text:
Lucid Motors Picks Samsung SDI For Its Battery Supplier
By Steve Hanley on December 7, 2016
Lucid Motors and Samsung SDI have entered into a partnership in which Samsung SDI will be the exclusive supplier of batteries for the cars produced by Lucid. But these won't be just any batteries. In a joint statement, the companies told Forbes they are collaborating on "next-generation cylindrical cells that are able to exceed current performance benchmarks in areas such as energy density, power, calendar life and safety." The cells are also being designed to withstand frequent rapid charging, which can degrade conventional lithium-ion batteries.
"The breakthrough battery life demonstrated by the new cell from Samsung SDI will be of tangible benefit to our customers, particularly companies with ride-sharing services operating around the clock," Peter Rawlinson, Lucid's chief technology officer. That last part is a hint that Lucid has plans to enter the lucrative carsharing and ridesharing business, along with Tesla, BMW, General Motors, Mercedes, and several other manufacturers.
It has been quite an exciting few months for the electric car company. In October, it changed its name from Atieva to Lucid Motors. In November, it debuted a lightly camouflaged prototype of what it says will be its first production car at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Last week it signed a contract to build a factory in Casa Grande, Arizona.
Lucid says its car has 1,000 horsepower, a range of 400 miles, and a 0–60 acceleration time of 2.5 seconds. It also is said to feature a cavernous rear seating area with more passenger room than the Tesla Model S, Mercedes S Class, or BMW 7 Series. Rawlinson says riding in it feels like traveling "in an executive jet."
Prior to his work creating a high-tech electric sedan for Lucid, which changed its name from Atieva in October, Rawlinson was chief engineer for Tesla Motors and instrumental in the development of its Model S electric sedan. If Lucid can raise the funds necessary to build its factory and complete development work on its midsize luxury model, deliveries are to begin in late 2018. Rawlinson says the company intends to begin raising funds to build the factory and get the sedan ready for production early next year.
That could be the flaw in Lucid's plan. One of its four principal investors is Jia Yueting, the high-flying Chinese billionaire who is also backing LeEco Motors in China and Faraday Future in the US. He recently cut his LeEco pay to a nominal 1 yuan (about 15 cents) a year to help deal with that company's financial challenges. Work on the Faraday Future factory in North Las Vegas has been halted because the company has run out of money. Will Lucid suffer a similar fate? For now, people can be forgiven for wondering if the first production car from Lucid Motors will ever see the light of day.
Steve Hanley
Closely following the transition from internal combustion to electricity. Whether it's cars, trucks, ships, or airplanes, sustainability is the key. Please follow me on Google + and Twitter.
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text:
Khilafat Movement 1919-20
The Khilafat Movement (1919-20 ) was essentially a movement to express Muslim support for the Caliph of Turkey against the allied powers particularly Britain.
Khilafat Movement in India
Role of Gandhi in Khilafat Movement
Khilafat Movement and Hindu Muslim Unity
How Government seeded hate?
From 1876 to 1909, Abdul Hamid II was the Ottoman emperor. Being a Caliph, the Ottoman emperor was the supreme religious and political leader of all Sunni Muslims across the world. In the World War I, the Ottoman Empire had sided the Central Powers and the result of this war was the defeat of the Central Powers. As per the Treaty a/Versailles (1919), the territorial boundary of the Ottoman Empire got reduced.
Meanwhile, in Turkey, a national movement arose under Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who was a Pro-western nationalist. He, supported by the western powers, abolished the position of the Caliph. Naturally the Muslims in India became anti British, as the power and influence of their religious leader was ended.
Muslims were especially upset about the future of the Islamic places of worship after the allied powers had partitioned the Turkish Empire. In India Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar and his brother Maulana Shaukat Ali along with some other Muslim leaders such as Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari. Raees-ul-Muhajireen Barrister Jan Muhammad Junejo, Hasrat Mohani, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Dr. Hakim Ajmal Khan joined hands a created an All India Khilafat Committee, at Lucknow..
It had two main demands, which were never accepted:
Caliph Sultan must retain sufficient territories so that he is able to defend the Islamic Faith.
The places which are called Jazirat-ul-arab, including the Arabia, Syria, Iraq and Palestine must remain under Muslim suzerainty.
The Ali brothers were arrested during the course of the war only to be released from jail after the war was over. This movement reached a crescendo in Bengal, North-West Frontier Province and the Punjab. October 17, 1919 was observed as Khilafat Day. The Hindus also joined hands with the Muslims and a strike was called for. On November 23 1919, the All India Khilafat Conference was organized at New Delhi and later a Khilafat Manifesto was published which called upon the British to protect the Caliphate.
The leaders of the Khilafat Movement joined hands with Indian National Congress for the upcoming Non-cooperation Movement. Again March 19 1920 was observed as Khilafat Day and following that there was an all party conference in June 1920 at Allahabad. The agenda of the Non-cooperation Movement was finalized.
The agenda was:
Boycott of the Titles conferred by the Government
Boycott of civil services, army and police and all other Government offices.
Non-payment of taxes to the government.
The Khilafat movement came and went very quickly. It had lost its relevance when Mustafa Kemal Atatlurk had abolished the Caliphate. The last Caliphate was Abdülmecid II, who was expelled with his family and took asylum in Istanbul (Constantinople), where he spent rest of his life catching butterflies. He died in 1948.
Please note that Gandhi had not called Maulana Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali to launch Khilafat Movement. First the leaders met, and then Published their Khilafat manifesto and after only that there was an unwritten pact between INC and Khilafat Movement to work and cooperate on agitation. Gandhi gave them a call to participate in NCM, because he (Gandhi) thought that it was only remedy for British.
The period 1919-22 is understood as the heyday of Hindu-Muslim unity against the colonial rule. This was the period when the leaderships of Congress and the Khilafat movement often overlapped. This was in tune with Gandhi's idea that British can be fought only with united Hindus and Muslims. Strikes, demonstrations, and Satyagrahas took place around the country, while 'Hindu-Musalman ki Jai was the famous slogan.
But the above was just ephemeral. After 1922 a series of differences between the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation leaderships intersected with growing popular conflict between Hindu and Muslim communities. Some section of Muslims started to see the futility of Swaraj and fresh interest was awakened in the Muslim League which had been stagnant since 1918.
The most ardent khilafatists started to believe that there was more to be gained by supporting government in its honest efforts than by adhering to the hitherto non-cooperation. Many Muslim leaders raised fears and doubts about the capacity of India to win freedom through civil disobedience. As a result of this, the old dissensions, based upon complaints like cow-slaughter and music before mosque, were raised up and issues of disagreement such as Suddhi Movement or tabligh and sangathan or tanzim were added.
The Hindu Muslim Unity was shattered, giving way to a period of "communalism". This was the sad demise of the Hindu-Muslim unity as marking a turning point in the freedom struggle. The disintegrated state of affairs then offered an opportunity to the British to re-establish their old relations with the Muslims. They were able to successfully bring the Muslims into their loyalists fold. The so called bond of fraternity turned out to be an ad hoc coalition of interests. India was now on a path to partition.
The Government created commissions and commissions on one another with an undeclared motive of creating mutual apprehensions and mistrusts. It was the time when the top leaders including Gandhi were failed to understand the political implications of his extensions of support to the cause of Khilafat. Practically, the leaders of Khilafat needed support of Gandhiji only for a defined particular purpose.
Most of the constitutional acts were there to ensure that there was a constant creation of mutual mistrust among the communities. It was made sure that people would understand that the benefit of one caste / community was at the cost of those of others

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
COVID-19 case confirmed at Good Shepherd CES in Courtice
Feb. 17, 2021,
The following letter was sent to the Good Shepherd Catholic Elementary School community in Courtice, informing students, families and staff that an individual at the school has received a positive test result for COVID-19.
Dear parents, guardians, and staff,
As always, the well-being of our students and staff is our top priority. With that in mind, we are letting you know that we have been informed of a confirmed case of COVID-19 at Good Shepherd Catholic Elementary School.
As directed by Durham Region Health Department, we have dismissed the individuals who were known to have been in close-contact with the person who is ill during their infectious period. Those identified as close contacts will be contacted by the Durham Region Health Department and be provided further guidance. The individual who is ill is at home isolating and will return to school when they have recovered.
Staff and students who are NOT directly advised to stay home are deemed low risk, but should continue to self-monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 daily.
Common COVID-19 symptoms include fever (temperature of 37.8 degrees Celsius or greater), new or worsening cough and shortness of breath. Other symptoms of COVID-19 can include sore throat, difficulty swallowing, changes to sense of taste and/or smell, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and runny nose, or nasal congestion (not caused by seasonal allergies). For more information about COVID-19, please visit www.durham.ca/novelcoronavirus
If staff or students develop one or more symptoms, immediately self-isolate, call Durham Health Connection Line (DHCL) at 1-800-841-2729 and seek testing.
As always, before attending school, please continue to complete the daily self assessment available at: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening/ and remember to inform us if your child will be absent from school.
We will continue to follow all health precautions at the school, including thorough cleaning and disinfecting of all areas; frequent and proper handwashing by everyone in the building; wearing masks; maintaining physical distancing to the fullest extent possible, and following any other steps directed by the health unit.
We will continue to let families know about any further developments. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school.
Frank Bradica
‹ March Break delayed until April 12-16
COVID-19 case confirmed at St. Martin CES in Ennismore ›


A 2-0 win against the Royal Russell School this afternoon has earned Gordon's First XI football team a place in the quarter final of the English Schools' FA Cup – for the second year running. The team, coached by former Chelsea and Sunderland player Gareth Hall made it to the semi-final last year. Congratulations boys.


