they couldn't be happier with the outcome.
The black-and-white interior is softened by sculptural grey curtains and the muted colours of the outdoor shutters.
On the advice of friends, Gillian and Richard had engaged an architect and builders. They found an easy rapport with local architect Philip Stejskal and gave him a short wishlist: "I wanted a plumbed-in dishwasher, because for twenty-five years I'd wheeled one across the kitchen floor every night; a garage, because I'd never had one; and a pitched roof, because we had one of those [on our existing home] and I liked the sense of space," Gillian says. "And I wanted it to feel like a beach house, with white weatherboards and a bougainvillea growing up over it."
The first scheme that Philip presented had a flat roof and was quickly dismissed by the couple, but his second response nailed the brief. Opting to keep the cottage's two original rooms, Philip removed several lean-tos, creating space for three pavilions at the rear. One contains the main suite, the second includes a bedroom, family bathroom and laundry, and the third is the new double garage, accessed via the side street.
Philip arranged the new forms around three courtyards on the diminutive block, two at the northern side of the house and one to the south. These now function as a productive fruit and vegie garden, a gathering space and a utility court with a washing line and an outdoor shower.
The two rear pavilions are topped with a first-floor "great room," accessed via a whitewashed timber staircase in the relocated main entrance. The rooms downstairs, which are accessed via a traditional hallway, echo the compressed dimensions of the original dwelling, although they boast more natural light and garden outlooks. These spaces give little hint of the surprise that awaits upstairs: a single room containing kitchen, dining and living areas has openings on four sides that offer district views in every direction. The pitched roof gives this space its own character while tying it back to the front cottage, now viewed as the "little sibling" on this site, Philip says.
The main living space has openings on all four sides that offer plentiful light and district views in each direction.
"The front cottage has no eaves, which doesn't fare well in this climate. To use the archetypal pitched-roof for the extension, and rather than introducing eaves, we thickened up the walls of the first floor and placed windows into deep reveals, except to the north where we've installed attached horizontal sun shades," he explains.
The use of black accents to define the openings and the structural ring beam imparts a sense of solidity and containment to this elevated space. The black-and-white interior is softened by sculptural grey curtains and a palette of muted colours on the outdoor shutters, derived from a photo taken by Philip at nearby South Beach on a squally winter's day. The shutters can be closed against afternoon sun or storms, or opened up to direct breezes through the space.
The project has helped to establish Gillian and Richard in their new neighbourhood and opened their eyes to the rewards of renovating. "From the kitchen sink, I can see people walking, bicycling or driving past," Gillian says. "If I'm out the front gardening, people often stop to ask about the house. They are fascinated that we've owned the block since 1990, and that we didn't want the renovation to be a huge change."
Although Gillian initially had little interest in renovating, she now appreciates the process. "After we moved in, when I saw the different shadows, the ways the light worked and the lightness in the rooms, I couldn't believe it," she says.
Every couple of weeks, as Gillian observes changes in the seasons or the surroundings, she sends Philip another message. Sometimes she includes photos – of kookaburras in the Norfolk pine at breakfast time, or the sunrise from the kitchen window – with a brief note of appreciation. For Philip and his team, these messages serve as a welcome reminder that architecture has the capacity to deliver an evolving series of unexpected delights.
Products and materials
Revolution Roofing True Oak Super 5 corrugated roofing.
James Hardie HardiePlank weatherboard, painted.
Internal walls
CSR Gyprock plasterboard, painted.
Maddington Glass and Aluminium windows, powdercoated; Leslie's curtains and blinds.
Gunnersen structural-grade plywood floors in Porter's Paints Wood Wash.
Maximum Datauni large-format tile benchtop in matt 'Ice'; lacquered cabinetry fronts.
Daikin ducted airconditioning from ACSIS Airconditioning Warehouse.
External elements
Brickmakers concrete pavers, washed and trowelled.
Philip Stejskal Architecture
Fremantle, WA, Australia
Builder Texo Constructions
Engineer Yenem Engineering Services
Landscape architect Owner
Location Perth, Vic, Australia
Site type Suburban
Site area 274 m2
Building area 215 m2
Category Residential buildings
Type Alts and adds, Houses, Residential
Published online: 28 Mar 2018
Words: Rachael Bernstone
Images: Bo Wong
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Glamorous and gritty: Prince Dining Room
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The shutters can be closed against afternoon sun or storms, or opened up to direct breezes through the space.
A pitched roof gives the new space its own character, while also referencing the form of the original cottage. Artwork: Ron Nyisztor.
Plans of Parmelia Street by Philip Stejskal Architecture.


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Diversity Reading Challenge
Immigration Stories We Need to Hear: America Deconstructed by Chaithanya Sohan and Shaima Adin
America Deconstructed by
Chaithanya Sohan and Shaima Adin
Here's a collection of immigration stories. Stories so timely and eye opening to their struggles.
Naseer was nine years old when he escaped Taliban and fled Afghanistan with his mom and siblings… "There are some people who are coming to take me away", chronicles the resilience of a nine year old boy as he traveled from Afghanistan to America in his quest for the American dream. "I saw a ripe mango I'd like to pluck" showcases the love story of Chidiebere and Ifeyinwa, which begins in rustic Nigeria and culminates into a life in America.
Their journey chronicles their struggles with language, culture and being African in America. In the story " Kosovo, really…cool", Lisian takes us through his journey to America and often being asked his identity in spite of being white. In the story "I am exotic, mocha, P-diddy", Parag describes his journey from a young sixth grader who hid his attraction to boys in conservative India to embracing his sexuality in America.
America Deconstructed follows the journeys of sixteen immigrants who have left their home countries in search of the American dream. The stories combine humor and emotions as the protagonists maneuver cultural differences, accents and uncomfortable situations while feeling a sense of belonging in America.
This moving collection counts as part of the Diversity Reading Challenge.
AfghanistanchildrenescapeFlee!immigrantimmigrationIndiaKosovoLGBTQNigeriaTaliban
Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
The 12 Books of #Diversity for the Holidays DAY 5 – Beautiful by Stacy McNaulty, Joanne Lew-Vriethoff
The Curse of the Bridal Chamber by @YeahHunter is My JAM!!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


One of the sweetest part of my job, writing about beautiful scents.
"& Other Stories is challenging to create. Women from their own style A fragrance is thereby one of the most personal choices. You can tell it in a magical way who you are. The series eaux de toilette is a logical addition to our product range. "
The new fragrances by & Other Stories are from October 30, 2014 available in stores & Other Stories for € 30.


