I've been writing about Information Systems for over three decades, mostly to I.S. professionals, and I've spent in inordinate amount of time trying to clarify our terminology and concepts, as well as dispel basic misconceptions about systems. For example, there are those who believe an Information System is a computer. Sorry but, No, that is a piece of equipment, a tool used within a system. Then there are those who think it is a computer program or collection of programs like what you find on an iPhone. As an aside, the word "app" (for "application") is indicative of the sloppy thinking in the industry; an "application" of what? No, let's call a spade, a spade; they're not "apps," they're "programs," but I digress.
Perhaps the biggest misconception regarding Information Systems is that you cannot have one without a computer. Sorry, but this is simply not so. The day a company goes into business, large or small, is the day when its Information Systems are born. For example, companies need to routinely manage their finances, pay employees, manufacture products, process customer orders, manage assets and inventory, schedule deliveries, etc. This has been going on well before the advent of the computer. The only difference is systems were implemented by manual processes as opposed to computer automation.
Perhaps the best way to think of an Information System is as an orderly arrangement or grouping of processes dedicated to producing information to support the actions and decisions of a business. Hundreds of years ago, systems were implemented using logs, journals, ledgers, spreadsheets, and filing cabinets. Over time, equipment was introduced in the form of such things as cash registers, typewriters, adding machines, and tabulating equipment, all of which eventually gave way to the computer. Incidentally, there are many manual processes still in our companies serving critical business functions, much more than you might think, most of which are not properly documented.
When I teach a basic class in this subject, I ask the students to design a totally manual system just to overcome the handicap of only thinking in terms of computers. For those imbued in programming, this exercise represents an epiphany and teaches them to think outside the box. Suddenly they realize writing a program is only a small part of a much larger puzzle.
The reason people have trouble understanding the difference between systems and programs is actually quite simple; a program is much more tangible than a system. You can touch and feel a program, particularly its screens, reports and source code; but a system is much less tangible as you are talking about several business processes that operate routinely, and are implemented by people and technology that will come and go over time.
This brings up an interesting point, the basic business processes of a system (aka "sub-systems") are logical in nature and only change when information requirements change. They are implemented by manual procedures and computer programs that are physical in nature and change dynamically as technology changes, but the business process remains essentially the same. Consider this, for any company who has been implementing payroll for a number of years; Has the process of paying your employees really changed or was it the method of its implementation? If, years ago, you paid your employees on a weekly or monthly basis, you are probably still doing so. The only thing that has changed is physically how you have been doing it. Whereas you may have started out preparing payroll manually years ago, this was probably replaced by a commercial package to do the same thing, which has probably been updated or replaced several times; but your employees are still paid weekly or monthly aren't they?
Next time someone promises you a womb to the tomb Information System on a computer, remind them that the first on-line, real-time, interactive, data base system was double-entry bookkeeping which was developed by the merchants of Venice in 1200 A.D. .... and there wasn't a computer within miles of it.


Interview with Megan Ducket of Sew What? Inc.
Megan Ducket is owner and founder of Sew What? a custom theatrical drape maker (no, seriously, read on). Megan started out tiny, working and sewing at her kitchen table. Today she has 33 employees making backdrops for the likes of Maroon 5, Slip Knot, Green Day, Avril Lavigne, Prince, Sting, Elton John, and Madonna. Plus red velvet curtains for the cover of Rolling Stone and even stage curtains for elementary schools. Last month, Dell and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) awarded her their annual Small-Business Excellence Award. Megan has graciously agreed to share some of her entrepreneurial journey with us.
Read on for insights on how to build a successful business dominating a tiny niche.
1) Megan, tell us a little about how you got started.
Admittedly my interest and abilities as a seamstress came as a bit of a surprise to me. I began by accepting the challenge of some theatrical "prop" projects as night and weekend work. Although I am the craft oriented type, I never thought it was a calling of mine. I actually had taken an apprenticeship in Australia as a theatre lighting technician!
So there I was, on the kitchen table, sewing unique items for special events and movie premieres. The more unique the piece, the more I was challenged by customers! I recall when the projects became too big for the table and I moved onto the floor in the garage – even spilling out onto the driveway at times. My husband and I both worked full time for a Rock and Roll staging company named All Access, so as you can imagine, adding the sewing hours by night definitely kept me busy.
When tax time came in 1997, the realization that I had nearly matched my day job income with the income from my night work inspired a decision to quit my day job and rent an 800 square foot unit at the local airport. After the initial investment of the warehouse and one sewing machine, I was able to sustain a self-funding business such that the profits covered all growth and expenses.
2) You've made a name for yourself in some pretty high profile markets, to what do you attribute your continued success with this crowd?
I try never to assume that any client's business is a given. By trying to always present services and products as if each contact is our first opportunity to make a good impression, we have pushed ourselves to pursue excellence. We are creative, and passionate about what we do, and that is clear when speaking with any of us on the telephone, or reading any page on the website for that matter. I hope that Sew What? Inc will become a household name in the high profile markets for creativity, flexibility, passion and product. Our continued success will rely on providing these factors to each customer again and again.
3) The high profile customers surely bring buzz, but what portion of your business are the less glamorous customers. e.g. the schools, community theatres, trade show booths, etc? How important are they to your success as a business?
We respect the business we receive from all customers – both big and small. Some of our most rewarding projects are for small churches or under-funded schools, where we are able to help them by creative manufacturing and cost saving suggestions. It is exciting to hear from the congregation or students that the stage drapes and theatre supplies we provided have had a positive effect. This type of customer currently accounts for around 50% of our business.
4) I notice one of your titles (besides President) is Marketing Manager. Can you share a bit of your marketing philosophy with us?
Well let me warn you Carson – when I get to talking about marketing and branding I can go on for hours! In the beginning, marketing is not an area that interested me, so during the first four years or so, I made no efforts to market the company. I was guilty of the small business owner trap, by thinking: "I'm busy without it – why bother?" Not until I lost a large bid in 2002 due to a "lack of credibility" did I realize the importance of branding and the business credibility built by sharp marketing.
Realizing that the "clip art" letterhead was not going to cut it anymore, I decided to seek assistance – not simply with a new logo and stationery – I needed to create a brand. I found (and connected with) Star Marketing by way of a referral. Owner Chris Sandberg and his talented team have become an extension of our business and a part of my day to day. Chris' team really "got" what we were about – so much so that when I read the branding strategy they penned for us, I felt very emotional. I found myself thinking: "Finally, someone who understands me and what I am doing here!" Most small businesses are "niche" in one way of another. Our challenge is that we offer theatrical draperies and exhibit supplies to a broad range of customers. While a theatre may want to order a backdrop or stage drape, they have no interest in exhibit supplies or pipe and base. What immediately connected me to Star Marketing was their ability to understand these different markets and help me develop a plan that brings it all together – web, print advertising (coming soon), PR, and so on.
The power of the web is incredible. Our website has been designed and redesigned – three times in fact. Don't settle for second best. If you can make something better, then look for a way to achieve it sensibly. Once your site is built, the secret is to optimize it to get the full benefit of traffic. I contract with Cindy McMahan of Search Marketing Pros, who is top in her class. Cindy has helped us reach both national and global clients.
My marketing philosophy is as follows: Position carefully, maintain a customer-centric focus, develop a brand that speaks for who you are (not what you think the client base wants you to be), let your passion for your product show in every piece of literature, correspondence and advertisement. Last but not least – be brave!
5) What marketing efforts have you attempted which turned out to be stinkers?
So far I haven't suffered too many blunders, but I will say that there have been some monies spent unwisely at times. I am a stickler for quantifying results, so I usually catch the problem / lack of results sooner rather than later.
There were the discount coupons I distributed without an expiration date – that wasn't cool. Also some monies wasted on printing unpolished and brandless literature – that was not very wise. I am very careful now to really assess the expenditure before signing the check. The several dozen business and marketing books in my collection help as well, and gathering opinions from others to consider when making my decisions is extremely helpful.
6) As a successful entrepreneur and businesswoman, you have many important demands on your time, yet you still manage to accomplish much. What's your secret to time management?
Time management can be a struggle. I am extremely regimented when it comes to completing tasks in a timely manner – I don't allow projects to linger. I try to keep some sort of schedule at work in terms of time committed to certain tasks. For example email correspondence in the morning, sales calls and customer service throughout the day, marketing tasks for at least 1.5 hours in the afternoon. I stay late if necessary or log into the system from home to finish up work after putting our 3 year old son to bed.
One of the greatest lessons for time management I learned (at a women's business convention) is to get help in the home. Since hiring a college student to assist with household tasks three mornings a week, I am now able to focus home time on family rather than chores. This has been life changing.
I believe there are benefits to surrounding yourself with the types of people you admire and those you want to learn from. I find myself greatly inspired by people. I attribute the success of the business in part to the mentorship of other business owners whom I greatly admire and respect.
I am also inspired by those characters that I may not have met, such as Michael Dell for example. His is a story that is truly inspirational. I learned much from the story of his business, which is shared in his book. It will be a tremendous honor to actually meet him in September as a result of winning the NFIB/Dell Small Business Excellence Award for 2006. I would encourage other small business entrepreneurs to participate in this award program that is so generously sponsored by Dell and the National Federation Of Independent Business.
8) Any parting advice for other aspiring entrepreneurs hoping to take their niche by storm the way you have?
I am a firm believer that many types of business can be grown incrementally. (Granted – not all, and so I speak only from my personal experience) Take your vision and break it into the smallest and lowest common denominators. With your final goal in mind, you can choose wisely where to start and how to spend you money. Surround yourself with those whom you admire, always do your own research, and only risk what you are willing to lose. True passion will soon bubble to the surface and you will be able to build a strong and successful business from the ground up.
Just remember there will be bumps in the road and doors that close, so be prepared with a thick skin and a determination to get up and try again. Persistence, self-education (learning from your mistakes) and determination are keys to success.
Thanks Megan for sharing your ideas and inspiration. We wish you continued success.