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Track NinjaXpress
NinjaXpress
Ninja Van is a technology-based express delivery company that provides hassle-free shipping services for businesses of all scales in Southeast Asia. Launched in 2014, Ninja Van began operations in Singapore and has become the largest and fastest shipping company in the region, with a vast network. NinjaXpress had previously entered other countries in Southeast Asia, namely Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam. NinjaXpress's mission is to connect Southeast Asia to a world of possibilities, one fun delivery at a time. NinjaXpress itself has a strategy that is by providing transparency of real-time tracking information for consumers, real-time tracking, delivery time settings as needed. Currently, NinjaXpress has deployed more than 1,000 fleets of motorbikes and cars operating in Greater Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Malang and Medan.
Ninja Xpress as an expedition service in Indonesia offers three services. First, Ninja Reg is the standard Ninja Xpress delivery service with delivery time depending on the sender's location and recipient's location. Furthermore, Ninja Xpress's fast shipping service Fast Ninja promises to arrive the next day. Last Ninja Super shipping service that ensures packages are received on the same day. Ninja Xpress is the only express courier service with 100% coverage in Southeast Asia. You will get consistent and high-quality services in all countries wherever we operate. Technology is also the core of NinjaXpress. NinjaXpress offers API Integration, large orders through CSV, special route solutions, and shipping management systems tailored to your needs. NinjaXpress's goal is to make every experience send your package enjoyable with no-cost retransmission, one-click rescheduling, and self-collection services, your customer satisfaction is guaranteed. NinjaXpress also provides accounts for online business people such as Lite accounts (Prepaid) which are suitable for shipping <250 packages per month with facilities such as, self-service, scheduled package pick-up and ease of order and Pro account (Postpaid) suitable for shipping> 250 packages per month with facilities such as, special Manager Account, pick up scheduled packages according to the frequency required and API & webhook management.
ninjaxpress.co/en-id
ryo@ninjavan.co


text:
Q: Drawing multiple object with texture doesn't work I'm working on a 3D model loader. It can loads my own format. I wrote my own exporter for Blender, it works well. The model format can handle multiple meshes(objects) in one model. Each mesh can have a different texture. I've already written a loader which is working well, but doesn't use shaders.
I switched to shaders, but something is going wrong, the textures aren't appear correctly. Here is my drawing function, I'm sure the mistake is somewhere here:
void CModel::draw(glm::mat4 &MVP)
{
    glActiveTexture(GL_TEXTURE0);
    glEnable(GL_TEXTURE_2D);

    for(unsigned int i=0; i<m_numObjects; i++)
    {
        glUseProgram(m_programID);
        glUniformMatrix4fv(m_matrixUniform, 1, GL_FALSE, &MVP[0][0]);

        glBindTexture(GL_TEXTURE_2D, m_textureIDs[i]);
        glUniform1i(m_textureUniform, 0);

        glBindBuffer(GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, m_bufferIDs[i]);

        // vertices
        glEnableVertexAttribArray(0);
        glVertexAttribPointer(
                0,                  // must match the layout in the shader.
                3,                  // size
                GL_FLOAT,           // type
                GL_FALSE,           // normalized?
                sizeof(float)*8,    // stride
                (void*)0            // array buffer offset
        );

        // UVs
        glEnableVertexAttribArray(1);
        glVertexAttribPointer(
                1,
                2,
                GL_FLOAT,
                GL_FALSE,
                sizeof(float)*8,
                (void*)6
        );

        glDrawArrays(GL_TRIANGLES, 0, m_numElements[i]);
        glBindBuffer(GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, 0);

        glUseProgram(0);
    }

    glDisableVertexAttribArray(0);
    glDisableVertexAttribArray(1);
    glDisable(GL_TEXTURE_2D);
}

The vertex and fragment shaders are also working well.
The previous version (without shaders) was this (this worked well):
void CModel::draw()
{
    glEnableClientState(GL_TEXTURE_COORD_ARRAY);
    glEnableClientState(GL_NORMAL_ARRAY);
    glEnableClientState(GL_VERTEX_ARRAY);

    glClientActiveTexture(GL_TEXTURE0);
    glActiveTexture(GL_TEXTURE0);
    glEnable(GL_TEXTURE_2D);

    for(unsigned int i=0; i<m_numObjects; i++)
    {
        glBindTexture(GL_TEXTURE_2D, m_textureIDs[i]);

        glBindBuffer(GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, m_bufferIDs[i]);

        glTexCoordPointer(2, GL_FLOAT, sizeof(float)*8, (float*)(sizeof(float)*6));
        glNormalPointer(     GL_FLOAT, sizeof(float)*8, (float*)(sizeof(float)*3));
        glVertexPointer(  3, GL_FLOAT, sizeof(float)*8, 0);

        glDrawArrays(GL_TRIANGLES, 0, m_numElements[i]);

        glBindBuffer(GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, 0);
    }

    glDisableClientState(GL_VERTEX_ARRAY);
    glDisableClientState(GL_NORMAL_ARRAY);
    glDisableClientState(GL_TEXTURE_COORD_ARRAY);

    glDisable(GL_TEXTURE_2D);
}

Here is the entire class:
#include "global.h"
#include "CModel.h"
#include "CModelLoader.h"
#include "CShaderLoader.h"

CModel::CModel(){}

CModel::~CModel()
{
    // TODO free memory
}

/** @brief Load mbm file
  *
  * @fileName: mdm model file name we want to load and draw
  */
void CModel::init(char *fileName)
{
    CModelLoader   loader;
    CShaderLoader  shaders;

    loader.loadData(fileName);

    loader.createDataArray( m_dataArray,
                            m_dataArraySizes,
                            m_numObjects,
                            m_numElements,
                            m_textureIDs );

    glGenVertexArrays(1, &m_vertexArrayID);
    glBindVertexArray(m_vertexArrayID);

    m_programID      = shaders.loadShaders("vertexshader.vert", "fragmentshader.frag");

    m_bufferIDs      = new unsigned int[m_numObjects];

    glGenBuffers(m_numObjects, m_bufferIDs);
    for(unsigned int i=0; i<m_numObjects; i++)
    {
        glBindBuffer(GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, m_bufferIDs[i]);
        glBufferData(GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, sizeof(float)*m_dataArraySizes[i], m_dataArray[i], GL_STATIC_DRAW);
    }

}

/** @brief Drawing the mdm model
  *
  */
void CModel::draw(glm::mat4 &MVP)
{

    glEnable(GL_TEXTURE_2D);
    glActiveTexture(GL_TEXTURE0);

    for(unsigned int i=0; i<m_numObjects; i++)
    {
        glUseProgram(m_programID);

        unsigned int matrixUniform  = glGetUniformLocation(m_programID, "MVP");
        unsigned int textureUniform = glGetUniformLocation(m_programID, "myTextureSampler");

        glUniformMatrix4fv(matrixUniform, 1, GL_FALSE, &MVP[0][0]);
        glUniform1i(textureUniform, 0);

        glBindTexture(GL_TEXTURE_2D, m_textureIDs[i]);
        glBindBuffer(GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, m_bufferIDs[i]);

        // vertices
        glEnableVertexAttribArray(0);
        glVertexAttribPointer(
                0,                  // must match the layout in the shader.
                3,                  // size
                GL_FLOAT,           // type
                GL_FALSE,           // normalized?
                sizeof(float)*8,    // stride
                (void*)0            // array buffer offset
        );

        // UVs
        glEnableVertexAttribArray(1);
        glVertexAttribPointer(
                1,
                2,
                GL_FLOAT,
                GL_FALSE,
                sizeof(float)*8,
                (void*)6
        );

        glDrawArrays(GL_TRIANGLES, 0, m_numElements[i]);
        glBindBuffer(GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, 0);

        glUseProgram(0);
    }

    glDisableVertexAttribArray(0);
    glDisableVertexAttribArray(1);

    glDisable(GL_TEXTURE_2D);
}

A: Finally I solved it. The problem was that I used one array for vertices, normals and texture coordinates instead of storing in separate arrays and bind them separately.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Style Guidance You Shouldn't Pass Up On!
Partaking in fashion can be a excellent respite for the duration of the working day to make by yourself really feel much better about yourself. This can be really fulfilling and even thrilling, but several people do not recognize how to begin. Read on for some great suggestions so you can start incorporating fashion into your existence now.
Putting on white and black is traditional and that is common this time. Models are sporting colorless appears at every vogue display. This craze is easy to adopt into your wardrobe, combining any quantity of parts together in complementary black and white. When it arrives to this combination, there are limitless prospects.
When you want to use black denims to a far more official event, heels and a dressy blouse can make the outfit appropriate. You can use colored denims, but only if you're striving to attain a relaxed look.
If you dress in in addition measurements and want to give an effect of a more compact dimension, avoid floral styles that have massive flowers and shapes. Dependent on the fabric, these designs can truly emphasize your largest characteristics, generating an unflattering seem. Decide on a sample that has has more compact designs and it will get emphasis absent from your greater areas.
When you want your lips to show up entire, use a lip pencil as a liner and then take a make-up sponge and mix in the edges. Slick on a layer of lip gloss or Vaseline above the liner. Last but not least, give a tiny bit more gloss to the centre of the best lip. You can also use eye shadow to spotlight your lips. Set a little smudge on the two your lips, in the centre.
Enable us manual you in the direction of style mastery. It can appear difficult on some times, and many men and women who search great make it even harder for you to comprehend. Trend is distinctive to you, of training course. Refer back to the tips presented below, as usually as essential, to assist with your understanding of the style world.