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The Success Equation Book Review: Is the Skill Paradox a Myth in Investing? We Think So
Image: The game of baseball has changed during the past 100 years. While many point to a declining standard deviation and coefficient of variation in batting averages for evidence of a paradox of skill in baseball, it's more likely the game has changed. Players are hitting more homeruns, sacrificing batting average as a result. Note the red part of the line is when the game of baseball expanded to the current number of 30 teams. Data from the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season omitted. Source: Baseball Almanac. There's a lot of informational value in reading The Success Equation (and everyone should pick up a copy), but please be careful to come to your own conclusion. From where we stand, there is not a paradox of skill in investing (or baseball, for that matter). The games have simply changed based on new incentives. Some wise person may have written this before: Be careful not in what you read, but rather in the conclusions you draw from your reading. We wish Mauboussin could re-write The Success Equation considering some of the thoughts in this article. Maybe he will!
Analyzing Valuentum's Economic Castle Index: A Walk Forward Case Study
There are two things generally wrong with a pure economic moat assessment, or economic "moat factor." First, it is much easier to assess outsize economic returns in the near-term than it is to assess outsize economic returns over the long haul. Quite simply, nobody can predict what will happen tomorrow, and they certainly don't know what will happen 20 or 30 years from now. Second, a rational investor should generally prefer expected near-term outsize economic returns than expected long-term ones given the uncertainty of the latter--somewhat related to our first point, a bird in the hand (or large economic returns in the near term) is worth two in the bush (or large economic returns in the long run that may not materialize). The time value of money reinforces this notion. Near-term economic returns are generally worth more than long-term ones in real terms, even if they may be smaller nominally. This is where our Economic Castle rating comes in. The goal of the Economic Castle rating is to identify those companies that are likely to generate a lot (or not so much) shareholder value over the foreseeable future. Instead of pondering a guess as to how the landscape will look 20 or 30 years from now, something not even the Oracle of Omaha can do with any sort of certainty (e.g. IBM, KHC), the Economic Castle rating ranks companies based on near-term expected economic returns, or returns that are more likely to be realized as opposed to those that may be built on "castles in the air" over 20-30 time horizons. By evaluating companies on the basis of the spread between their forecasted future return on invested capital ('ROIC') excluding goodwill less their estimated weighted-average cost of capital ('WACC'), we measure a company's ability to generate an "economic profit" over the foreseeable future, which we define as the next five fiscal years. Companies that generate a forecasted spread of 50 percentage points or more are given a "Very Attractive" Economic Castle rating and firms that are forecasted to generate a spread of 150 percentage points or higher are considered "Highest-Rated". Firms that carry an Unattractive Economic Castle rating are those that are forecasted to generate a forward ROIC (ex-goodwill) less estimated WACC spread that's meaningfully below zero (firms near economic parity can receive a Neutral Economic Castle rating, assigned by the Valuentum team).
I Don't Know How Lucky I Am, Do You?
Image: The category of large cap growth (SCHG) has outperformed a 60/40 stock/bond rebalanced portfolio (VBIAX) by ~310 percentage points the past 10 years. Image Source: Morningstar."Sometimes, I get beat up over a stock idea not outperforming or the simulated newsletter portfolios hitting a rough patch, and it's hard to stomach. Sometimes, I sit in frustration because I know how others are "playing the game," and how lucky I am to be a stock picker. Quite simply, if you've been picking stocks the past 10 years and didn't fall into the quant value trap of small cap value, it's very likely you've hit the ball out of the park relative to what you might have ended up with had you gone with a sophisticated asset allocation model with management fees. I hope you can see how lucky you are, too. Thank you so much for being here. Stocks for the long haul!" -- Valuentum's President, Brian Nelson, CFA
Quants and High-Frequency Trading the Real Cause of the GameStop Frenzy?
Image: The cause of the GameStop trading frenzy remains largely unclassified as it appears to us that quant and high-frequency trading played a much bigger role in the market disruption than what is being reported. We think the SEC staff put out a fantastic "GameStop Report" with some excellent information. However, the report did not get to the crux of the matter, failing to disclose what actually caused the extreme market volatility in meme stocks, while glossing over the substantial increase in institutional accounts, likely belonging to quant/trend/momentum funds, that contributed to the trading frenzy this year. We think investors and market participants deserve to know more about what caused this threat to market integrity and structure as the continued proliferation of which may only grow larger and larger in the coming decades. If it was quant trading, then we encourage the SEC to take steps to ensure that such trading is curbed effectively as it is clear that such price-agnostic activity is not contributing to market efficiency.
The Investment Case for More Gender Diversity
Image: The Impact Shares' YWCA Women's Empowerment ETF (WOMN) has trounced the S&P 500 since inception, while the SPDR SSGA Gender Diversity Index ETF (SHE) has bested the quantitatively-hailed small cap value ETF over the same time period. There has been a plethora of research over the years regarding the value of diversity on teams, in corporate boardrooms, and across asset management. One of the forms of diversity is gender diversity. It has been documented that diverse teams create more innovative ideas and creativity, which can serve as quite an advantage in industries where margins are slim, or there are few barriers to entry. While a 2019 study summarized in the Harvard Business Review indicated that the value of gender diversity is highly context-dependent and tends to have the greatest benefit where it is already valued, the corporate environment, and arguably the stock market, itself, are a few of those areas where value has been demonstrated.
Normalizing our Fair Value Estimates for the Money Center Banks
Image Source: Mike Cohen. During the past few weeks, positive news surrounding the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines means that, while times will still be tough for banks as bad loans pile up, losses and defaults perhaps won't be as bad as we had originally predicted at the onset of the outbreak of COVID-19. The unemployment rate has steadily crept lower from the 14.7% rate it hit in April 2020 (it stands at 6.9% as of October), and businesses have been battling hard through the worst of times with help from the Paycheck Protection Program, among other stimulus efforts. There have still been many business failures, however. Several banks' net interest margins have faced pressure, too, but 30-year rates have managed to ease a bit higher from the sub-1% mark on March 9, 2020, to 1.62% at the time of this writing (November 18). The widely-watched 10-year/3-month Treasury yield spread has also advanced to 79 basis points, representing a meaningful improvement from most of February and early March when the 10-year/3-month Treasury yield spread was negative. The probability of an adverse tail-event is also substantially reduced (if not, eliminated), given the laser-focus of the Fed/Treasury to do whatever it takes to get to the other side the COVID-19 crisis. With all of this in mind, we expect to raise our fair value estimates for the money center banks upon their next update, effective November 21. That said, we're not changing our general views on the banking and financials sector. Banks are being used more and more these days as extensions of government fiscal intervention/policy via myriad stimulus programs (which makes them more like "utilities"), while regulatory oversight has put a limit on just how much capital they can return to shareholders. This adds a degree of unnecessary complexity for dividend growth and income investors. Returns on equity remain relatively unattractive for many banks when compared to some of the strongest Economic Castles on the market that put up ROICs north of 100%, for example, some even higher. Systemic risk remains present, too, with most lending books opaque and intertwined within a global financial system that remains far from healthy due to COVID-19.
June Dividend Growth Newsletter & Intrinsic Value Investing
"But how, you will ask, does one decide what [stocks are] "attractive"? Most analysts feel they must choose between two approaches customarily thought to be in opposition: "value" and "growth,"...We view that as fuzzy thinking...Growth is always a component of value [and] the very term "value investing" is redundant." -- Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway annual report, 1992
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Monday 17 November: Graham Cox (Conservative). Four mile circular walk, starting by the West Blatchington Windmill, off Hangleton Road, at 10.00am. Walk via Three Cornered Copse to the top of Dyke Road Avenue, on to the Downs and back via Hangleton.
Those members who participated in the MPs' walks last year will know how useful and enjoyable these parliamentary encounters can be. So please make a note of these walks in your diaries. This is your chance to size up your next MP. Please note: these walks are open to all BAHR members, not just those living in the Hove and Portslade constituency. Come along and support the Ramblers' 'Manifesto for a Walking Britain'.


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Q: How to access EJBs in integration tests with Maven and Embedded Glassfish? I'm doing integration tests in my app using maven-embedded-glassfish-plugin. Tests work well, except the ones where I'm trying to access EJBs using JDNI. How to access my EJBs?
EDIT
I managed to get a bit closer (I think so, anyway) to success. Now I get following error:
xxx.xxx.ejb.__EJB31_Generated__ItemDatabase__Intf____Bean__ cannot be cast to xxx.xxx.ejb.ItemDatabase

using InitialContext.lookup(). When I try to lookup some not existing class I get "Lookup failed" error, so clearly something is found, but it's somehow incompatible with original EJB class...

A: please feed us some more if you want proper help. E.g, are you accessing a remote or local EJB? What's the JNDI lookup string?
To my experience, there are 2 ways of running integration tests over a Glassfish embedded server.

*

*pragmatically create and launch a server

*

*pros: minimal maven configuration, full control over the folder to deploy.

*cons: you are stuck with only an EJB container. No JMS, nor web nor WS.