MPs are to investigate the impact on the environment of disposable drinks packaging, with an emphasis on plastic bottles and coffee cups.
The Environmental Audit Committee will look at what actions are being taken by industry and the Government to reduce waste generated by such products and investigate possible solutions.
Chair Mary Creagh said: "We all enjoy a takeaway coffee or tea, but the cups they are served in are particularly difficult to recycle because they combine plastic coating and cardboard.
What is the environmental impact of waste from coffee cups and plastic bottles?
Are the rates of use, collection levels and recycling levels of these products increasing or decreasing?
What are the challenges of recycling these products?
What obstacles have prevented greater progress in increasing recycling rates?
The MPs will also consider the extent to which consumers are aware of the complexities of recycling such products and how public awareness can be increased.
They also want to understand the actions being taken by industry to reduce waste, their effectiveness and whether the Government can do more.
What initiatives could be utilised to reduce coffee cup and plastic bottle waste or to lessen the impact of this waste (specifically in terms of reuse, charges or deposit schemes)?
Submissions are sought by 5 April.
You are making a mountain out of a mole hill.
These items are easier to reform than you think.


After many weeks of denial on all of our parts, LM has officially outgrown the swaddle.
We miss it. We miss it alot. The swaddle was like manna from heaven – a miracle of calming. LM liked it. Her Dad liked it. I liked it.
Funny to me that despite there being much information available in the world about learning styles, teachers often do not utilize a variety of modalities in even the most basic of ways. I've experienced this in many learning settings (work trainings, grad school, etc) but this is an improv blog… so improv teaching is the focus.
I've been thinking about starting this blog for many months. Pretty much since our little monkey (LM from now on) was born in February. Thinking about improv and parenthood, parenthood and improv has helped keep me feeling like an active improvisor since I have been missing the practice of improv (that is the practice of improv involving other adults, LM is a constant improv experience and she is nothing if not in the moment – oh so in the moment, even when we wish the moment was over already).
AND I'm also improvising with other adults now…I'm in the cast of "Let It Snow." I love this show and I'm excited to be a part of it even in a limited way. Going to rehearsals is thrilling – I love it all – the singing, the dancing, the singing, the dancing…most of all the connection with other improvisors.
Back to LM and being her Improv-a-mama.
She's 8 months old. An amazing, fast-forward, delirious, sleep-deprived, awe-filled, conflicted 8 months. Hard to believe. And as she is getting on her feet (pre-crawling, starting to pull herself up) it is time for me to get back not only on my improv feet but writing feet too (so to speak). Thus this blog…written with all the to-be-expected early blogger anxieties…who's going to be interested in this and so on and so on and so on.
The game dolphin training is one of the best ways I've found to think about the early part of parenthood so far. Like any improv game, it can be played with different intentions and to build different skills.
In short, dolphin training is a game where improvisor X leaves the room (or goes into ye olde soundproof booth) and the others (or the audience) choose something that X will have to figure out to do. X returns and starts trying out actions. When X does something on the right track, the others say "ding!" with increasing excitement as X gets closer and closer and closer.
The least fun way to play this game (like any of improv guessing-type games) is to focus on getting it right. But it is one way to play and is often the focus for beginners and can help build some skilli n figuring out what your partner wants.
So LM cried and we jump around trying to figure out why. Food? Nope. Diaper? Nope. Too hot? Nope. Too cold? Nope. Tired? Overstimulated? Understimulated? Just needing to be held? Some things are discoverd (DING!) and provided (DING! DING! DING!) easily but others are even initially more complex. LM came into the world with, if not her own ideas, her own temperment and preferences.
We learned, among other things, that she was into being held upright over one's shoulders, liked walking, being outside, and bouncing on the yoga ball. The comfy rocking chair was only an option for feeding or if it was being rocked in a heavy-metal-mosh-pit way.
We were getting "dings" – even fairly regularly but we weren't yet playing.
Play makes all the difference.
I found myself able to start to move into being more playful, even when LM was fussing…to enjoy the game of dolphin training and not get frustrated with not getting a ding but keep trying disparate things good naturedly.