My Son Left Me to Die in a Stampede. And I'm so Proud of Him.
On Saturday, September 29, 2018, The Global Poverty Project held their annual Global Citizens Festival concert in New York City's Central Park, as part of their ongoing effort to end global poverty. When my son won a pair of passes, I volunteered to go with him. He is 15-years-old and, really, how many more concerts is he going to be willing to be seen at with me? This was maybe my last chance.
We arrived late and, as a result, were towards the back of the audience. We'd been there for about an hour, and were happily sitting on the grass, listening to Cardi B and discussing whether or not global poverty actually could be eradicated via hashtags, when, suddenly, my son and I saw a crowd of people who had been standing closer to the stage rushing our way.
When I say a crowd, I don't mean 10 people. I don't mean 100 people. I mean close to 1,000 people, all running towards us and yelling.
Let me pause here and tell you something about myself: My husband says I am way too quick to accommodate to hard situations. Where other people would resist, I resolve to make the best of it. "You're given crap," he says, "and you insist on making crap pancakes." I tend to go along, to do what I'm told.
But 9/11 changed that; some people in the World Trade Center's second tower were sent back into the building, and ended up dying there. On that day, I was on the 34th floor of a tower many blocks from the World Trade Center, where we were told to stay put. So I did — until my husband came by to get me. He wasn't taking any chances. After that, I promised him that, in all future even vaguely emergency situations, I would get the hell out of there, no questions asked.
And my son, the one who questions EVERYTHING, the one who turns cleaning his room and cutting his hair into a philosophical and theological debate… ran.
I ran, too. I didn't know what was going on, but I ran. Later, I learned that a fence collapsed and caused those next to it to mistake the sound for gunfire. An alternate story was that someone stepped on an empty plastic bottle, and that sound was mistaken for gunfire. There were a lot of alternate stories.
The possibility of gunfire never crossed my mind. I've written before about how, statistically speaking, I am much more afraid of my kids getting shot by cops than in school. So I wasn't thinking about the Las Vegas concert shooting, or the Paris concert shooting, or the Manchester Arena suicide bombing.
Based on the way the stage was lit, and the heat of hundreds of bodies, my first thought was: fire! I've worked in production. I know how hot stage lights can get. My mind went immediately to one of them falling, setting the grass on fire, and it spreading uncontrollably.
My other fear was trampling. So when I ran, I ran not with the crowd, but perpendicular to it. My son ran ahead of me. And then he ran away from me. He abandoned me in a stampede. And I couldn't be more proud of him.
My son is faster than me, and he has more stamina than me. So my son did the right thing, saving himself instead of sticking by me.
I am not a martyr. I have, very often, made my children do things they didn't want to do, and put my needs ahead of theirs. No one has ever confused me for the self-sacrificing type. I've literally written a Kveller post called What's Easiest For Mama is Best For Kids.
But this was different. I was proud of my son for not arguing. I was proud of his self-preservation instinct. While I ran to get out of the park — don't listen to the NYPD patting themselves on the back for how wonderfully they handled the situation; people in uniform were the ones whipping up the frenzy, telling confused people to "run" and directing them out of the concert area, only to later refuse us reentry — my son used his head. He sprinted only far enough to duck behind the police vans, avoiding the bulk of the rampaging crowds.
I emigrated from the Soviet Union when I was 7-years-old. Crowds, especially those in the grips of mass hysteria, are very, very triggering for me. I've been in way too many throngs with desperate people trying to get somewhere; pushing, shoving, stomping, separating kids from parents.
When I told my son to run, he ran. What more can a mother ask for?


text:
Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Residency
Medical Genetics Residency Program
Annual Pediatric Fellows Research Symposium
Map of Inpatient and Outpatient Locations
General Pediatric Clinics
Specialty Pediatric Clinics
Harris Health Pediatric Clinics
Children's Learning Institute Clinic
Contract Clinics
Child Safety and Integrated Care
Children's Learning Institute
Community & General Pediatrics
Nephrology & Hypertension
Pediatric Hospital Medicine
Pediatric Research Center
Pulmonary | Allergy / Immunology | Sleep
Center for Clinical Research & Evidence-Based Medicine
Child Psychiatric Access Network (CPAN)
NORD Rare Disease Center of Excellence
Pediatric Global Health Program
Texas Teratogen Information on Pregnancy Services (TexasTIPS)
The Lactation Foundation
Staff Physicians
Education Administration
Revenue Cycle Administration
Clinic Administration
Division Administration
Mary R. Prasad, PhD
Associate Professor, Children's Learning Institute
Neuropsychologist, Dan L Duncan Children's Neurodevelopmental Clinic
Doctorate in Clinical Neuropsychology from the University of Houston, Houston, Texas
Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New York
Pediatric Neuropsychology Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas
Dr. Prasad conducts evaluations of children with developmental differences, including Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and learning disabilities. She also evaluates children with neurological disorders such as traumatic brain injuries, seizure disorders, and brain tumors.
Dr. Prasad also conducts research in the area of pediatric traumatic brain injury. She was principal investigator on a Department of Education grant that evaluates the role of the caregiver and home environment on cognitive and motor skills following traumatic brain injury in infants and toddlers. She has served as a co-investigator on National Institutes of Health-funded grants on emotional and cognitive outcomes from traumatic brain injury in children.
Gorman, S., Barnes, M.A., Swank P.R., Prasad, M., Cox, C.S., Ewing-Cobbs, L. Does processing speed mediate the effect of pediatric traumatic brain injury on working memory? Neuropsychology, 30 (3):263-273, 2016.
Ewing-Cobbs, L., Johnson, C.P., Juranek, J., Demaster D., Duque, G., Kramer, L., Cox, C.S., Swank, P.R. Longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging after pediatric traumatic brain injury: Impact of age at injury and time since injury on pathway
integrity. Human Brain Mapping, 37 (11) 3929-3945, 2016.
Prasad, M.R., Swank, P, Ewing-Cobbs, L. Long-term School Outcomes for Children and Adolescents with Traumatic Brain Injury. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, 32 (1) 24-32, 2017.
Tamm, L, Denton, C.A., Epstein, J.N., Schatschneider, C., Taylor, H., Arnold, L.E., Bukstein, O., Anixt, J., Koshy, A., Newman, N.C., Maltinsky, J., Brinson, P., Loren, R., Prasad, M.R., Ewing-Cobbs, L., Vaughn, A. Comparing treatments for children with ADHD and word reading difficulties: A randomized clinical trial. J of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 85 (5): 434-446, 2017.
Ewing-Cobbs, L., Prasad, M.R., Cox C.S., Granger, D.A., Duque, G. Swank, P.R. Altered stress system reactivity after pediatric injury: Relation with post-traumatic stress symptoms. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 84 (66-75), 2017.
Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists
Children's Learning Institute faculty page
UT Physicians profile page
Dan L Duncan Children's Neurodevelopmental Clinic at the Children's Learning Institute
6431 Fannin, MSB 3.020


text:
ATP/WTA Cincinnati: Out Federer, Barty, Osaka, but what will Rafael Nadal do?
by LORENZO CIOTTI | VIEW 98
There will be no Roger Federer, Ashleigh Barty, Simona Halep, Naomi Osaka, Bianca Andreescu and Elina Svitolina. What will Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams do instead? A question that all tennis fans are asking, after the Entry List for the combined Western and Southern Open came out, exceptionally this year in New York.
In this tournament there will be no Roger Federer: the Swiss champion, currently number 4 in the world, is in the box due to a double surgery and will not play tournaments for the rest of 2020. In Cincinnati (really at Flushing Meadows this season) there will be all but Roger Federer and Gael Monfils.
Among the Top 20 will also miss the Italian Fabio Fognini, currently injured and the Swiss Stan Wawrinka. For Monfils and Wawrinka the real reasons for the absence in America are not known, but everything suggests that their flat rate is due to the restrictive health measures of the bubble expected in the United States and the possible evolution of the Pandemic.
The French Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will also be missing. There are no real officials and among the big names there is great curiosity about Rafael Nadal's decision: the Spaniard has repeatedly declared himself doubtful about his participation in the American tour.
The women's singles
As for women's singles, five of the top ten players in the world will be missing, including the WTA ranking No. 1 Ashleigh Barty and the No. 1. 2 Simona Halep. Out also Bianca Andreescu, Naomi Osaka and Elina Svitolina: five stars in doubt also for the upcoming US Open.
Barty had expressed his doubts as early as early June, while Halep had already chosen to play only in Europe. Andreescu didn't play a match from the Shenzhen WTA Finals last October when he had to retire due to a knee problem.
The former n. World 1 Naomi Osaka, who dropped to tenth place, made it to the lockdown with two consecutive defeats, at the Australian Open against Cori Gauff and in the Fed Cup against Sorribes Tormo. The absence of Elina Svitolina is not a surprise: she said that she was worried about the situation of the infections not in New York, but in other States of the USA.
Angelique Kerber seems not to have resolved her doubts about the trip to New York. There should be Serena Williams instead. Also present are Sofia Kenin, Karolina Pliskova, Kiki Bertens, Belinda Bencic, Petra Kvitova, Johanna Konta, Garbine Muguruza and Cori Gauff.
These are the absences related to the Western and Southern Open: For now there is no news regarding the US Open, although it could be probable that the tennis players who will not play Cincinnati could also decide to skip the New York Slam.
Mavs' Luka Doncic upset coach didn't call timeout in critical possession