*run a server from the maven plugin

*

*pros: full server running

*cons: I still cannot access EJB through initial context, connection is refused. I'm asking a question in a separate thread about this.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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TheSaturdaySyndicate.com A forum for discussion on politics, foreign policy, and economics.
The Petraeus' Doctrine: A Better Way to Win
2011.09.15	by Orlando Saiz 12 Comments
Noted for being effective in the search for solutions to the deep and complex issues which plague Iraq and Afghanistan, the Petraeus Doctrine has offered a new approach to fighting terrorism and dangerous insurgent armies. Perplexed by two grueling battles that have lasted longer than expected, what U.S. General David Petraeus hoped to discover in his thorough revision of the army/marine operational combat counterinsurgency manual was a better way to deal with the difficulties of "irregular warfare" and rogue terrorism (Robinson, 78) (Ricks, 24).
As successes in the War on Terror have become increasingly associated with Gen. Petraeus, people may have forgotten the previous military stance on combat. To provide a contrast between the two, Boston University professor Andrew Bacevich notes the difference between the Powell and Petraeus strategies:
In the 1990's the Powell Doctrine, with its emphasis on overwhelming force, assumed that future American wars would be brief, decisive, and infrequent. According to the emerging Petraeus Doctrine, the Army (like it or not) is entering an era in which armed conflict will be protracted, ambiguous, and continuous—with the application of force becoming a lesser part of the soldier's repertoire (Bacevich, 2008).
Before Petraeus stepped in, the U.S. approach to dealing with the situation in Iraq was ineffective, to the extent that U.S. and Coalition forces were, in some ways, doing more harm than good. Kagan and Kagan describe:
U.S. military operations tended to be reactive rather than proactive, episodic rather than sustained. The insufficiently trained and equipped ISF [Iraqi Security Forces] had been pushed prematurely into the fight and, rather than conducting counterinsurgency operations, relied on ineffective checkpoints. As a result, security ebbed and flowed through neighborhoods and towns but was rarely lasting, and the presence of Coalition forces provided little sense of security for Iraqi civilians (Kagan and Kagan, 2008)
Under the previous administration, or during the Powell era, U.S. operational forces were known for being aggressive and overly confident. What the basis of the Powell Doctrine expressed was "that the country should not go to war unless vital national interests are threatened, and then the use of force must be overwhelming and accompanied by manifest public support and a clear exit strategy. If such conditions were rigorously applied, military force might never again be employed" (Robinson, 57).
With the prolonged effort in Iraq, the U.S. military needed to find a new direction and formulate a different plan which was facilitated by General Petraeus. Petraeus' broad and multi-faceted plan was meant to fill in where Powell, and others, left off. Rather than just relying on brute force, part of Petraeus' plan was to befriend the locals, to open up lines of communication and to initiate cultural exchange (Robinson, 71). This would help army intelligence to secure valuable information about the enemy, while helping to change the stigma that U.S. and Coalition forces were overbearing and culturally insensitive (Ricks, 25). In effect, it became Petraeus' mission to not only change the way the army operated, but to change the way it thought about war (Ricks, 27).
To briefly summarize Petraeus' operational plan, he hoped to first establish a sense of security in Iraq, then to help rebuild, not to restructure, and in the long-run, to foster an environment of political stability and economic self-sufficiency. This is essentially a diplomatic approach, which is focused on attacking the root of deep social issues, in this view, the only true way to build stability and make forward progress. Petraeus also wanted to help win over the locals in Iraq and then in Afghanistan and facilitate the establishment of local governance (Ricks, 369). These goals were suffering as a result of the Sunni mistrust and rejection of U.S. and Coalition efforts to implant a new, democratically elected government (Robinson, 80).
In addition to strong diplomatic involvement, Petraeus leaned heavily on his knowledge of military history and the wisdom of great military leaders of the past. The son of a Dutch war captain and a librarian, Petraeus was drawn to the military and a good education by both his parents (Robinson, 50). Petraeus studied first at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York, completed officer training and army Ranger School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and later earned his master's and Ph.D. from Princeton University in New Jersey (Robinson, 54, 57). Petraeus is an over-achiever who consistently excelled in his studies and as an officer trainee. He works out daily with 5-10 mile runs (Robinson, 67) and is devoted to learning. In numerous respects, Petraeus is a model leader.
The primary professional contribution of Petraeus during his career as a U.S. military general is a new model for counterinsurgency (COIN), which is less focused on the aggressive use of force. By going beyond convention to advance freedom and democracy, Petraeus has fought through the difficult situations which have presented themselves in both Iraq and Afghanistan despite the slow progress and enormity of the task of combating worldwide terrorist threats. The contributions that Petraeus has made toward a new COIN approach have been helpful in a way that seems to have made U.S. soldiers more sensible and adept at dealing with the complexity of irregular warfare.
In sum, the Petraeus approach appears to be a logical progression ahead—that is, it is proving to be a better way to win in a world where dangerous insurgencies and rogue terrorism, rather than large-scale symmetric warfare, are fast becoming the norm. The Petraeus Doctrine has also been helpful to rebuild societies and spread positive change within the communities in which the US is involved. In the end, Petraeus' effective alternative to counterinsurgency combat will contribute to gains in foreign policy, while helping to improve the reputation of the U.S. military at home and abroad.
Bacevich, Andrew J. "The Petraeus Doctrine." The Atlantic Online, http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/10/the-petraeus-doctrine/6964/, Oct. 2008. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.
Kagan, Frederick and Kimberly Kagan. "The Patton of Counterinsurgency," The Weekly Standard, http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/014/822vfpsz.asp, 10 Mar. 2008, Vol. 13, No. 25. Web. 22 Aug. 2011.
Ricks, Thomas E. The Gamble. The Penguin Press: New York, 2009.
Robinson, Linda. Tell Me How This Ends. Public Affairs: New York, 2008.
Foreign Policy, Terrorism, United States
Counter-Terrorism, Foreign Policy, Military, Terrorism, United States
About Orlando Saiz
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12 Responses to "The Petraeus' Doctrine: A Better Way to Win"
Orlando Saiz Reply 2011.09.17 at 17:30
Afterword By Orlando Saiz
At present, Petraeus, now retired from his post and service to the U.S. military, hopes that his multifaceted counterinsurgency plan will continue to stay the course. Due to budget cuts and the current administration's idea to shift away from the costly and elaborate (diplomatic, rebuilding, facilitating strong governance) counterinsurgency plan, to a more covert (less troop-intensive) intelligence based plan, a new war strategy is already in the works (Bumiller 2011). Realizing that his best plan might be abandoned, Petraeus worries that exchanging a quick results oriented plan, for a more secure and tested plan like his, might not be the best option for producing long-term stability within the region.
While this new war strategy appears clever and a less cumbersome way out, by abandoning Petraeus' comprehensive and elaborate COIN strategy, and pulling troops out of Afghanistan too soon, this might leave the world less secure and therefore more vulnerable to terrorist attacks. At the same time, the U.S. is concerned that, as was the case in Vietnam, these long and drawn out conflicts—in Iraq and Afghanistan—will continue to damage its international reputation. Nevertheless, it is in my opinion that the job must be done right and completed in a way that leaves both Iraq and Afghanistan as stable as possible.
Finally, there are many who believe that since Osama Bin Laden has been assassinated, and because progress is being made in both Iraq and Afghanistan, the war against terror has been won. One expert from Stanford's Hoover Institution explains how "It is this specter of the lone fanatic or small group armed with the world's most devastating weapons that keeps experts up at night" (Zegart 2011). Zegart makes some key points, many of which I would have to agree with, in her article, "Al Qaeda is Down, Not Out," which basically states that claiming a defeat against al Qaeda is much too premature and that rogue terrorism will continue to be a major issue at home and abroad (Zegart 2011).
Bumiller, Elisabeth. "Petraeus Retires, With a Warning," The New York Times, http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/31/petraeus-retires-with-a-warning/, 31 Aug. 2011. Web. 02 Sept. 2011.
Zegart, Amy. "Al Qaeda is Down, Not Out," The Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-zegart-alqaeda-20110907,0,1792588.story, 07 Sept. 2011. Web. 07 Sept. 2011.
Sophie Reply 2011.09.20 at 10:42
Barry A. Saturday Reply 2011.10.09 at 19:04
Sophie, on behalf of all of us at The Saturday Syndicate, thanks for reading!
randi buros Reply 2011.12.31 at 01:32
Well written article, but a few thoughts.
Minor point, but Ranger school isn't at Ft Leavenworth.
After that, there is nothing new about the Petraeus doctrine. It is in fact called neo-classical COIN theory which is classical COIN (Greece through Rhodesia) with the addition of weaponized cultural awareness based mostly on lessons learned by the Brits during the time of "The Troubles".
Read Galula and McCuen and you'll almost find FM 3-24 a quick (yet comprehensive) review.
The next version of COIN doctrine is being driven by the Globalist school headlined by Kilcullen who sees FM 3-24 as myopic because Al Qaeda is actually a global insurgency which should be disconnected at the major nodes. Compare this with Galula who says counterrevolutionary warfare is internal and local.
Excellent comment Randi. That's exactly the type of value I hope my readers can add to the site. With regard to the relative "newness" of the Petraeus Doctrine, unless I'm mistaken, Orlando was primarily conveying the idea that this was new in a modern political context and also as a change away from the Powell Doctrine's overwhelming force mindset, rather than as a completely new concept in the military sphere or particularly within the historical subset of COIN strategies. You're absolutely right that Ranger School is not in Fort Leavenworth, though it does house a number of advanced warfare tactics courses, so perhaps the author referenced was discussing a portion of the training he received. Ranger School proper is located in Fort Benning, Georgia, USA. Feel free to add your thoughts to other articles on the site and thanks for reading!