For the Resolution and deep colors size, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 Display uses 480 x 800 pixels Resolution and has 65K Colors. O Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini chegou ao Brasil em maio de 2010. It Suggests that phone has no Provisional data services. It even has 3D Graphics Hardware Accelerator. I have already received the internet settings from my service provider. The big difference between X1 and other X series despite the Hardware Specs is the Operating System runs inside the Smartphone. You can learn to understand the Phone in quick ways just by looking at them.
And finally you can turning on the phone for the first time. Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 Specifications Along with Microsoft Windows Mobile 6. O Xperia X10 Mini é um smartphone produzido pela Sony Ericsson, atual Sony, que foi considerado na época de seu lançamento o menor Android do mundo. Sorry, for French version, unfortunately we could find yet. By following this action, it been said that you can remove all data and file from memory and reset your phone to factory default settings.
Cannot set up gmail account or utilise the android market facilities on my xperia u20i. See the image above for the details about this. . For Navigator in Closed Mode, it uses Optical Trackpad. Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 Manual User Guide - Specs Overview Brought out to the Market with Touch Bar Candy Bar with Sliding Qwerty Keyboard form factor in landscape mode which been usually just named as Side Slider form factor or just Slider. Yup, in comparison to , , , , and , the Xperia X1 is the first Xperia X Series.
Update November 2010: The Eclair Android 2. The main difference between the original and the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mini Pro Pro stand for Professional is the using of Sliding Qwerty Keypad of the Xperia X10. This means you need to assemble and construct all the parts before you start going to use it. Dispõe além de mp3 player, radio, bluetooth e memória expansível. The Display is equipped with 3.
The Picture below shown you how to construct each parts of the Phone. Although it still used the Touch Screen User Interface, in Professional version of X10 mini Pro U20i has added a keyboard qwerty that has a purpose to create more handy on typing the letter than using the onboard qwerty keyboard on Touch Screen. O Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini é um smartphone Android simples, mas com funcionalidades completas, mas ainda oferece poucas funcionalidades para lazer e diversão. Ótima a câmera de 5 megapixels que permite ao Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini tirar fotos de alta qualidade com uma resolução de 2592x1944 pixels e gravar vídeos. Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mini Pro Quick Start Guide - Keys Assemble Sim Memory You want to know how to use WiFi to connect to the Internet when you are in wireless networks area or hotspot are how to setup and make configurations? We can also said it has Dual Camera. Go to page 3 and page 3 to read the detail elaboration about this. Love the phone but have some problems! Playing Music, using Youtube, Troubleshooting and error messages, settings up setup the Phone? Of course most of features that available in the X1 was covered up the tutorial in the Manual.
I have tried several times to sign in with my google account. . . . . . .


Recently, I was asked by the Sisters of the Precious Blood to present a week-long retreat to the sisters at their monastery in Watertown. As often happens for me, I was touched spiritually much more than the sisters. I also discovered the tremendous value that these sisters and their monastery have for our diocese.
This monastery is truly a house of prayer. This monastery stands as a symbol of the Catholic faith for this community and this city. All who see it know immediately of the faith of those who helped build the monastery and continue to support it. Every day, the sisters are praying for all of us. In addition, all are welcome to come to the monastery and spend time in prayer – in silence and solitude. The sisters accept requests for prayer, and they always include in their prayers the bishop, priests and deacons, and people of our diocese.
This monastery, like others in the diocese, is a sign that there are many sisters who are willing to step out of the work-a-day world and dedicate their lives to prayer. They spend time bringing our requests of prayer to the Lord. These sisters are true contemplatives. Yet spending time with them this week, I realized quickly they were ordinary folks – just like the rest of us. However, they were called by the Lord to this vocation of prayer as Sisters of the Precious Blood. They have dedicated their lives to be near to the Lord in prayer.
Some of us may consider this vocation too difficult. We are so immersed in this world and involved in so many activities that we can't imagine spending time just in prayer. However, spending this time in the monastery, I discovered a satisfying peace and joy. I realized also that the sisters were helping so many especially by bringing prayer to the Lord for those in need of help and consolation. Many people come to the monastery searching for the help that only God can give them.
I write this today as a way of offering my gratitude to those sisters with whom I prayed this week. I recognized that they bring a powerful ministry for this city and our diocese. I have come to realize the support and strength of their prayers, as well as their readiness to support me and my ministry. I am certain I am guided and led by the Lord through the prayers of these sisters.
We are blessed here in our diocese by many such monasteries and convents – many congregations of sisters and brothers always ready to direct their prayers seeking God's help and love, supporting and helping those in ministry and those in need.
By the way, there is a place for others who sense a call, a vocation to be part of a religious community dedicated to prayer. It is a unique challenge for our church and a wonderful opportunity to make a difference with their lives. These are truly dedicated saints who are prepared to deluge heaven with prayer for God's people.


I think the software is great.
Has anyone tried exporting 3d files for use in FEA? I use Mecway (Mecway.com) for FEA and it can import dxf, step and stl files.
I exported the first Solvespace tute as a triangle (stl) file. I opened it easily in Mecway, created a 3d tet mesh and solved it. I was hooked!
I then exported the file from Solvespace as a wireframe step and later as a dxf.
When I imported either to Mecway, both files caused a crash with a netgen error.
I then exported the file from Solvespace as a surface step file (below). Again, Mecway crashed with a Netgen error.
Can anyone please advise what I might be doing wrong?
I wouldn't expect a wireframe (STEP or DXF) to do anything useful for the FEA, since it's generally impossible to compute the volume of a part from its wireframe.
The STEP surfaces should work conceptually, but it's a complicated file format, presumably with some detail different from what Mecway is expecting. There's probably no big downside in just using STL, though, as long as you generate the mesh fine enough in SolveSpace (zoom in and regenerate, or adjust chord tolerance in config), and assuming the FEA code doesn't try to conform its tets to the input mesh.
I have just emailed you some detail from the Mecway manual. Hope it throws some light on it.


text:
Port Talbot (en gal·lès Aberafan o Porth Talbot) és una ciutat portuària del sud del País de Gal·les, situada dins el county borough de Neath Port Talbot, à l'est de la badia de Swansea, a la desembocadura del riu Afan.

Amb uns 50.000 habitants, forma part del comtat de West Glamorgan, en una regió tradicionalment productora d'hulla. Hi ha plantes siderúrgiques com la de Margam, una de les dues darreres que queden al País de Gal·les.

Persones il·lustres
 Anthony Hopkins (1937), actor.
 Bernard Fox (1927), actor,
 Peg Entwistle (1908-1932), actriu.

Castell-nedd Port Talbot
Talbot

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


But can you manage the deck of the Nimitz-class nuclear powered supercarrier, the USS Ronald Regan (CVN-76)?
Carrier Deck is a fast paced time management game where you will play as the Air Officer on board a CVN-76 in the midst of active war. You, alone, are responsible for all aspects of operations involving aircraft on the ship and you'll need to work fast to ensure everything happens in time for the highest chances of warfare success.
Load the right planes and helicopters up and ready them for the required military missions. Manage both launching and landing the planes, avoiding crashes that could spread throughout the deck wrecking multiple planes and damaging the ship.
In Carrier Deck, you'll manage a staggering array of aircrafts including the F18 Hornet and Super Hornet, Chinook and S3 Viking, through a campaign that covers the oceans all over the globe. Test your skills in a full spectrum of operations across the globe in extensive campaign mode, or just try the Skirmish mode for a quick challenge.
8. Full range of aircraft and helicopters onboard from fighters to early warning and detection aircraft.


If staying comfy is your thing, you could pull a Shailene Woodley and forgo shoes to wear with a formal dress...or wear sneakers with an edgy-cool evening look, like Miranda Kerr: For a sporty-glam—and comfy—outfit, the supermodel wore her Reebok Skyscape kicks with a pair of waxed jeans, a lace cami, and a leather-trimmed blazer. To co-opt Miranda's sleek and monochrome look, make sure your sneakers are low on any distracting details, and don't look straight-from-the-gym. Easy! Shop out some Miranda-inspired sneaker outfits here: Do you like how Miranda wore her kicks? Do you wear your sneakers out for dressier events? And for more fashion inspiration, drop by our Outfit Ideas hub!
For a sporty-glam—and comfy—outfit, the supermodel wore her Reebok Skyscape kicks with a pair of waxed jeans, a lace cami, and a leather-trimmed blazer. To co-opt Miranda's sleek and monochrome look, make sure your sneakers are low on any distracting details, and don't look straight-from-the-gym. Easy!
Do you like how Miranda wore her kicks? Do you wear your sneakers out for dressier events? And for more fashion inspiration, drop by our Outfit Ideas hub!