Sony and Ericsson have now gone their separate ways, so how will a solo Sony go on the smartphone front? We're about to find out with the release of the Sony Xperia S smartphone.
Out of the box it's of a reasonable size and pretty light – in other words, pretty standard fare. It has a black matt finish, and a nice glossy screen, which seemed small when we first switched on the unit. Then we realised that it was the icons and peripherals such as the date and time that were small, which wasn't ideal, especially if you are older. But size issues aside, the actual quality of the screen is good.
Navigation is pretty straight forward, although like my HTC Evo, the touchscreen needed to be pressed quite hard to scroll back to other screens on occasion. But overall I liked it. The call quality seemed good. It was connected to the Optus network, so I wouldn't expect anything less in suburbia.
What was a nice surprise was the sound quality of the music player. Sure, compared to a portable speaker or a good set of headphones, it isn't up to much, but we felt the quality as a standalone unit was reasonably good. It didn't sound as tinny as some similar products, and we were humming along quite nicely to the tunes.
Standard features of the handset include a nice 12.1 megapixel rear camera, with a 1.3 megapixel front camera. We found the pics taken were fantastic and would go as far as to say the best we've seen. On the downside though, there seemed to be focussing issues when it was in camcorder mode. It has 32GB of internal storage, but no microSD card, which is a little disappointing. It has 1GB of RAM, and like most Android handsets that have been released lately it comes with the soon-to-be-dated Gingerbread 2.3. No doubt there will be an update to Ice Cream Sandwich available soon, but why not install it with it in the first place?
As well as a charging port, it has a mini HDMI port so you can run any movies you have downloaded from Sony's Video Unlimited service through your television. Its battery lasted a couple of days, but for half of that time at it was on standby.
Overall, a pretty good effort from Sony. Again, like many handsets we've looked at over the past couple of months, there seems to be a trend of trying to fit has much functionality into a unit, all the while trying to make it as light and user-friendly as possible. On this front Sony have done an OK job, but nothing mind blowing.


text:
\section{Introduction}\label{intro}

During the early stages of an ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collision, an extremely
high energy density system, possibly consisting of a new phase of nuclear matter,
is expected to be formed~\cite{Shuryak:2004cy,Gyulassy_qgp,Muller:2004kk,qgp1,qgp2}.
The dynamical evolution of this matter is predicted to reflect its
properties~\cite{Shuryak:2004cy,Gyulassy_qgp,Muller:2004kk}. Consequently,
much effort is currently centered on the study of reaction dynamics at the Relativistic
Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). Azimuthal correlation measurements constitute an important
probe for reaction dynamics. They serve as a ``barometric sensor" for pressure
gradients developed in the collision and hence yield insight into crucial issues
of thermalization and the equation of state (EOS)~\cite{Ollitrault:1992bk,Kolb:2001qz,Hirano:2004rs}.
They provide important constraints for the density of the medium and the
effective energy loss of partons which traverse it~\cite{Gyulassy:2000gk,Molnar:2001ux}.
They can even provide valuable information on the gluon saturation scale in the
nucleus~\cite{Kovchegov:2002nf}.

  	Azimuthal correlation measurements show significant harmonic strength at mid-rapidity with
characteristic dependencies on \mbox{$p_T\!$ } and centrality~\cite{star1,flow04,Ajitanand:2002qd,ppg022}.
The anisotropy of this harmonic pattern is typically characterized by the second order Fourier coefficient,
\begin{eqnarray}
 v_2 = \left\langle e^{i2(\phi_1-\Phi_{RP})} \right\rangle,
\label{eq1}
\end{eqnarray}
where $\phi_{1}$ represents the azimuthal emission angle of an emitted particle
and $\Phi_{RP}$ is the azimuth of the reaction plane. The brackets denote statistical
averaging over particles and events. A large amount of available data for Au+Au collisions at
\sqrtsNN~=~62.4, 130, and 200~GeV \cite{star1,flow04,ppg022,star2,ppg047} indicate that
the magnitude and trends of \mbox{$v_2$} (for $p_T \mathbin{\lower.3ex\hbox{$\buildrel<\over
{\smash{\scriptstyle\sim}\vphantom{_x}}$}} 2.0$ GeV/$c$) are under-predicted by hadronic cascade
models supplemented with string dynamics~\cite{Bleicher:2000sx},
but are well reproduced by models which incorporate hydrodynamic flow~\cite{Shuryak:2004cy,Kolb:2001qz}.
This has been interpreted as evidence for the production of a thermalized state of
partonic matter~\cite{Shuryak:2004cy,Gyulassy_qgp,Muller:2004kk}. If this is indeed the case, then
the fine structure of azimuthal anisotropy (ie. its detailed dependence on centrality,
transverse momentum, particle type, higher harmonics, etc) should reflect the
scaling ``laws" predicted by ideal hydrodynamics.

	In this work we use detailed differential \mbox{$v_2$} measurements to test for such
scaling ``laws" and the onset of competing mechanisms.

\section{Hydrodynamic scaling}

	 An important scaling prediction of hydrodynamic theory is exemplified by the exact analytic hydro
solutions~\cite{Csorgo:2001xm} exploited in the Buda-Lund model~\cite{buda-lund}.
For harmonic flow, the model gives:
\begin{equation}
v_{2n} = \frac{I_n(w)}{I_0(w)}, n = 1,2,.., \  w = \frac{p_t^2}{4\overline{m}_t}
\left(\frac{1}{T_{y}} - \frac{1}{T_{x}}\right),
\label{eq2}
\end{equation}
where $I_{0,n}$ are modified Bessel-functions, $\overline{m}_t$ is an
average of the rapidity dependent transverse mass (at mid-rapidity,
$\overline{m_T} = m_T$), and $T_{x}$ and  $T_{y}$ are
direction ($x$ and $y$) dependent slope parameters:
\begin{eqnarray}
   T_{x}&=&T_0+\overline{m}_t \, \dot X_f^2
       \frac{T_0}{T_0 +\overline{m}_t a},\\
   T_{y}&=&T_0+\overline{m}_t \, \dot Y_f^2
     \frac{T_0}{T_0 +\overline{m}_t a}.
\label{eq3}
\end{eqnarray}
Here, $\dot X_f$ and $\dot Y_f$ gives the transverse expansion rate of the
fireball at freeze-out, and $a = (T_0-T_s)/T_s$ is its transverse
temperature inhomogeneity, characterized by the temperature at its
center $T_0$, and at its surface $T_s$. The important prediction of
Eq.~\ref{eq2} is that the relatively complicated fine structure of azimuthal
anisotropy can be scaled to a single function. An illustration of this fact
can be made for particle flavor scaling via substitution of the transverse
rapidity \cite{buda-lund2}, $y_T=sinh^{-1}(p_T/m)$ in Eq.~\ref{eq2} to give
\begin{equation}
v_2=k_1 y_T^2\frac{m}{T_0}\left(1+\frac{k_2}{k_1}\frac{T_0}{m}+\frac{k_3}{k_1}\frac{T_0^2}{m}...\right),
\label{eq4}
\end{equation}
where, k1, k2, k3... are largely governed by the expansion rate. Close inspection of
the leading term in Eq.~\ref{eq4} indicates that $v_2$ for different particle species
should scale with $y_T^{fs} = k_m\cdot y_T^2 m$. Here $k_m$ is a mass dependent factor
which is $\simeq 1$ for relatively heavy particles. It is straightforward to show
that hydrodynamics also predicts that $v_2$ should scale with the spatial
eccentricity $\varepsilon =( Y^2- X^2)/( Y^2+ X^2)$, of the overlap between the two
colliding gold nuclei and the higher harmonic $v_4 \sim \frac{1}{2}v_2^2 + k_m y_T^4$.

\section{Analysis}\label{techno}

	The present analysis is based on $\simeq 22$~M minimum bias Au+Au events obtained with the
PHENIX detector at \sqrtsNN~=~200 GeV during the second running period (2002) at RHIC.
Charged tracks were detected in the east and west central arms of PHENIX~\cite{phenix,run02},
each of which subtends 90$^\circ$ in azimuth $\phi$, and $\pm 0.35$ units of pseudo-rapidity $\eta$.
Track reconstruction was accomplished at each collision energy via pattern recognition using
a drift chamber (DC) followed by two layers of multi-wire proportional
chambers with pad readout (PC1 and PC3) located at radii of 2 m, 2.5 m and 5 m
respectively~\cite{phenix,run02}. The collision vertex $z$ along the beam direction was
constrained to be within $|z| <$~30~cm.  A confirmation hit within a $2\sigma$
matching window was required in PC3 and the electromagnetic calorimeter (EMC PbSc) or the
time-of-flight detector (TOF), to eliminate most albedo, conversions, and decays.
Particle momenta were measured with a resolution of $\delta p/p = 0.7\% \oplus 1.0\%\,p$~(GeV/$c$).

	Event centralities were obtained via a series of cuts in the space of BBC
versus ZDC analog response; they reflect percentile cuts on the total
interaction cross section~\cite{Adcox:2003nr}.
Estimates for the number of participant nucleons N$_{part}$, were
also made for each of these cuts following the Glauber-based model detailed
in Ref.~\cite{flow04}.

	In this analysis the combination of the TOF detector and six sectors of the (EMC PbSc) was
used to identify charged particles. Particle time-of-flight was measured using the TOF ( or EMC )
and the collision time defined by beam counters (BBC). A timing resolution of $\simeq$ 120 ps
and $\simeq$ 370-400 ps was obtained for the TOF and the EMC (PbSc) respectively. This allowed
meson ( $\pi^{\pm}$, K$^{\pm}$ ) and baryon ( p , $\bar{p}$ ) separation up
to a $p_T \simeq $ 3.5 GeV/c with the TOF detector and up to 2.5 GeV/c with the  (EMC PbSc).