Thanks for the input Randi,
I think I might have mistakenly lumped together General Petraeus' officer training program with his training as an army ranger at Fort Leavenworth. My references for this information came from Linda Robinson and Thomas Ricks excellent accounts of Petraeus' career as an army general. See references above for more information. Thanks for reading and contributing to the Saturday Sydnicate.
GEN Powell, as a Vietnam veteran understands counterinsurgency quite well. So well, in fact, that he tried to stay out of them. Every study from Galula on has explicitly confirmed that coin fights last at least a decade–in fact the average length of time for a successful coin fight (by the end of the colonial period) is 14.5 years. Powell seemed to (correctly in my mind) understand that not only would this be extremely expensive in men and material (Galula is perfectly clear on this), but the wear and tear on American soft power would be intense. I think history is probably going to be very nice on him.
I'm not one of those "Iraq just wasn't worth it" because that question can't be answered in the present. It will only appear to be answered when we have to go in somewhere else. If the American public won't stand for it under any circumstances, then we can say it wasn't worth it. If the American public does, then we will be able to say at the very least that it didn't hurt.
I'm a HUGE fan of Ricks, with both The Gamble and Fiasco on my shelves. But when it comes to calling Petraeus "new", I have to point out that his FM 3-24 almost "lifts" from Galula and McCuen word for word.
What I find most important from this exchange, however, is that you have put together an excellent site with thought-provoking dialogue–this article especially. At this rate you should have advertisers in no time.
Thanks Randi,
What is fascinating about Petraeus is that he knows history well, and is a student of War and in understanding which tactics/strategies of the past will work best when applied within the context of today's situations (in Iraq and Afghanistan). His Ph.D. from Princeton and successes in the battlefield have proven that Petraeus is burning his own trail. Also, in going about the revision of the Army counterinsurgency manual, Petraeus was in close contact and collaborated with some of the best experts in the area of counterinsurgency, that were available to him. In the end, what was presented and the strategies that were enacted in Iraq and Afghanistan were, although expensive, required heavy military resources/manpower, and were potentially damaging to the U.S. international reputation, effective in the battle against insurgency fronts within these war-tattered regions. This is without mentioning the overall diplomatic efforts which Petraeus felt would be beneficial to forgo toward the best interests of Iraq and Afghanistan, while carefully seeking to protect the international reputation of the U.S.
Tim O Reply 2012.02.25 at 19:42
Seems funny to call Afghanistan a counterinsurgency prior to 2001. Is that accurate? WE, the U.S., invaded Afghanistan (rightfully so). The problem is that the Afghan population was not conducting an active revolution or counterinsurgency prior to our arrival. The intent of arrival there was to drive out Al Qaeda (accomplished) and destroy a terrorist training ground (accomplished). Much of that was accomplished early on with direct military force and assistance from the Northern Alliance. True, they were a friendly minority, in keeping with COIN principles, but they were far from the minority we needed to win the majority.
As a military member, it's crazy to me how guilty we feel as a country by doing just what we need to do, especially when using the military as our tool. Today's commanders tout the genius of Petraeus and COIN, but who's COIN are we fighting? It's certainly not the Afghan peoples fight. We've spent 10 years trying to "win" the support of the population and the results are foggy at best.
This weeks' protests over the burning of the Quran and the killing of two officers in the Ministry of the Interior highlight the cultural gap that hasn't improved. Given the amount of effort that we've put into rebuilding the country and fighting the resurgence of the Taliban, a bit of reprieve for the Quran (which may have actually been a move to stop extremist messages, not a deliberate vengeful act) wouldn't be too much to ask. But the reaction is predictable because the population will never depart religion to buy our civil society project. We aren't fighting a COIN for the people….we're fighting it for us. We created it by deciding to do more for Afghanistan than we needed too and now we're fighting it.
General Powell may well be "old school" in his belief of overwhelming military force, but he still believes in using the military for military purposes. COIN principles require the military to do far more than they are traditionally trained for. Many aspects require skills that aren't imparted on young 18-24 year old soldiers in training, yet they are the front line of this type of war. Everyone is buying the COIN arguments these days, but does anyone ask why we need to fight a COIN that didn't exist until we created it? I agree with the COIN principles, but I don't think we needed to fight a COIN in Afghanistan….the ethnic majority (which we need to win a COIN) weren't involved in a revolution or inner struggle in any way. We need to get back to using the military for limited military objectives and training them appropriately if they are going to be involved in complicated prolonged state building projects. I've been a part of this COIN wave and we've fundamentally transformed the role of the military. I agree with Randi in the above, Petraeus may be the genius of the last decade of war, but the real genius will be the person that doesn't want to create phantom COIN's or get involved in those that are ongoing (unless necessary for direct national security purposes).
Thanks for your helpful insight, Tim, and the firsthand knowledge of the situation. The main point that I was trying to stress in the article was that after Iraq, and the situation of 9/11, the world has entered into a new era of irregular warfare. Today, the U.S. and its allies are involved in policing terrorism and in the aftermath, trying to prevent these volatile and dismantled regions from being consumed by the chaos of internal corruption and civil violence. In the case of rebuilding and spreading democracy within these regions, this is a tricky game and must be handled with ultimate care. To some extent, the U.S. may be overstepping its boundaries, yet, if it abandons these regions too soon, it leaves the locals in danger of fending for themselves against factions who have demonstrated to be unruly and antagonistic.
In the end, Petraeus' Doctrine was meant to use force when needed, but then to help rebuild in a way that the locals are left strong enough to stand on their own and have a functioning government. I'm sure by the response that you have given, and by the nature of the frustrating and difficult situation in Afghanistan, that counterinsurgency methods, as drawn out by Petraeus, will never be the easiest or most preferred choice. In this respect, it appears that gone are the days when the U.S. was well in control of the battlefield. Our world today has become too complex, while the notion of war and the enemies who we must face remain but a mere blur. In a way, what is being demonstrated in this instance is but one example of the numerous perplexities, or contradictions, which result from a globalized society.
Nonetheless, in our attempts to manage such great issues of the day, we (the U.S.) as an influential leader of the free world, must continue to accept challenges great and small, and go about them in a calculated, yet compassionate way. I can't think of anything more unsettling than the long and drawn out battles that we as a country have been involved in within the past decade or so. In many ways, our country will never recover from the ramifications of these wars. Moreover, I dare not speak on the behalf of anybody who has been through, or is presently experiencing the grim realities of war. Only to say that my thoughts are with you, and that hopefully better solutions are being thought of and planned as we speak.
Orlando, Fantastic response! I hope I didn't come off too hostile as I think I'm simply frustrated by the source of the COIN. I agree with everything you said about the complexities of the environments we face in this day and age. I'm of the opinion that leaving now will incite further corruption and violence in our wake. I do however, have problems with trust. In the aftermath of recent events at the Ministry of the Interior I think it's only going to be more difficult to move forward with total success. I think it's a tough pill to swallow, but we may need to accept that there are places we can only hope to contain vice convert.
On a side note, I stumbled upon this blog looking for information on Norwich. If I have it right, you and the other founders are all graduates. I just began the diplomacy program last week and I'm looking forward to the work. I have to be honest about that last statement….I'm drowning in reading at the moment, as I'm sure you know the feeling all too well. Thanks for the feedback!
Your conversation is much appreciated, Tim, and as far as the complications which continue to escalate as the U.S. goes deeper into this situation with Afghanistan, and previously Iraq, I think that the point you are making is valid. The counterinsurgency plan as Petraeus first planned for was meant to be a sustained effort. With U.S. leadership pulling forces back, however, and limiting resources toward these efforts, the effects seem to have lost their potency. Yet, while international perceptions on these matters remain dim, it is good that U.S. leadership continues to evolve and is basing its' decisions on the best available choices of the day. On this level, I fully accept Obama's decision to take a more covert stance on the War on Terror, moving away from the Petraeus strategy, in light of the nations' interest of coming to a resolution on these matters abroad.
Moreover, it is true that each contributor to the website is a master's graduate of Norwich, who met at the campus in Vermont during summer residency 2011. Mr. Barry Saturday, however, is the site's founder, who later asked his fellow classmates if they would like to contribute together on the issues that interested them, which I think is great. On that, I bid you good luck on your studies and on completing the program at Norwich. Also, Tim, you are right, the reading and workload are heavy, but fully rewarding in the end.
Barry Saturday
brittenbolenbaugh
Chris Rottenberg
jakeeyremdy
Orlando Saiz
Archives Select Month January 2012 (1) December 2011 (2) November 2011 (1) October 2011 (2) September 2011 (4) August 2011 (5) July 2011 (5) June 2011 (1) April 2011 (5) March 2011 (4)
DipNote U.S. Department of State Official Blog
ProjectSyndicate.org
The Economist: Lexington – US Politics
The White House Blog
United Nations Journal
TheSaturdaySyndicate.com.