The Finance Analyst will be responsible for ensuring all reconciling items are promptly treated, and all revenue and expenses are captured within the reporting period.
Assist in preparing and maintaining of daily worksheets and recording of accounting entries in the general ledger system.
Assist in ensuring the integrity of the general ledger postings.
Assist to liaise with the bank for all Company transactions, as assigned.
Assist in preparation of Monthly Last Mile Costs Schedule and ensure proper reconciliation against invoices and payments.
Maintain regular contact with other staff, departments and remote offices on procurement and other finance matters, as well as to obtain and convey information and/or to correct transactions.
Research, track, and resolve (or properly refer) accounting or documentation problems and discrepancies.
Prepare supporting documents, reports, records etc. for financial transactions.
Ensure compliance with all accounting standards, policies and procedures, legal/statutory and company regulations.
Assist in preparing bank reconciliations.
Assist in ensuring all reconciling items are promptly treated to ensure all revenue and expenses are captured within the reporting period.
Assist in Fixed Asset management.
Assist in ensuring all cash advances to staff are been retired.
Assist in Maintaining schedule of cash advances to staff.
Assist in ensuring proper file management, easy treating of vouchers to GL as well as maintaining well reconciled vendor statement and file.
Other duties consistent with the role as assigned from time.
Basic typing and data entry skills.
Efficient use of accounting templates.
Able to perform basic math skills, use decimals to compute ratios and percent.
Working knowledge of any accounting application.


text:
Pete's Hobby Railway
Progress Report 62: Beautification Works Commence at Loftus Station
The short Report
Stage 1 of beautification works at Loftus station have commenced.
The detailed Report
In accordance with the exemption conditions of the NSW Rail Safety Law under which Pete's Hobby Railway operates, I am not permitted to allow the general public entry to either inspect or ride on the Railway. This does not mean that the public are not able to experience the ambience of the project. My block of land has a 100 metres frontage to a public road, with the railway running parallel about 10m inside the boundary fence before sweeping away on highly visible large radius curves on rising grades. Except for late in the day in mid-summer, this is the sunny side for photographs.
Image 2020.0676: The close proximity of Loftus platform and waiting shed is evident from this photo taken from outside my front fence. This is part of the view obtainable by members of the general public. Small Anzac Day memories for a Covid-19 ANZAC Day, 25th April 2020.
The major feature easily visible as part of this front fence-line running is the 1915 era replica of a New South Wales Government Railways unattended platform. I have named the platform LOFTUS – not only was this the construction name given to the local Junee railway station back in the 1870s, but it is also the name of the village within Sydney's Sutherland Shire where I resided for some 60 years. The simple waiting shed on PHR's platform is based on that which stood on Sydney's Loftus station for many, many years until modernisation in the 1980s.
My station is identified by a replica of the old style wooden nameboard, supported on two lengths of rail, as was done in days of old. The letters and surrounds are painted in white, while the background is black. In later years on the "big" railway, these colours were reversed. Over the years, these signboards replaced by various designs of concrete then metal until today they are less than half the size of the original boards – and dare I say, not as attractive!
Befitting an unattended platform, PHR has an original green hand signal which would be displayed by one of the waiting passengers to attract the attention of the driver of the approaching train… about the only time that a green indication is given to stop a train!
PHR's LOFTUS station does not have the benefit of electric lighting. However, by courtesy of a generous benefactor, PHR has on extended loan an original kerosene platform lantern, fully restored and operational. Because of its rarity, the lantern is currently exhibited only on specific operating days.
Although the station and waiting shed were officially opened by our local State Member of Parliament, Steph Cooke back on Saturday, 30th June 2018 (see Progress Report No. 44), associated works have never been fully completed. Project Managers Phil and Josh feel that it is now time to undertake some beautification works. Of course, without permanent staff, unattended platforms had no one to develop and maintain station gardens. However, if stations were attended, the staff (if they were so bent!) would have more than ample opportunities to develop their gardening skills. This was supported by Management who would arrange for annual competitions to select the best railway gardens around the State.
For the purpose of Station gardens on the New South Wales Government Railways, these were divided into twelve sections – in this case, Junee (Loftus during the construction era) was in Section 7, for stations from Nubba to Albury, including branch lines. Nubba platform was 10miles/16km south from Harden, but now, long gone! Other sections covered Rooms, Administrative Offices and Traffic Depot gardens, also even for Railway Refreshment Gatehouses and residences occupied by Railway employees.
But perhaps PHR's Loftus could come under "Station gardens not attended by Railway Staff – Special Certificates will be awarded for First, Second and Third Prizes in cases where gardens are maintained by Public bodies (Shire or Municipal Councils excepted)."
Enhancement of the Loftus platform precinct had long been proposed, however had been delayed owing to more urgent works elsewhere. While these works (such as completion of the turntable project) are still "urgent", some time was allocated in at least commence the platform beautification.
From a gardener's viewpoint (and I am not one, so kindly excuse my reporting blunders!), some difficulties to be faced included the extremes of temperature from zero Celsius to heatwave 40 degrees plus, with extended dry periods. Accordingly, Australian native plants common to the area were proposed, together with a drip-feed water supply.
The Project Commences
Some time ago, the sloping area behind the station nameboard had been graded and covered with soil etc from our previous bonfire nights (See Progress Reports 44 and 54).
Image 2020.1609: Josh selects the locations for the initial plantings, even down to the use of a tape measure!
Finally, on Tuesday, 3rd November, on-site works commenced in earnest on this first stage. Phil and Josh had already visited a local Nursery in Wagga, initially selecting five young Callistemon Bottlebrush shrubs. These are quick growing (to a height of 3 to 5 metres, unless trimmed), are drought tolerant, flower in spring and autumn and a bird attracting. With some distance measuring, these were planted, the first stage of the drip-feed watering system installed (complete with a timer on the tap, installed previously) and the lot covered with wood shavings, etc. Each plant was individually watered and given a "drink" of Seasol (a seaweed solution, promoted as "the complete garden treatment and recommended for overcoming the initial planting shock").
Image 2020.1615: With the five initial bottlebrush shrubs planted and the first stage of the drip-feed watering system laid in, it was time for an initial major drink. Phil is wheeling in the start of the mulch to become the new ground surface and help retain moisture.
A couple of days later, Phil and Josh returned with additional plantings for the new garden, including extending same to the sloped western end of the platform. Selected were Grevillea Pink Lady (going under the botanical name of Grevillea Juniperina), Grevillea Spring Delight (Grevillea Crithmofolia), Grevillea Gin Gem (Grevillea Obstusifolia) and Grevillea Scarlet Sprite (Grevillea Rosmarininfolia). All of these are Australian native plants and are bird attracting. They are intended as ground cover shrubs, growing to no more than a half-metre in height, apart from the Scarlet Sprite which will grow to a metre in height. The first two produce white flowers and the other two, red flowers. Hope the birds aren't colour blind!
Image 2020.1648: Limited gardening at the western end of the platform so as not to restrict train crew visibility. A concrete walkway will be constructed for the benefit of loco crews. Reggie the dog supervises progress.
For the station ramp area, only the smaller ground cover shrubs were planted, so as not to restrict crew visibility. The drip-feed watering system was extended to cover this additional area. A short length of dead log was placed in the back corner; a rockery will be added to make it a refuge for bearded dragons, lizards and frogs.
Image 2020.1655: The log. Hopefully in due course it will be partly hidden by ground cover. Initial ground watering is in hand.
Image 2020.1657: The completed first state of beatification works.
Improvements were carried out to this first stage of the garden beautification works on Tuesday 1/12. These involved the building of two small rockeries, one at each end of the garden, with the idea to provide protection for smaller creatures (lizards, etc.) from larger predators. In addition, a watering arrangement, suitable for birds, bearded dragons, lizards, etc., has been installed. This is permanently connected to a close-by tap and topped up automatically by a small enclosed ball-valve arrangement. (This is a commercially available "bird bath"!) Small rocks have been placed around and in the bowl so as to make it easier for smaller wild-life to gain access for a drink (or bath) and will doubtless be appreciated by all concerned – once they find it. All the brainwave of Phil and Josh!
Image 2020.1774: The new wild life-watering facility.
Extended Beautification Plans and Other Proposals for Loftus Platform
A concrete sloped ramp will be laid adjacent to the existing narrow timber ramp to benefit crew walking from platform to track level for engine lubrication etc.
Future beautification plans provide for an extension of the garden behind the waiting shed building and to the sloped area at the eastern end of the platform. A proper pathway will be laid along the full length of the rear of the platform, leading to the exit ramp already located next to the waiting room.
Image 2020.1778: Another view of the completed beautification works, including the log. Garratt the Gnome patiently waits for the wild-life to appear.
Already, PHR has additional signage to be erected at the platform, together with a further level crossing sign advising that as the crossing is unattended, the gate(s) should be closed again after use. As mentioned above, PHR has on extended loan, a fully restored kerosene platform lamp. I would like to explore ways in which this can be securely attached to the building so that it can become a permanent display.
Stations and platforms would normally display public notices, in the case of the latter, within the waiting room area. These could include posters of altered train services over major holiday periods and would normally be pasted on to existing notice boards. PHR already possesses some suitable posters from the 1950s era for this purpose.
Later stage plans include the installation of an elevated water tank and column, along with a lower quadrant home or starting signal – all to add to the ambience of a steam-era railway.
There is always tomorrow for these works, however I wish today would pass so that these plans can materialise. Hopefully these will make PHR and in particular, Loftus platform and surrounds, more of an attraction to visitors visiting Junee along the Canola Trail, even if physical access is not possible.
Thank you to Phil and Josh for taking on this project.
Until the next Report…
SM Loftus
Categories icon Progress Reports
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Progress Report 63: Mini-Cyclone Hits Pete's Hobby Railway
1 thought on "Progress Report 62: Beautification Works Commence at Loftus Station"
Robert Green says:
Hi Pete , excellent work on your garden there . Though , may I suggest using "Charlie Carp" liquid fertilizer . It is produced at Deniliquin , 100% Australian . And , I have found it better for all native plants . Cheers , Rob …..
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Celebrate beautifully. While June birthstone earrings make a lovely gift for those celebrating a birthday, these pearl earrings will be cherished all year long–no matter when your birthday is.
Time to celebrate! Ring in another year of you with these stunning June birthstone earrings. Pearls are displayed in a classic drop on these always-stylish earrings. While June birthstone earrings make a lovely gift for those celebrating a birthday, these pearl earrings will be cherished all year long–no matter when your birthday is. Pearl earrings – always a perfectly posh pair.