The differential $v_2(p_T, centrality)$ measurements were obtained via the reaction plane
technique which correlates the azimuthal angles of charged tracks detected in the central arms
with the azimuth of an estimated event plane $\Phi_2$, determined via hits in the North and South
BBC's located at $\mid{\eta}\mid \sim 3 - 3.9$~\cite{ppg022,rplane}.
Due  the large rapidity gap ($\sim 3 - 3.9$ units) between the particles used for
reaction plane determination and the mid-rapidity particles
correlated with this plane, one  expects  that the latter correlations are less
influenced by non-flow contributions especially for $p_T < 3.0$~GeV/$c$.
The estimated resolution of the combined reaction plane from both BBC's~\cite{ppg022,rplane}
has an average of 0.33 over centrality with a maximum of about 0.42
for Au+Au collisions at  \sqrtsNN=~200~ GeV. Thus, the estimated correction factor,
which is the inverse of the resolution for the combined reaction plane,
ranges from 2.4  to 5.0.

\subsection{$v_2$ results}\label{details}
Figures~\ref{v2meson} and \ref{v2baryon} summarize the centrality and $p_T$ dependence of $v_2$ for
charged mesons( $\pi^{\pm}$, K$^{\pm}$ )  and  baryons ( p + $\bar{p}$ ) detected in the EMC+TOF
respectively.
\begin{figure}[htb!]
\includegraphics[width=0.98\linewidth]{v2meson}
\vskip -0.7cm
\caption[]{ v$_{2}$  vs  $p_T$  for charged mesons ( $\pi^{\pm}$, K$^{\pm}$ ) for
different bins in reaction centrality (top to bottom) 0-5\%,5-10\%, ... , 35-40\%,
40-50\%, 50-60\%. The error bars shown indicate statistical errors only. Systematic
errors are estimated to be less than 10\%.
\label{v2meson}
}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}[htb!]
\includegraphics[width=0.98\linewidth]{v2baryon}
\vskip -0.7cm
\caption[]{ v$_{2}$  vs  $p_T$  for charged baryons ( p + $\bar{p}$ ) for
different bins in reaction centrality (top to bottom) 0-5\%,5-10\%, ... , 35-40\%,
40-50\%, 50-60\%. The error bars shown indicate statistical errors only. Systematic
errors are estimated to be less than 10\%.
\label{v2baryon}
}
\end{figure}
 They give an excellent overview of the the evolution of $v_2$ as centrality and $p_T$
are varied. The results shown for protons and anti-protons give an especially good view of the
evolution away from the well know quadratic dependence of $v_2(p_T)$
(which is also observed in very central collisions for these data) as the collisions
become more peripheral. Such a dependence could result from changes in the freeze-out
temperatures and/or the radial flow velocity as the collisions become more peripheral.

\subsection{Eccentricity scaling}\label{ecc_scaling}

	As indicated earlier, hydrodynamics \cite{kolb}  predicts eccentricity scaling of the azimuthal
anisotropy. To test for this scaling, one can divide the $v_2$ values obtained at a
given centrality by the eccentricity $\epsilon$ obtained from a Glauber-based calculation
obtained for the same centrality \cite{flow04}. Alternatively, one
can simply divide the differential anisotropy $v_2(N_{part}, p_T)$ obtained at a
given centrality by the $p_T$ integrated value for the same centrality
selection  $v_2(N_{part})$. The underlying idea here is that the integral flow
is monotonic and linearly related to the eccentricity over a broad range of
centralities \cite{heiselberg}. Another advantage of this approach
is that the ratio  $v_2(N_{part}, p_T)$/$v_2(N_{part})$ gives
a scale invariant variable which automatically reduces the systematic errors associated
with an eccentricity evaluation, and the reaction plane resolution.

Fig.~\ref{v2mesonscale} shows the v$_{2}$ of charged mesons obtained for different
centralities scaled by the value of the integral flow obtained for each of these
centralities. The figure shows essentially perfect scaling for mesons as would be
expected for a process driven largely by the eccentricity of the overlap
region of the two colliding nuclei.
\begin{figure}[htb!]
\includegraphics[width=0.98\linewidth]{v2mesonscale}
\vskip -0.65cm
\caption[]{ v$_{2}$  vs  $p_T$  for charged mesons ( for different bins in
reaction centrality ) scaled by the value of integral flow
for each centrality..
\label{v2mesonscale}
}
\end{figure}
The results of a similar scaling test for baryons are shown in Fig.~\ref{v2baryonscale}.
Despite a continuous evolution in the shape of v$_{2}$  vs  $p_T$ with centrality, they
indicate a relatively good scaling for the two centrality ranges: 0-20\% (~left panel~)
and 20-50\% (~right panel~).
\begin{figure}
\begin{minipage}[htb!]{0.53\linewidth}
\hspace*{-.55cm}
\includegraphics[width=1.1\linewidth]{v2baryonscale2}
\vskip -1.2cm
\end{minipage}
\begin{minipage}[htb!]{0.53\linewidth}
\hspace*{-.55cm}
\includegraphics[width=1.1\linewidth]{v2baryonscale3}
\vskip -1.2cm
\end{minipage}
\vskip -0.5cm
\caption{v$_{2}$  vs  $p_t$  for charged baryons ( for different bins in
reaction centrality ) scaled by the value of integral flow
for each centrality. Left panel corresponds to centrality range 0-20\%
and right panel to centrality range 20-50\%
\label{v2baryonscale}
}
\end{figure}

\subsection{Flavor scaling}\label{flavor_scaling}
	Following Eq.~\ref{eq4}, the scaling variable $y_T^{fs}=k_m\cdot y_T^2 m$, was used to
investigate flavor scaling. The results of such a test is summarized in Fig.~\ref{fig5}.
The left panel of the figure shows a comparison of $v_2 (p_T)$ for protons, kaons and pions
measured with the TOF detector for the centrality selection 5-30\%. The characteristic flavor
dependence of $v_2$ is cleanly evidenced by these data, ie. mass ordering at low momentum
and a reversal of the magnitudes of the $v_2$ values for baryons and mesons for
$p_T \sim$ 1.8-2.0 GeV/c. The right panel of Fig.~\ref{fig5} and Fig.~\ref{fig6} show that
very good scaling of $v_2$ is achieved with $y_T^{fs}=k_m\cdot  y_T^2 m$ in accordance
with the predictions of hydrodynamics. Fig.~\ref{fig6} gives an illustration of y$_{T}^{fs}$
scaling for combined results which include the neutral kaons and lambda hyperons measured
by the STAR collaboration. The latter were obtained in Au+Au collisions at
\sqrtsNN~=200~GeV for the same centrality selection~\cite{star2}.
Although the data shown in Fig.~\ref{fig6} indicate rather good  scaling for all measured
particles over a broad range of y$_{T}^{fs}$, one can see clear evidence for a break in this
scaling for y$_{T}^{fs}\ge 2$. Such a break could be signaling a change in mechanism for
high $p_T$ particles or a break down of ideal hydrodynamic flow.

\begin{figure}[htb!]
\hspace*{-1.1cm}
\includegraphics[width=1.12\linewidth]{fig5}
\vskip -0.8cm
\caption[]{ v$_{2}$  vs  $p_T$  for charged pions,  kaons and protons (left panel).
The right panel shows the result of the $y_T^{fs}$ scaling predicted by
hydrodynamics. Results are shown for the centrality selection 5-30\%.
\label{fig5}
}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}[htb!]
\includegraphics[width=1.0\linewidth]{fig6}
\vskip -0.8cm
\caption[]{ y$_{T}^{fs}$  scaling of charged pions , kaons and protons (PHENIX) and
neutral kaons and lambdas (STAR) \cite{star2}. Results are shown for the centrality selection 5-30\%.
\label{fig6}
}
\end{figure}

\subsection{Higher harmonic scaling}\label{harmonic_scaling}
As was pointed out earlier, ideal hydrodynamics \cite{buda-lund} gives  predicts
a straightforward scaling relationship  between the second harmonic $v_2$ and the
higher harmonics of azimuthal anisotropy ( $v_4$, $v_6$, ...). It is easy to show that
the leading term of the relationship between $v_2$ and $v_4$ can can be expressed
as
\begin{equation}
v_4=\frac{1}{2}\cdot v_2^2+ k_5 y_T^4,
\label{eq5}
\end{equation}
 The measurement of the higher harmonics of azimuthal anisotropy are not available in PHENIX ( ongoing ).
However, we can test the predicted scaling relationship  between  $v_2$ and $v_4$ via data published
by the STAR collaboration~\cite{Adams:2003zg,Adams:2004bi}.
Figure \ref{fig7} shows the $(y_T^{fs})^2$ dependence of $v_4$ for charged particles
from Au+Au collisions  at \sqrtsNN~=200~GeV and $v_2$ values scaled according to Eq.~\ref{eq5}.
The figure indicates rather good agreement  between the measured $v_4$ values and scaled $v_2$
values  over a broad range in $y_{T}^{fs}$.
\begin{figure}[htb!]
\hspace*{0.55cm}
\includegraphics[width=0.8\linewidth]{fig7}
\vskip -0.5cm
\caption[]{ $y_T^{fs}$ dependence for $v_4$ of charged particles from Au+Au collisions  at \sqrtsNN~=200~GeV
measured by STAR collaboration \cite{Adams:2003zg,Adams:2004bi} and these obtained by scaling $v_2$ values according to Eq.~\ref{eq5}
\label{fig7}}
\end{figure}

\section{Summary and Conclusions}\label{concl}
In summary detailed measurements of the fine structure of elliptic flow
in Au+Au collisions at \sqrtsNN~=200 GeV measured by PHENIX
collaboration at RHIC are presented. They show eccentricity scaling and $y_T^{fs}$
flavor scaling over a broad range of centralities and particle
flavors. This observed scaling gives strong support for essentially
ideal hydrodynamical flow at RHIC. The observed scaling also supports the
picture of a suddenly hadronizing (recombining) fluid of quarks.