text:
using System;
using System.Text;

namespace FunnelWeb.Model
{
    public class TaskState
    {
        private StringBuilder outputLogBuilder;

        public virtual int Id { get; set; }
        public virtual string TaskName { get; set; }
        public virtual string Arguments { get; set; }
        public virtual int ProgressEstimate { get; set; }
        public virtual TaskStatus Status { get; set; }
        public virtual DateTime Started { get; set; }
        public virtual DateTime Updated { get; set; }
        public virtual string OutputLog
        {
            get { return outputLogBuilder.ToString(); }
            set { outputLogBuilder = new StringBuilder(value); }
        }

        public virtual void Append(string logText, params object[] args)
        {
            Updated = DateTime.UtcNow;
            outputLogBuilder.AppendFormat("[{0}] ", Updated.ToString("yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss"));
            outputLogBuilder.AppendFormat(logText, args);
            outputLogBuilder.AppendLine();
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


OpenSMT is a compact and open-source SMT-solver written in C++, with the main goal of making SMT-Solvers easy to understand and use as a computational engine for formal verification. OpenSMT is built on top of MiniSAT (http://minisat.se).
There are two versions of OpenSMT. The new OpenSMT2 is currently under active development, built on the solid foundations of the previous OpenSMT generations but providing native support for the SMTLIB version 2 and more efficient implementation for most internal data structures. OpenSMT2 is released under the MIT license. For now old OpenSMT1 still provides a support for a wider variety of theories and is released under the General Public Licence version 3 license.


The former Secretary of State was speaking at the Shared Value Leadership Summit Wednesday when she continued to make bizarre excuses for her stunning defeat to Donald Trump; this time saying her "capitalist" credentials hurt her chances among American voters.
"It's hard to know," said Clinton when asked if her business dealings hurt her chances.
"If you're in the Iowa caucuses and 41 percent of Democrats are socialists, or self-described socialists, and I'm asked, 'Are you a capitalist?' And I say, 'Yes, but with appropriate regulation and appropriate accountability,' you know, that probably gets lost in the 'Oh my gosh, she's a capitalist,'" said Clinton.
Watch her continue the 'excuses tour' above.


Dr. Aimee Trujillo was born in Guadeloupe, a French Caribbean island. Growing up around animals including cattle, pigs, dogs, cats, chickens, and riding horses, she realized that she wanted a career working with animals. Dr. Trujillo moved to Louisiana at the age of 10 and pursued an animal science track at the University of Lafayette. She then went on to graduate from Louisiana State University College of Veterinary Medicine with a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine.
Away from work Dr. Trujillo enjoys spending time with her animals as well as hiking and other outdoor activities.


text:
package io.crate.execution.engine.collect;

import io.crate.expression.NestableInput;

import java.util.function.Function;

/**
 * Base interface for row based expressions.
 *
 * @param <T> The type of the input to the expression
 * @param <R> The type of the result to the expression
 */
public interface NestableCollectExpression<T, R> extends CollectExpression<T, R>, NestableInput<R> {

    static <T, R> NestableCollectExpression<T, R> constant(R val) {
        return new ConstantNestableCollectExpression<>(val);
    }

    static <T, R> NestableCollectExpression<T, R> forFunction(Function<T, R> fun) {
        return new FuncExpression<>(fun);
    }

    class FuncExpression<T, R> implements NestableCollectExpression<T, R> {

        private final Function<T, R> f;
        private R value;

        FuncExpression(Function<T, R> f) {
            this.f = f;
        }

        @Override
        public void setNextRow(T tRow) {
            value = f.apply(tRow);
        }

        @Override
        public R value() {
            return value;
        }

        @Override
        public String toString() {
            return "FuncExpression{func=" + f + '}';
        }
    }

    class ConstantNestableCollectExpression<T, R> implements NestableCollectExpression<T, R> {
        private final R val;

        ConstantNestableCollectExpression(R val) {
            this.val = val;
        }

        @Override
        public void setNextRow(T tRow) {
        }

        @Override
        public R value() {
            return val;
        }
    }
}


text:
(2142) Landau est un astéroïde de la ceinture principale.

Description
(2142) Landau est un astéroïde de la ceinture principale. Il fut découvert le  à Nauchnyj par Lioudmila Tchernykh. Il présente une orbite caractérisée par un demi-grand axe de 3,16 UA, une excentricité de 0,12 et une inclinaison de 0,7° par rapport à l'écliptique.

Étymologie
Cet astéroïde est nommé en l'honneur de Lev Landau.

Compléments

Articles connexes
 Liste des planètes mineures (2001-3000)
 Ceinture d'astéroïdes

Références

Famille de Thémis
Planète mineure découverte en 1972
Astéroïde de la ceinture principale
Objet céleste découvert par Lioudmila Tchernykh
Objet céleste découvert à l'observatoire d'astrophysique de Crimée
Landau

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Justin's Four Division Winners
Addy's Four Division Winners
1. New England Patriots (13-3)
The Patriots are "still here," as the team likes to say. With 42-year-old QB Tom Brady still at the helm, the Pats are poised for yet another AFC East Title and Super Bowl run. A division crown for New England would be their 10th consecutive and their 17th in 19 seasons. Though TE Rob Gronkowski is now retired, WRs N'Keal Harry, Julian Edelman and the recently reinstated, Josh Gordon, provide Brady with more big-time targets. Throw in RB Sony Michel and it's easy to see why New England will be right back in the playoffs this year. The Patriots are already the greatest dynasty the NFL has ever seen: nine Super Bowl appearances and six Super Bowl Titles since 2001, tying their rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, for the most Super Bowl wins. Tom Brady is, and has been for a while, known as the "GOAT." Rob Gronkowski's "Gronk Spike" has been one of the signature images of the Pats' dynasty. The Tom Brady-Bill Belichick duo will pick up right where they left off last season, as they defend their sixth Super Bowl Title.
2. Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are back, folks. After being the laughing stock of the NFL for the last 20+ seasons, there is finally a reason for hope in Cleveland. Following the 0-16 miserable 2017 season, GM John Dorsey traded for WR Jarvis Landry and FS Damarious Randall and drafted QB Baker Mayfield and CB Denzel Ward. Then everything changed. Mayfield took over in week three and the Browns began to light it up. They ended up winning seven games last season, a drastic improvement over zero wins the previous year. This offseason, Dorsey started by trading for DE Olivier Vernon to pair up with superstar edge-rusher, Myles Garrett. DT Sheldon Richardson was also brought in, giving the Browns arguably the scariest defensive line in the league. The world knows what happened next. Odell Beckham Jr. and all of his one-handed catches are coming to Cleveland. Beckham is not only a top-five WR in the league, but he also brings a swagger that the Browns were looking for. Mayfield, who broke the rookie passing TD record a season ago, will now be throwing passes to OBJ, Landry, Higgins and Njoku and Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt (once he serves his suspension) running the ball. It's easy to see why the Browns will be in the Super Bowl conversation this season and for years to come.
3. Kansas City Chiefs (11-5)
Led by reigning MVP QB Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs are looking to go one step further than last year, where they ultimately fell in overtime to the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. The biggest priority for Chiefs GM Brett Veach this offseason was revamping and improving the defense as a whole as Kansas City's defense was at or near the bottom in almost every defensive statistical category a season ago. Veach answered the call by signing DE Frank Clark, SS Tyrann Mathieu and CB Bashaud Breeland. The Chiefs also parted ways with LBs Justin Houston and Dee Ford as well as SS Eric Berry, a series of moves that raised some eyebrows around the league. The AFC West will be very competitive this season, as both the Raiders and Broncos should be much improved from a season ago. The division will still likely come down to the Chiefs and Chargers, however, as both teams are considered Super Bowl contenders by many experts. Their week 17 matchup in Kansas City could very well decide the division title. TE Travis Kelce, WR Tyreek Hill and rookie WR Mecole Hardman will be some of the weapons that Mahomes has in his arsenal. The loss of RB Kareem Hunt hurt the Chiefs last year, but Damien Williams will provide Mahomes with a reliable weapon out of the backfield. Ultimately, I believe the Chiefs will win the AFC West and will be the three seed in the playoffs.
4. Houston Texans (9-7)
After the news broke that Colts QB Andrew Luck retired, the Texans are now the favorites to win their sixth AFC South title. The one flaw in Houston last season was the offensive line, specifically in pass protection. Texans QB Deshaun Watson was pressured and sacked more than any other QB in the NFL last season. The Texans addressed that problem by drafting OL Tytus Howard from Alabama State in the first round. Provided the O-Line holds up, the Watson-Hopkins duo can be as deadly as ever for opposing teams. Texans RB Lamar Miller will miss the entire 2019 season with a torn ACL, opening up an opportunity for Duke Johnson to start, who was recently acquired from the Browns earlier this offseason. WRs Keke Coutee and Will Fuller V will be back on the field after suffering injuries last season. On the defensive side of the ball, DE Jadeveon Clowney was recently traded to the Seahawks. DE JJ Watt is the face of Houston's franchise, but will now be playing without his Pro-Bowl counterpart Clowney. Regardless, a division that seemed promising in terms of balance is now heavily favored Houston's way. I expect the Texans to ultimately come out on top of the AFC South division once again.
Addy's Four Division Winners
NFC Teams 1. New Orleans Saints (13-3) 2018 marks one of the most devastating seasons for any Saints fan. After getting a playoff berth ripped f...
All About That Football