Looking for beautiful, lasting color to carry your garden through till spring? Winter in the Lowcountry can be nearly as bright as our sultry subtropical summers—with the added bonus of less weeding. The following cool-season garden staples are proven workhorses that will deliver vibrance in the landscape or a favorite container with very little effort.
This winter favorite offers up beautiful and edible flowers—feel free to add them to your favorite salad or infuse in a cup of hot tea. The 'Zeolights' variety (pictured at top right) has a stunning peach and maroon double bloom—quite unique when compared to its more traditional single-blooming relatives. This calendula will have subtle changes in color as it matures, making it an interesting plant to follow through its lifecycle. It's also a seed-to-seed grower; simply harvest its seeds in late spring or early summer and sow in mid-August for sunny winter blooms.
Maintain: Deadhead for new blooms.
This spectacular mounding ground cover is delicate in appearance but surprisingly drought tolerant and deer resistant. It offers up a sweet fragrance and occasionally even reseeds itself. Used in a container, it will cascade over the edge as a fantastic trailer. Try the 'Tiny Tim' variety—it will not disappoint with its carpet of fragrant blossoms.
Water: 2-3 times/week; it prefers moist soil but can tolerate drought.
Pansies—technically perennial viola hybrids that are treated as annuals—come in nearly every color of the rainbow, making them an easy fit for any garden bed, and put on a nonstop show of blooms about six months out of the year. Plant them en masse in the landscape to add a big splash of color, or tuck them into a container as a companion plant. Have a cooler palette? Check out 'Matrix Blue Frost'. This vibrant bloomer stands out with its blue to lavender hues offset by delicate white highlights.


text:
Capital Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Y. Howard Pung, M.D., M.P.H.
Y. Howard Pung, M.D., M.P.H. F.A.A.A.A.I.
Dr. Pung is a board-certified allergist for adult and pediatric patients. He is a dipomate of the American Board of Allergy & Immunology, as well as a Fellow of the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology and American College of Allergy Asthma & Immunology. He received his medical degree (MD) from National Taiwan University, followed by a Master of Public Heath degree (MPH) from Johns Hopkins University. He completed his pediatric residency and fellowship training at Georgetown University Medical Center.
Along with managing his private practice in Rockville/Germantown Maryland, Dr. Pung has served as the Director and Professor at the Division of Allergy & Immunology for the Department of Pediatrics at Georgetown University Medical Center. He has a passion for teaching patients, medical students and medical residents. He's been invited for lectures in both local and international medical communities. He has also served as President for multiple communities, including the Greater Washington Allergy; Asthma & Immunology Society; North America Taiwanese Medical Association; and American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
Dr. Pung has won various awards, including the prestigious "National Research Service Award" from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He has also been honored as a "top doctor/physician" numerous times with the U.S. News & World Report, Consumers Research Council of America, and the Washingtonian.
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP:
Fellow of American Academy of Pediatrics
Fellow of American College of Allergy Asthma and Immunology
Fellow of American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology
Member of American Medical Association
Member of Greater Washington Allergy Society
Member of Chinese American Medical Association
Member of North American Taiwanese Medical Association
(President, Mid-Atlantic Chapter, 1998)
Member of National Taiwan University Medical College Alumni Association
(President, Baltimore-Washington Chapter, 2002)
NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL COMMITTEES & SERVICES:
American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
Pediatric Committee, 2006-2009
AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS:
National Research Service Award, National Institutes of Health, 1990 & 1991
"American's Top Physician", Consumers" Research Council of America
"Washingtonian Top Doctor", 2010
Nasal symptoms: allergic and nonallergic components, sinusitis, polyps
Food sensitivities: pathophysiology, oral allergy syndrome, eosinophilic esophagitis
Atopic dermatitis/Eczema: pathophysiology, management, cytokine interventions
Asthma: allergic and nonallergic components, management, patient education
Chinese (Mandarin & Taiwanese)
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© Copyright 2010 - Capital Allergy, Asthma & Immunology | Y. Howard Pung, M.D.