\section*{Acknowledgment(s)}
The author thanks R.A.  Lacey, M. Csan\'ad and  T. Cs\"org\H{o} for stimulating discussions.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


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Likewise, all the stain and foreign particles just does not look gorgeous. They actually mess up the total look of your house and not simply the Roofing system. After all, the Roof is a big part of the home. If you persist on ignoring what needs to be cleaned up, it can be too late even for repairs.
You would then need to invest for Roof replacement. Have the cleaners in West Springfield MA do the necessary treatments to remove all the grime. From the rain gutter to every part of the Roof exterior, chemicals will be used to help eliminate all the undesirable stuff.
It's best not to try and do a DIY Roof cleaning even with a guide to follow. It is much better to be safe than to be sorry. You might mistakenly use a power item and damage your Roofing system.


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All posts tagged "sundance film festival"
Home / Posts tagged "sundance film festival"
Skin Writer-Director Guy Nattiv On Turning His Oscar-Winning Short Into a Feature
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Sundance Film Festival: Seven Breakthrough Moviemakers at Park City in 2018
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Much has been written about the smaller nature of this year's Sundance 2018 Film Festival. While some applauded this return-to-roots of championing "emerging" voices, others...
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Drastic measures taken to attain a dangerous objective are a defining element in both of Babis Makridis' feature-length auteur productions. For his 2012 debut L, the...
Rabbits Out Of Hats: Five Basic Steps to Improvisational Indie Moviemaking From White Rabbit Director Daryl Wein
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White Rabbit deals with a contemporary artist's journey, and aspects of our star Vivian Bang's performance art. The film presented some challenges to overcome in terms...
The 2018 MovieMaker Sundance Survey: We Take the Pulse of Nine Narrative Features Playing in Park City
The 34th Sundance Film Festival received 3,901 feature-length submissions, and selected 110—the line-up that largely sets the tone for the year in independent film. The...