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Our Belflora florists are committed to only delivering top-quality and exquisite gifts so you are sure to get the best value of what you pay for.
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Beflora Fletcher florists offer fast, same-day delivery direct to Fletcher.
Give our Belflora florists a call to make your order.
The lovely suburb of Fletcher is located in the outer western of the Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, and located 10 miles from the Central Business District of Newcastle.
Based on 2011 census, the small town of Fletcher has over 2, 730 population. It has over 1381 male and 1349 female population.
There are also about 756 families in suburb with an average 2 children per household.
Fletcher has 849 private dwellings with a median of $2,177 weekly household income.
If you are looking for a recreation facility in Fletcher, Oak Close Reserve is the nearest you can find.
It is a great community park that is friendly for the whole family especially kids. You may even want to spend your day in Oak Close Reserve.
Fletcher suburb has no existing childcare facilities but Maryland's Glendale Childcare Centre is accessible nearby.
Instead, you can find shopping malls that feature the Coles Supermarket, butchers, a bakery, Subways restaurants, a liquor store, and even a hair salon.
The nearest school in Fletcher is the Bishop Tyrrell Anglican College, which is located on Minmi Road near the suburb.
For library services, the Wallsend District Library on Bunn Street is the go-to place of students and researchers.
Get the best flowers straight to Fletcher. Belflora Fletcher Florists hand-arrange flowers depending on your requests. Is it for a gift or an event decoration? Tell us so we can do it with perfection.


For a number of years now, I've been reading and learning about the struggles that young people face and I've been particularly interested in the struggles of boys and young men. For a long time now, our modern version of school has not been a good fit for boys, with its model of sitting quietly for extended periods of time, with the declining use of recess in school, with the fact that most teachers in the early grades are female, there are a whole host of reasons why school loses its relevance early on for many boys.
In our culture, there is a "correct" way to be a boy and later a man. You must hide your weaknesses and hide any feelings you may be feeling except maybe for anger. Anything perceived to be weak or feminine is to be avoided at all costs.
Recently I've been watching a fascinating video documentary called The Mask You Live In. It is all about the narrative that we tell boys and young men on the "right way" to be a man. The documentary is very engaging and does a lot to explain the problems that boys and men are currently experiencing. It illustrates the very narrow ways in which we expect boys to develop and behave.
I think men need to push back against this narrative that all males need to be one certain way. While I think there is a place for using social mores to control undesired behaviors–any child can become rotten little wild animals if their parents do nothing to control behavior–but expecting every little boy to grow up to be a tough guy goes against the fact that there are many personality types that boys can have. No wonder there is depression and confusion about what it means to be male when maleness is so narrowly defined.
To me, the ultimate expression of maleness is being a husband and a dad. I realize this is not everyone's ideal and to push my ideal onto others would be just as problematic as having any other narrow ideal. But for me, having a family, providing for them, protecting them, sacrificing for them, teaching them how to live a life worth living are the most important things I can do.
Fortunately, in this country and in this technology-driven world, I am able to do these things for my family without being a muscle-bound behemoth. Intelligence and ambition do just fine. It makes me sad that so many boys (and men) are made to feel inadequate because they don't meet someone else's standard of what male should look like. I say find out what your purpose is and do that. Find out why God put you here and you will be fine.
This article about why excessive consumption limits your creativity is spot on accurate in its observations. We do consume far more than we create. Most people create and add very little value to the digital ecosystem, myself included. As social media (aka web 2.0) has caught on and ramped up, it has become harder and harder to pull oneself from the allure of all that information. But we have to do it if we hope to be more than simple consumers. This is my hope for myself and for my students–that we all become something more than consumers–that we can become makers and creators.
The excessive consumption article gives a number of reasons why we should be conscious of our consumption/creation ratio and I won't go into all of that again here. It also gives three suggestions for reducing our inflow of information, which I will briefly mention.
I've been doing this one for years. Anyone who wants an e-mail address when I buy something when I sign up for something when I download something gets my junk e-mail address I've had for over 20 years. I rarely ever look at what is sent to that address and it cuts down on the clutter in my real address.
I couldn't find the recommended extension for my browser and I couldn't quickly find an alternative. But I have been reducing my time on casual social media use in recent weeks and have been known to take several weeks long breaks from all social media use as well. Making time to do other things is vitally important, and for myself, doing a 30-day challenge project was a great way to divert my attention away from the frivolous and on to something more meaningful.
This is another favorite thing of mine to do. I always try to keep a paper notebook and pen handy. The author of the article I've shared says they usually write all posts out by hand before posting them on the web. I don't go that far, but many of my post ideas come from ideas jotted down in a paper notebook. Also, I enjoy going back through notes from time to time. Many times I will see great ideas that I've never acted on, and in some cases, I've successfully resurrected some old ideas, particularly ideas that have to do with my teaching.
So take a look at your inflow/outflow consumption/creation ratio. You might be able to make a simple adjustment here that improves your life.
In Tokyo, Japan there is a cafe that employs people with spinal cord injuries and people with the debilitating ALS disease. These people, confined to a hospital bed, work as servers in the cafe by using remotely controlled robots.
I think this is a brilliant use of robotic technology. I've been looking a bit into using telepresence robots in schools and nursing homes.
Our English professor, Kaleen Knopp had a surgery that kept her home-bound for some time was able to continue working remotely by operating our telepresence robot. Our robot only provides a virtual presence, it does not have any arms with which to interact with the remote environment. So she needed an on-the-ground assistant in the classroom to help with things happening in class, but with this support, she was able to teach her class without missing a day.
I think having a robot with remotely controlled arms is the logical next step in this sort of technology and I think it is astounding that this sort of technology enables those who could not otherwise interact easily with the outside world to not simply be present to others, but actually have productive employment by serving others in a restaurant. How absolutely wonderful for those people who are doing the serving and who are being served. This is an internet-of-things device that truly makes the world a better place!
Today Christians around the world are celebrating this day as "Ash Wednesday" or the day in which we are called to remember that we are mortal beings, with only a finite number of days. By reflecting on the fact that we are composed of elements which come from the Earth and we will one day return those elements to the Earth, we are compelled to examine how we are using the precious days that we do have while we are here.
I remember the one day during my first year as a college student, my professor, Dr. Chad Davies revealed to us that all elemental matter, including the elements from which our own bodies are constructed, originated from inside of ancient stars that exploded and spread the heavy elements throughout the universe. My mind sort of exploded like those stars! Now wait a sec… I came from inside of stars? How does that jibe with what I was taught as a youngster about people being created by God?
Hmm, I am basically made of dirt. I come from the Earth and will one day return to it. The elements come from stars that exploded. The Earth formed from those elements. The Earth's creatures are composed of the elements of the Earth.
As I learned more, I also learned about the Big Bang Theory of the origin of the universe. It is that point in time where there was nothing at all, and from the nothingness, a big bang occurred. First, a blinding light, followed by heat and some primordial stuff that ejected out and became the first stars.
Robert Spitzer wrote a fascinating book called, New Proofs for the Existence of God: Contributions of Contemporary Physics and Philosophy which explores important questions about the formation of the universe. He discusses the precision with which the universe got its start. A few degrees cooler, no big bang. A few degrees warmer, nothing is sustained. It was a perfect setup for the beginnings of the universe and of us.
When I think of Ash Wednesday, I think of the sciencey things I have learned about how the universe was made, how the Earth was formed and how people later appeared, composed of elements coming from exploding stars by way of the dust of the Earth, and I think to myself that there is really no contradiction between the truths of science and the truths of faith in a creator God. Of course there are differences in how these two ways of knowing arrive at what is true, but in the end, the truth is the truth.