text:
Switch to: References
Citations of:
Divine hiddenness and the one sheep
Travis Dumsday
International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 79 (1):69-86 (2016)
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Divine Hiddenness, Greater Goods, and Accommodation.Luke Teeninga - 2017 - Sophia 56 (4):589-603.details
J.L. Schellenberg argues that one reason to think that God does not exist is that there are people who fail to believe in Him through no fault of their own. If God were all loving, then He would ensure that these people had evidence to believe in Him so that they could enter into a personal relationship with Him. God would not remain 'hidden'. But in the world, we actually do find people who fail to believe that God exists, and (...) their nonbelief does not seem to be due to their resisting God. I argue that if there are valuable goods brought about by God's hiddenness, then even if each of those goods might obtain without hiddenness, God would have a sufficient reason for remaining hidden so long as enough of those goods would be made sufficiently more valuable because of God's hiddenness. If this is the case, then the existence of 'nonresistant nonbelievers' in the actual world does not entail that God does not exist. (shrink)
Divine Hiddenness in Philosophy of Religion
Hiddenness of God.Daniel Howard-Snyder & Adam Green - 2016 - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.details
"Divine hiddenness", as the phrase suggests, refers, most fundamentally, to the hiddenness of God, i.e., the alleged fact that God is hidden, absent, silent. In religious literature, there is a long history of expressions of annoyance, anxiety, and despair over divine hiddenness, so understood. For example, ancient Hebrew texts lament God's failure to show up in experience or to show proper regard for God's people or some particular person, and two Christian Gospels portray Jesus, in his cry of dereliction on (...) the cross, as experiencing abandonment by God, whom he regarded as "Abba, Father", an experience shared by many mystics, saints, and ordinary folk of all theistic traditions, described at its worst as "the dark night of the soul". Understood in this way, divine hiddenness poses an existential problem for those who have such experiences. -/- However, "divine hiddenness" refers to something else in recent philosophical literature, especially since the publication of J.L. Schellenberg's landmark book, Divine Hiddenness and Human Reason (1993). In this context, it refers to alleged facts about the absence of belief of God, on the basis of which one might think there is no God. For example, Schellenberg argues that, since there are nonbelievers who are capable of a personal relationship with God and who do not resist it, there is no perfectly loving God, while Stephen Maitzen argues that naturalism better explains the "demographics" of nonbelief than theism and Jason Marsh argues that naturalism better explains "natural nonbelief" than theism. Understood in this way, divine hiddenness constitutes putative evidence for atheism. -/- Although some of the recent philosophical literature addresses the problem understood in the first way (e.g., DeWeese-Boyd 2016; Garcia 2002), this entry focuses on divine hiddenness understood in the second way. The first section discusses the relationships between nonbelief and another source of alleged evidence for atheism: evil. The second section states and defends the argument from nonresistant nonbelief. The third section sketches attempts to explain nonresistant nonbelief from a theistic perspective. The fourth section states other responses to the argument from nonresistant nonbelief. The fifth section discusses the argument from the demographics of nonbelief and the sixth section discusses the argument from natural nonbelief. (shrink)
Behind the Veil: Mysticism and the Reply to Hiddenness in the Work of Travis Dumsday.McCrary Catherine - 2017 - Quaerens Deum 3 (1).details
Ever since J. L. Schellenberg formulated his infamous atheistic argument from hiddenness in his 1993 book Divine Hiddenness and Human Reason, the problem of divine hiddenness--the question of why a good God would hide Himself, even from those actively seeking Him--has troubled theists. Schellenberg's argument from hiddenness has proven notoriously difficult for theists to answer, and perhaps this is why it is now second only to the problem of evil in popularity with atheists. While many theists have tried to find (...) an adequate answer to the problem of hiddenness, and many have made good attempts, no response has been quite complete. Many such replies have been made by Dr. Travis Dumsday of the Concordia University of Edmonton. Dumsday has written prolifically on the subject of divine hiddenness, but in this paper I will look at only three of his replies to Schellenberg's argument from hiddenness. These three responses, while each insufficient on their own, become a far more formidable reply to the problem of hiddenness when combined and synthesized around a more mystic conception of God imported from the Christian mystic tradition. Drawing upon the mysticism of Saint Francis of Assisi and the rigorous philosophy of Dumsday, I argue that the great mystery that we call God remains hidden in order to preserve the well-being of nonbelievers, and that He does indeed reveal Himself, but only to those who cultivate the requisite level of moral virtue and seek Him diligently. (shrink)


Excellent ambience at this dining locations smack dab in the middle of beautiful Cancun! An incredible selection of fresh seafood meals that will fit well in to any diet or meal plan! Delicious and fresh, most items are caught the same day which really does take each flavor and dish to the next level. It also offers an amazing view, especially at sunset. Start off with some amazing drinks such as the shrimp cocktails, and enjoy the outdoor seating while they prepared you meals for you. The staff is extremely friendly which in our books is a must for any memorable dining experience. Affordable and the portions are very much just right. We also enjoy the live music which takes things up another notch compared to the competition. It's hard to compare the ceviche as it's easily the best we've had in years. After so many spots in our travels, we're just excited to be able to share such a gem with our readers. Without hesitation, even if it's an hour away, be sure to visit!


text:
Q: How to sort a list of dictionary for datetime key which also contains empty string and get the large value first? The list of dictionary -
data = [{'key1':'','key2':'111'},{'key1':12,'key2':'1'},{'key1':1,'key2':'1'}]

Sorted is -
sorted(data, key=lambda k: (k['key1'] is None, k['key1'] == "", k['key1']),reverse=True)

Response -
[{'key1': '', 'key2': '111'}, {'key1': 12, 'key2': '1'}, {'key1': 1, 'key2': '1'}]

How do we get the large value first and move the empty string last?

A: def order(v):
    if v['key1'] in {'',None}:
        return -1
    else:
        return v['key1']

sorted(data,key=order,reverse=True)

[{'key1': 12, 'key2': '1'}, {'key1': 1, 'key2': '1'}, {'key1': '', 'key2': '111'}]

A: You can try:
>>> sorted(data, key=lambda x : x['key1'] if x['key1'] else float('-inf'), reverse=True)
[{'key1': 12, 'key2': '1'}, {'key1': 1, 'key2': '1'}, {'key1': '', 'key2': '111'}]
>>> # OR
>>> sorted(data, key=lambda x : x['key1'] if isinstance(x['key1'], int) else float('-inf'), reverse=True)
[{'key1': 12, 'key2': '1'}, {'key1': 1, 'key2': '1'}, {'key1': '', 'key2': '111'}]

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


You could call this a lucky accident.
When 28-year-old Charlyn Willis got engaged, she was excited to show off her ring. So, she quickly texted Sarah Michelle Gellar a photo of her new bling. As one does. The only catch: Willis doesn't actually know the Buffy the Vampire Slayer star and had texted her by mistake. Nonetheless, Gellar was excited to share in Willis' big news.
Upon receiving the erroneous text, Gellar took to social media to congratulate Willis, and to relay the cute wrong-number anecdote to her fans.
In a December 14 Facebook post that showed Willis smiling while flashing her ring, Gellar wrote: "This is #CharlynWillis. She got engaged yesterday, and meant to text her sister, but in all the excitement, got me instead."
Willis was touched by Gellar's public recognition, and wrote a happy reply to the actress on her Facebook page. "Thank you so much for this. You've truly made my engagement experience even more of a life changer!" Willis wrote.
The soon-to-be bride also wrote, on her own Facebook page: "I guess the best way to announce your engagement is to have a celebrity to do it for you ... THANKS Sarah Michelle Gellar."
Indeed! In terms of engagement announcements, this one is pretty epic. The only question is: will Willis have a Buffy-themed wedding?
Did Sarah Michelle Gellar Hang with Britney Spears?


Stunningly stylish 60's look round egg shape, hanging basket chair, in choice of natural or black rattan, the perfect stylish modern essential chill-out chair. Black or natural hanging basket chair. Made of natural woven wicker rattan this playful chair will add a nordic style to your room. Create a space to chill in the middle of your living room with your favourite book, music or simply rock from side to side. Bring the outdoors in with this gorgeous new chair.


Ensuring that The Service achieves the results in each of its programs that it sets out to and that the programs operate within the philosophy and policies of The Service .
Ensuring The Service is financially viable and operating efficiently.
Ensure that The Service has an explicit mission, philosophy and adequate policies and procedures in place.
Ensure that The Service is enlivened by its mission and philosophy and that The Service operates within the agreed philosophy and policies.
Ensure that the Senior Managers operate as a team and that there is a consistent approach across the whole of The Service .
Keep the Board adequately informed so they are able to effectively carry out their role.
Ensures that The Service is effectively and efficiently managed.
Ensures that adequate systems and information are available for the Board, staff and others to know how well The Service is meeting its aims and objectives.
Ensures that programs are regularly reviewed and staff are working for program improvement within the context of the changing needs of the young people and their families and the wider community.
Ultimately responsible for all admissions and discharges.
Responsible for the appointment of all staff (delegated to Seniors Managers with the Executive Officer's approval for staff within their units).
Undertakes regular staff appraisals of Senior Manages and the Fundraising Officer.
Ensures that client and staff complaints are effectively dealt with including referring them to the Board if appropriate.
Maintains and develop relationships with the local community.
Ensures that The Service is appropriately represented in relevant organisations and networks within the welfare community (either through participation or appointment of representatives) - including both government and non-government organisations and networks.
Responsible for the overall plan and approach for public relations, marketing and fund-raising initiatives.
Be the contact person for the media.
Monitors financial information to ensure that The Service is operating efficiently and within an agreed budget.
Alerts the Board to all key financial issues.
Responsible for ensuring that the archives and records section (including confidential material on clients) is maintained and up-to-date and secure manner and that access is restricted to authorised The Service staff.


text:
SpaceX CRS-17, also known as SpX-17, was a Commercial Resupply Services mission (CRS) to the International Space Station that was launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket on 4 May 2019. The mission was contracted by NASA and was flown by SpaceX.

Launch schedule history
In February 2016, it was announced that NASA had awarded a contract extension to SpaceX for five additional CRS missions (CRS-16 to CRS-20). In June 2016, a NASA Inspector General report had this mission manifested for October 2018, but by January 2019 this had been pushed back to April 2019.

Due to a Dragon 2 test anomaly on 20 April 2019, SpaceX needed to acquire a permit to allow landing on the drone ship, "Of Course I Still Love You". The ship was stationed just  downrange "to ensure the integrity of the area and preserve valuable information".

Primary payload

Total weight of the cargo on the CRS-17 mission was , consisting of  in the pressurized section and 965 kg in the unpressurized section.

Cargo in unpressurized section included the Orbiting Carbon Observatory 3 (OCO-3) and STP-H6.

See also
 Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station

References

External links

 NASA
 SpaceX official page for the Dragon spacecraft
 Launch date update
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmvY8ZmN0Ic

SpaceX Dragon
Spacecraft launched in 2019
SpaceX payloads contracted by NASA
Supply vehicles for the International Space Station
Spacecraft which reentered in 2019


Beautiful building lot in Bear Lake. Power has not been run to cul-de-sac. Year round accessible once a home has been built on lot. For information regarding short term rentals or HOA please visit www.sgcha.com.


text:
Home Breaking News Biden invites Pence to inauguration, says it's good Trump won't attend
Biden invites Pence to inauguration, says it's good Trump won't attend
President-elect Joe Biden said on Friday it was good for President Donald Trump to skip the inauguration ceremony later this month after one of the most chaotic weeks in modern American politics.
Trump, who helped fuel Wednesday's violent riot on Capitol Hill, said on Twitter Friday that he would not attend the event on Jan.20.
"I was told on the way here that he had indicated that he would not be showing up at the inauguration: one of the few things that he and I never agreed on," Biden said of Trump. "It's a good thing he's not showing up. "
"He even got past my worst notions about him," the president-elect said. "He is one of the most incompetent presidents in the history of the United States of America. "
Biden, who spoke from Wilmington, Delaware, added that he would welcome Vice President Mike Pence to the inauguration.
"I think it's important that we can stick to what has been the historical precedents and the circumstances of how a changing administration needs to be maintained," Biden said. "So if Mike – the vice president is welcome. I would be honored to have him there and move forward with the transition. "
Earlier today, Pence spokesperson Devin O'Malley said Vice President and Second Lady Karen Pence had not decided whether they would attend.
The vice president broke with Trump earlier in the week when he said he did not have the power to throw ballots certifying Biden's victory. Biden said he did not speak with Pence about the vice president's presence at the ceremony.
Biden also offered a sideways response to his take on the Congressional Democrats' attempt to remove or remove Trump from office.
"I think it is important that we continue our activities to get him removed from his post. The fastest way to do that is if we take the oath on the 20th, "Biden said. "What happens before or after this is a judgment to be made by Congress. "
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Breonna Taylor: two officers shot dead during the Louisville protests


text:
Q: tmux combine multiple commands to one vi-copy command or tmux command to yank a line In tmux, i know we can chain multiple commands to a key by using \; See Here
But in vi mode, i want one single key press to go to the beginning of the current line, begin-selection, go to end-of-line, copy-selection.
In tmux.conf if i give the following
bind-key -t vi-copy 's' start-of-line \; begin-selection \; end-of-line \; copy-selection \;

It gives me this : 69: usage: bind-key [-cnr] [-t key-table] key command [arguments] error.
Or is there any alternative way to yank the current line in single key.

A: Unfortunately, the mode-specific bindings (done with -t) currently only support one command at a time. Additionally, the command must be one of the mode-specific commands, not any general tmux command. In the source, the function cmd_bind_key_check limits the non-option arguments to exactly two when using -t: one key and one command; this is why you get the usage message (though the message it not very illuminating).
You can use invoke the copy-end-of-line command to save a couple of keystrokes though. In vi-copy mode: use 0 D instead of 0 Space $ Enter. In emacs-copy mode: C-a C-k instead of C-a C-Space C-e C-w.


The VOLMET7 system from Saab Combitech provides pilots in flight with information of the meteorological conditions at the surrounding main airports of their destination.
The pilots receive in due time information to decide if there is a need to consider deviation of the aircraft to an adjacent airport in case of bad weather condi- tions at the destination airport. The message service is automatically and continuously refreshed as soon as new information becomes available, without intervention from operator.
Enhanced safety and service Information sharing is a key element for flight safety and pilot service. Providing distinct, timely and iterating information over the radio or data link, the Saab VOLMET is a valuable system for all service providers of VOLMET information, serving pilots with important weather information. VOLMET7 can also be integrated in the Saab AWOS7 system or ATIS7 system without the need for extra hardware.


text:
Talks About science
previous The meaning of life
next My style guide
About science¶
In our daily life we are faced with observations for which we have no valid explanation. There are questions for which we don't know any valid answer.
For some of these questions we know that we cannot know the answer. "Does it all make sense?" is one of them. See The meaning of life.
Some of these questions have been unanswered at some time but got an answer as science evolved. For example, 500 years ago we had no valid answer to the question whether the Earth is flat or spheric, but today we can validly say that we know the answer to this question.
And then a lot of questions are kind of work in progress: What are the causes of cancer or asthma? Is climate change so urgent that it requires actions that might put at risk economic stability? How can we satisfy the needs for water, food, shelter, energy, health, education of a growing human population? How can we manage to live on this planet in sustainable peace?
These questions are the field of science.
science¶
The art of managing human knowledge.
scientific method¶
A set of methodologies used to answer questions formulated as theories.
scientific evidence¶
Evidence that confirms (or counters) a theory in accordance with scientific method.
scientific community¶
A world-wide network of scientists interacting in diverse ways in accordance with scientific method.
Intermezzo: watch PumbaTimon.
Science is not objective¶
Evangelical author Gene Veith purports (in Canceling Science) that science is "the realm that purports to be totally objective". I don't agree with this claim. Real scientists don't claim to be totally objective. Rather the opposite. A real scientist says that nothing –including Holy Scriptures– is totally objective. This is also what Jesus told the religious leaders of his lifetime: even your Holy Scriptures aren't the whole truth.
Does science push back God to his ramparts?¶
Some people say that science "pushes back God to his ramparts", constantly gaining ground as our technologies evolve.
This statement is based on a correct observation: certain questions have moved during human history from the invisible to the visible world. Two thousand years ago humanity did not know about bacteria, viruses, evolution, atoms and such things. We did not know whether Earth is a sphere or not. In two thousand years humanity will probably know much more than today, and humans will be surprised when learning from historic sources that we didn't know these things.
What I dislike with this statement is that it implies that the Universe would consist of two "territories", a visible "human world" and an invisible Kingdom of God. Christians don't believe this. Christians believe that the Kingdom of God penetrates the visible world. They are not separate territories.
Science confirms the Gospel¶
Judgment and Storytelling: The Deadly Nature of Self-Esteem says: Much of our "identity" or self-esteem are "stories" we create to make sense of the world. Our stories involve judgment and labeling, which are cognitive distortions. They aren't real, although they seem so. Once we become aware of the nature of these stories, it's easier to let go and move on. – I call these "stories" our faith. And he describes exactly what the Gospel does: it gives us an external base ("source") for our self-esteem so that we can let our "stories" go and move on with our lives.
Related blog posts¶
Science serves those who pay for it
Conclusion¶
Yes, humans want to know the whole truth. But let's acknowledge that we will never reach that goal. Let's stop claiming that some Holy Scripture or some scientific report is infallible or perfect. If we want to get useful results despite our lack of absolute truth, we need to combine science and religion. The former focuses on the visible world, the latter on the invisible world. And we should consider every decision from both sides. Science and religion complement each other. When one of them refuses to acknowledge the other, then something is wrong.
Read more¶
People have turned to religious practice to help them deal with issues of life and death, loss and meaning for thousands of years. In his new book How God Works, psychologist David DeSteno uses the latest scientific evidence to examine how rituals help shape behaviors such as compassion, trust and resilience and why many of them are so beneficial. – washingtonpost.com (2021-10-05)
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Q: Gantt style time line plot (in base R) I have a dataframe that looks like this:
       person n start end
1         sam 6     0   6
2        greg 5     6  11
3     teacher 4    11  15
4         sam 4    15  19
5        greg 5    19  24
6       sally 5    24  29
7        greg 4    29  33
8         sam 3    33  36
9       sally 5    36  41
10 researcher 6    41  47
11       greg 6    47  53

Where start and end are times or durations (sam spoke from 0 to 6; greg from 6 to 11 etc.).  n is how long (in this case # of words) the person spoke.  I want to plot this as a time line in base R (I eventually may ask a similar question using ggplot2 but this answer is specific to base R [when I say base I mean the packages that come with a standard install]).
The y axis will be by person and the x axis will be time.  Hopefully the final product looks something like this for the data above:

I would like to use base R to make this.  I'm not sure how to approach this.  My thoughts are to use a dot plot and plot a dotplot but leave out the dots.  Then go over this with square end segments.  I'm not sure about how this will work since the segments need numeric x and y points to make the segments and the y axis is categorical.  Another thought is to convert the factors to numeric (assign each factor a number) and plot as a blank scatterplot and then go over with square end line segments.  This could be a powerful tool in my field looking at speech patterns.
I thank you in advance for your help.
PS the argument for square ended line segments is segments(... , lend=2) to save time looking this information up for those not familiar with all the segment arguments.

A: While the y-axis is categorical all you need to do is assign numbers to the categories (1:5) and track them.  Using the default as.numeric() of the factor will usually number them alphabetically but you should check anyway.  Make your plot with the xaxt = 'n' argument.  Then use the axis() command to put in a y-axis.
axis(2, 1:5, myLabels)

Keep in mind that whenever you're plotting the only way to place things is with a number.  Categorical x or y values are always just the numbers 1:nCategories with category name labels in place of the numbers on the axis.
Something like the following gets you close enough (assuming your data.frame object is called datf)...
datf$pNum <- as.numeric(datf$person)
plot(datf$pNum, xlim = c(0, 53), type = 'n', yaxt = 'n', xlab ='Duration (words)', ylab = 'person', main = 'Speech Duration')
axis(2, 1:5, sort(unique(datf$person)), las = 2, cex.axis = 0.75)
with(datf, segments(start, pNum, end, pNum, lwd = 3, lend=2))

A: You say you want a base R solution, but you don't say why. Since this is one line of code in ggplot, I show this anyway.
library(ggplot2)
ggplot(dat, aes(colour=person)) +
    geom_segment(aes(x=start, xend=end, y=person, yend=person), size=3) +
    xlab("Duration")

A: Pretty similar to @John's approach, but since I did it, I will post it :)
Here's a generic function to plot a gantt (no dependencies):
plotGantt <- function(data, res.col='resources',
                      start.col='start', end.col='end', res.colors=rainbow(30))
{
  #slightly enlarge Y axis margin to make space for labels
  op <- par('mar')
  par(mar = op + c(0,1.2,0,0))

  minval <- min(data[,start.col],na.rm=T)
  maxval <- max(data[,end.col],na.rm=T)

  res.colors <- rev(res.colors)
  resources <- sort(unique(data[,res.col]),decreasing=T)

  plot(c(minval,maxval),
       c(0.5,length(resources)+0.5),
       type='n', xlab='Duration',ylab=NA,yaxt='n' )
  axis(side=2,at=1:length(resources),labels=resources,las=1)
  for(i in 1:length(resources))
  {
    yTop <- i+0.1
    yBottom <- i-0.1
    subset <- data[data[,res.col] == resources[i],]
    for(r in 1:nrow(subset))
    {
      color <- res.colors[((i-1)%%length(res.colors))+1]
      start <- subset[r,start.col]
      end <- subset[r,end.col]
      rect(start,yBottom,end,yTop,col=color)
    }
  }
  par(mar=op) # reset the plotting margins
}

Usage example:
data <- read.table(text=
'"person","n","start","end"
"sam",6,0,6
"greg",5,6,11
"teacher",4,11,15
"sam",4,15,19
"greg",5,19,24
"sally",5,24,29
"greg",4,29,33
"sam",3,33,36
"sally",5,36,41
"researcher",6,41,47
"greg",6,47,53',sep=',',header=T)

plotGantt(data, res.col='person',start.col='start',end.col='end',
          res.colors=c('green','blue','brown','red','yellow'))

Result:


Vienna, in the nineteenth century: At his teaching hospital – the Allgemeines Krankenhaus der Stadt Wien – a pathologist named Karl von Rokitansky institutes an autopsy on every single patient who dies there. After the autopsy, clinicians and pathologists sit down together to compare notes: The Morbidity/Mortality Conference is born.
New diseases were found, old diseases became better known, medicine improved greatly, and Vienna became a magnet for physicians who wanted to learn there - it still is Europe's biggest hospital. My father spend some semesters studying medicine in Vienna. In Europe, one is not as wedded to one's alma mater as one is in the USA; in Europe, it behooves everybody to seek out good schools and good teachers to learn as much as possible. For instance, I studied in Nuremberg (Nürnberg), Brunswick (Braunschweig), Kiel and Hamburg, and finished degrees in mathematics, philosophy, social sciences and medicine. Here, if you change schools, you are frowned upon. – Both methods seem useful in their own way – I am not sure which one I prefer.
Back to pathologist Rokitansky. For about a century after he made them mandatory, autopsies were the norm, especially at teaching hospitals. Now they are the exception: Barely one in a hundred dead bodies get a second look, to find out what the cause of their demise was. Autopsies are not "cost-effective", and different imaging procedures, done when the patient is still alive give the patient a better chance to stay alive.
But medical knowledge and skills are in decline – and patients complain. It seems as if physicians don't want to be confronted anymore with their mistakes. Before, a physician learned from every case. Now the physician just tries to handle the case load.