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Asheville City Council: Green partners
Posted on January 20, 2010 January 20, 2010 by Brian Postelle
Mission plans new cancer center
City seeks FEMA reimbursement for storm costs
Stream buffer proposal diverted
Asheville property owners flummoxed by the high cost of energy-efficiency upgrades for their home or business may soon have a partner in the city of Asheville. At its Jan. 12 meeting, Asheville City Council unanimously voted to explore establishing a pilot program in which the city would provide loans to cover such property upgrades as solar technology, window replacement and installing insulation.
Sustainability upgrades, noted Vice Mayor Brownie Newman, are expensive at the outset but typically pay for themselves over five to 10 years via energy savings. If property owners could get some help with the initial investment, more Asheville residents might be encouraged to make changes that would help curb the city's overall energy use, he said.
Energized: Council member Gordon Smith (right) says an energy independence plan could boost a green industry in Asheville Photos by Jonathan Welch
"Asheville has never been afraid of being a pioneer in cleaner energy," said Newman in proposing the Asheville Energy Independence Initiative. Money to bankroll the project could come from either a city bond issue or a rotating fund similar to the city's Housing Trust Fund, in which developers' payments on low-interest loans help grow the fund, making more money available for future projects. The property owner's debt, he said, could be included in annual property-tax bills. (Newman is a partner with the Asheville-based solar technology company FLS. But he says that, based on conversations with the City Attorney's office, the position does not warrant him excluding himself from votes on broad-based energy policy, only those decisions in which FLS is a direct bidder.)
Environmental advocates and industry representatives turned out in force to support the idea, saying it could not only lower the city's carbon footprint and save money, but also create jobs and help grow the local green sector.
"This has the potential to create careers," declared Torin Kexel of the nonprofit Green Opportunities. "There's a track here that I think is full of opportunities."
Equally enthusiastic was Chief Financial Officer Paul Szurek of Biltmore Farms, who gushed, "I think this may be the smartest idea to come before Council in a long time." Energy, noted Szurek, will only grow more expensive in the future.
Asheville Geothermal owner Rick Clemenzi said the loans would benefit both local companies and their customers, who often feel they can't afford the upgrades the industry offers. "They just flinch and say, 'It's too much money; I can't do it.'"
Homeowner Michelle Smith backed that sentiment, saying she just wants to make a start on boosting energy efficiency. "I would really like to be able to fix my windows and doors," she noted, adding, "It's been very difficult for me to be able to do even those first steps."
Meanwhile, former Council member Holly Jones, who now serves on the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, said she hopes the city and county can join forces in considering the initiative. "We are definitely going to be looking deeper into this," said Jones. "We would love to be looking deeper together."
Sustainability loomed large in last year's City Council election, which saw three newcomers win seats. Council members Cecil Bothwell and Gordon Smith, in particular, emphasized the idea during their campaigns, as did Robin Cape in her unsuccessful write-in re-election bid.
Paying a visit: Former Council member Holly Jones says she and her colleagues on the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners want to work with the city on a new energy plan.
"I ran under this plan in 2008 and 2009," said Bothwell. "I feel like I was elected to do this."
For Smith, the move would mark a first step in fostering a new green economy for the city. "This is going to have ripple effects," he predicted. "We can become a magnet for this kind of business."
Council member Bill Russell urged caution before taking on what amounts to "hundreds of millions of dollars" in debt, however, saying, "We need to really look at finances to really get into this."
And Council member Esther Manheimer, while noting that she'd like to see solid numbers from staff, said she's open to the idea of the city fostering such a relationship with private property owners. "I think this recession is calling for a new day of public/private partnerships that create jobs," she observed.
City staff will research a pilot project, including scope and timeline, and present the plan to several Council committees before making a recommendation to Council.
This would not be Asheville's first foray into sustainability. In 2007, Council formed a Sustainability Advisory Committee on Energy and the Environment and, later that year, approved a resolution calling for city government to reduce its carbon footprint by 2 percent per year en route to an overall 80 percent reduction by 2050. In December, city staff reported that Asheville had achieved its fiscal year 2008-09 target, reducing its energy use by 867,000 kilowatt-hours while saving $65,000.
Mission to build cancer center
Mission Hospital got the go-ahead for a new five-story outpatient cancer center on its south Asheville campus. Late last year, City Council gave the hospital permission to temporarily close adjacent streets to accommodate the construction.
The $59 million structure, to be built on Hamilton Road between Brooklet Street and Victoria Road, will contain 118,000 square feet of space and include its own parking deck. As a level III project, Council would have reviewed it in any case, but Mission also requested a variance allowing fewer parking spaces than what the Unified Development Ordinance specifies. Square footage is typically used to determine the appropriate number of spaces, but according to the staff report, the cancer facility will need only about one-third as many as city code requires, due to the specific nature of the services to be provided.
According to Karen Grogan, administrative director of cancer services, Mission sees about 3,000 new cancer patients a year — the fifth-highest volume of such patients served by any North Carolina hospital. Currently, however, Mission's cancer facilities are spread over six separate sites.
"One glaring omission at Mission is the inability to offer patients a dedicated cancer center," oncologist Eric Kuehn told Council. "These patients have long walks and confusing access to get to these departments."
Council members unanimously approved the project.
Blizzard by the numbers
At its peak, the snowstorm that slammed the region Dec. 18-22 left 67,000 customers without power, 20,000 of them in Asheville, and spawned 974 calls to police, fire and rescue personnel. Emergency crews worked the most consecutive hours they had since the 2004 floods, Assistant City Manager Jeff Richardson told Council in his follow-up report on Asheville's response to the blizzard. The "10-year-storm event,' said Richardson, left a foot or more of snow in parts of the city and county. The dramatic number of power outages, he explained, stemmed in part from the rain-saturated ground, which caused more trees to fall. City workers, noted Richardson, cleared 50 streets of trees within the first 24 hours.
Asheville will seek reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for a portion of the $525,342 the city racked up in emergency expenses. Not all of those items are expected to be approved, Richardson told Xpress. Snow removal, for instance, isn't eligible, but tree removal is. City and county agencies are pooling their expenses for submission to FEMA, he said, noting that to qualify, the eligible costs must total at least $667,000.
A proposed amendment to the section of the city's storm-water ordinance concerning stream buffers on construction sites didn't make it to a vote. Instead, the proposal was rerouted to City Council's Planning and Economic Development Committee for review. City Council approved the current storm-water ordinance in 2007 but felt the buffer amendment needed more work.
The amendment, which echoes the Planning and Zoning Commission's recommendation last year that the city scale back its requirements to the state-mandated minimum, has already sparked some contention. Both the city and state rules call for a 30-foot buffer around streams, but the current city code requires a buffer for any land-disturbing activity, while the state directive applies only to projects disturbing an acre or more.
Some members of the Watershed Policy Committee, a group of stakeholders charged with helping draft new language concerning stream buffers, had been alarmed by the P&Z recommendation, having crafted their own formula that already considers slope steepness and stream size in determining how big a buffer should be.
Mayor Terry Bellamy said some Council members were concerned that the draft amendment had not been vetted properly and needed more input from the PED Committee.
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31 thoughts on "Asheville City Council: Green partners"
Alan Ditmore
Council should have given Mission an even bigger break on parking, and then should still eliminate parking requirements just as Bothwell wants to eliminate new city parking. Parking shortages are by far the best way to increase bus usage and reducing or eliminating parking requirements advances property rights as well.
Newman is listed as the finance director, or having the leadership role of their finance BU, according to the FLS Energy website. 'Partner' can mean things like minor investor with no leadership role in a corporation; and does not influence public policy as a key aspect of their corporate duties.
It seems to me that Brownie is the architect of financing policies at FLS Energy, and is a leader of CleanTech financing polices as a public official.
Do those two roles come into conflict for anyone? What if President Obama also worked for Lockheed Martin (a major defense contractor) as a top executive with public policy duties? Granted, that's a major analogous up shift, but isn't it at least illustrative?
What is legal and what is ethical are two different ideas. FLS Energy's profits stand to expand with AEII. I like AEII, but I wonder if the following conclusion is sufficient:
MX: "(Newman is a partner with the Asheville-based solar technology company FLS. But he says that, based on conversations with the City Attorney's office, the position does not warrant him excluding himself from votes on broad-based energy policy, only those decisions in which FLS is a direct bidder.)"
Of the local solar companies, FLS Energy is one of the largest. FLSE stands to be included among the benefactors of AEII, but given their already large market share they are positioned to be among the top profiters of AEII. Making money in CleanTech can mean reaching GHG reduction goals faster. But don't we need to take the lead on ethics as well when it comes to best practices in sustainability?
That there are other CleanTech firms in line to benefit is irrelevant in comparison to the specific question of how much does Brownie's firm stand to benefit from policies he is taking the lead on? That is of course if anyone is interested in such things.
Brian Postelle
@Viking:
Here is a link to an email from Brownie Newman to City Attorney Bob Oast discussing the implications if his work with FLS Energy:
http://bit.ly/6JLeiF
It's interesting that Newman thinks this is about the perceptions of City Council:
"Since it is ultimately City Council that needs to make decisions about what may or may not constitute a conflict of interest…"
He also elucidates how citizens may eventually view the broader implications:
"While this distinction (FLSE's lifetime profits from Newman's council decisions) seems straightforward, I can see the potential for some grey areas."
From the email, I gather Newman is noting that Council has to vote to allow someone to be recused. Without that vote, a Council member cannot step away from the table. Last year, Carl Mumpower asked to be recused before a vote on expanding polling places, arguing that his Council candidacy gave him a conflict of interest. The others on Council (including two others running) did not vote in support of the recusal.
Council has also long worked under the interpretation by attorney Oast that, unless the reason for recusal meets a certain threshold, Council members are required to participate in a vote.
Of course, none of that cancels out your original question.
Thanks, Brian.
I understand the difference between what is legal and what is ethical may be vastly different in this matter. The amount of money FLSE may be making from the policies Newman introduces/supports may be shockingly massive.
$100 million + is also vastly different from discussions on expanding polling places.
I think someone is waiting from something to happen to bring this matter into the public view. (MX of course has now cited the matter, which I think is an important first step). The potential lifetime corporate revenues with and then without each of Newman's CleanTech policies in chart form should help.
Politics Watcher
Is the reporter defending Newman? Is that appropriate?
On the other hand, the story appears to written to support Newman's proposal, rather than a straight-forward news story, when those speaking in favor of the proposal are "equally enthusiastic" and even "gush." Does the newspaper have any obligation to any cons to the proposal?
One of the things i like about CleanTech and community-level sustainability is the idea of innovations in free market capitalism. 'Innovation' has been a term mostly used in business contexts, however we need an overall view of systems innovation when it comes to society, politics, economics and our interface with the environment.
I like AEII, but PW is right to ask for more analysis about the actual policy and what it entails. Where has PACE and similar polices been deployed and to what cost-benefits? I understand it is working in CA.
I want polices like AEII, but how a politician in the middle of all this might grow richer is also import to analyze.
@ Politics Watcher:
I don't think clarifying someone's stance is defending them. I have watched recusal conversations for years in Council chambers and think I can get to the quick of the legal issue, something that seemed a good way to address the conversation.
As for the story, this is coverage of a Council meeting, in which Xpress typically reports on what happened in Council chambers between 5 p.m and whenever it is adjourned. The support you see in the story is from people who turned out to support the idea. Had there been any objections to the plan in public comment, you would have seen them here as well.
Pitchforks & Torches
Surprisingly, someone keeps deleting my posts in regards to questioning this manner of possible conflict of Brownie Newman's connections. I wonder if this post too will be removed. I am breaking no rules, not using profanity, nor making false accusations. Just questioning the real facts. If this post is removed, it will only cause us to sharpen our points, and soak the torches and go to the larger general public and thus conclude that MountainX is not truly a paper for all people, just those who wish to purport their agendas. Wasn't that what everyone hated about the Bush admin and Fox news??
Thanks for clarifying that your report is just about what went on at the meeting, not a report/analysis of the particular plan. Such a report, with pro and con voices, some analysis of the numbers, etc., would be helpful to citizens trying to understand the issue. Not at all clear why a homeowner would take out a "loan" from the city, at a 6.50% rate, to be paid for in higher property taxes, instead of a home equity loan at a much lower rate, with the home equity loan tax deductible.
Also not clear if bonds are issued, and then dedicated tax not sufficient to pay, how are bonds retired?
PW – Go to the city council page and the documents are there. Be prepared to be greatly surprised this thing was floated in the poor shape it was. If it were a high school project it would fail. This IS a plan, just an un0figured out plan. Sad to hear they used this to get ANY agreement. All the documents have the title "unfinished". It contains more uses of the words Should, Could, May, Might, and other lawyer-like terms normally used to extoll false confidence when the information that is provided is not suitable to stand on its own merits. The council agreed to the concept, which sets into motion the "city funded study and pilot program", folks, they bamboozled you.
And really, does this measure truly live up to the sniff test of what city government is supposed to do by law, which is provide critical infrastructure services and protection of its citizenry. Or does this seem like a feel-good measure to save the world, and fund job growth for those like Brownie Newman's company?
BTW- Look into the documents and you see it is inter-dependent on state and national tax dollars to make it feasible. So when they say the term 'revenue neutral' they really mean the US tax payer is also providing the money. Revenue nuetral means something will stand on its own, without the assistance of an outside boost of funding (free money – off the backs of the US taxpayer). Not sure why we should also have to pay US taxes to fuel the funding. I want to pay for better schools, supplies, and teachers. How about a "bake sale for brownie" and allow companies like his to raise their own capital.
JWTJr
PT – can you provide a link to the presentation?
This is Newman's extensive, complex rationale as to his and Bob Oast's findings as to his legal vs. ethical status. Legal, but is this really the ethical standard we want to promote in WNC? Any Chuck Taylor lessons learned here? ;
The council minutes for 2010 are not online… yet!
This woman should have whatever data is available:
The Office of Sustainability
Maggie Ullman, Energy Coordinator
Physical address: Room 208; Asheville City Hall
Mailing address: P. O. Box 7148, Asheville, NC 28802
E-mail: mullman@ashevillenc.gov
The documents are no longer online, and the meeting notes are not either. I thankfully downloaded all three docs, and will seek them out when returning to the office. I do not like the term 'broad energy policy' as BN floated the policy and created specific policy requests. I do feel his transparency attempts works for city related projects. Creating policy is not broad scope stuff….
Here's a link to Brownie Newman's powerpoint presentation on the Asheville Energy Independence Initiative, a 100% voluntary program that will create jobs, reduce energy demand, and save all participants money.
http://scrutinyhooligans.us/2010/01/11/job-growth-and-energy-independence/
Perhaps Gordon Smith or Brownie Newman could answer my question:
Why should a homeowner take out a loan from the city, at a 6.50% rate, to be paid for in higher property taxes for ten or fifteen years, instead of a home equity loan at a much lower rate (currently 3.3%), with the home equity loan tax deductible and can be paid off as quickly as the home owner realizes the "savings" from the new energy efficiency?
Wake up Gordy, your muse is a tired old message. If you want to reduce energy demand, fix the traffic lights FIRST. Example: We drove from downtown Asheville down Biltmore Ave headed south. On a Sunday (i.e no traffic) and caught EVERY light, except one. Causing us to stop, idle, waste gas, and accelerate again. This is ALSO why the traffic on this road sucks so bad during working hours. This would not cost too much to fix (probably free), but you people ignore the basics and would rather suck money off the government and tax payers. This is just ONE issue that can be addressed that would both save energy, reduce you carbon footprint, save the earth, and allow your ideology to have a home. Please limit your hooligans to issues that make sense.
PW,
The city's rate of interest is likely to be much lower than you envision. Also, many people are having a hard time getting loans due to credit issues. One of the strengths of the AEII is that the award and subsequent payback stay with the property, not the person.
It's a win-win-win-win situation.
P&T,
This program will be revenue neutral or positive. It will be a self-sustaining program that will pay for itself. It is entirely voluntary. You will not experience any effects of the program at all unless you choose to participate.
Gordon – how would it be 'revenue positive'?
JWT,
If the payback is a greater amount than the city's bond responsibility, then it would be revenue positive. I'll be looking forward to hearing from City staff on different ways to structure the payback.
Thanks to Gordon Smith. I'll be interested to see what the city's rate of interest would be and what the actual cost of the loan would be over its life through increased property taxes.
I have a feeling that a lot of older people, on fixed incomes, who don't plan to sell their homes, are more concerned about inflated home values, which has led to higher property taxes, than they are about savings on energy over, say, a 15-year horizon. If you're 75 and living on Social Security and savings, you aren't very interested in higher property taxes for the next 15 years.
Find some ways of lowering property taxes, please. Influence the county to do the tax re-evaluations on schedule, so older, retired people who have been hit by the real-estate bubble can get some relief, now that housing prices MAY be coming down to reasonable levels.
Your proposal seems aimed at the "youth market," the readership of MountainX. Please find some proposals aimed at your elderly constituents/voters.
Gordon, How would the revenue be greater than the bond responsibility? Are you assuming the interest rate charged to the household will be greater than the bond will pay? Does this include administrative costs?
D. Dial
I truly appreciate that Council Members are willing to openly dialog on prescient issues.
Some years go a neighbor was the City's traffic (co-ordinator /planner) and he re-designed the traffic lights to where one didn't hit each and every light. You could get on a roll on Merrimon and go straight through town. Well somewhere in time, those lights must have gotten out of synch, because now, if you hit one, you hit them all. grrr! Such a small thing, but using a lot of un- necessary energy. I also notice lot of big empty buses around town. How much energy is being used there?
This almost sounds like a scheme run by the mob.
The General Assembly passes renewable energy mandates (http://tinyurl.com/yhm4wvm) for the energy companies in NC. Attempting to comply with these mandates drives the energy prices up; and along comes Brownie Newman with just an absolutely wonderful idea about how to loan people money from the city coffers. Oh, and as a pure coincidence, this enterprising idea will create a scenario from which his firm will stand a chance to profit. And now the city's going to profit too.
Chalk it up to another victory for the corporatist party.
It'd be interesting to see where Brownie's numbers come from on page 4, I certainly didn't see any citations.
And I wish the case study was more than "assume this" and "if they use this much". Considering millions of dollars are at stake, it would have been nice to see some real numbers.
Will there be any limitations to the lending? If so much as 100 people want to partake in the program and qualify for the $20,000 level, that's $2 million that's been lent. How can the city lend that much money waiting 10-15 years to come back?
What about letting homeowners deduct the costs of their energy renovations from their property taxes? It seems much simpler.
This'll be a lot easier to talk about after we receive a staff report with possible implementation strategies, but one theory is that (1) our bond rating will allow an excellent interest rate for repayment; (2) by setting the interest rate on the energy retrofit award slightly higher than the bond repayment, there will be a surplus; (3) the repayment interest rate will still be lower than a standard home mortgage; and (4) since it's added to the property tax bill as a special assessment it won't require another layer of administration in that regard.
Once we get the staff report back, this conversation will have a lot less gray area. Thanks for asking the question.
Piffy!
[b]This is ALSO why the traffic on this road sucks so bad during working hours. This would not cost too much to fix (probably free)[/b]
For free? On what planet?
Here are some questions that you obviously overlooked:
What if the work is shoddy and people dispute the investment? What if people do not pay their taxes? How many homeowners are not currently up to date on their taxes? Show us the numbers. What if property values continue to decline (a little business advice to you Gordy, they are dropping in Asheville)? Hey Gordy, you state that folks who currently are having trouble getting credit, uh, hello, I know you come to city council with heartfelt feelings for the earth (and zero business acumen) but THERE IS A REASON THEY CAN'T GET CREDIT, BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOT BEEN PRUDENT WITH THEIR MONEY IN THE PAST. And you clowns want to give them a loan! Back in the barrel, the bull is coming. Hey Brownie, Gordy, use the term 'revenue neutral' WITHOUT adding in the Goverment ninny that will help fund the plan (state and federal $$ being counted in there)then I think you will see it is NOT revenue neutral. BTW – Brownies company will also receive federal tax dollars for their alternative energy focus. Seems like a real win-win-win for Brownies company!! Give him a fat raise for greasing the wheels. Maybe the city attorney is going to be hired as well. This STINKS like a skunk people. They are skewing the numbers, the information, and the TRUTH for their ideology and profits. Where is the outrage?
A reminder to ALL citizens in Asheville. A city's responsibilities are to provide basic services and for the protection of its citizenry. Anything that goes outside those boundaries are forays into ideology. And in this case, at the expense of the citizens, for a select FEW, and few businesses who will profit. BTW- If you can't get the traffic lights right, do you think we feel you can pull this off with ASSUMPTIONS, shoulds, coulds, mights, cans, hopes, and prayers? These are not critical infrastructure issues, or protecting us citizens. The more you try and defend this, the more the wheels start to come off (and the wool). Baaaaa
Just read over the originally posted PDF's that were submitted to council to get the initial agreement. My findings outrage us even more as the lack of facts and overuse of assumptions is mind-blowing. Besides the atrociously poor grammar we found the following:
1. Overuse of the words ASSUMING, ASSUMES, SHOULD, ESTIMATES, PROJECTS and other loose terms.
2. ZERO referencing of sources of data presented as facts – This is of particular concern. The Sonoma project they source has the word ESTIMATION in the title!
3. The scary fact they cite that a $50 million dollar project will yield ONLY 563 jobs. Sorry folks, that is NOT a lot of jobs over FIVE YEARS.
4. The document cites that people will add on average $85 per month ($10K cost recoup over 15 years). HOW will you collect this, and get it rolled into people's financing, will you send them a bill for this? Do you think the mortgage company will roll it into their Escrow plans, OR do you think they will assume collection responsibilities? What if a person does not pay, are you going have to send Vito after them? You will have to enforce and collect? Do you think it will be easy for people have that added onto their annual tax bill in lump sum? What is the average cost to apply a tax lien on a property?
5. Spelling AND grammar errors on almost every page. Note, I too am not an English major.
6. It says "explore if Buncombe County is interested in participating". Do you people recall how well you negotiated the water deal with BC? We the people do not trust your negotiating skills, and since most of you have never run a business, you lack the skillset and business acumen to do so. Please do not learn on my dime.
7. Brownie Newman and his hooligan pal are trying to make BN look like he is an innocent player more interested in BROAD POLICY. Well, based on their Jones Family Assumption Example. The FIRST thing listed is surprise, surprise, solar panels that cost $6500 (out of the $10K assumed investment). WOW, that is 65% going to a solar company. And the FIRST item listed for rebate is , surprise surprise, a solar tax credit from Federal and state which total $3350.00. A little reminder to council, those taxes are footed BY US, the People.
8. The Jones family guess example states $2400 for new windows. Not sure what kind of windows they are looking at, but I can promise you these windows would probably not be sufficient enough to qualify for the tax incentives as they are the more expensive windows. We recently got quotes and all required an upgrade to qualify. NOTE, we have a small house and my windows were quoted at $11K. FUZZY MATH.
9. All of the ASSUMPTIONS are based on ROSEY projections and all things going perfectly. There is NO ASSUMPTION or data pertaining to the possible caveats. That is NOT sound analysis or a smart way to handle potential investments.
10. Too tired to do more as this is dizzying in its incompetence. If this was a middle school project (you know typical middle school science analysis project) the assumptions made, the lack of sources of facts, and spelling and grammar issues would drain a red pen, and FAIL.
NOTE: Did you hear the Government is pausing non- discretionary spending? WHY, they are break, WHAT IF your assumption of funding is not available??
I want to suggest what some other person who posted here and see if it makes fiscal sense to you, How about allowing people to write off these costs in their property tax bill!
"since it's added to the property tax bill as a special assessment it won't require another layer of administration in that regard."
I hate to be skeptical, but …..