text:
namespace arrow {
namespace flight {

const char* kSchemeGrpc = "grpc";
const char* kSchemeGrpcTcp = "grpc+tcp";
const char* kSchemeGrpcUnix = "grpc+unix";
const char* kSchemeGrpcTls = "grpc+tls";

const char* kErrorDetailTypeId = "flight::FlightStatusDetail";

const char* FlightStatusDetail::type_id() const { return kErrorDetailTypeId; }

std::string FlightStatusDetail::ToString() const { return CodeAsString(); }

FlightStatusCode FlightStatusDetail::code() const { return code_; }

std::string FlightStatusDetail::extra_info() const { return extra_info_; }

void FlightStatusDetail::set_extra_info(std::string extra_info) {
  extra_info_ = std::move(extra_info);
}

std::string FlightStatusDetail::CodeAsString() const {
  switch (code()) {
    case FlightStatusCode::Internal:
      return "Internal";
    case FlightStatusCode::TimedOut:
      return "TimedOut";
    case FlightStatusCode::Cancelled:
      return "Cancelled";
    case FlightStatusCode::Unauthenticated:
      return "Unauthenticated";
    case FlightStatusCode::Unauthorized:
      return "Unauthorized";
    case FlightStatusCode::Unavailable:
      return "Unavailable";
    case FlightStatusCode::Failed:
      return "Failed";
    default:
      return "Unknown";
  }
}

std::shared_ptr<FlightStatusDetail> FlightStatusDetail::UnwrapStatus(
    const arrow::Status& status) {
  if (!status.detail() || status.detail()->type_id() != kErrorDetailTypeId) {
    return nullptr;
  }
  return std::dynamic_pointer_cast<FlightStatusDetail>(status.detail());
}

Status MakeFlightError(FlightStatusCode code, std::string message,
                       std::string extra_info) {
  StatusCode arrow_code = arrow::StatusCode::IOError;
  return arrow::Status(arrow_code, std::move(message),
                       std::make_shared<FlightStatusDetail>(code, std::move(extra_info)));
}

bool FlightDescriptor::Equals(const FlightDescriptor& other) const {
  if (type != other.type) {
    return false;
  }
  switch (type) {
    case PATH:
      return path == other.path;
    case CMD:
      return cmd == other.cmd;
    default:
      return false;
  }
}

std::string FlightDescriptor::ToString() const {
  std::stringstream ss;
  ss << "FlightDescriptor<";
  switch (type) {
    case PATH: {
      bool first = true;
      ss << "path = '";
      for (const auto& p : path) {
        if (!first) {
          ss << "/";
        }
        first = false;
        ss << p;
      }
      ss << "'";
      break;
    }
    case CMD:
      ss << "cmd = '" << cmd << "'";
      break;
    default:
      break;
  }
  ss << ">";
  return ss.str();
}

Status FlightPayload::Validate() const {
  static constexpr int64_t kInt32Max = std::numeric_limits<int32_t>::max();
  if (descriptor && descriptor->size() > kInt32Max) {
    return Status::CapacityError("Descriptor size overflow (>= 2**31)");
  }
  if (app_metadata && app_metadata->size() > kInt32Max) {
    return Status::CapacityError("app_metadata size overflow (>= 2**31)");
  }
  if (ipc_message.body_length > kInt32Max) {
    return Status::Invalid("Cannot send record batches exceeding 2GiB yet");
  }
  return Status::OK();
}

arrow::Result<std::shared_ptr<Schema>> SchemaResult::GetSchema(
    ipc::DictionaryMemo* dictionary_memo) const {
  io::BufferReader schema_reader(raw_schema_);
  return ipc::ReadSchema(&schema_reader, dictionary_memo);
}

arrow::Result<SchemaResult> SchemaResult::Make(const Schema& schema) {
  std::string schema_in;
  RETURN_NOT_OK(internal::SchemaToString(schema, &schema_in));
  return SchemaResult(std::move(schema_in));
}

Status SchemaResult::GetSchema(ipc::DictionaryMemo* dictionary_memo,
                               std::shared_ptr<Schema>* out) const {
  return GetSchema(dictionary_memo).Value(out);
}

arrow::Result<std::string> FlightDescriptor::SerializeToString() const {
  pb::FlightDescriptor pb_descriptor;
  RETURN_NOT_OK(internal::ToProto(*this, &pb_descriptor));

  std::string out;
  if (!pb_descriptor.SerializeToString(&out)) {
    return Status::IOError("Serialized descriptor exceeded 2 GiB limit");
  }
  return out;
}

Status FlightDescriptor::SerializeToString(std::string* out) const {
  return SerializeToString().Value(out);
}

arrow::Result<FlightDescriptor> FlightDescriptor::Deserialize(
    arrow::util::string_view serialized) {
  pb::FlightDescriptor pb_descriptor;
  if (serialized.size() > static_cast<size_t>(std::numeric_limits<int>::max())) {
    return Status::Invalid("Serialized FlightDescriptor size should not exceed 2 GiB");
  }
  google::protobuf::io::ArrayInputStream input(serialized.data(),
                                               static_cast<int>(serialized.size()));
  if (!pb_descriptor.ParseFromZeroCopyStream(&input)) {
    return Status::Invalid("Not a valid descriptor");
  }
  FlightDescriptor out;
  RETURN_NOT_OK(internal::FromProto(pb_descriptor, &out));
  return out;
}

Status FlightDescriptor::Deserialize(const std::string& serialized,
                                     FlightDescriptor* out) {
  return Deserialize(serialized).Value(out);
}

bool Ticket::Equals(const Ticket& other) const { return ticket == other.ticket; }

arrow::Result<std::string> Ticket::SerializeToString() const {
  pb::Ticket pb_ticket;
  RETURN_NOT_OK(internal::ToProto(*this, &pb_ticket));

  std::string out;
  if (!pb_ticket.SerializeToString(&out)) {
    return Status::IOError("Serialized ticket exceeded 2 GiB limit");
  }
  return out;
}

Status Ticket::SerializeToString(std::string* out) const {
  return SerializeToString().Value(out);
}

arrow::Result<Ticket> Ticket::Deserialize(arrow::util::string_view serialized) {
  pb::Ticket pb_ticket;
  if (serialized.size() > static_cast<size_t>(std::numeric_limits<int>::max())) {
    return Status::Invalid("Serialized Ticket size should not exceed 2 GiB");
  }
  google::protobuf::io::ArrayInputStream input(serialized.data(),
                                               static_cast<int>(serialized.size()));
  if (!pb_ticket.ParseFromZeroCopyStream(&input)) {
    return Status::Invalid("Not a valid ticket");
  }
  Ticket out;
  RETURN_NOT_OK(internal::FromProto(pb_ticket, &out));
  return out;
}

Status Ticket::Deserialize(const std::string& serialized, Ticket* out) {
  return Deserialize(serialized).Value(out);
}

arrow::Result<FlightInfo> FlightInfo::Make(const Schema& schema,
                                           const FlightDescriptor& descriptor,
                                           const std::vector<FlightEndpoint>& endpoints,
                                           int64_t total_records, int64_t total_bytes) {
  FlightInfo::Data data;
  data.descriptor = descriptor;
  data.endpoints = endpoints;
  data.total_records = total_records;
  data.total_bytes = total_bytes;
  RETURN_NOT_OK(internal::SchemaToString(schema, &data.schema));
  return FlightInfo(data);
}

arrow::Result<std::shared_ptr<Schema>> FlightInfo::GetSchema(
    ipc::DictionaryMemo* dictionary_memo) const {
  if (reconstructed_schema_) {
    return schema_;
  }
  io::BufferReader schema_reader(data_.schema);
  RETURN_NOT_OK(ipc::ReadSchema(&schema_reader, dictionary_memo).Value(&schema_));
  reconstructed_schema_ = true;
  return schema_;
}

Status FlightInfo::GetSchema(ipc::DictionaryMemo* dictionary_memo,
                             std::shared_ptr<Schema>* out) const {
  return GetSchema(dictionary_memo).Value(out);
}

arrow::Result<std::string> FlightInfo::SerializeToString() const {
  pb::FlightInfo pb_info;
  RETURN_NOT_OK(internal::ToProto(*this, &pb_info));

  std::string out;
  if (!pb_info.SerializeToString(&out)) {
    return Status::IOError("Serialized FlightInfo exceeded 2 GiB limit");
  }
  return out;
}

Status FlightInfo::SerializeToString(std::string* out) const {
  return SerializeToString().Value(out);
}

arrow::Result<std::unique_ptr<FlightInfo>> FlightInfo::Deserialize(
    arrow::util::string_view serialized) {
  pb::FlightInfo pb_info;
  if (serialized.size() > static_cast<size_t>(std::numeric_limits<int>::max())) {
    return Status::Invalid("Serialized FlightInfo size should not exceed 2 GiB");
  }
  google::protobuf::io::ArrayInputStream input(serialized.data(),
                                               static_cast<int>(serialized.size()));
  if (!pb_info.ParseFromZeroCopyStream(&input)) {
    return Status::Invalid("Not a valid FlightInfo");
  }
  FlightInfo::Data data;
  RETURN_NOT_OK(internal::FromProto(pb_info, &data));
  return std::unique_ptr<FlightInfo>(new FlightInfo(std::move(data)));
}

Status FlightInfo::Deserialize(const std::string& serialized,
                               std::unique_ptr<FlightInfo>* out) {
  return Deserialize(serialized).Value(out);
}

Location::Location() { uri_ = std::make_shared<arrow::internal::Uri>(); }

Status FlightListing::Next(std::unique_ptr<FlightInfo>* info) {
  return Next().Value(info);
}

arrow::Result<Location> Location::Parse(const std::string& uri_string) {
  Location location;
  RETURN_NOT_OK(location.uri_->Parse(uri_string));
  return location;
}

Status Location::Parse(const std::string& uri_string, Location* location) {
  return Parse(uri_string).Value(location);
}

arrow::Result<Location> Location::ForGrpcTcp(const std::string& host, const int port) {
  std::stringstream uri_string;
  uri_string << "grpc+tcp://" << host << ':' << port;
  return Location::Parse(uri_string.str());
}

Status Location::ForGrpcTcp(const std::string& host, const int port, Location* location) {
  return ForGrpcTcp(host, port).Value(location);
}

arrow::Result<Location> Location::ForGrpcTls(const std::string& host, const int port) {
  std::stringstream uri_string;
  uri_string << "grpc+tls://" << host << ':' << port;
  return Location::Parse(uri_string.str());
}

Status Location::ForGrpcTls(const std::string& host, const int port, Location* location) {
  return ForGrpcTls(host, port).Value(location);
}

arrow::Result<Location> Location::ForGrpcUnix(const std::string& path) {
  std::stringstream uri_string;
  uri_string << "grpc+unix://" << path;
  return Location::Parse(uri_string.str());
}

Status Location::ForGrpcUnix(const std::string& path, Location* location) {
  return ForGrpcUnix(path).Value(location);
}

arrow::Result<Location> Location::ForScheme(const std::string& scheme,
                                            const std::string& host, const int port) {
  std::stringstream uri_string;
  uri_string << scheme << "://" << host << ':' << port;
  return Location::Parse(uri_string.str());
}

std::string Location::ToString() const { return uri_->ToString(); }
std::string Location::scheme() const {
  std::string scheme = uri_->scheme();
  if (scheme.empty()) {
    // Default to grpc+tcp
    return "grpc+tcp";
  }
  return scheme;
}

bool Location::Equals(const Location& other) const {
  return ToString() == other.ToString();
}

bool FlightEndpoint::Equals(const FlightEndpoint& other) const {
  return ticket == other.ticket && locations == other.locations;
}

bool ActionType::Equals(const ActionType& other) const {
  return type == other.type && description == other.description;
}

Status ResultStream::Next(std::unique_ptr<Result>* info) { return Next().Value(info); }

Status MetadataRecordBatchReader::Next(FlightStreamChunk* next) {
  return Next().Value(next);
}

arrow::Result<std::vector<std::shared_ptr<RecordBatch>>>
MetadataRecordBatchReader::ToRecordBatches() {
  std::vector<std::shared_ptr<RecordBatch>> batches;
  while (true) {
    ARROW_ASSIGN_OR_RAISE(FlightStreamChunk chunk, Next());
    if (!chunk.data) break;
    batches.emplace_back(std::move(chunk.data));
  }
  return batches;
}

Status MetadataRecordBatchReader::ReadAll(
    std::vector<std::shared_ptr<RecordBatch>>* batches) {
  return ToRecordBatches().Value(batches);
}

arrow::Result<std::shared_ptr<Table>> MetadataRecordBatchReader::ToTable() {
  ARROW_ASSIGN_OR_RAISE(auto batches, ToRecordBatches());
  ARROW_ASSIGN_OR_RAISE(auto schema, GetSchema());
  return Table::FromRecordBatches(schema, std::move(batches));
}

Status MetadataRecordBatchReader::ReadAll(std::shared_ptr<Table>* table) {
  return ToTable().Value(table);
}

Status MetadataRecordBatchWriter::Begin(const std::shared_ptr<Schema>& schema) {
  return Begin(schema, ipc::IpcWriteOptions::Defaults());
}

namespace {
class MetadataRecordBatchReaderAdapter : public RecordBatchReader {
 public:
  explicit MetadataRecordBatchReaderAdapter(
      std::shared_ptr<Schema> schema, std::shared_ptr<MetadataRecordBatchReader> delegate)
      : schema_(std::move(schema)), delegate_(std::move(delegate)) {}
  std::shared_ptr<Schema> schema() const override { return schema_; }
  Status ReadNext(std::shared_ptr<RecordBatch>* batch) override {
    while (true) {
      ARROW_ASSIGN_OR_RAISE(FlightStreamChunk next, delegate_->Next());
      if (!next.data && !next.app_metadata) {
        // EOS
        *batch = nullptr;
        return Status::OK();
      } else if (next.data) {
        *batch = std::move(next.data);
        return Status::OK();
      }
      // Got metadata, but no data (which is valid) - read the next message
    }
  }

 private:
  std::shared_ptr<Schema> schema_;
  std::shared_ptr<MetadataRecordBatchReader> delegate_;
};
};  // namespace

arrow::Result<std::shared_ptr<RecordBatchReader>> MakeRecordBatchReader(
    std::shared_ptr<MetadataRecordBatchReader> reader) {
  ARROW_ASSIGN_OR_RAISE(auto schema, reader->GetSchema());
  return std::make_shared<MetadataRecordBatchReaderAdapter>(std::move(schema),
                                                            std::move(reader));
}

SimpleFlightListing::SimpleFlightListing(const std::vector<FlightInfo>& flights)
    : position_(0), flights_(flights) {}

SimpleFlightListing::SimpleFlightListing(std::vector<FlightInfo>&& flights)
    : position_(0), flights_(std::move(flights)) {}

arrow::Result<std::unique_ptr<FlightInfo>> SimpleFlightListing::Next() {
  if (position_ >= static_cast<int>(flights_.size())) {
    return nullptr;
  }
  return std::unique_ptr<FlightInfo>(new FlightInfo(std::move(flights_[position_++])));
}

SimpleResultStream::SimpleResultStream(std::vector<Result>&& results)
    : results_(std::move(results)), position_(0) {}

arrow::Result<std::unique_ptr<Result>> SimpleResultStream::Next() {
  if (position_ >= results_.size()) {
    return nullptr;
  }
  return std::unique_ptr<Result>(new Result(std::move(results_[position_++])));
}

arrow::Result<BasicAuth> BasicAuth::Deserialize(arrow::util::string_view serialized) {
  pb::BasicAuth pb_result;
  if (serialized.size() > static_cast<size_t>(std::numeric_limits<int>::max())) {
    return Status::Invalid("Serialized BasicAuth size should not exceed 2 GiB");
  }
  google::protobuf::io::ArrayInputStream input(serialized.data(),
                                               static_cast<int>(serialized.size()));
  if (!pb_result.ParseFromZeroCopyStream(&input)) {
    return Status::Invalid("Not a valid BasicAuth");
  }
  BasicAuth out;
  RETURN_NOT_OK(internal::FromProto(pb_result, &out));
  return out;
}

Status BasicAuth::Deserialize(const std::string& serialized, BasicAuth* out) {
  return Deserialize(serialized).Value(out);
}

arrow::Result<std::string> BasicAuth::SerializeToString() const {
  pb::BasicAuth pb_result;
  RETURN_NOT_OK(internal::ToProto(*this, &pb_result));
  std::string out;
  if (!pb_result.SerializeToString(&out)) {
    return Status::IOError("Serialized BasicAuth exceeded 2 GiB limit");
  }
  return out;
}

Status BasicAuth::Serialize(const BasicAuth& basic_auth, std::string* out) {
  return basic_auth.SerializeToString().Value(out);
}
}  // namespace flight
}  // namespace arrow


in business administration and retired in 2000 after 33 years from OCC Bursar's Office.
Kathleen's mother Elna Dwyer '85 (seated lower right) received an accounting degree.
Susie Schill ( standing left), also attended the College.
Schill '78 (center) receiving the John H. Mulroy Founders Award with Trustee Dr. Donna DeSiato '69 (left) and OCC President Dr. Casey Crabill (right).