Do you have old veneers in need of replacement? Are they 10-15 years old? Are they breaking? Have some of the veneers popped off and had to be recemented? Are there stains along the edges of the veneers? Have they shifted or moved? Do you have dark shadows or lines on your teeth? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, your veneers are in need of replacement. Don't worry, it is easier than you think. I have over 27 years of experience replacing veneers. The great thing is there are new materials that are stronger and more beautiful. Now that you have had veneers, you know what you liked and what you did not like about your old veneers. I work with you in the smile design process to make sure you get the veneers you want and love.
The First Step | "The Smile Consult" We meet to talk about your goals with your new veneers. We call this a smile consult which can be done in person or online virtually over the computer if that is easier for you.
The Second Step | "The Smile Design" We start the process by taking photos, videos, molds or scans of your teeth and have our expert ceramists begin the process of designing your new smile.
The Third Step | "The Smile Design Preparation" We schedule the design preparation appointment where we remove the old veneers. This is where you can be assured that I will be very careful with the underlying tooth structure. I carefully remove each veneer under magnification making sure not to remove any of your underlying tooth structure. I do remove any decayed areas and damaged tooth structure, but often once the veneer is removed we are left where you started. You leave with beautiful temporaries based on the new design that you approve. My temporaries are so beautiful that no one will notice. I have even had a patient get married in my temporaries…they are that pretty.
Our temporaries are a working model of your final restorations. So, I spend time with you making sure this is what you want. Once you approve the ceramist begins fabricating these beautiful new veneers.
The Fourth Step | This is the fun appointment: Delivering your beautiful new smile! Meticulous care is taken by me to ensure the strongest and most secure bond between the tooth and veneer is accomplished. Digital bite analysis is done to make sure the bite is balanced, comfortable and strong. Polishing and detailing your smile is done to make sure you love every aspect of your new smile. I often encourage a final protective retainer by Invisalign to be used at night if you can tolerate it to keep them beautiful for as long as possible.


text:
mod decorators;
mod layout;
pub(crate) mod page;
pub(crate) mod tag;

use comrak::plugins::syntect::SyntectAdapter;

pub use layout::{Layout, Nil};

// Render markdown to HTML
fn markdown(v: &str, adapter: &SyntectAdapter<'_>) -> String {
    use comrak::{markdown_to_html_with_plugins, ComrakOptions, ComrakPlugins};
    let mut options = ComrakOptions::default();
    options.render.unsafe_ = true; // Allow raw HTML
    let mut plugins = ComrakPlugins::default();
    plugins.render.codefence_syntax_highlighter = Some(adapter);
    markdown_to_html_with_plugins(v, &options, &plugins)
}

#[cfg(test)]
mod tests {
    use super::*;

    // This isn't so much a test but documentation that comrak wraps the custom elements in a

    // tag.
    #[test]
    fn test_custom_elements() {
        let md = "## Recently Updated Pages\n\n<recently-changed-list></recently-changed-list>\n";
        let adapter = SyntectAdapter::new("base16-ocean.dark");
        let html = markdown(md, &adapter);
        assert_eq!(html, "
Recently Updated Pages
\n
<recently-changed-list></recently-changed-list>
\n")
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub