{"text":"grantarctic1 Never caught one Neels, but off the stones around Esperance ive seen some schools swim in and out of our burrly trail. Great looking fish in the water, I would like to hook one even on a spin stick, to get one on fly would be awsome, they look like very fast fish . Paul Cunningham I nailed a monster out at NW reef of Exmouth a few years ago. We were working around birds and had them chase down a clouser at full pace. It pulled the scales down to 8kg which is a bit bigger than the usual suspects. I will see if I can find a photo and chuck it up. crasny1 a fairly uncommon catch, and probably not targetable. If they are there, go for it, if not, well go for something else. Paul that one off yours is \"massive\" compared to the 2 I have caught years ago off the Murion Islands trolling on a charter. They were immediately rigged by the deckies as \"Marlin Lollies\" but no joy on that front. The 2 I had was half that size mate, and I had a fight on a trolling broom stick, ie poor buggers didnt stand a chance. Would love to hook one light, then dance the merry dance, whether spin or fly. I think not, but they are very seriola looking. Are they family off Sambo's, Ambo's and YTK's?? Help Glenn or other knowledgables. I have to start work so to lazy googling!!!! soupster51 I wouldn't say I've caught them regularly but I caught a few. The things I've learnt: They seem to like structure either reef, FADs, log, etc. They school up in massive numbers so if you get one as by-catch and you want more they are generally there for the taking if you want them. Most effective lure for me is the small fly-like skirted lures that we use for smaller tuna species. ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Go back to Windows 7 or XP operating system If you decide to go back to your previous operating system, you'll need to reinstall it from the recovery or installation media that came with your PC, which is typically DVD media. If you don?t have recovery media, you might be able to create it from a recovery partition on your PC using software provided by your PC manufacturer. Check the support section of your PC manufacturer?s website for more information. After you install Windows 8, you won?t be able to use the recovery partition on your PC to go back to your previous version of Windows. Re: Go back to Windows 7 or XP operating system If you planned properly prior to installing your copy of Win 8 CP, you created a system Image of your Win XP or Win 7 OS. This will allow you to restore your original OS in about 10 minutes. Think about that, 10 minutes to be back on your original OS exactly where it was when you installed your Win 8 CP. Re: Go back to Windows 7 or XP operating system Originally Posted by Whs If you decide to go back to your previous operating system, you'll need to reinstall it from the recovery or installation media that came with your PC, which is typically DVD media. If you don?t have recovery media, you might be able to create it from a recovery partition on your PC using software provided by your PC manufacturer. Check the support section of your PC manufacturer?s website for more information. After you install Windows 8, you won?t be able to use the recovery partition on your PC to go back to your previous version of Windows. That's what I found out too, I couldn't use the recovery partition any longer after installing Windows 8 CP. Fortunately, and I learned this the hard, painful way 3 years ago, was to backup before making any major changes. And also to make a backup when the computer is new, after all crapware is removed, system updated & favorite apps installed. This way, I can go back to a \"fresh install\" anytime that I wish to. Every month, I backup my computers, prior to Update Tuesday. I do it before, so that if an update screws up my system, I have a fallback option. There are several free backup software options to use, such as Macrium, Todo 4 (which also does file backups) & Paragon has a freebie too, but haven't used that one. There's no excuse not to backup, given all of the options that we have. As far as a backup drive goes, it doesn't have to be fancy (or expensive). Many of us has upgraded our hard drives to increase capacity, these lower capacity drives makes for good backup drives. Enclosures for hard drives (make sure that the right kind is selected) can be found at Newegg for a reasonable price. USB3 enclosures will cost a bit more than USB2, but the speed will be there. I have both a USB2 enclosure (Vantec brand) & a USB3 Ineo docking station. 2.5 & 3.5 SATA drives will fit in the docking station. Neither cost more than $30, with free shipping. The Windows 8 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. \"Windows\" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp. ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Almost a quarter of Republicans think Obama 'may be the Antichrist' as 14 states sue over healthcare reforms Americans who suggest Barack Obama should rot in hell are apparently deadly serious. Nearly a quarter of Republicans believe the Democrat president 'may be the Antichrist', according to a survey. An even greater number compared him to Hitler. Just another boys' club: Barack Obama, centre on the phone, is surrounded by male aides at the White House as they plot healthcare reform this week in a new image released today. The President has been compared to the Antichrist Mr Obama was jubilant this week after securing his 626billion healthcare reform plan. But his triumph seems only to have inflamed his critics among the evangelical Christians from America's heartland who kept George Bush in power for eight years and have demonised his successor. More than half of the Republicans quizzed by Harris Poll, 57 per cent, believed the president was secretly Muslim, something he has consistently denied. And 67 per cent of Republicans who responded believed Obama was a socialist, despite his central leanings. The startling results came as lawyers representing 14 U.S. states filed lawsuits yesterday challenging an overhaul of the country's $2.5trillion healthcare system, minutes after President Barack Obama signed the landmark legislation. One joint lawsuit by a dozen Republican attorneys general and a Democrat claims the sweeping reforms violate state-government rights in the U.S. Constitution and will force massive new spending on hard-pressed state governments. Virginia went to court separately, while Missouri Republican Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder said he would like to join the suit. The joint suit, led by Florida, was filed with a federal court in Pensacola, according to the office of Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum. In addition to McCollum, the Republican attorneys general from Alabama, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Washington joined the suit. The lawsuit says the law - which expands government health plans for the poor, imposes new taxes on the wealthy and requires insurers to cover people with pre-existing medical conditions - violates the Constitution's commerce clause by requiring nearly all Americans to buy health insurance. Mr McCollum said: 'It forces people to do something - in the sense of buying a healthcare policy or paying a penalty, a tax or a fine - that simply the Constitution does not allow Congress to do.' Mr McCollum, who is seeking the Republican nomination to run for Florida governor, said the healthcare reforms would add $1.6billion to Florida's spending on the Medicaid health program for the poor. The Justice Department, which is responsible for defending U.S. law in court, pledged to vigorously fight any challenges to the new healthcare law. 'We are confident that this statute is constitutional and we will prevail,' said Justice spokesman Charles Miller. The White House agreed the suits would fail. 'There have been hearings about the constitutionality of the law, and I think there's pretty much widespread agreement that it is constitutional,' Nancy-Ann DeParle, director of the White House Office of Health Reform, said. 'I think we have governors who might be aiming for higher office who are starting to just send a message.' The suits were filed just moments after Mr Obama signed the healthcare reforms into law. But on the most historic occasion of his presidency so far, vice-president Joe Biden managed to put his foot in it. Gaffe-prone Mr Biden inadvertently broadcast the F-word to America after he introduced the President to sign his much vaunted health reform bill into law yesterday. After hugging Mr Obama at a a ceremony in the White House, Mr Biden leaned in and whispered in the President's ear: 'This is a big f****** deal.' The remark was caught on microphones recording the event that was shown live across the country. By last night, the clip was being replayed all over the internet. White House aides seemed to be unembarrassed, with press secretary Robert Gibbs later tweeting: 'Yes, Mr Vice-President, you're right.' Comments ( 315 ) Re: I feel sorry for those who called yourself \"allies\" ... this guy is pro-terrorists, pro-abortion (by the way, now I am going to pay for YOUR abortions, all you have to do is come to the US!!!) . This guy is anti-american, he is a traitor. - Ana, Boston, MA, 24\/3\/2010 5:34 Such harsh words for a president who hasn't screwed up this country half as much as W Bush, crazy that he even had a second chance to do such a crappy job. Sure Obama is not a saint, but he is far from a traitor or the ant-christ or hitler (hmmm has he killed hordes of people under the guise of religion?!) blah blah blah. People grow up, he is trying to work with a broken system that failed the masses...at least someone was grown enough to actually tackle this \"healthcare\" system that has allowed many Americans to die for absolutely no reason. \"center leanings\"???? Are you out of your mind?!?!?! Obama is the left most president in HISTORY!!!! What are you smoking!?!?!?!!? Obama is an unabashed socialist. He is NOT a centrist in ANY definition of the word. He is roundly HATED in the U.S. by the productive component of the population. Sure, the leeches LOVE him - why wouldn't they? But those of us who produce, own businesses, work hard, we all HATE the evil little punk. 1861 Obama also killed America's Space Program.....Soviets wanted to do this for decades..... This will put the U.S.A. in debt of up to 9 Trillions Dollars....wonder how much taxes are going to be raised??? Barry Soetero brings this on himself: 1. Changed his name inexplicably to Barak Hussein Obama; 2. Full birth records are sealed and over $1M spent to prevent disclosure; 3. College records likewise under lock and key, so no way of knowing if he truly attended Occidental, Harvard, or whereever else he wants us to believe he attended; 4. Travelled to Pakistan during a time when Americans were not permitted to do so, subjecting him to relinquishment of passport rights; 5. Claims to be a \"Christian\" but will never say exactly what makes him one; 6. Attended a white-hating, angry, anti-American church; 7. Studied Islam during his formative years; 8. Bows to Arab (Islamic) royalty; 9. Can recite Islamic prayers perfectly; 10. Kneels in prayer in a Mosque; 11. He lies. Frequently. 12. Came to power in the US Senate by eliminating his opponents rather than beating them at the polls; 13. Surrounds himself with similar ethically-challenged people and appoints immoral degenerates. Obama is a Marxist. Nancy Pelosi is a far left-winger, so absorbed in controlling the populace, that she would sell her soul to the devil. The pieces for the anti-christ's appearance are not in place yet, though Obama has set himself up as the Messah--not just here, but around the world. Obama has stated in one interview that he is a Muslim first----when a man says that he's Muslim, one doesn't have to \"think\" it. The American people have given a terrorist the keys to the White House-and he is destroying America. I have to wonder why no one has stopped him. \"And 67 per cent of Republicans who responded believed Obama was a socialist, despite his central leanings.\" Despite his central leanings? What idiot wrote that piece of twaddle? Name a single \"central leaning\" the man has demonstrated. All we have are his words, his actions, and his unverifiable history. And those are all hard left. There's nothing \"center\" about Barry Soetoro in his past, present, or the future he's inflicting on America. Alright, I'm not into religion and I'm not an evangelist...however, I say God bless McCullum! Obama is a socialist and is destroying America. Look at the polls...Americans do NOT want this legislation rammed down their throats! He doesn't seem to care, does he? However, how on earth can you call a man the Anti-Christ for wanting to extend healthcare to more people? Yes you may have to pay more in taxes but a little selflessness never did anyone any harm! I don't recall Democrats calling George Bush the Anti-Christ even when he was (illegally) blowing Iraq to smithereens. - Angee, Coventry, 24\/3\/2010 14:18 Since when is abortion healthcare? And why should God fearing people pay for the abortions or low lifes who use it like birth control? I think it kind of puts Obama and Bush side by side. George Bush couldn't think for himself...his staff ran the show he just acted in it...Obama is very smart, knows what he is talking about and believes in the changes he is calling for. AntiChrist might be a little overdramatic but its the exact opposite of God fearing. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Showcase Main menu You are here The Gatekeeper Both those who were coming and those who were going had to cross the gatekeeper on their way. The passage he guarded was at the middle of a very long road, and he did not know of any other part of the road but his own. He used to ask travelers what lay farther down on either side, but they all said his was the only gate, and eventually he had come to believe them. Now he only asked them their names and gave them what they needed, depending on where they were going. The exchange was usually brief, because the gate itself was brief, and the travelers could not stop if they were ever going to get anywhere on such a long road. Most of them were already far away and had forgotten about the gatekeeper. Some even denied the rumors and said there was no gatekeeper. Still, the gatekeeper did not mind; he was used to being alone. There was a book the gatekeeper read from as he waited and he had been reading from this book for a long while when a traveler approached. The gatekeeper asked the man his name and the man was slow to answer. \" Death ?\" asked the gatekeeper. The man looked at him strangely and remained silent. \"Many have said in passing here that Death comes for everyone, but he has never come for me.\" The gatekeeper closed his book and continued, \"They say only that he wears a watch, and that he always comes.\" The man shook his head. He held out his arms and pushed up his sleeves, revealing his wrists; he wore no watch on either arm. The gatekeeper nodded and then he sighed. \"What is in the bag,\" he asked the man. \"Fortune, I hope.\" The gatekeeper smiled. Then he narrowed his eyes. \"No clocks?\" \"I hope not.\" The gatekeeper smiled again. He reopened his book because he kept his list in between two of the pages. He took it out and wrote a name down for the man. \"You will not want to come back,\" the gatekeeper cautioned. \"I hope not.\" The gatekeeper slid the list back inside and closed the book. His eyebrows lifted slightly and he looked at the face of the man curiously. \"What makes you go?\" he asked. \"Fortune, I hope.\" The gatekeeper smiled and shook his head as if at a boy he was fond of. He raised his arm up slowly and opened his large hand. \"Your bag please,\" he said. The man looked sad but he did as he was asked. \"Sorry,\" the gatekeeper said. \"You can't take anything with you.\" There was a large pile of dusty bags to the side of the gate and the gatekeeper tossed this one on top. Then he handed the man a watch. \"Sorry,\" he said. The man looked disappointed but shrugged a smile. The gatekeeper opened the gate with his key. \"You may go now,\" he said. \"Good luck,\" called the man as he stepped forward. \"Not yet,\" said the gatekeeper as he turned back the time on his watch. *** There was a book the gatekeeper read from as he waited and he had been reading from this book for a long while when a traveler approached. The gatekeeper asked the man his name and the man was slow to answer. He examined his list and the eyes of the man rolled about as the gatekeeper scrolled. His fingers trembled up and down his sides and his legs seemed either about to flee or fall over. \"Here it is,\" the gatekeeper said. He looked up and smiled at the man. He had stopped moving. \"This way,\" the gatekeeper said. He opened the gate and stood aside for the man to pass. The man stood still where he was. \"Aren't I early?\" he asked. \"No, you must be on time.\" The gatekeeper continued smiling and pointed to the man's watch. The man looked down at it and then back up at the gatekeeper. \"It's a mistake,\" he said. \"I must be early.\" The gatekeeper shrugged and withdrew his hand. \"You may leave your bag over there,\" he said. \"Can't you check the list over,\" the man said. \"Isn't it possible there was a mistake? I couldn't have walked so quickly.\" The gatekeeper shrugged again. \"There is no mistake I could have made,\" he said. \"If you walk on the road at all you will eventually arrive. And if you are here now, then now is the time you must have arrived.\" \"I should have gone more slowly,\" the man said. He dropped his bag along one of the piles on his side of the gate. \"If I had stopped, I would have seen more.\" \"If you had stopped, then you would not have gotten far enough to see anything.\" \"But I am afraid,\" the man said. The gatekeeper shrugged again but now he did not bother answering. The man sunk his shoulders and dropped his face as he stepped onto the path beyond the gate. The gatekeeper took up his list and erased the man's name. *** There was a book the gatekeeper read from as he waited and he had been reading from this book for a long while when a traveler approached. The gatekeeper asked the man his name and the man was slow to answer. He wore a mask but it looked less like a mask and more like a missing face. \" Death ?\" asked the gatekeeper. \"I am an artist,\" said the man. Something about the man was smiling and the gatekeeper thought it might be the mask that was smiling. \"I must ask for your mask,\" he said. \"You know it is no mask.\" The man pointed to the book in the gatekeeper's hands. \"I am an artist,\" he said. The gatekeeper waited a moment looking at the man. Then he closed his book. He raised his arm up slowly and opened his large hand. \"Only faces,\" he said. \"And so it is,\" the man answered. \"May I pass?\" The gatekeeper shook his head and held his arm where it was. \"You must have a face to be on that side of the road.\" \"My face is on that side of the road,\" the man said. \"I am an artist.\" \"Then count yourself lucky,\" the gatekeeper answered. \"None can take anything with them, and few can leave anything behind. But if you do leave something behind, then you cannot go back. For if you could go back, then you would not have left something behind.\" \"I did not leave my name behind,\" the man said. \"None do. That is what allows you to start over on this side. A man with nothing is like a boy.\" \"But the gatekeeper gives names,\" said the man. \"Perhaps you can write another for me on your list.\" \"It would not be your name,\" said the gatekeeper. \"For your name was already given to you, and I cannot remember it.\" There was no longer a smile about the man and the gatekeeper could not tell how long ago it disappeared; it seemed almost a different mask that the man was wearing. He took off the mask and turned around. *** There was a book the gatekeeper read from as he waited and he had been reading from this book for a long while when a traveler approached. The gatekeeper asked the man his name and the man was slow to answer. \"I am still only a boy,\" he said. The gatekeeper knew that they all wanted to be boys, that they all could think they were boys. He could understand this. \"I want to return home,\" said the boy. \"Is this the way?\" \"What home?\" asked the gatekeeper. All the travelers walked on the road to get somewhere, but none of them ever walked to get home. The gatekeeper could not understand this. \"You can't take anything with you,\" he said. The boy laughed as boys do and the gatekeeper wondered if he could understand where he was coming from. \"I am only a boy,\" he said. \"Boys have nothing.\" The gatekeeper had to give boys their things. Sometimes he did not want to because sometimes he wanted to be boy. \"You want your home?\" the gatekeeper asked. The boy smiled. \"Take this.\" The gatekeeper removed the list from the book and closed it. Then he raised it up and held it out for the boy. \"Here,\" he said. \"Take this.\" \"What is it?\" asked the boy. \"It is a story,\" the gatekeeper said. \"I like stories.\" \"An artist wrote it a very long time ago,\" the gatekeeper said. \"It was about his home. Maybe it can help you find yours if you do not know where to go.\" The boy smiled and went through the gate. The gatekeeper hoped that sometime he would come back, though he did not think he would. *** All those who had been on the road had names, but few of them were remembered and only those names that were remembered could be on the gatekeeper's list. The list was very long, just as the road was very long, and the gatekeeper had been reading over this list when a traveler approached. He asked the man his name and the man was slow to answer. He pushed his sleeve up and revealed a watch around his wrist. He looked down at it and then he looked back at the gatekeeper. \"Sorry,\" said the man. \" Death ?\" asked the gatekeeper. The man shrugged a smile. \"Sorry,\" he said. He took his other hand out from his pocket and raised it up slowly before the gatekeeper. \"Your key,\" said the man. The gatekeeper took his key out from his pocket and dropped it into the man's hands. \"And your list.\" The gatekeeper did the same with the list. \"Sorry,\" said the man. \"You have been a long time in coming,\" said the gatekeeper. \"So have you,\" said the man. He smiled and pointed to the gatekeeper's watch. \"You can keep that,\" he said. The gatekeeper looked down at his watch and nodded. Then he looked back up at the man. \"I am afraid,\" he said. \"I have not been on the road.\" \"That is how it should be,\" said the man. \"Many are afraid of the gate, but crossing the gate is easy. It is the road that one should be afraid of, for it is only on the road that a traveler can fail to leave something behind.\" He smiled again and the gatekeeper tried smiling with him. Then he opened the gate with the gatekeeper's key. \"Good luck,\" said the man, as he took his place before the gate. The gatekeeper sighed and then stepped away through the gate. The man wrote the gatekeeper's name down on the list and turned on his watch. Then he opened his book. He had been reading from this book for a long while when a traveler approached. ","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"It is the Time to Remember The unfulfilled Promises In the wake of a democratic hiatus of 32 years, on 14 April 2003, and the third time in as many years that Somaliland had been given the opportunity to express their preferences at the ballot box. These bold steps towards the democratisation set Somaliland apart from the rest of Somalia Republic -- which has become by word a collapsed State since the downfall of Major General Mohamed Siyad Barre's tyrannical regime in 1991. The outgoing President of Somaliland, Riyale, had previously been a deputy President in late President Egal's administration until latter's death on May 3, 2002 -- and was hand picked by late President of Somaliland, Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal to supersede his predecessor, Mr. Abdurrahman Aw Ali Farah, who has been one of the highly respected of SNM high ranking officials -- and who hails from Awdal region. The elections held in the country, Riyale became the Somaliland's first democratically elected head of State, and his democratic election has gone into the history books -- something which is rare commodity in Africa, let alone in the Arab world. These democratic polls that materialised throughout Somaliland have been welcomed by the international observers and described them as free and fair and were in line with the internationally recognised electoral norms. As per their view, nothing that could have altered the outcome of the election was found out, but generally it was free and fair and peaceful. On the eve of the Presidential polls, Riyale as UDUB's candidature for Presidency -- had made a host of pledges and made it clear to the people of Somaliland that his campaign speeches would be fulfilled in order to live up to the people's expectations. But on the contrary, Riyale administration failed to keep its words and none of its promises had been implemented. However, we will here zero in on some of Riyale's unfulfilled campaign promises and will be discussed in detail. Judicial reforms In mid -- 2002, Riyale declared judicial reforms as one of his top priorities, and ordered a bold shake-up of the justice system. The initiative was unpopular with the sitting judges, but was warmly welcomed by a public exasperated by the judiciary's deterioration to state of \"an open market where justice is sold to the highest bidder.\" As part of reform, Riyale appointed a new Chief Justice Saeed Farah Ahmed and established an advisory Committee on Judiciary, which six judges described as unconstitutional and subsequently resigned, Riyale then sacked the four remaining members to the Apex bench.  Therefore, in April 2003 when Supreme Court was called to hand down judgment on the National Election Commission's decision, there were justices on the bench, all of them appointed by Riyale. A recent report by a local research organisation found the judiciary to \"the most neglected and under-funded of the three orders of the government\" and described its application of a law as \"ad hoc, non -- uniform, and highly subjective.\" And the judiciary remained mired in stagnation and corruption and failed to meet to the people's expectations. Corruption is Rife in the Country Corruption in Somaliland is rampant and the State fund is willfully embezzled by the Riyale administration. The most corrupt officials in the government of the day are the ministries who are the remnant of Siyad Barre military regime and his uneducated kitchen cabinet -- who are said to be the Riyale's main advisers and the President himself. It is not everybody's guest that the outgoing President of Somaliland and his Faqash remnant ministries misappropriated tents and thousands of US bucks and have stashed away in a foreign accounts, while Somaliland people are in a state of poverty and unemployment coupled with the prevailing basic amenities in the country. The taxpayers do not fall behind with the government's tax but they pay instantaneously as they are law biding citizens of the country, and are well aware of that the government cannot function without the tax. But the main problem is that the Somalilanders failed the government of the day be held accountable to what the tax levied from them -- have been done with -- and this lack of accountability on the party of the taxpayers since there is not a watchdog institution -- has led taxpayers' money to end up in the pockets of those corrupt ministries and other unpatriotic officials in the Riyale administration. And this has compounded the prevailing difficulties in which the common man was living in. Diplomatic Relations with Djibouti Shortly after Riyale had been sworn in as the interim President of Somaliland, he visited Djibouti instead of Somaliland's friend -- Ethiopia, claiming that he wanted to mend fences with the neighbouring client State of Djibouti and in the wake of his return to the country he told at a press conference that he normalised the strained diplomatic relations with Djibouti. Surprisingly, Djibouti did not refrain from its decentralised hate campaign against the Somaliland's independence despite Riyale's close relations with the Djibouti, and it defiantly continued its lobby against the Somaliland's existence. The Djibouti's decentralised hate crusade has invited angry reactions from Somaliland's different quarters living in and outside of the country; they launched into diatribes against the Riyale's stand on the Djibouti's deliberate campaign against the sovereignty of Somaliland. Reconstruction of Berbera Cement factory President Riyale continued his unfulfilled pledges even in the aftermath of his successful election. And wherever he went he promised the earth -- something which he was not going to do. In the recent past, he paid a deluge of visits to the coastal town of Berbera, and the Berbera inhabitants who overwhelmingly voted his ruling party -- UDUB to power gave him and his visiting delegation a chilly reception on account of his unfulfilled promises in which President Riyale made earlier. While he has been visiting there he laid a foundation stone at the Berber's forsaken Cement factory -- and has undertaken that its reconstruction will soon be implemented by his administration in order to alleviate the unemployment that bedeviled not only the people of Berbera but also the entire community of Somaliland in which 80 per cent are in a state of joblessness. On hearing this undertaking made by the Riyale administration -- the general public did not give any importance to it -- because it was not for the first time Riyale administration made such promises, which are only for vote bank politics -- something the people rose above. The prevalent unemployment in the country The unemployment prevailing in Somaliland is very much widespread, and the number of the youth being churned out by the growing universities in the country is skyrocketing year by year; with large number of Somaliland youth graduating from the overseas universities returning to the country -- are compounding the unemployment that already haunting the domestic graduates in the Somaliland. Be it the educated youth graduated from the overseas or those graduated from the universities in the country -- have now realised that the Riyale administration does not have job creation strategy for them nor it is in his radar to address the prevalent unemployment that the educated youth are encountering today. The educated youth go to the Arab world in quest of an employment, while others resorted to migrate to the Western world by endangering their dear lives through the desert between Sudan and Libya, and then the dangerous Mediterranean Sea between Libya and Italy in order to get better living standard. The youth are the only national asset we have and yet the Riyale administration willfully neglected and failed to utilize them. In his speeches, he had never mentioned whether he had a deliberate strategy towards the youth of the country -- who completely lost their confidence in which they reposed in his outgoing administration. Despite his administration's underachievement and his failure on every front, and with the lack of basic amenities in the country, Riyale and his henchmen are intentionally embezzling the state funds by lavishly travelling every corner and cranny of the world, without explaining the objectives behind their fruitless constant travels to the elected legislative council of Somaliland. His failure and regular lies being told to the general public -- would do a great disservice to his desire for his re-election in the forthcoming presidential polls. Berbera Port Forsaken Given that Berbera port is Somaliland's economic nerve centre on which the economic of the country is largely depends on -- and yet Riyale deliberately transferred the Somaliland's livestock to the port of the neighbouring Djibouti to be exported there -- and the reason why Riyale has been sabotaging the economy of Somaliland was that he wanted to show his allegiance to his counterpart of Djibouti, who is ironically against the Somaliland's sovereignty. But this move has angered the livestock traders on which their livelihoods were depended upon the trade of Somaliland's livestock. Also, this move has consistently been criticized by the opposition parties as well as the intellectual people of the country who described it as an act of high treason and unpatriotic and that the Riyale administration will be held accountable when the right time comes. And the Berbera port is almost deserted by the Somaliland traders and shifted to the neighbouring port of Bosaaso, where they are given concession and warm welcome. The Capital City lacks basic amenities The eight years Riyale administration has been in office are proven in many respects failure, initially, the people of Somaliland hailed Riyale as the Somaliland's new messiah, who would bring about a far-reaching change -- a change that every single body expected more or less prior to his election. But unfortunately the people's hopes were dashed due to his inconsistency and lack of visionary; the people of Somaliland started to be sniffy about his unfulfilled promises, which are meant for political gains. Riyale administration has done no improvement in the capital to speak of, let alone the other parts of the country which remained neglected; the capital city of Hargeisa lacks all sorts of basic amenities as well as the other necessary public infrastructure. Given the size of the population estimated to be one million or so is mounting day by day due to the ruralites migrating to the city and the city dwellers are extremely bedeviled by the prevailing scarcity of water caused by the mismanagement on the part of the Hargeisa water agency -- which is a stone's throw or walkable distance, where our outgoing  President of Somaliland who is entrusted with the responsibility of the running the entire country lives and he is yet to be unaware of what is happening there. And the common man is sharply complaining about the growing shortage of water and common man's grievances on the scarcity of water are fallen on deaf ears, and the Riyale administration dragged its feet to address the people's suffering. The other basic needs which is worth mentioning here is the lack of healthcare in the city, which every single facility had to be made available so as to the people in the country make use of it. There is only one hospital to speak of in the entire city that is run by the government. Similarly, in the other towns, there is only one public hospital. And the medicines donated by the humanitarian agencies operating in the country to cure the people who cannot afford to buy are on the market and are sold to the private clinics in the city to make out of money, and our dear President with whom we entrusted the entire responsibility of the country was sitting absentmindedly while these episodes were unfolding under his watchful eye. Riyale failed to secure Recognition Riyale extensively travelled to the West and many countries in Africa in his eight years in office claming he has been in quest of diplomatic recognition for Somaliland. And he became the most travelled President Somaliland ever had during its independence, and whenever he returned to the country he would tell to the people of Somaliland that Somaliland is on the brink of recognition and be granted its much sought recognition sooner or later by the countries visited by him. Most importantly, he failed to use his good offices to secure a diplomatic recognition from the neighbouring client State of Djibouti, which Riyale consistently reiterated that it is the Somaliland's best and sincere friend in the region. The Djibouti government has never been Somaliland's friend in the region and it widely campaigned how to undermine the Somaliland's effort to obtain recognition from the regional grouping and the West. Riyale's extensive travels have been for personal and were nothing to do with the national interest -- and security blanket was thrown around his visits by his administration yet his political shenanigans were exposed in the Somaliland media, which acts as a watchdog to protect the national interest of the country. The eight years Riyale has been in power he is said to have been busy amassing the national wealth and stashing away in foreign accounts and he willfully neglected his responsibility with which he had been entrusted as President of Somaliland yet he is shamelessly seeking fresh mandate from the same people whose their expectations were not lived up to by his administration. And the people are now consumed by anger and are bent on to topple his failed regime at the ballot box because it is the time to remember the unfulfilled promises made by the failed outgoing Riyale administration and no more fairy tale entertainments. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"A new coronavirus, should you care? I doubt you have missed the news but a new virus that infects (and has  so far killed one person) has just been discovered in the last few months. The virus in question is believed to be a new - never before seen in the wild - kind of virus (a new coronavirus to be more precise), so we really have little clues as to how it behaves as not much work has been done. Schematic of a coronavirus - this new virus probably looks a lot like this. From Biowiki. We only have two examples of human infections with this new virus to go on but despite this, the BBC and other media outlets have sparked confusion (and maybe panic) by comparing it to the 2002 SARS coronavirus (whose case fatality rate was around 10% of those over eight thousand or so people infected), which proved to be a much more deadly affair. What they probably should have compared it to is the common cold coronavirus, known as 229E - an equally valid example. But this misses the point, it is all speculation really at this minute in time. We should really wait for the hard facts to emerge. So what do we actually know? What's happened so far? We first became aware of this new virus (it doesn't have a name yet - nor is there any published material on it - that's how new it is) a few months back when the Erasmus Medical Centre in the Netherlands discovered the virus in a fatal case of lung disease from a Saudi national. A couple of weeks ago, it was spotted again, this time in a Qatari citizen travelling from Saudi Arabia and Qatar. So far this man has not died (he's in intensive care in the UK) but he was suffering from 'acute respiratory syndrome and renal failure' when he was airlifted to the UK and their Health Protection Agency identified the virus. By sequencing the virus's genome, the UK team confirmed it was highly similar to the Dutch sequenced one. However, this sequence has not yet been published so we don't know how this relates to the hundreds of thousands of other coronaviruses out there. As you can predict, with such a limited understanding of this virus there are many, many questions about it. These are important questions that ultimately impact on public health and no doubt these will be answered in the coming months. What is a coronavirus? These coronaviruses are rather large and encased within a fatty membrane and have a very, very large genome (around 30,000 nucleotides) made up of RNA with positive sense polarity. Encoded within this massive genome are ten genes that produce a lot more proteins due to some viral tricks. These proteins are what allow it to infect and enter cells (in this case human airway cells), replicate and make new virus particles. And of course combat the immune system at every step of the way. The genome of this new virus has yet to be published so we cant comment on how it's genes look and function. Where did it come from? We don't know where this virus came from nor why only now are we seeing it. There is also a chance that this virus could have always been in humans but that only due to sensitive lab tests like PCR and deep sequencing we were able to detect it. Although if it does turn out to only cause severe respiratory disease this is probably not the case. Of course the other theory is that this represents the first few infections of this virus into humans, probably emerging from an animal reservoir in the middle east. Sequencing of the virus and comparison of it's genome with other known animal coronaviruses (avian or bat?) may be able to pin point where, when and how it came to infect these two men. How dangerous is it? So far we know of only two cases of this virus infecting humans. N =2 is not much of a sample size to draw any meaningful conclusions. In both men, it is thought this virus caused serious episodes of respiratory disease but without understanding how many other people got infected and who presented with sub-clinical or only mild disease we can't comment on how dangerous it really is. The HPA are aware of a number of other cases of respiratory disease in the middle east but yet these aren;t confirmed to have have anything to do with this new virus. But so far, preliminary follow up studies on the contacts of these two men have yet to pick up any cases of significant disease despite these two men being well passed the viruses incubation period and peak of infectiousness. The ability to detect whether people have been infected in the past via antibody testing will surely clear this mystery up. What can we do about it? Not much. There's no vaccine or no cure but remember that despite this virus kicking around for at least months\/weeks, only two cases have been discovered. But anybody returning from the Middle East should be aware of any respiratory symptoms as should anyone associating with people returning from these countries. The countries in question should also be keeping a close eye on clusters of disease and the origins of the virus. Currently the virus doesn't appear to be very infectious or it is highly infectious but causes little or no detectable symptoms. Both theories would fit in with the fact that we have seen no disease in the two men's contacts. So is it like SARS or is it more like 229E? Or something entirely different? As is often the case, only time and science will tell so lets focus on the facts and concentrate on doing important epidemiological, genetic and virology work done. 1 comment: For another take on this virus see Vincent Racaniello's post over at Virology Blog http:\/\/www.virology.ws\/2012\/09\/25\/a-new-\\\\... Subscribe To About Connor Connor Bamford is a PhD student at a university in Northern Ireland, UK. He is studying the molecular biology behind how viruses infect and cause disease in humans. DISCLAIMER: the views expressed in this blog are my own and are not to be confused with those of my institution where I study, my supervisor's, my group's, my nationality, my ethnicity, my gender nor my starsign. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Does Google Make Us Stupid? Respondents to the fourth \"Future of the Internet\" survey, conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project and Elon University's Imagining the Internet Center, were asked to consider the future of the internet-connected world between now and 2020 and the likely innovation that will occur. The survey required them to assess 10 different \"tension pairs\" - each pair offering two different 2020 scenarios with the same overall theme and opposite outcomes - and to select the one most likely choice of two statements. Although a wide range of opinion from experts, organizations, and interested institutions was sought, this survey, fielded from Dec. 2, 2009 to Jan. 11, 2010, should not be taken as a representative canvassing of internet experts. By design, the survey was an \"opt in,\" self-selecting effort. Among the issues addressed in the survey was the provocative question raised by eminent tech scholar Nicholas Carr in a cover story for the Atlantic Monthly magazine in the summer of 2008 1 : \"Is Google Making us Stupid?\" Carr argued that the ease of online searching and distractions of browsing through the web were possibly limiting his capacity to concentrate. \"I'm not thinking the way I used to,\" he wrote, in part because he is becoming a skimming, browsing reader, rather than a deep and engaged reader. \"The kind of deep reading that a sequence of printed pages promotes is valuable not just for the knowledge we acquire from the author's words but for the intellectual vibrations those words set off within our own minds. In the quiet spaces opened up by the sustained, undistracted reading of a book, or by any other act of contemplation, for that matter, we make our own associations, draw our own inferences and analogies, foster our own ideas.... If we lose those quiet spaces, or fill them up with 'content,' we will sacrifice something important not only in our selves but in our culture.\" Jamais Cascio, an affiliate at the Institute for the Future and senior fellow at the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, challenged Carr in a subsequent article in the Atlantic Monthly . Cascio made the case that the array of problems facing humanity - the end of the fossil-fuel era, the fragility of the global food web, growing population density, and the spread of pandemics, among others - will force us to get smarter if we are to survive. \"Most people don't realize that this process is already under way,\" he wrote. \"In fact, it's happening all around us, across the full spectrum of how we understand intelligence. It's visible in the hive mind of the Internet, in the powerful tools for simulation and visualization that are jump-starting new scientific disciplines, and in the development of drugs that some people (myself included) have discovered let them study harder, focus better, and stay awake longer with full clarity.\" He argued that while the proliferation of technology and media can challenge humans' capacity to concentrate there were signs that we are developing \"fluid intelligence-the ability to find meaning in confusion and solve new problems, independent of acquired knowledge.\" He also expressed hope that techies will develop tools to help people find and assess information smartly. With that as backdrop, respondents were asked to indicate which of two statements best reflected their view on Google's effect on intelligence. The chart shows the distribution of responses to the paired statements. The first column covers the answers of 371 longtime experts who have regularly participated in these surveys. The second column covers the answers of all the respondents, including the 524 who were recruited by other experts or by their association with the Pew Internet Project. As shown, 76% of the experts agreed with the statement, \"By 2020, people's use of the internet has enhanced human intelligence; as people are allowed unprecedented access to more information they become smarter and make better choices. Nicholas Carr was wrong: Google does not make us stupid.\" Respondents were also asked to \"share your view of the internet's influence on the future of human intelligence in 2020 -- what is likely to stay the same and what will be different in the way human intellect evolves?\" What follows is a selection of the hundreds of written elaborations and some of the recurring themes in those answers: Nicholas Carr and Google staffers have their say: \u0007 \"I feel compelled to agree with myself. But I would add that the Net's effect on our intellectual lives will not be measured simply by average IQ scores. What the Net does is shift the emphasis of our intelligence, away from what might be called a meditative or contemplative intelligence and more toward what might be called a utilitarian intelligence. The price of zipping among lots of bits of information is a loss of depth in our thinking.\"-- Nicholas Carr \u0007  \"My conclusion is that when the only information on a topic is a handful of essays or books, the best strategy is to read these works with total concentration. But when you have access to thousands of articles, blogs, videos, and people with expertise on the topic, a good strategy is to skim first to get an overview. Skimming and concentrating can and should coexist. I would also like to say that Carr has it mostly backwards when he says that Google is built on the principles of Taylorism [the institution of time-management and worker-activity standards in industrial settings]. Taylorism shifts responsibility from worker to management, institutes a standard method for each job, and selects workers with skills unique for a specific job. Google does the opposite, shifting responsibility from management to the worker, encouraging creativity in each job, and encouraging workers to shift among many different roles in their career....Carr is of course right that Google thrives on understanding data. But making sense of data (both for Google internally and for its users) is not like building the same artifact over and over on an assembly line; rather it requires creativity, a mix of broad and deep knowledge, and a host of connections to other people. That is what Google is trying to facilitate.\" -- Peter Norvig, Google Research Director \u0007  \"Google will make us more informed. The smartest person in the world could well be behind a plow in China or India. Providing universal access to information will allow such people to realize their full potential, providing benefits to the entire world.\" - Hal Varian, Google, chief economist The resources of the internet and search engines will shift cognitive capacities. We won't have to remember as much, but we'll have to think harder and have better critical thinking and analytical skills. Less time devoted to memorization gives people more time to master those new skills. \u0007  \"Google allows us to be more creative in approaching problems and more integrative in our thinking. We spend less time trying to recall and more time generating solutions.\" -- Paul Jones, ibiblio, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill \u0007 \"Google will make us stupid and intelligent at the same time. In the future, we will live in a transparent 3D mobile media cloud that surrounds us everywhere. In this cloud, we will use intelligent machines, to whom we delegate both simple and complex tasks. Therefore, we will lose the skills we needed in the old days (e.g., reading paper maps while driving a car). But we will gain the skill to make better choices (e.g., knowing to choose the mortgage that is best for you instead of best for the bank). All in all, I think the gains outweigh the losses.\" -- Marcel Bullinga, Dutch Futurist at futurecheck.com \u0007  \"I think that certain tasks will be 'offloaded' to Google or other Internet services rather than performed in the mind, especially remembering minor details. But really, that is a role that paper has taken over many centuries: did Gutenberg make us stupid? On the other hand, the Internet is likely to be front-and-centre in any developments related to improvements in neuroscience and human cognition research.\" -- Dean Bubley, wireless industry consultant \u0007 \"What the internet (here subsumed tongue-in-cheek under \"Google\") does is to support SOME parts of human intelligence, such as analysis, by REPLACING other parts such as memory. Thus, people will be more intelligent about, say, the logistics of moving around a geography because \"Google\" will remember the facts and relationships of various locations on their behalf. People will be better able to compare the revolutions of 1848 and 1789 because \"Google\" will remind them of all the details as needed. This is the continuation ad infinitum of the process launched by abacuses and calculators: we have become more \"stupid\" by losing our arithmetic skills but more intelligent at evaluating numbers.\" -- Andreas Kluth, writer, Economist magazine \u0007 \"It's a mistake to treat intelligence as an undifferentiated whole. No doubt we will become worse at doing some things ('more stupid') requiring rote memory of information that is now available though Google. But with this capacity freed, we may (and probably will) be capable of more advanced integration and evaluation of information ('more intelligent').\" -- Stephen Downes, National Research Council, Canada \u0007 \"The new learning system, more informal perhaps than formal, will eventually win since we must use technology to cause everyone to learn more, more economically and faster if everyone is to be economically productive and prosperous. Maintaining the status quo will only continue the existing win\/lose society that we have with those who can learn in present school structure doing ok, while more and more students drop out, learn less, and fail to find a productive niche in the future.\" -- Ed Lyell, former member of the Colorado State Board of Education and Telecommunication Advisory Commission \u0007 \"The question is flawed: Google will make intelligence different. As Carr himself suggests, Plato argued that reading and writing would make us stupid, and from the perspective of a preliterate, he was correct. Holding in your head information that is easily discoverable on Google will no longer be a mark of intelligence, but a side-show act. Being able to quickly and effectively discover information and solve problems, rather than do it \"in your head,\" will be the metric we use.\" -- Alex Halavais, vice president, Association of Internet Researchers \u0007  \"What Google does do is simply to enable us to shift certain tasks to the network -- we no longer need to rote-learn certain seldomly-used facts (the periodic table, the post code of Ballarat) if they're only a search away, for example. That's problematic, of course -- we put an awful amount of trust in places such as Wikipedia where such information is stored, and in search engines like Google through which we retrieve it -- but it doesn't make us stupid, any more than having access to a library (or in fact, access to writing) makes us stupid. That said, I don't know that the reverse is true, either: Google and the Net also don't automatically make us smarter. By 2020, we will have even more access to even more information, using even more sophisticated search and retrieval tools -- but how smartly we can make use of this potential depends on whether our media literacies and capacities have caught up, too.\" -- Axel Bruns, Associate Professor, Queensland University of Technology \u0007 \"My ability to do mental arithmetic is worse than my grandfather's because I grew up in an era with pervasive personal calculators.... I am not stupid compared to my grandfather, but I believe the development of my brain has been changed by the availability of technology. The same will happen (or is happening) as a result of the Googleization of knowledge. People are becoming used to bite sized chunks of information that are compiled and sorted by an algorithm. This must be having an impact on our brains, but it is too simplistic to say that we are becoming stupid as a result of Google.\" -- Robert Acklund, Australian National University \u0007 \"We become adept at using useful tools, and hence perfect new skills. Other skills may diminish. I agree with Carr that we may on the average become less patient, less willing to read through a long, linear text, but we may also become more adept at dealing with multiple factors.... Note that I said 'less patient,' which is not the same as 'lower IQ.' I suspect that emotional and personality changes will probably more marked than 'intelligence' changes.\" -- Larry Press, California State University, Dominguz Hills Technology isn't the problem here. It is people's inherent character traits. The internet and search engines just enable people to be more of what they already are. If they are motivated to learn and shrewd, they will use new tools to explore in exciting new ways. If they are lazy or incapable of concentrating, they will find new ways to be distracted and goof off. \u0007 \"The question is all about people's choices. If we value introspection as a road to insight, if we believe that long experience with issues contributes to good judgment on those issues, if we (in short) want knowledge that search engines don't give us, we'll maintain our depth of thinking and Google will only enhance it. There is a trend, of course, toward instant analysis and knee-jerk responses to events that degrades a lot of writing and discussion. We can't blame search engines for that.... What search engines do is provide more information, which we can use either to become dilettantes (Carr's worry) or to bolster our knowledge around the edges and do fact-checking while we rely mostly on information we've gained in more robust ways for our core analyses. Google frees the time we used to spend pulling together the last 10% of facts we need to complete our research. I read Carr's article when The Atlantic first published it, but I used a web search to pull it back up and review it before writing this response. Google is my friend.\" -- Andy Oram, editor and blogger, O'Reilly Media \u0007  \"Google isn't making us stupid -- but it is making many of us intellectually lazy. This has already become a big problem in university classrooms. For my undergrad majors in Communication Studies, Google may take over the hard work involved in finding good source material for written assignments. Unless pushed in the right direction, students will opt for the top 10 or 15 hits as their research strategy. And it's the students most in need of research training who are the least likely to avail themselves of more sophisticated tools like Google Scholar. Like other major technologies, Google's search functionality won't push the human intellect in one predetermined direction. It will reinforce certain dispositions in the end-user: stronger intellects will use Google as a creative tool, while others will let Google do the thinking for them.\" -- David Ellis, York University, Toronto \u0007  \"For people who are readers and who are willing to explore new sources and new arguments, we can only be made better by the kinds of searches we will be able to do. Of course, the kind of Googled future that I am concerned about is the one in which my every desire is anticipated, and my every fear avoided by my guardian Google. Even then, I might not be stupid, just not terribly interesting.\" -- Oscar Gandy, emeritus professor, University of Pennsylvania \u0007 \"I don't think having access to information can ever make anyone stupider. I don't think an adult's IQ can be influenced much either way by reading anything and I would guess that smart people will use the Internet for smart things and stupid people will use it for stupid things in the same way that smart people read literature and stupid people read crap fiction. On the whole, having easy access to more information will make society as a group smarter though.\" -- Sandra Kelly, market researcher, 3M Corporation \u0007  \"The story of humankind is that of work substitution and human enhancement. The Neolithic revolution brought the substitution of some human physical work by animal work. The Industrial revolution brought more substitution of human physical work by machine work. The Digital revolution is implying a significant substitution of human brain work by computers and ICTs in general. Whenever a substitution has taken place, men have been able to focus on more qualitative tasks, entering a virtuous cycle: the more qualitative the tasks, the more his intelligence develops; and the more intelligent he gets, more qualitative tasks he can perform.... As obesity might be the side-effect of physical work substitution by machines, mental laziness can become the watermark of mental work substitution by computers, thus having a negative effect instead of a positive one.\" -- Ismael Pea-Lopez, lecturer at the Open University of Catalonia, School of Law and Political Science \u0007 \"Well, of course, it depends on what one means by 'stupid' -- I imagine that Google, and its as yet unimaginable new features and capabilities will both improve and decrease some of our human capabilities. Certainly it's much easier to find out stuff, including historical, accurate, and true stuff, as well as entertaining, ironic, and creative stuff. It's also making some folks lazier, less concerned about investing in the time and energy to arrive at conclusions, etc.\" -- Ron Rice, University of California, Santa Barbara \u0007  \"Nick [Carr] says, 'Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski.' Besides finding that a little hard to believe (I know Nick to be a deep diver, still), there is nothing about Google, or the Net, to keep anyone from diving -- and to depths that were not reachable before the Net came along.\"-- Doc Searls, co-author of \"The Cluetrain Manifesto\" It's not Google's fault if users create stupid queries. \u0007  \"To be more precise, unthinking use of the Internet, and in particular untutored use of Google, has the ability to make us stupid, but that is not a foregone conclusion. More and more of us experience attention deficit, like Bruce Friedman in the Nicholas Carr article, but that alone does not stop us making good choices provided that the 'factoids' of information are sound that we use to make out decisions. The potential for stupidity comes where we rely on Google (or Yahoo, or Bing, or any engine) to provide relevant information in response to poorly constructed queries, frequently one-word queries, and then base decisions or conclusions on those returned items.\" -- Peter Griffiths, former Head of Information at the Home Office within the Office of the Chief Information Officer, United Kingdom \u0007 \"The problem isn't Google; it's what Google helps us find. For some, Google will let them find useless content that does not challenge their minds. But for others, Google will lead them to expect answers to questions, to explore the world, to see and think for themselves.\" -- Esther Dyson, longtime internet expert and investor \u0007  \"People are already using Google as an adjunct to their own memory. For example, I have a hunch about something, need facts to support, and Google comes through for me. Sometimes, I see I'm wrong, and I appreciate finding that out before I open my mouth.\" -- Craig Newmark, founder Craig's List \u0007 \"Google is a data access tool. Not all of that data is useful or correct. I suspect the amount of misleading data is increasing faster than the amount of correct data. There should also be a distinction made between data and information. Data is meaningless in the absence of an organizing context. That means that different people looking at the same data are likely to come to different conclusions. There is a big difference with what a world class artist can do with a paint brush as opposed to a monkey. In other words, the value of Google will depend on what the user brings to the game. The value of data is highly dependent on the quality of the question being asked.\" -- Robert Lunn, consultant, FocalPoint Analytics The big struggle is over what kind of information Google and other search engines kick back to users. In the age of social media where users can be their own content creators it might get harder and harder to separate high-quality material from junk. \u0007 \"Access to more information isn't enough -- the information needs to be correct, timely, and presented in a manner that enables the reader to learn from it. The current network is full of inaccurate, misleading, and biased information that often crowds out the valid information. People have not learned that 'popular' or 'available' information is not necessarily valid.\"-- Gene Spafford, Purdue University CERIAS, Association for Computing Machinery U.S. Public Policy Council \u0007  \"If we take 'Google' to mean the complex social, economic and cultural phenomenon that is a massively interactive search and retrieval information system used by people and yet also using them to generate its data, I think Google will, at the very least, not make us smarter and probably will make us more stupid in the sense of being reliant on crude, generalised approximations of truth and information finding. Where the questions are easy, Google will therefore help; where the questions are complex, we will flounder.\" -- Matt Allen, former president of the Association of Internet Researchers and associate professor of internet studies at Curtin University in Australia \u0007  \"The challenge is in separating that wheat from the chaff, as it always has been with any other source of mass information, which has been the case all the way back to ancient institutions like libraries. Those users (of Google, cable TV, or libraries) who can do so efficiently will beat the odds, becoming 'smarter' and making better choices. However, the unfortunately majority will continue to remain, as Carr says, stupid.\" -- Christopher Saunders, managing editor, internetnews.com \u0007 \"The problem with Google that is lurking just under the clean design home page is the \"tragedy of the commons\": the link quality seems to go down every year. The link quality may actually not be going down but the signal to noise is getting worse as commercial schemes lead to more and more junk links.\" -- Glen Edens, former senior vice president and director at Sun Microsystems Laboratories, chief scientist Hewlett Packard Literary intelligence is very much under threat. \u0007  \"If one defines -- or partially defines -- IQ as literary intelligence, the ability to sit with a piece of textual material and analyze it for complex meaning and retain derived knowledge, then we are indeed in trouble. Literary culture is in trouble.... We are spending less time reading books, but the amount of pure information that we produce as a civilization continues to expand exponentially. That these trends are linked, that the rise of the latter is causing the decline of the former, is not impossible.... One could draw reassurance from today's vibrant Web culture if the general surfing public, which is becoming more at home in this new medium, displayed a growing propensity for literate, critical thought. But take a careful look at the many blogs, post comments, Facebook pages, and online conversations that characterize today's Web 2.0 environment.... This type of content generation, this method of 'writing,' is not only sub-literate, it may actually undermine the literary impulse.... Hours spent texting and e-mailing, according to this view, do not translate into improved writing or reading skills.\" -- Patrick Tucker, senior editor, The Futurist magazine New literacies will be required to function in this world. In fact, the internet might change the very notion of what it means to be smart. Retrieval of good information will be prized. Maybe a race of \"extreme Googlers\" will come into being. \u0007  \"The critical uncertainty here is whether people will learn and be taught the essential literacies necessary for thriving in the current infosphere: attention, participation, collaboration, crap detection, and network awareness are the ones I'm concentrating on. I have no reason to believe that people will be any less credulous, gullible, lazy, or prejudiced in ten years, and am not optimistic about the rate of change in our education systems, but it is clear to me that people are not going to be smarter without learning the ropes.\" -- Howard Rheingold, author of several prominent books on technology, teacher at Stanford University and University of California-Berkeley \u0007  \"Google makes us simultaneously smarter and stupider. Got a question? With instant access to practically every piece of information ever known to humankind, we take for granted we're only a quick web search away from the answer. Of course, that doesn't mean we understand it. In the coming years we will have to continue to teach people to think critically so they can better understand the wealth of information available to them.\" -- J eska Dzwigalski, Linden Lab \u0007  \"We might imagine that in ten years, our definition of intelligence will look very different. By then, we might agree on 'smart' as something like a 'networked' or 'distributed' intelligence where knowledge is our ability to piece together various and disparate bits of information into coherent and novel forms.\" -- Christine Greenhow, educational researcher, University of Minnesota and Yale Information and Society Project \u0007  \"Human intellect will shift from the ability to retain knowledge towards the skills to discover the information i.e. a race of extreme Googlers (or whatever discovery tools come next). The world of information technology will be dominated by the algorithm designers and their librarian cohorts. Of course, the information they're searching has to be right in the first place. And who decides that?\" -- Sam Michel, founder Chinwag, community for digital media practitioners in the United Kingdom One new \"literacy\" that might help is the capacity to build and use social networks to help people solve problems. \u0007 \"There's no doubt that the internet is an extension of human intelligence, both individual and collective. But the extent to which it's able to augment intelligence depends on how much people are able to make it conform to their needs. Being able to look up who starred in the 2nd season of the Tracey Ullman show on Wikipedia is the lowest form of intelligence augmentation; being able to build social networks and interactive software that helps you answer specific questions or enrich your intellectual life is much more powerful. This will matter even more as the internet becomes more pervasive. Already my iPhone functions as the external, silicon lobe of my brain. For it to help me become even smarter, it will need to be even more effective and flexible than it already is. What worries me is that device manufacturers and internet developers are more concerned with lock-in than they are with making people smarter. That means it will be a constant struggle for individuals to reclaim their intelligence from the networks they increasingly depend upon.\" -- Dylan Tweney, senior editor, Wired magazine Nothing can be bad that delivers more information to people, more efficiently. It might be that some people lose their way in this world, but overall, societies will be substantially smarter. \u0007  \"The Internet has facilitated orders of magnitude improvements in access to information. People now answer questions in a few moments that a couple of decades back they would not have bothered to ask, since getting the answer would have been impossibly difficult.\" -- John Pike, Director, globalsecurity.org \u0007 \"Google is simply one step, albeit a major one, in the continuing continuum of how technology changes our generation and use of data, information, and knowledge that has been evolving for decades. As the data and information goes digital and new information is created, which is at an ever increasing rate, the resultant ability to evaluate, distill, coordinate, collaborate, problem solve only increases along a similar line. Where it may appear a 'dumbing down' has occurred on one hand, it is offset (I believe in multiples) by how we learn in new ways to learn, generate new knowledge, problem solve, and innovate.\" -- Mario Morino, Chairman, Venture Philanthropy Partners Google itself and other search technologies will get better over time and that will help solve problems created by too-much-information and too-much-distraction. \u0007 \"I'm optimistic that Google will get smarter by 2020 or will be replaced by a utility that is far better than Google. That tool will allow queries to trigger chains of high-quality information -- much closer to knowledge than flood. Humans who are able to access these chains in high-speed, immersive ways will have more patters available to them that will aid decision-making. All of this optimism will only work out if the battle for the soul of the Internet is won by the right people -- the people who believe that open, fast, networks are good for all of us.\" -- Susan Crawford, former member of President Obama's National Economic Council, now on the law faculty at the University of Michigan \u0007  \"If I am using Google to find an answer, it is very likely the answer I find will be on a message board in which other humans are collaboratively debating answers to questions. I will have to choose between the answer I like the best. Or it will force me to do more research to find more information. Google never breeds passivity or stupidity in me: It catalyzes me to explore further. And along the way I bump into more humans, more ideas and more answers.\" -- Joshua Fouts, Senior Fellow for Digital Media & Public Policy at the Center for the Study of the Presidency The more we use the internet and search, the more dependent on it we will become. \u0007  \"As the Internet gets more sophisticated it will enable a greater sense of empowerment among users. We will not be more stupid, but we will probably be more dependent upon it.\" -- Bernie Hogan, Oxford Internet Institute Even in little ways, including in dinner table chitchat, Google can make people smarter. \u0007 \"[Family dinner conversations] have changed markedly because we can now look things up at will. That's just one small piece of evidence I see that having Google at hand is great for civilization.\" -- Jerry Michalski, president, Sociate 'We know more than ever, and this makes us crazy.' \u0007 \"The answer is really: both. Google has already made us smarter, able to make faster choices from more information. Children, to say nothing of adults, scientists and professionals in virtually every field, can seek and discover knowledge in ways and with scope and scale that was unfathomable before Google. Google has undoubtedly expanded our access to knowledge that can be experienced on a screen, or even processed through algorithms, or mapped. Yet Google has also made us careless too, or stupid when, for instance, Google driving directions don't get us to the right place. It has confused and overwhelmed us with choices, and with sources that are not easily differentiated or verified. Perhaps it's even alienated us from the physical world itself -- from knowledge and intelligence that comes from seeing, touching, hearing, breathing and tasting life. From looking into someone's eyes and having them look back into ours. Perhaps it's made us impatient, or shortened our attention spans, or diminished our ability to understand long thoughts. It's enlightened anxiety. We know more than ever, and this makes us crazy.\" -- Andrew Nachison, co-founder, We Media A final thought: Maybe Google won't make us more stupid, but it should make us more modest. \u0007  \"There is and will be lots more to think about, and a lot more are thinking. No, not more stupid. Maybe more humble.\" -- Sheizaf Rafaeli, Center for the Study of the Information Society, University of Haifa Read more about responses to other \"tension pairs\" tested in the survey as well as a more complete description of the survey methodology and respondents at pewinternet.org . ","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey Employment Situation of Veterans Summary For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday, March 20, 2012 USDL-12-0493 Technical information: (202) 691-6378 * cpsinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov\/cps Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov EMPLOYMENT SITUATION OF VETERANS -- 2011 The unemployment rate for veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces at any time since September 2001--a group referred to as Gulf War-era II veterans--was 12.1 percent in 2011, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The jobless rate for all veterans was 8.3 percent. Twenty-six percent of Gulf War-era II veterans reported having a service-connected disability in August 2011, compared with about 14 percent of all veterans. This information was obtained from the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly sample survey of about 60,000 households that provides information on employment and unemployment in the United States. Data about veterans are collected monthly in the CPS; those monthly data are the source of the 2011 annual averages presented in this release. In August 2011, a supplement to the CPS collected additional information about veterans on topics such as service-connected disability. Information from the supplement is also presented in this release. The supplement was co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and by the U.S. Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service. For more information, see the Technical Note, which provides definitions of terms used in this release. Highlights from the 2011 data: -- The unemployment rate of veterans in 2011 (8.3 percent) was not statistically different from the rate in 2010 (8.7 percent). The rate for Gulf War-era II veterans also was little different from a year earlier. (See table A.) -- Young male veterans (those ages 18 to 24) who served during Gulf War era II had an unemployment rate of 29.1 percent in 2011, higher than that of young male nonveterans (17.6 percent). (See table 2B.) -- Among all veterans, those with a service-connected disability had an unemployment rate of 8.5 percent in August 2011, about the same as the rate for veterans with no disability (7.9 percent). (See table 6.) -- One in three employed veterans with a service-connected disability worked in the public sector in August 2011, compared with about 1 in 5 veterans with no disability. (See table 7.) -- Gulf War-era II veterans who were current or past members of the Reserve or National Guard had an unemployment rate of 9.1 percent in August 2011, little different than the rate for those veterans who had not been members (11.0 percent). (See table 8.) -- Gulf War-era II veterans who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, or both had an unemployment rate of 11.6 percent in August 2011. (See table 9.) The Veteran Population In 2011, 21.6 million men and women in the civilian noninstitutional population ages 18 and over were veterans. (See table 1.) In the survey, veterans are defined as men and women who have previously served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces and who were civilians at the time of the survey. Veterans are more likely to be men and older than nonveterans. In part, this reflects the characteristics of veterans who served during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam era. Veterans who served during these wartime periods account for about one-half (10.4 million) of the total veteran population. A total of 5.3 million veterans served during Gulf War era I (August 1990 to August 2001) or Gulf War era II (September 2001 forward). Another 5.9 million served outside these designated wartime periods. Because age and other demographic differences affect labor force status, the next sections focus on veterans by period of service. Gulf War-era II Veterans In 2011, about 2.4 million of the nation's veterans had served during Gulf War era II. About 17 percent of these veterans were women, compared with 3 percent of veterans from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam era. About half of all Gulf War-era II veterans were between the ages of 25 and 34. (See tables 1 and 2A.) Among Gulf War-era II veterans, the unemployment rate for men was 12.0 percent in 2011, little different from the rate for women (12.4 percent). (See table 1.) The unemployment rate for male Gulf War-era II veterans age 18 to 24, at 29.1 percent, was higher than that for nonveterans of the same age group (17.6 percent). The rate for male veterans age 25 to 34 also was higher than the rate for their nonveteran counterparts (13.4 and 9.5 percent, respectively). For those age 35 and over, the unemployment rates of male veterans and nonveterans generally were little different. (See table 2B.) Veterans of Gulf War era II and nonveterans had similar occupational profiles in 2011 after accounting for gender. About one-third of the employed men in both groups worked in management and professional occupations, a higher proportion than in any other major occupational group. Among employed women, about 49 percent of Gulf War-era II veterans and 41 percent of nonveterans worked in management and professional occupations. (See table 4.) Gulf War-era II veterans were about twice as likely to work in the public sector in 2011 as were nonveterans--27 percent and 14 percent, respectively. About 14 percent of employed veterans of the era worked for the federal government, compared with about 2 percent of employed nonveterans. (See table 5.) In August 2011, approximately 38 percent of Gulf War-era II veterans reported that they had served in Iraq, Afghanistan, or both. (Some veterans did not report their location of service.) These veterans had an unemployment rate of 11.6 percent, not statistically different from Gulf War-era II veterans who served elsewhere (8.6 percent). (See table 9.) Gulf War-era I Veterans For the 2.9 million veterans who served during Gulf War era I (August 1990 to August 2001), the proportion that were women (16 percent in 2011) was similar to that of Gulf War-era II veterans. About 87 percent of the era's veterans were age 35 and over, compared with 36 percent of Gulf War-era II veterans. (See tables 1 and 2A.) The labor force participation rate of male veterans from Gulf War era I was 85.7 percent in 2011, little different than the rate for male Gulf War-era II veterans (83.5 percent). The unemployment rate for male Gulf War-era I veterans (7.1 percent) was lower than the rate for Gulf War-era II veterans (12.0 percent). This difference in the unemployment rate reflects, at least in part, the older age profile of veterans who served during Gulf War era I. Unemployment rates of Gulf War-era I veterans were not statistically different from those of nonveterans of the same gender and age group. Veterans of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam Era In August 2011, about 10.4 million veterans responded that they had served during World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam era. Nearly all of these veterans were at least 55 years old, and more than half were at least 65 years old. Nearly all (97 percent) of these veterans were men. In 2011, just over one-third of male veterans of these wartime periods were in the labor force, and their unemployment rate was 7.6 percent. Male veterans of these wartime periods had lower labor force participation rates compared with male nonveterans in the same age categories. (See tables 1 and 2B.) Veterans of Other Service Periods In 2011, about 5.9 million veterans had served on active duty during \"other service periods,\" mainly between the Korean War and the Vietnam era, and between the Vietnam era and Gulf War era I. Because these veterans served between the major wartime periods, which span several decades, this group is concentrated in two age ranges. About 43 percent of these veterans were 45 to 54 years old, and another 38 percent were 65 years and over. (See tables 1 and 2A.) Nine in 10 veterans of other service periods were men. Among most age groups, male veterans of service periods between the designated wartime periods had labor force participation rates and unemployment rates that were not statistically different than those of male nonveterans. Veterans with a Service-connected Disability In August 2011, about 3.0 million veterans, or 14 percent of the total, reported having a service-connected disability. (Some veterans did not report whether they had a service-connected disability.) Veterans with a service-connected disability are assigned a disability rating by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the U.S. Department of Defense. Ratings range from 0 to 100 percent, in increments of 10 percentage points, depending on the severity of the condition. (See table 6.) Among veterans with a service-connected disability, about 4 in 10 reported a disability rating of less than 30 percent, while about 3 in 10 had a rating of 60 percent or higher. In August 2011, 60.3 percent of veterans with a service-connected disability rating of less than 30 percent were in the labor force, compared with 26.6 percent for those with a rating of 60 percent or higher. Among veterans who served in Gulf War-era II, about 1 in 4 (633,000) reported having a service-connected disability. Of these, 80.0 percent were in the labor force in August 2011, compared with 83.7 percent of veterans from this period with no service-connected disability. Among Gulf War-era II veterans, the unemployment rate of those with a disability was 12.1 percent, not statistically different from those with no disability (9.5 percent). In August 2011, 19.5 percent (586,000) of veterans who served during Gulf War era I reported a service-connected disability. Their labor force participation rate (69.6 percent) was lower than the rate for veterans from the era who did not have a disability (88.2 percent). Unemployment rates for Gulf War-era I veterans with and without service-connected disabilities were little different (7.1 and 6.9 percent, respectively). Among the 1.2 million veterans with a service-connected disability from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam era, 20.9 percent were in the labor force in August 2011, compared with 35.5 percent of veterans from these periods who did not have a service-connected disability. The unemployment rate of veterans with a disability from these wartime periods was 3.1 percent, below the rate for their counterparts with no disability (8.2 percent). Veterans with a service-connected disability from other service periods had a labor force participation rate of 53.1 percent in August 2011, compared with 56.8 percent for veterans with no disability from these periods. Among veterans from other service periods, the unemployment rates of veterans with and without service-connected disabilities were not statistically different--9.4 and 7.5 percent, respectively. Regardless of period of service, many veterans with a service-connected disability worked in the public sector. In August 2011, 34 percent of employed veterans with a disability worked in federal, state, or local government, compared with 19 percent of veterans with no disability and 14 percent of nonveterans. About 18 percent of employed veterans with a disability worked for the federal government, compared with 6 percent of veterans with no disability and 2 percent of nonveterans. (See table 7.) Reserve and National Guard Membership About 30 percent of both Gulf War-era I and Gulf War-era II veterans were reported to be current or past members of the Reserve or National Guard. Among Gulf War-era II veterans, those who were current or past members of the Reserve or National Guard had an unemployment rate of 9.1 percent in August 2011, little different from those who had never been members (11.0 percent). Gulf War-era II veterans who were current or past members of the Reserve or National Guard had a higher labor force participation rate than those who had never been members. For veterans of Gulf War-era I, labor force participation rates as well as unemployment rates were similar for members and nonmembers. (See table 8.) ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"If the shoe fits, wear it Meaning If a description applies to you, then accept it. This expression is often used when something derogatory is said about a person who then complains to a third party. The third party, if they agree with the original negative comment, might suggest \"If the shoe fits, then wear it\". An example of that might be: Origin 'If the shoe fits, wear it' is often shortened to 'If the shoe fits...', leaving the listener to fill in the blank. The expression is the American version of the earlier British phrase 'If the cap fits, wear it', which is also still in general use. Daniel Defoe used the earlier phrase in the satirical poem The Dyet of Poland . Defoe had the work printed in London in 1705 but, as it was a rather vehement critique of the English parliament, Defoe used the flimsy pretence that it had been printed in Dantzig and was the work of 'Angliopoloski of Lithuania'. Defoe's point in the poem was that readers are responsible for their own opinions; he (or rather Angliopoloski) may have written the poem but that any conclusions drawn from it were owned by the reader, not him: Gentlemen, and if the Cap fits any Body let 'em wear it. 'If the cap fits' is itself a version of a yet earlier phrase 'if the cloak sitteth fit', that is, 'if the cloak fits well'. This expression dates from the 16th century and was used in print by Richard Hooker in Of the Lawes of Ecclesiasticall Politie, 1593: Which cloake sitteth no lesse fit on the backe of their cause, then of the Anabaptists. The 'cloak' version of the phrase does suggest that the later 'cap' was a variant of 'cape'. As to 'if the shoe fits', that began being used in the late 18th century. The earliest example that I have found in print is from the US newspaper the New York Gazette & Weekly Mercury , May 1773: Why should Mr. Vanderbeck apply a general comparison to himself? Let those whom the shoe fits wear it. The change from cap to shoe may well have been influenced by the Cinderella story, which has a snug-fitting slipper as the primary plot device. Versions of the tale that include the 'lost slipper' scenario were well known in the USA and Europe by 1773. In 1634, Giambattista Basile, published Il Pentamerone , a popular collection of Italian folk tales. One of the stories, Cenerentola , is the basis of the Cinderella story as we now know it, complete with wicked stepmother, ugly sisters and a missing slipper. Many expressions, for example, ' toe the line ', ' get off your high horse ' etc., were first used literally and their metaphorical meaning came later. 'If the shoe fits' is a rarity in that it has gone the other way - having been used for centuries in a figurative sense, its most common usage now is in shoe shop advertising slogans. Since writing the above piece I've had many reminders from US readers about the shaggy dog story concerning the mythical Foo bird, the droppings of which were supposed to be lucky and shouldn't be washed off. There are as many variants of this old joke as there are tellers of it; the only common element being the punch line \"If the Foo shits, wear it\". ","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Chasing A Dream Its funny to think that for as long as I can remember I have always wanted to be a rapper; to make music and connect with people from a wide range of backgrounds. I started rapping at the age of 12 and at first I didn't have anyone's support; people thought I was going through a phase that would be over in a month. I kept at it and as I became better the desire to become a rapper got stronger and stronger, until I finally realized at the age of 15 that I wanted to take it seriously. I didn't tell anyone at the time as I didn't want to be laughed at -- heck, my dad and my brother would laugh at me when I was making music. Though this hurt my feelings and was very discouraging, my mum was always there to support me. I told my mum from early on that it was my dream to become a rapper but at the time we were living in Papua New Guinea. Being a 3rd world country there were not many opportunities so my dream would remain just that for the time being -- a dream. That all changed in early 2010 when I was shipped over to Mount Albert Grammar School boarding house, here in Auckland, New Zealand. I was scared yet excited, as I only knew about nine people in Auckland. I met the twins, Victor and Daley, who were also at the boarding school and had a drive and passion for music, like me. Music was the glue that got me stuck with these two boys; after discovering our common interest in making music and rapping, we would practice for hours on end in the dorm room, making beats, recording, rapping, listening to music, playing instruments and so forth. Eventually through all the practice and making of music, I had my first big break through a track titled \" Blue and Yellow \" where I was fortunate to meet award winning video director Damien Caine . We quickly became good friends over a short time and I told him I wanted to take rap seriously: I wanted to be a rapper and it was my dream to play in front of crowds and connect with people through music. After months of talking back and forth he said he was starting a new label, Black Platinum Sound , and asked if I wanted to be the first artist on the label. Which brings me here today... I'm about to seal the deal, signing my first label deal with Black Platinum Sound and it feels surreal, like it hasn't hit me yet. It's always been a dream and my first major goal as a rapper to be signed. Being here and having the opportunities that I've been given, I feel truly blessed. It's been a long road and there's still a very long way to go but I move forward, crossing out one goal at a time, forever chasing a dream -- chasing my dream. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"While I don't usually talk about politics because my non-profit status prohibits it, it seems to me that the re-election of Obama marks a watershed in the American culture. I can't help but notice the historical precedent. Alexander Tyler wrote about the Athenian Empire nearly 2500 years ago, A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse (generous gifts) from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, (which is) always followed by a dictatorship The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been two hundred years._? No civilization has ever escaped from or reversed this trend once the tipping point is reached. I believe that we have reached the tipping point. The re-election of Obama is the acknowledgement that the culture of the West will collapse. After this election I realize, the minorities are taking over and only want to milk the government for more handouts. This shit scares me. Even in my town in SoCal a minority mayor has been elected for the first time. I read this and shit my pants. Well, actually I meant to say I was stunned, and feel kinda scared. My Dad is no dummy , he went to Harvard and had a brain like a computer. Only he can't deal with people so well.. After this election I realize, the minorities are taking over and only want to milk the government for more handouts. This shit scares me. Even in my town in SoCal a minority mayor has been elected for the first time. I read this and shit my pants. Well, actually I meant to say I was stunned, and feel kinda scared. My Dad is no dummy , he went to Harvard and had a brain like a computer. Only he can't deal with people so well.. Quoting: hey now 24800996 You and your dad are dumb fucks. Corporate welfare exceeds social welfare. And guess who benefits from social welfare...the globalist bankers who control the planet. And most of them are conservatives. They have the real power so I'm not sure why you're scared of liberals. Sheep only believe in the game of politics. The agenda would've been the same if Romney won. After this election I realize, the minorities are taking over and only want to milk the government for more handouts. This shit scares me. Even in my town in SoCal a minority mayor has been elected for the first time. I read this and shit my pants. Well, actually I meant to say I was stunned, and feel kinda scared. My Dad is no dummy , he went to Harvard and had a brain like a computer. Only he can't deal with people so well.. Quoting: hey now 24800996 Taxpayers have been forced to subsidize them for the last 50 years so the \"takeover\" was no accident. It's all by design. After this election I realize, the minorities are taking over and only want to milk the government for more handouts. This shit scares me. Even in my town in SoCal a minority mayor has been elected for the first time. I read this and shit my pants. Well, actually I meant to say I was stunned, and feel kinda scared. My Dad is no dummy , he went to Harvard and had a brain like a computer. Only he can't deal with people so well.. Quoting: hey now 24800996 You and your dad are dumb fucks. Corporate welfare exceeds social welfare. And guess who benefits from social welfare...the globalist bankers who control the planet. And most of them are conservatives. They have the real power so I'm not sure why you're scared of liberals. Sheep only believe in the game of politics. The agenda would've been the same if Romney won. Quoting: Anonymous Coward 27296375 I think you are missing the entire point and much like most of sheepish America focusing on the wrong thing, The point is: We are heading for a fiscal cliff !! Yea corporate bailouts , yea Romney is more of the same . SO WHAT ? How does that change the point of article ? The part about history repeating itself really hits home now. ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"framedyn.dll and srclient.dll can not be found during administrator login to XPe jimt Guest Posts: n\/a 's Computer Specifications 4th Aug 2007 Hi, Each time I log into XPe as administrator or as a normal user I get these two errors: rundll32.exe - Unable to locate component. This application has failed to start because framedyn.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem. and RUNDLL Error loading srclient.dll The specified module could not be found. I built on XP Pro with SP2+FP2007 w\/Rollup 1.0 on the purchased XPe studio using the xpetools \"XP Pro emulation\" filter. I have verified that the \"WMI Core\" component (which brings in framedyn.dll) and \"System Restore Core\" component (which brings in srclient.dll) are present in TD and the build log. I can also see both DLLs on the XPe runtime image that is running. No msg related to framedyn.dll was found in FBALOG.TXT. No mention of either of these DLLs in the SetupApi.log file. Nothing found in the system event log. Any clues? I'm stumped... Thanks, -- jimt jimt Guest Posts: n\/a 's Computer Specifications 8th Aug 2007 I \"fixed\" this problem by changing Wbem in the PATH to wbem (see http:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/?kbid=31911\\\\... to see why I tried this) and rebooted. After the change, the problem went away. BUT, if I change the path back to using a capital W for Wbem again and reboot, the probem does not return. Huh?? Maybe there is some sort of a registry caching or ??? going on. Very very flakey. I'm going ahead with my manual fbreseal and hope the problem does not come back. -- jimt \"jimt\" <jim_underscore_thalmann_@_avid_dot_c\\\\... wrote in message news:%(E-Mail Removed)... > Hi, > > Each time I log into XPe as administrator or as a normal user I get these > two errors: > > rundll32.exe - Unable to locate component. > This application has failed to start because framedyn.dll was not found. > Re-installing the application may fix this problem. > > and > > RUNDLL > Error loading srclient.dll > The specified module could not be found. > > I built on XP Pro with SP2+FP2007 w\/Rollup 1.0 on the purchased XPe studio > using the xpetools \"XP Pro emulation\" filter. I have verified that the > \"WMI Core\" component (which brings in framedyn.dll) and \"System Restore > Core\" component (which brings in srclient.dll) are present in TD and the > build log. I can also see both DLLs on the XPe runtime image that is > running. > > FBALOG.TXT reported this: > [FBACallEntryPoint] LoadLibrary (C:\\WINDOWS\\system32\\srclient.dll) > (Error: 0x7e) > > No msg related to framedyn.dll was found in FBALOG.TXT. No mention of > either of these DLLs in the SetupApi.log file. Nothing found in the > system event log. > > Any clues? I'm stumped... Thanks, > > -- > jimt > ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"On upholstery and carpets, use the absorbent powder treatment, followed by a shampoo with liquid detergent, such as a Carpet\/Rug Shampoo, a good quality laundry liquid or Quilt\/Wool Wash. Avoid wetting backing of carpet or fabric, or discoloration occurs. Do not use grease solvents, e.g. dry cleaning fluid, on carpets or fabrics with rubberised backing. On wallpaper, scrape off as much as possible, then use warm iron and absorbent paper. Treat remaining stain with paste of cornflour and a grease solvent. Allow to dry, brush off, and repeat if necessary. Candle wax and chewing gum can be effectively removed by placing the object that has been stained into a freezer until the staining agent is quite hard, and brittle, then the material can be literally shattered off the object that has been stained. ...then treat any residue as follows: place the stain between clean, white blotters and press with a warm iron, changing the blotter as it becomes soiled. Then sponge with dry cleaning fluid or a laundry pre-soak (spot stain remover). In the case of coloured wax there may still be a colour stain. Sponge with a liquid made by adding ? c of methylated spirits (wood alcohol) to ? c water. First scrape off as much as possible with a dull knife. Hot soapy water will then remove fresh stains from washable articles. If a brown stain remains, soak in a solution of a diaper wash\/sanitiser container sodium percarbonate followed by a good rinse in warm water. For unwashable materials, sponge with dry cleaning fluid. Allow to dry. Repeat as necessary with a clean portion of pad beneath. If any mark remains, sponge with equal quantities of methylated spirits (wood alcohol) and household ammonia (test on colours first). Follow with warm water. A spray-on dry cleaner may be used. Fresh cod liver oil stains can be removed successfully, but old stains set by washing and ironing are almost impossible to remove, even with bleach. Wash very fresh stains in warm water and a good quality laundry liquid or any one of the concentrated Laundry Powders available, applying a little neat liquid detergent to the stain. Stubborn stains on all fabrics respond to soaking in a diaper wash\/sanitiser container sodium percarbonate. Wash as usual. Remove fresh stains from cotton and linen materials by first rinsing in warm water then pouring boiling water from a height of 2 - 3 feet onto the stain. Follow by washing in soapy water. If a trace remains, bleach in the sun, or with a diaper wash\/sanitiser container sodium percarbonate. Tea stains on cottons and linens can also be removed by soaking in borax and water (1 Tbsp. borax in 1 c of warm water). Stains on wool and silk or any fabric may be sponged with lukewarm water, then apply glycerine, rubbing lightly between the hands. Let stand for half an hour. Rinse with warm water. If a grease spot remains from cream, sponge with dry cleaning fluid. Purchase some Spray & Wipe from your supermarket, and use concentrated on the stain. Most Spray & Wipe formula?s contain a solvent which will dissolve the liquid paper. OR Try a little gasoline on the stain, with some good absorbent paper or old cloth behind it. Then use some dishwash liquid or a good quality laundry liquid to wash out the gasoline. OR Purchase some xylene, or toluene, these are some of the solvents used in making the stuff. Use as if using the gasoline. These are stocked by gasoline companies and you may be able to request a small sample. Always test an inconspicuous piece of material before proceeding. ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"NOVA's Ice Mummies, an extraordinary trio of one-hour shows on ancient frozen corpses, which aired last fall, offers a judicious balance of academic commentary and excavation shots that make for some of the most riveting of recent archaeological programming. \"Frozen in Heaven,\" the most interesting and moving, investigates evidence for the Inka rite of capac cocha, the sacrifice of children to the mountain gods. Andean villagers still believe that the great mountains have supernatural power, especially over the weather and that they must be placated. According to early European chroniclers, this was achieved by child sacrifice, and the discovery in recent decades of several well-preserved children's bodies from this period, recovered at high elevation, seems to bear this out. We are shown three of the best-known examples: a seven-year-old boy found in 1985 on Mt. Aconcagua in northeast Argentina who seems to have been fed just before death a red liquid, which still coats his teeth and clothing (the liquid may have provoked vomiting); the famous Juanita, found in 1995 on Mt. Ampato in southern Peru, who was shown by CAT scans to have died from a blow to the head; and the amazingly well preserved El Plomo boy found in Chile in the 1950s wearing magnificent textiles and footwear. The second show, \"Siberian Ice Maiden,\" concerns the now-famous 1993 excavation of a frozen tomb on the Ukok Plateau in the Siberian Altai by Russian archaeologist Natalya Polosmak. The tomb contained the bodies of six fairly old horses, sacrificed with blows to the head to accompany the deceased, a practice still common in the region earlier this century. We see Polosmak and her team open the long, larch-log coffin and melt the solid white ice inside with cups of hot water. In it is the body of a 25-year-old woman who died about 2,400 years ago. Her head has lost its flesh, but some wonderful swirling tattooed figures of mythical beasts can be seen on her arms and hands. About 5'6\" tall, she was carefully embalmed: the brain and internal organs were removed and the body was packed with fur, wool, and natural preservatives such as bark and peat. Her eyes were also cut out and the sockets stuffed with fur. The third program, \"Return of the Iceman,\" deals briefly with the now well-known tale of the discovery of a 5,300-year-old frozen corpse in the Italian Alps in 1991, focusing on the latest findings and bringing the story up to date with the Iceman's transportation to, and installation in, the new museum in Bolzano, Italy (see \" tzi's New Home ,\" January\/February 1999). In some ways this is the most informative of the three shows because the Iceman, unlike the Andean children or the Ice Maiden, died on the mountain while going about his daily routine, and his clothing and equipment provide us with a glimpse of life in this region 5,300 years ago. These exceptionally informative shows stand as important documents in their own right and will be invaluable teaching aids for years to come. ","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Thursday, September 6, 2012 There are certain common conceptions about sexism and gender as they relate to gaming. Influenced by the recent influx of gender and sex-related video game discussions within the community, I was interested in finding out how much of these are actually true and how much they affect gamers -- both male and female -- as well as the gaming community. For this reason, I designed a twenty-question survey to find out more. I am well aware that sexism isn't just an issue of men versus women, and I wanted my study to reflect that. My survey was aimed at gamers of all genders in order to see who sexism affects in the gaming community, who is perpetuating sexism, and to what extent the things that we think we already know about sexism in the community are true or false. This survey was created online and distributed to various gaming communities online as well as through social media such as twitter and facebook. The survey remained open for participation for approximately one week and garnered 874 responses -- almost a third of which were accompanied by additional comments, examples, and clarifications. I also received nearly 200 comments on the purpose or topic of the research itself. Some of these comments were as telling as the hard data, and some are included in the report below. Is Sexism Prevalent in Gaming Community Immediately following the demographic questions, participants were asked \"Do you feel that sexism is prominent in the gaming community?\" The response was overwhelmingly \"yes.\" 79.3% of all participants believe that sexism is prominent in the gaming community. 7.1% responded \"no,\" and 13.6% of respondents were not sure if sexism is prominent in the community. A \"yes\" response was 7% more likely to come from a female gamer than from a male gamer. Male gamers were almost twice as likely to respond \"no\" than were female gamers -- a telling response when one considers how perspective affects opinion. Men and women who were not sure about the prominence of sexism in the gaming community showed a difference in percentage that is within the margin of error. When asked if they had ever been the subject of \"sex-based taunting, harassment, or threats while playing video games online,\" 35.2% of participants said yes and 61.3% of participants said no. Women were four times more likely than men to have experienced taunting or harassment , with 63.3% of all female participants responding that they had. The stories that these women told me regarding their experiences are similar to what one might think of regarding this topic. \"Cunt,\" \"bitch,\" \"slut,\" and \"whore\" were common slurs. The threats were largely of sexual assault. Much of the harassment was based around asking for or demanding sexual favors or comments that revolved around the traditional gender role and stereotyped behavior for women in Western society. Many of the insults were based on the subject's weight or physical appearance. 15.7% of men also reported that they had experienced sex-based taunting, harassment, or threats while playing video games. While this is in the minority, it is still of concern as sexism. The comments directed at these gamers, however, are different from those directed at women in some very telling ways. Most of the men who provided additional information on their \"yes\" response to this question experienced comments that revolved around them not fitting a masculine gender role. These men were often called \"fags\" and compared to or told that they were women and labeled with stereotypically feminine words. For those who identified as intersexed, identified with a sex that was not listed, or did not identify with any sex, the sexual harassment that was experienced largely related to not fitting into any norm. Those participants in these demographics had almost all experienced intentional misgendering from other players. For women, the sexism experienced is about being female. For men, it is about not fitting a standard of masculinity. In short, this sexism is always about \"male\" being the normative sex and \"not male\" or \"not sufficiently male\" being reason for insults, shaming, and bullying. This means that men who fit (or present) a masculine, normative standard are those who are most unlikely to be the victim of sexism. The responses to the question \"Have you ever received an unsolicited proposition while playing video games online?\" shows that this happens in much the same ratio between men and women as does general sexism, but that propositioning is slightly less common than sexual threats, taunting, and harassment. 32.0% of all participants said that they had experienced an unsolicited proposition while playing video games. 59.7% of women and 12.2% of men. The difference here, as found in the comments and clarifications that I was sent by some participants, is largely in the tone of the proposition and the reception therein. Both sexes reported receiving propositions with the exchange of money, goods, and in-game assistance as a deal. However, men were more often offered sexual favors if they would pay for them (\"I'll send nudes for gold\" was a provided example.), and women were more often offered payment if they would perform sexual favors (\"Show me your tits and I'll help you,\" quoted one female participant.). In addition to this, more women described the propositions that they received as \"gross,\" \"dirty,\" \"vulgar,\" or \"inappropriate\" than did men. From the clarifications I received, when men were approached with an offer of sex they were more likely to accept the offer than women were. A further distancing between men and women in terms of experienced sexism is apparent when reviewing the data that the survey received in response to the question \"Have you ever experienced sex-based harassment that began while playing a video game and continued outside of the game?\" Only 9.8% of all participants reported that they had experienced this sort of harassment. However, women were nearly 7 times more likely to experience this than men were (at 19.5% for women and 3.0% for men). This suggests that those who harass women are motivated to pursue the subject of their harassment once the game is finished in order to continue to harass them. Those who harass men don't experience this motivation to the same extent, and so women are more likely to experience sustained sexism than men are. Similar numbers were reported in response to the question \"Have you ever felt unsafe because of sex-based harassment while playing a video game?\" 9.6% of all participants answered \"yes.\" 19.4% of women and 2.2% of men experienced this. This means that women are nine times more likely than men to feel unsafe in this situation. A handful of women commented further on this, and all of them expressed that their fears were rape or sexual-assault related, which is unsurprising considering that some studies report that as many as 1 in 4 college-aged women is sexually assaulted. Where rape is a real, common occurrence for women in the average gaming age group, it is not surprising that threats of rape made while gaming causes more concern for women than for men. Women were also much more likely to quit playing a game because of sex-based harassment than were men. 35.8% of women reported having quit playing temporarily because of sexism , and 9.6% reported that they quit playing a certain game permanently because of harassment. The numbers for men in the same areas were 11.7% and 2.6% respectively -- about a third of the percentage for women in each case. Another polarizing question was \"Have you ever obscured or lied about your sex while playing video games to avoid unwanted attention or harassment?\" 67.5% of women said that they had obscured their sex . Only 5.8% of men said the same. That means that women are nearly 12 times as likely to feel the need to conceal their sex while playing video games as men are. Two men sent clarifications to me regarding why they conceal their sex sometimes when they play video games. Both prefer to play with female avatars, and both have previously been harassed because they identify as male but play female characters. Again, they are being harassed because they don't conform to normative masculinity. When asked if they had ever avoided playing on a public server to avoid being a target of sexism, 50.6% of female respondents and 10.3% of male respondents said that they had. Beyond this, many women clarified by saying that they don't play video games online at all in order to avoid sex-based harassment either that they had previously experienced playing online or that they thought they might experience. While women are five times more likely to avoid playing on a public server to keep away from sexism, there is another difference between when men and women choose to do this. Many men sent clarifications about this question to say that they avoid specific servers that they know to foster a sexist community whereas many women said that they avoid all public servers and play only in environments they know that they will be comfortable in. When asked \"Have you ever been the subject of sex-based comments, taunting, harassment, or threats in the gaming community while not playing a video game?\" 45.5% of women said that they had -- almost 5 times the percentage of men who said the same. Similarly, when asked if they had ever had their gaming taste, ability, or skill questioned because of their gender, 77.8% of women said that they had (compared to 6.4% of men). Those men who said that they had been the subject of these comments and judgments related that they were often judged for liking games that were \"for girls.\" One man said that he had been called a \"faggot\" when he said he didn't like playing violent games. Yet again, the sexism against men is not because they are men but because they aren't \"male enough.\" Occasionally, women in gaming are labeled as something like \"attention whores.\" The woman who plays video games for attention or uses her sex for special treatment while playing is a common stereotype in the gaming community. The response to \"Have you ever intentionally used your sex as leverage when asking for favors, goods, or attention while playing video games?\" shows that this stereotype is only true in the vast minority. 9.9% of female respondents said that they had done this at least once. What is perhaps more interesting is that when asked \"Have you ever lied about your sex in order to receive favors, goods, or attention while playing a video game?\" 12.9% of male respondents said that they had. The comments and data from these two questions point to an interesting conclusion: Some male gamers use the stereotype of a female \"attention whore\" to their benefit by pretending to be female in order to garner special benefits. Many of these men even kept images of women that they found on the internet in order to supply those gamers who helped them with nude photos and proof that they were female. In essence, an individual using femaleness to attain special favors and gifts from others while playing video games is more likely to be a self-identified male posing as a woman than to actually be female. When they were asked if they had ever participated in sexist behavior and comments, only 9.4% of participants said \"yes,\" with 10.6% of men and 7.3% of women giving this answer. Men were only 3.3% more likely to exhibit sexism -- a number within the margin of error. This means that men and women are exhibiting sexism at very similar rates. Comments sent in by these people to clarify their answers also show that individuals who exhibit sexism do not only do so to people of the opposite sex. Men are perpetrating sexism against other men, and women are doing the same to other women. When asked if they had ever intervened in a conversation to stop sexist comments and behavior, 53.2% of participants (54.6% of women and 51.9% of men) said that they had. Both men and women sent in comments regarding why they had trepidation about defending others from sexism while gaming. Both were afraid of having the negative attention turned toward themselves -- men often concerned with the label \"White Knight\" (which relates to a man who defends a woman in the hope of sexual favors) and women were concerned with the same sexual harassment that was being received by the person they might have defended. Sexism Study Demographics: Who took the Survey The survey opened with some general demographic questions. When asked \"What sex do you identify as?\" 499 (57.1%) of the respondents were male and 356 (40.7%) were female. These numbers -- particularly the ratio of men to women in gaming - are similar to those which have been reported by other studies . They support the idea that the majority of the members of the gaming community are male, but perhaps some might be surprised that the number of female members comes even close to that of the male majority. 32.4% of all participants were between the ages of 20 and 23. Only one participant, a male, was under 13, and only one participant, who identified with no sex, was over 51. 77.7% of all participants were between the ages of 16 and 27. The average male participant was between 20 and 23, as was the average female. There was no statistically significant difference in the ages of male and female participants -- the distribution across age ranges was roughly the same for both groups. Participants were asked which genre of video games they play. The most popular genre was \"RPG,\" which garnered 14.8% of all responses. The least popular genre was \"Simulator\" with 6.0% of all responses. The difference between the percentage of men playing a particular genre and women playing that same genre was never greater than 3.2 (12.6% of men and 9.4% of women played \"Shooters\"), which falls within the margin of error for this study. This suggests that men and women have roughly the same taste in video games. This information is interesting in light of arguments posed in response to other studies. Some of these arguments suggest that the population of women in gaming (41%) is only so high because there is no differentiation between \"casual\" and \"serious\" gamers -- that people who play only casual games should not be considered gamers and that making the distinction would lower the number of female gamers as reported by such studies. This study shows that this is not the case. In fact, no women who responded to this survey played only casual games. Women were 2.0% more likely to play casual games than were men (again, a number within the margin of error), but these same women also enjoyed other game genres. Similar data ranges were apparent in response to the question \"What devices do you use to play video games?\" The most popular device for gaming is the PC, which garnered 24.9% of all responses. The least popular device for gaming is the Mac, with 3.4% of the responses. The difference in the percentage of men and the percentage of women playing video games on a given device were statistically negligible. The largest difference was between men and women playing the Nintendo Wii; women were 1.1% more likely to play this console than men were. While this is a number well within the margin of error, it is the only difference between men and women as far as consoles and devices are concerned that was over 1.0%. The rest of the responses were only different by a fraction of a percent. It is clear that there is no real difference in the gaming devices selected by men and those selected by women. 49.4% of gamers who participated in this survey play video games for a few hours a day. Women were 4.6% more likely to play video games a few hours a week than were men, whereas men were 6.2% more likely to play video games a few hours a day than were women. The percentages of men and women who play video games more than four hours a day were only 0.8% different from one another -- with 16% of women and 15.2% of men playing at this frequency. The average male gamer and the average female gamer both play video games for a few hours a week. Sexism Survey Comments and Community's Reaction According to this study, most gamers recognize sexism as a prominent force in the gaming community. While it is mostly directed at women, some men experience it as well. Only a minority of gamers say that they've perpetuated sexism, and a majority say that they've stepped in to stop it. These numbers are heartening for anyone who, like me, is concerned about how the gamers, and people in general, treat one another. I myself received some interesting reactions and treatment when I opened this survey up to the public. For the sake of statistics and simplification, I counted the comments that I received that were directed at the purpose of the survey (as opposed to those that were in direct response to survey questions) and then categorized them as either: Definitely Positive, Definitely Negative, and Non-Definite. Encouragingly, those comments which were distinctly positive outnumbered the comments which were negative. The majority of these were methods of solidarity and encouragement -- praise directed at myself for undertaking the project or support for the project itself. Comments such as \"I'm proud of you.\" and \"You're doing a great thing.\" were common. Perhaps the most encouraging were the handful of comments -- 9, in total -- that came from people whose outlooks were changed because of the survey. One individual said that he was surprised about the topic. He hadn't previously considered that sexism occurred in gaming. After having taken the survey, he spoke with his wife (who is also a gamer) , asking her if she had ever experienced sexism while playing a video game. After she said that she had, the man became more conscientious of what he and other players were saying and how they were behaving while playing games online, and he decided to start speaking out against sexism when he saw it. While these responses were quite encouraging (as I personally like to see a community aware of its biases and discrimination), there were plenty of comments to provide a counterbalance to the positivity. I received 34 comments that I would classify as \"negative\" - just over half the number of positive responses. These negative responses were largely comments directed at me personally as opposed to the purpose of the research, and most of them were vile, sexual, and entirely profane. An even dozen of the negative comments that I received addressed the topic in a way that showed negative opinion while remaining what I see as professional in tone. The 22 remaining negative responses were consisted of or contained personal, profane attacks against myself. All of these comments came from men, and they all contained gender and sex-based insults. Eight of these comments featured sexual content -- descriptions of what should be done to me. One of them was four paragraphs long and particularly vivid. These eight are not anything that I would deem acceptable to reproduce here. This comment is fairly representative of those made by these 22 men: \"Yoru[sic] survey is retarded and so are you. There's no sexism in the video game community, you stupid cunt. All you bitches play cause you like the attention that nerds give you. You can't get it anywhere else cause you're fat disgusting whales. You ruin video games. Shut the fuck up, tits or gtfo, and make me a sandwich. I'd say I hope you get raped, but you're such a slut you'd like it.\" What was most surprising, and slightly disheartening, were many of the 87 comments that fit into neither the positive nor negative categories. A number of these comments did not involve personal opinion on the subject matter in the study. These were things like \"I'd like to see the results of this.\" or \"This is an interesting survey.\" Such comments composed approximately a third of the non-definite responses. The remaining two-thirds, however, might be represented by this comment: \"I really do feel for the people who are discriminated against when they play video games. I know that a lot of women get harassed just because they're female. But I don't see what we can do about it. Is sexism a problem? Yes. Is is bad? Yes. Does it happen in the community? Yes. But there's no fix for that. There are always going to be bigots, so what's the point in fighting it?\" While I can understand this opinion, to me it represents a sort of conciliatory perspective. It's a recognition of the problem, but an unwillingness to stand up against it. The people who made such comments -- both men and women -- are those who have either given up or never tried. In some ways, too, I feel that these individuals misunderstand the ways in which sexism can be fought and in which gains can be made for gamers who want to see a community free of sexism. I can't argue that eliminating sexist opinion from every individual in the community is realistic, and it's not one of the goals that I personally hold when arguing against sexism. What I do think is achievable, however, is eliminating the normalization of sexism in the community. When people stand up in sufficient numbers against those who harass players because of their sex or gender -- when we stop laughing, joining in, or letting it slide and start handing out bans, saying \"That's not okay,\" and refusing to play with bigots -- then eventually there is a standard that even those with sexist leanings will begin to conform to. Surely not every bigoted person will be swayed by public opinion enough to stop expressing their sexist thoughts, but there's going to be a number of them (how big that number is I can't be sure) who will consider being judged, scolded, ostracized, or made to look foolish when they use sexist slurs and insults to be enough of a deterrent to stop using them in mixed company. When sexism is less expressed, it becomes less normalized for those entering the community as well. When new gamers see that calling a woman a cunt or taunting a man for being beaten by a woman is frowned upon, they are more likely to learn not to do it. It's a change that will take time, but it's one that I and others believe is worth working toward. 26 comments: Of all the places I expected to see sexism discussion... well, let's just say I didn't expect it to be here! Either way, I'm really glad that this post has made its way to the site (and my view). Reading about sexism in games is often difficult for me, as I have experienced it myself as have many of my friends, but I'm compelled to hear more all the same. One reason I am such a fan of this post is because it gives hard statistical, indisputable facts. Whenever someone writes a \"personal\" opinion piece about sexism there's always comments about how it's just them or something. This shows everyone that there are certain trends in our community and sexism is definitely one of them. I also appreciate you speaking about men being harassed mostly due to not living up to some sort of \"male ideal\". This is incredibly true and easy to see if you listen in on multiplayer games. Thanks again for your post! I've tweeted it and hope all my friends see. Thank you for publishing this study and calling for gamers to de-normalize sexism. I am a woman and I've received harassment for simply pointing out sexism in games before. Would've loved to participate in this study! :) Please give actual examples of what and where you are seeing sexism in video games so that I can be sure you actually understand what the word means, because I doubt you do. Sexy female characters is not \"sexism\". Neither are most of the other things you're going to say are. And neither is saying something mean to a girl. Saying, for example, that a woman can't design a game as well as a man, simply because she's a woman, however *IS* sexist. But you're probably just talking more about idiotic misuse of the word like \"durp durp that box cover is sexist because the female character has a nice set of breasts\". Unless you can CLEARLY DEMONSTRATE THAT YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THE WORD MEANS, you can't claim to have \"been a victim of it\". Also, where's the article about racism in gaming? How about homophobia? How about xenophobia? Why are we only ever engaging in constant navel-gazing about gender? Where's the data to support the conclusion about men posing as women to gain favors in video games? That seems unsupported and entirely out of place. Also, if less than 10% is a \"vast minority\" in regards to females who do ask for favors in games at least once by utilizing their gender, why is it not also a \"vast minority\" when less than 10% felt unsafe or had continued harassment outside the game? Beware of wording and bias if you want to be taken seriously. Epcyclopedia - see the data sheet for download at the bottom. The question posed that supported that men pose as women to gain favors was worded as \"Have you ever lied about your sex in order to receive favors, goods, or attention when playing a video game?\" 12.2% of the male participants answered \"yes\" to that question. \"Where's the data to support the conclusion about men posing as women to gain favors in video games? That seems unsupported and entirely out of place.\" At the end of the same paragraph: \"[...]\"Have you ever lied about your sex in order to receive favors, goods, or attention while playing a video game?\" 12.9% of male respondents said that they had.\" Given the the absolute numbers being 499 to 356 that means that around 35 women \"have intentionally used their sex as leverage when asking for favors, goods, or attention while playing video games\" and 63 men \"have lied about their sex in order to receive favors, goods, or attention while playing a video game\". I'm curious as to how many people alter their gaming behaviour to avoid the hostile environment in general, not for fear of being a target. I couldn't give a damn whether a bunch of self-important nitwits want to attack ME on a superficial basis. However, watching insecure individuals gang up against \"outsiders\" or turn against each other doesn't feel like a productive use of \"me time\". I don't have the energy to fight the global behaviour when the medium's anonymity precludes real responsibility, and curating safe spaces requires too much energy for my personal tastes, and paints a bullseye on your back for griefers. I question this, only because as a man, I often play female characters, with female names. I have never, in my 10+ years of MMO playing ever seen someone directly attack my female nature. I even did an experiment and created a reddit account with a very strong female name, and posted for 3 months straight, always being sure I never revealed my sex. I wanted to see if sexism would happen due solely to my name \/ typing. I have yet to find a single sexist comment. I am not saying it happens, but I think women mis-interpret a lot of it. When a guy online calls someone a \"little pussy ass bitch\", that is not targeted at your gender, that is a generic comment that gets said many times over to men and women alike. My guess is women tend to personalize the insults. To back that up, I will use the data in this study. Look at how many women feel they are no longer safe after getting a comment. I mean, this is the internet, the odds of someone finding your address, traveling to your place, to rape you is so extremely unlikely, yet the culture given to women is that men do this. I cannot for any reason, see how an anonymous environment would cause someone to feel scared. The only way I can think of why this would happen, is that women tend to personalize insults. Yeah, nothing sexist AT ALL about calling someone a \"little pussy ass bitch.\". Perfect example you've provided, so thanks for your case in point. The slam is precisely targeting the feminine as weak, lesser, and the lowest of states. Either learn to see that for what it is--which is very sexist--or \"man up\" like I do and admit, \"yeah, I completely use sexism in my insults.\". Cause sometimes I do. But the ultimate respect I have for gamers is for those who are cunning, and strength in gaming and life isn't the ultimate characteristic, and a lot of other traits or combos of traits will trump that. Reasonable people know that. And if you are able to overcome my skill sets, I must just resort to calling you a little pussy ass bitch but I'd probably be much more creative than that. Wow, even here, so many comments from my fellow dudes mansplaining to women how they should feel about sexism. \"I'm a man and I totes get to define sexism even though I as a man will NEVER EXPERIENCE SEXISM and women need to just stop being such whiny VICTIMS I am such an expert on what it is like to be a female gamer hurr hurr\". And before anyone cries \"misandry\" or \"reverse sexism\" JUST STOP. STOP. http:\/\/finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com\/\\\\... Us guys have absolutely no place in discussing what constitutes \"sexism\" because we will will never experience it---our job as men who want to be a good human beings is to LISTEN to women's lived experiences and trust that they know what it's like to experience sexist micro-aggressions. The OP says she received horrifying rape threats in response to simply posting a fucking survey. There. That's all the fucking evidence you need. A note: Men can experience sexism. No, it will not be the same brand of sexism, nor probably as harsh, that women face but there is still something there. The weird thing is how men tend to not \"care\" outwardly about their own biased presentations and treatment - such as media defining men as macho but with the all the brain function and experience of a 14 year old (man-children, man-caves, man-everything). Men \"cannot\" define themselves as anything \"feminine\", which is also pointed out in the study. Anyway, to the commentor who plays with a female avatar... You are lucky to not have seen or interpreted acts of other people as sexist toward you. Perhaps you just didn't feel it was out of place, or you were simply never targeted. That in no way invalidates how other women feel in the gaming community. Some women do not experience trouble while gaming, but many do. You did not, and that is great, but it doesn't mean that no one does. In regards to it being highly unlikely for a man to find your address and rape you, yes, it would probably not escalate that far. However, I have seen my fair share of women bloggers online who have been harassed day in and day out by people because they dared say anything negative about games or game culture. They have had calls they have had things delivered to their door they could have much more. I doubt most casual gamers are experiencing this but you don't know how bad things can get. I think your audiences that said no, do not know what sexual harassment is, or do not play online, because I am nearly certain that you are 100% guaranteed to be called a \"fag\" if you plan to play online. I do not, but I do not go through a day when someone does not throw slurs as such. Also, from my experience, females tend to be more prone to call people \"faggots\" while men tend to go with insults toward moms. Food for thought. IF you want to discuss, I'm more than open to talk about it, as I do take this to be a very serious matter and I do not condone unsportsmanlike conduct in gaming. --- OH, another reason for people to say no is that the MMORPG community tends to be much better. There's not really a reason to insult or harass each other (beyond PVP) in a grind kind of game. But the general rule of thumb in those types of games are that all females avatars are male. (There's a reason for that) To the \"pussy ass bitch\" being sexist debate, it both is and isn't. The words themselves are very sexist assuming aren't referring to a hybrid of a cat, a donkey, and a dog. But many of those using them (especially the young) don't even register the fact, it's just an unfortunate prerecorded response for a given situation. I myself exclaim \"God damn\" and \"Jesus Christ\" in spite of not following a belief system involving either of those entities. It's a language pattern that was created out of sexism and needs to be purged from the language. Also the idea that only the victim can decide what is harassment is flawed, especially since the victims themselves often don't agree within their own \"group\". That said, the vast majority of -ist comments of all varieties are harassment, and often victims don't even register it because they've been inured to it. Personally, if I'm in someone else's \"space\", and this behavior occurs, I leave, and may or may not confront the perp or discuss with the owner based on my relationship with said individuals. If I'm in a \"space\" of my own, I'll come down on the perp with a righteous fury. That shit pisses me off. =P Thank you for the survey. It's always great to see hard numbers like this. Well, depressing. But it somehow feels nice to know I'm not the only one who absolutely refuses to play certain multiplayer games (and the public servers of the ones I do play) solely because of harassment. I'm glad you asked about genre preferences. I hadn't seen any numbers on it before, and the results surprised me. I was sure simulators would be significantly more popular with female gamers than with male gamers. I agree that self-selection bias might be a problem (i.e. people who have been affected by sexism might be more likely to respond), but I don't think there's any other way to get these data. Given the fairly large response though (the sample size is large enough to allow generalisation to a population of around 50,000-100,000 using standard parameters) I find it pretty shocking though that the OP got threats simply for posting a request to fill in a survey. An interesting study and one that would be worth repeating once a year or so. I'd like to make some suggestions to perhaps help improve the above. 1) I think it would make your charts much easier to understand at a glance if you included the %s in the bars. Right now I have to look to the left and see the axis to get an idea about the numbers I might be seeing, and even then it's a guess. 2) When asking which gender people identify with, it looks like you've used the traditional binary approach (i.e. male \/ female). If you'd like a more sensitive scale, there is a seven-point masculine to feminine scale that is used where gender may be a sensitive topic that might give you a bit more granularity in your results. 3) For me, the statement, \"This suggests that men and women have roughly the same taste in video games\" is arguably one of the most important points raised in this article. It provides some weight against the idea that women don't play 'real' games, which is a bedrock for the kind of implicit sexism this topic is often greeted with. Thank you so much for conducting the survey, for posting your results AND data set, as well as for having the courage to engage in this research in the first place. Reading your findings and the comments above, the topic clearly remains a lightning rod for both serious debate and over-the-top-trolling, and I hope you are able to see the latter as additional fodder for your analysis and discussion. I also hope you continue on with the project... as suggested in some of the comments above, the research is timely and compelling, and it could indeed easily be expanded into a longitudinal and\/or cross-cultural study. ","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Do You Think About Me Lyrics That first cold September night You were the blanket holding me tight You were kissing me and the years stood still You said we don't have to I said I will, yeah We ran in when the thunder came You told me sugar melts in the rain Don't want to watch our love go to waste So we ran inside before it was too late Oh I, Oh I I'm not even trying Oh I, Oh I But I can't stop smiling Yeah Do you think about me Like I think about you Do you think about me Like I think about you Yeah [ Lyrics from: http:\/\/www.lyricsfreak.com\/c\/carrie+unde\\\\... ] I moved on to another town Wrote you letters til the ink ran out When the clouds rolled in, I'd grabbed the keys And play that song that we used to sing I met a boy a lot like you It's funny how we used to sing it too But he was always just a little out of key So much different than you and me Oh I, Oh I I'm not even trying Oh I, Oh I But I can't stop smiling Yeah Do you think about me Like I think about you Do you think about me Like I think about you Sometimes I wonder if you wonder What it could've been like When you're sitting there drinking coffee Are you thinking of me, When it's thundering and raining outside Oh I, Oh I I'm not even trying Oh I, Oh I But I can't stop smiling Oh I, Oh I It's sending me flying Oh I, Oh I But I can't stop smiling, yeah Do you think about me Like I think about you Do you think about me Like I think about you Do you think about me Like I think about you Do you think about me... ","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Ron Morris is a columnist at The State in South Carolina and has become Spurrier's nemesis. Last October, Spurrier called out Morris for something he wrote in the spring regarding then-basketball player Bruce Ellington and how Spurrier persuaded Ellington to play football. Shaw should not have started, or maybe even played, against UAB. It was an opponent USC could easily have beaten with Thompson at quarterback. The risk of Shaw re-injuring his shoulder was much greater than that of USC losing to UAB. Before you claim this to be second-guessing or Wednesday-morning quarterbacking, understand that I believed it was a poor decision when Shaw first ran on the field Saturday. I also am quite confident I was not alone in thinking Shaw was better served with another week of rest. [...] Maybe I missed where USC physicians invented a new cure over the weekend for deep bruises and\/or fractures to the shoulder. Or, maybe Shaw is an incredibly quick healer the second time around. Or, maybe Shaw goes into Saturday's game with the same questions surrounding his running and throwing abilities as he did against UAB. My guess is the latter. My guess also is that, because of Spurrier's poor decision to play Shaw against UAB, USC will be dealing with the quarterback's sore shoulder for most of the remainder of the season So, instead of just talking to Morris man-to-man, Spurrier tried the passive aggressive approach, penalized all of the media for two days before finally talking during his Tuesday press conference. Morris and Spurrier are enemies, we get that, but why penalize the entire media contingent? And why over this? Yes, Morris questions whether Shaw should have played in that game, but I think a lot of people were doing the same. Shaw looked pretty miserable during the bulk of the Vanderbilt game. He sat out the East Carolina game and many thought he should sit out UAB to be ready for the grueling SEC season. In the end, Shaw's shoulder proved not to be a big deal against Missouri as he completed 20 consecutive passes in a dominating 31-10 win. So, I guess it's kind of a \"See, I was right all along\" kinda thing to Morris, but still just another example of childish behavior by a coach toward the media, which seems to be happening far more often this year than in the past. 113 comments I don't know of any \"real\" player that wants to sit out a game. Most media folk have nothing better to do than 2nd guess decisions of coaches. What Mr. Morris should have done before penning his story was to have a discussion with the USC trainer to get his take on whether Shaw could play - then write your story. Trainers clear injured players - not coaches. All coaches want their best players on the field if cleared to play and not suspended by SEC commish for making a tackle. F off b atch. You have no clue what is going on down here. Morris tells lies. Morris also compared Spurrier to Sandusky. Because morris is certain there is a cover up regarding Shaw. Get all your facts together before you start bumping your gums. We don't like you, we don't like morris. We LOVE Spurrier. I'm a UK football fan\/a crazy person, I would trade a winning coach that ticks off the media over a losing coach who is polite any day. I'm a UK fan and I am defending Spurrier... Dark times we live in. Another misuse of the media...........when will somebody write that morris's opinions are not news and maybe he should just shut up... His only claim to fame is his dispute with spurrier, thus morris wont let it go as he seeks the spotlight, what a jerk I do not blame Spurrier at all when it comes to Morris . Many times the media will twist a coachs words , or try to look like they know more than the coach when it comes to decisions about a player , or a game . If Morris compared Spurrier to Sandusky , he should be fired without question for even comparing the two . Sadly , this never happens to a reporter because the media quickly jumps up with the second amendment . Morals should come up when a statement like Morris made is printed , just let the Sandusky matter stay in Pennsylvania where it belongs . I'm personally sick of Morris. Spurrier has called him out directly in the past, yet Morris continues to be a moaning b**ch about the program, and not only football. Just about every article he writes, he belittles USC athletics, not just football. It's always easy being an arm chair QB when you're a \"journalist.\" And I quote journalist, because that Morris is not. As for Spurrier \"penalizing the entire media contingent\", really? Does the question \"How do you feel about Shaw's performance?\" do anything to enlighten readers? No! So before you chime in please do more research and understand this isn't just a couple of times it's happened. Maybe you should call out your fellow journalists for being so poor in reporting. While I understand Dr Saturday is an opinion article, those of us that need answers, want answers, or want to be entertained by Carolina articles, well we know where to find them. And thank you, Watson, for writing yet a 3rd article on our football program in a matter of days. Glad to see we've turned that media corner. :) Go Gamecocks!! you know coaches dont HAVE to let media do anything. Its funny when the media writes about this stuff. I'd never give them the time of day. And articles like this of course try to make the media look like they're innocent. Because most media\/sports writers are more about selling a non-story. I wish more sports coaches\/players would only talk to media that prints good\/truthful information. Media can embellish stories and hid behind we don't have to give our sources. So, basically they can lie on anything. Most sports writers never played a sport, so who cares what they think. So, yeah, all media should pay the price when one of their own is a jerk. Eventually, that writer will be run out of town because the rest won't have a story. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"This is not really something I've done before. Or expected to do. Okay, so there was that time that I spent the better part of a summer finishing a novel before promptly abandoning it because it wasn't the right way to tell the story I was trying to tell and I'd really just spent too much time envying Creative Writers who could tell everything in a poem or a short story and didn't feel limited, or rather intimidated, by that. And it's funny how if you think about an idea too hard, for too long, it gets warped, like it's been sitting in the sun, in the rain, the snow, and you can't really tell what shape it was originally supposed to be. I'm a chronic overthinker, so quite a lot of my life looks like that quite a lot of the time, actually. But mostly I am not what you could call a Novelist. Not with a capital N, anyway. When someone asks me what I write, I have a love-hate relationship with my standard answer, which is something vague that ends with a sigh and a shrug as if to say, see? you can't pigeon-hole ME! I often say (and write!) things like, \"oh, I wish I was a novelist, because it would be so much easier ,\" and of course I never, or almost never, mean it. But anyhow I am writing a novel, now. And I'm enjoying it. I'm doing it because it's National Novel Writing Month . They call it nanowrimo. And yes, I hate the name. And no I will not say it out loud (unless, maybe, you buy me a drink, in which case I will say it out loud very reluctantly and very quietly). And yes, it's a gimmick. And no, I don't really have time for this. And no, neither does anybody else. But it doesn't matter. After the first thousand words it stopped really being a choice. Like Alice, I fell down the rabbit-hole of curiosity and now I'm wandering round Wonderland sipping potions. Growing, shrinking. Running just to stay in place. And it makes me deliriously happy. 2. It Looks Like This What this means is that I come home from work and I go for a swim, and then halfway through my swim I start thinking about the book and by the time I get home I desperately need to pull the laptop out and start typing. It's like foreplay, but for writing. Then I spend the next five hours typing as fast as I can. Which is great for me and not so great for the Man, who has to do the cooking and the cleaning and the entertaining himself all on his own, and then as a reward gets a grumpy\/happy (grumpy because I need to sleep, happy because I'm SO TIRED and I finally get to sleep) me crawling into bed with my fingers still twitching. On the nights when he isn't around to provide for me I eventually realise that I'm hungry and look in the fridge and discover an open tin of baked beans and half an avocado and think, PERFECT! And make a meal of it, along with an entire bottle of Marlborough Sauvignon. (That counts as fruit, right?) And obviously I don't clean up after myself, because that would cut into the time I could be spending on the couch making shit up. This is straining our relationship (not actually, by the way, but after we've snapped at each other about something really banal like the fact that I left the bread on the cutting board and now it's harder than the iceberg that sunk the Titanic, we joke about it, a bit.). But I'm not writing this novel in a FRENZY! sort of way; I genuinely enjoy it. If I could, I would spend all of my time like this. The other day I caught myself being grumpy because WE HAD TO GO HAVE DINNER WITH SOME REALLY GOOD FRIENDS BUT I COULD BE SPENDING THAT TIME WRITING, and, well, that's probably overkill, and I mean, I do like a bit of socialising sometimes (and we had a wicked time and I didn't really regret not spending those few hours writing). But I would probably be pretty happy to spend the majority of each day holed up in my study typing and reading and watching the neighbours' bushy black cat climb the naked cherry tree in the garden. That's the other way you can tell I'm working on a project: all the books come off the shelves and there are strategic piles placed in every room. Our house is a mess because the Man can't clean up faster than I can take books of a shelf. Also, I haven't washed any of my clothes all month and I'm running out of relatively clean things to wear which you'd think would be fun -- all the old stuff comes out of the drawers, you discover some amazing old vintage dress. But I had really bad taste as a college student so mostly it means I wear schlubby things; the other day I wore a hoody from Abercrombie & Fitch. Let me say that again: A HOODY, from ABERCROMBIE & FITCH. It was awful; I felt disgusting (I'm a total snob and also I'm not an ugg-boots-and-denim-skirt wearing Brookes undergraduate although when I was 15 I INVENTED THAT LOOK, but that's another story) and then I discovered it was so tight (I used to like really tight sweatshirts, I guess) that I couldn't easily get it off, and I ran from room to room with my arms above my head pulling on the sleeves and the hood and for a few seconds I just thought, oh my god. I am trapped in my own sweatshirt. This is The End. 3. It Gives Me Joy But the point is it isn't really the pressure of having to write my 50,000 words by the end of the month (and also, I'm not that disgusting, I still shower regularly -- or as regularly as I ever did). It's more the giddiness of being this happy about something I'm doing. Why on earth don't more people try to write novels in a month? I keep reading these sort of pep-talky things. You know: writing isn't fun. It's actually really difficult, if it was easy everyone would be a writer! Even though everyone thinks it's so easy until they try! But this month is all about completing a project, NO MATTER HOW TOUGH YOU'RE FINDING IT, and ya just gotta keep on truckin' cause it's gonna be SO WORTH IT OMG! Actually some of these pep-talky things are very funny, or poignant, or just plain good, or indeed all three. But I have a fundamental disagreement with most of them, or at least, with parts of most of them. Because it is fun! In a sort of pleasure-pain way, sometimes; like biting your lip when you have a cold sore (or is that just me?). But fun nonetheless. I don't mean \"fun\" like wheeeee, we're on a rollercoaster isn't this so much FUN fun. (Although, I hate rollercoasters. But I do recognise -- see how good I am at being empathetic? at imagining other people's lives? -- that there are some for whom a rollercoaster is the epitome of fun.). Or, fun like a party, fun like a new dress, fun like binging on popcorn at the cinema, fun like \"hey, guys, this is SO. MUCH. FUN.\" I just mean, it's like eating a really good meal. You have to eat anyway. And then you get the perfect steak. That's fun, but it's deeper than fun. It's enjoying the act of surviving. What better thing could there possibly be to enjoy? It's a serious rush. That's what I mean this is. It's the rush of enjoying the act of surviving. ALL. THE. TIME. I'm not kidding or exaggerating (I do kid and exaggerate sometimes; now is not one of those times). I don't mean it's easy, and I don't mean I'm just sitting there and everything is appearing on the screen, perfectly formed. And I don't even mean that I'm grinning wildly like a maniac all of the time (although I am grinning wildly like a maniac quite an awful lot of the time). I just mean that this is not really a struggle for me. I can write 50,000, maybe even 60,000 or 70,000 words in a month because most of the time I am actually stopping myself from writing. Because it is not practical to act all the time in the way that I've acted this month. I do need to wash my socks sometimes, and socialise more regularly, less urgently (Exhibit A: Friday night, I'm several ciders into the evening, in the same converse, skinny jeans, and black jumper I've been wearing all week, in the middle of a mostly-empty dance floor, DANCING, hi, have you ever met me, let me say that again, DANCING, like a complete fool), and cook dinner, and actually be in a relationship (these things need maintaining, you know: you don't just say, \"let's be together!\" and that's it). But probably, if I didn't have to do all of those things, if I didn't want to be a human, I would just sit there at my computer writing all the time. And sometimes, shopping for shoes online. Because occasionally the brain needs a rest. And the ego needs a hot pair of heels. I guess I should clarify though that when I say \"writing\", I don't just mean the actual act of putting words together. I sort of mean the whole \"process\", but of course \"process\" makes it sound wanky, and it isn't really wanky. All I mean is: the thinking (which involves, or can involve, things like a swim or a run or a walk or a bath or, sometimes , hanging up the laundry). And the reading. And the going back and obsessively changing one tiny detail because 20,000 words later you've decided that you should have ended that totally arbitrary sentence with this and not that . The discovery of previously unseen connections between things (a Wodehouse quote and Bryan Magee's Popper , say). The joy, the real joy, is always in these discoveries. To me this is the greatest thing that writing anything -- a novel, an essay, a dissertation, a poem -- offers. Finding the overlaps between texts (where a text is not just a book but maybe a piece of artwork, an equation, an idea, an experience), the overlaps between your text and someone else's, sometimes. Finding quotes that suddenly make sense in the context of what you're writing, ideas that suddenly mean something else because they've been enhanced by other ideas. So all of that, as much as the typing and the actual sentences, is writing. Is it really all happy, all the time? Of course not. Readers, meet My Self Doubt. My Self Doubt, meet -- oh hell, I probably don't have any readers anyway (JUST KIDDING! SEE WHAT I DID THERE?!). She likes to eat my brains for lunch and then piss all over me. But hey-ho, as they say. And also, yes there are times when there just isn't another sentence. JUST ISN'T. Except sit there long enough, read a poem, eat a piece of toast, and suddenly there is. It's like coming to a fence and sitting there for awhile going, gee whiz, I didn't see THAT coming, I'm not a bird, I don't have wings, OH WAIT, I CAN CLIMB OVER IT, OKAY. On our way. So yes. Frustration, self-doubt, smelly socks. But that's just life. 4. I Want To Get It Right (and yes, there is a \"right\") Then there's also always the question, what's the point ? Of writing a novel in a month, I mean. Or indeed of writing a novel at all. Let's put it another way. Do I want to get this right? I mean, do I want each word to be deliberate, do I want the book itself to be edited, clear, to mean something? Yes. I do. And I want this because that's what I do, as a writer. I write things that I think could be published. I'm sorry, but it's true. I'm deeply suspicious of anyone who will write a whole book without thinking, even briefly and without deliberately doing so, of what would happen if the book got published. And who doesn't write with that thought in his mind, if even at the very, very back, where all of the stuff-you-can't-quite-be-bothered-to-thi\\\\... lives. This novel was not part of The Grand Plan. It isn't the book that I've been slaving and struggling over for two years now, or the book I planned to write after that, or the book I've secretly wanted to write for fifteen years now. But it is A Book. By Me. Which means something. Also, there is no Grand Plan, not really. This is not a science or even an art, it is just a life. Capital L. A Life, or rather My Life. With lots of books in it, some of which apparently cannot be predicted. Yes I am writing this like it will someday be Something, because maybe it will. Maybe it will not. But I don't write things thinking they Will Not and I don't think very many other people do, either, or at least I'd like to think not very many other people do either because I'd like not to be alone in this. (And I know this is not at all what I said in this interview but that was before I'd started this project and before I'd actually really thought about it in the same way I have now). 5. Conclusion So yes. That is why I haven't written very many blog posts in November. 6 Responses YAY! I love this post -- it is laugh-out loud funny and at the same time wise and insightful and just plain brilliant. How do you do that? I look forward to reading this novel someday and all books by Miranda Ward. Loved this post. So glad you're having fun with the novel writing, although I'm sure the Man will be happy at the stroke of midnight when this month of is over! : ) I could totally relate with the 'strategic piles,' -- looking at several of them right now in my apartment. The sexuality in Beckett pile, the Arab adaptations of Shakespearean tragedy pile and the thesis pile. My man is OCD and there are only certain places I can put the book-piles without him going crazy and rearranging them...poor guy. He's been doing his fair share of dishes as well. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Abstract This paper studies the problem of public opinion formation and concentrates on the interplays among three factors: individual attributes, environmental influences and information flow. We present a simple model to analyze the dynamics of four types of networks. Our simulations suggest that regular communities establish not only local consensus, but also global diversity in public opinions. However, when small world networks, random networks, or scale-free networks model social relationships, the results are sensitive to the elasticity coefficient of environmental influences and the average connectivity of the type of network. For example, a community with a higher average connectivity has a higher probability of consensus. Yet, it is misleading to predict results merely based on the characteristic path length of networks. In the process of changing environmental influences and average connectivity, sensitive areas are discovered in the system. By sensitive areas we mean that interior randomness emerges and we cannot predict unequivocally how many opinions will remain upon reaching equilibrium. We also investigate the role of authoritative individuals in information control. While enhancing average connectivity facilitates the diffusion of the authoritative opinion, it makes individuals subject to disturbance from non-authorities as well. Thus, a moderate average connectivity may be preferable because then the public will most likely form an opinion that is parallel with the authoritative one. In a community with a scale-free structure, the influence of authoritative individuals keeps constant with the change of the average connectivity. Provided that the influence of individuals is proportional to the number of their acquaintances, the smallest percentage of authorities is required for a controlled consensus in a scale free network. This study shows that the dynamics of public opinion varies from community to community due to the different degree of impressionability of people and the distinct social network structure of the community. Keywords: Public Opinion, Complex Network, Consensus, Agent-Based Model Introduction In recent years, a large number of agent-based models have been built in order to explore consensus and opinion dynamics. For example, the pioneering papers of Galam and Moscovici ( 1991a ; 1991b ) proposed the first consensus models based on Ising model. Axelrod ( 1997 ) built an agent-based adaptive model to study the dissemination of culture and revealed that local convergence could generate global polarization. The Snazdj model ( Stauffer 2001 ; Stauffer 2002a ; Stauffer 2002b ) and rumors model ( Galam 2003 ) can also be cited as seminal models in this area. In addition, the research on complex networks, driven by the groundwork of Watts and Strogatz ( 1998 ) and Barabsi and Albert ( 1999 ), has become a vibrant area in academia. Many physicists and social scientists apply networks theories and methodologies in a variety of social issues (e.g. Watts 2002 , Jones and Handcock 2003 , Stauffer and Meyer-Ortmanns 2003 , Galam 2002 , Amblard and Deffuant 2004 , and Tassier 2004 ). However, there are so far few agent-based models that formulate opinion dynamics by combining theories of complex networks. In this study we are primarily interested in how the dynamics of public opinion formation performs in the context of complex networks. For instance, our study is interested in determining whether: People choose to applaud to stand or just keep sitting at the end of a brilliant concert; senior undergraduates choose to get a job, or enroll in graduate school either at home or abroad; people do or do not jump on the bandwagon when a new fashion appears ( Leibenstein 1950 ). Although the opinion of an individual seems to be trivial, the aggregation of them (that is, the public opinion) is indeed worth being studied because new properties at a system level arise out of the interactions at an element level ( Holland 1998 ). We deem that figuring out the driving factors behind these decisions or choices may shed new light on understanding the mechanism of public opinion formation. Sociologists regard the formation of public opinion as the result of social interactions and communication ( Powel 1951 ). It is noted that public opinion formation is distinguished from collective decision making in many studies (e.g. Moscovici and Doise 1992 ). Therefore public opinion formation is not defined by either discussion or persuasion that attempts to achieve a consensus or the principle that the minority should subordinate to the majority. Instead, in public opinion formation, individuals' opinions only reflect the wills of themselves mainly because it is impractical for thousands of people widely spread in a vast (i.e. countrywide) area to come together to discuss specific issues. Based on this comparison, we summarize the common characteristics of public opinion formation and propose a simple model for public opinion formation without persuasion. It does not aim at an exact description of reality. Instead, by doing some crude approximations, the model focuses on highlighting essential features of an otherwise very complex phenomenon. The rest of this paper is organized as follows. In section 2, we introduce the factors affecting public opinion formation. In section 3, we give a basic description of our model and a detailed analysis of its simulations. We offer concluding comments in Section 4. Factors affecting public opinions In order to fully understand the complexity of factors that attribute to public opinion formation, we contextualize the discussion of the model by proposing a theoretical framework, in which the roles of individual attributes, environmental influences and information flow are examined. The framework serves as the underpinning of our model when constructing parameters and hypotheses. Individual attributes In any social system individuals are diverse and complex. We rely on Jager's ( 2000 ) definition of the micro-level driving factors of human and we assume that the following individual attributes affect the formation of individual opinions: Value orientation. The value orientation, defined as preference for a particular distribution of outcomes for oneself and others, is an important behavior-determining factor in social systems ( Messick and McClintock 1968 ; McClintock 1978 ). For instance, idiosyncratic preferences inculcated in each person by the culture, lead a person to be personally inclined to opt, for example, for a positive rather than a negative attitude ( Amaro de Matos 2004 ). Needs. People make decisions to meet their various needs: subsistence, protection, affection, understanding, participation, leisure, creation, identity and freedom ( Max-Neef 1992 ). The combination of needs and the opportunity of fulfilling these needs results in a level of need satisfaction, which motivates individuals to pursue certain opportunities. Ability. People have physical, financial, and social resources that are governable to meet their needs. People's ability to use these resources determines their behavioral control over various opportunities. People consider their available resources comprehensively and make benefit-and-loss analysis with given limitations (of computation, of information, and so on). Emotion. People make choices not only by evaluating the consequences and their probability of occurring, but also and even sometimes primarily at a gut or emotional level ( Bechara 2004 ). At high emotional intensity, there are discontinuous \"jumps\" in the behavior ( Bosman et al 2006 ). Personality. Extraversion and agreeableness are personality factors affecting the behaviors of individual decision making ( Koole et al 2001 ). Other factors, like risk preference, are also important. A risk-taking individual may be adventurous in the process of making choices, while a risk-averse one is cautious when taking actions. Environmental influences Human existence cannot be separated from the environment where human beings live. In this study, we divide environmental influences into two levels: Macro-level environmental influences include technology, economy, demography (population), institutions and culture ( Vlek 1995 ) and thus affect individual behaviors. Even in a setting of no direct interaction between individuals, there is a chance that the individuals face significant and perhaps even coercive social pressure to conform ( Amaro de Matos 2004 ). A leader, a societal majority or other non-tangible factors, may influence the direction of everybody's attitude. For example, individuals may decide to buy Coca Cola rather than Pepsi Cola simply because they are big fans of one movie star who likes to drink Coca Cola. Global or top-down control is often used when building a multi-agents model. What we mean by top-down control ( Sanderson 2000 ) is not to manipulate the rules of individual behaviors, but instead use global information to govern. Alfred W. Hubler ( 2005 ) demonstrated the advantage of considering both patterns of information process -- bottom-up and top-down, in comprehending the emerging patterns and dynamics. Although he demonstrated his theory through a model of the competition of plant seedlings for sunlight and water, it remains applicable and relevant to how society functions. Micro-level environmental influences are defined as the interactions between neighbors or acquaintances at a local level. Neighborhood effects carry significant influences on many behavioral outcomes, such as criminal activity, drug and alcohol use, childbearing out of wedlock, schooling and church attendance ( Case and Katz 1991 ). Local interactions models in economics highlight how agents' preferences, information, choices or outcomes are directly affected by other agents' behavior and are not, as commonly believed, mediated primarily by markets ( Conley and Topa 2003 ).These local interplays are subject to individuals' expectations and from their long-term learning and adaptation ( Holland 1996 ). At this point, we do not think the issue of public opinion formation falls into the field of game theory, because traditional game theory often assumes that players have knowledge of the entire environmental structure and of other players' decision making process ( Sato et al. 2004 ). Information flow Flow is considered a fundamental concept in complex adaptive systems. Three types of flow are identified: material flow, energy flow and information flow. Nevertheless, not all flow presents simultaneously in a single system. For example, in Holland's echo model ( 1996 ), only material flow and information flow coexist. Since in the context of public opinion formation, few elements of material flow or energy flow are observed among individuals or between individuals and the environment, in our study, we merely take into account information flow. In order to fully imagine information flow, it is often depicted visually through its topological properties, which ultimately helps us understand the pattern of information flow. On the largest scale, the collectivity of individuals (e.g. a community, a city or a nation) can be viewed as a giant network; within this giant network, a \"link\" is the acquaintanceship between two persons. In fact, research shows that the topological properties of a social network considerably affect its function and overall organization ( Vazquez et al. 2004 ; Weisbuch et al. 2005 ). Small world networks can be highly clustered, like regular networks, yet they have small characteristic path lengths, like random graphs ( Watts and Strogatz 1998 ). Scale-free networks differ from lattices by the inhomogeneity of connectivity and by their smaller diameters. In social networks, the characteristic path length refers to the total average length of shortest paths between two individuals. If the network structure of a community is parallel to a regular network, information transferring tends to be slow within the neighborhood; if it is parallel to a random network, information travels rapidly and widely; if it is analogous to a small world network or a scale free network -- such as the collaboration graph of film actors ( Watts and Strogatz 1998 ; Barabsi et al. 1999 ), information can also diffuse rapidly, yet most information diffusion takes place within a limited neighborhood. Furthermore, the information flow in public opinion formation should be distinguished from informational cascade that has been observed in a number of conformity models ( Bikhchandani et al 1992 ; Kawaguchi 2004 ). An informational cascade occurs when it is optimal for an individual, having observed the actions of those ahead of him, to follow the behavior of the preceding individual without regard to his own information ( Bikhchandani et al. 1992 ). The problem of utilizing informational cascade models to explain public opinion formation is three-fold. First, in public opinion formation decisions do not have to be made sequentially. Second, in public opinion formation, people do not ignore choices of those behind them. Third, people in public opinion formation can change their opinions every moment during the process. The model To visualize the problem of public opinion formation in a simple manner, we develop a simple computational model. It aims, by making crude approximations, to discover certain essential aspects of opinion dynamics. Our model is based on two hypotheses: The social environment is homogeneous for everyone. In other words, each agent shares the same macro-level environment. No discussion and persuasion are considered in the process of public opinion formation. By making this hypothesis, we distinguish our model from collective decision models. Basic descriptions We consider a population of N (For clarity, N=900) interacting agents. Many earlier models, such as the Ising model ( Galam and Moscovici 1991a ; Galam and Moscovici 1991b ), the Sznajd model ( Sznajd-Weron and Sznajd 2000 ), the compromise model ( Ben-Naim et al. 2003 ) and the constrained voter model ( Vazquez et al. 2003 ), focus on quantifying agents' evaluations on a given issue, using either a discrete or a continuous variable. Our study is concerned with the options agents choose rather than how agents evaluate possible options. For simplicity, we concentrate on a case of three options; three is the minimum number that gives non-trivial results and yet permits us to explore the dynamics of the model. Let s j,i be a Boolean variable to denote the choice of agent j upon option i (i = 1, 2, 3). For example, s 20,2 =1 means that agent No.20 is in favor of option 2, and s 20,1 and s 20,3 should necessarily be equal to 0. As discussed in Section 2, individuals have different private incentives. In a very large population, it is not feasible to describe the different individual incentives. Luckily, such manipulation is also unnecessary because our model aims to examine not only the interactions between individuals and the environment, but also the influence of different social network structures on model behaviors. Undue emphasis on detailed description of the diversity of agents does not help us to meet our primary objective, to explore the mechanism of the model. In this study, the distribution of private incentives is modeled by a probability density. We define a random variable t i , ranging from 0 to 1, and t i follows uniform distribution. Vector T = (t 1 , t 2 , t 3 ) denotes the intrinsic evaluations on each option. Opinions of individuals in a heterogeneous society evolve under the influences of acquaintances. In previous models (e. g. Laguna et al. 2005 ), agents are distributed in a hierarchy of different authority levels. Here we equip each agent with a continuous variable v i , measuring the influence on other agents when its choice is i . We assume that v follows a uniform distribution in [0, 1] in small world and random networks. However, we consider two hypotheses -- uniform distribution or proportional distribution with respect to the distribution of v in scale free networks. We assume the influence parameter in small world and random works follows random distribution instead of proportional to the number of acquaintances for two reasons. First, a random distribution of the influence is inherent in the generating processes of small world and random works. Unlike the preferential choices in scale-free networks, agents establish their connections in a random way, and thus agents do not consider the influence of others when establishing a connection. Second, a well-connected agent may not be the person who has great influential power. For example, film stars know and are known by a lot of people; however, their acquaintances (e.g. their fans) may not agree with the opinions of these film stars on issues like health care reform or anti-terrorism. In this case, the connectivity of an agent has little to do with his or her influential power. In contrast, scale free networks distinguish themselves from other types of networks by the key feature of preferential attachment ( Barabsi and Albert 1999 ). Preferential attachment addresses the point that new vertices attach preferably to those who are already well connected. In reality, people are willing to be known by influential persons. The connections are established \"purposely\" rather than \"randomly\". As a result, those influential individuals are by and large also well-connected. Therefore, we model another scenario besides uniform distribution in which the influence parameter in scale free networks is proportional to the number of acquaintances. At the beginning of the simulation, agents initialize their choices based on the evaluation vector T. In other words, each agent goes for the option upon which he\/she places the highest evaluation. In the following steps, agents interact with each other by exchanging information. Each agent receives decision signals from its acquaintances, and then calculates the weighted average value, which is used to formulate the influence of the environment. Let vector H = (h 1 , h 2 , h 3 ) denote the environment influence of every opinion. The mathematical expression of h is: (1) where agent j connects with agent i . Figure 1 presents an example to show how to compute the environment influence. Agents balance their desire to provide an honest signal of their intrinsic preferences against the pressure to conform, and then get the total utility function, U . U is the conclusive variable for agents to switch their choices within each simulation step. The expression of U is given by Cobb-Douglas function ( Cobb and Douglas 1928 ): (2) The indices ? and 1-? are elasticity coefficients of environment influence and intrinsic factors, respectively. To examine the dynamics under a variety of information diffusion structures, we consider four types of complex networks: regular, small world, random and scale-free. We use the method of Watts and Strogatz ( 1998 ) as a reference and we treat the collection of agents as a ring of n vertices, each connecting with k nearest neighbors, and then a regular network has been constructed. We choose a vertex and the edge that connects it to its nearest neighbors in a clockwise sense. With probability p ( p =0.3), we reconnect this edge to a vertex chosen uniformly at random over the entire ring, with duplicate edges forbidden; we continue this process, circulating around the ring and proceeding outward to more distant neighbors after each lap, until each edge in the original network has been considered once. We do this until we get a small world graph. Increasing p until p =1, all edges are rewired randomly and then the graph itself becomes a random graph. As for the construction of scale-free networks ( Aleksiejuk et al. 2002 ), we start with a full-connected network with m (m < 30) vertices. Since m is far smaller than N, how the m vertices connect does not affect the topology of the whole network. Then, additional N- m nodes are added as follows: each new node is linked to k existing nodes, with a probability proportional to the number of connections that these existing nodes have. When the new link happens, it increases the number of connections by one for both nodes. The algorithms of network construction can be found in Appendix 1. Results Our model aims primarily at shedding light on two questions. First, what equilibrium characteristics does the system demonstrate as the network structure changes? Second, to what degree will the model dynamics be altered once we add some macro control to the model? In the first step (t=0), each agent initializes their opinions based upon interior evaluations. The evaluation is generated by a random number [0, 1]. They compare evaluations among three options and then exercise choices. Agents with the same choice form a group. The collectivity of agents who are in favor of one option is called the install base ( Gandal 2002 ) of this option. To minimize the disturbance of the install base on system dynamics, each option has roughly the same number of supporters in the initial state. We suppose that the influential factors of an agent follows uniform distribution in four types of networks as mentioned above. To minimize the disturbance from the initial states of agents, we run models using the same data in terms of influential factors and interior evaluations. Starting at the initial configuration, the model proceeds in a way as shown in Appendix 2. Computational modeling allows great flexibility in implementation of timing and process. To demonstrate how timing can be implemented, we consider two updating procedures: random and sequential. By sequential we mean agents update opinions in a serial order from No. 1 to No. 900. At first, we take it for granted that sequential updating is more likely leading to a consensus than random updating. By simulation, however, we find that in both cases, this conjecture cannot be validated for the differences of model dynamics are not sufficiently significant. The simulations under a regular network can be seen in figure 2. We varied network types and observed similar test results for 30 runs each case. Even in the case of sequential updating, agents consider both anterior and posterior information in terms of decision signals, which is the critical difference from the information cascade model ( Bikhchandani et al. 1992 ). Figure 2 . Comparison of two information updating mechanisms. Here, both simulations are run under the situation that the average connectivity is 30 and ? is 0.5 with a regular graph. The left two graphs are lattices in which the color of each cell represents the opinion of one agent. The right two graphs are the evolving curves of public opinion. In the rest of this section, all simulations are done in a way that agents update opinion states randomly. In regular graphs, we find that no matter how ? changes, there is always opinion fragmentation. Even if we increase the value of ? up to 1 -- that is, the behavior of agents is thoroughly subject to the environment influence, global consensus still fails to appear. We also remodeled the standing ovation problem ( Miller and Page 2004 ) using the Swarm platform, and got similar results: there is no global consensus in auditorium. This is because regular graphs have long characteristic path lengths, which narrow down the scope of information diffusion. Nevertheless, simulations associated with the three other types of networks report different results. We adjusted the value of ? as well as the average connectivity (AC) of the graph, and ran the model 30 times for each combination of ? and AC to compare outcomes under different scenarios (see Table 1, 2 and 3). CPL in the tables denotes the average of characteristic path length for 30 runs. The statistical data denote the average numbers of opinions (ANO) in stable states. The data within parentheses are the standard deviations of ANOs whereas no parenthesis means zero standard deviation. As shown in each table, a higher AC follows a smaller CPL, which promises a higher efficiency of information diffusion. Notice that under some combinations of AC and ?, ANO are not integers, indicating multiple outcomes for runs. For instance, when AC is 30 and ? is 0.7 within a small world graph, the number of opinions in a stable state can be equal to either one, two or three. Recall that the initial states of all agents have been predetermined for each run, so this uncertainty can be traceable to nonlinear factors endogenous in a deterministic system. In other words, the random process of network construction, ungoverned by exterior conditions, attributes to the multiform of results. For the combinations in which the standard deviations are not equal to zero, an unequivocal prediction of the number of opinions seems to be impossible. We refer to these combinations as sensitive areas. Two salient features are found in these tables: (1) as AC and ? increase, ANO decreases from 3 to 1. This suggests that systems with higher AC and ? are more likely to conform and reach a global consensus (It is worth to be noted that Amblard and Deffuant ( 2004 ) find the same phase transition with a different model and they further suggest that the consensus results more from the redundancy of links than from the average shortest path. However, the latter can also be considered as an indirect indicator of the redundancy). (2) Sensitive areas exist in all three networks. The difference among the three tables lies in that the average number of opinions in table 1 is equal to or larger than that in Table 2, and both of them are equal to or larger than that in table 3.Yet, the difference is not remarkable. It may be explained by the fact that one topological character may be shared by a small world, random and scale-free networks. All three networks have similar characteristic path lengths given the same average connectivity. However, a relatively small CPL does not necessarily follow a small ANO. Figure 3 shows us an example to the point in a random graph (?=0.7). When CPL equals to 2.65 with connection being 6, the result of ANO is 3; in contrast, when CPL equals to 2.65 with connection being 30, the result of ANO is 1. Based on this observation, we argue that it is sometimes problematic to use the characteristic path length as the single parameter to predict the number of opinions when reaching equilibrium. Figure 3 . Comparison of equilibrium between two connections with the same characteristic path length in a random network The control, handling, and possible manipulation of information are now major issues in social organizations including economy, politics, defense, and even in fashion and personal affairs ( Galam 2003 ). Hence, our model considers the role of authoritative individuals in the general public. We define authoritative individuals as agents with influential factors larger than a given threshold (for example, v i > 0.85 in this model). Our purpose is to examine on what condition agents follow the opinions of authorities and which type of network facilitates an expected consensus most effectively. We designed the experiment as follows: based on the same initial state as above simulations (here ? = 0.7), we fix the opinions of agents with the highest influential factors as option A (blue-colored in Figure 2 and 3). Notice that even by doing this, option A still has an disadvantage in terms of the number of its supporters, compared with option B and C. Therefore, it is reasonable to claim that the positive network effect ( Katz and Shapiro 1994 ) of an installed base doesn't account for the success of option A provided that A dominates the public opinions at the end. Suppose that the influence of agents follows uniform distribution, we write down the minimum percentage of authorities (MPA, also an average for 30 runs) required to reach an equilibrium where all agents go for opinion A (Table 4). That is, the opinion of the general public is consistent with that of the authorities and thereby the result turns out to be exactly what has been expected. By comparing MPA of small world network and random network in table 4, we uncover some interesting results: (1) MPA in random networks is smaller than the counterpart in small world networks. That is , in order to reach a controlled consensus of opinion A, a social network with a random structure needs a relatively low proportion of authoritative individuals. On the other hand, in a small world structure agents in random networks can effectively exploit their authorities to impose their opinions on others, regardless of the actual value of their opinions. (2) As AC increases from 10 to 50, MPA in small world and random networks descends notably at first. After reaching a lowest point, however, AC goes up slowly. A possible explanation of this tendency might be that a relatively higher AC facilitates the diffusion of authoritative opinions. Nevertheless, when agents have too many connections with other ones, they are overwhelmed with information from both authoritative and non-authoritative individuals. As a consequence, the role of authoritative opinions is compromised due to the disturbance from non-authorities. This situation calls for a higher MPA for the purpose of generating the expected equilibrium. We have unfolded here the tendencies of the dynamics of public opinion, and not an exact quantitative determination of any data. In scale-free networks, we find that MPA refuses to fluctuate with AC. Because the probability of finding a highly connected vertex decreases exponentially with its connectivities ( Barabsi and Albert 1999 ), most authoritative agents by random selection are not in the position of hub nodes (hub nodes have the highest connectivity). Low connectivity of authorities frustrates the diffusion of their opinion, and hence, a higher MPA is required for a global consensus of opinion A in scale-free networks. Besides random distribution, we also run the simulations under the hypothesis that the influential factor of an agent in scale-free networks is proportional to its connectivity. The results of MPA are shown in the parentheses of table 2. Under this assumption, agents with the highest influential factors are exactly those with the highest connections. The opinion of authorities can be diffused to the largest extent. Consequently, a quite small percentage (1%) of authorities can sway the systemic equilibrium. Conclusions In this study, we summarize three factors affecting the formation of public opinion. They are individual attributes, environmental influences and information flows. We present an agent-based model where conforming behavior may lead to homogeneity or segregation into distinct groups. By exploring the dynamic characteristics of systemic equilibrium with different elasticity coefficients of the environmental influence, mechanisms of information updating as well as network topologies, we gain some important insights. In the regular geometry of social relationships, the system manifests itself by local consensus and global diversity. When the social relationship is modeled by small world networks, random networks or scale-free networks, however, the result is sensitive to elasticity coefficients of the environmental influence and the average connectivity of networks. Ultimately, the higher the average connectivity of the network is, the fewer opinions remain at the end. During the simulations for certain average connectivity, sensitive areas are discovered unexpectedly. The system in sensitive areas presents determinate randomness so that the number of opinions when reaching equilibrium remains uncertain. We also find that it might be misleading to predict the number of surviving opinions merely based on the characteristic path length of the network, since a short characteristic path length may possibly accompany with a low average connectivity, which determines the systemic dynamics more directly and essentially. We examine the role of information control, and find that few individuals with the highest influence, namely authorities in this paper, can sway the balance of outcomes. In a social structure of small world networks or random networks, increasing the average connectivity facilitates the diffusion of authorities' opinion. However, in the process of decision-making, people will be subject to disturbances from non-authorities. While a moderate average connectivity may be preferable for the public to form a specific opinion in small world or random networks, the role of authorities in a community with a scale-free structure remains immune to the change of the average connectivity. Provided that the influence of individuals is proportional to the number of their acquaintances in scale-free social networks, the smallest proportion of authorities is required to reach a controlled consensus. Our findings address the extent to which a community would reach a consensus on certain issues. The findings suggest that different communities exhibit different dynamics that is attributable to the different degree of impressionability of people and the distinct structure of the social network of community. To conclude, we have presented a simple model of opinion dynamics which is able to reproduce some of the complexities the social reality. The model may be generalized to a large spectrum of social, economical and political phenomena that involve conformity effects. But more thoughts and studies should be performed before getting to a clear proposal scheme. One limitation of this study is that we don't address the question how much the results are sensitive to the initial even distribution of intrinsic preference types. The preliminary results reported here suggest many avenues for future research. For example, in real life not every person is open-minded and ready to change opinions. Therefore, it would be interesting to introduce stubborn agents into the model. In addition, we can also take into account the scenario in which mutually connected agents share similar preference and form groups or strata. Appendix 1: the algorithms of network construction Small world network: Define a 2-D array, crunode[][], as the adjacent matrix of the network; Initialize crunode[][] by the regular network; For each vertex i For each vertex j connected with i Generate a random number, p, in [0, 1]; If p is smaller than the probability of rewiring, then Break the link between i and j; Select a vertex randomly and connect it with i; End_if End_for End_for Random network: Initialize crunode[][] by the regular network; For each vertex i For each vertex j connected with i Broke the link between i and j; Select a vertex randomly and connect it with i; End_for End_for Scale-free network: Let d be the number of links that new vertexes are to be added in the net. Let k be the number of links that one vertex connects with others. Construct a regular net with 2*d vertexes. For the vertex i 2*d : size Do Select an existing vertex from 0 to i-1 randomly, marked by v; If v has not been linked with i, then Calculate the probability that i connects with v If p(k) is larger than the generated random number in [0,1], then Connect i and v; Increase ki and kv by one. End_if End_if While ki is less than d End_for Appendix 2: the process of updating For each agent i: Let utility[] store the utility of agents toward different choices; Let propensity[] store interior evaluation. Let influence[] store the influence from agents connecting with i; Let b be the psychological weight for balancing interior preference and outer influences. For each agent j connecting with i: For each decision modality k: If the decision of agent j is k, then increase the value of influence[k] by agent j's weight; End_for End_for For each decision modality k: utility[k] = (influence[])b (propensity[])1-b; End_for Update the state by comparing utility[k]. End_for VLEK C A J (1995). Technical versus socio-behavioral solutions to environmental problems: psychology's unexploited potential. Extended version of an invited lecture for the Environmental Psychology Division of the American Psychological Association, presented in New York ","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Away From The Numbers Lyrics AWAY FROM THE NUMBERS - Paul Weller Things are getting just a bit too cosy for me; I see people how they see me Gonna break away and gain control You free your mind, you free your soul I was the type who knocked at old men; Who together at tables sit and drink beer; Then I saw that I was really the same, So this link's breaking away from the chain. Away from the numbers - away from the numbers Is where I'm gonna be - Away from the numbers - is where I am free And I'm sick and tired of my little niche, Gonna break away and find what life is And all those fools I thought were my friends They now stare at me and don't see a thing; Till their life is over and they start to moan How they never had the chance to make good [ Lyrics from: http:\/\/www.lyricsfreak.com\/j\/jam\/away+fr\\\\... ] ","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Testament -- Alex Skolnick Testament are one of the pioneers of the Bay Area thrash metal scene. After nine successful albums since the 80?s, the band are set to release their tenth studio album titled 'Dark Roots of Earth' in just a few days from now. A couple of weeks ago, Testament's guitarist Alex Skolnick had a chat to Metal Obsession about their new album, his departure from the band from 1993-2005 and Randy Blythe. Metal Obsession: Your tenth studio album 'Dark Roots of Earth' will be released very soon. I'd presume that you're excited for it? Alex Skolnick: I'm excited and relieved. Metal Obsession: Why relieved? Alex: Let me tell you straight out; a lot of work goes into these things. So it's just a huge relief to have it out. Metal Obsession: Do you feel that this album is your best work yet? Alex: I think so. I think it's the most diverse album, and I also think it has the least amount of repetition, and the most variety. Our new album should have something for everybody. Metal Obsession: The other guitarist, Eric Peterson stated in an interview that the band wanted to play more melodic rock. While the album remained more on the thrash side, you did get the chance to throw some melodic stuff in. Who was it that was more influenced by melodic rock? Alex: Well I guess that's a strange way to put it; 'melodic rock stuff' . I always want my music to be musically interesting. I like it to have a sense of harmony, and a sense of melody, so a little bit of sophistication. So if that qualifies as melodic rock stuff, then I suppose I'm guilty. *laughs* But I think that Chuck was also more interested in really using his voice and singing melodies. As you know, Chuck has a few different styles. He has his classic style, he has his 90?s death metal style. He's able to do both, and I think he wanted to rest the death metal vocals on this album, and explore more of the melodic range. Metal Obsession: That's what I was thinking. Because I could hear a lot more of the death metal vocals on your last album, The Formation of Damnation . I thought this album would be the same before I listened to it. Alex: Yeah, I'm pretty sure he wanted to do less of that. Metal Obsession: What's the current situation of the Testament drummer -- Is Gene Hoglan an official member of the band, or did he just help out with the new album and touring? Alex: I think things are different now than they used to be. I mean, album cycles last longer, bands in general don't release albums as often as they used to. Even the younger bands. So, this is no longer a younger band, AND it's just a period where albums don't happen as often as they used to. But you know, in the early 90?s, you could call someone a permanent member, then there'd be an album coming out every year or every two years with the same members. But now, this album will have came out... 3 years since the last one? Actually, 4 years ago. It came out in 2008. In the old days, even legendary bands wouldn't last that long. So for this album, yes; Gene Hoglan is the main drummer. He probably won't be at every show, because there will be occasional events on. He has some other commitments, especially Dethklok . But I know that most of the shows, he's going to be there. He's the first call guy. He's the guy on the album, the guy in the photographs, so he isn't so much the permanent drummer, but he's definitely the first call drummer. Metal Obsession: So you're at your tenth studio album now. How many more do you think you will do? Alex: It's really hard to say! When we did the reunion, it was unclear that we were going to do an album, and then it became clear, like \"Yeah okay, we'll do an album!\" Then with this album, it was talked about, it was reflected upon, then we decided that yes, we're going to do this album. But yeah, we really can't say. A couple of years ago, I don't think any of us would have predicted that there'd be two new studio albums. Metal Obsession: You took a 12 year break from Testament from 1993 to 2005. What was the reason behind leaving the band, and what made you want to come back? Alex: There were a lot of reasons, man. The main reason for me was that I consider myself a diverse musician. I spent just about all of my time out of the band building up my guitar techniques, and I appreciated many different styles of music. So I thought, why not do whatever I can do be a diverse musician? I had already been studying other styles of music, I knew I eventually wanted to do more jazz and funk music. It just got to the point where I really needed to focus on that full time. But to be completely honest, it was a little difficult to be in the band at that time. The original drummer also left the band shortly after I did. It's very rare for someone to last more than one record, other than the original line-up. But when I came back, I was ready to play metal again. Not just metal again, but... I knew eventually I was going to play metal again as well as continue my other styles. So I did, and I was trying to think of the right project. It was right around that time that I got a call from the guys from Testament, saying that they wanted to do this reunion. The reunion tour lead to an album, then that album lead to more tours, and it's been a nice little ride ever since. And now it's almost lasted longer than I was in the band the first time. Metal Obsession: Is there any chance of Testament making a festival appearance or doing a headline tour in Australia soon? Alex: Ah, I don't know about soon, we're pretty booked out with North American tours at the moment. But I think that next year is a very good chance of an Australian tour. I expect to see that in 2013. Metal Obsession: Do you have any favourite bands from down here in Australia? Alex: Yes I do. Obviously the big one would be AC\/DC . But last time I was there, I got turned on to a lot of the bands from the scene that AC\/DC came from, like Rose Tattoo , and some of these other bands that I really wasn't aware of. The whole 'pub rock' thing was really cool. I also don't know how well the band Wolfmother is thought of over there, supposedly some people think of them as hipster metal. But I think the direction is really good, I quite enjoy them. Metal Obsession: How about any thrash bands from Australia, do you know many? Alex: I remember some of the bands that have been on the bill when we played Australia, and they were really good. But yeah, I need to be turned onto more of them! Metal Obsession: How about your favourite band from the Bay Area, where you came from -- Whether it's just a local band or a big band that you've toured with over the years, who's your favourite? Alex: From the Bay Area? That's hard to say, but probably Death Angel . I think that they're a favourite of many of us. Metal Obsession: As I'm sure you're aware, the big news in the metal world today is Randy Blythe (Lamb of God) being arrested in another country, being charged with manslaughter. What is your view on all of the controversy over the past couple of weeks? Do you support the \"Free Randy Blythe\" cause? Alex: I'm honestly in shock about it, actually. Randy is a good friend, and I am very much in shock. He had to spend the night in jail, and for a start that's what it was. Then it turned into a weekend, then it turned into a week, now it's been two weeks, and I think it's outrageous! I think there will be a big backlash until this is resolved. I've been on Twitter trying to get the attention of politicians, media, and so far it's only been covered by local news in Randy's town. It really needs to be covered by the bigger media outlets. Somebody on Twitter made the point that Justin Bieber recently got a speeding ticket, and that was front page news. And here we have a grammy nominated musician arrested and charged with manslaughter in a different country, and there is no mention. Metal Obsession: I feel that they're only not covering the news for front page headlines being that he's a metal musician. It's quite unfair really. Alex: Yeah, I agree. And it's such a shame, because he's not just a metal musician, he's a very reflective and intelligent person. Nobody deserves this treatment, it's just horrifying. Metal Obsession: Is there anything else that you'd like to say? Alex: That's it I think. I'll say that I really appreciate all the support from Australia, I can't wait to go back there. I know we'll be seeing everyone from down under very soon! About Patrick Emmett While still being young, going to school, hitting up gigs whenever he can, and trying to broaden his knowledge on metal and other music genres, Patrick is a dedicated contributor to MetalObsession.net, and a big supporter of the Australian music scene. Some of Patrick's favourite Australian bands are Fester Fanatics, Party Vibez, In Malice's Wake, Elm Street, Electrik Dynamite, De La Cruz, Athenas Wake and Psychonaut. Add Patrick on Facebook and check out his Facebook page, Metalhead Simpsons Guy . ","labels":"Other","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Passenger UAVs may be the future, predicts unmanned systems technology company Athena Unmanned aircraft may be flying passengers within the next 10-20 years, says the head of UAV technology provider Athena Technologies. Dr David Vos made the prediction while introducing the company's two new superlight navigation and sensor systems at the show. The Micro INS and the Micro GuideStar include GPS Inertial Navigational Systems (INS),and air data sensor system (ADAHRS). The Micro GuideStar also includes full flight control capability. He said that technology similar to that provided in the cell phone-sized guidance systems, which weigh only 110g (4oz), will mean that in 10 years' time, UAVs will be common in commercial airspace. The affordability and compact weight of the systems enables UAV manufacturers to use multiple identical systems in each UAV, so that in the event of damage or malfunction to one part of the system, identical auxiliary cells can take over to maintain the same functionality. Micro systems already offer reliability at the level of triple and quadruple redundancy protection. \"Distributed high levels of extra redundancy on aircraft enable it to maintain functionality if damaged, adding dramatically to safety,\" Vos says. The Micros are able to navigate and autonomously control drones, missiles and general aviation aircraft, but it is in the UAV field that they will offer the biggest developments, Vos says. \"Anything you can think of that a manned aircraft will do today; UAVs will do in the future. In years to come, unmanned passenger aircraft may be viewed in a similar way to that which unmanned airport shuttle trains are viewed today,\" he says. \"The rate at which culture adopts new technology today is faster than ever. The young generation today are willing to adopt new developments at an incredibly fast rate, and this will speed up the rate at which this technology develops.\" ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"In physics , a force is said to do work when it acts on a body, and there is a displacement of the point of application in the direction of the force. For example, when you lift a suitcase from the floor, the work done on the suitcase is the force it takes to lift it (its weight) times the height that it is lifted. The term work was introduced in 1826 by the French mathematician Gaspard-Gustave Coriolis [ 1 ] [ 2 ] as \"weight lifted through a height\", which is based on the use of early steam engines to lift buckets of water out of flooded ore mines. The SI unit of work is the newton-metre or joule (J). The work done by a constant force of magnitude F on a point that moves a displacement (not distance) s in the direction of the force is the product, For example, if a force of 10 newtons ( F = 10 N) acts along a point that travels 2 metres ( s = 2 m), then it does the work W = (10 N)(2 m) = 20 N m = 20 J. This is approximately the work done lifting a 1\u00a0kg weight from ground to over a person's head against the force of gravity. Notice that the work is doubled either by lifting twice the weight the same distance or by lifting the same weight twice the distance. The SI unit of work is the joule (J), which is defined as the work expended by a force of one newton through a distance of one metre . The dimensionally equivalent newton-metre (N\u00b7m) is sometimes used as the measuring unit for work, but this can be confused with the unit newton-metre, which is the measurement unit of torque . Usage of N\u00b7m is discouraged by the SI authority , since it can lead to confusion as to whether the quantity expressed in newton metres is a torque measurement, or a measurement of energy. [ 3 ] From Newton's second law , it can be shown that work on a free (no fields), rigid (no internal degrees of freedom) body, is equal to the change in kinetic energy of the velocity and rotation of that body, The work of forces generated by a potential function is known as potential energy and the forces are said to be conservative. Therefore work on an object that is merely displaced in a conservative force field, without change in velocity or rotation, is equal to minus the change of potential energy of the object, These formulas demonstrate that work is the energy associated with the action of a force, so work subsequently possesses the physical dimensions , and units, of energy. The work\/energy principles discussed here are identical to Electric work\/energy principles. Constraint forces determine the movement of components in a system, constraining the object within a boundary (in the case of a slope plus gravity, the object is stuck to the slope, when attached to a taut string it cannot move in an outwards direction to make the string any 'tauter'). They eliminate all movement in the direction of the constraint, thus constraint forces do not perform work on the system, as the velocity of that object is constrained to be 0 parallel to this force, due to this force. For example, the centripetal force exerted inwards by a string on a ball in uniform circular motion sideways constrains the ball to circular motion restricting its movement away from the center of the circle. This force does zero work because it is perpendicular to the velocity of the ball. Another example is a book on a table. If external forces are applied to the book so that it slides on the table, then the force exerted by the table constrains the book from moving downwards. The force exerted by the table supports the book and is perpendicular to its movement which means that this constraint force does not perform work. The magnetic force on a charged particle is F = q v \u00d7 B , where q is the charge, v is the velocity of the particle, and B is the magnetic field . The result of a cross product is always perpendicular to both of the original vectors, so F \u22a5 v . The dot product of two perpendicular vectors is always zero, so the work W = F \u00b7 v = 0, and the magnetic force does not do work. It can change the direction of motion but never change the speed. For moving objects, the quantity of work\/time is calculated as distance\/time, or velocity. Thus, at any instant, the rate of the work done by a force (measured in joules\/second, or watts ) is the scalar product of the force (a vector), and the velocity vector of the point of application. This scalar product of force and velocity is classified as instantaneous power . Just as velocities may be integrated over time to obtain a total distance, by the fundamental theorem of calculus , the total work along a path is similarly the time-integral of instantaneous power applied along the trajectory of the point of application. [ 4 ] Work is the result of a force on a point that moves through a distance. As the point moves, it follows a curve X , with a velocity v , at each instant. The small amount of work \u03b4W that occurs over an instant of time dt is calculated as where the F.v is the power over the instant dt . The sum of these small amounts of work over the trajectory of the point yields the work, where C is the trajectory from x (t 1 ) to x (t 2 ). This integral is computed along the trajectory of the particle, and is therefore said to be path dependent . If the force is always directed along this line, and the magnitude of the force is F , then this integral simplifies to where s is distance along the line. If F is constant, in addition to being directed along the line, then the integral simplifies further to where s is the distance travelled by the point along the line. This calculation can be generalized for a constant force that is not directed along the line, followed by the particle. In this case the dot product F \u00b7d s = F cos \u03b8 ds, where \u03b8 is the angle between the force vector and the direction of movement, [ 4 ] that is In the notable case of a force applied to a body always at an angle of 90 degrees from the velocity vector (as when a body moves in a circle under a central force), no work is done at all, since the cosine of 90 degrees is zero. Thus, no work can be performed by gravity on a planet with a circular orbit (this is ideal, as all orbits are slightly elliptical). Also, no work is done on a body moving circularly at a constant speed while constrained by mechanical force, such as moving at constant speed in a friction-less ideal centrifuge. Calculating the work as \"force times straight path segment\" would only apply in the most simple of circumstances, as noted above. If force is changing, or if the body is moving along a curved path, possibly rotating and not necessarily rigid, then only the path of the application point of the force is relevant for the work done, and only the component of the force parallel to the application point velocity is doing work (positive work when in the same direction, and negative when in the opposite direction of the velocity). This component of force can be described by the scalar quantity called scalar tangential component ( , where is the angle between the force and the velocity). And then the most general definition of work can be formulated as follows: Work of a force is the line integral of its scalar tangential component along the path of its application point. A torque results from equal, and opposite forces, acting on two different points of a rigid body. The sum of these forces cancel, but their effect on the body is the torque T . The work of the torque is calculated as where the T.\u03c9 is the power over the instant \u03b4 t . The sum of these small amounts of work over the trajectory of the rigid body yields the work, This integral is computed along the trajectory of the rigid body with an angular velocity \u03c9 that varies with time, and is therefore said to be path dependent . If the angular velocity vector maintains a constant direction, then it takes the form, where \u03c6 is the angle of rotation about the constant unit vector S . In this case, the work of the torque becomes, where C is the trajectory from \u03c6(t 1 ) to \u03c6(t 2 ) . This integral depends on the rotational trajectory \u03c6(t) , and is therefore path-dependent. If the torque T is aligned with the angular velocity vector so that, and both the torque and angular velocity are constant, then the work takes the form, [ 5 ] A force of constant magnitude and perpendicular to the lever arm This result can be understood more simply by considering the torque as arising from a force of constant magnitude F , being applied perpendicularly to a lever arm at a distance r , as shown in the figure. This force will act through the distance along the circular arc s=r\u03c6 , so the work done is Introduce the torque \u03c4=Fr , to obtain as presented above. Notice that only the component of torque in the direction of the angular velocity vector contributes to the work. The scalar product of a force F and the velocity v of its point of application defines the power input to a system at an instant of time. Integration of this power over the trajectory of the point of application, C = x (t), defines the work input to the system by the force. Therefore, the work done by a force F on an object that travels along a curve C is given by the line integral : where dx ( t ) defines the trajectory C and v' is the velocity along this trajectory. In general this integral requires the path along which the velocity is defined, so the evaluation of work is said to be path dependent. The time derivative of the integral for work yields the instantaneous power, If the work for an applied force is independent of the path, then the work done by the force is, by the gradient theorem , the potential function evaluated at the start and end of the trajectory of the point of application. Such a force is said to be conservative . This means that there is a potential function U ( x ), that can be evaluated at the two points x (t 1 ) and x (t 2 ) to obtain the work over any trajectory between these two points. It is tradition to define this function with a negative sign so that positive work is a reduction in the potential, that is The function U ( x ) is called the potential energy associated with the applied force. Examples of forces that have potential energies are gravity and spring forces. Because the potential U defines a force F at every point x in space, the set of forces is called a force field . The power applied to a body by a force field is obtained from the gradient of the work, or potential, in the direction of the velocity V of the body, that is Gravity exerts a constant downward force on every object. Near the surface of the earth the acceleration due to gravity is g=9.8\u00a0m.s \u22122 and the gravitational force on an object of mass m is F g = mg . It is convenient to imagine this gravitational force concentrated at the center of mass of the object. If an object is displaced upwards or downwards a vertical distance y 2 - y 1 , the work W done on the object by its weight mg is: where F g is weight (pounds in imperial units, and newtons in SI units), and \u0394 y is the change in height y. Notice that the work done by gravity depends only on the vertical movement of the object. The presence of friction does not affect the work done on the object by its weight. Consider a spring that exerts a horizontal force F =(-kx, 0, 0) that is proportional to its deflection in the x direction independent of how a body moves. The work of this spring on a body moving along the space curve X (t) = ( x (t), y (t), z (t)), is calculated using its velocity, v =( v x , v y , v z ), to obtain For convenience, consider contact with the spring occurs at t=0, then the integral of the product of the distance x and the x-velocity, xv x , is (1\/2)x 2 . The principle of work and kinetic energy (also known as the work-energy principle ) states that the work done by all forces acting on a particle (the work of the resultant force) equals the change in the kinetic energy of the particle. [ 7 ] The derivation of the work-energy principle begins with Newton's second law and the resultant force on a particle which includes forces applied to the particle and constraint forces imposed on its movement. Computation of the scalar product of the forces with the velocity of the particle evaluates the instantaneous power added to the system. [ 8 ] Constraints define the direction of movement of the particle by ensuring there is no component of velocity in the direction of the constraint force. This also means the constraint forces do not add to the instantaneous power. The time integral of this scalar equation yields work from the instantaneous power, and kinetic energy from the scalar product of velocity and acceleration. The fact the work-energy principle eliminates the constraint forces underlies Lagrangian mechanics . [ 9 ] This section focusses on the work-energy principle as it applies to particle dynamics. In more general systems work can change the potential energy of a mechanical device, the heat energy in a thermal system, or the electrical energy in an electrical device. Work transfers energy from one place to another or one form to another. In the case the resultant force F is constant in both magnitude and direction, and parallel to the velocity of the particle, the particle is moving with constant acceleration a along a straight line. [ 10 ] The relation between the net force and the acceleration is given by the equation F = ma ( Newton's second law ), and the particle displacement s can be expressed by the equation The work of the net force is calculated as the product of its magnitude and the particle displacement. Substituting the above equations, one obtains: In the general case of rectilinear motion, when the net force F is not constant in magnitude, but is constant in direction, and parallel to the velocity of the particle, the work must be integrated along the path of the particle: For any net force acting on a particle moving along any curvilinear path, it can be demonstrated that its work equals the change in the kinetic energy of the particle by a simple derivation analogous to the equation above. Some authors call this result work-energy principle , but it is more widely known as the work-energy theorem : The identity requires some algebra. From the identity and definition it follows . The remaining part of the above derivation is just simple calculus, same as in the preceding rectilinear case. In particle dynamics, a formula equating work applied to a system to its change in kinetic energy is obtained as a first integral of Newton's second law of motion . It is useful to notice that the resultant force used in Newton's laws can be separated into forces that are applied to the particle and forces imposed by constraints on the movement of the particle. Remarkably, the work of a constraint force is zero, therefore only the work of the applied forces need be considered in the work-energy principle. To see this, consider a particle P that follows the trajectory X (t) with a force F acting on it. Isolate the particle from its environment to expose constraint forces R , then Newton's Law takes the form Consider the case of a vehicle moving along a straight horizontal trajectory under the action of a driving force and gravity that sum to F . The constraint forces between the vehicle and the road define R , and we have For convenience let the trajectory be along the X-axis, so X =(d,0) and the velocity is V =(v, 0), then R.V =0, and F.V =F x v, where F x is the component of F along the X-axis, so Integration of both sides yields If F x is constant along the trajectory, then the integral of velocity is distance, so As an example consider a car skidding to a stop, where k is the coefficient of friction and W is the weight of the car. Then the force along the trajectory is F x =-kW. The velocity v of the car can be determined from the length s of the skid using the work-energy principle, Notice that this formula uses the fact that the mass of the vehicle is m = W\/g . Consider the case of a vehicle that starts at rest and coasts down a mountain road, the work-energy principle helps compute the minimum distance that the vehicle travels to reach a velocity V , of say 60\u00a0mph (88 fps). Rolling resistance and air drag will slow the vehicle down so the actual distance will be less than if these forces are neglected. Let the trajectory of the vehicle following the road be X (t) which is a curve in three-dimensional space. The force acting on the vehicle that pushes it down the road is the constant force of gravity F =(0,0, W ), while the force of the road on the vehicle is the constraint force R . Newton's second law yields, where V is the magnitude of V . The constraint forces between the vehicle and the road cancel from this equation because R . V =0, which means they do no work. Integrate both sides to obtain The weight force W is constant along the trajectory and the integral of the vertical velocity is the vertical distance, therefore, Recall that V(t 1 )=0. Notice that this result does not depend on the shape of the road followed by the vehicle. In order to determine the distance along the road assume the downgrade is 6%, which is a steep road. This means the altitude decreases 6 feet for every 100 feet traveled\u2014for angles this small the sin and tan functions are approximately equal. Therefore, the distance s in feet down a 6% grade to reach the velocity V is at least The work of forces acting at various points on a single rigid body can be calculated from the work of a resultant force and torque . To see this, let the forces F 1 , F 2 ... F n act on the points X 1 , X 2 ... X n in a rigid body. The trajectories of X i , i=1,...,n are defined by the movement of the rigid body. This movement is given by the set of rotations [A(t)] and the trajectory d (t) of a reference point in the body. Let the coordinates x i i=1,...,n define these points in the moving rigid body's reference frame M , so that the trajectories traced in the fixed frame F are given by The velocity of the points X i along their trajectories are where \u03c9 is the angular velocity vector obtained from the skew symmetric matrix known as the angular velocity matrix. The small amount of work by the forces over the small displacements \u03b4 r i can be determined by approximating the displacement by \u03b4 r = v \u03b4t so ","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Time and again I've longed for adventure, Something to make my heart beat the faster. What did I long for? I never really knew. Finding your love I've found my adventure, Touching your hand, my heart beats the faster, All that I want in all of this world is you. You are the promised kiss of springtime That makes the lonely winter seem long. You are the breathless hush of evening That trembles on the brink of a lovely song. You are the angel glow that lights a star, The dearest things I know are what you are. Some day my happy arms will hold you, And some day I'll know that moment divine, When all the things you are, are mine! ","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"How to build a cob oven -- step 1 I will now describe the first stages of how we built our cob oven; this process took us a few months as we needed to collect the materials first and we were determined to use as many recycled or free items as possible for this. There are many ways and shapes you can build your oven, and you can use different materials. We often hear TV chefs referring to these ovens as bread or pizza ovens....but you can do MUCH more than that in one of these! 'Cob' is an ancient building material, used the world over since the 11 th and 12 th centuries. Traditional 'English' cob was made by mixing a clay based soil with sand, straw and water. It is easy to learn how to make, fireproof and inexpensive, resistant to rain and cold. The big plus is that it is easy to form by hand and can be moulded into any shape you wish. We decided on a traditional rounded shape and as the first step is to make a very strong base so you can wide topped garden wall. A reinforced flat concrete base was needed on which to build. We had to purchase the cement and sand needed for this from a local builders yard, the cement and sand , of course, was purchased new...this was however our only main but necessary  expense . The materials for the cob used were local clay, sand and straw. To create the wall firebricks from old electric storage heater units were used. These have proved to be excellent as they retain the heat longer than normal bricks. Collecting enough firebricks was what took us so long to get started -- we got them from local Freecycle groups, recycling yards, house clearance ...in fact anywhere we could! Some were even brought down from holiday trips to the other side of the country once friends and family knew we were collecting them. Once we had sufficient a plan was sketched and measurements taken -- the door had to be wide enough to put in the heavy duty cast iron cookware and inside we needed it big enough to put two layers of cooking shelves. We also decided to have a chimney which was a little more difficult and not really necessary but well worth the effort. As each layer of bricks were laid the oven had to be left to dry out, so we continued to collect things we would need. A local wood yard has a skip of wood offcuts that can be had for free with permission from the owners, we had trees to lop, and often friends would donate their unwanted logs. Gradually a good supply of free fuel was collected and stored away in a dry place. Then there were the cooking implements to acquire! The heat in the oven would melt any normal cookware so I had to source some good th ick old fashioned cast iron pans. I found a couple of big casserole pots, some heavy cast frying pans and a baking tray. The frying pans had their wooden handles removed and are ideal for putting a roast of meat in. The tray is great for baked potatoes. The casserole dish is used for potatoes and vegetables or for a meaty casserole. I will put some of my recipes on my blog later. ALL my pots and pans are well cleaned up and are from either car boot sales or jumble sales; none cost more than 3.00. I keep them oiled up with a smear of Olive Oil to stop them rusting through and this also gives a slight non stick effect. Last but not least you need some good thick welding gloves to use to get your food out of the oven! ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Our Latest News Get out of Bed Safely This article will explain a simple, effective way of getting out of bed for back pain sufferers. When you wake up, is your back stiff or sore? If so, spend a few moments breathing deeply and stretching your body long. While you are still lying on your back, bend your knees upward so that your feet are flat on the bed. Roll onto your side. As you do this, try to keep your spine moving as a unit, rather than twisting it. Imagine a steel rod running the length of your spine, starting from the shoulder area and moving down to the hip area. To achieve the rolling, let gravity help you. The key to this is to avoid intentional tightening of your back or abdominal muscles. Using both hands, push yourself up to sitting. As you are pushing yourself up, gently bend your legs at the hips and knees, remembering to keep your spine moving as one unit, rather than twisting it. Allow the weight of your legs to anchor your position, enabling you to push the rest of your body up. Go as slowly as you need to accomplish this movement safely and comfortably. Once you get to sitting, take a moment to rest. When you are ready, make sure you are sitting equally on both sides of your seat. Sit up tall and gently try to arch your lower back to help transition from many hours of lying down into standing. Place one leg in front of the other. Bend your trunk forward, from your hips, keeping your back straight. Straighten both legs at the same time. Bring the back foot forward to meet the front. You're up! The information provided is for general guidance only and must not be used for diagnosis or treatment of a health problem. This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Note: the header pic isn't from yesterday's stoush, but it sure sets the scene. Israel precision strike takes out Hamas military leader Israel and Hamas appear to be at war and this is the footage that kinda sparked it off (you can argue that Hamas started it with their rockets into Israel... but then you could argue that it's a continuation of conflict that has been raging for 60 years). The footage shows the Israeli strike on Hamas' military commander, Ahmed Al-Jabari and his son as they drove along a city street yesterday. The war porn details an amazingly accurate missile strike that leaves the target a mere shell (below). Israel and Palestine's Hamas in 'Open War' Associated Press' Aron Heller gives us a concise account of just what is happening between Israel and Palestine. Heller points out that ground war is an option they're looking out for, meanwhile RT.com reports: \"An IDF spokesperson says 30,000 reserve soldiers could be called to participate in Gaza operation, Haaretz reports.\" Naw, joy to the world! Twitter: Pillar of Defence Elliott Carver, James Bond's nemesis in 'Tomorrow Never Dies' (1997) who provoked war to sell newspapers, would be loving how events are unfolding in the Gaza strip. Not only did Israel launch Operation Pillar of Defence yesterday, but also they did so via Twitter. They've also been taunting Hamas: We recommend that no Hamas operatives, whether low level or senior leaders, show their faces above ground in the days ahead. Naturally, Hamas is using Twitter in a bid to control its side of the story. Check this tweet (WARNING: ACTUAL CHILD CORPSE IMAGE LINK): Shit is blowing my mind -- wartime propaganda is now delivered in real time. Of course, the Israeli campaign is a blend of new age and old school -- they've dropped leaflets for those Palestinians who don't have Internet access -- now that's thoughtful! Ultimately, Israel is going to win any propaganda war -- check this clip on the Guardian website. It illustrates the gulf between the two parties: Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu delivers his talk in English like he's just stepped out of a New York deli; Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum & leader Sami Abu Zuhri deliver their talks in Arabic. Unclear whether or not this is by Netanyahu, but it's certainly interesting. The tweet was deleted shortly after it was posted. The US openly supports Israel (Hamas is considered a terrorist organisation by the US), but, if it was real, the Guardian post suggests that the tweet was far more provocative than mere thanks. In response to their reactive attacks on Gaza, Hacktivist group Anonymous have attacked Israeli websites and, in at least one case, have posted a warning on an I.D.F. blog to Israel -- that they must cease fire. Furthermore, after the Israeli government threatened to cut off Internet access to Gaza (which to me demonstrates the absolute power they have over the region), Anonymous warned Israel to reconsider and followed up with this message to the folks in Palestine: Know that Anonymous stands with you in this fight. We will use all our resources to make certain you stay connected to the internet and remain able to transmit your experiences to the world. Okay, enough talk of death -- let's talk about New Zealand! Oh, actually... so, we all lose our shit now and then, but 13 year-old Jordan Nelson took his shit-loss a step too far. After 50 year-old Rosemaree Kurth took Jordan's Freeview TV receiver out of his room, Jordan loaded up a .22 calibre rifle, that Ms. Kurth's partner had taught him to use, and shot her in the back of the head as she worked on a jigsaw puzzle. But hang on Australia... didn't you just bend over backwards for America? Oh, I get it, you've got to balance relations between your wartime bum-chum and your peacetime cash cow, China. Obviously Asia is a big place, but when we think Asia and we trade with Asians , essentially China is whom we mean. Anyway, awkward Australia! Dear god (note: am not actually praying), how about I just post the link to the story and you can read it yourselves? Two priests slipping the same kid rufies on separate occasions? ONE LEMONADE; ONE FANTA? Using video games as the lead-in activity? Priest's name is RAPson? As an ex-Roman Catholic homosexual, I think I'm fully qualified to say -- the Catholic Church is absolutely fucked. Next\/last story... Following Alan Jones' terrible remark that Julia Gillard's father \"died of shame,\" 2GB estimates that it incurred losses of \"up to $1.5 million\" as advertisers cancelled, deferred or moved their advertising spend. That's advertisers putting their money where his mouth's not (did that play work)? Anyway, sucks to be you Alan -- it really sucks to be you. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"10 Things Americans Do That Drive Brits Nuts American people are some of the loveliest you'll ever meet and make us expats feel all warm, cuddly and very welcome. But just occasionally they do or say something that we Brits find a tad... eccentric. 1. Saying \"I love your accent!\" Before I moved here, I never imagined that my dreary London burr made me sound smart or lovable. At first the compliments were nice, but then a New York tiger mom asked me to talk to her snoozing two-year-old in the hope that it would rub off. A bit much, I thought. 2. Putting last names first The fashion for inflicting quirky monikers on babies started with American parents giving their kids surnames as first names. Remember Sex and the City 's Smith? Absurd. Then last week at the launderette I got chatting to \"Anderson.\" Could not take him seriously. 3. They take your plate away too soon Americans love to please, and nowhere is this more evident than in restaurants. If I want a side of pickled kitten lungs or a splash of spaniel milk in my coffee, then by God they'll make it happen. On the flip side, over-eager waiters will whip away an individual diner's plate the second it's empty. In my case, that's long before anyone else at the table has finished. And people are like, \"Seriously, did you even chew?\" No. No I did not. 4. The relentlessly sincere cheer If I'm having a bad day, or a good day -- make that any kind of day -- I do not want people in shops whom I've never met to swaddle me with their sticky, earnest, exaggerated niceness. In America, actual humans say things like \"Ma'am, you have been an awesome customer today,\" just because I bought a box of tampons from their store. 5. Their over-zealous patriotism We get it, you're proud to be an American. It's not like Brits are immune to nationalism, but perhaps we're better able to separate feeling glad (I was lucky enough to be born in a country with democracy and Kit Kats!) from feeling proud. Shouldn't the second one be reserved for my actual achievements? Oh, and to your average Brit, hanging a giant flag from your house is a tiny bit creepy. 6. They treat their pets like people Recently, at a flea market, I saw a woman pushing a buggy. Nothing strange about that, until I looked inside and noticed that her baby was a dog. One of those petulant micro-yappy types who thinks just because it's short you should love it. I've also seen twin pugs out for a winter walk dressed in a full-body knitted suits and ties. And a friend of a friend's cat is on Prozac. 7. Insisting that turkey is tasty There's a good reason why Brits only eat this galumphing fowl once a year, then bitch about it behind its carcass. No matter how many saltwater baths you give your bird, turkey meat is dry, insipid and stringy. Yet Americans put the powdery poultry in everything -- from burgers and chili to meatballs and lasagna -- and make it the culinary centerpiece of not one but two celebrations. 8. Spelling words the wrong way I might as well pry the letter \"u\" from my keyboard for all the good it does me in over here. (But you know which letter made it big in America? \"Z\"! Only, they pronounce it wrong.) My point? Remembering to remove 'u's from words like \"colour\" and replace \"s\"s with a more abrasive \"z\" is a headache and I resent it. So there. 9. Pretentious pronunciation. Americans, please note: saying \"erb\" instead of \"herb\" and pronouncing \"fillet\" without the \"t\" is not clever or sophisticated. You are not French. Make an actual socialist your president and then we'll talk. 10. Saying \"panties,\" \"fanny\" and \"bangs\" We're all aware from watching Americans onscreen that these are the words for knickers, a bottom and a fringe. But when you live here, occasionally you're forced to deploy these abominations in real life sentences. Only the other day, I said, \"Can you trim my bangs, please?\" I felt dirty afterwards. But \"panties\" is much worse, somehow infantilizing and over-sexualizing ladies' unmentionables. No word should do both these things. This is funny. When I lived in London I felt the exact same way, but reversed. At the pub way way too many guys tried to bait me by asking if I liked their accent (my reply was always: I live here, I'm over it), I thought attendants in stores were so rude and snobbish, and I was completely floored when I learned that no one hangs up a flag (even on St. George's Day!). On top of that I hated the way everything needed an extra \"u\" in it's spelling (and honestly, zed? Zed? What is that!?), I thought that English pronunciations were pretentious, and I almost had a heart attack every time I heard someone say they were going out for a \"fag break.\" I think our countries will always have these little things to bicker over, but I absolutely love it! Jill Merrall Totally agree....Lived in England with my English husband for 2 1\/2 years...you summed it up perfectly! Dee Robles You've said it all, so I'll just say thanks! Just recently found out what a nounce was, probably spelt it wrong, it's a perv. It just doesn't convey they same meaning when you say it. Perv works for me. lol Rory Er, a nonce is a paedophile. karen A nonce is not a perv or paedophile. A nonce is hmm a flowery chav. Means they are slightly feminine and stupid, is the best way i can describe. I TELL THEM ACRONYM Nonce is an acronym. Not On Normal Courtyard Exercise. So not just paedophiles, all manner of sex offenders that might get killed in prison. England Blows Balls is anyone else unimpressed by the bullshit this author posted? each and every one of these arguments is actually a point why england is shittier than America. Your spelling is old and outdated, get over yourself we have a more advanced language.... If youre not treating your pet like a person you should not own a pet you insensitive cunt. Now go back to your ugly ass women, crooked teeth, and tea with shit crumpets... Jen K Why are you at this website? Go away, you're horrible. Carruthers Wow, thats some advanced language you're using there. You should keep typing 'cunt' and subjecting everyone to your old and outdated stereotyping before they remove your diabetic limbs. I'll keep using mine to eat crumpets with my crooked teeth. Ash Hebdige is this guy for real? Just maybe a little over-reactive I'd say. Rochester To \"England Sucks\" and all the other thin-skinned sourpusses here who actually seem to take offense at this tongue-in-cheek article: Lighten up. There's quite a bit of silliness in both countries. \"Fablos\" article, Ms Margolis Brummie In answer to England Blows Balls our spelling is just fine if you want to spell words differently then go ahead but don't have the nerve to call it English be a good chap and call it American.... As to treating pets like persons why does the US have some of the highest cruelty rates towards domestic animals than most western countries and other half 40% of your population take great pleasure in running round the forest trying to kill anything that moves... Wow What is up with this? Why would someone write this article? The only thing any one of you have seen is on TV! I don't treat my dog like a person, I write how my teachers taught me, I hunt but only for overpopulated animals that would bring a harm to themselves and ecosystem. I also like tea and crumpets even though we call them cookies. Most of you believe more what's in movies and in the news. Stop being so narrow minded. I love my country but I also have been serving to protect it for 12 plus years now. Stop badgering us. We live in excess of 3500 miles away from each other, there's going to be vast differences. Do you want us to turn into you guys? I thought we won the war? SazzyMCH A crumpet IS NOT A COOKIE! Complete Agreement I agree with the person who used the moniker \"Wow\". I understand that this was supposed to be an attempt at humor but it came of as simply bitchy. I have relatives through marriage in Britain and also have relatives who were raised British citizens in other countries. My mother complains about things like spelling, but anyone who is even moderately acquainted with American history would understand patriotism. After all, according to you Brits, we were supposed to be a spectacular failure. Oh and BTW it would seem we HAVE elected a Socialist. More's the pity. I did manage a smile at some of the more ridiculous things mentioned, but I'm afraid things like treating pets as people and naming your children foolishly are world wide phenomena, not limited to the US. I think I have seen more than a few British cat ladies...and please let's not get started on the tasteless food. If not for the multitude of Indian restaurants in GB a person with taste buds could starve there. Jonah \"Stop being so narrow minded. I love my country but I also have been serving to protect it for 12 plus years now. Stop badgering us. We live in excess of 3500 miles away from each other, there's going to be vast differences.\" In response to you, Mister.. \"Wow,\" as you put: We live in excess of 3500 miles of each other. Exactly. Get over it. This article is meant for a few playful laughs. I love my country too, and I think it's odd that Brits choose not to rig up flags, but who cares? I'm patriotic, and that's my own business. As you so clearly said, \"there are going to be vast differences.\" Way to eat your own words on that one, slick. You are immature and narrow-minded. California Latina Here, here! Fantastic points! I'm American and I'm ashamed. :\/ I was married to an English man for 5 years, dated for 2. And I LOVE British culture. I was born and raised in Southern California, and I do feel that Americans are over-zealous indeed. MikeB be gone before someone drops a house on you. Governor Odius How tired and \"gay\" is that remark. It's simpler just to drive back to Kansas. Ralph Malph Lovely attitude. Nothing like putting up the cliche \"ugly American\" bs on a British site. Chris K Magnusson Some of what the person is Sub\/sub Culture even to us American's. Such as the \"Z\" thing. How that got into the article speaks volumes on what the knowlege of the writter has on the subject. Turkey, is another poor pic to put in the article. Why because some people don't eat read meat. Fish and poultry, is their protein intake. The writter really seemed came accross some phonys. And yes, even as an a American, some of what the writter wroute about is too much for me in my own country. Chris K Magnusson Some of what the person came across as a writter is Sub\/sub Culture even to us American's. Such as the \"Z\" thing. How that got into the article speaks volumes on what the knowlege of the writter has on the subject. Turkey, is another poor pic to put in the article. Why because some people don't eat read meat. Fish and poultry, is their protein intake. The writter really seemed came accross some phonys. And yes, even as an a American, some of what the writter wroute about is too much for me in my own country. What may have been a good one to mention is when getting into a American Elevater, pushing No. 1 going down does not always bring you to the ground floor! You have No.1 \"G\" and \"M\" all buttons could represent the Ground floor! Chris K Magnusson Some of what the person came across as a writter is Sub\/sub Culture even to us American's. Such as the \"Z\" thing. How that got into the article speaks volumes on what the knowlege of the writter has on the subject. Turkey, is another poor pic to put in the article. Why because some people don't eat read meat. Fish and poultry, is their protein intake. The writter really seemed to come accross some phonys. And yes, even as an American, some of what the writter wrote about is too much for me in my own country. What may have been a good one to mention is when getting into a American Elevater, pushing No. 1 going down does not always bring you to the ground floor! You have No.1 \"G\" and \"M\" all three buttons could represent the Ground floor! James C coincidence Mate, what's with \"writter\", \"accross\", and \"phonys\"? :S ... Surely, \"writer\", \"across\", and \"phonies\"? Please don't make your country's language any worse than it already is... California Latina Ah! Chris, please stop, you're digging an even deeper hole for yourself! And you are shaming Americans even more with your HORRIBLE spelling!! hahahaha Marianne Do what you like with the language, but please just call it American instead of murdering correct English. I must add though I am disgusted with the new generation of English who cannot string a proper sentence together. What are they learning in school. mis use of the personal pronoun is the most grating import from USA. Yes I live here and love it nevertheless. Brittany Marianne, that is just silly. First off, no doubt many of your fellow Brits would claim Americans were being arrogant and were too \"thick\" to come up with our own language if we tried to call what we speak \"American\", instead of \"English\". Secondly, why would we call the English we speak \"American\" just because we don't speak the same English you speak? We simply speak different dialects, not another language altogether. Should you stop calling the English you speak \"English\" because modern day Brits don't speak the language the same way in which it was originally spoken? The language has changed in Britain, too, you know. In fact, a lot of the things that Americans say that Brits consider \"Americanisms\" are actually just words or phrases that Brits don't use anymore. Example: the word \"gotten\". That's not an American word; it has just fallen out of use in Britain. If Brits have such a problem with Americans \"changing the language\", blame your ancestors for colonizing other countries and spreading \"your language\" all over the world. The British lost exclusive rights to English when it colonized other countries and made it THEIR native language, as well. karen Gotten has not fallen out of use in UK, thats for sure Robert It's not the British that have a problem with the way Americans talk. Of course Americans are going to inject their own personality into the way they speak and by enlarge the Brits appreciate the diversity and breath it gives the language. No what they object to is Americans telling the Brits that the way Americans use the language is better than the way the British do, That the English, who's language it is 'speak funny' because they don't talk with an Anerican accent. The Brits don't go round saying Americans talk funny because they can't pronous certain words properly or they call thing by a different name. No they accept that's the way Americans do it, just as the Australians have their way and the Canadians have theirs. The language varies up and down the length of the British isles, someone from the south of England sounds totally differant to someone from the north. Scots, the Irish and the Welsh sound totally different again. So the British are use to hearing different accents and terminologys it's the Americans that find it strange and weird and can't help commenting on it all the time. Elizabeth Oh my god, this is such bull. Not all Americans are like this at all. Thanks for the stereotyping. James C coincidence Damn, Robert. Your spelling and grammar is atrocious -- fellow Brit. Take it from me, this guy's a veritable thicko. Patricia From studyenglishtoday.net: \"There are some well-known spelling differences between British English and American English. Many of these spelling differences result from French influence on English. British English has a tendency to keep the spelling of many words of French origin. Americans try to spell words more closely to the way they sound phonetically and they tend to omit some letters. \" Therefore, we are not \"murdering\" English. We simply have a different way of spelling things. Yes, it should be specifically referred to as American English, at least in text form, as should British English be referred to as such. But neither of them are right or wrong. Remember, please, that when people were first learning to write, there was no definitive way to spell things. This was doubly so for America, where there was not access to as great a library of history. People had to spell things how they spelled them; and if you look back at old documents, even British ones, there are some very interesting spellings going as recently back as a hundred years ago. Spellings we would not in any form consider \"English\" today. So do not say we are murdering English. Our written English simply evolved differently from yours, as we were an ocean away from the rest of the world. It is the same way with accents. The general American accent -- so I have heard -- is actually closer to what an average Englishman would have sounded like back during the colonization of America. There are a lot of things on this list that bother me. I am aware of most of the differences in the cultures of England and America, and honestly, I believe they shouldn't make that much of a stir when it comes to dealings in every day life. Sure we're different, but we all come from common place, and even before everyone was in England, we were all somewhere else, ancestrally. Honestly. We need to get over ourselves. Everyone does. Accept other people's cultures for what they are and realize that we all come from the same place in the end, whether you believe in a creationist beginning or an evolutionary one. Get over yourselves. bimbola Very well said. Andy @England..balls: Seriously? You're actually THAT shallow? Rory The American capacity for taking a joke reaches new heights with you, doesn't it? Emma That's just rude. Seriously, you are the epitome of all things we hate about America. Go away, you're not welcome here. Brett shadow Basically this is a reply for the twat who wrote the comment headlined ENGLAND BLOWS BALLS. There are a few things that fuck me off with it. Now im not bothered about your saying america is better than england because you would say that but its the fact that you said YOUR language is more advanced, its called english because its from england you dont have a language so you took ours and changed it a bit because most americans are thick as fuck and cant spell or speak. The other things is the last few comments about the ugly women and shit. you have obviously never been here but its nothing like that in the slightest yeah we do eat crumpets and tea is the best thing ever but i would much rather be part of that awesome tradition than having a history thats about 300 years old, eat cheeseburgers and saying yeah man all the time and being know as the most obese county in the world. fuck off you are the real cunt america may be a bigger county and a bit more powerful but you have never had an empire, you have never owned us as we have you and you have nothing over us what so EVER! Brittany Brett, 1). America did not \"take\" English from England. English people emigrated to America and brought their language with them, hence the reason we speak it today. Is that not common sense? Also, we changed \"your\" language because we're \"thick\"? I don't even want to know what type of logic you used to come up with that one. The language has changed in America for the same reason the language has changed in England. Are you speaking the same English that Shakespeare used to speak? English has evolved and changed in America in the same way English has evolved and changed in England. Furthermore, America is thousands of miles away from England. Do you honestly think it's realistic to expect that we would speak the same way as you? Also, before stating that more than 300 million Americans can't \"spell or speak\", you might want to check your own use of the English language. Clearly, being English does not guarantee that one will use the English language properly. Jennifer PH Well said. Thank you. Erica Wanted to add to this. A lot of Brits fail to realize that English spoken on the U.S. was changed due to other immigrants from different countries. The number one heritage in the U.S. is German, then Irish. Throw English, Scottish, and Scandinavian in there....plus of all the years of regional seclusion, and that is how you developed the American dialect. Listen to German, Scottish and Irish language and accents & you can hear a lot of similar tones, pitches, and emphasis more similar to American dialects than British dialects. To say to Americans that it is WRONG is purely arrogant. It isn't wrong, just different and people need to get over that. Brittany 2). A lot of Brits like to bring up the fact that America is a young country as an insult. However, it's actually something that we're proud of; to be such a young country, yet to also be the most powerful country the world has ever seen. Additionally, the UK sets no standards. Just because we don't have a history as long as the UK's doesn't mean we have no history or traditions at all. 3). Let's not get into stereotypes, especially regarding food. Typical British food is far from being healthy -- not to mention that the fact that many American chains are successful in the UK means you guys like a good cheeseburger yourselves. The US may be the fattest country in the world, but the UK is not far behind, as it's the fattest country in Europe and one of the fattest in the world. Let's not be hypocrites, now. 4). America is \"a bit\" more powerful than England? Now, I'm not one to boast about America, but I can't help but point out that this is a HUGE understatement. America is infinitely more powerful than the Britain. America is more powerful than Britain was even when Britain had an empire and ruled over 1\/3 of the world's population. America has the world's largest economy and the world's most productive workforce. America spends more on its military than the other top 14 countries combined and it accounts for over 40% of the world's military spending. America has an amount of nuclear weapons matched only by Russia. America also has unmatched air and naval capabilities. There is a reason that, despite America's many controversial actions, no country has dared attack it or any of its allies since WWII. 5). Lastly, it's hypocritical of you and some of the other Brits here to attempt to combat ignorant comments by a couple of Americans here with even more ignorant comments and generalizations about more than 300 million Americans. You're just as bad. Brett shadow I have just read that and yeah its pretty much true what you are saying. Comments like crooked teeth or yellow teeth get my back. Every american I have ever spoken to says these stupid comments and its just not what Britain is about I mean you need to take a look at some of the outer edges of London I think you would be in for a shock of how not traditional British it is (not that I am saying it should all be like that). I just think its bad because in schools over here we learn all kinds of history whether its ours or others but America only ever seem to do about there's which basically three things 1. the Boston tea party 2. independence from the British 2. the civil war between the north and south. I think it just makes a lot of Americans unaware of what other countries are about and what they have done and things. I am not normally like this tbh just wanted to write a load of shit down because his comment pissed me off. just got to be proud of what county your from I guess. Also just so I can get this clear, this is not a surrender which I know is something that the Americans do not understand just being nice ha Robert 'America's a bit more powerfull than Britian' a bit of an under statement? Yes it is. America is the most powerfull country on Earth, well yes. It's got the an armed forces equal to the next eighteen countrys. Maybe. But who is it going to fight? Are eighteen plus countrys going to rise up as one and invade America? I don't think so. So why does it feel it needs such a large armed force? If it's armed forces are so superior why is it it's never won a war without aid from it's alies. Every conflict it enter alone as turned out a disaster. It's got the nuclear deterrent. So has a dozen other countrys around the world. Ar but America's got more than them. So? At the hight of the cold war it was estemated that the USA could distroy the world ten to thirty times over and that the USSR could just about equal that. Were as Britain the third largest nuclear power could only distroy the world once with a few missiles to spare. But how many time do you want or need to distroy the world? This vast massed armed force make America more powerfull that the British Empire ever was. Well yes if you want to distroy, but any nuclear power can cliam that. But the Empire wasn't about distroying, it was about building, uniting the world in trade. A trade that made Victorian Britian very rich. Yes. But the unity it formed lives on in the Commonwealth. Commonwealth countrys stand together unity, odd ones drop out now and then, or are expelled, but they are keen to rejoin again. Where's Americas commonwealth? Just about every country America try to subjugate hates America now and is either run by a corrupt dictater or the communist. If that's what it takes to be the most powerfull country you can keep that honour. Brett shadow Nice vent but a little over done. This is how people start on a path that leads to resentment. Yes, the guy had it coming. He was rude and disrespectful. But see now you have moved to attacking everyone in the country even if you didn't mean it and your comments lose their meaning. Yes we speak an American style of English, because that is the language of the people that started our country. Not unlike Australia, Canada, South Africa, and many other countries. But come on don't paint us all with a negative brush. James C coincidence Has it not occurred to anyone that the author of that post might be an Englishman? Even if not, no need to respond -- look where this thread is heading -- to the pits of a YouTube slanging match re. eg. national anthem or military video. Yes, just be a little more wary, ffs, and a little less reactive. It's like throwing a bone into the kennels! :\/ James C coincidence Rory, you reactive prick -- get a hold of yourself and stop foaming, saddo... ChimmyChanga We do have a language... English. We speak with an accent, as do your neighboring Irish and Welsh. Do you act this way to Canadians, South Africans, and Australians? Hardly any of us act in the way you and your fellow haters describe. Really, and you think In ANY WAY YOUR POST is a shining example of what we are. I am ashamed of your post. You are rude, disrespectful and insulting. I hope they ban you from further post. I mean seriously. You piss me off. It was a good article and it was fun. The little differences are what make us unique. Try going to Australia, Canada, even South Africa. They all have their little differences and that makes them charming. And yes I am a 43 year old American male very proud of my country. And to her article I would say England needs more patriotism, they need to be proud of being British. Psage7 Psage7 Posted June 3, 2012 at 11:27 am to: England Blows Balls Really, and you think In ANY WAY YOUR POST is a shining example of what we are. I am ashamed of your post. You are rude, disrespectful and insulting. I hope they ban you from further post. I mean seriously. You piss me off. It was a good article and it was fun. The little differences are what make us unique. Try going to Australia, Canada, even South Africa. They all have their little differences and that makes them charming. And yes I am a 43 year old American male very proud of my country. And to her article I would say England needs more patriotism, they need to be proud of being British Marion Wow you are having a bad day aren't you? I suggest you keep calm and carry on, sit down and have a nice cup of tea and have a crumpet........Asshole! richard At last, in print, the comments of someone with an IQ lower than that of my cat. Lighten up....... the world gets along without any help from you. lainey Are you the epitome of the Ugly American? What a nasty person you are. Ron Cunt! Betty OMG! Go with the humoUr flowing here, Buddy. Get over yerself. Richard Lewis This kind of comment is typical of how I see those Americans that have never left their neighborhood. Rednecks, racists, and Proud to be Ignorant. They fly their flags yet would never consider enlisting or serving their country in any way. They go to church on Sunday mornings and to the Liquour Store that afternoon. They swear, beat, and degrade their spouce but quite quick to deduct them on their taxes. Americans are not all assholes -- but this guy definetely is a Typical American Ass. Ta ta. Olivia Thank you so much for reinforcing the \"ugly American\" Stereotype. Please, don't tell others you're an American. It gives the rest of us a bad name. If you're asked, lie, say your French or something, everyone hates them anyway. LAKate your untrue and grossly offensive commentaty offends me and Im an american citizen. As for Tea & Crumptes nothing better than Earl Grey and little cakes with a bit of cream ete dicks What's been forgotten are: Too many TV ads spoiling any progamme Thinking they are the best Nation in the World Having a completly misunderstanding of their own history (ie the FRENCH won Independance for the 1\/3 of Colonists who actually WANTED it) Thinking Empires are bad, whilst forming their own! etc etc etc ChimmyChanga The last time I checked, we are not invading anything. And we are pulling out of the Middle East in approx. 2 years. Please pull yourself into the news, we are not invading. I do not think that I live in the best nation, as our economy is slowly recovering from being shit, we have a terrible education system, and we have extremely high obesity rates. We are better than a few other countries in some respects, but not better in others. I don't watch TV. I listen to the NPR. Keith Hitchings I only hope you are not English. If you are then you are putting us english to shame. you should go back to the gutter where you belong. Human Being Arguing on the Internet is like the special Olympics....even if you win, you're still retarded. Jean I KNOW!!!! How about referring to the hood (or is it the trunk) of your car as the 'bonnet'. Worse is when I heard 'I'm going over to knock her up'. I've never gotten hot under the collar about our lingual differences but my British step-son-in-law has, rather than laugh about it all. I just about love all things British!!!! York You know it's because the two countrys are so similar, that we feel so at home in each others back yard as it were that we get so hung up on the differences. The Brits 'if only we could get a decent cup of tea' and the Americans 'if only they knew how to make coffee' attitude. What's it matter you're just as likely to get bad tea and coffee in both countrys. That 'I just lov your accent.' is meant as a compliment and by an large British visitors take it as such and are quite flattered by it. But if you've been in the country for sometime and you get it from every other person you meet it get's a little wearing. Putting surnames first; who cares, the person who wrote the above seams to but no body else. It's not as common but it accures in Britain as well. Over zealous waiting staff who clear away your plate before you've got the last spoon full in your mouth. Well I know some Americans who get upset at that. You go out for a quite meal and a chance of polite conversation. You don't want the waiting staff interrupting all the time hustling you through your meal. Sincer cheer, 'have a nice day' When Brits first came across it they were quite taken by it. 'Ho! what nice polite people.' but now they've got use to it. They see the smile is only in the lips not in the eyes. The person saying it no more means it than they'd give you a $100 bill. It's just something they say like do you want frys with that and to Brits that insincerty is worse than surly service. At least that's honest. Over zealous patriotism. There's numerous reasons why Brits are uneasy with that. One they're a little jealous, 'how can Americans be so proud when Britain is best' but they know that's elogical but it still's irritates. They see over zealous patriotism in them selves and fined it disturbing. To much over flag waving they see it as right wing politics, not right of centre but way out nazi right wing, and it disturbs them. They'd love to fly the flag for Britain more often but fear they'd look like fascist if they did and they can't help but be a little suspicious of people that do wave their countries flag at every opportunity. Memories of nineteenthirties Germany. Treating pets like people again it's something they feel guilty of when they do it and are embarrest about. A case of they do protest to much when they get the chance to have a go at others for it. Turkey don't know what the writers problem is. It's a personal taste. You can take it or leave it. Turkey's turkey the world over. Spelling. The British spell according to a words origins, Latin, Saxon, Norman ect and maintain with a degree of authority that they spell correctly. America is a large country and was settled fairly quickly. Civilisation had a job keeping up with the expantion west and education of early settlers children was somewhat of a made do method and some errors slipped in, spelling becoming more phonetic. Pronunciation. Brit tend to pronunce a word as one, the syllables running into one another with no gottle stops or pauses regardless of the length of the word. So they find it strange and a little disconcerting when certain states accests pronunce each syllable in a word as if it was a separate word and give each syllable equal tone. Say in Britain Birmingham is just that one word spoken as one word. Were as in Alabama Birmingham becomes Birm Ing Ham, three small words each said with equal stress which is how Brits teach children to spell but don't expect them to speak like that. That leads on to common thing we have different words for. They tend to be object that didn't excit before the revolotion. The Brits tended to be more traditional and looked to previous language that discribed object that fulfilled a similar function were as Americans discribed the function it surved. So in Britain a pavement being path made of flat stones, because in geology flat stones are know as pavements, and the walkway at the side of a road is made of flat stones also becomes the 'pavement'. But in America it's the walkway at the side of the road so it becomes the 'side walk'. Early stagecoaches the storage for luggage was known as the boot, so Brits call the luggage space on a car the boot. Early american cars didn't have a boot, they hung a cabin trunk on the back so Americans call the luggage space on a car the trunk and so on. Neithers right and neithers wrong . Pants to an American Pants are trousers, to a Brits Pants is short for underpants, Fanny to Americans Fanny is your ass, your backside, to a Brit if it's not a girls name it's a womans genitals so there is scope for unintended embassing confusion. But there's no course to get angry or upset about it, it's just what happens when you're devided, for two hundred years, by the Atlantic Ocean. With modern communications, cheap quick airflights, exchange of films and TV programs, the internet ect theses differances will fade and we'll all spell the same and talk the same, all with the same accent. Will that be a good or a bad thing? Shannon I think these articles are highly entertaining. @ York You hit the nail right on the head ( do we share that saying?) because of the similarities we nit pick the differences. As far as telling people to have a nice day, I do and I really truly mean it. Treating animals like children is creepy no matter what, and those people who do are usually scarred by some emotional trauma, or just nuts. Turkey? That was just funny. Overzealous patriotism is ridiculous no matter what country your from. The spelling is just plain funny, I get a kick out of those differences. I did spend a summer in England and I loved every minute of it. The people were friendly and made me feel welcome. A man started singing Chicago at a pub when he found out where I was from, I laughed along with everyone else. I loved the differences as well as the similarities. We watch a lot of British tv in our house and it is fun to learn all the slang and my daughter is developing skill with all the different dialects. People need to lighten up and not take this stuff so seriously. So what about the ten things Brits do that drive Americans crazy? demelzabunny Oy, people, the plural of \"country\" is \"countrIES,\" not \"countrYS,\" no matter if you're from the UK or the U.S. And that goes for \"terminologIES\" as well, from a previous post: when noun ends w\/a \"y\" and is preceded by a consonant, the \"y\" changes to an \"i\" and you add \"es\" to make it plural. Did you all go to school when you were kids or what? And to the author of the article, I have news for you: adding a \"u\" in the words \"colour,\" \"behaviour\" and the like as the British do is FRENCH! So is calling the letter \"z\" \"zed.\" As is the American pronunciation of \"herb\" and \"fillet.\" So we're all doing froggy stuff. If you haven't had good turkey (it's a talent to know how to prepare it well), you must come join us for our Thanksgiving celebration: my aunt cooks a terrific roast turkey. As far as I know, many British treat their dogs as members of their families, just as many Americans do. It depends on the individual and has NOTHING to do w\/nationality. And lastly, it is a well-established fact that British dentistry leaves much to be desired, and many British do have yucky teeth. I think that in as advanced a place as the UK, there ought to be a push\/general education effort about the advantages of taking care of one's teeth. Poor dental habits and ignorance of the advantages of orthodontia can lead to many illnesses and diseases, not the least of which is heart disease, never mind put a damper on one's love life: yucky teeth can be a real turn-off. Counties_Gal As a Brit living over here for over 20 years I have to say none of these bother me. I do wish I had a dollar for every time someone says \"I love your accent\"! The last name thing is no biggie, it happened a lot in school. I am over here because I want to be. I have adapted because I have chosen this to be my home. I do NOT expect America to BE England. If it bothered me I'd go back to England. I do miss certain British things (sadly mainly some foods!) but I also have embraced a lot of American ways. I feel blessed as I have the best of both worlds. I have not turned my back on England, it is still my country of birth, but America is now my home. There is only one thing that annoys me, when someone asks me if I am from Australia! I understand that is like asking a Canadian what part of America they are from! Richard Bravo, Erica! Who wants to hear some snobby, upper class Oxford accent mispronouncing all the time? We make fun of people in the USA who say Americ-er for America and Africk-er for Africa. Hey, we Yanks won our independence from you blokes lomg ago, then saved your bacon in two world wars so leave us in peace to spell and pronounce words correctly without giving us a superior upturn of the schnozz. Jackie When I first came to the USA in 1971 and heard Americans talk about their \"back yards\", I envisioned their properties to have pathetic bits of concrete behind their houses. To me a yard was paved, (courtyard, Scotland Yard, school yard). When the Americans asked me to described my home, I said it had a large, pretty garden. \"You have a garden?\", they would quip. \"What are you growing?\". \"Well, you know, trees and grass,\" I would reply with a querying look. I'm over it now, but the word 'yard' still doesn't sit well with me. I sell luxury real estate in Honolulu and choose my text carefully. SteveF Sadly, it has been pointed out to me that Brits and Yanks are two people separated by a common language. As an American I can assure you that english in any form is rarely spoken here at all. Jordy It was \"zed\" looong before it was ever \"zee\"...so there Roger I am marrying an American, and moving to Tacoma next year. I may be British, but I agree with Erica. I like American patriotism and the \"service with a smile in stores. My fiancee still picks me up on my \"British\" pronuciation though! I do have to say, Turkey is not tasty! Clarissa @Roger: Small world! My husband's from the Midlands and we happen to live in Tacoma as well. There aren't very many of ya in this little section of the world, I have to say, but think you'll come to really like T-Town Toni Parkland library has some very nice staff from England. They are a little bit outside Tacoma city limits. As for Turkey the only way I'll eat it is in turkey noodle soup with enough pepper juice to drown the flavor. I eat it once or twice a year and then complain for the rest. Lisa My husbands from the West Midlands and I'm from the Kitsap Peninsula! But I'm a PLU alum, so regular visits to T-town are a must!! His favorite is the Red Hot on 6th Ave. I love Tacoma, I really miss living there. Nothing beats the PNW!! expat253 A very small world indeed. I am an Englishman, married to an American, that has lived in the '253? for the past 9 years. I love it, too. Although I can count on one hand the amount of other Brits in the area that I have met, despite constant rumor(see, I adapt!) that there are quite a few of us around. I don't like much red meat in my diet, so any recipe that would call for beef, I used ground turkey instead. I think it tastes just as good. I've been feeding that to my Brit husband for the last 8 years, and I haven't heard him complain yet! Milly After a two-week tour of the U.K., I must agree. Brits cannot cook. It was the worst food...but don't we all know that already. And I felt the Brits and Scots were sour in nature. Polite enough but they definitely seemed unhappy in general. What I enjoyed was less pressure to \"be\" anything, especially done up, made up, dressed up. Robert P'Due Please find your \"Caps lock\" key, press it and never touch it again. After 25 thanks-givings I'm so very tired of the bird. I do agree with you that if it's dry and stringy than it's just been overcooked. I agree with you about the creepy flag thing, though. And the smarmy fake cheer. And the humanizing of pets. I'm sorry, \"humanising\". I'm visiting the U.K. for the first time in the fall. Can't wait to find out if my accent (\"Southern drawl\") is charming or annoying! Erika No worries, they LOVE the southern accent!! I have been over there twice, and hearing the word \"y'all\" was like I was coming from another planet!! Going over there was the complete opposite and I agree with Erica, but I am guilty of a couple of those things.. I mean, who doesn't like a good last name as first AND a good southern double name where they put \"Mary or Anna\" before the name like: \"Anna-Bradley or John-Davis\"!! Gotta love the American\/Southern way of life! Paul I think you meant Autumn, not fall claire blake fall=autumn Dan If your visiting London very few of the people there are British. Anna Have you actually been to anywhere in London outside the tourist spots? Very few people at Piccadilly Circus are British, it's true, but only someone who knew nothing about the place would claim that's true of the rest of the city. Unless you just have a very narrow definition of what constitutes 'British'? Tom Just a guess, but you recently lost your sense of humor. That's like the joke that if you want to meet NY'ers try Florida. david Just heard someone complain that they had to clean the fag butts outside their house. Well whatever floats your boat mate but I'd use a hose pipe, a wire brush and bleach if I was you. jsky2 David, I laughed at your above comment. It is about changes in language over time no matter which country one lives within. My last partner is Australian. As I visited 7 times the country -- not just as a tourist but wishing to see how people live differently (if so) from Americans? I mistakenly made a comment about *rooting* for a sport team. It brought out many laughs which at the time I had no idea what I said had been wrong ( to them). It is as many have said, one has to have a sense of humor or humour as they spell. It takes differences to make the world the unique thing we live in. Sydney My cat neurotically overgrooms herself until she's bald and bleeding in places. If Prozac helps her to quit hurting herself, let her be on Prozac. And \"fillay\" and \"erb\" are how the words are pronounced. It takes a special kind of arrogance to go \"I like this word you've got here, but the pronunciation doesn't match my drapes. I'll still *use* it, because my language hasn't got any words that quite fit the situation like yours does, but I'm going to change it around a bit. Finally, roast turkey is one of life's perfect foods. I don't mind that you don't like it; that means that there's more for me in the world. colin These French words have been in the English language for a thousand years (Norman-French) so of course they are going to change,are we supposed to pronounce all Greek words,Scandinavian,German,Dutch,Latin words all in their respective accents,also Americans are butchering English what could be more arrogant? Tom There are more Americans speaking English than Brits so since we are democracies the correct pronunciation is how we pronounce it. Sorry, but you lose. York As the English have spent two thousand years developing the Language and Americans have only been using it for just over two hundred years that's a bit like a toddler telling it's parents how to talk. America as contribute some to the language and in the future will contribute even more, as will Austalasia, Canada and other English speaking Peoples around the world. Given time it may become the language of the entire planet and nolonger be know as or reconised as English. But that day is not here yet. o.k. first.. if we are discussing forms of goverment, then actually the u.s. is older than jolly england. Let that sink in for a second. Now we mix saxon with norman french, we call this english.. it has been spoken for oh 700 years or so total. for nearly 500 years of that time frame it has been spoken in america. Now certain words are a further mixture of french and english. Proper spelling is a interesting thing. It has changed much in both areas, colour vs color.. this change occured here in the early 1900?s still hasnt in england, and may never, as long as common usage makes the spelling of a word prevelent, then it is correctly spelled. now who's right then, bloody well we both are. Common usage in each region allows us to have different forms in each. Another example.. Shakespheare is generally pronounced these days shakes pear, instead of shaks fear which is how it was most likely pronounced when he was around. Brittany Colin, the fact that those words have been in the English language for a long time doesn't change the fact that countless words in English are either bastardized versions of words from other languages or words that were taken in their entirety from other language and only the pronunciations changed. \"erb\" is the correct way to pronounce \"herb\", as it's a French word, not an English word. Same with \"LEFtenant\" instead of \"LEWtenant\" for \"lieutenant\". Also, Americans are butchering the language? Please don't try to pretend that everyone in England speaks the language properly and\/or in the way that the language was originally spoken. Modern day English people are far from being modern day Shakespeares, and many of you speak broken English. Additionally, what you speak today is virtually unrecognizable as English as it was spoken in England hundreds of years ago. Robert You are partially right and partially very wrong but as you say english is a bastard language it's origins many and varied. All to often what was once universally thought to be the correct pronunciation of a word, because we thought it originated in one culture, turns out to be wrong when historians find evidence of it predating that influence. It as been found that some local dialects that we were brought up to dismiss as bad and slang and poor English are infact closer to the oridginal than modern speech. So we can't dismiss someone because they have an accent. They have an accent because that's how English evolved in their part of the world and some of their words and terms maybe closer to the oridginal than your's. Modern English or to give it it's title 'Received Speech English' is that that what was used by the BBC in the early days of broadcasting and is what we use as a reference point when we want to define the correct pronunciation of a word or the correct syntax of grammar. But that is only to make English more universally understandable and clear. It doesn't make someone who speaks with a New Castle, Birmingham, Yorkshire or West Country dialect a bad English speaker. Or for that matter an English man a better speaker than an American, Candian, Austrialia or anyone else but by the same token it doesn't mean Americans speak better that the English. American English is not more modern as British English is also evolving as well. You only have to listen to recording of speech in Britian in the forties, the fifties, sixties etc to hear how it's changed in one life time. It is however still the language of the English, they gave birth to it whatever the origins of indevidual words maybe, they strung them together and made them into a language. Xander Funny how I always hear Brits talk trash about Americans pronouncing Foyer like it's spelled, instead of Foy-ay. So much for that 'You're not French!' argument, eh? I can't speak for others, but I do try to pronounce foreign words the way they are said in the foreign language. Take, for example, the way Spanish has infiltrated American daily language. I don't pronounce 'quesadilla' as \"kway-sa-dill-a\", as it's phonetically spelled. I say 'kay-sa-di-ya' as it's mean to be said in Spanish. I think it shows respect for the origins of the words to say it properly as it would be said in the home country. Thus, I see no problem with saying 'fill-ay' instead of 'fil-let'. English has been evolving for hundreds of years, and the beauty of our shared language is the ability for it to adapt and add new words. As it was mentioned before, the English went out and colonized the world, and gave\/brought the language to the locals. And now some are getting angry when those 'old colonies' have taken the language and it made it their own? I've got news for you folks that are angry over it: languages evolve. So move on and let's nitpick on other differences. Skip My wife, a northern Brit, tells me that\" you lot don't speak proper like what us does\". I must agree. Pretty Brit The time I heard an American taxi driver yell out to a dawdling pedestrian \"Hey lady -- d'ya wanna fender up yer fanny?\" I almost fainted. As for saying fanny pack in UK, well, forget it -- conversely belly bag or bum bag sounds weird to Americans -- hard to keep it all straight sometimes, or a straight face at least. Yesterday a friend at a picnic told me her uncle had brought cucumbers to a potluck. Cucumbers? I asked, intrigued. Yes, bread and butter, she responded. Bread and butter? I queried, more perplexed than ever. Yes, they were very tasty. Turns out she was talking about pickles ! Xander Pickles are what happens if you PICKLE cucumbers...Hence the name. JillA Gotta agree -- if you don't like roast turkey, you're making it wrong. And that's how we pronounce those words. Hey if there's an article on what drives Americans crazy, can we talk about the floors of buildings starting at 0? But I love ya, Britain. Can't wait to go back. MikeC Floors don't start with \"0? in the UK, they start with \"1?, but, yeah, Brits just don't like turkey, and it way overpriced there. Well seasoned and prepared (there's more to seasoning than salt, you have some great chefs, listen and learn). Besides turkey being a very American bird it has, pound-for-pound more protein than most any other meat, and its low in fat, so it's a very nutritious bird. I wrote a long bit on turkey when I was working in London once and the woman who edited my tiny, in-house newsletter had the same comment, \"Yes, but it's a very dry bird that needs a bit of mustard or something.\" deanna one thing Brits do that drive Americans nuts.......tip poorly!!!!! Ian That's because we expect our service staff to be properly paid Cala Tipping is a good way of ensuring that the wait staff cares about your service. It is not much different than the idea of a commission -- you get paid proportionally for the job that you do. I have been in many establishments in the UK where the servers could have used some incentive to care a little more; and yes, I understand that plates aren't cleared as fast and that you need to be much more forceful about getting the attention of your server as they tend to leave you alone for the most part. Furthermore, the few times I've visited the UK, I've tried to familiarize myself with the tipping customs. I became aware that over-tipping could be considered as an insult as if you were stating that they don't make enough money. In that same vein, I would expect that when Brits come to the States, they would follow the our customs on tipping seeing as our waitstaff generally works on tips alone. Anna I understand that wait staff in the US are paid peanuts and that tips go to make up the difference, but find it hard to shake off the British idea that a tip should be a reward for good service, not 'a good way of ensuring that the wait staff cares about your service'. After all, isn't providing adequate service the bare minimum? Why should we pay more for that? (I should add that I really don't have any problem with giving a good tip when the service has been good, and in my experience so far in the US, it usually is far better and friendlier than in the UK. But when the person serving us is surly or tardy or just uninterested, I do resent being expected to leave 20% of the bill for that.) Britanie I've been a waitress here (in America). I made $2 an hour. So yes, you pretty much live on tips as a waitress. Otherwise I would only make $16 in an eight hour day. It was worse when I worked as a car hop at sonic because people don't generally tip at fast food places and yet I still only made $2 an hour because I was supposedly making tips. (I'm not sure if they have car hops at any places in England but a car hop is a waitress\/waiter that roller skates out to your car with your food and Sonic is a fast food place.) Jen K Gosh, don't we know it? Those of us who have traveled (one L, I'm American, we did it on purpose to annoy you two hundred years ago, doi) really wish there was some kind of cafe culture here in the US but, because our servers work on tips, we can't manage it. So we came up with stupid Starbucks. Shut up, you love it too. And yes! Our family is notoriously bad at cooking turkey but any good restaurant or deli will make it juicy and delicious. You're definitely doing it wrong. MikeC I agree, Ian. It certainly is a different culture of eating out. Spend 2 hours on a proper night out in a restaurant, being served by someone serving 10 tables, seeing your server infrequently and then signalling him\/her at the end for your bill before you leave, or being waited upon by someone who needs to act as your personal slave serving 3 tables, filling your glass every two minutes, asking you if you're enjoying your meal 15 seconds after you've received it, as well as a visit by his supervisor who goes table to table as a quality inspector for his underlings, snatching empty plates, all in hopes that you'll furnish him\/her with 80% of her\/his evening's wages. Its quite different, the way we two approach dining out. JenC Appalling service in U.K. Brits feel service is beneath them. Milly However, you are in the states -- a very different culture. Respect the cultural differences and tip according to custom. By the way, I had a British B&B owner chase me out to the car to make sure I had tipped her cleaning staff upon leaving. Clearly, her pay to staff was not enough. (I had tipped, by the way.) Gilly P I have been in the States nearly 20 years now and just love living here. I enjoy the expectation that you will do everything in your power to be happy and not remain, \"in your place\". I respect that nearly everyone I know is in school to improve themselves, to gain knowledge and self worth. I am frustrated that this is such an amazing country and so few Americans will take the time off work to vacation. We only get two weeks each year and a number of my co-workers do not even take that two measley weeks. I have taken every second of my vacation time and have travelled far and wide with it. The translation thing, I was initially amazed that we even thought we spoke the same language. \"fag breaks\", \"faggots and gravy\", \"chips and crisps\"and what ever is an English muffin? Most alarming was the first time I was told a child was full of \"spunk\" and while I wanted to call child protection the mother was apparently pleased.... that was a confusing conversation. Coffee cake does not taste like coffee and I only drink tea at home since thats where my tea pot lives. Yet if we did not love the differences we would all stay home! MizzEm Coffee cake isn't supposed to taste like coffee, it was created to be consumed WITH coffee, for a breakfast treat or as a morning or afternoon snack. Your teacakes don't taste like tea, either -- and most bear little resemblance at all to any item USAians would call \"cake\"! An English muffin is a small round, flat but thickish (maybe 3-5 cm depending on brand), yeast-raised bread that is cooked on a griddle so that it is browned on both sides. The batter has a high yeast and water content so there are many large holes inside, and is wet enough that it must be confined in a ring on the griddle. They are split and toasted (they are very nasty un-toasted, as the interior is quite mushy), and then can simply be eaten with butter, jam, honey and suchlike toppings, used as one would use toasted bread under things like Welsh rabbit\/rarebit, or as the base for many sandwiches and snacks such as the infamous after-school snack \"English muffin pizza\" (in its most basic form, a toasted English muffin spread with tomato sauce and sprinkled with mozzarella, then baked or even microwaved to melt the cheese). It's a little bit like a crumpet, but less rich and cake-y, and the holes don't go all the way through. Wikipedia says that in some parts of Britain they are called \"bread muffins\"? The object known simply as a \"muffin\" in the USA is a small round cake-like bread leavened with baking powder, similar to a cupcake but not as sweet. On the vacation issue... First, most USAians don't GET paid vacations, and can't afford to take unpaid time off unless there is no other way to avoid it. For those who are lucky enough to get paid vacation time, it's often quite difficult to get it scheduled with one's employer, especially in this period of intentional short-staffing -- \"you can't take two weeks -- or even one whole week -- off, this-this-and-this all need to be done and we need you here to do it\". Many employers would rather have the employees stay on the job and pay them the vacation time as a chunk of cash at the end of the year than have them out of the workplace. If there are multiple working people in the family, it can be a nightmare coordinating time off between the different employers, and if there are children in school, it's even worse. It is Greatly Frowned Upon to remove one's child from school for \"frivolous\" purposes (which is really anything but illness or funerals); parents are expected to do these things on the scheduled school breaks. Unfortunately, there are millions of other parents also trying to do the same thing at the same time (most schools schedule their week-long breaks within the same two-week blocks in February and April -- ditto with college students and their March break), which means that it's even more difficult to get the days off, desirable vacation destinations are swarming with people, prices have gone sky-high to burn the tourists, and travel becomes even more of a nightmare than it already is. In addition, many people have to use up their vacation time a day or half-day at a time for not-fun things like taking care of an ill child or family member, or even for their own sicknesses if they've used up their \"sick days\" allowance. If they're lucky enough to have it. Fewer and fewer jobs have even these minimal benefits, forget the good stuff like healthcare coverage, pensions, and so on. MizzEm I did actually put paragraph breaks in there, but they seem to have been eaten in the posting. My apologies for the single block of text. Casey Wow, you sound like a complete ass. I am sorry that I even read this article. If this is how you feel about the country that is about as close to being you as any other, I would hate to hear what you think about every other country. Lauren Really Casey? Get over yourself. You sound like you could be the poster-child of \"The Ugly American\". Please stay home. Tom Chill out, Casey! As an American I can see exactly how someone from Britain might feel that way. And they are definitely right about our over-zealous patriotism. America isn't exactly the most wonderful country in the world. Don't forget that it was Britain who stood alone against Hitler for a year while we whined about not wanting to get involved in Europe's problems. Marcia I am an American and guess what,,, America reminds me more and more each day as still the Wild West,,,, have to agree we are not too cultured here,,,, but then we are a HUGE country,,,some parts of the country like just seem like another country,,,,ever try to understand an American Southerner,,,,I do not like Republicans. And I am a Socialist 100 per cent,,, and there ARE way too many guns over here,,,. This is a very violent place to live,,,,,, not easy to survive here,.., I am. a second. Generation American. ,,,,Italy and Eastern Europe background and always did wonder how did I end up here. LOL,...but you gotta admit good ole USA bailed your British a$$e$ out big time in WW2 or did you forget and become ungrateful,... And geez where did all your POP CULTURE come from. In the last 50 years,,,, where was all this rock rooted from,,,,, ask Mick Jagger and by the way I can't help it how power hungry and millitristic we are. I am not.,,,,. By the way I treat my cat better than any human. I know. E It's Raymond And there are serious differences in sense of humo(u)r as well, apparently! I can claim to live in the mid-Atlantic, so I'm fairly neutral here. And I think the Scots invented the last name-first name syndrome -- Anderson, Campbell, Maxwell, Farquar, etc. And \"fall\" is an archaic English term from Devon\/Cornwall which fell out of use in the 19th century. itledevill Ex pat living here (USA) for 30 yrs often thought about opening a restaurant and having a truly British meal.. Peas Pudding and Faggots followed by Spotted Dick and Custard and giving a free Fag after every meal Lisa To ITLEDEVILL, What a great idea, please open the restaurant in New Jersey. i will be your first customer MizzEm I saw Spotted Dick *in tins* in the supermarket just the other day, right next to boxes of Bird's custard mix. The stock clerk did not understand why I was laughing. (And I'd do any number of bad things for some decent bangers and finnan haddie and a meat pie...) davemorris What's wrong with pronouncing French words correctly? You Brits forget which country backed us in our war of independence. Richard The problem is that you are not spelling OR pronouncing this word correctly. The French spell this word \"herbe\" and when they speak it they drop the \"h\" and pronounce the rest of it something like \"airb\". You are not doing this. You are simply hacking off the \"h\" and pronouncing the rest of it something like \"urb\" as in \"curb\". This is an Americanism. People use it not because it's accurate but because they think they sound clever saying it. They don't, they just sound irritating. As Eddie Izzard said \"You say \"erb\" ... and we say \"herb\" .... because there's an effing \"h\" in it! sue Exactly! dw \"erb\" is actually the original British pronunciation. \"herb\" was like \"hour\" or \"heir\", beginning with a silent H. ANN HERB (ERB ) IS A SPICE..... HERB IS MY UNCLE spittingkitty Oh, okay. You say \"herb\" because there's an \"h\" in it? So you continue to spell words with a \"u\" that serves no purpose because... People don't pronounce it \"erb\" because they think they sound clever, you pompous dog's behind. They say it because that is how we are taught to say it. Paul I'd say that the American dropping of the h in herb has less to do with an attempt to render its pronunciation more faithfully to the original French word than with a general American tendency to drop the h in certain words. I think Americans are more likely to say an hotel than a hotel, for example. But British people, I think, say an historian -- at least that's how it's often pronounced on BBC radio and printed (with an as opposed to a) in British newspapers. And, after all, none of us pronounces the h in hour, another word from French. I know it's tongue in cheek but the argument against using z in the suffix -ise\/-ize is incoherent. The s is voiced and thus pronounced as \/z\/, which is why Americans spell it the way they do, with the exception of the word exercise. On the subject of u, my Latin teacher never tired of telling the class that American omission of the letter kept the word more in line with the original Latin word from which it derived. Btw, the author should be aware that the Oxford dictionary now uses -ize as its default spelling, informing the reader in a parenthetical note that -ise is an Anglicism. JillA No, we're saying it that way because we're taught in school to pronounce it that way. And believe me, it makes no sense to us when we learn it, but that is our formal pronunciation. It has nothing to do with pretension, at least not this many generations later. Layla Ive lived in America all my life and most of my family lives in England and I'm from Tennessee and I agree saying y'all there is like being from another planet but saying all those things about us make britts look like asses when they're really not and if I had to choose who had the accent it would be the British they don't pronounce the whole word look Instead of saying hi how are you they say hi how ah' youw boom see Americans can say there r's Duane I'm an American and I live in Hawaii, the only state in the US that includes the Union Jack in our flag. Knowing something about tea culture, I understand how it may irritate some Brits when they ask for hot tea in an American restaurant and it comes served with lemon, instead of milk. Cobber I say never go to a country that doesnt enjoy vegemite or Coopers Sparkling Ale. I do not understand why you need to tip people it the US, particularly when their service is rude and they have a distinct lack of manners. Savannah It's because, since tips are expected, employers are able to get away with paying waiters less than minimum wage so they live off their tips. A normal tip is 15%. If the service is particularly bad, pay less. It better be pretty terrible for you not to tip at all, though. Tom Service rude in the US? You are joking right? The best service I ever had in Britain was still worse than the drunk cashier at McDonalds in Times Square. JenC You are right not to travel. It is not for you. Stay home and be happy. Michelle Lewis Ruth, great piece! T was right, you did make a funny. It made me laugh to read the comments from Americans who got defensive about turkey and flags and pronunciation. And somebody ALWAYS has to bring the French into it. Hope you guys are both well across the pond, I had a good trip to Philly last week, but was baffled by the sheer amount of choice in restaurants. Nothing like being a stranger in your own country. x Scott \"Two nations divided by a common language...\" As for \"Things that drive Americans nuts\" how about the fact that the Brits have accents on their speech that make them mutually unintelligible? I will never forget getting lost in London while looking for the American Express office. I asked a very kind woman in an apothecary shop for directions, and she brightly said, \"OW! Iss easy, luv. Ya gow dun 'ere pass sum poles, tike a lef', go trey blokes, tike anudder lef' an' iss rot dare!\" I ended up at the American Express CORPORATE offices, two blocks away from the customer services office, because I couldn't understand that \"sum poles\" was actually \"Saint Paul's\" -- so, instead of making a \"lef'\" at Saint Paul's Cathedral, I went an additional two blocks and turned \"lef\" at a large scaffold which I figured is what she meant by \"sum poles\". In \"the Colonies\" we have accents as well, but -- even in the deep South, or the most hard-core areas of South Boston -- they aren't so far removed from the common tongue as to be unintelligible. I'm originally from the State of Nebraska, where we have a flat (almost nasal) generic accent. Part of my family is from Bayou country in Louisiana, where the Cajun accent is thick enough to stop a bullet. But whichever part of the family I'm with, I still carry on a fully understandable conversation. In England, I couldn't make it from Piccadilly to Queen Anne's College without a translator! Gods help me when I took a weekender to Wales, where my maternal grandfather was born. Still, despite all the \"foreign\" languages in England, the month I spent there was wonderful. The only problem is that I'm an unconscious mimic. I came home to the States with an East-Ender's accent -- now imagine the fun my cousins in Louisiana had with THAT! Savannah I must object. My mom's family is also from the bayou and it took my dad *years* to figure out what they were saying with some confidence. sue Scott -- I see, or rather, hear, the accent thing in reverse. I'm from southern England. When I worked in a hospital in Georgia, I sometimes really couldn't understand the strong, southern accent some rural patients had, and needed to ask a local person to translate. On the other hand, and this I found incredulous at the time, some of the locals couldn't understand me! I realised that it's all about what you grew up with as your \"norm\". I've also worked with \"Geordies\" from Newcastle who speak what might as well be a foreign language to me! Each of us thinks it's everyone else who has the accent! claire LOL Carol Kayye lol I'm British born and an American citizen and I just love your comments Carol Kayye lol I'm British born and an American citizen and I just love your comments I also spent some time in Scotland near St Andrews and was very bemused thinking the local b and b landlord was talking about ducks when he was actually telling us about local pubs Sk Almost as funny as the one million things Brits have up their arises 36arbiter the classic ,deep American male voice,for example,Michael Ironside,james earl jones,is,it has to be said,the absolute bollocks.it is the sound of leadership,strength and courage.in stark contrast,American women seem to be desperately trying to see who can sound the most like an unmuffled 50cc two-stoke on tickover. The \"fanny\" definition is a funny bit of business. It brings to mind a summer visit from an 18 year old Brit friend. She sat on a leather car seat that had been backing in the sun and jumped up immediately. \"What's the matter, did you burn your fanny?\" asked my mother in all innocence. My friend turned 6 shades of red, and it wasn't from the car seat! I agree about the overzealous patriotism. We're fortunate to have been born here, or immigrated to this country. So Americans, be pleased and feel fortunate, but remember \"pride\" goes before a fall (and I don\"t mean autumn). sarah Dave -- why do Americans insist on bringing up the war of independence all the time? living as a Brit in the US I am constantly subject to comments such as \"here come the red coats\" or \" i guess you dont participate in 4th July celebrations\". Are you guys not over it yet? May I remind you this was over two centuries ago and even then no one in Britain was bothered except for the king! please find some new insults, it's old.... 1783 old. but then I guess it could be something to do with your lack of your history. p.s I love your country, this is just one thing that drives me nuts! Brittany Lack of history? Just because our history is not as long as the UK's does not mean we don't have a history. How arrogant. Also, it's an event that stands out to us because it was when America became a nation. Naturally, it's a big deal to us. We don't care if you don't care. We do! If you're a Brit living here, it's just something you'll have to endure. demelzabunny Yes, don't forget the American War of Independence was a highly unpopular war w\/the majority of the British populace, because is dangerously drained the gov't coffers. Jess Funniest thing I ever read. I live in Miami (if you can call Miami the USA) and enjoyed every one of the points on the list. Especially taking my plate away too soon! Vince Tucker I can't believe their backwards dates were not in the top ten ! demelzabunny Most countries of the world write their dates day\/month\/year; it is we Americans who are bucking the trend (just as we refuse to join the rest of the world using metric measurements). Yep! spelling words the wrong way makes a person look like they never got past the 4th gradeVERY annoying. apple The funny thing is if you click on the other link- 10 things that americans hate about brits, you will see that its written by the same BRITISH author . So its all heavily biased towards the brits (shocker) yet we are supposed to believe it is the counterattack to her first article. It is clear that she is yet another socialist european who is bitter towards americans because she is jealous. Im sorry, since when is CUSTOMER SERVICE considered a bad thing. In the UK there is zero service. In fact, I find myself having to kiss up TO the service if I even want a CHANCE of getting anything. No one will go out of their way to help you, unless you are at an american company. The other day a friend of mine was told by the manager of a restaurant in london \"this is not america, here the customer is always WRONG, we don't care if you are unhappy.. you can leave\" this is TYPICAL in the UK second, no one says fanny anymore.. you are clearly out of the loop third, americans are friendly fourth, brits like yourself are hypocritical and pretentious... \"get yourself a socialist president\" -- my response to that: a) we already have one b) its sickening how many brits like you are so quick to label, stereotype, and judge and then pretend yourself to be liberal and socially conscious etc... how does that mesh with the fact that, as you just admitted, you barely look at a stranger on the street- if they say hello to you you give them a look like you feel violated.... the average brit (much less the well-off brit) is classist and pretentious -- its ironic that you call out americans for being proud... isn't that better than being a snob and looking down on people who don't have as much money or didn't go to a fancy school? Do you know how many times since I have moved here I have heard the word \"working- class\" or \"elite\" used to describe a group of people? That would never happen in america. Get over it, you may have a kindg and queen but its 2012. Re: your comment about the service: Aside from the fact that it was ridiculous to pretend over service is better than crap service... how about the fact that over in England you treat anyone in a \"service\" capacity as if they are beneath you? Also something that makes me sick I could go on but Ill stop at that. next time try having an American to write the counter piece.... might help your credibility Robert Touched a nerve there. It's only a bit of fun, see if the stero types still fit anymore. Are the Brits still regarded as stand offish, proud of the empire, stiff upperlip elitis snobs and are the Americans still regarded as loud loutish, ignorant we won the war, the world owes us, slobs. No! but some stero types do persist and having fun with them, bursting the bubble of pomposity, help dispell them. Lighten up. roscoe three cheers or englaand Paul Wow! Having a bad day? The piece is meant to be humorous. Btw, if you think Obama is a socialist, then you've been watching way too much Fox for your own good! Tom Obama a socialist president? Ha ha! Obama is too far to the right to be a conservative in Britain. Dee Robles We don't have to leave the states to hear about our accents, from one state to another and your nailed. I'm from NYC, moved up state and forever hearing 'you're from the city aren't you?, I can tell by your accent. In the 80?s I was in California, \"oh, you're from NYC, I'm so sorry for you, no one LIVES there, they just exist\". This from people who'd pontificate endlessly every time I ordered white bread or sugar. Needless to say, they were sorry, NEW YORK CITY STYLE for trying to tell me what to eat! In Louisiana, I was a \"Yank\", so you don't have to cross the \"pond\" for accents, just cross a street. Love my Life:) Grant I agree with turkey not being appetizing. I don't agree that Americans are spelling\/pronouncing words wrong. That's just false British hubris talking. Language is an ever-changing form, and \"original English\" would be Old English that no one even uses anymore. Much of the country in this scientific age still believes in the literate truth of Genesis 1, and equates Darwin with Satan. The pervasive self-promoted pseudo-authority; and general distrust of anything intellectual The preoccupation with race. Having a handgun to \"defend\" yourself from someone with another handgun, whose sole purpose is to kill your fellow man, is somehow considered a divine right. Meanwhile, a million Americans have died of shooting since 1962. And yet, meaningful discussion is nigh impossible. But there are a great number of things that are right. demelzabunny Right on all counts! SporkLover I didn't realize the UK was so ethnocentric. I consider these things (and the reverse for American observations of Brits) to be the fun differences to explore and observe.... Certainly not bothered by it though. Maybe this falls into the endless sincere cheer. If your turkey is crap then you're making it wrong. But not surprised a Brit that isn't Gordon Ramsay or Nigella Lawson wouldn't know how to cook a decent tasting turkey. This is how you do it: Get a pound of pancetta or bacon, chop it up fine in a food processor with some good full fat European style butter, sea salt, garlic and sage. Rub the concoction under the skin all over -- not just the breast, wrap it up tight, put it in the fridge and let it sit over night. Roast the turkey with nothing but an onion and some herbs in the cavity atop a mirepoix (pronounced meer-pwaa) -- carrots, leeks, celery. Baste with melted butter mixed with white wine. And for God sakes, don't overcook it...take it out for a rest when the temp hits 160-165. Now, as an American, I will agree with you on every other item you list besides turkey and....the whole silly name thing. Really? You Brits have no room to talk, just ask Peaches Geldof. England Sucks This article really just outlines what is so shitty about England. Adding 'u' to words, are you kidding me? We progressed, our language is more advanced end of story.... This is why America is better than your shitty royalty-centered shitstain of a country Lisa HEY you SUCK Dan Your funny -- as American you might have to learn english comedy to appreciate my comment there. Tex Don't hold back 'ENGLAND SUCKS' let it out, let the world know all your xenophobic prejudices, let the world laugh and confirm it's belief that Americans are small minded racists. Daws Not excusing what ENGLAND SUCKS said at the end there. But what the heck did racism and xenophobia have to do with anything he said? Unless you think \"British\" is it's own race... which of course would make you way more divisive than us, and thus sort of undoes your own statement. Carol Kayye wow you are really taking this to heart haha demelzabunny Nasty comment, to be sure, but I do personally agree that the royal family (whose really last name is Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderberg-Beck-Gluck\\\\... by the way; sound German?) are a bunch of overindulged parasites. And this is in no way meant to disparage those from among them who conduct themselves w\/dignity (a minority, to be sure). j I would say that it is people like this that drive brits, and indeed the rest of the world, nuts. The only thing he forgot to add was his, no doubt, customary 'America Rulez'. Anyway, regarding the list. As a brit I do find the butchering of the english language a pet peeve. And the pronunciation of z as zee. Being english, running through our psyche we have this assumption that we are God's chosen people. Its quite harmless I assure you, but it leads to an instinctive assumption that we are...., for the lack of a better term, better than everyone else. Again, its not as bad as it sounds. But when our language is changed it leaves you with a feeling akin to somebody walking into your front room, putting on your slippers and sitting in your arm chair. I think we still have somewhat of an empire attitude. Regarding patriotism, we dont do it over here. Maybe its the fact that we have had more time as a nation to grow and mature and are more comfortable with our place in the world. Maybe it has to do with the self depreciation that runs through the british way of life. We love our country for sure, we realise how lucky we are living here and when we are gone we pine to return.., yet we love a good moan about this place. One of the quirks that makes us us i suppose. But i digress. Personally, every American i've ever met has been warm, friendly and utterly contrary to the picture painted of them in stereotype. One thing i find odd though is the need for melted cheese on so many different foods? Robert It's not that either the US or the UK way of doing things is the right or the wrong way or the better way of doing anything. It's the way you're brought up and what you're lead to beleave. You tend to beleave that the way you were taught from a child is the correct way and any other ways are strange and alian and open for mocking so what seams natural to you can appear weird to someone else. You can find differences in families. I've visited families that I thought had strange ways of doing things and visitors have point out things we do different to them. What's good is that we accept our differances and find friendly humour in the confusion that may arrise from them. 36arbiter wow! that's the spelling equivalent of the st.Valentines day massacre.I cant stop laughing.I would like to broach,if I may,two questions.will Disney ever concieve an original story?,and,will Fox ever report on a subject other than food?. Lee Crain Your comment: \"Their over-zealous patriotism\" My ancestors came from England, escaping the religious zealots and Bishop Wren. That was 1626. We haven't spelled color with a u since then. My other ancestors were already here, maybe as long as 10,000 years. I have no idea what they were running from. I have often mused that if those ancestors had been better armed, and had better communication, we might not be in the mess we're in today. Robert Lee Crain it's a common miss conception that the early settlers came to America to escape religious persecution when in fact the reverse was true. They left because they felt the state was getting to liberal and tolerant allowing tomany different ideas of religion. They wanted somewhere they could be isolated, to practice their beliefs, away from the corrupting influences of opposing ideologies. So if anyone was intolerant and zealot it was the early settlers not the country they left. Tom Absolutely true. Anyone who wasn't a Puritan found themselves kicked out. That is how Rhode Island ended up getting settled. The Puritans believed in freedom of religion only for themselves. rehabber We already have a socialist president that is trying to turn us into Europe. Enjoyed the article, thanks goodness for differences. Tom Turn us into Europe! If only we were that lucky. Daws Oh god....Brits, you can take this one. Please. Jayson I would have to admit that some of these items are legitimate, but some are either examples of extreme nit-picking, or they simply are not so, as is the case with the supposed 'fanny' usage (someone else noted this as well). I for one love British culture, though it must be said that the UK has changed dramatically from how most Americans think of it. One need only reference their less-than-freedom-loving laws, their embrace of multiculturalism and the riots of last summer, to name a few. And in reference to your number 9, we do indeed (I'm rather fond of the word actually) have a socialist president, or if you prefer, a Marxist. However, perhaps this is relative to what they are used to in the UK and Europe. Cizzarries Hell....Having differences is what makes the world interesting. There's already been a lot of changes in the way people dress so that theres a lot of commonality. It'd be a damn boring world if everyone started to look, sound, and act like so many of the movies and tv shows from the west. george God what pretension!! Get over yourself. You dont like last names first? How about your habit of ignoring first names and calling everyone by their last name. You dont like turkey? Every one with a brain knows turkey is just an excuse to eat gravy. And to top it off you have a lot of damn gall telling any country their food sucks. English food? There is an oxymoron for you. Friendly service? I have had all the surly assholes I need waiting on me on Britrail. They are more mean and nasty than the French. Patriotism? Well we did win the war against you. TWICE! And then we had to come over there and keep the Germans from invading. And last but not least your women are the uglyest on the planet. roscoe three cheers for england Cizzarries So I take it you're a writer for greeting cards right? Never been to England myself, but as an American trucker who get's all over the lower 48.....We don't have much room for pointing at other countries bad behavior.....We have the bad behavior market in aces..... Tom Your history of WWII is a little messed up. The British stood against Hitler for a year alone. It was the USSR that defeated Germany. Ever hear of Stalingrad? York Tom your a little out there. At the beginng of the war Hitler and Stalin had a none aggression packed which Hitler didn't break until Gorring lost the Battle of Britain. So from the fall of France until Operation Barbarrossa Britain stood alone, as the only combatant nation opossed to the Nazi's, for over a year. When Gorring lost the Battle of Britain Hitler ordered the invation of the USSR to distract Germans from the defeat they'd suffered against British and he took the Soviets tolally off gaurd and drove them back almost to Moscow but he didn't allow for the Russian winter, got bogged down in the snows, his troops weren't equipt for the cold and in the spring they were still bogged down in the mud of the thaw. This gave Britain and it's allies chance to ship in supplies to the Russian Army and for the Russian Industry to manufacture vast quanties of T34 Tanks so the Russians could mount a counter attack. Stalingrad was a side show. Stupidity on both sides. It served no purpose other than to waste lives and equipement on both sides. The main body of German advance went round and bypast it all to geather. It was Stalins vanity that he ordered the troops within the city to fight to the last man and the last bullet to protect the city that bore his name. Likewise when the tide of war changed and the Red Army came to take Stalingrad back Hitler gave the same order to his troops in the city. The main defeat the germans suffered and turned the war infavour of the soviets was the tank battle at Kirsk. The Soviets had rows and rows and even more rows of tanks going back miles across the Russian Steps. The Germans would fight through one line of tanks and there was another waiting for them and behind them another and behind and so on. It was, and probably still is, the largest tank battle ever fought. But Hitlers first defeat was against the British and Britain did stand alone, with aid from America and the Commonwealth in the form of liberty ships bring much appreciated supplies, for a year. demelzabunny The comparative form of \"mean\" is \"meanER,\" not \"more mean,\" and the comparative form of \"nasty\" is \"nastIER,\" not \"more nasty.\" And the superlative form of \"ugly\" is \"uglIEST.\" Learn to spell, I don't care where you're from!!! Matt I'm an American and 2, 4, and 6 drive me crazy too. However, there is a tradition in the south to give the first son the mother's maiden name as a first name. If that is the last name you use as a first name, you get a pass. dxtran I'm an American who has visited the UK three times, and some of the things that bother the author about the U.S. bother me, too, such as the chest-pounding patriotism and the use of surnames as first names (especially for girls -- when you call your daughter \"Taylor\" or \"McKenzie,\" does it mean that you really wanted a boy?), but there are things that bother me about the UK, too, such as the ridiculously high charges at laundromats. What's this with 2.85 to wash and 1 per 12 minutes to dry? At home I pay $1.25 to wash and $1.25 for 45 minutes of drying. The way your intercity trains are priced is as crazy as the way airlines price their tickets. London to Bath at 9 on a prepaid ticket and 46 on same-day fare? Oh, but do you know what really bothers me about my fellow Americans? The fact that so many of them toss around phrases and lame jokes that they hear on political talk radio without understanding what they mean. I see a couple of examples in this column. Suunto My wife is British; we've been married 17 years and still occasionally find ourselves chuckling about differences between British and American English. She likes turkey (locally farm-raised) and I like marmite; not to mention clotted cream and real ales. About every other year, we pop over to England to visit her family and have a great time. Carol Kayye ow can you like marmite or even bovril Tom I'd have to agree with the over pronunciation complaint. For example, \"Computers are my strong point or forte'\". This comes from a strong hope for Americans to sound so sophisticated and French that they are mispronouncing an old English word! The traditional pronounciation is \"fort\" like Fort Benning, or Fort Knox. It means strong position, like a....FORT! For any Francophiles out there, I'm told the French pronounce it with a silent 'e' as well. Please correct if I am wrong. Not all English pronunciation is perfect either. We pronounce \"school\" as \"skool\" and so do you. Why then is \"schedule\" pronounced \"shedule\"? How about some English consistency? Either pronounce it \"shool\" or pronounce it \"skedule\". As for Turkey, I'm American, 52 and have had it cooked many ways, but 95% of the time it's pretty dry and tasteless. That's why God invented gravy! But then again, English cooking has never floated my boat either. Boiled pig's knuckles? Really? Other than fish and chips, what noteworthy food item has come from England? And your beer? Yes most American beer has been designed so that we can drink casks of the stuff and not feel full. This is due to the fact that most of our large cities sit at or below the latitude or Rome. American beer has been made to be an alcoholic version of lemonade. As for your beer or ale, your water is so rotten that you literally have to burn the hops just to get the yeast to ferment. What's left is a brew more akin to your peat bogs than to any libations from the Pilsner region of the Czech Republic (where modern beer was first brewed.) The one point that I will always love about England is the wry and yet crazy sense of humor. I was raised on Monte Python reruns on PBS. I rented the DVDs from whence my children learned. In my opinion, telling someone off in a way that leaves them thinking you just gave them a compliment is the height of good humor. It's also much more fun than \"Oh yah, so's your mother!\" Robert You're tap dancing on quick sand trying to fathom vagarys of the spelling within the English Language. What you have to remember is English is a mongrel language, it's origins are many, from the Ancient Britains, through latin from the Roman occupation, then the Norse and the Saxon to the Norman invation. Since then words taken from the French, the Dutch, the Spanish and the Germans. New words made by combining Latin and Greek. Then there's words imported from the Empire, India, Africa, China, aboriginal words from Australasia and yes even the Americas. English is almost as diverse as language it's self so rules of spelling don't work when so many words have different origins. Ho and by the way the abbreviation of mathematics is Maths (plural) not Math (singular) you can't do anything with one unit you need at least two. So to say 'I'm going to do my math homework' or 'Do the math' doesn't make sence. demelzabunny Oy, this is atrocious!!! Regardez: - ITS without an apostrophe for possession -\"there ARE words\", not \"there'S words\" - \"it's self?\" Come on!!! ITSELF. You probably think there's a possessive pronoun spelled \"hisself!\" Jeepers!!! If the Grammar\/Spelling Police every got a hold of you all, you'd all be hauled off to the Old Bailey. Dan I'm English and I pronounce it skedule, if English people don't they have picked it up from tv. York Tom Your comments on beer, you know not what you speak, as is the case of most Americans when they talk of beer. For a start American beer and German and French is not strictly beer. That is not a critisism it's a technicality. In beers the sediment floats on the surface and is skimed off before barrelling. American uses the German (as do the French) method of deep sedimentation where it's left at the bottom of the vat. These are know as Ales and when stored to age slightly are Largers. Now Ales and Largers are pasturised so they will keep but this means they are dead and fizzy but also means you can chill them for a refreshing hot summer drink. Beer on the other hand tends to be darker in colour, have a higher gravity and if traditional,(some modern beers are not) unpasturised, so doesn't keep as long or travel well, because it alive and as to be kept at a constant temprature which is cool but not cold. So American servicemen stationed in Britian and used to chilled American Ales moaned about warm British Beer. But they where just showing their ignorance. If they'd asked for a cold larger they'd have got something more like what were used to. But many dispite their ignorance and prejudice got a taste for British beer, some didn't. Ho! and the largest brewery in Britian is Bass at Burton on Trent and it's owned by Coors but theres still plenty of smaller british own breweries and there's hundreds of varieties of different beers each and everyone different. Daws Have to nitpick, what makes a beer is more than that, it's more about what they're made with and how, not what you do with it after. Lagers and Ales then are just subsets of beer. Of course it might just be a difference in how our cultures categorize things. Here, what you describe as a beer sounds like what we'd call a stout, maybe a porter? Which of course to us are just other subsets or kinds of beer. YORK Doesn't matter what you call it or caterories it as. What matters is there is a difference between beers brewed in different places according to the local custom and to judge one beer that you are not familiar with, by comparing it with one that you are, when the two are totally different beverages, shows a lact of understanding, an intolerance to the unfamiliar and a resitance to new experiences. You wouldn't compare a whisky to brandy yet they are both spirits. You may say you prefer one to the other or that one is not to your liking. You might even say you can't stand the taste of one. But you don't say that one is rubbish, shit, foal, discusting, when you know that many people would disagree and take offence. It's all a matter of taste and if it's to your taste so be it but you don't have to insult people to make your point. Butch Knouse As far as accents, Americans have a great variety among themselves. In WWII, there was a ship that was crewed by Louisiana Cajuns. They were assigned a Captain from Boston. They literally couldn't understand each other. Finally, they brought in an officer from Iowa, to translate between the Captain and the crew. Butch Knouse About half of the things on the list bug me too, and I'm American. New York was mentioned. A New Yorker opened a pizza parlor in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He said in an newspaper article that he expected his customers to eat his pizza \"New York style\", which is, fold the slice in half, with toppings inside, and then eat it. Sorry, I'd rather taste the toppings. New Yorkers are like that. If anything or anybody is big in NY, they assume that this is a nationwide trend. Anglofile You been waiting a long time to vent about that pizza hey? Hope you can breathe a little better now. Robert Interesting note about pizza. The Brits picked up the love of pizza from the Americans. The Americans adopted it from the Italians. However the best selling ready made pizza bases, in Italy, are imported frozen from England. Carol Kayye I thought pizza was swedish robert izza as we know it goes back to naples, italy. However without the poison fruit, from the americas it would be quite a different thing. YORK BUTCH KNOUSE says he can not taste the topping if he folds his New York style pizza. As he tried chewing it? demelzabunny I beg to differ, sir. \"New York Style\" pizza means that it has a relatively thin crust, as opposed to Chicago deep dish. I'm from New York and neither I nor the vast majority of New Yorkers I know eat their pizza the way you describe. Only ignorant prols eat their pizza that way! Humph! Why don't you actually ask the pizzeria owner what he means by New York style pizza instead of inventing your own ill-informed interpretations? Rich R America and Britain -- two countries separated by a common language! Emma As a Brit living in the U.S. I agree completely with everything on this list, had a good laugh at a lot of them. Quite agree with the language thing, if you want to change it fine, but don't bloody well call it English, drives me nuts. As for all the defensive, arrogant, American responses, its people like you that have me counting the days till I move back to Europe. This was meant as a joke, a few differences that Brits find annoying about Americans, LAUGH at it for goodness sake, and stop taking yourselves so seriously, no one else does! surrey I'm English through and through, though I've lived in the USA for 20 years. There's some truth in both sides of these arguments, from both sides of the pond. Folks need to keep a sense of humour! However ... Turkey is only dry if not cooked properly. I love it! I'm sick of hearing the US et al insulting British food. It irritates the hell out of me to be referred to as \"you guys\" in a restaurant, by a waiter less than half my age, however friendly and efficient that person is! (I will still tip well though... ) Have a nice day... demelzabunny I'm American, and I agree w\/the \"you guys\" thing; it's pretty annoying. And: I actually like British food! Esp. the oatmeal, tea and jam. It may not be haute cuisine, but it's pretty darn good. Linda Today in Port Isaac, Cornwall, I saw a lady pushing a spaniel in a stroller. So much for Americans being the only ones to treat their dogs like babies. When I asked her politely if the dog were ill or hurt, she said that the dog was elderly and couldn't manage the ups and downs of the harbor. The dog had my sympathies. I was having trouble with the slopes myself! Tom Burns As a frequent listener to the venerable BBC 3, I am always amused how they pronounce the name of Debussy. Many Americans follow the French pronunciation. And I won't bring up what they do to the names of American jazz musicians and composers, but I am a loyal radio 3 listener and let music does the talking. Cheers spittingkitty Brits eat pancakes for dinner and steak & kidney pie and you're going to take issue with turkey? Robert Brits don't eat pancakes all that much, well not nearly as much as the Americans, they do have them on occasion yes at no specific time or meal, just as the mood takes them. It is however traditional to have them on Shrove Tuesday the last day before Lent. What's wrong with Steak and Kidney Pie? It tastes beautiful, Golden shortcrust pastry, cubes of succulent steak, pieces of kidney in rich thick gravy with potatoes and vegitables of choice. What's not to like? When you think of some of the things Americans call food. As for turkey; I love it, even when it is dry, Turkey at Chistmas, Thanksgiving, turkey and stuffin sandwiches, cold turkey salad, turkey curry........ Grits; now who thought that was food? demelzabunny I could eat pancakes for brekkie, lunch and dinner! Gayle Chawa While I respect the author's right to her opinion. and even agree with a couple of them, I just wanted to say that it is bad form to criticize someone when you are visiting their home. xinunus What an arrogant piece this is. Brits are idiots and whining babies and this piece proves it. I am boycotting the BBC. Anyone that thinks that having a Socialist President is a good thing is living in a hole in the ground. That is why the US economy is in the tank, WE HAVE A Socialist President you idiot, His name is Obama. 'THE BBC CAN GO TO HELL' it's already been and got the documentary footage, where was Fox News or Sky? demelzabunny If only our country were MORE socialist; there would be much less inequity in all spheres of life. Mary I totally agree with everything, how refreshing it is for somebody to be totally honest about how they feel. Some of the comments are good and bad but the one from England Blow Balls is disgusting language and this should be removed. I do wish they would not say ass, it's arse, get it right!! Rob S. Can't believe nobody (as far as I read) mentioned fried turkey. All of y'all are doing it wrong. I've spent a week in Glasgow and a day in London. Everybody my partner and I encountered were very nice. The shopkeepers in Glasgow were interested in where we were from and why we weren't staying longer. Would give anything to go back. BTW, it's SOCCER. Football comes on Saturday and Sunday afternoons in the fall and winter. Rob S. Oh, I'm trying to work in \"Cheers!\" more and more. Jeremy Branham Some of these are funny to read. However, I disagree on some of these. There are two that stick out to me -- turkey and patriotism. If all you've ever eaten is dry turkey then whoever is serving it to you doesn't know how to cook it. Turkey is DELICIOUS!!!!!! I could eat one every day. Find someone who knows how to cook it and eat it when it is moist. YUMMY!!! I am not a flag waving American who flaunts my patriotism in the face of others. As a traveler, I like and respect other cultures and countries. There are many things that other countries do that I wish Americans would do. When traveling, I often shake my head at the behavior of some Americans. With that said, there is something about patriotism here that I don't think you get. We were a country that came from other nations. We've forged our own identity and have had to fight to establish who we are. Honestly, it's not an arrogance thing but there is something about being an American that is different in terms of our patriotism. It DOES NOT make us better than any other country. However, there is something about our patriotism that is hard to put into words. And honestly, I am quite the Anglophile. I watch British TV shows, long for the UK, and love so much of the culture. Yet I am still proud to be an American. I guess it's hard to explain unless you grew up here. 36arbiter America sucks,Britain blows.dream team. Joseph I agree with Jeremy, turkey is delicious (of course, when cooked properly). One thing that annoys me to no end is the overuse of \"cute\" Robert Joseph the over uses of \"cute\" is just a passing phase, like 'sweeet' 'sic' and 'cool' they'll go the way of ' rad' 'noway' and 'respec' @Seanjacko I don't usually post, and so long down the list, no one will see it anyway. BUT. Points 8 & 9 are at serious odds with one another. To complain about the ewe and the zed, and then reel about pretentious pronunciation displays a classic piece of misinformed British snobbery. I have tried stamping this out. I want the zed back in English English and I'm glad that it appears to be happening. It's only pointless snobbery keeping it out. We only started uses esses in the ealry 20th century becasue we fell out with America and wanted to be seen as more sophisticated and European, like the French, so bingo, esses instead of zeds, and a shit load of pointless Us inserted all over the shoppe. demelzabunny Here, here! 36arbiter There is something that I would like to point out to any Americans that are not familliar with the history of the British isles.the U.K. is made up of four nations.wales,scotland,northen ireland and england.the welsh and scots are the indigenous peoples of these islands,the true britons.our islands have been invaded many times over the centuries,the romans,the saxons,the engles(germanic tribes)and the normans,to name but a few.although the scots were never conquered,they have continued to suffer a slow strangulation by the the english.the welsh did not fair nearly so well.the english took our land,our sons,our religion,they tried, with unremitting cruelty,to eradicate every part of our culture,our history and our independence.even now,the english still consider themselves our masters.therefore, when we hear other countries,and even the english themselves,refer to britain as england,it makes our blood boil.America,of all countries should understand the importance of freedom.the english are the bastard sons of brutal conquest.they are the fat cuckoo in our nest. Angela \"America of all countries\"??? If you feel bad when they refer to britain as england, we (south americans, central americans, canadians, etc) feel even worse when people from the US are called americans and even worse when 'they' refer to America as a country! Robert What a load of rubbish. The typical ranting of someone who's swallowed the propaganda put out by the idiots that want to break up the United Kingdom for their own selfish gain. The Scots are not the indiginous race of Scotland. When the Romans invaded Britain the Scots were tribes in Ireland. Scotland didn't excist. The land that became Scotland was home to the Pits, England was home the Angles (or Angels because of their blond hair; much prised for wigs by the Roman women) Angles that couldn't adapt to Roman rule feld west to form Wales. The Scots moved in when the Romans pulled out; as did the Saxon, the Vikings and various other Norse and Germanic tribs. The Scots drove the Pits North to the Hebradies, and only on a few northern islands can you find the true indigious naitives of what is now called Scotland. The Vikings and other Norse tribes settled England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales inter breeding with the people already there before them. So the whole of the British Isles became one big melting pot of peoples for all over northern and western Europe. Even Persian traders from the Mediterranean set up settlements. When the Romans were in Britain they brought soldiers, craftsmen, and merchants from all over the Empire and many of their desendants stayed when the army moved back to Rome. Scotland as not been slowly strangled as you put it by the English. For the most part England left Scotland to tend it own affairs and a very poor job the Scots did of it. Inter Clan conflicts were many and frequent and far more bloody and cruel than anything the English ever inflicted. Even when there was English interest in the out come of a Battle on Scotish soil the ones doing the fighting tended to be Scots on Scots just one side having allegiancies to the Crown. But should it be them that won it was seen as an English victory and the English blaimed for any atrocities comited. The armys on either side were made up of mainly Scots, some English, Irish, French, Dutch and mersanries from all over. It's just the ones that wore English Red Coats were better trained and disciplined and had an annoying habit of winning which tends to not go down well with the opposition who had an equally bad habit of bad mouthing those loyal to the crown and spreading anti English propaganda. The chances were none combatants got better treatment from the English forces than they did from the rebels. When both countries were ruled from Westminster, the anti English claimed it was unfare and the English are dictating how Scotland is run when in reality Scotish MPs out numbered English MPs and if anything it was the Scots, through Westminster, who were dictating how Britain was run. Even now with devolution, home rule for Scotland and Wales and the English having no say in their affairs, there is still a sizeable number of Scotish MPs in Westminster, representing Scotland in Britain but in doing so, influencing how England is governed. It's the old old story with the Scots always claiming they get second rate treatment to the English, when in fact they get more capita per head than the English, but no matter how much more they're given to shut them up they just keep on whining for more and blaming the English for everything wrong in Scotland. They'd blame the English for the weather if they thought there was a chance someone might believe them. demelzabunny Well aware of all of that history. That's why many of your fellow compatriots (the Irish, Scots, Welsh, etc.) immigrated to the U.S. in the 19th and 20th centuries. YORK Well the Irish left because the potatoes failed. The Scotish left because their Lairds closed the crofts and brought in sheep. The Welsh were just looking for something better than what they had at home as did the English and just about everyone else. Most people at sometime or another as dreamt of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and every now and then some will actually go looking for it especially if there is nothing to keep them where they are. Angela I don't usually post either, and I agree that with this long list no one will see, but Americans? ya'll still have the first world trauma. America is a continent! You are referring to the United States, therefore United Statians! I do agree with Turkey (is tasteless), flags, patriotism (super agree to what the author say) and the accent!! Pfff Bailey United Statians? Hmm, I love it! Lou I mean this with all due respect to you, Angela, but I have to disagree. I can see your logic, with the whole \"United statians\" thing. However, since the full name of the country is the \"United States of America\", it also makes logical sense to call us (the people of said country) \"Americans\". For example, when Germany was separated into East Germany (the German Democratic Republic) and West Germany (the Federal Republic of Germany), the citizens of the Federal Republic of Germany were not called Federal Republicans, they were called Germans (or West Germans, which ever). Other countries that come to mind are The Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Czech Republic, and the no-longer-a-country country of the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics). Honestly, I thought the article was hilarious. Of course I just had to ruin it by reading the comments. (This next part is meant for the general public of both countries, and not to you, Angela) Come on, people, why do you need to harbor so much hatred? Not all Americans are stupid, pig-headed ego-manics. Some are, and they just happen to enjoy baiting any one who doesn't see eye to eye with them. So cool it. Dark Space I don't know, I went to London once. A drunk bum threw up all over my feet and cussed me out for staring at him in disbelief, and pretty much everyone was rude to me the entire trip. I still loved the gloomy weather (really), don't hold it against all the decent brits I've met since, and I even ride a British motorcycle. Filet was an odd word choice, given it's not English and the Americans are both pronouncing and spelling it correctly (the French way) and you are not. Also, Angela has a good point. One thing that I've heard drives you Brits nuts is \"Americans\" inability to distinguish between the UK, Britain, and England. I move that we call ourselves United Statians from here on out. Turkey is the worst meat ever. But, squirrel is some of the best meat ever and no one eats it. It's really perplexing. roscoe britian is a woderfullcountry they are eccentric very couargeous people did you know we americans are kin to the british people we have blood relation ship in londn and all over ireland scotland and wales three cheers for lodon we dot have a queen are a king as england does. enlish people are staunch people i once was teasing a man from england about tea he said shut the F up i stopped teasing him his name was rt garber we were good frinds after that yes only englad could produce a churchill three cheers for england. roscoe yes i live in merica but my heart is in good old england GODS coutryand the women in england are not ugly they are beatifull to me and there accent is wondertfull threecheers forengland demelzabunny I give up!!! roscoe england has produced great poets and actors i wish i lived in england but i cannot england produces men and women of the first caliber. Lisa HEY Ruth, Referring to number 5, my parents are from Hastins, i was born in New Jersey. we fly both the American flag and the Union flag on our flag pole in front of the house. and on St. George day we fly the St.George Cross flag. LOVE both countries and proud of it. demelzabunny It's called the Union Jack. Lisa HEY Ruth SORRY typing too fast. my parents are from HASTINGS. Lisa HEY Ruth i forgot to say. HAVE A NICE DAY. Annie Sir, you are cooking your turkey wrong. 36arbiter I meant in respect of the fact that America is the worlds greatest exponent of the principle. Boseph I agree with everything except the pronunciation and the spelling bit. That is simply a dialectic difference. To say there is one English language is sort of absurd. I'm from the western United States, listening to someone from the south (especially in the deep south like Louisiana and Florida) half the time I am convinced it is a different language. marcriedler t sitehis is good. Claudia Considering that there are 313 million Americans, this article makes some pretty sweeping assumptions. In reality, its a commentary on the group of Americans who the author knows or has had contact with -- and I'm guessing it's not 313 million. And, FYI, what is it with anti-American sentiment? The comment about American Patriotism alone is ridiculous -- no one talks more about the wonder of their country than the British. Additionally, I assure you that most Americans could care less about pleasing you...just like most Brits don't give a fig about pleasing Americans. First rule of Journalism -- get your facts correct. Dan FYI, any americans that read this, this is not saying what is wrong with America just what's annoys Britains. It could be either side that is wrong. If you don't agree then laugh. Marcia Just one comment,,... I bet there are no \"typical\" Americans or British,. By the way I have a sister in law British born in South Africa and I have to admit that she has more class then the rest of the loud mouths in our family,,,LOL,,,.my MUM just loves her and thinks she is the best and yes she is,, very understated and elegant..... It is like EVERYONE takes advantage of her and.no one appreciates. Her. Not even my brother the educated lawyer,,,, I never realized that she is the best one and got kicked to the curb.....Now I get it about loud and arrogant,,,,now I see,,, saw the light,,.. Though she is too too skinny but a beautiful girl,,,,,, way too nice for America. MUM's fav even over me...... Soul of Wit It amuses me that just as many Brits as Americans have failed to note the tongue-in-cheek nature of this article. Personally, I draw a clear distinction between patriotism (devotion to one's place of birth) and nationalism (a sense of superiority over other countries.) I consider myself a patriotic American, though I have never flown a flag on my home. As for calling myself an American, that is entirely appropriate. That is how people from the United States of America are properly addressed. I am fully aware the there are two continents with that name and that all of these are named after an Italian man. Anyone who can't grasp that British English and American English are different (but neither is \"wrong\") is a bit slow on the uptake. I still occasionally run across a British pronunciation that floors me. I would never think of suggesting that the speaker was incorrect. Love the article, but srsly...Herb is a guy's name. I don't want Herbs in my food, kthx. And omitting the 't' when pronouncing fillet is not pretentious if, for all intents and purposes, that's the only way you've heard it pronounced. It would be awkward to say it any other way. To put the shoe on the other foot, say out loud \"the University of Notre Dame\". James Williams Ruth, you're entitled to not like these things. You're also entitled to not bother coming to the USA. Pauldo Hey, Eddie, if you have to say the \"h\" in herb, how about the \"g\" in Magdalen, the \"w\" in Chiswick\/Warwick\/Greenwich, and most of the letters in Worcester or Chalmondeley? demelzabunny Greenwich, NY is pronounced \"Green-wich,\" and the local girls' sports teams are the \"Greenwich Witches.\" occupant12 Wow, most of the commenters don't have much of a sense of humour. Note the \"u\" -- I'm a Canadian and therefore the cursed bastard child of both US and English imperialism -- so I put the u in \"-our\" words and use the \"z\" in \"-ize\" words. And as a Canadian I get to roll my eyes at all the stupid things both the Yanks and the Brits do, knowing full well that you folks think all Canadians are doofuses and wankers. Re: fillet and filet. I believe it is a fillet (\"fill-it\") of fish, but a filet (\"fee-lay\") of beef. Two different words. And to you yanks: \"zed\" is the standard pronunciation for the last letter of the alphabet in every English-speaking region of the world except the USA. So it's a case of American exceptionalism. Just sayin'. Hell, they even say it \"zed\" in French, and I know that because I'm Canadian and we all grow up reading French on cereal boxes so that's why we're superior and smug even when you Yanks and Brits call us bad names. Carol Kayye you are Canadian. Weird and you don't have a say just messing with you haha demelzabunny Too true! Tom S This coming from someone who no doubt says \"courgettes\" instead of zucchini or summer squash and \"aubergine\" instead of eggplant. demelzabunny I like \"rocket\" for arugula (which is Italian, or course!). EngineerScotty If you're going to complain about US pronounciation, then I must ask: Where the hell is the F in \"leuitenant\"? demelzabunny Well-put! demelzabunny It's French, you do-do! 36arbiter The english voted Kerry catona british mother of the year.they also voted Amy winehouse british woman of the year.this was the same year Katherine jenkins arrived.the riots didn't spread to wales or scotland.give us our country back before you ruin it.cuckoo. Stewart 36ARBITER get back to the bogs of Ireland and leave Scotland to the Pits the true indigenous natives of scotland. Ho and give the bagpipes back to the Irish, the kilt and the tartan back to the English along with the haggis and the Highland Games. Ho and read some history books and stop reading SNP propaganda cause it's bol....... gregor Being neither from UK nor USA but having lived in USA for a very long time, I find this discussion quite humorous. The conflation of the British accent with brilliance is something the the Brits coming here should really enjoy, for they do not have to suffer the sort of little indignities that a non-white foreign born person has to endure in the US. Even those who are at heart open to foreigners put me off many times because of their seemingly patronizing behavior (one colleague on a 24th December: have a good whatever you celebrate). Take heart. The native born Americans are nasty to every one sometime or the other, though many do not really mean it. (As for UK, we still laugh at being directed to 'South Hole' by an immigrant in London when we asked for its whereabouts during our visit over ten years ago.) xpostfactoid Cute! But Americans aren't being pretentious when they drop the t in fillet or pronounce garage the French way. Most of us don't know that anyone pronounces those words differently! I wonder whether Brits anglicized their French words some centuries after they started settling on this continent? Clint First of all, this is classic British humo(u)r, not a petty criticism in seriousness. Get a sense of humor and get over it. Second of all, why all these articles about English visitors to the US? How about Scottish or Irish or Welsh visitors? When I visited the UK, to me England was very beautiful but I found the people difficult, whereas Scotland was both beautiful and congenial. Growing up in a Scots-Irish part of the country, with Scots-Irish roots, I felt right at home and enjoyed myself thoroughly. Robert In re #7, I quote Cassandra (William Connor), from the Daily Mirror in 1953: \"What a shocking fraud the turkey is. In life preposterous, insulting -- that foolish noise they make to scare you away! In death -- unpalatable. The turkey has practically no taste except a dry fibrous flavour reminiscent of a mixture of warmed-up plaster-of-Paris and horsehair. The texture is like wet sawdust and the whole vast feathered swindle has the piquancy of a boiled mattress.\" Emily you should try an heirloom turkey the next time you have turkey -- it'll change your mind. seriously :0) John K If the clerks in shops are annoying with insincere wishes to have a good day (or that you're an 'awesome' customer?), come to my area of Central Florida where you won't get a thank-you for making a purchase. You'll be lucky if someone even bothered to wait on you and, by the surly look at the end of the transaction, you could drop dead right there. frank owen As a former Mancunian who has lived in the United States for twenty years not one of these things drives me \"nuts\". What does drive me \"nuts\" is pretentious Brits who whine like little bitches (that great British pastime) that everything in America isn't exactly the same as it is back home. It's another country, for chrissakes. American usage of the English language is bound to be somewhat different. Get over yourselves. mike I've noted what really irritates a lot of snobby Brits is that Americans are, for the most part, truly and authentically friendly. My personal experience in England was that the academics, the political class, and the wealthy looked down on us for precisely that reason. But the shop owners and ordinary people appreciated it and responded in kind. Trucknutz Fartsack The language was brought here while it was still pure, before nancy boy Charles Stuart poofed it up in France. And, please, the ultimate cat fetishist in the world are found where? UK, I believe. You must eat in some real dumps, because I've never had a server take a plate before asking me permission. And if your eating in a busy place, its impolite to hold the table hostage. And, that passport works both ways. You can use it to leave, too. Jeff Johnson As an American I totally agree on the over-zealous patriotism, the phony cheerfulness, and clearing plates to quickly (it makes one feel unwelcome, as if one's imminent departure is being strongly suggested). The late Christopher Hitchens wrote an amusing piece in Slate about the infuriating habit of servers to insinuate themselves into the dinner conversation to pour the wine all around the table. Regarding the pretentiousness of American pronunciation of \"herb\" or \"fillet\", it can't be pretentious because the typical American is totally unaware that these sounds could be taken that way; we just grow up saying them that way,just as we learn to say \"the\" or \"house\" or \"foot\". There is no attempt at feigning continental sophistication involved. Most Americans are totally unaware of the French origins of these words. What would sound pretentious to Americans would be to pronounce the 'h' or the 't' in these words, unless you have a British accent, in which case the foreign sounding pronunciation could be forgiven. When people speak it is the sound that counts, not the spelling or etymology. Otherwise their might be a lot of anxiety about pronouncing words containing \"gh\". Fillet is a French word that we got directly from the French in the late 19th, early 20th century, and which most USians learned from Julia Childs' series on French cooking. Of course we're going to pronounce it the French way; that's the way we learned it. Regarding \"herb\", I personally pronounce it with an 'h' as does everyone in my family and most everyone from central or west Texas, so that's really a regional accent thing. In general, if you listen you'll notice that most US accents don't aspirate their hs like the British accents do. That has led our h sounds to becoming softer and often totally silent, which is where the silent 'h' in 'herb' comes from in most US speakers. I'll also point out this it is pretty rich that you poke fun at us for our \"French\" pronunciations and our lack of the letter 'u' when the English 'u' is one of the most prominent artifacts of French influence in the language. Historical ignorance isn't very flattering and you should avoid it. As to turkey, if all the turkey you've ever eaten is dry and powdery, that's because you and the people you eat with don't know how to friggin cook. It ain't difficult to make a tasty Turkey; you've just got to cook it the right way. That doesn't necessarily mean brining it, though that's certainly a good way to start as it lets the salt and seasoning really get deep into the meat (that's what brining does btw, it doesn't keep the food \"juicy\" it lets the flavorings soak in). I'm not going to explain the proper procedures to you here but I will give you a hint. Alton Brown; look him up. This is overall a very hostile, anti-American article. I say this as someone with English friends and family that I love, and a very, very great fondness for the UK, English literature, British humor, and so much else. I'm quite familiar with irony. But there is a very vicious edge to the author's words that she attempts to cover up with all the ha-ha one-liners. It's a pity for her that she moved here -- it appears that she's going to have a miserable, continually scornful and hostile, time for herself. However, since she can regularly publish anti-American articles for an international audience from inside, well, I guess for her it's inside the belly of the beast, she'll always be able to make a living. Sandy This proud \"Show Me\" state American says Herb, loves watching the British sitcoms on PBS and came from English\/Irish roots. I don't understand why so many have twisted knickers! Sue Cox I've read every one of these comments and enjoyed them all -- with the possible exception of the really nasty one half way through. It's easy to see though, why the original article (and its obverse) were written. brompo Interesting read. And I agree with some of what you say, especially the patriotism thing. But let's skip to the contentious bit. Are we Americans meant to take advice on the pronunciation of the word \"fillet\" from someone who doesn't pronounce the final \"t\" in \"trait\"? Obviously our countries have differing opinions on how to pronounce certain vowel sounds. But look at which speakers leave out consonants and entire syllables of written words more frequently, and then let's talk about who pronounces the language incorrectly. Meg And here are ten right back at you from an American living in England: 1. Saying \"I see you still haven't lost your accent!\" Because your average Liverpudlian or Londoner just falls over himself trying to lose the accent if he moves to another city in the UK or, God forbid, the US. 2. Having entire conversations -- nay, ongoing relationships -- with people without once ever admitting to having a name. And ignoring friendly Americans who say \"By the way, my name is Meg.\" Silence. 3. A pathetic belief that Caesar salad dressing and salad cream are the same thing. You've come a long way food-wise, but good heavens the Caesar salads and nachos are crimes against food. 4. The moaning. It's too rainy, too sunny, too warm, too cold. 5. The bizarre fascination with queuing and avalanche of self-congratulations on the ability to do it. So can the three year olds in my son's nursery, but I'm hoping they'll get over the whole \"so-proud-of-myself\" aspect by five. 6. The Eurovision song contest. Can you stop pretending you hate it? Because you watch it obsessively and report on it as though it's the most important thing in the world. 7. The obsession with the \"right\" way to spell words. Fact is that when our countries parted ways, spelling was so inconsistent that people frequently spelled their own names several different ways. We went one way, you the other -- get over it. 8. The obsession with the \"right\" vocabulary. See above. 9. What you lack in \"patriotism\" as Americans see it, you more than make up for with subtle superiority. 10. Documentaries about Abba. Could you please stop making them? And nostalgic ones where people I've never heard of reminisce about the 70s? Because my husband can't resist them and it's driving me mad. Thank you. That said, I love living in the UK -- and not least for the people here! Thanks for giving me an opportunity to vent on the ten little things that drive me up the wall... azel leese Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly. Who would have thought that a humoro(u)s artictle could generate such a fuss? My son was bought up in Wales and danced around to the songs on Sesame Street, so we understand \"Zee\" there is no Z in the Welsh alphabet. Erv Fillet? This honestly bugs you? The English use so many French words in daily life, making your comment completely invalid. Ge over it. Many things on your list are rather annoying, they also annoy plenty of people here as well. As for the relentlessly sincere cheer, I think you need to start leaving TGI Friday's to meet Americans. York Yer all getting hung up on this accent thing. 'You don't talk like I do there for you're dumb' attitude. Well that just shows how dumb you are; whatever side of the pound you come from. Have you never played 'Chinese Whispers'? I assum you know what that is but if you don't; it's a game played at kids parties where every one sits around in a semi circle and an adult whispers something to the first child in line, who then turns and whispers it to the next child and so on till it reaches the last child who stands up and says it out loud. Then there's fits of giggles when it's reveled what the oridginal whisper was. Because as each child convade the message to the next in line words get miss heard and replaced with what the listner thought they heard and so, depending on the length of the line,the message can get changed out of all recognition by the time it reaches the end of the line. For over two hundred years America as been playing Chinese Whispers with the English lanagauge, So have Austrailia, New Zealand, Canada, many other English speaking peoples around the world and that includes the British. It's not strange that we sometimes miss understand each other what is strange is that we can still understand each other at all. Lou I completely agree with that. It's funny about that game you were talking about, Chinese whispers; I always knew it as Telephone, here in the States. Brittany It's good to poke fun at each other and at ourselves every now and then, but the things the author chooses to take issue with are a little ridiculous. Employees at the stores are too friendly and the employees at the restaurants are too efficient? Getting upset over the fact that some people like turkey more than others, and holding people accountable for changes in language that happened long before they were born? What? ttp:\/\/www.pololamartina.net la martina polos Chanced upon your site. This post on the investing pitfalls for the year is very insightful. I agree especially for the china market, which i think is expanding too fast beyond its fundamentals. Mike Ahh! This article is so disappointing, and proves that the author really doesn't \"get us.\" First, dangling the Stars and Stripes on your house (or vehicle, or person) is not about patriotism, it's about shaming your friends and neighbors who don't participate. (For the record, we are fully aware that true patriotism entails things like referring to our system of governance as a democratic republic instead of a democracy, knowing the names of our presidents, states and capitols, etc., but we don't engage in this trivial stuff.) Closer to the author's missing the point, what we cherish more than wearing patriotism on our sleeve is calling each other un-American. Doing this to someone else automatically elevates one's stature as an American. The best time to do this is when someone exercises freedom of speech. And to suggest that we don't do irony? Perhaps we deserve a closer look. That's something I never understood about this country. We claim to be a democratic country, with freedom of speech and ideas, but moment anyone exercises their right to free speech they're labled a commee and unamerican. Foreigners are regaurded as dangerous and\/or weird because they do things differantly but when they have the nerve to point out thing we do differant to them we get indignant, 'how dare these foreigners criticize us?'. 36arbiter I was born in the land of my fathers.were you? WHY The above ten items are just a bit of fun, they don't really bother Brits that much, it's just something to provoke a reaction. But do you really want to know what does get our backs up, and not just the Brits but just about the rest of the world. It's the way Hollywood steals and abuses other countrys cultures, tails and exploits. It trawls through well known and not so well known, storys both fact and fiction, rewriting them and relocating them for an American audiences. From fairy storys to true life adventures, from fantasy to acts of real heroism, they all get the Hollywood make over. Take 'Winnie the Phoo' a classic childrens novel, been a much loved piece of English culture for over a hundred years. But now if we want to uses it, say for a childrens entertainment, we have to pay Disney royalties for the right. Peter Pan, J M Barry, who wrote it, left all rights to the royalties after his death to Saint Thomases Childrens Hospital London. Walt Disney took the Hospital to court to try and deprive them of those royalties. War films. History is rewriten so that campains of action that had nothing to do with any American forces are suddenly being won by gallant Americans. French Resistance are aided in the raids on the Germans by Americans that take charge and do all the heroic stuff. A British Comando Raid gets an American tagging alone who saves the day. American forces fight and win battles that in reality the Americans were nowhere near. Things that other countries did, like obtaining an Enigma Machine, are done by American special forces. The alies obtained 12 such machines throughout the war, none by the Americans. America was given one by the British. The first one was aquired, of a U boat, by the Canadians. Classic films, British, European, Japanese are remade and relocated to American settings with American characters played by American actors. Classic Novels get the same treatment, rewriten as American screen plays. Warner Brothers couldn't get the rights to relocate Harry Potter to America and had to make it in England but where did they build the theme park to this most British of Storys, not in Britain where it was writen and set, not where the landscape that you saw in the movies is, not where the technical experteie that created the movies is, No the theme park go up in America. The list goes on and on, half the stuff that comes out of Hollywood is lifted from some other country and 90% of it as been so rewriten to make it acceptable for an American audience, that it's now only bearly just about reconisable by audiences in the country from which it came. AZryan Holy cow, you're illiterate. (learn to spell some of the simple words you messed up, ok??). Milne, who created W. the Pooh, sold the rights to another guy for MONEY. Then 30 YEARS later, that guy sold the rights to Disney for MONEY. You're insane to complain about what the creator and following owners did with what ISN'T YOURS in any way!? Try making up your own thing if you're so offended. If you like W. the Pooh so much...well, DUH...that's WHY Disney bought it! Personally, I give Disney as little of my money as possible, but I don't say that can't do business. And Barrie donated the rights to Peter Pan to the Great Ormond Street children's hospital, NOT the one you mentioned!? They owned those rights for 70 YEARS, until it fell into the public domain in 2007. That's just the LAW. The dispute is 'IF' it remains under copyright in America (but not Europe) until 2023. The dispute was over one little book sequel by Hyperion (a Disney-owned publisher) written by two people who just wanted to make a story to make kids happy, and thought Peter Pan was in the public domain (because it appeared to BE). It was the hospital that got its lawyers to try to get all the profits from a work they had nothing to do with. But 'it's for the kids' you might say. Well...so was the book! Why does the law not matter to you?? Disney uses all kinds of Grimm Fairy Tales, but they don't own them (for that same PUBLIC DOMAIN LAW reason). So you're free to use them, too. But you won't. Because you're talentless. Do you actually believe that JK Rowling doesn't get to decide every single thing she wants with regards to Harry Potter??? She owns it 100%. You act like it was stolen from her by America!?! You're literally insane and everyone else should be warned about you. WHY Wondered who'd rise to that one. Guess it was a little over the top and yes my spelling is atrocious always as been and no that doesn't make me illiterate, I read fine, or stupid. Stupid is the idiot who judges someone by what they can't do and not by what they can. So happens I'm dyslexic so writing is a burdenous chore for me so I do it to strength what little skill I have for it. Its not that Disney bought or didn't buy the rights to any book or weather the copyright had lapsed into public domain or not it's that once Disney get hold of it they make it there's and copyright something about so that others can't use it. Take Snow White that is old enought to be public property and anyone can use it, Rewrite it, make a stage play you can do what you like with it. Except the seven dwarf, Disney copyrighted their names so no one can use the names he used in the film, but that's the names everyone knows them by. So if someone does a christmas pantomime of Snow White they either have to pay Disney vast sums of money to use the names every one knows or invent new ones and then the kids want to know where's Dopey? and don't understand when you try to explain to them Disney owns Dopey and all the other dwarfs they know so well. It may have been Great Ormond Street Hospital I would have thought that the more likely but I remembered it as St Thomas's for some reason. But Barry gave all royalities to which ever Childrens Hospital in perpetuity and every publisher honoured that bequest even when the copyright lapsed, Disney didn't. But these are just example and each can be argued for and against in turn it's not the indevidual case it's the shear number of them across all cultureal activities and even if everyone can be defended and justifide legally. Sharp lawers will always fined lopholes. It's the fact that it happens so often and so blatantly that it shows a disregaurd for other nations cultures and is insensitive to their feelings as they watch what was once theirs and what they loved and were so proud get swallowed up by Hollywood given a glossy American make over and sold back to them. Hollywood is loved the world over, it turns out fantastic films, but every month Brits, Europeans, Japanese or somesuch culture reads that Hollywood is going to make one of their much loved books, legends, history tales into a Hollywood movie and a cry of despear goes up 'no! not that can't they leave anything alone'. Story's that had nothing to do with America suddenly have an American protagonist, the location is changed to a convenient American location and all the terminology is made American friendly, God forbit Americans might have to look something up. The storys are sanitised and anything thought unamerican omitted. America is full of it's own culture and that's what Hollywood portrays best; very rarely when it does other countrys culture does it get it right and all to often it destroys that which it trys to imitate. Compare original Japanese films with Hollywood remakes. They are copied almost frame by frame, the Hollywood version is easier to watch if you don't speak Japanese but it loses the atmosphere the flavour of the original and it goes without saying the locations and the characters are Americanised. Could go on about French Art House, Ealing Comedys, Dickins Novels, and so on. All butcher when remade by Hollywood and there's no reason for them to do it American culture is so large and varied it's got enough of it's own, leave other countries culture to the country of origin. Tex Bit over arrogant there AZRYAN; just like a Bully, when they find out they've inadvertently upset someone instead of apologizing they get angry and abusive at the person they've upset. Proved the point Americans are insensitive to the feeling of others haven't you. BB I went to dinner with a British friend -- in Jersey City, NJ -- and he indeed got annoyed when the waitress took my plate away before he was finished. I was totally fine with it!! I actually don't like having a messy plate in front of me after I'm done eating -- it grosses me out. haha. I thought he was being over-sensitive and\/or trying to impress me with his gentlemanners but I guess it's a British thing! Brit... What I don't understand is where do Americans get the idea that us Brit's have worse teeth than you? You have a substantially greater selection of sweets (candy) and fizzy drinks (soda) than us. And as far as I'm aware you have to pay for dental treatment, whereas we have a NHS (National Health Service). So if anyone should have worse teeth it'd be americans Tex It's not that the average man in the street weather he be Bristish or American as better dental health than his counter in the other country. No if anything Brits have slightly better access to dental care but not significantly more. What Americans are refering to when they claim to have better teeth than the British is the extent American celebraties go to, to have their teeth straightened, whitened, laminated, filed flat and even; till their smile looks like a grand piano with the lid open. Were as Brits are content with healthy teeth the way nature intended. Ivory not ceramic white, each tooth the length nature intended it to be in relation to it's neighbours not all filed the same length like piano keys. American audiences see their celebs plastic white smiles and think 'Ho what perfect teeth!' then they see British celebs, who've probility had as much dental care spent on their teeth but their teeth are more natural, they think, because they don't look so artificial, there not as good and therefore Brits don't care about their teeth. Brit... Well all that says to me is that more American's than Brits care more about being plastic and fake than finding happiness within themselves. It seems retarded (imo) that people spend so much time and money on becoming more \"perfect\" just because famous people look that way. Wanting to be like someone else is so uninventive. I couldn't live in a country where being popular because you look good is important. You should want to be popular because your a good, genuine person. mary I think it has to do with flouridated water In the US almost all tap water has had flouride added into it as preventative dental health measure This didn't happen with much testing on the government's part over how safe it is to actually ingest flouride regularly (recent reports indicate that it might be very bad for you indeed) From what I can tell, the \"potentially very bad for you indeed\" part is what has kept similar measures from being implemented in the UK (although I could be wrong) Anyway, while it is probably a poisonous carcinogen that is lowering the IQs of all well-hydrated American children, drinking flouridated water DOES have noticeable, statistically positive affects on dental health Frank What gets me about the English (the Scots don't do this) is their puzzling attitude to the letter R. They only pronounce it when it's not there e.g. \"Indiar is a malariar arear.\" And who can cure malariar? A doctah. Tex They're don't pronouncing a none excistant r it's just the way well spoken people tail of the A when it comes at the end of the word so that it drifts into the next word make for a more melodic speech and not the hard fractured grunts of the uneducated. RyanH \"Remembering to remove 'u's from words like \"colour\" and replace \"s\"s with a more abrasive \"z\" is a headache and I resent it.\" At least you don't have to \"rezent\" it... ruby I am an American and I was afraid the 10 things would\/could be much worse than those listed here. I am quite guilty of #1 ~ I do love your accents (most of the time ). Frankly, I don't know anyone who uses the words \"panties\" or \"fanny\". AZryan You love their accent. That part's fine, but do you actually tell people with a British accent that you love it? That's her 'complaint'. She's complaining about being complimented too much. That and being asked to talk to someone's kid so they develop the same accent, which you have to admit, is neither something that has often happened to this lady, nor something that most Americans do. ruby AZRYAN...Yes I do love their accents, and yes I believe I just told someone with one, that I love it by commenting on her post. I hope she's not too annoyed by it...... Dustin Well, first off, I must say that some of the comments on here are absolutely ridiculous. Clearly some people just can't differentiate between malice and dislike. I'm from the mid-south region of U.S.A and I've only recently taken such an interest in life outside our country. If I'm honest, it saddens me that we don't have a better understanding of one-another (speaking solely in regard to general public opinion and education). For the record, your accent is much more pleasing to the ears. R. Spencer Robinson Sorry if this is a duplicate. I didn't read all of the comments. With respect to #9, we did elect a socialist. His name is Barack Obama. And what's wrong with attempting to pronounce French words as the French do? I know our efforts will never satisfy the French, but I didn't expect Brits to call us on it. AZryan Only an idiot would think Obama's a Socialist. The most socialistic thing he did was to save the US car companies to save American jobs when the global economy imploded. How horrible!! And then he made them private companies again as fast as possible, because he never wanted them government run in the first place. You probably also think that 'Obamacare' is a government takeover of healthcare...when it's still 100% private insurance. It just makes everyone take responsibility for themselves and get affordable health insurance. Again, how horrible!! It was the REP plan when Clinton was President, and it's identical to Romneycare. Do you prefer moochers without insurance abusing emergency rooms? It was a GOP plan until it passed under Obama (who didn't write it). I hope you never collect Social Security or use a library (but I can tell you don't). You wouldn't want to be a fool or a hypocrite would you?? Do you hate NASA and the US highway system too?? AZryan I was expecting this list to be at least somewhat clever and\/or amusing, but it wasn't either one. 1- Saying \"I love your accent!\" I could totally agree to this being annoying to hear over and over again, except then you didn't really say that was your actual 'point'. Also, people are complimenting you, so it's even more annoying to hear someone complain about being complimented. \"I hate everyone telling me how pretty I am!!\" ok. 2- Putting last names first. This one just seems shallow. You mentioned Smith and Anderson, but are you equally annoyed by names derived from other Countries? Do you even notice those? Do you hate that NEW York is named after old York? Does the most important city on Earth insult you with its name? Again, it's annoying to hear someone complain about Americans being influenced by British culture and some Brit, who isn't responsible for any of that culture herself, taking offense over it. If anything, just the fact of a rare\/peculiar name being off-putting is the only real point you could make here, and that's more to do with your close-mindedness, than a American vs. British thing. 3- They take your plate away too soon I think it's FAR more a matter of what restaurant you're actually at, than an American\/British difference. You also noted that you finish eating 'long' before everyone else, so maybe slow the hell down? The British aren't known for their cuisine, nor their refined eating habits, so maybe avoid blaming that on all of America? Also, why do you prefer to sit there with your plate of food scraps in front of you for some mental reason?? 5- Their over-zealous patriotism Yeah, I hate this too. Extreme Nationalism, Fascism, religion and xenophobic fear are all tied up together here. But guess where we got it from? I'll give you a hint...it's somewhere that still has a bloodline-flowing Monarchy, a National Church, and had a great big, world-spanning Empire where they liked to throw their flags up on everything all over the entire planet. And it rhymes with 'Shmitian'. 6- They treat their pets like people This one's silly. These people are goofy, but is this really unique to America? Maybe it is. It takes a wealthy nation to pull this off, but they're literally replacing having too many damn kids (in a world where that's a big problem) with taking care of pets. You'd have made a better point along these lines against America's obesity epidemic, though Britain has plenty of fat people too, and isn't any great symbol of health. 7- Insisting that turkey is tasty Hard to ignore your ignorance of Turkey being culturally important to America. From Thanksgiving Day and Ben Franklin suggesting it be our national bird. Also is the fact that turkey 'can' taste great if you cook it right, much healthier than beef or pork, and again...the British are known for having the worst cuisine of the industrialized world, so it might've been better to just avoid any talk of food. 8 & 9- Spelling words the wrong way and Pretentious pronunciation. These are both 'highly' debatable. You complain about us not pronouncing the 'h' in 'herb', after complaining that we don't 'add' a pointless 'u' to other words?? Please pick only 'one' side of an argument. You can't have both. We pronounce 'Z' 'zee', and you pronounce it 'zehd'. Being honest, which 'actually' seems more logical to you? The one that adds a pointless 'd' sound? Your other point about us replacing 's' with 'z' in words, is just a matter of creativity. Most often related to 'fun junk for kids'. That's just sort of knocking America for being innovative and creative. For trying something unconventional. The 'z' is largely useless, so we're making better use of it than you are. That's how 'progress' is made, and why America vastly overtook Britain in that regard long ago. You say 'fillet' should be 'fill-it', not 'fill-ay', because we're not French? Well, we're not British either. And we don't actually ever pronounce these words as if we're 'putting on airs' or trying to 'be fancy', so it's as silly as us telling you that you're being pretentious to add letters and syllables to say 'Al-u-min-i-um' or adding a useless 'u' to words that are better off without them. This actually shows far more how we do a lot of things slightly differently, yet all along the exact same lines of reasoning...or lack-there-of. Which also leads right to... 10- Saying \"panties,\" \"fanny\" and \"bangs\" Panties is a silly word, but knickers is every bit as silly. You can't possibly believe it sounds more 'mature\/proper'? Also, you'll rarely ever hear an American say 'fanny' for any reason, and what the British use it for is not terribly defensible. Again...we have different slang\/synonyms. Your annoyance at it didn't come off as comical, or clever, and we have just as much justification to make the exact same complaints (but we shouldn't). Some of our words are better, some are worse, and the same for you. 'Bonnet' and 'boot' are sillier than 'hood' and 'trunk'. If we added them all up, I wonder which Country would actually come out looking better? My guess is that it'd basically be a draw. Sandy I live in America and I loved this article! Especially #5: Overly zealous patriotism. I liked how you brought reality to this by saying, in essence, that it's ok to be glad that you were born in the country you live in, but to act as if there is some sort of pride as if you accomplished something IS absurd! When I hear people go on and on about how \"this is the best counrty in the world\", I roll my eyes and asked how many other countries they've lived in. It just seems immature as if they are speaking about high school rivalries. Tyler American..and had a good laugh..thanks ...I can laugh at everything on the list! Can appreciate why most of it is annoying \"Insisting that turkey is tasty\", \"They take your plate away too soon\", \"They treat their pets like people\" ....funny stuff Jelene As a true Anglophile, I love everything about England and her people. I adored reading this list, you really nailed Ruth, well done! Without question there were some VERY snarky comments from some of my fellow Yanks and for that, I appologize, we're not all like that, perhaps they shouldn't care enough to read your papers or watch your shows! (I guess they can't help themselves because your stuff is SO much better than ours!) I love the differences between our two countries, they are so vast and varied that it keeps me going back to England time and time again. Our world is becoming so homogenized that I celebrate in our cultural differences, it's what keeps travel so interesting. With everyones borders opening up like they are, we are losing the very things that seperate ourselves from each other. I perish the thought of America speaking Spanish AND English, we're America, we speak American English and that's what people expect when they come here. When I travel to France I expect to try and speak and listen in French, I prefer it that way since I paid all the money to fly over there and experience all that IS France. I say we all remain culturally true to ourselves, stop lambasting each other and our differnece and instead celebrate them, what good would travel be if we were all exactly the same? Cheers, from a true and hopeless Anglo & Francophile! Bob Sevenoaks I lived in Sevenoaks for a couple of years and thoroughly enjoyed my stay in the UK. A couple of thoughts on the article: 1. Thank you -- UK -- for the relationship our nations enjoy, and the hospitality whenever I've been in the UK. 2. I'm not a fan of turkey either, but you should really try it deep fried. It's the only tasty way. 3. I'm okay with the \"u\" thing except for ALUMIUM. I just can't pronounce it. 4. The only British-English problem I have is adding \"st\" at the end of perfectly fine words. (amongst) 5. Once in England an American trainer for our company came over to teach the Yorkshiremen how to use a new computer system. She told them she was there to \"teach them how to toss\"... It brought the house down...:) 6. I'm originally from Chicago and live in Wisconsin with my Dallas-born wife. We've lived in the north for over ten years and her southern accent STILL gets comments from the locals. So, don't think you're alone on that one. What's kind of aggravating is that some \"northern\" Americans have to ask her to repeat herself cause they don't understand her... 7. When I was a kid, I NEVER thought Id have one brother-in-law named Bubba, and another that's a NASCAR fan... Take care, (oops, unnecessary cheer, sorry) Bob Sevenoaks GEEZ, I can't even spell ALUMINIUM... Gary I'm an American, who lives in Michigan. I think this list is hillarious and I agree with many of the things on the list! (It's all in good cheer -- or at least it should be)! I miss the days when American culture leaned more towards Britain & Canada; now it's just a race to see what record company can exploit & profit from our most dismal inner cities -- (no education; a cultural cesspool). Unfortunatly, this is smeared all over the world now...So truly sorry for the infestation! Jumping Wolf I don't believe this Brit has visited America in about ten or twelve years. 10 Things Brit Do to Drive Anyone Crazy 1) Foul breath. Teeth for that matter. 2) Constantly talking like they got gum in their mouth. 3) Not being able spell just about anything. 4) Purposely trying to sound as British as possible. Words. Accents! 5) Every local or so trying to be punk. 6) Claiming to be best? Ever heard of Euro rivalry? Every European country things they are better than the other. 7) Never smiling. I understand why, but it's quite a problem. Often depressing. 8) Always fighting over money. 9) Music stays the same. It's like going back in time. Not that British music isn't good. It's just too old and repetitive. 10) They're not funny. Trying too much to be witty to the point where they sound boring (however, they are funny to each other for some reason; British pride?). Their cleverness is overestimated. I loved this piece. It's fascinating to me how many different phrases we use. I love figuring out what a British term means. I watch LAW & ORDER:UK and enjoy getting meaning from context. I guess my fascination and study of Britain began with the Beatles. England was SO much cooler than America. As for the flag...well, that's how we are; and proud of it. Which, I remember, leads us to another thing the British don't like about us-our pride at being Americans. No apology there. But, I love Britain and enjoy discussions. We're more alike than different. In the entire world, Britain is our best friend. Glad there's no grudge held from 1776. I think there is a great link between British language and Southerners in the US. I have a friend in Cornwall; I love to hear her talk,and she loves to hear me talk. Robert Having pride in ones country is one thing. There's nothing wrong with that. One should be prood of your home. If your not there's something wrong. It's just the way Americans, when they do venture outside of the USA and visit other countrys they keep going on about how it's done back in America and how everything is so much better back home, the cars are bigger, the buildings taller, the streets are wider, this is so much cheeper but that's so much dearer. Back in the States we have this, Ho! do you have that here yet? Their like spoilt kids at a Birthday Party trying to sound superior and put the other kids Presents down. An you know what when you go round to that spoilt kids house his stuffs no better or no worse and any other kids on the block. York Tipping. Why are Brits such poor tipper's? It could be because they're tight. I somecases that maybe true but not in most. It's because they don't know how. What's hard about slipping a waiter a gratuity as an appreciation of good service? Nothing but howmuch is enough, how much is tomuch, is over tipping good or insulting. America as a culture of tipping and service staff become to rely on it to subsidize poor wages. Brits get that. But who's the ones that rely on tips and who gets paid well? In Britain you only tip in upper class establishments, ie you wouldn't tip in a greasy spoon (Dinner) whereas in restaurant you would. But some restaurant have a service charge ie the tips in the bill. Some places you tip your waiter and it's theirs to keep, other places it as to be past on to the establishment some of whom keep it and some pool it and divide equally between all the staff. It's bad enough trying to work out what system is in use back home in Britain. It's a nightmare when you go abroad, so you give up worrying about it and hope it'll become clear before you've upset to many service staff. In the war service man were shipped from country to country and when they did they were each given a little book telling them what to expect and more importantly what was expected of them when they got to which ever country it was they being station Carol Kayye I cannot believe everyone takes these comments so seriously. Recipes given for cooking turkey!! get real everyone who gives a d**n. Its all just a good laugh at life and differences and thank goodness for them or we would all be like the Stepford wives Bev I agree Carol, I mean what is this? Nursery School? Anger management comes to mind and I always wonder when seeing something like this whether people would be so rude when actually faced with a real person rather than typing anonymously. ANTONIO After going to Oxford U for my degree in law, most of these are understandable, except for one. As an American and a pet owner, I have on occasion treated my dog as human, but my dog never came with me on my honeymoon like Queen Elizabeth II. So just maybe the Brits are guilty of this too. MAC Hmmm.....I guess this does point out the fact that some Americans do not posess the ability to laugh at themselves. Being born and raised in the mid-west, I found this article very FUNNY and I actually chuckled out loud at a few of the items. I've been to England and found the folks there to be very kind and yes, a bit more reserved than we Americans. I fell in love with the place and the people to put it frankly. We all need laugh at ourselves a bit more and stop taking everything so seriously. Life is much more fun this way. To put it in \"American\" speak, LIGHTEN UP! Gwen As an American and an Anglophile, even I would like to add that pronouncing 'herb' as 'erb' or 'fillet' as 'fillay' is in no way pretentious; it is our dialect. I don't understand why everyone is having a fit on the pronounciation of 'herb' when it is in no way an exception. Is 'hour,' 'honest,' or 'honour' pronounced with an 'h'? The things we choose to nitpick are rather trivial and completely subjective. Even within the UK it can't be claimed that all dialects pronounce things in the same manner. Lizzy Hi, my name is Lizzy. I am 'American.' I lived in England when I was two, and then all over the world until five years ago when I moved back to the States. I love England... always have... as well as America, in that patriotic way. 1) I do like the way you speak. Is that bad? But I also find it dreadfully annoying when girls at my school tell the German exchange students to 'say something.' 2) I'll tell Anderson not to get his feelings hurt when he goes to England and everybody laughs at him, which, in your terms, is what will happen right? 3) I've never noticed this. But what's wrong with a clean table? 4) The first thing I would notice when I came Stateside as a kid, was that complete strangers would talk to you, in the friendliest fashion too. I loved it. Who doesn't like friendly people? Perhaps Ebenezer Scrooge? But on the other side, I have heard of foreigners, from the Middle East for example, talk about how they feel like they can't trust Americans because they throw their smiles everywhere. One never knows the measure of sincerity in a person's friendliness. And that makes sense -- if you look at it from that cultural perspective. But as an American I'm used to this attitude, and can tell the difference between fakeness and real friendship. So it's all just culture. Nothing to bicker about. 5) Patriotism is creepy? Please explain. 6) I love my dog to no end. When I look at him, I don't see a dog, I see Boomer (We got him in England. He's lived in Cyprus and Istanbul, Turkey since then). But at the same time, I know he's a dog, and a human life will always be more important. This does get to me in America: when people spend several thousands of dollars (just the tip of the ice-berg) on a dog or other pet, while there are very real issues of poverty and hunger in the rest of the world. So I agree with you. And I feel endlessly sorry for those small yappy dogs that are paraded around like clowns. But at least they're loved you know? 7) Turkey, with a generous glob of cranberry sauce... Mmm. Wash that down with elderflower cordial and seltzer water = happiness in your tummy. 8) I see you derive your humour from exaggeration. But I also prefer the traditional 'u,' and I don't resent us. So there. 9) I don't say 'erb. Never have. It's herb. I have never heard a person here say fillet without the 't.' That would make singing Life's A Happy Song rather difficult. \"Life's a fille' o' fish...\" no that doesn't work. 10) No comment. As funny and light-hearted as this article was intended, it ineludibly puts both our countries into boxes. People aren't meant to live in boxes. Otherwise we would all either feel the way you do, or the way the profane troll, otherwise known as 'England Blows Balls' does. Wouldn't that be simply unpleasant? There's plenty of Americans that annoy me to pieces, and plenty that I love to death. There will always be those who don't do anything to help those embarrassing stereotypes, but that's true on both sides. We all have quirks. It's your choice if they drive you nuts. Just don't put all Americans under that umbrella. In conclusion, I still love England. Congrats to the Queen on her Diamond Jubilee! Chris It's true. In America, English accents will get you places. We think it makes them sound smarter, and you should use it to your advantage. Of course, you'll get a few diabetic morons telling you \"we beat you in 1776, guhuh\". They think they personally fought in every American war since the Revolution, just smile and nod. They'll be dead soon. Chris ow did i get a soccer ball avatar? lol George Yer and that's the biggest myth of all. The rebels did not win the revolution. The American colonies were given independence because the British Prime Minister over slept. Parliament was devided fairly equally between the government who wanted to maintain the Empire and the opposition who wanted to get back to trading with the colonies and making money. There was going to be a vote as to: Keep fighting till the revolutionaries were defeated or End hostilaties and return to trading. The vote was one of the first on the agenda that day and the Prime Minister over slept and missed the vote and the opposition won the ballot by a small majority, thus giving the American colonies independance by default, but had the Prime Minister made it to the House he could have rounded up abstentionist and swung the vote the other way; the war would have continued and reinforcesments and supplies would have been sent. Who knows what the outcome would have been then. It was coincidental that the rebels won a major battle before word reached America that Hostilaties were to cease. The outcome of the battle had no bearing on the decision it had already been decided. John Well, speaking from an American point of view I have to say a few on the list I have never experienced...ever. On the flip-side I do love turkey in all its forms at any time of the year. Turkey burgers a fav. Have no idea why you insist on adding a \"u\" to color. Using a last name first is news to me. Now, I must say your accents are very interesting and I am sure you might agree all the accents here in America are interesting as well. Many restaurants do grab your plate away too soon, but we speak up and tell an over zealous waiter to leave it. Not once in all my days has anyone said anything close to \"You have been an awesome customer today\" so you must have found someone way out there. People do treat their pets like people, but I think that is something you will find in the UK as well. Come on....be honest. As for the erb\/herb or fillet with or without the \"T\" it is simply the right way of saying the words. Consult your dictionary. Well aside from all the differences American's do hold a sincere affection for the those in the UK. We are close relations no matter what. I have yet to travel to the UK, but when I do I am sure I will have a lot of questions as well. One is the usage of crisps when the world knows they are chips and your chips are french fries. Sooo odd. lol Lisa I'm guilty, i LOVE the English accent. wish i had one. Midwestern Yankee The Brits are right. Turkey is a dry, stringy meat. There's much better meals with beef and pork. . . I have to admit, I am one of those people who love the British accent and usually tell them when I meet them. I will refrain in the future. John If your Turkey is dry and stringy you need to have it cooked right. Never had it dry or stringy. Love proper turkey! Surrey to Midwestern Yankee -- don't stop. I've lived here 20 years and still like having my English accent complimented! mario antoinette well , we're actually completly different cultureswho happen to share a language. Worse thing about america? Never ending, soul crushing, car dependant, culture free suburbs where the only thing to do is go to a Mall. Theres a reason why they are the way they are you know. mario antoinette Pretty clear Americans dont know their own history. The reasons for the differences in pronounciation are simple. English was the adopted language, but the incomers were from various places. Germany, France etc. Some 'foriegn' pronunciations became commonplace olly Hilarious thread this. Americans have no real sense of humour. The article was tongue in cheek but you take your country far too seriously. Thanks for reminding me why I'll never bother to go to the US. Zzzzzzzzzzzz On a day when I love everything British, Im sad that I have to comment on a devisive topic, but I do want to say that Brits do not understand that there is English and there is American English. We do not say H-erb any more than we say H-onor. Many words beginning with an H in the US do not sound the H. This reminds me of someone complaining because Americans do not say Al-u-MIN-e-um when we speak of the metal. Thats because our spelling does not have an i in the last syllable. Aluminum. As far as \"panties,\" I prefer to say \"underwear\" but \"knickers\" over here means a short pant worn by little boys or giant blowsy long underpants worn by our great-great grandmothers.We have a tremendous number of different words, pronunciations and spellings for the same thing here in the states, because we are a melting pot. I have a very strong British history in my family and am from the South. We still call the mid-day meal \"dinner\" and the evening meal \"supper\", something that drives a lot of my friends crazy and leads to a lot of missed meal dates. So it really is not our choice in the matter -- we have grown to be different from Britain and even different from each other. But its neither pretentious or an affectation. Its merely different. Brittney Jesus. Is it really necessary for everyone to become so bent out of shape about these things. We should be able to laugh at ourselves as Americans. I think we can all agree that there is plenty wrong with our country. Perhaps if people from the U.S. didn't take themselves so seriously, people from other countries would respect us more. Wow... British people are the nastiest people I've ever met on the internet. Wow. You guys are just plain mean. Tex Only inresponce to the nasty thing some of the Americas are saying. Hunter I honestly don't see why it is a problem that Americans and British pronounce and spell words differently. Really, nobody should have a problem with it. This article does make a good point about patriotism, though. Seriously, America. Get over yourself. Shayrul I laughed through the whole piece. I actually thought it was going to be a lot worse than this. The funny thing is some of the comments are things my Brit friends and I laugh and joke with each other about all the time. So I've started using an extra \"u\" here and there and my best Brit friend now says he's going to the \"store\" instead of the \"shop.\" So it works out. I would like to say that, here in Georgia, we know the answer to dry turkey is, of course, gravy. Alec Vive La Difference I say. I'm an Englishman who has lived in the USA for over ten years. Life would be very dull if we all acted and spoke the same way. Let's celebrate our differences and focus on the real problems in the world. Poverty, starvation and war are way higher on my list of things to fix. jsky2 I hadnt planned to spend my evening reading the whole blog comments, yet how entertaining they all were. I love English tv comedies which are funny unlike most American ones. Also, most of the series (dramatic ones) on BBC America or on PBS are so well written that few of ours can compare. I am an American but we have our faults as many have pointed out here. I have lived in Japan and recently in Australia. If one wishes to see patriotism just look at both of these cultures. It is to appreciate what we have while also giving others the respect they deserve for how they live. Viva la differences all unique and yet the same. BTW why is BBC cancelling MI5??? I love it even searching most times on either BBC America or PBS or A&E to find it. GRRR for its loss. Nemi27 I'm surprised by how sensitive and sour most people are who've commented on this article. I found it hilarious and true (the neg. extreme things in America). As an American my favorite thing about traveling in Europe is being left alone to enjoy my meal or coffee! (Not every American appreciates or even likes some coddling waiter, hostess, etc. pretending to care). But, many of you are way too sensitive! Seriously! Who cares what some silly fool says -- it simply suggests their overall ignorance regarding many, many things. You do your self a favor by not reacting -- it's like the toddler throwing a fit (look away and don't feed into it!). The best thing about England: comedy, sci-fi, novels\/writers, tea and crumpets! I find the humor witter and more refined than typical American fart jokes. Overall, though I'm open minded and can appreciate differences everywhere -- which is why I love to travel. As far as all the language comments on this site, no matter how \"pure\" we all like to pretend our language is or isn't, there is simply no such thing -- there is only the socially perceived \"correct\" way to speak\/write\/spell.... Language continuously changes (syntax, phonology, spelling, semantics, etc.) based on historical, political, economic, etc. factors... no need to fight over that! But, it is fun to talk about why these differences may have developed. Britanie Well reading all of the comments was entertaining. Anyway... I'm American and I always pronounced herb with an \"h\" until one day I moved to a different state and people started making fun of me for saying it that way. So maybe it is a regional thing? matt vodka coke? tripe? saying bullocks? calling a person a cunt? gross... and yea, fanny is not camel-toe here... AND! we pronounce things french because LaFayette helped us kick your ass and France owned most of this continent until 1825. There is no Queen on our (single-colored {no \"u\" because I'm not union-jack}) bills Statue of Liberty=french guy.... Stonehenge=english neanderthals... find a purpose. YORK Hey Matt. Run off with an Englishman did she? Know why the French gave you the Statue of Liberty? The Europeans couldn't stand seeing that stupid giant Elephant everytime they sailed into New York Harbour so they got togeather and France was choosen to give you something more tastefull to go in its stead. Jon I'm not sure where this author is in America, but last I checked there were 50 states here and as many if not more accents from each one. If this author is eating in what they call \" trendy \" restaurants, then the blitzkrieg service is to let the next wave of poseurs in ( see added the flaming U for you ). Until we start having the dog and pony show that the Brits have in a leader being the chosen from other politicians and we bow to inbred millionaires who think they rule, then we will just be the annoying country that the author loves living in. It wasn't until Teddy Roosevelt Americanized our language that we would still sound like Brits and all their territorial peeps. As for food, we might have lots of fast food here but it is at least palatable. You have us on rugby and football, we have you on style and pop culture enjoy. Louise If its a reason why us British people hate you Americans its because you're forever steryotyping us! 1. Yes we do have dentist. In fact, most Brits have strangly white teeth. 2.No we don't speak like posh gits from the 18th century. We tend to speak all \"yea man\" and \"cool bro\". 3. No, most of us hate \"Tea\" and \"Crumpets\". Mind you, we have a lot of multi-culrtral resturants, Chinese food for instance. This blog post is baiscly a smack back on the arse for America, if you can steryotype us, why can't we steryotype you?! P.s: Notice im not speaking like \"Your comments are truley appalling, the weather is dear to day\" ... Because us British don't speak like that!!!!!! Spazzticaunt Yup, and you just clumped every American up with the hoodlums that are being disrespectful on this forum. As an American I find that just as annoying as you find them clumping all of you British folks up. I think of our two countries in this light. Sibling rivalry plain and simple. Its a tit for tat thing since the beginning. And don't say it isn't cause you know as well as I do it is just that simple. tony I'm a huge fan of top gear and have never had a problem with any Britts and want to visit, but why all the cheap shots against the Usa? tony Many things have taken place since the revolutionary war, but the world would be so different if we never worked together. Spazzticaunt What bothers me as an American is that the writer to this article must be in the wrong America because in the America I live in all that stuff is considered freakishly weird. except for putting a flag out on memorial day in honor of our vets and on fourth of July in honor of the birth of our constitution. He\/She is right of course about the difference between pride and emotion. For example I love my country and I am proud of our service men and women but not so much the rest of the mess. I also think that treating your dog as a human is slightly odd. I love my dog and yes I have a sweater for him but he's such a small guy and gets so freezing cold during the winter that if he don't have something on he can't do his do, if you get my meaning. The issue of spelling words, well that is usually only used in text messages and on the internet. Otherwise if they are using that spelling they are just too lazy to spell the entire word out. And yes as an American it drives me batty when folks use numbers where letters should be. I don't think the English accent is \"sexy\" or \"cute\" to be honest, It makes me think of snooty rich people. (sorry but it does.) While it is true that American's have developed their own \"English\" I guess you could say, All of us American's have fun with that fact and can laugh at ourselves. Hence the redneck jokes. American's have never claimed to be perfect in any way, shape, or form, but we enjoy walking to the beat of a different drum. ZUmber You're mistaking the English accent of probably the home counties. As a Geordie (someone from Newcastle upon Tyne) you'd not understand me. Daniel just because we took the 'u's out of out words doesn't make us stupid. it just means there's no 'u's there, that's no reason to be mad. and i agree some people do take having a pet too seriously. i treat my pets as friends and i count them as part of my family, but im not going to dress it up and give it a seat at the dinner table. Is there anything wrong with that? and allot of people aren't over patriotic normally that people who have lost friends or family in the army, or other people who had weird backwards patriotic war hero parents. so its not just random patriotism (usually). Is there anything wrong with that? Nathan To begin with, I'm Scottish. I guess i consider the way i speak \"Scots\" and not English as such because it's such a broad dialect however when I write I intend to write in \"proper\" English, correct grammar etc. I think also everyone on this post needs to calm the fuck down, I don't personally have a problem with American grammar and the people and I don't find the whole \"shop attendant being nice\" thing overbearing but actually quite refreshing in comparison with shop attendants (etc.) here who always seem depressed. However when American spellings\/grammar starts to infect my own that annoys me, I was taught how to spell things the way they were intended to be spelled from the development of English. The whole turkey thing i think is a slight generalisation (as I typed \"generalisation\" it's marked as the wrong spelling, instead I was suggested to change it to \"generalization\" this annoys me to no end) I personally hate turkey and agree with the author in what she says though i don't think that because it's the staple poultry of two holiday's in America means that everyone HAS to love it. The patriotism thing i understand somewhat as well, I consider myself patriotic and don't consider myself \"British\" but Scottish so I get that sense of pride in your country but I agree that it can be incredibly over-zealous sometimes. Accents too, if an American said to me \"I love your accent!\" i wouldn't be a pretentious dick and tell them where to go, even if I wasn't in the best of moods I'd still thank them regardless as it's the polite thing to do and compliments can be nice, if you feel the sincerity though i think the point that was trying to be made is a lot of the time it feels as if (to use a previous example) Store Attendants will just say nice things because they feel that they're paid to do so, and it's not sincere whatsoever. Qu it's all scripted... store attendants just say what they are told to. they honestly don't care. no caps.. sorry (carpel tunnel) and i LIKE the S.. i understand it.. the z? got me. ZUmber Nathan if you're using FireFox then you need to download the British English language pack and it won't correct you. Keith Okie To the poster with the screen name \"England Blows Balls, Not to put too fine a point on it, but your view of the English language is dimmed by the American propensity for the slaughter of proper communication. At the risk of shaking the foundation of your \"mobile home\" let me explain that English is not \"old\" or \"outdated\", but a flowering, evolving language. Just because you choose to denigrate its natural beauty is no reason for you to call upon the rest of us to abandon the language of Shakespeare. I am a very proud American, but hearing my countrymen speak the way they do is probably the most offensive sound there is outside of dub step and hip hop. Patriotism? Are you kidding american's may fly a flag but they send all our jobs overseas, they give scholarships to athletes and not scholars. The only thing American's seem to care about is how much green is in their pocket. - Spelling? School don't care which spelling you use, we are just to lazy to type an extra letter. - Turkey? Done RIGHT, and often it's not, it's great. Add BUTTER when using ground turkey and don't get 90% lean (to dry). - Accents? We LIKE British accents because some of us have the 'joy' of sounding a bit like the sopranos... did anyone ever say \"hey, that mob boss has a great accent?\" or \"wow, i wish i talked like that girl on jersey shore.\" We work hard NOT to sound 'distinct' here in the north... we also like accents southern, californian, canadian, australian, [...] accents (should i continue?) - um... I prefer Knickers or bloomers, or when in jest to a FAMILY member 'dog chew toys'. - dogs? do not go there you soulless beast... says the woman with a doggie stroller and a cute little pair of sheep PJs for her fluffy baby. - flags... ever notice the 1% fly REALLY big flags as they fire Americans and outsource their jobs.. oh and flags are also popular in woods-y areas of the south (though those are often confederate flags).. and they scare us too! - Tea? Milk really? Biscuits I get, YUM... milk... :p - I think American's need to look at the 'euro' and realize that it binds Europe the way the dollar binds States. We are not 1 nation we are 50 independent states bound together by currency. If we were one nation, we would have ONE set of laws, education requirements, and government. .. and let's be honest... Brit TV ROCKS... ttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/oghma.gem Oghma Gem I want to agree with you about British TV. Only PBS in America has such quality programming as they make in the UK, which doesn't insult the intelligence or play to the lowest common denominator in viewers. One must have some semblance of a brain to follow the British mysteries; they don't telegraph the ending in the first five minutes, as American shows do. LAKate Aww geez -- flying a flag from your house is creepy? Certainly Brits fly a flag on important national holidays. Re: pets as surrugate kids, I've heard it said that how well you treat your pets is indicative of the level of humanity of the nation. Re: fanny -- somehow fanny sounds more polite than bottom or rear. And aren't Brits ever more polite? I wonder what the Brits have to say about the Aussie differences -- But at the end of the day, our differences are like that touch of curry that is indefinable yet unique. Great job on the Jubilee! LAKate I'm a bit embarrased -- so many of my countrymen, being so rude and mean spirited over funny little article about a f ew of our minor differences -- Such rude arrogance over nothing. And yes I like crumpets and Earl Grey AND bangers and mash. Not real fond of spotted dick though. And BBC America (is it BBC2?) is a great station and I've watched all the Jubilee programming and plan on watching \/ recording all the Olymic programming as well. As for you rude mean spirited folks -- get a life. Clarissa Yup, completely agree Lakate. In reality, people on both sides of the pond should feel a bit embarrassed. lili where in america are you visting? i wanna live there Clarissa Wow...the vast majority of the people that responded on this thread, both American and Brits, need to take a chill pill...seriously. The article is meant to provoke a bit of banter and conversation, not to start WW 3. Part of those subtle differences is after all, the reason so many Americans flock to Britain(and vice versa) when we want a vacation in a different part of the world that's just that little bit foreign enough to make us feel like we've actually left the country, yet not too foreign that one feels the need to bother learning another language...Conclusion: If ya took offense to the list, I suggest ya grow a thicker skin. If ya really feel that put out by it, don't worry; there was a list published the day after pointing out all the silly things Americans dislike about Britain...that should cool your heels a bit. Amy this is like the third post i've seen telling people to chill, except like three people it's all been pretty civil unless i'm missing a huge hunk of the chat. Mark Daniel Martinez Where are these overly friendly retail workers you speak of? Mark Daniel Martinez Oh, and as far as the dressing up your pets and hanging flags from you house thing goes, that creeps a lot of us out, too. Don't let the comments section fool ya. Betsy who the heck in america says fanny? no one. and turkey is disgusting. and a lot of these situations are kinda extreme and usually never happen, like there are only like 10 people that drive their dogs in strollers. Jeff I like our little quirks and see how thay can get annoying. But nobody really uses the word \"Fanny\", and turkey's not THAT bad. Just like I'm sure England has their different characteristics, we do as well. But all Americans are not the same. I assume the British get there assumptions from movies or television programmes, but that can be deceiving. Believe it or not, but there are some quite down to earth Americans who treat their dogs like pets. P.S.- your accents are kind of cool. Rich i love top gear uk, and dr. who, both are smart funny deeply imaginative and long looking. i dont think that english not flying flags or having different spellings of works is wrong. in america we tend to be pretty far away from people that want to do us harm unlike the UK is, and sometimes i do think the US tends to be a bit overzelous with the patriotism. Cara Found the slight on patriotism a low blow, and I'm not easily offended. I'm very proud of my country because of what it represents and of whom it is comprised. Can one not be proud of one's parents or proud of one's friends or proud of one's high school football team? I may have no part in their achievements, but I celebrate because they are my kin. When I say I am proud of my country, I don't mean that I was born in a hospital in the state of Georgia twenty-one years ago seriously fucking enthuses me, I mean that I have a heritage of men and women who have fought and argued and reasoned and deliberated and achieved great, monumental things in the name of freedom. It is not a history without major, horrific blemish, of course, but in spite of our differences we work as one nation, indivisible. Is that not something to honour, daily? We're not trying to belittle other countries comparatively. We're trying to respect our history, and as we move forward, embrace an American future. If that annoys you, you're welcome to it, but honestly, I think it's one of the most beautiful aspects of this society that I am privileged to be a part of. Skunkfarmer Is this the right room for an argument? KL Ha, ha! Classic! Polly It depends....In the words of Monty Python \"Is this going to be a 5 or 10 minute argument?\" Brian Oh come on, turkey lasagna can be pretty good if done right. Connie Dodson I had a turkey burger. It was pretty good, after I sprinkled it with McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak seasoning and built a sandwich with Orowheat Oatnut bread, French's Spicy Brown Mustard and Best Foods (mayonaise) with olive oil. It was better than a hamburger, unless I get a truly great hamburger. I also like my fish and chips with Heinz Malt Vinegar. I must be cross-cultural. That said: I wanted to buy a sweater on my one and only big vacation that included UK. Everywhere the shop personnel were rude, especially really nice shops. I got all the way back across the Atlantic Ocean before I found out a sweater is a sweatshirt and a jersey is a sweater. Why can't the English speak english? Surrey Heinz... not Sarson's vinegar? You wanted a jumper, not a sweater. Sorry.... read this whole thing. It's hard not to comment I'm sorry you had such a hard time shopping. Maggie Please, people, can't we all just GET ALONG! To the fellow Americans, lighten up! Sure, the article was a bit rude, but get over it! This website is suppose to be fun! To the Brits, lighten up! There are always gonna be people boasting about how thier country is better than all others and, yes, they're gonna make some unfavorable word choices whilst doing it. That is the risk of the internet. Get over it. Sure, there are differences in our two countries. It's bound to happen when our countries have been seperated for over 200 years! We use different words, talk in different ways, and have different cultural priorites. One is not better than the other. They both simply exist. Can't we just celebrate our luck to born into some of the planet's top cultures? To have the resources to change the world or help out friends in need? Yet, instead, we're here bickering over something we have NO control over. Shame on us. Kaitlin I agree with the american nationalism often being a little over the top and the sometimes annoying over-happy employees in stores\/restaurants but I dont understand the problems the author is having with our language use. Its just different, its not right or wrong to spell it \"color\" or \"colour\", just simple cultural differences. Most of the article was good until she brought up all this language crap. Arielle ?1. Actually your accent is annoying after about 5 minutes and a bit pretentious. 2. When you stop naming your children IMOGEN and HERMIONE then you can talk. 3. Use your man voice and tell the waiter to go away or is that too impolite for you? 4. It just seems like relentless cheer because you are emotionally stunted aka British. 5. You have a grandma as your \"head of state\" who does nothing but collect your money and demand to be called \"Your Highness.\" I wouldn't be patriotic about that either. 6. Pets are people! 7. I have one word for you \"Haggis\". No British person should ever make a criticism about cuisine since in Britain you have none. Just like you can't say baseball is boring because you play cricket; a game who's excitement level is one notch above watching paint dry. 8. There is no \"U\" in color and it's \"organiZed.\" Go back home if you want to put unnecessary \"u's\" in words. That is why we fought a revolution. 9. Get rid of that monarchy and actually get a president and then we'll talk. Oh an \"Constitutional Monarchy\" is an oxymoron. 10. Ok not you are just making things up. mary guys stop for a second and with an American accent -- any American accent other than a Southern one, that is -- try saying \"herb\" with an audible H sound It's WEIRD and DIFFICULT and it STICKS IN YOUR MOUTH WEIRD seriously I've tried side note: why do English people pronounce pedestrian PED-estrian, but then say pedophile PEED-ophile YES I WATCH TOO MANY CRIME SHOWS I KNOW but seriously why ttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/oghma.gem Oghma Gem Mary, I think it is because PED-estrian and PAED-ophile (original spelling? also PAEDiatrician) come from two different root words. PED=foot. PAED=child. Dekorume As an American (born in Texas, raised in California), I have heard many times that I have an accent. One of the fun things about living here is that we do have so many different \"versions\" of the same language. I agree with the article's author about elevators. Let the first floor be indicated by the number \"1?. \"G\" used to be for the garage level, now it is used to represent the \"G\"round level floor. \"M\" is for \"M\"ezzanine, talk about pretentious. We Americans can be prideful and arrogant, we look at what has been accomplished in our brief 236 year history and the influence we have had on the rest of the world (admittedly some good and some not-so-good) and like an insecure teenager (which in the historical scheme of countries, we are), we want others to recognize our accomplishments as well. Surrey Having returned to these comments and read every one... I have to leave one final (maybe...) comment. In spite of their similarities, England (and the UK) and the USA are foreign countries to each other. There are many differences; in language, culture, education, history, heritage, and ethnicity. I think , perhaps, that we are so surprised by the unexpected differences and inconsistencies, that we overreact. People blame the entire country for the foibles of a few, and because their tastes differ. If we travelled (yes, two Ls) to Egypt, for example, we would expect to see many things we're not accustomed to -- food, dress, habits, behaviour, table manners, etc, etc. We know we're in a foreign country so we accept these deifference with good grace (or we should), and go with the flow. We may complain about the toilets, or the fear of getting diarrheoa from the food, but we'll cope. ( take Lomotil... trust me on this ). We expect (in our arrogance) that most people will understand and speak \"English\", and become irritated when we can't make ourselves understood. We try, hopefully, to say a few words in the native language, which the locals may laugh about, but they love us for anyway. In other words, we know we're on foreign territory so we adapt. It's much more fun that way! We learn about the world. We make new friends. We expand out horizons. So, why should we expect that visiting the USA -- for Brits, or the UK -- for Americans, will not be a foreign experince? Both nations are melting pots of various civilisations and cultures, all meshed together to produce what we have now; and constantly evolving! They are separate. They are different! They are not, never have been, nor ever will be, the same! Accept those differences . We're all foreigners to each other! We talk differently. We eat differently. We dress, move, drive, work, etc... differently! I'm English, with an American passport. I've lived here with my American husband for 20 years. My children are American, but can speak with an English accent when they choose. My home is here, yet I still refer to my childhood home as \"home\". I go \"home\" for holidays when I can. I love a lot about my new home country, and still miss my old home a great deal. I've adapted. Yet sometimes I still feel like a foreigner here, and strangely, also in England! Hi, fellow humans. I came to Britain once, in 1973. Did some Clear Light at Stonehenge when people could picnic in the shade of the stones, did Windowpane at the old Alley Palley when Uriah Heep played, oh, yeah, Windowpane laid out all night in Russel Square listening to the night sounds of London, traded two hitchhikers from Brighton some Clear Light for Lebonese hash (they took us to their grandmother's house where we had fried eggs and tomatoes for lunch), all in all pulled some more bricks from the wall (I'm a teacher; we don't brick walls, we smash holes in walls for windows and doors.) Don't know what all ya'll arguing about, don't care. I'm here to say I loved England and thank Brigit for BBC America and Doctor Who. Kristen I was shocked to see how upset some people became just because someone insulted their ancestry in an online forum. This is what the net does to people; it gives them the capacity to be vile and speak their minds with impunity. Who cares what someone thinks about you or your culture? The people with these disgusting ideas about someone different than themselves would NEVER have the nerve to say it to your face. Just let it go and ignore the idiots. Responding to them gives them the fuel to keep going. Regarding the article, which some completely disregard in their comments, I do agree with many of the points the author makes and then some are just downright petty. To comment about someone being nice to you in a retail setting? I have to wonder what you're used to in the UK if politeness is frowned upon when you visit the US. Regardless, I look forward to visiting the UK and seeing how they do differ from the US, and hopefully, enjoying the differences and not feeling we even remotely have to be the same. Amber Just because some of us American's act this way does not mean we all do. We are a very diverse people. I don't care what accent you have as long as I can understand you. The last name thing is kind of dumb sometimes, depending on the name itself. My plate is never taken away too soon and the server will always ask if they can take it first. If you think we're too nice, than you should stay away from Canada, they have even more cheer than us. Yes, we're proud to be American's and I'm not sorry if that's a problem. Yes I treat my cat like a person but I don't push it in a buggy, that's just weird. I'm sorry but I love Turkey, always have. We're not spelling or saying words the wrong way, we just speak and spell a different dialect of English than you. And using words \"panties,\" \"fanny\" and \"bangs\" has to do with our culture, which, obviously, is different than yours. Courtney Brilliant. You summed it all up, perfectly. ttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/paul.ellison Paul Ellison Noah Webster created the American english to be different from the english spoken in England. That is why Americans speak, write, and pronounce words different. He took out letters from words to be less french. Colour to Color, ect Deb Chavis This article is completely satirical. Some of it is true. Don't get your panties in a knot. ttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=7\\\\... Thea Allison You mean my knickers? I can only think of how many times I would have been laughed out of a classroom or beat up if I had used the word \"knickers\". In the South, that could sound like an awful unmentionable word! ttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=5\\\\... Lisa Schultz I was going to leave an entire comment myself, but I'll just reply to yours, since you covered most of what I was thinking, with the exception of adding that the origins of the American-English language are (really!) 29% French, 29% Latin, 26% German, 6% Greek, etc. There's a pie-chart on Wikipedia. I'm currently learning French and find it fascinating to see the written word, and the many similarities between our languages. I also watch a lot of British TV online. Between learning French, and watching British TV, I'm discovering there are far more differences (and similarities) than I would have ever imagined! ttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ronna.lester Ronna Sutton Lester You will find Spanish easy to pick up also, since words, not especially the grammar, are similar, sort of. macman1940 I take great delight in the differences between \"Brits\" and \"Yanks\". I enjoy mentally translating \"the boot of the car\" into the \"trunk of the car\", etc. There is room to celebrate our differences as well as our shared values. We all have to deal with shallow culture, paparazzi, and endless election campaigning. Long live the Queen! Courtney Couldn't have said it better! Nancy in North Carolina Absolutely! I love the Brits, for the most part. Our history is mostly their history, after all. We Americans view all the royal family happenings (weddings etc.) with avid interest. We share your joys and your sorrows. It makes me sad some Brits say mean things about us, although some Americans might deserve it. I consider Brits our best friends in the world and hope that, for the most part, they view us that way, too. God bless you guys! ZUmber Well personally I think American's are great for the most part. I think the halfwits (both British and American) need to try each others cultures out a bit more. First, apple pie a la mode, not applepie and ice cream. Second, there is no comparison of The Beach Boys to the Beatles. The Beatles win out every time and I'm not even a fan. Third, Cadillac versus Bentley is another non-comparison. Bentley all the way and I love Cadillacs. Maybe a Jaguar X-Type versus a Cadillac CTS. Fourth, Marilyn Monroe versus Princess Diane. Really? Read this carefully PRINCESS DIANE! Yes, Marilyn Monroe is an icon of beauty but PRINCESS DIANE is and was a historical figure in a power monarch. The rest was ok. Joe What the hell did Princess Di ever do to be historical except Di? The Royal Family is tabloid trash not historical. Amy wow you cannot be serious about this reply. everything you said is stupid. ZUmber The monarchy is not historical? Wow the internet just lowered it's self to a new low. lisa *itself Amy Bentleys are wonderful, but Cadillac has way better style. Honestly all of Europe styles cars wrong, some are fantastic, but American muscle cars just look better. ttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/kirsten.jaster Kirsten Jaster I thought it was Princess Diana... Lisa I thought this was very amusing. I am American with a wonderful adopted \"family* that are English. Some stupid Americans try and copy great shows like Top Gear and Being Human. They totally do not get the reason the British version of these shows are better then the American watered down boring versions. Courtney I always find it hilarious that people in England always want to poke fun at Americans, especially when they try to say that we're arrogant. By continually trying to write articles that make fun of us and put yourselves on a pedestal, are you not being arrogant? That's what I thought. Your \"English\" is not perfect either. People in America speak properly, but obviously there's going to be those who don't; same as over there in England. Just get off the high horse already; learn to smile! oregon usa For God's sakes. It's meant to be funny and clever. Anyone who took offense (offence?) at this article is a nit wit. Please go have some Doritos and chill out. Regina The hostility of this article really rubbed me the wrong way. All the points could have been made in a more amusing and less hostile, angry, and insulting way. Most of the points made were ridiculous, but could have been funny if presented with some real comedy. If this were written by an American complaining about annoying British \"things\", it would be just as offensive. I did not find the article to be lighthearted and funny, but cold and truly mean-spirited. While I agreed with some things, the overall tone was too hostile. I'm disappointed that BBCAmerica thought this was appropriate for their website. Lisa This article was a hoot! I can't believe that anyone could be insulted by it. As for the accent thing, I'm a proud Okie and get the same reaction anytime I travel to far east or west of my beloved Oklahoma! I hear,\" I just love your accent\", or\" where did you get that accent.\" Hell, it scored me a free meal the last time I was in CA. Rachel *sigh* Why are people making such an enormous deal about this? Here's how I see it, we are two different countries who are actually a lot more similar to each other than most random countries are in comparison to each other. So we fight and get in huge internet arguments about about how much we dislike the cultural and language related differences we have? Really people? Does it matter THAT much that we have different views on patriotism, food and pronunciation? Yes, we got in a war a few hundred years ago, some of you realize that this was centuries before any of us were born, right? It also had very little to do with culture, it was (please correct me if I'm wrong, I'm not a history Rachel rofessor) mostly about taxes and issues with being a colony controlled from thousands of miles away, and other governmental problems. Why? Just stop fighting about stupid things, okay everyone? And since that won't happen, just please refrain from being to mean. Sincerely, a frustrated teenage American, who accidentally pushed the post button to soon... Robert Knihnicki Your so-called \"Prince\" (He does remind me of a whale), calls the queen \"Mummy\" and you are criticizing (or criticising?) americans? Funny that us New Englander types pronounce the word Aunt the way it is spelled rather than the way the sutheners, who pronounce it \"ant\". Do you have aunts or ants over there? Pip pip tally ho chaps. Answer quickly now or your tea and crumpets may get cold. Some of my best friends are British. Just kidding actually. I only know one, a doctor, a good one who fled your country after medicine was socialized. Dave I grew up as a scally in Liverpool,came to the States in \"77 with a wife and two babies and $300,worked like a dog,somehow got interested in the stock market,made a fortune in the .com era and retired at age 55.Where else in the world could i have done this.This is by far the greatest country in the world and i love it here,you want to stay in England do so but it is only jealousy that makes you rant against it. Nikki Most of the previous comments just emphasise the differences between Britain and America. It's pretty easy to see this article wasn't made as an attack against the American way of life, it's meant to be a joke. The only reason Brits would actually find these things annoying is because it's a break from the norm for us as opposed to everyone moaning all the time and being miserable. I've found from visiting America numerous times that change is a good thing, I'd rather have someone pretend to be nice to me in a shop than scowl at me because they have some kind of attitude problem and clearly don't want to be there. In this way I think Americans are much more polite rather than the stereotypical 'arrogance' that only seems to have manifested for political reasons. There are many things in America that I struggle to understand but Britain is by no measure perfect. We have four countries united that hate each others differences and hold onto old grudges. Scotland voting for their own independent party in the elections was proof enough that they don't want to be governed by England anymore and haven't since Great Britain was formed. The bottom line is, you can point out all the differences in spelling or customs you want but enforcing stereotypes and getting defensive solves nothing. The problem I find with some British people is that when they go abroad they like things to be how they are at home. Ruining parts of European countries is proof enough of this, Benidorm in Spain is the perfect example. Why leave Britain to stay in another version of Britain with warmer weather? Live a little. Experience something new for a change! At the end of the day I don't leave home to stay at home so why should I expect everyone to be the same? Difference is a part of life, you might not always agree with how people do things but it's not your choice so deal with it. I for one can't wait to go on my second visit to New York next month to get out of this dreary city! Duel Citizen As someone who decided to get to know British culture out of sheer curiosity, I love seeing where the stereotypes fade away and have come to realize that in spite of the fact I use a \"z\" in realise, we're a bit more alike than either side may admit. I often wondered why when people wanted to investigate and learn about another culture, why didn't they ever look toward that small island in the North Atlantic that pretty much started just about everything we know? I already had an admiration and appreciation for British history, but there's a lot of really great parts of modern Britain that I think more Americans should know. I chose to peer through the looking glass of popular culture, modern media and politics which ultimately led me to chance upon this article where I felt I needed to chime in because unless you're someone like me who chooses to look deeper, a British person reading the words of a British writer is just going to keep being fed vague propaganda. This is the same silly propaganda that caused an ignorant man in an earlier post to talk about how all English people have bad teeth which caused a big row (pronounced like \"cow\")... Bullshit flows with the tide across a sea of ignorance regardless if it is the size of the Atlantic. 1. Accents Being from Chicago, I have been told I have an accent nearly everywhere I go in my own country. Now since I now live in Scottsdale, Arizona, when I travel back to Chicago and dare call a fizzy drink \"soda\" instead of \"pop\", oh I usually hear about it. On the flipside it does get a little tiresome when you'd just like to get your receipt and leave the store, but after answering about where your accent is from the person feels compelled to tell you about family they have there and sometimes ask if I know them like Chicago is the size of a London flat. I tend to ignore the accent until well into the conversation as I feel is more proper to do so. For one I am sure that person is probably sick of hearing about it and two, probably equally sick of people finding them interesting based on how they sound rather than who they are. 2. Last Name First I can't remember the genesis point for the trend of using last names as first names, but I think it may have taken off or at least been nudged by \"Madison\" from the film Splash. I seem to remember hearing more and more baby names like Mackenzie and such popping up since at least when Splash hit cable. Sometimes the names can be cute and sometimes they can be \"well, I guess that can go either way\", but she did cite the name \"Smith\" which is by far probably the dumbest somewhat \"normal\" last name to give a child. I think the writer probably needs to step back on this one as I don't think this trend started in America and is not a \"typical\" American kind of thing. Names like Brad, Tad, Chet, perhaps... This is just yet another trend that should fall along the same lines as normal people trying to be like nutty celebrities and naming their child something off the wall. I'm personally waiting for Apple Computers to sue Gwyneth Paltrow for copyright infringement and think that people who feel compelled to name their kids something weird for the rest of their lives and aren't a celebrity with the money to pay for therapy are just trying to draw attention to themselves and are shallow people. This is universal and found on both shores. Skipped 3 4. Fake people... I'd like to know how stores and restaurants find these people so we can establish a demographic, round them up and send them to GitMo for a while. The best way to be is \"real\"... You'll get more respect and more of a comfort level out of others by being that way. Across the pond, the opposite seems to be the case and I believe it was Rhod Gilbert who put it best when comparing American retail store staff to British and I think I'd prefer the disinterested, distant and otherwise unhelpful person in Britain to someone who is slathering me in bullshit sunshine. 5. Patriotism I guess I have to ask again exactly where this woman was and exactly how much time she spent in this country. For the most part, the only people I've ever seen with a flag constantly on their house is a Veteran, older people and sometimes a police officer here and there. Randomly you get that super American guy that everyone finds a little creepy as well, but not because of a flag on his porch. Oh and the Tea Baggers which are all nuts, so fair enough. Let's also keep in mind that we've got a very large military, they have families and communities and we've been involved in and still have people alive and kicking from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Shield, Storm and the Bush Oil Wars who love their country, so maybe we're going to have a bit of a bigger patriotic footprint going back decades of armed conflict. For those who aren't military or from those families, there are a great deal who simply like to show their support for those who carry that same flag into battle. As far as the flag on the house comment goes, I think she needs to get around more. I do understand where she is coming from when it comes to the loudmouth \"yee haw I'm an American and I'm the best\" kind of douchebags all other Americans hate. These are the people that unfortunately give Brits the stereotype they use against us if they don't bother to learn beyond the lower common denominator in this country. Unfortunately since our media caters to fools and that's the entertainment often shipped overseas, that's pretty much the heart of this entire posting. Don't let this writer fool you for a second to think that Brits aren't proud of their country and not simply just glad to be born there. I think the British are quite proud of their country and actual, real BBC programming shows this quite a bit. I think the writer actually sells her own country a bit short, makes herself sound smug and as though she doesn't really care about the very country she is using to compare to America to point out our foibles. When not considering the minority the writer is probably only basing her opinion on, I think that a country that can unite themselves regardless of differences including the classes is far better than what she paints the people of Britain out to be in that possibly badly worded entry. The image suggested is a culture that is smug and self-absorbed with their own accomplishments so much that they can't be bothered to use the symbolism of a flag to come to one level saying \"I'm a Barrister from South London and you're a white van man from Manchester, but today we're all simply proud to be British.\" I know this isn't true and I don't think this is what she truly meant, but since she chooses to cite a very small portion of American culture, I'm not exactly eager to write for the defense especially since she seems to forget that the same small minority of overzealous nationalists on her side of the Atlantic took to the streets. I think they're more than glad to have been born there and I'll take a fat bloke in a tight \"America the Beautiful\" T-Shirt playing Toby Keith too loud in his Ford pickup over the shutting down of an entire city center so the police can kettle in a bunch of \"glad\" patriots. 6. Pets as People Yeah, this is some kind of American recessive gene, but I think this affliction has roots in another and happens when parents who have children who resent them and told them to piss off. Since Tippy can't say no to being dressed up like a Keebler Elf for a day at the mall and the doggy spa, there you have it. I agree with the part about how you're expected to love the yappy dog because it's small and because the owner thinks the dog is cute and is immune to the incessant noise that this is acceptable. Again, this same affliction is one experienced by parents of bratty or otherwise undisciplined children who think society should accept the bullshit, or worse, take care of the kid for them. I would never hit an animal or a child, but as a proud founder of \"Save a Child -- Punch a Parent\", I can honestly say that it should be legal to smack someone who doesn't have the common decency to train their pet to be good in public or train their spawn to do the same. I do believe that pets should be loved as much as possible, so while it is quite eccentric and a bit silly, as long as it isn't for the wrong reasons and the animal lives a happy life, that dog or cat would probably appreciate it more and love you back a hell of a lot more than some spoiled kid. 7. Turkey Obviously this woman has never had chicken and certainly has not had a properly cooked turkey. While finding a good one might be a gamble, I'd urge her to prance on down to a local Boston Market. Yes I know I will get some people saying \"yeech\" to me on that one, but this observation is so short sighted and seriously must be limited to only a couple occasions. As for the turkey burgers, meatballs and other items, about the only complaint I can say I have from a properly done turkey burger or other item is the need to over season it for the sole reason it was used in the first place. The fat content in beef gives the flavor (flavour) and contrary to popular belief there are some Americans who'd like to eat a bit healthy, but love certain food items. Personally I find this to be inventive and welcomed as long as it is done properly. I've overcooked a turkey breast or two, but while it is a bit boring by itself, it does carry more flavor (flavour) than chicken when roasted, I feel. I personally think that she simply had one too many shite turkey dinners in Britain, but never had a proper bird in the states where even our fast-food versions are not \"insipid and stringy\". Again a baseless argument rooted in some truth, but I see this as a personal thing and not something that drive \"Brits\" nuts. 8. Spelling I can understand why this would bother someone who was from the UK and had to write for an American medium, but I think that is where something that would \"Drive Brits Nuts\" would end. Again I see this as more of a personal thing than a collective gripe of the British public. Things are spelled a bit differently in some cases and without looking up the history of how this came about, it seems as though we simply did away with letters we thought were not necessary based on how the word is pronounced. This probably happened an extremely long time ago as the result of a misspelling by someone sounding out the English word. This doesn't mean Americans these days are dumb or silly for continuing to do this and it doesn't mean that either side is wrong or right. We're two different cultures and societies that evolved separately for a very long period of time much in the same way Australia did, but I don't take offense since Brits like to pick on the Aussies as well for other things. Again, this only drives the writer nuts and Brits in general just don't care and shake their head when we talk about the Corvette ZEE OH SIX. Oh and here's a tip... There is a setting on all Windows and Mac computers, tablets and other items you're probably using to write which should already be set to \"English UK\". If not then Google and ye shall find. Job done, eh? 9. Pronunciation... I swear I've recently heard a bunch of this during someone's stand-up routine like Rhod Gilbert as I mentioned before, but it might have been on the Comedy at the Apollo and can't remember the comedian. With regards to herb and fillet, one could also bring up #8 and question why the English chose to \"frenchify\" words like \"colour\" and \"aeroplane\", but I don't know if anyone from this side ever cared to look the other direction simply thinking that's just how your words evolved. I think it was once said that the use of \"Filet\" is reserved for boneless cuts of meat while \"Fillet\" is used for fish in the United States, but I am not entirely sure. If anything, Americans probably pronounce it incorrectly when referring to fish according to the general consensus of international chefs and yes, decades of McDonalds advertising is wrong too. I think that just like anything else over the years being separated from English influence and probably getting along with the French quite a bit better, those worlds could have evolved from the melting pot influence. With regards to \"herb\", I think that came about the same way and being someone who pronounces the \"h\" anyway, I just think people pronounce it how they grew up hearing it. \"The colonel's secret blend of herbs and spices\" was how most kids probably even first heard the word itself. I guess I am not seeing where Americans are out there intentionally saying something incorrectly to sound more intelligent when that pronunciation has been part of our society for countless years. While mostly northern, I believe it is safe to say that entire portions of British people often don't pronounce the \"h\" in many words including herb. For example, if I was watching John Bishop, Jason Manford or (for our Americans here) Russell Brand, if the phrase was spoken \"Turn that down, the noise is doing my head in\", whether the accent be from Liverpool (Scouse) or Manchester it would sound like \"...doing my ed in\". Dare I even go into the weird sect of UK society that pronounces the letter \"h\" like \"hay-ch\"? I think that might be more Northern Ireland, but I'm not sure. All I remember was hearing it a few times and then seeing David Mitchell shoot someone on Mitchell & Webb for doing it. I don't think any American really gives a toss about how he or she sounds when ordering a steak or piece of fish. All they do know is for a very long time this is how it was pronounced, it is grandfathered in now and to pronounce it otherwise would actually be more likely interpreted as unintelligent in this country and be a bit what one would expect Gomer Pyle to pronounce it as. \"Gee Sarge, that fill-et I had last night sure did stink up the latrine\" Blimey, I bet I'm going to hear about how I used the word \"latrine\" now... 10. English vs. British Slang I think the differences in the slang terminology are quite hilarious and the various theories of where the differences came from are quite entertaining as well. I remember when first learning what the English considered to be a \"Fanny\" and had a laugh, but then realized why my father who was from England would crack up when my American aunt would warn us about getting a spanking on our fannies. Thinking back to that now, I think that if I was my father and knew the true meaning, I would have probably lost it laughing as well. The term \"fag\" is well known for being different between the two countries and I recently laughed quite hard when Ricky Gervais had to speak up over Karl to let American listeners know about the English slang for fag not being a gay man. He then proceeded to talk about a couch being \"fag proof\" did not mean it kept gay men off your couch. Hahaha. I can only wonder what would happen to a nonce if he drove past a Fanny May Chocolates store. In the end I have to say that the writer here just seems to be a bit up-tight about things and I don't think they're reserved for only American items. The topic of the article was what \"Drives Brits Nuts\", but I think there are a host of things that would make an English person a bit wonky toward America and only a few of these I can agree with not only as an American who takes a deep interest in British society, but is also a dual citizen. I think I'd enjoy writing for the BBC. ttp:\/\/twitter.com\/jasonthehyeena Jason Leer As a British person, I agree with everything you've said. ttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=7\\\\... Thea Allison As an American person, I'd agree you are long winded and opinionated...and I also agree with most of what you say. Yay to protected speech! Jo You sure took a long time to say a bunch of nothing. Everyone is different no matter where they are from. Of course when people live in close proximity to one another they will pick up each others traits. This is natural and also follows a desire not to be different. I live in the South for instance but, not all people in the South have the same traditions or values. So many people and cultures have melted into the South that it is rare to find anyone who resembles the \"Old True Southerner\" as we would call them. The graceousness and sincerity of the South has gone. We all, and this includes those of other nations, have lost our compasion and trust for one another. We are alike in more ways than we are different, in that we have all abandoned our desire to embrace what is good and decent in others for a false tolerance that would force others to accept that which goes against all they believe is right. How someone speaks and the words they are accustomed to using is not important, just interesting. What a person holds dear and valuable is very important. This should not be mocked. This is the greatest tragedy of our time. steve logie Wow a lot of hate out here, from both sides. Chill out people! CaptainScorpio I'm very sorry you've never had properly prepared turkey. My mom makes it the way you describe, and most of my life I also thought it was normally that way. No, you just have to have it well prepared. Jonathan I live in America and I could never understand why people like turkey. I can't imagine turkey tasting good and still resembling turkey. ttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/paul.ellison Paul Ellison Have you ever had a whole roasted chicken before? Turkey's look exactly the same except a little bit larger. Quark Just want to say I'm an american and thought the article was hilariously funny and in the proper spirit. Kudos to the author for bringing humour (sic) to an issue that can sometimes be a \"sticky wicket\". Kate I'm an American and these things drive me crazy. Maybe it's because my skin tone is more suited to a rainier climate, but I agree with all of that. Words are so much smoother and make more sense spelled the British way. In fact, I like them so much more, that I have changed the settings on my typing programme and my phone to spell things the British way, or what I like to call \"correctly.\" While I admit I do enjoy the British accent over the American one, Americans who bother the Brit about it are rather silly. They're the ones who stopped speaking like that in the first place. Don't dote. Change it. Anyway, several of the pronunciation and spelling points reminded me of the Eddie Izzard skit Cheating at Scrabble. I'm not sure if this is the actual title, but he goes on about American spelling and pronunciation versus British spelling and pronunciation. If you haven't seen it, I'm sure you would enjoy the sentiment. AAe You can not complain about the use of z and lack of u. Although very similar these are two different languages. American English was changed by the founding fathers and they wanted it too continue to change to show as much separation as possible between the two countries. Naomi What annoys me is that I get the feeling Americans don't realise that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are all 'Britain', not just England. You can't say 'I love your British accent' (stereotypical a bit, but people must say it sometimes) because there is no such thing as a 'British' accent. I get the feeling they say 'British' when meaning 'English'. That's annoying. Plus saying they want to go to Britain, when they actually mean London. Oh -- and telling me I spell things wrong. I. Do. Not. Actually, the singing the national anthem before EVERYTHING is a little weird to me, but that's just different, not irritating. Hope I understand why us Americans saying we like British accents could be annoying, as most Americans mean English accents. I also prefer the way Brits spell things to the American way. It usually makes more sense. Brandygirl Wow, people! This article was supposed to be joke! Americans take things way too seriously! I am an American that was born and raised in Milwaukee, WI and I was so ashamed to see other Americans getting really ugly when responding to this article. Why are you on the BBC America page if you are this defensive about British humor toward Americans? Get over yourselves! neat #7. When people started realizing that turkey is a much healthier meat, it was put into everything to reduce the meat's fat content, lower its cholesterol and reduce the amount of salt we eat. I agree, it doesn't taste as good as the original. Though, Turkey bacon when smoked and peppered is pretty good. #8.Funny, this one has gotten on my nerves too, but from reverse. I keep wanting to say, it's labor or civilization. The one I saw recently was artifact spelled artefact. I think, you could add a few more to the list. Such as, the decimal and comma in numbers. 10,000 and 10.000 mean two completely different amounts to both countries. Dates too. In America, it is ususally seen as month\/day\/year. Ly Do you realize you just generalized over 300 million people as being \"too serious\" all from 440 comments? Please don't generalize, it makes you sound ignorant. VH Well, if the article is supposed to be a joke, it certainly lacks any amorous nature towards Americans, with the exception of a patronizing tone in the opening \"Americans are some of the loveliest people...\" None of the authors examples apply to me nor the vast majority of Americans that I know so her assessment is plain and simply a result of a small, impressionable sample. Perhaps she wouldn't like an in-kind response of Brits: their overuse of \"Cheers\" as a salutation, some of the most unhealthy and overindulgent breakfast items I've ever experienced,horrible showers, and a pompous attitude. So there, you can be summed up inappropriately too. I like humor, but please don't do it at the expense of a whole population. It doesn't endear us to you. ben I'm sorry, but 'unhealthy and overindulgent breakfast items'? are you mad? A full fry up still probably has only as many calories as a bowl of sugar cereal with MARSHMALLOWS in it or a pile of pancakes with SYRUP on them! megawfa79 Regarding your comments on turkey, perhaps you're leaving the bird in the oven too long. But, then again, British turkey is a contradiction in terms. Google \"trash can turkey\". Don't worry -- the can is clean and the bird is moist, tender, and to die for. ahahahaha, canadian here but canada is exactly the same. Heres a thought. STAY OUT OF OUR CONTINENT THEN. You are just jealous because we are richer then you and actually have something to claim (what was it about 40% of teh worlds economy?) Liz It seems funny how many people criticize Americans but need our help for all your problems. observateur No, you're confusing your meddling in other's affairs with helping. Laevatein FO (only people typing here) GB... you doun't see us commenting on the fact that you can't pronounce words... so get off our ass, and play with your 'torches', bonnets and boots. We love you Great Britain....... We don't care what you say about US!.. tally HO.....I'm off to an absolutely fabulous therapy session with my dog Bella! ttp:\/\/twitter.com\/Metronil Metronil Brits seem to be a little bit emotional, insecure and bitter...Just sayin. amk671 I think your overreaction to anything that doesn't praise American to the heavens is covered under number five. ttp:\/\/twitter.com\/DaughterMoon Nee M Amusing, and eye-opening in some ways... but very nit-picky in others. I'm sorry I was not taught to pronounce the \"h\" in herb, but I assure you it is not to sound clever nor sophisticated. It's how we say it over here and that's that. I'm not changing the way I say a word simply to erase the impression that I'm impersonating the French. Similarly, you should keep on saying knickers, bottom and fringe, and put the \"u\" and the \"s\" back on your keyboard. The world is smaller than ever before and most of us will know what you mean. For those that don't, they can learn. Just don't expect anyone to start saying and spelling words in a way that pleases you. ttp:\/\/twitter.com\/DaughterMoon Nee M Oh and with you 100% on the patriotism. It's over the top. In my neighborhood, there's a man that has a ginormous pick-up truck with two full sized American flags hooked to the back of the cab. I see him and I can't help but think \"douchebag.\" Brian Yes, how dare he. He must be such a jerk. ttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/people\/Jamie-Whi\\\\... Jamie White Actually, in fairness, I've noticed that the ones who drive the large, bulky vehicles with lots of crap on them are very unpleasant on the road. In actual fact, the more you \"mark\" your vehicle, the more psychologically likely you are to be an aggressive driver (this is actually a thing, that has been proven with science. People get more territorial the more they think of the car as an extension of themselves). And I've noticed that the larger the vehicle (aside from Semis, sometimes), the more entitled to the road the driver seems to act. They become road bullies, assuming that they can swerve into your lane with no warning and often no turn signal, just because your car would take more damage in a crash (thus, they know you're the one \"forced\" to yield). They ride your tail, trying to make you go faster via intimidation, and if you don't, they'll swerve around and in front of you -- often honking or flipping the bird at you in the process. Then again, I live in the South. Our drivers are terrible to begin with. KB But it would be OK if they were MUFC flags I presume? Kenna I actually love this article -- so true! It's a funny article and I always love reading about differences between different cultures. So what if he doesn't like I have *bangs* and am proud to be an American -- I am! And I'm more than happy to celebrate these differences as well. Deb Chavis This article is the best yet! I love the humor in it. jane Why blame a whole country for a few people out of it that messed it up? I'm an American and I'm not overly patriotic? Our \"over zealous cheer\", never have I ever been told \"You're the best customer ever!\" for buying 2 things. Theyre two different countries and cultures. antastic.mrfox This is funny, especially the bang-on description of the word panties. It also reminds me of a time in New York when I commented on the \"shops\". I was wryly told that \"hear in America we have stores, not shops\". Don't even get me started on my mirth when I saw a display of \"fanny bags\". On the Spelling, most people do not realise thyat \"ises\" instead of \"izes\" in British English is a only phenomenon of the last half century. Check any older British dictionary and s is not used in such a proflific way. Although either spelling is in FACT now acceptable in most dictionaries, the Oxford English Dictionary specifically still prefers z in most cases. The only reason I have given in to \"ises\" is because of the misinterpretation that \"izes\" are American that jolts with fellow Brits. Oh. and on turkey, it is a definitely question of how it is cooked! Glynis Yes, and I hate how the spellings are changing on many words. Travelling, traveller, bussing, busses, etc. Tell me, how does one justify \"buses\", and why doesn't it rhyme with MUSES, from the root word \"muse\"? Or fuses? Joost Fricke If the Brits cook turkey like they do the rest of their food it's not wonder they don't like it... V Doesn't matter, none of them brush their teeth anyway... ZUmber Well seeing as our health care is free and dentists are much cheaper. I'd have thought we'd have better of both worlds. WF I'm American and just gave a solid rant on how the British can drive one bat-crazy, so it's only fair that I provided the most unfettered of insight about my fellow people. 1) Saying \"could care less.\" What's the point of even saying this? To tell me you've cared the entire time, or to tell me that you think a grammatical contraction is just as difficult to muster as a birth contraction? Don't indicate you care at all when you really, really wish the object of your indifference was found in the deepest trench of the Pacific Ocean. 2) Saying \"have a nice day\" when you don't know two cents about how my day's been going! Let's keep expectations at ground level, shall we? I myself am a busy teacher so let me just hope that I survive my day without attaching a ball-and-chain to my ankle and then subsequently throwing myself out the window. 3) Wearing sneakers, or trainers since apparently I must translate, in public or to any place as if it's proper dress code. Forget thinking first. I'm at the opera, let me wear sneakers! After all, the intermission was designed for me to jog around this new performance hall and check the new plaques of the donors! 4) Not understanding sarcasm and irony immediately. Do you know much it irks me when I've had to say, \"Oh, just kidding?\" or something like that? I've finally weaned myself off that, but not without a methadone-like withdrawal regimen to make sure I never relapse. 5) Thinking that everyone wants to come to America for \"freedom, prosperity and Jesus.\" Or whatever. Tune into the BBC or PBS and you will learn that thousands upon thousands are trying to get into Europe, often illegally. Africa on Europe's doorstep is, I believe, a starker contrast to Mexico on America's. 6) And this leads me to my next point. Often presuming that someone is obligated to believe in God or a god of some kind. If one's an atheist (oooo, silence only interrupted by a whistling wind and ruffling leaves) he's automatically doomed in the most horrid of ways that I won't mention for fear of being blacklisted by the BBC and any number of oppressive theocracies in the world. You don't have to believe in any god if you don't want. In fact, some of my dearest friends don't and I don't think bad things will happen to them or that there is some sort of inexorable eye-for-an-eye justice that the man above will exert on these beings! 7) Making small talk too often or simply talking for the sake of talking. No, lovely barista, who's told me her life story about being a teen runaway and prostitute from LA, I cannot engage in conversation with you on my way to work. Does the wrinkled Garfield the Cat look on my face not give that away in the slightest? No, Signor Plumber, who has come to fix my sink in oversize jeans that still don't hide that bleak, hairy wasteland called your rear-end, I do not wish to hear or be sympathetic to you because your wife left you for a cult leader. The exorbitant fees you charge me do not include a donation to your mental health upkeep. Well, there it is and I really must conserve my rant energy. Mark number 9 and 10 on this list are stupid. We say thing differently because we are in another place than England. We say and pronounce things differently. We don't say \"tea time\" or \"bollocks\" or \"rubbish\". Get over yourself. kennedyshaffer71199 this is sooooo funny, im american. Personally i dont care for the half the things listed here, i hate turkey, i hate the cashires that are like \"have a great day, you are a great sshopper, and come again soon.\" all in one breath! V What a joke of an article. If it wasn't for the good ole U.S. of A...you'd be part of a small province in Russia. I'd just rather you thank you me rather than try and make yourself look smart with this smut article. TheAngryAmericanFemale Seven Things Americans hate about prententious Brits: 1) Their pretentiousness, for one 2) Their food, which seems to consist mostly of beef and freakishly dry yorkshire puddings 3) (If the case is so)The horrible cockny-accents that are often displayed, which nobody can understand so we just smile and nod 4) Their hostility and unwillingness to communicate in an at least respectful manner 5) Their addiction to milky tea 6)Their hatred of cats and worship of dogs( both are equal, damnit!) 7)Their worship of a constitutional monarchy, which has been away from power for so long, that it makes no sense that the media still has intererst in them . So there, Ms\/Mrs\/Mr. Prententious List Writer, I have made my move Whitney I'm American and really enjoyed this article. To any American that finds this article offensive, I would say get over it. This is meant to be a playful \"slagging\" as the British would call it. I say that as someone who is from time to time offended by the anti-American bigotry that comes from Europe on the web and in person. I love my country but if anyone thinks this article is offensive, you should read what other Europeans think of us. Ive travelled all over Europe and lots of Europeans not only hate our policies but they hate us. For example, I'm surprised at how anti-American Ireland is. Greeks in Greece dont hate Greek-Americans, Italians hardly ever hate Italian-Americans, but lots and lots of Irish hate Irish-Americans. A lot of Europeans (not all and maybe not most) stereotype all 310 million of us as the worst people on earth living in some Godforsaken backwater of a country filled with greed, violence, ignorance, and fat people. When you the Europe I've seen, you can just laugh off articles like this. I think some of the reaction to this article has to do with the fact that bookgirl20 I thought for sure the sacrilege of serving tea cold would make the list. FrequentTraveller I know this is supposed to be tongue in cheek and humo(u)rous but as a Brit I don't find this funny at all. I L-O-V-E it when Americans comment on my accent. And if only Britain had the awesome restaurant service they have in the States. I've never had my plate whipped away like Ruth describes. American friends, I apologise on behalf of this person's editor who obviously said something along the lines of \"got a column, to fill, needs to be in the next 10 minutes, just dash off any old c**p.\" Ruth, you're not speaking for me. To be honest this just falls into the rather embarrassing, snidey chip on our shoulder category that crops up way way too often and makes me cringe. (PS, Brits, if you want a laugh in the States just pronounce \"urinal\" -- all my American friends fall about). Anderson It's called culture. Different, not wrong. I know this is a joke and is completely ignorant and ethnocentric, but some people actually think like this. Just saying. aren't you the same 'americans' that brand all muslims as terrorists and call them \"towelheads\"? then claim it's all a joke and that muslims have no sense of humour? well, this article was written for fun. can't YOU take a joke? 'americans' love laughing at others but can't take it when the position is turned around? GROW UP! ttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/kmischka Katie Mischka ey, please do not judge all Americans by the Tea Party. I'm trying to convince my cousin that not all muslims are evil. But you do have a point, a lot of Americans are stupid bigots. But please don't judge us all by that. Dizzychik Your own stupidity is showing,the tea party has nothing to do with bigotry and everything to do with getting the people playing with other people's money to show fiscal responsibility.And recognizing that while,all Muslims are not evil,their religion is being hijacked by extremists and that faction needs to be dealt with by someone who's got enough gumption to do it,and protect the rest of the world if they can. GBGamer Herb is the correct pronunciation. You were the guys who changed it after we moved here. You pronounced it the same way until (I think) the 19th century. Just pointing out. I know this article's a joke, but I still think people should know this. Also, who the hell says fanny? That's something you say. observateur you are getting 'your panties in a bunch' over a joke. you need to be less pompous and have more humility because no individual or nation is (how do you Yanks say it?) 'ALL THAT! Elle from Vancouver I am Canadian and being in the commonwealth and yet so close to the US we share a smattering of both, in regards to speech patterns etc. We say \"zed\" and spell with the \"our\". We eat turkey too but some of us don't like it either. Now, on the patriotic thing...yes, some of you Yanks are way over the top. We Canadians are a very proud and patriotic bunch (just watch a hockey game) but we are not as in your face about it. Interesting to read that not all of you are...it is a shared assumption. We all have good and bad qualities as my Quebec country folk would say, vive la difference! Angry American This is, frankly, a pretty stupid fucking article. 1. \"Herb\" is pronounced \"erb\". \"Fillet\" is pronounced \"Fillay\". That's how I was taught to say it as a child. Is it even possible to be \"pretentious\" as a child? 2. Spelling words the \"wrong\" way? \"Colour\" is considered incorrect on my American computer according to spellcheck; and spellcheck usually doesn't fail me. 3. Turkey is fucking great. Fuck you. The only one I agree with is the Patriotism one. I hate America. I also hate Britain. I also hate this terrible article. Maridine Hey, dickwad. I feel like you're just describing the hard time you are having adjusting to the American lifestyle. There is a ton of shit we Americans could come up with to rag on your damn culture. Fuck off and get out of our country because we don't need you here contaminating it. Bitch. Marion S In the U.S., we really love our country. We really are as happy as we act. We do smile and say nice things all day long to others -- and we mean what we say (yes, I'll agree that there is a small percentile of Americans that don't mean it). That is our way of making the world a better place to live. That doesn't mean that we don't have problems, it's simply the idea that our own problems won't be solved by burdening you with them every time we pass. We are not thin-skinned at all! We criticize our own selves all of the time!!! Our news reflects an overly self-critical nation. My British friends who visited the U.S. are actually surprised that we are not nearly as bad (or fat) as they had imagined from our daily news. Another confusing thing is \"How are you?\" doesn't mean that we want to be a psychiatrist. It's just a greeting. When a person answers, \"Not bad,\" that is actually a positive response. Being as our country is so large, we have our own differences about word choice, dialect, and pronunciation. Examples: A water fountain is called a \"bubbler\" in Wisconsin. Soda is called \"pop\" in Minnesota. Turkey is extremely moist when it is cooked properly. If it is dry and stringy, you had a bad cook. We really enjoy Brits and their accents, word choices, and phrases. But, sorry to say, this article is at least halfway inaccurate. eekahil I agree so very much with #10. \"Panties\" annoys the flippin' heck out of me for the reasons you give. I like to say \"underpants\" for males or females because it is funny and old fashionedy (even though I know \"pants\" is naughty ) or sometimes \"foundation garments\" because it is even funnier and more old-fashionedy. Why I Have no Friends Reasons 27 and 362. kb Putting the last name first really bugs me too! I'm from the USA ttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ariel.wyckoff Ariel R. Wyckoff Hilarious! ttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ronna.lester Ronna Sutton Lester Webster removed the 'o' from everything feasible to separate as far from GB as possible, changing other words around also, Revolutionary War stuff, you know.. I personally can't stand undercooked vegetables such as green beens. My Mama cooked them until they melted in your mourth, the Southern way! When we lived in NYC for a bit, she hated eating out, because she said they just blanched them, the way we do to get ready to freeze them. Ugh!! So, I guess my family did retain that bit from the big move here. actually, being an american myself, i agree with most of these. but then...i also think american culture has gone down the 'loo' in the last 50 years. ttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=1\\\\... John H Harris In regards to #9, we did elect a socialist. His name is Barack Obama! Dovakin A note on the patriotism... I'm in London right now and have been for the last week and I haven't gone more that half a minute without seeing the Union Jack plastered somewhere. On cars, accessories, flyers, practically every building. It was the same when I was here in July. It was one of, if not THE, first things I mentioned. The point is, I've seen way more British flags in one week in London than I can ever remember seeing at any point in the US... and that includes the rural community I grew up in and the London-comparable cities I've visited regularly on either coast (with the possible exception of Memorial Day in Washington DC And there is nothing wrong with being proud of the country you were born in. England (and Great Britain) has a wonderful history that your ancestors were a part of and that directly resulted in you in so many ways. You don't need to blare your national anthem out of the stereo or fly a flag off your truck (or paint it on the roof of your vehicle *cough* the mini *cough*) but you can be proud of the contributions your people have made to the world. Expat253 The amount of flags in London is not a surprise at all. For one it's the year of the Queens Jubilee and the Summer Olympics being hosted there as well as it being tourist season. It's far from a typical scene in the capital. Amelia \"Pretentious\" vocabulary? I think you'll find that Americans, probably due to its melting pot culture, doesn't pronounce French words the French way because it's pretentious. It's because it's a French word. Just like how we pronounce \"Quesadilla\" without using L's. Do Brits really use the L's in that word? 'Cause I would laugh in their face. ui Right on ttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mary.talley.58 Mary Talley Oh honey, come down here to the South and you will learn a whole new language! LOL ttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=7\\\\... Thea Allison Bless their hearts Mary, they know not what they say and do! Wanna come over for some sweet tea? he he. -- A fellow G.R.I.T. <3 sean I am an american and i completely agree. May Brits spell words wrong, not Americans. But the word panties should be removed from the face of the Earth with napalm. British and proud You get a hint from it being 'English' that it was and still is our language.Brits dont spell our words wrong you do, because it's OUR language.Its colour not 'color' and rubbish not 'trash'. Americans make everything so cheesy, like garbage. And before you say America's bigger in size, it may well be but it's full of the most dickheads saying its Americas language.WHEN ENGLISH IS OUR LANGUAGE! Joe Thanks for the suggestions. I will use these to annoy Brits whenever possible. t tapps 1. Herb and filet (you misspelled the word we are pronouncing) are pronounced as such due to the respect for other word origins and not the naive \"we built the world British attitude\" 2. The irresistible temptation for English to inject their unwelcomed opinion to criticize 99 percent of the time. 3. Beginning every sentence with \"You Yanks always\"... Really? Only half the county were Yanks two hundred years ago stop already 4. The British Museum. A collection of all the UK's exploits and lootings. 5. Why not be proud of your flag. Move to another country if you not like your own. 6. There is no point for this thread. You see? Rich Interestingly, words being pronounced with or without the \"h\" is partially locality based (NYC folks typically drop the \"h\") and partially age based (>60 tend to drop the \"h\"). In my case, my folks were from Booklyn and pronounced \"human\" as \"uman\". It's all in the area with which they both grew up in (they are in their mid\/late 70?s). The spelling of the words \"wrong\" is the difference between British English and American English. For what it is worth, I have to say.. Zed? Really.. C'mon now.. that just being pretentious. Like the author's irritation drawn by their interpretation of Americans dropping the letter \"h\" to pronounce \"herb\" as \"erb\", pronouncing the last letter of the alphabet as \"Zed\" doesn't impress anyone. While I agree with the sense of patriotism, we US folks only have 250+ years of nationalism to draw upon. Give us another 600+ years to catch up, and I would say that our expression will probably be similar to the UK. Also, consider in to the equation the world we live in today in addition to what we have had to overcome (hint: something to do with the 11th.. and the month of September). Have to agree 100% with the use of last names as unique first names. I would like to add that this is probably not unique to the US, though. Also, using names for the opposite gender is a peeve, too. \"Charly\" for a girl. Really? The pets bit is funny. It's unfortunately not limited to the US (it's all over the UK, too, as well as other countries). Yuck. Last thing: so we train our customer service staff to be happy and treat their patron with a semblance of respect. Besides, happiness is infectious and they'd rather not foster any continued nature of being a sour puss. Fun article. Thanks! James Hahahaha. But the funniest thing about America is that we are doing the exact same thing that we fought to be free of in the Revolutionary War. amused american I sat here laughing while reading it. XD funny, how the most innocent of actions in one culture can turn into the biggest of pet peeves of another culture. Never realiSed how abrasive a \"z\" really was until you mentioned it... Hey, my middle name's a surname, and I go by it. haha. Florence First of all, I'm American. I admit I like British accents, but most people I know find them really annoying and pretentious. Maybe it's different in the north but yea. Secondly, people in restaurants and stores are very polite because it's their job -- not because they're nice and love to please. If they don't make you feel overly sick from the amount of kindness they're giving you, then they get scolded or fired. Also, the patriotism is a bit over the top. I don't normally see flags unless it's the house of a veteran or soldier. Plus, it's not really bad to love your country. We pronounce words from other languages as they are supposed to be pronounced because it is their language so it's kind of stupid if you don't. Lastly, not everyone says panties and fanny. Panties is common but a lot of people say underwear or the actual type (ie; boxers, briefs). Oh, and I have never heard the word fanny used outside of old movies where they were acting stupid. Americans do have problems, but those aren't it. Your post should have been about how tons of people get knocked up for extra money from the government. How practically 75% of teenagers don't care about high school. How southerners (no offense, I am southern after all) tend to be more judgmental to people from foreign countries, other religions, and other sexualities. Maybe actual problems with Americans instead of spiteful ones that can't be generalized to the public. And I hate turkey. ZUmber Don't worry we have girls here being knocked up for free money too and our payments are very very generous. Infact some of them certainly get more than I do and I work for a living. Samantha What? Why are you even here? Maybe this is what is wrong with America. We let snobby noses come over here anytime they want and make fun of us. Ok so you don't like turkey? DONT EAT IT! Americans believe in freedom. With all this freedom comes choice. You choose to come here; maybe it is time you choose to go back! I am proud to be an American! That's right, I went there!!! J KD Wow Ruth, you comes across like a very bitter person. Why don't you just say you hate Americans and be done with it. Egg Most of those are legitimate complaints, but some of them are just cultural differences and make you sound like an idiot. Learn more about how Americans speak rather than expect Americans to speak like Brits. juniperowl This list is one of the dumbest things I've ever read. It just makes the author sound like a pretentious, insufferable assbag. Sorry you don't like our good attitudes or the way we speak, but in return we're not all that fond of someone who has nothing better to do than bitch about a culture they're not a part of. TheMagicalAri Personally I love the last names for first names thing. If i lost my name to marriage i could see myself naming a child my maiden name. But on the patriotism thing, we fought and won our country just slightly over 200 years ago, we are going to be patriotic for a long time. The English have been English for a quite a while, so it's not such a big deal. Also if anyone who is not 6 years old or the mother of some one who is, is saying \"fanny\" they're just silly. TheMagicalAri I work in a call center and if we're not overly sweet and accommodating we get in trouble. It's a business thing, not a personal preference I actually hate everyone Who interrupts me on the phone with a burning passion, but it's the rules. ttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/david.hopson.54 David Hopson I really hate turkey meat in any form. also,people that treat pets like children are freaky.especially those people that have ankle biters,trip hazards. alexis what is so bothering about a waiter picking up your empty plate? it allows more table space. also, im american and i pronounce the h in herb and everyone corrects me.It is very annoying. they also tell me i pronounce vase wrong. also most people dont think turkey taste good its just healthier fat-wise. By the way, we find the greeters at stores annoying as well. CoedK First off, I want you to know that not all Americans are like this. I for example, am an Irish American, and although im proud to have been born in this country I couldnt care less about where I live. I feel wierd saying the words panties, Fanny, and bangs. And am quite informed with international events. I can see where these stereotypes come from, I do afteral live here, and for the majority of people theyre true but painting such broad strokes about a country as large as the united states isnt right. Louis XV A man from a country where they routinely ruin good fish, fowl and meat complaining that turkey doesn't taste good. It does if you prepare it properly. And then he complains that a country of 300 million people doesn't slavishly follow the chauvinistic pronunciations of his quaint little island! Here, we assume that French words are pronounced the way the French pronounce them. Ditto for every other language on the planet. Have you ever noticed that Brits are incapable of correctly pronouncing \"Michigan\"? Despite 300 years of examples they refuse to learn to pronounce a soft ch. Cholly Knickerbocker Plenty of Brits hang the Union Jack from their houses and have pictures of the sovereign hanging above their mantle, even if the fashionable self-styled \"intellectual class\" find it, well, a trifle lower class. Perhaps that's why the British Empire now runs from London to just short of the Scottish border? ZUmber The only time I've seen a flag hanging from a house here in England is when there's an important England match on. As for having the Queen on the wall too, never seen that either. Sarah As an American, I have to say that this is pretty funny. The author is just poking some fun at us; it's not like we don't do it to them and other people. Refer to the article 10 Things Brits Do That Drive Americans Nuts. People seriously need to just laugh and take a chill pill. Trekkie Gal The 'u' in colour, humour, neighbour, etc. serves no purpose. It doesn't change the pronunciation or meaning of the word. So why should we use it? Tyler I'm sorry the USA is not exactly like your country. And people say Americans are the ignorant ones.... ttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=5\\\\... Daniel Chen Spelling differences are fine by me. It's when some Yank tries to call me stupid for spelling words like \"defence\" with a \"C\" instead of an \"S\" I blow my lid. American spelling isn't the only valid spelling system in the world. Billy Bob Don't knock turkey! It is delicious when properly cooked and served. And when you serve it with cornbread dressing, candied yams and a fresh cranberry dish, you have a real winner. AlexEconomics Wait... what's the second holiday that centers around turkey? I'm an American, born and bred. And from my knowledge, Thanksgiving is the only turkey-centric holiday. Our family does goose or duck for Christmas, if that's what the author is referring to. Bethee Easter and some people do it on Christmas as well i know my family does turkey and ham then and we have done roast and turkey for Easter Wolf \"Make an actual socialist your president and then we'll talk.\" Ah when was this written? We do have a socialist President already. Dillydill09 11. Creating this list ttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mike.netty.ornce Mike Netty Ornce I agree with almost all of it.... except for the knickers and panties issue..... PLEASE!!!!! DON'T EVER SAY KNICKERS AGAIN! UNLESS YOU ARE OVER THE AGE OF 80 YEARS OLD....Trust me... panties are much better, and no dude in his right mind (unless he's into banging old chicks) would ever find a ckick saying knickers to be sexy. ?Could you imagine some hot chick sticking her knickers in your mouth during a lap dance???? gag, gag, gag..... how do my knickers taste there sonny? erson i liked number i cant stand when people do that erson number 9 mr.magic96 lol mr.magic96 you brits Andre Richards The \"u\" was intentionally removed from words like \"color\" and \"neighbor\" in the early days of the U.S. as part of a deliberate attempt to differentiate our version of the language in the U.S. from that of the Brits as well as to remove some unnecessary complexity in the language. So that's not a misspelling, nor are words like \"center\" and \"theater.\" We spell them correctly. Sorry you're unable to break with your quaint traditions. I have to laugh because the Brits always tell us we're wrong no matter what. Polly No, you are wrong there. lol Anaughtybear Actually, you can look in the dictionary and see that Brits are incorrect in their spelling of a lot of words, particularly 'aluminum'. It has has four syllables. I agree on the patriotism bit. Also, we're sorry about country music. Not all of us are that dumb. If Americans are in the U.K., we have an accent. If you're in the U.S., you have an accent. ZUmber Actually if you go 20 miles in any direction in the UK and you'll encounter a different accent. I can't agree with the aluminium though. Aloominum doesn't sound right to me. Jonathan O'bryant The only thing I agree with is the spelling of words, like honour, colour,ect. For some reason I've always spelled like that, (parents are from Ireland) Given to light I am Irish, I've heard nothing but bad things about the brits.... It's common in Ireland and the U.S... Just stating. While I am an animal lover, I completely agree with the pet thing. My ma tried to tell me my dog was like my brother once... I told her to shag off. The only thing pretentious is your god awful attitude, and us Americans are PERFECTLY HAPPY not living in a social nanny state. I have an accent, it's mixed, but I don't mind when people compliment it. Turkey is good if you know how to prepare it, but i wouldn't want to make it a steady diet. How's this for over zealous patriotism? Kiss my American ass and get me a beer Marlene i love the brits but we some how are always doing wrong and they say we should be more like them.STRONGLY DISAGREE!!! AMERICAN Most of this isnt true,dont you think if i went to the uk peole would be fascinated by my acent.This so affensive you should be a shamed, i dont go around making fun of other people who live in diffrent parts of the world because they talk diffrent or they like my acent.HERE LET ME WRITE IT SO YOU WILL UNDERSTAND YOUR AND BEASTLEY LITTLE TWIT!!!!! Justin Pretentious you say? Hah! I'd say take a look in the mirror. You seem rather ignorant, just saying. Sharon Your ignorant price of shut move back to England than! Stacy J I'm an American and I spent my summer in Oxford and London. Everything you listed above I witnessed happening to me when I was in England. Every where I went people were coming up to me telling me \"I love your accent\" and kept asking me to say different things. I noticed the spelling difference when I was there and had to adapt when I was writing papers. I did it and I didn't complain about it because I realized we live different lives, we have different but similar cultures and it was very interesting to see all of this. I loved my experience over there and I would go back in a heart beat. Everything listed above happened to me in England and I didn't mind it at all (except the \"I love your accent\" thing got a bit annoying). ttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/beth.mar.9 Beth Mar Wow. And I thought Brits were nice and accepting. Just.. wow. Tolerance is key when you're in a different culture, just FYI. Bethee I like food! Matt As someone who used to live in London for 2 years, there are a few things that REALLY annoy the fuck out of me after reading this... #4) give me a break. you are paid to have cheer in a shop when you work there no matter what country you live in. If you're rude to a customer and he\/she complains, chances are you will be fired. #5) COMPLETE BULL SHIT. Americans are no where near MORE patriotic than the British (English, Welsh and Scottish). They have just as many flags as we do, and they are EXTREMELY patriotic about everything. Worst of all, sports. The welsh and the scottish hate the english. And the english hate the welsh and scottish. Try going to a England v Wales rugby match.... I'm sure you will see no patriotism there. #6) I have seen the same thing over there. Mind you they were gay men, but still. In a baby carriage. #9) FUCK... THAT... Pretentious? The word Fillet is french. Hence, why we pronounce it that way. The same goes for the word Buffet, which oddly enough, the british pronounce the same way we do... WEIRD. #10) So we say panties.... They say pants, knickers, scivvies etc. Its just the way the cards fell. How is one way better than the other? And bangs.... My wife is british. Literally born and raised in Wales. I have visited there numerous times. Everyone of her friends say bands says both Bangs and Fringe. How is fringe better than bangs? And furthermore, they throw the words cunt and twat around like it's no big deal. Men call women that they don't know those words everyday. How can you say you feel dirty after saying the word \"bangs\"? Matt and another thing about the way we pronounce things. When you guys say any word with \"er\" on the end of it like \"wanker\" you make it sound like \"wankah\". Ridiculous how you think saying \"herb\" makes us pertentious. Or how about how no one pronounces the letter \"t\" when it is in the middle of a word. Like \"water\" becomes 2 words almost: \"wau'ah\" Having said all of this, I still love the british. I think this author needs to get a life Bill Murray *spoken with an utmost proper and unoffensive British accent* Why thank you for this delightfully uplifting piece, you crusty, cantankerous bitch. Guest this made me laugh so hard god we're so annoying griit lyf real men are ruff neck and we dont want mask or a happy happy joy joy version of thingz we ike the gritty side of thing we love went the subway smalls like piss so it keep the rich spolid people out Kate I'm American and have always pronounced \"herb\" with the \"h.\" I didn't even notice that Americans pronounce it differently until recently, and everyone thinks it's weird that I say it like that. THE YANK Ruth Margolis- how do you consider yourself intelligent if you can go to new york city, see a few odd people, then assume thats how all americans are? that would be like me saying i saw a british person in tokyo shit their pants, then convincing myself that all british people enjoy shitting in their pants. see the logic here? new york city is a melting pot of all cultures from across the globe, new york city is IN america, but even here we view it as a totally different world, because it is nothing at all like the rest of america. there are well over 8 million permanent residents, a few million undocumented aliens, and not to mention the extra 10 million or so that go to that city to work every day, and the millions of visitors. so next time you want to insult america, go ahead and do it (we enjoy those with their own opinions here) just make sure you actually know what you are talking about when you do it, so you don't make yourself out to look like a bumbling munter. it's funny that you people think you are more intelligent than us, but you are so stuck-up that you can't even see past your own nose to see who we really are. open your eyes, we americans didn't like how you looked at the rest of the world, so we murdered thousands of your people, left that oppressive dungeon, and then beat your worthless redcoats back across the atlantic(with their tails tucked between their legs like cowards) when you tried to take our freedom away. and after all that, we still came to your aid when winston churchill came groveling at our feet, begging like a starved dog for us to send our AMERICAN weapons to YOUR soldiers. whether you like it or not, without our aid, britain would have fell to nazi germany. you may not have needed the tens of thousands of our people that bled to death defending you without question, but your people begged us for help, and without it, you may not be there reading this article right now. now back to your worthless analysis. here are some REAL facts about REAL americans. 1:most of us find your accent to be utterly grotesque. 2.most of us think people who use surnames as first names should be flogged. 3.if they take away your plate too quickly at a restaurant, it is usually because they don't like you, and want you to leave quickly. 4.nobody says \"you were an awesome customer\" they do say \"thank you for your business\", or \"have a nice day\", but that is just to be polite, because trust me, nobody here cares about you, your bloody snatch, or your baseball bat sized tampons. 5.we as americans earned the right to be proud through death, hard work, blood, sweat, and tears, but since you people are so stuck-up, you can't even look past your own nose to see what makes us proud. 6.some bag lady babbling to her dog in the corner of a flea market hardly represents how americans treat their dogs. most of us see them as.. you guessed it.... DOGS! 7.turkey is a symbolic part of thanksgiving tradition, and just because you stupid arse redcoats can't cook a turkey properly, and have no real sense of taste, doesn't mean turkey is bad, just that you people can't cook. turkey is never dry when cooked right, quite the contrary, it can be as moist as a pot roast when cooked correctly. only a retard can mess up cooking a turkey. 8.aren't british people supposed to be intelligent? if so, you would know what the word dialect means, and why american engish varies from the king's english. we do not spell our own words wrong. 9. we do not pronounce our words wrong either, i will say again that you can find the definition of dialect in any one of your dictionaries. 10. if you are still as much of a rube as you were when you started reading this, see numbers 8 and 9, then sodomize yourself with the dictionary you are reading. .s. i just wanked to that photo of kate's tits, and spunked on a photo of the queen while waving an american flag and eating a nice turkey leg! the YANK spotted dick??? are you serious???? if you ask an american to come to your house to eat spotted dick, they would think you wanted them to perform fellatio on a man with genital herpes.. and \"puffing on a fag\" makes you sound like you like to suck gay dicks all day long. if you limey, island monkey, crooked toothed, redcoat pussies don't like america, stay over there where you belong. i am proud to be a yank, because we wiped the floor with you wimpy little pussies, and now we don't have to live within smelling range of her majesty's royal snatch(5000km upwind) Norm It's the way our culture has evolved since we became the melting pot over 200 years ago. We're not you and we're not anyone else so get over it and be thankful our country and yours are allies. If I had my way I'd force our school systems to teach multiple languages so we could communicate better with others when giving them our money while on vacation. Jaime I, too, was taught to pronounce 'herb' with a silent 'h' and 'fillet' with a silent 't'. We aren't doing it (at least not now, anyway) to sound french, though we might embellish it a bit if we're actually trying to sound french (for fun, as some people enjoy doing impersonations), but rather because we were taught that it's how its supposed to be pronounced. Brewing Sound like you are in a permanent bad mood as most Brits from that dreary place. There are worse things than acting cheerful, saying they love your accent and thanking you for patronizing their store. Jeez... I find these examples so silly in the face of the real problems that are here like gun control or something like that. ttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/john.sarmento.3 John Sarmento Culinary comments from the country that puts ketchup (catsup?) on eeevvvrrryyything..... Good fun Erliche I guess a guy coming from a country that eats \"Bangers and Mash\" and \"Spotted Dick\" would think our way of talking is strange LOL! Daimon How do you complain about -ize, yet misspell sexualise and infantilise in the later example? Kelly i find this very mean. i'm american myself, and saying that we like your accents is a complement. blame the government for the spelling stuff! not the people! i was almost going to cry after reading this. i could be brittish and do all of the same things you just listed! and not all americans are like that. only one women did that not 3845639536 people. i'm sorry that us americans drive you personally nuts. we have our own customs that we do. and britian has theres too. Lauren To address some of these \"American quirks:\" I personally do not make big fusses over British accents. In fact, to us, your accents make you sound very pretentious in all honesty. And it really depends who you have as a waiter. Some will take the plate away too fast, others will forget you're even there. And the majority of us DO NOT have a relentless cheer about ourselves 24\/7 (I'm the opposite -- I have an attitude 24\/7, then again I'm a New Yorker). Not everyone treats their pets like people, at least I don't because that's creepy. Turkey IS good, you probably just don't cook it properly. And the way we pronounce herb and fillet is just how we were taught. And I have NEVER, ever, ever, ever (10x ever) used the word \"fanny\" in my entire life. I always thought you guys used that word. I get that this article is how some of you feel, but what I have said above is how some of us feel. ttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/people\/Jamie-Whi\\\\... Jamie White Wait, so \"panties\" is \"infantilizing\", but \"knickers\" isn't?What? One is a tiny pair of pants, sure, so it's cutesy I suppose if you aren't used to the word, but \"knickers\"... man, that doesn't even sound serious. At all. I always thought people were being (or attempting to be) goofily saucy when they used it. But now you tell me, that's just their (sorry, \"your\") word for ladies' briefs? Seriously? That's... I'm sorry, that's ridiculous. At least every bit as ridiculous as \"panties\". \"Fringe\" sounds weird to me because my dialect just doesn't use it in that context (more like in the context of rugs or buckskin jackets), but at least it sounds like something an actual adult would say. Also -- regarding \"fillet\" -- you do realize it is spelled \"filet\", and it is in fact not a native English word but rather a French loanword used in a specialized and exclusively culinary sense? \"Fillet\" (with the double L) means something rather different, being that it's a carpentry term! People are pronouncing it correctly! And I will honestly take an attempt to pronounce a loanword similarly to the original, over butchery like \"kamakazzi\" (from the Japanese \"kamikaze\", which is pronounced more like ka-mi-ka-zeh for the record). Don't even get me started on the horrid action-movie-originated mistranslation\/mispronunciation \"mano-ay-mano, man-to-man\", what is that I don't even. \"If I'm having a bad day, or a good day -- make that any kind of day -- I do not want people in shops whom I've never met to swaddle me with their sticky, earnest, exaggerated niceness. In America, actual humans say things like \"Ma'am, you have been an awesome customer today,\" just because I bought a box of tampons from their store.\" That \"sticky, earnest, exaggerated niceness\"? That there is FORCED on us. Retail workers in America -- especially in major chains! -- have a horrifying rate of \"job stress\" and depression, in part due to crappy wages, sure, but really because we get crappy wages and then have to fake cheer our way through the day, no matter how we actually feel, and no matter how poorly we're treated by jerk customers or unpleasant management, etc. Oh, and we have set scripts we have to follow! At my work, I'm literally supposed to react cheerfully and super-helpfully to EVERY customer that comes within my sight... within 5 seconds of spotting them. Literally! \"Within 5 seconds\", that is the CORPORATE mandated time-frame. Not just \"acknowledge them\", mind -- actually go through a whole script of \"Hello! How are you doing today? Are you finding everything you need?\", etc.... even if it's clear they're just browsing or don't want to be bothered, even if I'm with another customer, and oh yes, I'm supposed to walk them to whatever they're looking for (assuming they even are looking for something specific) instead of giving directions or pointing, whether it's one aisle over or all the way across the store, and with no consideration for whether I'm already in the middle of helping someone else or even if I don't know where it actually is or if we carry it! With a super-duper-upbeat smile the whole time! DDDDD And oh, I'm sorry, they aren't \"customers\" -- they are \"guests\"! And we're not \"employees\", we're \"team members\"! You see what I'm getting at here -- normal people don't talk or act like this. But we're not expected to behave like \"normal people\" -- we're a \"team\" that serves our \"guests\" slavishly, going above and beyond any reasonable measures, with relentless, perky concern for their well-being! Never mind that we're working for minimum wage and helping two other people, or that the person in question is looking for something literally a minimum two-minute walk if you're brisk about it, that we know absolutely nothing about. No, see, you're supposed to magically and devoutly help every single customer as if they were the Queen, or possibly the Second Coming of Christ, and also, to know everything about everything or damn well find out. Even if nobody in the goddamn store at the moment knows a damn thing about Whozits, you will damn well help that \"guest\" find herself the perfect Whozit, from halfway across the store, while somehow not abandoning every other \"guest\" who needs your cheerfully upbeat attention. Oh, and don't forget to ask about mailers! Do you get our coupons in the mail? Would you like to? Are you sure? Because they're really good coupons! In the mail! Also, on your phone! Oh you don't have a smartphone? Well, regular texting phones work too! Also, there are flyers! Here, take one, even though there's absolutely nothing the coupons will be good on because they always time the sales so the good stuff isn't eligible! Did I mention you can get our coupons in the mail? COUPONS! DDDDD (I'm only slightly exaggerating. We really are supposed to ask EVERY \"guest\" we've harassed, er, \"helped\", whether they are on our mailing list or not. It's obnoxious, but we get chastised if they catch us NOT doing it) Seriously, you complain here as if this is something all American shopworkers do unintentionally and without realizing what they're doing (or possibly, that it's something they do intentionally to spite you) and that surely, if you point out how annoying it is they will have a Eureka Moment and stop! But they won't. BECAUSE WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO. The moment the cheer drops, either some entitled customer gets a bee in their bonnet about it and complains, or management notices and gets huffy about it. I'm sorry, but if the choice is \"fake concern and niceness for bitchy customers\" or \"lose my job that allows me to pay rent\", I'm obviously going to go with paying rent! ttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/wooden.thomas Wooden Thomas 1. I don't say that, nor do I love most British accents. 2.I really don't have a problem with the last name for a first name thing. Common names are boring. 3.I see what you're saying there.Sometime the wait staff just has to keep moving and lose awareness. 4.I don't mind positive energy even if it's shallow. As long as it's sincere. 5.I agree. Humility is knowledge.Dissent is true patriotism. 6.All creatures are equal , Animals should be treated with dignity, I'm not sure how dignified putting one in a baby carriage is... 7.I'm a vegetarian now but what I miss the most is the dark turkey \"drum stick\" or leg. Do you call it a drum stick over there? 8.Do you mean when we say Elvis Prezley? 9.We pronounce Fillet the French way. it's not pretentious. We pronounce Garage the French way too. In most regions the word herb, is pronounced with out the h. Do the British not say 'ead when they mean head? and 'ello when they mean hello. it's not pretentious. 10. I don't understand what you mean here, are you saying short hair that hangs over the forehead is called Fringes? Spencer I'd just like to point out that it's you Brits who are pretentious in your pronunciation by making every single foreign word common in English conform to English pronunciation, as if English is the best language ever. It's indicative of that annoying superiority complex you guys have had going since the Victorian Era. Vincent van \"Goth?\" Really? You know that's not how he would have pronounced his name, right? Maggie Sweetheart, you're way too young. I learned to say 'erb' instead of 'herb' in the U.K. as a child. Until you mentioned it I never thought of 'bangs', instead of 'fringe' as being a sexualized word. I still tend to put in my 'u\"s in words like 'colour' and spell 'theatre' rather than the American 'theater'. However, i don't lift 'the bonnet', but the 'hood', and don't open the 'boot', but the 'trunk'. And while 'hood' brings up picture of Little Red Riding or the neighborhood gang hanging out, 'bonnet' brings up pictures of Little Bo Beep and Miss Muffet. As to our heartiness, agreed. As to our patriotism, agreed. On the other hand treating pets like children, well, there are more dangerous eccentricities in which one can indulge. And as for tendency to weird and wacky names, agreed. Whatever happened to John & Mary? Hey Ho, Giles! ttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=1\\\\... Katherine Wolfe So you guys will really hate the phrase we use when one team has really trounced another -- we say they \"waxed their fannies.\" Ouch! Donna Wow, LOL, this is bloody rubbish since Brits have these exact same flaws! Juliean wow is it me? Or did everyone really take this rant a little to seriously? I'm American but I've had the privilege of living in the UK for several years and I can't help but wonder if if everyone has lost the ability to read \"tongue in cheek?\" Seriously??!! biffula Wow, what a bundle of joy the author is. Now I remember why we ditched British rule. REDFL We still like you and will be very nice to you -- it's how we were raised. We sincerely don't care if you put an extra \"u\" in \"humour\", we get it and it's charming. Don't hate us because we're dorks. We didn't know that \"panties, fanny or bangs\" meant something naughty Taylor I'm American, sadly, and I find most of these things annoying as well. Mostly the 'panties' bit. I hate that word. That and the word that's used as a term for women's privates, and men who seen as weak. i refuse to say it, it's just gross to me. Brandon in other words you could say the letter \"u\" is \"useless\" ^_^ Tara Let me tell you folks the secret to making turkey taste good.........FRY IT. I mean...that's the secret to making anything taste good though, right? AmericanMade Ruth...I can appreciative your perspective. However, as a born and raised citizen of the United States of America , I can tell you without even a little guile...get over it. Your perception of spelling, for instance. It may seem harsh to you to read a Z instead of an S (and for the record I neither know nor care who decided to do it that way or why), but it can be equally distressing to others who see that the incessant use of the letter U serves only make a word longer with no change in pronunciation. In other words, I'll type a Z, you type an S and between us we'll both still realize\/realise what the other is saying. As for your assertions on accents and pronunciation...you will find no less than 20 different ways to say the same thing within our country...so why fight it? This is also true in England. While I can appreciate and do LOVE, LOVE, LOVE every Londoner's accent, I can barely understand some of the people from Cornwall or Wales or Scotland, especially if they're hopping mad or have had too much to drink. How do you reconcile your delicate sensibilities on accentuation and pronunciation within your own kingdom if ours bother you this much? Besides, unless you add the accentual flourish, 'erb' doesn't even sound French. So just call it oregano, marjoram, thyme, basil, or whatever, and everyone will know what you're trying to say. You say 'shed-yool', I'll say 'skej-ool' and my neighbor Dolly Whittington will say 'agenda'. Again, we can all figure out what the other is saying without the need to let minor annoyances dig under our skin. For the record, I don't know WHOSE turkey you've been eating all these years, but the ones my family makes are not dry or stringy or insipid. If there's a cuisine we regularly screw up in this country it is the cooking of veal, lamb, duck and goose. Turkey is something we do right in my neck of the woods, so feel free to stop in and have some any time you want juicy fowl. A fair warning though, should you decide to take me up on my offer, you will have to pass under a normal sized flag of my country on your way to the front door. Not twelve...just one. I don't have them hanging from every tree limb, from the car, or tattooed all over my arms. My residence isn't trying to double for a courthouse square on Independence Day. But there is ONE and it will wave to you happily on a breezy day. For all that I have disagreed with you I DO agree with you on the ridiculous naming trends, the lightning-quick removal of my dinner plate (because I tend to eat fast too), and the over-the-top insanity and prevalence of \"pet worshippers\" in this country -- a side note on this, you only saw dogs in the stroller...wait until you see the dog in a stroller and the little kid crawling BEHIND it...then you'll really flip. I too hate the words \"panties\" and \"fanny\" and have never, ever, EVER had to use either in any conversation in my life, but \"bangs\" is totally legit and I proudly wear them. And while I'm glad you decided to live here, let me say that perhaps it's New York that's got you down on Americans. Take a visit to a more normal place and you might enjoy more of what you see and hear. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"An employee who has been dismissed can only challenge this by taking a personal grievance . Employees cannot pursue a claim for wrongful dismissal under common law, as was possible under previous legislation. Choice of procedure In some situations, employees who believe they have a personal grievance may also be able to complain under the Human Rights Act. This may happen, for example, when an employee believes they have been discriminated against, sexually harassed or racially harassed. Employees must choose either to take a personal grievance through to the Authority or to take their claim under the Human Rights Act. They cannot use both procedures for the same complaint. Raising a personal grievance with the employer An employee must let the employer know about his or her personal grievance, and that they want something done about it, within 90 days of the action complained of, or the date they became aware of it, whichever is the later. If the employer is not told about the personal grievance within 90 days, the employer need not consider it unless the Employment Relations Authority allows the employee to raise it after 90 days. The Authority will only allow that if it accepts that the delay was caused by exceptional circumstances. Exceptional circumstances include situations where: the employee was so affected or traumatised by the action complained of that he or she was unable to consider raising the grievance in time the employee made reasonable arrangements with an agent to raise the personal grievance on the employee's behalf, but the employee's agent unreasonably failed to do so in time the employee's employment agreement does not contain a plain language explanation of services available to help sort out employment relations problems the employer has failed to respond to an employee's request to give the employee a written statement of the reasons for the dismissal (see below). Employer's reasons for dismissal An employee who has been dismissed may ask the employer for a written statement setting out the reasons for the dismissal. They must do this within 60 days after the dismissal or after the date they became aware of it, whichever is later. The employer must give the statement to the employee within 14 days after being asked. This information may be important in later efforts to resolve the problem. Also, if the employer does not provide this statement, the employee will be able to raise a personal grievance after the 90-day period. Three-year limitation period on personal grievances Employees may not start a personal grievance action in the Employment Relations Authority or the Employment Court more than three years after they have raised it with the employer. Disclaimer & Acknowledgement The material featured on this page was sourced from the Department of Labour and is subject to Crown copyright protection. The Crown copyright protected material may be reproduced free of charge in any format or media without requiring specific permission. This is subject to the material being reproduced accurately and not being used in a derogatory manner or in a misleading context. Where the material is being published or issued to others, the source and copyright status should be acknowledged. ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Not yet rated Hotel Alte City is cosy hotel decorated in the style of old Berlin with many antiques on view... Low price with high comfort in the City! Hotel Alte City is cosy hotel decorated with antiques that reflect the history of Berlin. We are located in the near the Central Train Station ZOO and Memory Church. Just a short walk away is the main street with its many shopping centres, boutiques, cafes, and restaurants offering either German or international cuisine. Historic and cultural sights are also close by and are easily accessible by public transportation. Nightlife lovers will find plenty of theatres, cinemas, bars, and night clubs. We will be happy to assist you in organising your stay here in Berlin. ","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"10 of the Harshest Sentences for Pot in the U.S. The punishments for pot do not fit the crime. AlterNet \/ By Kristen Gwynne October 26, 2012 ttp:\/\/www.alternet.org\/drugs\/10-harshest-sentences-pot-us?page=0%2C0 Most Americans want pot to be legal, and as many as 70% of Americans want to legalize it for medical use. Nonetheless, the war on pot rages on. The Obama administration has actually increased raids on state-sanctioned medical pot programs, prosecuting both patients and their providers. Medical pot defendants have little protection in the justice system, which denies as evidence mention of their marijuana prescription or state-sanctioned use. A review of some of the sentences over the past few decades -- punishments that plague individuals for decades, even after release -- reveals the injustice of the drug war. Here's a rundown of the people who received the harshest penalties handed down for pot in recent history. 1. Christopher Williams A Montana medical marijuana provider is facing 82 to 85 years behind bars, due to mandatory minimum laws linked to some of his charges. Convicted of crimes like manufacturing marijuana, intent to distribute and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking offense, Christopher Williams appeared to be in the for the worst. But in a rare move this September, U.S. Attorney Michael Cotter offered to drop four of Williams? charges and bring his sentencing down to ?as little as 10 years,? so long as Williams waived his right to appeal. Williams refused the offer on moral grounds. The case isn?t about medical pot, says Williams, whose judge prohibited discussion of Montana?s medical marijuana program at trial. Rather, he says, it is about government abuse of power. ?I have decided to fight the federal government, because for me not defending the things that I know are right is dishonorable,? Williams wrote to the Independent Record , ?Every citizen has a responsibility to fight for what is right, even if it seems like the struggle will be lost.? Michael Donahoe, Williams? attorney, said that federal prosecutors often bring gun charges against medical marijuana defendants without the intent to prosecute them. Rather, they are hoping for a plea bargain -- one Williams is not willing to take. ?We know this for two reasons,? Donahoe told the Missoulan, ?First, because the government readily agreed to dismiss the firearms counts for virtually every other medical marijuana defendant in those cases where firearms violations had been charged. And second, because insofar as [Williams?] ?conspiracy? is concerned, every other defendant had no real choice but to plead guilty in exchange for the firearms charges being dropped.? He added, ?Given the government?s conduct here that was a false choice inspired by an abusive exercise of government power, considering that it was the government?s reckless decision to change its medical marijuana policy that was the first cause of all these problems.? 2. Patricia Spottedcrow Oklahoma mother of four Patricia Spottedcrow learned firsthand how a small-time pot bust can completely derail an offender?s life. A $31 pot sale got her a stunning 12-year prison sentence. In the two years she has been incarcerated, she has seen her children only twice. What?s more, her good behavior behind bars, including completing her GED and other self-improvement programs, has not reduced the confusing back-and-forth from the Pardon and Parole Board. A judge recently reduced Spottedcrow?s sentence to eight years, because ?she needs more time to prepare and mature.? The latest frustration in her case came at the close of this summer, when the parole board withdrew her parole restrictions before suspending them, delaying her beginning of a work-release program. She spent just minutes at the work-release facility, Hillside Correctional Center in Oklahoma City, before being sent back in cuffs to Eddie Warrior Correctional Center in Taft. Unfortunately for Spottedcrow and her family, who are surviving on a limited income, they can afford to make the trip to make the trip to Hillside, but not to Eddie Warrior. Spottedcrow told KFOR-TV in Oklahoma, ?I?m not gonna give up until I walk out the gate...I?ve got my mom and my kids out there waiting on me. Whatever it takes to get me to them I?m going to do it. I?ve been doing it.? 3. Jonathan Magbie Jonathan Magbie's story is a stunning example of the cruelty that can accompany an arrest for medical marijuana. Paralyzed from the neck down after being hit by a drunk driver at the age of four, Magpie was charged with marijuana possession in 2004 after cops found a joint and a loaded gun in a vehicle in which he was the passenger. Though he had never been convicted of a criminal offense and required medical assistance 20 hours a day, he was given a 10-day sentence in a DC jail. With no ventilator to sustain his breathing, he died in jail four days later. Magbie?s marijuana punishment was a death sentence. Without their medication behind bars, pot patients who make it out alive have endured days, weeks or years without their medication. Even after release, conditions of parole, including urine tests, may prevent patients from accessing their medicine. 4. Robert Platshorn Robert Platshorn is famous for being a marijuana trafficker. A leader of what the DEA dubbed the \"Black Tuna Gang,\" Platshorn spent the mid- to late-'70s smuggling weed into the US from Colombia before he was busted in 1978. Authorities accused him of importing as much as 500 tons of pot, and Platshorn gained infamy for his connection to what the DEA said was the most sophisticated drug operation it had seen yet. He was sentenced to 30 years, 28 of which he served until he was released on parole in 2008. Because Platshorn served nearly the full length of his sentence, he has taken on another label, this time as the man believed to have spent the most time locked up for pot in America. Now almost 70 years old, Platshorn is a marijuana activist who has managed to stay in the public eye. He recently toured America with the Silver Tour, speaking with seniors about medical marijuana. His most recent brush with law enforcement went down this summer. In May 2011, Platshorn received a letter from the parole board apparently releasing him from service. But this July, after his parole officer had passed away and two days before he was to speak before the American Bar Association, a new parole officer named Scott Kirsche showed up at his door and demanded he give a urine sample. Platshorn -- who says his former parole officer allowed him to travel to pot-related events and also approved his use of cannabis oil for skin cancer -- failed the test and was ordered to immediately stop treating his cancer with cannabis oil. Then, in one of the most shocking elements of Platshorn?s life story, he received what is effectively a gag order: Platshorn told South Florida?s Sun Sentenial that he is banned from travel ?to promote the legalization of marijuana without the express permission of the U.S. Parole Commission.? Platshorn was specifically told not to appear at an upcoming High Times medical event in San Francisco, and to cut ties with patient and fellow Silver Tour board member Irvin Rosenfeld. In July, U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks ordered Platshorn to remain under parole supervision, while claiming his request for freedom to speak at marijuana-related events conflicts with his criminal record. 5. Will Foster US Army veteran and business-owner Will Foster was suffering from widespread rheumatoid arthritis when he started growing marijuana. In 1997, Oklahoma police discovered his marijuana garden and just $28 cash after a ?confidential informant? helped them procure a ?John Doe? search warrant for methamphetamine. His sentence was reduced to 20 years and he was paroled to California in 2001. The Oklahoma Department of Corrections was unhappy when Foster completed parole, and attempted to extradite him back to Oklahoma -- a fight Foster won. But in 2008, Foster?s marijuana grow, legal by California standards, was raided. Foster sat in a California jail for a year before local authorities dropped the charges. Unfortunately for Foster, Oklahoma officials showed up at the Calif. jail, shackled Foster and drove him back to Oklahoma, where he remained until he was released in late November 2009. 6. John Avery In 1994, more than 50 DEA agents, local police and sheriffs raided wheelchair-bound John Avery?s 50-acre property. They discovered 1,250 pot plants in an underground marijuana garden. Police arrested Avery's son-law, Ricky Daniels, and a friend, David Tapley. Collectively, the two implicated Daniels? wife Michele, John Avery, Avery?s deceased son, and his daughter Sheri. The five names were enough to charge John Avery with ?continuing a criminal enterprise.? Michele admitted that her dead brother had probably been involved in the grow, but she and the rest of her family claimed to be entirely in the dark about the operation. Despite lack of physical evidence (save for one fingerprint on a piece of portable equipment), the words of Daniels and Tapley alone were enough to take them to court. For their cooperation, Daniels was sentenced five years while Tapley got two and a half. Michele is serving 10 years; Sheri is serving six and a half, and John is doing 58. John Avery's wife, Eddie, has become the caretaker for Sheri?s two sons and Michele?s disabled daughter. ?They basically killed my whole family,? John Avery wrote. ?They took me and my daughters away from their mother, my wife, and their children, my grandchildren.? 7. Bryan Epis The first California medical marijuana provider to be arrested and convicted for growing pot, Bryan Epis is a bit of a martyr in the medical marijuana movement. Epis? saga began in 1997, when police arrested him for growing more than 100 marijuana plants in the basement of his Chicago home. Epis testified that he was growing pot for himself and four other patients and sending the excess to a medical cannabis buyers? club. A jury found him guilty of growing more than 100 plants, as well as conspiracy to grow more than 1,000 plants. He was given a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence, toughened in part by his proximity to a local high school. After two years in federal prison, the 9th US Court Circuit granted Epis freedom pending the resolution of Raich v. Gonzalez , which actually turned out to be more bad news. The US Supreme Court ruled that federal drug prohibition trumps state medical pot laws. In 2007, Epis was resentenced to 10 years, but was free pending appeal on $500,000 bail. In 2010, he went back to prison, and this summer, his sentence was reduced to 90 months. But there was a catch: Epis cannot advocate for marijuana policy reform during his sentence or his first 10 years of freedom, when he will be on ?supervised release.? 8. The Young Family Clyde and Patricia Young were living with their eight children in Alabama near the border of Mississippi, surrounded by the property of wealthy businessman J.P. Altmire, when Altmire decided he wanted their land. When the Youngs refused to sell, he wrote 36 letters to lawyers, prosecutors and the local sheriff calling the family ?troublemakers.? In August 1988, the Young's eldest son was arrested for cultivating marijuana on Altmire property. Authorities tore up the Young?s home with pickshovels, and police seized all the money they had, including the children?s piggy banks and a 90-year-old uncle?s social security check. They did not find any drugs. A year later, police raided the home again, this time arresting the entire family. The Youngs learned at indictment that drug residue, a scale and a notebook of names and amounts of money were uncovered in a 1986 raid on Clyde Young's mother?s hunt club. At trial, the judge and Altmire?s former lawyer and friend, Charles Butler, did not allow the defense to admit as evidence the letters Altmire sent to local authorities. The prosecution?s witnesses included, as with many cases, criminals who may have been implicating others to reduce their own sentences. Clyde and Patricia, as well as four of their children, were found guilty of possession and conspiracy to distribute marijuana in an ongoing criminal enterprise. Clyde got 26 years; Patricia got 24; and their four children received sentences ranging from three to 15 years. Patricia and the four children have since been released, but Clyde is still serving his time. 9. James Cox James Cox suffered from testicular cancer that had spread to his stomach, and marijuana helped not only increase his appetite, but also helped him to cope with the pain. Addicted to Demerol after 15 years on the medication, he found that marijuana helped him to take less of the narcotic and still manage his chronic pain. In the late ?80s, police discovered his cannabis garden while investigating an attempted burglary at his home. James was sentenced to 15 years, his wife to five. Authorities also confiscated the home he and his wife, Pat, had inherited from her mother. The future looked so grim the couple attempted suicide while out on bond. Cox?s sentence was eventually given a stay, but when Cox was arrested for growing marijuana again, he was sent back to jail. In 1995, he wrote that being incarcerated led to ?constant discomfort? he believed to be ?a direct result of not having the medical benefits of marijuana.? His stomach ?deteriorated to the point where I could not eat anything due to incurable bleeding ulcers.? After almost five years in prison, Cox was finally released on parole. 10. John Knock John Knock received two life sentences plus 20 years behind bars for his alleged involvement in marijuana trafficking from Pakistan and Lebanon to the United States and Canada in the mid-'90s. Knock was living in Hawaii when he was extradited to Florida, a state in which he had never lived, to face charges related to a reverse sting because of his connection to an indicted San Francisco smuggler. The only evidence against him was the testimony of informants, and yet Knock is on track to die behind bars. While a life sentence for marijuana may seem incredibly rare, it has been handed to multiple nonviolent offenders. (For more information, visit www.lifeforpot.com. ) In 1992, Mark Young received a life sentence for playing the role of middleman in a large pot sale. That same year, Larry Jackson, a man with a long rap sheet of small-time, nonviolent offenses, received a life sentence for a minuscule amount of pot -- 1\/100th of a gram -- and a tiny bit of cocaine. As Eric Schlosser wrote in Reefer Madness , Oklahoma has some of the harshest punishments for pot, but it is not the only state handing down life sentences for the plant: In Oklahoma City, Leland James Dodd was given two life sentences, plus ten years, for buying fifty pounds of marijuana from undercover officers in a \"reverse sting.\" Oklahoma is not alone in handing out life sentences for buying marijuana from the government. In Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, William Stephen Bonner, a truck driver, was sent away for life without possibility of parole after state narcotics agents delivered forty pounds of marijuana to his bedroom. Raymond Pope a resident of Georgia, was lured to Baldwin County, Alabama, in 1990 with promises of cheap marijuana; he bought twenty-seven pounds from local sheriffs in a reverse sting, was convicted, and was sentenced to life without possibility of parole. Pope's criminal record consisted of prior convictions for stealing televisions and bedspreads from Georgia motels. He is now imprisoned 400 miles from his family. He has three young children. Years behind bars is not the only way marijuana offenders are punished. Other consequences of marijuana prohibition are often far more devastating than the use of the drug itself. Students can lose their financial aid; the tiniest bit of weed can lead to a child neglect charge (and removal of children from the home); and drug tests can cause skilled workers to be fired and lose their government benefits. The punishments for pot do not fit the crime, especially when most Americans want marijuana legal. But until we demand an end to 75 years of pot prohibition, we will continue to spend tax dollars prosecuting marijuana criminals. ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"advice needed please Hello everyone. So, my visa has been granted & I am itching to get my flight booked so I can look forward to it but do not want to rush into anything in case I make a bad decision. My plan is to book a flight to Perth for the end of February & visit some relatives & maybe stay for a month or so depending on work etc. Then I would head North up to Broome and Darwin in about May time, stay here for a month or so & then move on to Cairns in About August & stay here for a few months until summer kicks in & then head back down the East coast & finishing up in Sydney for Xmas & New Year & then to Melbourne for my last month or so & then maybe stay another year. Does this sound like a good plan, firstly for the weather? When is rainy season up North? I've heard Cairns is party town , would I be there at the right time? Secondly to fit in 3 months of seasonal work. I am a carpenter & after reading the sticky about seasonal work it sounds like I could work in construction wherever I go which would qualify, is this correct? Where is the mining work? Where are most of the fruit picking\/farming jobs? I do not want to have to squeeze this in at the end if it is mostly over on the East Coast. So if I do it as I plan then would there be enough opportunities for me to do my seasonal work? Is it Easy Enough to travel up the west coast & is there any cheap ways of doing this? Another problem I have is that I would like to go to NZ to do some Skiing but I am presuming the skiing weather for NZ is May - September, when I will be in North Australia. How hard is it to get from north Oz to NZ, is it just as easy as going from south Oz? Sorry I have so many questions I just do not want to be going to all the wrong places at the wrong times. It is the official book for seasonal work and tells you what is in season when and where. At the beginning of each chapter about a state there is a chart giving you a summary of what is being harvest when. It is quite handy, but you also have to keep in mind that at the very beginning and towards the end of each season there could be nothing to do. Also, there might just be bad crops this year. When I was traveling in 2011, I could not find any jobs from Brisbane to Darwin to Broome because it was a ridiculously bad harvest season. That being said, it is normally easy to pick up harvest work all over Australia, so it is not at all limited to the East coast. Also you are right that you can easily find jobs as a carpenter. Mining work is mostly in Western Australia und Queensland, but I don't really know anything about that. Regarding your travel plans: Wet Season up North is roughly til May. That means if you are driving yourself you might run into trouble between Broome and the Northern Territory Border because early in the dry season just means the rain has stopped but the water has not subsided yet. Also keep in mind that it can still be rainy, very humid and super hot. If you can handle that, you shouldn't have a problem, if not try to come up here about June\/July. The rest of your travel plan sounds just fine. Traveling up the west coast is not a problem, just a long way to drive at times (but then again, that's true for most of Australia ). Staying around Port Hedland is quite difficult because of the overpriced hotels\/caravan parks\/everything, but there are free roadside places you can sleep at if you don't mind that. And one last thing to keep in mind if you should be traveling by car: 1st Kangaroos really go crazy up north after dusk. Unless you have a roobar on your car and don't mind hitting a few of them, just don't drive in the dark. 2nd petrol prices can be a lot higher in the north of Western Australia and the Northern Territory (apart from Darwin). As you can see, I don't really know anything about the East Coast or flying to NZ, so maybe someone else can help out with this? Ok thanks for the good advice, that link to the harvest jobs was really helpful. Mainly by showing that there are opportunities for work pretty much everywhere at every time of year which is a big relief. I do not really want to do carpentry as I can do this at home so I will be glad to take on any available jobs if the money is right. I don't know how I will be getting about, probably by public transport unless I can find somebody who wants to car share. Is it cheap enough to get up the west coast by public transport? Thanks for your help And here is the official website where you can find out about the different tickets (They've got tickets for from A to B, or you can by a ticket with a certain amount of kilometres on etc): Welcome to Greyhound Australia Just one more tip for the West coast: Between Broome and the Northern Territory, try to squeeze the Gibb River Road in. Greyhound doesn't do it as it is a 4WD track, but there are other companys that offer trips. Yes that looks like a good way to travel up but I guess I'll meet people in hostels who are travelling the same route & I could tag along with them. Just have to see how things pan out when I get there & go with the flow. Cheers By using this Website, you agree to abide by our Terms and Conditions (the \"Terms\"). This notice does not replace our Terms , which you must read in full as they contain important information. You must not post any defamatory, unlawful or undesirable content, or any content copied from a third party, on the Website. You must not copy material from the Website except in accordance with the Terms. This Website gives users an opportunity to share information only and is not intended to contain any advice which you should rely upon. It does not replace the need to take professional or other advice. We have no liability to you or any other person in respect of any content on this Website. ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Can I edit an email that has been sent? I sent a test email campaign to myself and now it seems I cannot edit it? Yes, I have signed onto my account. Should I have archived before sending? Is there any way to retrieve it so I don't have to start from the beginning? Help Please Re: Can i caputure the send out email from the constant contact? Maybe I'm confused, but I was under the impression that they were wondering if they could make a copy of their custom email after sending it and using our API to do so. That's why I directed them to the developer boards. Thanks, Jarrad If you find my post helpful, and it answers your question, please mark it as an \"Accepted Solution\" ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Our Web Site July 07, 2005 This blog got me started with a completely different form of using technology to explore and communicate. I had so much fun with it that I expanded and moved over to SignalHealth (link now inactive).  And I learned even more over there. Westchester County Medical Center, still another hospital to save, but not quite yet . But never fear. The legislative session's is far from over. I'd still put money on some kind of deal being worked out here. Of course, the local folks want it saved (and assume that requires State money). June 27, 2005 We have a new contributor, Tom Hilliard, over at www.signalhealth.com . He describes himself as \"a former health care policy wonk, former political hack, former labor consultant for health care unions, former Washington DC political activist.\" He's already published a couple of well-written, thought-provoking posts. Come on over and take a look. And for those of you who've never visited www.signalhealth.com , though inspired by this site, it offers much, much more. June 24, 2005 In It's Only a Matter of When , we set the stage a bit with our discussion of subsystems overwhelming the systems of which they are a part and which support them, especially with financial resources and how that triggers system responses. The example we used was of the loss of coverage. Let's now discuss the implications for universal coverage generally and single-payer, in particular. The system structures and associated dynamics in It's Only a Matter of When help explain the rising numbers of uninsured, which are themselves much of the political impetus for some form of universal coverage. But, unless we're foolish, the leap to some form of universal coverage also requires that we create the structures in a new system to counterbalance those forces. Otherwise, we will simply transfer the associated problems from one coverage system to another. Growth in healthcare costs at rates greater than the rest of the economy will continue to cause more people to become uninsured - the gap that universal coverage would fill. But a one-time jump in transfers from the rest of the economy to healthcare that would accompany a political move to universal coverage would not, by itself, change the system structures that create these dynamics. Thus, any move to universal coverage must take those inflationary structures into account and deal with them as part of reform. Certainly no reform should weaken the counterbalances that exist today, much less create new inflationary incentives. Contrary to the rhetoric of many single-payer advocates, we cannot do this by relying solely on reduced administrative costs. Perhaps politically and rhetorically attractive, that's a dangerous distraction. Instead, we must face up to core healthcare costs and their continual rise and we must find effective means of counterbalancing them. The rejection of the Clinton plan, in part, because of the canard that it would have limited consumer choice, marked the beginning of a consumer revolution that rejected all limits on choice, thus virtually all cost-control mechanisms. So discussions of how we'll reshape the delivery system under a particular universal health care system to control costs probably miss the point, which is that the American public may not allow costs to be controlled under any model. (which is why I think it makes sense to target administration and marketing costs, since those may be the only excess costs truly on the table.) One of Tom's implicit assumptions is that only by limiting choice can we control costs. I'm not sure that's true. I've certainly seem mechanisms that had the effect of reducing costs without limiting choice. Indeed, I've even seen cost reductions result by giving the patient more choice leverage (through deeper education about their options), but I don't want to dwell on that here. Rather, momentarily granting Tom's assumption about unfettered choice, let's look at his next point, \"the American public may not allow costs to be controlled under any model.\" Yes, they will. They may hate it. They may resist. They may claw and scratch, but, even under a single-payer system, ultimately they will have no choice but to allow cost controls politically. Why? Because continual and accumulative healthcare cost growth that exceeds the rate of growth of the economy that pays for it and supports it will sooner or later, but inevitably run into a \"Decision\/Behavioral Change Threshold\" such as we discussed and depicted here . At that point the larger system (the rest of the economy in this case) will push back and say, \"no more.\" (More likely the wording would be a bit more aggressive.) The healthcare sector will have to live and content itself with X percent of the nation's economic resources. Pick your own percentage threshold. Fifteen percent? A bit over where we are today. Twenty? Maybe. Fifty? You must be kidding. The American public which had previously rebelled over \"lack of choice\" would have long before furiously rebelled over the tax burdens associated with that level of economic commitment. Why would it be otherwise? The point here is not to argue what the trigger level would be. Rather it is to simply say that structurally, such a trigger level will be an intrinsic part of the system and pulling the trigger is a matter of when, not if. Tom, then using the single-payer advocate argument, goes on to say: ... which is why I think it makes sense to target administration and marketing costs, since those may be the only excess costs truly on the table. Over the last few years, the administrative costs argument has become the centerpiece of the rationale for single-payer advocates. This is dangerous. Whether large or small, administrative costs are an \"add-on\" to core healthcare costs. They rise with the increases in core healthcare costs, which the single-payer proposal does nothing explicit to address. All the systems we're discussing, reformed or otherwise have and will have some form of counterbalancing mechanisms. Whether in the present system or embedded in a single-payer system, the same generic system structures will produce the same generic system behaviors. It's best to  think about the nature of these counterbalances  consciously in advance of reform and to discuss them openly. The administrative savings rhetoric is more than a distraction. The rhetoric of many single-payer advocates supports at least implies more dramatic, perhaps radical controls on core healthcare costs: It does this in comparisons to other nations' healthcare systems which devote to healthcare much smaller shares of overall economic capacity. If the US spends 14 percent of GDP on healthcare and another system spends 10 percent, we must ask of the single-payer advocate, are you suggesting that the US move toward 10 percent? Are you suggesting that we cap the US system at 14 percent while other nations catch up? If two of the 14 percent is for administration and we can eliminate that, will we then cap healthcare's share at 12 percent? And, especially after dismantling the administrative controls, in any of these cases, how would we do that? Most single-payer proposals include or imply some form of price controls. Today that's often aimed at the current villain, pharmaceutical firms. But price controls certainly wouldn't be limited to such firms, they would apply to all forms of healthcare included in the benefit package. A single-payer systems would be a monopsony (single buyer rather than a single seller monopoly). Its leverage over hospitals and physicians and most other services would be near total. Service use controls would be of two types, implicit and explicit. Price controls will inevitably have a hidden, implicit effect on service. Priced low enough, no one will sell a service. So patients would have complete freedom of choice to seek services ... that no one sells. In part, this is just an extreme version of the waiting line effect. Explicit service use controls would no doubt emerge as well. Assume for the moment, that we could have a single-payer solution and universal coverage with zero administrative costs. We would have received a one-time savings. But would we still have a healthcare cost problem? Would healthcare costs continue to rise faster than the rest of the economy? Clearly yes. And therein lies the problem. Because as this new administration-free, single-payer system consumed an increasing share of gross domestic product, eventually the rest of the economy, the taxpayers would limit the resources available to healthcare As I discussed before, I've never found the administrative cost argument compelling except in the extreme short term. If single-payer advocates were actually able to make the sale to the American public, they would shortly thereafter find themselves accused of a \"bait and switch\" because the core costs, for healthcare services would continue to grow faster than the rest of the economy and there would be little alternative but to impose administrative controls on service, both raising administrative costs and creating exactly the sort of problems they had promised to avoid. Not a pretty picture. Any credible reform proposal must include the means by which core healthcare cost growth will be constrained to some fixed percentage of our society's economic capacity or it will necessarily fail. Any universal coverage system must directly face up to how the core costs will be controlled. This can be done bureaucratically or it must leave individuals and families the ability to choose among different systems of care and financing and do so with a financial incentive that creates a counterbalance to healthcare's core inflationary forces. Individuals and families must play an active role in the choices that affect them and their decision making must include personal trade-offs regarding service choice and cost. Even more than in the present system, in a healthcare system with universal coverage, core healthcare costs will be controlled by the rest of the economy. This can be done arbitrarily to patients and physicians and I fear that arbitrary means will be the only ones available in a single-payer system. We must find functional and politically acceptable means of restraining growth in core healthcare costs. At best, tinkering solely with administrative costs avoids finding a solution to the more serious problem, even worse, it's a distraction. Worst of all, it may undermine our ability to confront the greater challenges. June 23, 2005 Oh! We should be so relieved. Healthcare spending growth has slowed to a mere eight percent. Our last post suggests not. The news from the Center for Studying Health Systems Change is that healthcare spending growth has slowed a bit. The report is published in Health Affairs . Our prior post was a jumping off point to a larger discussion the central point of health economics in the US today. So long as growth in healthcare spending exceeds the rate of growth in the rest of the economy, which pays for healthcare, the day of reckoning is inevitable. Health care spending increased 8.2 percent in 2004. This was virtually unchanged from 2003, which suggests that health care cost trends have stabilized. Hospital spending grew 10.1 percent in 2004, also virtually unchanged from 2003, reflecting a small increase in the hospital utilization trend and a small decline in hospital price inflation. Meanwhile, growth in prescription drug spending continued to fall as a result of slower growth in prices. Growth in health insurance premiums slowed again in 2005, likely reflecting earlier years' slowing in cost trends and signaling that a turn in the insurance underwriting cycle might be under way. So why isn't the slowdown in healthcare cost growth satisfying? Because healthcare cost growth, as it has almost every year in the past decade (there were two early exceptions before the managed care backlash), and essentially for decades has exceeded growth in the rest of the economy or GDP overall and that only takes us closer to trouble. Most immediately, as we discussed below , it forces people out of the coverage system. The more recent source data are here . So headlines and links (here and here too) that even modestly celebrate this slowing of healthcare cost growth largely miss the point. Unless the slowdown is to a growth level less than the economic rate of growth, then we have not reversed our race to the day of reckoning. We might have slowed a bit, but not reversed. Moreover, these trends have a direct bearing on our discussions of universal coverage and why single-payer is a less than satisfactory response. That will be the subject of my next post. This post is about behavioral change, particularly as it relates to health economics and the healthcare system. The essentials, the mechanics if you will, apply similarly to individuals, organizations, and the place of healthcare in general economy. The next couple of posts will be based on it and I'll likely refer to it many times in the future. Before we get started, answer the following questions: If you and your family had (or have) to pay for your healthcare coverage directly, at what percentage of your family income would you be forced to seek less expensive coverage, even if it were more restrictive? Answer: __________ If you and your family had (or have) to pay for your healthcare coverage directly, at what percentage of your family income would you be forced to drop your coverage? Answer: __________ Put your answers aside for a moment. We'll return to them shortly. Some of this may look fairly complex, but it's not really. Just follow it step-by-step and you'll see what's going on both in the post and, more importantly, you will see how trouble is inevitable or perhaps why we're already in trouble. So don't bail out on me quite yet. Take a look at the following Chart 1, The Impending US Healthcare Crisis: Why it is Only a Matter of When: What do we see? We see economic growth E (with the random ups and downs taken out for simplicity). As is typically the case, it curves upward, representing exponential or compounding growth. We see D \"$ at Some Percentage of the Economy\" which parallels the economy itself. For example, this curve might represent 10 or 20 percent of the economy. Because it's a percentage, it grows at exactly the same rate as the economy. We also see H, Healthcare Spending. Note that, consistent with a lengthening history in the US, the rate of growth is faster than the economy (E) and faster than at $ at Some Percentage of the Economy (D). Because it grows faster, eventually it overtakes and crosses D at a point we have labeled \"Decision\/Behavioral Change Threshold.\" Then something changes. Now what might that \"Decision\/Behavioral Change Threshold\" be? Let's return to the questions you answered at the beginning. (You did answer them didn't you?) Let's assume that you answered that at 15 percent of your family income you would have to drop coverage. Beyond that, regardless of the risk, it would be just too expensive to pay the monthly premiums. Your family circumstances and decision behavioral change are represented in Chart 1. Here's how. Your income is represented by Economy (E). Your 15 percent personal decision threshold is represented by \"$ at Some Percentage of the Economy\" (D). Premium growth is represented by Healthcare Spending (H). You drop coverage where the lines cross and at time T1. You may use the same chart to think of movement to more restrictive coverage. Assume that as the cost of coverage approached your 15 percent threshold (say at 12 or 13 percent), straining to maintain some form of protection, you might seek less expensive coverage. The chart will work in exactly the same way. Now what happens if economic growth slows, healthcare costs accelerate, or you ability to devote a set percentage of your economic capacity to healthcare diminishes? Chart 2 shows slower economic growth combined with healthcare cost growth the same as in the base case in Chart 1. Chart 4 shows a lower Decision\/Behavior Change Threshold. For example, if you would be forced to drop coverage at five or 10 rather than 15 percent of your family income as would generally be the case for lower income families, then the Threshold would be lower relative to the family Economy. What Charts 2 through 4 have in common is that all produce a change in behavior at an earlier time. Slower economic growth, faster healthcare cost growth, or a lower percentage of your economic resources that can be devoted to healthcare all cause you to drop coverage earlier. Pick your own markets of economic growth. Pick your own measures of economic capacity. Consider this at the most macro-economic level or at the personal level. The same effects result. If a system consistently grows faster than a larger system in which it resides, eventually an intersection is reached at which the behaviors of one or the other, or both change less the larger system be overwhelmed. But even being overwhelmed will generally yield a behavioral change (think uncontrolled cancerous cells overwhelming an organ or body and eventually killing it). What has been happening is that healthcare costs consistently outgrow the rest of the economy - which pays for healthcare. Increasingly individuals, families, employers, and governments capacity to carry the cost are being overwhelmed. So their behavior changes. In some cases, they seek increasingly stronger means of maintaining a financial relationship with the healthcare system. But in other instances, their behavioral change is to simply walk away. Thus, increasing numbers of uninsured. We don't all reach the intersection at the same time or at the same rate. The same is true for employers and governments. But, sooner or later, given the underlying structural relationships and dynamics, the vast majority of individuals and the economy overall will arrive at that intersection. Tennessee and other states arrived at it earlier this year with their Medicaid programs. General Motors appears to be at the doorstep right now. In contrast, for the time being, it appears that the Federal government has chosen to spend a higher portion of its economic capacity (tax revenue plus debt) on Medicare. Yet, when we consider projections for the Medicare Trust Fund, clearly the day of reckoning is not that far away. I'm going to make a brazen assertion here: If you want to understand what is happening in healthcare and if you want to anticipate what will be happening, then the single most important measurements to track are overall healthcare spending, the carrying capacity of the economy that's paying for it (whether family, regional, employer, governmental, or macro-economic), and their relationships to one another. With healthcare cost growth rates exceeding economic growth rates, the larger the gap between growth rates in healthcare spending and economic capacity, the closer the day of reckoning. With a 4-2 vote, the Court dismissed the Consumers Union suit that challenged the transaction as unconstitutional. Empire did its IPO in late 2002, while creating a parent, WellChoice. Under the conversion plan approved by the State 95% of the funds (about $1 billion, was for salary supplements for healthcare workers, with the remaining 5% going to create a healthcare foundation. Arguing that salary increases were not a proper use of funds which had been amassed by virture of Empire's tax-exempt status, Consumers Union won a restraining order barring spending the money until there was a ruling on the conversion's legality. They favored other forms of community health initiatives. For those concerned about the public policy issues involved in such conversions, this pretty much ends the debate in New York. For those concerned with NYS finances and the age-old question, where's the money going, this means that the resulting funds the State was counting on for its own purposes are now secure. Hospitals and 1199 will get a substantial portion of the money. It also likely clears the way for the next conversion, that of HIP . DASNY, New York's public authority which does health care financings did not do the Cabrini deal . So, at least the State isn't involved in making its own work more difficult. Had a short, but useful conversation with a DASNY staff person who reminded me that the law creating the Commission lists a number of factors besides debt to be taken into consideration. And of course, very few hospitals have no debt. So, if that were the most important criterion, there wouldn't be many potential targets left. But the truth of it is that the folks at Cabrini aren't the only ones who think that way. Far, far from it. And, if you're running an institution that's a potential State target anyway, you may as well make it as challenging as possible. Well despite my description of this decision as outrageous, it is rational. The reason it's unsurprising is that we have a system at work in New York in which such behavior is rational. That's the larger and much more important problem. This decision is symptomatic but it's not the disease itself. Somewhere in the files is a presentation I used to do on \"The Regulatory Loop,\" on how many regulatory behaviors (in any industry) lead the regulated to shift their focus from improved efficiency and improved quality to reduced competition, regulated price fixing, and regulatory compliance as a proxy for true quality, and ultimately to view the regulator as the customer. These behaviors, perfectly understandable lead to higher costs and lower quality and then more regulation and oversight. And then? June 17, 2005 Cabrini Medical Center has refinanced its mortgage, after the loan was nearly paid off, Crain's says.  Crain's calls the refinancing  \"part of a two-pronged approach to surviving the machinations of the hospital-closing commission,\" because hospitals that have mortgages \"are less likely to be candidates for closure.\" How unsurprising and how outrageous. The \"regulatory mindset\" doesn't just exist in the minds of regulators. Its more insidious form exists in the minds of the regulated. It manifests in decisions that are designed solely to influence the regulatory system and are often otherwise unhealthy, even self-destructive. We've seen it with debt; we've seen it with indigent care subsidies; we've seen it with deliberately weakened balance sheets designed to become eligible for extra subsidies as \"financially distressed hospitals.\" And, by the way, which hospitals in New York don't have mortgages? They've been doing projects and taking on debt for decades in order to increase their cash flow from the reimbursement system (the excess of depreciation over amortization during the earlier years of mortgage life) as well as to protect themselves in exactly the manner that Cabrini has done. When the debt is small the debtor is in trouble. When the debt is mammoth, it's the creditor that's in trouble. I've sent a note off to the DASNY , the State's public authority for such financings,  asking whether it did this financing. If DASNY rather than a private entity, did the financing, then Cabrini's position is even stronger because the State will have a bigger stake in their survival. Its already on the hook for about $10 billion in healthcare debt in New York. Perhaps there should be a moratorium on new financings until the Commission's work is done. The analytical test for the Commission will be to ferret out similar cases that have not been so blatant. The test of its courage will be whether it resists gaming the system like this and resists itself being manipulated so blatantly. Actually I was coming from a different angle that does not have much to do with benefit design or program operation. It has everything to do with the way the medical system actually works. My experience has been that government agencies assume that uniform policies produce uniform results and they are ill prepared and have no incentive to deal with variation in results, especially when that variation itself is the result of a wide variety of factors that require careful localized analysis, patient targeted interventions and are the result of factors that are not within governmental control. Or put another way, I was focused on use of medical services. That's where the action is . Single-payer advocates focus on administrative overhead. That's simple and easy to understand. Regulatory types tend to focus on prices. That's simple at first blush and it can work in the short term, but once the regulatory process is captured by those regulated, it's just a lot of politics that produces no financial benefit to anyone but lobbyists and it may produce higher prices. More subtle, more complex, and harder to explain are the bell curves of medical service use. At the high end, they produce nothing but expense and the potential for patient harm. At the low end, they indicate inadequate care. In the equation of total costs ((service use X price) + overhead) = total cost, the longest lever is service use. And no, this does not lead me to having clerks deny care over the phone. But since you asked Tom, here's a long one and since you asked you have to promise to read it all and think about it and its relationship to what we've been discussing. Here goes ... When Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965, based on what most everyone involved thought they knew about mainstream, privately insured, medicine, they took for granted three key assumptions. These assumptions were so deeply embedded, that they weren't even discussed. This was just the way the world was: That medical care was uniformly provided That when provided, with the possible exception of some oddities, medical care was consistently of good quality. And good quality produced uniformly good results. A related, implicit assumption was more is better. That, where quality was not good, it would be extremely bad and could be weeded out through a regulatory survey process and that aside from that there was not much that could be done. All three assumptions have turned out to be incorrect with significant implications for for patient care, clinical quality, and spending . What we've learned in the 40 years since is profound, but we still have a very long ways to go in taking advantage of it. This is relevant to the single-payer discussion because while a single-payer system might be centralized, medical care is not . I'll discuss that tie-in further below. Medical care is not uniformly provided Where's the evidence? Read anything by John Wennberg, MD. (If you do a search at the New England Journal alone, you'll find well over 100 citations.) Here's a recent one in the British Medical Journal that focuses on end-of-life care. In the late 1970s, Wennberg began to apply epidemiological methods to medical care. The first study I read was in Scientific American in 1979 as I recall, but that's not online. What Wennberg and his colleagues found was that there is substantial variation in medical care from one community to the next. They have also found what they characterize as a \"practice pattern\" effect, that physicians in one community develop a rough consensus on the best way to handle particular types of cases, but that their consensus differs from the next community and will produce care patterns that are stunningly different from those in other communities, even within the same state or region. For a quick introduction, start with the Dartmouth Medical Atlas , published by the Center for Clinical Evaluative Studies, which is one of the offshoots of Wennberg's work. These variations also exist within similar populations and in some cases very homogeneous populations. For example, a colleague studied variation in hospitalization patterns among Nebraska Blue Cross subscribers for conditions that can be managed on an outpatient basis (diabetes, asthma, CHF, COPD, etc.) As another example, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, my own work focused on variation in hospitalization patterns of Medicaid clients in New York. Here's a quick and dirty update that I did in 2003 . The earlier work was much more rigorous and I'll be happy to send a copy to anyone who asks. Wennberg and his followers also learned that the variation itself varies from one condition to another. For example, appendectomies are always performed in hospitals and there is no known relationship of appendicitis to age, gender, race, socio-economic status. So there is very little variation and, from what I've seen, it's just random. Other conditions, however, are quite different. For just a tiny sample take a look at these: Regional variation in medical care , NEJM, August 31, 1995 where Detsky noted variation in clinical outcomes such as mortality after cardiac surgery. \"Once again we have learned that there is substantial variation among regions, hospitals, and even individual physicians.\" Among New York's Medicaid clients the most variable conditions as causes of hospitalization were psychiatric and substance abuse, blood related conditions, and respiratory conditions. There is much, much more. This leads to \"what difference to these differences make?\" Medical care does not provide uniform results and spending more does not necessarily produce better results Or even more recently, take a look at Baicker and Chandra who \"find that states with higher Medicare spending have lower-quality care. This negative relationship may be driven by the use of intensive, costly care that crowds out the use of more effective care.\" Fisher wrote an op-ed for the New York Times, More Medicine is Not Better Medicine (fee required for full article) December 1, 2003. He pointed out that additional service provided in higher spending regions are largely discretionary. He estimated that as much as 30 percent of Medicare's service spending was unnecessary. For you New Yorker's he also pointed to spending in NYC being double a community in the Pacific Northwest with no additional benefit. Here's Fisher's slide show, \" Is More Better? \" (Quicktime required.) If care is not of uniformly high quality or does not produce uniformly good results, there's nothing that can be done about it Where's the evidence? Start here at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement , founded by Don Berwick. In January of 1989, Berwick wrote \"Continuous improvement as an ideal in health care,\" the seminal paper in the New England Journal of Medicine on the use of industrial quality control methods, statistical process control and other similar methods in medical care. (That paper is not online, but it's worth tracking down if you're interested in the history.) The Institute was founded two years later (with a grant from a health plan by the way) and it has expanded each year. Their annual meetings now get thousands attending. IHI is just an organizational manifestation of many efforts to measure performance, understand clinical processes, and improve them. You can go into many hospitals today and see graphs of their performance on a wide array of issues hanging near the offices of department chairs and sometimes even in public places. That simply wasn't true 20 years ago. And in many healthcare organizations, it's still not true. What's necessary to deal with all this variation? Here's a starter list: Data to identify community-by-community, condition-by-condition, and service-by-service where the high and low rates are and, where at all possible, outcome data Peer consulting and other knowledge transfer Time and support for dealing with it locally The organizational infrastructure to support local efforts Financial and organizational incentives for local medical organizations and professionals to participate Comparative data must be collected centrally or at least in accordance with a standardized design. That would be simpler with a single-payer plan, but certainly feasible in a multi-option universal system. Beyond that, it seems to me that most of the advantages are with alternatives to a single centralized system. There's economic incentive and local involvement on scales that don't exist for Medicare, much less the entire US population. And what does this have to do with single-payer? The most politically compelling rationale for single-payer is that it would instantly provide a large savings in administrative expense. It quite likely would. But where would we go from there? Nothing I have personally seen or read gives me confidence that a large centralized system would be capable of effectively dealing with variations in care. In my experience with New York's Medicaid program and with the exception of some legislators and local officials, there has been nothing but resistance from government officials. Perhaps that's biased my view of the potential, but let's remember that New York is one of the states that is most intrusive into medical care and certainly, given the cost of its Medicaid program, it would seem that there should be an adequate incentive. For government agencies this requires too much subtlety and long-term commitment. What's required is a system that includes a significant incentive such as economic competition for example. And it requires lots of people working on it in different organizations with different perspectives. That's where innovation comes from. Innovation slows when you have to ask for governmental permission. It may also require the ability to be selective in ways that government agencies just can't be. I'm reminded of the multi-decade stalemate over Medicaid physician fees in New York. The state had stopped updating the fees in the same manner that it updated institutional rates. So here's what happened. First, physicians dropped out of the Medicaid program at increasingly rapid rates until there only a few left and many of them were practicing in the so-called Medicaid mills. Second, the patients recognizing reality rather than what the law said about what Medicaid covered moved to emergency rooms and hospital outpatient departments for care because there was no alternative. Third, the hospitals paid political attention to the regulators and the physicians largely did not.  When the state finally recognized the imbalance it had created, it was unable to fix it because to raise physician fees would have been to reward the Medicaid \"mills.\" The log jam was only broken with the large scale use of Medicaid managed care which brought physicians back into contact with Medicaid clients by way of intermediary health plans. As a result primary care access has significantly improved for Medicaid clients. Docs may hate the health plans, but at least there's a working relationship. That was long past for Medicaid. You need an ongoing, permanent economic incentive, local working relationships (which admittedly some of the national health plans may be fairly weak on) and the ability to work with medical professionals targeting local patterns everywhere. I just don't see the Federal government doing that. Certainly if it attempted to, much of the administrative savings would be lost. If, as Fisher argues, 30 percent of Medicare expenditures for service today produce no medical benefit, then it is likely to become worse as medicine becomes more complex and involves more with each patient. Ignoring that for the cheap win of killing off the health insurers would leave us with no where to go and relying on the Federal government to find a new direction. This inspection found that 20 percent of sequences of three or more consecutive Medicare inpatient stays were associated with quality of care problems and or unnecessary fragmentation of healthcare services across multiple inpatient stays. Quality of care problems were defined as patient care that did not meet professionally recognized standards, medical errors, or accidents. Unnecessary fragmentation of services involved cases in which care provided across sequences of multiple inpatient stays may have been necessary and appropriate but should have been consolidated to fewer stays.  Medicare paid an estimated $267 million for these sequences of stays in fiscal year 2002. This inspection also found that 10 percent of individual stays within consecutive inpatient stay sequences were associated with poor quality of patient care. OIG recommended that CMS direct quality improvement organizations and fiscal intermediaries, as appropriate, to monitor the quality, medical necessity, and appropriateness of inpatient services provided within this types of sequences of consecutive Medicare inpatient stays that we included in our review. CMS concurred with OIG's case findings but stated that periodic reviews are sequences of consecutive inpatient stays are not warranted. Assuming that, like the Canadian system, there were a minimum Federal standard, it's certainly possible. Here are some of the issues that we'd likely have to deal with: What would be the states' financial obligations and to what degree would that lead to poorer or less healthy states' offfering much more restrictive benefit packages. How would we handle interstate movement? Would we have to dis-enroll and re-enroll? How would we handle families with multi-state legal residences? If we were using some form of voucher program, this would likely be even worse because different states might authorize different health plans. How tolerant would we be of the extra complexity? In contrast to our 50 states and a few other jurisdictions, Canada has 13 provinces and territories. Are the risk pools in smaller states smaller than we'd like? Canada seems to do OK, but I don't know how they deal with this or if they equalize the load in any fashion. And Neil's question raises more questions to which I don't have the answer (yet). They include: How does Canada handle its territories, especially those with very small populations? The Yukon barely has 30,000 people. Nunavut has less than that. How do they handle interstate movement? What are the provincial financial obligations? As noted earlier, this assumes there were a minimum Federal standard. If there weren't, you'd run into all kinds of extra problems, especially serving as a magnet for high cost patients. Over the past few years, there have been several states that have considered some form of state-only single-payer system. Vermont and California are considering them now. It strikes me as asking for trouble, but perhaps, if it relieved employers of the financial burden of paying for health benefits it would also be a form of economic development. Hmmm. That's actually worth analyzing. June 15, 2005 For the life of me I can't understand the disconnect when my liberal\/progressive friends support single-payer without so much as a discussion, describe it as Medicare for everyone and then turn around and aggressively attack Republicans and a handful of Democrats for the Medicare pharmaceutical benefit. With a single-payer plan, this is going to be their full time occupation, because it's all going to be controlled in Washington. Don't these folks understand that Bill Frist and Tom Delay and their successors will control all of our health care? Are they out of their minds? That's at the policy level. Operationally, when I have a problem I'm going to call one of thousands of Federal employees or contractors and they are going to have no flexibility and I'm going to have no option. Hmmm. There seems to be a recurring theme here. Perhaps folks think GW Bush will pull a Richard Nixon and support universal health insurance. That's why so many are talking about this issue now. Sure. Right. Care in the VA system is much improved and we've talked about the VA comparison before. In my judgment, the apparent quality today is not an adequate argument for single-payer. Here's why . Five years ago while running for President, Bill Bradley made health care and health care coverage a centerpiece of his campaign. The plan he proposed was based on the Federal Employee Health Benefit Plan and his argument was \"if it's good enough for your Congressman, it should be good enough for you. Clearly Gore ran a better political campaign, but the gist of his argument against Bradley was that someone with coverage might lose some benefits or the program was too expensive or both. Hardly the populist argument that we might expect from him today. Gore also seemed to have over-learned the lesson from the Clinton Health Plan, not so much that it was too complex, but that it was too ambitious. He bought into the \"incremental improvement\" position. There was just one teensy-weensy problem with the Clinton-Gore incremental improvements: At the end of the Clinton Administration there were many more uninsured than at the beginning. Evidently, they thought rhetoric was enough. We should have universal coverage. We will never be able to eliminate many of the inefficiencies much less the inequities in today's system unless we do. Recognizing that we might also eliminate some administrative inefficiencies with a single-payer approach, I think they're worth the cost. Most important, the differences in access to care between those with coverage and those without are so large, so significant, and so tied to racial, ethnic and income disparities, that it raises ethical issues that should disturb us all. A purely market-based approach won't get us near universal coverage, and an active role for government is essential. However, a single, government operated program won't work either. Too many needlessly take for granted that universal coverage requires a single payer system. But single payer can be separated from universal coverage by distinguishing between the financing and operations of a universal coverage program, and between gathering the necessary revenues and spending them. These functions need not all be located in one governmental organization. For example, we can and do use public money to buy private insurance. What's wrong with the single payer proposal? I made the following arguments in the late 1990s, but haven't seen anything since that would lead me to a different perspective. Who chooses? What choices? Single payer systems rest on the premise that there is a uniform best health benefit plan for every individual, that public officials and organized political interests always can know what this best arrangement is, and that they uniformly will choose it. The weakness of this foundation should be argument enough against single payer. The health care system will be even more politicized than it is today. If the revenue of health care institutions and professionals, as well as the rules controlling the institutions and the care providers, are determined by government policies, lobbying by vested interests will be even more fierce than it is today. Key choices will be made by government, political elites and vested interests. This same political process also would determine which medical services are available, to whom and under what circumstances. In today's political environment it doesn't take much to imagine what that might be like. Single payer systems minimize the involvement and responsibility of individuals and families The corollary to increasing government decision making and politicization is a diminished role and voice for individuals. In a single payer system, there is no role for the average person except to consume service. Individuals have no place in choosing systems of care and financing, little leverage over institutions that directly and significantly affect their lives, and only a faint voice when dissatisfied. Once we establish a single payer plan, we cannot easily undo it Some reform plans can be undone. A single payer system cannot. If we choose a single payer system, we will dismantle organizations and processes such as health insurers and plans. We will not easily or quickly rebuild them if the new system fails to satisfy us. And single payer offers no guarantees on cost and quality. Some countries that have single payer systems have had lower cost-growth than the United States. However, in order to restrain cost, single payer systems require centralized government control of health care prices and use of services--and the intrusiveness that goes with it. But our experience with heavy regulation on the state level raises questions about whether central controls really are effective. Organizational vitality and innovation The structure of single payer systems discourages diversity and thus discourages the robustness and resilience that typically characterize diverse systems. Organizations continually must revitalize themselves lest they become moribund and bureaucratic. Diverse systems usually are better able to adapt, innovate and survive. This is particularly so for innovations in the organization of care across provider's organizational boundaries. Moreover, because it will take Federal permission to do so, only those organizations with enough size and political clout will have a chance to innovate. Organizational clumsiness No single payer plan can centrally manage the formal or informal systems of care serving millions of people. No large centralized system can adequately tie together all of the diverse elements of a health care system on behalf of an individual. To do this we need organizations with motivation and means, and that operate at the local level. We can have a uniform system or we can have a system that is responsive to the needs of individuals, but we can't have both simultaneously. Locking the systems status quo into place A single payer system would cement into place the worst and most inefficient characteristics of our health care delivery system. It is based on a fee-for-service payment model and it relies on isolated individual institutions, agencies and professionals. The ugly (political) facts of life The politics of universal coverage are tough enough. Why we in the United States have never adopted a system of universal coverage is worth a separate post, but it is clear that the individualist preferences embedded in the American psyche, and our ambivalence about the appropriate role of government, play a substantial role. With this as backdrop, getting agreement that everyone should be covered is tough enough. Seeking the consensus necessary to force everyone into a centralized system will leave the problem unrelieved for decades. Even if a single payer system were ideal, we should sacrifice it in order to get even minimal coverage for those who have none. In sum There are other, better ways of covering everyone than to force us all into a uniform centralized system. Universal coverage does not demand a \"one size fits all\" solution, and single payer is not the answer. Because of the New York Times new pricing policy, requiring a $50\/year subscription to view columnist online, I'm going to stop linking to them. But as a parting gesture, I'll give you one last link, this one to Paul Krugman's One Nation, Uninsured . (If the link dies, blame the Times .) In the column, he endorses a single-payer health plan. Let's ignore those who believe that private medical accounts - basically tax shelters for the healthy and wealthy - can solve our health care problems through the magic of the marketplace. The intellectually serious debate is between those who believe that the government should simply provide basic health insurance for everyone and those proposing a more complex, indirect approach that preserves a central role for private health insurance companies. He's right on that point. But we diverge on his next point: The great advantage of universal, government-provided health insurance is lower costs. To be more precise, what's lower is administrative costs. But that ignores where we (through insurers, Medicare, and Medicaid) spend the bulk of the money, on medical care. And it assumes that all of that care is just fine or not very expensive, or that even if it isn't the case, governmental action would take care of the problem. That's where I see things differently. We've talked here extensively about unnecessary care and I just don't have a lot of confidence in a single centralized system's ability to find the Mama Bear solution, not too much, not too little, but just right. Krugman goes on: Some people, not all of them right-wingers, fear that a single-payer system would hurt innovation. But the main reason these proposals give private insurers a big role is the belief that the insurers must be appeased... But I think that's the wrong lesson. The Clinton plan actually preserved a big role for private insurers; the industry attacked it all the same. And the plan's complexity, which was largely a result of attempts to placate interest groups, made it hard to sell to the public. So I would argue that good economics is also good politics: reformers will do best with a straightforward single-payer plan, which offers maximum savings and, unlike the Clinton plan, can easily be explained. Actually much of the Clinton plan's complexity was based on the the need to guarantee that the cost of the program would be within certain budget constraints (boy, those were the good old days, weren't they?). No question about it, we need to demand more of health insurers. Alternative plans would afford us the means to box them in and we should do just that. I agree with Krugman with much and particularly that \" We need to do this one right. If reform fails again, we'll be on the way to a radically unequal society, in which all but the most affluent Americans face the constant risk of financial ruin and even premature death because they can't pay their medical bills.\" But I think we can do a better job both programmatically and politically and do so without rolling the dice on a one-size fits all, single-payer solution. A couple of years ago in an effort to lure more health insurers back into its market, New Hampshire allowed its insurers to establish premium levels based on subscriber risk, i.e., age, health status, etc. Here's the Concord Monitor on what happened and why New Hampshire has just reversed direction: Before SB 110 took effect, the state operated on a \"community rating\"system that forbade insurers from rejecting an applicant for health reasons or from basing rates on health status or geography. Once community rating ended, insurers began returning to New Hampshire, just as supporters of the change predicted. They came, however, to cherry-pick, signing up the healthy while using exorbitant quotes to drive away those most likely to need care. Prices dropped considerably for a small group of employers, primarily those with young and healthy workforces that lived in an area where health-care costs were relatively low. But, according to the state's insurance department, 80 percent of the state's small businesses saw increases, and the rates for nearly half rose by 30 percent or more in one year. Some saw rates rise by 80 percent. Is there any reason to believe that health savings accounts won't have the same effects? If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, forget about it. It's a niche product at best and it's certainly not going to fulfill any legislator's fantasy that it will make a dent in Medicaid expenditures. June 11, 2005 So while we're waiting for New York's closure commission to tell us which hospitals and nursing home should close, time marches on. We've just posted on one hospital closing ( St. Mary's in Brooklyn ). And here's another (gasp) one that would close (Westchester County) except that it looks like the State will bail it out . Note the outstanding debt at Westchester County ( $750 million ) while it continues to lose money. If it were to fail, the County itself would be on the hook for a big chunk of that debt. June 10, 2005 We can't let the day pass without noting the court decision in the Canadian Province of Quebec overruling the state monopoly on health insurance. For now, the ruling apparently applies only to that Province, but it's caused an immense stir. There's lots of coverage: As premiums rise - especially in relation to income or other economic resources - coverage falls. The past decade at least, I've been convinced that this is the primary underlying cause of health insurance loss. Call it what you may, dress it up as much as you like, blame employers or public policy makers, coverage has simply gotten too expensive relative to the economic resources that pays for it. All you have to do is note that health care costs and therefore health coverage costs (both public and private) have been rising consistently faster than economy overall and thus the rest of the economy. Think in terms of a ratio of coverage costs to other economic resources. Regardless of the specific measures you use, the more that ratio rises, the more people will drop out or be dropped out of the insurance system. And as that ratio begins to cut at higher and higher income levels, it will affect an increasing proportions of the population. I don't know where the inflection point on the upslope (the left side of the peak) is in this graphic, but until we reach it, each increase in that ratio will affect an accelerating number of people. Then the rate of increase will fall, but the numbers of newly uninsured will continue to increase until we hit the peak. Think of the Cutting Edge \"Coverage Blades\" in the graphic moving to the right and slicing off increasing numbers of currently insured. Of course, when we do hit the peak, we will be deep into the middle class - being uninsured. At some point just to the left of the peak, I expect we will arrive at the political crisis and deal with the issue. But, like earthquakes in California, while we know this crisis is coming, we don't know exactly when. Lots going on, but only limited time to post. But there are a couple of things that shouldn't wait. Families USA released a study by Ken Thorpe on the costs of caring for the uninsured that are embedded in health insurance premiums. Here's the press release . Here are the key findings for families and individuals in 2005: Health insurance premiums for families who have insurance through their private employers, on average, are $922 higher in 2005 due to the cost of health care for the uninsured that is not paid for by the uninsured themselves for by other sources of reimbursement. In six states, health insurance premiums for families are at least $1,500 higher due to the unreimbursed cost of health care for the uninsured in 2005. These states are New Mexico ($1,875); West Virginia ($1,796); Oklahoma ($1,781); Montana ($1,578); Texas ($1,551); and Arkansas ($1,514). Health insurance premiums for individuals who have insurance through their private employers, on average, are $341 higher in 2005 due to the cost of health care for the uninsured that is not paid for by the uninsured themselves for by other sources of reimbursement. In eight states, health insurance premiums for families are at least $500 higher due to the unreimbursed cost of health care for the uninsured in 2005. These states are New Mexico ($726); Oklahoma ($680); West Virginia ($660); Montana ($594); Alaska ($565); Arkansas ($560); Idaho ($551); and Texas ($550). An extremely important, but usually ignored aspect of this issue is that \"the worse it gets, the worse it gets.\" That's part of the reason the proportion of uninsured is rising. As more uncompensated care is provided it is subsidized either informally through price increase based cost-shifting or formally through such mechanisms are state indigent care pools, the costs of which are borne by health insurers and\/or employers. Of course, as that happens, premiums rise. As premiums rise - especially in relation to income or other economic resources - coverage falls. That in turn, creates more uncompensated care ... take a look at the Self-Reinforcing Coverage Loop - a vicious circle. Insurer\/employer based subsidy programs are thus inherently self-defeating. How to ensure that patient privacy and security of health information is maintained. Only a few of the Task Force members are State officials, the Health Department's CIO (a physician by the way who is also the Deputy Commissioner for Public Health), the head of Medicaid, the Commissioner of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Substance Abuse Services, the State's Secretary of Technology, and a member of the House of Delegates. June 08, 2005 Jack Zwanziger, a health economist formerly at the University at Rochester and now at the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Cathleen Mooney a researcher in the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine at the University at Rochester conclude in the latest Inquiry that, with some caveats and at least in the short term, hospital price deregulation led to price reductions for managed care plans in New York. Here's the abstract of their article, \"Has Competition Lowered Hospital Prices\" (subscription required): On Jan. 1, 1997, New York ended its regulation of hospital prices with the intent of using competitive markets to control prices and increase efficiency. This paper uses data that come from annual reports filed by all health maintenance organizations (HMOs) operating in New York and include payments to and usage in the major hospitals in an HMO's network. We estimate the relationship between implied prices and hospital, plan, and market characteristics. The models show that after 1997, hospitals in more competitive markets paid less. Partially offsetting these price reductions were price increases associated with hospital mergers that reduced the competitiveness of the local market. Hospital deregulation was successful, at least in the short run, in using price competition to reduce hospital payments; it is unclear whether this success will be undermined by the structural changes taking place in the hospital industry. However, the key finding is the confirmation of a change in the pattern of prices negotiated between HMOs and hospitals after implementation of HCRA. Mean case-mix adjusted prices declined during this period, and the multivariate regression results showed that this decline in the average prices was related to decreases in prices paid to hospitals located in more competitive markets. Actually the first real hint was a couple of years ago when Ken Raske, head of the Greater New York Hospital Association called for re -regulation. Why would he have wanted that? The same reason he didn't really want de -regulation, what economists call \"regulatory capture,\" the effective control of regulatory policy by the regulated industry. But nobody bought that idea. Zwanziger and Mooney also conclude that: An increase in hospital costs tended to be reflected in the price it negotiated, but with an elasticity that was substantially less than 1; thus some of the cost increase was absorbed either by other payers or by the hospital in reduced profits. Similarly, an increase in the proportion of a hospital's patients insured by Medicaid was associated with an increase in prices . (Emphasis added.) Hospitals that became more heavily dependent on an HMO tended to agree to deeper price concessions. Little acknowledged and discussed even less is the fact that New York did not change its method of calculating Medicaid prices when it deregulated private sector prices. However, its policies of using a variety of methods to shore up hospital finances have likely led to a reverse of the typical pattern, that of private payers cross-subsidizing Medicaid patients. In New York's case, the contrary appears to be true. Certainly there's been talk the past couple of years that Medicaid has become the \"best payer\" in New York. The authors also document: ... this market change also induced hospitals to discover means of reducing their vulnerability to the pressures of price-based competitive markets. It appears that the enactment of HCRA led many hospitals to become members of systems that included potential competitors. The resulting series of mergers has led to major structural changes in many hospital markets across the state with a concomitant decrease in the competitiveness of many hospital markets. The results of this study provide a preliminary indication that though HCRA may have increased price competition in the short term, in the longer term, the resulting increase in hospital concentration may have counteracted the observed effect on hospital prices. So hospitals have reduced price competition by merging into systems. And now they've set up the State to further reduce price competition by forcing hospital closures. Nobody bought Raske's idea to re-regulate prices, but they did buy his proposal for the State to reduce competition. Different method. Likely to have the same effect. June 07, 2005 In the meantime, hospitals are closing anyway. The latest is St. Mary's in Brooklyn. Of particular note in this Newsday story is the following quote: Particularly frustrating, said some residents, is that they probably will be rerouted to nearby hospitals such as Interfaith Medical Center in Bedford-Stuyvesant, with poorer performance records than St. Mary's Interfaith is the result of a State supported merger of hospitals the State was already shoring up. One of them, Brooklyn-Jewish, was the very first in a long line of hospitals that New York threw money and political capital at when they ran into financial trouble. That became institutionalized policy with an elaborate infrastructure and organizational bias. When I asked her how many hospitals the commission would likely recommend closing, a colleague grinned wickedly and said: Oh, five or ten would have closed anyway. So that's what they'll propose and then ... take credit for their closure. And there's more to come. HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt announced plans for development of a national health information network and creation of a federal advisory commission on standards for health care information technology. Leavitt will select up to 17 members to the commission, known as the American Health Information Community , and personally serve as its chairman. That's a nice symbol. The commission will focus on developing interconnectivity standards for health care IT. HHS on Tuesday will issue requests for proposals for: Architecture and design of a Web-based national health information network. Assessment of potential privacy and security problems in a national network and development of solutions. A prototype process for harmonizing standards so that different manufacturers' software programs, particularly electronic health records systems, can exchange data. Criteria to evaluate features and functionality of electronic health records, including interconnectivity. June 02, 2005 Here are some of the lucky folks who'll be getting pleading and\/or threatening calls at home the next year and a half. They've been selected for New York's hospital\/nursing home closure commission. There are some excellent choices in this group and some political innovation too. A couple of the appointees are not residents of New York State. Politically risky, but suggestive of really wanting to do something. Note that while the commission is supposed to have 18 members, there are only fifteen listed. The Governor's press release does not mention either the Speaker of the Assembly or the Senate Minority Leader. Seems they haven't made their decisions yet. From the Governor's press release here are the appointees of the Governor, the Senate Majority Leader and the Assembly Minority Leader: Stephen Berger (Chair), Chairman of the Chairman of Odyssey Investment Partners (OIP), LLC, a investment firm that specializes in private corporate transactions. Mr. Berger served as Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey from 1985-1990. Leo Brideau, President and Chief Executive Officer of St. Mary's Hospital and Clinics in Milwaukee. Previously, he served as President of Strong Health Regional Network in Rochester New York Craig Duncan, former President and Chief Executive Officer of Northeast Health. Robert Gaffney, Partner in the law firm of Meyer, Souzzi, English & Klein. Mr. Gaffney after serving as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1985 and was elected Suffolk County Executive in 1992. Robert Hinckley, Vice President of Governmental and External Affairs for Capital District Physicians Health Plan. Prior to joining to Capital District Physicians Health Plan, Mr. Hinckley served as Senior Deputy Secretary to the Governor in January 2003. Howard Howlett, Chairman and Founding Member of the Hospital Trustees of New York State Darlene Kerr, Former President and Chief Executive Officer of Niagara Mohawk (NIMO). Prior to serving as President and CEO, Ms. Kerr was NIMO's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Mark Kissinger, is Deputy Secretary to the Governor, and is responsible for policies and operations of the State's health and human services agencies. Mr. Kissinger joined the Governor's staff in 1999. Pat Lee, Chairman and CEO of International Motion Control, Inc.  Mr. Lee serves as Director of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, Buffalo Branch and the Empire State Development Corporation, Western New York Region. Neil Roberts, former Chief Executive Officer of United Methodist Health and Housing, the parent company of Wesley Health Care Center. Teresa Santiago, Chairperson of the New York Consumer Protection Board.  Previously, Ms. Santiago was the Director of Hispanic Expert, a public relations and advertising firm specializing in the Black and Hispanic consumer markets. Ruben King Shaw, former Deputy Administrator\/COO for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In that capacity, he was responsible for the day-to-day direction of Medicare, Medicaid, Child Health Insurance Programs, Survey and Certification of health care facilities and other health care initiatives. Al Simone, President of Rochester Institute of Technology. He was named President in 1992. Prior to leading RIT, he was the President of the University of Hawaii System and Chancellor of the University Hawaii at Manoa. Bishop Joseph Sullivan, Vicar for Human Services and Regional Bishop for the 62 parishes of the Brooklyn West Vicariate. He has played various roles in Catholic Charities including Executive Director and Executive Vice President of the Board of Trustees. He is also Secretary to the Ordinary for Charities. In 1980, he was named Auxiliary Bishop by Pope John Paul II. Buford Sears, Senior Vice President and manager for health care and not-for-profit banking at Manufacturers & Traders Trust Company in Buffalo. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President at Citizens & Southern National Bank. June 01, 2005 Busy week and so I'd figured on not posting much, but we've been waiting for the announcement of those selected for New York's hospital\/nursing home closure commission and the news is in ... things are breaking down politically over the commission's membership and they've already missed the deadline for appointments. How entirely unsurprising. In today's Albany Times Union, James Odato writes in Leaders clash over hospital panel that the Governor and the Legislature are already behind schedule in naming the membership. Pataki's list of nominees was ready last Friday, the deadline, but there's already a dispute over whether to appoint lobbyists and health care trade association representatives to the commission. Pataki was ready to announce his appointees last Friday -- the deadline. But he and the Legislature's leaders have been struggling over the composition and on whether to allow lobbyists or stakeholders in the health care industry on the panel, according to health care officials. \"Stakeholders.\" What a euphemism! What a crock! Eighteen members was too limiting anyway. Why don't we just expand the membership of the commission to include the CEOs of every hospital in the State and let them vote to decide who gets thrown off the island? (Just make sure that they all have to wear some sort of garish tropical print shorts and no shirts and force them to eat bugs for a week.) Read the article closely and what do you see? Virtually everyone quoted says \"not me, not me,\" they don't want such representation. Does this mean they're all being disingenuous or does it mean that the real hold up is Ken Raske, head of the Greater New York Hospital Association? Even without the quote, \"representatives of SEIU say they don't have to be on the panel,\" I doubt that it's Dennis Rivera, head of District 1199 (who gets bashed by the Post again here ) because he doesn't need a seat at the table. His presence will loom over the entire proceedings anyway. Why only have one seat out of 18? This effort holds as much promise as any I've participated in over the last decade, probably more,\" said Kate Sullivan Hare, the executive director of health care policy at the United States Chamber of Commerce Well, I've got mixed feelings about this one. Upside? A mixed group is talking. Downside? It's all Washington groupies. I've been part of such \"strange bedfellows\" efforts at the state level and even brought a couple of them together myself. From time-to-time, they're effective and those are very gratifying, but they're mostly not. Personal good will and scholarly interest are not enough. And think tanks are definitely not enough. There's got to be some real grassroots juice. Here's what such groups can do: Provide cover for elected officials who want to do something anyway. But that certainly doesn't apply in today's Washington Push elected officials to act. Works sometimes, but very, very rarely on an issue of this scope. Coordinate messages from disparate grassroots groups. Who knows whether that's going on here and how much heft they have. So it's continued discussions are a good sign, but don't get your hopes up. Moreover, this group is already deep into wonk-think: People are uninsured for different reasons,\" said Dr. Mary E. Frank, the president of the American Academy of Family Physicians and a participant in the talks. \"No one solution will work for everyone. We need different solutions for different groups of the uninsured.\" With all due respect to Dr. Frank and AAFP, which has been quite good on coverage issues, one point does not follow the other. \"People are uninsured for different reasons\" is true, but only narrowly - within the current mixed bag system . As soon as you begin thinking like this, you've given up universality. And as soon as you begin talking like this, you've given up political ground to those who don't really care about the issue, but don't want to get burned politically and to those who are actively resistant. Some conservatives may truthfully embrace expanded coverage but due to ideological constraints, confine themselves to limited proposals. Some may use false sympathetic rhetoric to protect themselves politically, but then say that if we fail to reach universality, well that's just unfortunate. The more important principle to them is that there is no legitimate role for government (George Bush, for example, in responding to an uninsured woman during his first Presidential campaign, saying he \"wished he could wave a magic wand\" but ...). This is not the first Times article on these discussions. Steve Lohr wrote in the Times business section on December 6 of last year, \" The Disparate Consensus on Health Care for All \". I didn't buy the headline then which is why I didn't bother posting on it. Lohr cited Peggy O'Kane, head of NCQA (\"no one wants to touch it\"), Dr. William McGuire, CEO of UnitedHealth Group (who supports mandatory insurance and focuses more on what's covered), and Dr. David Himmelstein of the Harvard Medical School, who's a single-payer advocate. Maybe there's a consensus among \"experts\" (think of the folks who show up at an APHA meeting) on the need for universal coverage of some form, but there's certainly none among elected officials or the public. The article didn't even keep up with the then current news: The Bush administration and conservatives say the way to cover the uninsured is to make insurance affordable mainly through tax subsidies (emphasis added) for companies, especially small businesses, and encouraging them to offer high-deductible insurance plans that cost employers less. Individuals, under this approach, are encouraged to set up tax-free health savings accounts to pay for more of their own care. The inconsistency aside, what was meant by \"tax subsidies\"? The answer is crucial. Is it the Bush Administration's ever ready solution to everything, tax cuts? Or were they actually talking about something akin to the Earned Income Tax Credit, a refundable credit? Such credits generate, through the tax system, a net transfer to the lowest income people, but they have increasingly been the butt of conservative criticism? (Check here and here .) Lohr's article goes on: Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker who is the founder of the Center for Health Transformation, a policy research group, recommends a package of federal and state tax incentives and programs that go beyond the Bush administration proposals. He estimates that his approach could result in more than 95 percent of the population's being insured. \"We could radically change the current discussion about the uninsured,\" he said. Well maybe. But there there are legitimate questions about the robustness of any approach that leaves a door open to seepage. Yes, there might be an increase in the number of people covered, but absent a structure that's designed to sweep everyone in (or if it's a big deal to you, every citizen), it's not only not going to happen, it's not going to get close. But assume for the moment that Gingrich is correct. Getting to 95 percent would be a striking change. But why is it that so many Republican leaders are satisfied with that? What's wrong with 100 percent? We can all speculate and much of our speculation would be about motivation which is always a iffy venture. And don't get me started tonight on the single-payer proposals. Now if the Christian Coalition was part of this \"emerging consensus,\" that would get my attention. That would truly make for strange bedfellows. In my too long queue of posts waiting to be finished were several that linked to Paul Krugman's column in the New York Times. As part of my effort to clean up unfinished work, but also to get the those with Krugman links up before the Times starts charging for access to their op-ed columns, here's one of them. In, Passing the Buck Paul Krugman referenced some World Health Organization (WHO) data, and pointed to the efforts of private insurers \"trying to get someone else to pay the bills,\" as the explanation for why we spend so much more on health care than other developed countries without appearing to get much benefit for it. According to the World Health Organization, in the United States administrative expenses eat up about 15 percent of the money paid in premiums to private health insurance companies, but only 4 percent of the budgets of public insurance programs, which consist mainly of Medicare and Medicaid. The numbers for both public and private insurance are similar in other countries - but because we rely much more heavily than anyone else on private insurance, our total administrative costs are much higher. Well trust me, the public sector may pay a smaller percentage, but it's not as if it isn't also trying to shift the costs elsewhere. You can read Paul Castellani's book, From Snake Pits to Cash Cows for example or talk to any number of people who've made their careers in state government by figuring out how to Medicaid ( as a verb ) new services in order to draw Federal funds. (Using Medicaid as a verb is insider talk and it refers to changing, sometimes distorting, program configurations primarily to draw funds.) Or talk to home care managers who are pressured by Medicaid agencies to bill Medicare first, sometimes pushing them close to the point of being charged with Medicare fraud. It's all the same system behavior, an inevitable by-product of having multiple payers. I've used a Palm Pilot for a number of years now and I use the Palm Desktop on my PC to synchronize with the handheld. It's pretty straightforward while working in isolation . However ... When I last worked for another company, they used Microsoft Outlook and Exchange and were pretty insistent that certain staff people publish their schedules openly so that others could know where they were and where there were schedule openings. But they did not buy PDAs for staff so we chose and purchased our own. Synchronizing the Palm with Outlook was a horror. The process lost data or it duplicated data (imagine having to delete, one-by-one, 2,000 duplicate contacts on both the PC and the handheld). Ultimately, I printed my schedule and made copies. Pretty stupid for an IT company, right? May 26, 2005 A colleague with great expertise in income support policies and programs told me yesterday that he had just learned that the US Department of Agriculture, which administers the Food Stamps program, will be counting the Medicare Part D pharmaceutical benefit as income to low income Food Stamps beneficiaries. More \"income\" means lower benefits. He's researching it and I will too, but he's usually got this stuff nailed. What's it mean? The more Medicare pays for drugs, the less Food Stamps you get. Worse, if true, the Food Stamp benefit will change monthly based on what Medicare spent for drugs in a prior period. Mind you, because of the way Food Stamps work, there may still be a positive net benefit. But this will be an administrative morass as well as making the lives of beneficiaries more uncertain. Great catch, Alan. For you non-New Yorkers, he's a smart guy who, despite his properly serious public demeanor, is probably privately shaking his head on this one. Couple of observations: Hevesi rather deftly tossed this issue to the Feds and they're the ones \"scrambling\" in most of the news coverage. I wouldn't want to be in Leavitt's office today. Hevesi's auditors found the problem by matching the Medicaid claims data they have with the listings of Level 3 Sex Offenders listed on the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) Sex Offender Registry . Linking Medicaid data with data from other sources is one of the things that's explicitly forbidden by the Department of Health for others who wish to use the Medicaid data. Apart from the taxpayer's money that's being used to pay for the drugs, how aware are the physicians who are prescribing of the backgrounds of these patients? If the physicians don't know, should they be and how might they be made aware? Physicians' first ethical obligations are to their patients. How does or should that influence the decision to prescribe in these cases? Are there any instances in which there is a medical justification for the prescription despite or even because of the patient's legal history? You just know that somebody is going to take this the next step and suggest that felons, or at least these felons should not be entitled to Medicaid. Let's not go there right now. Just deal with the issue at hand. One provocative development in the \"battle\" between the Continuity of Care Record (ASTM) and EHR ( HL7 ). Some will say that the CCR can be a stepping stone towards an EHR and there are many strengths to the CCR concept. Others say that the CCR will be divisive and distract full adoption of the EHR. Lots of pros and cons that must be seriously considered. Competing standards organizations ... competing standards. Check this from a year ago . (I've not been immersed in this process and don't yet know what the inner dynamics or the latest stories are.) As I understand the CCR, it's not supposed to be the entire record itself, but the essential elements that can be passed across organizational boundaries. (I'm less familiar with HL7.) Say for example, a patient was in a hospital ICU last year. Whether atoms or bits, the volume of hospital data on that patient is immense. Now say the patient is seeing a physician for a routine visit. Does the physician need all of that hospital data? Not likely. They need to know the patient was hospitalized, was in the ICU, certain essential elements and how to get more data if necessary. So the CCR concept makes sense for interoperability, moving patient-centric information across space, time, and organizational boundaries. ASTM has been voting on the latest version of the CCR standard. There was enough dissent that they're going to continue thrashing out the issues rather than count it as an accepted standard. Yes, these stumbles are frustrating. But they're part of a long, hard, often tedious process that is essential to make progress. HIMSS Analytics releases its annual report. You can buy it for $60 or, if you want to save the money, here's the first item listed in the summary: \" Underinvestment in information technology continues. \" Franco still dead, full story at 11. For those of you too young to remember the early SNL bit, it translates as \"duh.\" Funny. Elyse has a slightly longer and less wry summary here , but the essence is the same. May 19, 2005 The Medicaid cap is not just a financial change, it portends an operational change. This is personally symbolized by the return to government service of Brian Wing. Brian's the former Commissioner of Social Services and then after re-organization, OTDA . He left a while back to work in the private sector. Brian's returned and has joined the Health Department, specifically the Office of Medicaid Management and his charge is to figure out how to move the Medicaid functions currently administered by localities to the State. This is the administrative\/operational change that needs to accompany the cap on local financial responsibility. That's a change long overdue. The first policy paper I ever had published, Barriers to Medicaid Reform , emphasized the dispersion of policy and administrative responsibility for Medicaid between different State agencies and different levels of government. That was in 1976 . Well, we're finally making progress. Brian's job will not be fun and it's won't be headlines sexy. But it will be important. Best wishes and welcome back. But New York City and the suburban counties do have some control over the cost of nonmedical home care and transportation to treatment sites. And, especially in the city and Nassau, they must do a better job at shaving expenses With the cap in place, such small scale efforts won't make any difference. Not to argue against local vigilance, but even under the old rules this argument is off base. Take a look at the attached graphic. Historically the big expenses have been fee-for-service hospital inpatient care and nursing home care. Even a small percentage increase generates big expenditure increases. But the dramatic increases have come from pharmaceuticals and other supplies and from HMO premiums for Medicaid managed care (including Family Health Plus, which will now be entirely a State funding responsibility). Transportation? Lost in the data haze. Non medical home care? We assume Newsday is referring to Personal Care and those costs have been growing along with other home health expenses. But this is symbolic of how diffusion of administrative responsibility has not only weakened financial controls, it's distorted program administration. Counties have had much more influence over who gets home care and how much than they've had over institutional care for identical patients. So naturally, when seeking to control expenses anywhere they could, they've limited access to institutional alternatives, directly undermining the State's policy goals and probably their own long term financial interests. So the Newsday opinion is out-of-date because they seem not to fully understand the implications of the cap and, even if the rules hadn't changed, offbase because they would have reinforced a distortion embedded in the old system. Rick warns counties in New York about the similarities between the new cap on their shares of Medicaid costs and the Medicare \" clawback .\" There are a couple of differences, one mechanical and one conceptual. The mechanical difference is that the New York law requires an annual reconciliation. That involves a calculation of what the counties would have paid under the old system. If it's less than the cap, the State is supposed to write a check to the county for the difference. The conceptual difference is that the \"clawback\" is intended to offset a financial side effect of legislation whose primary purpose is not about the relationship between different levels of government, in this case providing pharmaceutical coverage for Medicare beneficiaries. In contrast, New York's new Medicaid cap is entirely about changing the financial relationship between different levels of government. Not that, in a financial pinch, New York wouldn't change the rules again but there is a difference. Rick is right though. Remain vigilant. There are many ways in which to play this system. Does anyone doubt that the Department of Health is currently cranking out rate appeals so that the payments can be made this year in order to inflate the base upon which the cap is calculated? May 17, 2005 Why did I raise the possibility that Medicaid expenditure growth in New York might slow a bit? Take a look at the trendline. Note that while expenditures actually fell in the last quarter of 2001, the big spike began shortly afterward, after 9\/11, when the eligibility standards were loosened considerably. But note also, that that in 2004 the trendline began to flatten out a bit. There are hints of a \"s-curve.\" Additionally, from 2000 to 2004 the number of enrollees grew dramatically rising from 2.7 million to over 4 million. (Much of that growth was in Family Health Plus.) The rate of growth was virtually identical in New York City and the rest of the state. At some point, we should expect the pool of potential clients to be exhausted. Mind you, for now I'd bet against the possibility. But it's worth further exploration. Unless it gets cold feet or weasels out of its promise to localities, New York has fundamentally changed both the financing structure of its Medicaid program and its budgetary and program dynamics. It's not obvious yet, but as this change takes effect, it will become increasingly important and evident. This change, a cap on the local share of Medicaid costs will: Provide financial relief to counties and New York City. That part is obvious. Change State budget dynamics by requiring that the State itself be financially responsible for an increasingly larger share of cost growth. The cap works like this. This calendar year, 2005, will be used as a base year for Medicaid spending. In 2006, the local share will be the base year (2005) plus an increment of 3.5 percent. In 2007, the local share will increase by an additional increment of 3.25 percent for a total of the base plus 6.75 percent. In 2008, the local share will increase by an additional increment of 3.0 percent for a total of the base plus 9.75 percent or, if the locality chooses, a fixed percentage of local sales tax revenues based. Each year thereafter, the increment will be 3.0 percent. (See the attached table.) The subtlety here is that the local share increases are not compounded. In 2008, the State will fold the local share into the State budget process and localities will simply make a payment to the State based on the formula. Localities will be engaged in a form of \"reverse revenue sharing,\" whose only relationship to Medicaid spending will be historical. There are also some insurance provisions for localities. If the Federal share is increased, localities will share in the savings as well as the State. In the unlikely event that Medicaid expenditures fall and the local share under today's rules would have been less than under the cap, localities will reimbursed for the difference. While basing a financial formula on data which can still be manipulated is risky, the fundamental nature of the change is unmistakable. The local share will be fixed regardless of how quickly Medicaid costs increase. Since its inception, New York has required its \"local social services districts,\" counties and New York City to share in the program costs of Medicaid. Only North Carolina has had a similar financing structure and now having seen the change in New York, there's talk of change there too. For most services, the local districts pay half of the non-Federal share of the costs. There are exceptions, especially for the costs of long term care, so local governments now pay over $7 billion per year toward the costs of Medicaid while having very little influence on the program's cost. For State policy makers this financing arrangement has meant that it was easier to spend and politically harder to restrain program cost growth. After all, when taking the Federal and local shares into account, the State budget only had to come up with about a third of the actual costs. But now this will change. Let's start with next year. Assume base year local expenses of just over $7.2 billion, about 20 percent of the total. Also assume an overall growth rate of 6.62 percent. It's a relatively modest rate, but it's the same as the overall growth rate from 2003 to 2004. On a calendar year basis, the State will be responsible for over $225 million in 2006 that it otherwise would have left in the laps of local officials. If growth continues at that 6.62 percent, the State assumes responsibility for an additional: $500 million in 2007 $828 million in 2008 $1.2 billion in 2009 $1.6 billion in 2010 If the growth rate is eight percent, the State picks up responsibility for an additional: $330 million in 2006 $725 million in 2007 $1.2 billion in 2008 $1.7 billion in 2009 $2.3 billion in 2010 Those figures are on top of the increase what would have been the State's share under the old system. This is a prescription for increasing financial pressure. Now it's possible that Medicaid cost growth will slow naturally in the next few years. I'll return to that in another post. But clearly the State will be hard pressed to allow rapid growth. And even more clearly, in New York the cost to the State of Medicaid growth has just gotten much more expensive. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Opportunities and assistance: Alert Concern about rights violations on eve of Africa Cup (Human Rights Watch\/IFEX) - New York, January 13, 2012 - The government of Equatorial Guinea, which is co-hosting the Africa Cup of Nations later in January 2012, cracks down on political opponents, intimidates journalists, and disregards due process, Human Rights Watch and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said today. Some visiting journalists who have tried to report on Equatorial Guinea over the past year have been detained, interrogated, censored, and deported. These incidents do not bode well for the sports reporters who are expected to attend the opening ceremony in the city of Bata on January 21 and other matches there and in Malabo, the capital. President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo said on January 3 that he views the games as an opportunity to \"sell the country's image.\" \"Hosting international events is one way to charm foreign visitors and try to impress the media, but these are superficial and don't withstand scrutiny,\" said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. \"The only way President Obiang can really improve his reputation is by reversing his decades of misrule and allowing genuine human rights reforms.\" Intimidation and Detention of Journalists In one incident that may foreshadow difficulties for the coverage of the forthcoming Africa Cup of Nations, a television crew from Germany's ZDF network who were reporting in June 2011 on women's soccer and other issues in Equatorial Guinea were detained, interrogated at length, subjected to censorship, and deported. As described in an account by the ZDF team's producer, security agents seized their footage and ordered any \"negative\" images deleted or confiscated. These included footage of children playing soccer in one of Malabo's slums and interviews with the sole member of parliament from the political opposition and a human rights lawyer. The next morning, the journalists were escorted to the airport to leave the country. The ZDF crew had been working with an official visa and the support of government ministries. Some other foreign journalists who traveled to Equatorial Guinea before and during the June 2011 African Union (AU) summit meeting, held in Malabo, have described to Human Rights Watch incidents in which they were briefly detained and forced to delete photographs, despite having been granted press permits by the government. An Associated Press photographer was taken to the police station for snapping photos in a public market in Malabo and was ordered to remove the images from her camera, and released only after she did. A photographer working for the US public relations firm hired by the government to improve its reputation was himself briefly detained after taking a photo of the AU summit venue, journalists reported. In March, the host of a state-radio program was removed after mentioning Libya during a broadcast, in violation of a temporary news blackout the government had imposed in February on the pro-democracy protests of the Arab Spring, CPJ reported. \"President Teodoro Obiang's government routinely invites journalists into the country, only to restrict their movements in an ongoing effort to deceive the world and promote a pristine image,\" said Mohamed Keita, Africa advocacy coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists. \"Journalists covering the African Nations Cup should be able to look behind the faade freely and without fear of reprisal.\" Sustained Pattern of Repression In early January, the state media reported that Obiang had stressed the need for \"security and control of immigrants\" ahead of the Africa Cup games. The comment echoed the government's language in the weeks leading up to the AU summit, when migrants in Bata were rounded up by police and mistreated in custody as part of a wider crackdown in various parts of the country. Such repression has been a hallmark of Obiang's rule, Human Rights Watch said. Political opponents are subject to arbitrary arrest and harassment. The judiciary lacks independence and basic fair trial standards are disregarded. Despite a law banning torture, the practice remains a serious problem and those responsible enjoy near-total impunity. Obiang, already Africa's longest-serving ruler, pushed through constitutional changes in November that strengthened his near-absolute grip on power. The referendum held to approve the changes was discredited by serious irregularities. The government claimed that 97.7 percent of voters approved the measure. Obiang has claimed re-election by similarly large margins. Skewed Spending Priorities The Obiang government has undertaken a massive building spree, financed by oil revenues. Much of the construction is for the enjoyment of the country's tiny elite and foreign guests, Human Rights Watch said. The lavish spending offers little apparent benefit to the majority of the population, who live in poverty. The government has not revealed how much it spent to host the Africa Cup of Nations, but known improvements include building or expanding stadiums and other sports facilities in Malabo and Bata. It also has beautified these cities ahead of the games, apparently at considerable expense. The government describes the illuminated, granite-encased Freedom Tower, which has a rotating restaurant at the top, as the \"crown\" of a new seafront promenade in Bata and \"one of the most spectacular urban images of Africa.\" Other recent examples of high-cost government projects include: * A presidential guesthouse \"following the standard of 5-star hotels\" to be built in Mongomo, in the interior of the country, at a cost of $77 million, according to the company that obtained the contract. * A $830 million conference center and resort complex built by the government in Sipopo, outside of Malabo, to host the African Union summit in June. It was also used to host the Africa-South America Summit in November and is slated to be the site of future meetings. Among other high-end amenities, the Sipopo complex includes 52 luxury villas that face a mile-long artificial beach. Obiang recently described those who accuse his government of diverting the country's oil wealth as its \"enemies.\" \"President Obiang spares no expense to build luxury buildings, monuments, and major infrastructure projects,\" Bekele said. \"But all that shiny new construction can't detract from the harsh reality of repression and grinding poverty in Equatorial Guinea under his rule.\" IFEX IFEX is a global network of committed organisations working to defend and promote free expression. Permission is granted for material on this website to be reproduced or republished in whole or in part provided the source member and\/or IFEX is cited with a link to the original item. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Mother's Life at Risk With advances in modern medicine there are almost no conditions in pregnancy and childbirth that require abortion to save the mother's life. The exceptions are mainly tubal pregnancy and uterine cancer. Abortion advocates claim that every pregnancy threatens a woman's life. The person determining \"mental health\" is a gynaecologist not a psychiatrist. Young teenage mothers have the least complications in childbirth. The principle of 'double effect' means the intention is to save the woman's life, not deliberately to kill the foetus. An example of 'double effect' is a tubal pregnancy which is invariably fatal to the mother. The leading cause of death during pregnancy is murder. Alan Guttmacher said in his book \" Abortion Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow \" The Case for Legalized Abortion Now which was published in 1967: \"Today it is possible for almost any patient to be brought through pregnancy alive, unless she suffers from a fatal disease such as cancer or leukemia, and if so, abortion would be unlikely to prolong, much less save the life\" Alan Guttmacher, who succeeded Margaret Sanger as head of Planned Parenthood, probably did more to spread abortion on demand throughout the world than any other individual. Considerable advances have been made in medicine since he made that statement. Abortion activists have successfully used the same two step strategy to legalise abortion in countries around the world. First is the campaign to have abortion legal in the \"hard\" cases of incest and abortion. An example is where a very young teenage girl, say 13-years old, is pregnant as a result of rape or incest. The incidence of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest is around 1 percent. In many cases abortion is performed against the wishes of the girl, and is in fact used to cover-up the crime. The next step in the campaign is to expand the exceptions for abortion to include cases of \"severe foetal abnormality\" and to \"save the life of the mother,\" which is then expanded to \"when the physical or mental health of the mother is at risk.\" This last definition is taken by abortionists to mean abortion on demand and 98-99 percent of all abortions for performed for 'mental health' reasons. 98-99% of all abortions are performed for 'mental health' reasons. Stretching the Definition Lise Fortier, an abortionist, said at the 1980 national convention of the National Abortion Federation: \"Each and every pregnancy threatens a woman's life. From a strict medical viewpoint, every pregnancy should be aborted.\" This is a common attitude among abortionists and advocates of abortion. Many doctors, believing that abortion is safer than childbirth, consider any pregnancy as life-threatening and use that as justification for abortion. Abortionist David Zbaraz has actually claimed that all first-trimester and most second-trimester abortions are medically necessary since, as he alleges, they are safer than childbirth. Minnesota abortionist Jane Hodgson stated her case in much simpler and more direct terms: \"A medically necessary abortion is any abortion a woman asks for.\" On the website safemotherhood.org, is an article entitled Every Pregnancy faces Risks, prepared by International Planned Parenthood Federation among others. The opening sentence states: \" Every time a woman is pregnant - which happens an estimated 200 million times every year around the world - she risks a sudden and unpredictable complication that could result in her death or injury, and the death or injury of her infant.\" Dr. Jasper Williams, a former president of the National Medical Association, noted that, in 23 years of practice, he knew of only two women who had actually died in childbirth from previously undiagnosed causes; one of a pulmonary embolism and the other from an amniotic fluid embolism. It is his opinion that abortionists will expand even minor conditions (such as mild varicose veins) into \"threats to the woman's life.\" Widespread exploitation of the \"mental health\" clause is the same the world over. Mental Health Widespread exploitation of the \"mental health\" clause in abortion laws is the same the world over. The person who makes a determination of mental problems is not a psychiatrist but the abortionist Professor Myre Sim, a lecturer in Psychiatry at Birmingham University, recognized that abortionists are certainly not qualified to make psychiatric evaluations; \"I was able to demonstrate successfully that psychiatry was competent to deal with all the psychiatric hazards of pregnancy, and that the day that a psychiatrist required a gynaecologist to treat his patients has not arrived.\" Dr Sim studied 213 patients with puerperal psychosis and stated baldly: \"There are no psychiatric grounds for the termination of pregnancy.\" (Sim, M (1963). Abortion and the psychiatrist. Brit. Med. J., July 2O, 145-148) Puerperal psychosis, in almost all cases, is a mood disorder accompanied by features such as loss of contact with reality, hallucinations, severe thought disturbance, and abnormal behaviour. Dr Julia Faed, a clinical psychologist of Dunedin New Zealand, gave expert evidence in the Christchurch High Court in 1992 that reactive depression was a contra-indication for abortion (abortion is not recommended where there is depression). She stated that the correct treatment for reactive depression was counselling or, if necessary, medication, and for severe reactive depression hospitalisation. Read more here. There is no evidence that a continued unwanted pregnancy will endanger the mother's mental health. Dr. Carlos del Campose, who surveyed literature on the subject of children born to women refused abortion for various reasons concluded: \"The literature shows a generally comparable outcome of pregnancy, delivery and puerperium [the period immediately following childbirth] between women who were denied abortion and controls. \"No evidence that a continued unwanted pregnancy will endanger the mother's mental health; good acceptance of the infant by the mother, especially if she has the father's support; and minimal to moderate psychosocial disadvantages for the child.\" \" There is now general agreement that pregnancy does not alter the natural history of disease, so that, provided a woman survives the immediate challenge, neither her health nor her life-expectancy is permanently changed.\" Abortion advocates believe that extreme youth is a reason for abortion on the grounds that childbirth would endanger the life of the girl. Some even go as far as saying that abortion should be mandatory for all girls 14 and under. A study found that teenaged girls had the least complications from childbirth of any age group of childbearing women. Despite this, research has shown that pregnancy and childbirth is safer for young girls than for older women.The most comprehensive study every performed on the physical and mental effects of childbirth on teenagers found that teenaged girls had the least complications from childbirth of any age group of childbearing women. The four-year study conducted by the National Institute of Child Health Development (NICHD) and the University of Pennsylvania was based upon the case histories of 9,000 women who had given birth in a Copenhagen hospital. Chief researcher Dr. Brian Sutton-Smith stated that \"We have found that teen-age mothers, given proper care, have the least complications in childbirth. The younger the mother, the better the birth.\" (The New York Times, April 24, 1979) Dr. Sutton-Smith also reviewed other studies that came to different conclusions, and stated that these \"obscured the findings\" by deliberately including a large proportion of teenagers living in deep poverty and comparing them to older, more affluent women. Any treatment administered to save a woman's life that also results in the death of a preborn child is not a true abortion. The Principle of the \"Double Effect\" The principle of the \"double effect means that any treatment administered to save a woman's life that also results in the death of a preborn child is not a true abortion, since the primary purpose of the treatment was to save a life not take it. Even if the death of the baby is a foregone conclusion, such an action is not classifiable as an abortion. Some of the treatments that may indirectly kill a preborn child include certain cancer treatments; hysterectomy (removal) of a cancerous or severely traumatized uterus; and salpingectomy (the removal of a Fallopian tube). It is possible that the surgeon could delay treatment of the mother until the foetus reaches a viable stage of development. In this way it could be possible to save the life of both the mother and the baby. Ectopic Pregnancy The most common application of the \"double effect\" occurs in the case of a ectopic (tubal) pregnancy when the embryo implants in the Fallopian tube, instead of completing its journey to the uterus. Such implantation is inevitably fatal to the woman if her pregnancy progresses too far. It is quite possible for a baby to implant virtually anywhere in the mother's abdominal cavity and survive. One mother gave birth to a perfectly healthy baby boy who had somehow migrated out of a rupture in the uterus and had implanted in the vicinity of her stomach. The surgical procedure used to remedy this situation is fairly simple to describe. The surgeon first must use ultrasonography to diagnose the unruptured tubal pregnancy. He then inserts a laparoscope (small camera with light) through an incision in the abdominal wall and locates the distended fallopian tube. He then laterally incises the tube and suctions out the embryo. Although legally and medically, this procedure is the same as a typical suction abortion, it is different in several critical ways. Although legally and medically, this procedure is the same as a typical suction abortion, it is different in several critical ways. In the majority of cases, the pregnancy is wanted and the intent of the surgical procedure is to save life. In the future, doctors hope to be able to remove the embryo intact and transfer it to the uterus, where it will be successfully implanted. See here for a list of Conditions that do not require abortion. Many New or Expectant Mothers Die Violent Deaths Five years ago in Maryland, state health researchers Isabelle Horon and Diana Cheng set out to study maternal deaths, using sophisticated methods to spot dozens of overlooked cases in their state. They assumed they would find more deaths from medical complications than the state's statistics showed. The last thing they expected was murder. A Washington Post article on December 19, 2004 reported the findings of a year-long investigation of death-record data in states across the country documents the killings of 1,367 pregnant women and new mothers since 1990. They believe this is only part of the national toll, because no reliable system is in place to track such cases. The Post quoted Pat Brown, a criminal profiler in Minneapolis, on December 19: \"If the woman doesn't want the baby, she can get an abortion. If the guy doesn't want it, he can't do a damn thing about it. He is stuck with a child for the rest of his life, he is stuck with child support for the rest of his life, and he's stuck with that woman for the rest of his life. If she goes away, the problem goes away.\" Crime expert Louis Mizell said, \"When husbands or boyfriends attack pregnant partners, it usually has to do with an unwillingness to deal with fatherhood, marriage, child support or public scandal.\" In conclusion Even before the legalisation of abortion around the world, there were very few instances where a woman could not obtain an abortion in order to save her life. To use the argument that abortion is safer than childbirth because every pregnancy puts the mother's life at risk, is seen by those opposed to abortion as a smokescreen, especially when advances in medicine are elimating, or at least controlling, most of the conditions that could have resulted in the death of a pregnant woman. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Tottenham confident they will hang on to at least one of their most wanted players 1 Comment Posted on 15 Jul 2012 at 10:00pm New Spurs manager Andre Villas Boas is confident of holding on to his star midfielder Rafael van der Vaart amidst speculation about the Dutchman's probable move away from the White Hart Lane. The ex- Chelsea manager is resigned to losing Luka Modric and despite signing Gylfi Sigurdsson he believes that ex- Real Madrid midfielder has a key role to play in the coming season. Van der Vaart has been linked with a return to his former club Hamburg but manager Villas-Boas feels he will 'probably' commit his career at the North London club. The arrival of Gylfi Sigurdsson might have placed tainted doubts about his future at the club while rumours circulated about probable addition of another midfielder in the form of Moutinho. However the Portuguese has asserted that Van der Vaart holds an important place in his plans. \"With Van der Vaart, at the moment I am absolutely counting on him,\" Villas-Boas said while speaking to the reporters . \"It is a totally different situation from Luka, who has been chased by different clubs in the past two seasons and is continuing to drag interest. We have to make sure the club's interests are met, and it is up to the chairman to decide that.\" 1 Comment You mean Bale isn't wanted? Walker isn't wanted? Spurs have several wanted players that they will be keeping hold of, and are doing very profitable business with modric on their own terms, unlike if they had allowed themselve to be bullied out of him last Summer. I consider that to be highly positive. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"There is a certain irony to libraries in hospitals being closed at a time when the value and impact of evidence-based information for patient care is increasingly being recognized [ 1 , 2 ]. Between 1989 and 2006, it is estimated that between 36% and 44% of hospital libraries closed [ 3 ]. The closures may have resulted from the dilution of relevant hospital library standards by the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. As an example, the 1999 accreditation manual included three \"Knowledge-based information\" (KBI) standards [ 4 ]. The first required that hospitals provide \"systems, resources and services to meet KBI needs in patient care, education, research and management.\" The intent section elaborated that this could be met by an on-site library, a qualified medical librarian, or a cooperative arrangement for their provision. By 2009, all that remained was one standard requiring access to KBI. Without the provision for a library or librarian, any \"current and authoritative\" website could suffice [ 5 ]. The dilution of Joint Commission standards appears to sanction reducing the level of knowledge required in hospitals. There is not enough evidence to establish a causal relationship between the revised standards and the closure of hospital libraries, but the trends coincide. Pressures that diminish the availability of information conflict with the rising absolute need for more knowledge. Consider this: In the course of any single day, approximately 95,616 patients are hospitalized in the United States [ 6 ]. Insurance providers record the number of tests, surgery, and drugs administered to these patients, but no one measures the level of knowledge brought to their care. The need for information to support patient care has been documented: Research shows that 2 questions arise for every 3 patients in office practice [ 7 ] and an average of 5 questions arise per patient encounter in academic medical settings [ 8 ]. These questions may go unanswered. Studies report that physicians pursue answers to only 36% -- 55% of questions raised about patients' care [ 9 , 10 ]. Unanswered questions, or even unasked questions, may lead to poorer medical care. The Institute of Medicine estimates that as many as 98,000 Americans die each year from preventable medical errors [ 11 ]. With 95,616 patients in the hospital any given day, an average of 5 questions per patient encounter in academic settings, and at most only 55% of these questions being pursued, that leaves at least 215,136 questions a day going unanswered. No wonder health care errors have become a national crisis and remain at an unacceptable level [ 12 ]. In the face of rising errors and accumulating knowledge, finding time to sort through the literature to find answers to specific patient questions is crucial to quality patient care. Clinicians are hard pressed to find the time to answer these care questions. Yet the one staff person whose job it is to answer them, the librarian, is no longer a requirement. Evidence-based medicine is not without controversy: Ill-advised advocates for \"evidence-free,\" also known as \"logical,\" medicine have surfaced. Proponents of evidence-free medicine say it allows the \"incorporation of a variety of facts and warrants, reasons and reasoning, into clinical decisions. Forgoing evidence allows clinical medicine to once again be a personal and prudential undertaking, arising from and focused on the individual patient\" [ 13 ]. Evidence-free medicine may be a reaction to the evidence-challenged environment of hospitals deregulated from having access to a librarian or library. It is wise not to need what you do not have. Without the assistance of a qualified librarian and support for a collection, there is no one to call for searches and no journal subscriptions if an article is needed. The conflict between weakening information requirements on the one hand and increasing need for information resources on the other may result in diminishing availability of quality care. Who would really want to be treated at a hospital lacking an information base? Reactions to the eroding knowledge core are mounting. The following developments illustrate the pressures for change and the opportunities they create for librarians: President Obama's emphasis on comparative effectiveness research may encourage medicine to use what works for patient populations on a large scale. Practitioners need the literature base to determine what is effective and where exceptions exist and, at some point, to enable payment for genetic variations or innovations. The electronic health record (EHR) can effectively distribute such practice guidelines, and librarians are already actively involved in integrating practice guidelines with KBI resources [ 14 , 15 ]. Deepening their involvement with the EHR, librarians are using their classification and electronic record knowledge to inventory physician order sets and develop record databases [ 16 ]. Beyond installation, librarians stay on to educate staff in information retrieval, as training is a long-standing function for librarians. \"Magnet\" hospitals are associated with nursing excellence because their environment of care fosters a quality focus. Magnet hospital status, a designation of the American Nurses Credentialing Center, pushes for anchoring hospital, even unit-based, polices to the literature. \"Creating, advancing, and sustaining a practice environment grounded in evidence-based practice and nursing research is essential to achieving Magnet status\" [ 17 ]. Literature's importance in this setting is demonstrated by a recent survey of Magnet-certified institutions, which has found that 94% have access to a medical or nursing library in the medical center complex and another 4% have library privileges although outside the center [ 18 ]. Nurses are pivotal in quality care, being unit-based first responders and care providers. As they strive for excellence, they enhance the focus on information resources. Why not work at a hospital that uses what works? This integration of evidence into the Magnet Program facilitates librarian involvement and library use [ 19 ]. The movement to tie better results into better reimbursement is already underway in the form of Medicare's Pay for Performance initiatives. Perhaps the existing unsatisfactory hospital performance relates to the elimination of the library as a requirement for Medicare reimbursement in 1984 [ 20 ]. Hospitals need information resources to determine effective techniques and best practices in order to achieve better results. The conflict noted above is evident here: The requirement for information resources falls, while the need for information usage grows. Pay for Performance may require access to the literature, for example, when the hospital committee charged with developing a protocol for urinary catheter removal calls the librarian for a search. When the question becomes, \"When is the best time for catheter removal?,\" those institutions with a library can find an answer supported by data. New preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for systematic reviews require writers to describe their \"search methodology\" along with their research methodology and to identify \"who designed and conducted the literature search\" [ 21 ]. This statement emphasizes the importance of the information scientist and supports the premise that correctly synthesizing the literatures requires first retrieving the entire relevant literature base. PRISMA standards have been simultaneously published by four journals and are fast replacing earlier efforts to offer standards for systematic review information retrieval. The recognition of the importance of the literature retrieval process may be a reaction to the loss of life, possibly due to poor literature searching [ 22 ]. If accepted at a national level, the need for a search could be included in mandatory care guidelines for reimbursement. Given that systematic reviews are beginning to define best practice, librarians are well positioned to play a central role in the development of practice guidelines. Broadened accessibility of \"detailing\" services like systematic review assistance, search protocol projects, and librarian attendance at morning report reflect the increasing value given to \"expert searching.\" A recent US survey has found the percentage of clinical librarians (CLs) increasing, with approximately 200 CLs in 2005\/06 [ 3 ]. CLs possess the sophisticated knowledge needed to integrate diagnosis, drug, and disease variables. As an example, they can find literature on how therapy for psychosis changes in an immune-suppressed transplant patient on multiple drugs, with an underlying inherited disease. Support for the importance of the CL role is provided by a 2008 report commissioned by the British National Health Service (NHS) to review library and knowledge services in England. The report recommended an increase in the number of clinical librarians from 50 to 800 [ 23 ]. The British NHS report advocates for CLs as part of their effort to \"make the best use of its resources to provide high quality, equitable care for patients\" [ 23 ]. CLs help find effective interventions in the literature and bridge the gap between article and bedside. With the Oxford-founded Cochrane Collaboration demonstrating the impact of systematic reviews to determine efficacy, the international emphasis on using literature to advance care is flourishing. Increasingly, the \"science\" in \"library science\" itself is growing. The Evidence-based Library and Information Practice journal attests to the growing amount of science supporting information practice [ 24 ]. As librarians, we must advance and embrace the structure underlying good information retrieval and audit trails documenting a quality search. Accountability for the results only increases the value of the search and searcher. Hopefully, someday institutions will score their \"information readiness\" in order to quantify the information resources available for the care of individual patients. The information readiness score might be akin to designations like the \"most-wired\" status for hospitals [ 25 ] or hierarchy levels for trauma centers [ 26 ]. The availability of search design assistance or search performance by a qualified information professional, timeliness of article delivery, currency and depth of the literature collection, number of hours of onsite access, and number of licensed databases might factor into the level of information readiness. Hospital staff may note in the EHR the level of evidence used in decision making and the consultant who conducted the search. Institutions may come to boast about the level of knowledge available for patient care, while the time to diffusion and use of knowledge at the bedside may shorten. Many are quick to tout the broad-based searching of Google as the answer to \"searching\" in medicine. Searching and finding are two different things. Science has determined that multiple databases need to be searched for adequate coverage [ 27 ] and that Google Scholar lags behind academic databases for timeliness [ 28 ]. When it comes to searching versus finding, librarians have a privileged position [ 29 ]. The librarian has the combination of time, technique, and training, plus the expertise, to find the needed information. There is a subtle shift in the literature to valuing who is the searcher, paying attention to what they are searching, and determining the level of evidence of the retrieval. An article in the journal Chest recommends that \"a professional information specialist should be engaged\" before claiming \"the literature shows that...\" [ 30 ]. In time, hospitals may return to the notion that the librarian is an expert consultant who can provide evidence, maximizes the electronic database, and is an essential component in quality care. These hospitals' patients would not be the first people to owe their lives to a librarian [ 31 ]. ","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Because the long arc of the universe bends toward justice. For religious people who are conflicted about same-sex marriage If you are among the many invisible Americans who are conflicted about same-sex marriage, there are a variety of items to consider, including: Understanding the dynamics of an identity shift. Identifying creative tensions between values and experience. Practicing being gentle with yourself as you sort things out. Living \"as if\" in order to gain experience-based information. Being \"willing to be willing\" as a way to alleviate inner conflict. Addressing knowledge gaps proactively. Exploring your own socialization process up to this point. IDENTITY SHIFT First of all, let's name the dynamic you might be experiencing. If you have been conflicted about what to do about voting on the proposed amendment that would impact same-sex marriage, consider that what you are going through is an identity shift. Just naming what is going on can alleviate the stress and make it easier to address it. An identity shift means that you are between trapezes, in a sort of limbo. You have let go of the trapeze that represented who you used to be, while being uncertain about what your life will be like once you grab the new trapeze. Or maybe you will return to the original trapeze you just released, realizing you aren't ready to move into a new position or grasp and claim a new opinion. It's like walking to the edge of the high dive at a pool -- and then, at that moment, realizing you're not ready to jump. With the issue of same-sex marriage and the proposal to define marriage as a union only between a man and woman, maybe you are shifting from the belief that marriage is always and only intended to be between a man and a woman, and you are earnestly and humbly seeking whether marriage can be expanded to include same-sex couples who also wish to make public loving commitments to one another, to provide mutual care for one another, and to grow old together. Or maybe your belief is shifting in the reverse direction. So be it. This identity shift and the status of being between trapezes is a process. It includes moving from the Known into the Unknown. The Unknown includes not knowing exactly when, where, or how the \"incoming trapeze\" will impact you. Being in limbo like that is one of the hardest psychological tasks that we as humans will encounter, and that is likely why you are in such anguish. CONFLICTING VALUES, EXPERIENCE, or KNOWLEDGE Another reason for such anguish and inner conflict could be that you have a growing awareness of two or more things that are in tension with each other, pulling at you. Is there an unnamed conflict between the teachings of your own religious tradition and your personal values that you've been living by? Is there conflict between what your community or religious leaders are saying that go against your own direct experience of people who identify as gay or lesbian, or go against your own experience with people who identify as being part of a long-term, loving, same-sex relationship? Maybe a religious teaching that you have followed is in direct conflict with a personal value, such as supporting the freedom for people to marry who they love; or it's in conflict with what you know of the history of marriage , such as women were once considered a man's property and marriage was a strategic way to transfer property or keep the peace. Identify the rhetoric, behaviors, attitudes, etc. that you are most and least comfortable with and explore where the tension comes from. Discipline yourself to view this exploration as a refining process or as a way to clarify at a deeper level what you believe in. And give yourself time... BE GENTLE WITH YOURSELF As I've said, being in limbo is a hard thing to live into. Give yourself the gift of practicing being gentle with yourself. Begin to notice when your body tenses up as you think through certain points, when you read things in the news, hear them on television, or come across them on the internet. Cultivate the simple ability to notice when your body tenses and when your body relaxes. Doing so can give you some indication of your own visceral response, which may in turn give you information about the direction you are naturally moving in, based on how you care for yourself and what your body tells you. LIVE AS IF Another technique is to live one day as if you disapproved of same-sex marriage and would therefore vote Yes on the proposed amendment, supporting the idea of defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman. The next day, you'd live as if you were okay with same-sex marriage and would vote No on the proposed amendment, indicating that you wouldn't support defining marriage as only a union between a man and a woman. Check in with yourself each day you \"live as if\" and reflect on how you viewed couples and families through that temporary lens. Consider keeping a journal to record new awarenesses and insights you may have. BE WILLING TO BE WILLING Another thing to do for yourself would be to practice what I call, \"Be willing to be willing.\" If you don't feel ready to open yourself to receive more understanding about the issue, then affirm that you are willing to be willing to understand where you are moving to. Be willing to be willing to change. Be willing to be willing to know what is the more loving thing to do in a given situation, and what stance more closely aligns with your values; those sorts of questions. We might not be willing to be changed. That might be too scary. But we might be willing to be willing to be changed, and that can ease us into whatever change we're being calling to, knowingly or unknowingly. FILL IN YOUR OWN KNOWLEDGE GAPS As a more intellectual step, take responsibility to explore your own knowledge gap about the history of the issue, about the dynamics of privilege and oppression, and about the impact on the groups who say they will be affected one way or another. Get a handle on what evidence and what rumors are available about what impacts will truly occur. For example, have those forecasted impacts occurred to heterosexual couples in other places where same-sex marriage is already allowed? Have they occurred to same-sex couples in places where same-sex marriage is barred? In addition, in terms of identifying, addressing, or exploring knowledge gaps, consider what is the multi-generational impact of approving any constitutional amendment, versus having a law on the books that already prohibits same-sex marriage. Why was the constitution of any state written in the first place? What's our current responsibility, if any, to standing by those original reasons and intentions? LEARN ABOUT THE SOCIALIZATION PROCESS There are many examples from history about how stereotypes are formed and reinforced, how they are broken down. Socialization happens in our families, in our political system, in our houses of worship, in our schools, among our peers, and through our newspapers, books, and television. As infants and children, we can't say, \"Please teach me about unconditional love\" or \"Tell me about why Americans believe in the American Dream.\" We grow up in environments that decide for us what values and beliefs we should be exposed to -- about White people, about women, about people of color, about vocation, about the value of education, the value of manual labor; about being on time and about taking time to connect with people we seldom see; about how tolerant and welcoming to be about differing viewpoints, or how dismissive... Learn about how we are socialized , depending on if we are part of the dominant culture\/majority group, or if we are part of the non-dominant culture\/minority group. Then consider how that socialization plays into your stance on the issue you are exploring. And remember the trapezes. We can spend a lot of time in between them, but the world keeps on spinning, oftentimes according to the whims and the will of the majority. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"As Megan Stammers, 15, is found -- we ask is this the end of the story? Megan Stammers, 15 and the teacher she ran off with Jeremy Forrest, 30 have been found. Naturally her frantic parents are thrilled and are quoted in many papers saying they cannot wait to be reunited. Meanwhile, Mr Forrest could face charges under child abduction. Megan's parents will surely hope that now home this will be the end of Megan's 'relationship' with Mr Forrest. But, as it's reported the pair were not planning to return when they were found, is this the end...? In 30 years of journalism. I've covered all sorts of 'unusual relationship' stories but the most fascinating that springs to mind is the case of a former school teacher Mary Kay Letourneau who had an affair with her 13 year old pupil -- but has now married him and the couple have two children. Already a mum to two boys and two girls, Letourneau, 35, was a strict catholic, and living in Seattle with her good-looking husband Stephen, when she embarked on her illegal love affair. The couple first met when Letourneau taught the boy aged eight and even then she confesses she was 'hauntingly drawn' to the child. \"There was a bond between us that was instantaneous ,\" she explains. \"There was a respect, an insight, a spirit, an understanding that grew over time.\" Then, in the summer of 1996 the boy, Vili Fualaau, showed his affection for his teacher by spending his pocket money on a silver ring. \"He pushed the ring on her finger and they stared at eachother for what he described as 'an eternity',\" says one police insider. \"That was when he knew his feelings were sexual.\" Before long the couple were enjoying regular sex and within a few months, when Vili was aged just 12, LeTourneau became pregnant. Husband Steve, who had not made love with his wife for some months, became suspicious when his wife began showing early signs of pregnancy... then he found some love letters. \"I felt sick,\" he remembers. \"I went straight round to the boy's house and asked 'are you sleeping with my wife?'. When he nodded my world fell apart.\" Mr LeTourneau confided in relatives, told school officials and Letourneau pleaded guilty to second degree child-rape and was jailed for six months. In 1997 she gave birth to a little girl, Audrey while out on probation. However, when she was released on probation under the conditions that she would not see her young lover and would get counselling, she ran straight back into the arms of the boy and Police discovered the pair together at 3am in a parked car with steamed up windows. Reports claim she was planning to run way with the boy and their baby -- cash, baby clothes and her passport were found in the car -- going into hiding until he was old enough to marry. But having violated her probation, a Seattle court then jailed her for 71\/2 years. Incredibly, she found she was expecting another baby and in 1998 while serving time, she gave birth to a second little girl, Georgia Alexis. But in November 1999 Mary Kay was placed in six months' solitary confinement after letters she tried to send to Vili were intercepted. Mary Kay, then aged 42, was not released from prison until 2004 but by then Vili, then aged 21, had filed to get the court order of no contact between them reversed. The pair, at last reunited, wasted no time in getting married -- and in May 2005, having become a media sensation -- exclusive access to the wedding was granted to a TV show reportedly selling for a six figure sum. The couple's affair scandalised America. Mary Kay Letourneau's family and friends were stunned by her actions. After all, she was seen as the typical 'all American girl'. During an interview Vili said: \"I'm not a victim. I'm not ashamed of being a father. I'm not ashamed of being in love with Mary Kay.\" Meanwhile Mary Kay is quoted as saying: \"He dominated me in the most masculine way that any man, any leader, could do. I trusted him and believed in him and in our future.\" The couple have since gone on to have a book published and most recently their story was turned into a movie -- That's My Boy. Both daughters live with them and while Vili works as a DJ, Mary Kay is a paralegal. About Featureworld Alison Smith-Squire is a writer, journalist and media agent selling exclusive real life stories to newspapers, magazines and TV. She owns the sell my story website Featureworld.co.uk, which was set up to help ordinary people sell their stories to the press. One Response to As Megan Stammers, 15, is found -- we ask is this the end of the story? Since writing this post, Featureworld received this anonymous comment: This shouldn't be the end. Not only do I believe that it's not right for news presenters and readers to be saying 'she \"thought\" she loved her 30-year-old maths teacher'. It's mocking her feelings. Only Megan will know what she thought. And that brings me to the next point, these news readers, detectives and journalists think they know how she felt and what made her leave with her maths teacher. The truth is, once again, only she will ever know how she felt and how she still feels. She is fifteen, old enough to make a choice, and I understand it may not be the choice she would have made if she was five years older, but I know that she as every other teenager was thinking \"why not?\"I am the same age as Megan and perhaps it's you \"adults\" that need to listen to us for a change when we tell you we know better. If I was ever to meet Megan, if I was ever so fortunate to be able to tell her I, myself, knows how she must have felt and still do. No I've never ran away with my maths teacher, but that does not mean that running away has never crossed my mind. It was heart-breaking to watch not only Megan's parents but alson Jeremy's parents plea for them to return home but it was what Megan wanted.\"She went willingly\" All I ask for you is to realise Megan isn't the only one that wanted something she \"never had\". But she was the only one that did something she \"never did\". My wishes are that somehow, Jeremy and Megan will continue to see each-other if that is what they would want. We are all human, some older than others but it shouldnt be against \"the law\". I would proudly shake Megans hand and tell her how inspirational she has been. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"As far as I'm concerned Robin Hood is a legend. St George is a legend. Your mate Dave is a twat. 1. Note to self -- using this does not make you appear lovably quirky. It makes you sound like a moron incapable of originality. 2. 'Me' Time -- are we meant to think that you are a poor, put-upon soul that does not often get the opportunity of some time to yourself? If you want to do something on your Jack Jones, just f**k off and do it, and quit playing the martyr. 3. Going forward -- a completely unnecessary expression, usually uttered by pr*cks in meetings in order to sound authoritative. I would be much more impressed if you could implement that in the past, you c*ck. 4. Welcome to my world -- unless you are saying it to an alien that has just landed on Earth, or you are an alien whose planet I have just landed on, I do not want to hear this. 5. Back in the day -- when folk first started saying this, they meant the 1980s or 90s. It now seems to mean any time before now. I saw my f**k-witted 18-year-old cousin refer to 2007 as 'back in the day' on her Facebook page. When I was a kid, Robin Hood was a legend. So was St. George after killing the dragon. 6. Legend or 'Ledge' -- another word bastardised by the younger generation. When I was a kid, Robin Hood was a legend. So was St. George after killing the dragon. Now the term gets applied to people like sportsmen, most of whom have done f**k all. I heard a 16-year-old Leeds United fan, on work experience in our office, describe Kasper Schmeichel as a legend. That?s Kasper, not his dad, Peter. Young men may also refer to one of their imbecile mates as a 'ledge' because he fingered a girl at a party before throwing up blue WKD down her front. 7. Unveiled -- despite the fact that everyone already knew who it was, and that he was not covered from head to toe in a sheet, Chelsea apparently 'unveiled' their new manager, Andr Villas-Boas . talkSH*TE radio is especially fond of using the word in this context. Why not just say 'introduced'? Idiots. 8. Simples -- do I really have to explain why a word coined by a f**king talking Russian meerkat in an advert for a price comparison website is annoying? Well, not nearly as annoying as when some tw*t thinks they are the first person that ever said it to you. 10. Full-fat -- as in, \"I'll have a Coke please? ....Do you want diet or full fat?\" Only a cretin thinks that Coke has any fat in it. I realise that many of those that say full-fat Coke know this, but it only serves to confuse the less intelligent, and annoys the sh*t out of me. If you like it, Pass it on COMMENTS Chav tastic - but please add the following; \"Are you joking me?\" \"OMG!\" (the twats don't have a faith - belief thought in their tiny little brains unless Jezza Vile and Cowell count) \"Have a nice day\" (Why? What happens if I don't? Leave me alone you creetin) *Let's touch base\" (No, lets ram the base up your fundament) \"Let's take a rain check\" (No, just fuck off!) There are countless more and hopefully more will be added to this annoying little list. The one that drives me fucking mental is \"I'm a big fan of Liverpool\/Manure\/Chelwski\/Shittah\/the Arse etc. (Not born there, don't live there, no family connections whatsoever, never been to the games home or away, in fact they don't know where the bloody stadiums are located! TWATS!) \"At the end of the day\" hearing any twat say that makes me want to end their days. A pathetic substitute for gumballs who have nothing remotely intelligent to say and want to end a conversation they cannot understand. I'd like to add the incredibly annoying 'peeps' (is it so much of a struggle to say 'people' all of a sudden?) and 'hun' (the only person who can really be called that is Atilla). As well as anyone who starts a conversation on 'poor Cheryl Cole' - we don't need to pity a millionaire chav, as I'm sure she's not pitying us. Welcome to my world. Back in the day, during some me time, I made a note to self to not say irritating things. Simples. I thought I was going forward and had become a ledge, but after drinking all the fat from my coke I realised people couldn't understand anything I was saying without degrading my language to theirs. They were confused.com and so I unveiled that I would revert back. OMG, LOL or any of their cousins. In fact, even saying Oh my God is now unacceptable. Anything endorsed ad infinitum by that moron Rio Ferdinand and his Twitter wannabe acolytes. Innit. I is. Bruv. Nearly every word spoken by anyone on Eastenders under the age of 21. World Class to be used to describe even the most non-descript footballer. Sky are guilty of this. Which brings me to 'Super Sunday' - we get the alliteration but you can't use 'Super' if you are about to broadcast Bolton vs Stoke. It's just Sunday. The one i most despise is referring to someone as 'my rock'. Two reasons quite clearly the person is not a rock. Secondly, that phrase was first introduced by Princess Diana in reference to a heart surgeon. Whenever i hear people say it i always ask them if they idolised her. They never know why i ask but they all do in fact idolise her. Note to self, going forward ignore any articles unveiled from lame.com site who thinks they are a legend from back in the day, who should have had more \"me\" time. I prefer the Full Fat articles, not inane drivel. Simples! Oh... and welcome to my world... bitches :D Heres a new one thats spreading like wildfire where i live ,people saying its \"not even that\" when your explaining something. It renders what you've just said as meaningless and i want to kill the cunts who say it great article, the one that gets me is \"he turned around and said\" then \"i turned around and said\" then\" she turned around and and said\" can everyone just fucking stop turning around, and a lot less bollocks would be talked, and Jeremy Kyle would be 20 mins shorter every day! Hmm, it seems like we have some real First World problems here, doesn't it? D'you know there are poor kids starving their shrivelled cocks off in shithouse countries ran by stoopid fucking useless corrupt cunts who'd give their right eyes to be able to hear any of the above atrocities. But fuck them. I hate - HATE - \"what's the dealio?\" I will rip someone's fucking neck apart one of these days, twenty-odd year old wankers. You are so much better than everyone else. Really though, most of this has been tweeted and face booked so many times that this falls into category it attempts to attack. Not an original idea in the whole thing. Using swear words to punctuate is far fucking worse than the thing it attacks. I completely agree with whoever brought literally to this. The over\/misuse of the word literally really gets on my goat. Your friend is not literally on fire thank you very much. Also, in the office, people who pro-actively do things. Since when did we not just do things? @Sam - spot on about swearing in every other sentence! People in glass houses. Oh wait, you'll go add that to your list now! 12) Making childish lists of things people say that annoy you. 13) Reading a childish list of things people say that annoy a complete stranger, then leaving a comment about how childish it is to make such a list. There are no winners in this. \"I'm not being funny but...\" No, it was never 'funny' in the first place. \"She turned around and said...\" Did she quite literally TURN AROUND? No. She didn't. (But this WOOP WOOP thing does get on my tits, cheers Ed. 'The new' ... insert name of very famous and (usually but not always) talented; footballer, band, writer, wrestler, arc welder etc, afterwards. This is always and without exception a complete and unashamedload of shite and reveals a complete lack of imagination or grasp of your subject. Sub-editors of Sabotage Times who compose the strap-lines, please take note. JK, what are you like, eh? You're a regular says-annoying-things offender, aren't you? Come on JK, I'm not sure childish is the right word. You're just a big baby. This list could have been endless, really. Sorry, but I just thought of two others and these are down to our wonderful (M)Ad men (and women) \"New, improved...\" It's either new or improved - it's not possible to be both. \"Genuine reproduction...\" So new then? Some times it all gets a bit too much and I'm sorry to say that swearing does get run up the old flag pole to see who salutes it... Bollocks... I hate it when anyone associated with football says \"you've got the great players like the Beckhams, the Scholes, the Rooneys, the Terrys. And the great clubs like the Boltons, the Evertons, the Arsenals.\" Fucks me off. And things being \"straight out of the top drawer\". That's where keep my pants, but I'm sure they don't mean that. Andy Townsend has a lot to answer for. Hagbard Is it me,or is everything in this article a sub-standard, bastardised version of the already substandard \"humour\" of \"is it me, or is everything shit?\"? ...................................... No you're not wrong. The article is soooo annoying. Period. SIMPLES ! ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"total views : 6 times this week. You can enlarge lyrics to do you have a map because i am lost in your eyes for easy viewing, send it to your friends or rate the song Do You Have A Map Because I Am Lost In Your Eyes by Hawthorne Heights and help the song become popular. If you have any corrections for these lyrics or any ideas about the meaning to do you have a map because i am lost in your eyes, please feel free to submit them. And if tomorrow should be the last day I could ever tell you I was in love with your smile, In love with your eyes. Tomorrow will be a-okay, just to say I loved you way too much. I should have said anything instead of making no sense at all... Why was I chasing falling stars instead of you? Why was I breaking my own heart instead of embracing yours? Tomorrow will be a-okay, just to say I loved you way too much. I should have said anything. . . [. From: http:\/\/www.elyrics.net\/read\/h\/hawthorne-\\\\... .] anything ","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"You can file a police report here . If you have the serial number of the bike... You can file a police report here . If you have the serial number of the bike (found on the bottom of the bike, where the pedal stems join the bike frame), file a police report. Fill in as much info as you can (photo, proof of ownership if available (sales receipt, registration details, unique features) and as many identifying details as possible. If you don't have the serial number, register the bike anyway, with all details and photos. on BikeShepherd.org , the global bike registration and recovery. It's free to register, list a stolen bike and Stolen Bike Alerts will be sent out to the owner, followers on Facebook and Twitter, local authorities, bike clubs, and bike shops. Check to see if your bike was insured, your insurance company needs to be informed immediately ... Check to see if your bike was insured, your insurance company needs to be informed immediately. Give them all the details as you would the police.Check to see if your bike was insured, your insurance company needs to be informed immediately. Give them all the details as you would the police. If you were using a specialist lock, such as a Kryptonite lock and your bike was stolen, ... If you were using a specialist lock, such as a Kryptonite lock and your bike was stolen, you may be eligible for the Kryptonite Anti-Theft Protection Offer. You will need to mail your notice of theft within 7 days to Kryptonite so don't delay. For more information go to www.kryptonitelock.com and click on Customer Service. If you don't already have one, sign up for an eBay account and create a saved search on ... If you don't already have one, sign up for an eBay account and create a saved search on the make and model of the bike (example: Cannondale, Six) which will provide you with automatic daily emails for any new bikes posted that match your make\/model (Cannondale, Six). That way you can keep an eye on eBay. If you see your bike on eBay, report this to the police. Gumtree sells lots of bikes. Some are stolen. They have operations in the US, Australia, Canada ... Gumtree sells lots of bikes. Some are stolen. They have operations in the US, Australia, Canada and lots of other places. Wherever you are, set up an email alert for new listings of bikes being sold. Use the make and model to create a more select search. For instance, in the UK you can set up this alert: http:\/\/www.gumtree.com\/cgi-bin\/subscribe\\\\... Or in Sydney it's http:\/\/sydney.gumtree.com.au\/ If you've seen your bike on Gumtree report it to the police immediately so they can contact Gumtree to retrieve seller information and trace the bike. Gumtree may even use your bike listing as a trap to catch the bike thief. For users in the US, Craiglist has a number of auto-search tools -- one in particular is a ... For users in the US, Craiglist has a number of auto-search tools -- one in particular is a mobile alerts site, www.4info.com\/browse\/craigslist\/. Sign up for an account and create a craigslist alert, listing the make\/model of the bike you had stolen to be searched. When new items are posted in the For Sale > Bikes category, any matches to your bike will be sent to your phone. At this point you should contact the police and ask for their help in getting your bike back. If you can prove ownership they will be more receptive to helping you. Don't accuse the seller of stealing your bike. He'll just get rid of it. Go to My Stolen Bike and find your stolen bike details using the search, then click on the Twitter and Facebook icons. Your friends will automatically be alerted with all details of the bike and where it was stolen. Make sure you upload a picture. Call on local bike shops with a picture and details of your bike. They are happy to help ... Call on local bike shops with a picture and details of your bike. They are happy to help. If you're bike is unique, like a time-trial, single speed, tri-bike, cross bike or racing bike, list it with specific bike clubs websites and forums. A specialist tri-bike was found this way, after only 20 minutes of posting on a tri-athlete forum! Bicycle ID Kit Protect your bike with the Bicycle ID Kit, which includes 3 Pulse ID tags in a pack. ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Go to Information for Search CRA If you need to make a change to any return you have sent us, do not file another return for that year . You should wait until you receive your notice of assessment before requesting any change to a return that has not been processed. You can only request a change to a return for a tax year ending in any of the 10 previous calendar years. For example, a request made in 2012 must relate to the 2002 or a later tax year to be considered. By Internet You can make changes yourself to your return online. To access our electronic service, log on to My Account and select the Change my return option. You can then enter and submit any changes to your most recent return, or to your returns of the previous two years, and they will be sent directly to our processing systems. For example, you may want to increase a deduction you claimed or add information from a slip you received after you sent us your income tax return. By mail Send both of the following to your tax centre separately from your return: a completed Form T1-ADJ, T1 Adjustment Request , or a signed letter providing the details of your request (including the years of the returns you want us to change), your social insurance number, your address, and a telephone number where we can reach you during the day; and supporting documents for the changes you want to make and, if you have not sent them to us before, supporting documents for your original claim. The Canada Revenue Agency processes most adjustment requests received electronically within two weeks, and most of those received by mail within eight weeks. However, it may take longer if any of the following situations apply: Your request is submitted during those times of the year when we receive a higher volume of adjustment requests (late summer and fall). Your request is for a particular situation requiring further analysis or additional review. We need to contact you or your authorized representative for further information or documentation. When we complete our review of your adjustment request, we will send you a notice of reassessment showing any changes to your return and a letter of explanation if we did not accept the changes you requested or the changes were not required. ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Bitter fruit ... an Apple store in California. A law firm is alleging the company worked with publishers to push ebook prices up. Photograph: Russel A Daniels\/AP A class-action lawsuit has been filed in the US alleging that Apple and five major publishers \"colluded ... to illegally fix prices\" of ebooks . The lawsuit, filed by law firm Hagens Berman in California northern district court, claims that HarperCollins, Hachette Book Group, Macmillan, Penguin and Simon & Schuster conspired with Apple to increase ebook prices in order \"to boost profits and force ebook rival Amazon to abandon its pro-consumer discount pricing\", and that they are \"in violation of a variety of federal and state antitrust laws\". The complaint centres on the agency model -- used by Apple for iTunes and by most major publishers for ebook sales -- in which the publisher, rather than the retailer, sets the retail price of ebooks. The model has already sparked investigations in Europe and the UK , with the Office of Fair Trading investigating whether certain publisher-retailer arrangements \"may breach competition law\", and the European commission looking into whether companies have colluded to keep ebook prices high. Naming two plaintiffs, California resident Anthony Petru and Mississippi resident Marcus Mathis -- both of whom purchased at least one ebook for over $9.99 after the adoption of the agency pricing model -- the lawsuit, once approved, will represent any purchaser of an ebook by a major publisher after the adoption of the agency model and could, according to Hagens Berman, be worth \"tens of millions of dollars\". It alleges that the five publishers \"feared\" Amazon's move to price ebooks at $9.99 -- a figure considerably below physical book prices. The pricing \"threatened to disrupt the publishers' long-established brick-and-mortar model faster than [they] were willing to accept\", and to set low consumer expectations for ebook prices. Pointing to Macmillan's battle with Amazon over the agency model last year , which ultimately saw the online retailer capitulate to Macmillan's introduction of the model \"because Macmillan has a monopoly over their own titles\", the lawsuit says the five publishers \"forced Amazon to abandon its discount pricing and adhere to a new agency model ... If Amazon attempted to sell ebooks below the publisher-set levels, the publishers would simply deny Amazon access to the title.\" This has, the suit says, seen the prices of new ebooks increase to an average of $12-15 -- a rise of 33 to 50% -- and reach a point where they are often more expensive than physical editions. \"As a result of the pricing conspiracy, prices of ebooks have exploded, jumping as much as 50%. When an ebook version of a bestseller costs close to or even more than its hard-copy counterpart, it doesn't take a forensic economist to see that this is evidence of market manipulation,\" said Steve Berman, founding partner of Hagens Berman, in a press release about the suit . \"Fortunately for the publishers, they had a co-conspirator as terrified as they were over Amazon's popularity and pricing structure, and that was Apple. We intend to prove that Apple needed a way to neutralise Amazon's Kindle before its popularity could challenge the upcoming introduction of the iPad -- a device Apple intended to compete as an e-reader.\" But while publishers were likely to be \"concerned\" at the law suit -- \"it's another force ranging against them, and another example where they look like they are against rather than for the consumer\" -- The Bookseller's deputy editor Philip Jones said there was \"no smoking gun\" in the evidence. \"There are lots of accusations of collusion and conspiracy, rather like a John Grisham novel, but I couldn't find a single instance where they had proof, or even hinted that they had proof,\" he said. \"There is a question over how the agency model has been implemented and whether that is illegal in the US and Europe, and that is what the regulatory bodies on both sides of the pond are looking into, but they are insinuating that there was collusion between Apple and these major publishers and I don't believe they can make the case. The lawyers can write that collusion was necessary for agency to occur, and give logic to that argument, but that doesn't prove that collusion actually took place.\" Most popular on the Guardian Today in pictures After advising tourists against travel to the cities of Jammu and Srinagar for nearly 20 years, the Foreign Office has lifted its guidelines after a fall in violence. So, Dal Lake and part of the Valley of Kashmir, one of India's most beautiful regions, are once again open to visitors ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today ! If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us . I'm a new user to ACCESS database and inherited forms to run and update our company database. It has been running smoothly for several months now, but all of a sudden spit an error that I do not recognize. So I went snooping around looking for help and I found this site. Hopefully somebody would be able to figure out my problem. I live and work in California (Pasadena area) and have been in the IT business for over 25 years, but first time using MS ACCESS in my new job. I enjoy watching musical plays and concerts. There is a dinner theater in our area that offer several musicals throughout the year that my husband and I frequent. Thank you for having me in this forum. I will definitely make use of it. ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"drawing by picasso Theseus and the Minetor...um, Minotaur Long, long ago, back when togas were fashionable the first time around, the city of Athens lived under the weight of a terrible debt. This was not a simple monetary deficit - it was a debt to King Minos of Crete, whose son was killed there when he competed in the annual athletic games. King Minos took out his revenge in the way powerful and terrible people could in ancient times. He demanded that seven young men and seven young women from Athens come to Crete once every nine years. There these innocents would be devoured by the Minotaur - a frightful monster that was half man, half bull. Theseus, the grown son of King Aegeus of Athens, knew that his day had come to be one of the fourteen hostages who would make the fateful journey to Crete. But he swore that he would not die at the jaws of the Minotaur. \"I will kill him!\" he told the others. They did not believe him, but they were impressed with his courage and resolve. ","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Proud to announce CKM Sports has been selected for the 3rd Round of the SFU Entrepreneur of the Year competition and will present to a panel of judges on November 24th, with $20,000 in funding on the line! The panel of judges will include: Alexandra Skey, Co-Founder, Spokal Brenda Bailey Gershkovitch, CEO, Silicon Sisters Mark Brand, Owner, Save On Meats Madeleine Shaw, Co-Founder, Lunapads Rick Perrault, Co-Founder, Unbounce Jamie Garrett, Founder, Idea Rebel Igor Faletski, Co-Founder, Mobify Shawn Smith, Education Generation Ray Walia, Executive Director, Launch Academy Katie Reiach, Principle and Co-Founder, Talkshopmedia Nov 6th 2012, We are pleased to announce CKM Sports has reached the 2nd round of the SFU Entrepreneur of the Year competition. \"As one of the annual signature events started by SIFE Simon Fraser in 2008, the 5th annual SFU Entrepreneur of the Year continues to pace its way in 2012 as a budding program and stepping stone for young entrepreneurs, inspiring business ideas and recognizing the future innovative leaders of tomorrow. SFU entrepreneur of the Year 2012 is expected to have over 250 people attending the events in total, including spectators, finalists, and industry professionals.\"          -  SIFE  Simon Fraser Semi-finalists will be announced November 12th, with presentations to determine the four finalists on Nov. 24th. \"I'm excited to get through to the next round, and I'm hoping for the opportunity to present as a semi-finalist. With so many great businesses applying for such few spots, competition is tough. I'm confident though that with the help of Venture Connection, if given an opportunity to present I may have a shot at making the final four. \"  - Cliff Mander The final round consists of four finalist who will present to a panel of judges and audience to determine the 2012 SFU Entrepreneur of the Year. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Yeah, OK. We have no war going on in the USA. No one is blowing up planes. We don't need the TSA and body cavity searches to fly to Vegas. No one is hijacking busses. We have a few bank robberies, some gang violence, and a flourishing drug trade, but the last time I CHECKED, nobody is indiscriminately blowing # up. We have more to fear from our local governments than we do from some explosive devise. So, what were you saying....? I am fully aware of this. What I was pointing out is the encouragement of sheep to turn in their sheep friends. I find it insulting to the average intelligence. WTF didn't anyone read George Orwell? 1984 was alive and well during WWI and WWII. Posters extolling the virtues of saving, turning in or a least shunning those that wasted or cheated on rationing. Keeping ones eyes out for the dreaded 'huns' and remembering that your own neighbor could be a spy. Round up those folks of Japanese heritage.... Put 'em in a camp. reply to post by GrantedBail I'm saying that a number of years ago you had people flying aircraft into buildings, which is a kind of attack. Who's to say that the same people won't try different methods? (And this point doesn't actually depend on the identity of the people concerned) reply to post by GrantedBail As I remarked, it doesn't actually matter who they were. Whether it was Al Quaeda or the government, the point is valid either way. I remember journalists on this side of the Atlantic, long before 911, commenting that America was unconsciously laying itself wide open to terrorist attacks, because no precautions at all were being observed at the time. In addition: Don't be naive. They aren't asking you to call them if you suspect your government may be up to no-good. They want to know if your neighbor is too brown. Or if your acquaintance at the bridge club is speaking ill of the government. Maybe your doctor has suggested an alternative medicine. The man in line behind you at the supermarket mentions he is not going to file his taxes. Your uncle buys an extra gun and converts his 401K into gold. You know, those kinds of things they need to know. The Above Top Secret Web sites are a wholly owned social content community of The Above Network, LLC. This content community relies on user-generated content from our member contributors. The opinions of our members are not those of site ownership who maintains strict editorial agnosticism and simply provides a collaborative venue for free expression. ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Related features Ants seem common and ubiquitous, especially at summertime picnics. But the names and types of ants crawling around city parks and streets are largely unknown to researchers. The School of Ants project is recruiting ant-gathering citizen-scientists for help creating detailed lists and maps of ants living in urban areas, particularly around homes and schools. \"The diversity of ants, even around your home, is pretty high,\" said Andrea Lucky, project leader and ant specialist at North Carolina State University. \"They're fairly charismatic, compared with other insects , and we don't know that much about them.\" The researchers behind School of Ants hope the project will help students appreciate wildlife in their own backyards, while amassing an enormous data set. \"As a scientist going out on expeditions, I can only collect so much,\" Lucky said. Entomologists estimate that 30,000 species of ants exist worldwide. However, only about 12,500 species have been named and described. Even in the US, researchers are discovering new species. Chances are good that some fortunate school kids will be credited with finding new ants, said Lucky. After signing up through the School of Ants website, participants receive a collecting kit in the mail. The kits come with collecting instructions and vials filled with Keebler Pecan Sandies: cookies that are an ideal ant bait, with an irresistible nutrient trifecta of fats, sugars and salts. After collecting, participants preserve the ants by keeping them overnight in the freezer. They then mail them to Lucky and her colleagues, who identify the ants and let senders know what they found. The project is also building interactive Google ant maps, allowing people to search for and learn about the ants in their area. Beyond simple documentation, the lists and maps will help agriculturalists, ecologists and climate scientists keep an eye on the movement of ant species and the changes in their diversity over time, Lucky said. \"If we can get good coverage, and lots of people and schoolkids collecting ants, we're going to have the best range maps of urban ant species that have ever existed,\" Lucky said. \"They just don't exist right now.\" The project began in mid-July and was overwhelmed by the number of kit requests. After ramping up operations, the project will start accepting new kit requests on 1 September, in time for the start of the school year. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"If you haven't already done so, now's the time to start thinking about the holiday greeting cards to send out this year. The process can be super simple if you use digital photos and order your cards online. I made the above card in about 60 seconds of clicking around on Shutterfly.com But first you need some pictures. Oh my! After years of sweating it out, often in the snow, with hungry, crabby kids, we've started taking family photos when we're relaxed and on vacation. But, if you didn't snap your annual family photo yet, no worries. Just listen carefully, Little Grasshopper. FishMama's Rules for Happy Family Photo Taking Let your people know what you're doing in terms that they can understand. We want to give Nanna a pretty picture of us for her wall. It will make her so happy. Set up the shot in advance of hauling out the kids. They are going to be fidgety enough without having to wait for you to figure out what you're doing. We have always taken pictures ourselves with the help of a tripod or a cleverly placed fallen log (as above). Don't make the kids stand and smile while you get your act together. Be quick and decisive. Give directions with the reassurance that the quicker they cooperate, the quicker we move on to bigger and better things. Have a bigger and better thing ready to do. No crying allowed. Not even you dads. Don't sweat it. It's just a picture. It's not worth an argument, tears, or worse. You're a happy family, for pete's sake. And if that doesn't work?! As you can imagine, getting eight people to look decent in a picture is always a challenge. And we don't always have time to set up a tripod or find a fallen log. If all else fails, make a composite greeting card with lots of different photos, like this one. The predesigned layouts on Shutterfly make it super, super easy to just drag and drop your photos onto the card. Get help from Shutterfly.com In fact, in order to help families get the most out of their holiday greetings, Shutterfly has all sorts of good tips and tricks on their Shutterfly Family Photo Site that shares ideas for a Family Photo Day. Shutterfly's currently holding a CardWorthy Photo Contest on their Facebook page from now until December 9. You can upload a photo into one of their 2012 holiday cards. There are different themes featured during each of the four weeks of the contest. The grand prize is a dream trip for a family of four with the winner choosing the destination! Shutterfly regularly has some amazing deals and specials throughout the year, but especially during the holiday times. You can follow them through a number of social media channels in order to keep up to date with what they have going on: Win a $100 promo code from Shutterfly This week one Life as MOM reader will win a $100 promotional code for Shutterfly. The code is good until 03\/14\/2013 (11:59 P.M. PST). Offer is good for $100 off total order at Shutterfly.com. Order must total more than $100 before taxes and other charges in order for discount to apply. The code can not be combined with other promo codes. Offer valid for one--?time redemption per billing address. Taxes, shipping and handling will apply. To Enter: Simply complete the information on this form . Please know that the information is only being gathered for the purposes of mailing you your prize in the event that you are chosen as the winner. This information will not be sold, traded, or given away. This promotion is open until Wednesday, November 21, 2012, at 8 pm PST and is limited to US residents, 18 years or older. Friends and family of Jessica Fisher and Life as MOM are ineligible for entry. Please enter only once. The winner will be chosen randomly. The prize for this promotion is provided by and shipped by Shutterfly.com and\/or its representatives. This post will be updated with the beginning of the winner's email address. Jessica Fisher and Life as MOM will not be held responsible for unclaimed or undelivered prizes. Disclaimer: I am part of the Mom It Forward blogger network. Mom It Forward and Shutterfly partnered in support of this campaign. Shutterfly compensated me for participation in this campaign. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Fuel costs now factor into the decision to buy something or go somewhere. Choose wisely. I took that picture in March. I was stunned that gas prices were so high. When I filled up this weekend, the price was the same. And I was thrilled! We'd had it in the high $4 earlier in the Fall. $3.69 seems cheap. What a difference a few months can make to our perspective. Nowadays, when I hear about a good deal at a store or of something that's on my list to get, I think twice. Is it really worth the gas? In the last week I've changed my mind on an outing because it just wasn't worth the fuel cost. In fact, for the bulk of the year I've not gone anywhere unless I could lump several stops into one trip. We don't go anywhere without asking if there's some other stop we could make while we're out. If I had learned this habit years ago, I might have saved even more over the years. But, as they say, better late than never. So, that's how I saved money this week. I stayed home. Whatever thing there was to do, it just wasn't worth the investment of the gas. Today's Frugal Friday! Time to swap ideas and inspiration for saving money and getting good values. Make your own Chocolate Cream Pie from scratch! OK, who's ready for dessert? I am a big believer in homemade pies. They are not terribly difficult and they taste SO much better than store bought. Don't even stop in the grocery store bakery when you can make one of these babies at home. On Good [...] I'm over at Life Your Way today sharing tips on how to make easier holiday meals. From the post, As a child, I loved the feast days of the winter holidays. My mom cooked up a veritable storm on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. I'd lie in bed listening to the mixer run, knowing that there was a [...] Yes, it's that time of the year again! The holidays are just around the corner and chances are you're getting stressed over the gifts that need buying, the food that needs cooking, the decorations that need putting up. Life as MOM contributor, Prerna Malik offers suggestions on how to lighten that load with good planning.  Yes, it [...] Chances are you're rushing around this afternoon getting ready for the school week to start. We are. For me that means making sure I've written out lesson plans and to do sheets for the week, done a general pick-up around the house, and have some idea of a meal plan for suppers, but also for [...] Booking It is an online book club where we discuss what we've read over the past month as well as review a monthly assigned book. This month's book is  Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin. (Heads up: if you make a purchase through any Amazon links in this post, I do receive a small percentage of the sale.) [...] This weekend we celebrated our miracle baby's 12th birthday. Every year it gives me pause to see how much time has passed and how our family has grown -- in size and maturity -- since the evil year of 1999. For those of you just tuning in, here's the short version of my story. We [...] Disclaimer Please note that the advertisements posted here do not necessarily represent FishMama's views and opinions. Also be advised that some of these advertising partners may use cookies and web beacons on our site (when you click through). I have no control over this. You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"The first time you sign into developerWorks, a profile is created for you. Select information in your developerWorks profile is displayed to the public, but you may edit the information at any time. Your first name, last name (unless you choose to hide them), and display name will accompany the content that you post. All information submitted is secure. The first time you sign in to developerWorks, a profile is created for you, so you need to choose a display name. Your display name accompanies the content you post on developerworks. Please choose a display name between 3-31 characters . Your display name must be unique in the developerWorks community and should not be your email address for privacy reasons. Matthias Nicola is a Senior Technical Staff Member at IBM's Silicon Valley Lab in San Jose, CA. He focuses on DB2 performance and benchmarking, XML, temporal data management, in-database analytics, and other emerging technologies. He also works closely with customers and business partners to help them design, optimize, and implement DB2 solutions. Previously, Matthias worked on data warehouse performance at Informix Software. He received his Ph.D. in computer science from the Technical University of Aachen, Germany. (An IBM developerWorks Contributing Author) Lenisha Gandhi is a senior software development manager who manages a DB2 software engineering organization at IBM's Silicon Valley Lab. Lenisha focuses on temporal data management technology in DB2 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows (LUW). Prior to joining DB2, Lenisha worked in query development for the IBM Content Management organization. Summary: New IBMr DB2r temporal data management technology enables companies to track and query historical, current, and future conditions in a straightforward and efficient manner. The result is a simpler way to implement auditing and compliance initiatives, to pinpoint and correct human errors, to ensure the integrity of data over time, and to assess changing business conditions. Instead of hard-coding greater awareness of time into database applications, triggers, and stored procedures, companies can use simple SQL statements to instruct DB2 10 to automatically manage multiple versions of their data, as well as track effective dates for changing business conditions. This article introduces you to the key concepts and capabilities of DB2 temporal data management support on z\/OSr and Linuxr, UNIXr, and Windowsr. It explains when this technology can be useful and provides examples to help you understand how easy it can be to deploy it. If \"time is money,\" then DB2 temporal data management technology is designed to save you some of both. Built-in support for managing multiple versions of data and tracking effective business dates can save database administrators and application developers considerable time and effort. In prior releases, database professionals were forced to create triggers or complex application logic to manage time-dependent conditions. Now, DB2 minimizes or eliminates such efforts through the introduction of table design options, and query syntax and semantics, based on the ANSI\/ISO SQL:2011 standard. An internal audit requires a financial institution to report on changes made to a client's records during the past five years. A pending lawsuit prompts a hospital to reassess its knowledge of a patient's medical condition just before a new treatment was ordered. A client challenges an insurance agency's resolution of a claim involving a car accident. The agency needs to determine the policy's terms in effect when the accident occurred. An online travel agency wants to detect inconsistencies in itineraries. For example, if someone books a hotel in Rome for eight days and reserves a car in New York for three of those days, the agency would like to flag the situation for review. A retailer needs to ensure that no more than one discount is offered for a given product during any period of time. A client inquiry reveals a data entry error involving the three-month introductory interest rate on a credit card. The bank needs to retroactively correct the error (and compute a new balance, if necessary). For each situation, time is critical. The new temporal data management support in DB2 helps companies implement time-aware applications and queries with minimal effort, as we'll discuss. However, before exploring the new capabilities, we will introduce some time-related concepts, including the differences between system time and business time. System time involves tracking when changes are made to the state of a table, such as when an insurance policy is modified or a loan is created. Business time involves tracking the effective dates of certain business conditions, such as the terms of an insurance policy or the interest rate of a loan. (Business time is sometimes referred to as valid time or application time. ) Indeed, some organizations need to track both types of temporal data in one table; such tables would be considered bitemporal . How do these concepts apply to the previous application scenarios? Scenarios 1 and 2 require knowledge of system time because understanding the historical state(s) of one or more tables is important. Scenarios 3-6 require knowledge of business time because understanding and managing the effective dates of various business conditions is important. Furthermore, scenario 6 may also require system time (i.e., it may require bitemporal support) if the bank wants to retroactively correct the data entry error and maintain a record of when the error was corrected. Time periods apply to business time and system time. As you might imagine, a period indicates the starting and ending points of a time interval. With DB2, administrators identify two columns in a table to indicate the start and end times of a period. Simple extensions to the syntax of the CREATE TABLE and ALTER TABLE statements accomplish this, enabling administrators to employ temporal data support for new or existing tables. DB2 uses an inclusive-exclusive approach for modeling time periods. Simply put, the period's start time is included in the period, but its end time is not. So, if the end time of an insurance policy was recorded as midnight on 31 Dec 2007, the policy would have been active until midnight, but not at midnight. IBM has worked with the ANSI and ISO SQL standard committees to incorporate these extensions into the latest SQL:2011 standard. IBM is the first database vendor to support temporal data management based on this new SQL standard. Other database vendors use proprietary syntax for temporal operations and for the definition of temporal tables. The built-in support in DB2 for managing temporal data reduces application logic and ensures consistent handling of time-related events across all applications that run against your database, including purchased applications. Through simple declarative SQL statements, administrators can instruct DB2 to automatically maintain a history of database changes or track effective business dates, eliminating the need for such logic to be hand-coded into triggers, stored procedures, or in-house applications. This, in turn, helps companies adhere more quickly to new compliance initiatives. Furthermore, a consistent approach to managing temporal data reduces query complexity and promotes enhanced analysis of time-dependent events. An IBM internal study compared implementing a subset of business time capabilities with built-in temporal data management support in DB2 vs. hand-coding equivalent logic in two homegrown implementations. One implementation used triggers and stored procedures, while the second used triggers and JavaT application logic. All tests were done with DB2 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows. The cost savings provided by the DB2 built-in support were striking. The built-in support in DB2 reduced coding requirements by more than 90 percent over both homegrown implementations. Implementing just the core business time logic in SQL stored procedures or in Java technology required 16 times and 45 times as many lines of code, respectively, as the equivalent simple SQL statements that use the new DB2 temporal features (see Figure 1 ). Furthermore, it took less than an hour to develop and test these few DB2 SQL statements. By contrast, the homegrown approaches required four to five weeks to code and test, and both provided only a subset of the temporal data management support built into DB2. Indeed, the homegrown logic didn't address system time, bitemporal data, views, and many other DB2 features. Thus, providing truly equivalent temporal data support through a homegrown implementation would likely take months. This is much longer than it would take to simply write the appropriate DB2 SQL statements, which we'll discuss shortly. To help you understand the temporal data management support in DB2, we use a common application scenario and sample data. The scenario involves car insurance policies, which we've represented in a single table for simplicity. The table tracks a subset of typical information associated with such policies: a policy identifier (ID), vehicle identification number (VIN), estimated annual vehicle mileage, whether a rental car will be provided if the car needs repair as a result of a claim, and the coverage amount (including accidental property damage, medical expenses, etc). Table 1 illustrates the basic structure of the POLICY table without any temporal support. The support in DB2 for system time enables you to automatically track and manage multiple versions of your data. By defining a table with a system time period, you're instructing DB2 to automatically capture changes made to the state of your table and to save \"old\" rows in a history table -- a separate table with the same structure as your current table. Temporal queries referencing your current table will cause DB2 to transparently access this history table when needed, as you'll see shortly. This feature enables you to work with historical data easily, avoiding the need for complex WHERE clauses with various timestamp and join conditions. Create the base table for current data -- Include three TIMESTAMP(12) columns, two for the start\/end points of the system time and one for the transaction start time. (DB2 uses the transaction start time column to track when the transaction first executed a statement that changes the table's data.) You can define all three TIMESTAMP columns as GENERATED ALWAYS so DB2 will automatically generate these values on INSERT , UPDATE , and DELETE . This relieves you of specifying values for these columns when writing to the database and ensures that the timestamps are accurate. Optionally, you may define these columns as IMPLICITLY HIDDEN so they won't show up in SELECT * statements. Create the history table -- Define the structure of this table to be identical to the table containing the current data. You can achieve this easily by using a CREATE TABLE . . . LIKE statement. Alter the current table to enable versioning and identify the history table Let's step through an example to see how easy it is to instruct DB2 to automatically maintain multiple versions of your data using system time. Step 1: Create a table with a SYSTEM_TIME period -- (Our definition specifies that the TRANS_START column will be hidden.) You can also use the ALTER TABLE statement to modify existing tables to track system time. To do so, you would need to add appropriate TIMESTAMP(12) columns and define the PERIOD SYSTEM_TIME . DB2 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows supports automatic schema evolution across a user table and the associated history table. For example, if you add a column to the POLICY table, DB2 will also add the same column to the POLICY_HISTORY table. Inserting data into a table with system time isn't any different from inserting data into an ordinary table. For example, imagine that on 15 Nov 2010 you needed to enter two new car insurance policy records into your POLICY table. The following statements accomplish this: When inserting each row into the current table, DB2 generates appropriate TIMESTAMP(12) values for system time columns and transaction start time. Note that none of these were referenced in the INSERT statements; DB2 automatically records the necessary information. Table 4 and Table 5 depict the contents of the POLICY and POLICY_HISTORY tables as a result of this query. (To make our example easier to follow, Table 4 and Table 5 show only the date portion of the TIMESTAMP(12) columns. Dates appear in YYYY-MM-DD format. Since the column containing the transaction's start time was defined as hidden, we've omitted it from Table 4 and Table 5 as well.) The SYS_START values in the POLICY table reflect when the rows were inserted (on 15 Nov 2010 in our example). The SYSTEM_END values are set to 30 Dec 9999 to indicate that these rows have not expired (i.e., the rows contain current data). When you update current data, DB2 automatically maintains an old version of the data in the appropriate history table. This happens transparently without any programming or user effort. Imagine that the following statement is executed on 31 Jan 2011 to change the coverage amount for Policy 1111 to 750000: Let's explore how DB2 processes this statement. As shown in Table 6 and Table 7 , DB2 updates the value of the row in the current table. In addition, it moves a copy of the old row to the history table. For both tables, DB2 correctly records the system time start and end values for these rows. In particular, DB2 sets the SYS_END column value for this row in the history table to the time of the transaction that issued the UPDATE statement. All this occurs automatically and transparently to the user. (Although not shown in Table 6 and Table 7, DB2 also records the transaction start time in both tables.) In effect, the processing by DB2 of this UPDATE statement records that Policy 1111 had a coverage amount of 500000 set from 15 Nov 2010 to 31 Jan 2011; thereafter, the coverage amount was set to 750000. As you might expect, any subsequent updates to policies are handled in a similar manner. For example, assume that Policy 1111 is updated on 31 Jan 2012 to change several details of the insurance policy, such as the annual mileage estimate, rental car coverage, and overall coverage amount. Here is the corresponding UPDATE statement: When you delete current data, DB2 automatically removes the data from the current table and maintains an old version of the data in the appropriate history table. DB2 sets the end time of the (deleted) data in the history table to the transaction start time of the DELETE statement. This happens transparently without any programming or user effort. As you'll see shortly, users can access this deleted data (i.e., old data versions) through queries that contain an appropriate time period specification. Imagine that the row for Policy 1414 is deleted on 31 March 2012 with the following statement: DELETE FROM policy WHERE id = 1414; As shown in Table 10 and Table 11 , DB2 removes the row from the current table and records the old version in the history table, setting the SYS_END column value for that row to the date of its deletion (31 March 2012). Querying a table with system time is simple. The syntax and semantics of basic SELECT statements remain unchanged. In particular, SELECT statements without any period specifications apply to data in the current table, as you might expect. Thus, existing applications, stored procedures, and database reports won't be affected by adding system time support to existing tables. Instead, you'll simply be able to include three new period specifications in your SELECT statements to transparently access historical data (or a combination of current and historical data). Let's explore a few examples so you can see how easy it is to write temporal queries involving system time. We'll start with the most basic scenario: a situation where you need to access only the most current information. Imagine that your current and history tables contain the car insurance policy data shown in Table 10 and Table 11 . Consider the following query: SELECT coverage_amt FROM policy WHERE id = 1111; As you might expect, DB2 returns one row with a coverage amount of 250000. (This is amount stored in the row that contains current information about Policy 1111.) What happens if you want to work with older versions of data? You simply include one of three supported period specifications in the FROM clause of your query: FOR SYSTEM_TIME AS OF ... enables you to query data as of a certain point in time. FOR SYSTEM_TIME FROM ... TO ... enables you to query data from a certain time to a certain time. DB2 uses an inclusive-exclusive approach for this period specification. In other words, the specified start time is included in the period, but the specified end time is not. FOR SYSTEM_TIME BETWEEN ... AND ... enables you to query data between a range of start\/end times. DB2 uses an inclusive-inclusive approach for this period specification. In other words, the specified start and end times are included in the period. Let's step through an example. To obtain information about the coverage amount recorded in the database for Policy 1111 for 1 Dec 2010, you could write the following query: To resolve this query, DB2 transparently accesses data in the history table to retrieve the correct information (to return a value of 500000 for this query). Note that you didn't need to reference the history table in your query. The FOR SYSTEM_TIME period specification causes DB2 to automatically access the history table as appropriate. Let's consider another example. To determine the total number of policy records for vehicle A1111 since 30 Nov 2011, you could write the following query: Given our sample data, this query returns the value of 2. As shown in Table 10 and Table 11 , one row in the current table and one row in the history table (the second row) meet the query's criteria. Note that this query references only the current table in the FROM clause, but DB2 automatically accesses the history table due to the system time period specification. As mentioned, business time involves tracking when certain business conditions are, were, or will be valid. For example, a given product might have been priced at $45 during one month and $50 another month. Or a credit card may have an interest rate of 16 percent one year and 18 percent the next year. Business time is useful in such situations because it enables applications to track and manage effective dates easily. Like system time, business time requires the use of a time period (the start and end points of the business condition). However, unlike system time, there is no separate history table. Past, present, and future effective dates and their associated business data are all maintained in a single table. In addition, users supply the start\/end values for their business time period columns when they write data to the database. Finally, there is no need for a transaction start time column. Let's explore how to use this new DB2 technology in our sample application scenario. Creating a table with business time merely involves including appropriate columns for the start\/end points of the time period and a PERIOD BUSINESS_TIME clause. The business time start\/end columns can be date or timestamp data types. Here's a simple example that creates a table for car insurance policies, including their effective business dates. In this example, the BUS_START and BUS_END columns are defined as DATE data types. The PERIOD BUSINESS_TIME clause instructs DB2 to use these columns to track the start and end points of business time values for each row. To ensure temporal data integrity, DB2 automatically generates an implicit constraint to enforce that BUS_START values are less than BUS_END values. The primary key constraint in this CREATE TABLE statement uses the optional keywords BUSINESS_TIME WITHOUT OVERLAPS . This instructs DB2 to ensure that primary key values are unique for any point in business time. In terms of our insurance policy example, BUSINESS_TIME WITHOUT OVERLAPS means that there cannot be two versions or states of the same policy that are valid at the same time. You can also use the ALTER TABLE statement to modify existing tables to track business time. To do so, you would need to add appropriate DATE or TIMESTAMP columns and define the PERIOD BUSINESS_TIME . Inserting a row into a table with business time is straightforward: You simply need to supply appropriate values for all NOT NULL columns, including the columns representing business time start and end values. For example, to insert a few rows into our sample POLICY table with business time, we could issue these statements: It may help to summarize the contents of this table in business terms. The data shows that Policy 1111 had a coverage amount of 500000 in effect from 1 Jan 2010 to 1 Jan 2011. From 1 Jan 2011 onward, a coverage amount of 750000 is in effect. Similarly, the table shows that from 1 May 2008 to 1 Mar 2010, Policy 1414 had coverage of 750000 for a specific vehicle with an estimated annual mileage of 14000. Effective 1 Mar 2010 to 1 Jan 2011, the coverage for this policy changed to 600000, and the insured vehicle was expected to be driven 12000 miles annually. Let's consider the effect of the temporal uniqueness constraint defined on this table (with the BUSINESS_TIME WITHOUT OVERLAPS clause). Imagine that we issued the following INSERT statement: DB2 would reject this statement and issue an error message because the statement attempts to add a row for Policy 1111 during the same time that one or more other rows are considered valid for this policy. This would violate the temporal uniqueness constraint. If we intended to adjust the coverage of Policy 1111 from 1 Jun 2010 to 1 Sep 2011, we would accomplish this with an appropriate UPDATE statement. You can still write traditional UPDATE statements for tables with business time periods. In addition, you can also use the new FOR PORTION OF BUSINESS_TIME clause to restrict the update to a specific business time period. If your update impacts data in a row that isn't fully contained within the time period specified, DB2 will update the row range specified by the period clause and insert additional rows to record the old values for the period not included in the update operation. Let's review an example to see how this works. Imagine that you want to update information for Policy 1111 for a portion of time from 1 Jun 2010 to 1 Sep 2011 -- specifically, you want to alter the coverage amount for that period of time. Here's how you could write the UPDATE statement: Note that the temporal restriction in the query ( FOR PORTION OF BUSINESS_TIME FROM . . . TO . . . ) appears after the table name, not as part of the WHERE clause. As shown in Figure 2 , there were originally two rows for Policy 1111. Both are affected by our UPDATE statement because the portion of business time being updated overlaps partially with the business period of each row. This overlap is illustrated in the upper part of Figure 2. When DB2 applies the update, each of the two original rows is split into two rows, as illustrated in the lower part of Figure 2. DB2 adjusts the effective dates of the rows automatically. Table 13 shows the resulting state of the POLICY table. The first row from Table 12 gets split into two new rows, shown in Table 13 . The second row from Table 12 also gets split into two new rows, shown in Table 13 . To delete data from a table with business time periods, you can restrict the delete operation to a specific range of time by specifying the FOR PORTION OF BUSINESS_TIME clause. If a row to be deleted has data that isn't fully contained within the specified time range, DB2 will ensure that the appropriate information from the row is preserved. Let's look at an example to clarify this. Imagine that a client wants to suspend his car insurance policy from 1 Jun 2010 to 1 Jan 2011. Assuming the client is referring to Policy 1414, the following DELETE statement will accomplish this: Querying a table with business time is simple. Three optional clauses enable you to specify temporal queries so you can assess past, current, and future business conditions. Of course, you can still write basic SELECT statements (i.e., non-temporal queries) against a table with a business time period, and DB2 processing of such queries will remain unchanged. We'll explore a few examples so you can see how easy it is to write temporal queries involving business time. But first, we'll start with the most basic scenario: a situation where you don't need to consider any temporal conditions. Imagine that your POLICY table contains the information shown in Table 15 . (This is the same data shown in Table 12 , immediately after we created the POLICY table and inserted four rows.) To determine the total number of insurance records you have for Policy 1111, you could write the following query: SELECT COUNT(*) FROM policy WHERE id = 1111; Since this query contains no temporal predicates, DB2 returns a value of 2. What if you want to consider various temporal conditions for these insurance policies? You simply include one of three supported period specifications in your query's FROM clause, right after the table name: FOR BUSINESS_TIME AS OF ... FOR BUSINESS_TIME FROM ... TO ... FOR BUSINESS_TIME BETWEEN ... AND ... Let's step through an example. To obtain information about the coverage in effect for Policy 1111 on 1 Dec 2010, you could write the following query: Temporal queries against tables with business time are internally rewritten to a query with appropriate WHERE clause predicates on the appropriate date or timestamp columns defined for the start and end points of business time. As you've learned, DB2 support for system and business time is straightforward. But the DB2 temporal data management capabilities don't end there. We mentioned that DB2 enables you to maintain system and business time in bitemporal tables. Furthermore, DB2 on Linux, UNIX, and Windows supports temporal views and a register setting that allows your database to function much like a time machine. While it's beyond the scope of this article to provide a full discussion of these and other advanced temporal topics, we'll describe each briefly. Bitemporal tables allow you to manage data with system time and business time simultaneously, combining the benefits of both. For example, you may decide to use business time to manage your application's logical notion of time, such as the validity periods of insurance policies, and also use system time to track the history and timestamps of changes that transactions make to these policies. Administrators can easily create or alter a table to include both system and business time. For example, the following CREATE TABLE statement defines a bitemporal table with a BUSINESS_TIME period on the BUS_START and BUS_END columns, as well as a SYSTEM_TIME period on the SYS_START and SYS_END columns. After creating this bitemporal table, you need to create a compatible history table and enable versioning. Then you can insert, update, delete, and query rows in this table using the syntax described earlier for system time and business time. We'll review a short example here. Imagine that you have a bitemporal POLICY table and associated history table as shown in Table 17 and Table 18 . (The TRANS_START column is omitted for simplicity.) Table 19 and Table 20 illustrates the contents of the POLICY and POLICY_HISTORY tables after these operations. (For simplicity, only the date portions of the timestamps for SYS_START and SYS_END are shown.) DB2 will return the results shown in Table 22 . The customer service representative can explain when changes occurred to the policy, as well as when these changes were in effect (or set to take effect). DB2 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows allows you to use two types of views with temporal tables. Such views provide flexibility for application design and allow you to expose data for different points or periods in time to different users. First, you can define views on a temporal table where the view definition contains a FOR SYSTEM_TIME or FOR BUSINESS_TIME clause to restrict the view to a certain point or period in time. Then you can perform regular SQL queries against these views. A query against these views can't contain a FOR SYSTEM_TIME or FOR BUSINESS_TIME clause because the time constraint in the query might conflict with the time constraint in the view or lead to ambiguity. Second, you can define views on a temporal table without a FOR SYSTEM_TIME or FOR BUSINESS_TIME constraint in the view definition. Such views expose data for all points in time and can be accessed with queries that include a FOR SYSTEM_TIME or FOR BUSINESS_TIME clause. Such a clause is then automatically applied to every table in the view definition that contains a SYSTEM_TIME or BUSINESS_TIME period, respectively. In summary, DB2 offers you considerable flexibility when working with views and temporal data. You can use temporal constraints in a view definition or in queries against views over temporal tables. New register settings enable you to run existing applications against data from a certain point in time without changing the application itself. For example, imagine that you have an existing application that contains many SQL queries or a set of reporting queries you need to run from time to time. With the new temporal features in DB2, you may want to run those against a past point in system time, or against a past or future point in business time. However, enhancing all existing SQL statements with a FOR SYSTEM_TIME or FOR BUSINESS_TIME clause can be labor-intensive. Similarly, creating views for all affected temporal tables can also be tedious. Therefore, DB2 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows provides special registers to set a database session to a specific point in time. For example, you could use the following SET commands to set the session's system time to 10 a.m. 1 Jan 2008: SET CURRENT TEMPORAL SYSTEM_TIME = '2008-01-01 10:00:00'; Subsequently, any queries against system period temporal tables (or bitemporal tables) performed in the same session will see data as of 10 a.m. 1 Jan 2008. That is, all queries in the session are internally rewritten to use the clause FOR SYSTEM_TIME AS OF '2008-01-01 10:00:00' that you saw earlier. DB2 performs this rewrite automatically for you; you don't need to change your application and SQL statements in any way. Similarly, you could set the following special register to look at the data from one month ago: SET CURRENT TEMPORAL SYSTEM_TIME = current timestamp -- 1 MONTH; When the CURRENT TEMPORAL SYSTEM_TIME special register is set to a value other than NULL, any DML operations (insert, update, delete, merge) against system period temporal tables are not meaningful and are disallowed. For business time, you can set the CURRENT TEMPORAL BUSINESS_TIME special register to apply queries, updates, deletes, etc. to past or future points in business time. For example, consider the following register setting: SET CURRENT TEMPORAL BUSINESS_TIME = '2012-06-01'; It means that queries and DML statements against tables with business time (or bitemporal tables) are rewritten to use the clause FOR BUSINESS_TIME AS OF '2012-06-01' . Again, DB2 performs this rewrite automatically for you. Similar to the usage guideline for views, you must avoid applying two time constraints at the same time. That is, you either set a system time (business time) special register or you use system time (business time) constraints your SQL statements, but not both at the same time. The time machine can accept only one destination at a time (no pun intended). The temporal support in DB2 was designed to allow easy migration of existing database tables to the new temporal capabilities. There are two common scenarios to consider: If you have existing tables without timestamp columns and you want to turn these into temporal tables with system time or business time periods, you can use ALTER TABLE statements to add the required timestamp columns and period definition to the table. For a system period temporal table, you would then also create a history table like your original table and use another ALTER TABLE statement to enable versioning. The second scenario involves migrating tables that already have timestamp columns. For example, you might already be using triggers to set timestamp columns and populate a history table. In that case, you can reuse the existing timestamp columns and history table. You simply perform ALTER TABLE statements to declare that the existing timestamp columns are now interpreted as a SYSTEM_TIME period. You can then drop your triggers and issue another ALTER TABLE statement to enable versioning between your base table and history table. Similar migration options exist for business time as well. The new DB2 temporal data support provides simple yet sophisticated capabilities for managing multiple versions of your data and tracking effective business dates. Based on the temporal features in the SQL:2011 standard, DB2 enables database professionals to work with temporal data in an efficient manner, saving considerable time and effort when compared with hard-coding temporal logic into triggers, stored procedures, or homegrown applications. Build your next development project with IBM trial software , available for download directly from developerWorks. Now you can use DB2 for free. Download DB2 Express-C , a no-charge version of DB2 Express Edition for the community that offers the same core data features as DB2 Express Edition and provides a solid base to build and deploy applications. Cynthia M. Saracco works on database management and XML technologies at IBM's Silicon Valley Lab. She has co-authored three books and taught university-level courses on various software technologies. Matthias Nicola is a Senior Technical Staff Member at IBM's Silicon Valley Lab in San Jose, CA. He focuses on DB2 performance and benchmarking, XML, temporal data management, in-database analytics, and other emerging technologies. He also works closely with customers and business partners to help them design, optimize, and implement DB2 solutions. Previously, Matthias worked on data warehouse performance at Informix Software. He received his Ph.D. in computer science from the Technical University of Aachen, Germany. Lenisha Gandhi is a senior software development manager who manages a DB2 software engineering organization at IBM's Silicon Valley Lab. Lenisha focuses on temporal data management technology in DB2 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows (LUW). Prior to joining DB2, Lenisha worked in query development for the IBM Content Management organization. developerWorks: Sign in The first time you sign into developerWorks, a profile is created for you. Select information in your developerWorks profile is displayed to the public, but you may edit the information at any time . Your first name, last name (unless you choose to hide them), and display name will accompany the content that you post. ","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Buddy Ft. Pharrell -- Far As They Know Lyrics Grind hard far is today yeah shine hard far is to pay go ball hard as far as they know as far as they know She say why you dog your hair 'cause it's not allowed get it have no life so it has to die I'm the man hatter your favorite actress bad cracker I know black hackers and financial fat duckers but still I'm the fat packer who knows trappers ain't got packers in eleven mad packers there will be your life with the permanent tempo p**sy is my teacher I'm an info for the info straight from my mental I drop pictures upon my tempo shoppy pay not pencil I'm sorry now what I meant, now why I love the things I so oriental I'll take the golden diamonds dipped em all around my dental 'cause I like it bitch, if you need that then I guess you're psychic, shit all the picky cube and chain right there's a bitch you are out of your statue watch what you ask for niggas you cannot break me crack, me a fracture a scratch out of your zone tighting your corset come nigga saw, tuxedo sure said what the boe tie you know why, of course I am so hot all creativity I'm comparable to no guy your girls says oh hi look at the staring cube you jump off the bridge I'm still holding your parachute you're fly, right? Hook: Grind hard far is today yeah shine hard far is to pay go ball hard as far as they know as far as they know oh Grind hard far is today yeah shine hard far is to pay go ball hard as far as they know as far as they know My intangibility mixtin with my agility seems to be the reason why most these niggas ain't feelin me but the fragility mixtin with the virginity is like the main reason why me in the manasili see simmy seems the most venomous spit it in the premecies was crashed the mission to call you my.. I'm a sinner, you can find me where are the sinners is use the beginner I'm a section you are virginicies and see before you judge and get the talking you're talking just remember you the defender so nigga you gonna have to surrender 'cause call me the number one contain the hell and all the way from counting in my chain from Virginia my birthday in September so she limbo and right before I chop it down I'll be screaming our timbo I'm the abominable biological diabolical take a look in my follow if you're not frighten ","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"MATCH REPORT EVERTON U21'S 0 READING U21'S 0 Everton faced Reading today at Goodison Park at the U21 level with a welcoming back to the fold for Darron Gibson who has been absent since his injury at West Brom 11 weeks ago. Everton huffed and puffed putting Reading under a lot of pressure but the stubborn visitors defence held out as Everton needed the victory to make the cut for the next stage of this development league with fixtures running out. 5 players in today's starting line up were ion the bench for the seniors yesterday at the Madejski stadium. The opening quarter of an hour offered very little for either side but Junior went close with a shot narrowly over the frame of the goal with a rasping shot. Vellios was next to go close as his shot was only inches wide of Henly's post with game remaining goal less. Junior having a busy afternoon went close again for the home side as Vellios played him through but Henly was quick off the mark to pounce on the ball. Henley repeated his heroics with a good reflex save to deny Junior from a blues corner moments later. Jordan Obita with 6 England U19 caps to his name threaded a ball inside to Aaron Tshibola but the 17 year old forced Mateusz Tadul into a save. Just before the break Everton conjured up some nice football with Conor Grant about to get on the receiving end of Kennedy's ball but a Reading defender blocked it out. Tyias Browning sped down the flank and won a corner which came to nothing as the second half got underway. Dominic Samuel who signed a professional contract with the Roylas 12 months ago after his impressive goal scoring for the U18's netting 13 in 14 games caused a little bit of danger with two attempts. The first one going over the bar then a block from Distin denying the youngster. Hallam Hope replaced Gibson on 63 minutes with the Irishman glad to get some match practice under his belt then 2 minutes later Vellios produces a shot which Henly did well to save. Alan Stubbs threw on 2 more subs hoping that would change the game but the teams took a share of the points at the final whistle. ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Does it feel like your soul being invigorated by warmth and love? Do your fingers tingle with the sheer magnificence and grandeur of something greater than yourself? Is there an anticipatory sense of the sublime - as though any minute now, your mind will expand exponentially to a greater truth - a higher truth? ( Originally Posted by statistics16 ) How can you feel the presence of god, spiritually...? I think it's one of those things that varies from person to person and their religious beliefs. I do not think there is a right answer here. For example, I am an atheist so I do not feel \"the presence of God\" because I do not think that he is there. Even when I used to believe in god, I never felt his presence as such. I would ask for help and no help came, so I asked myself \"If I do not feel God with me, how do I know that he is there?\". However, a deeply religious person might think that God is around them in everything they do, because that is what they want to think and what their religion preaches. They might think that God is helping them with all of their decisions and he lives \"in them\". ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Bettman said that if their isn't a new bargaining agreement with the NHLPA by September 15th then their will indeed be an NHL lockout. How would you guys feel if their was indeed a lockout? Where would all of the NHL players play if their was one and how long would it take to get a new agreement done if it doesn't happen by Set. 15th? I personally think it would be upsetting if this where to happen again, this summer has been pretty boring so far and having this boring feeling throughout the rest of this year up to summer 2013 would be depressing. Discuss. But yes, I think there will be a lockout, but not the full season. I think it'll be a shortened season. Something like a 50-60 game season. As a side note, the Heat would have Sven, Brodie, and Bouma in addition to existing guys like Reinhart, Ferland, Lamb, Horak, Howse, Nemisz, Byron, Street and Kolanos. Also, if it's going to be a shortened season, Cervenka could even join the Heat for a couple of months. I fully expect him to go back to Russia if there's a season-long lockout though. The one thing I dont understand is, if the NHL goes to another lock out doesnt this demonstrate Bettman and the NHLPAs incompetence? A second lock out after just 7 years seems like the head honchos are not doing their jobs. Why do they wait only 60ish days to begin negotiations, especially when they know how hard headed the NHL and Bettman and the GMs are. How many times can the same mistakes be made till its time for a new NHL commissioner? Last lockout, i was still single and my lifestyle wasn't overly affected. However, now older\/wiser, weaker liver, and most importantly, married, means my hockey addiction can't be avoided, so i'm certain i will feel the ill effects much more that being said, shame on everyone involved. I'd love to be able to boycott this, and hope that they can't hammer out a deal for another full year or so and they all suffer a year+ loss of income and be forced to really make the necessary sacrifices, but i'm weak. I know i will do my best to get my love of the NFL back such that i can do my part in at least putting my money to a less bush league league for few years. Last lockout, i was still single and my lifestyle wasn't overly affected. However, now older\/wiser, weaker liver, and most importantly , married, means my hockey addiction can't be avoided, so i'm certain i will feel the ill effects much more that being said, shame on everyone involved. I'd love to be able to boycott this, and hope that they can't hammer out a deal for another full year or so and they all suffer a year+ loss of income and be forced to really make the necessary sacrifices, but i'm weak. I know i will do my best to get my love of the NFL back such that i can do my part in at least putting my money to a less bush league league for few years. If there is a lockout, your wife will make you make up for all those nights you watched the games as opposed to spend \"quality time\" with her, what ever the heck that is. Lots of extra chores, more alone time with her which sucks becuase you will have to listen to her talk about her friends and family which you dont care about let alone care to talk about. My suggestion to you is pick up a hobby to occupy you monday to saturday and watch football every sunday. I tried the whole baseball and mma thing, didnt work and I just felt cheapened afterwards. I can see there being a lockout for maybe a few weeks. 2 months at most. I'd be shocked if there wasn't a deal in place by the end of October. The players know the owners will sit out for a year. There's no point in going through the whole song and dance again. Maybe we'll miss some pre-season, but once actual game cheques start disappearing and given what happened 8 years ago, the players will concede to almost everything, and the NHL will throw them a consolation prize. Bettman and Fehr don't hate each other the way Goodenow and Bettman did. We'll be fine. If there is a lockout, your wife will make you make up for all those nights you watched the games as opposed to spend \"quality time\" with her, what ever the heck that is. Lots of extra chores, more alone time with her which sucks becuase you will have to listen to her talk about her friends and family which you dont care about let alone care to talk about. My suggestion to you is pick up a hobby to occupy you monday to saturday and watch football every sunday. I tried the whole baseball and mma thing, didnt work and I just felt cheapened afterwards. well my wife is an RN, and therefore works shifts, including nights\/weekends, so getting center ice worked great, as i was able to watch plenty of hockey without disrupting the personal life. That being said, the wife's pretty cool in that she's down to watch the game.. I'm just more annoyed than anything else. I was so sure that the at least one of the NBA\/NFL were going to get locked out last season, those greedy, self-centered group of players\/owners got their ___ together, yet here we are, the NHL back to the lock out within 7 years. It's laughable. like i said, shame on everyone involved. If they do strike, i hope they can't cut a deal for 2-3 years and suffer the loss of income and NHL experience for that period of time. ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"(Warning : distressing scenes) video showing a senseless attack on a kangaroo has been used by prosecutors to argue for a tougher sentence for those responsible. This video has been edited, however viewer discretion strongly advised The limp baby roo is then picked up by the tail and thrown several metres before it slams into a tree trunk. Throughout the film the three men can be heard laughing before saying they planned to drop the dead kangaroo in the middle of a street. The joey had been caught by a dog and put into the boot of a car that the Saunders brothers were travelling in. It was later taken to Lions Park in Seymour where it was brutally killed. Zachary Hunter Appearance of three men in Seymour Magistrates Court accused of torturing and killing a young kangaroo. Zachary Hunter. Picture: Stuart Walmsley Source: Herald Sun Zachary Hunter, 23, pleaded guilty over his role in the incident that led to the joey's death in October last year. Picture: Stuart Walmsley Source: Herald Sun Brett Saunders played no role in the actual attack on the animal other than to catch the joey. The incident sparked widespread outrage with some animal rights' activists calling for the men to be jailed. The footage was shown by Victoria's Director of Public Prosecutions John Champion, SC, who has launched a County Court appeal against the non-conviction sentences of the men. The landmark appeal is believed to be the first of its kind where the victim of crime is wildlife. Baby kangaroo attack A still image from the sickening footage of a savage attack on a defenceless baby kangaroo. Brothers Brett and Scott Saunders and friend Zachary Hunt were fined and placed on good behaviour bonds over the attack in Seymour. Source: Supplied SHOCKING: One witness recalled the kangaroo looked like it \"had been so traumatised it just stood there in terror\". Picture: SUPPLIED It comes as wildlife experts say there has been a worrying spike in wildlife assaults across Victoria over the past year. Lawyers for the men this week said they had suffered harrassment and received death threats since the incident was made public. But DPP John Champion, SC, argued the men's sentences were \"manifestly inadequate\" and said tougher punishment was in the public interest. Australian Society for Kangaroos spokeswoman Fiona Corke said she hoped the appeal would deter future perpetrators of animal cruelty crimes. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Re: Is it possible to get out of a contract with o2 due to no signal if you are outside the 28 days? A couple of small things to note. The last post was written over a year ago...I doubt who ever wrote it is still monitoring this post. if you do follow the last posters advice then you will fuirst have needed to lodge a formal complaint with your provider, this can often be done by phone but always best to to write the complaint so that you have a record of it. it can take up to 8 weeks for them to resolve the complaint or give you a Final Response but it is only after this has been received that you can then approach the Ombudsman, if you try to involve him before this time they will only place an official standard complaint for you and you are back to square 1 (and day 1) of the complaints process and may have to wait another 8 weeks for the providers reply. As the last postersuggested too, you may find some help on the weblinks. Re: Is it possible to get out of a contract with o2 due to no signal if you are outside the 28 days? I had the same problem with three. They ran tests and told me the reception on my area is fine but my calls kept dropping! They blamed my iphone even though I took it to apple store and had it checked, updated software etc. tried a Orange simcard in the same phone and reception was amazing! In the end I called up the ombudsman for mobile phones. They advised me to write a letter! I can send you a template if you like but if you call the Ombudsman, they can advise you further! Well story cut short, I wrote them a letter stating sales of good act and Supply of Goods and Services Act, and under those act's i got the contract cancelled! I was only into 6 months of it out of 24 months. They cancelled the contract and refunded me outstanding amount. You'll find some help here:http:\/\/whatconsumer.co.uk\/know-your\\\\... and http:\/\/www.ombudsman-services.org\/commun\\\\... Re: Is it possible to get out of a contract with o2 due to no signal if you are outside the 28 days? The reason I chose O2 was because it had the best coverage according to their website. None of them said there would be a 'good' signal but their website said reasonable signal and showed 2\/3 bars. I've spoken to a few people and have a few possible aerials I could try if I can't get anywhere in cancelling the contract. If the signal had suddenly gone downhill they would have allowed me out but because it was always the case they won't budge it seems. I haven't had a really hard try yet though so I don't think I've done all I can yet. Re: Is it possible to get out of a contract with o2 due to no signal if you are outside the 28 days? I agree with maxstream - if the coverage map says its good and it isn't then you may have a case but it will depend on the small print in your contract. There are some rural areas where no mobile coverage is good - I can get an orange signal in about a third of my house (vodaphone and O2 are even worse) and getting 3G is about as likely as winning the lottery - its one of the joys of living in the countryside (along with slow broadband and paying through the nose for heating oil !). The best way to try out the recption is to get a free sim from each provider and put 5 or 10 PAYG on it and then see what reception you get before tying yourself into a contract. Once you know which one works (if any) then go for that one. Simple solution to not having a phone upstairs is to get a landline extension put in (or do it yourself) - not very expensive and then you'd have a definite phone that you could rely on. Re: Is it possible to get out of a contract with o2 due to no signal if you are outside the 28 days? My view is that you can only justify ending the contract if the coverage maps say reception is good when it isn't and if, when notified, they don't put things right. Yes, there are boosters and aerials. The little strips that cost a few pence and are a few inches long are, I believe, useless but there are aerials that look like aerials for 10 - 30 which could help. Is it possible to get out of a contract with o2 due to no signal if you are outside the 28 days? I moved into a new house in October and due to lack of signal (its quite a rural area) I shopped around and using network coverage checkers decided o2 was the best option. I ordered a new phone\/contract online and it arrived 1st December. Immediately it was obvious that the signal wasn't any better than T-mobile had been however because we knew the area was bad I wasn't sure what to do so I kept hold of it and thought I'd just have to get on with it. I've sinced decided I'm ridiculous for thinking I could have 2 years with a phone I cannot make\/receive a call from my house and contacted them today. (yes I know outside my return period, I'm stupid!) They did a couple of test calls to my handset (after asking me to remove voicemail) to verify that I was not able to receive calls however then came back to me and said they could not log it as it had been like that when i took the contract and was not a new issue. So why test my line? Again, I know I should have contacted them sooner however I feel its unreasonable that they expect me to pay 30 a month for 2 years with no service. They advised I switch my phone settings from 3g to analogue but didn't know how I did that and were going to call me back. I'm still waiting several hours later and they are now closed. A few points, I'm aware I'm outside their return policy period. When I called they said the coverage data on the internet (which is how i decided who to go with) hadn't been updated since 2009. Surely that is extra ground for them to allow me to return it regardless of timescales? I also searched on Ofcom and there are only 2 local masts both of which belong to Orange. As far as I can find through research online they offer no kind of booster for signal like some of the other networks? Has anybody got any advice on how I can either get out of my contract or even reduce my monthly rental if they won't do that or boost my signal so I can actually use the free texts\/minutes I'm paying for? I have a toddler and it makes me nervous that I have no phone upstairs. If somebody broke in during the night etc I wouldn't be able to call anybody or get help. Cookie Use MoneySupermarket uses cookies, small text files which are downloaded to your computer's hard drive when you visit most websites. Cookies are harmless files which can help improve the experience. Cookies allow websites to respond to you as an individual. The website can tailor its operations to your needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and remembering information about your preferences. By accepting cookies, MoneySupermarket is able to provide you with a better service and customise your experience with us. ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Michael Langan talks to photographer Lee Baxter. It's a candid insight of an artist at work, and he learns that a good photograph takes far more than simply an eye for a good-looking man... ........................................\\\\... The Manchester-based photographer Lee Baxter has developed a style of image-making that is distinctive and appealing. He combines an interest in architecture with an eye for a good-looking man to create photographs that are thoughtful, intimate, and subtly sexy. The treatment of his subjects -- whether buildings, the sky, urban landscapes or people -- always conveys a sense of character, and while they are very real they are never mundane. I met up with him to talk about his work. When did you start taking photographs? I've been working with a camera since about 1998. I'd been doing computer-based graphics up until that point, quite commercial stuff, and spent my twenties going out clubbing before finally deciding I wanted to do a degree. I asked myself, what is it that I really like? Photography was the thing. Whose work inspires you? Who do you admire? One of the first photographers I had a thing for was Joel Peter Witkin. A friend gave me a book of his work many years ago and I was transfixed by every page. He uses cadavers and dead bodies to create beautifully crafted images and that, along with his very dark themes, really struck a chord with me. I also love the sexy, quirky quality of the work of Helmut Newton and Guy Bourdin. I don't try to reproduce what these photographers are doing but I just really like looking at them and they give me energy. The painter Francis Bacon has also been a great influence on me -- I adore the visceral quality of his work. Where do you find the guys you photograph? Most of the recent ones have been friends, and Facebook is a good source. Some good-looking men are often quite shy and I have to convince them that they're going to look good in the photos and I'm not going to make them look pornographic. That's quite interesting, that engagement with somebody. I try to keep the shoot very conversational, as if I'm not really taking photographs. I usually try to do the shoots quite quickly, even though I've thought a lot about what I'm going to do beforehand. If it's not working I just try something else, to make the process as organic as possible. The longer you take the more fake people's smiles can become, though these days you can show people how it's looking during the shoot and if they like the images they'll relax more. And you don't manipulate or alter your images? No, I use Photoshop as sparingly as possible and just try to capture what is there. I also crop within the frame as I take a shot, staying true to the image at its origin. Obviously, I'm trying to find something that is interesting to look at but I really want to let images speak for themselves. I like to work with natural light and also keep a natural feel to the imagery, using flash very sparingly. Some people make their photos look very unrealistic -- David LaChapelle does this brilliantly -- but that's not really where I see myself, though I do love that kind of work. You've taken a lot of pictures of David Hoyle  -- have you known him a long time? Yes, going back to when I was seventeen. We just get on really well and we trust each other. He allows me to photograph in his dressing room, so nowhere's out of bounds. Because he's a performer he knows how the camera works so it can be quite easy for me to capture something amazing. One of the characteristics of your work is the way that you place people in the frame. You're not frightened of having a lot of space around a subject or putting them in interesting spaces. In terms of composition I think that comes from my graphics background. I try to think about what lines up really nicely. I've always really loved Mark Farrow's work with The Pet Shop Boys and I love the idea of the tiny image with lots of white space around it. It's not so fashionable any more but if you use it well it still works. I like the idea of a lot of texture in the background. Is there a link between your work and your sexuality? It's more common these days to see men presented as things to look at but did you have to work through that at all? It's never really been an issue to be honest. At the same time I do want to capture the fact that these guys have a personality. Obviously, some of them are more decorative than others and I don't have a problem with that, but I don't want them just to be lumps of meat to look at. Trying to connect through their eyes, or through a little gesture, can be enough to make the pictures more intimate. I've already created some kind of trust with these guys so the last thing I want to do is present a set of images that totally objectifies them and turns them into something else. You also take a lot of pictures of architecture. Where does your interest in cityscapes come from? When I first started photography I was more comfortable taking pictures of buildings than people, so it's just carried on from there. Having said that, I don't want to focus on just obvious, famous buildings. Is it possible to describe what Manchester, as a city, brings to your work? Without wanting to be clich, there's a gritty realism to Manchester, it being an industrial town. I try to find areas where there's a sense of beauty that maybe not everyone sees. It's got a really good arts community as well. It's quite small, but everyone helps each other out. You've taken some images of the sky in Ancoats that are really striking. I used to work in an office there and some of the skies were immense. That area is really being developed at the moment but there's still a touch of Lowry in that industrial landscape. There was a really stormy sky that day. By including some of the buildings I wanted to keep an essence of the city in there as well. And you have an exhibition coming up in Manchester this autumn? Yeah, it's called Splendid and is going to be about structure -- of men and of buildings, the two things integrated. There'll be lots of images of Manchester, some of Berlin and maybe a few of London. What direction is your work going in? I want to challenge myself and maybe do more images where I've created a set or something staged, with more people involved. I'd love to do something with dancers, maybe something outside, with a real sense of movement. I'd like to work with people who are very aware of their bodies. How do you feel about what's happening to photography as an art form, with the influence of new technologies and equipment? There are still people who never use digital and keep it quite analogue, but I like the instant results that digital gives you. If I'm out on a shoot I know exactly what I'm going to get at that moment in time. I see people Photoshopping beautiful images to death and with Instagram you can add a filter to a photo of a bowl of fruit or a coffee cup and it looks nostalgic, but it's still just a coffee cup. I like Instagram but it's not something I'd use in my work -- I feel like it's cheating. But who knows, in a few years I might do something that is completely about the unreality of an image, but I would want to make it look as if that was definitely what I was doing. ........................................\\\\... You can see more of Lee's work in our featured gallery this month: Eyes & Skies About Polari Magazine Polari Magazine is an LGBT arts and culture magazine that explores the subculture by looking at what is important to the people who are in it. It's about the lives we lead, not the lifestyles we're supposed to lead. Its content is informed & insightful, and features a diverse range of writers from every section of the community. Its intent is to help LGBT readers learn about their own heritage and to sustain a link between the present and the past. Polari is designed to nurture the idea of community, whether that be social and political, or artistic and creative. It is your magazine, whether you want to read it, or whether you want to get involved in it, if you're gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, or queer. Polari Magazine is all these: it's a gay online magazine; it's a gay and lesbian online magazine; it's an LGBT arts and culture magazine. Ultimately, it is a queer magazine. ","labels":"Other","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"How To Do Updos For Curly Hair How To Do Updos For Curly Hair 5 1 user ratings Enlarge A hairstylist demonstrates a stylish up do for curly hair that anyone can do by themselves even when in a rush. It's a hairstyle that's perfect for day and night. If you've got naturally curly hair, I'm going to show you how to do an up do that takes seconds. It's so easy, it's great for work or going out, just a really cool up do for curly hair. So, we're going to start with using an elastic, and you can get them anywhere actually, even supermarkets sell these now. It's just a really large hair band, basically, and we're just going to pop it over the top of the head. So, when you're doing this at home yourself, just keep it firm with one hand and tuck the hair with the other hand. It's quite a soft look so it doesn't matter if it's too messy, and this bit of volume is perfect as well. So, we're going to take the curls and just bend them over and tuck them in the elastic there and let the loose curls just kind of hang over, and then do the same all the way around. When you get to the front, just decide whether you want pieces down or if want quite a bit more of a vintage look and pull the hair back, or if your hair's very curly, you might want to just tuck it all in and keep it out of your way. It doesn't matter if you can see the band either, it looks quite cool. And again, you're just pulling the hair back and tucking it into the elastic at the sides. If your hair is very curly or a bit shorter, you could actually get away with just leaving that out and sitting naturally. But her hair's just a little bit too long to do that. So, you can leave it like that, plain if it's just a day look, or if you want to kind of finish it up a little bit for an evening or for a wedding or something, you can pop a little bit of sparkle in the side. It would also look great with something a little bit more like this, which is also really on trend for this year. And that's it, a great up do for curly hair, good for day looks or work or if you're just in a rush. . ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"In 1966 disgraced British colonel bequeaths a mysterious letter to his only son. The \"item in question\" that Adam's father's letter leads him to acquire from a safe deposit box in Switzerland is a precious Russian Orthodox icon made long ago for the Russian czars which by misadventure came into the possession of Hermann G\u00f6ring sometime in the 1930s. G\u00f6ring wanted Scott's father (one of his jailers at Nuremberg ) to have it in token of his kind treatment and because G\u00f6ring realized Scott's father would be unfairly blamed for his pre- execution suicide . But the icon contains something that even G\u00f6ring did not dream of: the only official Russian copy of a secret codicil to the Alaska Purchase treaty by which the United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867. \" Seward's Folly \" turns out to have not been a true purchase at all, but a 99-year lease akin to the British hold on Hong Kong , with a right of return to Russia (now the part of the Soviet Union ) if they can only retrieve their copy before the lease deadline, only days away. ","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Riverina Lions to roar in the face of adversity MORE than 50,000 kilometres of travel and ten years of hard work could reap the ultimate reward on Sunday when Riverina Lions strive to capture its maiden premiership by beating Eastlake in the ACT Women's AFL grand final at Manuka Oval. As the build-up to the big game continues, Riverina Lions skipper, and club founder, Julie McLean, revealed the exact amount of work and scheduling it has taken for the club to compete in the Canberra-based competition. The plan to form a women's Australian football team in the region was hatched in 2002 when Leanne Hodge contacted McLean with the idea to be a sister club with Wagga Tigers when it was playing in AFL Canberra. A true football lover, McLean was thrilled with the concept, and after months of planning, Riverina Lions was formed and commenced competing in Canberra in the 2003 season. Riverina Lions have gathered momentum each season and the team has played off in two grand finals, in 2005 and 2011, when it lost, ironically, to Eastlake, on both occasions. The tyranny of distance -- Riverina Lions have to travel to Canberra to play every second week of the competition -- and player numbers have been struggles at times during the 10-year journey but McLean said the club was in great shape for the future. McLean has done the calculations and Riverina Lions travel, on average, a staggering 5000 kilometres per season just to play football, meaning over the course of the 10 years the team has racked up roughly 50,000 kilometres on the road from Wagga to Canberra. McLean, who has played 154 games for the club, claimed a premiership triumph on Sunday would be just reward for the amount of hard work, travel and planning that has gone into making Riverina Lions a successful club. \"If we can win it this weekend we would have travelled 50,000 kilometres to get it,\" McLean said. \"When you are doing it (travelling) you don't really notice it but we have worked it out at least 5000 kilometres per year. \"It requires plenty of preparation and early starts and commitment. \"Numbers wise and skills wise we keep continuing to improve each year and that's a real positive.\" Riverina Lions suffered a serious setback before a ball had been kicked this season when its home base at McPherson Oval was all but washed away during the floods that hit the city in March. It took a massive rebuilding effort from Riverina Lions, North Wagga Football Club and the North Wagga community to get the facility repaired and operational and McLean said a premiership victory this year would taste sweeter due to the adversity. \"With everything that happened with the floods, we didn't even know if we would have a team or a facility for a while,\" McLean said. \"It would be a fitting reward to win it.\" Riverina Lions have been the most dominant team of the season and finished with the minor premiership before beating Eastlake in the major semi-final to move straight into the grand final. Despite its success, and the fact it has lost just two games this year, Riverina Lions will be forced to travel -- again -- to vie for the crown, but McLean said Riverina Lions would not be traveling to Canberra on Saturday even though the game will commence at 9.45am Sunday. \"We have gone over there the night before with the other two grand finals and it didn't work that well,\" McLean said. \"It made people nervous being there the night before the game and had them thinking about everything too early. \"We will keep to our normal routine, we will leave Wagga at 5am (Sunday) and we should be there by 8am to have a good stretch and get ready.\" McLean admitted it had been hard to contain the nerves and excitement given the team had last week off, but said Riverina Lions would be doing its best to keep to its normal routine and structure. \"Time has been going slowly but we have been training well,\" McLean said. \"We will prepare the same way we have all year, we are treating it as just another game but obviously there is a bigger reward here for the winner.\" Riverina Lions have defeated Eastlake on all three occasions this season and the grand final will commence at Manuka Oval at 9.45am on Sunday. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"I can't wait for the sequel to come out in a few years. And a few years after that. And a few years after that... Lyrics after the jump. Gary Said Lock You Out Don't call it a rollback We've planned this for years Fans are in tears while Peter Karmonos cheers Makin the doors slam down like a es-crow Listen to the revenues grow Expansion, oversaturate Into the struggling markets that the players hate Watch me carve HRRs For a lockout that'll make you watch Nascar Don't you ever learn, everyone's burned Except my pal David Stern Gotta make sure every owner profits fair and square Unless it's from a revenue share I'm gonna lock you out Jacobs said lock you out I'm gonna lock you out Edwards said lock you out I'm gonna lock you out Leonsis said lock you out I'm gonna lock you out Snyder said lock you out Don't you call this a talk with two sides I'm gonna break these guys I'm gonna hang this NHLPA out to dry And I won't bat an eye Just like 2004 they called it madness Watch the sadness In the eyes of the fans As they're signing petitions Why would I listen? Me The Napoleon Rambo And when I drop ultimatums get ready cuz it might go BLAW How's Bob Goodenow? He's working at Holy Chow You won't win here, Mr. Fehr, we're not scared Cause Selig doesn't work here Buck-passing, pay-slashing Looking like The Count, and you can hear me laughing Owners threw millions at the UFAs But we knew we'd get it back with the CBA I'm gonna lock you out Dolan said lock you out I'm gonna lock you out Melnyk said lock you out I'm gonna lock you out Katz said lock you out I'm gonna lock you out Illitch said lock you out Pockets getting filled When I send my bill, eight mil The meanest and leanest Owner of Phoenix I'm a genius I'm gonna lock them out and let you understand That I hear the hate from the fans When I'm holding Stanley in my hand... Scram! Boooooooooooo! Listen to the way you booed this dude Payback, payback, payback, payback Disruption, cutbacks, and layoffs Empty arenas like the Leafs in the playoffs Owners (What!) Owners (What!) Who's greedy? (We're greedy!) And now I hear the fans are mad (So sad!) But don't be flattered, never think you matter Cause you are screwed And you'll come crawlin' back when it's through We gotta thank you The best fans in the world and P.S. [BLEEP] YOU! Yeah, it could hit them hard about things like not wanting to give up 25% of their salaries that come from contracts the owners signed just so that the owners can make money with teams so mismanaged that even yearly revenue increases of 7% aren't enough to help them be profitable - why won't the players just give the owners all their money? They could play for 100k a year and live comfortably and then the poor, poor owners wouldn't have to suffer the indignity of only being millionaires when everybody knows that sports owners should be billionaires. So I preordered the mighty DGB book from Amazon US and of course, it's out and Amazon doesn't even have it to send. But look! An email from Amazon saying I should have it! Yay! ... on Wednesday! ... a day after my birthday. There's a Leafs' joke somewhere in there. ","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"NBAA: Boeing unveils BBJ version of 737 Max Boeing today revealed the 737 Max will be converted into a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), with deliveries starting to the VIP market almost as quickly as the re-engined and updated narrowbody enters commercial service in 2017. The BBJ Max 8 will become the fourth version of the 737 family to be aimed at the business aviation market, and the announcement precedes a decision by Airbus on whether to offer a corporate jet version of the similarly re-engined A320neo . The same changes being introduced with the 737 Max 8 - including new CFM International Leap-1B engines, split-tip winglets and a redesigned tail cone - are expected to deliver similar performance improvements for the BBJ market, but with a different emphasis. Airlines are more focused on the fuel savings, while business jet passengers are more influenced by increased range and reduced cabin noise, Taylor says. Boeing The BBJ Max 8 should improve range by roughly 600nm compared to the roughly 5,670nm range of the BBJ2, the business jet version of the 737-800, he says. A BBJ version of the 737 Max 9 will follow the introduction of the version based on the 737 Max 8. By announcing the BBJ at NBAA , Boeing beats Airbus in the race to develop alternative versions of the re-engined narrowbodies. Airbus unveiled the A320neo nine months before Boeing launched the 737 Max family in August 2011, but has yet to announce an Airbus Corporate Jet (ACJ) version. The delay has baffled Airbus' competitors in Seattle. \"I'm fascinated they haven't moved out more quickly than not,\" Taylor says. Boeing, meanwhile, is continuing to evaluate other opportunities for spin-offs of the 737 Max. Boeing adapted the BBJ into a military surveillance and patrol aircraft, and Taylor says the example will be followed with the BBJ Max. \"Inevitably it will,\" he says. \"The military is typically not an early adopter of these kinds of things, so not right in the front end.\" Boeing has sold 157 BBJs since introducing the type 15 years ago. Check out all the latest news and views on our dedicated NBAA show page . ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Food & Wine Blog Nearly every human being on the planet is familiar with the concept of 2000 calories per day, which is the average amount of energy a human adult needs to sustain a healthy life. But what many people fail to realize is that it is less about quantity of calories you take in, and more about the quality of the food. 2000 calories of processed toxins is far different than 2000 calories of nutrient rich whole foods. The unfortunate reality is that the vast majority of people in the United States and other Western countries are not eating properly. Instead, there is an entire so-called health and wellness industry whose only purpose in life is to sell products. And considering how many overweight and depressed people there are in the United States who are consistently looking for a way to look better and feel better about themselves, it's no surprise when they take the bait of a magical pill. You cannot compress health and wellness into a magical pill or a special formula. It comes through whole foods and natural living. Even the Bible talks about this concept, because if you look at the people who lived in the Garden of Eden, regardless of whether or not you are religious, the stories all talk about how human beings in the beginning of time reliving hundreds and thousands of years. How, and why? The reason why is fairly simple. In the beginning of time, regardless if you are religious or not, men did not rely on supplements and pills and synthetic chemicals to fuel their bodies. Instead, they were only eating the natural products that come from the planet, things like fruits and vegetables, not processed protein shakes and lowfat lattes and diet sodas. It's 70% food and only 30% diet, so the issue is not in the lifestyle so much as it is the food. Whole food diet plans are the only way you can achieve total health and wellness and a body that is naturally sexy and toned through regular exercise. While The Mediterranean Diet is certainly the most famous of the whole food strategies, the reality is that any type of food combinations which include organic products and whole foods that have not been processed are superior in every way to the products the health and wellness industry tell you are good for you. You can either eat out of a can or a wrapper, or you can enjoy the bounties of Earth. It's your call. The secrets of the Mediterranean Diet whole foods are the real power behind the Mediterranean Diet Plan and Lifestyle. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Art Talk with NEA Literature Translation Fellow Dan Bellm Dan Bellm. Photo by Annie Silverstein \"We owe it to each other to read world literature, to cross borders, to enter other lives and times in the way that only great writing can.\" -- Dan Bellm Professor, editor, translator, and poet -- 2013 NEA Literature Translation Fellow Dan Bellm has some serious Renaissance man bona fides. In addition to translating the work of Pablo Neruda, Manlio Argueta, and Csar Vallejo, he has been translating French writer Pierre Reverdy's work for almost a decade. In 1998, Bellm received the Caesura Prize, judged by Mark Doty, for his poem, \"Aspens,\" and an Artists Fellowship for Literature from the California Arts Council. Bellm's poems have appeared in such publications as Poetry , Ploughshares , The Threepenny Review , and Word of Mouth: An Anthology of Gay American Poetry . We spoke with Bellm about his writer's life, his philosophy of literary translation, and why he likes taking apart poems to \"see how they tick.\" NEA: What's your version of the artist's life? DAN BELLM: The artist's life, to me, means doing work I love, which includes continuing to try work that challenges or scares me. I'm not very interested in writing or translating the kind of poem I've already written or translated. The work has to pose some kind of question or riddle that I don't know the answer to; when I'm lucky, I grab a thread and just hold on. Or to take a different metaphor, I think of how pole vaulters keep raising the bar. And although not all writers do, I love giving public readings of my own and others' poetry. I consider it an essential part of my work. Poems are meant to be read aloud and passed on; once they're written and spoken, they're not \"mine\" any more. NEA: What do you remember as your earliest engagement with the arts? BELLM: Since I'm a literary artist, I'd have to say that my most important early memory is of my mother taking me to the public library in my hometown, Springfield, Illinois, starting when I was three or four, to pick out books, bring them home, and read them together -- a habit that's never come to an end. My sister Eileen, two years older than me, brought books home from kindergarten and first grade, too. It's all traceable back to that time, the amazing experience of words on paper coming to life as I learned to read. And leaping forward, I have to thank my high school English teacher, Jim Burke, for noticing me, and pushing me to read challenging books that weren't on \"the list,\" and really wanting to hear what I thought of them. NEA: Can you tell us about the project your NEA grant will support. How do you choose the works you translate? BELLM: I'm working on a translation of French poet Pierre Reverdy's (1889-1960) great postwar work, Le chant des morts (Song of the Dead), a volume of 43 poems written from 1944-1948. Although it's by far the most important book of Reverdy's middle and late career -- the time after he and his wife fled the very center of the Parisian art and literary world, in order to live a quite secluded life near the monastery of Solesmes in northern France -- Le chant des morts has been neglected by English-language translators, who have focused almost entirely on the poems of his Parisian years (1910-1926). Only four of its poems have ever appeared in English, and those are in books that are long out of print. Le chant des morts is a very unusual [account] of the public and private aftermath of war. It's not a documentary or a narrative -- it's about troubled states of soul. Reverdy has such a sure command of image, and the emotional atmosphere of life-at-the-edge-of-death in postwar France seems so strangely familiar, that I really believe that this poetry will speak eloquently to our own time. I have been working with Reverdy's poems for a decade or more, starting with two collections of his prose poems, and I've turned to Le chant des morts because it's so centrally important in his work. NEA: When and how did you begin your work as a literary translator? BELLM: I began to translate long before I had any thought of being a published translator. From the minute I started reading poetry in other languages -- Spanish and French, mostly -- I started wanting to make the poems that I loved \"my own.\" It was always a bit like taking a clock apart to see how it ticks, and hoping to put it back together still ticking. I started teaching myself Spanish (my strongest second language, and the one I most frequently translate from) nearly 40 years ago, and well before I had made it through a bilingual edition of Pablo Neruda's poems, I was quibbling with the English translations, making notes in the margins and thinking, \"How hard could it be to improve on this?\" That kind of beginner's arrogance turned out to be useful, because it got me to begin, and it motivated me to continue long enough to appreciate just how difficult the art and craft of translation is. NEA: What is your process and how does your philosophy regarding translation impact that process? BELLM: I'm as \"slow\" a translator as I am a poet. Translations for me, typically, go through many drafts, and have to pass some kind of test of time before they feel complete. To describe my philosophy as a translator, I'd say that I am not an \"academic\" translator oriented to the kind of work that favors literalism or strict verbal \"accuracy\" over an engagement with the entirety of a poem's music. I love, and try to live by, the nineteenth-century poet and translator Dante Gabriel Rossetti's rather modest advice: \"A good poem shall not be turned into a bad one.\" My deepest commitment is to translating as faithfully as possible the whole gesture a poem makes -- all of its resources of sound and meaning -- into a fully realized poem in English. NEA: How does your work as a poet inform your work as a translator and vice versa? BELLM: For me, translating has always gone hand in hand with being a reader and a poet. Throughout my decades of writing poetry, I've always had a translation project, or several, going on as well, whether or not I've had any intention of publishing those. I learn about how poems work, and I pay deep attention to the nuances and music of words; it's the closest act of \"close reading\" possible. I've been greatly influenced by such poet-translators as Galway Kinnell, Robert Hass, Marilyn Hacker, Chana Bloch, W.S. Merwin, and Robert Bly, all of whom consider the practice of translation deeply connected to their craft as poets. I always urge poetry students to try translating, as part of their craft, too, and for the past couple of years, I've been teaching literary translation in the MFA in Creative Writing Program at Antioch University, Los Angeles. NEA: I understand that you had an opportunity to see some of the original paintings by Pablo Picasso that accompanied the original publication of Le chant des morts . What was that experience like for you? BELLM: It's thrilling to see the original publication that these poems first appeared in -- a stunningly beautiful, hand-lettered edition, with 125 color lithographs by Picasso, brought out by the French art publisher Triade in 1948. The Museum of Modern Art in New York owns a copy, and it's an important work not only in Reverdy's oeuvre, but in Picasso's as well. It's hard to imagine the poems any other way now; I hope that any publication of my translation that occurs will include some of Picasso's work. Reverdy is quite a visual poet, and he was deeply connected throughout his life with such painters as Picasso, Braque, Matisse, and Gris, all of whom illustrated one or more of his books of poetry. Although Reverdy himself resisted all such labels, I think of many of his poems in visual terms as a kind of Cubist or Surrealist painting, the way they play with geometry and point of view, and up-end our expectations about narrative coherence or rational sense. NEA: What does the phrase \"Art Works\" mean to you? BELLM: I like this phrase in the sense that it puts \"art\" and \"work\" together. Not everyone agrees -- including, say, my own Dad! -- but it's a real job. And art itself works, of course -- it creates change, it forms and affects lives. It's an essential part of education, though it's often the first thing that gets cut. I guess we still need slogans like this because we're a society that still doesn't see art as absolutely central. NEA: Why do you believe it's important for the NEA to support literary translation? BELLM: Because we're all citizens of the world. We owe it to each other to read world literature, to cross borders, to enter other lives and times in the way that only great writing can. Without literary translation, there would have been no Renaissance, for example. Translation keeps a multiplicity of voices alive -- and it breathes new life into our own voices, our own English language. ","labels":"Other","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Microscopic appearance of cholesterol crystals in water. Photo taken under polarized light . Cholesterol , from the Ancient Greek chole- ( bile ) and stereos (solid) followed by the chemical suffix -ol for an alcohol, is a hydrocarbon organic molecule . It is a sterol (or modified steroid ), [ 3 ] a lipid molecule and is biosynthesized by all animal cells because it is an essential structural component of animal cell membranes that is required to maintain both membrane structural integrity and fluidity . Cholesterol enables animal cells to (a) not need a cell wall (like plants & bacteria) to protect membrane integrity\/cell-viability and thus (b) be able to change shape and (c) animals to move (unlike bacteria and plant cells which are restricted by their cell walls). In addition to its importance within cells, cholesterol also serves as a precursor for the biosynthesis of steroid hormones , bile acids , and vitamin D . [ 4 ] Cholesterol is the principal sterol synthesized by animals. All kinds of cells in animals can produce it. In vertebrates the hepatic cells typically produce greater amounts than other cells. It is almost completely absent among prokaryotes (i.e., bacteria), although there are some exceptions such as Mycoplasma , which require cholesterol for growth. [ 5 ] Since cholesterol is essential for all animal life, each cell synthesizes it from simpler molecules, a complex 37-step process that starts with the intracellular protein enzyme HMG-CoA reductase . However, normal and particularly high levels of fats (including cholesterol) in the blood circulation, depending on how they are transported within lipoproteins , are strongly associated with the progression of atherosclerosis . For a man of about 68\u00a0kg (150\u00a0lb), typical total body-cholesterol synthesis is approximately 1 g (1,000\u00a0mg) per day, and total body content is approximately 35 g, primarily located within the membranes of all the cells of the body. Typical daily dietary intake of additional cholesterol, in the United States, is 200\u2013300\u00a0mg. [ 8 ] Most ingested cholesterol is esterified, and esterified cholesterol is poorly absorbed. The body also compensates for any absorption of additional cholesterol by reducing cholesterol synthesis. [ 9 ] For these reasons, cholesterol intake in food has little, if any, effect on total body cholesterol content or concentrations of cholesterol in the blood. Cholesterol is recycled. The liver excretes it in a non-esterified form (via bile) into the digestive tract. Typically about 50% of the excreted cholesterol is reabsorbed by the small bowel back into the bloodstream. Plants make cholesterol in very small amounts. [ 10 ] Plants manufacture phytosterols (substances chemically similar to cholesterol produced within plants), which can compete with cholesterol for reabsorption in the intestinal tract, thus potentially reducing cholesterol reabsorption. [ 11 ] When intestinal lining cells absorb phytosterols, in place of cholesterol, they usually excrete the phytosterol molecules back into the GI tract , an important protective mechanism. Cholesterol is required to build and maintain membranes ; it modulates membrane fluidity over the range of physiological temperatures. The hydroxyl group on cholesterol interacts with the polar head groups of the membrane phospholipids and sphingolipids , while the bulky steroid and the hydrocarbon chain are embedded in the membrane, alongside the nonpolar fatty-acid chain of the other lipids. Through the interaction with the phospholipid fatty-acid chains, cholesterol increases membrane packing, which reduces membrane fluidity. [ 12 ] The structure of the tetracyclic ring of cholesterol contributes to the decreased fluidity of the cell membrane as the molecule is in a trans conformation making all but the side chain of cholesterol rigid and planar. [ 13 ] In this structural role, cholesterol reduces the permeability of the plasma membrane to neutral solutes, [ 14 ] hydrogen ions, and sodium ions . [ 15 ] Within the cell membrane, cholesterol also functions in intracellular transport, cell signaling and nerve conduction. Cholesterol is essential for the structure and function of invaginated caveolae and clathrin -coated pits, including caveola-dependent and clathrin-dependent endocytosis . The role of cholesterol in such endocytosis can be investigated by using methyl beta cyclodextrin (M\u03b2CD) to remove cholesterol from the plasma membrane. Recently, cholesterol has also been implicated in cell signaling processes, assisting in the formation of lipid rafts in the plasma membrane . Lipid raft formation brings receptor proteins in close proximity with high concentrations of second messenger molecules. [ 16 ] In many neurons, a myelin sheath, rich in cholesterol, since it is derived from compacted layers of Schwann cell membrane, provides insulation for more efficient conduction of impulses. [ 17 ] Within cells, cholesterol is the precursor molecule in several biochemical pathways. In the liver, cholesterol is converted to bile , which is then stored in the gallbladder . Bile contains bile salts, which solubilize fats in the digestive tract and aid in the intestinal absorption of fat molecules as well as the fat-soluble vitamins, A , D , E , and K . Cholesterol is an important precursor molecule for the synthesis of vitamin D and the steroid hormones , including the adrenal gland hormones cortisol and aldosterone , as well as the sex hormones progesterone , estrogens , and testosterone , and their derivatives. [ 4 ] From a dietary perspective, cholesterol is not found in significant amounts in plant sources. [ 20 ] [ 22 ] In addition, plant products such as flax seeds and peanuts contain cholesterol-like compounds called phytosterols , which are believed to compete with cholesterol for absorption in the intestines. [ 23 ] Phytosterols can be supplemented through the use of phytosterol-containing functional foods or nutraceuticals that are widely recognized as having a proven LDL cholesterol-lowering efficacy. [ 24 ] Current supplemental guidelines recommend doses of phytosterols in the 1.6-3.0\u00a0grams per day range (Health Canada, EFSA, ATP III,FDA) with a recent meta-analysis demonstrating an 8.8% reduction in LDL-cholesterol at a mean dose of 2.15\u00a0gram per day. [ 25 ] However, the benefits of a diet supplemented with phytosterol has been questioned. [ 26 ] [ 27 ] Fat intake also plays a role in blood-cholesterol levels. Isocalorically replacing dietary carbohydrates with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats has been shown to lower serum LDL and total cholesterol levels and increase serum HDL levels, while replacing carbohydrates with saturated fat was shown to increase HDL, LDL, and total cholesterol levels. [ 28 ] Trans fats have been shown to reduce levels of HDL while increasing levels of LDL. [ 29 ] Based on such evidence and evidence implicating low HDL and high LDL levels in cardiovascular disease (see Hypercholesterolemia ), many health authorities advocate reducing LDL cholesterol through changes in diet in addition to other lifestyle modifications. [ 30 ] The USDA , for example, recommends that those wishing to reduce their cholesterol through a change in diet should aim to consume less than 7% of their daily energy needs from saturated fat and fewer than 200\u00a0mg of cholesterol per day. [ 31 ] An alternative view is that any reduction to dietary cholesterol intake could be counteracted by the organs compensating to try to keep blood cholesterol levels constant. [ 32 ] Other research has found that an increase in the consumption of saturated fats and cholesterol decreases overall serum cholesterol. [ 33 ] All animal cells manufacture cholesterol for their use, with relative production rates varying by cell type and organ function. About 20\u201325% of total daily cholesterol production occurs in the liver ; other sites of higher synthesis rates include the intestines , adrenal glands , and reproductive organs . Synthesis within the body starts with one molecule of acetyl CoA and one molecule of acetoacetyl-CoA , which are hydrated to form 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA ( HMG-CoA ). [ 34 ] This molecule is then reduced to mevalonate by the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase . This is the regulated, rate-limiting and irreversible step in cholesterol synthesis and is the site of action for the statin drugs (HMG-CoA reductase competitive inhibitors). Mevalonate is then converted to 3-isopentenyl pyrophosphate in three reactions that require ATP . Mevalonate is decarboxylated to isopentenyl pyrophosphate , which is a key metabolite for various biological reactions. Three molecules of isopentenyl pyrophosphate condense to form farnesyl pyrophosphate through the action of geranyl transferase. Two molecules of farnesyl pyrophosphate then condense to form squalene by the action of squalene synthase in the endoplasmic reticulum . [ 34 ] Oxidosqualene cyclase then cyclizes squalene to form lanosterol . Finally, lanosterol is converted to cholesterol through a 19-step process. [ 35 ] [ 36 ] Biosynthesis of cholesterol is directly regulated by the cholesterol levels present, though the homeostatic mechanisms involved are only partly understood. A higher intake from food leads to a net decrease in endogenous production, whereas lower intake from food has the opposite effect. The main regulatory mechanism is the sensing of intracellular cholesterol in the endoplasmic reticulum by the protein SREBP (sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 and 2). [ 37 ] In the presence of cholesterol, SREBP is bound to two other proteins: SCAP (SREBP cleavage activating protein) and Insig1 . When cholesterol levels fall, Insig-1 dissociates from the SREBP-SCAP complex, which allows the complex to migrate to the Golgi apparatus . Here SREBP is cleaved by S1P and S2P (site-1 and -2 protease), two enzymes that are activated by SCAP when cholesterol levels are low. The cleaved SREBP then migrates to the nucleus, and acts as a transcription factor to bind to the sterol regulatory element (SRE), which stimulates the transcription of many genes. Among these are the low-density lipoprotein ( LDL ) receptor and HMG-CoA reductase . The LDL receptor former scavenges circulating LDL from the bloodstream, whereas HMG-CoA reductase leads to an increase of endogenous production of cholesterol. [ 38 ] A large part of this signaling pathway was clarified by Dr. Michael S. Brown and Dr. Joseph L. Goldstein in the 1970s. In 1985, they received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work. Their subsequent work shows how the SREBP pathway regulates expression of many genes that control lipid formation and metabolism and body fuel allocation. Cholesterol synthesis can also be turned off when cholesterol levels are high. HMG-CoA reductase contains both a cytosolic domain (responsible for its catalytic function) and a membrane domain. The membrane domain senses signals for its degradation. Increasing concentrations of cholesterol (and other sterols) cause a change in this domain's oligomerization state, which makes it more susceptible to destruction by the proteosome . This enzyme's activity can also be reduced by phosphorylation by an AMP-activated protein kinase . Because this kinase is activated by AMP, which is produced when ATP is hydrolyzed, it follows that cholesterol synthesis is halted when ATP levels are low. [ 39 ] Cholesterol is only slightly soluble in water ; it can dissolve and travel in the water-based bloodstream at exceedingly small concentrations. Since cholesterol is insoluble in blood, it is transported in the circulatory system within lipoproteins , complex discoidal particles that have an exterior composed of amphiphilic proteins and lipids whose outward-facing surfaces are water-soluble and inward-facing surfaces are lipid-soluble; triglycerides and cholesterol esters are carried internally. Phospholipids and cholesterol, being amphipathic, are transported in the surface monolayer of the lipoprotein particle. In addition to providing a soluble means for transporting cholesterol through the blood, lipoproteins have cell-targeting signals that direct the lipids they carry to certain tissues. For this reason, there are several types of lipoproteins in blood, called, in order of increasing density, chylomicrons , very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), intermediate-density lipoprotein (IDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). The more lipid and less protein a lipoprotein has, the less dense it is. The cholesterol within all the various lipoproteins is identical, although some cholesterol is carried as the \"free\" alcohol and some is carried as fatty acyl esters referred to as cholesterol esters. However, the different lipoproteins contain apolipoproteins , which serve as ligands for specific receptors on cell membranes. In this way, the lipoprotein particles are molecular addresses that determine the start- and endpoints for cholesterol transport. Chylomicrons, the least dense type of cholesterol transport molecules, contain apolipoprotein B-48 , apolipoprotein C , and apolipoprotein E in their shells. Chylomicrons are the transporters that carry fats from the intestine to muscle and other tissues that need fatty acids for energy or fat production. Cholesterol that is not used by muscles remains in more cholesterol-rich chylomicron remnants, which are taken up from here to the bloodstream by the liver. VLDL molecules are produced by the liver and contain excess triacylglycerol and cholesterol that is not required by the liver for synthesis of bile acids. These molecules contain apolipoprotein B100 and apolipoprotein E in their shells. During transport in the bloodstream, the blood vessels cleave and absorb more triacylglycerol from IDL molecules, which contain an even higher percentage of cholesterol. The IDL molecules have two possible fates: Half are metabolized by HTGL , taken up by the LDL receptor on the liver cell surfaces, and the other half continue to lose triacylglycerols in the bloodstream until they form LDL molecules, which have the highest percentage of cholesterol within them. LDL molecules, therefore, are the major carriers of cholesterol in the blood, and each one contains approximately 1,500 molecules of cholesterol ester. The shell of the LDL molecule contains just one molecule of apolipoprotein B100, which is recognized by the LDL receptor in peripheral tissues. Upon binding of apolipoprotein B100, many LDL receptors become localized in clathrin -coated pits. Both the LDL and its receptor are internalized by endocytosis to form a vesicle within the cell. The vesicle then fuses with a lysosome , which has an enzyme called lysosomal acid lipase that hydrolyzes the cholesterol esters. Now within the cell, the cholesterol can be used for membrane biosynthesis or esterified and stored within the cell, so as to not interfere with cell membranes. Synthesis of the LDL receptor is regulated by SREBP , the same regulatory protein as was used to control synthesis of cholesterol de novo in response to cholesterol presence in the cell. When the cell has abundant cholesterol, LDL receptor synthesis is blocked so new cholesterol in the form of LDL molecules cannot be taken up. On the converse, more LDL receptors are made when the cell is deficient in cholesterol. When this system is deregulated, many LDL molecules appear in the blood without receptors on the peripheral tissues. These LDL molecules are oxidized and taken up by macrophages , which become engorged and form foam cells. These cells often become trapped in the walls of blood vessels and contribute to atherosclerotic plaque formation. Differences in cholesterol homeostasis affect the development of early atherosclerosis (carotid intima-media thickness). [ 40 ] These plaques are the main causes of heart attacks, strokes, and other serious medical problems, leading to the association of so-called LDL cholesterol (actually a lipoprotein ) with \"bad\" cholesterol. [ 39 ] Also, HDL particles are thought to transport cholesterol back to the liver for excretion or to other tissues that use cholesterol to synthesize hormones in a process known as reverse cholesterol transport (RCT). [ 41 ] Having large numbers of large HDL particles correlates with better health outcomes. [ 42 ] In contrast, having small numbers of large HDL particles is independently associated with atheromatous disease progression in the arteries. Cholesterol is susceptible to oxidation and easily forms oxygenated derivatives known as oxysterols . Three different mechanisms can form these; autoxidation, secondary oxidation to lipid peroxidation, and cholesterol-metabolizing enzyme oxidation. A great interest in oxysterols arose when they were shown to exert inhibitory actions on cholesterol biosynthesis. [ 43 ] This finding became known as the \u201coxysterol hypothesis\u201d. Additional roles for oxysterols in human physiology include their: participation in bile acid biosynthesis, function as transport forms of cholesterol, and regulation of gene transcription. [ 44 ] In biochemical experiments radiolabelled forms of cholesterol, such as tritiated-cholesterol are used. These derivatives undergo degradation upon storage and it is essential to purify cholesterol prior to use. Cholesterol can be purified using small Sephadex LH-20 columns. [ 45 ] Cholesterol is oxidized by the liver into a variety of bile acids . [ 46 ] These, in turn, are conjugated with glycine , taurine , glucuronic acid , or sulfate . A mixture of conjugated and nonconjugated bile acids, along with cholesterol itself, is excreted from the liver into the bile . Approximately 95% of the bile acids are reabsorbed from the intestines, and the remainder are lost in the feces. [ 47 ] The excretion and reabsorption of bile acids forms the basis of the enterohepatic circulation , which is essential for the digestion and absorption of dietary fats. Under certain circumstances, when more concentrated, as in the gallbladder , cholesterol crystallises and is the major constituent of most gallstones . Although, lecithin and bilirubin gallstones also occur, but less frequently. [ 48 ] Every day, up to 1 g of cholesterol enters the colon. This cholesterol originates from the diet, bile, and desquamated intestinal cells, and can be metabolized by the colonic bacteria. Cholesterol is converted mainly into coprostanol , a nonabsorbable sterol that is excreted in the feces. A cholesterol-reducing bacterium origin has been isolated from human feces. [ 49 ] [ non-primary source needed ] According to the lipid hypothesis , abnormal cholesterol levels ( hypercholesterolemia )\u00a0\u2014 actually higher concentrations of LDL particles and lower concentrations of functional HDL particles \u00a0\u2014 are strongly associated with cardiovascular disease because these promote atheroma development in arteries ( atherosclerosis ). This disease process leads to myocardial infarction (heart attack), stroke , and peripheral vascular disease . Since higher blood LDL, especially higher LDL particle concentrations and smaller LDL particle size, contribute to this process more than the cholesterol content of the HDL particles, [ 50 ] LDL particles are often termed \"bad cholesterol\" because they have been linked to atheroma formation. On the other hand, high concentrations of functional HDL, which can remove cholesterol from cells and atheroma, offer protection and are sometimes referred to as \"good cholesterol\". These balances are mostly genetically determined, but can be changed by body build, medications , food choices, and other factors. [ 51 ] Resistin , a protein secreted by fat tissue, has been shown to increase the production of LDL in human liver cells and also degrades LDL receptors in the liver . As a result, the liver is less able to clear cholesterol from the bloodstream. Resistin accelerates the accumulation of LDL in arteries, increasing the risk of heart disease. Resistin also adversely impacts the effects of statins, the main cholesterol-reducing drug used in the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease. [ 52 ] Conditions with elevated concentrations of oxidized LDL particles, especially \"small dense LDL\" (sdLDL) particles, are associated with atheroma formation in the walls of arteries , a condition known as atherosclerosis , which is the principal cause of coronary heart disease and other forms of cardiovascular disease . In contrast, HDL particles (especially large HDL) have been identified as a mechanism by which cholesterol and inflammatory mediators can be removed from atheroma. Increased concentrations of HDL correlate with lower rates of atheroma progressions and even regression. A 2007 study pooling data on almost 900,000 subjects in 61 cohorts demonstrated that blood total cholesterol levels have an exponential effect on cardiovascular and total mortality, with the association more pronounced in younger subjects. Still, because cardiovascular disease is relatively rare in the younger population, the impact of high cholesterol on health is still larger in older people. [ 53 ] Elevated levels of the lipoprotein fractions, LDL, IDL and VLDL are regarded as atherogenic (prone to cause atherosclerosis). [ 54 ] Levels of these fractions, rather than the total cholesterol level, correlate with the extent and progress of atherosclerosis. Conversely, the total cholesterol can be within normal limits, yet be made up primarily of small LDL and small HDL particles, under which conditions atheroma growth rates would still be high. Recently, a post hoc analysis of the IDEAL and the EPIC prospective studies found an association between high levels of HDL cholesterol (adjusted for apolipoprotein A-I and apolipoprotein B) and increased risk of cardiovascular disease, casting doubt on the cardioprotective role of \"good cholesterol\". [ 55 ] Elevated cholesterol levels are treated with a strict diet consisting of low saturated fat, trans fat-free, low cholesterol foods, [ 56 ] [ 57 ] often followed by one of various hypolipidemic agents , such as statins , fibrates , cholesterol absorption inhibitors, nicotinic acid derivatives or bile acid sequestrants. [ 58 ] Extreme cases have previously been treated with partial ileal bypass surgery , which has now been superseded by medication. Apheresis -based treatments are still used for very severe hyperlipidemias that are either unresponsive to treatment or require rapid lowering of blood lipids. [ citation needed ] Multiple human trials using HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, known as statins , have repeatedly confirmed that changing lipoprotein transport patterns from unhealthy to healthier patterns significantly lowers cardiovascular disease event rates, even for people with cholesterol values currently considered low for adults. [ 59 ] Studies have also found that statins reduce atheroma progression. [ 60 ] As a result, people with a history of cardiovascular disease may derive benefit from statins irrespective of their cholesterol levels (total cholesterol below 5.0\u00a0mmol\/L [193\u00a0mg\/dL]), [ 61 ] and in men without cardiovascular disease, there is benefit from lowering abnormally high cholesterol levels (\"primary prevention\"). [ 62 ] Primary prevention in women was originally practiced only by extension of the findings in studies on men, [ 63 ] since, in women, none of the large statin trials conducted prior to 2007 demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in overall mortality or in cardiovascular endpoints. [ 64 ] In 2008, a large clinical trial reported that, in apparently healthy adults with increased levels of the inflammatory biomarker high-sensitivity C-reactive protein but with low initial LDL, 20\u00a0mg\/day of rosuvastatin for 1.9 years resulted in a 44% reduction in the incidence of cardiovascular events and a 20% reduction in all-cause mortality; the effect was statistically significant for both genders. [ 65 ] Though this result was met with some skepticism, later studies and meta-analyses likewise demonstrated statistically significant (but smaller) reductions in all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, without significant heterogeneity by gender. [ 66 ] However, as today's testing methods determine LDL (\"bad\") and HDL (\"good\") cholesterol separately, this simplistic view has become somewhat outdated. The desirable LDL level is considered to be less than 100\u00a0mg\/dL (2.6 mmol \/L), [ 69 ] although a newer upper limit of 70\u00a0mg\/dL (1.8\u00a0mmol\/L) can be considered in higher-risk individuals based on some of the above-mentioned trials. A ratio of total cholesterol to HDL\u2014another useful measure\u2014of far less than 5:1 is thought to be healthier. Reference ranges for blood tests , showing usual, as well as optimal, levels of HDL, LDL and total cholesterol in mass and molar concentrations, is found in orange color at right, that is, among the blood constituents with the highest concentration. Total cholesterol is defined as the sum of HDL, LDL, and VLDL. Usually, only the total, HDL, and triglycerides are measured. For cost reasons, the VLDL is usually estimated as one-fifth of the triglycerides and the LDL is estimated using the Friedewald formula (or a variant ): estimated LDL = [total cholesterol] \u2212 [total HDL] \u2212 [estimated VLDL]. VLDL can be calculated by dividing total triglycerides by five. Direct LDL measures are used when triglycerides exceed 400\u00a0mg\/dL. The estimated VLDL and LDL have more error when triglycerides are above 400\u00a0mg\/dL. [ 70 ] Given the well-recognized role of cholesterol in cardiovascular disease, some studies have shown an inverse correlation between cholesterol levels and mortality. A 2009 study of patients with acute coronary syndromes found an association of hypercholesterolemia with better mortality outcomes. [ 71 ] In the Framingham Heart Study , in subjects over 50 years of age, they found an 11% increase overall and 14% increase in cardiovascular disease mortality per 1\u00a0mg\/dL per year drop in total cholesterol levels. The researchers attributed this phenomenon to the fact that people with severe chronic diseases or cancer tend to have below-normal cholesterol levels. [ 72 ] This explanation is not supported by the Vorarlberg Health Monitoring and Promotion Programme, in which men of all ages and women over 50 with very low cholesterol were likely to die of cancer, liver diseases, and mental diseases. This result indicates the low-cholesterol effect occurs even among younger respondents, contradicting the previous assessment among cohorts of older people that this is a proxy or marker for frailty occurring with age. [ 73 ] Abnormally low levels of cholesterol are termed hypocholesterolemia . Research into the causes of this state is relatively limited, but some studies suggest a link with depression , cancer , and cerebral hemorrhage . In general, the low cholesterol levels seem to be a consequence, rather than a cause, of an underlying illness. [ 53 ] A genetic defect in cholesterol synthesis causes Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome , which is often associated with low plasma cholesterol levels. The American Heart Association recommends testing cholesterol every five years for people aged 20 years or older. [ 76 ] A separate set of American Heart Association guidelines issued in 2013 indicates that patients taking statin medications should have their cholesterol tested 4\u201312 weeks after their first dose and then every 3\u201312 months thereafter. [ 77 ] A blood sample after 12-hour fasting is taken by a doctor, or a home cholesterol-monitoring device is used to determine a lipoprotein profile . This measures total cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol, HDL (good) cholesterol, and triglycerides. It is recommended to test cholesterol at least every five years if a person has total cholesterol of 5.2\u00a0mmol\/L or more (200+\u00a0mg\/dL), or if a man over age 45 or a woman over age 50 has HDL (good) cholesterol less than 1\u00a0mmol\/L (40\u00a0mg\/dL), or there are other risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Other risk factors for heart disease include Diabetes, Hypertension (or use of anti-hypertensive medications), low HDL, family history of CAD and hypercholesterolemia, and cigarette smoking. [ 78 ] Some cholesterol derivatives (among other simple cholesteric lipids) are known to generate the liquid crystalline \"cholesteric phase\". The cholesteric phase is, in fact, a chiral nematic phase , and it changes colour when its temperature changes. This makes cholesterol derivatives useful for indicating temperature in liquid crystal display thermometers and in temperature-sensitive paints. Cholesterol has 256 stereoisomers , although only two of them are of biochemical significance (nat-cholesterol and ent-cholesterol, [ 79 ] [ 80 ] ) and only one of them occurs naturally (nat-cholesterol). ","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Guess Who Went To The #GracoSafety Event At Babies R Us! Introducing...the new Snug Ride Click Connect 40 from Graco. Last Saturday I was invited to assist at one of the 50 VIP events that took place nationwide, and I had a blast! I took the little peanut along with me. Doesn't she look snug all tucked into her Graco MyRide? It's easy for me to be excited about Graco car seats-they're my favorite brand. I've owned seven! I was thrilled to be involved in the launch of this new car seat, and not only because I got to leave the house and go on a little road trip to Grand Rapids. No, it's also because car seat safety is something that I have always been interested in. Bored and hugely pregnant with my first child, I read article after article about how much safer it was to rear face their car seat, and made up my mind to keep my kids facing backwards until they were to big to fit. Did you know: The American Academy of Pediatrics says that \"...toddlers are more than five times safer riding rear facing in a car seat. They should stay rear facing until 2 years of age.\" We all want to keep our kids safe. Keeping them rear facing is a huge part of that! If this seat had been on the market when I was pregnant, you can bet your britches I would have wanted it. I still want it, but it turns out that collecting car seats is not something my husband approves of. Who knew? The lovely Kate from Sluiter Nation hosted the event and let us all in on the great features of the Snug Ride. There were two events back to back, and she rocked both of them. Not only did we get to spend the afternoon schmoozing and talking about fun things like how important it is to keep your child rear facing until at least two, we also got to give away TWO brand new Snug Rides! Ashleigh from Being Cheap Is Easy was our first winner, and she was thrilled. No word yet if she is going to give it away to her pregnant friend, like she said, or if she's going to keep it, like I totally would. It was such a pleasure to get to know the other bloggers that attended. Heather from Sassy Wassy Momma attended as well, and she brought along her little miss, Aurora. Kate highlighted all the great things about the seat, including the great cushy padding inside. Did you know that when you purchase a car seat, you should never add any inserts or extra padding? The addition of any extra products can reduce the effectiveness of the seat. My all time favorite part of this seat? The Snug Ride has a unique feature allowing you to adjust the harness and headrest WITHOUT undoing the straps. Have you ever removed the straps from a car seat and had to thread them back through those tiny slots, nervously making sure they are exactly right? It's a huge pain. I love that you don't have to remove the straps to adjust them as your child grows. This is my totally unscientific opinion, but I also think this will eliminate a huge chance for user error. The seat comes in two great patterns, Moonstruck (pictured at top) and Mena, which is the one we were able to get up close and personal with. We also got to play with the matching stroller! The new Snug Ride has the Click Connect technology, which means that it clicks right into the stroller and connects securely. Also, this stroller is something else. After wrestling with my huge double jogging stroller, I just about fell over when I saw how easy this one folds up. Trisha was our second winner! I can't believe we got to give away two seats. It was awesome to announce the winners! It was a pleasure to attend and assist at this event, and I'm so glad I had the opportunity. I love that I was able to learn about such a great car seat! If you want to learn more be sure to check out Graco Safety . You can also look on Instagram and Twitter under the hashtag #GracoSafety for more firsthand opinions from the other bloggers that attended the events! The Graco SnugRider Click ConnectT 40 -- the first and only newborn to two-year infant car seat that actually grows with your baby from four pounds all the way up to 40 pounds. The car seat is designed for a parent on the go. The infant car seat can be easily removed from the base and used as a carrier when the infant is small, providing portability and convenience so you can easily move your infant in and out of the car without disturbing them. The American Academy of Pediatrics recently made the recommendation to keep all children in rear-facing car seats until the age of 2. Graco set out to make this product so parents can keep infants rear facing longer while still keeping them comfortable. This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Graco. The opinions and text are all mine. Disclosure I do have affiliate links and ads on this site. Although I do make some money off these links, I never endorse a product or service that I do not believe in 100%! If you have any questions about a particular link, feel free to use the contact button to get in touch with me. In addition, although I do link to other sites and may participate in linkups\/blog parties\/giveaways, that does not mean that I agree with all statements posted on those sites. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"21 of the most AMAZING rainbow cakes that you'll ever see (recipes included) Bright colours, pots of gold, blue skies...what's not to love about a rainbow birthday party? Especially when one of these gorgeous cakes takes center stage. We're obsessed, and we've rounded up recipes and easy-peasy tips for recreating them without the fuss. Colourful Cupcakes We love how simple these rainbow cupcakes are to make: Just buy a few boxes of vanilla cake mix, make the batter and then separate it into five bowls. Add food colouring to get the colours of the rainbow, and then pour each colour into the cupcake pan one layer at a time. (For the best results, follow this tip: After pouring each layer, dip your finger in water to smooth over the mix before pouring the next -- it keeps the colours from blending together.) And once they're out of the oven and cooled, add a dollop of vanilla icing on top for the cloud. Cotton Candy Treats It's not just a rainbow-coloured confection, it's shaped like a rainbow, too! To make, simply bake a round cake, let it cool and then use a 7-9cm round cutter (see it here ) to cut a hole out of the middle. Then, cut the cake in half to make the arch shape. To finish, cover the pieces in vanilla icing, top with M&M's and stick pieces of blue candy floss to the ends to make clouds. (Add those just before serving, so the candy floss doesn't disintegrate!) Six Layers of Love It's not a cake pop -- it's a cake stick ! To make this sweet treat, start by baking six vanilla cakes -- each dyed a different rainbow shade with food colouring. Once they're cooled, use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut pieces out. Then ice the tops of all with vanilla icing and layer on a stick. Done -- and yum! Rainbow Mosaic This modern take on the classic rainbow cake looks beautiful -- and it isn't as tough to recreate as you might think. After baking (or buying) square-shaped cakes, ice the layers with vanilla buttercream -- as smooth as you can get it -- and carefully press in bright candy pieces. Cut-up licorice pieces, even Jelly Bellies will work! Rainbows and Sunshine Our favourite cakes are the ones that are easy to make and pretty, too! This super-simple rainbow beauty is just four circular cakes (of any flavour) stacked on top of each other and smothered in bands of colored icing, topped with a cloud of white seven-minute icing . And that sunshine? It's made out of fondant pieces, but we bet you could make it yourself with a piping bag of yellow icing, too. Good Buy Just like an actual rainbow, this candy-covered cake is a joy to see! Here's a piece of news that'll make you just as happy: all parts of this cake are store-bought. You heard us. You'll need to get a cheesecake and various colours of M&M's, and then cover in concentric circles of colour. That's it -- time to party! Rainbow Bites What's better than rainbow cupcakes? Cupcakes arranged to make a rainbow! This beautiful display is perfect for a party and super easy to do: all you need is food colouring, cake mix and some buttercream icing. Add matching sprinkles, arrange in a rainbow shape and you're done! Biggest Surprise Somewhere over the rainbow -- or when you cut into this colourful cake -- little birdies fly in excitement! Imagine the delight in their eyes when this seemingly all-white dessert transforms into colour as you cut the first piece. Need help on all those layers? Martha Stewart did, too. No, seriously: watch it here . Easy Treats Those sugar-lovin', sweets-hoarding kiddos of yours will go ga-ga over this candy cake . Behind that Kit-Kat fence and under that endless pile of M&M's is a two-layer cake that you lovingly made. (Or, you know, bought at the shop and just decorated.) Either way, they'll think you're the coolest mum ever. Pretty in Pastel We love this subtle take on rainbow birthday cupcakes: sweet pastel icing with carefully-carved white fondant on top to let the pretty colours underneath show through. If you're stumped on how to make those delicate designs -- check out the how-to tips here . Pot O' Purple A riot of rainbow sprinkles on the outside plus five gorgeous (purple!) layers of ombre-dyed cake inside make this confection a sweet standout. Even better: making this cake is way easier than it looks -- follow the instructions here . Like, Snap Don't be fooled by these cute-as-can-be cupcakes . They're easy! Buy plain cupcakes at the supermarket  (we won't tell, promise) and a spectrum of fondant colours to cut into circles and form into rainbow shapes. Or take an even simpler approach -- buy the  pre-made fondant shapes. Done and done . Jarred in a Jiffy Everything out of the jar tastes better (and is more fun to eat): pickles, jam, and... cake, of course! Unlike pickling, jarred rainbow cake is super simple -- just spoon layers of dyed batter into the jar, place in a shallow dish filled with a -inch of water, and pop it in the oven for 35 minutes. To serve: top with whipped cream and sprinkles. A is For... Need some inspiration for your little builder's birthday? Pay tribute to his favoruite toy with this personalised alphabet block ! To ahem, build, you'll need four square layers of cake, icing to glue 'em together, and fondant to cover the cube. In the Pink Now this is the kind of gumdrops-and-Carebears rainbow cake we're talkin' about. The six colourful layers hidden inside might seem daunting, but they make a heck of a vibrant surprise! The rainbow pieces can be made ahead of time using royal icing. And best of all: There's no fondant! Just yummy buttercream. Check out the recipe here . Rainbow Love O.M.G.: a dazzling of array of fondant flowers and rainbow coloured layers?! Swoon -- times two. We admit it, this one requires some effort -- but these concise step-by-step photos and tips will help guide you. Wittily Wonderful We love a cake with a sense of humour, and this fun, iced leprechaun trap cake fits the bill. Use an angel food cake pan to make the secret rainbow inside and a textured piping bag for the grassy terrain. The trap is simply pretzel sticks across the hole in the middle, and the ladder is pretzel sticks held together with chocolate candy melts. And the bait? Chocolate \"gold\" of course! Thrilled for Frills This happy stack of wonder looks pretty darn cool -- and contains no dairy! To make it, first dye, bake and stack six 8-inch layers. Then fill up a piping bag with one colour at a time and use a rose tip to make layers of frilly ruffles. Super Stack We can't decide what we love more: the adorable unicorn cake topper (notice the rainbow hor), the simple white icing covering a hidden rainbow inside or the festive coloured garland decorating the outside. If you need a recipe to use, try this similar cake from Whisk Kid . Rainbow Times Two It's a no-brainer: One rainbow is good, but two are definitely better -- and this cake totally delivers. Bake, stack and frost six 9-inch layers (dying each a different colour) and then get creative with the rainbow decorations on top: Skittles, marshmallows, M&M's -- they all work! ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Life has changed so much in a year. I've come so so far that it's quite unbelievable, I feel like I've lept into the real world and suddenly it's not as bad as it all once seemed. I've done so much for myself, grown so much as a person, and I'm the happiest I've ever been. My first year at Uni has been amazing. It wasn't easy to begin with, but some amazing friends helped me to get through it. I challanged myself in ways I never thought I would. I've a large collection of friends now, all willing me on and supporting me through thick and thin. I've done more for other people, things which have helped me as well as them. I've had so much fun doing it as well. Building gardens, doing parades, helping at Open Days, Street collections, and the countless charity events at the Union. It's all been so much fun. I've been awarded for my commitment, I've clocked up my volunteering hours and been awarded for that too. I have an amazing boyfriend now. He treats me like an angel.. he's so understanding of everything. He's helped make me happy. I'm healthier than I've been in a long time too. I'm happy with my weight now and damn it feels good. For once I can say \"I look good, I feel good, Everything is good.\" and mean it. I've moved on from RYL now. I no longer feel the need to come on here for support. I come on here to read general posts, and even then I rarely reply. It's been a great support when I have needed it, but I feel I've moved on now. I hope I've managed to give a little bit back in the 4 years that I've been here, but I guess I'll never really know. Not only have I moved on from RYL, I've moved on in my life.. the past IS behind me now. Last week I ripped up all my old diaries and threw them out. It's all gone now and it feels like there's a weight been lifted from my shoulders. RYL has been a big part of my life, and some of the people I've met through here I will never forget. They've become friends who I wish to keep for life. But I guess we all have to move on at some point, and for me, this is it. But I don't believe in saying Goodbye, because more than likely I'll still be around, and i'll still speak to some of you.. so this isn't a goodbye, more of a See you later. Thank-you to RYL, all the staff and most importantly all the members who have helped me through the difficult times. its so good to hear things are better for you. The even better part is that you have gotten to a stage in your life where you don't need ryl i am happy things are going well and i hope they continue to keep getting better for you. if you ever need us we are here though. See you soooooon :) I'm so glad to read this from you - I know you would've never believed me if I'd said you would've written something like this in a few months time last year so YAYYYYY. Take care of yourself Stephaaaannie. Loveyou. xx \"Be nice. Think happy thoughts. Champion silver linings. Love all things (not just cute things like babies and kittens) & when you do love - love like they do in power ballads (you know like on a cliff with the wind in your hair and your eyes shut, knowing you'll never know love like this). Watch out for dog poo. Smile at people - even grumpy ones. Remember anything is possible & whatever you do always try to look on the bright side.\" ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"My friend who is pretty boss at highschool only got an offer from aqquanis(or whatever the **** its called), so I'm not feeling very confident. Ahahahahahahahahahaha, I'd rather flat tbqh. He's going to be on a massive hill where you need a shuttle to get to and from uni or even town. He'll also be in a hall combined with inbreds and scum. To be fair there are a few GCs My friend who is pretty boss at highschool only got an offer from aqquanis(or whatever the **** its called), so I'm not feeling very confident. Otago has changed from what I hear. It's a lot harder for the average joe to get a place in the halls. When I was in first year it was just starting to get really popular. I got offered Aranna (or something) which isn't meant to even be the best, and ended up taking Weir at Victoria which is the best (in Wellington). Ahahahahahahahahahaha, I'd rather flat tbqh. He's going to be on a massive hill where you need a shuttle to get to and from uni or even town. He'll also be in a hall combined with inbreds and scum. To be fair there are a few GCs If he got a shithouse like that then there is 0% chance that I'll get into anything. My credintals include; Headboy of primary school 1st 6 lawnbowls team 1st 7 netball team (did it for the bitches and fame) House debator (best speaker) 2x final winning rugby teams gpforums member + custom tag If he's sleeping in my gutter he better prepare to be the small spoon. --- JvJ wrote: I woke up this morning thinking \"shit, we don't have enough drunk mods.. ****.. what are we going to do about this serious problem? If only Kelso would stick his hand up as a completely pissed and utterly useless asshole\". Otago has changed from what I hear. It's a lot harder for the average joe to get a place in the halls. When I was in first year it was just starting to get really popular. I got offered Aranna (or something) which isn't meant to even be the best, and ended up taking Weir at Victoria which is the best (in Wellington). Arana is pretty good, but there is not necessarily a 'best' hall - each has it's positives and negatives. Except for Salmond, Aquainas and City Col which are just shit. ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Journal titles can be a problem for the medical researcher. This is because the editors of some publications require that references should give full journal titles, and other editors require that references should give abbreviated journal titles. For example, JAMA specifies that authors should \"abbreviate names of journals according to Index Medicus \". Many other medical journals, including The Medical Journal of Australia , follow the same policy. On the other hand, some journals (for example, The British Journal of Psychiatry ) require journal titles to be given in full. The Index Medicus abbreviations are the abbreviations used in the Medline\/PubMed database. These abbreviations are assigned by the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), and are sometimes known as the \"NLM abbreviations\" or \"Medline abbreviations\". There are also other systems of journal abbreviations in use: always check the \"instructions for authors\" of the journal to which you are submitting your paper to find the style of abbreviation required. EndNote copes with the problem of journal abbreviations by means of its term lists . A term list can be set up for any field in an EndNote reference, but the term list linked to the Journal field is particularly sophisticated, because it allows you to store not only the titles of all the journals which appear in your EndNote library, but also up to three different abbreviations for each of those titles. It is possible to import ready-made term lists into your EndNote library. The University of Queensland Library has produced a medical journals term list which is based on a list prepared by the makers of the EndNote software, augmented by further titles which have begun publication in recent years. The medical journals term list records titles of journals indexed in the Medline\/PubMed database. For each of those titles, it gives the full title, the Index Medicus\/Medline\/PubMed abbreviation and the same abbreviation with stops after each element. Note that there are some journal titles that do not appear in the medical journals term list (see section 6 below). NOTE: A journals term list is specific to a particular EndNote library. If you have more than one EndNote library, you will need to create a journals term list for each library. Now that you have imported the journals term list, you will have to make sure that the EndNote output styles which you use are configured to select the correct column in that list. For example, if you were submitting a paper to JAMA , which requires Index Medicus abbreviations of journal titles, the output style would have to be configured to take journal titles from the third column (?Abbreviation 2?) of your journals term list. To check the configuration of the output style: Click on Edit>Output Styles>Open Style Manager Highlight the style named \"J Amer Medical Association\" Click on the Edit button When the edit window opens, you will see a number of options on the left-hand side. Click on Journal Names . When the new screen appears, the option Abbreviation 2 should be checked, as shown below. This output style is correctly configured, and requires no editing. Click on the X button to close the edit window. Not all styles will be correctly configured. Some will have to be edited. For example , look at the output style for the British Journal of Psychiatry , which requires that journal titles be given in full, without abbreviation. Check the output style for the British Journal of Psychiatry , following the instructions given above ( section 3 ). With this output style, the option checked under Journal Names is Don't Replace . This means that when formatting your paper, EndNote will ignore the journals term list and simply use whatever appears in the Journal field in each of your references. NOTE: This is not a problem, if you are sure that you have always used full journal titles in your references, but if you have imported references from Medline\/PubMed with abbreviated journal titles, then these abbreviated titles will appear in your formatted paper. If you want EndNote to use the ?Full Journal? column from your journals term list, then you will have to edit the style to reflect this. When you import references into your EndNote library using a filter or connection file, or when you input references manually yourself, EndNote will automatically update your Journals term list . The Journal field in each reference will be checked against every entry in the term list (including the abbreviations). If EndNote does not find a matching entry in the term list, it will insert the new journal title into the first column of the term list. If you are importing references with abbreviated titles in the Journal field, the automatic updating of the Journals term list could cause problems. If the abbreviation is not already in the Journals term list, it will be added to the first column (?Full Journal?). To avoid this, you can disable the automatic updating of the term lists. To disable automatic updating of terms: Select Edit>Preferences When the dialogue box opens, highlight Term Lists in the left-hand frame Uncheck the options ?Update lists when importing or pasting references? and ?Update lists during data entry? When importing references to your library from the Ovid Medline database via the UQ Library web server, we suggest that you use one of the filters which can be downloaded from the UQ Library web server. These filters have been configured so that they will import both the full journal title and the abbreviated journal title. The abbreviated journal title will be imported into the Journal field of each reference, and the full title will be imported into the Alternate Journal field, or vice versa, depending on which filter you have chosen. If you are importing references from the PubMed database, the references will give only the abbreviated journal title. However, as long as this abbreviation matches one of the abbreviations in the medical journals term list, EndNote will be able to identify the full journal title for it when formatting papers using an output style that is configured to use full journal titles. If you are importing references from other databases , e.g. Biological Abstracts or PsycInfo, the reference will probably have the full journal title, as most databases no longer use abbreviated journal titles. However, as long as this title matches one of the titles in the medical journals term list, EndNote will be able to identify the Index Medicus abbreviation for it when formatting papers using an output style that is configured to use those abbreviations. When you are inputting references manually , you will have to use the full journal title, as you are unlikely to know the Index Medicus abbreviation. Again, as long as this title matches one of the titles in the medical journals term list, EndNote will be able to identify the Index Medicus abbreviation for it when formatting papers using an output style that is configured to use those abbreviations. The abbreviations used by Medline\/PubMed are not the only abbreviations used by journal editors. Check the ?instructions for authors? of the journal to which you are submitting your paper. Even if you follow all the instructions given above, there will still be occasional problems with journal titles when you are formatting papers with EndNote. a. Using an output style configured to use ?Abbreviation 2?, some journals still appear in full This means that there is no entry for that journal abbreviation in your journals term list. Check the reference in your EndNote library. If you imported the reference from Medline using one of the UQ Library filters or connection files (see above, section 5 ), then both the full and abbreviated title should appear in your reference, in the Journal field and the Alternate Journal field. Check the journal title in LocatorPlus , the online catalogue of the U.S. National Library of Medicine If the journal title is listed, there should be a ?Title Abbreviation? field in the catalogue record, giving the official NLM abbreviation. When you have found the correct abbreviation, edit your Journals term list to include it (see below, section 7 ). If you cannot locate an official abbreviation for this journal title, then the editor of the publication to which you are submitting the paper will probably prefer that you cite the journal title in full. b. Using an output style configured to use ?Full Journal Name?, some journals still appear in abbreviated form This means that you have imported some references with abbreviated journal names, and those abbreviations did not match any of the abbreviations in your Journals term list. Check the reference in your EndNote library. If you imported the reference from Medline using one of the UQ Library filters or connection files (see above, section 5 ), then both the full and abbreviated title should appear in your reference, in the Journal field and the Alternate Journal field. When new journals begin publication, or existing journals change their titles, you will have to edit your Journals term list to insert the new titles. Sometimes you may also need to delete entries, for example when an abbreviated title has found its way into the Full Journals list. To edit the Journals term list: Open your EndNote library Click on Tools>Open Term Lists>Journals Term List Click on the New Term button A dialogue box will open. Enter the full title in the ?Full Journal? window and the Index Medicus abbreviation in the ?Abbreviation 2? window. ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Burrow quietly advanced through the opening rounds of competition, building momentum throughout the latter rounds while punctuating his efforts on the final day with an amazing variety of forehand maneuvers. Burrow toppled young Brazilian Gabriel Medina (BRA), 18, and goofy-footer Travis Logie (ZAF), 33, en route to the Final against compatriot Wilkinson. Both Burrow and Wilkinson opened up strongly, but struggled to secure a solid backup score. Wilkinson had an opportunity in the dying moments, but couldn't hold on during a third critical maneuver and came up just short. \"This win feels incredible,\" Burrow said. \"It happens sometimes where you never feel like you have the best heats. I was kind of in the zone. I never really had a good heat the whole event, but I still felt good. It's such a tricky wave and I guess the only thing that helped was my wave count. That Final was the battle of the back-ups. We both stacked it on a couple and we were in a fluster. Wilko (Matt Wilkinson) fell on that last one and he would have got the score, but I'll take it.\" Burrow's win marks his second of the season after snatching the opening event on the Gold Coast of Australia. Western Australia's favorite son now sits at No. 6 on the 2012 ASP WCT rankings. \"I really wanted to win another event this year, especially since I'm out of the race for the title,\" Burrow said. \"That's pretty depressing, but I'm really happy that it just fell in to place here in Santa Cruz. To get two wins in a year, I've only done that once before so I'm really happy with that.\" Wilkinson, a former winner at the venue in 2010, continued his lethal backhand assault at Steamer Lane, belting the day's highest heat total of 17.73 while defeating Adriano de Souza (BRA), 25, and Michel Bourez (PYF), 26, to attain his first ASP WCT Final appearance. \"I was stoked when I made it through the third round,\" Wilkinson said. \"Every heat after that, I just kept building. I felt amazing. I was getting 9s and backing them up. All year I've been dropping one big score. Out here, I felt like I was getting better every heat. I had that one that would have been a 9 if I made it out of that last turn.\" Wilkinson was in desperate need of a result entering the O'Neill Coldwater Classic ranked 30th on the ASP WCT rankings. \"I was starting to freak out,\" Wilkinson said. \"I didn't want it to be left up to Hawaii needing points. Anything can happen there. There's a bunch of locals in the contest so it's not like any other event. You have to surf more rounds than usual and the more down the list you are the harder it is because you have to surf more rounds. I'm definitely happy to have these points heading in to Hawaii.\" Today's Runner-Up finish vaults Wilkinson up to 22nd on the ASP WCT rankings and 15th on the ASP World Rankings, solidifying his requalification position for the 2013 ASP Top 34. Michel Bourez (PYF), 26, marched to his best result of the year, besting veteran Damien Hobgood (USA), 33, and Jeremy Flores (FRA), 24, with an amazing array of powerful carving turns on his forehand. Unfortunately for the Tahitian, he was unable to put a stop to Wilkinson's progressive backhand approach in the Semifinals and finished Equal 3rd overall. \"It was a good event for more,\" Bourez said. \"I'm frustrated that I didn't have a better Semifinal. I feel like I haven't had the best year and I was having a good event this week. My son is here with me and my family is my life. They have been my inspiration this week.\" Travis Logie (ZAF), 33, was another deadly backhander at Steamer Lane, besting current ASP WCT rankings' leader Joel Parkinson (AUS), 31, in the Quarterfinals while securing his best result of 2012, an Equal 3rd place finish. Logie's tear continued in the Semifinals, posting an excellent 8.33 against Taj Burrow, but the South African was unable to find a backup score against the Australian, finishing just shy of the Final. \"I'm pretty stoked with how I surfed in this event,\" Logie said. \"I'm really disappointed because I had one really good one in that heat and I feel like I just needed an average one to make that heat. Taj has been ripping though and congratulations to him.\" Logie, who entered the O'Neill Coldwater Classic ranked 26th, vaults up the rankings to 17th, compliments of his 3rd place finish in Santa Cruz, revitalizing his campaign to requalify for the 2013 ASP WCT. \"This result is huge for me,\" Logie said. \"These points are massive. I was looking pretty out of it going in to this event and a third place here shoots me quite a bit up the rankings. I'm still not home and dry, but hopefully in Hawaii I can make up some points.\" Kelly Slater (USA), 40, current ASP WCT No. 2, struggled to find a rhythm in his Round 4 bout against Adriano de Souza, finishing equal 9th overall. Despite Slater's early exit from the event, a 9th place finish replaces his last-place injury points from Brazil, exponentially narrowing the ratings' gap with current frontrunner, Parkinson. \"I haven't looked at the numbers, but it's funny enough, I gained a couple thousand points,\" Slater said. \"Joel (Parkinson) dropped a 9th and gained a 5th and I dropped a 500 and gained about 3,000 points. It's a huge opportunity lost for Joel (Parkinson).\" Heading into the final event of the year, three surfers remain mathematically in contention for the 2012 ASP World Title: Joel Parkinson (AUS), 31, Kelly Slater (AUS), 40, and Mick Fanning (AUS), 31. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"If you want me to stay I'll be around today To be available for you to see I'm about to go there Then you'll know For me to stay here I've got to be me You'll never be in doubt That's what it's all about You can't take me for granted and smile Count the days I'm gone Forget reachin' me by phone Cause I promise I'll be gone for a while And when you see me again I hope that you have been The kind of person That you really are now You got to get it straight How could I ever be late When you're my woman Taking up my time Oh how could I ever allow I guess I wonder how I could get out a pocket for fun When you know that You're never number two Number one's gonna be number one I'll be good I wish I could Get this message over to you now When you see me again I hope that you have been The kind of person That you really are now I'll be so good I wish I could Get this message over to you now All lyrics are property and copyright of their respective authors, artists and labels. All lyrics provided for educational purposes only. Please support the artists by purchasing related recordings and merchandise. ","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Mugged in Disney Court ACT Policing is seeking witnesses to an aggravated robbery which occurred early this morning (Sunday, April 15) in Belconnen. Around 12.37am a 24-year-old man arrived at his home in Disney Court Belconnen after finishing work. As the man parked in his driveway he was approached by three men. The man had a brief conversation with the group before one of the men produced a knife and made threats towards the victim and demanded cash. The victim complied with the demand, and handed the man a sum of cash. The group of men also took some of the victim's motorcycle gear before running off towards College Street in Belconnen. All three male offenders are described as being Caucasian in appearance and around 16-years-of-age with slim to medium builds. One of the offenders was wearing a grey coloured hooded jumper, tracksuit pants and runners. Another of the offenders was described as wearing a grey or black cardigan, jeans and casual shoes. Acting Duty Superintendent Daryl Neit said it's important to remember your safety in situations such as this. Police are urging anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity around Disney Court or College Street Belconnen early this morning to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via the website at www.act.crimestoppers.com.au . Now that the red van has closed there is nothing keeping them off the streets. [quote comment=\"399766\"][quote comment=\"399745\"]The thief wore a cardigan?[\/quote] Hipsters are mugging people now, apparently.[\/quote] Now that the red van has closed there is nothing keeping them off the streets. This must have been terrifying for the victim, and I shouldn't make a joke... But: 'Another of the offenders was described as wearing...casual shoes.' In my day, muggers wore spats. I'm waiting for the return of the ripple soled boots [quote comment=\"399777\"]This must have been terrifying for the victim, and I shouldn't make a joke... But: 'Another of the offenders was described as wearing...casual shoes.' In my day, muggers wore spats.[\/quote] I'm waiting for the return of the ripple soled boots As soon as i saw this all i could think was could there have been a mucical score that this event could have gone along to? Victim(thinking to themselves): It means no worries For the rest of your days It's my problem-free philosophy Hakuna Matata! (Change in musical score to denote something bad is happening to the protanonist.) (Sung to the tune of \"A whole new world\") Mugger: I can show you my knife Shining, shimmering, splendid Tell me, princess, your money, your life You must now decide. Victim: This is new in my world A not so fantastic point of view I scream out no With no where to go I hope i'm only dreaming Thats all i've got, it was starting to get silly and i havent had coffee yet. As soon as i saw this all i could think was could there have been a mucical score that this event could have gone along to? Victim(thinking to themselves): It means no worries For the rest of your days It's my problem-free philosophy Hakuna Matata! (Change in musical score to denote something bad is happening to the protanonist.) (Sung to the tune of \"A whole new world\") Mugger: I can show you my knife Shining, shimmering, splendid Tell me, princess, your money, your life You must now decide. Victim: This is new in my world A not so fantastic point of view I scream out no With no where to go I hope i'm only dreaming Thats all i've got, it was starting to get silly and i havent had coffee yet. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Seeing as the tour hasn't been all that interesting, I thought it might be interesting to discuss some of the GC battles we have seen with the WAGs of cycling. I've never been a fan of Twitter, but after reading several of the quoted tweets on here, I decided to visit some of the girlfriend's twitters on here. There was an early exchange between Cath Wiggins and Michelle Cound, which was rather funny to see. Wiggins seems to be one of those ardent defenders, and hunts down twitter to call out anyone saying bad things about Bradley. As the tour went on, MichelleCound's tweets had me worrying for Chris Froome, she seemed to stir things up a lot and many of her tweets seemed to be deleted? I guess Cav must like big boobies, as Peta doesn't seem the brightest lady. What has been the highlight for you all? kanto wrote: Seeing as the tour hasn't been all that interesting, I thought it might be interesting to discuss some of the GC battles we have seen with the WAGs of cycling. I've never been a fan of Twitter, but after reading several of the quoted tweets on here, I decided to visit some of the girlfriend's twitters on here. There was an early exchange between Cath Wiggins and Michelle Cound, which was rather funny to see. Wiggins seems to be one of those ardent defenders, and hunts down twitter to call out anyone saying bad things about Bradley. As the tour went on, MichelleCound's tweets had me worrying for Chris Froome, she seemed to stir things up a lot and many of her tweets seemed to be deleted? I guess Cav must like big boobies, as Peta doesn't seem the brightest lady. What has been the highlight for you all? What a patronising post. I can tell you're not a journalist either. Two \"interesting\"s in the opening sentence. In the second sentence, two \"Twitter\"s. Then you say \"boobies\" and somehow connect her physique to her intellect. I have never met or even seen the lady, but if I were her I'd give you a good hard shove on the left shoulder, frankly. kanto wrote: I guess Cav must like big boobies, as Peta doesn't seem the brightest lady. She's pretty smart - don't get get fooled by stereotypes. On YouTube there's videos of her talking part in a debate at Durham University - she talks very engagingly for ten minutes at a time without notes. kanto wrote: Seeing as the tour hasn't been all that interesting, I thought it might be interesting to discuss some of the GC battles we have seen with the WAGs of cycling. I've never been a fan of Twitter, but after reading several of the quoted tweets on here, I decided to visit some of the girlfriend's twitters on here. There was an early exchange between Cath Wiggins and Michelle Cound, which was rather funny to see. Wiggins seems to be one of those ardent defenders, and hunts down twitter to call out anyone saying bad things about Bradley. As the tour went on, MichelleCound's tweets had me worrying for Chris Froome, she seemed to stir things up a lot and many of her tweets seemed to be deleted? I guess Cav must like big boobies, as Peta doesn't seem the brightest lady. What has been the highlight for you all? What a patronising post. I can tell you're not a journalist either. Two \"interesting\"s in the opening sentence. In the second sentence, two \"Twitter\"s. Then you say \"boobies\" and somehow connect her physique to her intellect. I have never met or even seen the lady, but if I were her I'd give you a good hard shove on the left shoulder, frankly. kanto wrote: Seeing as the tour hasn't been all that interesting, I thought it might be interesting to discuss some of the GC battles we have seen with the WAGs of cycling. I've never been a fan of Twitter, but after reading several of the quoted tweets on here, I decided to visit some of the girlfriend's twitters on here. There was an early exchange between Cath Wiggins and Michelle Cound, which was rather funny to see. Wiggins seems to be one of those ardent defenders, and hunts down twitter to call out anyone saying bad things about Bradley. As the tour went on, MichelleCound's tweets had me worrying for Chris Froome, she seemed to stir things up a lot and many of her tweets seemed to be deleted? I guess Cav must like big boobies, as Peta doesn't seem the brightest lady. What has been the highlight for you all? What a patronising post. I can tell you're not a journalist either. Two \"interesting\"s in the opening sentence. In the second sentence, two \"Twitter\"s. Then you say \"boobies\" and somehow connect her physique to her intellect. I have never met or even seen the lady, but if I were her I'd give you a good hard shove on the left shoulder, frankly. You're a very sensitive\/wet\/humourless character aren't you?! HAH. I'm a woman. Does that automatically make me sensitive, wet, and humourless to defend the women which the OP automatically slags off\/dismisses\/makes chauvinistic remarks about? \"A no-nonsense Northerner who you take on at your peril. Probably wears the trousers in the Wiggins household. Uses her Twitter account to settle scores and vent her spleen over various perceived injustices, ranging from customer service at her local equestrian centre to the ridiculous costumes worn by Tour de France spectators. I used to be one of her 6,000 followers until I dared disagree with her over something and she ordered me to \"unfollow her\". Being a gentleman(and coward), I complied.\" ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"As I Lay Dying Interview We recently caught up with As I Lay Dying frontman, Tim Lambesis, whilst they were touring the UK with Trivium. Following the release of their recent studio release, Awakened, the band are currently touring Europe with Florida metallers, Trivium. OMG: Summer 2012 had some pretty awesome highlights, namely the Mayhem Festival tour and playing Download 2012 in the UK, were there any other highlights that I've missed, and what was your favourite moment of this summer? TIM: It's all a blur because there's been so much travelling; it's hard to remember real specifics but the Mayhem Tour was a good experience for us because it's that festival atmosphere every day, but we get to re-live it 40 days in a row, so that was pretty exciting. OMG: So you've just released \"Awakened,\" how do you write a song, do you have a specific method and process or is it different for every track? TIM: It's a little different for each track, the general idea is that five of us will start working on individual ideas and start emailing each other those ideas, for everybody in the band we'll program some basic drums, and start layering guitars over it. In some cases the ideas being emailed back and forth are pretty much completed songs, and in other cases they're just a collection of riffs that we finish as a band when we get together in a traditional rehearsal environment. Instrumentally when we're happy with the song, I start evaluating which of the lyrics I have written fit the feeling of the song, and start to match those together at that point. OMG: Did the process for \"Awakened\" differ from how you normally write a record or is it pretty much the same across the board? TIM: That didn't really start until \"Shadows Are Security,\" which was when we started first demoing stuff with the drum machine before we practiced it acoustically in a rehearsal environment, and then of course modern recording got a little bit easier and easier, so each album became a little bit more developed as far as the overall ideas. Back when we wrote \"Shadows Are Security\" (2005) we had these incomplete songs and then we'd really need that time together to jam them out. By the time we wrote Awakened, all of us were so good at recording in our individual environments that the jamming process and rehearsing was more to make it feel alive and natural, but the actual creative part of the song writing was primarily done by that point. The other differing factor with \"Awakened\" is that (bassist) Josh Gilbert was a very big songwriter on this record. He joined the band at An Ocean Between Us, and by the time Awakened came round he wrote about half the record, instrumentally. OMG: \"My Only Home\" was beautifully written, and to me it sounds like quite a sand song. I know it's about touring and being away from home on a general scale isn't it? Are there any points where you really think, \"I want to go back home to California\"? TIM: ...Yeah, usually most days I miss home, and if there was a way to be home but still make a living playing music I would do that in a heartbeat, but the catch is that as a profession this is what I'm passionate about and then as my personal life what I'm passionate about is my loved ones back home, so those two are at a conflict with each other. The only thing I can do is find a balance where if I'm gone for a month on tour then I find a month to be home, and just even it out that way. OMG: Absolutely. So how did the recording experience go with Bill Stevenson, and how did it compare to recording \"The Powerless Rise\" with Adam D from Killswitch? TIM: With Adam and us we really agreed on a lot, we all have a similar background as far as our taste in the way that we like to write metal goes. When it came to working with Bill we wanted somebody who had a different background and maybe, even if they were bad ideas, throw different ideas our way. Bill definitely understands underground music; he gets the mentality that we have. He's not a metalhead through and through, he just appreciates it, so his ideas were big picture kind of things, he didn't care about really small intricacies of guitar parts, he cared more about how the song flowed as a whole. We have very concise and well-structured songs as a result of Bill. OMG: So what do you get up to when you're not on tour or in the studio? TIM: Besides just catching up with my loved ones back home I own a recording studio so I'm there a little bit. I'm (travelling so much that) I try to just get myself organized at home, so I lead as much of a boring life as possible, I know it sounds weird but that's what's exciting to me in contrast, compared to what I normally do. OMG: Did you ever think As I Lay Dying would get to where it is today from when you started out? TIM: No, I always viewed the music we played as pretty underground. When we first started we were, I guess, one of the earlier metalcore bands, and the combination of the heavy rhythmic parts with the metal riffing was pretty abrasive. To me it technically still is. To a completely mainstream audience, it's still a little too overbearing for them and I felt like it would always feel that way. And then the metal genre as a whole has had some changes and trends and we, with Killswitch Engage and a few other bands opened the door for a newer modern era of metal that seems to be pretty readily accepted now. I didn't view that happening when we started the band. OMG: What's your favourite song off \"Awakened\" and why? TIM: I think for me I enjoy listening to \"Wasted Words,\" because it's not incredibly different, but it's enough of a different style of chorus, and a different style of song, that it has it's own identity for me. Leave A Comment  Search Social Media Message the Studio About One Media Group One Media Group is Staffordshire University's student managed media outlet, producing radio, television and online content. We are based on both Stoke and Stafford campuses and aim to cover everything uni-related, including news, events, music and entertainment. ","labels":"Other","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"MOST people in their 20s or 30s already know that love and money don't mix. It's all very well falling for someone's unworldly charm, but it's considerably less romantic two years on when you want to buy a house and your partner refuses to save any money or think beyond next week. Fiona Price, managing director of independent financial advisers Fiona Price & Partners, says she tells clients that being open about money is as important as all the other intimate details you reveal to your partner. \"It's very sensible to know what's in your partner's bank balance,\" she says.\"You should assume that your relationship is going to work out - but if it doesn't, you should be able to walk away with some financial independence.\" Being open about money doesn't mean you have to agree every transaction with your partner, and you shouldn't sling out your separate current accounts along with your single status. Independent financial adviser Christine Ross, director of Willis National, says: \"A lot of people keep one bank account separate; you don't want to know how much your partner spent on your birthday present.\" Ms Price says the key to avoiding disagreements about who owes what is to have a joint account for bills and other expenses. Add up how much you'll need to put in the kitty each month and each agree to pay a fair percentage. \"Quite often what causes problems is that a couple put in 50 per cent each, taking no account of the fact that one earns more than the other,\" says Ms Price. Banks can be unenthusiastic when couples set up a joint account that is dedicated to paying bills, especially if the current accounts are held elsewhere. However, the Co-Op Bank's Pathfinder is a savings account that lets you set up standing orders and direct debits for all bills, and you also get Visa\/Delta cards. It's also useful for any joint short-term savings you may want to make: interest is paid at 2.5 per cent up to pounds 2,500, and up to pounds 5,000 earns 4 per cent gross. Many married people like to keep their building society or bank savings separate from their partner's, if only to give an illusion of independence. But if one of you is a 40 per cent taxpayer and the other isn't, it does make sense to put savings in the lower- earner's name to save tax. The picture is different if you aren't married. \"There could be a hell of an argument if unmarried people split up after having set up joint savings,\" says Ms Ross. \"Remember that when you have a joint account, either partner could draw out all the money.\" A good compromise are the \"linked\" savings accounts offered by Direct Line and Standard Life. You both have separate accounts in your own names but all the money is pooled for interest calculation, so you get a higher overall rate. You are especially vulnerable if you've moved in with a partner but have no official share in the house. Even if you pay half the mortgage, you have no automatic rights. \"There's no such thing as a common-law husband or wife,\" says Ms Ross. \"The burden of proof is on the person who doesn't own it to prove they've contributed.\" Married people benefit to an extent from the married couple's tax allowance, currently worth pounds 274.50 a year. If you're getting married in the near future you'll need to ask for form 11PA to claim the money, all of which automatically goes to the husband unless you ask for a different arrangement. (Be warned: deviating from the \"norm\" involves a lot of complicated form- filling. The Inland Revenue seems unable to cope with the idea that a wife might fill in the claim form.) Finally, everyone in a relationship should make a will. If you die without making a will and aren't married, your partner will keep any assets in joint names (such as the house) but may have to fight the family for a share of the rest. It's not so bad if you are married: if you haven't got kids, the surviving spouse will automatically inherit everything up to pounds 200,000. Anything above that has to be shared 50\/50 with the dead spouse's parents and siblings. In Scotland the survivor gets slightly less. 1. Leaving all the finances to one partner to sort out. This is unfair and leaves the financially ignorant partner vulnerable. If your relationship were to end, would you know where to find all the relevant documents and do you know where all the money is invested? (If your relationship is in trouble you should find out and, nasty though it sounds, photocopy everything.) 2. Taking out \"joint life\" policies. Joint life insurance, such as term assurance to back up a mortgage, is cheaper but it makes more sense to keep separate policies. Given that more than one in three marriages ends in divorce, taking out a joint endowment policy can be disastrous. If you split up, one partner may not be able to afford to buy the policy outright and you'll end up losing money when you surrender it or sell it. Better to buy two policies. If you split up, you've both got something to show for it. 3. Paying unequal shares. If you earn more than your partner, consider whether you shouldn't pay more towards the house and bills. Not being fair breeds resentment. 4. Keeping secrets. By all means keep separate current accounts, but if you share a bathroom with someone, shouldn't you be ready to let them see your bank balance? 5. Being at odds over spending. There's no cure for this one. If you are pounds 2,000 in debt on credit cards and your partner searches behind the sofa for a missing 10p, you are financially incompatible. You can work at it - and it can be fine when each partner helps to curb the other's excesses - but don't bank on it. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Here's how Large cushion Step 1: Using assorted fabrics, cut then stitch together sufficient squares and rectangles with a 1cm seam to make 4 strips that when joined measure 50 x 50cm. Stitch strips together to complete cushion front. Step 2: Referring to image (above) as a guide and centring over seams, use running stitch to secure 2 lengths of braid (1 vertically and 1 horizontally) to cushion front. Step 3: For back cover, cut a 50cm square in plain cotton. Step 4: With right sides facing, and leaving a 25cm opening for turning, stitch cover front to back, using a 1cm seam. How to make Yoyos Step 1: Create yoyo templates by tracing circles in various sizes. Cut out from desired fabrics. Step 2: Make a 2-3mm turnover around edge of each yoyo, then run a small gathering stitch around folded edge, gathering up into the middle to form yoyos. Step 3: Onto a 40cm length of stranded embroidery cotton, use needle to thread, in sequence, 4 small buttons, small yoyo, 3 mid-size buttons, medium yoyo, 4 large buttons, large yoyo and 8 large buttons. Take thread back up through layers, knotting off at the top. Step 4: Leaving length for hanging loop, knot ends. ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Billionaires Ruined Football, But What If It Was Your Team? I'd like to dedicate this article to a internal discussion I've been having, with myself (feel free to join in) about how much multi-billionaire businessmen have essentially spoilt the game, but I would imagine it's a test of any fans' morale fibre when one comes to England and says they want to takeover their club, to make them become one of the best in the world. My personal opinion is that football should be played the Dario Gradi way. I.e. placing emphasis on the academy, nuturing a group of young, home-grown prospects and introducing them to the first team early on and developing a team spirit within that group, that will come with them playing together so often. Then, once they grow out of themselves a bit and want a move to a bigger club, you sell them to a Premier League team and make money from them and develop the next group of young players. That's generally how I would feel passionate about seeing my club run. And that's how it used to be about thirty to fourty years ago, when local business men who cared about their club could actually afford to run a football club. Now, possibly partly because of so much football, particularly in the Premiership, being on TV more, more and more foreign chairmen want to takeover clubs. Some of them, i.e. Carson Yeung at my club, Birmingham City, want to make money from it and treat the club like a business. Which makes some logical sense- why would a chairman from Hong Kong that had hardly heard of Birmingham City want to pump loads of money into the club to make them a slightly better team than they were before. His lack of contact with the fans proves that his only intentions with Blues was to make more money. Some of them, i.e. Abramovich, childishly want to takeover clubs so that they become their plaything, to make that club become the best in the world immediately. So he moved to London where he would be loved by all the Chelsea fans and could become a bit of a celebrity, have all the best players and win everything- whilst privately knowing that people only like him because of his money and not who he is as a person. I have to say, I can't help but feel a bit sorry for Abramovich if that's what makes him happy. But realistically speaking, the only way Birmingham City could ever win the Premiership title or the Champions League, is if an Abramovich came in and wanted to buy the club outright. I honestly don't know whether I would still support Birmingham City if that happened. It would go against absolutely everything I believe in, and if it got to a stage where we were winning the Premiership title every season by 10pts or more, I'd probably get bored of it. But before I submit to a resounding declaration that I would never support Birmingham City again if that happened, I'd like to talk a little bit about the club's history. The last time we actually were a good team was in, I think the 1960s when we played in some European competitions and beat Aston Villa in the League Cup final, in 1963? Since then, we've been a little bit of a yo-yo club (although I can't help but think the strings have been cut off now), we got relegated to the third tier of English football in 1989, in the late 90s to early 00s we lost in the playoff semi-finals on penalties about 5 times, finally got up in 2002, spent the next four years thinking we might actually be an 'established' premiership club, went down, went back up, went down, went back up... went down again, and now we're back to about where we were in 1989. The amount us Blues fans have had to put up with is incredible and so many of us have stuck with it through thick and thin, you'd have thought we'd earnt a few glory years. Would we really stop watching it if we won something and had an awesome team that could beat Villa? Also, going to football every Saturday has become such a big, routine part of my life, would I not go? Would I support someone else? I certainly wouldn't support Aston Villa or Wolves I know that much. I'd be tempted to support West Brom, which would feel weird at first, and it would be a bit more of a drive, but worth it for what is at the moment, good quality, Premiership football which we're not even getting at Blues at the moment! But it would be a strange thing to do. The other option, would be to go and support a non-league team, like Solihull Moors, or Halesowen Town. It certainly wouldn't cost as much. But my problem with that, would be that it wouldn't be that serious, there wouldn't be a proper stadium, the crowd watching the game would consist of the player's girlfriends, three men and a dog. The atmosphere would be a bit rubbish, and unproper. And that makes me question my initial values, for supporting a team that doesn't have too much money but can introduce young, homegrown players and have people who have the club's best interests at heart. Which is exactly what non-league football is, but it wouldn't feel quite the same. The brutal reality of football will be that it always comes back to money, and the teams with the most money, will eventually always win. It's as simple as that. So for me, it's a question of where do you draw the line? Because it's the money these chairmen provide that makes the Premier League so exciting. If money didn't exist in football, football at all levels would be like Sunday League and non-league matches, which would be boring, and no football would be on TV. Knowing that, it then seems almost pointless to try and be an ethical football fan, but I also think it would be wrong for the spending in football to go beyond the current level it is at now. About the Author : Hi Im Gabriel, 20 and am working on a football blog called the Score!, where I write predictions\/reviews for matches and the big issues in football. Am a season-ticket holder at Birmingham City. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Learning needs assessment has a fundamental role in education and training, but care is needed to prevent it becoming a straitjacket It might seem self evident that the need to learn should underpin any educational system. Indeed, the literature suggests that, at least in relation to continuing professional development, learning is more likely to lead to change in practice when needs assessment has been conducted, the education is linked to practice, personal incentive drives the educational effort, and there is some reinforcement of the learning. 1 Learning needs assessment is thus crucial in the educational process, but perhaps more of this already occurs in medical education than we suspect. The key lesson might be for those who design new systems of education and training: for example, the postgraduate education allowance system in general practice was felt to fail the profession because it did not include needs assessment and so led to ad hoc education to fulfil the time requirements of the system rather than the needs of individual doctors or the profession as a whole. On the other hand, basing learning in a profession entirely on the assessment of needs is a dangerous and limiting tactic. So a balance must be struck. Summary points Learning needs assessment is a crucial stage in the educational process that leads to changes in practice, and has become part of government policy for continuing professional development Learning needs assessment can be undertaken for many reasons, so its purpose should be defined and should determine the method used and the use made of findings Exclusive reliance on formal needs assessment could render education an instrumental and narrow process rather than a creative, professional one Different learning methods tend to suit different doctors and different identified learning needs Doctors already use a wide range of formal and informal ways of identifying their own learning needs as part of their ordinary practice These should be the starting point in designing formalised educational systems for professional improvement Learning needs assessment in medicine In 1998 both individual and organisational needs assessment became part of government policy in relation to the continuing professional development and personal development plans of all healthcare professionals. 2 Thus, it has a role in the clinical governance of the service 3 and is therefore much more than an educational undertaking. This integration of needs assessment, education, and quality assurance of the service was first made explicit in 1989 in relation to clinical audit, which would identify practices in need of improvement and ensure that educational and organisational interventions were made to address these needs. 4 Accordingly, audit was described as \"essentially educational\" and the educational process surrounding it described. 5 Long before these recent developments, needs assessment outside medicine was presented as an important part of managed education and learning contracts, which are the predecessors of the personal development plans to be developed for all NHS healthcare professionals. 6 In his descriptions of adult learning Knowles assumed (he did not claim to have research evidence) that learners needed to feel a necessity to learn and that identifying one's own learning needs was an essential part of self directed learning. 7 In medicine a doctor's motivation to learn would therefore derive from needs identified during his or her experience of clinical practice. So the pedigree and practice of learning needs assessment, if not the evidence, are well established. The definition of need As in most areas of education, for many years there has been intense debate about the definition, purpose, validity, and methods of learning needs assessment. 8 It might be to help curriculum planning, diagnose individual problems, assess student learning, demonstrate accountability, improve practice and safety, or offer individual feedback and educational intervention. Published classifications include felt needs (what people say they need), expressed needs (expressed in action) normative needs (defined by experts), and comparative needs (group comparison). 9 Other distinctions include individual versus organisational or group needs, clinical versus administrative needs, and subjective versus objectively measured needs. 10 The defined purpose of the needs assessment should determine the method used and the use made of findings. Furthermore, even though the concept of educational needs assessment is enshrined in practice, policy, and the educational canon, several factors indicate the need for careful planning and research in this subject (see boxes 1 and 2 ). Exclusive reliance on formal needs assessment in educational planning could render education an instrumental and narrow process rather than a creative, professional one. This is especially so in a profession where there is inherent unpredictability and uncertainty. Members of any profession require wide knowledge and depth of experience -- the relevance of some of which might not have been obvious at the time of learning. Certainly, learning needs can and should be identified on the basis of what has been experienced and of what more experienced members of the profession know to be relevant, but this must not deter other, more general or even speculative, learning that, at the time, seems to answer no specific need. Possibly no specific learning needs assessment would ever send a person to a large international conference on a generic subject (such as endocrinology, medical education, or management). It is, nevertheless, important that doctors attend such meetings and return with the unexpected and expected benefits that they accrue. Box 1 : Need for careful planning in needs assessment There is little evidence that needs assessment alone enhances educational effectiveness and outcomes, so it must be placed within the wider process of planned learning, relevance to practice, and reinforcement of learning in the appropriate context Formal needs assessment can identify only a narrow range of needs and might miss needs not looked for, so breadth and flexibility of needs assessment methods should be embraced In professional education it is not necessarily defensible to focus all learning on identified needs -- wider professional learning not related to a specific need is also of fundamental value where practice is not predictable Individual and group learning needs are different -- group learning needs may produce an average picture that fails to address important needs and interests of individual members of the group -- so a balance is required. Each approach has its uses and effects, but each must be used for the right purpose Identifying individual learning needs, often not shared by others, may lead to an unimpressive cost-benefit analysis in terms of individually targeted use of educational resources if used inappropriately. Individual learning needs assessment is best used in the context of learning that occurs on an individual basis -- such as in the relationship between general practitioner registrar and trainer Methods of needs assessment Although the literature generally reports only on the more formal methods of needs assessment, doctors use a wide range of informal ways of identifying learning needs as part of their ordinary practice. These should not be undervalued simply because they do not resemble research. Questionnaires and structured interviews seem to be the most commonly reported methods of needs assessment, but such methods are also used for evaluation, assessment, management, education, and now appraisal and revalidation. 11 Together, these formal and informal methods might make an effective battery where there is clarity of purpose. The Good CPD Guide details 46 formal and informal methods of self assessment (see box 3 ). 12 Peer review Non-clinical activities Academic activities Conferences International visits Journal articles Medicolegal cases Press and media Professional conversations Research Teaching The methods listed are both formal and informal, planned and opportunistic, showing that day to day work and encounters have the potential to generate needs as much as do formal methods. Formal needs assessment methods include critical incident techniques, gap analysis, objective knowledge and skills tests, observation, revalidation, self assessment, video assessment, and peer review. Such methods are often used to identify group needs. 14 15 Formal identification of needs can also arise from audit, morbidity patterns, adverse events, patient satisfaction surveys, and risk assessment. Most of these tools use quantitative methods that can generate computerised data and cover wider population ranges, but these are often unable to probe into the personal agendas and opinions of individuals. Types of needs assessment Methods of needs assessment can be classified into seven main types, each of which can take many different forms in practice. Reflection on action is an aspect of experiential learning and involves thinking back to some performance, with or without triggers (such as videotape or audiotape), and identifying what was done well and what could have been done better. 18 19 The latter category indicates learning needs. Reflection in action involves thinking about actual performance at the time that it occurs and requires some means of recording identified strengths and weaknesses at the time. The Canadian MOCOMP programme uses formalised reflection as its basic process. 20 Similarly, PUNs and DENs (see box 3 ) are well known in British general practice. Self assessment by diaries, journals, log books, weekly reviews This is an extension of reflection that involves keeping a diary or other account of experiences. 21 However, practice might show that such documents tend to be written nearer the time of their review than the time of the activity being recorded. Peer review This is rapidly becoming a favourite method. It involves doctors assessing each other's practice and giving feedback and perhaps advice about possible education, training, or organisational strategies to improve performance. The Good CPD Guide describes five types of peer review -- internal, external, informal, multidisciplinary, and physician assessment. 11 The last of these is the most formal, involving rating forms completed by nominated colleagues, and shows encouraging levels of validity, reliability, and acceptability. 22 23 Observation In more formal settings doctors can be observed performing specific tasks that can be rated by an observer, either according to known criteria or more informally. The results are discussed, and learning needs are identified. The observer can be a peer, a senior, or a disinterested person if the ratings are sufficiently objective or overlap with the observer's area of expertise (such as communication skills or management). Critical incident review and significant event auditing Although this technique is usually used to identify the competencies of a profession or for quality assurance, it can also be used on an individual basis to identify learning needs. 24 The method involves individuals identifying and recording, say, one incident each week in which they feel they should have performed better, analysing the incident by its setting, exactly what occurred, and the outcome and why it was ineffective. Practice review A routine review of notes, charts, prescribing, letters, requests, etc, can identify learning needs, especially if the format of looking at what is satisfactory and what leaves room for improvement is followed. The difference between needs assessment and assessment Needs assessment is not the same as assessment in the sense of examination of learning. Assessment systems that lead to academic or professional awards should show certain minimum characteristics, including measurement of performance against external criteria and standards, a decision on adequacy by an assessor, and standardised data gathering. 25 Needs assessment might sometimes have these characteristics, but it also might be based on practice, reflection, professional judgment, discussion, and informal data. Needs assessment methods that are limited by the standards of assessment will fall into the trap of assessing only a narrow range of needs. Learning for needs The main purpose of needs assessment must be to help educational planning, but this must not lead to too narrow a vision of learning. Learning in a profession is unlike any other kind of learning. Doctors live in a rich learning environment, constantly involved in and surrounded by professional interaction and conversation, educational events, information, and feedback. The search for the one best or \"right\" way of learning is a hopeless task, 1 especially if this is combined with attempting to \"measure\" observable learning. Research papers show, at best, the complexity of the process. Multiple interventions targeted at specific behaviour result in positive change in that behaviour. 26 Exactly what those interventions are is less important than their multiplicity and targeted nature. On the other hand, different doctors use different learning methods to meet their individual needs. For example, in a study of 366 primary care doctors who identified recent clinical problems for which they needed more knowledge or skill to solve, 55 different learning methods were selected. 27 The type of problem turned out to be the major determinant of the learning method chosen, so there may not be one educational solution to identified needs. Much of doctors' learning is integrated with their practice and arises from it. The style of integrated practice and learning (\"situated learning\") develops during the successive stages of medical education. 28 The components of apprenticeship learning in postgraduate training are made up of many activities that may be regarded as part of practice (see box 4 ). 29 Senior doctors might also recognise much of their learning in some of these elements and could certainly add more -- such as conversations with colleagues. Thus, educational planning on the basis of identified needs faces real challenges in making learning appropriate to and integrated with professional style and practice. The first step in all of this is to recognise the needs assessment and learning that are a part of daily professional life in medicine and to formalise, highlight, and use these as the basis of future recorded needs assessment and subsequent planning and action, as well as integrating them with more formal methods of needs assessment to form a routine part of training, learning, and improving practice. ","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"So as a Facebook fan, is there a way to fix this? Yes. It requires a few steps to set up, but yes. And then it's super handy. How to see all the updates from the Facebook Pages (and Friends) you love Currently, the best way to accomplish this is to use Interest Lists on Facebook. Update 11\/5\/12: There is another option that Facebook is rolling out which is the \"Get Notifications\" option you can\/will see when you go directly to a Page and click on the gear icon. Because FB is just now rolling it out, it's possible you don't have this option yet (as of today, I don't) but I'll keep you posted as soon as I know more. (Check out Inside Facebook's post about it for more info.) Interest Lists basically let you create a personalized feed in which you will see all the updates from exactly the people and Pages you want. After you set up an Interest List (or lists), then when you login to Facebook, click on the list(s) you want to view from your Home page, you can be sure to see all the updates from the Pages and people on that Interest List as they are posted. How to set up an Interest List Once you do, scroll down until you see \" Interests \" in the left column. If you don't see \"Interests\" in the left column, click on \"More\" at the end of the left column and \"Interests\" should appear. Click on \"Add Interests...\" to create a new Interest List (you'll see here I already have created an Interest List called \" Faves ...\"). In the next window, click the \"Create List\" button. First you'll get some suggestions of pages that Facebook thinks you might want to add to your new list (see below). To include any of them on your new list, simply click on them. Once you do so, you'll see a check mark appear in the bottom right corner of the profile pic. (If you make a mistake and add something you didn't mean to, just click it again to deselect it.) Tip: I highly recommend you choose your own Page (if you have one) so you can keep tabs and make sure you are indeed seeing all posts on this list. (It's just good to subscribe to all your stuff so you know what your readers\/followers\/fans are seeing.) Now, I assume these are not the only pages you want to add to your new list. (Please note, Facebook can be buggy here, so hang with me. A note about the workaround at the end of this explanation, but ideally this is how it should work...) Ideally, once you have selected the suggestions Facebook presented (above), you should be able to add more to this list by navigating through the options in this window. For example, perhaps you know of a Page you want to add but it didn't come up in your suggestions. You can search for it by typing it in the search bar up top. Once you see it, click on it to select it. Go ahead and type in more page names you know off the top of your head. (The others should remain checked even if you navigate away from them.) And then you might want to select some of your Friends by clicking on the \"Friends\" link in the left column. Yes, you can have a mix of Friends and Pages on one Interest List. Cool, huh? Once you click there, your Friends should pop up on the screen. Add any of them to your list by clicking on their profile pic. And maybe you want to choose some of your Subscriptions or browse some of the categories Facebook suggests (again see left column in image above). So go ahead and select all the Pages, Subscriptions and\/or Friends you want to add to this list.  Then once you've selected everyone you want to include on this list, click the Next button in the bottom right corner of the window. On the right side in the next window you should see all the people and pages you just selected. Workaround: Now this is where Facebook can get buggy. If you realize not all your selections are on the list, you might have to add People and Pages in batches, checking after each to make sure they are showing up as shown above. If this happens to you, simply click the \"Previous\" button at the bottom right of the screen. Once you go back, work through the above steps again, this time clicking \"Next\" after each group (suggestions, search entries, Friends, etc.) to make sure they were indeed added. I know it's a pain, but it's the only workaround I've found when Facebook is temperamental. OK, workaround is done. Back to our regularly scheduled program... Once you've got everyone on your new list that you want, enter a name for your list. Then choose who you want to be able to see the list (Public, Friends, Only Me) and then click the \"Done\" button in the bottom right. Once you are done, you will be taken back to your Home page. Again, look in the left column under \"Interests\" to see the link to your new list. Or, access all your lists here . How to make your Interest List easily accessible Once you've created your Interest List, you want easy access to it right? The long way to get to it is to scroll down on your Home page (of your Personal Profile) and click on it under \"Interests.\" The faster way is to add your Interest List to your Favorites so you can get to it quick as a wink. As a Favorite, it will show up in the top left corner of your Home page. To add a list to your Favorites, from your personal profile's Home page, scroll down until you see \"Interests\" in the left column. (Again, if you don't see \"Interests\", click the \"More\" link at the end of the left column and it should appear.) Hover over the list you want to add to your Favorites until you see the edit icon (pencil) appear. Click on that pencil. Then click on \"Add to Favorites.\" Doing this will bump up your Interest List link to the top of your Home page (see above) so when you login, you can go directly to your list. Bonus: If you want to be super on top of things, hover over your list name again (under Favorite) until you see the pencil icon once more. Click the pencil icon and then click \"Rearrange.\" You'll see three lines appear to the right of the items on your Favorites list. You can drag and drop your Interest List where you want under Favorites, like, just below your News Feed (which has to stay put). I don't know how you could make it any easier to get to. How to create a list and add Pages or Friends on the fly or individually So now let's say you have your list created, but as you are browsing your News Feed or as you are bopping around the internet, you come across a Facebook Page you want to add to your list, or you remember you want to add that new Friend. Simple. (If you have trouble with this, you may have to switch your \"Using Facebook as...\" options.) How to add a Page to an Interest List on the fly If you already Like a Page and want to add it to a list on the fly (like when you're browsing your News Feed), simply hover over the Page name, then hover over \"Liked\" and then click \"Add to Interest Lists...\" when the menu pops up. Just choose the appropriate list. Or, another alternative is to go directly to the page itself and click on the gear icon until you see the option to \"Add to Interest Lists...\" Not only can you add the Page to an existing Interest List, you also have the option to create a brand new Interest List right from here. Just select \"New List...\" How to add a Friend to an Interest List on the fly If it's a Friend you want to add to your Interest List, they must allow Subscribers . To add a Friend to a list, I've found it works best to go directly to their main Profile page and then complete the steps required for adding a Page (click the gear icon and then \"Add to Interest Lists...\") like so: A few more tidbits If you own a Facebook Page, consider sharing this post with your readers so they understand how Interest Lists work. There is so much confusion about this issue and so many are probably missing your posts ! If you found this post via another blogger, consider adding their Facebook Page to one of your Interest Lists so you don't miss their posts. You can subscribe to my Faves list if you'd like. It's a handful of pages on a variety of subjects. You do not have to Like a page or Subscribe to a person in order to include them on an Interest List. Kinda makes Facebook Page Likes sort of not an accurate representation of how many people may be actually following your posts, right? Interesting... Amy! Once again you knock my socks off. I am in the stage of enhancing my Facebook page and there you are, posting content about Facebook update. Yey! Perfect timing. Thank you for all your blog content, you help me tremendously. Thanks so much Amy! I stumbled across your site a month or so ago an am so happy I did! I just shared a link to your site through Pinterest and my Business Facebook page. I appreciate all of your helpful tips and will spread the word. ~ Julie (EAB Designs) So glad you wrote this post! Curious: do you think Facebook is phasing out the old style lists ( https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bookmarks\/lists )? They were certainly easier to add friends to, and are what I've used so far for my private \"people\/pages I follow\" list. This is great Amy and I will definitely be sharing it with my friends and followers. Just one question. I subscribed to a list that a few bloggers created and I noticed the posts are in kind of random order but I usually sort my newsfeed to \"recent\" so I can see them in chronological order. Is there a way to make interest lists sort posts in order? Thanks! Actually Amy, now that I've played with interest lists in my personal FB account more, I've discovered that the posts are in fact in chronological when I click on the interest list. {The random posts were when I tried to subscribe to a list from my blog's FB page. When I did that, my blog's newsfeed has a group of posts from the interest list together but in random order -- weird -- must have something to do with the fact that you aren't supposed to be able to subscribe to an interest list from a blog's page.} I'm with the others commenting about how frustrating it is to not be able to create interest lists from blog FB pages. I prefer to comment from that account too Super helpful! Have you done a post on the idea of creating a Facebook group as an alternative to a page? I'm seeing some bloggers talk about that as a way to get more visibility for their posts, but I wasn't sure about the downsides....I'm pretty sure you get a lot more updates when you're part of a group, right? I wouldn't want to annoy people! Amy, thank you for your step-by-step instructions, especially for those of us who are technologically=-challenged, hehe. I have a question: this setting (interests) that you just taught us, will it send emails to me so I alwasy know what is going on, even if I don't log to facebook? I used to received them automatically but somehow now I dont anymore, it has been a few months already. this facebook changes almost everyweek so I really have no clue... thanks for your help, I just discovered you thru mrs. january. Thank you so much for such a thorough explanation. I just went in this evening to do this. I love being about to click on my various interest lists to see the posts that I am looking to see at a particular moment. Sharing this tutorial on my wall for sure. Thanks Amy. This makes sense and no sense all at the same time. So basically, if I like a page I won't be guaranteed to see it in my feed. ( I pretty much have caught on to that because I only see about 10 of the same blogs I have liked on FB and they are the same everyday) Also I can tell that only about 200 of my 800 followers see what I post. So here are my issues with the interest list, I have to now go to my feed, my pages feed and my interest list to make sure I can keep up with all that I want to follow. Secondly, it looks like the interest lists have to be made under your primary account and not your page so I cannot leave comments under my blog facebook page but under my personal page. It's just all very irritating. I know this isn't your problem. I just don't understand why we can't just have all the blogs we follow show up in our stream. Thanks for letting me vent. But do you know how to comment on your interest list under you page and not your personal account? I know, it's frustrating to me too. I keep reminding myself that Facebook is free, so they can do what they wanna do. Yes, using Facebook as your Personal Profile as opposed to your Page is definitely another frustration. If I find a workaround, I'll let you know (or if any of you all, know of a workaround, holla!). Hi Amy, I've noticed that I can't create an Interest List from my own Page-CozyCondoLiving. I have to do it from my Home Page-Lisa Allen. I have purposely kept the two separate since my Home Page is for family\/friends and my CCL page is for followers. I like to make comments on pages I am following as CozyCondoLiving so that bloggers know who I am. I don't want to comment as Lisa Allen. So, if I make an Interest List from my Home Page I would ONLY be able to use it to view and not to comment or \"Like\". That is a bummer! Have you noticed this yourself? Do you have any suggestions for what I could do? None of these things work for me with all posts. I do not see posts from any of my friends and\/or pages if they post via a service like dlvr.it, HootSuite, NetworkedBlogs, etc. I see all the posts they post directly, but if they use a service it doesn't show up in my feed, my interest list, or any other list (though I can see it happening in the ticker if I'm watching). Do you happen to know of a workaround for this issue? I have repeatedly petitioned help from Facebook, but of course I have never been given any. Thanks! No, unfortunately, I don't know a workaround. We are largely subject to Facebook's algorithms unfortunately. I'll be interested to see how the newest function to get notifications works once it's rolled out though. ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"The ruins of ancient Troy will be examined by a cross-disciplinary team of scientists in an expedition led by UW-Madison classics professor William Aylward. The ruins of ancient Troy,  sacked by the Greeks through trickery and a fabled wooden horse, will be examined by a cross-disciplinary team of scientists next year. The  expedition will be led by University of Wisconsin-Madison classics professor William Aylward. Aylward is an archaeologist with long experience digging in the ruins of classical antiquity, including Troy itself. The new international project at Troy, to be conducted under the auspices of and in cooperation with Turkey's anakkale Onsekiz Mart University, will begin a series of summer-time expeditions beginning in 2013. \"Troy is a touchstone of Western civilization,\" says Aylward. \"Although the site has been excavated in the past, there is much yet to be discovered. Our plan is to extend work to unexplored areas of the site and to systematically employ new technologies to extract even more information about the people who lived here thousands of years ago.\" William Aylward Troy and the Trojan War were immortalized in Homer's epic poem The Iliad centuries after the supposed events of the conflict. The site was occupied almost continuously for about 4500 years, from the beginning of the Bronze Age to the 13th century AD, when it was abandoned and consigned to myth. It was rediscovered in the 1870s by the wealthy German businessman and pioneering archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann whose work at Troy laid the foundations for modern archaeology. \"Our goal is to add a new layer of information to what we already know about Troy,\" says Aylward, who is contributing an international team of archaeologists and scientists to conduct what promises to be the most comprehensive dig since Troy's discovery more than 140 years ago. \"The archaeological record is rich. If we take a closer look with new scientific tools for study of ancient biological and cultural environments, there is much to be found for telling the story of this world heritage site.\" The site of Troy is in modern Turkey and is situated on the Dardanelles, a crossroads between East and West and a flashpoint for conflict in both ancient and modern times. The archaeological site is a complex layer cake of history and prehistory, with 10 cities superimposed one atop the other, some with clear evidence for violent destruction. Following the demise of Troy at the end of the Bronze Age, the site was re-settled by Greeks, Romans and others, who all claimed Homer's Troy and its cast of characters -- Achilles, Helen, Patroclus, Priam and Ajax -- as their own cultural heritage. The ancient city was visited by the Persian general Xerxes, Alexander the Great, and Roman emperors, including Augustus and Hadrian. Homer's epic poems about a lost age of heroes and the legendary Trojan War have endured as sources of inspiration for art and literature ever since. Although archaeologists have been digging at Troy for almost 140 years, with the exception of a 50-year hiatus between 1938 and 1988, less than one-fifth of the site has been scientifically excavated. With about 4500 years of nearly uninterrupted settlement at a crossroads between Europe and Asia, Troy is fundamental for questions about the development of civilization in Europe and the Near East. \"Troy deserves a world-class archaeological program,\" says Aylward. In its heyday, Troy's citadel, with walls 12 feet thick and more than 30 feet high, was about 6 acres in size. A walled lower town covered an expanse of 50 acres, much of which is unexplored. Mysteries abound. Ancient Troy's royal cemetery, for example, has yet to be discovered and archaeologists are eager to add to the single example of prehistoric writing known from Troy, a small bronze seal from the Bronze Age. In future work at Troy, Aylward plans an array of collaborations in order to deploy powerful new scientific techniques to reveal the hidden record of the ancient city and its inhabitants. New methods to examine chemical residues on pottery from ancient kitchens and banquet halls, for example, may reveal secrets of ancient Trojan culinary proclivities, and genomic analyses of human and animal remains may shed light on diseases and afflictions at a crossroads of civilization. Much of the new work in the area of \"molecular archaeology,\" which includes DNA sequencing and protein analysis, will be conducted in collaboration with the UW-Madison Biotechnology Center, which has become an active partner in the new Troy project. This past summer, researchers from the center participated in reconnaissance for future studies. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"App Synergy: How To Make A Travel Journal Last weekend, I took a small vacation to Montreal . While I like to travel, I am not an ambitious sightseer. The exception to this is when the sights I see involve food. I love food. It was a real treat to visit the Jean-Talon Market (French: March Jean Talon), which is a historical farmer's market located in Montreal's Little Italy district. I decided to use this gastronomic excursion as the object model for this week's app synergy use. Step 1 -- Capture Your Memories One of my coworkers, Stella Violano , told me about an app called 645 Pro . She bragged that it allowed photos to be taken in RAW and TIFF formats. Being an amateur photographer, I had no idea what she meant, but I was finally able to try the app out on my trip to the market. 645 Pro Screenshot -- Random Market While I have yet to scratch its potential, I definitely see the appeal. All of the settings are located directly on the camera. While some may be unfamiliar with the different options, there are no confusing menu layers to navigate. I found the response time to be quicker than that of Apple's camera app and took some nice shots with it. The nicest thing I can say about 645 Pro is that it made me to want to learn more about \"real\" photography. I even started reading the 32 page user manual. Until I find something better, 645 Pro will be my new default camera app. I find it poor form to share pictures I've taken of strangers. To get a glimpse of the Jean-Talon Market, check out this picture from the National Geographic Society . It can be found within the app, A Taste Of Montreal . The app hits my sweet spots, as it combines journalistic storytelling with mouth-watering photos of Montreal's cuisine. I had some excellent meals in Montreal. A Taste Of Montreal shows me what I missed and whets my appetite for my next trip there. Jean-Talon Market Step 2 -- Mark Up Your Memories Another useful Montreal-specific travel app is Montreal: Travel Guide , by eTips LTD . This travel guide has some cool features, like the use of Augmented Reality (AR) and the presence of zoomable offline maps. My main interest in the app, for the purposes of this article, was its Metro map. Montreal Metro Map The map provides a basis for modification by PhotoPen , a photo annotation app. It's a simple way to mark up your photos and share them. Although it's not difficult to guess where the Jean-Talon Market is on the map, I may not always remember the name and location of the market. PhotoPen allows me to make a quick note to myself, which also results in a personalized contribution to my journal. Map Annotated By PhotoPen Step 3 -- Collect Your Memories When it's time to create your journal, you have some options. There are a number of journaling apps available for your iDevice. Day One is a popular choice. Earlier in the week, it received a significant update , which allows you to finally add pictures to your entries. You can also add weather information, location\/GPS data, and check in to Foursquare . Unfortunately, you can only add one photo per entry. On the bright side, the results look great and really add to what was already a fantastic app. I created the following entry with a shot I took of some delicious oysters. Day One used the photo's metadata to fill in the location and date. Day One Now Has Photo Support As good as Day One is, you may not be satisfied with its single photo diary style. You may instead envision a scrapbook type app, which allows you to intermix photos and text. For that, check out Maxjournal , which allows you to add up to 30 photos for each journal entry. You can then rotate the photos and position them in between the text. Due to its simplicity, aesthetics, and superior syncing, I prefer Day One. But in terms of adding multiple photos, Maxjournal has Day One beat. Please also note that Maxjournal is iPad only, while Day One is universal. Incorporate Multiple Photos In Maxjournal Finally, one of my readers in India reminded me that journals don't need any text at all. He creates pure photo journals using iPhoto. I previously discussed the iPhoto journal feature in my Mother's Day article . In that article, I had already imported all my photos into an album and then sent the entire album to a journal. It's a little trickier to create a journal from individual photos, if no album already exists. From the main photos page, touch a picture to enter the single photo browsing mode. From there, tap on the share icon and choose the journal option. To add multiple photos to the journal, select \"Choose,\" which allows you to add up to 200 thumbnails for sharing. You can then send them to a new journal. If you want to add them to an existing journal, you need to go one step deeper in the menu and tap on the bar that says \"New >.\" This gives you the option to choose from preexisting journals. Personally, I find the user experience to be a bit clunky, especially for an app made by Apple itself. However, it can produce some good looking photo journals. Creating A Photo Journal In iPhoto Traveling is a lot of fun, and it can be even more fun to document those travels and the memories associated with them. Hopefully, this article has given you a first step toward creating your own travel journal. If you would like to share your experiences with me, please send a note to leonard@appadvice.com. I'd love to hear your stories and see your photographs, especially if they involve food. ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Search form Is there any love for Hawkwind? Submitted by tiggerlion on 14 November 2012 - 9:22pm We are all living in the 70s, after all! I confess, I loathed them at the time. A friend dragged me along to a gig in Liverpool. I wasn't keen even when he promised a stripper. They were all muddy noise and bad smells to me. The 'stripper' turned out to be the six foot two Stacia, whose breasts are not human. The sight of her in the weird lighting effects gave me nightmares for years. Some bloke got up and spoke some nonsense I couldn't quite catch. All in all, I was unimpressed. Still, my friend persevered and they grew on me. I found I could tolerate their lyrical gibberish. They were one of those groups in the early 70s that were neither prog nor rock nor jazz nor pop. Their grooves were colossal. There was a lot of parping & squawking. Yet, there was a group collective that was really very disciplined. My favourite album is In Search Of Space. The opener, You Shouldn't Do That is sixteen minutes that Sun Ra would be proud of. Master Of The Universe is earning them big money from the latest Ford car advert & good on them. We Took The Wrong Step Years Ago features the loudest acoustic guitar I've ever heard in my life. I positively enjoy listening to all six tracks. ... loving the Hawkwind for many years, especially the excerpt on the first Greasy Truckers album, just immense... and as Lando says, Space Ritual... Lemmy in Hawkwind is one of the two reasons that I started playing chords on me Rick4001 (Lemmy in Motorhead is the other...) We may have been at the same gig, although I'm sure they played there a number of times. I saw them in either 1973 or 74. I thought it was pretty awful. You sum up the musical content well. The much vaunted lightshow was pretty disappointing - perhaps it wasn't working properly that night - but it seemed to mostly a projection of planet Earth plus some strobe lighting. The visuals, including the album covers, were provided by Barney Bubbles. He got a lot better, especially when he worked for Stiff. The covers for This Years Model & Do It Yourself are great! He also directed videos for EC & Squeeze that were excellent. OOAA All throughout the gig I was somewhat perplexed by the sight of a - to my 15-year-old eyes at least - quite elderly couple sat in the front row. I couldn't imagine that they'd really enjoyed Sonic Attack very much. After the show I went up and asked them if they'd had a good time. \"Oh yes,\" one of them replied, \"we're Mr and Mrs Brock.\" Lets see; serious grooves, monster riffs, primitive synthesisers, naive '1st time on acid' adolescent sci-fi lyrics, blokes who look the person who sold you an underweight 1\/8th, blobby psychedelic lights and proper epilepy-quality strobes, and a fanatical greebo \/ old-freak audience (anyone who likes to get out of it, really). What's not to like? Anyone who doesn't at least appreciate all of this has no heart, and, as Nigel Molesworth once said, I DISKARD THEM. And threw everything at it. Michael Moorcroft, Stacia & Bubbles. They got a proper krautrock bassist, they employed their roadie. The band founder members met whilst working fair grounds. They knew how to put on a show. They were more than a mere band, they were a travelling circus! Avoid the 1970 debut album, they hadn't really found their sound (or established their milieu, if you will) at that point. All you need are the second, third and fourth albums plus the magnificent Space Ritual double live set. There are some really great moments after 1974, but from that point on they basically repeated themselves, with ever diminishing returns. So it's part of the selfmythologising - there's lots of that in song titles and so on. Oh, and I'd get the debut as well - first 5 albums are the best run they ever had. Hall of the mountain grill is almost Pink Floyd in places. You can pick up the expanded editions for a few quid each. Personally I'm less keen on PXR5 and Quark Strangeness and Charm (although Hassan I Sabbah is a must have track) - the start of trend following as they tried to go New Wavey. Their metal period is probably their worst, although I do like \"Live Chronicles\". The triple Epoch Eclipse is a pretty good compilation - all the stuff you want, and some alternative takes make it worth while even if you go back and get the full albums later on. In Plymouth around the late 80s, as a callow youth. Walked into the Academy, and almost the first thing I saw was someone falling down the stairs. He got up to reveal a T shirt with the message \"Say Yes To Drugs\" and proceeded into the auditorium. You had to be well pickled to appreciate fully. Englands half-assed answer to The Grateful Dead or something. \"Say yes to drugs\", and apparently all your teeth fall out. And to the man that suggested that Stacias \"norks\" were \"not a pretty sight\" (never heard that word) - I have to report that this may very well be an error in your judgment.'Cause they always looked Ok to me. In fact as gimmicks go, they were considerably better than OK. I remember seeing a documentary where Lemmy claimed that Stacia, with whom he apparently shared a room on tour, used to pick \"goggle eyed\" boys from the audience. So you may have missed out there. Not least because under the present conditions, it would have made a very amusing trial. Right, so what you're saying is, it's perfectly acceptable for a full-grown woman to have sex with a sixteen year-old boy. And you imagine a \"smile\" on the face of the abused child after his harrowing ordeal - humiliatingly abducted in a public place, taken to a dingy backstage area, forced to strip naked and sexually service a woman old enough to be, at the very least, his mother's sister? Probably plied with narcotics? I find the whole thing odious and reprehensible, and consider your comment a belwether post for the sad decline of the Afterword blog, once a safe haven for pastry-fanciers and ukelele-botherers. Euro psychedelia was much better musically than the US's west coast version, IMHO. As noted before, barring a few bits where they wig-out properly, I find the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, (etc.) too much like generic bar bands, with insufficiently groove, jazz or gritty noodling for my tastes. Spirit were OK, mind, and Todd Rundgren's psychedelic phase was much more like it. You want hippie wierdness and proper evocations of the psychedelic experience, stick with Gong, Hawkwind, and their offshoots - and Todd's \"A Wizard, A True Star\". Stoned bluegrass music is most definitely isn't. Particularly their poppier moments....PXR5...Astounding Sounds etc.....the Hawklords album, half of which is ace, the other not....the live version of Shot down in the night taken from the Live 79 Tour (i think)...and this, from their mid-to-late period in 1992 I've only knowingly heard two Hawkwind songs in my life. One is the obvious one. The other is Night Of The Hawks. If my memory is not mistaking me, it actually got some airplay on Radio One when it was released as a single. It's pretty primitive stuff. I bloody love it! Been a bit of a fan but not seen them live. They topped the bill that night but had the misfortune of being preceded by a young upstart band from Essex who basically blew them away. Wilko skittering across the extended stage wings, Brilleaux at his growling best. After that, preparing myself for \"sonic attack\" by a load of prog lords didn't seem the best way to spend the rest of the night so repaired tentwards along with many others. too bad you didn't wait around to see them - maybe the weather was a factor. Actually I can't recall if it rained on the Friday. It fair bucketed down on Saturday night during Yes, but they were still amazing. Lou Reed didn't appear, though he was on the bill. Nor sadly did Richard & Linda Thompson. Wishbone Ash were the headliners on Sunday, but couldn't top the magnificent set by Robin Trower. under a copy of the Reading Evening Post about 4 oc'clock in the middle of Caravan and had the weirdest dream through Soft Machine and the Mahvo's. I do recall the Albertos redeeming the evening though. Those were the days when you bagged a spot and stayed there all day. Not like the nomadic musical grazing that is Glasto today. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"The digital world is a remarkable place, and not only because of the vast number of diverse voices and opinions it supports. It is a place full of vibrant ideas and communities around them. For example, Reddit can have millions of users and still be a counter-cultural site full of people who can find communities by subscribing to the things they care the most about, now matter how niche the subject matter. It's also a place where smaller contributions from many can empower real action. Kickstarter has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for projects that likely never would have become realities. Similarly, charitable acts have never been closer than a click away. Whether raising money for people in need through crowdfunding platforms, or helping people organize to do service work in the real world, it's never been easier to make a difference for someone you've never met before. But the digital world can also be a crowded place. Things can change, and fast. The state of the industry is that of flux, with things constantly moving forward. Mashable 's Innovation Index is a way to look back at the best of the digital world in the last year. To do so, we've selected 14 key influencers in a variety of categories who will curate the five most innovative companies, products or ideas in their category. But we know that this effort can't possibly cover the entire digital sphere. And that's where we want you to come in. There's room for your voice in the Innovation Index, so we're offering up one curator spot to a member of our community. What category is missing from our list? We want you to let us know what you think should be represented and why you should be the person to curate it. We'll pick one person to join the Innovation Index and help us recognize the best in digital in the past year. To enter, simply fill out the form below with your answers -- we'll announce the winner on November 26. We can't wait to see your responses, and look forward to choosing one of you to be part of Mashable's Innovation Index! About Mashable Mashable is a leading source for news, information and resources for the Connected Generation. Mashable reports on the importance of digital innovation and how it empowers and inspires people around the world. Mashable's 20 million unique visitors and 6 million social media followers have become one of the most engaged online news communities. Founded in 2005, Mashable is headquartered in New York City with an office in San Francisco. ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Welcome to Windows 7 Forums . Our forum is dedicated to helping you find solutions with any problems, errors or issues you are experiencing with Windows 7 . The Windows 7 forum also covers news and updates and has an extensive Windows 7 tutorial section that covers a wide range of tips and tricks. All of a sudden I could not find my sent mails in the Sent Items Folder. I looked for help from the forums and got a suggestion to create another profile to test whether I can see my sent mails there. I followed the instructions but there was not enough to lead me through so I don't think I completed creating a profile. Then I got another suggestion to purchase the Registry Booster to clean up my registry. After I did that I was able to see my sent mails again. However I still continue to see the Outlook Data File Popup with the message \"This data file has not been configured. Select an existing file to configure or try the name of a new file to create\". After I clicked \"OK\" then I got another pop up to prompting me to choose a file from the Libraries.Documents directory. I clicked \"Cancel\" then I got another pop up with \"Properities for this data file must be defined prior to use\". I clicked \"OK\" and then I got the Outlook Data File Popup and the same subsequent popups again. After clicking through I was able to start my Outlook but when use the registry Booster to scan I got more error messages. So apparently these errors from Outlook is mucking up my registry. Anyone has any idea about this problem? Please help. Your assistance is greatly appreciated. Thank you. Helen. Firstly, you certainly do not need any registry boosters to solve Outlook data file issues - was this a recommendation made by someone, or was this suggested to you by an automated pop-up? If its the latter, is there any chance you could be infected by some sort of malware? To solve the Outlook issue, do you know where your Outlook data file is being stored? Can you do a search on your computer for all files with this extension: .pst Post back here with your findings. Also, can you tell us about your current system : what anti-virus software are you using. I'm a bit concerned about this Registry Booster : generally speaking, in most cases you really do not need\/want to be mucking with the registry at all. Thank you kindly for your help. I'm afraid I have purchased the software online and used it. It found more than 300 errors fromt the registry and fixed it. After that, I was able to see the latest sent mails from the Sent Items folder again. When I checked with Microsoft support I got a pop up about this Registry Booster. They claimed that they are Microsoft Partner. I thought that they are legit. I'm using Norton antivirus, do you think Norton would detect the malware from the registry? When I did a search on PST file, I found the following: For 3 email accounts that have not been active under my original Profile the files are stored under C:\\Users\\UserName\\My Documents\\Outlook Files. For the current active email account under the same original Profile, the files are stored under C:\\Users\\UserName\\AppData\\Local\\Microsof\\\\... For the new Profile (I don't think got as far to create a user account yet) that I tried to create for testing purposes, the files are also stored under C:\\Users\\UserName\\My Documents\\Outlook Files. Scanpst.exe is installed on your computer when you install Microsoft Outlook 2010. The Inbox Repair tool tries to correct any problems by resetting the data file structure and rebuilding the headers for Outlook items. If you are using an Exchange account, the tool does not connect to or analyze the data saved on the Exchange server. Important You must exit Outlook before using the Inbox Repair tool. It is not accessible within Outlook. In the Enter the name of the file you want to scan box, enter the name of the .pst or .ost file that you want to check, or click Browse to select the file. To specify the scan log options, click Options , and then click the option that you want. Click Start . If errors are found, you are prompted to start the repair process to fix the errors. A backup file is created during the repair process. To change the default name or location of this backup file, in the Enter name of backup file box, enter a new name, or click Browse to select the file that you want to use. Click Repair . Start Outlook with the profile that contains the .pst file that you tried to repair. In the Navigation Pane, click Folder List . Keyboard shortcut To open switch to the Folder List, press CTRL+6. In the Folder List , you might see a folder named Recovered Personal Folders that contains your default Outlook folders or a Lost and Found folder. The recovered folders are usually empty, because this is a rebuilt .pst file. The Lost and Found folder contains the folders and items recovered by the Inbox Repair tool. You can create an Outlook Data File (.pst), and drag the items in the Lost and Found folder into the new data file. When you have finished moving all the items, you can remove the Recovered Personal Folders (.pst) file, including the Lost and Found folder, from your profile. Notes If you are able to open the original Outlook Data File (.pst), you may be able to recover additional items from your damaged .pst file. By default, the Inbox Repair tool creates a file with the same name, but with the file extension of .bak. The .bak file is located in the same folder as your original .pst file. You may be able to recover items from the .bak file that the Inbox Repair tool could not recover. Make a copy of the .bak file, and give the file a new name with a .pst extension, such as bak.pst. Import the bak.pst file, and then move any additional recovered items to the new .pst file that you created. From your description, it doesn't sound malware related so I wouldn't be overly concerned with that. The apparent registry errors are more of a concern. What is the name of this software that you purchased? I concur with Irene : try the repair she suggested. In addition, can you also try to scan for system errors on your PC. To do this, please follow these steps: 1. Click Start Orb, and then type cmd in the search box 2. Right-click on cmd and choose the Run as administrator option 3. This will open up a cmd (DOS) window 4. Type sfc \/scannow anf hit enter This will check and attempt to repair any issues with the system files. Let the process finish, and then post the results here. Open Outlook and see if you get the same pop-up message. If you do, please post a screen capture image of the message here. Thank you so much for your kind help. I tried the Scanpst on all the files and it hung a few times but finally manage to complete the repair . However, after the repair , I started Outlook again but still got the same error. I think the error was caused by me creating a new profile but the activity was incomplete so it's still looking for some files. I did go in and delete this profile from Outlook by going into the Control panel, Mail, Show Profile and Remove. Now I only see 1 profile from the Control panel. But when I used the Scanpst and browsed I could see that the outlook files associated with the new profile are still there. So the Remove did not remove everything cleanly. If my assumption is correct, is there anyway I can go in and delete the new profile and all of the related files associated with it so that hopefully I can remove these error messages. I'm concerned that whenever Outlook start up looking for these files it will muck up the Registry. I think that's why I did not see the latest sent mails before and after I ran the REGISTRY BOOSTER it cleaned up the registry and I could see the latest sent mails again. Thank you very much for your suggestion. I just tried Irene's suggestion to run the SCANPST. It took a long time, so I ran out of time and I have to go to work now. I will try your suggestion later on today and report back to you. However, the SCANPST did not remove the error messages. I am almost certain that these have something to do with my creating a new profile but not completing properly. Could you offer some insight? Thank you both for your help with my problem with Outlook. I have continued to receive the same error messages from Outlook 2010 due to the fact that I did not add another Profile correctly. Eventhough I have removed the profle I still continue to receive the error messages every time I started Outlook. These error messages seem to have caused user related errors in the registry which subsequently caused Outlook not to display the latest sent messages in the Sent Folder. When I did the Scanpst before I could still see file from the 2nd profile still there. I think that's why the system keeps complaining and gives me these errors. Is there any way that I can completely clean up the 2nd profile that I did not correctly created? ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Outlook 2007 keeps cycling through send routine over and over =?Utf-8?B?aG0=?= Guest Posts: n\/a 's Computer Specifications 15th Oct 2007 I have an costumer who has a problem sometimes, when he try to send an email, the mail is placed in the outbox folder, and when outlook starts the send\/receive routine, it just keeps on cycling through the send job... ??1 out of 1 job completed?_ ?\u0743?\u0743?. ??1000 out of 1000 jobs completed?_ and just keep on growing and growing, and newer stops? The mail is newer send. Absolutely no error messages or anything??? The only way to stop it is to ??crash stop?_ outlook itself, and then he has to run scanpst to get access to his outlook again. I know this hasn??t anything to do with the first problem, but no wonder, he find this frustrating? But I guessing the scanning deletes the message from the outbox, and therefore fixes the problem. We tried different SMTPs, and antivirus programs, and every time I have left, it seemed the problem has gone away, but reappeared later. (He is running 2007 Office on a Windows XP machine.) Roady [MVP] Guest Posts: n\/a 's Computer Specifications 15th Oct 2007 This is commonly caused by either your virus scanner or by having a too short Send\/Receive interval configured. If you have a virus scanner that integrates with Outlook, disable this integration and try again. Also make sure that your automatic send\/receive interval is set to at least 5 minutes (but 10 or longer is better). If you are on a slow connection or have multiple accounts configured you should modify it accordingly but no shorter than 10 minutes. \"hm\" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:0AEADB81-41BE-4112-B8F0-(E-Mail Removed)... > I have an costumer who has a problem sometimes, when he try to send an > email, > the mail is placed in the outbox folder, and when outlook starts the > send\/receive routine, it just keeps on cycling through the send job... > > ??1 out of 1 job completed?_ ?\u0743?\u0743?. ??1000 out of 1000 jobs completed?_ and just > keep on growing and growing, and newer stops? The mail is newer send. > Absolutely no error messages or anything??? > > The only way to stop it is to ??crash stop?_ outlook itself, and then he has > to run scanpst to get access to his outlook again. I know this hasn??t > anything to do with the first problem, but no wonder, he find this > frustrating? But I guessing the scanning deletes the message from the > outbox, and therefore fixes the problem. > > We tried different SMTPs, and antivirus programs, and every time I have > left, it seemed the problem has gone away, but reappeared later. > > > (He is running 2007 Office on a Windows XP machine.) ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Tender is the Night, by F. Scott Fitzgerald III About a year and a half before, Doctor Dohmler had some vague correspondence with an American gentleman living in Lausanne, a Mr. Devereux Warren, of the Warren family of Chicago. A meeting was arranged and one day Mr. Warren arrived at the clinic with his daughter Nicole, a girl of sixteen. She was obviously not well and the nurse who was with her took her to walk about the grounds while Mr. Warren had his consultation. Warren was a strikingly handsome man looking less than forty. He was a fine American type in every way, tall, broad, well-made -- \"un homme trs chic,\" as Doctor Dohmler described him to Franz. His large gray eyes were sun-veined from rowing on Lake Geneva, and he had that special air about him of having known the best of this world. The conversation was in German, for it developed that he had been educated at Gttingen. He was nervous and obviously very moved by his errand. \"Doctor Dohmler, my daughter isn't right in the head. I've had lots of specialists and nurses for her and she's taken a couple of rest cures but the thing has grown too big for me and I've been strongly recommended to come to you.\" \"Very well,\" said Doctor Dohmler. \"Suppose you start at the beginning and tell me everything.\" \"There isn't any beginning, at least there isn't any insanity in the family that I know of, on either side. Nicole's mother died when she was eleven and I've sort of been father and mother both to her, with the help of governesses -- father and mother both to her.\" He was very moved as he said this. Doctor Dohmler saw that there were tears in the corners of his eyes and noticed for the first time that there was whiskey on his breath. \"As a child she was a darling thing -- everybody was crazy about her, everybody that came in contact with her. She was smart as a whip and happy as the day is long. She liked to read or draw or dance or play the piano -- anything. I used to hear my wife say she was the only one of our children who never cried at night. I've got an older girl, too, and there was a boy that died, but Nicole was -- Nicole was -- Nicole -- \" He broke off and Doctor Dohmler helped him. \"She was a perfectly normal, bright, happy child.\" \"Perfectly.\" Doctor Dohmler waited. Mr. Warren shook his head, blew a long sigh, glanced quickly at Doctor Dohmler and then at the floor again. \"About eight months ago, or maybe it was six months ago or maybe ten -- I try to figure but I can't remember exactly where we were when she began to do funny things -- crazy things. Her sister was the first one to say anything to me about it -- because Nicole was always the same to me,\" he added rather hastily, as if some one had accused him of being to blame, \" -- the same loving little girl. The first thing was about a valet.\" \"Oh, yes,\" said Doctor Dohmler, nodding his venerable head, as if, like Sherlock Holmes, he had expected a valet and only a valet to be introduced at this point. \"I had a valet -- been with me for years -- Swiss, by the way.\" He looked up for Doctor Dohmler's patriotic approval. \"And she got some crazy idea about him. She thought he was making up to her -- of course, at the time I believed her and I let him go, but I know now it was all nonsense.\" \"What did she claim he had done?\" \"That was the first thing -- the doctors couldn't pin her down. She just looked at them as if they ought to know what he'd done. But she certainly meant he'd made some kind of indecent advances to her -- she didn't leave us in any doubt of that.\" \"I see.\" \"Of course, I've read about women getting lonesome and thinking there's a man under the bed and all that, but why should Nicole get such an idea? She could have all the young men she wanted. We were in Lake Forest -- that's a summer place near Chicago where we have a place -- and she was out all day playing golf or tennis with boys. And some of them pretty gone on her at that.\" All the time Warren was talking to the dried old package of Doctor Dohmler, one section of the latter's mind kept thinking intermittently of Chicago. Once in his youth he could have gone to Chicago as fellow and docent at the university, and perhaps become rich there and owned his own clinic instead of being only a minor shareholder in a clinic. But when he had thought of what he considered his own thin knowledge spread over that whole area, over all those wheat fields, those endless prairies, he had decided against it. But he had read about Chicago in those days, about the great feudal families of Armour, Palmer, Field, Crane, Warren, Swift, and McCormick and many others, and since that time not a few patients had come to him from that stratum of Chicago and New York. \"She got worse,\" continued Warren. \"She had a fit or something -- the things she said got crazier and crazier. Her sister wrote some of them down -- \" He handed a much-folded piece of paper to the doctor. \"Almost always about men going to attack her, men she knew or men on the street -- anybody -- \" He told of their alarm and distress, of the horrors families go through under such circumstances, of the ineffectual efforts they had made in America, finally of the faith in a change of scene that had made him run the submarine blockade and bring his daughter to Switzerland. \" -- on a United States cruiser,\" he specified with a touch of hauteur. \"It was possible for me to arrange that, by a stroke of luck. And, may I add,\" he smiled apologetically, \"that as they say: money is no object.\" \"Certainly not,\" agreed Dohmler dryly. He was wondering why and about what the man was lying to him. Or, if he was wrong about that, what was the falsity that pervaded the whole room, the handsome figure in tweeds sprawling in his chair with a sportsman's ease? That was a tragedy out there, in the February day, the young bird with wings crushed somehow, and inside here it was all too thin, thin and wrong. \"I would like -- to talk to her -- a few minutes now,\" said Doctor Dohmler, going into English as if it would bring him closer to Warren. Afterward when Warren had left his daughter and returned to Lausanne, and several days had passed, the doctor and Franz entered upon Nicole's card: * Diagnosis: Divided Personality. Acute and down-hill phase of the illness. The fear of men is a symptom of the illness and is not at all constitutional. . . . The prognosis must be reserved. And then they waited with increasing interest as the days passed for Mr. Warren's promised second visit. It was slow in coming. After a fortnight Doctor Dohmler wrote. Confronted with further silence he committed what was for those days \"une folie,\" and telephoned to the Grand Hotel at Vevey. He learned from Mr. Warren's valet that he was at the moment packing to sail for America. But reminded that the forty francs Swiss for the call would show up on the clinic books, the blood of the Tuileries Guard rose to Doctor Dohmler's aid and Mr. Warren was got to the phone. \"It is -- absolutely necessary -- that you come. Your daughter's health -- all depends. I can take no responsibility.\" \"But look here, Doctor, that's just what you're for. I have a hurry call to go home!\" Doctor Dohmler had never yet spoken to any one so far away but he dispatched his ultimatum so firmly into the phone that the agonized American at the other end yielded. Half an hour after this second arrival on the Zurichsee, Warren had broken down, his fine shoulders shaking with awful sobs inside his easy fitting coat, his eyes redder than the very sun on Lake Geneva, and they had the awful story. \"It just happened,\" he said hoarsely. \"I don't know -- I don't know. \"After her mother died when she was little she used to come into my bed every morning, sometimes she'd sleep in my bed. I was sorry for the little thing. Oh, after that, whenever we went places in an automobile or a train we used to hold hands. She used to sing to me. We used to say, 'Now let's not pay any attention to anybody else this afternoon -- let's just have each other -- for this morning you're mine.'\" A broken sarcasm came into his voice. \"People used to say what a wonderful father and daughter we were -- they used to wipe their eyes. We were just like lovers -- and then all at once we were lovers -- and ten minutes after it happened I could have shot myself -- except I guess I'm such a Goddamned degenerate I didn't have the nerve to do it.\" \"Then what?\" said Doctor Dohmler, thinking again of Chicago and of a mild pale gentleman with a pince-nez who had looked him over in Zurich thirty years before. \"Did this thing go on?\" \"Oh, no! She almost -- she seemed to freeze up right away. She'd just say, 'Never mind, never mind, Daddy. It doesn't matter. Never mind.'\" \"There were no consequences?\" \"No.\" He gave one short convulsive sob and blew his nose several times. \"Except now there're plenty of consequences.\" As the story concluded Dohmler sat back in the focal armchair of the middle class and said to himself sharply, \"Peasant!\" -- it was one of the few absolute worldly judgments that he had permitted himself for twenty years. Then he said: \"I would like for you to go to a hotel in Zurich and spend the night and come see me in the morning.\" ","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Fitting A Saddle Fitting a saddle is one of the rider's most basic concerns, and there are many important criteria to meet regarding the horse's comfort, the rider's position, and the optimal transmission of aiding between the rider and the horse. Fitting a saddle: The relevance of the tree All horses have the same basic width of spinal column and angle of spine in relation to the horizontal. The height and shape of the wither, and the proportions of the ribcage vary quite dramatically between breeds of horse, but they still tend to fall into three basic types. Ideally the tree of your saddle will mirror this basic spinal pattern so that the saddle sits in balance. This means that the entire panel surface is in contact with the horses back, distributing the weight evenly, and avoiding pressure points, rocking or bridging: Rocking is when the tree shape is incorrect i.e the angle curves too much, like a banana, and the whole saddle rocks back and forth with the horse's movement. Bridging is also when the tree shape is incorrect, but this time the angle doesn't curve enough and the saddle only contacts the horse's back at the back and the front of the panels. These places are then taking all the weight, and are likely to cause discomfort and pain due to the pressure points. Interestingly, the vast majority of saddles are built on the same mass-produced tree. This tree is not shaped to the horse's spinal column, due to short-cuts taken in the manufacturing process, and a basic lack of understanding of the shape of the horse's back by saddlers (who are usually not riders themselves). It is held together with metal struts and features recessed stirrup bars. Stirrup bars are designed like this for the comfort of the rider, but for the horse they invariably become pressure points, and often horses have hardened lumps and even white hairs on the corresponding place on their back. When fitting a saddle, we feel that it is important for the it to have a tree that provides a consistent weight-bearing structure, so the weight of the rider is distributed evenly. We know that for the horse's spine, the tree structure is crucial, it can't be improved with different panel types or padding. Like the tale of the princess and the pea , an incorrect tree shape will always impinge on the horse sooner or later. We have had the good fortune to discover a little-known design of saddle that addresses beautifully the above issues of fitting a saddle. Strada saddles (above) have a tree made with carbon fibre and wood and they are designed to fit the universal spinal shape of the horse. They are made in different widths i.e the panel angle alters to accommodate the different types of horse, and they fit all horses with reasonably healthy musculature like a glove. These saddles also have panels made of thermo-reactive memory foam so that although they mould themselves to the individual horse's back, they return to their original shape after use, unlike wool-filled panels which invariably take on the unevenness of the horse's back over time. Positioning the Saddle Once you've understood what your looking for when fitting a saddle, you also need to consider where you are actually placing it on the horse's back. When you place your saddle on the horses back and slide it back, to find the right place, the main thing to be aware of is the position of the scapula in relation to the saddle. When a horse moves his leg forward, the scapula rolls back, and if there is a saddle in the way, eventually the cartilage of the shoulder joint will be damaged. To feel this, cup your hand over the top edge of the scapula and get someone to lift the horse's leg out - you will feel how it comes back. For this reason the saddle must be placed so that the scapula is visible and you can watch it moving back and forth unrestricted. Horses with the saddle on their shoulder like in this photograph, will start to shorten their stride in front to try and avoid the friction. We find that in general saddles very often come forward against the shoulder during work, even if they are placed correctly to begin with. Go to Using a crupper to keep the saddle in place for more on this. Putting the saddle on Keeping your horse happy with his saddle can be quite a challenge. If he has had a damaging saddle previously in his life he will anticipate that he is going to be hurt again, and even if you have subsequently taken care correctly fitting a saddle, it can be difficult to convince him otherwise. Always put it on as gently as you can and do the girth up very gradually. If you are putting it on a young horse get him used to the saddle-cloth first, and don't do everything in one day. It's better to assume that he need's more time than go by a lack of reaction. Watch his eye and see if he is accepting the process or tuning out. Young horses tune out easily and it can be difficult to see it happening. The saddle-cloth one day, then the saddle-cloth and saddle without girth the next, then the saddle-cloth, saddle and the girth the next again is a good speed of progression. You, or someone else is going to be putting the saddle on thousands of times throughout the horse's life. There is very little advantage in rushing the process and ending up with a difficult horse later on. Look at How to prevent bridle problems for a guide to resolving problems with horses who are already difficult. Train Your Horse The Holistic Way How To Train A Horse Without Force is a unique guide to training horses through energetic connection and gymnastic training. Part 1 covers everything on the ground, from handling to the lungeing technique that develops strength, straightness and engagement. Comes with a free eBook supplement on Horse Trauma. Click here for more details. Do You Have A Horse Story To Share On HHT? So many people have been through wonderful experiences with horses, whether in training or otherwise. If you've made a change in a horse's life - or one has made a change in yours - tell us about it here . Learn How To Trim Your Own Horse's Feet The Simple Seven-Step Natural Trim is a comprehensive step-by-step guide to a cutting-edge barefoot trim. Click here to find out more. What people say about HHT: \"The riding instruction is outstanding, if instructors in the UK taught this way there would be a lot of happy riders and horses.\" \"The riding tuition exceeded my hopes and expectations by a long way; giving me an exciting new facet to horsemanship which is lighter. more subtle, more elegant and more meaningful. It is as if a new door has opened bringing more sunlight and air.\" \"My goodness - what a change has taken place in my riding. I think that I'm starting to sit 'into' the horse rather than on top of him. I felt my horse's movements in a way that has almost never happened before\" ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Search Read Ownership ain't what it used to be I recently signed up for Spotify , a music service that allows you to find, and listen to, whole tracks and albums. It's less social than LastFM, say, but more focused around the specific music you want - whereas LastFM uses the artist you like as a springboard for finding other artists, Spotify uses it just to give you that artist's music. It brought back to me some considerations I'd had about the nature of ownership. My generation will have a distinctly different concept of ownership to that of my daughter's generation. For my generation you partly constructed your identity around what you owned - your bookshelf, record collection and DVD archive were important aspects of who you were (as anyone who has read Nick Hornby's High Fidelity will appreciate). But for the digital generation this strong link with ownership has been broken. It took time and money to build up any of those collections. Therefore they demonstrated a commitment which was worth exhibiting. In a digital world this effort is greatly reduced, and as a result so is the emotional attachment one feels towards them. How often would people say that their book collection or record collection would be the things they would want to save from a burning house? This simply doesn't apply anymore - you can just download again (iTunes keeps a record of what you've purchased or you just download ahem, free, versions from BitTorrent). But even more than this, the need to own anything is reduced. Imagine a service like Spotify greatly increased so you could find any artist, and with mobile devices, get access anywhere. Why do I need to own any of these tracks then? I can get them whenever I want, and isn't that the point of ownership, to have access under your control? Obviously there are some things you still need to own (clothes, cars, phones, etc), but if so many previously coveted items move to cloud services, what will the next generation cherish? I think the answer is evident already in where they spend their time - it's in their identity. This was one of the functions of owning these items in the first place after all. For the digital generation things that cannot be easily duplicated will be important - this will be the MySpace or Facebook page they have generated over a long time, the network they have created. These represent the 'things I'd save from a fire' in an online world. Comments Hey Martin, I agree with all this - but in addition to representing your identity these modern-day assets are cherished because they are also just really useful in your everyday life. I guess it comes down to what is irreplaceable these days - and it's not virtual objects themselves, but the record of their locations: bookmarks, addresses, file locations, contact info. If you don't know where they are, you have really lost them. ( Or at the very least you're looking at a lot of googling to find them again ) So, if the Facebook servers burned down, and you could google to retrieve one thing, what would it be for ? : ) Hi Matt, I couldn't give a toss if the FB servers burned down - what I would miss most in an internet fire would be a) this blog and b) the network I have established in Twitter. The former because I would never get back all the content I have put in on here, the latter because my network has built up over 18 months or so. As you say, both of these are about identity, but also, really useful - indeed essential probably for my professional life. Doc, Yep, it's a virtual world alright, but i don't see the impending cloud culture a bad thing. Yes, having a tactile history at hand is reassuring and often a reminder of who we were, are and wish we'd been - though i do see such items\/possessions a little like a safety blanket - fuufy if you will - and maybe this and later generations will be liberated from the shackles of ownership. Perhaps my sons will have to affirm their identity through their actions and general character more than I. Of course this is wishful thinking - both are submerged into fake video (do we say Video now?) worlds - and don't fully appreciate how to covet their belongings. Blimey, Jenkins and Burton both make it to my blog after 4 years. I don't think it's a bad thing either - but it is a fundamental change in how we relate to stuff and how we express our identity. Also a lot of businesses are still going on the ownership model (cf Zavvi) - it ain't a horse worth betting on. Now get back to work. I definitely feel \"ownership\" of my blog, as you said in the comment above--which is why when Blogger recently (finally) added an export feature, you can bet that I immediately backed up my four years of blogging in, like, three different places!:D Is there a stronger culture of identity though ownership ( clothing, labels, sports shoes, phone brands, jewellery\/bling) among cultures who fall on the wrong side of the digital divide, or are otherwise digitally disadvantaged*. I wonder if forward-thinking archaeologists are really displeased with this trend? The reason I wonder about this is because archaeologists painstakingly construct our understanding of the past through the artifacts we've left behind. In an increasingly digital society built on storage technology that is not expected to survive more than 20 or 30 years, what will be left of our music, our literature, our art, and our science? What will our descendants in a thousand years be able to say about our lives? ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Marketing plan - how to write Adopting a customer focused business ethos is a proven method to increase the chances of a sustainable and profitable future. The marketing planning process is at the heart of any truly marketing orientated company, and ensures the customer is at the centre of key decisions. The plan is a detailed written document which can be used to promote a single product of form the annual business strategy. Marketing-made-simple.com has split the marketing plan into three steps which are easy to follow and relevant to both small and large businesses. The marketing plan should provide direction for all relevant members of the organization and should be referred to and updated throughout the year. The main purpose of the marketing plan is to provide a structured approach that ensures the marketing manager considers all the relevant elements of the planning process which could otherwise be missed if a more rushed approach is adopted. Stage 1: Research & planning This section includes the following: Statement of your current situation and scope of the plan Research into potential \/ current customers Examining the marketing environment Identifying opportunities for growth Current business situation Summarise where you are at the moment, possible items include: Financial results Sale figures and trends Market share Customer satisfaction Level of repeat business The marketing environment Examining both the internal and external marketing environments can identify both opportunities and threats to the business and is a core component of the plan. The whole area is usually broken down into the macro, micro and internal environments as summarised in the diagram below. The macro-environment A commonly used method of quantifying the macro external environment is with a PEST analysis. PEST is an acronym which divides the macro-environment into four areas -- Political, Economic, Social, and Technological, examples of which are shown below. Political environmental factors Trading agreements Tax rules Employment regulation Environmental legislation Legal issues Economic environmental factors Recession Interest rates Exchange rates Rate of inflation Population wealth Growth of the housing market Social environmental factors 'Green' behaviour Eating habits Shifts in attitude Population demographics Attitudes to career Technological environmental factors Emergence of new communications channels Improved production processes Advances in computing and the internet New technologies such as electric vehicles Automation Reduced cost of materials Micro-environment The micro-environment includes factors which are still not directly under the control of the company, but more directly relevant to strategy such as consumer trends, stakeholders, suppliers and competitors. Some example items are listed below. Summary of your market segment Market growth, trends and competition Potential new markets Direction from shareholders Supplier costs and service quality Changes is consumer behaviour Understanding your customers and market Ensuring a thorough knowledge of the consumer is vital for successful marketing planning. Use the primary and secondary (first and second hand) market research information at your disposal to describe your customer. The more accurate your picture of your consumer, the better you'll be able to design products which cater for their needs and the easier it will be to communicate with them. If you have a broad customer base, you might need to split your customers into groups (segmentation). Understanding your competitors Internal environment The internal marketing environment includes factors that the business can directly influence. This can include: The organisational structure The strengths and weaknesses of a department Financial stability and resources Staff morale Spare production capacity Client base Pricing structure Selling channels Staff skills Identifying opportunities in the marketing environment Once you have completed the internal and external environmental audit, you can summarise your findings using a SWOT analysis which can be used to make key decisions. SWOT analysis A ' SWO T analysis' is a useful way of summarizing the results of the environmental audit and presenting the current status of a business. SWOT simply stands for the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats which have emerged from examining the macro, micro and internal marketing environments. For example, here is a SWOT analysis for a fictional electric car manufacturer Strengths Our electric motors are cheap to produce and maintenance free Charge time is class leading Production capacity can be increased R&D department is class leading Weaknesses Batteries are heavy, slow to charge and provide limited mileage Dealer network is small Customer trust in the segment is low Market is highly competitive Opportunities Government grants are available Road tax breaks for electric cars Market is growing rapidly Battery technology is evolving Threats Tesla has secured a large government grant The big players are investing heavily Hybrid and diesel technology is evolving fast Stage 2: Marketing strategy This section includes the following elements: Development of mission statement Statement of objectives Strategy and tactics to accomplish the objectives Mission statement Your mission statement is a formal commitment and focus for the business. It should explain to customers concisely what the nature of your business is and where you are going, and also provide a motivational tool for employees. It should be aspirational, something to strive for, yet obtainable and relevant. Once this has been defined it should form the focus for your business strategy. Vision statement A vision statement is a more long term, ideal-world statement which outlines where you would like to take the business in the long run. Objectives Combined with the mission statement, your objectives should be the key statements that drive your business. The most successful goals follow the SMART acronym. Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound. What do you want to achieve by the end of this year? Where do you want to be in one, five, ten years? Objectives must be quantitative in order to accurately measure success. For example, 'sell 600 units in the next year' or 'increase customer retention by 20%'. Selecting a suitable strategy Selecting a strategy for growth - the Ansoff Matrix Most businesses need to grow, and the Ansoff Matrix (below) is a method of determining the best course of action if growth is your priority. Product development Creating a range of similar products, for example shaving foam if you are already manufacturing razors Diversification Developing a new product for a completely new market Example tactics: Market research Product research and development Selecting a pricing strategy Once you have determined the product and market you want to be in, the next problem will be setting a price. Porter's model discusses three strategies for competitive advantage based on price. Three generic strategies for competitive advantage - Porter's model Cost leadership: A good quality product at a lower price than the competitors Differential strategy: A product or service which is perceived as unique within a particular market Focus strategy: Delivering focused attention to a particular segment to deliver service which competitors cannot compete Determining which products to invest in If you have a product range it is likely that some will do better than others. The Boston Consultancy Group matrix is a method of determining which to invest in, and which to drop, shown below. High market share Low market share High market growth Stars Question marks Low market growth Cash cows Dogs Stars High growth products with a strong market presence. Probably need high investment to maintain position. Cash cows Low growth products with a high market share. Probably don't need much investment, but require management to maintain profitability. Question marks Products which have potential, but may require investment to yield decent profits. Dogs Rarely worth investing in, dogs should at least break even to be retained. Tactics - the marketing mix The marketing mix is a selection of customer focused business elements which work together as a toolkit to market your product or service. The tactical section of a marketing plan summarises how you intend to use each element of the marketing mix, which can be summarised in seven 'Ps' as shown in the illustration below. Product Product refers to the items you are selling or the service you are providing. Your product based tactics link back to your overall strategy - if your strategy is market penetration (see the Ansoff matrix), then there may be little need to do anything to the product. However if you have chosen product development or diversification, then a certain amount of research and development, and product design will be needed. Price Comparable pricing -- if you are not the market leader, competitors will have set a price expectation which can be followed Market penetration strategy -- deliberately low pricing in order to enter or control a market quickly. Place Place refers to the method of getting your product to the consumer - this could be a dealership or an online shop. How will you attract more retailers to sell your product? How will you maintain a premium appearance? How will your distribution network function? How many countries should you operate in? Promotion Promotion is much more than just advertising - this is the discipline of marketing communications. What is your branding strategy? Which promotional channels will you use? How will you divide up the budget? Will billboards work better than TV ads? What should be the discount for special offers? How will you generate positive PR? Should you out-source the creative work? Physical evidence This element of the marketing mix is mostly used to promote services. If you're not selling anything tangible, how will people know what they're getting? This is where physical evidence comes in. Examples of physical evidence include a brochure for a holiday tour, customer testimonials for a dentist, or a portfolio for a website design company. Segmentation, targeting & positioning When using the marketing mix, it is important to keep in mind the three generic stages of marketing - segmentation, targeting and positioning. Segmentation is the detailed breakdown of your customers into as much detail as practical, targeting then ensures all elements of the mix are tailored to your identified consumer group. Positioning the process of ensuring potential and current customers perceive your company in the way you would like them to. Stage 3: Actions, measurement and controls How will you monitor progress? Who will do which jobs? When will each element be completed? How will you adjust the plan? What will be the budget? This section discusses action plans, controls, measurements and reporting. Actions Developing an action plan An action plan is core to the marketing process -- a constantly evolving document which is cascaded to the relevant people and monitored regularly. Most action plans are relatively short term documents which focus on the coming year, but longer term implications should also be considered. Action planning is a stages approach: Clarify goals, and ensure they are SMART Link back to your objectives and tactics Set criteria for success Prioritize Set timings Determine who will complete each action point Monitor the progress of the plan and review regularly An example action plan is shown below Measurements, controls and reporting The final stage of the action plan is the implementation of measurements and controls and reporting results. Many models for monitoring the performance of businesses have emerged, many of which address the needs of key stakeholders and allow them to evaluate the overall success of a company. The balanced scorecard approach for monitoring company performance The balanced scorecard approach is a widely used method of monitoring overall performance and ensuring daily work is focused on the strategic objectives. The scorecard is a \"strategic planning and management system...which is used to align business activities to the vision and strategy of the organization, improve internal and external communications, and monitor organization performance against strategic goals\". This approach encourages open communication throughout the business and allows tracking of performance throughout the year. Reference: http:\/\/www.balancedscorecard.org Traditionally, businesses have tracked success based on just one measure -- financial results. However the scorecard system views the business from four external perspectives to gain a more relevant approach to performance metrics. Learning & growth -- how you are innovating and improving to meet your goals Business process -- how critical processes are measuring up Customer perspective -- usually measured in terms of time, quality, performance and cost Financial perspective -- financial performance from the stakeholder point of view Each element is tracked using four items which are listed individually: Objectives - as identified in stage 2 of the marketing planning process Measures - how will success be measured? Targets - specific quantifiable targets Initiatives - how to make the targets more readily achievable Key performance indicators ( KPI s) Depending on your industry, you may also have certain specific metrics which determine success, these could include: Market share analysis Sales analysis Quality control Financial results Market research Marketing information systems CRM - New customers acquired, retention Service levels Brand awareness Competitor performance Benchmarking Profitability Gap analysis Gap analysis is another useful tool which answers two questions: Where are you? Where do you want to be? It can be useful to identify where you are with the following facets of the business: Organisation Business direction and marketing mix Business processes Information technology Requirements vs capability Market potential vs existing usage Your business vs competition Feedback Now that you have an accurate picture about the success of your plan it's important to feedback this information in order to fine tune the strategy and update the courses of action accordingly. Final words The marketing planning process is a comprehensive method for examining your business, your market and the environment in order to develop a strategy to exploit opportunities. It is a vital process which should be used by almost every company to ensure a profitable and sustainable future. ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Note: Please bear in mind that whilst this topic does canvass opinions, it is not a fight club. You may disagree with other posters but we do ask you please to stick to our Talk Guidelines and to be civil. We don't allow personal attacks or troll-hunting . Do please report any. Thanks, MNHQ. To think that the British work is insidious (132 Posts) Please click the 'Recommend' button below to confirm that you would like to post this thread to your facebook wall: If you have previously recommended this thread, you should see a tick \/ check mark on the recommend button. Click the tick to undo the recommendation (the tick may appear to change to a cross as you do this.) If you added a comment with your recommendation, you will need to delete that from your facebook wall separately. I don't understand. It's about team work; being part of the team; playing the game. Doing a good job, being reliable. What exactly do you mean. I don't think I have every come across what you are inferring. I must admit to being a bit shocked in moving to a city which is dominated by a particular industry, which is itself male-dominated. I know a lot of jobs are allocated on the basis of who you know, not what you know, but they actually turn down decent employees here on the basis that they will show up their cronies. Happens again and again. And its not my field, so I have no vested interest. Depends. I think that especially in the public sector this can be an issue. Can be very cliquey. Most promotions are not based on merit IME but through preventing people access to all relevant information resulting in them not having a chance ... What is going on in the Department of Transport is scandalous IMO, it is not the ordinary civil servants carrying out the work, it is the top who is at fault. The underlings only do what the top wants (or what they think the top wants), otherwise they will be out during the next reorganisation (tend to be many in the Civil Service). So it is the top they should get rid off, small chance of that happening, it is rather blame the messenger as usual. That's why nothing will really change\/improve. Just power games. That's why I held out when I was made redundant and did some temping until my perfect dynamic, all-working-for-the-same-thing, no bullshit owner and employees small-but-rapidly growing company job came along. I love it. Never worked harder, but never felt more of a round peg in a round hole. I loathed the dead men's shoes, hidden agenda, greasy pole mentality of other places I have worked. Not all large companies, either. And the acceptance of mediocrity. Bleugh. A good manager recognises that everyone has something valuable to give and finds a way to enable them to give it. Poor management looks after friends. I have experienced both and like to think I am the former. Hard to know what you should do on so little information but please don't think there is anything wrong with being the shy one. An effective team has a mix of people, not all loud or all shy, but it takes a good manager to make the most of that team. Quiet and brilliant is fantastic! Well, if you happen to be in the Civil Service, then you have to lick arse ... It is not about doing the best job you can, it is not about being truthful, factual, integrity. It is about finding out what your superiors want and giving them that bending the information to suit their view even if totally incorrect. And of course, always be very nice to your superiors and try not to be too nice to the people underneath you as this may be seen as weak. You can earn a lot, a lot money this way plus a good pension, but it does involve selling your soul. Teaching won't pay me enough. I love what I do but for the lack of recognition. Just today saw a colleague (an utter twat) get promoted over me. I am better at everything. Except that I am not in the in crowd. Sometimes, if there is an opportunity you have to move upwards and outwards rather than staying in the same place for too long and getting stuck there. You can then move back in at a more senior level. I think teaching is quite well paid these days (have just started my 9th year) but I am amused by the concept that it is free from all the things described in this thread. Come to my school and see the politics in action! Doesn't teaching have any of these issues? The NHS certainly does Survival strategies? Well, remember it's only work and make sure you have a life outside. If you can't change it, try to figure out if it's likely to change within a time frame you can cope with, maybe through restructuring - this happens in the NHS all the time, sometimes for the better in terms of the management environment and sometimes not. If not, plan an escape strategy to something better. Above all remember there is nothing intrinsically wrong with being the quiet brilliant one 'A good manager recognises that everyone has something valuable to give and finds a way to enable them to give it. ' Yes. yes. I also think many managers forget to do the basic stuff; saying positive things; giving bad news face to face; all the simple good manners. They treat their employees as they would not treat even the most distant member of their family, and then wonder why relationships with and between the people they spend all day with are shite. One woman in our team is an absolute workhorse; a colleague and teamworker par excellence (sorry, i believe in teamwork). But she doesn't take any shit, our manager is scared of her and now avoids giving her any positive feedback. She is going to walk out of our team on maternity leave, we are going to struggle so much without her, and she is not even going to look back Yy public sector, crappy people getting promoted, and then when they're not surprisingly crappy n the new job, moved into another new job, until eventually a super fancy job is created with big money and no actual responsibilities so they can't do any more damage. Because you can't actually sack them, can you. I also don't think teamwork involves carrying people weaker than you necessarily. It's about pulling together, accepting differences and enjoying commonality, and doing your level best and working with integrity and decency. Can you tell I like my job and feel privileged to have my colleagues and managers? Silibilimili, you say teaching wont pay you enough. I dont actually know what ordinary teachers get paid,,but they are not on strike,so I sort of assume they are getting a decentish wage. Which begs the question,and I dont mean to be rude,but why do you need to earn more than what I assume is a pretty average salary for the country. Do you have large overheads? Do you need to work in a work environment,that probably means you earn more,which probably means the people working there are more competitive,which probably means it feels like some of them would sell their granny? Actually this post is coming across to me as a bit harsh,and for all I know could be complete rubbish.But I cant be bothered to redo it,so hope you do not take offence. That's the thing sili; and the bad people know it. The world is full of brilliant people who do not get promoted. It's not enough to do your job well, even brilliantly. You have to put other people down, compare their work unfavourably to yours and kiss ass, even publicly, shamefully. amillionyears - I expenct that Silibilimili is actually working hard, good at her job and wants some recognition for a change. Rather than seeing not very clever and possibly someone not really pulling his weight being promoted above her. amillion , your post is good. Don't worry. It's not even the money. By should I give up something I love because of these people? There has to be some tricks of the trade in can learn to 'play the game' and not compromise my morals\/integrity? I am waiting to see what Silibilimili says,but now that my kids are older,one of the first things we look at when they apply for jobs,is the ethos of the company. If we dont like the look of it,we dont apply. obviously now that the op is working there,not such an easy situation. Also,to me,what we do or dont do in life,is a series of priorities. To me,work culture is quite a high priority,so if Sili doesnt like it there,she needs to look around for companies that would hopefully appreciate her. I don't know \"a million years\". Go in, get there on time, don't rock the boat, be nice to people, be honest, don't shaft anyone, protect colleagues when necessary, follow procedure where necessary, bend procedure where one can. Agree generally and if things need changing do it incrementally, trying to get people on side first. amillion , I did not realise the culture is like this before I joined. All was well for a whole while. Things started going belly up when i did not want to do the 12hr days to meet deadlines for nothing jn return etc. it's hard to choose an 'ethical' company. How do you know what the culture is like?! Months on end for nothing on end is harsh. Was that in your contract? Did the financially reward you properly for that? Standing outside. a.what is the dress code,important if you end up having an interview there. b.if you stand outside in the morning,do the workers arrive on time? c.do they look happy do be there? d.are they sloppily dressed. e.what sort of people are they? f.do their cars look like yours at all. g.very importantly,do they look as if you will fit with them h.if it is the evening,how do they look now? i.even go into the building casualy for a brief look round.How does it feel.What is the receptionist like. j.do you want to work on an industrial estate etc k.what is the transport system like there All this helps to give a glimpse of what the company is actually like and whether you think you may enjoy working there. I understand what you mean but in my experience those who claimed about cliques and conspiracies and agendas and corruption were paranoid dick heads. I spend 10 years working with someone who complained that the reason she wasn't being promoted was because her ideas were too 'forward thinking' or too 'out there'. She was being held back because people were threatened. She was a knob. People loathed her. There are two reasons you are not getting on at work. One is the place is corrupt and full of cronies, the other is you are the problem It's not you silibili, in the sense of you are crap, you are no good. It's you in the sense of, you do not blow your own trumpet enough and are too nice to the people below you and not creepy enough to the people above. It's ludicrous to sggest this is paranoid. It's the way it is! Yes agree with zoomeister: stop expecting people at work to be your friends and to like you. Locate someone above you who is clearly headed for higher things. Latch on to them; suck up to them. You might think it's cringingly obvious. Not to them. Hang on to their coat tails, for a start. Diss your colleagues to them if necessary but in a subtle way, back-handed compliments for example. Never bitch outright; don't smile too much; be very cool; never apologise. Sili: i'm like you but towards the end of my career, which has been fine, reasonable, decent pay so I haven't minded. But because i don't mind so much personally (which let's be honest really can cloud things) I have a very clear view of what happens in my workplace and in the other offices linked to it. I would say it's got about ten per cent to do with how good you are at your job. That's it. I think you would either have to change, or make yourself content with the way things are. Change or make myself content. I know. So hard. I don't think I can do either. As for slating off colleagues, not in my nature. It makes you look bad in the long run. I am not saying I am perfect. However, I see incompetent people going waaaay above and think, 'it's not fair!!' I recent went from being a contractor to staff so here is what the problem is. To put up with all the work politics. But just made me wonder, I can't be alone. There must be 'good' people out there that cope somehow. Or even get to the top. How? That's all. Maybe it's time I went back to earning money again than having a career. The apparently good people who get to the top have ALL had their moments of ruthlessness behind the scenes. The truly good get half way there, director rather than VP, sidelined into a nice job in training and so on. But slating off colleagues YES it looks bad if you are bitchy. It's not about being bitchy. It's positioning yourself above them in conversation and appraisals, explaining how you helped them achieve something when they couldn't do it, making sure you get the credit, \"helpfully\" suggesting to someone they need training in an area because they'd then be really good at it. You don't have to lie. Bosses want people who can be like them ie hard. I have worked for people who haven't been ruthless or evil. Ok so they were truly genious or minor royalty, but have been fairly decent human beings. These were old school boys (very few women - who did tend to be unpleasant) though. The new generation tend to be slimeballs whod sell their own granny for a profit. I think for women it's a sexism thing - women have to be better, harder, faster, stronger to get the same job as a man. They have to PROVE they aren't going to melt. It's unfair. The old school boys could afford to be nice - they had a job whatever they did,and f they fucked up one of Dad's friends in the foreigno office would find a little spot fo rhim. Or her. such an interesting and enlightening thread.I have been sat all morning thinking about work problems and getting stressed. like everyone I have watched others bitch,kiss ass and then get promoted when they are generally lazy or not great at their jobs and have been frustrated that my hard work and achievements has never seemed to get me anywhere. this thread helps me to accept that this is business and I must either choose to be like others and move to the top or just do enough to ensure my working day is as stress free as poss so I can enjoy time out of work I may be broke in the meantime but hey one day I will run my own business where things are different. .s.if there are any business owners out there who require hard working and extremely capable employees who will fit into their ethical, honest and truly rewarding team environment please pm me! It should be a lesson really - we've all thought \"how can Boss X not SEE how much of a suck-up employee Y is being. It's so fake!\" Because they can't. They're on the receiving end and they are also playing the game. It depends on the culture of the office. I have known unqualified secretaries scamper up the greasy pole very very quickly (very naively I thought it was because she must have been talented ans well-liked). When she left all the men talked about how she wanted to sleep with them all - then I was told that she was having an affair with the boss. She was very self promoting 'look at meeee, I'm fabulous!!' Very self confident but didn't have a tufty really. Emperors new clothes syndrome! Most places I have work have had a bad reputation in the industry for being really horrible places to work. One place had a reputation for being great and I loved it - there was such a lack of politics! I go into quite a few organisations as part of my job and it's amazing the variety of business cultures that exist. Few I would want to be part of too. For me slef employment or small business works best. front , I have seen that too here. It's natures way. It's a part of office life. The sexual tensions, prettier women doing better than the uglier ones, the taller men doing better than the shorter ones. That's Darwinian theory. I just need to be more thick skinned and less sensitive, more controlled I suppose. It is going to be tricky? Any women out there who are emotional and are doing well in their careers? This thread has indeed been insightful for me too. Thank you all for the contribution. I tend to think that those who deny it have done it ..so they see others as whingers and moaners rather than \"actors\". The thinking goes, well I did it, why can't you instead of moaning on. And I've been promoted, so I can't possibly be incompetent or a bad manager. It's a mindset, and you have to buy it! By whinging and moaning, quite frankly I don't blame you, I've done it myself, but it doesn't buy you promotion. It basically says \"I am unhappy but impotent\". That's not the impression you want to give. And by those who deny it, i mean those people who say, this does not happen, you are paranoid. Yes, it does, it's almost universal, and you are not paranoic. People who say that have climbed the greasy pole or are doing it and will see others as weak, impotent, whingers and so on. There's nothing wrong with constructive criticism - noticing that something isn't working and suggesting an improvement or a better way of working. But some people - and I am not suggesting that this is you btw, I don't know you - really do just moan. About everything. Even the stuff that clearly can't be changed. Even the stuff that everyone else manages perfectly well with. They are often the same ones who won't work 5mins overtime, with a 'they don't do anything for me, so why should I do anything for them' attitude. They are often also heard complaining about colleagues in a bitter way. Who is going to promote someone like that, someone that they essentially don't like and don't want to spend more time working with than they absolutely have to? There's usually a pool of people to choose from, and enthusiastic competence wins every time. ade , agree. I have all the good qualities you mention. Enthusiastic, technically competent, moaner but do try and change or influence things, which makes me quiet and direct and do not suck up. So do tend to piss people off by my great 'communication' skills. How do I get out of this quandary or my predicament. Surely it's the work that matters and not the other bullshit surely. Who would you rather have in your team at the end of the day? Someone hi gets the job done or someone who agrees with everything you say and does mediocre? I certainly wouldn't want someone who agreed with everything I said, but someone who gets the job done with a smile on their face and doesn't rattle the feathers of their colleagues unnecessarily. There are two words that you have used to describe yourself on this thread that would concern me - 'emotional' and 'direct'. IME people who describe themselves in this way can often come across as a little self absorbed, maybe rude (and you may not be like that at all, have just heard colleagues describing themselves as 'direct' and I've thought 'no, you are tactless and a bit rude'). I think it sounds like your communication skills are your issue, perhaps make a big effort for a few months and see where it gets you. If you genuinely don't think that you are doing anything wrong at all, go and see your line manager and make it clear that you are looking for extra responsibilities\/promotion, and ask what you need to do to make that happen. It depends what organization and what industry. Its certainly true that a lot of \"desirable\" industries (journalism, investment banking, advertising, charity sector, civil service) are riddled with cronyism and basically its hard to get in without contacts and impossible past a certain point without a large degree of arse-licking. But in all honesty I don't think Britain is worse than most places. A good friend of mine emigrated to Italy and then moved back because she had totally lost faith in the possibility that her children would ever get good jobs because they weren't Italian\/didn't have right family connections. Britain isn't the meritocracy it likes to think it is but anecdotally I think a lot of the \"latin\" economies are far, far worse. I don't think all industries are like this though. Definetely do something. My Dad is a lovely man but spent 30 + years in an office that was back stabbing and very political - he was a work horse but found himself blamed for other mistakes. He was made reduant 55 + and is now a very bitter person. Having said that he has the opposite of charm - he makes the most innocent remarks and people take offense its not obvious why. My first work place was like this as well - I did the bare minimum amount of time and left for somewhere better and got more money with it. ques agree and can relate to all that you say. However, I thought we were meritocratic. We definitely are not. That's what I can't get my wad around. And comparing to the worst of the lot and feeling good is not really what I want to do either. Another problem is that none of us really know what other people think of us and that can vary from person to person. Eg you think I am direct someone else thinks I am rude. I work ith someone who thinks she is really hard working; I think she is a lazy cow who spends too much time making everything into a drama instead of just getting on with it. But who is right? You say you are emotional.What sorts of things have you got emotional at work about,that maybe other work colleagues didnt get emotional over? What changes have you suggested be implemented that have not been taken up. I think you said you moan.Have fellow colleagues commented on this. Are you British? Have you worked abroad and are now working in the UK,and have suggested your work place does some things that you have gleaned from working overseas. What age are you? Dont answer any if this if you dont want to. Might they think you may want to start a family soon,so are possibly discriminating against you. Do you meet up with them socially at all. Do you say to them from time to time that you feel like leaving? ooh,coming across as arrogant and unapproachable. If that is what people see and think,even though it is not true,that is not going to help you at all. I you said you didnt want to change character. It sounds like you need to change the public perception of yourself so they can understand and see the real you. The classic book for this thread is \"How to win friends and influence people\". I havent read all of it,but I think you would find it useful if you havent read it already. ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Facebook Friends Reviews from Your Friends 32 reviews in English Review from Laura P. Shout out to the excellent staff at Swartz Bay!  We heard that the waits could be interminable so we got in line 1.5 hours before our ferry.  We somehow forgot to unplug our GPS and ipod so right before our ferry started boarding, our lovely, trusty hybrid engine was no go.  Bummer was we obviously didn't need the GPS and the ipod wasn't even being used.   It kind of hurt to see our ferry leave the dock without us. Hubby ran back to the toll booth to let them know we'd need a jump, but secretly I thought it would be a no go due to the hybrid.  Sure enough, minutes later BC Ferries arrived to assist.  Right away I asked if they'd be able to jump the hybrid and they couldn't.  I'm not blaming them in any way whatsoever.  They had a handy card at the ready explaining that they can't be liable for hybrid jump starts.  Sounds like in the past, major electrical damage has been done to hybrid cars due to an improper jump. BC Ferries gave us the number to a local CAAA (AAA to US users) and we got our jump in time for the next ferry.  While we got our jump, another BC Ferry staff member came out to check on us.  He reassured us that this has happened numerous times to Honda and Toyota hybrids.  I chatted with him later outside the terminal during our wait for the second ferry.  Sounds like other people have drained their battery just by watching dvds while plugged in.  This somehow causing the hybrid battery great problems. Since we were totally weirded out by the experience, we hung out in lane 13 next to all the big rigs.  We didn't want our car not to start a second time and didn't want to be in the way again if there was failure.   The staff was completely understanding and reassuring during this glitch. Thanks BC Ferries!  The amenities on board rock.  I'm sad that I didn't partake of the buffet but glad that the view from the cafeteria's eating area was better than the buffet (forward vs aft).  The sundeck was an amazing place to catch the views. Review from Brian W. It's funny that we can review public services, hmm like anyone has a choice to come on a Ferry.  Why I love them - well they let me get all over our amazing islands, and happens I will be getting on one in 48 hours for the Sunshine coast.  Not many places in the world offer the consistent, classy, working, on time, nice staff, roomy and safe ride our Ferries do.  If it wasn't for them, nobody would live on Gambier? etc, lol....  My buddies will be scarfing back whitespot and we can all get some sunshine and wind on the decks.  The massive humm of the engines is easy to sleep outside to.  I have been on boats on Thailand where we get lost and the captain jumps off and swims to shore, boats in Mexico with waves nearly capsizing us.  Most excitement you get on a Ferry is the horn to goto your Car, that's right most these beasts allow you to friggin drive right on and off. \"'And then, we get on the ferry and they made us sit there, for 40 minutes. We had to sit there.' Oh? Really? What happened next? Did you sail through the sea in your car, incredibly, like a whale? Did you partake in the miracle of human sailing, you non-contributing zero?\"  \"People, like, they say there's delays on ferry's. Delays? Really? Vancouver to Victoria in 2 hours. That used to take 30 years. Plus, you would die on the way there.\" Review from Robin M. It's a ship, people. A ship. You get to ride on a ship on the ocean. This blows my mind in itself, but then add a gift shop, a classy restaurant, a kid's play area, a White Spot, TVs (wut! I don't even have one of those at home! No, for real. I don't), clean bathrooms (may I remind you that we are on a BOAT) and some workstations for us laptop-tech-types, and holy hell -- we have ourselves a winning experience. Offering some of the best views in the entire world for a fraction of the price of a cruise, BC Ferries is a luxurious experience disguised as a public service. Yes, we could talk about the price -- both financial and environmental -- but you should be so lucky as to go for a ride. Review from Vivian A. We rode the BC Ferry from Vancouver to Victoria on a 4pm ferry. It wasn't too packed when we got there. We were able to check out the Tswwassen Quay Market while we waited. They announced our ferry had arrived and they loaded the cars quickly and left on schedule. Review from Scotty D. I LOVE THE BC FERRIES! anytime our family went into victoria this was our way of getting to the island. the fact of driving your car onto a large boat was crazy to me as a kid. all of these people and all of the cars make one heavy boat. it was always a pretty long trip back and forth but the scenery was always breathtaking. i always had to go up to the top deck and feel the brisk wind and hope to see the whales in the waters below. well i was lucky enough to see a family of whales once and it was remarkable. they seemed to be chasing along side us as they thought it was some sort of game. make sure you head down into the restarant or caferteria for some suprisingly good food. and the duty free shops are a must. lucky for me i never get seasick so this will always be my way of getting around to the many different islands next time i'm up there. it's sure beats flying. Review from Tam F. I had never been on a ferry before so I had\/have nothing to compare it to.The concierge at our hotel made reservations for us from Tsawwassen to Victoria and even advised us as to what time to leave the hotel in the morning and what time to make sure were in line to board the ferry upon our departure from Victoria. Since we had rented a car we paid about $80.00 each way which seemed a bit steep in price, but when in Rome (err) Canada, you pay for the adventure. The ride was seamless and there was plenty of people watching to be had. There were restaurants aboard from a buffet style place to a take and eat cafeteria style place. Gift shop, coffee shop, even a \"spa\" available for a quick mani\/pedi. For an extra $10 per person, there is a separate lounge with less noise, less people and comfortable seats along with snacks and beverages. There was a small arcade and I passed some time playing Ms. PacMan which was great fun. The service was wonderful as well and the driving on and off the boat was super fun (and my husband let me do it)! The ferry terminal in Tsawwassen had a great food court and even a Starbucks while the terminal in Victoria was much smaller with less food options\/clean bathrooms. Review from D.J. Y. This is how a ferry line should be run. On time, clean, and helpful staff. We've ridden the Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay run many times over the years.  This is, in my opinion, the only way to travel to Victoria BC from the mainland.  Take your car\/truck\/van and travel the island in comfort of your own vehicle, only down side is you'll need to convert Kilometers to Miles to figure out the speed limit! The ferries themselves are in great condition, comparing the Washington State line to this would be insulting!  Decently price food options are available and they offer both restaurant and cafeteria style dinning.  Can anyone say White Spot!!!  OH YEAH!! Another really great item to note is the waiting\/staging areas for your vehicle.  While you wait for your ride, the Tsawwassen side has a very state of the art facility.  A huge big screen, almost the size of a drive-in theater, keeps peeps entertained, updated on the boats and at the terminal itself, is wonderful.  The market-style food and trinket  vendors are well equipped to tickle your fancy!  And there are plenty of restrooms! Online booking of sailing reservations is suggested during the busy summer months.  Check this out for time schedules and reservation information: http:\/\/www.bcferries.com\/ Oh, hey, during your trip, the views are not to be missed, enjoy the top-side ride and check out the Orcas and bald eagles, what a treat!! Review from Ed U. Love, exciting and new Come aboard! We're expecting you Love, life's sweetest reward Let it flow, it floats back to you... What an operation. The model of efficiency. It works like clockwork. It's about an hour's drive from Vancouver to Tsawwassen where the ferry departs. Make an online reservation in advance, and you get to wait in a special lane where drive onto the boat first. You deserve it, right? It also gives you peace of mind because the occupancy capacity probably gets heady during the summer. Once you're on, you lock up the car and climb up to hang out on deck or in the seating area just a level below. The Love Boat soon will be making another run The Love Boat promises something for everyone Set a course for adventure Your mind on a new romance The crossing through the Georgia Strait is gorgeous (see photos). It lasts close to ninety minutes, and there is even a nature specialist who gives lectures on the local flora and fauna. I'd avoid the movie-multiplex-level food since it's pricey and stale. This was my first time on the ferry as a motorist, and it does add up - C$46.75 for a standard vehicle plus C$14 per passenger. Yikes! I would have told Jamie W. to hide in the trunk. The Swartz Bay side on Vancouver Island is even more commercial with a fast-food cafeteria in full operation while you wait. Food still looks awful, so make sure to fill up on those Nanaimo bars in Victoria before you head back to the mainland. Run fast when you get on the boat because everyone grabs a chair on the way back. It's exhausting to buzz through the Butchart Gardens, tea at the Empress, and make it back to the ferry queue for the 5PM sailing. But this is a must-do for any tourist, so just accept the consequences. Review from Jen D. Pretty good for public transportation!  While they've gotten more and more expensive over the years, they've very rarely stranded us on Vancouver Island (nope, not Victoria Island). And they're almost always running on schedule - while growing up very close to where the ferries let you out (in Sidney), and working in the visitor information center a couple summers that caters to the ferry users, you can almost set your watch by the PCL busses that lead the \"ferry traffic\" down Pat Bay Hwy. You are always sure to commute to Victoria down 17 outside of the ferry traffic. That aside, the ferries -- they're clean and they have white spot burgers in the cafeteria. Must try (get the BC burger), and worth suspending a diet for - they are pretty awesome and just as good as White Spot proper. Although I'm not sure they have the Sunshine Breakfast anymore. What a shame. The view is nice, and on rare occasions you may see a whale, which may be noted over the PA system by the crew.  It's a very \"west coast\" experience with the salt air and forested islands. Oh yeah, the last time I was on a BC ferry a few years ago I saw that comic steven wright. That was cool. And finally, if you've never been to Vancouver Island, you can't drive around it in a day. It's about 6 hours to Tofino, and a full day to drive end to end. And yes, the roads are paved and we have electricity :)   (this may seem ridiculous, but I did work in the visitor info centre and answered these regularly) Review from Tony S. I find it hard to believe I am posting a 5 star rating for a 25 minute ferry ride (car and passenger). Hear me out....if this route works into your travels, hopefully you will be equal in praise. This ferry run is advertised as the most picturesque, perhaps, of the BC Ferry offerings. We found it, indeed, to be that, and more. Personable, attentive, fortunately on time, and a great way to break up a road trip from Nanaimo into Victoria. Cost: modest ($26.25) for one vehicle and 2 adults. Wished, if anything, the on-the-water time was more than just 1\/2 hour. Pay as you board or purchase in-advance your fees at a local convenience store a short distance prior to arrival at the Mill Bay landing. Review from Jen N. First time on a ferry and it reminded me of going whale watching only this is a much bigger boat! For a family of 6, 30 bucks RT per person and 100 RT for our minivan was worth it from Vancouver to Victoria, and from Victoria to Point Angeles, Washington. The weather and view was nice, the ride was smooth, and there's a lot of amenities within the boat. Would use BC Ferry again and recommend it to others! Review from joe w. I'd rather swim to Vancouver! No local residents enjoy taking this trip, we actually loath it. For some reason \"mainlanders\" enjoy it though. Run to the cafeteria and save a seat, or you will wish you had. Have a fries and gravy,  play a game of Pacman, and hit the massage chair, really live and enjoy the voyage. Be sure to locate life boats, and remember what floor you parked on in case you get to stoned like I have in the past. Review from Eric B. It's not cheap but that's the government's fault for treating a critical piece of infrastructure like it's NOT a critical piece of infrastructure. Otherwise BC Ferries works pretty well - the ships are in good shape, there's decent food on board (though the selection is rather poor and it's not exactly cheap) and the scenery is great. If you don't like being a captive on the ship bring an iPod or a laptop to watch a movie, the time will go by quickly. You can also go outside and enjoy the sights. Review from Katie F. Loved the ferry ride itself and the cleanliness... definitely did not like the price! I haven't taken the ferry to the island since I was a kid, so this was a pretty novel thing for me!  That being said, this ferry is fabulous compared to the stench and crowding I've experienced on the ferries in Greece and Mexico.  It's reasonably well-organized, lots of seating, TVs, a kid zone, some workstation areas, and food ranging from $10 cafeteria meals to the $22\/person dinner buffet. The views to and from the island are great and the buffet isn't bad - salads, 2 soups, prime rib, salmon, shrimp and canneloni were available when we went.  The time flies by if you eat on the ferry. The wait time sucks if you come when it's busy - we lucked out on the way over but got stuck waiting a couple of hours on the way back to Vancouver. It's pretty pricey to use - about $46-ish for a car and $14 per person each way.  Didn't like the fact that there's a charge to make a reservation but I suppose I'll cough up the money next time if I don't want to risk waiting in line. Review from Amy Y. Ferries were on time, staff members keep everything running smoothly and keep everybody in check. Once on board, there's plenty of things to do- such as rush to the cafeteria so you can buy fries with triple O sauce, there's gift shop for you to browse. Seats are comfortable so you see a lot of people taking a nap. Restrooms are clean and well-supplied. Review from Shannon N. Can't argue with this service - went from Victoria to Vancouver [Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen].  It's a bit expensive if you've got a car, but with a reservation, you get first on\/first off privilege so that's nice. Didn't feel any rocking but there was an odd vibration on the ferry the whole ride.  Tons of tourist brochures near the rear of the ferry to help entertain you on the ride and find things to do at your destination. I've added a photo from our view of docking at Tsawwassen from the front of the boat.  Whee! Review from Susan A. Smooth sailing, good ferries!  First experience riding on a ferry and driving a car into it so I was really happy with how smooth & flawless the transition was.  Upper deck was closed both times due to weather and people on prior trips hurting themselves, which is unfortunate.  During the wait to go on the ferry, there's a mini-plaza to walk around with food and trinkets which was pretty neat (both on victoria side and vancouver side). On the ferry, you have the option of either cafeteria food or buffet-food.  Also have coffee-bar,dessert, etc.  And... last but not least, the \"store\" where you can kill some time browsing mags, books, and lotions, earrings, toys, randomness of sorts. Seating area was vast, with different types.  Tables, benches, facing each other, aisle-style, almost everything I can think of at least.  They even have electric outlets for those laptops!  TVs were out (thank goodness!) otherwise would have been subjected to non-stop Canadian hockey action... but for the hockey fans, sorry! All in all, quite enjoyable.  It's a lot for a boat ride though.  But, since they are moving so many cars and people, I s'pose it can't be helped.  However, I can't help feeling it's a huge monopoly. Review from Yiling W. Compared to the Washington State Ferries I've been on, the Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay ferry is awesome. It's huge, there's room to wander, there's a gift shop, a cafeteria\/food area, a kiddie zone, a buffet restaurant, work stations, lots of vending machines, and relatively comfy seats. The bathrooms were pretty clean, and it just seemed well-kept and newly painted overall. The terminal at Tsawwassen, however, didn't have quite enough signage to get my friends and I to the right terminal, so we had to just ask some one random. Oh well. Review from Stacey E. If you're an islander the ferries are the bane of your existence. We never reserve unless we're attempting to travel on a really busy day (check the ferry traffic reports before you leave). The 9pm is hardly ever busy and is much quieter. If you aren't driving on, take the PCL. It takes half the time of the city bus. Note to tour group operators: I have a proposal for an onboard activity. Everyone in your group has to communicate without speaking until they get back on the tour bus. It's a traditional local custom... ummm.... and the whales like it. That's it, they'll be GUARANTEED to see whales. But no talking. See, I told you it was a good idea. Review from Dave D. You've got me trapped on an island and you privatized my only way off.  What a surprise - the prices keep climbing \"due to oil prices\" even when the price of oil goes down. The service itself is alright and if the price was better (or at least if they stopped jacking it up or perhaps gave a discount to people on an island who have no other way to get to the rest of the world) I'd be much happier. Review from Jean P. My family and I will never forget our last trip to Bristish Columbia. The day we drove into Canada after visiting relatives in Tacoma, we headed straight to the port at Tsawwassen in Vancouver to catch a BC Ferry to Victoria Island. There were 7 of us all together. I found it neat that we got to take our old school Toyota van on the ferry despite the wait time.  Once we arrived in Victoria, we practically spent the entire day sightseeing and checking out the wax museum and gardens. My mother had with her a red Nina Ricci totebag which inside held all of our passports, some cash, credit cards, and precious jewelry. By the end of the day, we headed back to the port to catch the ferry back to Vancouver. We were tired, beat, and exhausted. All we could think of was heading back to my cousin's house in Tacoma and crashing. When we were only a few minutes away from arriving at Vancouver, my mother gave her tote bag to my Dad's Aunt to hold while she went to the restroom. The line in the restroom was pretty long so we waited for her in the cafeteria up until we were told we could head back to our cars. The family decided to just to head to the van since everyone was leaving the ferry lobby\/cafeteria and that my mom would just find us there. When my mom got to our van, everything was good up until about 20 minutes after we drove out the ferry boat on our way back to the U.S.A. My mother asked my Dad's Aunt, \"Oh can I have my bag?\" \"I need to get the passports ready.\" My Dad's Aunt responds (in Filipino), \"HOLY SH*T!\" \"I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT IT!\" \"I LEFT IT IN THE FERRY BOAT!\" \"SUSMARIYOSEP!\" My dad suddenly braked out of shock and busted a U-turn on the highway and drove as fast as he could back to the port. By the time we got there, the ferry was gone. My mom, dad, and dad's Aunt went to the the BC ferry office to let them know what had happened and to have them locate and search the tote bag. It took them a long time talking to the authorities and reps at the office. In my mind all I could think of was that it was too late and that some stranger probably took the bag and kept it for themselves because of all the jewelry and money that was stored inside. Because it was going to take BC Ferries overnight to conduct the search, we had no choice but to crash in Vancouver since it was already pretty late. It was a good thing we had relatives living in the area because no one else had a credit card in thier possession to book a hotel room. Our relatives, who live in the Richmond district were kind enough to offer their place to let us crash. By noon time the next day, BC Ferries called my cousin's house to let my parents know that they had found the tote bag and that it was sitting in the Vancouver office ready for pickup. When we got there, my mom was able to retrieve every single thing. According to her, there was nothing missing. All our passports, money, credit cards, and jewelry were all in the bag. Somehow, an employee of the ferry found the tote bag under the table in the cafeteria while she was cleaning and had brought it to the lost and found office in Victoria. A staff member at BC was able to get it transported back to Vancouver. Because the employees of BC Ferries were honest, extremely helpful and responsive in retrieving our family valuables, they deserve 5 stars. If it wasn't for them, we would have had a lot of trouble getting back home to San Jose, California. Review from Randy T. -Drive up to a booth and pay your fare. -Get in a lane and pull up to the car in front of you. -Park car and enter gift shops to buy souvenirs, snacks to munch on, and trinkets you think might be great gifts for friends. -Get into car and wait.........and wait...........and wait. Possibly take a nap while waiting as well. -When time comes to board ferry, observe the mass of cars in the opposite lanes to the left fleeing the ferry at tremendous speeds. -Drive forward and enter the lower car holding area of the ferry. -Lock car, take a whiff of all the car exhaust, and hurry upstairs. -Relax inside or outside the ferry and take pics of the scenery like a typical tourist. -Upon arriving, get in line and be prepared to violate each other's personal space to get to the lower deck to your car. -Enter car and wait patiently for cue to leave. -Drive off ferry, accelerate like a madman, and continue to your destination. Great trip to have and everyone needs to do this at least once in their lives. Review from Fraulein C. I love that you can drive a car into a little ferry boat so you can tug it all the way to Victoria Island. Awesome I tell you! Along the way, you feel a bit queazy if you're not a \"sea\" type of person. I sure as hell felt sick, but after getting off the ferry boat...I was a happy kid standing on solid ground. Hehe! Anyway, you get the chance to take wonderful breathtaking views for a slight bit of Canada. Stuff like this...makes me want to go back and give BC another visit. Sucks that it takes a while to get from one place to another with all the \"extra\" weight. Review from Beth C. Haha, I love how all the four and five star reviews are tourist reviews. If it's something you don't have to do with any regularity, yeah, the ferries are novel enough (so beautiful with the scenery) to seem really wonderful. But once you get over the breathtaking surroundings and how cool it is to drive your car onto a boat.....BC Ferries is overpriced. They basically have a monopoly and drive their prices far too high far too often. The food sucks, and as if it wasn't expensive enough, if you're driving, they also basically either force you to get a reservation (by allowing so much of the boat to be reserved that drive-ups wait hours and hours) and spend another $20+ to do so, or wait out there for, occasionally, as long as 5-6 hours. The main purpose of my gripe today is the new (ish) system they have for parking out there. I drove up on Friday to pick a friend up at the Swartz Bay terminal. She'd walked on in Tsawassen. When I got out there, a little man with a glow-stick waved me vehemently to one side, where I was greeted with a PAY parking lot (like I'm going to pay to pick someone up when I'm out there for 5 minutes?) and no free spots. It's confusing, maze-like, and vastly insufficient in size, as well as being too far from the terminal for a quick pick up. I was in a car accident recently and walking hurts a bit, but there were NO spots anywhere, and we joined the sea of confused, frustrated people driving in circles. My boyfriend jumped in the driver's seat for me and kept circling while I limped into the terminal to get my friend. While I was in the terminal I overheard at least three other people complaining about how ridiculously insufficent the parking was, and saw two people saying \"we have to hurry, so and so is circling while I come get you\", cutting off their hugs to run out to the stupid parking lot. and the arrivals area is supposed to be relished! It's where all the smiles and hugging happen! As an islander, I'm stuck with BC Ferries and have no choice but to utilize them sometimes, but for the amount they charge, and how often they hike their fees, I expect better. Review from Andrew P. We took the Tsawassen-Swartz Bay ferry via the Pacific Coach bus.  It was a nice way to get conveniently from Vancouver to Victoria.  We made the crossing on a beautiful glassy smooth summer afternoon.  The bus and boat left and arrived right on time.  Both were clean and pleasant to ride.   It was a really nice trip. Review from Patrick R. I am very fond of the ferries. I find my self taking a trip across and back, with or without my car at least once a month, usually more. I always take time to marvel at the view on the way across (even at night. If there are no clouds, the stars are breathtaking). Being a regular on Route 1 between Swartz Bay and Tswassen, I'm most familiar with the two Superferries (the Spirit of British Columbia and the Spirit of Vancouver Island). I adore these two. They are big and comfy with plenty of space. I'd recommend going to the top deck lounges, which fill up more slowly than the main deck, and sport TVs with children's programming in the forward lounge and a news broadcast in the rear lounge (though avoid the rear lounge during any playoffs if you do not like sports) The cafeteria is large and well designed with two queues for hot entrees (and quick through-ways for cold), though long line-ups can develop. If you are on any ferry, try to wait til about mid-voyage to dine in the cafeteria, you'll get through a lot quicker. If you are in the mood for a nice meal, the Pacific Buffet is well worth a visit (and well worth the price). The food placed out is of wonderfully high quality and I have never been disappointed. The other amenities available on the Superferries are nice, though since I don't really use them and other reviews note them so I won't go into detail. The Coastal Celebration is the other ship I am familiar with on the route (the fourth ship was switched, so I cannot speak to it). It matches the Superferries for amenities, but not space. The Coastals feel cramped and maze-like compared to their larger cousins, though I must note that if you are traveling with kids, the ship is a bit better designed with properly enclosed play areas and the Caf view is to die for (again wait til mid-voyage when the ship is close to the islands). While you may have a different experience, I'd recommend aiming for a sailing at an odd-numbered hour to ensure passage on the Superferries. BC ferries scheduling is one of the annoyances of traveling with them. While they make an admirable effort to keep on schedule, they are easily delayed and often fall behind. (There have been occasions when it was as much as an hour or more, however cases such as this are rare and usually the result of mechanical failure or medical emergency). I find the best thing is just to bring your patience and a book. I'll also note here that if you are traveling by vehicle, be prepared to wait. It is minimum one hour between sailings, two in the off-season, and if it is busy there will usually be sailing waits for vehicles. If you're traveling during a busy time, make a reservation and make sure to show up at least a half-hour early like they say (you -will- lose your reservation if you don't, regardless of circumstances) Price wise, I find the ferries to be quite reasonable. The single passenger cost  is very cheap and makes it easy to make several trips. The vehicle cost can be a little more prohibitive though. At $45 +$14\/vehicle occupant one-way  the cost for frequent passengers can get pretty steep. However, when compared to the cost of flying, it is still the cheaper way across (especially when you consider that you are able to take your car). I'll also note that BC Ferries will also sometimes do fare-sales where the cost will drop significantly, so it's worth keeping an eye on their website. Review from Brenda G. This was my first time on a vehicle transfer ferry and I liked it a lot.  It's pretty expensive, it cost $76 CD for a car plus two people.  It's $12 per person so the car is what gets you.  It's like others say, drive to the booth, pay your fare, get in line and drive onto the ferry.  The BEST advice I can give regarding the ferries is MAKE A RESERVATION.  If you are coming or going on the weekend the wait can be up to two hours to get on the ferry.  Thank goodness they have facilities and food at the port.  Last Friday, we were leaving Victoria heading to Vancouver and they took one of the large ferries out of comission for the weekend.  Instead of making a reservation, we headed out to the port and had a 1.5 hour wait then the 1.5 hour ride.   The ride itself is great.  There are a couple of decks, you can go outside and look at the wonderous view, sit inside, read, eat, whatever.  Clean bathrooms to boot.  All in all, it's great. About This Business Provided by business Specialties BC Ferries is one of the largest ferry operators in the world, providing year-round vehicle and passenger transportation service to communities along Canada's West Coast.  From Prince Rupert to Haida Gwaii, Vancouver to Victoria, and all the beautiful island and mainland destinations in-between... BC Ferries takes you there! Visit us at bcferries.com ~ with over 60 packages to choose from, BC Ferries Vacations brings the coast within reach. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"After the release of their LP \"Purple Naked Ladies\" earlier this year, The Internet (Syd The Kid and Matt Martians), bring us a mellow track with their latest \"Give It Time\". Plus, they've got Mike Einziger from Incubus playing guitar. I must say.. if this the direction the duo is headed, then we have a [...] I'm always a little bit suspicious of new producers these days, especially when my first introduction to them is via a remix they posted on soundcloud. Seems every time a new track comes out, or a legendary artist dies there are immediately 15 remixes that sound like they were done in about 20 minutes. But [...] Music Is My Sanctuary is very proud to bring you the new VLOOPER record which happens to be our very first \"release\". We have tons of love, admiration and respect from \"traditional\" labels which is why we won't call ourselves one (at least for now). The most important thing here is that we are using [...] Here is third second compilation of  \"forgotten treasures\" which is -- if you're new here -- one of the pillars of this website. We plan to put out one of these every month to go along with our monthly MIMS night in Montreal (every second saturday of the month at Belmont). The idea is to [...] After the release of their LP \"Purple Naked Ladies\" earlier this year, The Internet (Syd The Kid and Matt Martians), bring us a mellow track with their latest \"Give It Time\". Plus, they've got Mike Einzige... I'm always a little bit suspicious of new producers these days, especially when my first introduction to them is via a remix they posted on soundcloud. Seems every time a new track comes out, or a legendary artist dies th... Music Is My Sanctuary is very proud to bring you the new VLOOPER record which happens to be our very first \"release\". We have tons of love, admiration and respect from \"traditional\" labels which is why w... We've all heard Leon Haywood's infamous track, I Wanna Do Something Freaky With You, a sample that was made tremendously popular by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dog in, Ain't Nuthin But a G Thang. It is such a recognizable tune, and... When I think of my people, I can't help but feel that swell in my chest that only comes with blatant Latin Pride. I made a point of bringing that flavor over to MIMS in my articles on Crema Prpura, Willie Coln and Joh... Brand new MIMS Guest mix and this one is from our very good homie BOWLY, a great producer and DJ from Montreal (by way of la France). Bowly is a member of the ESL Crew, along with Bus and Skinnybones arguably the most important... Memories don't leave like people do. No matter where Yassin Alsalman (better known as The Narcicyst) winds up, he'll forever remain Montreal's favorite son when it comes to this rap shit. The song and video to... You've already bounced to the vibes of Lil' Kim, Foxy Brown, Lauryn Hill or even legends like MC Lyte and Roxanne Shante. But the grandiose universe of hip-hop gave birth to some fly ladies you might not even not ab... Our third instalment of our forgotten treasure mix series is another great one and captures the idea perfectly. Our good friend Fred Everything who is a certified deep & funky house master: great producer and DJ whose pl... Along with Live 9, Ableton has announced a dedicated controller called Push. After designing some of the most widely used music production software they have jumped into the dedicated controller market. Having teamed up with ... West Coast jazz developed around Los Angeles and San Francisco in the 1950s and 60s at the same time the hard bop sound was developing in New York City. West Coast jazz was generally seen as a sub-genre of cool jazz, which was ... \"Club culture has changed a great deal over the last 30 years. Nowadays, DJ's become household names in a matter of months. True players like Theo Parrish, Louie Vega, Harvey, or Francois K -- DJ's that can play for ... ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Argentina v Ghana at ITLOS On 14 November 2012 Argentina submitted a request for provisional measures to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (' ITLOS ') regarding the dispute over the Frigate ARA Libertad. Argentina has requested \"that Ghana unconditionally enable the Argentine warship Frigate ARA Libertad to leave the Tema port and the jurisdictional waters of Ghana and to be resupplied to that end.\" On 29 October 2012, Argentina instituted arbitral proceedings under Annex VII of UNCLOS against Ghana. Article 290(5) of UNCLOS provides that pending the constitution of an arbitral tribunal to which a dispute is being submitted under Annex VII, any party to the dispute may request ITLOS to prescribe provisional measures. ITLOS may prescribe provisional measures if it considers that prima facie the arbitral tribunal would have jurisdiction and that the urgency of the situation so requires. The Libertad is a 100-meter-long tall sailing ship, used as a training vessel by the Argentine navy. It was arrested in Tema, Ghana on 2 September 2012 after a subsidiary of US hedge fund Elliott Capital Management (NML Capital) gained an injunction from the Ghanaian Commercial Court to prevent the ship and its crew members from leaving the port. The arrest of the ship arises in the context of the sovereign debt moratorium announced by Argentina in 2001. NML Capital is the holder of Fiscal Agency Agreement ('FAA') bonds issued by Argentina, purchased at a discount on face value. In 2001, Argentina announced a temporary moratorium on principal and interest payments on public external debt, including the FAA bonds. In 2005 and 2010, Argentina initiated a restructuring of its debt, offering FAA bondholders the opportunity to exchange their defaulted bonds for new unsecured and unsubordinated external debt. The majority of bondholders participated in the exchange, accepting roughly 30 cents on the dollar for their FAA bonds. However, NML Capital held out on both the 2005 and 2010 debt restructurings. Before the Ghanaian Court, NML submitted that it is owed $370 million by Argentina (based on the outstanding principle plus interest). NML Capital has sued Argentina for face value of the bonds plus interest and has sought to enforce its debt in a variety of judicial fora around the world, including the UK Supreme Court, the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris and the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. On 11 May 2006, NML Capital was granted a summary judgment by the US District Court for the Southern District of New York for the principal amount of the bonds valued at $284,184,632.30, plus interest thereon. The UK Supreme Court decision in NML Capital v Argentina [2011] UKSC 31 recognised and declared enforceable the US judgment. Most recently, on 26 October 2012, in the case of NML Capital Ltd v Republic of Argentina , the US Court of Appeal for the 2nd Circuit ruled that Argentina had improperly discriminated against NML Capital by giving priority to the payment of bondholders who had entered the 2005 and 2010 debt swaps. Argentina claims that the order of the Ghanaian court is in violation of international law and, in particular, of the immunities enjoyed by warships. Article 32 of UNCLOS provides \"With such exceptions as are contained in subsection A and in articles 30 and 31, nothing in this Convention affects the immunities of warships and other government ships operated for non-commercial purposes.\" Under the terms and conditions governing the bonds held by NML Capital (as quoted in the UK Supreme Court judgment), Argentina waived sovereign immunity in relation to execution of judgments by bondholders as follows: \"To the extent that the republic ... shall be entitled, in any jurisdiction ... in which any ... other court is located in which any suit, action or proceeding may at any time be brought solely for the purpose of enforcing or executing any related judgment, to any immunity from suit, from the jurisdiction of any such court ... from execution of a judgment or from any other legal or judicial process or remedy, and to the extent that in any such jurisdiction there shall be attributed such an immunity, the republic has irrevocably agreed not to claim and has irrevocably waived such immunity to the fullest extent permitted by the laws of such jurisdiction ... solely for the purpose of enabling ... a holder of securities of this series to enforce or execute a related judgment.\" The Ghanaian Court held that this wording clearly amounted to a waiver of sovereign immunity by Argentina. Since the Argentine application to ITLOS has yet to be published, the Argentine position on this waiver remains unclear. Presumably, Argentina will argue that sovereign immunity of warships is unwaivable and that the waiver in the bond conditions does not apply to warships. It will be interesting to see how Argentina supports this argument. Comments JP Selwyn Thursday, 15 November 2012 Whilst this is a 'legal' article, allow me to add a comment on the 'economics' side of this case. Whilst what NML has done is completely legal, it is highly un-ethical and probably immoral. They bought discounted bonds, and some of them enjoyed outrageous interest payment (to a total many times over their investment) precisely because they were very risky. If they wanted certainty, they should have bought US Treasury bonds at 1%, not the 21% paid by Argentina! In addition, looking at the human cost of the Argentine collapse, they should have taken the money when it was offered, which was still more than what they had paid for it. Just sayin.. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Know your ISP. 3 tell me it's because they are now using Vodaphone towers primarily and roaming onto Vodaphone. I don't understand why it's roaming if the the primary network and the roaming network are both vodaphone. Furthermore I don't see that thier suggestion of moving my contract to vodaphone will help. Any thoughts? I'd rather move over to telstra but I still have 10 months left on my contract. So 3 customers still on contract will continue to roam to Telstra until the contract finishes? Telstra roaming will be available to at least April 2013, until the Optus JV (with Vodafone) takes off ie: Voda 2G default -> Telstra NextG Once 3GIS shuts shop at the end of this month, Vodafone will be the HOME network, then you'll roam to Telstra (considering your in a coverage area with a compatible handset) when no Vodafone coverage is available. Be aware of the data charges when roaming onto Telstra (50c per MB, not included in any allowance\/cap or data pack) I had the same issue and since last 2 days $$$ on pending bill start going up, I called overseas shit CC and found out that its because I am still a 3 customer and vodafone is my roming network so I will charged for data roaming everytime i used data on vodafone network. the sollution they gave me was to change my mobile service provider to vodafone, I took it seriously and changed it to TPG ;-) ... found out that its because I am still a 3 customer and vodafone is my roming network so I will charged for data roaming everytime i used data on vodafone network. Happy Dude told you yesterday that using data while connected to the Voda network does not incur any extra charge. 3 customers will only be charged extra for data if they consume it while connected to a Telstra network. using data while connected to the Voda network does not incur any extra charge. 3 customers will only be charged extra for data if they consume it while connected to a Telstra network. Given that my phone displayed ` roaming' when it was on 3 but connected to Voda, and I had ` use data when roaming' off so as not to incur charges to Telstra, how are the users supposed to tell the difference -- and be able to use their service properly when on Voda.? It wouldn't do that. If it displayed \"Roaming\", you were connected to Telstra. When the changeover first happened, I realised because my phone showed ` roaming' I checked what provider I was connected too, and the phone informed me I was on Vodaphone. When I went back to the home screen I was still on `roaming.' The phone at this location, with a flaky 3 signal that would fail by my bed, had _never_ gone to roaming before. I'm quite ready to accept that it wasn't _supposed_ to show Voda as roaming. This was on an Acer Liquid Metal. It may be a frunction of the phone. It certainly was what occured. Try taking the simcard out and doing it. Or swap in a different simcard from a different carrier. Thanks for that advice. Turned the phone off, took out the SIM and still no carrier option. Turned it off again, reinserted the SMI and voila....we have the \"carrier\" option, but only at the turn on stage. After that, no carrier option.....even after repeating the process. I find its better not to put your phone in.. .then you can see the full range of frequencies available in the area and ascertain whether upgrading your phone (to 850 3G for example) may make a difference. Or put in a quad 3G phone. All SIMs issued by 3 were capable of OTA update. As I said before, it doesn't matter how old it is. It is quite possible that the update fails and if that's the case, Care can try the OTA again manually -- or just get a new SIM. *lol* You're most welcome. Your logic is also wonderful. Even though the Carrier has a clearly stated contract condition, the fact that a phone has a function, which you've misinterpreted in any case, obviously overrides that. NO -- the operator has an option -- the user can roam onto Telstra, however data is charged at a high rate when they do so. The phone the carrier sells has a function -- the user must turn on roaming for data. It is called ` Data Roaming' -- subtext ` Connect to a data service when roaming.' When the phone on 3 is connected to Telstra, it informs the user it is roaming. We now have a phone that offers the ability to toggle data when roaming and is roaming. Apparently, from what you tell us, 3 chose to ignore this, and allow data to flow. We now have the situation [on your planet] where not only is the user culpable, ignorant and fully liable for the charges incurred by an action they took reasonable steps to avoid, but the phone manufacturer and programmers as also rather mischievous and foolish. We could, and I imagine the assessors at the TIO, would, in the event of any dispute, look at the arguments, who stands to profit from such a situation, and assess the situation accordingly. However you dice it, you are stating that, on 3, that function doesn't work. _If_ so, then that is unacceptable, and clearly misleading. We could, and I imagine the assessors at the TIO, would, in the event of any dispute, look at the arguments, who stands to profit from such a situation, and assess the situation accordingly. It's listed in your contract and SFOA that 3 may use the services of another network to provide you with network access to services and that rates may vary. You are warned at signup and you can always refuse to sign if you do not agree with the t&c's laid out infront of you -- and walk away to another carrier If roaming is such a problem, why stay with 3? (ps -- Telstra are the ones who make the most out of data roaming. Take it up with them for not offering Hutchison\/VHA a cheaper wholesale rate?) It is -- my part in this is when I commented that the first time my phone had shown ` roaming' was when it first went onto the Voda network [according to the carrier and signal strength reported by it]. David stated that was impossible. I observed that that was what appeared to have happened. My second point, raised on that, is that a person who had taken reasonable steps for their phone _not_ to use data when roaming has a reasonable expectation that the data use would not occur. All the spin and pointing to the `conditions of the contract' do not affect that. However, feel free to quote them. I'll take them at their face value.:-) NO -- the operator has an option -- the user can roam onto Telstra, however data is charged at a high rate when they do so. So there's the basic misunderstanding. You think that Telstra roaming is being offered as an option. It's not. When you're in a location with no \"3\" (that now means Voda) coverage but where Telstra coverage exists and is available to 3 customers, then you'll connect via Telstra. No choice. This was explained in the contract. The phone the carrier sells has a function -- the user must turn on roaming for data. It is called ` Data Roaming' -- subtext ` Connect to a data service when roaming.' That's your subtext. The function actually disallows data when connected to a non-home network. Telstra is a home network for 3 customers. In any case, this is a really stupid argument. Do you think you're the first 3 customer in the nearly 10 years the Telstra network agreement has been in place to be caught with high excess data costs because they didn't understand the contract they signed? Whirlpool has many threads on the subject. It's really simple to avoid these costs: swap to Vodafone or some other carrier. Are you sure you're not connected to Telstra? What handset do you have? What networks are in your network list, and which one are you connected to? I am using Samsung Galaxy S2. I am not sure what network my phone is connecting and that is the help I was looking from 3 Tech support, but the only option they offered me is to have my services moved to Vodafone and that was not acceptable solution to me, considering the over service I moved to vodafone 3 months back had lots of issues and their customer service is the worst I have ever seen. There for I am moved on from 3\/vodafone now :-) Switching to vodafone is not an option for me due to some unpleasant recent experience. Hence the second part of my statement (which wasn't addressed to you anyway). You were very non-specific about your problems other than lots of issues so I can't comment on that and Voda's service is conducted in the same way by the same people as 3 -- so it's hard to guess what suddenly got your goat there either. You were very non-specific about your problems other than lots of issues so I can't comment on that and Voda's service is conducted in the same way by the same people as 3 -- so it's hard to guess what suddenly got your goat there either. Well there are too may issues, the most annoying one is that what customer service staff says is different to what Vodafone shop staff says and this has happens to me few times in last few weeks, also, I had to go through changing 3 instrument in my first 8 weeks which was lots of pain due to contradicting statements by the staffs. Any ways, its no more an issue for me as one of my service is no longer with them so pain is only  . Three set up their simcard and networking arrangement so that when it roams to Telstra the phone is NOT informed that it in fact roaming. They have just renamed \"Telstra\" to \"Roaming\". Sure it's a little misleading, if you're just looking at your phone settings at face value. It's always been the worst thing about 3. \"Fake\" roaming tags make data use very expensive (unless you manually initated data and checked things yourself). Telstra was probably quite happy with the arrangement, but I wonder if 3\/Voda tried to fix it. If you didn't need data then the 3 coverage combining 3GIS, Telstra & Vodafone was quite extensive and no hidden costs. If your phone could have turned off data when on Telstra it would've been brilliant. ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"...Breastfeeding Only Works For A Few Weeks. \"But you need this -- how else are you going to feed your baby?  Breastfeeding only works for a few weeks.\" -- Postpartum nurse after chasing the mother down the hallway after discharge.  The mother had left the formula gift bag in the room. Wow, this is a very sad comment if this nurse really believes this. Besides, even if this were the case, does this nurse think the mother would be incapable of going to the store and buying formula if she wanted? This baby would starve without the all-important sample sized can. \"...and here's how we make sure! Studies show that receiving samples of formula reduces duration and exclusivity of breastfeeding. You wouldn't want to miss out on this sample and risk meeting your own breastfeeding goals, would you?!\" Bahahahahhaha! So before the invention of formula, all the babies in the human race starved to death after a few weeks, when breastfeeding stopped working. Oh, wait... Oh well, we modern day women must just have mutated boobs that stop producing milk around week 3 Yeah, whenever I hear these kind of comments I have a barely resistable urge to say something incredibly sarcastic like: so you think the world sprang into existance in the 1940?s huh? Wow, and they call Biblical Creationists 'Young Earthers'. Then I must have 5 zombie babies who were all breastfed at least a year. And really \"How else are you going to feed the baby?\" Does that nurse really think that the tiny sample of formula is going to feed the baby for any substantial length of time? If mom is going to formula feed she is going to have to go to the store to buy formula whether she takes the stupid bag or not. I'm laughing at the visualization of a nurse dashing through the L&D unit with an outstretched hand holding the oh-so-important formula bag, jumping over isolettes and sliding foot first into the elevator to give the mother her life saving 12oz. of free formula. Wow, good thing she was on shift today or else this mother would have been sent into the big cruel world with only her breasts to nourish her child. I agree with the suggestion to send a letter. The nurse may be assuming the mother is going to go back to work full-time in a few weeks, but the way it's said, the nurse has communicated a belief that breasts only produce milk for a month or two at the most. You gotta wonder how we managed to survive as a species and live on this planet for as long as we have if that were the case. All babies would've died and we wouldn't be here to have this conversation, would we? The more I read this site and my own background in medicine tells me that people just don't THINK anymore. Even if this was true, why on earth couldn't the mother just drive to the nearest Wal-Mart and buy a can of formula? I think the lack of logic behind the \"this goody bag of formula will sustain your child for the first year of his\/her life\" bugs me more than the \"breastfeeding only works for a few weeks\" nonsense! Icon Search the Site My OB Said What?!? The purpose of this site is to capture the crazy but true comments said to birthing women by doctors, midwives, doulas, lactation consultants, and childbirth educators when they are having their babies! Got a \"My OB Said WHAT?!?\" to share?? Send them to submissions@myobsaidwhat.com . And watch this site for more unbelievable but true comments said to women as they birth their babies! ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"the freedom to say whatever you want, write whatever you want, make movies about anything you want, etc. has it gone too far? Do you think we would have a more civilized society with a little censorship? People need to use more discretion as to what they print. Just because a person can do something, doesn't mean they should. We have that right for a reason, but some rights can and are being abused. I am typically against censorship, but with the way are society is declining, I think the only way we can start to get back on track is by pulling in the reigns a bit. There are some movies\/videos\/tv shows which i believe have a lower rating than they should eg PG 13 when there are sex scenes in a movie, shouldnt this be a higher rating? Also you often see movies on tv in nz which have nudity and sex etc but at the start of the movie this isnt always stated it might just say violence etc and parental guidence is advised. I think these types of things need to have a tighter net so that we can get the propert warning before choosing to tune in with our younge family or not. Im by no means a prude, but belive its out right to be informed so we can make the best decicions for ourselves as to what we want to watch. side censorship issue would be some music videos which are out there these days which have fully topless woman in them rubbing on each other. shouldnt these be censored instead of being shown during day hours? perhpas these should be shown later or \"rude bits\" blurred during \"children\"hours? Its not what id want my young neices looking at thats for sure. Censorship a very broad topic. There are so many different kinds of censorship put in place for many different reasons under many different agendas. It's not a question like what toothpaste do you use? This is why I haven't commented so far and am unlikely to do so unless I have enough spare time to write a decent and honest, thought-out personal response. I like to think about this sort of topic before giving my opinion rather than just plunging in. Perhaps a little more positive censorship would benefit society. So much of the aberant behaviour we see in the youth today seems to be a reflection of the behaviour portrayed in third rate videos. Trouble is, who sets the bench mark? And how do we censor the internet? I am in favor of our rating system, but not censorship. People can choose not to watch if they are given informed information about the content of a program. Generally people in favor of censorship are so because they think the material will negatively effect other people. No one ever says \"Oh, I can't watch that because I think it will inspire me to go out and commit crime\" do they. I agree Fiona. No one can make informed decisions without some information on which to base them. It's setting acceptable guidelines that seems to be the problem. Still most censorship is for not aimed at adults, but at younger people and children. I think information, along with the free will to choose, is the way to go. I think thats what God seems to have gone for! I dont like to see evil or disturbing things myself, and I like to be able to choose to avoid them. I choose to watch and listen to positive things myself. Perhaps alongside the age ratings we could have a good cheer factor! ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Interview: Diane Gaston, author of 'Born to Scandal' Tags 11:41PM EST November 13. 2012 - Diane Gaston grew up with a head full of romantic stories and yet never imagined being a writer until she read a really bad best seller -- and decided she could do better. Now Gaston is a successful author of Regency romance with numerous awards to her name, including the 2006 RITA award for best Regency romance. We tracked her down to chat with her about Born to Scandal , her latest release, and to find out just what happens in a woman's life when she decides to pursue the things that make her happy. Pamela: Welcome back to HEA, Diane! You had a career as a mental health worker before you were published in romance. Do you think that foundation and your understanding of the complexity of human emotion and interaction have helped you in your writing? Diane: Hi, Pamela! It is delightful to be at Happy Ever After again. Thank you so much for having me. I know without a shadow of a doubt that my career as a mental health worker has helped me understand the complexity of human emotion. I was privileged to learn this from my clients. Another thing they taught me was the resilience and strength of the human spirit, even in face of enormous hardship and pain. My clients taught me what drives human behavior, what people need and what they fear. My child and family clients gave me a good sense of how a person's early life experiences and family relationships affect later behavior and emotions. Pamela: Although your master's work was in psychology and social work, your undergraduate degree was in English literature. Among the authors you enjoyed were Jane Austen and later Georgette Heyer. When did you realize that you wanted to leave mental health work and write romance? Diane: First I must confess that I never even heard of Georgette Heyer (or Regency romance) before I started writing. It still amazes me that I never read Heyer when I was young. I would have loved her books! When I was an English major in college, I never, ever thought I would be a writer. The only writing course I took was basic composition. I was an English major because I loved reading and I hadn't yet discovered psychology. In college I read Thomas Hardy and D.H. Lawrence. And Austen. When I was a mental health therapist, also raising children, also studying for a master's in social work, I didn't have time to read for pleasure. By the time I earned my MSW and my social work license, my children were old enough to be a bit independent. I suddenly had time on my hands. I started reading again, and I read a runaway best seller that I thought was dreadful. Any romance I'd ever read was light years better than that book. I thought, if this author's book can make the best-seller list, maybe I can write a book. It also helped that a friend of mine had gone back to college to get a degree in creative writing. She kinda normalized the idea of writing for me. I never considered writing anything but romance, though. It was what I loved to read. I'd always had romantic stories running around in my head, so I just dared to write them down. Pamela: I think it's incredible that the day you retired was also the day you got \"The Call.\" It seems like destiny. Can you tell us about that experience? I can't imagine how that must have felt. Diane: It wasn't quite that serendipitous, but almost. I made the decision to retire and that next week I got The Call. The truly amazing event was how I made the decision to retire. I happened to be instant messaging at the same time as an Australian friend who is very spiritual. We never IM'd before, nor have we since. She convinced me to follow my dream, to retire even though I'd not sold yet. She convinced me that God wanted me (and all of us) to be happy. In my mind I made the decision right then and there. I worked another six months after that day. Two weeks after I retired, I took my first trip to England, a Regency tour designed for writers, and while there went to the Mills and Boon offices in Richmond to meet with my editors. Pamela: As an author, you've written about the gritty underside of the Regency period, taking risks by depicting characters normally shunned by respectable society -- prostitutes, for example -- with depth and compassion. What led you to write those kinds of stories? Diane: The dark, gritty side of the Regency really captures my imagination. There is something that captivates me about the contrast between the wealth and beauty and privilege of the aristocracy and the darker side of war, gambling, prostitution, poverty. I think there is more emotion and potential conflict in the darker sides of the Regency, as there always is in places of suffering. I also love to give characters who ordinarily wouldn't have a happy ever after their happy ever after. Pamela: How do you research those parts of Regency history and culture? Typically speaking, history favors recording the lives and actions of the powerful, not the marginalized. Is historical research something you enjoy? Diane: I am surprised how much I love the research! I've amassed a whole library of research books and I have become rather skilled at researching online. Information about the darker side of the Regency is harder to find, but there has been a great deal written about the Regency and a lot of primary sources still available, both in print and online. One of my favorite sources is the Annual Register , thanks to my friend, Kathryn Caskie who found two shabby sets of the books for the years 1810 to 1820 and sold one of them to me. The Annual Register has a chronology of news events throughout the year. Murders. Crimes. Storms. Shipwrecks. It is a gold mine. Google Books now has some of the Annual Registers online, by the way. Pamela: What a terrific source for a writer! What are the essential qualities a man must possess to be a hero in one of your books? How about a heroine? Diane: My Regency heroes must, above all things, be honorable. They do the right thing, no matter what, although what he believes is the right thing may not be what society tells him. They are strong and protective -- and I also like to make them tortured in some way. My Regency heroines must be strong, independent women, which goes a bit against the norm for women in that time in history. I want them to act on their own behalf, not just passively accept whatever men decide for them. Pamela: Tell us about Born to Scandal, your Nov. 20 release. Diane: Born to Scandal is my homage to Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre . Like Jane Eyre , it is a governess story complete with secrets and betrayals. The Marquess of Brentmore -- half Irish peasant, half English aristocrat -- grew up under a cloud of scandal. Even money and a title aren't enough to stay the wagging tongues of the Ton. But he's vowed that his children will never experience the same stigma. After the death of their infamous mother, they need a reputable governess. Anna Hill is too passionate, too alluring, but she fills Brentmore Hall with light and laughter again -- and its master with feelings he's forgotten. But even if he dared risk the gossip of a lord marrying a governess, Anna's birth is even more scandalous than his own. Pamela: Sounds captivating! What topics did you find yourself researching for this book? Diane: I researched the role of governesses, Regency-era toys, kitchen gardens, Irish tenant farms, Irish legends, Ingatestone Hall, the model for Brentmore Hall, Gunter's Tea Shop, and a variety of other small things. Pamela: Regency-era toys! I love it. Those kinds of details are precious in a story and bring such life to the pages. What can your devoted fans look forward to getting from you next year? Diane: Next for me is a two-book series: The Masquerade Club ... identities concealed; desires revealed. The first book, A Reputation for Notoriety , will be released June 2013. Someone is trying to sabotage the gaming hell the illegitimate Rhys Marrick runs for his biological father in return for his father's public acceptance. Is it Celia Gale, the secretive woman with a need for revenge whom Rhys hired to induce gentlemen to gamble and who is quickly winning his jaded heart? Little does he know how entwined their lives already are and how much more entwined by passion they will become. Pamela Clare is an award-winning journalist and nationally best-selling author of both historical romance and contemporary romantic suspense. She loves coffee, the Colorado mountains, and her two grown sons. Her website is PamelaClare.com . ","labels":"Other","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"How to Work with the Psychopath-in-Chief And now for the latest \"no-duh\" news: According to a recent study in Behavioral Sciences and the Law, bosses are four times more likely to be psychopathic than the average worker. That's hardly shocking. In fact, the real news should be that somewhere, somebody has found a boss that isn't psychopathic. Our workplaces choose the craziest people to lead us precisely because they are psychopaths, a condition that brings lots of great business attributes with it: viciousness, narcissism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and wild mood swings, to name a few. And those who aren't psychopaths when they become bosses? The job turns them into one. Psychopaths have gotten a bad rap in recent years because a very small percentage of them, you know, kill people. Unfortunately, that's made problems for the friendly, witty, hard-working psychopaths who run our corporations, universities, and nation. None of them are likely to kill people. They simply go about their business, being charming when they need to be and ruthless when necessary. They are not troubled by doubts about themselves or their future, and they have no conscience. In short, these folks are everything a successful businessperson should be, and they have a tremendous leg up on those who are not psychopaths. Which is why, in the evolutionary sense, they are selected to be our bosses so much of the time. The good news for those of you non-psychopaths is that madness conveys weakness as much as strength. And the thoughtful, savvy, strategic person who does not have the benefit of being crazy can manipulate the boss who is. Use these tools to deal with the psycho in charge. 1. Listen Up The psychopath relates well to the people who can put up with his incessant, ongoing ruminations about himself. In my career, I've enjoyed the company of many psychopaths who rattle on for hours about whatever is roiling around inside them. I listen. And somewhere in there, as I'm listening, I manage to tease out a duty, an objective, a thing to do . Psychopaths very often have ideas that need help being actualized. If you listen well enough, you can help make your boss's dreams come true -- and reap the benefits. MORE USEFUL STUFF 2. Use Your Lever One of those classy Greek dudes said it: Give me a lever long enough and I will move the world. The corporate strategist puts it another way: Give me a boss who's crazy enough and I will control the organization. History is chock full of Rasputins who had a merry time while their psychopath was bouncing off the walls. When President Nixon was bubbling and fulminating in the Oval Office, it was two canny ad-men who ran much of the nation's business. Because everybody in the organization fears the psychopath, you carry that fear in your arsenal of corporate weapons every time you emerge from his office and into the world. 3. Beat Him at His Own Game The one thing that may be most difficult for you, and most necessary, is to learn one crucial lesson: The psychopath is all about himself. You cannot beat, manipulate or otherwise manage a psychopath by going up against him self-for-self. You have to step away from yourself -- your feelings, fears, and ambitions -- and approach the psychopath as a cool, focused, selfless embodiment of Duty. I know that sounds like a crock, but believe me, it works. It's like Jiu-Jitsu. Your power is not in your weight and size. It's in the way you use the weight and size of the monster's madness against himself. In that war, your coldness and sagacity is your best offense. I guess that makes you a bit a psychopath, too, doesn't it? Good for you. ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Posted in: Guides The single player campaign in Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2 has eleven total missions: each mission has a set of ten challenges that can be completed. You'll be rewarded after you complete two and then 5 of the challenges but if you're a true completionists, you probably want to complete all of them. And here we are to help you in this task! Remember to take the Access kit with you since you may need to access all of the areas for each mission. Eliminate 15 enemies with the pulwar sword Destroy an helicopter with a mortar shot Destroy the tank with an anti-tank mine Run over ten enemies while horseback Destroy an helicopter with a truck mounted machine gun Destroy 4 helicopter at North Pass Destroy an helicopter by using a Stinger without aircraft lock on Eliminate 25 enemies using Stinger's alternate fire method Collect all intel Get a 100% survivability rating ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Promote Advertisement Britain stun Brazil in front of record home crowd Brazil's Marta (R) dribbles the ball against Britain's Alex Scott during their women's Group E football match at the London 2012 Olympic Games at Wembley stadium in London July 31, 2012. REUTERS\/Paul Hackett LONDON (Reuters) - Britain secured a remarkable 1-0 win over Olympic gold medal contenders Brazil at Wembley on Tuesday in front of the biggest crowd to watch a women's football match in the country. LONDON (Reuters) - Britain secured a remarkable 1-0 win over Olympic gold medal contenders Brazil at Wembley on Tuesday in front of the biggest crowd to watch a women's football match in the country. The victory, thanks to Steph Houghton's brilliantly-taken second minute goal, meant Britain finished top of the group having won all three matches without conceding a goal and will now face Canada in the quarter-finals at Coventry on Friday. Brazil also qualified for the last eight and will play world champions Japan in their last eight match in Cardiff on the same evening. Britain, who are also emerging as real medal contenders, took the lead 90 seconds into the game when Brazil failed to clear a corner and the ball eventually fell to Houghton, who showed some superb skill to turn the defender and score from an acute angle. Left back Houghton also scored in the 1-0 win against New Zealand in Britain's opening game and in the 3-0 win over Cameroon. Her goal against Brazil brought 70,584 fans to their feet - a record crowd for a women's match in Britain, beating the old record of 53,000 which was set at a women's club match 92 years ago. It was also only 6,000 shy of the Olympic record of 76,489 set when the United States beat China in the 1996 final. The atmosphere in the stadium was totally different to the usual one at either an England international or Cup Final and was far more relaxed, with the crowd largely appreciating the skills of both teams in a very sporting, Olympian manner. And there was plenty to be impressed with as Brazil came back looking for an equaliser and going close when Alex Scott was forced to head against her own post after pressure from Marta and Cristiane. Britain though, were often quicker to the ball than Brazil and should have doubled their lead after 56 minutes when Francielle tripped Eni Aluko to concede a clear penalty. But Kelly Smith's left-footed spot-kick was a poor one, lacking pace and accuracy and Brazil keeper Andreia scrambled it away down to her left. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Now imagine how many of those signs could go up in the line of Hurricane Sandy. Even as hundreds, perhaps thousands, are still displaced from their neighborhoods, an act-alike Facebook page has caught the attention of the media, and a warning -- it's equally touching and heartbreaking to visit. Hurricane Sandy Lost and Found Pets , established the day before Sandy made landfall in the U.S., doesn't recommend any particular charity deserving your dollars, nor take donations. (Refreshing a week before Election Day, isn't it?) It exists solely to create a place where people can post photos of lost and found pets in affected areas, as well as animals shelters in need and temporary shelters that allow animals. For example, all 76 evacuation shelters in New York City accepted pets, as did the city's subways, trains and taxi rides, according to USA Today . It's a good sign that lessons were learned from Hurricane Katrina, which left an estimated 250,000 pets stranded when pets weren't factored into the rescue plan, as explained by Modern Dog Magazine . Cats, dogs, a good number of birds are all listed among the missing from Sandy. But there are the happy stories, too, if you look. The photo used for this column , of a dog found in Patchogue, on the South Shore of Long Island, New York, is one of them. Posted Friday and shared 11, 144 times by mid-Sunday, its comment stream ends with a link to this follow-up post . \"UPDATE: REUNITED WITH HIS OWNER! His name is Kodi!\" You've gotta see the before and after pictures. So many more continue to need help, on this and a few more targeted other pages, first glance is discouraging. Then you wrap your head around all the people mobilizing for the animals. And as if on cue, Sistercat leaps onto my lap and drapes herself over my belly, reminding me to be grateful we're all safe and sound, and that maybe an extra treat today wouldn't be completely out of order either. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Line to take For all exceptions other than that provided by regulation 12(5)(a), the duty to confirm or deny still always applies whether or not the information, if held, would be disclosed. Further Information In the Freedom of Information Act, the duty to confirm or deny is clearly set out in s1(1)(a), which provides that, \"Any person making a request for information to a public authority is entitled to be informed in writing by the public authority whether it holds information of the description specified in the request.\" Section 1(6) provides that it be called \"the duty to confirm or deny.\" In relation to most of the exemptions, if complying with the duty would itself engage the exemption (whether or not the information is actually held), subject to the public interest test where applicable, the duty does not arise. The EIR do not set out the duty to confirm or deny in the same way. However, regulation 12(6) states that where the disclosure of information would adversely affect any of the interests referred to regulation 12(5)(a) (international relations, defence, national security or public security) and would not be in the public interest, a public authority can respond by neither confirming nor denying that the information exists and is held. This implies that, for all other exceptions, public authorities may not respond in this way. In other words, in practice, the duty to confirm or deny does exist for all other environmental information in all circumstances, including where the disclosure of the information itself is not required. ","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"One Direction's Niall 'Is In Love With Local Girl' His dad blabs about 'childhood sweetheart' in magazine interview... One Direction star Niall Horan is in love with a local girl, his father Bobby has revealed to the world. The 18-year-old may well be giving his dad an earful after seeing that he has told the world about his childhood sweetheart in the Irish town of Mullingar, County Westmeath. His dad Bobby told Heat magazine: \"There's a local girl that Niall loves. I know he thinks of her as his sweetheart.\" \"She's very attractive, and they're close, but I don't know whether he's made any advances on her yet. I'm not going to embarrass her by giving her name, though. \"She would stand her ground with any of these beautiful celebrities. She's a brunette with big brown eyes and pale skin like Niall's. She's from the town but the other end to us, and I always knew Niall has big feelings for her.\" Bobby continued to pile on the awkwardness for poor Niall, as he went on to discuss teenager's love life with the world. The 51-year-old butcher said: \"He never really brought girls home. He had some girls that were friends and they would all sit on the wall outside together, but that was all. \"He's never had a real girlfriend... He went to an all-boys school so it was hard to meet girls, but that's certainly changed now. \"I don't believe he's a virgin. I couldn't say, and I wasn't in the house all the time, so I don't really know what went on when I wasn't there.\" ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Cheats and Walkthroughs Cheats and Walkthroughs Cheats and Walkthroughs Whether it's high school or college that demands your attention, unless you're planning on flunking, you're going to have less time to play video games come September. It might be a good idea to finish up games from earlier this year so that you can spend your precious gaming time on the Fall releases that are about to flood your PC, consoles, and the rest of the your free time. Today, we're focusing on four RPGs and a dungeon crawler. These might seem like obvious choices due to the length of the gameplay, but it isn't only about time to completion. RPGs encourage getting into a rhythm as we learn the combat mechanics. The longer you put the game down in between play sessions, the more likely you are to lose the story thread and not remember what's going on. Here are five games we think you ought to get cracking on and finish before going back to classes, homework and projects. We're thinking about the players who have multiple Commander Shepards they've taken through the first two Mass Effect games, and who want to see the story in Mass Effect 3 from both the Paragon and Renegade angles. The experiences can be different enough to be worth the time, but the Mass Effect 3 campaign can run as long as long as 45 hours if you're doing all the side quests. Even if you're all set with the campaign, the co-op multiplayer is deep and has over two dozen different class\/species combinations to rank up, not to mention the Reinforcement Pack system which requires a lot of earned credits to unlock and level up all the different weapons. You'll probably have time during the school year for the DLC packages that BioWare keeps releasing. If you still have big chunks of this game left to finish, now's the time to save Earth. Diablo III is a rinse-and-repeat game. You run through the story on Normal, then you run through again on Nightmare and it starts to get challenging. Hell is really tough and you'll need max level characters to stand a chance on Inferno. You'll get better loot the tougher the game gets, but it's going to come down to skill, not your gear, if you're looking to take down the big man waiting for you at the end of the game. Considering there are five different character classes, if you want to get the most out of Diablo III you're going to need to run each class through four different playthroughs. Add the time you're going to want to spend in the Auction House keeping your gear up to date and selling your excess stuff to make more gold to buy those expensive weapons and armor pieces, we're talking about a substantial commitment here. There's also a PvP release at some point in the future that you'll want to get max level and well-equipped characters ready for. When people talk about the size of this open-world fantasy game, Skyrim comes up pretty often, which should tell you everything you need to know. Dragon's Dogma can take up to 70 hours to beat if you go for all the side quests, so there's plenty of game even before we look at the pawn system. Pawns, or hirelings, are sometimes given to you by the game. Other times, you can pick up the minions created by other players if you happen to be online. This means experimenting with pawns and checking out what other players have done with them is part of the fun. You can take up to three pawns with you, so you can mix and match different classes to see what works best or is most interesting. Respecs are also easy if you want to change up your own style. Dragon's Dogma may ask for a lot of your time. But the creature animations are so good and the epic feel of the battles is conveyed so well that you're going to have every motivation to try different pawns and class styles, and really sink your teeth into those fights. This is one game you'll want to thoroughly enjoy, not burn through just to get to the end. Risen 2 might take you around 30 hours to beat - at the easiest difficulty setting. Some players have referred to the combat as \"sadistic.\" It can take you half that time just to get your character up to a skill level where fighting becomes a little easier to handle, and it also gets interesting with voodoo magic and varied combat techniques. That might not make the game sound very attractive, but the unique pirate theme, the varied environment, the island explorations, and the amusing voice acting have made Risen 2 worth it for a lot of players. If you're going to tackle this game, it's going to require a little dedication and attention. Start on this game before the school bell rings. It might take up to 50 hours to complete a playthrough of The Witcher 2 , and then you're probably going to want to return to Act 1 and make some different choices. Story decisions in this game can be more meaningful than in most RPGs, and the repercussions of those choices can lead to vastly different experiences. The complexity of the story in The Witcher 2 at times can especially make this a game you want to dedicate yourself to versus putting it down for long breaks, and losing track of what's going on. This is also another game with punishing combat that adds to how long your playthroughs take and how much patience you need to marshal. Making different choices on a second playthrough can lead to such a different experience that it's not about an altered nuance to a scene or a new line of dialogue but getting entirely new scenes altogether and a completely different campaign. The replay value of The Witcher 2 is extremely high, so it's worth putting the time in. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"I like watching films about ghosts I like saying anything goes I like knowing possibilities don't end I work harder than I want to I don't stop till I know the truth And I love each and every one of my friends I'd like to think that I owe regrets cause every single one of them made me who I am And I make sure that I never forget That my parents taught me that I can I'm learning the ways of the world one step at a time I'm learning the love and the hurt, the wrong and the right And I'm trying to be, the best that I can be For nobody else, nobody else but me I like to focus on the good stuff I like to think that I can be tough I like to hope that hope has it's own sound I have a routine when I wake up I never drink all the tea in my cup And I don't think that I'll ever get rid of the Couple of pounds that I'm carrying around I don't forget who I am when I'm faced with a hard decision I've learned to ask what's in my heart and trust the way that I am feeling HEARTBEAT Ba ba ba da da And my wondering's not going to waste I can tell with just one look at your beautiful face I can feel my heart beat in my chest And I hope that you will be the one to move next You're a little shy but so am I I could spend all night wasting time I can almost taste your lips on mine You're a little shy but so am I I like knowing that you like me too I like feeling like this wonderful and new I can see your heart beat in your chest Close your eyes and then we'll figure out the rest Hardly breathing Just believing That this could be What I'm dreaming of Ba ba ba da da When your dark hair falls into your eyes I can feel my heart beat with a warm delight When you move your hand to rest on mine I can feel my heart beat skip one or two times CHARLIE Charlie will you write me a love song? Like you never wrote a love song before? Charlie make it kind of vague but say my name So that everybody knows who you wrote it for Charlie I have known you for so long Every scar, every mark the way you feel in the dark Charlie we were so young then but we can still pretend This is our first time And I know I know I say I don't know if it's wrong or right But  now I think I might after all of this time And I'm scared to say it because let's face it a lifetime is long But I do not belong without you You make me more than I could be by myself, by myself I am sure now that I want it all now with you, with you So Charlie tell me do you want me too? Charlie it's been four short years With hopes and dreams and fears, with love and trust and tears Charlie I guess I worried that I was young That I was missing out on some but I am missing out on none UNLOVE SONG It's a cold night and I'm alone, I think about where we went wrong Where did we go wrong? It's a long time to be in love, but only time is not enough It's not enough Who's gonna hold me when I just need to be held? Who's gonna know me better than anyone else? Who's gonna love me if I can't even love myself? I always thought it would be you I can't believe it won't be you I think about how it was, I wonder when we got lost When did we get lost? I close my eyes and see your face, but then you start to fade away You fade away This is hard. My poor heart. Let me go. On my own. I KNOW THAT I'LL KNOW Setting out upon my path and not knowing where it goes Leaving everything behind leaving everyone I know It's a widely known fact such ventures can be Hard on the soul But I know that I'll know when I've come I know that I'll know when I'm home Hoping only for the best and then expecting nothing less As misguided as it seems following only my dreams It's a widely known fact that it is we who hold the Key to set us free Choices won't go away Decisions need to be made If I get one wrong I will learn and carry on I will not give up my hope I might falter but I won't I do not believe I can't There is faith within my heart There is faith here in my heart So although some time has passed I am holding strong and fast I am closer now I think to the wildest of my dreams It's a widely known fact that all we Need is to believe JUMP I'm a dreamer of dreams, a believer in things I say what I mean and I mean everything I love when there's love lost, I hope when it's hopeless I'm honest at all costs and I'm someone someone trusts But you make me more than I could hope to be And you take me where I have never been Tonight we are falling into something That's bigger than us Tonight we are falling into something That's bigger than us Don't think too much Don't think just jump You have a busy mind, a watchful eye You never tell lies and you carry your pride You like to stay up late, you never hesitate You love how I taste and you don't believe in fate Who are you lying by my side? It's been seven years and oh the time flies by Where am I in this crazy life? I got lost among the things I am running from But I don't know who I am without you. Maybe there's a way out of this without hurting anyone Tell me how I start to tell him I have fallen out of love I once knew you with the whole of my heart Fingertips on skin in the dark Routine and moving, drifting apart The water is deep and the distance is far WHAT I'M MISSING I thought I was going steady I thought I had it under control I thought that I needed nothing And I knew everything I wanted to know But then you, you came along And I knew I had everything wrong And I know how I'm feeling when you're laying with me I need to say this so listen you are what I'm missing I know how I'm feeling when you're laying with me I need to say this so listen you are what I'm missing When you put your arms around me I can feel my whole world change Baby when you kiss me slowly Nothing even looks the same If I show you who I really am will you Do 'most everything you possibly can will you Love me with your soul heart and more No second guessing you have got to be sure Cause baby I'm not asking much I just want to know that I can trust you With my love YOUNG LOVE In the start in the dark I didn't know What you felt like on the inside, but the outside view was quite nice Then we spent days in bed and time went slow We started out adventure as we ventured out together Knowing only That our love was growing Young love, young love nothing quite the same Young love, young love it changes in a day Young love, young love doesn't ask too much Young Love, young love I think we're old enough To know that this is much more than just Young Love You would ride your old bike to my house And we'd walk down to the seashore and talk until the nightfall Then one day when you came you announced You would love me till forever so we ventured out together All the time that's gone by since you've been mine Has been nothing but amazing and you still drive me crazy When I catch you staring at my smiling softly I come over for a kiss and I know I could die like this WHEN I WAS YOUNG Miss Mary Mac Mac Mac All dressed in black black black With silver buttons buttons buttons All down her back back back She asked her mother mother mother For fifty cents cents cents But nowadays that don't buy you nothing Mm mm yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah! I'm supposed to be a woman but I still feel like a girl Even though I've grown up tall I feel small in this big world The candles that I'm blowing are adding up as time goes by I used to wish to be a grown up, now I miss the girl inside Oh those days of playdates in my friend's backyard Sand pit spades, dress ups, potions, monkey bars! Now we're paying off our debt Dealing with our daily stress If I could just forget, I'd go straight back to When I was young My boyfriend has just left me for a great job overseas I remember Johnny Abbott in Grade Five- he'd never leave Well my rent is overdue and my laundry's piling up I don't want to go to work today it all feels like too much And when I look at photographs and all that's happened in the past I wish that I could take myself back there And I like Fairybread the best Make believe that I'm a princess And mum and dad will tuck me in And give me a Butterfly Kiss Good night, sleep tight I NEED TO KNOW (I COULD) And I know it's my decision to go On my own, on my own And I think, well am I making the right choice? I hope, oh I hope I am following my dreams Or so it seems, or so it seems But it gets harder as the time draws near For me to leave, for me to leave I am scared, I am full of doubt But I am getting on the plane and I'm leaving like I knew I always would To follow my heart and it will be hard But I am sure that something's calling me and I need to know I could I wish that I could stay at home But I can't, no I can't And I'll keep everyone I know In my heart, in my heart I need to know I tried everything that I ever could have done I need to know for sure, I need to know if there is more Waiting out there for me to come along EVERYTHING I NEED Let's go let's go let's get out of here Not tell a soul let's just disappear What will we take? And where will we go? The best part of all is that I don't know But I have everything I need, if you're with me Let's play let's play Guessing games while we sing along o the sings we know on the radio At the end of each day We'll sleep in the car underneath the stars and make love slow and close But where will we go?  And what will we take? Just bring an empty bag for the memories we make I have everything I need, if you're with me And I wouldn't mind spending everyday until my days are done With you by my side starting from today cause you're the one my love You're the one I need I need To wake up next to you the truth is I cannot exist without it The way you look at me Tells me I'm exactly where I was always meant to be ","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Altmeier should have been stuffed by Paxo Philip Booth 18 November 2011 Newsnight this week had, for them, a reasonably balanced piece on the proposed EU transactions tax on Wednesday evening. There were some people in favour and some against before an interview between Jeremy Paxman and the German ruling party Chief whip, Peter Altmeier. However, in typical BBC style, the proponents of the tax were put forward as people who wished to tax the rich and help the poor and the opponents as people who were acting in their own self interest and believed that the tax simply could not work. Not only that, it was pitiful in its failure to dig down to the real issues -- something, of course, which is a feature of its eurozone coverage. Let us dissect the broadcast, which you can watch here . (The time of the references to each aspect is given if you wish to watch them again). At 16:52, we are told that the UK has a responsibility to act in the interests of the EU as a whole (by a German politician) and not in the interests of the UK alone. Whether this is true is not something I am concerned with here. However, British self-interest was accepted as the basic premise of the case against a transactions tax. However, the opponents of the transaction tax believe it is a bad thing for any country or groups of countries that impose it. The fact that it hurts Britain most is unfortunate, but not the main issue. It is a bad tax for the EU! This issue was never pressed. At 17:47 we are told that the Pope agrees with the transactions tax. This is simply untrue and is incredibly sloppy journalism. We have no idea what the Pope's views are on the matter (understanding his general political philosophy, my suspicion is that, out of humility and an understanding of those things he knows he does not understand, he has no view on the matter). The idea was put out for discussion in a paper by the Justice and Peace Commission but it is quite possible that the Pope did not even read it before it was published -- and if he did we will probably never know if he approved of it or not. At 18:00 we had Max Lawson from the Robin Hood Tax campaign group tell us that it was great to tax casino banking to give the money to the poor. Good for him, he got his point over well. However, at no point in this long Newsnight piece, was there a discussion of who will bear the burden of this tax. It will be, of course, some combination of bank account holders, bank shareholders (future pensioners), savers who hold shares that are traded, and mortgage account holders whose mortgages are hedged in risk management processes, together with, perhaps, some rich bankers and hedge fund managers. The fact is that we have little idea where the burden of this tax will fall. Surely, this is a point that should be analysed on a programme such as Newsnight. Lawson said (and, again, all credit to him -- he did his job well) that there was a two to one majority in favour of this tax. It all goes to show that the better you disguise a tax the more people favour it -- this is not an especially moral position! We then have the interview with Peter Altmeier (17:50) where Paxo was on very poor form. He started by asking Altmeier whether it had been estimated how much the tax would raise. He said \"no\" and suggested that discussions were just beginning. Paxo got the same answer to a question about how many jobs would be lost and then queried -- but did not press when Altmeier moved on to a different issue -- whether he was aware that the British government was saying that the European Commission suggested that 500,000 jobs would be lost. A better briefed journalist would not have referred to George Osborne's reference to an EC report, he would have thrown the facts from and implications of the EC report repeatedly at the interviewee: especially as the interviewee was from Europe and justifying an EU measure. For example: There is an estimated fall in GDP 1.8 per cent as a result of the tax. Given this, and after allowing for the fact that other taxes would be replaced (e.g. stamp duty on share sales) the net revenue will be negative! As it happens, the estimate of 500,000 jobs lost comes not from the European Commission but from a separate EU report, but the point should still have been pressed. But this also just goes to show, journalists really should not use secondary sources -- or at least not politician's quotes of secondary sources. This is the second example in a single feature of a mistake being introduced into the discourse as a result of doing so. Indeed, there is much discussion in the public domain about the very issues on which Altmeier majored. Altmeier suggested that the tax would lead to more proper primary trading and less high frequency trading. Unfortunately, because a primary trade is passed through a series of counterparties, a primary trade could end up being taxed at nine times the rate of a single high-frequency trade. There may be an answer to this point -- but why was the point not pressed? The case for a financial transactions tax is alarmingly weak. I feel quite sure that if this had been a free-market measure justified by an economic liberal, an interviewee would not have had the same easy ride. www.robinhoodtax.org has a vote on the tax; I propose voting no although the vote is a foregone conclusion. I'd point out that Robin Hood took money back from tax collectors gave it to those they oppressed. This is a Sheriff of Nottingham tax! Submitted by len shackleton on Fri, 18\/11\/2011 - 15:28. You are right Philip. It is disappointing to see today that David Cameron has again said he favours such a tax if it could be imposed on a global scale. Even if everyone from the United States to North Korea imposed a FTT it would still be a very bad move. Interesting to look at the history of this proposal, which is now a million miles from the original Tobin idea. That was a Keynesian scheme intended to \"throw sand in the wheels\" of currency transactions in an environment where exchange rate instability was the perceived problem (just after Nixon had ended Bretton Woods). The money raised was to go the IMF to enable it to mitigate what Tobin expected to be a hugely unstable situation. He was wrong. Nowadays the tax is aimed at a much wider set of transactions, to deal with a completely different perceived problem, with the money paid into some as-yet-unexplained scheme to raise living standards in the Third World - despite fifty years of failure of large-scale international aid programmes. Submitted by Philip on Fri, 18\/11\/2011 - 18:39. I might add that the Justice and Peace Commission did not even definitely propose the idea, it suggested that it might be reflected on. It is disappointing that Rowan Williams could not even get his facts right about this matter. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"They Saved Lisa's Brain was directed by Pete Michels and written by Matt Selman , although the idea for the episode was pitched by former staff writer George Meyer . It featured the first official appearance of Lindsey Naegle and was the first episode in which theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking guest-starred as himself. The Simpsons staff wanted Hawking to guest-star because they needed someone who would be smarter than all of Springfield's Mensa members, and because they had heard that he was a fan of the show. The episode features references to Star Trek , painter Vincent van Gogh and architect Frank Lloyd Wright , and mentions the theory of the universe being toroidal , the same shape as a doughnut . In its original broadcast, \"They Saved Lisa's Brain\" was seen by approximately 6.8\u00a0million viewers, a very low amount for the series. Following the episode's broadcast, Selman made a controversial statement about East St. Louis , which was pronounced the least livable city in the United States in the episode. While the episode received mixed reviews from critics, Hawking's appearance garnered critical acclaim, and has since appeared in several lists of best guest appearances on The Simpsons . Hawking has since appeared in three episodes, and an action figure based on his cameos in the series has been produced. Although Hawking has stated that he enjoyed guest-starring on The Simpsons , he has also mentioned that his cameos have made many people mistake him for a fictional character. Contents A low-fat pudding, Grandma Plopwell's, is the sponsor of a Springfield contest that promises a luxurious trip to the most disgusting and dimwitted contest participant in town. Many Springfield residents enter the contest, but things do not go well when Rainier Wolfcastle (one of the judges) declares himself the winner for \"being seen with you freaks.\" The contest ends in a riot and Lisa ends up hit in the face twice with pudding. Lisa denounces Springfield for its anti-intellectualism in an open letter that ends up in the newspaper (which no one reads). This impresses Springfield's Mensa chapter, which accepts her for membership after Principal Skinner shared her placement tests and she brought them a pie for their latest meeting. She joins Mensa alongside Comic Book Guy , Dr. Hibbert , Principal Skinner , Professor Frink , and Lindsay Naegle . After the pleasantries, Lisa finds herself at home alongside Mensa members, whose sense of humor is so brainy that it is said to be enjoyed by the \" Dennis Miller ratio\" of Americans. After being bullied out of their reserved gazebo at a park by some drunks and Chief Wiggum, they fear that Springfield's quality is down because of the city's stupidest residents having power over their civic institutions. The Mensa group goes to confront Mayor Quimby about the gazebo incident, until he escapes from the city by plane when he mistakenly thinks the group has evidence about his corruption. The town's constitution states that in the absence of the mayor, the town is to be governed by the smartest people in it. Now in control of Springfield, the group hopes that things will become better in town. Once in control, however, the group allows power to go to their heads. At first they efficiently implement their ideas for Springfield, which include banning green traffic lights and playing only classical music at the dog races, which elevates Springfield past East St. Louis on the list of America's 300 Most Livable Cities. However, they begin to internally fight over other ideas such as having theaters for shadow puppets and a broccoli juice program, and their wildly unpopular plans at a public meeting (including the banning of all contact sports and Comic Book Guy's plan to limit breeding to every 7 years ) further expose the rifts inside the group. The angry Springfield townspeople, furious at the new laws, surround the intellectuals in an angry mob and bring an end to Mensa's rule, and would have seriously injured Lisa if not for the intervention of Dr. Stephen Hawking . The brilliant professor has shown up to see what the Mensa group is up to and makes it clear he is unimpressed. In the end, Stephen Hawking and Homer meet at Moe's for a drink. Homer imitates Hawking in an attempt to make him pay the tab and gets punched by a boxing glove on a spring, which is concealed in Hawking's wheelchair. In the episode's other storyline, Homer steals a gift certificate during the post-contest chaos and has erotic photos taken of himself to give to Marge as a gift. She enjoys them a lot, but gets distracted by the interior design Homer did in their basement. \"They Saved Lisa's Brain\" was written by Matt Selman and directed by Pete Michels . It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May\u00a09,\u00a01999. Although the episode's first draft was written by Selman, the idea for the episode was pitched by former staff writer George Meyer . In the episode's setpiece , Homer and Bart participate in a gross out contest, while Marge and Lisa are in the audience. According to Selman, the writers took inspiration from real gross out contests, which were \"sweeping the nation\" at the time. Before the contest in the episode, the spectators are given free samples of a pudding called Grandma Plopwell's. The name of the pudding was inspired by a brand of pies called Aunt Freshly, which the Simpsons writers usually ate at the time. [ 1 ] English theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking (pictured) guest-starred as himself in the episode. The episode features the first official appearance of Lindsey Naegle , a sleazy businesswoman who has since become a recurring character in the series. While different versions of the character had appeared in the series before, namely in the season 9 episode \" Girly Edition \" and the season 10 episode \" Make Room for Lisa \", the character's final design was first seen in \"They Saved Lisa's Brain\". [ 2 ] The episode also mentions the character's name for the first time. Naegle's name was partly based on Selman's agent Sue Neagle, and Lindsey was chosen as the first name because Selman thought it sounded \"annoying\" and \"pretentious.\" [ 1 ] Naegle is voiced by Tress MacNeille , who Selman described as a \"huge asset\" to the series, and stated that she \"breathes life\" into the character. [ 1 ] \"They Saved Lisa's Brain\" features English theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking as himself. According to executive producer and current showrunner Al Jean , Hawking was asked to guest-star because \"we [they] were looking for someone much smarter than all the Mensa members [in Springfield],\" and so they \"naturally thought of him.\" [ 3 ] Selman added that the Simpsons staff had heard that Hawking was a fan of the show, and that Hawking's family members wanted him to guest-star. [ 1 ] Bill Mann of The Press Democrat argued that Hawking was chosen to guest star in order to boost the series' ratings during the May \" sweeps \". Mann wrote that \"sweeps\" are \"used to set local TV ad rates for the months ahead.\" [ 4 ] In her book Stephen Hawking: a biography , Kristen Larsen wrote that Hawking almost missed his recording session, as his wheelchair broke down two days before his flight to Los Angeles, where the recording took place. In order to make the necessary repairs, Hawking's graduate assistant Chris Burgoyne, aided by a technician, worked a 36\u00a0hour shift. [ 5 ] Hawking was 40 minutes late when he arrived in Los Angeles. When he met the Simpsons staff, he apologized, saying \"Sorry for being late.\" [ 6 ] According to Selman, Hawking was very humble regarding the episode's jokes about him, and stated that he \"took a lot of shots\" at himself. The only note that Hawking gave regarding the script was that he did not want to be portrayed as drunk in the episode's last scene, in which he is discussing astronomy with Homer in Moe's tavern. [ 1 ] Because of his motor neurone disease , Hawking is unable to speak, and he communicates using a custom-made computer. With small movements of his body, Hawking writes a text onto the computer, which is then spoken by a voice syntheziser . Because of this, Hawking had to write all his lines on his computer, while the staff recorded them by placing a microphone in front of the computer's speaker. \"It's easy to do a fake Stephen Hawking in your comedy TV show,\" Selman said in the DVD commentary for the episode. \"Any computer can sound just like his computer, but every line that we wrote for him, he typed in himself and we recorded with our microphones as if had come out of a regular mouth.\" [ 1 ] Some of Hawking's lines were difficult to record. In particular, the word \"Fruitopia\" was difficult for Hawking's computer to \"put together\" correctly, and it \"took forever\" to make the word sound right from the voice synthesizer. [ 6 ] In their book The Simpsons and philosophy: the d'oh! of Homer , William Irwin, Mark T. Conard and Aeon J. Skoble wrote that \"They Saved Lisa's Brain\" in detail explores \"the possibility of a utopian alternative to politics as usual in Springfield.\" They described \"They Saved Lisa's Brain\" as an \"epitome\" of The Simpsons diverse comedic humor, and wrote that it can be \"enjoyed in two levels,\" as both \"broad farce\" and \"intellectual satire.\" As an example of the episode's farcical humor, they referred to the episode's subplot, which, they wrote, \"contains some of the grossest humor in the long history of The Simpsons .\" At the same time, the episode is \"filled\" with what they described as \"subtle cultural allusions,\" such as the design of Mensa group's locale, which is based on American architect Frank Lloyd Wright 's house. Likewise, Lisa's challenge to Springfield calls attention to the \"cultural limitations of small-town America,\" while the episode also argues that intellectual disdain for the common man can be carried too far and that theory can \"all to easily lose touch with common sense.\" They also argued that the episode, as well as the series as a whole, offers a kind of intellectual defense of the common man against intellectuals, which they opined \"helps explain its popularity and broad appeal [...] [\"They Saved Lisa's Brain\"] defends the common man against the intellectual, in a way that both the common man and the intellectual can understand and enjoy.\" [ 7 ] One of Hawking's lines in the episode references the theory that the universe is shaped like a toroid. Shown here is a torus, a type of toroid. In the last scene in the episode, Hawking and Homer are seen discussing the universe in Moe's tavern. Scully stated that the scene was included because it \"was a chance to get the world's smartest man and the world's stupidest man in the same place.\" [ 8 ] In the scene, Hawking tells Homer \"Your theory of a donut-shaped universe is intriguing... I may have to steal it.\" In his book What's science ever done for us?: what The Simpsons can teach us about physics, robots, life and the universe , Paul Halpern wrote that in mathematics, a \"donut-shape,\" the three-dimensional generalization of a ring, is referred to as a torus . The generalization of a torus, any closed curve spun in a circle around an axis, is called a toroid . According to Halpern, Hawking's line references the fact that there are \"genuine\" scientific theories that the universe is toroidal. [ 9 ] One of the judges for the gross out contest in the episode's is Madeleine Albright , who was the current US Secretary of State at the time. [ 10 ] During the riot that follows the contest, a travelling exhibition of Van Gogh 's paintings is burned to flames. [ 7 ] In the episode's subplot, Homer hires a photographer to take erotic pictures of him. The design of the photographer was based on American portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz . [ 11 ] The song that plays during the photographing scenes is \" I'm Too Sexy \" by English pop trio Right Said Fred . [ 10 ] During the rules and regulations announcement, Comic Book Guy declares that sexual intercourse will only be permitted once every seven years in Springfield. This is a reference to pon farr , a term used in the Star Trek franchise to describe the psychophysical effect of the estrous cycle that affects the fictional race Vulcans every seven years. [ 3 ] The episode also mentions actress Geena Davis and cartoonist Mell Lazarus , both of whom are members of Mensa. [ 11 ] In its original American broadcast on May\u00a09,\u00a01999, \"They Saved Lisa's Brain\" received a 6.8 rating, according to Nielsen Media Research , translating to approximately 6.8\u00a0million viewers. It finished in 54th place in the ratings for the week of May 3\u20139, 1999. [ 12 ] The episode's viewership was considered very low by the Boston Herald , who noted that it reached \"historic lows\" in the ratings. [ 13 ] In a scene in the episode, Comic Book Guy announces that Springfield is in 299th place on a list of the United States' 300 most livable cities. East St. Louis is in last place. A journalist for a \"local East St Louis [news]paper\" noticed this, and called Selman to ask him why they were \"taking a shot at East St Louis.\" [ 1 ] Selman jokingly replied: \"because it's a crack-ridden slum.\" [ 1 ] After the interview, he went on vacation in Greece for two weeks. [ 1 ] While Selman was on vacation, executive producer and the episode's showrunner Mike Scully received a phone call from The Simpsons publicist Antonia Coffman, who reported that Selman's comment on East St Louis had been taken \"very seriously\" by the newspaper. The Simpsons staff received several angry letters from East St Louis' residents, demanding an apology. Because Selman was out of reach, the other staff members had to take care of the controversy. [ 14 ] When Selman returned, Scully scolded him and told him that he had to apologize to the mayor of East St Louis, who, unbeknownst to Selman, was portrayed by Marc Wilmore . Wilmore, a former writer on the television comedy The PJ's , had been asked by Scully to participate in a practical joke, in which he would play the mayor of East St Louis and confront Selman about his controversial statement. According to Selman, Wilmore gave an \"Oscar-worthy performance.\" [ 1 ] \"I was terrified,\" he stated in the DVD commentary for the episode, \"[we had] a twenty-minute discussion in which [Wilmore] said that [his] children were teased at school [because of Selman's comments], and that the Fox affiliate were gonna be thrown off the air...\" [ 1 ] According to Wilmore, Selman immediately blamed the other writers. Said Selman, \"Well, everyone participates, you know[...] Have you never heard of the word 'collaboration'?\" [ 15 ] Selman realized the joke when he turned around and saw \"all the other writers laughing.\" \"I was so relieved,\" he said, \"I was soaked with sweat[...] I had betrayed my fellow writers, tried to get them in trouble, and they all knew me for the turn-coat that I was.\" As compensation for his involvement with the joke, Wilmore was given a role in the season 11 episode \" It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge \", in which he played a psychologist. [ 16 ] In 2002, Wilmore became a writer on The Simpsons . [ 14 ] On August\u00a07,\u00a02007, \"They Saved Lisa's Brain\" was released as part of The Simpsons - The Complete Tenth Season DVD box set. Mike Scully, Matt Selman, Ron Hauge, Rich Appel, Marc Wilmore and Pete Michels participated in the DVD's audio commentary of the episode. [ 17 ] Following its home video release, the episode received mixed reviews from critics. Giving the episode a positive review, DVD Town's James Plath described it as one of the season's better episodes. [ 18 ] Ian Jane of DVD Talk wrote that, while episodes that revolve around Lisa tend to be \"less popular\" than others, he considered \"They Saved Lisa's Brain\" to be \"well done.\" [ 19 ] Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide gave the episode a mixed review, writing \"I like the fact that 'Brain' pokes some fun at Mensa, one of the more smug, self-congratulatory groups to be found. The show manages a few good laughs as it goes after various pretensions.\" However, he added that \"the show peters out after a while,\" and that it \"never becomes particularly memorable.\" [ 20 ] A reviewer for Currentfilm.com wrote that, while the episode \"isn't without its charms,\" it \"just don't hold up very well.\" [ 21 ] Jake MacNeill of Digital Entertainment News wrote that the episode is \"great if you think palindromes are funny,\" and added that it was one of the season's worst episodes. [ 22 ] Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood of I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide described it as a \"retread\" of the season 9 episode \" Lisa the Simpson \". They wrote \"Once we're past the How Low Will You Go show, the episode takes a nose-dive until the last few minutes.\" They concluded their review by calling the episode \"Very, very tedious.\" [ 10 ] Hawking's appearance in the episode was lauded by critics. Although they generally disliked the episode, Martyn and Wood wrote that Hawking's cameo \"saves [the episode] from being very boring.\" [ 10 ] Plath called the performance \"very funny,\" [ 18 ] while Jane described it as \"great.\" [ 19 ] Hawking reached seventh place in UGO 's list of The Simpsons 's \"Top 11 Guest Stars,\" [ 23 ] and finished in fourteenth place in \"The Simpsons 20 best guest voices of all time\" by Ryan Stewart of The Boston Phoenix . Stewart wrote that Hawking's line \"\"Your theory of a doughnut-shaped universe intrigues me, Homer. I may have to steal it\" was a \"memorable\" quote from the episode. [ 24 ] Ethan Alter of The Morning Call described Hawking's cameo as one of the series' ten best, and wrote that Hawking's best line in the episode was \"I wanted to see your Utopia, but now I see it is more of a Fruitopia.\" [ 25 ] Writing for IGN , Eric Goldman, Dan Iverson and Brian Zoromski placed Hawking at number sixteen on their list \"Top 25 Simpsons Guest Appearances.\" They wrote that he had a \"fairly major\" role in the episode, and that he had \"several great lines.\" [ 26 ] After the episode aired, Hawking told the Simpsons staff that he \"loved\" all the jokes and in an interview with The Guardian in 2005, he stated that his guest appearances on The Simpsons were \"great fun.\" [ 27 ] An action figure based on Hawking's appearance in The Simpsons has been produced, with the figurine's computer screen reading \"If you're looking for trouble, you've found it,\" a line from \"They Saved Lisa's Brain\". [ 1 ] Since \"They Saved Lisa's Brain\", Hawking has guest-starred three times on The Simpsons . In 2005, he appeared in the season 16 episode \" Don't Fear the Roofer \"; in 2007, he starred in the season 18 episode \" Stop or My Dog Will Shoot \"; and in 2010, he appeared in the Season 22 premiere \" Elementary School Musical .\" [ 26 ] However, Hawking has also expressed dissatisfaction regarding the impact of his appearance in the episode. In a debate with physicist Brian Cox in The Guardian , Hawking was asked what the most common misconception about his work was. He replied, \"People think I'm a Simpsons character.\" [ 28 ] Writing for The Daily Telegraph , Peter Hutchison argued that Hawking \"feels he is sometimes not properly recognised for his contribution to our understanding of the universe.\" [ 29 ] In his book The book is dead: long live the book , Sherman Young wrote that most people know Hawking from his appearance on The Simpsons , rather than from anything he has written. [ 30 ] ","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"NRL plays a tactical game with radio rights 2GB are keen to keep their rights exclusive for all but the Monday night game which belonged to Triple M. Triple M are keen for more games than just Monday night and 2UE are keen to get back into the game and wrest the rights from arch rival 2GB. The NRL, of course, is keen to wring every last dollar and every last concession out of the deal. To them, coverage is almost as important as cash. With all three networks plus the ABC determined to land the best deal for themselves, no wonder negotiations (as of yesterday afternoon) are still going on. Sources say that while MRN and 2GB has put up the most cash so far in its bid to retain exclusivity, a consortium between Fairfax's 2UE, 4BC and Bill Caralis' Super Network offers the best coverage of NSW regional markets. Triple M, though, could be the dark horse in this three (commercial) horse race. It too could do a deal with Caralis and then add a slew of its own SCA stations to the coverage map in both NSW and Queensland led by Triple M, Brisbane. SCA Head of Content Craig Bruce was hesitant to divulge details of the SCA bid, \"I can't go into the specifics, obviously, that will be sorted over time.\" But it's clear that Triple M sees football as pivotal to their blokey image, \"We have enjoyed our involvement with the NRL up to this point. And we target men. They love the NRL in both in Brisbane and Sydney and if we can be a part of  that, it would be a great thing for both Two and 4Triple M,\" says Bruce. When asked how many games he was looking to broadcast he would only say, \"More than one.\" but then he adds, \"We have a model that obviously works really well with the AFL in Melbourne and we think we can do a version of that in Sydney and Brisbane and I guess time will tell what we end up with.\" The obvious question then is, how many AFL games does Triple M, Melbourne broadcast? The answer is four. It shares rights with 3AW, SEN and the ABC. Logic suggests, then, if AFL works for Triple M in Melbourne with four games a week then that would be a good number of NRL games to call in Sydney, Brisbane and the regions. If Triple M get their four, it will be interesting to see who gets the other four. 3 Comments For too long, 2GB and Macquarie have masqueraded a weekend less than humorous six hour drivel as a rugby league program, onselling it to regional markets. The review of NRL radio rights presents the ideal opportunity for that exclusivity deal to be shut down for all time. Why not allow multiple commercial radio stations to cover the NRL, in much the same way as the AFL is handled? That way, decent rugby league coverage can be achieved without the garbage that the \"continuous call team\" presents all season disguised as rugby league. 2UE\/4BC, 2MMM\/4MMM and the so-called Super Radio Network between them will multiply the reach and steer us back to serious coverage of this great game. chadsterboi 02 Nov 2012 1:20 pm We need coverage in rural and regional area. In Newcastle the second biggest city in NSW we get ABC for all games, but no games on commercial radio on Sundays. Its a joke - we need to get 2SM and 2UE to team up and allow the game into these areas. Plus, it will give other callers an opportnity to have a go. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Preparing the next generation Key to the successful evolution of any family business is the development of the younger generation of the family members for the leadership, commercial and general business skills demanded of the family by the business. In addition, younger generations should understand the responsibilities that success can bring, and how best to ensure their positions of commercial influence and the benefits given to them by personal affluence, are deployed in ways which will give them the best chance of fulfilled, productive and happy lives. Key challenges include: Development of family members involved in the business and preparing them for future leadership if appropriate Educating the next generation to be responsible owners of the business Encouraging them to be responsible with wealth Developing a cohesive team in the next generation which can work together to arrive at consensus, allowing continued business success and family harmony. Challenges facing the next generation The next generation often have a tough act to follow. This, coupled with the normal challenges of family life, presents a particularly demanding set of challenges, including: Increased choices - not all will want to join the business straight from study, if at all The pressure of living up to expectations Sibling rivalry Knowing how to connect with the business if they are not directly involved Changing lifestyles - children in family Businesses are often raised in a culture of wealth and entitlement Loneliness and\/or a lack of peers within the business. Negotiating such challenges successfully and supporting and preparing the next generation is key to enabling them to unlock their full potential and allow smooth transition of the family Business from one generation to the next. Trans-generational entrepreneurship The key to long-term business success lies in the ability to build and sustain an entrepreneurial family. Family businesses are the engine that drives socioeconomic development and wealth creation around the world, and entrepreneurship is a key driver of family business. Entrepreneurial thinking and leadership are fundamental factors in the creation of new enterprises and the sustained competitive advantages of corporations both large and small. The ability to create and foster an entrepreneurial mindset across generations is a major element of family business continuity and longevity and is instrumental in effective strategic execution, innovation and growth. In market economies (where resources are allocated by supply and demand), entrepreneurial family businesses are a primary source of job creation. In transition economies (in countries moving from a state-planned to a market-based system), the family unit is often the only intact socioeconomic institution capable of supporting entrepreneurial activities. The family also plays a leading role in new venture formation, often serving as the primary source of start-up capital, not to mention cheap labour and know-how. Another benefit of entrepreneurial family enterprises is that they tend to be community-minded and support philanthropic causes. What is entrepreneurship? The concept of entrepreneurship derives from Richard Cantillon, an Irish economist working in France whose theory was published posthumously in 1755. Cantillon recognised the entrepreneur as an individual who accepts an element of uncertainty in the course of profit-seeking business activity. A wide variety of organisations have adapted entrepreneurial concepts as a means to compete in a changing and challenging environment. Three types of entrepreneurship are noteworthy today: New venture formation : Creative human action that builds something of value from almost nothing through the pursuit of opportunity beyond the resources one actually controls Corporate entrepreneurship (?intrapraneurship?) : Activities inside a corporation where individuals champion new ideas ? from development to profitable reality. Social entrepreneurship : Generation, development and implementation of new ideas and behaviours that build dynamic capabilities and differentiate and organisation from its competitors. Regardless of what form it takes, entrepreneurship links people?s vision, commitment and passion to a common cause. A must for family business Over the next decade, as the Australian population ages, many family businesses are expected to change hands. Since the average life span of an Australian family firm is only 2X years, and a mere one-third of these businesses survive into the next generation, it?s imperative for business to foster entrepreneurship across generations to increase the chances that their businesses will be amongst the survivors Several key principals of entrepreneurship ? such as the focus on high achievement, wealth creation and community spirit ? can be useful in addressing the challenges that occur when several different family branches or generations are involved in the business. A family that is committed to these principles is well positioned to create and sustain individual and family growth and learning. This is especially important in today?s fast paced global environment, with entrepreneurship increasing and new family firms emerging around the globe. Entrepreneurship across generations Trans-generational entrepreneurial behaviour in family business goes beyond simply increasing sales, head count or profits. Family business entrepreneurs create and support a growth and learning orientated culture in both the family and the business, and they reinforce entrepreneurial behaviour in their relatives of all ages. They encourage successors to be alert to their environment so as to spot and take advantage of profit opportunities. At the foundation is a loving and learning family that fosters cooperative family dynamics between generations over time. Trans-generational entrepreneurship is built around two central principles: Entrepreneurial vision and mission : There must be a drive to create trans-generational wealth for the business and its owners. This is rooted in a growth orientation that motivates the family, the ownership group and their non-family managers to be forward thinking and to communicate and pursue specific strategic expansion plans for the business. Dynamic and adaptive family values : While there is a commitment to family traditions, the family must be able to adapt to changes over time. The family must be committed to open communication, the use of formal protocols and policies and conflict resolution. The entrepreneurial mindset Enterprising families work together to define the role and context of entrepreneurship in their family and business. They are committed to the long term and enlist champions among ownership groups, key family members and non-family managers. These families explore the history of entrepreneurship in the family business, including actual examples from the past and present, and discuss ideas for the future within this context. This process helps entrepreneurs understand the role the family has played and what it can do to advance and perpetuate success in the future. Enterprising families are ?people centric? ? they focus on teamwork and on the internal and external relationship building. In addition, the family business leadership identifies, agrees upon and pursues a clearly outlined strategic direction. This strategy emphasises entrepreneurial behaviours such as market expansion, technological advancement, and refinement of operational activities and processes. Research has shown that entrepreneurial families embrace five fundamental principles of entrepreneurship across successive generations Entrepreneurial leadership : The ability to anticipate future circumstances, maintain flexibility, think strategically and work with others to initiate change that will create a viable future for the business. Opportunity recognition : The capacity to imagine dramatically new ideas or to find new ways to differentiate existing products or services to create and sustain cost effective and profitable competitive advantage and customer satisfaction. Internal continuum of entrepreneurial activity : A people-centred strategy emphasising organisational systems, structures and practices that encourage innovation and creativity and do not present insurmountable road blocks to flexibility and fast action. Balanced strategic positioning : A strategic vision that is defined, translated, communicated and aligned operationally across the entire organisation through the balancing of performance metrics and compensation programs as envisioned from multiple financial and non-financial perspectives. Future-based orientation : People are encouraged to perceive opportunities and empowered to embrace change, control costs, enhance product\/service quality, and improve offerings and services through innovation and learning. Creating and maintaining an entrepreneurial mindset is vital for socioeconomic growth and sustained competitive advantage in today?s dynamic marketplace. Entrepreneurs speculate, anticipate and direct resources in pursuit of profitable business activities under uncertain conditions. Trans-generational entrepreneurship promotes a common vision and mission among key family business stakeholders across generations. This inclusive, forward-looking strategy creates a set of adaptive values and protocols that promotes family unity and business acumen. Generation barriers For many family businesses, the ability to communicate through generational barriers is crucial for the ultimate success and longevity of the business. BDO has worked with family business across generations for many years and the company has repeatedly stressed the importance of fostering the powerful and synergistic release of cross-generational sharing, learning and performance. New Perspectives Businesses generally recruit along two distinct lines. Hiring youth allows companies to remain competitive and cutting edge whilst maturity provides access to knowledge and experience. With each new generation, the view of what is ?normal? changes. This separation of ideas coupled with the emotional ties found within family businesses and the gap between generations begins to widen. The most successful organisations in today?s markets understand the importance of generational integration and the value that each individual?s skill set and knowledge brings to the business. Similarly, a family business needs to recognise that each generation brings something new, different and valuable to a family firm. If you are a parent, you are probably the founder of your business and now have the opportunity to position your children as your business successors. Your role is not an easy one. Mastering and mentoring or teaching is somewhat like mastering the rhythm and beat associated with playing a musical instrument. Understanding the behavioural and motivational differences between generational sub cultures will help you read the music and enable you to play the instrument with confidence and finesse. If you are the children of a silent or baby boomer generation member you are more likely to be from either generation X or Y and have a more challenging role to fill than you imagined. How you handle the responsibility is crucial to the succession process and the future success of your family?s business. By understanding generational characteristics, a family business is more likely to develop an insight into specific generational ?trigger points? ? the things that motivate a member of a specific generation. By developing this understanding, families can begin to remove any conflict and hostility that exists between generations which ultimately benefits the individual, the family and most importantly, the business. The Way Forward Research has indicated that baby boomers enjoy collaborative learning and working in teams so utilising them in a mentoring capacity could be very beneficial. Family businesses need to recognise that mentoring forms a significant piece of a strategic plan to ramp up staff retention and increase the knowledge and skills of talented employees. Younger family members often talk about their disenchantment with the family business, describing the onerous demands or expectations placed on them by parents who have confidence in their abilities, but lack the time or skills to help them succeed. The result is frustration and a fear of failing, with many members of the X and Y generation planning to move on and look for a ?normal? business environment. This means many family businesses fail to successfully explore the potential of cross-generational sharing, learning and performance. By using the more experienced baby boomers with their extensive knowledge, impressive networks and broad-based business experience, you have the ability to buffer the next generation against frustration and create a focus for their career paths. Ultimately, baby boomers can assist successors in acquiring the skills-based knowledge necessary for transferring the management and ownership of the family business into the next generation. Whilst statistics show that many businesses do not survive the hand over to second and subsequent generations, understanding generational differences is the key to surviving the potentially life-threatening stage of business succession. Take the time to mentor the next generation because the only way to shorten the transfer of knowledge from one generation to the next is to have someone with more experience to accelerate the succession process. Remember, each individual brings different skills and knowledge to the business and each generation brings something new, different and valuable to the family firm ? use the information available in your business to build solid intergenerational teamwork. ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Canada has among the highest rates of breast cancer in the world. The breast cancer risk to women workers, especially those in blue collar jobs, has been largely overlooked by scientists. In addition, workers and their organizations have not received much support in understanding the risks associated with working with chemicals and in taking steps to prevent harm. Addressing this gap, a team of researchers has been examining the occupational breast cancer risk for women working in the automotive sector in the Windsor area, a highly industrial region of Southwestern Ontario. Animal studies have demonstrated that rates of breast cancer are higher in those exposed to certain chemicals, particularly those that can disrupt the endocrine system. There is a growing body of epidemiological evidence showing that humans are likewise affected. Endocrine disruptors, thought to play a role in breast cancer, and carcinogens are present in many occupational environments. Exposure to hormone disrupting chemicals can be particularly significant for women during certain key windows of vulnerability. Such chemicals can be released during various plastics processing procedures, such as heating, pouring, grinding, assembly and decorating. The invited researchers, working with colleagues at the National Network on Environments and Women's Health, will speak about their research, and for the critical need for more attention to this area of study. The Canadian Women's Health Network and the Centres of Excellence for Women's Health program are financially supported by Health Canada through the Women's Health Contribution Program . The views herein do not necessarily represent the official policy of Health Canada. ","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Bailouts for banks. Subsidies for chosen industries. Tax breaks for the rich. These are some of the remedies that our government has used in its attempt to fix the economy and reduce unemployment. As we've seen, they don't work. The President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness is now proposing that we increase the number of engineers that we graduate -- a strategy driven by fear of a mythical engineer shortage . Vivek Wadhwa is Vice President of Innovation and Research at Singularity University and Arthur & Toni Rembe Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford University. His other academic appointments include Harvard, Duke and Emory Universities as well as the University of California Berkeley. It's clear that we're just grasping at straws. Meanwhile, globalization continues to wreak havoc on employment. Eventually, it is going to cause entire industries to disappear and force American workers to compete with their counterparts all over the world. The only way we can keep Americans fully employed and maintain our global lead is by constantly improving their productivity and skills. In a bygone era, the skills you learned in school could carry you through your career. But today, lifelong learning is a necessity. Americans have to understand that education doesn't end when they graduate from college. That is when it begins. American companies must be provided with the incentives to invest in their workers as they used to. As recently as the 1970s, America's most respected companies would make significant investments in workforce training. IBM, for example, took non-technical workers and taught them technical skills. They then trained these technicians to be computer programmers, sales reps, or product managers. New recruits received a year or more of training before they were expected to become productive. Today, nearly all American companies, including IBM, expect new hires to be productive on day one. These employees are given a day or two of \"orientation\" at best. Companies routinely fire people whose skills are obsolete and hire replacements with the right skills to maximize quarterly revenue and profits. Employers often fear that if they spend too much on skill development, employees will become more marketable and leave. This logic is based on false assumptions. Industry learned this lesson in one of the most unlikely places: India. In the late '90s, India's IT industry began to grow rapidly. The growth was in response to demand from Western companies to help them fix the Y2K software bug. But Indian industry faced a severe problem: It needed to hire hundreds of thousands of engineers -- a far greater number than its engineering colleges could produce. In 1999, India graduated only 76,000 engineers, and most had received a low-quality education. Indian industry was forced to rethink the way it recruited, trained, and developed its workforce. It started by adapting the best practices of Western companies that were outsourcing to India. Then it started improving on these techniques and methods. India's top firms -- in industries as diverse as IT, banking, and pharmaceuticals -- built their own surrogate education system to train new recruits and retrain older workers. Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments , as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers. To pause and restart automatic updates, click \"Live\" or \"Paused\". If paused, you'll be notified of the number of additional comments that have come in. Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments , as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Accessibility Accessibility and usability have been key elements considered in the development of this website, so we hope you can find, access and use the information you need. This website has been designed to meet the Australian Government standards, including those that relate to access for people with disabilities. This site incorporates all relevant priority 1 and most priority 2 and priority 3 requirements from the Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).  This was confirmed in a review of the site under development by Vision Australia in October\/November 2008. This site has been developed to display adequately on all commonly used browsers. Special features have been included to enable effective operation by persons using accessibility hardware and\/or software. The site is optimised for a 1024 x 768 screen resolution but will scale appropriately to both higher and lower screen resolutions. If there is information that you require and it is in a format you cannot access, or if you experience any other accessibility difficulties, please contact us . This page explains ways you can change your view of the site, and the accessibility features available on the website, below. Change the size of the text To change the size of the text, change the text display settings in your web browser. In Windows this is done in different browsers by: in Internet Explorer go to the View menu and select the Text size option, then the size you prefer in Firefox 1.5 \/ 2 open the View menu with the mouse or by selecting Alt and V at the same time.  Select the Text Size option with the mouse or select Z . Increase or decrease the text size with the mouse or by using the up and down arrow keys and selecting Enter . in Firefox versions earlier than 1.5 open the View menu with the mouse or by selecting A lt and V at the same time. Select the Text Size option with the mouse or by selecting S twice.  Increase or decrease the text size with the mouse or by using the up and down arrow keys and selecting Enter . In Netscape click on the View menu with the mouse or select Alt + V .  Click on the Text Zoom option with the mouse or select Z . Click on the text size you want with the mouse or use the up and down keys and then Enter to select the text size you want. In Opera press + (in some versions you might need to select the Shift key as well) to increase size and the - (minus) to decrease text size. Each click will increase or decrease the size by 10%. Alternatively select Alt + V to bring up the view menu and then select Z to bring up the zoom options then use the up and down arrow keys to select the option you want followed by Enter . In Mac this is done in different browsers by: in Firefox, Internet Explorer or Netscape 7 select Apple and + (plus) to increase the text size and Apple and - (minus ) to decrease the text size in Opera for OS 8 and 9, select Apple + Y .  Click on Fonts and colors or use the down arrow to select it. Click in the box next to Minimum font size (pixels) or use Tab until the box is highlighted and enter a minimum font size in Opera 8 \/ 9 for OS X select Apple + , (comma). Click on the Web pages tab or select Alt + Tab until the Web pages tab is selected. Click on the Page Zoom option box and select your zoom size or use the Tab key twice to select the page zoom option box and use the up and down arrow keys to select your zoom size. in Safari click on the View menu with the mouse. Click on Make Text Bigger or Make Text Smaller to change the font size In Linux this is done in different browsers by: in Firefox open the View menu with the mouse or by selecting Alt + V . Click Text Size . Click on Increase or Decrease to change the text size or use the right arrow to expand the Text Size menu options and use the up and down arrow to select Increase or Decrease and then select Enter in Konqueror select Ctrl and + (plus) to increase the text size and select Ctrl + - (minus) to decrease the text size in Opera 8 \/9 select Shift and + to increase size and Shift + - to decrease text size. Each time you repeat this will increase or decrease the size by 10%. in Opera 6 \/7 click on the File menu or select Alt + F . Click on the Preferences option or select R . Select Page Style . Click on the box under Default Zoom and when the list pops up click on the font size you want or select Alt + Z and use the up and down arrows to select the font size you want Flexible page layout Our web site has a flexible page layout. The central text column stretches to fit as you resize your browser window. This allows you to adjust the text line length for easier reading at whatever text size you have chosen. Navigation using a screenreader If you are using a screenreader program, there are a number of aids to help you find your way around the website. Skip to content For people using screen readers each page has a link that says \"skip to content\". Following this link will skip over the page header and skip over the navigation menu to take you straight to the content of the page. The page header and navigation are repeated on every page so this avoids hearing them again and again. Skip to navigation For people using screen readers each page has a link that says \"Skip to main navigation\". Following this link will skip over the page header and go to the main site navigation menu. The page header is repeated on every page so this avoids hearing it again and again. Skip to footer For people using screen readers each page has a link that says \"Skip to footer\". Following this link will skip over the page header and content and go to the footer of the page. Sitemap We have provided a sitemap of the main headings in the web site. This is the best place to get an overview of what is available on the web site. The links in the sitemap take you to the main sections of the site. This sitemap has been customised to give an accessible display format, as the standard SharePoint 2010 functionality uses tables inappropriately for layout. Print friendly layout Every page is set up to print out a print-friendly format - simply use the print function in your browser and the page will be delivered with correct formatting and without unhelpful page items such as the navigation. Search and search options You can search the web site by typing one or more keywords into the search input box at the top right of any web page. This search option has been customised to operate without javascript if required. Users without javascript operational on their browser need to select the arrow function to start their search. If your search returns too many results you can use the Advanced Search option to refine your search. Help with accessing PDF files To read PDF documents you need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. Commonly this is already on your computer, installed with your web browser. But if you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader you can download it for free from adobe.com Downloading documents You can download documents and open them to read in your web browser or save them to your computer to read offline. To read a downloadable document in your web browser simply click the link to the document. To save a downloadable document right-click on the download (PC) or shift + click (Mac) and select the Save link or Save target option. ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"How to Stay Focused When All You Want to Do is Give Up So you feel like giving do you? You're not alone. Everyone goes through this in life. For some, it is a daily occurrence, which ultimately leads to giving up. For others, the feeling of giving up strikes just as often, but when it does strike they push through it. Take a guess at which group of people are successful and are able to achieve anything they put their minds to. This is why learning how to stay focused is paramount, especially in the face of adversity when nothing seems to be going to plan or going you way. Staying focused is not hard, it is simple. You just have to remember a few things. How to Stay Focused -- 3 Steps 1.Ask Yourself Why Am I Doing This? For every task you undertake there must be some sort of end goal in mind. There may be some things that you actually want to do, such as losing weight. While others you would rather not be doing, such as working against the clock to meet a deadline for work. In either case, there is an end goal in mind. You clearly want to lose weight in order to have a body you can be proud of; something like that is easy to push through. On the other hand, working to meet a deadline can be hard to push through. But again, an end goal exists, although it may not be obvious at first, which is to earn money to support yourself and your family. So remember, when you feel like giving up and are unable to stay focused, ask yourself, \"Why am I doing this?\" This should easily get you back on track. 2.Eliminate Any Distractions Now more than ever, we live in an age where technology dominates our lives. On a daily basis, we are bombarded with phone calls, emails, Facebook updates, Twitter updates and so on. With all these distractions, it is no surprise that you find it difficult to stay focused. However, the solution is simple. All you have to do is exercise some self discipline. Close your inbox, log out of Facebook, switch off your phone etc. Only you can do these things so there is no excuse to get distracted. 3.Work in Bursts However dedicated a person may be, it is impossible to stay focused for hours at a time. In fact, the majority of people are unable to stay intently focused for more than 30-45 minutes. Therefore, it is a good idea to work in short bursts, making sure that you take 5 minute breaks in between. This only works on one condition though, which is that you must have the self discipline to stay completely focused on the task at hand. The temptation to visit your favourite website or check the news might creep in, but you must avoid giving into this temptation. After all, that is what the 5 minute break is there for. Working in short bursts brings an element of structure to your life. This undoubtedly makes it easier for you to concentrate. Yes, even on those days when you are tired and uninspired. By following the aforementioned tips, you will find that you are able to stay focused more easily than before. However, keep in mind that like anything else in life, the more you practice, the easier it gets. Note: The Power of Focus: What the World's Greatest Achievers Know about The Secret to Financial Freedom & Success is an excellent read. Click here to find out more. ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"The following Q&A is conducted with journalist Margaret Wente, a columnist who has been writing in the Globe and Mail since 1992. Wente, a two-time winner of the Canadian National Newspaper Award for column-writing, has written at length about issues facing higher education today. Sitting down with The EvoLLLution, she discusses the medieval model that higher education follows today, how it is providing a disservice to non-traditional students and explains how competency-based and online models are the wave of the future. In your opinion, what value does higher education -- and do higher education institutions -- provide to society? Higher education has typically been a training ground for the -- let's call them -- ruling elites of society and also for the scholars, the academics, the historians and the keepers of society's values. Typically, higher education has been confined to a very small number of people until quite recently. ... Even as late as post-World War II, only about well under 10 percent of the population in North America has access to higher education so the whole concept of mass higher education is an extremely recent phenomenon. ... Now we've changed our sense of access to higher education and now we accept that higher education should be available to anyone who is qualified and that money shouldn't be a barrier -- people should have help with tuition if they need it in the form of loans and grants and so on. We've also recognized that higher education provides access to a broad range of careers and professions -- that's the way in! Increasingly, that's the way into a whole number of professions including teaching, law, medicine, business and a whole range of other things that typically you didn't need a higher degree for but you do now. You mentioned in your February column, \"We're ripe for a great disruption in higher education\" , that higher education is still reliant on a medieval model. How does this impact its value proposition that it pushes people into careers? The value of proposition of higher education is changing very quickly. Let me give you one really, really graphic example. In the United States today, of current university graduates... only one out of two of them is finding a job that's utilizing his or her skills or education level. The other 50% either can't find work or are taking work that doesn't need their qualifications. ... It used to be that if you got that piece of paper -- that certificate, that degree, whatever it was -- you were pretty certain that your lifelong earnings would be considerably higher than somebody without that degree, and that's still true. But it's less true, it's less true than ever before. Not only that, the differences in what you will be able to earn with your degree are quite sharp. ... The differentiation between the hard sciences and the hard skills and the people who can offer hard skills, and the old line liberal arts degrees, is growing pretty fast. Especially in an age where employers increasingly demand hard skills before they're going to hire you. ... Universities and colleges, generally, have not been very good at all in coming clean with their students -- who are after all their customers, they have to attract students in order to get their grants, they have to put bums in seats -- they've been pretty bad at telling the truth about job prospects and job expectations. We also, of course, have an idea... that university education should not be geared toward any job outcome, it shouldn't be practical, it should just prepare you to think critically, whatever that means. But in the name of thinking critically, an awful lot of people... wind up with a piece of paper that's really not very useful. ... There have been devastating, devastating studies recently about what value university does or doesn't add, and the findings are pretty rough. They show, for example, that universities in fact don't teach students, on the whole, to think more critically. Don't teach them to become better writers and thinkers. And that value everybody assumes gets added really doesn't get added at all. So there's, again, another instance where the value proposition is breaking down. How do you think the competency-based model can improve the desirability of higher education for adult students who may be looking to return, or complete the degrees they started? Competency-based education makes complete sense for later learners and adult learners. The reason why is that it's not based on inputs -- and by inputs I'm talking about things like the number of hours you glue your bottom to a seat in the classroom, the number of credits that you get, the number of years or semesters that you spend in university. Basically, time input. ... That really doesn't do very much to qualify you for many practical things. ... In a competency-based model, you get your degree, your certificate -- you get your ticket stamped -- based on what you know and what you do, rather than the amount of time you spent studying it. ... Some people have the very radical notion that \"Why should we make people go to university at all? Maybe we should just say, 'okay, show up and write the test and do the qualifying exams -- and you can teach yourself if you want -- and we'll certify you! We don't care how you get there.'\" Which is of course a completely different model than the model that we have now, which is completely input-based. ... You focus on outcomes rather than process. Now this really makes sense for... the purposes for which adult learners go back to school. They have a very specific goal in mind, they're practical and they want to get there in the most efficient way possible. They also are not pursuing higher education for many of the reasons that younger people are pursuing it. They don't need the social environment. They don't need the extra-curricular life which is such a big part of university life for so many people. They don't need the sports teams, they don't need to go to the pub on Saturday night. They're really not interested in that kind of stuff. What they want is the learning part. Building on that idea of getting away from the brick-and-mortar, pep-rally-on-Friday approach to higher education, you've discussed online learning in the past and how eLearning will affect the traditional approach to higher education. How do you think online education will improve the desirability of higher education for adult students? Online education and eLearning are going to sweep through higher education and revolutionize it in ways that we cannot even begin to foresee. There are a lot of reasons why. One reason why is the brick-and-mortar model, as it exists now, is increasingly costly. ...The costs of university, just operating the place, are growing faster than the economy is. Especially in a world where public dollars are in scarcer and scarcer supply -- universities have to compete increasingly with healthcare -- anything that will help make university education, higher education more efficient, more effective and cheaper to deliver is going to be in very, very high demand. And the world of online education is, of course, beginning to make that possible. The possibilities are absolutely stupendous. For example, Stanford University, last fall, decided to offer a very high level course in artificial intelligence, taught by the two professors who are the leading minds in AI in the whole world. ... What they said was, \"we're going to open this up to anybody who wants to register for this course, in the world. You don't have to have any pre-requisites for this course, you don't have to write an exam to get into the course. We don't care what your math level is. You can just sign up and if you can pass it, then we'll give you a certificate that says you passed it.\" ... There's an example of the democratization of learning that I think we're going to see increasingly as a model that can work. Think of the possibilities of having the best professors in the world lecturing on a subject like AI, supported by lots of teachers and helpers and tutors who can supply hands-on help -- that changes the whole model of university completely, just sets it on its ear. And of course it's very threatening to the current model so it's going to be very, very interesting to see how it's introduced. ... Western Governor's University; here's another model of how to democratize education and make it really, really good for adult learners. These are online courses, in a very narrow range of practical subjects. You sign up for the university, which is offered now in four states... the model is non-profit, here's the way it works. There's no classrooms, no bricks and mortar. All the courses are offered online, and you proceed at your own pace. So if you want to cram and get through the material in a big hurry and load yourself up with courses, and get a degree in three years, you can do that. And in fact, most people who do the online learning at this university get their degree not in four years, but in three or even less. ... They're taking these courses to get to where they want in life efficiently. The degrees are cheap, the quality of instruction is really, really good and the model so far seems to be working really well and is a whole lot more effective than the for-profit institutions like Phoenix, for example, who are packing them in as well. That's just another example of how online instruction is going to be revolutionizing the bricks-and-mortar model. What is holding back change in higher education, and when do you think disruptive models are going to become more prevalent? The disruptive models will become more prevalent because the universities will be driven by having to find lower cost methods of delivery. ... They don't have the money to sustain what they're doing now. The universities are also based on... a kind of medieval model where the wise man stands up in front of the class and delivers. ... We have a caste system in universities with the full professors at the top, who do a whole lot of research and maybe not very much teaching at all -- their teaching loads are very light. The teaching function is filled by very low-paid TAs who may not have had any background in teaching at all. ... In this model, promotion up to a full professor is based on the research that you do, not on the teaching that you do. And the research model, for a whole lot of what's churned out... is really, really broken. Especially in the humanities -- sociology and psychology -- where scholars churn out more and more research, which nobody reads, about less and less stuff. This is obviously not true, or not so true, in the sciences and other so-called hard disciplines. But the system is very, very broken in the humanities and so-called soft areas because society simply is not getting value for money. And we need good teachers, and instead we get people turning out research papers that are published in journals that people can no longer afford and certainly no one reads. So that model needs to change too. It's rapidly -- I hope! -- coming to an end, but there are huge protectionist forces at work. Universities are essentially run by the professors, and do they want to change this model? Of course not, no. Because in a more efficient and effective model, you'd have a whole lot fewer full professors, and a whole lot more teaching professors who mainly teach and interact with people. That essentially blows up the current model, and you can imagine that the current university establishment is deeply, deeply opposed to that kind of change and people who run universities, have in many cases very limited ability to change the current structure. Is there anything you'd like to add on where disruptive education is taking higher education and how adults could find their way back to the academy with a new model? We have a big advantage in this country, in Canada, because we do have the college model which I think serves adult learners very well. The colleges offer focused instruction and they tend to be pretty close to the job market, pretty in tune with the job market, pretty in touch with the job market and what the job market needs in the way of skills. ... Over time, though, I'd like to see people get through the system faster. It shouldn't take four to five or six years to get you where you want to go. And if you're an adult, going back, I think the next few decades are going to offer increasing flexibility and much better value for money. Because the new technologies will unleash a host of possibilities that we cannot even begin to imagine now. And not everything will work, ... but on the whole it's going to be a much easier environment for adult learners and it can't come soon enough! Subscribe to The EvoLLLution, Get Premium Content And Stay Up To Date 5 Responses to AUDIO | Disruption On The Horizon I can't say I agree with your idea that professors are the ones running the universities... I think the entire system is structured in such a way that everyone is very well-cushioned and no one wants to break with status quo. As you say though, these new models are going to sweep through higher education and change it in ways we can't even imagine. Tomorrow can't come soon enough. There are some pointed issues raised in this interview, some of which have are deeply entrenched in the ethos of the higher educational institutions and has been difficult to altered. There is a kind of stubbornness that pervades every aspect of higher education, whether it is on the legislative end, the internal governance, the oversight entities, faculty, staff and sometimes students who are seldom heard. This creates all kind of resistance to change in an era when the decider of the change is the environment and its inner working. The thing to note is that higher educational leaders are not the ones deciding whether to change -- they are commanded to change -- whether they like it or not. We are operating in a different era where globalization drives everything and if higher educational leaders don't get a handle on this reality, some of them might be driven out of existence. The thing is that education realities as we knew them must change so that they are inclusive, fresh, agile, aligned with workplace KSA needs, have built-in quality checks, include systems for continuous improvement and have a clear regard for people, place, process and practice alignment with the global realities. Institution must redefine themselves, know who they and operate with a clear sense of their unique mission. This requires leadership because it includes risk-taking and invasive change to this sitting elephant to move forward. This is a time to leaders to stop asking who will do it. It is time to move forward and do some that give the institution a sustainable future; it is only way forward. With regard to how distance education will improve the desirability of higher education for adult students, Margaret is spot-on that it will \"revolutionize it in ways that we cannot even begin to foresee.\" The recent announce of a $60 million Harvard, MIT partnership to offer free online classes, is a great example of how the higher education business model can be disrupted. Here's another: MOOCs are probably the most obvious way that online learning has revolutionized education, but the potential for online goes well beyond simple ease of teaching and learning. We can take our student services online. We can hold face-to-face advising meetings with students from thousands of miles away. I think one of the more salient points from this is the but on competency based education. A little while ago, there was an article published here called \"Those Who Can, Do -- Those Who Can't, Teach\" (obviously, we've all heard the expression). This might sound a little harsh... but if this is true (and let's be honest, these expressions don't come from nothing), would professors have any interest in shifting to competency-based models? Because I think that would lead to a reduction in the imagined expertise we think our educators hold Comptency-based learning needs to be rolled out at every single college and university across North America, regardless of whether it caters to adults, 18 year olds or mechanics-to-be. It makes absolutely no difference to anyone how long you spent in school. In fact, I'd reiterate Ms. Wente's assertion that four years is too long to begin with. How can we assume that \"you spent X amount of time in class\" is equivalent to \"you can functionally complete X task\"? We can't, and higher education institutions can no longer hang their hat on this promise. As Wente says, HEI's are lying, but not just to students. They're lying to students, employers and society in general. It's time we made the system fit the promise. ","labels":"Other","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Pages Friday, October 31, 2008 This is not to say that I would not accept a popcorn tin from you. I will. But maybe do BOTH. What did you give for Christmas last year? A sweater? A CD, or DVD? Perhaps a decorative bowl? Maybe this year, you should give something that has some real meaning, like, say, LIFE. You can give the gift of life, and health, and cures for diseases, to any person you know who's expecting a newborn baby. You can do that by giving a Cryo-Cell Gift Certificate . Cryo-Cell is an innovative company that offers parents of newborns a chance to collect and store cord blood stem cells - -stem cells that could be useful in treating 70 different diseases ranging from leukemia to diabetes to cerebral palsy; their company can educate expectant parents about how this works and the benefits to their child from storing that cord blood. And you can help those parents learn by giving them a gift certificate in any amount ($50 increments) to help them store cord blood stem cells that may someday benefit their unborn child-- even saving his or her life. Doesn't that beat a sweater, or one of those popcorn tins? It sure does. To view all of the Cryo-Cell information you can go to their website, and you may want to click right over to the Current Offers they've got available. But what you really need to know is what I've already told you; they'll help parents collect (easily and conveniently and cleanly, in a non-intrusive way) the cord blood. They'll cryogenically store it for future use. And you'll have done something really nice, really meaningful, and really helpful for those parents. Disclosure This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation. The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content.This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest. ","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Contents The show is produced by Chuck Lorre Productions and Warner Brothers Television. The executive producers in this season were Chuck Lorre and Lee Arohnson. Gary Hovalson, Assad Kelada, Pamela Fryman and J.D. Lobue were directors in this season; Lorre and Arohnson were head writers. Other writers in this season were Susan Beavers, Don Foster, Eddie Gorodetsky, Mark Roberts and Jeff Abugov. This season was nominated for six Primetime Emmy Awards and won one Creative Arts Emmy Awards for Outstanding Multi-Camera Sound Mixing for a Series or Special. Conchata Ferrell and Holland Taylor received Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Charlie Sheen was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series-Musical or Comedy. This season also won the BMI TV Music Awards for the show's theme song. It also won another music award, the ASCAP Film Award and Television Music Awards. It was also nominated for a GLAAD Media Award . Alan learns that Charlie belongs to an exclusive men's group, and he begs his brother to let him join. When Charlie doesn't, Alan tries to contact his old friends, but discovers that Judith befriended them and turned almost all of them against him. Eventually, Charlie lets Alan in to his group, but Alan begins to irritate everyone and ends up getting himself tied to a streetlamp. Guest stars Elvis Costello , Sean Penn , Bobby Cooper and Harry Dean Stanton as themselves, who are part of Charlie's exclusive group. Title quotation from : Sean Penn, to Elvis Costello, about turning one of Sean's recent events into a song. Judith is dating Jake's pediatrician, Greg ( Ryan Stiles ), and Alan is upset at the thought of Judith being with another man \u2013 until Charlie points out that if she remarries, his alimony payments will end, so Alan attempts to befriend him. While giving Greg a massage, Judith walks in on them, and Alan snaps Greg's neck accidentally in panic \u2013 causing him to pay more money than he had to in the first place. First appearance of : Greg Melnick (later renamed \"Herb\") Title quotation from : Charlie, in response to Judith telling the pediatrician to \"not forget the garlic balls\". When Jake gets in trouble at school for giving his teacher, Delores Pasternak ( Missi Pyle ), the finger, Charlie decides to woo her as an attempt of saving Jake from being suspended. Jake then catches the two in the middle of the night. When Alan finds out, he insists that Charlie break it off, but later insists that Charlie not because Jake has been getting great grades on his papers. Charlie breaks it off with Delores, anyway, due to the fact she wants a commitment, and she punishes Jake by giving him double the amount of his regular homework. Title quotation from : Alan, reading out Jake's answer to the question, \"What is Sacajawea ?\" on his History test. Jake is very impressed with his mother's new boyfriend, Greg, after Greg teaches him various activities which annoys Alan. Meanwhile, Evelyn borrows Charlie's car to help her impress a Saudi prince she's trying to sell a house to and lends Charlie her electric car. Alan and Charlie then teach Jake how to drive in this car. Judith breaks up with Greg and Alan is there to support her; the two begin to have sex until Jake and Charlie walk in on them, but Jake doesn't believe Charlie when he explains that Alan and Judith were about to sleep together. Title quotation from : Evelyn, to Charlie, asking him to retrieve her $300 bra from his car in which she had sex. Charlie meets his match when he falls for a woman (Sherri, played by Jeri Ryan ) who's better at playing hard to get than he is. After repeatedly using him for sex, Charlie tries to get revenge on Sherri, but ends up punishing himself too. Meanwhile, Alan has a hard time teaching Jake to do his homework, and Jake is upset at the fact Charlie keeps eating all of his food. While out at a family meal, Evelyn lets out a secret of Alan's past \u2013 he shop lifted when he was younger. Alan denies having shoplifted a toy as a child and fears he has a dark side, until Charlie admits he planted the toy on Alan to stay out of trouble himself. Alan finds it impossible to forgive Charlie until Evelyn asks Alan to move in with her because of Alan's dislike towards his brother. Title quotation from : The anal Alan, after Charlie questions his habit of flossing after every meal. Charlie and Alan end up having to throw a party for Evelyn at the house. Berta hires her sister, Daisy ( Camryn Manheim ), to help out with the planning, but the two can't stop bickering. Eventually, Charlie has a talk with Daisy, and she agrees to help out. However, this backfires when the guests of the party focus on her singing rather than Evelyn. Evelyn then begins moaning at Alan and Charlie, as does Judith when she thinks they taught Jake to be sarcastic towards her. Alan meets a woman named Nancy at a grocery store, who fulfils every single one of his desires, forcing Charlie to take care of Jake. After only knowing Nancy for a few days Alan decides to ask her to marry him, prompting Charlie to try to talk him out of it, and he even gets help from the brothers' mother. Alan calls Nancy to propose to her, but she then tells him that her husband has returned from his vacation trip early\u2014causing her relationship with Alan to terminate. Title quotation from : Rose, to Charlie, after seeing Alan chase Nancy around the house. (This was a deleted scene from the episode.) When Charlie leaves the house to avoid a date that he can't stand, he ends up at a coffee shop, where he reconnects with his old girlfriend Lisa (Denise Richards), now a divorc\u00e9e with a child. Meanwhile, Alan walks in on Charlie's date in the shower and she frighteningly attacks him and Jake uses this situation to blackmail Alan; Jake tries numerous excuses to justify why he is getting bad grades. Title quotation from : Lisa, when Charlie asks her to act like a Catholic schoolgirl in bed. Charlie tries to get Jake's approval on a theme song that he is hired to write for a television show, which is based on a comic book of which Jake is a fan. But Jake doesn't like Charlie's idea and the two write a new song instead. Meanwhile, Alan and Rose begin to spend time together and eventually share a kiss; they later decide to remain just friends. After getting unusually turned down at a bar, Charlie learns from Jake that a website has been made dedicated to exposing his lifestyle. Charlie sets out to find who created the site, making amends to all those he stood up, but the website is still standing. It isn't until Charlie apologies to Rose that the website is fully shut down. Meanwhile, Alan thinks that Judith wants to get back with him after hearing her talk to her mother on Jake's webcam. Title quotation from : Berta, when explaining to Alan that she has several tattoos. Alan is jealous of Charlie when an old classmate, Jamie Eckelberry ( Paget Brewster ), who's now a beautiful woman, seems to be more interested in Charlie, before it is revealed that she hates him and worked hard to make herself a beautiful woman to rub his nose in it. She reveals that she used to be interested in Alan when they were younger, but shoots him down after he asks if they could try to go back to that now. Title quotation from : Charlie, when trying to prove to Jamie that Alan is a better man than he is, after Alan tells Charlie to talk him up. Alan invites Judith to stay at Charlie's place after an earthquake severely damages the plumbing in her house. When Judith goes out on a date, Alan becomes extremely jealous and somehow ends up letting Judith throw him out of Charlie's house. Charlie then sets Alan up with a beautiful woman he knows, which makes Judith jealous and leave the house. Title quotation from : Charlie, attempting to tell Alan how to say \"go faster\" in Polish. Alan and Charlie help Jake study for a History test which he passes. When Evelyn manages to make this into a bad thing and sucks the self-esteem out of Jake, Alan furiously throws her out and tells her she can't see her grandson. Later, Alan receives a call that Evelyn has been taken to hospital. He and Charlie realize that it's fake and pretend to go along with it by suggesting surgery. However, when she goes along with the ruse, it makes Charlie and Alan's efforts to expose her futile. The episode ends with Evelyn shown to be temporarily living with Charlie and Alan after the surgery. Title quotation from : A drunk Charlie, when saying to Jake what he likes to eat as a dessert. Alan starts to worry about a medical procedure that he is facing, and to get his mind off it Charlie suggests they go to Las Vegas. Berta overhears this and invites her friends over for a party. However, Jake becomes ill beforehand and then tells Judith everything on the phone. A furious Judith then comes over to scold the two, but Charlie and Alan decide to go anyway until Jake becomes ill again (causing Alan to realize he's going to face it sooner or later). Charlie and Alan then head downstairs after putting Jake to bed to find Berta hosting a party. Title quotation from : Alan, to Judith, after she disbelieves that Jake became ill. When Judith decides to take a vacation, Alan has to take care of Jake during the week. After a hard day at work, Alan forgets to pick Jake up from school, and then finds out that he has an important meeting at work the next day, meaning Charlie has to look after Jake. Charlie then forgets to pick Jake up from school as well. Title quotation from : Jake, as one of his questions to George Washington for his homework. After Charlie has back pain, he refuses to accept help from Alan, who decides to take him to the hospital, where he keeps hitting on his doctor ( Alicia Coppola ), unaware that he has dated her before. Meanwhile, Berta is fed up with Jake's inability to use the bathroom properly, and gives him a day of cleaning. Title quotation from : Charlie, at the doctor's after taking a shot of painkillers. Charlie is invited to a party hosted by a gay ad-executive named Eric ( David Starzyk ), so Charlie asks Alan to pretend that he is his life partner. Charlie then meets Eric's gorgeous ex-wife ( Lucy Lawless ) who doesn't believe him when he claims he is straight. Charlie then returns home to find out that Eric had tried to hit on Alan. Title quotation from : Charlie, correcting his mother as to which play he dressed up as characters in as a child. After Charlie injures Alan by throwing toast at him, he takes Alan to an eye doctor; they later end up at the coffee shop where they bump into Charlie's ex-girlfriend, Sherri (previously seen in \" Bad News from the Clinic \"). While there Alan shows an interest in Sherri, and decides to ask her out. The problem is that Alan can't get over Sherri's relationship with Charlie, causing her to angrily break up with him. Title quotation from : The sound that Alan uses to name \"the planet\" that Sherri is from immediately after he says to Charlie, \"She's just like a regular person, except for, you know, being from the planet\". [ 20 ] Evelyn rings the house phone, and Charlie answers. Evelyn frustrates him in a matter of minutes. Meanwhile, Alan answers the door to Judith, who ends up frustrating him. Alan and Charlie then take their problems out on each other. The next day, they reconcile, until Charlie finds out that Berta threw out his expensive clothes. Rose steps in to resolve the issue, and they spend the afternoon discussing Charlie and Alan's problems with each other. Title quotation from : Charlie, when explaining to Rose why he told all of his friends that Alan was a shaved monkey. Evelyn reads in the obituaries that her second husband, Harry, has died. They all attend the funeral, including Jake who is excited at the opportunity of seeing a \"dead guy.\" Charlie is excited by the opportunity of a newly single widow, and Alan is just happy to pay his respects to Harry. Evelyn tells her sons a secret: her husband had cheated on her, and she still loved him; it turns out that her husband then cheated on the girl with whom he cheated on Evelyn. Title quotation from : Alan, accusing Charlie of hitting on the widow at the funeral. Alan gets a new sports car which everyone claims is a woman's car. When asked where he got the money, Alan claims he \"found it,\" until finally telling Charlie that his mother lent him the money. Charlie warns that she'll want pay back, and sure enough she asks Alan to go on a double-date with her. She then doesn't show up, leaving Alan with his recovering alcoholic date, Trudy ( Chloe Webb ). After she passes out, he takes her home and leaves her in his car, but accidentally leaves the keys in the car and the garage door open. Trudy is then seen on the news driving his car down a freeway at high speed. Title quotation from : Alan, to Trudy, correcting her when she says that her father is doing \"some old hose bag\". Evelyn demands Jake spend a night at her place when she finds out he spent Spring Break with Judith's parents. Neither Alan nor Charlie are keen on the idea, but going to a bar after dropping off Jake quickly erases their concerns when a group of attractive women show up. Evelyn tries to get Jake to eat sushi and squab , which Jake doesn't like. She then makes him spaghetti, which she throws over him after he scares her, making her jump. Jake then takes a bath but leaves the tap on, causing the ceiling to break and the wave of water to come crashing down on Evelyn. Alan and Charlie then decide that Jake is \"the chosen one\" because he \"broke her\" (Evelyn). Title quotation from : Jake, experimenting in different voices the name of the food Evelyn offers him. Jake has to read a report of his weekend to his class. In the report, it is revealed that Charlie slept with an older man's (Norman) wife, who then came to the house to seek revenge on Charlie. Charlie and Norman eventually talk things out, and Norman becomes attracted to Evelyn when she shows up. Evelyn tells Berta, Alan, Charlie and Jake to go and see a movie. When they return, they walk in on Evelyn and Norman having sex. Meanwhile, Jake is oblivious to everything around him (even Norman's wife sneaking out of the house) because he has lost his Game Boy and can't find it. He eventually finds it when taking a pee in the plants. Orson Bean guest stars as Norman, the older man whose wife had slept with Charlie. Title quotation from : Jake, when asking Alan if his Game Boy smells funny. (It is implied that it is because Jake peed on it.) This season was the highest rated season of Two and a Half Men, with an estimate viewership of 16.5 million. Also, the episode \"Squab, Squab, Squab, Squab, Squab\", received the show's second highest viewership with 24.2 million viewership, only surpassed by the ninth season's premiere, \"Nice to Meet You, Walden Schmidt\" with 28.74 million. ","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"The TV miniseries was supposed to premi\u00e8re at the very beginning of April 2005 in the Vatican , but it was delayed due to the Pope's death. It was broadcast for the first time by the Italian television station Canale 5 on the first day of the 2005 papal election . Although it was originally broadcast on television, it was also released in theaters, which allowed the film to be shown in Poland. At Lublin University, a student gives his name as Martin Mickiewicz, and Father Karol responds, \"That's quite a name to live up to.\" This is a reference to Polish national poet, Adam Mickiewicz . People did not talk and\/or clap in church until the late 1970s and early 1980s due to a canon law that still exists, forbidding actions that are \"contrary to the sacred nature\" of the Church. (Canon 1210) ","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Buy & download fulltext article: In 1923 Air Ministry regulations explicitly excluded recruits who were not of `pure European descent' from joining the Royal Air Force. Similar restrictions were placed on the British army and Royal Navy in the interwar period. Such rejection was present but occurred less systematically during the First World War. Kushner analyses the intellectual foundations of this discriminatory policy and the problems of definition it created before September 1939. He then explores how and why policy was changed during the Second World War, asking whether greater inclusivity was based on expediency or a change in attitudes due to the fight against Nazism. In particular, the role of race science is highlighted, explaining the persistence in exclusion of those deemed non-European well beyond 1945. Finally, he argues that the implementation of a wide-ranging colour bar has still to be acknowledged or subject to sustained memory work within the armed services and British society as a whole. ","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"We're in for a Long, Exhausting World Series It was a surprise to learn that last night's oh boy that happened fast ninth-inning \"comeback\" 2-1 win for the Rangers over the Cardinals in Game 2 of the World Series was the first time a team had lost a ninth-inning lead since Game 7 of the 2001 World Series. Sorry to bring that up, but that does seem like a long time. You mean to tell me that every single time a team has led after eight innings in the World Series for the last ten years they've won the game? That takes some of the drama out of it, don't it? Well, it did until last night. [ Cries. ] Of course, we haven't had a Game 7 of the World Series since 2002, and it kinda looks like we're in for one of those too. Jason Motte, the fireballing former catcher who might have been born with a beard, really only threw one bad pitch last night, a cutter that caught too much of the plate and was ripped by Elvis Andrus for a single in the ninth inning. This was right after a bloop hit by Ian Kinsler, and right before an error by Albert Pujols sent Andrus to second. Before you knew it, the Cardinals had gone from three outs away from a 2-0 World Series lead to a near-impossible situation: runners on second and third, no outs, and the meat of the Rangers' order coming up. We agree with those who say Tony La Russa, whose hot streak finally cooled last night, probably should have left in Motte to face Josh Hamilton; more than anything, the Cardinals needed a strikeout, and they were far more likely to get that from Motte, no matter how rattled he might have been, than from Arthur Rhodes, whose fastball could not dent a Buick. But it's not as if Rhodes and Lance Lynn, who came in after Rhodes gave up a sac fly to Hamilton, were lit up. They each gave up sacrifice flies, and that was all the Rangers needed. By the time La Russa made the switch from Motte, the damage was done. The real problem wasn't the bullpen, as much as it feels like it this morning. (For the record, it also feels like my brain is engulfed in flame this morning, as I type. October baseball, with the late nights and the screaming and the alcohol that comes with it, is hazardous to vital organs.) The problem was the fact that the Cardinals couldn't hit. Jaime Garcia threw seven brilliant shutout innings, but the Cardinals couldn't get him more than one run against Colby Lewis, a solid but hittable pitcher. Albert Pujols didn't stay and answer questions after the game -- a practice that annoys media people and only media people; no one else cares, at all  -- but his 0-for-4 night wasn't the only Cardinals issues. Pujols, Lance Berkman, Matt Holliday, and Yadier Molina, the Cardinals' four All-Star hitters, went a combined 1-for-13 last night. The only run scored thanks to another pinch hit by Allen Craig off Alexi Ogando; you'll be seeing a ton of Craig when the series gets to the American League tomorrow. But the Cardinals can't expect to win with those four guys going 1-for-13. That's what cost the Cardinals last night. Motte just caught some bad luck ... and threw one bad pitch. If you have been enjoying these tight, taut, quick, low-scoring games, that enjoyment is about to end. The series heads to the launching pad  -- such a great baseball term, \"launching pad\"  -- and features some league-average starters facing some of the best hitters in baseball. The level of offense in this series is about to increase exponentially. As is the level of tension. The series, so close to a 2-0 Cardinals lead, is tied, and it's gonna be a damned opera every freaking night for the next week. We're in for an all-timer here, folks. It's not going to be easy for anybody. Gird your livers. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Playing on the 'other' Gazza We  arrived  in  the  land  of  big  things  and  took  in  the  new  ground.  Metricon  Stadium  has  a  roof  like  a  crinkle  cut  potato  chip;  a  really  big  potato  chip.  It  curves  around  the  top  of  the  stadium  in  a  horse  shoe  shape  leaving  one  end  open  to  the  world  like  a  giant  front  door. What  does  Metricon  mean?  What  do  they  do?  I  believe  they  build  things. In  Queensland  they  are  trying  to  build  another  football  team;  the  Suns.  But  football  teams  are  made  of  people.  The  building  process  is  infinitely  complicated.  At  least  they  have  a  home. They'll  assemble  the  Suns'  squad  around  a  muscular,  sporting  freak.  A  man  who  can  swivel  and  baulk  with  magic  in  his  legs.  The  ball  sits  in  his  hands  with  the  same  ease  that  a  bunch  of  grapes  lay  in  the  grasp  of  a  Roman  Emperor  and  he  kicks  it  with  uncanny  precision.  He  can  also  run  this  bloke.  It's  an  interesting  gait  that  he  has;  hunched  at  the  shoulders,  low  like  a  prowling  leopard,  a  combination  of  burst  and  bust.  His  shiny,  sweaty  head  makes  him  look  even  more  poised  in  full  flight.  He's  my  little  bald  mate.  He's  Gazza. I'll  play  on  Gazza  but  not  the  one  I  know.  He  won't  be  wearing  the  blue  and  white  hooped  jumper  that  was  once  tattooed  onto  his  body;  he'll  be  wearing  the  jarring  red  guernsey  of  the  Gold  Coast  Suns.  It  sits  awkwardly  on  his  frame  like  a  hat  on  a  horse.  He's  now  our  foe.  But  how  can  he  be  an  enemy?  We  both  have  the  same  premiership  medallions  forged  out  of  blood  and  sweat  and  worn  around  our  necks  on  those  last  Saturdays  in  September  2007  and  2009.  We're  brothers.  Isn't  that  what  premierships  do,  make  men  brothers? But  once  he  puts  on  his  new  red  armour  we  must  try  to  bring  him  down.  We'll  batter  him,  pound  him,  and  exhaust  him  until  his  skill  is  blunted.  It's  an  outrage.  Scotty  wants  me  to  stay  goal  side  of  him.  I'll  do  my  best,  but  it  will  be  a  bit  like  staying  goal  side  of  the  equator.  You  can't  simply  corner  a  player  like  Gazza  for  the  same  reasons  that  you  can't  hold  back  water  with  an  open  hand  or  crush  the  human  spirit  by  erecting  a  wall. The  scoreboard  doesn't  matter.  We'll  win.  A  bigger  battle  will  be  unfolding;  the  battle  with  ourselves.  When  we  crunch  Gazza  we'll  be  crunching  a  little  piece  of  us,  when  we  sing  the  song  in  the  rooms  after  the  game  a  note  will  be  missing. The  fireworks  blast  off,  the  first  siren  sounds,  and  we  go  after  Gazza.  We  block  him,  cajole  him,  and  harass  him.  But  it  seems  the  Suns  have  the  planets  aligned.  Kids  with  pimples  and  blotchy  arms  kick  some  goals  and  we  look  old;  old  and  tired.  We  feel  old.  The  ball  is  falling  their  way  because  they  haven't  been  around  long  enough  to  question  its  shape.  Experience  tells  players  to  be  wary  of  the  oval  ball,  to  acknowledge  the  absurdity  of  the  unpredictable  bounce.  But  a  lot  of  the  Suns  have  no  experience.  The  ball  is  the  toy  and  the  paddock  is  the  stage  and  they  want  to  play. Names  are  placed  in  the  reference  library  of  my  mind  for  future  seasons;  Zac  Smith,  McKenzie,  Swallow,  Weller,  May,  Krakouer.  The  Suns  are  21  points  clear.  Incredible.  We're  scrapping  our  way  around  the  turf  like  a  walrus  on  the  sand.  Red  flags  and  music  bursts  greet  moments  of  joy  for  the  Suns.  In  the  first  half  they  have  nine  of  them. I  find  Gazza  at  the  centre  bounces  when  it's  my  turn  to  block  out  the  sun  in  the  light  towers.  With  each  attack  he  takes  longer  to  get  up.  Skill  is  succumbing  to  the  brutality  of  defence.  We  are  taking  turns  to  knock  the  stuffing  out  of  him.  It  seems  to  me  that  as  Gazza's  energy  is  sapped  so  the  shine  of  the  young  Suns  fades.  He's  the  barometer,  the  peg  in  the  ground  upon  which  the  Sun's  tent  will  be  hitched.  When  it's  loosed  so  are  they.  They  are  learning  about  the  value  of  physical  strength;  of  concerted,  unflinching  concentration.  But  they  are  learning  quickly. Johnno  plucks  the  ball  inside  our  forward  fifty  like  he's  picking  apples  from  a  tree  and  kicks  four  goals  in  the  third  quarter.  The  kids  with  pimples  and  blotchy  arms  fall  apart  like  wet  paper.  Pods  grabs  the  ball  out  of  the  sky,  we  win  it  in  the  middle  and  slice  through  their  hearts  like  a  fisherman  gutting  a  trout.  Thirteen  goals  to  one  after  half  time  kill  the  red  army's  joy. He  went  to  Queensland  for  the  challenge,  for  the  opportunity  to  be  part  of  something  new,  to  lead  a  team  of  youngsters  to  the  dais  on  Grand  Final  day.  He  plays  in  a  team  whose  front  door  is  wide  open,  welcoming  the  locals  to  be  involved  in  the  story.  One  day  they  might  get  there  and  if  they  do  Gazza  will  have  another  family  of  premiership  brothers,  but  I  still  think  he'll  call  Geelong  home. The Suns actually impressed me a lot (even though the Cats were awful early). They'll be good in a few years, especially up there. The young fella McKenzie is the best kick of the football I've seen since Jarman. I agree re Trent McKenzie. Played his early junior football at Altona before coming across to Williamstown for a couple of years prior to getting selected by the GC. I think he is a relative (nephew?) of Williamstown Team of the Century player Brett McTaggart. Seeing the comraderie between Gazza and Geelong players after the game reminded me again to not soak up the media's views verbatim. There was genuine love and respect, built from years of knowing and trusting one another. These are profound and resiliant qualities. For all the superficial analysis of whether someone is following the money there has been scant regard given to what the players truly know and think of each other. We got a glimpse after the siren sounded. I also saw the sign and wasn't so impressed. But I suppose if you are at risk of losing more players to interstate clubs, and you aren't confident that your offering is going to be sufficient to make them stay, you have to provide more. Especially if history has already shown star players and successful coaches are very keen to leave. You have to introduce additional incentives for players. However, if I was Chappie, I would want to see some photos before making any decision. I found the whole game difficult to take. Seeing Geelong players trying to tackle Ablett instead of blocking for him just didn't look right. Seeing Ablett running at full speed in the opposite direction to the Geelong goal looked even worse. At least we won. Not looking forward to the day when the Ablett Suns actually beat us. Regarding Chappy: I think he was distracted by that sign. He had three shots at goal and missed them all. Dips, very creative way of telling the yarn. I think R. Kane's point re the media constructing the terms of the discussion is a good one. More on that from me tomorrow, once I have a few things out of the way today. I am also enjoying the AF style of jousting. Very parliamentary. Menzies: the member ofr Woop Woop has the brains of a sheep. Speaker: retract that statement. Menzies: the member ofr Woop Woop does not have the brains of a sheep. Gold Coast did well for the first half and could be a a very good team in four or five years. As a Geelong supporter, I was pleased with the Geelong players treatment of Ablett during and after the game. I agree with Rick Kane's comment on the media. Most of the mainstream media coverage of AFL football is trivial and celebrity nonsense. On the question of Gary Ablett, I believe he was given an offer that he could not refuse; it was reported to be $1.8 million dollars per year for five years with most of it to be paid in the first few years. Ablett gave great service to Geelong for nine years and will be remembered as a great player. The Gold Coast offer to Ablett reminds me of what the great Bob Rose once said. He left Collingwood in the late 1950?s to coach Wangaratta Rovers in the Ovens and Murray League for more than double money. Apparently, He was earning 400 pounds a year at Collingwood and Wangaratta Rovers offered him 1,000 pounds a year. He said it was like winning Tattslotto. I have great memories of watching Rose play for Wang. Rovers, especially the 1962 O & M League grand final; he was a fantastic footballer. Mark -- Bobby Davis retired from football because the media offered him a better deal. I think he was only 28. I've heard a few commentators saying that Geelong players showed too much love to Gazza after the game.If Gold Coast were at the top of the table and a September rival this might be valid, but given they are not I thought the scenes after the game were very uplifting. JB Can't see why Carlton should be more upset than Geelong about mercenary behaviour if Judd were to go. After all that was how you got Judd in the first place. Phanto, your comments about Magpie players going to GWs are becoming increasingly shrill. Is this a sign that you are finally realising that none of our key player are leaving? Daisy Thomas, after his brilliant last few weeks, will be getting a lot more money next year, but he will be getting it from the Pies not the Giants. If every one at Collywood is to get remuneration commensurate with their superstar premiership player status next year (when ten premiership players will be out of contract) there will have to be some salary cap pressure unless there is some special deal akin to the you don'thave to travel clause. Those who miss out, and some will have to, will move on and subsequently the list will be weakened. It's not rocket science. Currently injuries are a challenge at Collywood as they are at all clubs. You don't want grumpy monkies going elsewhere after they fill in for the injured superstars only to be dropped when the finals campaign that they underpinned starts. I am sure that Collingwood will eventually lose players through salary cap pressure but they will not lose their top players. A lot of experienced players left at the end of last year. That decreased salary cap pressure. Two out of Tarrant, Davis and Johnson will be veterans next year (and the third may well retire if we win a second flag). Many of our best players are young and can be offered structured contracts because they will be at the club long enough to collect if the contracts are backended. Even though our seconds \"lack depth\" we do have a few players struggling to force their way into the firsts who would look good at GWS. With free agency looming and Collingwood having a lot of young talented players there might be problems holding players in the future but it won't happen until long after the Gold Coast\/GWS special concessions have passed that looks like you are shifting a bit. Pleased to have been of assistance in this important break through in attitude adjustment. We can add another quality to the list for Pies supporters: strategically flexible. I still strongly believe that one, or more, of your big boys will go soon. It will be interesting to see how much Collingwood bleat about the salary cap pressure on stars and how many they are able to keep. More importantly, will the top tier take reduced contracts to be part of an era, or will they take the crazy money? I am not bitter about Gary going, as that has allowed many who were in his shadow to bloom in the light (thinks, James Kelly). I was impressed by the fact that the game plan against Gazza was so subtle and profound and above all else, effective. Never has he had 30 touches to so little effect, and the give+go which was the foundation stone of his game was utterly obliterated. I am proud that we didn't need to go the cheap shot to make our point, and that the context of the contest was highlighted both by he and Bomber Thompson sitting together at Bob Davis' funeral service, and by the expressions of respect and genuine undying cameraderie after the game. Kudos to Gary for that as well. The willingness of key players to committ to, and to receive long term committments from the club also speaks volumes of a deep club culture that is vastly more appealing than the superficial flirtations evident in certain some other clubs. Stars such as Selwood, Bartel, Scarlet and Kelly are now, and will always be Cats. The incredible imbalance of footy reporting and representation was inadvertently highlighted in a segment of The Marngrook Footy Show tonight. Andrew Krakouer was the special guest. After highlighting several of his great marks and extraordinary goals Gilbert McAdam took pause. He raised the issue of when Krakouer made a x sign with his arms after kicking a goal. The issue had been the subject of great debate in the mainstream footy media when it occured. McAdam said, \"Andrew, you brought a tear to my eye when you sent a message to your brother. It really took my breath away. I knew you as a kid and with what you've been through, it was just ...\" and he trailed off. Andrew replied, \"I am honoured that you would say that\". He went on to explain that he wasn't trying to offend anyone. He had spoken to his brother earlier in the day and his brother had asked him to give him a sign when he scored a goal. \"It was for my brother, no one else\". The conversation was touching and genuine. You almost felt like you were eavesdropping. In all the discussion about Krakouer's gesture, I haven't heard one commentator say that it almost brought him\/her to tears. Wow! That's a story, that's footy right there. Brothers, family, struggles, hard work, luck, belief, and within the corporate controls of the product we know as Australian Rules, individuals will still find individual ways to show the undying determination that the circle be unbroken. I reacted as you did Rick. I hope some of the tabloid reporters who tried to get a cheap \"outrage\" story out of Krakouer's gesture were watching the Marn Grook show tonight, but I suspect even if they were they wouldn't have \"got it\" Rick -- great point you make. I take no offense at all if a bloke wants to make some sort of gesture so long is its not an obviously insulting one. The other great gesture of course was Nicky Winmar's jumper lift -- what a profound impact that had. And Damian Oliver's signal to the heavens after his Melbourne Cup victory in memory of his brother. This all goes to one of my great gripes with the modern media -- they want to make the news not report it. They sit in anticipation of a bloke like Krakouer doing something that they can jump on. They even made a story of the banner held up at Metricon Stadium last week where a bloke was suggesting to Chappy that he would let him roll with his wife in the hay. How pathetic. Was it bad taste? Probably but is there no humour anymore? As the great Neil Young sings on his magnificent album called Greendale: \"They (the media) don't have any respect, so they'll get none of mine.\" Or as little Elvis (that's Elvis Costello) said about radio: \"I wanna bite the hand that feeds me, I wanna bite that hand so badly\". I was aghast when I saw the sign from the Gold Coast game but more angered that Channel10 or 7 or whoever chose to screen it. It's one thing for a dickhead to make a throwback banner that maybe 10,000 might see, it's another thing for the TV station to screen it for upwards of hundreds of thousands. There is also the messaging behind screening the banner (which was not solely done in good humour) and that is to reinforce a balance of superiority of the more cultured (gentrified) states against our more simple new friends. Ie.- They have a lot to learn (from us). It was a cheap gag but an even cheaper shot. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Lyrics Depot is your source of lyrics to It Had to Be You by Ray Charles. Please check back for more Ray Charles lyrics. It Had to Be You Lyrics Artist: Ray Charles Album: The Genius of Ray Charles [Atlantic] It had to be you. It had to be you. I've wandered around, finally found somebody who, could make me be true. Whoa whoa whoa could make me be blue. And, even be glad just to be sad thinkin' of you... Some others I've seen - might never be mean. Might never be cross. Or, try to be boss. But, they wouldn't do. For nobody else gave me a thrill. With all your faults I love you still. It had to be you. Wonderful you. It had to be you... <Piano Solo> 'Cause nobody else gave me a thrill. With all yo' faults - I love you still now. And it had to be you. It just had to be you. It had to be you... Comments\/Interpretations by Darlene hampton on 8\/13\/2012 8:24am I read the new york times bestselling fifth shades so, when the movie comes out I hope this song is recognize in the movie as it is in the book because the lyric in the song is what christian grey saw in anastasia steel. Love the books can not wait for the movie. ","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Self employed lone parent Hi everyone, here's my situation: I'm a lone parent with 2 small kids and I've been offered a job in Central London as mother's help\/nanny. Since I have a Bachelor's Degree in Preschool Teaching and I have experience in childcare, how much do you thing I should charge per hour? The thing is that I will be self employed and I don't really know how much your salary is reduced, so I was wondering what rate should I tell my employer? By the way, she agreed to pay my travelling expenses as well, which will be 25,50 pounds per week (I will be working 16 hours per week and I will pay aproximately 250 pounds per week in childcare for my kids). Nannies \/ mothers help are not self employed. You will be doing a part time job just like anyone else. Your employer will I expect, tell you when to arrive, when to leave, what to do. What makes you think it's something that you can do as a business? Nannies get paid various salaries depending on location and experience. You may be looking at somewhere from 7 to 13 per hour calculated out to an annual salary. You will be paying 200 a week for childcare for your own children. That means that your job will need to pay more than that. Assuming no other income (such as income support or other benefits), then to get a take home pay of 200 a week, I make it that you have to be earning 13.92 gross an hour, if you work 16 hours a week. PAYE Calculator which will do Net to Gross Working in childcare is not going to pay you enough in my view for you to afford childcare for your own two children. It may be more financially viable once both children are in full time school, so you are able to work a significant number of hours during which you are not paying for childcare. Perhaps you can get some funding towards the cost of your own childcare, such as childcare element of working tax credit. However that funding may be available now but it might not in future and will be affected by how much you earn. Are you being forced to find a job? Thanx everyone for your advice but i've decided not to take this job because it turns out that i will be paying 300(!) per week for childcare and only getting 160. Yes, i'm entittled to working tax credit because i'm a lone parent, but still that wouldn't be enough... My children are 3y and 20m but the nursery hours won't much (for the 3y old) because it was an afternoon job 15:00-20:00. Anyway, other than that, we had a disagreement about my employment status which she was insisting that i would be self employed but in the HMRC website says that this is not a matter of choice, so according to my circumstances i was going to be employed. ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Ruth Singer recaps some of the interesting points of the last week's Linguistics in the Pub , an informal gathering of linguists and language activists that is held monthly in Melbourne A number of linguists in Melbourne have recently begun documenting child language in the field. In the November 2011 LIP we discussed what you need to think about if you want to document child language and why you might document child language as part of a broader language documentation project (see blog at http:\/\/www.paradisec.org.au\/blog\/2011\/11\\\\... The most recent LIP, led by Lauren Gawne and Birgit Hellwig last week, revisited the topic of child language documentation. This allowed those who have recently returned from the field to discuss some of the problems they faced and how they dealt with them. In particular, we looked at the gap between what is possible in remote fieldsites and some of the assumptions in the field of child language acquisition about what type of data is needed to study child language development. The quantity and frequency of data that can be collected in remote fieldsites is quite different to what can be done in the developed world. The limitations can be quite simple. For example, not being able to get accurate information on children's ages. To kick off the discussion we looked at ethics, from a personal point of view. The previous LIP on child language was criticised for focussing too much on the requirements of institutional ethics boards at universities, schools etc. So we discussed what types of decisions researchers had made to satisfy their own ethical concerns. A number of researchers said that they had no plans to make their recordings public. This goes against the current trend to make recordings of endangered languages as open as possible, given community consent. Just to give an example, I have decided to keep access to my recordings of child language closed, until the children are 18. If they are happy for me to open access to their recordings after they are 18, I will do so. However since I am currently recording children in groups at least 3 people, it is likely that in many cases I will not be able to contact all participants so the recording will remain closed. One of the issues we returned to a number of times in the evenings is that our recordings are often made in open environments, which means that many people wander through the field of view. This is in contrast to mainstream child language data, which is usually made in a room through which only a limited number of people pass by. It was mentioned that the CHILDES language database is a great example of an open access archive but it lacks much data from endangered languages. CHILDES contains data recorded from many different studies of child language acquisition. However to upload data to CHILDES you must have the consent of every person who appears, even if just walking past. This is not going to be possible for many recordings of endangered languages in remote areas. It is often difficult to find a room to record in and even if one is found, it is likely that many people will pass through it. Some of the other assumptions about child language acquisition research that can prove difficult in remote settings: that a mother and child pair form natural conversational partners (they may rarely engage in idle chit-chat) that adults typically play with children (it may be the case that children typically play with other children, not adults Since it is often difficult for a mother-child pair to engage in conversation in front of the camera, some suggested structured tasks, such as those used at Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics. Although others pointed out that this makes it difficult to study language socialization, because you are asking people to engage in a culturally foreign activity. Others suggested identifying local games that could be used in language acquisition research. One big problem in applying the standards of child language acquisition research to remote contexts is the difficulty of obtaining recordings of the same child over regular intervals. Many of the linguists attending the LIP session work in Papua New Guinea and Australian Aboriginal communities. They pointed out that children and often their whole families move around much more than they had expected. The set of children living in a community may barely overlap from one fieldtrip to the next.  In addition, some child language researchers recommend making recordings every 2 months or so, and it is not possible to do this in remote settings. The limitations are partly financial and partly due to the time needed for the linguist to travel to the remote location from their home. There was quite a bit of time devoted to the technology used to record children, who are rather more mobile than adults. One researcher recommended the use of teddy-bear shaped backpacks for children. These can carry the heavy transmitter of the radio microphone. Everyone agreed that noise is a big issue. Even if there is no wind, which small radio microphones don't handle well, children's motion invariably causes noise. One researcher only recorded in areas without many leaves as the noise of these being crushed beneath children's running feet was too loud. Birgit Hellwig discussed some of the data from her recent 2 month fieldtrip to Papua New Guinea which she did with child language acquisition specialist Evan Kidd (ANU). She said that by the end of the 2 months, the community they were visiting had more or less gotten used to the cameras and exactly what it meant to have child language researchers in the community. One thing that Birgit emphasised is that what participants need to do is not as obvious to them as we might think. Birgit gave a lovely example in the use of the frog story task. The frog story 'Frog: where are you?', is a short children's picture book without any words. Children were asked to tell the story in their own words. It became apparent during the course of Birgit's 2 month fieldtrip that changes in how children told the story from week to week were related to narrative practices in the community. The story was circulating in the community, just as any story does, and changing slightly over the course of time. Rather than each new child that particpated in the task telling the story afresh, 'in their own words', each told it as it was in its current form in the community. This resulted in remarkable convergence between tellings that were recorded around the same time. It became clear from the discussion that we can't expect to do research on child language in the same way as it is done in more controlled environments. We will not get comparable quantities of data for each child. However, whatever we do record is likely to be really interesting. We only have data on child language for a small number of languages, so anything will help. Leave a Reply About the Blog Endangered Language and Cultures is a multi-authored blog about linguistics, language documentation, research technology, and generally everything to do with endangered languages and cultures. It is predominantly written by linguists Jane Simpson and Peter Austin, archivists from PARADISEC, and a whole slew of guest contributors. More... ","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"My Dad used to sing a song to my brother in about 1938, which had the opening lyric \"There was a china man with pig tail spic and span ha ha ha ha he he...\" Unfortunately that's all I know of the song and would really like to find out the name of it. Any help would be appreciated, thank you. There was a man from Chinatown his name was Licka Lacka Lee Law Chan His head was tall and his feet were small and this little man had no nose at all Licka Lacka Lee Law Hey Indora Icky Picky Pikey OK They rolled him in the park one day and frightened all the kids away They rolled him here, they rolled him there, they rolled him in a bamboo chair. Licka Lacka Lee Law Hey Indora, In-Di-Ora, Icky Picky Pikey OK There was a Chinaman With pigtails spick and span Ah hah ha ha ha ha Who never would go out When there was rain about Ah hah ha ha ha ha For rain, he used to say, Washed pigtails all away Ah hah ha ha ha ha ha ha So indoors he would stay On every rainy day Ah hah ha ha ha ha My Great Grandma used to sing this song to me and I would dearly love to find the lyrics. She sang it something like this: In China there lived a China man, his name was Ching-a-rie-Ching-a-rie Chan, His legs were long and his feet were small, this ChinaMan couldn't walk at all...singing, Ching-a-rie, ching-a-rie Chan, riddle me this and (?)... Scallopy, wallopy chinaco My grandfather used to sing this one to all the grandchildren back in the 70's & 80's :) Chick a chaloo chaloo chapan wallapa wallapa China Man... There once there was a China man, his name was Chicka chaloo chapan His head was big and his feet were small, so the poor China man couldn't walk. Alas the China man to die and in his coffin he did lie They sent the coffin to Japan and that was the end of the China man. my grandma taught me a version of this song, though it went a little different: in all japan there lived a man: his name was chika-racka-chi-chai-chang. his legs were long, his feet were small, the poor old man couldn't walk at all, and they were singing; chicka-racka-chi-chai-cho-chocalorum-win\\\\... the servants used to carry him out on their backs and the folks did shout: \"here he comes! there he goes! the poor old chap with the funny funny nose!\" and they were singing: chicka-racka-chi-chai-cho-chocalorum-win\\\\... Ok so my version I was thought when I was young is nothing like this.... The once was a china man called chickaraca chickaraca chichickalora bombilora willy willy wack ohko ohko tiddy fi tiddy fi chinese talk they took him on a motor car told him not to go to far the word was said he fell on his head and that was the end of the china man Once in China there was a funny man his name was chikaraka chou chai chan his body was long his legs were short the poor little man could hardly walk, chikaraka chou chai chan chatty borra umdiddle ora alow wallow waxi oki doki hit him on the boki itchi gotchi itchi gotchi twinkle, There are more verses to this but can't remember them and there seems to be many different versions to this?? There was a poor old China man, his name was Chinka-chaloo-chahan, His teeth were short, his nose was long and this is the way he walked along. Chinka-chaloo-chaloo-cha-pan, al-up-ee, al-up-ee, chinka-cha-lol-up-ee, Chinka-chaloo-chaloo-cha-pan, al-up-ee, al-up-ee, Chinaman. At last, this poor o;d man he died, and in his coffin he did lie, They sent his coffin to Japan and this is the way his epitaph ran. Chinka-chaloo-chaloo-cha-pan, al-up-ee, al-up-ee, chinka-cha-lol-up-ee, Chinka-chaloo-chaloo-cha-pan, al-up-ee, al-up-ee, Chinaman. there was an old man from china town his name was inki pinki poo pa chan he had long legs and a turned down nose...the poor old man with the turned up toes. inki pinki poo-pa chan chickalo-ra bobtailo-ra paddywaddywack oko doko witamonatoko wittama dittama cheerioko Lots of different versions of this song! My mother would sing a version of this when my brothers and I were children - 1950's. She also loved to sing Johnny Rebeck to us. These are the words she taught us: There once was a Chinaman, who lived in old Japan, His name was Chick-a-rie, Chick-a-rie Chan. His feet were long, his toes were short And this is the way the Chinaman talked, There once was a man a funny little man His name was kinko kine-a- man His legs were tall and his feet were small And the poor little msn couldnt walk at all Sing ching- GA-lora, ching- GA-lora ching- GA-lora hidey - pok- aWAY! There once was a man, a funny little man, his name was Chingco china man His legs were tall and his feet were small, and the poor little fellow couldn't walk at all. Sing chingalor chingalor chingalora hidy chuckaway Iddy oddy ocka, hit him in the poka Iddy oddy ocka , um pa pa Hi, Stephen- Well, the song is certainly racist. Whether the thread is racist or not, is another matter. Whatever the case, racist or not, the song in question is certainly a real folk song and a very good example of the folk process, how a song may take many different paths and develop many different versions. But you're right...I cringe every time this thread comes up on the Forum Menu. Thanks for your constructive answer. I agree that Mudcat is not racist and sometimes very progressive. However a lot of people happen upon this site and a thread like this doesnt give a good first impression when they look at Mudcat. My own personal view of such playground songs is that they can lead to bullying and worse. I would really love to know the origin of this song too. Again, to me it was a silly weird song my mother used to sing back in the 60's and 70's when my sister and I were very young. Our version very similar. In China once there lived a man, His name was Chik-a-lee Chik-a-lee Chan His feet were long and his toes were short, And this is the way the Chinaman talked... dad sang us this song handed down to his family from the ballarat goldfields there once was a jolly little chinaman with a nid nod nid nod nid youve never seen such a little chinaman with a nid nod nid nod nid, down to the woodshed he went one day ,went one day,went one day to gather little sticks together so , so just to gather little sticks together so and his dear little wife she would say oh! with a nid nod nid nid nod nid nod nid nod nid nid nod nid nid Once in China I met a funny man his name was Chicaracka Chu Chi Chan His arms were long - his legs were short the poor old man could hardly walk Chicaracka Chu Chi Chai Chickanora punchinorra ala wala winkle Chicaracka Chu Chi Chai Chickanora punchinorra ala wala winkle This old man he went to sea to see the sights of the Kangaree The ship got lost and so you see The poor old man got drownded Chicaracka Chu Chi Chai Chickanora punchinorra ala wala winkle Chicaracka Chu Chi Chai Chickanora punchinorra ala wala winkle My grandad taught me this song, I am reading it at his funeral next week. I remember telling this poem to a pair of chinese exchange students asking them to translate it as I really thought it was in the chinese language! (well i was only 11) :0) There once was a China Man, His Name was Chicka Lacka Lee Chaw Chan, his head was big and his feet were small and this little china man, he couldnt walk at all.... ere's how i heard it in the 50's at camp china man had a wife led him such an awful life cut his pigtails off so long sold them for a chinese song chikerack a chee chy cho chickalarro bungo lorro piggy wiggy wago hoco poco hit em on the coco chitterbee chitterby chee chi cho We had a version of this song which has passed through the generations...we wanted to research tongue twisters for a project that my son is doing and I am amazed at all the versions I have found on this site. In China there lived a Chinaman, his name was chickaracka-chee-chan-chan. His feet were long and his legs were small and the poor little man couldn't walk at all. So they took him up to the top of a hill And they rolled him down like a rolling pin. With a.... Chicka-racka-chee-chan-chor-chickalorum, pongo-lorum,many-pee-cat, Cat go to go etty-ketty-catty-go, aye Japan Chinaman, chinese coo. From what I remember my mom used to sing to me when I was 4 or 5.(I'm 70 now) In China there lived a little man, his name was Chingling, chingling Chan. His legs were short, his feet were small, this little man couldn't walk at all. Miska Hi was short and fat, she had money & he had none, under her window he would go and play a tune on his little banjo. Miska Hi with notes of love, held her washboard high above, let it fall on Chingling Chan and that was the last of the China man. If this thread offends you...why do you click on it? It doesn't just..come up. This was just a little song my mom used to sing to us kids. Was curious when & why it originated. There was no bigotry or racist comments in it...click on something else or get a life. Ginner, the song stereotypes and ridicules an ethnic group - that fits the classic definition of bigotry to a \"t,\" even though you and your mother think it cute. We don't suppress songs like this because they have historic and folkloric value - but that doesn't mean we can't complain about them. Songs like this aren't cute - they're nasty, obscene, and bigoted. Although it's a song that comes from a history of ethnic bigotry, it's still worthwhile to study the song and its versions. Such songs are often true examples of the \"folk process\" because they aren't the kind of songs publishers would publish. This song became a pop song called \"Chickery Chick\" in the 1940s, with lyrics that had nothing to do with anybody of any ethnic descent. Here's an article about the song from Time Magazine, December 3, 1945: In the '70s, collegians at Amherst set the l00-year-old jingle to music and sang it over pots of ale, when they wanted to prove that they could walk a musical straight line. One of the many versions ran like this: In China there lived a little man His name was Chingery-ri-chan-chan, His feet were large and his head was small, And this little man had no brains at all. Chingery-rico-rico-day ekel tekel Hap py man. Kuan-a-desco cartty-o gallopy-wallopy-china-go. Last week this old tongue twister, with new and even less intelligible lyrics, was the fast-climbing No. 2 seller in Billboard magazine's poll of record sales. It was well on its way to join Mairzy Boats and the Hut Sut Song in the jabberwocky Valhalla of the jukebox. Twenty-nine-year-old Arkansas-born Jo Proffitt had changed the Chinaman into a chick, and called it Chickery Chick. She sent the lyrics to Tin Pan Alleysmith Sidney Lippman, who added some new notes. Now it describes a chicken who got bored with saying \"chick chick\" all day, astounds his companions with some jived-up poultry poetry: Chickery-chick cha-la cha-la, Check-a-la-romey in a ba-nan-i-ka... . Tin Pan Alley actuarians estimate that the U.S. will need about three months to get over it. CHAPTER XXI. CUPID'S LAST APPEARANCE. A picnic supper on the grass followed the games, and then, as twilight began to fall, the young people were marshaled to the coach-house, now transformed into a rustic theater. One big door was open, and seats, arranged lengthwise, faced the red table-cloths which formed the curtain. A row of lamps made very good foot-lights, and an invisible band performed a Wagner-like overture on combs, tin trumpets, drums, and pipes, with an accompaniment of suppressed laughter. Many of the children had never seen anything like it, and sat staring about them in mute admiration and expectancy; but the older ones criticised freely, and indulged in wild speculations as to the meaning of various convulsions of nature going on behind the curtain. While Teacher was dressing the actresses for the tragedy, Miss Celia and Thorny, who were old hands at this sort of amusement, gave a \"Potato\" pantomime as a side show. Across an empty stall a green cloth was fastened, so high that the heads of the operators were not seen. A little curtain flew up, disclosing the front of a Chinese pagoda painted on pasteboard, with a door and window which opened quite naturally. This stood on one side, several green trees with paper lanterns hanging from the boughs were on the other side, and the words \"Tea Garden,\" printed over the top, showed the nature of this charming spot. Few of the children had ever seen the immortal Punch and Judy, so this was a most agreeable novelty, and before they could make out what it meant, a voice began to sing, so distinctly that every word was heard: \"In China there lived a little man, His name was Chingery Wangery Chan.\" Here the hero \"took the stage\" with great dignity, clad in a loose yellow jacket over a blue skirt, which concealed the hand that made his body. A pointed hat adorned his head, and on removing this to bow he disclosed a bald pate with a black queue in the middle, and a Chinese face nicely painted on the potato, the lower part of which was hollowed out to fit Thorny's first finger, while his thumb and second finger were in the sleeves of the yellow jacket, making a lively pair of arms. While he saluted, the song went on: \"His legs were short, his feet were small, And this little man could not walk at all.\" Which assertion was proved to be false by the agility with which the \"little man\" danced a jig in time to the rollicking chorus: At the close of the dance and chorus, Chan retired into the tea garden, and drank so many cups of the national beverage, with such comic gestures, that the spectators were almost sorry when the opening of the opposite window drew all eyes in that direction. At the lattice appeared a lovely being; for this potato had been pared, and on the white surface were painted pretty pink cheeks, red lips, black eyes, and oblique brows; through the tuft of dark silk on the head were stuck several glittering pins, and a pink jacket shrouded the plump figure of this capital little Chinese lady. After peeping coyly out, so that all could see and admire, she fell to counting the money from a purse, so large her small hands could hardly hold it on the window seat. While she did this, the song went on to explain: \"Miss Ki Hi was short and squat, She had money and he had not; So off to her he resolved to go, And play her a tune on his little banjo.\" During the chorus to this verse Chan was seen tuning his instrument in the garden, and at the end sallied gallantly forth to sing the following tender strain: It never occurred to me that it was bad. I just thought it was full of nonsense words and the rythem was catchy. My version is COMPLETELY different from all that I have read here. My grandmother who was born in 1918 sang this to me when i was little. In china once there lived a man. His name was Chickala Chickala Chan. His fingers were long and his toes were short. And this is the way the poor china men talk. Wow, I had no idea there were so many versions! Here's how it was sung to us as kids: There was a Chinaman; lived in Japan His name was Chickala Chickala Chan His legs were long and his knees were knocked And this is the way the Chinaman talked A chickala chee chileye chilo A chickala Romeo and a banana go Walaka walaka chance to see In a banana go alchio The Chinaman he did up and die and in his coffin he did lie They sent him back to old Japan and this is the way his epitaph ran (Refrain) P.S. This version of the song goes back at least four generations in my family. My Great Grandpa worked in the coal minds. I have Irish and Chinese blood. Talk about a double whammy. This Song was not passed down in my family to be derogatory. I think it would be sad if we ever take political correctness to the point where we are afraid to laugh at ourselves. As long as you are fair about it, humor can just as easily unite us. I have never listened to this song, and thought, hay man, that??s me. Even as a Child I didn??t make that leap. I know I tease with my friends all the time, but the intent is never mean. This is just a nostalgic and historic breakdown of a song. This is not a political statement. I am an American, but I??m not going to take Yankee Doodle out of context. There lived in China a very fine man His name was chee karaka cheek you can his legs were fat and his feet were small The chinese man he couldn't walk at all. Chee karaka, chee karaka, cheek you can Cupa laura, cupa laura was a very fine man. Banga, hoola, izzy kizzy kizzy was a chinese moon. She was a lovely kind and gentle person and no racist comment was every intended. It was a fun tongue twister - plain and simple. I've been looking for lyrics to this song for a number of years. I never knew there were so many versions or that it went back so far, but I guess that is common. I believe my mom and her sister learned this song in camp back in the 30's\/40's. My mom used to sing this \"silly song\" to me when I was a kid (60's\/70's) and I loved it. Of course, we didn't worry about political correctness back then. I've never been successful in finding any reference on the internet - probably because of the differences in the version that they sang: the refrain of which went something like: Sadly my mom passed away recently, but I'll have to see if my aunt can still recall or rederive the lyrics that they learned. I think my mom was hesitant to sing this song to me in recent years because my own daughters are Chinese and she didn't want to give the wrong impression. Ironically, it wasn't until my own daughter learned the song \"Chickery Chick\" in music class this year and came home singing it that I was able to make the connection. I'd never heard of that song, but it was apparently a pop hit in the 40's. I'll be sure and post \"our\" version of the song if my (now 85 year old) aunt can remember it. Once there was a Chinaman His name was Chika Chika Chan His body was long his legs were thin Huliga Muliga Chinaman. Chinaman he did die. In a coffin he did lie Took his body to Japan To buy some tea for the Chinaman. Hickory choo, choo July, Hockery Rooney In a pialli pialli padu It doesn't agree Huliga Muliga Chinaman. ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"In the December 2012 issue of World Soccer maverick Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli is the subject of our Player Profile. Secrets of the Dressing Room is a special report into what goes on behind closed doors in the world of professional football. Vincent Kompany is interviewed about the renaissance in Belgian football, and we also speak to international coach Sinisa Mihajlovic about Serbia's problems on and off the pitch. This month's tactics looks at the changing role of the playmaker, while our players to watch are the stars of the Euro Under-21 play-offs. This month's Dispatches features the man prepared to take on the hooligan gangs in Argentina, Malaga's march in Europe, incompetent officiating in Italy, plus many more reports from around the world. In today's World Soccer Daily, Zlatan Ibrahimovic scores the goal that his talents deserve, Suarez linked with move though cynics may wonder who is doing the linking, kung fu fighting on the pitch, father sacks son and installs himself in his place, social media blunting players communication. In today's World Soccer Daily, do foreign players dive more than English players, Chelsea case against Clattenburg evaporates, which country's players play the most passes, most popular clubs in the world according to Facebook likes, Bebeto's genes were successfully passed on to his son, coach trips player as he races down the touchline. In today's World Soccer Daily, Levante mock Real Madrid, former great Popescu given three-year suspended sentence for his part in corruption ring, fans rally round to help save Real Oviedo, Zenit fans decide to burn down the stadium, international arrested for drug dealing, Zimbabwe coach warned by FIFA. In today's World Soccer Daily, Lampard set for China adventure, Italian fans confront players over poor form, Suarez demonstrates his enduring unpopularity, arrival of Del Piero proves too much for Sydney FC coach, Solskjaer can do little wrong, the numbers stack up for Messi to set new milestone. After defecting from his native Yugoslavia, international striker Steve Zungul carved out a hugely successful career for himself playing indoor football in the United States, before returning to the outdoor game and enjoying further success. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"get connected Connect with neighbors and improve your neighborhood's safety on the 29th annual National Night Out on Tuesday. For more information visit, www.natw.org\/nno\/about.html , or to go to WhitePages at neighbors.whitepages.com, to look up and get in touch with neighbors or to use the site's Block Party Invite and RSVP System to coordinate get-togethers. WhitePages partners with the National Association of Town Watch to make reaching out to neighbors easier. JENNY BRITT admits she doesn't know her neighbors in Ghent on the Square in Norfolk - not the ones upstairs who occasionally used to leave loud music on when they left their condo, or the ones who walk their dogs when she walks Scooter, her Welsh corgi. Ironically, though, she knows the neighbors' dogs' names. With a bid on a single-family home under consideration, Britt and her boyfriend are hoping with a move comes change. \"I'm trying to be better when we meet (neighbors) by saying their names over and over in my head,\" she said. \"I have a lot of work to do.\" Britt shouldn't be embarrassed by her admission; She's far from alone. According to a survey conducted online in June 2011 by Harris Interactive on behalf of WhitePages, 41 percent of participants could identify their neighbors' first names, while 27 percent knew their neighbors' pets and 24 percent their neighbors' kids. WhitePages provides contact information for millions of people and businesses in the U.S. Activities and gatherings such as the annual National Night Out by the National Association of Town Watch - being held Tuesday - started in 1984 to promote neighborhood involvement in crime and drug prevention, strengthen police-community relations and encourage camaraderie among neighbors. Since its inception, the event has grown to involve more than 37 million people from more than 15,000 communities, according to Town Watch's website, natw.org. \"In our fight for a safer nation, National Night Out has proven to be an effective, inexpensive and enjoyable program to promote neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships,\" said Matt Peskin, the association's executive director and National Night Out creator. \"If you look at the 1940s and the 1950s, neighborhoods were safer places because people knew each other. Neighborhoods today are not as tightly knit as they used to be, even with Facebook and other social media tools at their disposal.\" For Brenda Armitage, a real-estate agent with All Pros Realty in Virginia Beach, a close call with tragedy ignited her passion to connect with neighbors. Six years ago, Armitage's then-3-year-old daughter was hit by a car on her bike in front of the family's Carolanne Farms neighborhood at the Beach. Armitage began advocating for the neighborhood children by trying to get a sign installed warning drivers to go slow because children were at play. This effort led Armitage, a mother of three, to revitalize Carolanne Farms' civic league, organize block parties, and start an annual luminary event called \"Share Your Light Night\" and an annual Fourth of July parade in the Kempsville neighborhood. \"Create a village,\" said Armitage. \"The meaning of your life day-to-day is enriched\" by neighbors, she said. Armitage also advocates the use of social media to communicate with neighbor. It's successful, she said. On Facebook, the Carolanne Farms - Arrowhead Neighbors page is rich with comments; 357 people are members. Neighborly posts include a missing-dog notification, an inquiry about a reliable auto mechanic, a yard-sale post and a warning that cars had been broken into and registrations, or a phone, stolen. \"Honestly the most effective communication tool is Facebook or email,\" said Armitage, who recently used the Neighbors' page to find a tiller and a teenager to help her whip her flower beds back into shape. \"In a community everybody has a set of skills that can be utilized,\" Armitage said. Armitage's passion carries over into her profession. During a recent sale of a house in Indian Lakes, she asked the neighbors selling their house to compile a list of four neighbors on either side, and eight across the street, plus other information, like which neighbor kids baby-sit, which mow lawns and other pertinent information for the buyers. It's all about making an effort, she said. But not every neighbor is cooperative. There's the neighbor who doesn't pick up after his or her dog, or uses the leaf blower at early hours, or blares music in the middle of the night. Denise Holden, who lives with her family in Hunt Club Forest in Virginia Beach, has seen - and heard - it all. \"I was block captain, and as soon as people found out I was in the civic league, they would bring me their issues,\" wrote Holden on Facebook. \"At first, I tried to be helpful, and then I thought, 'Why am I always the bad guy?' \" The department's inspectors have the power to decide if something is bad enough, and fine the home owner if the problem continues, she wrote. \"I used them to get rid of some drug dealers\" because it's much \"faster to go after the house,\" Holden said. Cities' animal control divisions also are a good source, she said, because they try to help smooth things over with neighbors and animal lovers. \"You are insulting someone's 'family' when you complain about their barking dog,\" Holden wrote. And, of course, there are the police. \"If you're unsure, if you don't feel comfortable talking to someone, the best thing to do is pick up the phone and call us, and we'll send somebody out there, and we'll go out and talk to them,\" said Sharon Brady, custodian of records for Emergency Communications, Citizens Services 911 Division with the Virginia Beach Police Department. But, Brady said, it's much better to have a rapport with your neighbors so you don't have to call the police to mediate. \"Strike up a conversation with them,\" Brady suggested. But, \"if you're uncomfortable, and you don't know them well enough, send a police officer, it's what we do.\" While Holden said she has called the police about things like fireworks being shot over their house and kids egging cars, she and her husband know \"almost all of our neighbors, even vacation with them. We remember birthdays, celebrate events, and borrow mowers.\" Holden said you'd be surprised at what having a good, old-fashioned conversation can do. \"Let them know what's important to you,\" she said. \"Inviting (neighbors) over for a beer in the driveway works wonders!\" As for Jenny Britt at Ghent on the Square, connections and relationships are important. That's why, if the house sale off Lafayette Boulevard in Norfolk goes through, she will make the effort to get to know her neighbors. \"To not have a connection to people who are right next to you is strange to me,\" Britt said. COMMENTS ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here; comments do not reflect the views of The Virginian-Pilot or its websites. Users must follow agreed-upon rules: Be civil, be clean, be on topic; don't attack private individuals, other users or classes of people. Read the full rules here. - Comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the report violation link below it. ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Over 3,000 Leaks Found in Study of Boston's Natural Gas Pipelines Benefit From the Latest Energy Trends and Investment Opportunities before the mainstream media and investing public are aware they even exist. The Free Oilprice.com Energy Intelligence Report gives you this and much more. Click here to find out more. The city's aging natural-gas pipeline system is to blame, according to a new study by researchers at Boston and Duke Universities. Their findings appear this week in the journal Environmental Pollution . The new study comes in the wake of devastating fires fueled by natural gas during Hurricane Sandy. Potential damage to gas pipeline pressure regulators, caused by flooding in Hurricane Sandy, has raised ongoing safety concerns in New York and New Jersey. \"While our study was not intended to assess explosion risks, we came across six locations in Boston where gas concentrations exceeded the threshold above which explosions can occur,\" says Nathan Phillips, associate professor in Boston University's Department of Earth and Environment and co-author of the study. Nationally, natural gas pipeline failures cause an average of 17 fatalities, 68 injuries, and $133 million in property damage annually, according to the US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. In addition to the explosion hazard, natural gas also poses a major environmental threat: methane, the primary ingredient of natural gas, is a powerful greenhouse gas that degrades air quality. Leaks in the United States contribute to $3 billion of lost and unaccounted for natural gas each year. \"Repairing these leaks will improve air quality, increase consumer health and safety, and save money,\" says co-author Robert B. Jackson, a professor at Duke. \"We just have to put the right financial incentives into place.\" Phillips and Jackson's teams collaborated with industry partners Robert Ackley of Gas Safety, Inc., and Eric Crosson of Picarro, Inc., on the study. They mapped the gas leaks under Boston using a new, high-precision methane analyzer installed in a GPS-equipped car. Driving all 785 road miles within city limits, the researchers discovered 3,356 leaks. The leaks were distributed evenly across neighborhoods and were associated with old cast-iron underground pipes, rather than neighborhood socioeconomic indicators. Levels of methane in the surface air on Boston's streets exceeded fifteen times the normal atmospheric background value. Like Boston, other cities with aging pipeline infrastructure may be prone to leaks. The researchers recommend coordinated gas-leaks mapping campaigns in cities where the infrastructure is deemed to be at risk. The researchers will continue to quantify the health, safety, environmental, and economic impacts of the leaks, which will be made available to policymakers and utilities as they work to replace and repair leaking natural gas pipeline infrastructure. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"When the convenience of being able to leave gear securely locked up in vans and trailers causes the odd headache. The condensation on all my gear was terrible last night as i loaded from a cold van in the a very warm and humid marquee. One of my active speakers had a fault light on for a couple of hours and a lighting fixture failed, water was dripping off it so god knows what the pcb was like. Power leads were rigid and Lamps are also replaced more often, its not too bad if you can let things acclimatise but thats not always a luxury A dehumidifier is brilliant in a van or trailer (as long as the trailer is fairly airtight). Just run it on an extension cable. Unfortunately it won't solve the cold gear coming into a warm moist venue and the resulting condensation. Never mind the humidity, it's the temperature difference that's the real problem. If you have the space in the van, get yourself one of those paraffin pancake style coldframe\/greenhouse heaters. They are very safe and stupidly cheap to run. Although this will raise the humidity slightly, this is more than outweighed by the fact that the warmer air can hold on to far more moisture. That heater burning direct in the van will make a lot of moisture that'll condense onto -- and inside -- the gear. I was rather assuming the O\/P was taking the gear from a warm environment (home?) to a cold one (van) and then to a warm one again (venue). If the van is pre-heated by any means at all to something near the destination temperature then there will be no condensation. Water vapor is only released from saturated air when it becomes colder. If the equipment stays sensibly at the same temperature it will not cool the air, therefore there will be no condensation. Within reasonable limits it doesn't matter how much moisture the heater generates. While the walls of an unlined van will get quite wet (being a lot colder) anything completely within the enclosure and being kept warm will be fine. Finally, the actual dew point is a combination of humidity and temperature difference. You can play games with that fact. Re: Its that time of year [Re: Folderol ] #1018619 - 14\/11\/12 08:11 PM Edit Reply Quote Quote Folderol: I was rather assuming the O\/P was taking the gear from a warm environment (home?) to a cold one (van) and then to a warm one again (venue). I think assuming this is dangerous. Quote Folderol: If the van is pre-heated by any means at all to something near the destination temperature then there will be no condensation. In the process of preheting with a wet heat source, water will condense onto the equipment being heated. I bet the gear will inevitably be somewhat cooler than the atmosphere from the heater. And even if the gear isn't cooler than the hot gasses from the heater, there will be times when the gear does get cooler, and then the 100 percent saturated air will give up it's moisture. Including inside the gear. Quote Folderol: Water vapor is only released from saturated air when it becomes colder. Water vapour is a gas. It condenses and this makes condensation. Quote Folderol: If the equipment stays sensibly at the same temperature it will not cool the air, therefore there will be no condensation. Gear, and our environment does not stay sensibly at the same temperature! So there will be condensation. Quote Folderol: Within reasonable limits it doesn't matter how much moisture the heater generates. Sorry, I want no water anywhere around. Quote Folderol: While the walls of an unlined van will get quite wet (being a lot colder) anything completely within the enclosure and being kept warm will be fine. Sorry, can't accept that. Water coating the inside of the van will evaporate, the humidity of the air inside will be 100 percent so any (even minute) changes in temperature and air pressure will result in condensation. Quote Folderol: Finally, the actual dew point is a combination of humidity and temperature difference. You can play games with that fact. I think you are playing games! One more point... apart form the fact that the world is much more complex than just one idealised aspect of theory. Burning hydrocarbons releases not only water but carbon dioxide, which when dissolved in water forms carbonic acid. Apart form being an acid, with all that implies, carbonic acid is a conductor. And that conductor will be present in switches, ribbon connectors, potentiometers and so forth, which often have different metals in contact ... which will result in galvanic corrosion and much electronic havoc. Please, people do not use wet, acidic heat to 'solve' a problem! Keep it simple, and assume nothing! By all means warm the gear up, but with nice dry heat. ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"In one day the average person loses between 2 to 3 quarts of water through their urine, sweat, and normal breathing. If a person doesn't replace that lost water, then dehydration begins to occur. At 2% dehydration, thirst is perceived. At 5% dehydration, a person becomes hot and tired, and strength and endurance decrease. At 10% dehydration, delirium and blurred vision become a problem. At 20% dehydration, a person dies. Pause and reflect on that for a moment. A person loses 2 to 3 quarts of water every day as a result of their normal body functions. Which means if a person doesn't get any fluids for about three days, they will die. Most people have never thought about the above because they have NEVER been personally confronted with a extended shortage of fresh safe drinking water at any time in their lives. Some More Facts About Water Water is VERY heavy. One gallon of water weighs about 8.5 pounds inside a thin-walled clear plastic water jug. You can't carry enough water with you between locations to last for very long. If one person consumes 2.75 quarts of water each day, then one person will need 250 gallons of water per year. A family of four will need 1,000 gallons of water per year. One-thousand gallons of water weighs about 4.25 tons. (And that does NOT include water for washing your hands or for washing dishes.) With the passage of time, bottled water will gradually become unfit to drink for a variety of reasons. However, it can be reprocessed to make it fit for human consumption. Several different options are discussed below. If commerce were disrupted by either a natural or manmade disaster, one of the first things a person should do is evaluate their water situation. This involves three different but related issues: 1. How much water is on hand right now? 2. Where can more water be obtained? 3. How can that water be made safe to drink? Drinking Water Available Immediately If you are at home when the emergency occurs, then immediately check to see if the faucet water pressure is still on. If it is then fill every possible container in the house that will hold water and not leak. For example: pots, pans, plastic containers, drinking glasses and drinking cups, bowls, and every sink and bathtub. If the water is off, you still have three sources of clean drinking water: 1. Ice cubes in the freezer, and 2. Water inside your water pipes, and 3. Water inside the hot water heater. Even if the water pressure is off, there is still some water inside the water pipes in your home or apartment. That water can be drained from the water pipes (using gravity) by opening the LOWEST cold water faucet in your home, which will usually be on the first floor, or the basement, or an outside water faucet. However, you will also need to open the highest cold water faucet in your home to allow air to enter the cold water pipes so the water can flow out the lowest water faucet into your collection container. This will drain all the water out of your cold water pipes but NOT your hot water pipes. Most hot water heaters contain 40 gallons of clean water. However, BEFORE you remove that water you MUST turn off the power or turn off the gas to your hot water heater, or you could start a fire. Then open the faucet at the bottom of the water heater to gain immediate access to 40 gallons of reserve clean drinking water. This is enough emergency water to last a family of four for 20 days if they ONLY drink the water and don't wash with it. This is the BEST source of reserve drinking water for the average family because it is constantly being used and replaced inside the hot water heater prior to the emergency. Therefore it will be fresh and clean at the beginning of an emergency. (Note: Some hot water heaters do NOT have an easy access water value at their base. Prior to an emergency you should take a look at your hot water heater and determine if you can get to the water inside your heater. If you can't, then you might consider having a plumber install a standard water faucet value in the water line at the bottom of the hot water heater.) Another source of water is canned foods because many canned foods are packed in water. When you open a can, serve the water in the can with the food. Never throw the canned water away if you are low on water. Water that isn't safe to drink is toilet tank water and water inside the mattress of a water bed. If you had the foresight to plan for an unexpected emergency, then you should have a stash of clean empty 2-liter plastic soda bottles stored somewhere out-of-sight. They are really nice for storing water because they are free (after you drink the soda), they are made of food grade plastic, they don't leak, they have a screw on cap to keep the water clean, they have an extremely long shelf life, and they are a convenient size to handle and use. The major disadvantage of the 2-liter bottles is that they don't stack well on top of one another. If you have empty one-gallon plastic water jugs then you should also consider saving them for a future emergency. However, clean empty plastic milk jugs are NOT a good option because they will deteriorate with the passage of time and begin to leak. After inventorying your water, the next step is to ration your water. During normal times, one person consumes about 3 quarts of water per day. No one I know drinks that much water each day. However, all of us drink some water, plus a variety of other fluids (coffee, tea, soda, juice, or whatever appeals to you). During hardship conditions, a person can survive on two quarts of water per day (two quarts is one-half gallon). If water is really in short supply, then one quart per day will keep a person alive, but they will begin to slowly dehydrate. Everyone knows better, but after an extended period of time with little or no water, a person will drink all the water they can when it suddenly becomes available. If you do this, you will get sick. Force yourself to S l o w - - d o w n. Drink one cup of water every 10 minutes. Give your system a chance to absorb the water and send it where it is needed most. Don't overload your system and kill yourself. Where to Find More Water You have inventoried and carefully rationed your water, but the emergency continues longer than you anticipated and you are running low on water. Before your water completely runs out, you should start replenishing it. Let's examine a number of different alternatives. Well Water If you live in the country, or if you have a water well on your property, then you already know there is water in the bottom of that well. Drilled wells can be anywhere from about 25 feet deep up to a thousand feet deep or more. For approximately $1,000 it is possible to purchase a heavy-duty manually-operated complete hand water pump for wells that are 200 feet deep or less. It is not possible to hand-pump water from wells much deeper than about 200 feet. However, there is a very CHEAP way to get water out of almost any well, regardless of its depth. If you know your electricity is going to be off for an extended period of time, and you are out of drinking water, and you have no other way to get drinking water, then you can manually remove the water from your well. There are many different well configurations but a typical one is illustrated in the picture on the right. First you MUST turn off the electrical power at the main circuit breaker box, even if the electricity is off. Then disconnect the electrical wires at the top of the well and protect them so they do not touch one another or any other object. You may also need to disconnect the plastic pipe or hose connected to the top of the well piece. Next you will need the correct size wrench to remove the large bolts which secure the top piece to the well. After removing the bolts, remove the top piece and you will probably find three things: a very long flexible heavy-duty hose, a water-resistant rope, and some electrical wiring, all of which go down into your well and are attached to the well pump in the bottom of the well. You can gradually pull up on the rope (or the flexible hose if absolutely necessary) and it will bring the well pump up out of the well. Don't pull on the electrical wiring because it is not intended for that purpose. After removing the well pump you will have exposed the entire shaft down to where your water is. Depending on the depth of the well, the diameter at the bottom of the well shaft will probably be a little smaller than the visible diameter at the top of the well shaft. Therefore, select a container that is at least 1 or 2 inches smaller in diameter than the well opening at its top. The container can be almost any length up to about 18 inches. The container should have a large mouth on top to allow water to enter and air to escape. One option would be an empty two-liter plastic soda bottle with its top cut off. The next step is of critical importance. Untie the wet end of the well rope from the well pump. Tie the opposite dry end of the rope to a secure object. This will keep the rope from falling into the well if you lose your grip. Then securely attach the wet end of the well rope to the container. If the container somehow works itself loose from the rope, then you will NOT be able to get the container out of your well shaft. Also remember the container is going to be HEAVY with water when you pull it up. One option would be to make a strong net and put your container inside the net. Then tie the rope securely to the net. Then put a relatively heavy clean, sterile object in the bottom of the container so the container will sink when it reaches the water level. Then slowly lower the container on the end of the rope by hand until it reaches the bottom of the well. You will know you have hit bottom when the rope has some slack in it. Wait for the container to fill with water and then pull it up. Repeat as often as required. When finished, carefully cover the exposed well head to prevent foreign materials from entering and contaminating your well water. Rain Water For the average person, the best source of replacement drinking water will probably be rain water. Although this is an excellent source of safe drinking water, it is unpredictable in regards to timing and quantity. However, for most people, this is probably the cleanest source of replenishment drinking water they will have access to on a regular but intermittent basis. Regardless of where you live in the world, if you can catch the rain water BEFORE it comes in contact with anything, then it is safe to drink without any special treatments. Even when you take acid rain into consideration, this is still a true statement. However, if there is a nuclear, chemical, or biological war at some point in the future, then rain water may not be safe to drink for some period of time. You will have to use your own judgment in that situation. One of the portable commercial water filters described below would be appropriate in those types of unusual and hazardous situations. If the air contains smog, pollen, or any other unpleasant stuff, then the rain will usually clean that stuff out of the air during the first 20 to 30 minutes of a good rain shower. Therefore, when it begins to rain you should wait about 30 minutes and then start collecting the clean rain water in a container. (Note: If you are seriously low on water and you are forced to collect the rain water during the first few minutes when it starts to rain, then you should process that water through one of the filters described below.) Be creative. Think about what you have available that you can put outside to catch and hold rain water, or channel rain water through a partially open window into a big pot. Remember that it usually rains one-inch or less each time it rains. You need a large surface area to collect enough rain water to drink. A drinking cup or glass will not be enough. Even a 5-gallon cook pot is too small to just put outside by itself because it will only collect one-inch of water in the bottom of the pot. Something like a child's inflatable swimming pool would be ideal, if your family already owns one. A 6-foot diameter pool would collect about 17 gallons of water if it rained one-inch. An 8-foot diameter pool would collect about 31 gallons of water if it rained one-inch. (Note: One gallon of water = 231 cubic inches of water.) Or you could secure a clean 10' by 12' tarpaulin (or a clean thick sheet of plastic) in a manner where it slopes downward into a \"V\" shape towards a large 5-gallon pot (or other large container). Tarpaulins are commonly called tarps. With this size tarp you could collect about 70 gallons of water if it rains one-inch in your area (if you keep emptying and replacing your 5-gallon pot). However, you will need to secure your tarp very carefully because it is frequently very windy during a rain storm. Determine the primary direction in which the wind is blowing and then secure your tarp facing the wind at an upwards angle so the wind will blow a lot of the rain onto the surface of your tarp where it can collect and be channeled down into your water storage container. In many areas it usually rains LESS than one-inch each time it rains, so it would probably be a good idea to use several tarps to collect rain water when it does rain. Many different tarp sizes are available, but for collecting rain water a tarp between 6' by 8' up to about 10' by 12' would be ideal. Smaller tarps don't cover enough area nor do they have very many other practical uses. Larger tarps are too heavy and they also have a limited number of other useful applications. If you are trying to decide between an inflatable swimming pool or a good tarp, then the tarp would be the better choice. It is usually less expensive, more durable, easier to transport between locations, easier to set up and take down, requires less storage space when not in use, and it will provide an overhead shelter if you need to do some unexpected camping. When camping, the two most useful items are a good hunting knife and a high quality tarp. Another option for collecting rain water would be to put clean bed sheets outside your windows. Let them get drenched in the rain, and then bring them inside and ring the water out of them by hand into a pot. Then stick them back out into the rain again. This is NOT the best method, but it will provide some drinking water. If you live in a tall apartment building with a flat roof, then you might consider collecting rain water on the roof of your building using the large tarp or heavy-duty plastic sheet described above. If you live in a house, you could collect the rain water from your roof gutters at the end of the down spouts. However, since the rain water has already been in contact with your roof, you will need to process it using one of the methods described later. The easiest way to collect roof rain water is to remove a few feet from the bottom of the gutter downspout and then put a large plastic container (or water barrel) directly beneath the shortened gutter downspout. The first few minutes of rain will wash a lot of stuff off your roof and down your gutter, so don't position the water collection container below the downspout until after it has rained about twenty-minutes. If you are camping, then you will probably be sleeping under a weatherproof tarp, or you will have a rain fly above your tent. By using a little creative thinking, you can frequently set things up so the rain water runs off your shelter into a big pot or other container. This requires a little ingenuity on your part depending on what you have available, but I mention it because some of you will figure out a way to make this idea work for you. Regardless of which method you use to collect the rain water, you will need to save the majority of your rain water until the next time it rains. Once again, if you have anticipated the possibility and seriousness of this type of unexpected emergency, then you should already have a reserve supply of clean, empty two-liter soda bottles or empty one-gallon plastic water jugs in which to store and save your rain water. If it doesn't rain, then you could go outside at dawn and collect the morning dew. How? Take a clean thin dish cloth or thin wash cloth and wipe it gently over the damp grass and other non-poisonous flowers and shrubs. Periodically ring the water out of the cloth into a bowl. Repeat. This is very hard work that yields very small quantities of water. However, if you are low on water, this may be your only way to stay alive. Bring the snow or ice inside your house and melt it down into water. You will be surprised at the small quantity of water you get from a big bucket of snow. If you are in the woods, put the pot of snow near the campfire and wait for it to melt. If you have a black plastic trash bag, then put some snow inside the bag and place it in the direct sunlight to melt the snow. If necessary, you can put the snow inside a small or medium size container. Then put the capped container inside your clothing (but not next to your skin) and your body heat will gradually melt the snow into water. If you are concerned about the cleanliness of the snow, then you can boil the resulting water for 1 or 2 minutes before you drink it. Never melt snow or ice inside your mouth. It will NOT relieve your thirst and you will dehydrate more quickly. Always melt the snow or ice first and then drink the resulting water. Ground water is almost always contaminated. If you live in the country, then ground water is lake, pond, creek, stream, or river water. In the city, it is water flowing beside the sidewalks during a heavy rain. If no other source of water is available, then you may be forced to collect the only water you can find. But don't drink it until you purify it. Even if the water looks crystal clear in a glass, it can still contain tiny organisms that will make you sick. You don't need a severe case of diarrhea or a high fever during difficult times. Like the old saying goes, it is better to be safe than sorry. All sorts of animals, bugs, and birds live in the woods. When they get the urge to use the bathroom, they let it go wherever they happen to be at the time (as long as it isn't inside their nests). Later, when it rains, that waste material washes down into the nearest pond, lake, stream, creek, or river. Think about that if you are tempted to drink ground water without purifying it first. The chances are pretty high you will get sick even though there is no industrial pollution anywhere in the vicinity. You MUST purify ground water using one of the methods which will be described later. Water that is flowing swiftly over rocks is normally much cleaner than water in stagnant pools. If you have a choice, collect your water from a fast moving stream and then purify the water using one of the techniques described later. Immediately after a rain the water in most streams and creeks will be muddy for a short period of time. At the very beginning of a rain shower you should check your water containers and fill them up if necessary before your normal water source (creek) gets really muddy. When it rains, the water does two things. Some of it travels along the top surface of the ground and ends up in creeks and streams. But a lot of it soaks into the earth and some of it makes its way down to the natural water table in the area. The earth is an excellent water filter. If the water table is 100 feet or more beneath the surface, then the water there is usually safe for human consumption without any treatment. That's why people in the country drill deep wells - they want clean water that doesn't need treatment. The next question is, how does a person get to that deep water out in the middle of the woods? Do NOT waste your time trying to dig for it. It isn't worth the effort. The best way is to find where a spring heads out. Let me explain. Because of gravity, water seeks the lowest possible level. You can usually find a stream or creek at the bottom of most hills or mountains. When you find one, begin walking upstream. Every now and then you will find a tiny feeder stream flowing into the main stream. The main stream will continue along the foot of the hill. Follow the tiny feeder stream up the side of the hill. Sooner or later you will eventually come to its source. It will just emerge from the ground. This is called the \"head of the spring.\" The underground water table in this area is very close to the surface of the earth at this one spot and this particular exit point just happened as a result of nature. The water at the head of the spring hasn't had a chance to become polluted with lots of animal waste so it is the purest water you will find in the woods. The head of a spring is normally a reasonable distance up the side of a hill or mountain. If there is any level ground near the spring head, this is usually an excellent place to set up camp. You avoid both the peak and bottom of the hill (high winds and flooding waters), and you are near a really clean reliable source of good water. Usually (not always) this spring water it so clean it doesn't need to be boiled. I only know of one way to determine if the spring water contains harmful micro-organisms (called pathogens). Take a small water sample to your local water authority (county water service) and have it tested. They will tell you if it is fit for human consumption without being treated. There is one more important consideration. After a really good rain shower, there are usually many, many feeder springs running into the main stream at the bottom of the hill. The water table rises and it leaks out all the holes near the surface of the earth. After a short period of time, most of these holes run dry because the water table falls back to its normal level. Therefore, the best time to look for the head of a spring isn't after a good rain. At that time they are easy to find but most will be undependable for the long haul. Wait until you have had a few good sunny days and then look for a spring head that is still running strong. Most rain water will flow into a stream or soak into the earth. However, some of it will be caught in large natural depressions in boulders and other large rocks. Depending on the size of the depression (and other factors such as how long the water is in the shade each day, and how much of the rock is above ground to absorb the sun's rays, etc.) the rain water may not evaporate for many days after a rain. If you are trying to become familiar with a particular area of the woods, then you should mentally note these large depressions in a rock when you see them (even if they aren't filled with rain water at the time). After a long dry spell, many springs and steams will run dry. If you are really desperate for water, then try digging in the lowest part of a dry spring or stream bed. Sometimes you will hit the water table two or three feet below the surface. All of God's creatures need water to live. If you follow a heavily worn animal path downhill in the woods, it will probably lead to water. If you hear frogs in the distance, they are probably real close to some water. If you hear geese or ducks in the distance, they are probably real close to some water. Follow the animals and you will have a pretty good chance of finding where they get their drinking water. (Note: Bees also need water and they will build their hive in close proximity to a water source. If you see a bee, observe where it goes when it leaves the flower. It will either be heading to another flower, or to its hive. When returning to its hive, bees always fly in a straight line, or the proverbial bee line. Remember, the bee's hive is near some water.) Put a large plastic bag around the leaves of a non-poisonous bush or shrub in the early morning and secure the open end of the bag to the wood branch with a string. During the heat of the day the green vegetation inside the plastic bag will release water vapor which will collect on the inside of your plastic bag and gradually drain down to the lowest edge of the plastic bag. When you check your bag at the end of the day you will discover about one-ounce of water (or less) in the lowest corner of the bag. Therefore, for this method to be of any practical value, you would need to have a lot of these bags attached to a lot of different plants every day. I have read about solar stills but I have never personally experimented with one. However, I am passing this information on to you so you will know everything I know about water. You will need a large plastic sheet or tarp to make a solar still. Dig a conical hole about four-feet wide at the top and coming to a point about two-feet deep. The bottom of the hole should be in the very center (equal distance from all sides). The slope of the sides isn't critical. Put a medium size pot at the very bottom of the hole. Then lay your plastic sheet over the top of the hole and put a medium size rock (about one-pound) in the center of the sheet just above the pot which will be directly underneath the sheet. Put heavy rocks on top of your plastic sheet all around the outside of the hole to keep the sheet from touching the inner sloping sides of the hole. The center of the sheet should be about 18 inches below the surface of the ground but about 6 inches above the pot. Wait 24 hours. Water vapor will form on the underside of your tarp and drain down to its lowest point (beneath your one-pound rock) and then drip into your pot in the bottom of the hole. On hot days and cold nights you can collect about one-pint of water per 24-hour period. I read somewhere that you can put moist green non-poisonous vegetation (leaves) near the bottom of the hole (but not in the pot) and this will increase the water yield from your still. Solar still water is naturally distilled and it might be safe to drink without any treatments (such as boiling or chlorine). However, to avoid the possibility of getting sick it is a good idea to process the still water using one of the methods detailed below. You will have to move your solar still every two or three days because you will have pulled all the available water from that hole until the next time it rains. If you want to buy a plastic sheet to take with you when you go camping, then you can find them in the house paint section of most stores, including WalMart and most hardware stores. They are used by painters as drop-cloths to keep paint off the floor. They come in a variety of sizes and thicknesses. For durability, the 2-mil thickness is probably best. I have never built a solar water still but I have used these plastic sheets before. The 3-mil stuff will last longer but it is heavier and therefore you will burn more calories carrying it around in your backpack. The 1-mil stuff is lighter but it is very easily damaged (torn). Note: I occasionally receive an email telling me that I omitted the long thin plastic tube that most survival manuals normally show extending from inside the water pot up along the side of the hole and out from under the plastic tarp. The purpose of the long thin plastic tube is to allow you to drink the water from the pot without disturbing your solar still setup. I intentionally omitted that tube or \"long straw\" for safety considerations. If I were using the above solar still to generate my drinking water then I would want to visually examine that water before I put it into my mouth and swallowed it. Therefore I did not include the \"long straw\" in the above drawing or in my description of how to build a solar still. What Makes Water Unsafe to Drink? For educational purposes only. This is NOT intended to be used as medical advice. There are three different types of waterborne pathogens that make water unsafe to drink: protozoa, bacteria, and viruses. Protozoa : They live in insects, or in cysts when on the outside of an animal. Examples of common waterborne protozoa are amoeba, giardia, and crypto(sporidium). Protozoa range in size from 1 to 100 microns, with the average being around 16 microns. They are easily removed from water by boiling. Because of their large size most of them are also easily removed by commercially available water filters (with the exception of the very small crypto). Some are relatively resistant to both chlorine and iodine chemical treatment methods. It has been estimated that 90% of the surface water in the United States is contaminated with protozoa. Bacteria : A one-celled organism that can exist in the air and in water. The average size of bacteria is between 0.2 to 1.5 microns with some as large as 10 microns. They are easily removed by boiling, by chemical treatments, or by most good water filters. Fortunately, not all bacteria are life threatening. However, the most common life-threatening waterborne bacteria are dysentery (diarrhea), typhoid, (vibrio)cholera, campylobacter, E. coli, and salmonella. Viruses : The most common waterborne viruses are hepatitis, yellow fever, polio(myelitis), rotavirus, and norwalk. Viruses are much smaller than bacteria. The average size of a virus is from 0.004 to 0.100 microns. They are easily removed by boiling or by chemical treatments. However, because of their extremely small size, they can pass through most water filters. However, some viruses will cling to other larger particles in the water which can be filtered out. The incubation period prior to becoming extremely sick as a result of ingesting one of the above pathogens varies from a few hours to a few weeks, depending on the pathogen itself and the concentration ingested. Common symptoms include fatigue, fever, cramps, diarrhea, dehydration, and nausea. If not properly treated by a medical professional, these pathogens can eventually result in a person's death. If you are in a remote area or if you can't get to a doctor quickly, then stay warm, drink plenty of safe fluids, and rest. You can help control the diarrhea with over-the-counter antidiarrheal medicines, and you can take over-the-counter pain relievers to help reduce the fever and minimize other associated discomforts. However, you should plan to get to a medical doctor as soon as possible. How to Make Water Safe to Drink Pure clean water should be used: 1. to drink, 2. to make a beverage, 3. to cook with, 4. to brush your teeth, 5. to wash your hands and face, and 6. to wash your eating dishes and cook pots. After you have purified your water using one of the following techniques, do NOT recontaminate your water by allowing it to touch a pot, or spoon, or anything else that has been in contact with the unpurified water. If your source of water is relatively cloudy or muddy (high turbidity) then allow it to stand in a large pot for twelve-hours to give the foreign particles an opportunity to settle to the bottom of the pot. Then slowly and carefully scoop the water out of the top of the pot without disturbing the sediment on the bottom of the pot. Regardless of which of the following methods you use to purify your water, the first step is always the same. Begin by pouring your water through a standard paper coffee filter, or through a clean pillow case, or through a piece of denim cloth material. This will trap and remove any large impurities in the water. The same coffee filter can be used over and over again for several days (unless the water is muddy or dirty). After you have pre-filtered your water, then you may use one of the following options to purify your water. The following alternatives are presented in order from the cheapest to the most expensive method. Boiling is the BEST method for killing ALL the pathogens in the water. Even the most expensive commercially available water filter can't make that claim. Therefore, let's examine this method very carefully. Water boils at approximately 212?F at sea level at a barometric pressure of approximately 30.3 inches of mercury. The boiling point of water decreases as the barometric pressure decreases. Therefore, the changing barometric pressure in your area has as much impact on the boiling point of water as the altitude at which you live. The following table illustrates this relationship: The Boiling Point of Water at Different Altitudes at Different Barometric Pressures Altitude 30\" Mercury 29\" Mercury 28\" Mercury 27\" Mercury Sea Level 211.5 ?F 209.8 ?F 208.0 ?F 206.2 ?F 2,000 Feet 208.0 ?F 206.2 ?F 204.4 ?F 202.5 ?F 4,000 Feet 204.4 ?F 202.5 ?F 200.5 ?F 198.4 ?F 6,000 Feet 200.5 ?F 198.4 ?F 196.3 ?F 194.1 ?F 8,000 Feet 196.3 ?F 194.1 ?F 191.8 ?F 189.4 ?F 10,000 Feet 191.8 ?F 189.4 ?F 186.9 ?F 184.3 ?F All pathogens die rapidly at 185?F. Some pathogens die at lower temperatures. By the time the water has reached its boiling point (even at low barometric pressures), all the pathogens in the water are already neutralized. Therefore, bring your water to a boil and let it hard boil for 1 minute. Or hard boil for 2 minutes on top of an extremely high mountain at very low barometric pressures. Boiling for more time doesn't help, and it results in more water being lost as steam, and it makes the water taste flatter. All pathogens are already dead by the time the water reaches its boiling point. There is no benefit to a pathogen being \"more\" dead. Wait patiently for the water to gradually cool to a comfortable drinking temperature. How to Improve the Taste of Boiled Water: 1. Stir the water to add oxygen back into the water. 2. Or pour the water from one clean sterile container into another sterile container several times. 3. Or add a little salt to the water. 4. Or add 50 mg of Vitamin C to a quart of water. 5. Or add Kool-Aid (10% Vitamin C) or Tang (100% Vitamin C) to the water. Now let's look at some other ways to improve the quality of your drinking water. But don't forget, Boiling is Best, if you intend to actually drink the water in the next 24 hours or so. However, if you plan to store the water for an extended period of time, then one of the following methods should be considered. The water should not be too cool. The water temperature should be 70?F or higher. If necessary, put the water in direct sunlight to raise the water temperature. The effectiveness of chlorine at killing pathogens diminishes rapidly at lower temperatures. Add the required number of drops of chlorine liquid bleach (Clorox or store brand, unscented) to the water and wait one hour for the bleach to kill all the tiny organisms. If you can detect a faint chlorine smell in the water at the end of one hour, then it is safe to drink. If you can't smell the chlorine, then add the same amount of bleach a second time and wait another hour. If you can detect a faint chlorine smell, then the water is safe to drink. If you still can't detect the smell of chlorine, then discard the water because it contains too many germs. (Note: Always start with the minimum recommended amount of bleach and add a little more if necessary. Too much chlorine is harmful to your body.) The water should not be too cool. The water temperature should be 70?F or higher. If necessary, put the water in direct sunlight to raise the water temperature. The effectiveness of chlorine at killing pathogens diminishes rapidly at lower temperatures. Put 1\/96 of an ounce (a pinch between thumb and finger) of 68% Calcium Hypochlorite granules into one gallon of water. Wait one-hour. If you can detect a faint chlorine smell in the water, then it is safe to drink. If you can't smell the chlorine, then add another ?pinch? and wait another hour. If you can detect a faint chlorine smell, then the water is safe to drink. If you still can't detect the smell of chlorine, then discard the water because it contains too many germs. (Note: Always start with a small amount of Calcium Hypochlorite and add a little more if necessary. Too much chlorine is harmful to your body.) The shelf life of liquid bleach (sodium hypochlorite) is much shorter than the dry 68% Calcium Hypochlorite granules. Therefore, if you wish to store hypochlorite for emergency purposes, the best choice is the dry granules. Liquid Bleach: If you have dry 68% Calcium Hypochlorite granules, and for some reason you need liquid bleach, then you may dissolve one-ounce of 68% granules in one-pint of water and you will have a 5.25% liquid bleach solution. Relatively Clear Water - Use 4 drops of iodine per quart of water or 16 drops per gallon. Cloudy Water - Use 8 drops of iodine per quart of water or 32 drops per gallon. The water should not be too cool. The water temperature should be 70?F or higher. If necessary, put the water in direct sunlight to raise the water temperature. The effectiveness of iodine at killing pathogens diminishes rapidly at lower temperatures. Add the required number of drops of iodine to the water and wait one hour. Iodine has a printed expiration date on the bottle. When that date has expired, the iodine will have lost some or most of its original strength. Therefore, iodine is generally not the chemical of choice for long-term survival situations. Caution : Iodine water treatment methods can NOT be used by pregnant women, or nursing mothers, or individuals with thyroid conditions. In addition, long-term exposure to iodine can contribute to liver damage. Although iodine is one way to purify water, it is NOT a preferred method. Any of the above methods is superior to the use of iodine. Most commercially available water purification tablets are based on the use of either chlorine or iodine as their primary active ingredient. Both chlorine and iodine have a relatively short shelf life before they begin to lose their full strength and effectiveness. If you happen to have some of these tablets and they have passed their expiration date, then you should replace them. The best overall method for improving the quality of water, but also the most expensive, is to use a commercial water filter, but not one that permanently connects to your home water system because it requires water pressure to function properly. The one potential disadvantage of commercial water filters (not purifiers) is that they cannot remove 100% of ALL virus pathogens. Fortunately, waterborne virus pathogens are NOT a common problem in most areas. Therefore, unless there has been an outbreak of viral diseases in your area, then waterborne viruses will probably not be a problem with your water supply. However, if there has been a recent outbreak of viral diseases, then add the appropriate quantity of chlorine to the water, wait one-hour, and then put that treated water through one of the following filters. Commercial water filters are normally purchased for one of three reasons: 1. To improve the taste and quality of the normal home water supply. 2. To provide drinking water during a short-term emergency. 3. To provide drinking water for long-term survival. Many people add a variety of water softeners, water filters, and water purifiers to the plumbing in their homes to improve the quality of the water normally available at their place of residence. These filters depend on water pressure and\/or electricity to function properly. Neither water pressure nor electricity can be depended on during either short-term or long-term survival scenarios so these types of water filters will not be discussed here. Short-term emergencies, such as hurricanes or tornados, are extremely serious but life gradually returns to normal after the danger has passed. Unless your area was completely demolished, most services are restored in days, or weeks, or sometimes a little longer. Long-term survival, such as a World War being fought within your nation's borders, is a more challenging situation because you may not have any outside help or assistance for an extended period of time. Your survival will depend completely on the resources you had available before the situation developed. Some water filters perform very well during short-term emergencies, but they are not designed for long-term survival situations. Other water filters are specifically engineered for long-term survival scenarios. Fortunately, those same filters will also function exceedingly well during short-term emergencies. Consequently, the following recommendations are for long-term survival water filters, which will also serve in a short-term emergency if required. In a long-term survival situation, the primary source of life-threatening pathogens entering the water supply is through human waste (fecal matter). Since the normal sewage system is not functioning the way it was designed to, human waste is NOT disposed of properly. It is frequently thrown into the streets to get it out of people's homes. The next rain washes significant amounts of that human waste into the nearest water collection area. Disease, sickness, and death soon follow. Even if you are in or near a crowded camping area during a long-term survival scenario, the same tragic drama unfolds. To survive in a situation such as this, you need to filter all your drinking water and then boil it. (Note: The proper way to deal with human waste while camping is to bury it.) Three different water filters will be discussed below. None of them require water pressure or electricity. The first model is a Swiss Katadyn Pocket Water Filter. Its advantages are that is more affordable, lighter weight, and extremely portable. It comes with one 0.2 micron filter element that will yield one-quart of drinking water per minute and the filter has a maximum rated life of 13,000 gallons of water under good conditions. Its disadvantages are that it must be hand pumped, and if its one filter is damaged in any way then it makes the unit of questionable value. However, if you perceive a survival scenario where you will be frequently moving between locations by walking or by bicycle, then it is probably your best choice because it is both small and light weight. (Note: There are several other cheaper Katadyn water filters available, such as the Hiker and the Guide, but they are NOT designed for long-term survival scenarios.) The second model is a British Berkefeld Big Berkey. Its advantages are that it uses gravity to filter the water, and it comes with four 0.9 micron nine-inch filters. Each filter has a maximum rated life of 12,000 gallons of water under good conditions (or 48,000 gallons of water from all four filters). It weighs about 9 pounds and it has exterior dimensions of about 8.5\" diameter and 20.5\" tall. It may be used with one, two, three, or all four filters installed. In a survival situation, one filter will provide about six-gallons of drinking water per day. That would leave three unused filters in reserve as replacements when the first filter wears out, or if anything should happen to the first filter. The stainless steel gravity Berkefeld water containers are extremely nice units. However, the quality of the current Berkefeld water filters that are used inside those stainless steel containers may not be as good as they were in the past. Therefore, beginning in October of 2012, I cannot recommend the purchase of the Berkefeld water filters. The third model is an American AquaRain Model 400 Water Filter. It advantages are that it uses gravity to filter the water, and it comes with four 0.3 micron filters. Each filter has a maximum rated life of 10,000 gallons of water under good conditions. It weighs about 10 pounds and it has exterior dimensions of 10.5\" diameter and 22\" tall. It can be used with one, two, three, or all four filters installed. Expected Life: Up to 13,000 gallons of water from ONE filter depending on the quality of the incoming water source. The maximum filter life can be achieved if the incoming water is pre-filtered through a clean cloth before putting it through the Katadyn filter. British Berkefeld \"Big Berkey\" Gravity Water Filter with Four 9-inch Super Sterasyl Candles Note: As of October 2012 I no longer recommend the purchase of the Berkefeld water filters. I am leaving the following information on my web site so you will know that I did consider them acceptable prior to October of 2012. Used by missionaries around the world. No water pressure required. No electricity required. Stainless Steel Construction. Output: 6 gallons per day from ONE filter, or 24 gallons per day using all four filters at the same time. Water is filtered automatically by the use of gravity. Lower Tank Holding Capacity: 2.4 gallons. Expected Life: Between 2,000 to 12,000 gallons PER FILTER of pure water depending on the quality of the incoming water. The maximum filter life can be achieved if the incoming water is pre-filtered through a clean cloth before putting it through the Berkefeld filter. Six month warranty on the water filters. Filter Elements: Four 0.9 micron Nine-Inch Super Sterasyl Candle Filters Self-disinfecting due to fine particles of silver evenly distributed throughout the Sterasyl filter which prevents the growth of bacteria. Sterasyl Candles form a barrier to all particles 0.9 microns or larger in size. Super Sterasyl Candles have an activated carbon filling which removes chemical and organic compounds from the water, reduces herbicides and pesticides, eliminates unpleasant odors, and improves the taste. This unit may be priced and sold with either 7\" or 9\" Sterasyl Candles. Verify you are getting 9\" filters before you buy. This unit may be priced and sold with either Regular Sterasyl Candles or Super Sterasyl Candles. Verify you are getting four 9\" Super Sterasyl Candle filters before you buy. This unit may be priced with the black filters. The black filters are better but they do not have the life expectancy of the Super Sterasyl Candle filters. All Sterasyl filters will remove: More than 99.99% E. Coli Bacteria More than 99.99% Cholera Bacteria More than 99.99% Fecal Coliform Bacteria More than 99.99% Shigetta Bacteria More than 99.99% Salmonella Bacteria More than 99.99% Typhoid Bacteria 100% Giardia Protozoa 100% Cryptosporidium Protozoa Reduces turbidity more than 99.7% Does NOT remove 99.9% of all viruses. Does NOT remove dissolved minerals or chemicals. Therefore it can not be used to desalinate sea water. The durable filters element may be cleaned many times with a Scotch Brite pad, purchased separately. Shipped with two rubber hole plugs to permit the use of two filters. To use more than two filters at the same time, remove the rubber hole plugs. To use only one filter, an additional cork or hole plug will need to be purchased separately. Expected Life: Between 2,500 to 10,000 gallons PER FILTER of pure water depending on the quality of the incoming water. The maximum filter life can be achieved if the incoming water is pre-filtered through a clean cloth before putting it through the AquaRain filter. Does NOT remove dissolved minerals or chemicals. Therefore it can not be used to desalinate sea water. The durable filters element may be cleaned up to 200 times with the included cleaning pad. Shipped with two silicone hole plugs to permit the use of two filters. To use more than two filters at the same time, remove the silicone hole plugs. To use only one filter, an additional cork or hole plug will need to be purchased separately. At the current time all three of the above water filters are saturated with fine particles of silver to prevent and retard the growth of pathogens. Early American pioneers frequently put a silver dollar into their water barrels and they left it there because they had learned from experience that it helped to reduce the number of health related problems within their families. The following is just my opinion about the potential advantages and shortcomings of the above water filters. It is nothing more than my opinion. I no longer recommend the purchase of the Berkefeld water filters because their quality does not appear to be as good as it was in the past. However, their stainless steel water containers are extremely nice. Therefore if you have one of their stainless steel containers then I recommend that you consider purchasing some AquaRain replacement water filters for that unit when your current supply of Berkefeld water filters have been used up. Each company that sells a water filter will tell you why their particular water filter is better than their competitors. But each company will usually only be comparing the specific features of their filter that are better while not mentioning the features where their filter is weaker. The AquaRain filter does have the advantage of a carbon core. The inner carbon core filter does help to improve the taste of filtered water. However, if you wish you may add an external carbon filter to the Katadyn filter. In other words, if your water has taste problems, then after putting it through the Katadyn filter you could then pour that water through a separate carbon filter. There is no simple one best answer about which water filter company makes the best filter. At this time I cannot recommend the Katadyn filter or the AquaRain filter as being the best one on the market. Each filter has advantages and disadvantages. However, if you only talk to a sales representative they will focus their sales pitch on the advantages and downplay the disadvantages. In a life-threatening emergency I would first hard boil my water for one minute and then I would let it gradually cool down to room temperature. Boiling would kill the pathogens in the water. Then I would use either a Katadyn or an AquaRain water filter to further enhance the quality of the water. Then I would feel safer about drinking the water. How to Build an Affordable High Efficiency Homemade Water Filter for about $50 A replacement water filter cartridge with an O-ring and a wing nut such as the ones made by AquaRain (approximately $45.00). A good quality water filter will process about 10,000 to 12,000 gallons of water before it wears out if you pre-filter the water through a clean cloth before putting it through your water filter. One good water filter will provide about 7 or 8 gallons of drinking water each day. When you order your water filter please be sure to specifically request that they ship the filter with a new \"O\" ring and a new \"wing nut\" for the bottom of the filter. With a new water filter, and an \"O\" ring seal, and a \"wing nut\" you can install your filter on anything that will hold at least one-gallon of water, and is also at least as tall as the filter itself. For example, you could install a water filter in a food grade 5 or 6 gallon plastic bucket, or a plastic tote container, or an empty one-gallon plastic water bottle (after you cut the top off the bottle). The container must have a flat bottom surface at the position where you will install the water filter. Simply drill a one-half inch diameter hole in the bottom center of the container and then put the \"O\" ring tight against the filter on the inside of the container and then screw the \"wing nut\" to the filter on the outside of the container. Then put the modified water filter container over another clean container that will catch the filtered water and fill the water filter container with water. Then relax and wait for gravity to move the water through your water filter into the lower container. If you are filtering out radioactive particles then position your water filter system far enough away from your living quarters so the tiny radioactive particles that will get trapped inside the water filter cannot slowly poison your family members. Radiation only kills living organisms. It does not kill non-living things such as water or canned food. However, if you ingest water or food that contains radioactive particles then you will get sick and eventually die. However, if you remove the radioactive particles from the water then the water will be safe to drink. How to Distill Water Equipment Needed: Pressure Cooker (any size). Copper Tubing (12 to 15 feet). Cooling Bucket (2 to 5 gallons). Clean Cook Pot or Clean Water Bucket. The copper tubing should have an inside diameter that matches the outside diameter of the steam exhaust port on your pressure cooker. Leave about four-feet at both ends of the copper tubing relatively straight. Wrap the center of the copper tubing into a coil around any cylindrical object that is a few inches smaller in diameter than the inside of the cooling bucket (item 3 above). Remove and aside the cylindrical object after you have successfully coiled the middle of the copper tubing. Instructions for Distilling Water: Follow all the standard safety instructions for a pressure cooker. Pour some water through a clean cloth to pre-filter the water and remove any large impurities. Fill the pressure cooker between 1\/2 to 3\/4 full of pre-filtered water. Put the pressure cooker on the stove top but do NOT turn on the heat yet. Put a cooling bucket on a chair near the stove. Fill the cooling bucket with cool water. Place an empty clean cook pot or clean water bucket on the floor. Attach one end of the copper tubing to the steam exhaust port on top of the pressure cooker. Place the center coil of the cooper tubing inside the cool water in the cooling bucket. Place the other end of the copper tubing in the clean cook pot on the floor. Turn on the heat to the pressure cooker. The water inside the pressure cooker will gradually turn into steam and travel up through the steam exhaust port into the copper tubing. The steam will enter the cooling coil and cool down and become water again. It will then flow into the cook pot on the floor. You may reduce the heat to the pressure cooker after water starts flowing into the cook pot on the floor. Do NOT touch the pressure cooker or the copper tubing while either one is HOT. The above procedure will make distilled water but it uses a lot of energy. Other Methods of Making Water Safe to Drink There are a variety of other methods for making water safe to drink, such as reverse osmosis and ultraviolet. However, those methods are better suited to normal situations that don't involve long-term survival and the possible absence of electricity. A Practical and Inexpensive Method for Replenishing Water while Hiking If you have enough Katadyn Pocket Water Filters for everyone in your group, then you may skip over this section. However, if some of the people in your party don't have their own Pocket Water Filter, then the following information may be of use to you. To begin with, it is not practical to attach items to the belt which holds your pants up. If you do, those items will pull your pants down as you walk and rub blisters on your hips. Not only is it painful, but it is also very annoying. Therefore, let your normal belt (or suspenders) hold your pants up. Then use another belt for your knife, pistol, first aid kit, and canteen, but don't put that belt through the belt loops on your pants. A belt canteen is usually preferred to a shoulder strap canteen because the shoulder strap wears a blister on your shoulder in a very short time, even when you keep changing shoulders. Most canteens are made of light-weight plastic. You can find them at most Army-Navy Surplus Stores. They also usually carry the canteen pouch and the equipment (canteen) belt. Sometimes you can also find a collapsible metal cup that will fit on the bottom of the plastic canteen and fit inside the cloth canteen pouch. The handle of the metal cup is on a hinge and it will fold down and under the cup out-of-the-way. ( Note: If you decide to visit an Army-Navy Surplus Store, then ask for an \"Alice\" type belt with shoulder harness suspender straps. It will cost a little more money but if you do ANY hiking you will probably never regret spending that money. If you purchase the Alice belt, then you should also check out the different types of small equipment bags they sell which attach to that belt. Each small bag can be used to store something different, such as first aid supplies, dehydrated or freeze-dried food, personal care items, or small miscellaneous survival gear such as snare wires and fishing tackle.) When full of water, the canteen weighs about 2.5 pounds. However, as you walk you will periodically drink some of your water. And if the unexpected occurs, then you may not be able to return to your primary area of safety before nightfall. Therefore, you should also carry the means to replace your drinking water if necessary. If you add a clean cloth (folded inside a heavy-duty freezer bag) to the inside of your canteen pouch with your canteen, then you will have a method to pre-filter your water. The heavy-duty freezer bag can be used to collect the water, even from a very shallow area. The water can then be poured from the freezer bag through the cloth into your metal cup. This pre-filters the water and removes any large impurities. You then have two options. If you have water purification tablets, then you could put the appropriate number inside the water in your cup and wait the specified time. Then you can pour the water into your canteen. Or you could start a fire IF you have a small butane lighter. Of course you would also need to find some combustible material but in most areas that is not too difficult. Then you can heat the water in your metal cup over the coals from the fire until the water boils. Let it boil for 1 minute (or 2 minutes if you are at the top of an extremely high mountain). Then wait patiently for the water to cool to a safe temperature. Then pour the safe water into your canteen. You would either boil your water OR you would use your water purification tablets, but you would NOT do both at the same time because they both accomplish the same basic objective. Of the two methods, boiling is best because it positively kills every pathogen in your water source whereas the purification tablets will not be successful against all viruses. The cloth canteen pouches sold at most Army-Navy Surplus Stores have a small pocket attached to the outside of the canteen pouch. This exterior pocket can be used to store your bottle of water purification tablets which should be placed inside a plastic sandwich bag. And it can also be used to store a miniature butane lighter in a separate plastic sandwich bag. The purpose of the sandwich bags is to protect those items from the condensation moisture from your canteen which will saturate your canteen pouch, or from the rain if it should start to rain unexpectedly while you are hiking. Water Conservation Recommendations for Personal Hygiene Activities Bathing If you are low on water then don't waste it bathing. I know cleanliness is important but most of us overdo it in the United States. Just wash your hands, face, and feet periodically. Use the two-pot method for bathing. Fill one pot with water and use it as the first rinse after washing your hands with soap, or after bathing with a sponge or wash cloth. Fill another pot with water and use it as the second rinse. Don't discard the wash water in the first pot until it is too dirty to be safely used, and then pour it into the back of your toilet tank so you can use it to flush your toilet, if your sewer system is still working. Then use the second pot as your first rinse and start a new pot of clean water as your second rinse. (Note: The average person probably won't appreciate the true value of their feet until they are confronted with a difficult situation. Then they will suddenly realize that their long-term survival depends on the condition of their feet.) If you have water pressure and you prefer to take showers, then take a military shower. Close the bath tub drain or put a flat round flexible plastic drain cover over the shower drain. Turn the water on , quickly get soaking wet all over, and then turn the water off . Use some soap to wash your body, and use some shampoo on your hair while the water is off . When you have finished washing and shampooing, turn the water on and quickly rinse the shampoo out of your hair and the soap off your body. Then turn the water off . If you practice this method you will discover you can take a good shower with only three or four gallons of water, and you can then use the shower water that is in the bottom of the tub or shower to flush your toilet, if your sewer system is still working. Teeth Brushing Always brush your teeth at least once per day. It doesn't take much water, just a little in a small cup. If you still have water pressure, then do not let the water run while you are brushing your teeth. (Note: Also do not let the water run while you are shaving.) Instead turn the faucet on and put about 2 or 3 ounces of water into a small cup. Then turn the faucet off. Only use a little toothpaste each time and not the amount you normally use. Your toothpaste will last four to six times longer this way with no compromise in dental hygiene. If your sewer system is still working then spit the used mouthful of toothpaste into the toilet bowl. If your sewer system is not working, the spit the toothpaste into the trash can. Rinse your mouth thoroughly after brushing with a small amount of water and spit it into the sink. (Note: If you have a limited amount of water then you do not want to run the risk of having your toothpaste slowly accumulate inside your sink drain and gradually dry out and form a soap block that prevents your drain from working properly. That is the reason you should consider spitting the toothpaste into the toilet stool or trash can.) Washing Dishes Use the three-pot method to wash your eating dishes. Wash your dishes in the first pot of water with dish soap. Rinse the dishes in a second pot. Rinse the dishes again in a third pot. When the dish water in the first pot gets really nasty, pour it down the front of your toilet stool to flush it, if your sewer system is still working. (Note: Dish water usually contains too much food residue and grease to put it in the back of the toilet tank but it can be poured into the front toilet bowl to help flush the stool.) Then put dish soap in the second pot and use it as the initial wash pot. Use the third pot as your first rinse. Add a new pot with clean water as the final rinse. Hot water, or even warm water, makes it easier to wash your dishes by hand. However, the effort and energy required to heat the water may sometimes exceed the extra manual effort required to simply scrub the dishes a little harder by hand in cold water. That trade-off decision will need to be made by each person based on their own personal circumstances. (Note: Warm water doesn't kill germs. Boiling water kills germs. However, warm water does make grease removal from the dishes much easier. Or you could use enamel coated camping dishes which clean up nicely even in cold water. However, long-term exposure to citric acid will stain the enamel coating on enamel dishes.) Washing Clothes If you are using a standard electric washing machine then do not discard your washing machine water directly into the drain. Move the drain hose to a position above a large empty water container to catch the used wash water. After the first wash cycle, allow the wash water to drain into your water storage container. This soapy wash water can be used in the back of your toilet stool to flush your toilets, if your sewer system is still working. After the washing machine rinse cycle, allow the rinse water to drain into another water storage container. After the washing machine spin cycle is complete, remove your clean clothes, and then transfer the rinse water back into your washing machine. This water is relatively clean and it only contains a little soap residue which will be of use during the next wash cycle. If you will follow this method you will not be wasting any water to wash your clothes, because all of the water will eventually be used to flush your toilets. The Common Household Toilet Stool If your sewer system is not working then you may use the two pot method for human waste collection and disposal. You will need two large five-gallon containers with lids. When you need to use the toilet, then do so inside one of the two containers. Liquid waste should go into one container and solid waste in the other container. Then immediately replace the lid so most of the odor remains inside the containers. Your local public health authorities will tell you where and how to periodically dispose of this human waste to prevent the spread of a multitude of life threatening diseases. If your sewer system is working then you may use your toilet. Most new toilet stools are very water efficient and they only require the absolute minimum amount of water per flush. If you have an older toilet stool then it probably uses between four to six gallons of water per flush, which is excessive. However, you can easily reduce the amount of water required per flush. Fill a clean empty 16 to 24 ounce plastic bottle (soft drink or water) with small rocks or pebbles as full as you can, and then finish filling the plastic bottle with water. Replace the bottle cap tightly. Carefully remove the top piece off the rear of your toilet tank and place the full weighted plastic bottle inside the tank. If necessary, secure it with some wire or string inside the toilet tank so that it does not interfere with the normal flushing operation of the toilet. Then flush the toilet to make sure it flushes properly. If you still have some space, then you may add a second and a third filled plastic bottle inside the toilet tank. Just be careful that you do not interfere with the normal flushing operation of the toilet. (Note: Or you could put a brick inside a plastic freezer bag and put it inside the toilet tank instead of using a plastic bottle. Or you could simply replace your old toilet with a new water efficient toilet that uses about 1.6 gallons per flush. ) Only flush human waste and used toilet tissue down your toilet stool. Do not put makeup removal tissues or any other type of used paper in your toilet stool. Instead dispose of these other types of used paper products in an ordinary trash can. Flushing the toilet each time you use it is NOT a good idea under hardship conditions. In the country when people occasionally find themselves short on water they follow a very simple rule: If it is yellow, let it mellow. If it is brown, flush it down. Conclusion Our bodies are mostly water. Most of the earth's surface is covered with water. Unfortunately, most of it isn't fit to drink. But without water we will all be dead in about three days. Therefore, any information you can acquire about how and where to get drinking water takes you one step closer to being an independent, resourceful human being in God's natural order of things. Revision History: Revised October 11, 2012 - Discontinued the recommendation of the Berkefeld Water Filters. ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"good day and thank you for taking the time to read and try to help my situation. i have a pair of gtx-580 gpus that i preffer to do the crunching, rather than the cpu. and it does seem to be doing what its supposed to. but since i restarted doing this a month or so ago ive played w a lot of projests, 1 at a time even and it seems as tho im only getting a tenth of the credit that the other projects show me (on stats tab). is it just me or should ther be somthing i can do to better help this project, rather than let me resources go to other projects i would very much like to be a better cruncher for setti. other project tend to be overly generous with the credits when it comes to crunching numbers. Also the Seti@home WU's are a bit more complex than most other projects. S@H does give credits for exactly how much work is done. Others typically just hand out credit without regard to the amount of work done. This keeps people crunching for them when otherwise people would just abandon them ____________ Proud member of TSWB. ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"The Nature of Conflict A conflict is the moment of truth in a relationship-a test of its health, a crisis that can weaken or strengthen it, a critical event that may bring lasting resentment, smouldering hostility, psychological scars.  Conflicts can push people away from each other or pull them into a closer and more intimate union; they contain the seeds of destruction and the seeds of greater unity; they may bring about armed warfare or deeper mutual understanding. How conflicts are resolved is probably the most critical factor in all relationships.  Unfortunately, most people try to resolve them by using only two basic approaches in which someone wins and someone loses, both of which outcomes are ineffective and harmful to the relationship. Few persons accept the fact that conflict is part of life and not necessarily bad.  We look on conflict as something to avoid at all costs.  We often hear husbands and wives boast that they have never had a serious disagreement-as if that means theirs has been a good relationship. Parents tell their children, \"All right, there is to be no arguing tonight at the dinner table-we don't want to spoil our dinner.\"  Or they yell, \"Stop that arguing, right now!\"  Parents of teenagers can be heard lamenting that now that their children are older there are many more disagreements and conflicts in the family.  \"We used to see eye to eye on most things.\"  Or, \"My daughter was always so cooperative and easy to handle, but now we don't see things her way and she can't see things our way.\" At home or at work, most of us hate to experience conflict, are deeply trouble when it occurs, and are quite confused about how to handle it constructively.  Actually, it would be a rare relationship if, over a period of time, one person's needs did not conflict with the other's.  When any two people (or groups) coexist, conflict is bound to occur just because people are different, think differently, and have needs and wants that sometimes do not match. Conflict, therefore, is not necessarily bad-it exists as a reality of any relationship.  As a matter of fact, a relationship with no apparent conflict may be unhealthier than one with frequent conflict.  A good example is a marriage where the wife is always subservient to a dominating husband or vice versa, or a boss-subordinate relationship in which the subordinate is so deathly afraid of the boss that s\/he does not dare cross him\/her in any way. Most people have known families, especially large families, where conflict crops up constantly and yet these families are wonderfully happy and healthy.  Conversely, we often see newspaper accounts of youthful criminals whose parents indicate complete astonishment that their boy could do such a thing.  They say they never had any trouble with him; he had always been so \"cooperative\" which is usually a euphemism of \"obedient.\" Conflict in a family or a work group, openly expressed and accepted as a natural phenomenon, can be far healthier than most people think.  Members have the opportunity to experience conflict, learn how to cope with it, and be better prepared to deal with it in later life.  And family conflict may actually be beneficial, provided that the conflict in the home gets resolved constructively. This is the critical factor in any relationship:  how their conflicts get resolved, not how many conflicts occur.  It is the most critical factor in determining whether a relationship will be healthy or unhealthy, mutually satisfying or unsatisfying, friendly or unfriendly, deep or shallow, intimate or cold, peaceful or violent.* 'E.T. has helped me so much with positive and authentic communication, not only in the workplace but in my personal life. I now have the courage to face awkward situations, where in the past I would have felt overwhelmed or even avoided them.' ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"thanks , i actually went looking for this one a few weeks back and gave up when i found the links in the original announcement were broken. i have been up and down the firmware revisions in the past with out much luck. these older ones from memory have issues with the 7day epg and the more recent general crashing a few times a day. anyhow im just hoping that one of these firmwares when released cures the once\/twice daily crash and has a useable 7day epg for scheduled recording. maybe i just wish for too much 22nd nov 2011 is the mcas my box is on, thats the only version that didnt freeze every few seconds with my austar 5.4 card. I have been turning my system completely off at night and letting it do it's complete bootup in the morning and have not had hardley any crashes. If I try to change to another Internet ch on 'internet tv' before the one I am loading starts or stops I get it locking up but in the normal mode it has been very good. Ultrapower website will have the latest firmware available to download when available ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"01 October 2012 Some Kind of Wonderful progress... Last week I spent the most time working on my monthly cottages project Finished this one... and made a start on the next one. I did get the chance to finish off a couple more blocks for the SKOW quilt. The kitty cat... I enjoyed stitching this and it turned out to be quite easy to needle turn. The next one I made to replace the shoes block in row 4 as I'm not really a fan of high heels. I am a fan of bees though so I made a beehive with some embroidered buzzy bees... I enjoyed making this one too! Not a lot of sewing time over the weekend. On Saturday Catherine and I went to see the new Resident Evil film which we've been looking forward to for ages. Lots of Alice in action but the story was quite lacking I thought. On the way home we detoured via Abakhan fabrics (it was a detour too as it's in completely the opposite direction) so that I could pick up a few supplies. I didn't actually go to buy fabric but really - what stitcher is going to walk into a fabric shop and not even take a peek at the fabric? I came out with this... because I just couldn't leave without it! I have no idea what to use it for but for now I'm enjoying looking at it :) It was a bit pricey compared with Abakhan's normal fabulous prices but I notice that it's actually made by a New Zealand company so perhaps that's the reason. It's called 'A Stitch in Time' by Nutex. I really like it a lot! ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Since the simple concept of the website first became a major part of our lives years ago, a lot has changed. In the past, websites were designed mostly to show off the latest in this new technology and all it could bring to the table. However, times have begun to change and have found people becoming more used to the internet and the level of convenience it offers. As a result, websites are becoming sleeker and more efficient. They're more focused on functionality than they are flash and show. When it comes to visuals, we're seeing more attention being paid to a streamlined finished and a minimalist point of view as well. Here's how we can expect these trends to continue into the bright new year of 2013. Interactivity Will Be Huge Web design and mobile technology are changing a lot about people's expectations in regards to the media they absorb, as well as the resources they rely on. Every year, human beings evolve more toward a personalized lifestyle where everything is customized for them. Web-based radio and television stations not only play people the music they most want to hear, but they make personalized recommendations in regards to what they might want to check out next. Mobile phone apps effortlessly customize themselves according to the user's location, preferences, and usage history. As a result, people are expecting the same from the websites they use to an increasing degree. In 2013, website designers who truly wish to stay ahead of the game will be contouring their designs to fit this preference. More websites will be utilizing scripts that recommend not only onsite content that might fit the user's needs, but also location-based recommendations such as localized price quotes or local service-finder plug-ins. Increased Focus on Social Media It doesn't take a genius to see that social media is something that's here to stay. At this point, interfaces like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Google Plus are a lot more than simple ways to stay in touch with family and friends. They're platforms we rely on for news, advice, core social interactions, and much more. This is only expected to become more the case in the years to come, so naturally website design is expected to showcase social media-based interactions to a much greater degree. This trend is also expected to reach and influence web content and services provided by web-based businesses as well. Fluid Design Options We're already seeing a huge increase in the role multiple devices and interfaces are playing in regards to how people access the internet. Website designers are moving away from the old-school static design and adopting methods that are more responsive in nature. This allows for a given site to load well and be usable via any interface whether that's a standard desktop system, a sleek new iPad, or a mobile phone. That said, more web designers will be making the switch from the tried and true HTML4 and old-school CSS options and upgrading to CSS3 or HTML5. Sites designed using these programming interfaces are actually able to function more like mobile apps and tablet apps. This allows the site to be viewable, usable, and enjoyable to use across a multitude of different devices and interfaces. By the end of 2013, it's actually probable that few web designers worth their salt will be using anything else. In short, the year 2013 will find us moving boldly forward and building upon existing trends in a big way. How exciting it will be to see where web design takes us next! ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"@Saelan- Its a straight phone pic of the light around 8:30 this morning, full-frame. I use Squaready app to make borders, then I instagrammed it. No filter, if I remember correctly. I almost never use photoshop beyond basic wee adjustments -- -straightening, color correction, etc. I'm currently in love with this shot. And the ikebana pic from Kyoto a few posts back. We were at the art museum for the Chagall exhibit and stumbled on a big calligraphy and ikebana exhibition upstairs. More interestingly, on the 6th floor, there was a calligraphy workshop for monks. Alex is great! I wrote about his work last year in BlackFlash 28.2 . Unfortunately the text isn't online but I'm working on setting up a proper site for myself with all my writing archived. Stay tuned. We should point out before moving on that in each of these forms of immaterial labor, cooperation is completely inherent in the labor itself. Immaterial labor immediately involves social interaction and cooperation. In other words, the cooperative aspect of immaterial labor is not imposed or organized from the outside, as it was in previous forms of labor, but rather, cooperation is completely immanent to the laboring activity itself . This fact calls into question the old notion (common to classical and Marxian political economics) by which labor power is conceived as \"variable capital,\" that is, a force that is activated and made coherent only by capital, because the cooperative powers of labor power (particularly immaterial labor power) afford labor the possibility of valorizing itself. Brains and bodies still need others to produce value, but the others they need are not necessarily provided by capital and its capacities to orchestrate production. Today productivity, wealth and the creation of social surpluses take the form of cooperative interactivity through linguistic, communicational, and affective networks. In the expression of its own creative energies, immaterial labor thus seems to provide the potential for a kind of spontaneous and elementary communism. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"TCPglobal - news, views and issues on total cost of printing Issue #1208 - As we see the launch of the much-talked-about Windows 8 by Microsoft today, we have to say, \"It's a really good thing Microsoft does not make printers!\" Why? Simply because Windows 8 is sadly lacking its Windows! User interface designer and software developer Dave Maude takes a look at some of the technicalities of Windows 8 that seem to have been overlooked in the media so far. Now, if you ask any of my family or friends, I'm sure they would tell you that while I like what Apple does, I am by no means an Apple fan-boy, a Linux nerd or a Microsoft geek, but that I am a huge techie. Having used a variety of different operating systems across multiple platforms in near equal moderation in the past, I see strengths and weaknesses in each. So what are the strengths of Windows when considered in the company of Mac OSX and Linux Ubuntu for example? Well, in the Mac we have simplicity of use and ease of maintenance meaning Apple's recent mantra of 'It just works', more often than not seems to compare well with the technically more complicated Windows and Linux. But, then again, Linux does have extraordinary flexibility and the app store with centralised update management ensuring security updates are managed at an OS level for third party apps as well. I am aware Mac OSX is moving in this direction but the availability of Mac apps on the app store is still somewhat lacking. So where does Windows benefit? Well, that would have to be in its ubiquity. There is no other single operating system family that is as widespread in its contagion in both the business and personal computer markets. I mean, you only have to look at the fact that Windows 7 has sold 600 million licenses globally since its release to realise that as much as Apple might consider itself to be the messiah of the digital age, Microsoft still has dominant market control with roughly 84% of the market. So, let's put that into perspective. There are circa 2.27bn global internet users, meaning that more than 664 million worldwide users of the internet are using a version of Windows older than Windows 7. That's a lot of upgrades, even when not taking into account all the Windows 7 users, most of whom are more likely to be early adopters of Windows 8 than those still using Windows XP. Now, with this in mind, wouldn't you think Microsoft would concentrate most on what would work best for the nearly 2 billion users of their current operating system when putting together the user interface architecture for its new Windows family member? I hate to be the bearer of bad news to anyone, let alone just under 2 billion people, but I'm here to tell you that Microsoft was not thinking about you, the Windows user, when they developed Windows 8. Instead they got hooked on Apple juice and developed for the much hyped 'post-pc era'. Now, clearly you can't argue that mobile computing is not extraordinary in its success and the speed by which it seems to be developing. It is just recently reported that over 100 million Android devices were sold during Q2 2012. So we shouldn't ignore this sizeable market either. But Microsoft's fatal error is to attempt to develop a one size fits all operating system for both tablets in the mobile computing sector and desktop PCs. You may ask, why is that such a problem? Surely my iPad or Galaxy Tab can do most of what my desktop PC can do! Or maybe you're even one of the few who have completely abandoned desktop computing for your shiny new tablet. But consider this; using your finger or even a stylus to design the next Airbus colossus; or attempting to touch-type that 20,000-word report on a touchscreen device for your boss due by the end of the week; or writing the code for the next Windows operating system on a 10.1? screen. It is just not efficient or effective! Desktop computing, in its current guise, is here for a long time -- certainly until something more convincing comes along. So what really is the matter with Windows 8? Well, you may have encountered the Metro interface, whether on a Windows phone, xBox or Zune HD and most writers are blaming the downfall of Windows 8 on this new UI that Microsoft seems to be putting all its weight behind. Now, you might be a fan of Metro, or you may hate it, but I'm here to tell you, it's not the problem! You see, Windows in every incarnation up until Windows 8 has controlled its application UI through the use of windows. Can you see where the name came from? And yet, except for the get out clause with the desktop app where you can run all your legacy software that hasn't yet been written for the Metro interface, the new Windows doesn't work around windows at all! In fact, even the desktop app that looks and works suspiciously like Windows 7, but nowhere near as well, is actually slow and clunky to use. Clearly the company is trying to push all developers to build apps specifically for the Metro UI rather than using the previous windows-based UI. It is possible that Microsoft could have used the existing windows-based UI with a Metro layer instead of the Start Menu, somewhat like Apple does with Launchpad. But no, it has Metro with a windows layer, which in all likelihood will disappear with time as it manages to migrate users and developers onto Metro alone. The problem with that is it's not the way we use desktops. When I am developing software, designing a new user interface, surfing the web or writing this article, I have many apps open all at the same time in their separate windows, allowing me to transition between one and the other quickly and easily, viewing multiple windows at a time, including the desktop if needed. All of a sudden Microsoft is saying, \"You know that 30 years of computing experience you have where you've learnt to work efficiently and effectively using the windows interface we have spoon fed you from the beginning of the personal computer? Yeah, those windows thingies. Well, forget it -- we've got rid of them for something we think is more stylish and useful to someone using a touchscreen! Even though we know you use Windows primarily on a desktop!\" So, Windows has been undermined by its lack of windows! Microsoft's fascination with the post-pc revolution, the tablet market and possibly its arch-rival Apple has resulted in it developing an operating system that is too simplified to be effective as an OS for desktop computers and too complicated really to beat off Android or iOS for the tablet computer either. It's such a shame really, as I would have loved to see how Microsoft could take Windows to the next level for desktop computing after Windows 7. Instead it seems Windows 7 is going to be the Microsoft operating system of choice for quite a while. In much the same way as people are ready to throw the baby out with the bath water when it comes to print in the 'new digital age', Microsoft is willing to throw away something which is proven to work in order to embrace a new 'post-pc era'. The value of print in the office and windows on the pc is still fundamentally important until a new technological substitute comes along as a worthy replacement. Certainly at the moment there is no worthy replacement of print and the same goes for windows. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"In fact the counties with the highest percentage of income from federal programs are for the most part rural, white and concentrated in the southwest, south and Appalachia -- where people tend to vote for \"anti-big government\" Republicans. What's going on? There has been a small library of books devoted to wrestling with this question. Republicans have in recent decades successfully used social \"wedge\" issues -- gun control, abortion, culturally \"elitist\" liberals, etc. -- to win support from socially-conservative lower-income white voters. (Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum -- now leading Mitt Romney in the polls -- may have gone a bridge too far on this with his comments on contraception and prenatal screening . The guy does say what he thinks.) But there is perhaps a less-recognized reason. As New York Times columnist Paul Krugman writes : Cornell University's Suzanne Mettler points out that many beneficiaries of government programs seem confused about their own place in the system. She tells us that 44 percent of Social Security recipients, 43 percent of those receiving unemployment benefits, and 40 percent of those on Medicare say that they \"have not used a government program.\" Presumably, then, voters imagine that pledges to slash government spending mean cutting programs for the idle poor, not things they themselves count on. And this is a confusion politicians deliberately encourage. For example, when Mr. Romney responded to the new Obama budget, he condemned Mr. Obama for not taking on entitlement spending -- and, in the very next breath, attacked him for cutting Medicare. The truth, of course, is that the vast bulk of entitlement spending goes to the elderly, the disabled, and working families, so any significant cuts would have to fall largely on people who believe that they don't use any government program. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"This is the Army Mister Jones, No private rooms or telephones, You had your breakfast in bed before, But you wont have it there any more. This is the Army Mister Green, We like the barracks nice and clean, you had a housemaid to clean your floor, but she wont help you out any more. Do what the buglers command, They're in the army and not in a band. This is the Army Mr. Brown, You and your baby went to town. She had you worried but this is war, and she wont worry you any more. I Left my Heart at the Stagedoor Canteen by:Irving Berlin I left my heart at the stagedoor canteen. I left it there with a girl named Eileen, I kept her serving doughnuts till all she had were gone, I kept her serving doughnuts till she caught on. I must go back to the Army routine, and every doughboy knows what that will mean, A soldier boy without a heart, has two strikes on him from the start, and my heart's at the stagedoor canteen. ","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Nothing about the neat stacks of books and rows of chairs at the powerHouse Arena in DUMBO suggested it had been in three feet of water until recently. Yet the bookstore and event venue was still in the midst of a dramatic recovery from superstorm Sandy when an enthusiastic crowd gathered on Monday's night for the National Book Foundation's 5 Under 35 program, held just two days before the National Book Award is presented in lower Manhattan (look for coverage here tomorrow). The atmosphere was festive and lively jazz music was playing as past NBA winners and fellow bibliophiles gathered to recognize the year's 5 Under 35 honorees. Each year, five previous winners and finalists of the National Book Awards select five young writers to receive the award. This year's judges included Tea Obreht, an NBA finalist last year for her novel \"The Tiger's Wife,\" and Edith Perlman, also a finalist last year for her book \"Binocular Vision.\" And it was a night of celebration in more ways tha one: powerHouse CEO Daniel Power highlighted the venue's resilience in the face of Sandy's rampage and his commitment to bring great books to the community no matter the challenges. Musician Neko Case, the master of ceremonies, opened with a talk on the difference books made in her life when she was a child growing up in Washington State. The rural setting of her childhood, where condoms and other trash floated down the nearby river, did not contain much promise for her life. \"When you're a kid you don't know that's not all there is,\" she told the bespectacled crowd gathered before her. \"That's where books come in.\" Anya Ulinich, who was an honoree in 2007 for \"Petropolis,\" moderated a panel discussion, with each writer reading a page from his or her novel. (Honoree Hayley Tanner, author of \"Vaclav and Lena,\" was unable to attend due to the birth of her daughter the day before.) Discussing the most difficult thing the writers faced while writing their stories, Claire Vaye Watkins said of the personal nature of her writing, \"People said 'Aren't you afraid someone you know will read this?'\" Her collection of short stories, \"Battleborn,\" was selected by 2011 NBA finalist Julie Otsuka. Watkins went on to explain that she hopes people not only read her work, but also grow to care about her characters. Ulinich broached the topic of sensitivity when one writes about one's family. Justin Torres' autobiographical \"We the Animals\" in particular contains a candid account of the author's family when he was growing up in Brooklyn, drama, fights and all. The book was selected by 1990 NBA finalist Jessica Hagedorn. \"Did you make any compromises in the book?\" Ulinich asked. \"I'm going to sound like the biggest [jerk] in the world if I say no,\" laughed Torres. \"Yes, all over the place.\" Lastly, Ulinich asked the panel about their writing process. Jennifer duBois, whose novel \"A Partial History of Lost Causes\" was selected by 2011 NBA finalist Andrew Krivak, replied, \"I write a few tweets on Twitter,\" to the amusement of the audience and the agreement of her fellow scribes. The night was full of laughs and tears, jokes and jazz, and most of all hope, a touching resolve that no matter what storms may come, those who love books will still gather to share and celebrate their affection for the written word. Post new comment Comments About This Blog A blog about literature, culture and the greater world of ideas. Follow us on Twitter at @NYDNBooks. Email editor Alexander Nazaryan at anazaryan@nydailynews.com with questions, comments, scathing complaints and fulsome praise. Subscribe to the Page Views's feed. For more NYDailyNews.com feeds, click here. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"I recently moved to the takaka valley a short distnace from the killdevil track. I love that trail just the way it is, fantastic challenging technical singletrack. However my conscience was telling me that my twice weekly rides was probably having the most impact of any user and I owed it to the trail to do my bit, as I said I love it the way it is but there were a couple of areas in the first section where the water runs down the track causing erosion and leaving a rut for mtber's to erode further. So I thought I'd take a shovel up and divert the water and fill in the ruts. So I did that on Sunday and decided to leave the shovel up there for future maintainence, foolishly I left it in plain view of the track naively thinking that someone else might put the tool to good use. So i was gutted to ride up there today to find the shovel gone! 3 days later! I don't want to speculate on what sort of user decided that what I was doing was deprimental to the point of being malicious enough to steal\/throw the shovel in the bush, BUT IT REALLY SUCKS! I don't give a rats ass about the shovel but why? Fortunately this event has inspired me to continue making a small effort for the good of all users of the Killdevil hikers and bikers alike so I'll take another tool up there but this time I'll hide it. I've never done any trail building\/maintainence before so would appreciate any feedback about what I've done, or what I shouldn't do. Those that have riden KD will know how awesome it is to have this facility open, for those that haven't I fully rate it as some of the best technical riding in the South Island Check it out. To whoever took the shovel I hope karma comes and gets you and fall over on your face on a slippery rut! bikeplay07 wrote: I've never done any trail building\/maintainence before so would appreciate any feedback about what I've done, or what I shouldn't do. Good on you for making an effort! Couple of things. 1. It is usually good to get permission from the people who are currently in charge of doing maintenance of the track (DOC I suspect) to assist in maintaining the track. If you talk about making it safer and more enjoyable for users they would hopefully give you permission. It may have been the current caretakers of the track that removed your tool. 2. If you have not had trail building\/maintenance experience I would suggest getting some trail building training with people who do a lot of trail building. There might even be some people\/clubs around your region who are building. Often if you offer to go help build they will teach you all sorts of techniques and methods while you work. Otherwise get your hands on the trail building bible from IMBA. http:\/\/www.imba.com\/resources\/trail_bui ... tions.html Ground Effect often have copies of this, and I am sure that other copies can be found around New Zealand. Awesome! Another enthusiastic track builder\/maintainer in the Top o' the South Twice a week up Kill Devil . Jeez, I did it once and it damn near killed me! Mind you, it was in the middle of Summer and all of my water was gone halfway up If the GB guys haven't nabbed you already, come over & join us @ Kaiteriteri on a Sunday morning. Happy to show you the principles of track-building (per IMBA) and share what we're learning about how to save'n'restore our steep downhill tracks. Now I better nip out there and hide all of the tools I've left scattered along our latest track... Dude, I've had a lot to do with DOC in my life and if I approach them for permission to maintain this trail I bet it will become a paper trail the length of the national downhill course before I get to pick up a shovel...Anyway I doubt DOC has touched KD for a few years, anybody know often? Thanks for the info about the IMBA trail building guide, I'll get myself a copy... I have so little time to ride that I struggle with the concept of dedicating time and energy to a trail i might only ride annually, but I FULLY APPREICATE the efforts that those put it into other trails, but the idea of doing the repairs at KD is because of my impact, and hopefully for others to enjoy. Probably one of those Forest and Bird types who think they own\/control every bit of bush in NZ... ... ave you tried looking for shovel. most dickheads will throw them further into the bush. Try to estimate how far the average left wing radical could throw a shovel,(its not far, as they usually only write letters to DoC and Newspaper editors) then walk a circle on that radius. But good on you mate ...your doing a good deed, and some dick has poked nose in. bikeplay07 wrote: Anyway I doubt DOC has touched KD for a few years, anybody know often? DOC have recently put considerable effort into restoring the Waingaro Forks hut - and only a few years back restored Riordans hut. I was on Kil Devil April this year and the grass and over hanging gorse\/vegetation was freshly whacked back then. I wonder how many spades the old timers wore out when the track was originally built? Yep waingaro forks hut is primo, its great to see the hut maintain its heritage feel. Since posting I've heard that DOC go up there annually with the scrub bar, but never touch dirt. how eroded does it have to become... if i requested permission i would have to get a concession. Don't get me wrong DOC do a great job with my the meager income they get from my taxes . I'm taking another shovel up there tomorrow... Yep I have done the Kildevil quite regularly over the last few years and have never seen any maintenance on the track itself but then it has been there for over a hundered years.the good thing about the Kildevil is that it is so well built that it never really needs maintenance it is just as good everytime I have done it and long may it last. Everytime i ride it i nail something that i didnt the time before ... Its the challenge and gutbusting nature of the uphill and the bonejarring , visionblurring nature of the descent that makes it such a great track , not to mention the scenery. Long may the Kildevil remain the same edalhed wrote: Yep I have done the Kildevil quite regularly over the last few years and have never seen any maintenance on the track itself but then it has been there for over a hundered years.the good thing about the Kildevil is that it is so well built that it never really needs maintenance it is just as good everytime I have done it and long may it last. Everytime i ride it i nail something that i didnt the time before ... Its the challenge and gutbusting nature of the uphill and the bonejarring , visionblurring nature of the descent that makes it such a great track , not to mention the scenery. Long may the Kildevil remain the same Well said... no doubt about it they don't make tracks like that anymore, amazing to think its hand built. The two short sections I amended have definetly improved, I certainly don't want to change the rugged challenge that the KD is. ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Matthew Caws of Nada Surf Published on September 18th, 2012 Music lovers the world over will know Nada Surf for their incredible 90?s breakthrough hit 'Popular', but after nearly two decades in the game these legendary New York rockers have proven they're much more than one hit wonders. Now the trio -- along with rock vet Doug Gillard -- have finally returned to Australian shores to celebrate not only the recent release of their seventh full-length record 'The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy', but also their entire back catalogue for the first time ever, and luckily Moshcam will be filming their show at the Annandale Hotel this Thursday . We caught up with frontman Matthew Caws to find out more about the tour, their kick-ass new album and whether Aussie fans can expect to hear 'Popular' during their Down Under tour dates. How is the tour going? It's been good! We are just finishing a little break right now, there has been a lot of touring this year. Everyone [in the band] is spread around -- Daniel [Lorca] is in Spain, Ira [Elliot] is in New York and I'm in England. I've been spending time with my friends, making music and going to see it. It's part of relaxing, It's how I got into this business [laughs]. Nada Surf will be in Australia soon, is the band looking forward to it? Absolutely! It's been a very long time, eight or ten years since we were last there I think.. Yeah, what's with that? I don't know! I guess it's kind of pricey to go there. But I'm not too sure what the reason was, we're just psyched to be coming back! And the fans here are psyched to get to see you perform too. Yeah! There is a difference in playing to fans in places where you hardly ever visit, that would be Australia for us, and Ireland for some reason. So, we feel a different kind of excitement about those places, and maybe part of it is 'we better not mess up because we hardly ever go there' [laughs]. Nada Surf has been going for quite a while now, what do you think is the key to the band's longevity? Well...we're friends, Daniel and I were friends before we were in the band. Also, it comes down to audiences in a way because early on we had some typical record company up-and-down experiences. For one, we had a war of attrition to get our second record back so we could release it ourselves, coupled with having a first single that did really well but didn't really represent the band. But even though that stuff happened early on, it's been fun to play. Honestly. Even during those times it always felt really good and the audience has made it seem like nothing was ever really wrong! There have been a lot of changes in the music industry over the past few years, and a lot of it has to do with technology. Is it more daunting to put out a record nowadays? Well the potential for how it is going to sell has dropped enormously. On the other hand, it's more daunting in the sense that many more people put out records but it's much easier to let your fans know that something has been released. Before, if you didn't get your record into a store, the people following you would never know it had been released. That's certainly not the case anymore. You can be much closer to your audience. So I think for music, all this new technology is great, but when I think about what having all this information at our fingertips is doing to our brains...that's kind of made things a little scary. Watch the video for 'Popular' below How much pressure does the band feel to write another 'Popular'? Well, not really. There is always pressure to have a hit because it does such great things for you. Of course, there was, but that song was such a fluke. I made up most of the words on the spot; I was sort of inspired by a book I was reading from. It was such a weird set up -- I mean, it's a talking song! But I try to write a hit every single time I write a song; it's just not always based on reality [laughs] it's based on 'well, if I lived on another planet and radio was like this, id play this song'. Does the band ever get sick of playing it live? No we're not sick of it at all! We don't play it every night because there are some other songs that we are much more likely to play every night. But I still think it's hilarious and I'm quite proud of it! The new album is called 'The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy', where did the title come from? It's a saying my father used to say to his students to make a point about man's relative insignificance. I think it's an interesting point in these times, there are people trying to deny that climate change exists, and climate change is going to do what it's going to do. Those people don't believe that it's real are not going to be saved by their disbelief. I think we are largely out of touch with nature these days, unfortunately. Nature is clearly important to you, and there is a lot of outdoor imagery on the new album. Is that the reason behind it? Yeah, but there is also a close to home reason for writing about nature. I wanted to try to stop writing about myself as much. One after listening to 'The Weight Is A Gift' and then 'Lucky', a bunch of times I had this moment where I thought 'I only have two songs, I just keep writing them again and again!' [laughs]. So I made an effort this time to take that out of the picture if possible, so that's why nature in particular features heavily on it. But there is lyrics like \"this new peace\/ I can feel it now\" so there is still your own personal touch on this album... Oh yeah! It's only a matter of degrees, its only changed about five per cent. It's what comes naturally. But I think I've opened the windows a little bit! In 'Looking Through' the lyrics read \"one more year\/ of someone trying to figure it all out\".  Is that another personal message, is the band still trying to figure things out? It is personal, but it's more just myself. The band is quite healthy; if we sang about the band it would be the most boring thing ever! [Laughs] Watch the video for 'Waiting For Something' below You made most of your records outside of New York, what made you set up shop in Daniel Lorca's [bassist] loft for this one? We had been going out-of-town for years to avoid distractions, but we found that what we sounded like in band practice didn't sound like we did on or records, and part of it was getting the record ready in one city and going to another to record it kind of... costs you something. You lose some muscle memory. So this time we practiced in his place and then set a drum track to it in the nearest studio. We rolled our amplifiers literally three blocks down the street and tracked it. We didn't have to check in and relearn our arrangements, it came out naturally. We hear the place is referred to as 'The Sitcom'... Yeah! It's called that because I used to live there a while ago, then Ira used to live there with Daniel. And I guess they used to have some pretty legendary parties. Daniel is just a great host and cook, so it starts off with just ten people and then it becomes forty people... yeah he just likes entertaining [laughs]. So can fans in Australia expect a mix of old and new songs when you play here? Yeah, we will probably play slightly more new ones than old ones. But we will make an effort to go back enough to make fans happy. We are a quartet now because we have Doug Gillard now, we were a trio last time we were Down Under. It's a real kick because we sound so much fuller, the band feels so good right now. We're really stoked about getting back there. So will 'Popular' be on the set lists? Probably! We'll see! Nada Surf's brand new album The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy and back catalogue available now through Stop Start\/EMI ","labels":"Other","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Projects to reduce carbon emissions and create sustainable communities may seem ambitious for small community organisations. But community groups across the UK are proving that they can make a contribution to sustainable development when they get support. With the transition movement providing inspiration and funds, promoting sustainability and environmental initiatives have become a realistic prospect for small organisations. And a project carried out by the University of St Andrews ffound that local authorities' resources and expertise can help communities deliver their ambitions. The project, led by Rehema White, a lecturer in sustainable development, looked at the barriers preventing communities and councils from working together on sustainability. It also tried to bring both parties together. \"Community groups often perceive local authorities as an obstacle to engagement in green activities\", says White. \"But in reality, community groups and local authorities share many common goals. This project aimed to design a strategy for them to work together more effectively.\" Participants in the project included North Howe Transition Toun (NHTT) , which at the time was developing plans for a cycle route linking remote communities with nearby transport hubs. Members of the group attended seminars organised by the university which introduced them to Fife council and other local stakeholders. Delegates were encouraged to meet, talk and establish mutually beneficial contacts. White says that staff from the council saw what community groups were doing, including NHTT's plans for the cycle routes, while community members discovered previously unknown council initiatives and areas of expertise. Few people in the community groups realised for example that Fife, with private partners, already collects methane gas from landfill to heat local housing, while the council was not aware that NHTT had received non-council funding to appoint and train local 'energy champions'. Crispin Hayes, director of NHTT, says the seminars were useful in taking the cycle routes project forward. \"There were several people at the council who wanted to move forward on these things. There was a fair bit of negotiation with landowners, some of whom were very intransigent. The council's help with that has been very useful.\" Hayes says that the fact that the council had a maintenance budget was helpful because NHTT only had access to capital funding at the time. \"What enabled this project to happen was for the council to take charge of the maintenance in the long term.\" Another example of a successful partnership between a council and the community is in north London where a tiny organisation in Muswell Hill teamed up with Haringey council on a 250,000 carbon reduction project. The council worked with Muswell Hill sustainability group (MHSG) on the bid to the mayor of London's low carbon zone fund. The bid built upon the vision of local people to make Muswell Hill a sustainable community and the broader ambition of the council to achieve a 40% CO2 reduction across the whole borough by 2020. The low carbon zone project, which covered more than 800 homes, was used by the council as a pilot to test how best to engage communities on this agenda. The project originated from the community, who had approached the council with the idea of bidding for the funding. A steering group was set up once the fund was awarded to oversee the project, coordinated by a council officer and made up of members of the Muswell Hill sustainability group, the social enterprise EN10ergy, resident and community volunteer representatives and traders' associations. By the end of the project, 650 doorstep conversations were held and 450 households went on to have a free home energy audit and installed a number of energy saving measures such as light bulbs and chimney balloons. Another 200 residents went on to install larger measures ranging from draught proofing, loft and cavity wall insulation and replacement boilers. Community owned solar panels were installed on the roof of the local Marks and Spencer store and on a local church. The feed-in tariff money received from the panels and sale of shares to local people provided an on-going source of finance for sustainability initiatives, including low cost loans for carbon reduction measures. Peter Thompson, a member of MHSG, says the council played a key role in working with the business community, providing meeting space and launching the low carbon loans. However, he says that it is important for community organisations to retain control in the areas of publicity and communications, rather than allowing the council to puts its stamp upon promotional material. Thompson says he was impressed with the calibre of the council employees he worked with. \"Where we were disappointed is that everything needed, like loan, had to go to legal, finance and it just takes so long.\" Thompson's frustrations, seemingly common complaints about large public sector organisations, are shared by Crispin Hayes. But he says that these problems can be reduced by finding the right people in the council. NHTT did this through the University of St Andrews seminars and by following their own leads. \"The key thing with working with the local authority is identifying a person that will get on and champion your project. They have resources and abilities that complement your group's.\" Thompson says that the low carbon zone project has taken his organisation from being a little group \"making nettle soup\" to delivering a big budget project. He advises other groups that it is essential to have a partnership with the council on a project of this scale. \"They can do things that you as a little group can't.\" ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Search i not sure what the purple 1 is it`s one of those that you buy on mothers day and just put it in the garden a ptio rose i ththink . the yellow one is called Golden Wedding and the pink one is Joie de Vivre it was rose of the year 2011. Read more.. just thought i would share a few photos of my garden . it was finished in 2008 and is maturing quiet well ,done a few changes here and there over the years . hope you like and thanks for looking .roll on summer http:\/\/s1183.photobucket.com\/albums\/x475\\\\... Read more.. Hi all this year i have decided to grow a few roses and had great success with then . My question is i am unsure as to what to do with them this winter ie pruning them back and where abouts to prune them any advice would be greatly appreciated ..........many thanks Read more.. i everyone i have some delphiniums in my borders which are in the wrong place ,and i would like to move them to the back of the border . my question is when would be the best time to move them , they have the last remaining flower heads still on them do i wait till they drop or sacrifice the flowers and move them now.......thanks in advance Read more.. ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"The much discussed decision of the English Court of Appeal in Three Rivers District Council v Bank of England [2003] EWCA Civ 474 led to a risk that not all employees of a company or organisation will be considered part of the \"client\" for the purposes of legal advice privilege. There is however little subsequent guidance in the English case law as to whether, and if so when, such a narrow interpretation of \"client\" might be applied in other cases. It is therefore noteworthy that the Hong Kong Court of First Instance has applied the decision to restrict the \"client\", on the facts of the case before it, to the group legal department (comprising two in-house lawyers) and the Board of Directors of the relevant organisation: CITIC Pacific Limited v Secretary for Justice and anor (unrep, 19\/12\/2011, HCMP767\/2010). Background In Three Rivers the court took a restrictive view of who from within a client organisation constitutes the \"client\" for the purposes of assessing the application of legal advice privilege, which protects from disclosure lawyer\/client communications for the purposes of giving or obtaining legal advice. The court held that, on the rather peculiar facts of that case, the \"client\" did not encompass all employees of the Bank of England but was limited to a particular group of three individuals (the Bingham Inquiry Unit) who were given specific responsibility for coordinating communications with the Bank's external lawyers. So far as we are aware, however, there has been no subsequent case in which the English court has taken such a narrow view of the \"client\" for the purposes of privilege. Further, the Court of Appeal's decision was given less than an enthusiastic reception by the House of Lords in a later judgment on a different point in the Three Rivers case  (see [2004] UKHL 48 ); although their Lordships declined to express an opinion on the issue, as it did not arise for consideration in the appeal, Lord Carswell stated that he was \"not to be taken to have approved of the decision\" and reserved his position on its correctness. There had therefore been some speculation that the Court of Appeal's decision on the \"client\" point might be limited to its own particular facts. Judgment In CITIC , the Hong Kong court took the view that the group legal department was the \"client\" of the external legal advisers on the basis that it \"comprised the persons, or was the entity, delegated, either expressly or by implication, to instruct\/communicate with the plaintiff's legal advisers\". The remaining employees of CITIC therefore fell to be regarded as \"third parties\" for the purposes of privilege, so that communications with or by such employees would not be privileged, even if intended for submission to the legal advisers and\/or prepared at the request of the plaintiff or the legal advisers. The court accepted, however, that members of the Board of Directors of CITIC were not to be regarded as \"third parties\" for these purposes, as it was clear that the group legal department acted under the direction of the Board. Appeal pending We understand that the court's decision has been appealed, and that judgment on the appeal is awaited. Although this decision is not binding before the English courts (and nor will any decision of the appeal court),  it will nonetheless be of concern to commercial clients in perpetuating the uncertainty caused by the Three Rivers decision for commercial organisations which can only act through their employees and, potentially, increasing the risk that a restrictive view of the \"client\" will be applied in future cases. The articles published on this website, current at the dates of publication set out above, are for reference purposes only. They do not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. Specific legal advice about your specific circumstances should always be sought separately before taking any action. Herbert Smith Freehills LLP is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Despite the growing importance of young, entrepreneurial ventures in modern economic systems, many such ventures fail quite early in their lifecycles. While both evolutionary theory and organizational learning theory yield important insights for the literature on young venture survival, questions remain as to why ventures facing similar environments experience differential rates of survival. In response, I propose a theory of entrepreneurial agency \u2013 defined as the emergence and\/or transformation of firms, markets, industries governed by the evolving interaction of temporally situated, intentional strategic action with a malleable external environment \u2013 to complement prevailing viewpoints on the causes of young venture survival. My central thesis in this chapter is that to develop more comprehensive explanations of differential survival rates, a theory of entrepreneurial agency \u2013 illuminating the transformative potential of entrepreneurial action \u2013 is necessary to complement evolutionary perspectives in the literature on firm survival. With this objective in mind, I construct a theoretical model linking diverse perspectives on the duality of human agency and theories of environmental selection, and offer several theoretical and empirical suggestions to guide future research. ","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Monday, November 12, 2012 What's on the table... Thanksgiving Edition Okay, so obviously... if you are regular follower of our blog, you shouldn't be surprised that a Turkey won't be a part of our table this or any year. We do do the standard Tofurky roast , but we're not fans of their stuffing or gravy. I do have two standard stuffings\/dressings that I usually make. One is a Roasted Chestnut Stuffing (that I love, but isn't a fave of the rest of the family) and an Apple Pecan Stuffing, which I'll be making for this years feast. I adore a good mushroom gravy and that will be a part of our table again this year, as well. A potato dish is usually a given, and something with yams, as that is a favorite of my Mums. This year we are going with an apple pie and pumpkin cookies (instead of the ritual pumpkin pie). 4 comments: I'm still trying to figure that out. A few years ago I made Tacos and haven't lived it down since, but everybody liked them. lol Those pumpkin chocolate chip cookies look really good so I am going to try your recipe. The pictures aren't mine (didn't have any of mine, but I'll take some this year and share), but the recipe's are. LOL! And everyone absolutely raves about the pumpkin cookies, so I definitely recommend them for your table (or any ole' time). :) Hmmm.... taco's for Thanksgiving?! Actually, I may try that next year. Sounds yummy to me! But then, I'm not dead set on \"tradition\" either. ;) ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Autumn \/ Fall around the house .... and church To be honest, here in Ireland there is now a whole lot of seasonal decorating beyond Christmas . I am probably the exception to the rule, as I have embraced Valentines Decor, Spring\/Easter Decor , Beach\/summer decor and of course Fall\/Autumn decor. Consequently, available and affordable seasonal products (beyond Christmas) are not readily available in local shops, if you are going beyond Halloween fake spiders and cobwebs. This year I wanted to add a new item of autumn home decor, and found this twiggy pumpkin on ebay. So, to date,here it the total sum of my autumn decor so far ....... ta da.......! and another view ..... of it sitting on our hearth. In the coming weeks I will no doubt add a bowl of autumnal crispy leaves, pine cones and conkers. However, our church ( Seymour Street Methodist, Lisburn )  has a traditional Harvest Service and Harvest Supper at this time of the year, and the church is beautifully decorated This post then seems the perfect opportunity to share the creative talents of my friend, Heather, and her talented team. The overall theme of the displays was thankfulness for God's creation and being good stewards of what we have been given. Each window had it's own mini display, with an appropriate verse, and often some thought provoking statistic about how we waste the earth's resources. Join me on a tour of Seymour Street Methodist, Lisburn. This was the dairy themed window The display included a traditional hand-churn, which some of the older ladies told me they used to make butter and cream many years ago. There was one window display which included a knitted tea cosy, and a dainty cake stand. There was a more contemporary display of breads and grain, with \"WASTE\" spelled out in toast! The combination of the natural beauty and colours, and the old stain glass windows and pews make a beautiful contrast. In case you are wondering - these photos were taken about an hour before the morning service. An hour later the church was packed, with extra seats needed in the aisles. I will leave you with the display at the front of the church, and our Harvest banner In case you are wondering about the what happens to all the fruit, vegetables, flowers and other produce, after the Harvest celebration they are distributed to the elderly, sick and families in need in our local community. Do you decorate your home, or church, at this time of year? I would love to know, so please share in the comments below. 2 comments: I think that pumpkin is sweet - there are some fantastic displays at the farms in our area, I've not even had time to photograph them this year, and as my husband who does not \"get it\" - he reminds me I've photographed the same scenes every year for the past five to ten... but to me my interest is renewed each year and I find myself wanting to \"hold on to it\" all the more via photos. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Out On The Road Lyrics I never wanted to be taken But now I'm feeling so left out So I don't care where I go I'm leaving Yeah, I'm leaving Got about a half a tank left That could do but only if I'm lucky But either way I'm leaving Oh, I'm leaving On my way to paradise A little voice says, \"Don't think twice And don't look back if you want things to change\" Ah, ah Guess I'll have to love you from afar, ah It's okay, 'cause all I need's my car Out on the road, out on the road Out on the road, out on the road I go [ Lyrics from: http:\/\/www.lyricsfreak.com\/n\/norah+jones\\\\... ] Out on the road, out on the road Out on the road, out on the road Takes about a week to get there Maybe two if I stop to sleep it off But I can't sleep So I'm leaving Yeah, I'm leaving Keep on driving through the night I find myself a slice of life To show me that I'm heading the right way And ah, ah Guess you'll have to love me from afar, ah It's okay, 'cause all I need's this car Out on the road, out on the road Out on the road, out on the road I go Out on the road, out on the road Out on the road, out on the road I go ","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Age of Reason, Part First, Section 1 IT has been my intention, for several years past, to publish my thoughts upon religion. I am well aware of the difficulties that attend the subject, and from that consideration, had reserved it to a more advanced period of life. I intended it to be the last offering I should make to my fellow-citizens of all nations, and that at a time when the purity of the motive that induced me to it, could not admit of a question, even by those who might disapprove the work. The circumstance that has now taken place in France of the total abolition of the whole national order of priesthood, and of everything appertaining to compulsive systems of religion, and compulsive articles of faith, has not only precipitated my intention, but rendered a work of this kind exceedingly necessary, lest in the general wreck of superstition, of false systems of government, and false theology, we lose sight of morality, of humanity, and of the theology that is true. As several of my colleagues and others of my fellow-citizens of France have given me the example of making their voluntary and individual profession of faith, I also will make mine; and I do this with all that sincerity and frankness with which the mind of man communicates with itself. I believe in one God, and no more; and I hope for happiness beyond this life. I believe in the equality of man; and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy. But, lest it should be supposed that I believe in many other things in addition to these, I shall, in the progress of this work, declare the things I do not believe, and my reasons for not believing them. I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church. All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit. I do not mean by this declaration to condemn those who believe otherwise; they have the same right to their belief as I have to mine. But it is necessary to the happiness of man, that he be mentally faithful to himself. Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving; it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe. It is impossible to calculate the moral mischief, if I may so express it, that mental lying has produced in society. When a man has so far corrupted and prostituted the chastity of his mind, as to subscribe his professional belief to things he does not believe, he has prepared himself for the commission of every other crime. He takes up the trade of a priest for the sake of gain, and in order to qualify himself for that trade, he begins with a perjury. Can we conceive any thing more destructive to morality than this? Soon after I had published the pamphlet Common Sense, in America, I saw the exceeding probability that a revolution in the system of government would be followed by a revolution in the system of religion. The adulterous connection of church and state, wherever it had taken place, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, had so effectually prohibited by pains and penalties, every discussion upon established creeds, and upon first principles of religion, that until the system of government should be changed, those subjects could not be brought fairly and openly before the world; but that whenever this should be done, a revolution in the system of religion would follow. Human inventions and priestcraft would be detected; and man would return to the pure, unmixed and unadulterated belief of one God, and no more. Every national church or religion has established itself by pretending some special mission from God, communicated to certain individuals. The Jews have their Moses; the Christians their Jesus Christ, their apostles and saints; and the Turks their Mahomet, as if the way to God was not open to every man alike. Each of those churches show certain books, which they call revelation, or the word of God. The Jews say, that their word of God was given by God to Moses, face to face; the Christians say, that their word of God came by divine inspiration: and the Turks say, that their word of God (the Koran) was brought by an angel from Heaven. Each of those churches accuse the other of unbelief; and for my own part, I disbelieve them all. As it is necessary to affix right ideas to words, I will, before I proceed further into the subject, offer some other observations on the word revelation. Revelation, when applied to religion, means something communicated immediately from God to man. No one will deny or dispute the power of the Almighty to make such a communication, if he pleases. But admitting, for the sake of a case, that something has been revealed to a certain person, and not revealed to any other person, it is revelation to that person only. When he tells it to a second person, a second to a third, a third to a fourth, and so on, it ceases to be a revelation to all those persons. It is revelation to the first person only, and hearsay to every other, and consequently they are not obliged to believe it. It is a contradiction in terms and ideas, to call anything a revelation that comes to us at second-hand, either verbally or in writing. Revelation is necessarily limited to the first communication ? after this, it is only an account of something which that person says was a revelation made to him; and though he may find himself obliged to believe it, it cannot be incumbent on me to believe it in the same manner; for it was not a revelation made to me, and I have only his word for it that it was made to him. When Moses told the children of Israel that he received the two tables of the commandments from the hands of God, they were not obliged to believe him, because they had no other authority for it than his telling them so; and I have no other authority for it than some historian telling me so. The commandments carry no internal evidence of divinity with them; they contain some good moral precepts, such as any man qualified to be a lawgiver, or a legislator, could produce himself, without having recourse to supernatural intervention. [FOOTNOTE 1] ","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Saturday, November 03, 2012 Every time I check my blog, I am shocked that so much time has passed since my last post.  I spend so much time Pinning, Instagramming and Tweeting that I forget the reason I started all of those social media accounts: this silly old blog!  And even beyond that, I forget the whole reason I started this blog: I love writing, I love to capture memories in words and pictures, and I love feeling like I have a place that is purely my voice. So, what do I feel like saying? I got accepted into Chico State, and I will finally be attending there in January.  I am so excited, and truthfully, very nervous.  I'm ready and excited to be taking upper division art classes, but I am also anxious about having to produce so much art. I have been painting and drawing a lot more than I did over the summer, and I'm trying to get back in the groove and keep my skills sharp. I'm taking my last math class ever (statistics), two art history classes and step aerobics, and because it is the middle of the semester, I'm feeling overwhelmed.  That's just the way it goes as a college student.  There are times where you have little to do and it feels so easy, and then suddenly everything is due or there are a million tests to study for.  I am so thankful for the opportunity to go to school (like really, really thankful) but I will be so ready to be done in two years or so. Sometimes I feel crazy for doing this to myself and my family.  And sometimes I feel like it would be crazy not to.  I think of the picture I'll have of me, in my cap and gown, with Mark, and Maggie and Liam surrounding me, and all it symbolizes, and dammit, I want that picture.  I want my kids to remember how hard I worked, and that I expect them to work just as hard.  I know it will be worth it.  And I just keep saying that to myself, over and over. Friday, October 12, 2012 Halloween is coming up quickly, and I have had a lot of fun celebrating the season in different ways. One way? Making over one of our family portraits into a Monster family portrait! Let's just say that I absolutely love it!  I plan to print it out, frame it and bring it out every October! This year, I am going to add some text and use it as a digital greeting card on Facebook and such. I started with the original photograph, taken by Amy Brown of Amy Brown Photography , at my thirtieth birthday party in June.  Then, I went to my favorite free photo editing site, Pic Monkey .  I use Photoshop and Lightroom occasionally, but, to be honest, I have moved to using Pic Monkey for most of my photo editing.  I also use Pic Monkey to make all of my banners and buttons for my blog, as well as making signs or subway art. Right now, Pic Monkey has a completely new, and absolutely beautiful, set of editing tools geared towards Halloween.  They have options for vampires, ghosts, zombies, etc., as well as textures and images to add.  I spent about an hour and a half messing around and trying out everything and in the end, I ended up with this! How did the kids feel when they saw this picture?  Well...there were mixed reviews.  Liam absolutely loved all of it, but Maggie was disturbed by Mark's zombie-ness and she said,\" I'm a....goat.\"  I had to correct her and say,\" No, you're an awesome monster girl with horns and super powers!\" and then she was on board. So, try it!  If you any questions, or maybe even want me to monsterize a  photo of yours, let me know. Have fun! Wednesday, October 10, 2012 I recently came up with this simple recipe when I was craving peanut butter and chocolate. These peanut butter brownies are incredibly easy and are pretty enough to serve at any party.  Here's how to make these yummy, easy treats! Well, my version is the busy version and I started with a boxed brownie mix.  I made the brownies according to the directions and put them in an 11 x 7 inch pan, which made them thin, but not too thin. Next, I placed about 1\/2 a cup of peanut in a microwave safe bowl and softened it by heating it on high for approximately 15 seconds.  I have also skipped the microwave part, and it still worked fine, but the peanut butter was harder to squeeze out of the bag.  Which brings me to the next step: Put the peanut butter in a ziploc and cut off a small portion of one of the lower corners.  Work the peanut down into the that corner.  Now you are ready to introduce peanut butter to brownie. Squeeze out four to five horizontal lines of peanut butter. If you have extra leftover, like I did, just go back and add it to the lines. Now, comes the trick to make these brownies pretty. Drag a butter knife from top to bottom, going through all the lines. Move across the pan, dragging your knife vertically through the lines and (this is important!) alternating whether you start at the bottom or top of the pan.  I keep a paper towel handy to wipe my knife after every pass, it makes it easier to do and is a little cleaner looking. When you're all finished, the brownies will look like this.  They are a little messier than after they have cooked, as the peanut butter flattens out.  The good thing is that you don't lose the pattern as they cook, as the peanut butter doesn't spread very much.  Bake them according to your normal brownie recipe, mine took about 30 minutes to cook. Here's the beautiful finished product.  And trust me, they are even yummier than they look. This is such an easy way to upgrade boxed brownies, and everyone who has tried them loved them! Tuesday, October 09, 2012 Last weekend, I went to Ashland, Oregon with my husband and my brother for a night.  my brother is also in college right now, and his class was going to visit the Shakespeare Festival. We saw a Shakespearean play, Henry V, in an outdoor theater that is designed to look a bit like the Globe Theater and it was a wonderful getaway. I wore this outfit that night- out to dinner,the play,and then drinks. Sorry about the picture quality, I always rush through pictures taken in public! My cardigan, suede booties and grey tights are from Target.  My dress is Forever 21 Plus, and I bought the mustard infinity scarf on Ebay. I wore this next outfit grocery shopping with the kids.  Everything is from Target, except for the skinny jeans (Forever 21 Plus) and my hat, which I also bought off of Ebay! Thanks for checking out what I wore.  I am LOVING the cooler weather in my neck of the woods and I can't wait to share more fall outfits with you all! ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"What I did not include in yesterdays thread actually out of sheer embarrassment was the fact that the jerk that I was seeing for a month and then he just suddenly stopped talking to me is a recovering alcoholic, lost his license for I dont know how long, is on unemployment, and is losing his house! I realize that in my profile it states that I am a social worker and am not looking for another CLIENT, I felt that since he was trying to correct the situation (he goes to AA meetings at least 3 times a week though I know they are mandated) he deserved some consideration in that he is human and at least is trying to make good on past mistakes. The more I read this however the more I see that he just did me a favor. Wow, I think the guy gave you a red flag. Once I stumbled upon an AA meeting during Christmas time on year looking for a alonon meeting, and I tell you I never wanted to go out and have a drink so badly. Tell him your a social worker and that you don't need a client. No job, no income, losing his house - a boozer, boozer loser! Yeah he's too much of a (social) - worker, maybe he did something to a client and that's why he's jobless? Tell me about it...beauty n brains isnt so smart in the LOVE department! That why she sometimes has to come check herself in here! Thanks folks! 9\/3\/2012 6:17:53 AM In addition to \"can you help me understand this?\" 2muchfreetime Rochester, MN 53, joined Aug. 2012 Being inclined to help and understand and enable is a risk that comes from two things: you believe the world should be a compassionate place where people deserve chances, and, for some reason you need to trade for acceptance with people worse than yourself. ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Share Article You can't get rid of this beauty problem but Zoe can help you hide it. Zoe, how do I get rid of my big pores? No matter what I do, they seem to look huge after a few hours after applying my makeup! Karen Karen, first, let me reveal a terrible truth: you cannot get rid of your big pores, or change their size. What you CAN do, though, is ride bikes and eat ice cream, so it all evens out. Sorry, that was a truly pore response. I can do better. (Zzzzing!) Karen, while you can't change your pore size (it's genetic) or stop them producing more oil than necessary, or creating pimples or blackheads, you can certainly minimise their appearance and sheen, by using a skilful artillery of pore-minimising products, designed by clever people who understand that while bigger, oilier pores generally mean your skin will age slower and wrinkle less (WIN!), it's frustrating having them glaring out from your skin every day (um, lose...) Skin care: -       Cleanse. Properly. The key to keeping pores in check is making sure they're clean. The dirtier they are, the more visible they are. Use something gentle, so as to thoroughly clean but not to overstimulate -       Exfoliate at least 2-3 times a week. Too much can aggravate the pores and make them produce more oil. Cute ! Something with light amounts of AHAs or salicylic acid is good, (although can be drying -- see what suits your skin best), or a gentle cleanser\/scrub combo might be the way to go. Olay's Deep Cleansing Pore Minimising Cle anser and Scrub at night is a good option. -       After cleansing, TONE. Definitely tone. So important. This \"closes\" the pore and tightens it without drying it out (and if it is drying it out, switch products). Lancme Pure Focus is popular, as is Biore's Triple Action Toner. -       Use a serum that is tailored to the business of pores (remember: always choose a serum that targets whatever your biggest and most pressing skin concern is... or you can layer a couple) -- Clinique does a great one in their Pore Refining range -       Masks that draw out impurities (things like sunscreen, makeup and grime can clog pores and make them more visible) should be a weekly routine -- something like the St Ives Mineral Clay Mask or the much lauded SkinCeuticals Clarifying Clay Mask is perfect. Clay is the way, in other words . Clay is the way. -       Use a foundation that is mattifying (or even pore-minimising, as some are touted.) Something that will adequately conceal the appearance of larger pores and keep oil under control is best. Revlon Colorstay and Maybelline Dream Matte Mouse are great, and the bareminerals matte powder is ideal to finish\/set with. -       Keep blotting papers on hand (or a powder compact of mineral powder, something lightweight like) to touch up throughout the day. I know that sounds like a lot of work, Karen, but that's only because it is. If it's too daunting, then at least do the exfoliating, the toning and use the primer. ....I now open the floor to anyone with similar skin who has some great solutions! Comments Comment Guidelines : Imagine you're at a dinner party. Different opinions are welcome but keep it respectful or the host will show you the door. We have zero tolerance for any abuse of our writers, our editorial team or other commenters. So if you're rude, mean-spirited, snarky, aggressive, defamatory or bitchy, your comment will be deleted (so will any replies to the original comment -- so don't bother arguing with rude people, instead just hit the 'alert moderator' button). And if you're offensive, you'll be blacklisted and all your comments will go directly to spam. Remember what Fonzie was like? Cool. That's how we're going to be -- cool. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation... Save your money for things that actually work! Best thing to reduce the size and minimize the appearance of large pores is retinol! It's the only thing that works really. Either strong ones on prescription or over the counter creams like Eau Thermal Avene's Ystheal + that actually have enough active ingredient to work. Ok, had those vertical lines between the brows done 48hrs ago for the first time. Result = gone! Ah-mazing!! Still enough mobility to look natural, but lines disappeared. I'm sold. FYI -- I'm 40 with pretty good skin and lines that were treated where light -- moderate in severity. I had massive horrible pimples around my chin when I went for an eyebrow wax on Wednesday. I bought two Ella Bache products -- an exfoliant and a deep cleanser -- and the next day my pimples were way way less angry and red and very reduced and much more able to be covered up with make up. It was really noticeably better, and knowing my pimple timeline they weren't ready to reduce without assistance. Also love Ella Bache Great Tan, got a number of compliments yesterday with my tan. I am a big fan of Ella Bache! I also suffer from dark under eye circles, and after reading this article I use both of these products -- amazing. my last YSL Touche Eclat pen last 18 months, so while it may seem a big investment, it is well worth it! I was flicking thru The new issue of Cosmetic Surgery Australia and there is a new laser treatment called Spectra. It had before and after pictures of a nose full of blackheads and large pores ,the after picture after 3 treatments flawless. This is not an advertisement just an observation. I was amazed I have had horrendous enlarged pores for the past five years...I have had two sessions of Variable Pulsed Light treatment from my beauty therapist for sun damage\/broken veins on my face and the huuuuuuge additional benefit has been that it is eliminating the massive open pores-result!!! My skin also feels a little bit more toned and less saggy in the areas that I've had done. I'd definitely recommend this for anyone with large 'open' pores...now I can apply foundation without it all gathering in my pores and I love it. If you had large pores you would notice because they are noticeable when large. For me it was an age thing. I never noticed my pores until recently (I'm 35) and they are definitely larger in some places than others. Hope that helps I had big pores ever since the onset of puberty! Nothing seemed to reduce them. Now I am 47 and heading towards menopause and they've disappeared. I now have blemish free, poreless skin for the first time ever! Alas I also have the wrinkles that come with age and skin that is less elastic than it was in the days of large pores. Oh well, guess you can't have it all! My pores are heaps smaller by doing the following: clean my face with water in the shower, rubbing 4 drops of Rosehip oil into my skin after shower, then finishing with a liberal dose of moisturiser. I was adding a wipe with toner inbetween wash and rosehip, but it made me break out, so I've dropped that step altogether. I have oily\/combination skin and was under the assumption that the rosehip oil and moisturiser combo would exacerbate the problem, but it's been amazing. I've seen a massive improvement in my enlarged pores, but I'm guessing from reading all the posts that what works for one person doesn't necessarily for the rest. My pores fall on the larger side, and I have found the number one, cheapest and most effective way to minimize them is to be hydrated from the inside out. If I've had too many coffees and not enough water it is dotted all over my face There's a reason all those famous beautiful people swear by 8 glasses of water a day, it can't make me look like them but it can help me look my best. I find oil cleansing the best thing for enlarged pores. It cleans them out more effectively, making them appear less visible. Some sort of chemical exfoliant is good too. I tend to avoid scrubs because I'm so prone to redness and rosacea. I actually find the rosacea treatment I use (Finacea from the chemist) is good for pores because of the Azelaic acid in it. That or Glycolic acid is great for clearing the pores. It won't change the size but it makes them look less like moon craters. Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch primer is excellent under foundation for a smooth base but I find it breaks me out a little with regular use. I save it for special occasions. A good powder can actually hide pores a bit. I notice my Kanebo Sensai Loose Translucent powder is excellent for diffusing minor flaws. I have a question completely off topic. I have pretty bad fore head lines. I have tried all different products to help. I am not really comfortable with botox and have heard of some kind of laser you can get. Does this work? Don't be scared of the Botox, it's honestly the best thing for forehead lines. I would advise you to have a couple of peels and maybe some IPL for collagen boosting before having a few Botox injections. Problem solved. I have oily skin and enlarged pores and my ENTIRE WORLD changed a few weeks ago when my sister introducted me to Benefit's POREfessional. It's like spack filler for your face....yet light as a feather, soft as silk and doesn't clog the aforementioned crater sized pores. Beyond amazing. Get out amongst it people! I use the Napoleon Pore Minimiser & Mattifyer. (sp???). I bought it the first time for my wedding in 2006, and have used it ever since for when I know I'll be out all day and dont want to look like I've fallen in the deep-fat fryer. Not cheap, but works well for my oily skin. Ha! Love the deep-fat-fryer call! I recently went on a long haul flight to NYC and holy hell, you should have seen me by the time I arrived. Like an oil slick had morphed into the place my head should have been. NIGHTMARE. I read online a few years ago about using 'milk of magnesia' as a primer....after some quicking searching on the ol' googly-web i discovered that the ausiie equivalent is Mylanta. Yep....that white stuff that people use to stop the burpies and burnies in their chests. Being the scpetic that i am i had a friend who works at the World Health Organisation run the ingredients to see if any were dangerous and it all checked out fine so i gave it a whurl.....used it as a primer for 2 weeks. HOLY MOLY i was amazed. pores? refined. oil? controlled. make up? STAYED IN PLACE ALL DAY. It's a little drying for my skin so i only use it for special occassion or 'all day' make up required days. it's $5, it's available everywhere and it will change your world.....or at least...your pores. I tell anyone and everyone who will listen to me. I was wondering if anyone could help me out. I'm 26 and always tend to have an oily sheen on my forehead but a dry chin. I had a facial a while back and the beauty therapist said the oil was there because my skin is dehydrated. Anyway I was just wondering if anyone could recommend a good moisturiser\/sunscreen combo? When your skin is dehydrated you want something with high amounts of hyaluronic acid in it -- as your skin needs more water, not oil. I highly recommend something like the Medik8 Hydr8 B5 Serum (Skinceuticals do a similar one) which you can purchase from online stores such as adorebeauty.com.au . I have a similar skin type to you -- and find that a serum like that, followed up with a good oil free sunscreen -- my personal fave is the Kit 30+ Face Sunscreen (also has hyaluronic acid in it) -- works really well under makeup (oil free foundation). Hope this helps! I have changed to Jurlique sensitive products -- *no more redness * no more oily oily oily t zone * no more shine during the day * no more blackheads * my skin is so so smooth and make up looks great. Sometimes you just have to be gentle. Like kanga123 I don't exfoliate anymore, I do have the Jurlique daily exfoliating cream but I rarely use it anymore -used to use it one it twice a week when I first switched but now, only when I feel extra dirty, and it's really just a soft mushy oatmeal type cream. I don't use anything harsh anymore -- best thing I ever did was change to Jurlique and go sensitive and gentle. I am almost finished with my laser hair removal (full legs, buttocks -which was fine and blonde but the legs did part of my buttocks so I wanted it even, full Brazilian, peri-anal, full arm, underarm, face -- gets rid of the blonde hair too) -- I sooooo love not shaving ( I now was my hair once a week-all it needs and with no epilation required I get an extra 20 mins sleep in!!), and once that's done I will be investing in a series of gentle laser treatments. The laser tightens, tones, and removes deep and surface pigmentation ( its shown that its pigmentation that's ages us not wrinkles). I think it depends on what problem you are trying to fix -- although I agree with your overall sentiment. I used to use harsh OTC products and my skin was often a bit red, sensitive etc. I switched to Jurlique and whilst it certainly calmed things down, it didnt really fix any problems either. Now I use a basic QV or cetaphil moisturiser\/sunscreen in the morning and a retinal\/vitamin C combo at night and my skin glows. I'm also having a series of peels done (professionally) to treat me last remaining issue, pigmentation. Once its all done, I think I'll be able to get away with just a tinted moisturiser rather than foundation, because my skin tone will be naturally even! =) Oh and laser hair removal is awesome. I havent shaved my legs in almost a year! Can't speak for anyone else but I'm having my bikini lasered and it is $99 per treatment, and is meant to take between 5-8 treatments to get rid of most of the hair. I'm up to treatment 4 I think and the results are pretty good. There are various specials if you do more than one area\/pay up front, etc. airfree which has various salons around has a great special on atm till 4th sept, I just booked 6 brazilian +underarms for $59 each, or you can just try one @ $69 to see if you can handle it and then get the rest at the package price. I apologise in advance since this question is completely off-topic! But does anyone have any recommendations for a mascara for sensitive eyes, preferably from a brand that doesn't test on animals, and won't flake off (it's for a long wedding day). I've heard that 'tubing' mascara is supposed to be good? Thanks in advance, from your hopeless-at-all-things-make-up-anxious-a\\\\... Have you considered, if it is specifically for a long wedding day, having eyelash extensions or false eyelashes? I'm guessing from your request about sensitive that this may be a no go zone but I get eyelash extensions and I LOVE them. $80 for a full set, $40 for refills every 3 weeks. But no mascara purchase, no eye makeup remover purchase and it looks amaze even when I roll out of bed looking like holy hell. Tubey mascara is wonderful! I have a sample of Clinique's bottom lash mascara (hehe bottom lashes...) and the staying power is wonderful, and it doesn't flake at all. I'm not sure about sensitivity or their animal testing policies though. Tubing mascara is all this dame will use. Normal mascara is such a pain in the arse to remove; I can't go back now. I oscillate between Clinique Lash Power, Bobbi Brown Perfectly Defined and MAC Opulash (for more volume.) I use a BB cream as my foundation most days. Do you still recommend a primer underneath? Or will a primer make the BB cream slip off? I have a lovely Becca primer (pore minimizing and mattifying), which I use under foundation when I go out at night. Also, I've managed to get my adult acne well and truly under control with a topical (prescription only) cream, but I still have blackheads (especially on my nose) clogging up my pores. Any suggestions on how I can control\/get rid of them. When I squeeze them, I just create a flaky mess on my face, as my skin is so delicate. would a primer not defeat the purpose of the BB cream? BB cream is like a treatment moisturiser + foundation -- the moisturiser\/treatment side would need to penetrate the skin, whilst a primer provides a barrier to stop that, and allow the foundation sit evenly on the skin? ersonally, I'd drop the primer, when you're wanting the treatment aspect of the BB cream to work -- maybe use it only when you're specifically applying the BB as a foundation instead? Avon's Mattifying Skin Perfector -- is great if your going with full makeup. For everyday I use Estee Lauder Skin Refining Pore Minimiser under my moisturiser and then just a dusting of powder. (Although I have it on good Authority that the Clinque version is the same and cheaper -- so I'm going with that next time) I have a question. The beauty therapist that did my eye lashes recently said that there is no point using any skin care products sold mainstream because they only have 2% active ingredients, and are bad for your skin. She said that it's only the products that beauty therapists prescribe (which have over 2% active ingredients) that will do anything for your skin. I'm pretty sure she's just trying to sell me expensive products, but does any one know if this is true? She said that the reason you get redness on your face is because your skin gets 'stripped' from bad products, and only oil based cleansers (that are prescribed) will help... I've been told something similar regarding skin care products and I was advised that I should be using stuff like Dermalogica, MD Formulations etc and not the mainstream stuff. I know Zoe is a super busy lady, but if she has time it would be great to know if this info is correct or if the mainstream products are just as good? I think her statement is far too generalised -- but there is some basis of truth in there. Certain ingredients (especially vitamin a and vitamin c) do require certain strengths to actually cause effect on the skin. The easiest way to see whether you're getting your money's worth is to look at the ingredients list -- the top 5 ingredients are what you want to look at and what you want to include the ingredients that you want, if that makes sense? Those 2 ingredients also need to be in a stable enough formula (particularly vit c) or else they don't have an effect on the skin as well. This doesn't necessarily mean that mainstream products are useless -- it's just that the brands with a scientific basis to their formulas generally create more effective products. My advice? Do your research -- google reviews of products, read beauty blogs, look out for what products a beauty editor would actually spend money on herself -- we all know they get sent hundreds of products ALL the time to trial and test -- so knowing what they actually would spend their own money on is oh so valuable! I would also suggest that if you can only splurge on one skincare item -- make it a serum. They're the strongest\/most effective skincare products (designed to go deepest into the skin for maximum effect) to deal with pretty much any issue -- so in my humble opinion, they're well worth spending a bit more on. Plus you only need a drop or two -- so they do last you a good few months or more! At nearly 30 and with still very oily skin and t zone breakouts, I made a switch from my supermarket brand stuff to MD Formulations as the suggestion of a beauty therapist. I have since bought more from strawberrynet at a much better price, and will keep doing it. Some places may try to con you into spending more money for the sake of it, but most should happily offer you an alternative in your price range. I now have much clearer skin, only hormonal chin breakouts and am properly hydrating my skin for probably the first time in my life! there's also something to be said for weaker solutions over stronger solutions if you have sensitive skin also -- stronger is NOT always better! and beauty therapists can be known to spout codswallop in the name of a sale \/ further booking. I had one tell me I must have had a reaction to a product that was cheap, and 'her' product, because it was so 'quality', wouldn't cause a reaction....umm no lady, my skin was sensitive\/allergic to a particular ingredient, cheaper or more expensive\/quality wouldn't make a difference. Just because they deal with creams and lotions, doesn't make them a scientist I'm a beauty therapist and I can say that, by and large, this is true. The professional brands that I work with contain the highest proportions of active ingredients that have been proven to cause change within the skin. Good skincare should have scientific evidence to back this up (we keep studies on file if clients are interested). Whereas when you look at a cheaper skincare, you can clearly see just by looking at the ingredients list that the active ingredients do not form a high percentage of the product. Unfortunately, the obvious side effect of this is that prescriptive skincare is more expensive than generic. It's just a reality, given the research & development that goes into the ranges. Not to mention the ingredients! Peptides, for example, are INCREDIBLY expensive to engineer and manufacture -- hence why there is hardly any cheaper skincare containing peptides (and if it does, I would bet that they are in such miniscule amounts that they can't create any change). Prescriptive skincare tends to have more sophisticated delivery systems also. Cheaper skincare is usually molecularly too large to penetrate the upper epidermis, let alone to the dermal layer. This doesn't mean that cheaper skincare is \"bad\" for the skin, it just means that it lacks the activity which is required to change or correct particular skin conditions. Prescriptive skincare is just far more active -- that's impossible to dispute. And I have to say that I do take offence to the suggestion that beauty therapists are just trying to spruik expensive products. We will always make suggestions for products that you can work with to achieve your skincare aims -- that is our responsibility. Would you go to a gym where the personal trainer didn't suggest exercises for you to do at home in between gym visits? Thanks for the advice! What you have said makes sense. I like the point that there are only a few ingredients that have been proven effective. Sorry if I have offended you -- I don't think her whole motivation is to sell me stuff but I think it would be a bit naive of me to assume that me handing over hundreds of dollars for those products isn't in her best interest as well. I think the truth is probably somewhere in the middle, I think I am going to take the advice of researching it for myself so I understand it all properly. I agree with 'Large-pore Sarz.' Benefit's POREfessional is magnificent. I don't use it every day as often I just go with a bit of tinted moisturizer and bronzer, but when I use foundation, I will always pop a smidge of POREfessional on and it mattifies and smooths everything out nicely for a really good base. I recently returned from traveling Europe and whilst in Italy I found heaven in the form of foundation! KIKO Milano have a foundation which is sebum balancing anti shine and it is bloody fantastic! The coverage is amazing and it lasts all day and minimises pores awesomly (along with their Primer) plus it was the equivalent to about $20 AU unbelievable! Sadly I cannot purchase it here, so if anyone out there is traveling around Europe (particularly Italy) look out for this product it is amazing! I went to a presentation by dermatologists and they said that exfoliators CREATE skin irritation and open pores making them larger. They likened it to a mortar and pestle. So they said it's the biggest gimmick in the beauty industry and highest selling product. So they urged everyone in the room to throw them out. And I did. And it's been 3 months and my \"big pores\" on my nose are no longer! Don't worry, I questioned my own skin as well. I even googled images of 'large pores' to see what they meant. From what I can tell, the pores on my nose are somewhat 'big', but they never bothered me before so I'm not going to let them bother me now. ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"At the End of the Day Lyrics [THE POOR] At the end of the day you're another day older And that's all you can say for the life of the poor It's a struggle, it's a war And there's nothing that anyone's giving One more day standing about, what is it for? One day less to be living. At the end of the day you're another day colder And the shirt on your back doesn't keep out the chill And the righteous hurry past They don't hear the little ones crying And the winter is coming on fast, ready to kill One day nearer to dying! At the end of the day there's another day dawning And the sun in the morning is waiting to rise Like the waves crash on the sand Like a storm that'll break any second There's a hunger in the land There's a reckoning still to be reckoned and There's gonna be hell to pay At the end of the day! [The foreman and workers, including Fantine, emerge from the factory] [FOREMAN] At the end of the day you get nothing for nothing Sitting flat on your butt doesn't buy any bread [WORKER ONE] There are children back at home [WORKERS ONE AND TWO] And the children have got to be fed [WORKER TWO] And you're lucky to be in a job [WOMAN] And in a bed! [WORKERS] And we're counting our blessings! [WOMAN TWO] Have you seen how the foreman is fuming today? With his terrible breath and his wandering hands? [WOMAN THREE] It's because little Fantine won't give him his way [WOMAN ONE] Take a look at his trousers, you'll see where he stands! [WOMAN FOUR] And the boss, he never knows That the foreman is always in heat [WOMAN THREE] If Fantine doesn't look out Watch how she goes She'll be out on the street! [WORKERS] At the end of the day it's another day over With enough in your pocket to last for a week Pay the landlord, pay the shop Keep on grafting as long as you're able Keep on grafting till you drop Or it's back to the crumbs off the table You've got to pay your way At the end of the day! [GIRL (Grabbing a letter from Fantine)] And what have we here, little innocent sister? Come on Fantine, let's have all the news! [Reading the letter] Ooh...\"Dear Fantine you must send us more money... Your child needs a doctor... There's no time to lose...\" [FANTINE] Give that letter to me It is none of your business With a husband at home And a bit on the side! Is there anyone here Who can swear before God She has nothing to fear? She has nothing to hide? [They fight over the letter. Valjean (M. Madeleine) rushes on to break up the squabble.] [VALJEAN] Will someone tear these two apart What is this fighting all about? This is a factory, not a circus! Now, come on ladies, settle down I run a business of repute I am the Mayor of this town [To the foreman] I look to you to sort this out And be as patient as you can- [He goes back into the factory] [FOREMAN] Now someone say how this began! [GIRL] At the end of the day She's the one who began it! There's a kid that she's hiding In some little town There's a man she has to pay You can guess how she picks up the extra You can bet she's earning her keep Sleeping around And the boss wouldn't like it! [FANTINE] Yes it's true there's a child And the child is my daughter And her father abandoned us Leaving us flat Now she lives with an innkeeper man And his wife And I pay for the child What's the matter with that? [WOMEN] At the end of the day She'll be nothing but trouble And there's trouble for all When there's trouble for one! While we're earning our daily bread She's the one with her hands in the butter You must send the slut away Or we're all gonna end in the gutter And it's us who'll have to pay At the end of the day! [FOREMAN] I might have known the bitch could bite I might have known the cat had claws I might have guessed your little secret Ah yes, the virtuous Fantine Who keeps herself so pure and clean You'd be the cause I had no doubt Of any trouble hereabout You play a virgin in the light But need no urgin' in the night. [GIRL] She's been laughing at you While she's having her men [WOMEN] She'll be nothing but trouble again and again [WOMAN] You must sack her today [WORKERS] Sack the girl today! [FOREMAN] Right my girl. On your way! Related for Les Miserables Cast: Les Miserables Cast - At the End of the Day song lyrics from soundtrack cd \"Les Miserables\" are property & copyright of their owners & provided for educational purposes. Visit Les Miserables page to find more, or use search. ","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Thursday, October 25, 2012 The written word A lot of my time lately is spent with The Princess. Not that I mind.  That little chick is hilarious and we like to get our nails done and do girly stuff together.  Having her as my constant companion is a gift in many ways. But the truth is, I miss my guy.  He spends oodles of time with his Dad.  They go to football games, baseball practice, basketball practice . . . everywhere together.  I know that E loves having him as a constant companion, too.  It works. And I also know that the older he gets the less I will see of him. The sad little glimpse into the future, however, is not working for me so much.  With school, work, sports and life I only see my guy for a few hours every week. I know that is more than I can expect even a few years from now but I am missing that sweet face and warm heart of his.  We're going on a date tomorrow night.  I can hardly wait.  And if I didn't think he'd get all weirded out I'd say every single thing on this page to him, but he is a ten year old boy.  I am pretty sure that he would be uncomfortable with my sharing how madly in love with him that I am.  So, as a keepsake, I will use the written word.  I truly hope one day he'll read all of it and know how much he was loved. Every single day. For my son, You have ALWAYS been too good to be true.  You were the happiest, easiest baby in the history of the world.  That is an absolute fact.  Every day of my life since February 19, 2002 I have said Thank you to God for the gift that you are. I have talked before about how it terrifies me that life with you is so good, but of late I have just decided to take everything one day at a time and be genuinely grateful for every day that we have. Life is going really, really fast for us right now.  Daddy and I are awfully busy raising you and your sister and being us, and you are so very busy being ten and living life to the fullest.  I love that part more than you will ever know.  It delights me to see you running off to practice and putting on your belt as you go or holding your sister's backpack while she climbs out of the car just before you turn away and walk into school. The spoiled selfish girl in me wants to tell you to stop and come hug ME and spend time with ME, but I love you too much to ever hold you back.  I love to watch you go and find your way, but I miss you so much. You are SUCH a boy with your smelly socks and your wrinkled shirts that you cram into drawers when I ask you to put them away, but I am told by someone at least once a week how kind and polite you are. Wow .  A few weeks ago the umpire at your baseball game, Mark, came to the fence and said \"who's kid is that?\"  That's sort of a weird question, but I claimed you unconditionally.  He said, \"He has really great manners.  He is so polite every time he's at bat.  I've never met a kid that's more polite.\" I can forgive the toothpaste on the mirror every time because there are a million reminders in the world that you are doing much better things than cleaning up behind yourself. Sometimes when I am watching you from a distance and catching snippets of your conversations with friends I can imagine you much older and even further out in the world.  I visualize you trekking across a college campus chatting with your buddy on the way to class and just being a slightly larger version of your wonderful self.  I wonder what profession you'll choose.  Your sense of humanity is larger than life and you have a genuine heart for service.  You are super squeamish so I'm not thinking that being a surgeon is in your future, but think maybe physical therapy is or even a career as a high school teacher and coach.  Oh Punky, you would be such a fantastic teacher.  I selfishly want you to make more money than that, but that's just plain shallow.  You would really make a wonderful teacher. You have so many amazing qualities that I could write a giant novel just about you and your goodness.  You're a great student, a talented athlete, a gentle soul and a wonderful Christian.  You do everything well and there are some things you are exceptional at.  Sometimes I get so focused on the doing of all that we do that I forget to stop and enjoy what we do.  I really enjoy being your Mom.  I enjoy talking with you about the Pendragon books and how that call at second base could be different.  I enjoy hearing how much other people appreciate the young man you are becoming.  I enjoy watching you play with your cousins and hearing you talk to your family.  I enjoy you.  I cherish you.  I adore you. Thank you for all of the terrific things you are and the hope of the things that are to come.  It is such an honor to have you for a son. What a beautiful wonderful letter to your son. And yes, it would be so easy to forgive a lot of those little things at home- as when he is out he is doing so much good and being so good. And what an awesome compliment to get from the umpire! Thank you so much for linking up- sorry I was so slow getting to this. My parents have been in town- so been spending time with them. LinkWithin Mr & Mrs Montoya We are each other's second half ~ sometimes better, sometimes not so much. We're always honest and we're always a team. We are just trying to put one foot in front of the other without stepping on anyone's toes. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"We like nice things. DIY Corkboard I've been working on a project. Since Pam and i began blogging just over a year ago, i find myself spending more time than i'd care to admit in my den. It was, in the literal sense, a den..you know the type that animals crawl into to hibernate for the winter? A real cave...dark chocolate walls, a desk that was one of the first furniture purchases i ever made, an IKEA bookcase that had fallen apart before we even moved into our home 11 years ago. Why, you ask, did you move a broken bookcase to a new home? Good question!!  It was also the room that became home for anything that didn't have another resting place. Anyways, i could go on, but i'll save that for my home reno post... Suffice it to say that is was hard to feel the creative juices flow in my workspace. So, my project has to been to create a room where i can work and feel inspired.. Where i'm surrounded by colour, by \"happy\" trinkets and by things i love. An obvious place to hang your thoughts and ideas on is a cork board. I also knew i wanted it to fit with the vibe of my room. So, when i spied a damaged mirror frame in Homesense, i got pretty excited!! This is such an easy DIY project..all you need is a frame, a can of spray paint and a roll of cork! ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Marginal note: Recovery by deduction or set-off 290. If a person is indebted to Her Majesty under this Act, the Minister may require the retention by way of deduction or set-off of any amount that the Minister may specify out of any amount that may be or become payable to that person by Her Majesty. Marginal note: Acquisition of debtor's property 291. For the purpose of collecting debts owed by a person to Her Majesty under this Act, the Minister may purchase or otherwise acquire any interest in the person's property that the Minister is given a right to acquire in legal proceedings or under a court order or that is offered for sale or redemption, and may dispose of any interest so acquired in any manner that the Minister considers reasonable. Marginal note: Money seized from debtor 292. (1) If the Minister has knowledge or suspects that a person is holding money that was seized by a police officer in the course of administering or enforcing the criminal law of Canada from another person who is liable to pay any duty, interest or other amount under this Act (in this section referred to as the \"debtor\") and that is restorable to the debtor, the Minister may in writing require the person to turn over the money otherwise restorable to the debtor, in whole or in part, to the Receiver General on account of the debtor's liability under this Act. Marginal note: Receipt of Minister (2) A receipt issued by the Minister for money turned over is a good and sufficient discharge of the requirement to restore the money to the debtor to the extent of the amount so turned over. Marginal note: Seizure -- failure to pay duty, etc. 293. (1) If a person fails to pay duty, interest or other amount as required under this Act, the Minister may in writing give 30 days notice to the person, addressed to their last known address, of the Minister's intention to direct that the person's things be seized and disposed of. If the person fails to make the payment before the expiry of the 30 days, the Minister may issue a certificate of the failure and direct that the person's things be seized. Marginal note: Disposition (2) Things that have been seized under subsection (1) shall be kept for 10 days at the expense and risk of the owner. If the owner does not pay the amount due together with all expenses within the 10 days, the Minister may dispose of the things in a manner the Minister considers appropriate in the circumstances. Marginal note: Proceeds of disposition (3) Any surplus resulting from a disposition, after deduction of the amount owing and all expenses, shall be paid or returned to the owner of the things seized. Marginal note: Exemptions from seizure (4) Anything of any person in default that would be exempt from seizure under a writ of execution issued by a superior court of the province in which the seizure is made is exempt from seizure under this section. Marginal note: Person leaving Canada or defaulting 294. (1) If the Minister suspects that a person has left or is about to leave Canada, the Minister may, before the day otherwise fixed for payment, by notice to the person served personally or sent by registered or certified mail addressed to their last known address, demand payment of any amount for which the person is liable under this Act or would be so liable if the time for payment had arrived, and the amount shall be paid without delay despite any other provision of this Act. Marginal note: Seizure (2) If a person fails to pay an amount required under subsection (1), the Minister may direct that things of the person be seized, and subsections 293(2) to (4) apply, with any modifications that the circumstances require. ","labels":"Legal","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"My USA trip is looming and I am in organization mode! I have a 14 hr trip to LA with a 3 hr stop over followed by a 6 hr flight to NYC. What I would love to hear is what things you guys take on board with you whether it be personal\/toiletry items or items for entertainment, comfort or other purposes. Thanks. :) Spoochie 17-05-2011, 10:24 PM I have just experienced my first long haul flight. Ear plugs to be worn under the headphones. It's kind of like having noise cancelling headphones. Baby wipes\/wet ones and roll on deodorant. I usually shower 2 - 3 times a day and just felt gross when I landed. On our stopover in Dubai I raided the duty free perfume testers! I didn't take anything for entertainment as the in-flight entertainment on Emirates was amazing. Lip balm! If you wear contact lenses consider taking some eye drops as your eyes may dry out quite a bit. Have fun! indi_c 18-05-2011, 07:05 AM Books Magazines Ipod Snacks If you fly any of the major airlines, you will get the TV's so that should keep you occupied for awhile. savvychic 18-05-2011, 08:05 AM It gets so dry on a plane: A refreshing facial spray Face, lip,hand moisturiser And I make sure I have clothes that will be comfy in the climate I land. And defintely wear comfy clothes! Layers are good because I never know if it will be warm or cold on the plane (it changes everytime!), and it helps you suit both the climate you are leaving and the climate you are going to. Also think about footwear - your feet can get quite swollen \/ uncomfortable in certain shoes, so depending on what shoes I am wearing, I will take comfy socks to wear and take my shoes off. Lipbalm in a tube or stick so I'm not using my finger Hand cream Hand sanitiser A pasmina A smallish book A magazine or two Chewing gum A bottle of water but think that's prohibited on flights to the US An eye mask and ear plugs I will have my iPhone with a relaxing playlist of instrumental music and ocean sounds - I find this works better to block out the noise of the engines. Lavender oil A sudoku book and pencil I don't generally worry too much about entertainment if I'm flying with a major airline as their on-flight entertainment is usually awesome. Pinky Bee 18-05-2011, 10:01 AM If you're flying united you'll need industrial earplugs as their 747s rattle and hum so loud it's difficult to sleep. Also USD as all US carriers don't give you anything when traveling domestic despite being full service airlines apparently. I always take: Earplugs Neck pillow Eye mask Iphone loaded with movies and tv series Change of socks and underwear, nothing worse than sweaty socks and jocks after 14hrs of sitting in a warm cabin Sassafras 18-05-2011, 12:07 PM Oh gosh, what don't I take onboard long haul flights! I hate flying and get really antsy, so I try and keep as occupied and comfortable as possible - Lipbalm - Face moisturiser - Concealer and cream blush (for when I land) - Eye drops, contact lens solution and case - Spectacles - Magazine and a book (so I can swap when I get bored) - iPod - Socks - Chewing gum or mints - A small vial of perfume - Eye mask - Neck pillow - Large shawl - doubles as a stylish scarf and extra blanket as it gets so cold on board - Pantyliners so I feel nice and clean - Face wipes - Pen for completing immigration forms - Snacks like a container of Pringles, Skittles, snakes etc - Macbook \/ iPad - Hair clip so I can throw my hair up in a high bun on board, and when I get off the plane, I take out the bun and my hair is nice and volumised so I don't look too horrendous. I always wear leggings and a comfortable shirt and cardigan with ballet flats. Slip on\/slip off shoes are essential if you're travelling to USA, as you'll need to take them on and off during security checks, and don't wear a belt if you can help it, because they're a pain to put on and take off. OfficeGirl 18-05-2011, 12:29 PM My list is pretty much the same as Sassafras'. I also keep sunglasses handy for when the morning sun comes streaming in thru someone else's window. AgentM99 18-05-2011, 12:35 PM Thanks everybdoy! Sassafras, I am a bit like you but my motto for this trip is travelling light so I am trying to get it down to \"essentials\". Might need some luck with that! :) beverly 18-05-2011, 01:37 PM Less about necessarily onboard essentials, but in addition to what other's have said, I always bring a full extra set of clothes and must have items you need in case your bag gets lost\/delayed when you land. For this reason, I will usually bring either a full set of clothes that have elements I can also sleep in, and\/or an extra singlet\/item that is just for sleeping, as well as an extra set of underwear and any toiletry essentials (in travel size obviously). In terms of other tips for long haul flights, go to seat guru and scope out your flight detail so you can see if your seats have any extras like powerpoints, or plugs for USB\/consoles. I almost always travel with a laptop, but particularly in the case of long haul flights, I always check whether I'll have a powerpoint to see if I can charge up any devices I have. Mod-ern Girl 18-05-2011, 03:55 PM I take pretty much what everyone else has said. However if I wanted to travel light my absolute essentials would be: I call these things shoe socks, but they are almost a jiffy kinda thing I picked up in target. they feel like a sock on, but have a VERY thin rubbery sole. If you get these you don't have to keep putting your shoes on to go to the toilet. You don't want to walk into the toilet in socks (think turbulence + tired men = you don't want to know :sick: ). I personally like the sound of the plane engines so I'm never worried about the noise! I transfer into small bottles facial moisturiser and cleanser, small soap, mini toothpaste, deodorant just in case plane is delayed\/luggage lost. For the same reason I pack underwear and a singlet\/t-shirt. I also pack things that I don't use but that I want to keep safe eg. jewellery, laptop\/netbook, iPod My ears become really painful during landing so I don't risk ear plugs. PetitePrincesse 18-05-2011, 04:41 PM i am a fairly light traveller - there's nothing worse than being in transit and lugging your non-wheelie carry on bag around. my rule is if i got stranded, what would i need as an essential? other than what other people have said... mirror stilnox little bag of nuts and dried fruit. i never eat it, but it's nice to the have the option. otel products and the beauty counters are your best friends for long haul trips. i usually take the l'occitaine hotel shampoo and conditioner (they are teency weency bottles, but go a long way), hotel soaps, sample foundation sachets and the teeny hotel colgate tubes. i decant all my beauty products into little clear bottles. i always have a clear plastic make up bag for all my lotions etc - manicare does a great one that comes with clear bottles for around $15. makes life so much easier at security, especially when everyone around you is scrabbling in their bags getting everything out or has their things in nasty plastic freezer bags. i wear my glasses, and lots of layers, leggings and thongs. rimmellover 18-05-2011, 06:17 PM *iPhone + usb charger (many airlines have sockets for you to plug the USB in to) *Pashmina *Travel pillow *Eye drops *Lip balm *Pen *Chewing gum (it can help your ears pop on ascent\/descent) *Water bottle (either buy one once past security, or take an empty one and fill up) *Passport etc (obviously) Some people will take a change of clothes (trackies etc) so they can wear nice clothes for the airport at each end. I'm not so much a fan of this, as I have no issues walking through an airport in my trackies, and afteer a 14 hour flight the toilets can be kind of gross to get changed in. I do, however, take a change of clothes in my carry on, just in case my luggage goes missing, so I have a day or so to organise replacements. I also take my makeup and anything I would be devastated to lose\/have broken. Make sure you take the chargers for your electric equipment on board with you too. I also have standard handbag contents (tissues, panadol, etc). I don't know if it is your first long haul flight or not, but you will soon get to know what you need, as everyone has different needs (some people HAVE to have socks with them, whereas I can't stand them). My best tip is to have your passport etc in your handbag, then have a carry-on within a carry-on. I had my backpack (so I wouldn't have to deal with two rolly bags), and in the bottom I had the change of clothes etc that I wanted to have with me but wouldn't actually need. On top of that stuff, I had a Woolworths-type bag with the stuff I wanted at my seat. Once I boarded, it was easy to pull the top bag out of my backpack and have at my feet, store my backpack in the overhead lockers, and still not overcrowd my handbag to the point of being non-functional Madam Mina 18-05-2011, 07:45 PM My list is pretty similar to others I think. I have a large soft leather Witchery bag that I use that can either be a big handbag or an overnight bag I think this one of my favourite things I own. List: Pashmina Camera Small laptop iPod Hand sanitiser Moistuiser Cleansing water Wet ones Eye drops Mini toothbrush Mini floss Tiny bottle of mouth wash Concealor Lip balm Valerian (herbal sleeping pills) Deodorant Perfume Book Magazine Change of clothes Pen Panty liners Neurofen Important travel documents Reading glasses Sunglasses Local currency for when I arrive Anything of value that I don't want to lose or really need when I get there like jewelery and medication All chargers and power cords Phone Noise canceling headphones (these are the best things ever) Hand Sanitiser Remember for international flights you will be subject to the liquids and gels regulations (and domestic flights in the US). So anything you want to take on that is a liquid or a gel must be less than 100mls and they all must fit in to a clear plastic sandwich bag. Some airports (I'm looking at you Hong Kong and Bangkok) will even take liquids bought in the airport off you so be careful what you buy duty free. AgentM99 18-05-2011, 07:56 PM I have had a few long hauls flights before but I want to streamline both carry on and checked luggage so rather than chucking stuff in on the day I am trying to be more organised this time. :) geezer 18-05-2011, 08:13 PM Wow some people take a lot...I always get organised at the very last minute and never use half the stuff I take on board. My best tip is to have one larger on board bag with a change of clothes, toiletries, documents etc that you put in the overhead and then a little bag with the things you'll use during the flight which you can put under the seat. That way you don't have to get up to open the overhead and go searching through it. You can stuff the small bag in the bigger carry bag when you get off. ETA, Just realised Rimmellover said pretty much the exact same thing before me. General Pashmina or similar that can be used as a scarf and blacket thick socks good headphones iPod Thick book (Agatha Christie collections are good- like the 3 in 1 editions) mag or two Gum and mints museli bars or nuts to snack on (and throw away before customs at the other end) water bottle (that i can fill once I've gotten through security) Change of underwear Pack of cards (If I'm travelling with someone) Eye mask and ear plugs for sleep Tissues (and vicks inhaler if I've had a stuffy nose recently as it's inevitable it'll get worse on the plane!) I get seriously dehydrated on planes (even on domestic short-haul flights) so am a bit overly prepared hydration wise!. But i do think it's important to feel clean and hydrated, thus the face wipes and wet ones and the moisturisers. Course, much of what I've listed others have listed as well! I also pack face powder and mascara for freshening up at the other end :) sunshowers 18-05-2011, 09:55 PM Forgot to add! I carry my passport, tickets, foreign cash and cards in a travel wallet and my iPod is my iphone- so i have that with me too! I don't take much as I always have my computer and camera, which take up room. So aside from that I usually only have wallet, passport, water, book, ipod, lipbalm, toothbrush\/paste. These days most long haul flight shave a decent amount of stuff to watch and I spend most of my time doing that, but a book is good for the stopovers. I don't usually bother with spare clothes, unless I have something specific I need to be dressed for. What I hate most is having too much hand luggage to lug around during stopovers or in transit. \u0007\u0014\u0007puripuri\u0007\u0014\u0007 22-05-2011, 11:36 AM Depending on the airline I'm flying I take different things. For example if I'm flying Brunei airline, I don't need to take socks, eye mask and toothbrush with me because they provide. For most of the other airlines, I carry with me; In the future I would like to take these following things with me; NECK PILLOW!!!!!!! Eye drops change of clothes, something really loose and comfy Eevee 24-05-2011, 02:42 AM I should consider myself to be a seasoned long-haul traveller by now (I'm due to fly to Paris next month for the third time within this last calendar year, not gloating I promise :p), but I'm very minimalistic when it comes to carry-on luggage. I baulk at the thought of carrying any additional weight so I only bring the bare essentials with me onboard any long-haul flight. Before flying, check what amenities your airline provides (in-flight entertainment, USB port for your iPod or laptop etc.) as this'd help you decide what to bring. Whenever I travel solo, I try to pack as minimal as possible. I normally use my Neverfull (MM) as my flying handbag, and a very slim Incase sling bag (http:\/\/www.goincase.com\/products\/detail\\\\... for my Macbook. I was just gping to post about dry shampoo. I bought a travel size Batiste one but then wondered whether you can take aerosols on board? mzbabydoll 24-05-2011, 02:19 PM From past experience of over-packing my carry on luggage, I like to keep it light! - A good book is a must for me - Passport\/itinerary, all the necessary paperwork and a pen - Tissues - Lollies - Jurlique rosewater mist - Camera and iPhone - Sunglasses That's all I can think of and usually on the way home I'll chuck in any shopping items that can't fit into my suitcase :) Eevee 24-05-2011, 03:18 PM [QUOTE=Eevee;6708667] 70g Cedel dry shampoo I was just gping to post about dry shampoo. I bought a travel size Batiste one but then wondered whether you can take aerosols on board? Yep you're allowed to bring aerosols in your carry-on on long haul flights as long as it is 100g (net weight) or less. That's why the 70g Cedel one works well for me :) rimmellover 24-05-2011, 05:41 PM ^ If you're carrying them on-board, make sure you have the lids on them - if they are lidless when you go through security they will make you throw them out (I think it something to do with explosion risk or some jazz) AgentM99 24-05-2011, 05:55 PM Thanks rimmellover. I now remember that happened to me once. A brand new KMS lidless spray - chucked out by the check in chick. I always carry a basic change of clothes\/underwear - ever since they lost my suitcase (permanently) en route to a holiday in Hawaii. Nothing worse then arriving somewhere sans luggage, all sweaty and gross and having to wander around a mall exhausted looking for a change of clothes to buy. USB 2.0 10-07-2011, 07:49 AM I always carry a basic change of clothes\/underwear - ever since they lost my suitcase (permanently) en route to a holiday in Hawaii. Nothing worse then arriving somewhere sans luggage, all sweaty and gross and having to wander around a mall exhausted looking for a change of clothes to buy. I always do this whenever I fly too. I have a bag delay rate of about 2 a year (so it's probably about 1 in 75 flights), so I expect airlines to occasionally lose my bag, especially when I have a connecting flight. The inconvenience of having to drop what I planned to be doing and shop for basics is not something I can entertain. I have one or two days' worth of change of clothes, two days' (at least) worth of toiletries, hair brush, and other essentials in my cabin bag regardless of how short the flight is. This is partially because I sometimes go hand luggage only for short trips, but even when I check my bag in, I always have those basic kits. TheRealMe 11-07-2011, 01:33 PM I have one or two days' worth of change of clothes, two days' (at least) worth of toiletries, hair brush, and other essentials in my cabin bag regardless of how short the flight is. Since my luggage got lost a few years ago (and it took a week to get it back), I take a change of clothes and my toiletries with me in my hand luggage. Even if my luggage is not lost, this also makes it easier for a quick change at my next destination without having to unpack everything. missE** 11-07-2011, 01:39 PM Are the aerosols allowed in checked in luggage? Yes aerosols are allowed as long as the lid is on. jbie 15-07-2011, 09:51 PM - lots of inflatable pillows, like 3 or 4! makes a big difference in getting comfy for sleep, to support every part of your body - pashminas, maybe 2, to use as blankets - socks for warmth - comfy clothes - refillable bottle of water - snacks - books and mags, laptop for movies - lip balm, moisturiser - eye mask 336 15-07-2011, 09:57 PM Hand sanitiser Ipad 2 books magazines ipod wanttobeafairy 15-07-2011, 10:15 PM I always do this whenever I fly too. I have a bag delay rate of about 2 a year (so it's probably about 1 in 75 flights), so I expect airlines to occasionally lose my bag, especially when I have a connecting flight. The inconvenience of having to drop what I planned to be doing and shop for basics is not something I can entertain. I have one or two days' worth of change of clothes, two days' (at least) worth of toiletries, hair brush, and other essentials in my cabin bag regardless of how short the flight is. This is partially because I sometimes go hand luggage only for short trips, but even when I check my bag in, I always have those basic kits. You fly a lot!:-o150 flights a year?? Anyway, ITA about having a few basic toiletries (just deo, and travel size body lotion, moisturiser and toothpaste\/toothbrush, if the airline isn't providing it. And one change of clothes, and if possible shoes. This time, after a longer flight than I'm used to, I'm determined to take a nasal spray with me too, my nose got so dry and I felt awful. I also found it impossible to sleep this time, do inflatable pillows help? USB 2.0 16-07-2011, 05:13 AM You fly a lot!:-o150 flights a year?? Yes, approximately that. I also found it impossible to sleep this time, do inflatable pillows help? Sorry, I don't know! Unless I have a flat bed to sleep in, I don't recline at all on short haul flights, and not recline beyond about 1\/4 of the full recline on a long haul to sleep because I really don't like intruding into the space of someone behind me especially if they are tall, yet I sleep OK, so I'm one of those people who can literally sleep anywhere! Staying awake on a flight is more of a problem for me. I did buy an inflatable pillow one time but couldn't be bothered carrying it or blowing it up, so I haven't actually used one. If you want an extra pillow, do ask the cabin crew though. They are usually able to give you another one. Also, if your head rest has 'bendy wings', I recommend using them too, so that your head doesn't flop around when you sleep. lolligirl 16-07-2011, 07:16 AM I make sure I am wearing warm comfy clothes as I always get cold on planes, and pack the following: - travel socks that I pop on once I am seated - book - scarf in case I get super cold - a set of clothes and underwear in my bag in case I want to get changed on the plane or as soon as I get off, and also for the worst case scenario of if my check in bag went missing! - makeup wipes - small bag of makeup - fruit salad What will I take next time - hardly anything!!!! I downgraded seriously on the flight home and managed just as well. :) Miss-G- 19-07-2011, 09:45 AM I always always always take a hairbrush on a long haul flight - you get serious seat hair and it's so nice to step off the plane looking neat. corrie_v 19-07-2011, 09:57 AM Hairbrush change of underwear deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, lipbalm, face wipes, hand sanitiser cardigan or other to keep you warm socks crossword puzzle book or similar with pens chewing gum sunglasses tissues ear plugs: without fail I will be seated near a screaming child I think inflatable pillow use is debatable... I find them quite uncomfortable actually as they prop my neck forward and make it sore. I mostly fly with Emirates though, so when in Business they give you half of the stuff I've listed anyway - much easier AgentM99 19-07-2011, 11:45 AM I think somebody mentioned this already but I think those bendy \/ winged head rests that planes like VAustralia have make the need for inflatable pillows redundant. I've never found travel pillows particularly comfortable anyway. vanillaink 19-07-2011, 01:56 PM I always put so much thought it what book\/s I'm going to take on board but the I end up having the attention span of a fish when I'm on the plane. No idea why.. I'm a really keen reader generally; the atmosphere of a plane means as soon as I open the book I want to fall asleep or do something else! So now I'm fine with just a few good magazines (that one that sounds like eMCee and a trashy one that has a good crossword!) and the in-flight entertainment. I figure you pay so much for flights that you might as well enjoy all the movies you can! AgentM99 19-07-2011, 05:09 PM I always put so much thought it what book\/s I'm going to take on board but the I end up having the attention span of a fish when I'm on the plane. No idea why.. I'm a really keen reader generally; the atmosphere of a plane means as soon as I open the book I want to fall asleep or do something else! So now I'm fine with just a few good magazines (that one that sounds like eMCee and a trashy one that has a good crossword!) and the in-flight entertainment. I figure you pay so much for flights that you might as well enjoy all the movies you can! This made me laugh - a bit ditto! :) rwm_girl 25-07-2011, 01:37 PM Thanks for starting this thread! Having never been overseas before, I spent a big chunk of my Saturday night going through it and making a list of things i might like to take on board :) KittyKitty 25-07-2011, 02:01 PM Ditto, rwm_girl! This thread has been really useful in helping me to get together the things I will need for 6 weeks worth of flights :-) What sort of bags do you ladies take all your necessary on-board items in? I'm really not sure which one to take, and my list is growing ever longer... chimneys_afire 27-12-2011, 04:16 PM Just wondering, for those of you that carry laptops, phones, ipods, or other electronics in your hand luggage, do you also take their respective chargers and any adapters that you need? I'll be taking my mini laptop, camera, phone and ipod, and was planning on taking all my chargers as well, but some of them are kind of bulky. Should I only take what I need, and for example leave my camera charger in my checked baggage? What do you girls do? *CaT* 27-12-2011, 04:27 PM i normally take all chargers with me in carry on, just in case my suitcase is lost \/ delayed \/ etc. it's much harder to easily replace chargers than clothes \/ toiletries USB 2.0 27-12-2011, 05:51 PM Just wondering, for those of you that carry laptops, phones, ipods, or other electronics in your hand luggage, do you also take their respective chargers and any adapters that you need? I'll be taking my mini laptop, camera, phone and ipod, and was planning on taking all my chargers as well, but some of them are kind of bulky. Should I only take what I need, and for example leave my camera charger in my checked baggage? What do you girls do? As someone who is home less than being away, I have learnt to minimise things I carry around with me. I bought a spare battery for my camera so that for a two-week trip, I don't need to carry my camera battery charger. Depending on the length of your trip, it may be an option for you. I also have compacted everything as much as possible, including just having a USB phone charger for my phones. That way, you only need one USB mains unit or a laptop to charge it. My Apple charger is small so I don't need to worry about it too much, and I have one world adapter that is probably one of the smallest I can get, and also a single adapter for the country I am visiting for my MacBook Air because it's tiny anyway. All of these come in my cabin bag because I cannot risk having my checked baggage delayed even for a day with it, or I cannot work. I also carry a USB cable x 2 (one is for the phone), Ethernet cable, USB-to-Ethernet adapter for Mac, SD card reader, USB light, and a Bluetooth mouse. All of these fit into a cable bag measuring 5x5x20 cm. They also live in my cabin bag as I have ones for home use anyway, so that I don't have to worry about leaving it behind at home. The rest (batteries, chargers, medical (panadol\/nurofen)) are in the checked baggage. PetitePrincesse 28-12-2011, 11:52 AM As someone who is home less than being away, I have learnt to minimise things I carry around with me. I bought a spare battery for my camera so that for a two-week trip, I don't need to carry my camera battery charger. Depending on the length of your trip, it may be an option for you. I also have compacted everything as much as possible, including just having a USB phone charger for my phones. That way, you only need one USB mains unit or a laptop to charge it. My Apple charger is small so I don't need to worry about it too much, and I have one world adapter that is probably one of the smallest I can get, and also a single adapter for the country I am visiting for my MacBook Air because it's tiny anyway. All of these come in my cabin bag because I cannot risk having my checked baggage delayed even for a day with it, or I cannot work. I also carry a USB cable x 2 (one is for the phone), Ethernet cable, USB-to-Ethernet adapter for Mac, SD card reader, USB light, and a Bluetooth mouse. All of these fit into a cable bag measuring 5x5x20 cm. They also live in my cabin bag as I have ones for home use anyway, so that I don't have to worry about leaving it behind at home. i do the same thing - keep spares of everything i need in my carry on luggage. for chargers, i also just use usb chargers, other than the computer which is tiny. you can change the settings on your computer to pump more juice into the charging item as well so it doesn't take as long as a usb charger usually takes. quick_dry 28-12-2011, 01:29 PM on USB chargers - I bought extra iPad chargers, they cost the same as the iPhone charger but give double the power. Travel plug converters: check that they are a design where they have a 3 rd (Earth) plug, some power points won't work unless they can sense a prong in all points of the socket. *CaT* 28-12-2011, 01:59 PM for travel adaptors, i find a universal one that has at least one usb point the best. that means i don't need to bring the adaptors for my ipod\/iphone\/camera chargers, just the cord. and the iphone & ipod can use the same cord as well i've had ones where it was a pull out all the different ends depending on which country it was. i'd advise against these because i ended up losing the european adaptor in the hotel i stayed in. pulled it out of the wall, but the european adaptor part stayed in the socket... the ebay one above, where it's all in the one piece and slides out as you use it is much more efficient. although the one i bought at HK airport had 2 usb ports and they were on the main part, not a separate attachment like in the ebay version quick_dry 29-12-2011, 09:10 AM if you forget your charger and the room you're in has a flat screen TV, look for a USB port somewhere on it - it won't be as quick as a decent charger, but it usually works in a pinch. Basil25 23-02-2012, 03:15 AM i also travel a lot and found the less the better. for the plane carry on i take. a change of clothes chargers-I have Apple everything so that's easy except for the camera charger, which is tiny anyway. ebook reader tissues, face creams and water spray like Avene misting spray. good quality handcream handgel, and wipes. panadol\/aspirin the less the better. invest in good quality hand luggage! korogi 24-03-2012, 09:59 PM I always put so much thought it what book\/s I'm going to take on board but the I end up having the attention span of a fish when I'm on the plane. No idea why.. I'm a really keen reader generally; the atmosphere of a plane means as soon as I open the book I want to fall asleep or do something else! I'm exactly the same! It took me a couple of international flights to accept the fact that I'm never going to read a lot on a plane. I barely even watch the movies. I'm seldom comfortable (even in Business Class) because I get sciatic nerve pain down the back of my right leg. Consequently, I always have the urge to wriggle around\/stretch or walk around the plane. And drink lots and lots of water! I never bring lollies on the plane, or drink alcohol during a flight, because they make me feel bloated and dehydrated. Besides, it's too many empty calories for sitting down for 14 hours. ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Floor installation should be the final step after any other decoration work. Be sure the sub floor is completely dry, clean, flat, and sound before starting. Vacuum or sweep the floor thoroughly to get it free from dirt or any other substance. See ill. No.1. If the sub floor is concrete, it should be older than 30 days (this is for a \"new\" build or newly poured cement slab). The preferred room temperature is  21? (70 ?) with a relative humidity of 35%~60%. The cork floor planks need to be acclimatized for 24 to 48 hours within the job site. Check for flatness. Any bumps or hollows exceeding more than 4mm within 1 square meter area (the length of one flooring plank) below or above the standard level should be sanded down or filled with filler. See ill. No.2. Cork floating floors are intended for indoor use (as with any other flooring system such as laminate flooring). Installing floating floors in humid areas such as bathrooms or laundry rooms is not recommended. Cork tiles (glue down flooring) should be used in such instances. Installation: Step 1. Step 1. Lay the planks lengthwise with the direction of sunlight. Check for color harmony and consistency in the flooring. This can be done when allowing your materials to acclimatize beforehand. Manage abrupt patterns by relocating planks. This allows for a more natural transition between color variances in the cork. See ill. No.3. Step 2 . Installing over a concrete sub-floor usually requires some form of moisture barrier. This can be in the form of polyurethane sheeting. Most hardware stores will be able to direct you to the right product for the job. This is especially true when working in a basement or any other room that is below-grade. Step 3. Measure your room and divide by the width of a flooring plank. This will determine the number of the planks needed to cover the floor. If your measurements leave you with space of more than 2.5inches on you long wall (63mm) you should start with a partial board (cut the board to size) in the first row to ensure the stability of the floor. Step 4 . Leave a 3\/8inch (10mm) expansion gap between the flooring and each wall, or other obstacles such as a door frame or cabinetry, using spacers (scrap wood or waste product works well). Working left to right in the room: \"brick\" or stagger your planks to reduce the visual appearance of the seams. The tiles along the edge should be the same width along all the walls. This is where your \"pre-placement\" of your planks is going to pay-off. Place the first plank in the left - hand corner of the room (leaving your spacing to the wall) with both tongue sides facing the wall . Complete the first row by angling the planks together one at a time. Try to install the tiles so that they form a single line when you click them together. See Figures A & B. See Ill. No.4. Step 5. Start of second row: Insert the tongue ridge of the next plank to the groove of the first plank at a 20-30 degree angle to the floor -- this is where you will place the cut plank from row 1 to ensure the staggered seams. Press downwards with your hands allowing the plank to \"click\" into place and lay flat on the floor (Figures A & B). Fig. B Fig. A Should you need to \"straighten\" a row or \"tighten\" the seams you can use a scrap of the planking as a \"tapping block\". By using the tapping block (which you have so cleverly created with a piece of scrap tongue and groove flooring) and your rubber mallet you will save the edges on the flooring from any damaging blows. See ill. No.5,6. . Step 6 . Once you have reached the end of the row, you may have to use have to use the crowbar and mallet to tap the last piece into place (space against the wall will be tight). See ill. No.7 See ill. No.8. Step 8 . Proceed the same way for subsequent rows. See ill. No.9. Step 9 . The last row: Hopefully the gap between your flooring and your wall will be uniform along its length.  You can ensure the gap is uniform by measuring at both ends of the room. Measuring: Overlap (matching seam to seam) one plank over your flooring (see Ill.10 ).  Place a second plank (make sure it is snug against the wall) on top of the overlapping plank.  You should be working with the depth of three planks -- one on top of another.   Mark your measurements onto the overlapping plank (the one sandwiched in the middle).  You will cut the width of your last row to the measurements you have just made. Make sure you maintain the tongue and groove of your flooring and that you cut the CORRECT SIDE!!! Remember: Measure twice, Cut once! Maintenance: For daily maintenance, you can use a damp mop to clean the cork floors. Too much moisture can cause warping which is not covered under warranty. Quickly wipe spills from the floor to protect cork from excess liquid. Use door mat to prevent sand and dirt or other abrasives. 4. It's wise to use felt pads under the legs of furniture to avoid scratching and permanent denting. When moving heavy objects try to lift instead of pull. If this is not possible, then using pieces of heavy cardboard under the furniture, while moving it, will help keep your floor from being scratched. SEALING: Our cork products have been surface-sealed with three layers of water based polyurethane. To facilitate installation, the seams are not sealed from the factory. After installation we recommend you re-coat the entire floor. This will seal the seams to protect the joints against dirt accumulation and water spillage. Apply 2 coats of floor grade water based polyurethane for light residential use or 3 coats for heavy residential or commercial use. Follow sealant manufacturer's application instructions. ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Hi Everyone - I recently moved and doing that I got a miniskip and threw away everything crappy - and that included my two catstands. I have been looking in pet stores for some and the ones I have seen are very bad quality and there are so few to choose from. Does anyone know a place with a good variety of good quality catstands? I am willing to drive where-ever. I'm not after anything fancy - just sturdy and nice, with good quality materials You could try Kieron at Sammy's Cat Poles http:\/\/www.scratchin...sts.com.au\/  He may be able to custom make you something in your choice of colour and take it to the end of year show at Hampton Park and you can collect it from him there. Thanks, I do to find one I can buy and take home. I need one now - Bailey is using my bed as a scratching post! The funky ones...so cute, so expensive, but so beautiful and just a little tempting! I'll check petbarn out. We bought Tink's cat post at Robbo's Pet Barn in Dandenong.. they had a good selection there at reasonable prices. That was three years ago now, the post is used constantly and is still like new, so that might be somewhere to try. I'd go with Satcmo's recommentation for Sammy's. They are great build quality at a good price and my cats love them. Contact them, you may be able to get something quickly. Alternatively, Mega Pet Warehouse on Maroondah Hwy Ringwood have some right up the back of the shop. They do have some great ones (well did last time I was in there) but they are pretty expensive. So depends how quickly you need something and how much you want to spend. The show at Hampton park is on Sunday week, so not far away. If you want good quality and a good price you are best contacting Sammy's....maybe give them a ring (check website for a phone number. Most stuff in the shops is rather overpriced and the quality is not always the best. Sammy's stuff is excellent. I have lots of it and it lasts well. I picked it up from her in Mulgrave which saved 30 dollars or so in postage. If you can pick it up, it really is great value. The quality seems fine and it didnt take me long to put together. They come flatpacked too! So you don't need a large special sized vehicle. The only downside was that she only does pick up 11am to 4pm Mon-Friday. But I sent a friend down to pick it up for me. ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"International Arapawa Goat Association International Arapawa Goat Association IAGA Profile: David Hughes ~ Tutukinoa Arapawas Some of David's bucks I don't remember the year but it was in the early 1990s. Patsy and I had gone to a Rare Breeds Conservation Society auction at the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in Christchurch with a friend who assured us it would be an interesting day looking at the animals and having a picnic lunch and a few wines. We were not yet rare breeders and had no intention of buying anything. But then we saw this magnificent goat! He had spectacular horns and was extremely friendly. When we went over to his enclosure he put his front feet up on the rails so that he could be patted, scratched and talked to. We kept returning to see him. What was he, we wondered, and what would he cost? This was a rare breeds auction so perhaps he was worth thousands? We made enquiries and found out that he was an Arapawa goat and that he probably would sell for a couple of hundred dollars or so. We figured we could manage that and nervously I got ready to bid. It was all over very quickly and we had paid a mere $28 for a truly beautiful animal who was to change our lives considerably! We decided to call our goat Pegasus. Then Michael Willis asked us if we would take two females under the caregiver scheme that was operating at the time. We got a mother and daughter and named them Gog and Magog. When Gog produced twin boys we took them to the next Rare Breeds auction and sold them because we couldn't use them for breeding. A reporter for a farming paper was there and took a photo of me with one of the kids to accompany an article she was writing. When the article appeared the caption underneath the photo described me as a \"farmer and breeder\" much to the chagrin of my father-in-law who had owned a large sheep station and didn't think such a description fitted someone with ten acres at Lyttelton! Young Belltopper One morning I found Magog dead in her shelter. She wasn't even lying over and looked as if she had settled down for the night and had a heart attack or brain haemorrhage and died instantly in that position. We were very disappointed but Gog helped raise our spirits by delivering twin girls that we named Magog II and Belltopper. They were to be the last kids Gog produced because she died before she could kid again. This was a huge blow to our confidence and I'm sure that if anything had happened to Magog II and Belltopper we would have given up. Fortunately both thrived and produced many kids before they were too old. We couldn't put Pegasus over his daughters so we got a male goat we named Chewtobacco and a doe we named Little Glory from a breeder in Timaru. Chewtobacco got to mate with the girls and Pegasus spent his time head butting lumps of concrete for fun. One day he snapped off half of one horn, which rather spoilt his looks. Our herd grew only slowly. We began corresponding with Betty and Walt Rowe at the Arapawa Wildlife Sanctuary who were responsible for helping save the breed from extermination. We were hoping to get some goats from the island but this proved difficult because there were restrictions on stock movements at the time as hydatids had been found on the island. In the end we worked out a system with the government ministry whereby a permit would be issued to pick up suckling kids when they became available and we would then bottle raise them when we got them home. In 1998 I made my first trip to the island going out on the mail run and bringing back a buck kid and doe kid. Betty called the buck Precious and we named the doe Kaipipi. Bottle feeding the kids was great fun and it also established a bond with the goats that will never be broken. David feeding some of his female Arapawa goats A second trip to the island resulted in three more doe kids coming to Lyttelton and we also got two bucks locally. We thought that with these additions we would make real progress with our breeding. However, despite our best efforts, we were spectacularly unsuccessful at breeding females. In the 2001-2003 seasons we had 38 kids but fewer than a quarter were female. We knew that this was not just a matter of luck because the pattern was the same each year -- plenty of males and very few females. We lacked an explanation until we were shown a textbook on goats that identified the problem as an iodine deficiency and suggested the remedy was to feed seaweed meal, which we did. In November 2003 I again went to Arapawa Island and brought back more goats for our property. The next year produced more female kids than in the previous four years combined, and the number of females equalled the number of males, thanks to the seaweed meal. In the past several people had asked for goats but we didn't have enough to let any females go. Now we were in a position to start establishing other herds with people keen to get involved and hopefully these beautiful animals, of which there are only about 300 world wide, can have a secure future. We currently have over 75 Arapawa goats but also have Arapawa pigs and Arapawa sheep plus other breeds of sheep, goats and pigs as well as ponies, donkeys, rabbits and poultry. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"There is still a need for this kind of festival -- Exclusive interview with Jackie Crozier, LadyRock founder Have you been wondering exactly why LadyRock and GoGo were cancelled this year? Do you want find out the reasons behind such drastic decisions made?  We do too! We recently caught up with Jackie Crozier, LadyRock's very own festival director to talk about what issues they faced, the history of Pride and ultimately, why they had to cancel. 2012 has seen the quick rise and the even quicker demise of the lesbian festivals.  3 became 1 in quick succession, after GoGo in the south and LadyRock in the north succumbed, L Fest was the only one left standing, right in the heart of England.  After hearing about the saddening news that LadyRock was forced to cancel due to the economic climate, then hearing about GoGo falling at the same hurdle, it made me think... what makes lesbian festivals such a fickle mistress to tame whilst gay pride events stand the test of time? One of the main reasons that come to mind is the history behind Pride.  After the Stonewall riot in 1969, we've celebrated our community and what makes us special with such ferocity and love, it's relatively easier to set up an event with this at its core. Festivals always hang in the balance due to schedule clashes.  It's safe to say we've got a lot going on here in the UK with that little sporting event happening in the summer.  Olympics is it?  I actually can't wait to see the drama unfold on the smurf turf, yet I was ready to make my way down to a lady fest or two as well.  Read on to find out why we've been stripped from our selection mere weeks before the events were set to take place this year. LadyRock was in its first year, yet had to cancel... what issues did you face? In general, as featured throughout mass national media this year, 2012 has been an unfortunate time for festivals. In terms of issues specific to us, there really were not that many (at least that were apparent). We were thrilled with our line-up and had fantastic feedback for it. As a new brand we felt strong as an organisation, our team worked hard and we were receiving good press, both locally and nationally. Ultimately festivals are cancelled because of ticket sales and, in relation to ours, I would perhaps say that we had not made ourselves public early enough. Whilst we had made an impact in the festival, LGBT and north west press sectors, you have to remember that we only announced the event and its full line-up around twelve weeks or so ago. In hindsight, we should have had more time so that people could get hold of their tickets and tell their friends about the event. Unfortunately we were stuck as to which months we could hold the festival in. What was the ultimate issue that forced you guys to cancel the festival? Aside from planning -- and I hate to sound like a stereotypical Brit -- but the weather we have had for the past two or three months has been horrendous, particularly in Manchester. The image most have of festivals is heat, Ray Bans and cans of Strongbow, whilst all we've seen since February has been rain, hooded jackets and hot chocolates. Had we been in sun bathing weather for two months, who knows what could have happened... In general, as I said before, many UK festivals have been cancelled this year. National events such as the Queen's Jubilee and The Olympics have meant many individuals re-think their 'big weekends' and celebrations around patriotism (which I fully support). I know the word is batted about so much but, in addition to this, the recession is constantly worrying people into where they spend their pennies. This has obviously affected us in the same way it has done other festivals. Do you think the cancellation of LadyRock and GoGo was related or two separate issues? I think related in the general ideas I just mentioned, as we are both smaller festivals, but not in respect of us being 'women's events'. Whilst we are most definitely a 'niche' event, there is an obvious need for our kind of festival on the market. This is visible from media types that relate to women and moreover, lesbian issues, as well as a clear market audience. Whilst it has been a tough year both for us and our friends at GO.GO, 2012 wasn't unsuccessful because of lack of want, but for all the aforementioned reasons. Why do you think Prides have stood the test of time and grown over the past few years? Pride events are pivotal to our society, both nationally and further afield, but in major UK cities their message and meaning has most definitely progressed over the years. Manchester Pride began as a small event well over twenty years ago. It was a 'bring and buy' sale to raise money for HIV\/AIDS organisations. In addition to that, Pride Marches took place to try and make a statement: regardless of homophobia and hate, which surrounded the gay community, it would not back down. It was a message of strength and, for other gay people, it was about hope. Fast forward to 2012, and you can see and understand the journey even if you were not there to witness it first-hand. There is still money being raised for HIV and AIDS groups, but it goes towards helping people live and sustain a comfortable life. Other funds are raised looking for a cure, which we would hope is not so distant. In addition to this, Pride money is going towards LGBT community groups -- sports teams, arts groups, help centres and radio stations -- which we just could never have imagined all of those years ago. Similarly, our Pride Marches are a cause for celebration. They still voice an aggressive strength and a deep-invested passion for equality, a fight against hatred and the feeling of alienation, but there is such a positivity around them. In Manchester, hundreds of thousands of straight men and women come to watch the parade and support our community. Major brands, celebrities and institutions take part to show their support for us -- it is astounding, really. Pride events will always be relevant, whether we are pushing further towards equal rights or celebrating the long journey we have come. As well as that, the LGBT community is notorious for loving a good party... And, for that reason, the entertainment elements of Prides (fringe events, singing, comedy etc) make for a fantastic show. So yes, the events have grown in size and capacity, but the passion and need for them has always been just as integral. I am so proud of our community and all of those who support it -- we are doing a fantastic job and setting a wonderful example for the world. We really do show that 'It Gets Better', as they say... Are you heading off to any this year? As a huge supporter of Pride events around the world, I would love the chance to see LGBT communities celebrating in as many places as possible. Things are understandably extremely busy for me at the moment but, if I am able to, then you will definitely see me pop up at a few Pride events in 2012... You and the team had a lot of stuff organised, such as merchandise etc... What's going to happen to that stuff now? As true ladies and rockers, we have always been particularly prepared as a team. When organising a festival -- which I've now become quite used to -- there is no other way to be. In terms of merchandise, we purchased by order, and so have not been left with too many excess items. For what has been sold -- hold onto it -- because I have no doubt you may be needing it in the not so distant future... Will LadyRock return with a vengeance in 2013? 'Onwards and upwards' is our motto. The LadyRock brand is far from gone, and it will just come down to time control and more planning to ensure the event comes together as it should next time around. We are still extremely visible via social media; our Twitter account will remain very much active, keeping followers up-to-speed with all things music, Manchester, female, LGBT and festival related. In and amongst that, there will certainly be teasers in terms of where the brand is headed and when you will next hear from us... So watch this space, and make sure to follow us for the ride, as it's set to be a good one... ","labels":"Other","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"baby gender selection and prediction, girl or boy, how to have baby girl or baby boy, plan your baby, how to choose your baby gender, how to have a girl, how to have a boy... How to Choose Baby Gender You Desire? So you've decided to have a baby. Good for you! And for any number of reasons you may have decided that you would like to have a baby of a certain gender. And maybe you've decided that you want a baby girl. Certainly there are any number of good reasons why you might want to have a girl. That's completely up to you. It's your own business. But you'd probably be happy to know there are many ways how to have a baby girl. There are a few factors in life that help to determine the gender of children that we don't have any control over. Factors such as age, hobbies, and professions can influence the gender of children. For example, younger people tend to have more boys than girls. Meanwhile men who fly a lot or deep sea dive tend to have more girls than boys. There's actually a scientific reason for this. Male sperm and female sperm have different characteristics -- male sperm are faster but more fragile while female sperm are slower but tougher. These characteristics are what lead the sperm to be influenced by the above factors (age, flying, etc.). However, knowing these facts can help you to know what you should do in order to conceive a child of the gender of your choice. In fact, knowing these facts should determine when you have sexual intercourse and the positions you use to have sexual intercourse. That's how to have a baby girl. For how to have a baby girl you want to make sure you are having intercourse at the right time in your cycle. Normally women ovulate fourteen days before their next period. So you need to plan when you have intercourse according to when you are going to ovulate. Of course that's easier said then done because it's not always easy to predict when ovulation will occur. Another way how to have a baby girl is to use position during intercourse that will help the odds of having a girl. There are positions that will help you have either a girl or a boy. Knowing how sperm act should help you determine which positions you use. It's not that tough to learn how to have a baby girl. First you need to know the different characteristics between male and female sperm. Then you need to plan when you and how you have sexual intercourse accordingly. If you do that then you can dramatically increase the chances of having a baby girl. ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"(Based on a chapter in a forthcoming PhD thesis on equal pay. Written 28 November 1999. A companion piece is included in the book Rebel Women , which you can read about on our Booknotes page.) Introduction This article is a case study of the actions undertaken by the major union in the Australian metal industry (the Amalgamated Engineering Union -- AEU) to campaign for equal pay for women. It deals with the years 1969 to 1972, a period bounded by two important decisions by the Conciliation and Arbitration Commission granting forms of equal pay to women workers. A substantial literature now exists dealing with the content and the effects of the Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission's 1969 and 1972 equal pay decisions. Before looking at the specifics of each decision it is worth spelling out their common features. Most importantly, both were hedged about with qualifications. Both decisions retained the concept of the \"family wage\". Wage-setting continued to be underpinned by the notion of the male breadwinner and dependant female. In order to lessen the impact on employers, the increases that were granted were to come into effect in instalments over a number of years. Both claims were initiatives of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), both were opposed by the employers and the Liberal-Country Party government, and both failed to address the fact that there was no minimum wage set for women. The effect of this last factor meant the lowest-paid male in 1973 got $60.80, while employers could still pay women as little as $34.50. The effect of the 1969 decision was to grant \"equal pay for equal work\", i.e. that where women did \"equal work\" alongside men they should receive equal pay, but that otherwise equality did not apply. The ninth principle outlined in the Commission's decision spelt this out very clearly -- equal pay was not applicable \"where the work in question is essentially or usually performed by females but is work upon which male employees may also be employed\". The restrictive character of the 1969 principles was illustrated by its application to female classifications in the Meat Industry Interim Award in December 1969. Commissioner Gough granted equal pay to about 120 women out of 2,000 employed under the award. By the time of the 1972 equal pay case, figures could be produced to show that only 18% of women workers had benefited as a result of the 1969 decision. When the unions approached the Commission again in 1972 it agreed to widen equal pay to \"equal pay for work of equal value\", but the effects were still limited. Whereas before 1972 male and female jobs were compared to see if they were basically identical, after 1972 work was compared to see if it was very similar in content or tasks, rather than any attempt being made to evaluate the work more generally. A further negative outcome of both decisions was the attempt by employers to reclassify (or re-name) women's jobs in order to avoid the consequences of the rulings. This was particularly widespread after the 1972 decision, with one survey finding that over 60 per cent of employers had reclassified women's jobs onto a different (and lower) scale to men in similar work. Despite the restrictions inherent in the decisions, women's wages relative to men's did increase after 1969. However, just as it would be mistaken to attribute the equal pay decisions to the enlightenment of the Commissioners (rather than to the pressure of the trade unions), it would also be wrong to give them the credit for the actual wage increases that were achieved. The granting of increases was by no means automatic. Unions were required to ask to have the test case rulings applied to the awards that determined the wages of their particular members. Different unions achieved diffferent results. Through industrial pressure the AEU was able to get a ruling to phase in equal pay for women metal workers over a two year period. As a result of further industrial action at the workplace level, 90 per cent of women members of the union had equal pay by the start of 1972. \"Equal pay on the instalment plan\" In November 1969 the AEU officials sought to have the \"equal pay for equal work\" ruling of that year applied to their women members. The union lodged an application with the Commission for equal pay under the Metal Trades Award \"to remove discrimination between males and females on 'substantially similar' work\" by eliminating reference to the female rate. In a hearing before Commissioner Winter at the end of 1969, metal industry employers would not agree that any of the classifications where women were employed came within the nine points of the 1969 equal pay decision. Instead they demanded a lengthy and costly inspection and work value inquiry. In March 1970 they argued that women must be doing exactly the same work as males in the classification, and where the workforce was predominantly female, there was no case to answer. Despite this being a virtual restatement of the Commission's original decision, Winter found in favour of equal pay at the process worker classification, to be phased in by January 1972. The report \"Union break through on equal pay\" indicates that the AEU lodged its claim for over 300 classifications, although women were employed under only a small number of them at that time. In April 1970 the union's journal was able to report a success which reflected \"the degree of activity which has been marshalled by the metal trades unions and shop stewards in support of this principle\", i.e. not just by the women members. When the employers lodged an appeal against the decision in March, the union's response was that \"we should each resolve that if necessary industrial action would be taken to ensure all females under the Federal Metal Trades Award receive equal pay with males\". The employers' appeal was dismissed. The union then campaigned shop by shop for immediate implementation of Winter's decision, and was able to spread it to other classifications covering women workers. Emphasised throughout was the role of industrial action in securing this successful outcome: \"Following the Arbitration Commission's decision granting equal pay on the instalment plan for female process workers, a considerable amount of activity was developed in those plants where we have female members ... On several jobs, women stopped work on the day of the appeal and a large number of workshops sent representatives to the Court in order to express their opposition to the employers' appeal\". After rejection of the appeal, some employers tried to absorb the equal pay increase into existing over-award payments. This too was successfully resisted. In addition, \"large numbers of female workers in unorganised shops became interested, and as a result our female membership has increased by 300 over the last two months, and a number of new shops organised. We now also have an increased number of female shop stewards ... a feature of the activity was the readiness of the women concerned to take industrial action to support their demand\". An interesting comparison can be drawn between the gaining of equal pay in the metal industry and the experience of those unions that did not pursue the issue industrially. Some unions, such as that of the bank officers, attempted to gain equal pay through solely legalistic rather than industrial means. This was a failure. If the letter of the 1969 decision had been applied (as it was to the bank workers when their union went to the Commission in November 1969), women in the metal industry would also have received nothing. Yet about 90 per cent had equal pay by the start of 1972 as a result of the campaign. In those areas where there were still inequalities, industrial action continued. John Halfpenny, Victorian State Secretary of the AEU at the time, explained that \"The over-award payments assumed great importance because at a certain time they actually constituted about 30 per cent of a metalworker's wages ... When equal pay was established in the award ... the employers' attention then turned to the over-award payments, to make sure they remained unequal ... [That was] basically outside the Commission's jurisdiction to arbitrate on\". When asked how the union had dealt with this, he replied, \"Collective bargaining they call it nowadays\". For example, at Email, the electrical appliance manufacturer, a series of stopwork meetings by members, most of them women, won increased over-award payments of $3.50 a week for women and $1 for men. The extra money for women was part of a union-wide campaign for equal over-award payments. Similar action at the same workplace and at K.G. Luke won further differential increases which leveled up over-award payments between the sexes. By contrast, the union which covered workers in the insurance industry was even more timid than the bank officers' union. Having been refused negotiations about equal pay by the insurance employers in 1969, and disheartened by the Commission's rejection of the bank officers' application of that year, their leaders failed to take any further action over the issue until July 1972. As a result, women insurance workers did not get even a semblance of equal pay until late 1975. Why look at the metalworkers? The AEU's relative success is interesting in the light of a number of features of the union. Most important is the significance of the union in Australian industrial relations more generally. Tom Sheridan in his history of the AEU, Mindful Militants, gives a number of reasons for the AEU's standing as a pacesetter in wages and conditions, particularly by the late 1960s\/early 1970s: the distribution of metalworkers throughout the economy (by 1970 metal trades unionists were 17 per cent of all unionists), and the traditional role of the fitter's rate as representative of all craftsmen's wages. So metalworkers are important, even though this period also starts to see the decline of their industrial centrality with the growth of white collar militancy. In the early 1970s, whatever happened in the metal industry was a standard to which other unions aspired. What this meant in relation to equal pay was all too clear to the metal industry employers. One reason given by them in their appeal against the granting of equal pay was that \"because the Metal Trades Award is involved the decision is likely to have an influence on proceedings in relation to other awards\". The second significant feature is that in class terms, the AEU was very combative. By the 1970s the union was virtually synonymous with successful industrial militancy. Sheridan talks of \"the overall success of AEU members' non-stop offensive in these years [1960s\/70s]\". In addition the AEU (and its successor from 1972, the Amalgamated Metal Workers Union -- AMWU) had a much stronger workshop orientation than most Australian unions, with a tradition of independent rank and file action. This tradition of fighting at the rank and file level also influenced the way the union approached the question of equal pay. The final factor of note in the metalworkers' union's campaign for equal pay is the composition of the union's membership. In March 1969 the AEU's female membership was approximately 2,000 out of 84,000 (2.4 per cent). In December 1974 the AMWU had 186,121 members of whom 16,000 (8.5 per cent) were women. It is again possible to draw a useful comparison with the insurance industry (approximately 50 per cent female in this period). If equal pay is regarded as an issue in which the \"gender interests\" of women workers are counterposed to their male counterparts, we should expect a stronger response from unions with large female memberships, and a correspondingly weak one from unions such as the metalworkers'. Yet the differentiating factors were not the number of women in the industry, but the industrial strength and militancy of the union (and also their politics, in a more general sense). Women in a union like the AEU were able to make greater advances than those in relatively less well-organised areas of the workforce, even though they were numerically marginal to the union as a whole. The campaign itself -- the ugly, the bad and the good Nonetheless, there was a contradiction between the positive result on equal pay and sexism inside the trade union. One place this could be seen was in the pages of the union's monthly journal. As late as 1975 the AMWU was still emphasising the importance of the \"family living wage\" as the basis for wage campaigning. The union also contained some backward (or at best contradictory) attitudes to women's right to paid employment. For example, the same issue of the journal (July 1968) contains two such reports. The first, regarding National Instruments in Melbourne, involves the discovery that women process workers had been doing tradesmen's work for four years. The initial response of the organiser was to demand that the company take the women off this work. The second case is more overt. The organiser's complaint after the retrenchment of five night shift workers at CAC in Melbourne (including three men with families) was that \"while retrenching these employees the Company was retaining the services of married women, whose husbands were working in other establishments\". Such attitudes were reflected both in writing and visually in the Monthly Journal , with articles such as \"Choosing a career for your son?\" (about job opportunities in the metal industry), and numerous sexist cartoons and advertisements (see appendix). The June 1972 front cover shows a photograph of a huge mass meeting in which not a single woman can be seen. In other words, the AEU did not embark on the campaign for equal pay as fully-formed opponents of sexism. John Halfpenny went so far as to say that, \"In the very early days of the equal pay campaign, the majority of women didn't support it and the majority of blokes didn't support it. The majority of women didn't support it because they thought they'd lose their jobs, and the blokes didn't support it because they didn't think the women were worth as much as they were.\" Sylvia Bramston, who became a shop steward as a result of equal pay campaigning at National Instruments, confirmed the opposition to the equal pay fight that existed amongst women as well as men. Her account of attempts to get equal conditions for workers of both sexes at National Instruments gives some indication of the resistance that activists could come up against (as well as evidence that it could be overcome: We needed a woman shop steward where we worked ... When the men were negotiating with the company, the women's angles were never brought up. One of the big arguments, which nearly led to a total national industry strike was ... [getting] concessions [fares] on the aircraft because we worked in the aircraft industry ... The men got it for their dependents, but the women didn't. I couldn't take my husband because he was not dependent on me. The men could take their wives, and our argument was that most of our fellows were married to professional women -- school teachers, doctors, accountants, they were all working, they were not dependent on them. Therefore, our argument was, OK you can prove your dependency and you can get the perks. Of course, needless to say the boys switched sides. Before that they'd been very much against us getting it, but they then switched sides and supported us and we ended up getting the same thing as the fellows. However, it would be wrong to ascribe all opposition to the equal pay campaign simply to the acceptance of sexist ideas on the part of male or female metalworkers. Sometimes other problems intersected. Explaining why some sections of the workforce played more of a role than others, Halfpenny points out the negative role of other divisions in the workforce: \"Some sections of what are now the metalworkers weren't that involved, like the boilermakers -- there weren't any women boilermakers ... There were women sheetmetal workers, there were women engineering workers but without any real exceptions they were all process workers ... It was difficult to get too many workplaces where the tradesmen would stand up for the women process workers to get equal pay -- because they wouldn't even stand up for the male process workers.\" Militancy and politics Yet the union still campaigned vigorously for equal pay. The following section attempts to identify the countervailing factors to sexism inside the union. The first of these is what might be called the \"background militancy\" of the union, reflecting a basic level of class consciousness directed in the first instance against the employers in the industry. As mentioned earlier, by the time of the equal pay decisions the AEU was virtually synonymous with successful industrial militancy and rank and file activity against employers. One sign of this was the willingness of well-organised workplaces to take significant industrial action over what would appear by the industrial relations standards of the late 1990s to be quite minor issues: We worked a lot of overtime because we had to keep aircraft flying, and you'd work until ten o'clock at night. You used to get a lot of vandals into the car park, so they built a car park with wire mesh around it with barbed wire on the top and a gate and a security guard, and they used to lock the gate in the morning, open it at lunchtime, lock them again, open them at night ... Well, the big argument was over the morning. We were supposed to start work at eight o'clock. At five past eight they locked the gates and that was it. And if you wanted the gate to be opened you had to go in, get the security guard, park your car, come back and clock on. Now it could take him twenty minutes to come out, which meant instead of being five minutes late for work, you ended up being half an hour late for clocking on, and of course you'd get docked. And they did it with just a notice on the wall, they didn't talk to anybody about it ... Well, one person got caught and of course all hell broke loose. When the shop steward went up to talk to the management, he was rude to him, so ... it was 'Right, everybody is out' and we just dropped our tools and walked out, and we were all standing out on the pavement. And I think we were out for about a week over that. While the Monthly Journal (and former officials like John Halfpenny) might attribute successful militancy to the \"splendid leadership\" provided by union officials, it was much more often the case, as the journal's own pages attest, that strike action occurred spontaneously. One of the best indicators of this phenomenon in the metal industry was the letters sent by union organisers to the higher echelons on the trade union movement, asking for endorsement of disputes that had already taken place and been won at the workplace. Reflecting a common class position across the gender divide, this tradition of militancy was shared by women workers, and was not confined to issues such as equal pay. In the same period in which overt sexism was common in the Monthly Journal , there were also reports which in some senses contradicted that sexism. For example, a strike at Iplex Plastics in Elizabeth, South Australia was described as \"one of those disputes which deserves a particular mention\". The mainly female workforce held a stopwork meeting about various complaints. Management used non-union labour to operate the machines during the stopwork, leading to a strike by all three shifts. Approximately 250 of the workers were AEU members but there were also \"30 or 40 hard core non-unionists\". A mass meeting then decided that \"all the claims were less important than the fact that non-unionists still operated inside the plant\". A further mass meeting was then held on 6 August 1970. Many of the workers involved had no previous experience of industrial action, and particular women shop stewards played a key role in organising rosters for pickets and so on, leading to a successful outcome. Sometimes the women's lack of industrial experience could make them more volatile: It was quite remarkable really ... Johhny Halfpenny was in then as State secretary and we warned him and said, look, handling women in the workforce is a totally different thing to handling the fellows. And he said, ah she'll be right, she'll be right. And the first time they all went out on strike they rang him up and said, right, you better get out here and do something, we're all out on the footpath. It was one of the big factories up in Lilydale ... Reynolds Chains ... the women all went out there and poor old Johnny nearly went grey over that because they said, look, if we're going to strike, we're not striking for nothing. We came out because we want it, and if we don't get it we're not going back, and that's all there is to it! No argument. They gave him a very hard time. Nonetheless, it was in action around equal pay that sexist ideas were most undermined. The AEU had a history of strike action over this issue before the 1969 decision. At the National Instrument Company (mentioned earlier as an example of the union's contradictory attitude to women working), women had been used to do tradesmen's work in the \"Gyro Section\". The women were all union members, and \"no complaint could be lodged about the way the work was done\". The AEU organiser saw that this was undoubtedly tradesmen's work. It was in this section that Sylvia Bramston had managed to get a job when she returned to paid work when her youngest child was eight. Imagine her surprise when The first thing the fellow said was, look, you know, don't take it personally, but we're all going on strike because you lot are coming in. The technicalities of it was that the company was trying to break the work down from skilled tradesmen's work into small sections, and bring in process workers -- women at that -- which were paid ... a pittance really, to do just sections of the work, and of course the tradesmen, who had to do a four years' apprenticeship, were objecting strenuously to it. So we joined the union and went out on strike with them, which meant that ... if they sacked us, then the boys were going to give us their support. So anyway, we kept our jobs. Although the organiser's initial response of trying to get these women put onto other, unskilled work had all the makings of a serious split in the workforce, the dispute was resolved along lines that reinforced class solidarity and common interests amongst the workers at the expense of their employer. There was \"an immediate demand ... that if the female workers were to remain in the section they would have to be paid the full tradesman's rate\". A number of meetings were held on the job. The District Committee endorsed \"the decision of our members to cease work immediately\" if the dispute was not resolved. Management then agreed that the full tradesman's rate of $53.20 would be paid to all women workers in the section. In itself, this could still have been used to set women against men, by \"pricing women out of the job\". To counter this, the union also indicated that if women were moved from the section, \"we require the same consideration to be given to them as to tradesmen working in the section\", i.e. that they were to be paid at the tradesman's rate even if working elsewhere in the plant. A general meeting of employees in the area unanimously accepted the offer, meaning a $14 a week wage rise for the women. Like the numerous local disputes about equal pay featured in the industrial reports of the Monthly Journal , the National Instruments case reveals one piece of very concrete evidence of the undermining of sexist attitudes: male workers could be convinced to stop work, and therefore lose money, to gain benefits for their female co-workers from which they themselves did not directly gain. This kind of common activity came into conflict with at least the worst of the sexist attitudes found in the union. From the outset, there had been \"some [work]places [where] there was good support ... some places [where] the blokes wouldn't go back to work till the women got equal pay\". As decisions on industrial action forced workers to confront their prejudices, a more egalitarian spirit began to prevail. Just as sexist attitudes had been reflected in the Monthly Journal , so too were the changes. After 1972, no more of the sexist cartoons appeared, and women started to figure, as a matter of course, in photographs of mass meetings and picket lines from 1974. Between February 1969 and December 1972 the journal published thirteen editorials or major articles on the fight for equal pay. This was more significant coverage than for any issue besides across-the-board wage increases through the metal industry award. Other changes in ideas about women's role were reflected in the way the union organised. In September 1969 the Victorian branch of the union held the first working women's State conference. Twelve members took time off work to attend, and their wages were made up by job collections. The two major issues at the conference were the forthcoming equal pay claim, including \"intensive activity outside of the Arbitration Commission in support of any application\" with demands also being made on individual employers, and demands for childcare. On the negative side, most of the speakers at the conference were men. In January 1970, Sylvia Bramston, who had been a leading force in winning equal trades rate for some women members at National Instruments, became the first woman to work full-time for the AEU on organising and campaign questions, as she was sent around Victoria to recruit and organise the equal pay campaign for three months. As the union stepped up its industrial action around equal pay, more women were drawn into membership, and into shop steward positions. As indicated earlier, it was not only male workers who needed to be convinced of the virtues of fighting for equal pay. Sylvia Bramston explained the transformation of the views of many women workers, and the degree to which class conflict played a role in chnaging consciousness: It was a case of building the women's confidence ... you've been doing this job for x number of years, you're good at it. Do you think somebody, just because he wears a pair of pants, can come in and do it better than you, with no experience? You've got to build your confidence, you're worth something. Don't think you're going to get a huge amount of money, because the job's not changing. But if they're going to bring a fellow in to put him on your job ... and pay him $10 extra just because he's a fellow, why shouldn't you have the $10 extra? ... If they belonged to the union ... and they decided to sack everybody, then they had the union behind them to fight their battle. So, in lots of cases you'd find a couple who were enthusiastic enough, and you'd get them all equipped up to go and recruit the others, and eventually they'd get themselves organised. Sooner or later, management would do something stupid, which would get everybody's backs up, and of course they'd all sign up, and away you would go -- because they always did. Such was the union's concern about involving women members in this period that it even led them to under-estimate what successes they did have. For example, the 1971 Conference's having only seven women delegates out of 300 was described as indicative of the problems of women's representation when in fact it was close to the percentage of women in the union. But as the Monthly Journal recognised when reporting on a one-day school for women shop stewards and active members in April 1973, women still remained seriously under-represented in the union hierarchy. Nonetheless, those changes that did occur seemed to be welcomed. By the time of the appointment of a second woman organiser in Victoria in 1975, the journal could claim that the appointment, while popular with women members, \"also met with wide support amongst members of the union generally\". There is a second important factor in explaining the AEU's relative success in the fight for equal pay. It is the ideas about the role of trade unionism that were not just held by the union's leaders, but put into practice by its members. The articles and leaflets that the union produced supporting the claim for equal pay included arguments about how male workers would benefit as well as the women. In other words, a conscious attempt was made to look at the issue in class terms. In addition, efforts were made to connect the issue of equal pay with the view that unionism was about broader social issues beyond the workplace. The level of politicisation of the union was allied with its industrial militancy. The AEU in this period supported a series of such campaigns with stopwork action. These ranged from a student-organised march against poverty in 1969, to job meetings, collections and workplace resolutions in support of Aboriginal land rights claims in 1970, or a stoppage at Dunlop's Port Melbourne tyre and rubber factory because it was a \"notorious polluter\". One of the things that we were good at in the AEU and the metalworkers was converting minorities into majorities, like with issues like equal pay, like the Vietnam War, like the whole idea of anti-nuclear testing, support [for] the anti-apartheid movement ... they were leadership-driven. In the workplace there would be dissent, or opposition. We often used to have arguments ... [e.g.] 'Peace is union business' ... [On those sort of issues] we would always make a decision...and go to the membership to get endorsement for it...we'd go in there and argue for a decision to stop [work to stop the war] ... in some places we didn't have to do that because the shop steward was there ... some we won, some we lost ... we got a good response, and I think that was a bit of a turning point [1971]. The AEU's campaign against the Vietnam War was its most sustained political involvement of this kind. By mid-1970 thousands of factory meetings had been held. The following year about 30 meetings of AEU members in Victoria voted by large margins to strike for the next major anti-war demonstration. Unions such as the AEU which took an interest in broader social and political questions (and were prepared to take industrial action over them) were an essential component of the success of the movements which developed outside the workplace about these issues. The equal pay campaign itself is an example of this, but similar conclusions can be drawn about the unions' role in the anti-Vietnam War campaign in Australia, and the boycott of the 1971 Springbok rugby union tour. The actions of the AEU around equal pay cannot finally be understood without reference to the broader political and industrial context. The activities of the union both helped to create this climate, and were in turn affected by it. Conclusion Class conflict, rather than either \"gender solidarity\" between male workers and employers, or a conflict of interest between male and female workers, was the key factor in the fight for equal pay for women working in this industry. The gender-centred approach which pervades the literature on this area is inadequate to explain either the existence or the nature of the metalworkers' union's campaign for equal pay. Claims such as that made by Thornton and Dixson that union officials colluded with employers in reclassifying women workers to keep them on lower pay scales, or Bennett's suggestion of a common desire by men of both classes to keep equal pay increases small, simply do not fit the metalworkers' case. Ryan and Rowse's idea of an alliance of employers and most trade unionists (I assume they mean male trade unionists) to preserve prevailing male images of women's rights and duties is contradicted by the changes that the equal campaign wrought on the way metalworkers saw these things. Power and O'Donnell's notion of equal pay as a way to keep women out of men's jobs was a possible outcome. However, as the National Instruments dispute shows, it was not the only outcome. Where a common class antagonism to the employer prevailed, gains could be won from which workers of both sexes benefited. The equal pay campaign in the metal industry did create the contradictions between sexist ideas and class identity which Ryan and Conlon point out. But there is no reason those conflicts had to be resolved in favour of sexism. Equal pay was an issue that was fought out along class lines. At the most basic level, it was the trade unions that prosecuted the struggle for it, and it was employers that continually resisted it at national, industry and workplace level. The degree to which unions were successful in gaining equal pay for their women members depended on their general level of militancy, and the political views that informed it. Drawing a comparison between the metalworkers' and the clerks' unions, John Halfpenny drew the following balance sheet: The metalworkers, the old AEU, were very committed to and very active in the equal pay struggle. The clerks union ... was under the influence of the National Civic Council, Bob Santamaria and what have you, and they basically had...a very conservative ... view of the world that women shouldn't be working anyway, they should be home looking after the kids, so don't give them too much money, it'll only encourage them to stay at work ... They were not active ... I mean, they weren't active about much at all, but certainly given that most of their members were women, and this was all about equality for women, then they were remarkably silent. ","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Calling all Carinas: Toyota's on the search to find UK's oldest Toyota has launched a nationwide search to find the oldest British-built Carina still in daily use. The first Toyota Carina rolled off the production line at the Japanese firm's Burnaston factory, Derbyshire, in December 1992 and was the first Toyota to be built in the UK. Some 17,000 Carinas were built there until production halted in 1997 to make way for its replacement, the Toyota Avensis. Two decades on, Toyota GB is launching a competition to find the oldest Carina still on Britain's roads. The firm is using Twitter, Facebook and good old emailing to track down the oldest examples. Owners are being asked to email their name, address and as many details about their Carina to toyota.contact@tgb.toyota.co.uk. Owners of the oldest examples will be invited to tell their car's story and have it photographed, and will have the chance to win the use of a new Toyota Auris for a week. Meanwhile Toyota enthusiasts are being asked to spot the oldest Carinas either by posting pictures on Toyota GB's Facebook page, or by tweeting using the hashtag #firstGBToyota. Unsure of whether your Carina is a British one? The 17-character code on the vehicle's identification plate -- found under the bonnet, just below the windscreen wipers -- will help. If the code begins with an S, your's is a Burnaston-built vehicle, while J signifies imported Carinas. Related Articles Need car buying advice? Our Comment Policy We encourage lively discussion at AOL. Please be aware when you leave a comment your user name, screen name and photo may be displayed with your comment, visible to everyone on the Internet. If you think a comment is inappropriate, you may click to report it to our monitors for review. Add a Comment 2 Comments Had one of these for donkey's years and did over 100K miles with it. It had already done 110K miles when I bought it. I fitted a new water pump, rear dampers, a new radiator and new front discs in all that time. Mine was an imported 2.0 petrol GLX, and it served me well. A good tow car as well. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Building a brand in order to sustain its life cycle A Kellogg's case study Page 5: Conclusion If a business wants to make a product's total sales grow, it must carefully consider how best to extend its life cycle. By creating the powerbrand 'All-Bran' and providing the right sort of well researched promotional support, Kellogg has been able to inject renewed vigour into a family of related products. Through appropriate promotional activities and more relevant messages, Kellogg has re-awakened consumers' interest in products that can play an important part in developing a healthy diet in a health-conscious world. Regular campaigns of promotional activity are helpful in enabling all organisations to sustain their own life cycle and those of their brands and products. It is early days in evaluating the success of the marketing activity supporting All-Bran but the signs are good. Kellogg's | Building a brand in order to sustain its life cycle Review this case study 5 Learn more from Kellogg's This case study examines how Kellogg's devised a plan to communicate the importance of breakfast to selected target audiences through a multi-platform campaign. This was in support of its 'Help give a child a breakfast' campaign launched in October 2011. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Men's lacrosse looks to make playoff push Hawks need just one win in final two games to clinch playoff berth WATERLOO, Ont. (October 17, 2012) - With the season coming to a close the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men's lacrosse team finds themselves in a position to make the playoffs for the first time since the rebirth of the program. With only two games remaining, the team finds themselves sitting in fourth place in the standings. As the top five teams from each division make the playoffs, the team is in a great position. However, the team is in a very tight battle with Toronto, McMaster, and Laurentian for the final two positions. Brock, Guelph and Western have all clinched playoff berths with their dominate performances. Laurier must win one of their remaining two games to find themselves in a position for the ever elusive post-season berth. This will be no easy task for the Hawks as many starting players have suffered significant injuries. Starting attackman George Jimas has missed most of the season following his appendectomy and is not likely to return until next season. Starting Long Pole Andrew Jenkins will miss Wednesday night's game versus Western as he is suffering from a separated shoulder. His return is questionable for the season's final game versus McMaster on Sunday. Other injuries include drawman Sean Fennell and Eric Beauregard who both suffer from lower body injuries. With these injuries the Hawks must certainly battle through adversity to achieve their goal of a post-season appearance. The coaching staff however, are still very optimistic that this is possible. With the team's first potential playoff berth a mere two games away, the Hawks could certainly benefit from the support of the entire student body. Come out and watch the Hawks fly past the Marauders this Sunday at the University Stadium. Admission is free. Game time starts at 7pm. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Monday Laughs........Credit where credit is due, including the Pig...... If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. Monday Laughs........Credit where credit is due, including the Pig...... Something new: Starting from today, Monday Laughs will credit the source of jokes posted if they were received from PF1 members. There is no point in crediting my other sources as they are unknown on this site, but I do acknowledge their contribution and my appreciation. There will be some errors and omissions because I have not recorded the contributors of many in my file, and unfortunately this will continue because I have a good number of jokes from long forgotten sources. If some are yours, please consider yourself thanked and appreciated. Jokes are not always submitted in the form they are received. Some I kiwi-ise, and many I edit for context, spelling, grammar or simply 'flow' reasons, I like to see good metre and rhyme in the poetic versions. SB=Submitted By... Billy . . There were four farm cadets who were in the final stages of interviewing for a job. The interviewer told them that he would ask each of them the same question, and whoever answered the question the best would be the one hired. All applicants agreed that this was fair, so the recruitment interviewer asked the first cadet the question, ?What is the fastest thing in the world?? The young man thought for a moment and replied, ?That would have to be a thought.? ?Why do you say that?? asked the interviewer. ?Well, a thought takes no time at all?it is in your mind in an instant, then gone again.? ?Ahh, very good. thank you,? replied the interviewer. Next the same question was posed to the next cadet, ?What is the fastest thing in the world?? The young man paused and replied, ?That would have to be a blink.? ?Why?? asked the interviewer. ?Because you don?t even think about a blink, it?s just a reflex. You do it in an instant.? The third young man was asked what the fastest thing in the world was, and after hesitating for a brief moment, he replied, ?I would have to say electricity. Why? Because my dad can flip a switch at the house, and immediately the light will go on down at the cowshed.? ?I see, very good,? replied the interviewer. Then, the last young man was asked, ?What is the fastest thing in the world?? ?That?s easy?? he replied, ?that would have to be diarrhoea!? Rather stunned, the interviewer asked, ?Why do you say that?? ?Well, last night after dinner, I was lying in my bed then suddenly I got the worst stomach cramps ever! Next thing I knew, before I could think, blink, or turn on the lights, I'd shlt myself!!!!!? SB-SP8's ********************************* Four old timers were playing their weekly game of golf, one remarked how nice it would be to wake up on Christmas morning, roll out of bed and without an argument go directly to the golf course, meet his buddies and play a round. His buddies all chimed in said, \"Let's do it! We'll make it a priority; figure out a way and meet here early, Christmas morning.\" Months later, that special morning arrives, and there they are on the golf course. The first guy says, \"Boy this game cost me a fortune! I bought my wife a diamond ring that she can't take her eyes off.\" The second guy says, \"I spent a ton too. My wife is at home planning the cruise I gave her. She was up to her eyeballs in brochures.\" The third guy says \"Well my wife is at home admiring her new car, reading the manual.\" They all turned to the last guy in the group who is staring at them like they have lost their minds. \"I can't believe you all went to such expense for this golf game. I slapped my wife on the butt and said, 'Well babe, Merry Christmas, it's a great morning -- intercourse or golf course ...' She said, 'Don?t forget your sweater!' \" ********************************* A rich man living in Darwin decided that he wanted to throw a party and invited all of his buddies and neighbours. He also invited Colin, the only aborigine in the neighbourhood. He held the party around the pool in the backyard of his mansion. Everyone was having a good time drinking, dancing, eating prawns, oysters, from the BBQ and flirting. At the height of the party, the host said, 'I have a 15ft man-eating crocodile in my pool and I'll give a million dollars to anyone who has the balls to jump in.' The words were barely out of his mouth when there was a loud splash, everyone turned around and saw Colin in the pool fighting the croc, jabbing the croc in the eyes with his thumbs, throwing punches, doing all kinds of stuff like head butts and chokeholds, biting the croc on the tail and flipping the croc through the air like some kind of Judo Instructor. The water was churning and splashing everywhere. Both Colin and the croc were screaming and raising hell? Finally Colin strangled the croc and let it float to the top like a dead goldfish. He then slowly climbed out of the pool. Everybody was just staring at him in disbelief. The host says, 'Well, Colin, I reckon I owe you a million dollars.' 'Nah, you're all right boss, I don't want it,' said Colin. The rich man said, 'Man, I have to give you something. You won the bet. How about half a million bucks then?' 'No thanks... I don't want it,' answered Colin. The host said, 'Come on, I insist on giving you something. That was amazing. How about a new Porsche and a Rolex and some stock options?? Again, Colin said \"No.\" Confused, the rich man asked, 'Well Colin, then what do you want me to do for you? Colin said, ?I want you to tell me the name of the bastard who pushed me in.? ********************************* Barry, the Kiwi builder, was going through a house he had just built, with the woman who owned it. She was telling him what colours to paint each room. They went into the first room and she said, \"This room to be a light blue.\" The builder went to to the front door and yelled out \"Green side up!\" As he went back she said the next room was to be red. The builder again went to the front door and called out \"Green side up!\" Once back with her, she said \"This one to be tan.\" And again he went to the front door and yelled \"Green side up!\" The lady, very curious, said \"I keep telling you different colours but, you always yell \"Green side up\", \"What do you say that for?\" \"Oh, don't you worry about that,\" said the builder. \"I've got a couple of Aussies laying turf out front, they've never seen green grass before.\" ********************************* Now for an educational interlude to improve your working week: Did You Know............ If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee. (Hardly seems worth it.) ------------------------------ If you farted consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough methane gas would be produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb, and enough effluvium* to suffocate any survivors. (Now that's more like it!) * Go look it up ------------------------------ The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet. (O.M.G.!) ------------------------------ A pig's orgasm lasts 30 minutes. (In my next life, I want to be a pig.) ------------------------------ A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death. (Creepy.) (I'm still not over the pig.) ------------------------------ Banging your head against a wall burns 150 calories an hour. (Don't try this at home ; maybe at work.) ------------------------------ The male praying mantis cannot copulate while its head is attached to its body. The female initiates sex by ripping the male's head off.. (Hi Honey, I'm home . What the...?) ------------------------------ The flea can jump 350 times its body length. It's like a human jumping the length of a football field. (Thirty minutes? Lucky pig! Can you imagine?) ------------------------------ The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds. (What could be so tasty on the bottom of a pond?) ------------------------------ Some lions mate over 50 times a day. (I still want to be a pig in my next life...quality over quantity.) ------------------------------ Butterflies taste with their feet. (Something I always wanted to know.) ------------------------------ The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue. (Hmmmmmm......) ------------------------------ Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people. (If you're ambidextrous, do you split the difference?) ------------------------------ Elephants are the only animals that cannot jump. (Okay, so that would be a good thing.) ------------------------------ A cat's urine glows under a black light. (I wonder how much our government paid to figure that out.) ------------------------------ An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain. (I know some people like that.) ------------------------------ Starfish have no brains. (I know some people like that, too.) ------------------------------ Polar bears are left-handed (pawed?). (If they switch, they'll live a lot longer.) ------------------------------ Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure. (What about that pig? Do the dolphins know about the pig?) ------------------------------ Now that you've smiled at least once, it's your turn to spread these crazy facts and send this to someone you want to bring a smile to, maybe even a chuckle.. Re: Monday Laughs........Credit where credit is due, including the Pig...... Re: Monday Laughs........Credit where credit is due, including the Pig...... Alright as promised... *** Joan, a rather well-proportioned & near-sighted secretary, spent almost all of her vacation sunbathing on the roof of her hotel. She wore a bathing suit the first few days, but always removed her glasses for an even facial tan. After several days she decided that no one could see her way up there, so she slipped out of her suit for an overall tan. She'd hardly begun when she heard someone running up the stairs; she was lying on her stomach, so she just pulled a towel over her rear. \"Excuse me, miss,\" said the flustered little assistant manager of the hotel, out of breath from running up the stairs. \"The hotel doesn't mind your sunbathing on the roof, but we would very much appreciate your wearing a bathing suit as you have for the past week.\" \"What difference does it make?\" Joan asked rather calmly. \"No one can see me up here, and besides, I'm covered with a towel.\" \"Not exactly,\" said the embarrassed little man. \"You're lying on the dining room skylight!\" Don't judge someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes... that way when you do judge them you're a mile away... and you have THEIR shoes! 'I didn't ask for any details', the solicitor interrupted. 'Just answer the question. Did you not say, at the scene of the accident, 'I'm fine!'?' Paddy said, 'Well, I'd just got Bessie into da trailer and I was drivin' down da road.... ' The solicitor interrupted again and said,'Your Honour, I am trying to establish the fact that, at the scene of the accident, this man told the police on the scene that he was fine. Now several weeks after the accident, he is trying to sue my client. I believe he is a fraud. Please tell him to simply answer the question. ' By this time, the Judge was fairly interested in Paddy's answer and said to the solicitor: 'I'd like to hear what he has to say about his favourite cow, Bessie'. Paddy thanked the Judge and proceeded. 'Well as I was saying, I had just loaded Bessie, my fav'rit cow, into de trailer and was drivin' her down de road when this huge Eversweet truck and trailer came tundering tru a stop sign and hit me trailer right in da side. I was trown into one ditch and Bessie was trown into da udder. By Jaysus I was hurt, very bad like, and didn't want to move. However, I could hear old Bessie moanin' and groanin'. I knew she was in terrible pain just by her groans. Shortly after da accident, a policeman on a motorbike turned up. He could hear Bessie moanin' and groanin' too, so he went over to her. After he looked at her, and saw her condition, he took out his gun and shot her between the eyes. Den da policeman came across de road, gun still in hand, looked at me, and said, 'How are you feelin'?' 'Now wot da fock would you say?' It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument. -William G. McAdoo, lawyer and politician (1863-1941) ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Our house has had so many bugs since October, colds, vomitty and shitty bugs. The grand finale has been my boy getting Chicken Pox through nursery... which also meant us cancelling his Christening and party. Poor little bugger, he's not been that ill with it but he's scratching his back like a bear on the sofa arms and floor. Think he's over the worst of it now. You may recall stupid hippy friend of Mrs K's, who has bladder caaner. She had a small (almost said \"wee\" there but couldn't bring myself to pun that badly) tumour removed last year, but refused any treatment. She's instead been trying to cure it by drinking her own piss and aplying piss soaked bandages to herself. It's some hippy remedy she read about, or something. Unsurprisingly the cancer's back and has spread all over her bladder and tubes and things. It's not operable without removing her bladder entirely. So stupid hippy friend of Mrs K's is refusing chemo AGAIN. Reasoning this time is that chemo is that it's \"only 60% effective and is bad for your body\". Whereas cancer is like fucking Berrocha, clearly. The worst thing is she's a single mum and has a 7 year old daughter. Who's goign to be an orphan pretty bloody soon, at this rate. The internet has a lot to answer for. _________________ The very existence of flamethrowers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, \"You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done.\" This sort of thing just makes me really cross. It's like a religion with this woman - we had a blazing row the one year over homeopathy. I just ended up going \"gnnnnnnk\" a lot. _________________ The very existence of flamethrowers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, \"You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done.\" It would entirely depend on what type and stage of cancer it was, for me. With my mum it was stage 4 when it was found and was inoperable to start with, but they thought that chemo might shrink it enough to get it operable. It did, but by the time that happened her body was in such a state she wouldn't have survived the operation anyway. She took every option available to her, which most likely gave her an extra 6 months, but looking back i'm not sure the added suffering was worth it. However, not doing that would have meant giving up hope, and none of us were ready for that as it was a total bolt out of the blue, so none of the family had had any time to adjust. Without the chemo she would have likely been gone within 3 months from first diagnosis, with it she lasted 9 months. It would entirely depend on what type and stage of cancer it was, for me. With my mum it was stage 4 when it was found and was inoperable to start with, but they thought that chemo might shrink it enough to get it operable. It did, but by the time that happened her body was in such a state she wouldn't have survived the operation anyway. She took every option available to her, which most likely gave her an extra 6 months, but looking back i'm not sure the added suffering was worth it. However, not doing that would have meant giving up hope, and none of us were ready for that as it was a total bolt out of the blue, so none of the family had had any time to adjust. Without the chemo she would have likely been gone within 3 months from first diagnosis, with it she lasted 9 months. If silly hippy woman had the chemo she could still be perfectly fine and go into remission. And if she'd had chemo last year like she should have this wouldn't have happened. But I completely take your point - someone we know with a massive, defeinitely fatal brain tumour underwent a lot of treatment to extend her life, and it just made her quality of life in her last few months ultimately non-existent. _________________ The very existence of flamethrowers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, \"You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done.\" It would entirely depend on what type and stage of cancer it was, for me. With my mum it was stage 4 when it was found and was inoperable to start with, but they thought that chemo might shrink it enough to get it operable. It did, but by the time that happened her body was in such a state she wouldn't have survived the operation anyway. She took every option available to her, which most likely gave her an extra 6 months, but looking back i'm not sure the added suffering was worth it. However, not doing that would have meant giving up hope, and none of us were ready for that as it was a total bolt out of the blue, so none of the family had had any time to adjust. Without the chemo she would have likely been gone within 3 months from first diagnosis, with it she lasted 9 months. If silly hippy woman had the chemo she could still be perfectly fine and go into remission. And if she'd had chemo last year like she should have this wouldn't have happened. But I completely take your point - someone we know with a massive, defeinitely fatal brain tumour underwent a lot of treatment to extend her life, and it just made her quality of life in her last few months ultimately non-existent. Oh, it wasn't an argument against the hippy, in this case she is literally insane. More just a discussion on what I would and wouldn't do in the future My mum was holding on to see her 3rd granddaughter, she missed her being born by a day (although she was a week early I think, I have no doubt the stress of mum going kicked in labour for my sis!) A lot of people have a real misunderstanding about chemo, and think that it's 'one thing' that everyone has. Chemo regimes differ wildly, as do their impact on your general health and well-being. Some people undergo chemo and suffer not a great deal more than lowered energy levels, some end up with the chemo killing them before the cancer does. A good oncologist should really be able to explain what's going to happen to your quality of life whatever choice you make about treatment options. _________________ ApplePieOfDestiny wrote: If you want to play with the big boys, you've got to bring .... er .... big boy's toys. A lot of people have a real misunderstanding about chemo, and think that it's 'one thing' that everyone has. Chemo regimes differ wildly, as do their impact on your general health and well-being. Some people undergo chemo and suffer not a great deal more than lowered energy levels, some end up with the chemo killing them before the cancer does. A good oncologist should really be able to explain what's going to happen to your quality of life whatever choice you make about treatment options. You are right, chemo isn't a one size fits all solution. Part of the problem is that it isn't an exact science, they'll start light with a few drugs and see what happens, then adapt and increase if necessary. Plus with the added variables of different people reacting different ways to the mix of drugs, and difference cancers reacting in different ways, and it is all a bit of a crap shoot. The oncologist can give a rough idea, but it will only be rough. Also, they are predisposed to look on the bright side and give people hope, as in some ways that is more important for quality of life. Stage 1, 2 and 3 I would go for whatever treatment was offered. Stage 4 would be very dependant on survival rates and the type and location of the cancer, for me. One thing I would like is for a choice to go when I want and as painlessly as possible if I was in that situation, as the last few days of life for a cancer patient are utterly horrific for all concerned and I wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy, but legally that isn't an option. Awful to hear of anyone suffering from cancer, but to not take any treatment and with a young child to take into considereation that's unreal. I'd say she's doing the child a favour. I assume I'm missing a subtlety here. _________________ The very existence of flamethrowers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, \"You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done.\" One thing I would like is for a choice to go when I want and as painlessly as possible if I was in that situation, as the last few days of life for a cancer patient are utterly horrific for all concerned and I wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy, but legally that isn't an option. Awful to hear of anyone suffering from cancer, but to not take any treatment and with a young child to take into considereation that's unreal. I'd say she's doing the child a favour. I assume I'm missing a subtlety here. Because now the child won't grow up thinking that piss cures cancer, for instance? Weighed against \"not having a mum\" I think the balance isn't tipped the way you think it is. Unless you really think all people with hippies for parents would be better off as orphans? _________________ The very existence of flamethrowers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, \"You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done.\" I think you have a rather romantic notion of \"mum\". But yeah, the child is fucked either way, unless by some miracle it's adopted. This has nothing to do with hippies, it's about idiots that aren't fit to be parents. Why is she not fit to be a parent? She's a pretty good mum to the kid, and the kid is happy and well adjusted. Just because someone believes some baffling and stupid stuff doesn't make them unfit to be a parent. By that token Christians are all shit parents because they believe in zombie carpenters and sky pixies. _________________ The very existence of flamethrowers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, \"You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done.\" ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Last night I joined the record breaking 70,584 supporters who packed out Wembley stadium to watch our Team GB women's football squad beat Brazil 1-0, top their group and book their place in the quarter finals of the 2012 Olympics. Having never been to see a live football match I didn't know quite what to expect but it blew all my expectations clean out of the water. Mexican waves stormed around the stadium, Team GB chants echoed all around and the whole place was swathed in a blanket of red, white and blue. The expectation and excitement was palpable and when the team came onto the pitch for the first time the whole stadium erupted. And within two minute of the first whistle we were off to a flying start, as Steph Houghton smashed the ball straight into the back of the net. The match was tense and exciting throughout, with Brazil getting plenty of chances, but Team GB dominated, perhaps partly thanks to their extra player - the crowd, who roared every time they got the ball. There were some hairy moments, thanks to some aggressive tackles from the Brazilians, all greeted with yellow cards, and boos from the stands. At one point Kelly Smith was even awarded a penalty after a dodgy tackle in the box, but it was saved, so the team continued in search of a second goal. But in the end they didn't need it. When the final whistle blew we had won the match 1-0 and topped our group - the volume went up, the flags fluttered and the stands celebrated a fantastic night for women's football. Soaking up the atmosphere, and watching our girls rocket their way to the quarter finals wasn't just a great night out, it was another reminder of how fantastic our home-grown female athletes are, and here at Zest we're really hopeful it will see a change in coverage and respect for women's sport. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Interview: Zak Waters September 3, 2012 Comments Off I have written about Los Angeles native Zak Waters a few times already here, but now that he has teamed up with boy wonder Madeon to bring us ' The City ' the time has come for us to learn more about him trough an interview. Definitely also check out his ' Walking On A Dream ' remix and the perfect summer anthem ' Skinny Dipping In The Deep End ', which I have personally played a lot, below. 01. Can you introduce yourself to the readers that haven't heard of you yet? Hello, hello! I'm Zak Waters. I am here. 02. How was your summer? Summer was great for me. We started it off nice and stressful with shooting the video for \"Skinny Dipping.\" It was also tons of fun though. I mean whats not fun about spraying an entire jacuzzi full of people with champagne? But, try wrangling about 60 drunk extras...lesson learned. Other than the video, I've spent the majority of the summer in a studio, went to the beach once! Hey thats pretty good for someone like me. I'm really into working instead of doing fun things. It's a problem sometimes. I'm in the process of learning how to do that thing called \"relaxing?\" 03. Your top 3 favorite tracks of the moment are? No particular order. And I tend to obsess over songs, so some of these tracks are months old, but I just haven't been able to move on yet! 04. You teamed up with Madeon which resulted in the upcoming single 'The City'. How did you guys meet? I sure did! Long story short, a couple years ago now, my writing\/producing partner Jarrad Kritzstein was working with a UK artist Rachel Furner (now Tich). Her A&R person had suggested that this 16 year old kid do a production of the song they wrote....So obviously we went and found this kid, we were like \"who the hell gets a 16 year old to produce a song, this is ridiculous...\" But then we LISTENED, and looked at each other in awe. We were blown away. So then we started talking to him, we emailed back and forth. Talked about what plug-ins and synths we were using etc... you know music geek stuff. We had kinda went back and forth for a while with the possibility of him doing a remix for me, and then me singing on one of his tracks. Then one day about a year ago, I received \"The city\" in my inbox asking me if I wanted to take a stab at writing to it. So i did. and now here we are!! 05. What inspired you when writing the lyrics? Well, the track was always called \"The City.\" Hugo (Madeon) had this vision of some far away place. Hence the sound effects in the intro. He had told me he visualized someone opening the door to some magical hidden place. I loved that! So I stuck to that, and thought of ways to ground that idea with something that still felt mysterious but also real and relatable. 06. How was it to work with the only 18-year old French producer? Its amazing, age aside, I still think he is one of the best producers I've ever heard, let alone worked with. But even outside of music, he very intelligent and extremely well spoken. So there's never any trouble for us understanding each other even though French is his first language. I'm extremely proud and excited to be a part of his journey. 07. Are there any other producers who you would like to work with in the future? Tons! Always really wanted to work with Benny Blanco, Teddy Riley, Babyface, Justice, Daft Punk, deadmau5, Danger Mouse, Timberland.... to name a few off the top of my head...I'd like to somehow mix all of those production styles together! Thad be cray! 08. You also have a solo album coming up, what can you tell us about that? I Do I do! Well Jarrad (Kritzstein) and I have been working on it for the last 8 months or so, taking a little break to start shooting a music video for the next single and then getting back to it! Aiming for January release..next single will be out in october though! 09. What inspired you when writing the tracks for the album? Oh man...so much...I'd say when we started this record I really wanted to just do what I wanted. We were a little constrained when doing \"New Normal.\" Being signed to a major still, we were always trying so hard to write a \"HIT.\" This time around me and Jarrad both had grown so much as producers, and I had really absorbed a ton of music between finishing new normal and starting this new one that I really wanted to explore with this record. I'd say at the core, the place were these songs come from is the exact same. Still very early funk and soul inspired, but our palate of sounds has grown far beyond that. Before I wanted to stay away from anything too indie sounding or anything too R&B. Now its all fair game. That being said this record will have a wide range of vibes and be pretty eclectic. I know...scary.... but I'm very proud of and excited to share it!! ","labels":"Other","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"White church weddings went up by four per cent, according to figures last month, after new rules allowed more couples to marry in a church of their choice rather than their closest parish church. When greatly increased fees for Church of England ceremonies were first suggested last year, CofE leaders said they would mean an end to 'Ryanair' weddings in which couples faced bills for an endless stream of extras. But the Ryanair principle has now crept in again, so a couple who pay the new fees will still face charges for extras they cannot avoid, such as the services of the verger and the bill for heating the church. The Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, the Right Reverend John Packer, told the Synod: 'There may be some modest increase in the overall fee income of the Church of England as a result of the proposed fee levels.' He added: 'Overall fee income probably contributes around 35million to running the Church of England, of which around 15million goes to the cost of stipends.' The stipend or salary recommended by the Church for a vicar is 22,180 a year. The new fee system, however, will charge couples for the services of clergy at a rate equivalent to 47,320 a year. The fee for a wedding will go up from 296 to 415, a price which includes the reading of the banns for three Sundays in advance of the ceremony and a certificate to show the banns have been read. The increase of just over 40 per cent is nearly 10 times the current rate of inflation according to the Consumer Prices Index, the measure favoured by the Treasury. The 415 includes the time of clergy, prices at 22.75 an hour, and a further 32.75 an hour for use of church buildings. But the verger and the heating bill come extra. Many couples will also wish to have an organist, likely to charge between 100 and 150, and sometimes double that if the wedding is being filmed. FEE CHANGES 'NOT INTENDED AS NEW INCOME STREAM', CLAIMS BISHOP A new fee system to cover weddings and funerals was designed last year, after lawyers discovered a glitch in ecclesiastical wedding law which meant the Church needed to pass new regulations through Parliament. A new fee system has now been approved at Westminster, but the scale of the fees was not made public until today. Bishop Packer, above , said: 'We really do need to make some progress. The figures have emerged out of a process of seeking to establish some reasonably consistent relationship to the actual costs incurred by the Church at diocesan and parish levels in providing authorised ministry. 'These figures are all arrived at in a similar way, with the same assumptions about costs underlying them. These assumptions include, broadly speaking, 22.75 an hour for authorized ministry, and 32.75 an hour for the use of buildings. The figures are based on a fair amount of discussion and research.' The bishop said: 'There may be some modest increase in the overall fee income of the Church of England as a result of the proposed fee levels. But there are so many variables that it is hard to be absolutely sure and in any event these proposals are not, and were never intended to be, a means of creating significant new income overall.' A choir may be another 100 or more, and a similar bill must be paid for bellringers. Flowers are a further cost on top. A funeral service will go up from 102 to 160, and a funeral including burial in the churchyard from 298 to 420. The price hikes come at a time when numbers of weddings in the country are at a historic low. Church weddings dropped to just 56,700 in 2009 as many couples chose the alternative of a civil ceremony in 'approved premises' such as a stately home. But numbers went up in 2010 to 58,700 as the reforms which allowed couples a much wider choice of churches took effect. Manchester Synod member the Reverend Canon Simon Killwick said the fee increases would turn couples against marriage in church. 'Such a fee increase seems to me hard to justify in times of financial austerity and even harder to justify in poor inner-city parishes, 'he said. 'The Church of England ought not to be seen to be making a big increase at this time and ought not to be making it difficult for the poor to access these services at a time when a simple ceremony can be had at a register office for around 100.' He warned that the Church of England could not rely on the power of vicars to waive fees in cases of hardship. 'That places the clergy in the invidious position of attempting to means test parishioners and people do talk. The poor don't want to be patronised by fees being waived, they want their church to be affordable to them. 'It would be a crying shame if poor people end up being married in register offices because the Church of England has priced them out of their parish church.' Share this article: Comments ( 125 ) May I set something straight. There is no charge for a christening (also called baptism) in the Church of England. Also , at the church of which I am vicar, couples have never paid more than the basic fee, plus - if they want it, charges for organist (100) , choir (60) and bells (60) The organists fee is part of his legitimate income? The choir fee is pocket money for our choir children (5) each, and any left over pays for music for the choir . The bellringers get 10 each, which in some cases hardly pays their travel expenses. If you had to buy these people in independently they would cost much more. I spend a total of about 2 days with couples preparing for marriage, and there is a great deal of work planning and coordinating. The church must also be heated, lit, insured and maintained for 365 days a year if it is to be there on the one day that couple want it, and this is not cheap. I would rather the basic fee hadn't been increased, but I don't think it is unreasonable. For many unchurched people who don't really believe in a personal G-d, it's amazing how many of them WANT to get married, have their kids baptised, or have their funerals, in church because it seems like the \"Right Thing To Do\"! Even a humanist (read; Atheist) family wants our vicar to include Christian Themes in their relative's funeral for that reason. Saying that, there are Legal Fees that NEED to be paid for the church's services (e.g heat & light; the vicar's time\/labour; Govt's cut). By and large, the other fees are entirely at the DISCRETION of the vicar and, for many, usually undercharged, or even waived in some cases (ancillary services - often given for FREE by churchgoers!). Everything else has to do with the fripperies and trappings the couple want to have, as well as the Reception or Wake afterwards. Families and couples need to have a careful and detailed talk with the individual vicar of their chosen church. Otherwise, the strap-line of this story is a bit OTT! There are several ordained Ministers of Religion who will marry you for free....but charge you 3.50 for the Wedding Certificate. If you are Roman Catholic, the Catholic Church used to ask you for a Donation towards costs. There are plenty of 'Free' churches around. This does not mean they will not ask for money but that they do not belong to a Grouping of Churches such as Church of England or Methodist and usually call themselves 'Evangelical'. They fix any charge or donation with you before hand. Of course if you are a regular Member of a Church, the Minister or Priest will know you and not charge you the usual rate. The Choir and Bellringers may also be free although they do appreciate a drink in the local afterwards. They aren;t charging for the sacrament of marriage, they are quite reasonably charging for the venue and the costs of running that venue for the wedding - a lot of commercials venues such as hotels and castles charge a whole lot more. However for funerals I feel local parishioners should have 'mates rates' and incomers charged somewhat more. The infants and children of parishioners should also be christened at a reasonable level, non church goers can fork out more. I'm not Christian btw I'm a Pagan, but why shouldn't the C of E make some money out of what are no longer religious events but purely social ones in a pretty setting So the price of a wedding now still costs less than the sculpted ice swan that turned up for one recent wedding I attended. Add in a small fee to pay for the choir, organist, bellringers, which comes to way less than say, the cost of buying a band in commercially for an event. Church wedding is very good value still. Just to be clear: clergy (even retired ones) don't get to keep the fee - its split between parish and diocesan costs - so the fees go towards the upkeep of buildings and subsidising others things. EG my church is running a homeless shelter this winter. We're funding that ourselves (no subsidy from government or council, though they have just asked us to provide extra places...) and the weddings we've done this year will help pay for it. Hatching, matching and despatching should be part and parcel of a vicar's\/priests normal duties. Having to pay a priest to perform a wedding or christening or funeral is disgusting. Religion is a nonsense anyway - most churches are drab, draughty, miserably places at the best of times. Getting married in a bright, cheerful and warm hotel or other location is far pleasanter. If you don't believe in God why get married in a church, you are just making use of the building so you should pay for the privilege. Same goes for funerals if the deceased didn't believe in God why do the relatives go for a vicar to take the funeral service, because of what other people might say if they didn't or hoping the deceased may be sent on his way to eternal life. Simple if you don't believe find some other way and not the church! ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"The long haul I've been having the longest bout of creative constipation in a while.  Not inspired to write nor take photographs.  This can be a problem if you're a blogger.  Or sheer relief to some depending on your point of view . If the past is anything to go by this is a classic symptom of me being stuck in a comfort zone or overly distracted by other things more interesting or rewarding.  I fear that it this time it may be a little bit of both. The good news though is that I have finally relieved the kitchen garden of it's winter carpet of weeds, grasses and other infestations, all the result of a hell raising warm and wet winter party. My finger tips and nails may take weeks to heal from hours of scratching and scraping but the reward of seeing the garden ready for planting makes my heart swell. The chickens are deliriously happy too with the spoils of my excavation providing rich peckings for them.  The hard yards done I can treat myself with the construction of two new raised beds.  A mini extension to the garden for salads and strawberries and place to experiment seed raising on a larger scale. The kitchen has become less of a battle ground of late with the arrival of a new and rather special baking book . Or I should say books.  After weeks of grazing a wealth of gluten free, paleo, no sugar, guilt free and natural food blogs I finally bullet and invested in books that truly cover off the no wheat, low carb, no sugar requirements of our eating regime.  So I've been knocking out breads, cookies, cupcakes and biscotti that feel like the treats that baking goods are supposed to be.  With my baking confidence returning I finally feel that I can start some food blogging again and also feel more optimistic about keeping up with the new lifestyle for the long haul. I've settled my restless mind over recent weeks with a couple of books that I thoroughly recommend for others to read. Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel.   They really are as good as the hype and publicity.  It's been a long time that I've read books with such intricacies and flow that keep you turning the pages.  Except in my case I was listening to them both as audio books.  We have the real books and in time I shall enjoy them all over again and turning the pages for real.  I've just started reading The Corrections on my kindle which if is as good as Franzen's more recent novel Freedom I know I am in for another enjoyable read. As I looked out of the window seeking an inspired thought for this post the winds are pounding and the rain is pouring again.  Spring in New Zealand has acute meteorological schizophrenia. Two days glorious, one day grey and then comes the big hitter with enough misery to drive you indoors and around the fire.  And then the cycle starts all over again.  Although it happens every year it still feels like an injustice.  A good time though to knuckle down and sort the photographs out, do some editing and heaven forbid actually prepare some images for printing.  Or I might just curl up with the bassets with a hot mug of tea, a cookie and my book. Comments Love the onion flowers! We're trying to eat our way through the winter crops to make room for the next garden residents -- a load of seedlings just bursting to get into the ground. It is such a hopeful and promising time, but I agree with you that October in Wellington is not to be trusted. Anything can happen out there and it probably will! ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"US President Barack Obama said the United States \"will not countenance\" Iran developing a nuclear weapon but claimed there was still time for Tehran to come to the negotiating table. President Obama, speaking at a news conference a day after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said there was a window of opportunity to settle the dispute with Iran over its nuclear programme diplomatically. \"We will not we will not countenance Iran getting a nuclear weapon. My policy is not containment. My policy is to prevent them from getting a nuclear weapon, because if they get a nuclear weapon that could trigger an arms race in the region, it would undermine our non-proliferation goals, it could potentially fall into the hands of terrorists. And we've been in close consultation with all our allies, including Israel, in moving this strategy forward. At this stage, it is my belief that we have a window of opportunity where this can still be resolved diplomatically,\" he said. Mr Obama said the announcement of six-power talks with Iran offered a diplomatic opportunity to defuse the crisis. He said the notion that the United States needed to make a choice in coming weeks or months was \"not borne out by facts.\" Mr Netanyahu assured Mr Obama on Monday that the Jewish state had made no decision on attacking Iranian nuclear sites, sources close to talks in Washington said. He, however, gave no sign of backing away from the option of military strikes. \"Israel is a sovereign nation that has to make its own decisions about how best to preserve its security,\" Mr Obama said. Amid mounting speculation that Iran's nuclear sites could be attacked in coming months, the president appeared to point the finger at the Republican presidential candidates when he said that American politicians \"beating the drums of war\" had a responsibility to explain the costs and benefits of military action. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"With many cycle commuters due to ride home in the dark this evening for the first time in months after the clocks went back at the weekend, a road safety charity has called on the government to adjust the UK's time zone to bring it forward by an hour in both winter and summer, which it claims would lead to a reduction in the number of road traffic casualties. According to the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), crashes are more likely to take place in the evening and it say that analysis of data from the Department for Transport (DfT) suggest that its proposed change to daylight hours could help prevent 80 deaths and more than 200 serious injuries each year due to fewer hours of darkness in the evening. It adds that the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured last November was 5 per cent higher than the monthly average for the year. IAM chief executive Simon Best commented: \"Making evenings lighter would save lives. While an extra hour of daylight would help to make the commute home much safer for all road users, children, cyclists and motorcyclists would benefit most.\" \"We want to see a three-year trial of the new daylight system. If the trial period proves the new daylight hours have a positive effect on road safety, it is clear that it is the system we should keep. With convincing evidence of the potential benefits, it is only right that we pilot a new system.\" During 2011, according to road.cc's analysis of data contained in the DfT's Reported Road Casualties Great Britain 2011 , published last month, some 437 cyclists were killed or seriously injured during the year between the hours of 7am and 9am. The peak two-hour period for cyclist casualties on weekdays, however, was between 5pm and 7pm, with 500 reported deaths or serious injuries, while there were 375 such incidents in the two hours immediately preceding that time, from 3pm to 5pm. However, the same report also shows a drop in the casualty rate for cyclists killed or seriously injured per billion kilometres travelled for November compared to October, with the winter months of January, February and December lower still. The casualty rate peaked in the period from April to September. Bringing the clocks forward by an hour throughout the year would also bring the UK into line with most of Western Europe, with Portugal and the Republic of Ireland the only EU Member States to share our time zone. I'm sure there are a lot of other measures which would improve road safety more than this, 20 mph speed limits, harsher penalties for motorists etc. This is just going to make it darker in the mornings. There is a reason we're not on CET: we're not in Central Europe. It's plausible that only more experienced cyclists continue to cycle through the cold.and dark months, so rate could be lower generally but still worse for these people when it's dark. I've no evidence for this though. Yes, the Spanish and Portuguese have one timezone for the mainland and a different one for the Canaries and Madiera. But the point is that there is no reason why a country should have only one timezone England could have CET, and if they want it, the Scots (and Welsh, and N Irish) could stick to the current arrangement. And I could cycle home in light. But if it was darker in the morning then the casualty rate would probably change again. We did try not moving the clocks back at some point in the past and it wasn't followed through with for whatever reason. Might be interesting to look back at the stats for that period. Whichever way you slice it there are only so many hours of daylight. Given the fact that people tend to be more in a rush in the morning and children\/teenagers (generally the most vulnerable road users) have to go to school early and come back earlier than adults usually, the way it's done now is probably better. The only change I would like would be another hour of daylight in the evening in the summer months (say May to August) when it gets light very early in the morning, so have 2 changes a year instead of 1. This would put us in sync with most of the rest of Europe for a certain period at least. The stats for the last time we had double summer time showed that overall casualites went down everywhere - including in Scotland. The reason commonly cited for this is that although it was darker in the mornings - people were also less tired and more alert to danger, whereas when it's dark in the evenings they are more tired and less alert. I can remember double summertime - it was fantastic. It wasn't abandoned because it was unpopular or unsafe it went because the minority Labour Government of the day needed the support of the Scots Nats and that was a sop to try and get it. It was a real benefit to the vast majority of the population and these days you'd have to assume that the benefits to the tourism industry would far outweigh any potential losses incurred a small part of the farming industry. Tony - I agree completely. And now the Scots have devolution, and possibly will opt to go the whole hog and be a different country altogether, there is no reason to have 1 timezone from Dover to Orkney. Sorry to keep pointing this out. This gets brought up every year. Problem is, it is only the very south that 'benefits' anywhere north of Manchester and Northern Ireland will be plunged into darkness until late morning. This was experimented in the early seventies late sixties and nothing came out of it. It would mean more sleepy, distracted, rushing drivers around on the a.m. run and all for that extra hour in the evening. Also for the likes of myself - people starting work at 5 and 6 am would be travelling to work all the year round in the dark. IAM would be better pressing for a safer environment for all road users. Personally I don't think scrapping the current setup will make roads any safer. Tony, I think that 40 years on, our lifestyles are more hurried and pressured. School run then work etc. I may be wrong, but it's my observation that over the years that driving skills have become poor to say the least. I also remember the experiment except for me I had to travel to school in the dark. My primary school over those few years put a stop to us cycling to school I remember the experiment 40 years ago too. I grew up in Scotland and we had to put up with those dark school journeys. It is all very well to talk about changing what we have at present but I've never been convinced by the safety claims made by those wanting to change the system. Rather than messing around with time zones, why don't we just start and finish work an hour earlier, eg: 8 - 4 instead of 9 - 5? That way you still get lighter evenings for the ride home and we don't bugger everything up. And farmers can continue blocking up the back roads at whatever time of day they feel like... The simple answer to this is to tow Britain south until it is level with Portugal. We get a better climate and less extremes of light and dark at the height of summer and in the depths of winter. I like the idea in principle but I think there might be a few technical issues to be considered. Surely those issues could be overcome with the collective brainpower of road.cc? It would definitely be worth it. We could solve all the airport expansion issues too - no need for extra runways if everyone holidays in the UK's newly desirable climate. Why change it around when it works as it is. The accidents wont fall as its driver \/ rider error not the dark (although there are occasions of bad light causing accidents). Airport expansion - there's a good topic. Why, when we have brilliant airports in the north, manchester and newcastle to name 2, do we need more runways in the south. There was a survey done whereby something like 40% of people from manchester flew through heathrow due to the flights not flying from manchester. Simple, ge tthe airlines to relocate some flights and this takes the pressure off heathrow and no more runway needed. Jobs in the north would be created and the toffy nosed southerners would get their way. There is more than enough room for extra flights at both Newcastle and Manchester not to mention the liokes of L'pool and Glasgow. Anyway i have moved off topic a bit so i'll shut up now. Moving the clocks around doesn't make any difference to the fact that THERE'S LESS DAYLIGHT. It's winter time, it's what happens. Move them forwards, it's just pitch dark in the mornings instead. You can't create extra daylight! I used to work on a shift system (8am - 8.30pm on the days that I was working) so for about 9 months of the year I needed lights while riding to\/from work - changing the clocks made no difference whatsoever. This same old drivel gets trotted out every year by one campaign or another. It's been put on hold now until 2014 anyway once the Scots have had their referendum on independence. It has been tried before, it didn't work then and won't work now. From a biological prospective it is also nonsense, but then when have motoring lobbyists ever bothered with inconvenient things like evidence or science. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Microwaves ... Do you have one ? ...What do you use it for ? I have a small microwave which I have to say I rarely use . When I use it mostly it's just to heat a little bit of milk for some coffee of hot chocolate , or very occasionally to reward something  and that's about it ! I sometimes wonder if it's worth taking up the space on the shelf . When the children were small we had a larger microwave that we would use for making microwave meringues .. These were always a touch of magic that the children loved to see , we would put in this little blob of a fairly solid mix looking similar  a blob of fondant icing and after a very short while in the microwave out would come those pillows of light meringue ... Their faces were always full of amazement no matter how many times they saw this happen. Re: Microwaves ... Do you have one ? ...What do you use it for ? Yes, I couldn't live without my microwave.  Firstly, it's the best way to reheat left overs, especially soups and stews.  Even roast is better to reheat in a microwave because it stays moist unlike if you stick it back in the oven. I also steam veggies in microwave safe baggies, they come out perfectly.  I melt butter, warm up a cup of water for my tea, warm up my coffee if it's gone cold, and many people swear that it's the best way to steam fish but I haven't done that myself. It's also a good way to defrost in a hurry, but not meats!  I defrost soups and stews mostly. Re: Microwaves ... Do you have one ? ...What do you use it for ? It's a place to throw my car keys on top.... I use it for: warming leftovers (sometimes) melting butter And once in a blue moon......steam veg..like once or twice a year. same with hot dogs....I rarely buy them and when I do I usually but them on the stove in water Re: Microwaves ... Do you have one ? ...What do you use it for ? I use my microwave quite often, but mostly for defrosting warming up leftovers heating up milk melting butter I also cook milk rice in it when I am making a milk rice casserole. Since I have Jamie's 30-minute-meals I also use it to cook potatoes (never done that before!) when I've been working until late and still want oven roasted potatoes as a side. Apart from milk rice and potatoes I've never cooked anything else in the microwave. Oh, I made popcorn in those special microwave bags once or twice, funny, that! Re: Microwaves ... Do you have one ? ...What do you use it for ? I use mine for defrosting in emergencies (when I've forgotten to remove the food from the freezer early enough - which is becoming more frequent) but mainly for grilling as there is an electric grill element incorporated into the unit. I have never used it for cooking. Edit: I tell a lie - I use it for \"starting\" jacket potatoes (1.5 mins per potato) prior to putting them in the oven. ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"This paper reports findings from a study into how marketing academics and MBA students view segmentation. The research indicates that both respondent groups view segmentation as being more valuable in helping to understand customers than improving business performance. For MBA students there appears to be no relationship between their reported marketing knowledge and the value attributed to using market segmentation. The findings for academics suggest inconsistencies in how they interpret the value of segmentation and appraise the usefulness of analytical and evaluation approaches. ","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Pasquale Buzzelli, 34, was on the 22nd floor when the North Tower collapsed after an American Airlines plane was flown into it A structural engineer, who became a legend after 'surfing' down a wave of falling debris during 9\/11, has spoken about his miracle survival and how having children has helped him rebuild his life. Pasquale Buzzelli, 43, who working as a structural engineer for the Manhattan Port Authority, was one of the last to evacuate the North Tower as it began to collapse. He claims that he had reached the 22 nd floor when the building collapsed beneath him and he was carried down through a blizzard of debris to the seventh floor, where he was rescued by firefighters. At the time his wife Louise was pregnant with their first child Hope, now ten, and they have since had a second daughter Mia, seven. He suffered survivor's guilt for years afterwards but has finally come to terms with the grief thanks to his family. Mr Buzzeli said: 'Time heals all wounds and you start to experience joy,' he said. 'With the birth of Mia I was finally able to experience those feelings and not feel guilt. In that sense I've realized that the best way to honour those that didn't make it, is to be the best person that I can be.' His story is told in the Discovery Channel and Channel 4 documentary 9\/11 The Miracle Survivor which is screened next week on the 11 th anniversary of the disaster. Holding the battered briefcase he was carrying that day, he said: ' I haven't opened this up in quite a few years. I came across it in my basement a couple of years after 9\/11. I don't even keep it in the house as it's a constant reminder of that day. Its basically rode down the building with me and its battered and torn and just a reminder of how lucky I was to survive.' His story of survival has divided experts. Shiya Ribowsky, who led the investigation into 9\/11, said: 'You know I have a healthy scepticism which is in no way a reflection on this man's character. 'In forensics there are certain statistics about the likelihood of surviving a fall and once you get above five stories then statistics are pretty grim. So you're talking about an exceptional situation. You're talking the wings of angels here.' Time heals all wounds: Pasquale and Louise with their two young daughters Hope, ten, right, and Mia, seven The battered briefcase that fell 15 stories with Buzzelli acts as a constant reminder of the terror that unfolded on the day However Professor Thomas Eager of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has studied the physics of the collapse and believes that the hurricane force wind pushed him down 15 stories. 'His description of a rollercoaster clinched it for me in believing the whole thing,' he said. Mr Buzzelli, who now works in emergency planning for the Port Authority, was in an elevator on his way up to his office the 64 th floor of the North Tower, when the first plane struck at 8.46am. But instead of evacuating the building, he felt a duty to remain at his desk. He and his colleagues at the Port Authority, were watching the news when the second plane hit. They finally began to exit at Stairway B, reaching the 22 nd floor at 10.28am when the tower began to collapse. Wife Louise Buzzelli thought she was never going to see her husband alive again after watching the North Tower collapse on TV Wedding bells: Buzzelli managed to survive the traumas of 9\/11 and go on to have two girls with wife Louise The couple also added a second daughter Mia to the family 'I thought something heavy is falling through the stairs or part of the building is collapsing and falling through,' he said. 'I just dove into the stairwell, went into a foetal position, covered my face and hands and buried myself as close to the wall as possible to protect myself from anything falling through. 'It was then that I felt the wall that I was next to and the base of the floor crack open and give way. That's when I knew that that was it: the entire building was going. I said to myself: \"My God I can't believe this is. I'm going to die. I thought of my wife, my unborn child.' Pasquale's wife Louise, who was seven months pregnant with their oldest daughter Hope, now ten -- they have a second daughter Mia, six -- watched in horror as the tower collapsed. 'I knew it was over then at that point,' she said. 'I couldn't watch anymore. I couldn't believe that I was there watching this, carrying our first baby. I was a widow and I watched it and there was nothing I could do.' The debris that carried Buzzelli down to the seventh floor eventually ended up among this mess But, incredibly, Pasquale began to freefall down the stairwell until he landed on the seventh floor. He regained consciousness three hours later, surrounded by twisted metal, with a badly injured ankle. 'I was totally numb,' he said. 'I felt nothing at all. I just opened my eyes and saw blue sky.  I really thought I was dead until I started to cough and I started to feel pain in my leg. At that point I started calling out: \"Help. Help.\" Back at Ground Zero, firefighters Mike Lyons and Mike Moribito, who disobeyed orders to search the wreckage, found Pasquale as he was beginning to fear he would be burnt alive. 'He looked like he was in a castle,' said Mike Moribito. 'He was sitting there in broad daylight like a king on top of a hill. I can remember it as clear as day.' Within hours Paquale was in an ambulance on his way to hospital. His first thought was to call his wife Louise. The South Tower burst into flames after being hit at 9:03am on September 11 Where to start? Overwhelmed firefighters were faced with the gruelling task of pulling out survivors from the wreckage ' I picked up the phone and said: \"Hello?\" she said. 'I heard his voice and he said: \"Louise it's me.\" And I said: \"Oh my god Pascale. It's you.\"  And everyone in the house just screamed. However Pasquale began to suffer from survivors' guilt and it was only a reunion with Mike Lyons, who was also suffered traumatic stress disorder, that brought him out of his depression. Mike's girlfriend Kathryn traced Pasquale and they now meet regularly. 'Time heals all wounds and you start to experience joy,' he said. 'With the birth of Mia I was finally able to experience those feelings and not feel guilt. In that sense I've realized that the best way to honour those that didn't make it, is tot be the best person that I can be.' 9\/11 The Miracle Survivor is screened on Channel 4 at 10pm on Monday September 10 and 11.10pm the following night. An e-book We All Fall Down: The True Story of the 9\/11 Surfer by Pasquale and Louise Buzzelli is published on Amazon on September 8. Share this article: Comments ( 51 ) Just a note on photo credits: The two photos of ground zero, the one of the firefighters on the pile and the other of the fireman looking at the pile were taken by Michael Rieger\/FEMA. Andrea Booher and Michael Rieger, photographers for FEMA spend over 8 weeks capturing the stories of ground zero and created a two photo CD set of image that were sent to all they photographed with the condition they copy and share images. I remembrance this very vaguely as I was young at the time. It only really hit me just what a tragedy it was a few years ago. I am now 20 and I am visiting New York next year to pay my respects. I can't even begin to imagine what it was like for the victims, families and people of New York and of course the brave heroes that played their part on that day. Tragedies like this make me feel so silly about getting angry or upset about the little things in life. As long as a plane isn't hitting the office I am a happy lady. The anger I have for the people that did this is undescribable. My hearts are with the people that sadly passed away. Sleep well xxxxx watch the Zeitgeist on Netflix. this was a set up, they tried to bomb the towers years earlier but didn't use enough explosives. i remember seeing people hanging out the windows and jumping to avoid burning to death. i remember hearing dispatch calls on myspace that people posted that I still remember to this day and they send chills down my spine. u could die any day at any age, and you have no say in the matter. luck had nothing to do with this. just destiny. the world is a fup. To those who don't believe this really happened or don't believe it should still effects some of us, I'm very saddened. I am the Red Cross volunteer who not only lost many friends that day, I volunteered tirelessly for months afterwards to help survivors and victim's families & friends. I also helped bring Pasquale together with his FDNY rescuers. Pasquale & Louise Buzzelli have dealt with some really difficult times in the past 11 years & just want this story to be put in the books, not only to let people know about ONE positive story from that awful day, give credit to the real heroes who, quite frankly didn't want to be found & get extra attention, but to also keep this day from sliding too far back into people's minds where it may be forgotten. I was there at the Family Assistance Center where people from all over the world came to deal with their loss. Let it not be forgotten that these terrorist attached The WOLRLD Trade Center....NOT just the United States. -Kathryn Carey So much respect for the survivors and victims of 9\/11... The world should never forget them... God,, i remember being 10 years old and coming home from school and seeing the second plane hit the tower. I was gobsmacked. I didnt know any of these people but i do think of them every year, and their families. My country lost 67 victims, We all think of them too, we remember! May they all RIP! Much love Your comments:More proof explosives were used. He said. (3rd Paragraph down) He claims that he had reached the 22nd floor when the building COLLAPSED beneath him and he was carried down through a blizzard of debris to the seventh floor, where he was rescued by firefighters. When i saw the demolition on the news wasn't the building coming dwon from top to bottom? not the other way? Unless floors were been exploded in the collapse to help the collapse?? More proof explosives were used. He said. (3rd Paragraph down) He claims that he had reached the 22nd floor when the building COLLAPSED beneath him and he was carried down through a blizzard of debris to the seventh floor, where he was rescued by firefighters. When i saw the demolition on the news wasn't the building coming dwon from top to bottom? not the other way? Unless floors were been exploded in the collapse to help the collapse?? ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Join the \"urban chicken movement\" and raise your own backyard flock. Chickens are both fun and useful to keep. Don't expect to keep a breeding flock with noisy roosters, but your hens will earn their keep and provide enjoyment by laying eggs for you. Chickens can provide you with healthy, home grown eggs and meat, quality nitrogen-rich fertilizer, pest control and companionship. Perhaps surprisingly, a reasonable number of chickens can adapt very well to the constraints of an urban environment; indeed, it's even possible to keep chickens indoors through the use of diapers. Here's your guide to keeping chickens in the city. Check local laws and regulations . It may be illegal for you to own chickens in your city location, so start out by calling the local animal control office or your local municipality and asking what the laws are in your area. More and more ordinances are available online as well, so it's worth doing a search. Since roosters are perceived as noisy, they usually tend to fall under your city's noise or nuisance ordinances. While hens are normally very quiet, they may still be subject to nuisance ordinances. Check the city code before you get your birds and become attached to them! Some cities limit the number of chickens you can have on a given amount of land. In areas that were recently rural or have a strong farming culture, no law or license may be required to keep chickens. If chickens are illegal in your area all is not lost. Many people have managed to get pro-chicken ordinances passed, such as Madison, WI and Ann Arbor MI. However, you may need to be prepared to practice some activism in order to lobby your local authorities. 2 Research the breed and number of chickens you want to keep before you buy them ! There are several ways to choose the chicken breed, such as for their egg-laying prowess, their meat potential or just because they're pretty (sometimes all three reasons coincide). Be aware that many breeds also come in \"bantam\" size (like \"toy\" breeds for dog) that are roughly a quarter of the size of large breeds. The Buff Orpington makes a good choice for beginners and comes in both large and bantam sizes. Some friendly layers like Rhode Island Reds or Barred Plymouth Rocks are always a good choice. They are both meat and laying birds and they tend to be easy birds to keep, since they have a very mild temper. Another popular breed are Cochin bantams. These are good layers, are very sweet and make great pets. For beginners, dual purpose breeds are probably a sound first choice. There is a ton of information available on the hundreds of breeds of chickens. Surf online to look for chicken breeds, urban chicken, and city chicken just to start with. There are many online forums comprised of your fellow chicken owners, and they are a great resource for advice, chicks, adults birds and supplies. Some hatcheries also have online forums. 3 Visit other urban dwellers who keep chickens in their backyard and see what they're doing . Ask them for advice and suggestions. If you're the only person you know who is interested in doing this, visit the closest farmer who keeps chickens (especially if you've never had chickens before) and watch and learn. Pay a visit to your local farmers market , see who's selling fresh eggs, and start up a conversation! 4 Build your chickens a good coop out of strong materials. Build your chickens a good coop out of strong materials . The coop is a place where the chickens will spend the night, lay eggs, and get out of the bad weather. There are many different types of coops. If you're handy, you can easily build one using a design you find on the Internet, or something you already have lying around. There are many different types of successful chicken coops that imaginative people have created, made from things as strange as an old pickup truck bed cap to a dog house . The key is to make your coop a safe place for the chickens to lay their eggs and sleep. A rule of thumb is 4 square feet inside the coop per chicken (2 square feet per bantam) and 10 square feet of outdoor space (8 square feet per bantam). The coop should have good air flow and a low roost for your chickens to sleep. Good ventilation is crucial but ensure that there are no drafts. Be aware that hens create a lot of moisture, including high levels of ammonia and carbon dioxide which must be removed regularly, as well as ensuring these elements are vented out. Use removable perches; this is so that they can be taken out and disinfected regularly to kill off mites and other parasites. Build nest\/laying boxes where your chickens can cozy up and lay their eggs. The box should be large enough to hold a hen (around 12 inches\/30cm square) and include a small lip at the front to help stop eggs from rolling out once laid. A little bit of straw, sawdust or pine needles (not hay as it's not absorbent enough) to make litter for the nest goes a long way. You only need one nest box per four hens. Keep the boxes dark. If you build laying boxes that can be accessed from outside as well as in, you won't need to go inside every time to collect the eggs. The floor should be lined with untreated pine wood chips (cedar can be toxic to chickens), sawdust, straw or pine needles and cleaned once a week. You can use dropping boards to catch droppings under perches; these are easier to remove and clean. Litter collected from the hen house can be turned into great compost for your garden! Prepare adequately for your chickens for the whole year. They will need shade in the summer and heat in the winter . If you live where there are cold winters you may need to set up a heat lamp in the coop or a water heater and make sure you have chosen a cold-hardy breed of chicken. Protect against burrowing vermin such as rats and mice by burying about 6 inches (15cm) of the fencing wire below ground level and curling it outwards. Then when pests try to dig under the wire to get in your coop, they run into the wire instead. Predators are very patient and have all night to get themselves a good chicken dinner, and chickens sleep very soundly. Check the finished coop carefully for dangers such as protruding wires and nails. Chickens are very curious and it's cheaper to prevent accidents than it is to take them to the vet. 5 Give your chickens room to roam . If you have a safely fenced yard or an off-street area, let them wander freely during the day. If you give them a good spot to get out of the weather and up off the ground, they usually won't go very far from it. Often chickens prefer not to go anywhere they can't see their coop from. If you can't let them roam free, try making a little run for them out of hardware cloth (strong, welded wire fencing that has small, square openings -- -- most hardware stores have it by the roll), or if you have to, you can keep them in the coop with a small run attached to it. Don't use chicken wire, as it is way too flimsy and is easily torn into by predators such as dogs, and even humans. Spend a little extra money on good fencing materials and save yourself the heartbreak of finding your birds torn to shreds one day. 6 Purchase food for your chickens before they arrive . Feed supply stores are a good source as well as the Internet . You should have a bag of pelleted poultry feed (for large breeds) or crumble (for bantam breeds). Be aware that the health of the eggs is determined by the health of the feed; for example, protein-rich eggs come from protein-rich feed, while a hen intended for eating will put on weight eating a good balance of protein and carbohydrates. A laying hen needs to eat around 100g of feed each day. Put the feed in a covered feeder and replace it regularly, as it does go stale. Allowed to roam free, chickens are effective weed eaters and insect control -- -- set them loose in your veggie patch. Fresh and cracked corn is a favorite as well as tomatoes, apples and anything baked. You can try growing your own corn, wheat or barley to feed to chickens; all are good sources of protein, although corn is lower in protein than the other crops. Chickens love table scraps. A good rule of thumb: if it's healthy for you, it's usually healthy for your chickens (with the exceptions noted next). However, only feed as many table scraps as the chickens eat within a quarter hour; any more than this and they'll neglect the healthy balanced feed they should be eating. Steer clear of giving your chickens onions and garlic, as it can flavor the eggs. Also, chocolate, raw potatoes, and avocados are toxic to birds and your chickens should never eat any of these food items. Also, never let your chickens eat damp feed; it may have grown molds or toxins which can kill them. Chickens should have access to grit. This is held in their gizzard and helps grind down coarse grain. Use common sense and keep pesticides, antifreeze and other chemicals out of your birds' reach. Clean up uneaten food before it spoils and stinks up their home. 7 Find your chickens. Find your chickens . There are many ways of finding local chicken farmers. Ask around at farmers markets , health food stores and feed supply stores. Check the classifieds for a livestock section. The other option is to purchase your chickens online. Your county fair, 4H Clubs, county agriculture extension service, etc., all are good starting points. You can even buy fertile eggs to incubate and hatch on your own! Hatching your own chicks is an amazing experience, especially for kids. If you decide to do this, be well prepared and do your research -- -- it's fairly easy but you need to be prepared for those little balls of fluff. 8 Keep everything clean . Once every week or two (depending on how many chickens you have in how little space), clean out the coop, wipe down the perches, and scrub down their feeders. If the hens are laying, thoroughly clean their nest boxes, especially if an egg cracked at one point. Keeping their environment clean will reduce the risk of disease and parasites and it'll also keep your neighbors from complaining. 9 Watch your chickens . Check the feed and water every day. Observe them regularly and look for changes in behavior and habits that will alert you to ways you can improve their habitat: Are they eating their food and drinking their water? Always make sure the food and water are fresh, cool, and clean. Are they huddling together in a particular spot? It might be too cold for them, or there could be a draft. Are they breathing heavily? Check that they have enough shade to find a spot where they can cool off. Are they losing feathers? The proverbial \"pecking order\" may be in effect. If any of the hens are bleeding, consider separating the victim until the hen has healed, as other chickens will continue to peck at the wound. Are they all there? Count your chickens every day, especially if you have more than ten. Find an avian (bird) vet before you need one. 2AM Sunday morning is no time to be stuck running around trying to find someone to treat your chicken! (However, this is only important if you have show quality chickens. Find the local livestock veterinarian for mass problems. Otherwise, chickens take care of themselves pretty well if they have enough food, water, and space.) Find a \"chicken sitter\" if you ever plan on being away from your home for more than a day. Chickens need to be tended to at least twice a day (to let them out of the coop or put them in, to check their food and water, etc.).If you're not around to do it, you need to get in touch with someone who's responsible and comfortable with this task. Buy a book on keeping chickens for reference. You'll find yourself referring to it frequently at the beginning. Over time, you'll find yourself updating it! Tell your neighbors what you're doing. They're less likely to get upset over a wandering chicken in their yard every once in a while if they know where it came from. Better yet, turn them into allies by giving them free eggs! You will likely end up with more eggs than you will know what to do with. Protect the outdoor run from hawks or other predatory birds by draping bird netting over it and tying it down. Bird netting is very cheap and, without it, you may be inviting hawks over for a daily feast. If there is no one in your area to buy chicks from, try mail ordering them. Keep in mind, you may have to order quite a few, but this will allow you to order just hens and you don't need a rooster for good eggs! Try to keep your chicken hobby as cute and clean as possible. No one likes living next to an ugly, smelly mess. By ordering plans to build a cute \"city friendly\" coop or purchasing a ready-made one, you fend off a lot of problems before you begin. Check online for plants in your yard that may be toxic, as chickens love to eat greenery and your garden is 'on the menu'! It follows that you should never use pesticide spray on or around plants that chickens may eat, and never use slug and snail killer pellets as they will kill your birds. Chickens naturally scratch and dig in the dirt with much gusto, so don't expect them to steer clear of your prize-winning petunia patch. If you don't want them to eat it and\/or dig it up, fence it off. Be careful what you use to clean the chicken coop with; ensure that it is non-toxic. Also, when cleaning, consider wearing a respiratory mask to protect you from any airborne parasites, especially if you are sickly or liable to respiratory illnesses. Always wear gloves when cleaning out bird droppings. Roosters are loud! All male chickens love to crow and they do it in the morning, noon, night and every chance they get in-between. Keep that in mind if you have close neighbors. Hens, on the other hand, are not as noisy, but they do cackle loudly here and there. Chickens can carry diseases just like any other outdoor animal, so if you have very small children, make sure you monitor their contact. Tell them to wash their hands after petting them, and never kiss a chicken. Educate yourself on chicken health, including common diseases and parasites, many of which can be carried in by wild birds. Consider what you will do with unwanted birds. If you're hatching your own chickens, about half of them will be roosters. They can't be kept together because they'll kill each other and harm the hens as well. Likewise, if your main reason for keeping chickens is for the eggs, remember that chickens can live 8-10 years but only have a productive life (one egg every 1.5 days) of about 2-3 years. It's not easy to find homes for roosters and unproductive chickens, and usually your only option is to sell them for meat. However, keeping older chickens is often an option. They don't eat quite as much, but still produce delicious eggs. The roosters make good chicken jerky if you're ambitious. Be aware that rooster meat is pretty tough and would rarely make something like fried chicken taste good. Related Articles Featured Articles Meet a Community Member Meet John , a semiretired geek and wanderer who has been a member of wikiHow for over 6 years. He spends most of his time on wikiHow reading the articles, but occasionally he writes some himself. Many of the 38 articles he's started have been featured. His proudest achievement is having published How to Plot the Mandelbrot Set By Hand . ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Theory is a group of ideas meant to explain a certain topic, such as a single or collection of fact(s), event(s), or phenomen(a)(on). Typically, a theory is developed through the use of contemplative and rational forms of abstract and generalized thinking. Furthermore, a theory is often based on general principles that are independent of the thing being explained. Depending on the context, the results might for example include generalized explanations of how nature works. The word has its roots in ancient Greek , but in modern use it has taken on several different related meanings. A theory is not the same as a hypothesis . A theory provides an explanatory framework for some observation, and from the assumptions of the explanation follows a number of possible hypotheses that can be tested in order to provide support for, or challenge, the theory. Someone who develops theories is called a theorist. One modern group of meanings emphasizes the interpretative, abstracting, and generalizing nature of theory. For example in the arts and philosophy , the term \"theoretical\" may be used to describe ideas and empirical phenomena which are not easily measurable. Theory abstracts. It draws away from the particular and empirical. By extension of the philosophical meaning, \" theoria \" is a word still used in theological contexts to mean viewing through contemplation \u2014 speculating about meanings that transcend measurement. However, by contrast to theoria, theory is based on the act of viewing analytically and generalizing contextually. It is thus based upon a process of abstraction. That is, theory involves stepping back, or abstracting, from that which one is viewing. [ 1 ] A theory can be \" normative (or prescriptive), [ 2 ] meaning a postulation about what ought to be. It provides \"goals, norms, and standards\". [ 3 ] A theory can be a body of knowledge , which may or may not be associated with particular explanatory models. To theorize is to develop this body of knowledge. [ 4 ] As already in Aristotle's definitions, theory is very often contrasted to \"practice\" (from Greek praxis , \u03c0\u03c1\u1fb6\u03be\u03b9\u03c2) a Greek term for \"doing\", which is opposed to theory because pure theory involves no doing apart from itself. A classical example of the distinction between \"theoretical\" and \"practical\" uses the discipline of medicine: medical theory involves trying to understand the causes and nature of health and sickness, while the practical side of medicine is trying to make people healthy. These two things are related but can be independent, because it is possible to research health and sickness without curing specific patients, and it is possible to cure a patient without knowing how the cure worked. [ 5 ] In modern science , the term \"theory\" refers to scientific theories , a well-confirmed type of explanation of nature , made in a way consistent with scientific method , and fulfilling the criteria required by modern science . Such theories are described in such a way that any scientist in the field is in a position to understand and either provide empirical support (\" verify \") or empirically contradict (\" falsify \") it. Scientific theories are the most reliable, rigorous, and comprehensive form of scientific knowledge, [ 6 ] in contrast to more common uses of the word \"theory\" that imply that something is unproven or speculative (which is better defined by the word 'hypothesis'). [ 7 ] Scientific theories are distinguished from hypotheses , which are individual empirically testable conjectures, and scientific laws , which are descriptive accounts of how nature will behave under certain conditions. [ 8 ] The English word theory was derived from a technical term in philosophy in Ancient Greek . As an everyday word, theoria , \u03b8\u03b5\u03c9\u03c1\u03af\u03b1 , meant \"a looking at, viewing, beholding\", but in more technical contexts it came to refer to contemplative or speculative understandings of natural things , such as those of natural philosophers , as opposed to more practical ways of knowing things, like that of skilled orators or artisans. [ 9 ] The word has been in use in English since at least the late 16th century. [ 10 ] Modern uses of the word \"theory\" are derived from the original definition, but have taken on new shades of meaning, still based on the idea that a theory is a thoughtful and rational explanation of the general nature of things. Although it has more mundane meanings in Greek, the word \u03b8\u03b5\u03c9\u03c1\u03af\u03b1 apparently developed special uses early in the recorded history of the Greek language . In the book From Religion to Philosophy , Francis Cornford suggests that the Orphics used the word \"theory\" to mean 'passionate sympathetic contemplation'. [ 11 ] Pythagoras changed the word to mean a passionate sympathetic contemplation of mathematical knowledge, because he considered this intellectual pursuit the way to reach the highest plane of existence. Pythagoras emphasized subduing emotions and bodily desires in order to enable the intellect to function at the higher plane of theory. Thus it was Pythagoras who gave the word \"theory\" the specific meaning which leads to the classical and modern concept of a distinction between theory as uninvolved, neutral thinking, and practice. [ 12 ] In Aristotle's terminology, as has already been mentioned above, theory is contrasted with praxis or practice, which remains the case today. For Aristotle, both practice and theory involve thinking, but the aims are different. Theoretical contemplation considers things which humans do not move or change, such as nature , so it has no human aim apart from itself and the knowledge it helps create. On the other hand, praxis involves thinking, but always with an aim to desired actions, whereby humans cause change or movement themselves for their own ends. Any human movement which involves no conscious choice and thinking could not be an example of praxis or doing. [ 13 ] Theories are analytical tools for understanding , explaining , and making predictions about a given subject matter. There are theories in many and varied fields of study, including the arts and sciences . A formal theory is syntactic in nature and is only meaningful when given a semantic component by applying it to some content (i.e. facts and relationships of the actual historical world as it is unfolding). Theories in various fields of study are expressed in natural language , but are always constructed in such a way that their general form is identical to a theory as it is expressed in the formal language of mathematical logic . Theories may be expressed mathematically, symbolically, or in common language, but are generally expected to follow principles of rational thought or logic . Theory is constructed of a set of sentences which consist entirely of true statements about the subject matter under consideration. However, the truth of any one of these statements is always relative to the whole theory. Therefore the same statement may be true with respect to one theory, and not true with respect to another. This is, in ordinary language, where statements such as \"He is a terrible person\" cannot be judged to be true or false without reference to some interpretation of who \"He\" is and for that matter what a \"terrible person\" is under the theory. [ 14 ] Sometimes two theories have exactly the same explanatory power because they make the same predictions. A pair of such theories is called indistinguishable, and the choice between them reduces to convenience or philosophical preference. The form of theories is studied formally in mathematical logic, especially in model theory . When theories are studied in mathematics, they are usually expressed in some formal language and their statements are closed under application of certain procedures called rules of inference . A special case of this, an axiomatic theory, consists of axioms (or axiom schemata) and rules of inference. A theorem is a statement that can be derived from those axioms by application of these rules of inference. Theories used in applications are abstractions of observed phenomena and the resulting theorems provide solutions to real-world problems. Obvious examples include arithmetic (abstracting concepts of number), geometry (concepts of space), and probability (concepts of randomness and likelihood). G\u00f6del's incompleteness theorem shows that no consistent, recursively enumerable theory (that is, one whose theorems form a recursively enumerable set) in which the concept of natural numbers can be expressed, can include all true statements about them. As a result, some domains of knowledge cannot be formalized, accurately and completely, as mathematical theories. (Here, formalizing accurately and completely means that all true propositions\u2014and only true propositions\u2014are derivable within the mathematical system.) This limitation, however, in no way precludes the construction of mathematical theories that formalize large bodies of scientific knowledge. A theory is underdetermined (also called indeterminacy of data to theory ) if, given the available evidence cited to support the theory, there is a rival theory which is inconsistent with it that is at least as consistent with the evidence. Underdetermination is an epistemological issue about the relation of evidence to conclusions. If there is a new theory which is better at explaining and predicting phenomena than an older theory (i.e. it has more explanatory power ), we are justified in believing that the newer theory describes reality more correctly. This is called an intertheoretic reduction because the terms of the old theory can be reduced to the terms of the new one. For instance, our historical understanding about \"sound\", \"light\" and \"heat\" have today been reduced to \"wave compressions and rarefactions\", \"electromagnetic waves\", and \"molecular kinetic energy\", respectively. These terms which are identified with each other are called intertheoretic identities. When an old theory and a new one are parallel in this way, we can conclude that we are describing the same reality, only more completely. In cases where a new theory uses new terms which do not reduce to terms of an older one, but rather replace them entirely because they are actually a misrepresentation it is called an intertheoretic elimination. For instance, the obsolete scientific theory that put forward an understanding of heat transfer in terms of the movement of caloric fluid was eliminated when a theory of heat as energy replaced it. Also, the theory that phlogiston is a substance released from burning and rusting material was eliminated with the new understanding of the reactivity of oxygen. Theories are distinct from theorems . Theorems are derived deductively from objections according to a formal system of rules, sometimes as an end in itself and sometimes as a first step in testing or applying a theory in a concrete situation; theorems are said to be true in the sense that the conclusions of a theorem are logical consequences of the objections. Theories are abstract and conceptual, and to this end they are always considered true. They are supported or challenged by observations in the world. They are ' rigorously tentative', meaning that they are proposed as true and expected to satisfy careful examination to account for the possibility of faulty inference or incorrect observation. Sometimes theories are incorrect, meaning that an explicit set of observations contradicts some fundamental objection or application of the theory, but more often theories are corrected to conform to new observations, by restricting the class of phenomena the theory applies to or changing the assertions made. An example of the former is the restriction of Classical mechanics to phenomena involving macroscopic lengthscales and particle speeds much lower than the speed of light. \"Sometimes a hypothesis never reaches the point of being considered a theory because the answer is not found to derive its assertions analytically or not applied empirically.\" [ citation needed ] Theories whose subject matter consists not in empirical data, but rather in ideas are in the realm of philosophical theories as contrasted with scientific theories . At least some of the elementary theorems of a philosophical theory are statements whose truth cannot necessarily be scientifically tested through empirical observation . Fields of study are sometimes named \"theory\" because their basis is some initial set of objections describing the field's approach to a subject matter. These assumptions are the elementary theorems of the particular theory, and can be thought of as the axioms of that field. Some commonly known examples include set theory and number theory ; however literary theory , critical theory , and music theory are also of the same form. One form of philosophical theory is a metatheory or meta-theory . A metatheory is a theory whose subject matter is some other theory. In other words it is a theory about a theory. Statements made in the metatheory about the theory are called metatheorems . In science, the term \"theory\" refers to \"a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment .\" [ 15 ] [ 16 ] Theories must also meet further requirements, such as the ability to make falsifiable predictions with consistent accuracy across a broad area of scientific inquiry, and production of strong evidence in favor of the theory from multiple independent sources. (See characteristics of scientific theories .) The strength of a scientific theory is related to the diversity of phenomena it can explain, which is measured by its ability to make falsifiable predictions with respect to those phenomena. Theories are improved (or replaced by better theories) as more evidence is gathered, so that accuracy in prediction improves over time; this increased accuracy corresponds to an increase in scientific knowledge. Scientists use theories as a foundation to gain further scientific knowledge, as well as to accomplish goals such as inventing technology or curing disease . The formal scientific definition of \"theory\" is quite different from the everyday meaning of the word. It refers to a comprehensive explanation of some aspect of nature that is supported by a vast body of evidence. Many scientific theories are so well established that no new evidence is likely to alter them substantially. For example, no new evidence will demonstrate that the Earth does not orbit around the sun (heliocentric theory), or that living things are not made of cells (cell theory), that matter is not composed of atoms, or that the surface of the Earth is not divided into solid plates that have moved over geological timescales (the theory of plate tectonics)...One of the most useful properties of scientific theories is that they can be used to make predictions about natural events or phenomena that have not yet been observed. [ 17 ] A scientific theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment. Such fact-supported theories are not \"guesses\" but reliable accounts of the real world. The theory of biological evolution is more than \"just a theory.\" It is as factual an explanation of the universe as the atomic theory of matter or the germ theory of disease. Our understanding of gravity is still a work in progress. But the phenomenon of gravity, like evolution, is an accepted fact. [ 16 ] Note that the term theory would not be appropriate for describing untested but intricate hypotheses or even scientific models. In the semantic view of theories , which has largely replaced the received view, [ 18 ] [ 19 ] theories are viewed as scientific models . A model is a logical framework intended to represent reality (a \"model of reality\"), similar to the way that a map is a graphical model that represents the territory of a city or country. In this approach, theories are a specific category of models which fulfill the necessary criteria. (See Theories as models for further discussion.) In physics the term theory is generally used for a mathematical framework\u2014derived from a small set of basic postulates (usually symmetries, like equality of locations in space or in time, or identity of electrons, etc.)\u2014which is capable of producing experimental predictions for a given category of physical systems. One good example is classical electromagnetism , which encompasses results derived from gauge symmetry (sometimes called gauge invariance) in a form of a few equations called Maxwell's equations . The specific mathematical aspects of classical electromagnetic theory are termed \"laws of electromagnetism\", reflecting the level of consistent and reproducible evidence that supports them. Within electromagnetic theory generally, there are numerous hypotheses about how electromagnetism applies to specific situations. Many of these hypotheses are already considered to be adequately tested, with new ones always in the making and perhaps untested. Acceptance of a theory does not require that all of its major predictions be tested, if it is already supported by sufficiently strong evidence. For example, certain tests may be unfeasible or technically difficult. As a result, theories may make predictions that have not yet been confirmed or proven incorrect; in this case, the predicted results may be described informally with the term \"theoretical.\" These predictions can be tested at a later time, and if they are incorrect, this may lead to revision or rejection of the theory. ^ The word \"theory\" was used in Greek philosophy , for example, that of Plato . It is a statement of how and why particular facts are related. It is related to words for \u03b8\u03b5\u03c9\u03c1\u03cc\u03c2 \"spectator\", \u03b8\u03ad\u03b1 thea \"a view\" + \u1f41\u03c1\u1fb6\u03bd horan \"to see\", literally \"looking at a show\". See for example dictionary entries at Perseus website . ^ The LSJ cites two passages of Aristotle as examples, both from the Metaphysics and involving the definition of natural science : 11.1064a17 , \"it is clear that natural science (\u03c6\u03c5\u03c3\u03b9\u03ba\u1f74\u03bd \u1f10\u03c0\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03ae\u03bc\u03b7\u03bd) must be neither practical (\u03c0\u03c1\u03b1\u03ba\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u1f74\u03bd) nor productive (\u03c0\u03bf\u03b9\u03b7\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u1f74\u03bd), but speculative (\u03b8\u03b5\u03c9\u03c1\u03b7\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u1f74\u03bd)\" and 6.1025b25 , \"Thus if every intellectual activity [\u03b4\u03b9\u03ac\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9\u03b1] is either practical or productive or speculative (\u03b8\u03b5\u03c9\u03c1\u03b7\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u03ae), physics (\u03c6\u03c5\u03c3\u03b9\u03ba\u1f74) will be a speculative [\u03b8\u03b5\u03c9\u03c1\u03b7\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u03ae] science\". So Aristotle actually made a three way distinction between practical, theoretical and productive or technical - or between doing, contemplating or making. All three types involve thinking, but are distinguished by what causes the objects of thought to move or change. ","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"The defendants wrestled with the owner for possession of a handbag. They ran off without the bag, but they had caused her lose possession this was an appropriation, therefore a theft had occurred Actus reus Immediately before or at the Time of Stealing. Theft is a continuing offence. But, courts are flexible. To interpret this literally would have a limiting effect on the scope of the section. Undoubtedly bank robbers who threaten people with force to make good their 'get a way' use force 'afterwards', but are still robbers -- the theft is continuing. Force was used to stop a woman raising the alarm while her jewellery box was being stolen. A substantial part of the force took place when the box was in the thieves' possession. Therefore, violence may come after the act of theft. Stopped leaving an off-licence by shopkeeper, assaulted him to escape. Hale applied, Gomez not relevant. Guilty And in order to do so. Theft from a disabled victim after a fight would not be robbery Actus reus Uses force on any person or Puts or seeks to put any person in fear of being Then and there subjected to force. There must be force (not violence, nor necessarily an assault) More is needed than to take the property from a passive victim as in snatching a handbag from an unsuspecting victim. More is needing than the force used to pick a pocket. But amount of force can be quiet slight, e.g. a nudge causing V to lose balance. The force must be against a person so this could not include a dog. Applying force to the property being taken (the shopping bag in the case of Clouden) is applying force to the person who is resisting. Resisting or unresisting victim The distinction between a victim who resisted having his property taken (for example snatching a handbag) used to be important, but it is not now, it is up to the jury to decide if the 'snatching' amounts to force. Snatching of property, such as a handbag from an unresisting owner would constitute force (Clouden), despite the CLRC expressed belief to the contrary. Blind victim? Need not be aware of force, requirement includes seeking to put V in fear ","labels":"Legal","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"I have 3 sets of adhesive Modskinz black CARBON wraps for a PROVARI V2 for sale. I also have 1 set in WHITE. I had ordered them from USA and ended up with a new washing machine and not his-and-hers provaris as intended. After hard deliberation, clean underpants were more important (just..) Just received and the precision and finish is AWESOME! The sets will cover your device as well as an extension cap and base as well as the standard base. ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Relax If you need help relaxing, contract and release each set of muscles in your body sequentially, starting from your toes and working your way up to your face and scalp. Step 5 Hold pose Stay in this pose for as long as you like, letting your whole system relax deeply. Ideally, you will feel like you are falling asleep while remaining fully conscious. Step 6 Release pose To release the pose, start by gently wiggling your fingers and toes to reawaken your body. Allow yourself ample time to regain full awareness and movement -- after all, coming back from the dead is no small feat. Fact In Hinduism, coming back to life is no big deal -- reincarnation is a central tenet of the religion. ","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"University students hit back in St Paul's parking egg wars STUDENTS have hit back at Cheltenham residents who have been 'targeting them' for parking in their road. Tyres have been slashed and eggs have been thrown at cars in Manser Street, which have been left by young people studying at the nearby University of Gloucestershire campus. Gloucestershire Constabulary Kate Wright, who is working towards a PGCE, returned to her Mitsubishi Colt last Tuesday to find it had been vandalised. She claims members of the neighbourhood are creating a culture of intimidation to scare off anybody using their streets to park. And the 26-year-old insisted that she had not broken any laws by using the spot to leave her vehicle. \"I was very angry and couldn't believe someone would do something like this,\" said Kate, who lives in Woodmancote and chose to stay in the county to study at University of Gloucestershire. \"When I parked there last Monday, there was a note left on my car which was impossible to read and I wondered what it said. I came back the next day to find eggs smashed all over the car and my tyres slashed. \"I have lived in Cheltenham all my life and so I know the area well. \"It just seems completely stupid when they have the least amount of cars in that street. \"I thought at the time it was surprising no cars were parked along there but obviously they have scared everyone off. \"When I picked up the car the day before, there were people waiting around and it felt very intimidating. \"Fortunately I was with a friend and we just got out of there as quickly as we could but they have to remember that this is my community too. \"How dare they think they have a right to take the law into their own hands?\" Kate had to spend 108 to replace her tyres. She has now brought a parking permit for the university car park - setting her back a further 45. \"It has cost me a lot of money which I cannot claim back on the insurance,\" she said. \"It doesn't seem like much but, as a student, I'm having to pay my tuition fees as well and it all adds up. \"I am working hard every day, from 9am to 5pm, and this is the last thing I want to deal with.\" Residents claimed St Paul's had been the scene of several angry clashes between students and homeowners last week. Detectives said they were aware of the tensions in the neighbourhood and were still hunting for the culprits behind the attacks. They are urging anyone with information to contact them on 101 quoting incident 166 of September 18. 18 Comments \"SInce they introduced resident parking permits in St Lukes, along with meters for non-residents, and allowing permit holders to park in all and any spaces, I've always found a place to park my van. Before the permits were introduced it was a struggle. I prefer to pay the 70 ish per year for a permit and pretty much guarantee a space near my house than the old system... Even in metered spaces, I can park my van and they're more often empty than not during the day and mostly only used by permit holders in the evening... can't imagine Students wanting a yearly permit at around 70 instead of campus one at 45...?\" \"I would not encourage Andrew Landsley or anyone else to pin their hopes on a parking review. This happened in the Suffolks area of Cheltenham, and has made parking and traffic there much more difficult - this took place despite the majority not being in favour of the proposals. Lessons learnt need to include a full consultation, proper neighbourhood participation, and the politicians to listen!\" \"I'd just like to add that in this thread @Matt1006, @eyeopener, @chrisgump2011, @whiteangeluk and @localyoungman have made some of the most articulate and informed arguments I've ever seen on the TiG board! I find it genuinely encouraging for our area that people care so much, are constructive and willing to volunteer their opinions on a public forum. I would also like to offer you a personal guarantee that I will bring your comments directly to the attention of Stephen Marston (vice-chancellor of UoG) when I meet with him tomorrow afternoon to discuss the University's responsibility within our community. I will also be presenting the common sense solutions that have come to me via some of you on this board, personal email or at recent residents meetings. Speaking as a resident, the car parking review cannot come quick enough to our area - along with the St Paul's-wide waste management review. Hopefully we can keep working together to make sure these issues remain at the forefront of trying to improve our community. \"It has always been a problem in St Paul's, when I come home during term time I can never find a space for my car and end up having to park streets away from my house; when these students have left I can park right outside my front door! As it has been said already, there are too many student houses each holding 3 or 4 of them and most of them having a car! We, the real residents of St Paul's who are here for more than a few months of the year need to have our own private\/reserved parking spaces by our homes. With regards to this actual incident, Manser Street has always been a notorious area and I would never park my car down there. The university does need to start providing parking for the students when they drive here for their lectures, however the ones that 'live' here, you need to be fair and realise you cannot have more than two cars per house, there simply isn't enough room!\" \"Of course, the person or people responsible for this damage have not yet been identified, so apart from TIG's conjecture, the fact that the car was damaged in Manser Street and the well-publicised enmity between St Paul's residents and students, there is nothing to suggest that this damage was caused by local residents. My own vehicle has been similarly targeted while parked in a public pay-and-display car park! The police don't respond, so I don't bother reporting it any more (my car is now kept in a locked garage most of the time). It's just one of the risks of car ownership. This incident just happened to happen in Manser Street and it just happened to be a student's car. In other circumstances, this kind of damage probably wouldn't have been given such prominent press.\" Again, very pleased that the issues we face as residents are making the news - open discussion and an honest appreciation of the challenges we face here will be the best way for us to move forward as a community. No one is under the illusion that there isn't still a lot of work to be done and would like to reassure residents that there are many residents, organisations and officers working extremely hard on behalf of St Paul's. I'd not commented on the remarks made on the previous TiG article as I felt that it would be unfair to school those who are entirely unable to differentiate between my words and a journalist generate headline. To highlight this ignorance, I'll just directly quote serial-offerender @takeway22 for the entirety of their last post: \"Councillor Andrew Lansley has been strangely quiet when TiG posted the last two articles. Afterall, in Mr Lansley's words, \"COOL' St Paul's is fast becoming the best place in Cheltenham\". Really?\" Well done for quoting a headline, certainly not my words and this was underlined in my first post about the story on that particular thread: *** \"Just to clarify some misleading quotes the mar the tone of this piece: 1. I did not claim it's the \"best place in Cheltenham\" 2. I did not claim the ward is \"the place to be\" *** Just to give you a clue, when I say stuff to a paper \"they normally put it in quotation marks.\" If they don't, then it is simple journalistic spin - you would do well to note this in order to stop you continually repeating this error. Something tells me that your motivation on this thread would be to make glib, populist remarks rather than actually helping your fellow human beings like some of us have spent their lives doing. If you can't tell the difference between someone highlighting the positive things about an area and crime then it is only you who looks stupid for their remarks. I fully stand by what I said in the article (and my blog) about the positives of our area - here is that link AGAIN so you can see what I actually said: \"The problem is there are too many homes rented out in St Pauls so a 3 bedroom home has been turned into a 5\/6 bedroom house, I think in Courtney street houses have been extended to 8\/9 bedrooms. Than we wonder why is there no spaces for cars. Most whom rent the rooms have cars. Gone are the days when they have bikes. When St Pauls was first built it was for local workers in the area, even to 30 years ago it was mostly family homes, when the collage became a University that's when people saw their opportunity to buy homes for the purpose of letting them out, not to families as there was more to be made from students as rent out nearly every room. Back in the 1800s there was never the thought that so many could live in the area. Otherwise I am sure they would have made the roads more wider. Yet the council seem to turn a blind eye to the problem. The university could help if they choose to open up car parks allow students to use both gates when they have been drinking at the student club at Francis close. It's not just the parking that upsets people the noise and shouting, is there any need for it ? We have it on their way out approx 11pm than again on their way back at 3 to 4 am I don't condone any criminal damage to anyone or anything, but I do think that students and not all of them, as some are quite respectful of the area, but a few should learn to respect others in neighbourhood before they want others to respect them.\" \"@Chrisgump2011 thank you. The university provides a free bus linking campuses in Cheltenham and Gloucester and various other points in the town. Students other than those who live locally, but outside the town, or part time students with jobs simply do not need cars. On the one hand we have the council taking measures to pedestrianise, create shared spaces, rejuvanate town centre car parks and reroute our roads to encourage fewer cars, more cycling and walking only to see this green and healthy trend undone by a university unwilling to tackle the obvious.\" ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Pages Tuesday, October 4, 2011 Blog overload - I think I lost the plot there for a moment I think I might've lost the plot there just recently. You see, Digital Parents , an online blogging community here in Australia, are hosting their second blogging conference in March 2012. There's been talk of sponsorship to pay for you to get there, blogging about it, guest speakers, a trade show etc etc. I actually thought hey, I could do this . I found myself writing project plans and check lists on how I was going to achieve all of this. I actually got excited about the idea of going to an interstate conference, something that I did from time to time with my work, before kids. I've seen a few blog posts today about the overuse of social media, spending less time doing but more time spent on the computer and the amount of time you spend blogging compared to commenting. I enjoy reading and commenting on blogs and would prefer to do that. The light bulb went flashing madly today and I said \"NO\"! No more. This is just craziness. If I wanted to do all of this, I'd be doing it as a full time job and getting paid for it. I'm a Mother first and foremost, not a blogger. I'm a cook, a wife, a friend, a daughter, a sister, a carer of two dogs and a person who loves life and wants to get healthy. I don't have time to be doing this. I've got two children and a husband who need my time and attention, more than a digital world of maybes and what ifs. I don't have time for media kits and sponsorship. I love cooking, craft, reading, photography, spending time with and looking after my children, husband and two dogs and keeping house. This is what I'll do. We're a one income family and if I do happen to get enough money saved up for a ticket (nearly $200), airfares (approx $500), accommodation (nearly $500) and spending money, then I'll go. If not, then I'm sure I'll find out what happened through Twitter, about 100 different Australian bloggers and guest speakers, video links and photos. Its a lot of money to outlay isn't it? After the last conference,I read a lot of posts saying that you had to do this, this and this and be that, that, that to be blogging correctly and to your full potential. ersonally I like my blogs the way I make them because really it is my own form of self publishing and I want it to be me, not the same as what everyone else is doing IYKWIM? A lot of my favourite blogs either sold out or just lost that appeal for me and it was disappointing. If you do find a way to get there, I am sure you will have fun though... Well done you - sometimes we think being SAHM's mean our days of career and ambition are over. But blogging can be another thinly veiled version of the rat race. We blog because we love it, and I hope it stays that way. I tell myself that as soon as I get sponsors etc etc etc, the pressure increases so much. I need to post all the time, and have great content all the time. I like to take a break when I want. I own the blog, it doesn't own me, and it's such a joy :) Good on you Anne! Love your blog - and your perspective Anne! You have inspired me to do some more cooking. I try to avoid the oven when I cook so I made a lemon slice on the weekend (from my mum's old Nursing Mothers Association cookbook)... it was great! And I replaced the Marie biscuits with Weetbix for a bit less sugar and I think they are just as good :-D I often wonder how people find the money to attend these conferences. I know for myself, there is absolutely no room in my budget for any expense of this size! Glad you're comfortable with your decision not to get caught up with online \"stuff\" and concentrate on \"real life\" :) Well said Anne! I personally won't be going because of the expense....I have a family of six to feed! Also because I'm happy posting my little stories about random and obscure things. Maybe if my blog was bigger? Who knows? It takes such a lot of time posting and then commenting on a few blogs a day...I really don't have time to do any more and I commend you for the amount of commenting you do! I have to remind myself of that all the time. I am not trying to make money right now. Maybe we feel guilt to just do it all, even though doing it all is not possible. It would be fun, but I bet there are more fun ways to spend that money. So well said Anne. I am really trying to balance blogging with my other life loves and keep it in its rightful place...a hobby. Would love to see you in Melbourne some time, be it at a blog conference or some other excuse to come down this way. x Lee What an absolutely brilliant post! Here is the UK it is much the same, and over the last couple of years I've seen the 'mummy blogging world' change completely from how it was when I first started blogging back in 2008. People are obsessed by visitor numbers, SEO, blogging conferences, getting hold of free stuff to 'review', and their position on various blog popularity charts. I can't bear it. The best blogs (and the ones that I prefer to visit regularly and comment on) are ALWAYS the ones who concentrate on actually writing interesting content, rather than all the above, IMHO. Yes! Thank you! I think your post has just pulled me back in to line as well! I'm noticing that the cyber world is taking up more and more of my time lately, when I have a spare moment, I go online. Not that I'm posting much, but I'm certainly writing stuff to post, and reading a lot of other blogs. I'd love to see my blog grow and I do love blogging, but sometimes when it's getting too big for its boots, it's a good idea to take a step back and ask yourself, \"why am I doing this?\" For some it may be a career step, and that's cool. For me, it's a hobby and it needs to be more for ME than anyone.else, otherwise why am I doing it?! As others have said above, it's all about balance! Hope you find yours Anne! ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Which hard-fought victory would he rather obliterate first -- Medicare or women's rights? Will he broaden the ticket's appeal from conservatives to nut job conservatives? With his hangdog look and puppy dog eyes, is he afraid Romney will put him on top of his car? These are the kinds of questions -- and then some -- we will tackle every day. Now the workmen are installing the latest in celebrity scandal monitors. As I sit here I can see the DUI section. Hmm... Jenna Jameson was caught in L.A., her car wrapped around a pole. It was her first DUI. Not her first pole... Where were we? Oh yes, Say Anything. We'll take on everything from politics to pop culture, celebrities to newsmakers, the ridiculous to the sublimely ridiculous. There's so much to talk about and I'm excited to discuss all of it with you on Current TV. The ancient Mayans referred to the period we're in now as \"the media cycle.\" I call it \"the new abnormal\" -- the era of Chick-Fil-A, Jan Brewer and Honey Boo Boo Child. A time when we're less worried about Big Brother watching us than we are about watching Big Brother. A time that I can't wait to talk about with my guests -- and with you. On this website , Facebook , Twitter and some other new platform I'll have to spend all my spare time figuring out. Well, this Command Module is almost finished. It's very similar to the one used by that NASA engineer -- the one with the faux hawk . We spent $50 billion going to Mars and the only alien life they found was in their own control room, wearing a hairstyle that was hip in 1983. The workmen are taking a break. They've left a gigantic box here. It either has talking points for my new show or ten years of Mitt Romney's tax returns. Hmm... It's pretty light. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Focus must shift to prevention strategies Date: November 17 2012 The Herald editorial is right to argue that the royal commission could seek \"reform and healing rather than just punishment by process\" (''Not only truth but reconciliation must be the remit'', November 14). Individuals and organisations that have been complicit in child sexual abuse have not done so in a vacuum. It is through organisational cultures of secrecy, denial and ignorance that child sex offenders gain access to our children. Child abuse is not a problem limited to the past. The royal commission must go beyond the history of complaints: it must examine how the lack of effective, compulsory standards and safeguards has directly led to the sexual abuse of children. We need to shift the paradigm away from a focus on child protection, to one that emphasises child abuse prevention. It is a shift that requires education, training, and community awareness. Children and adults need to be empowered to speak up against child abuse. There is a critical need for national child protection standards: attitudes may change but unless there are mandatory child protection standards, people will not report it and the preconditions for child sexual abuse will remain. Bernadette McMenamin CEO, Child Wise Church should defer to the law I tend to agree with Waleed Aly that the issue of the confessional seal is symbolic and that few cases of child abuse would come to light only through Confession (''It's essential we think outside the confessional box'', November 16). And yet the symbolism is absolutely crucial. In his shrill and spontaneous defence of the confessional seal, Cardinal Pell puts the Catholic Church above the law. He needs urgent and forceful reminding of what century we're living in. Stephen Wilson Five Dock Waleed Aly's article is insightful, but I beg to disagree with his summation. While a secular society's entry into the rules of the confessional may alter the behaviour of the perpetrator of child abuse, by their avoidance of the confessional, that may be a good thing for such a heinous crime. The act of removing or absolving guilt from those that enact such crimes, outside of the law of the land, is simply not appropriate. Better that they are left with the anguish, than relieved of the pain and able to justify a repeat of the process. Ted Keating Tallai (Qld) It appears that the Catholic Church not only has priests and brothers convicted of paedophilia but spends hundreds of thousands of dollars on barristers to defend those same priests time and time again on charges of serious sexual assault against children (''Church pays legal costs of paedophile priests - repeatedly'', November 16). May I suggest that a more productive and positive way to use what is obviously an unlimited cache of funds, would be for the Catholic Church to spend less money on defending those who sexually abuse children and instead invest its millions into supporting the education of its children? Perhaps the federal and state governments could consider withdrawing public funding to Catholic schools as a way of encouraging such positive Christian behaviour? De Brierley Newton Glebe I agree with John Poleson (Letters, November 13). Religious sadists in schools should also be accountable. I remember vividly when I was in year two, aged seven, at a Catholic girls' school being punched and pushed to the ground by a nun and sent outside with my nose bleeding for the rest of the day. This, just for a harmless prank by a friend and me in class. There was never any apology nor did my parents do anything about it; not even speak to the nun. Even though I changed schools, to another Catholic school, beatings still persisted until I entered high school. My mother suffered cruel and sadistic treatment at the hands of nuns in a Catholic orphanage, and I still wonder how she kept her faith and put her children through the Catholic system. She was fanatical about her faith until she died aged 93. Needless to say, the rest of the family discarded the faith after leaving home. It still upsets me to think about it. Denise Oliver Alfords Point Wendy Crew (Letters, November 16) raises a good point: the psychological abuse that religious groups inflict upon children is also worth our consideration. A vital evolutionary trait in children is that they trust and believe the adults around them. Filling their heads with claims about things you can't possibly know to be true is an abuse of this trust. It can take years of anguish to sort fact from fiction and many are never able to do so. Their problem though, becomes everyone's when they encounter others who've been indoctrinated with conflicting, incompatible ''truth'' claims. Larry Tofler Tea Gardens Alfred Hitchcock, devout Catholic and master of the suspense film genre, witnessed, in his words ''the most frightening sight of my life'', while driving through a Swiss town - a priest in conversation with a little boy, his hand on the boy's shoulder. ''Run little boy,'' yelled Hitchcock. ''Run for your life!'' Ian Waters Surry Hills Stand up to the US and Israel and support the Palestinians I am deeply worried about the situation escalating in the Middle East, and extremely concerned about Australia's lack of support for the Palestinian people and Australia's automatic political alliance with Israel and the US. I would like our government to stand up for the Palestinian people, to condemn Israel's illegal wars, and Israel's continual illegal occupation and annexation of Palestinian land, and Israel's illegal economic blockade of Gaza. It is clearly Israel who is the war monger. And it is shameful that Australia does not speak out against Israeli (and therefore, indirectly, US) state terror. If Australia is truly a secular and independent state, it would examine Israel's policies for what they are and condemn them as racist, akin to apartheid and fascism. Being of Jewish descent myself, I had hoped that a people who have suffered as much as the Jews would not become perpetrators of the same wrongs done to them in the past. But it is not the Jews who are perpetrators here: it is Israel. It is very important to make this distinction. I am against Israel's policies against the Palestinian people. I am not against Jewish people. It is an anachronism to have a Jewish state, just like it would be an anachronism if Australia declared itself to be a Christian state. Unfortunately not everyone has arrived in the 21st century. Some people seem to still live in Old Testament times. Israel is deeply in need of a strong international community that will make it stop carrying on like a madman. I wish our government would put pressure on the US to stop military support for Israel. And would condemn Israel's actions, and would put pressure on Israel to start obeying UN resolutions. Jepke Goudsmit Coogee I find it interesting and puzzling that the reporting of the Israeli\/Gaza conflict seems to take on importance and make news only when the Israelis retaliate to rocket attacks by Hamas. The fact that Hamas continually fires rockets into southern Israel seems to be largely overlooked by the media, possibly because it is a regular event, possibly because the media have an agenda. It must be recognised that Australia regards Hamas as a terrorist organisation, as do most Western nations, and that any similar attack on Australia or other nations would elicit a similar response to that taken by Israel. Turkey's response to incursions by Syria in recent days springs to mind. Michael Hayes Mount Riverview Israel has responded to Gaza's response to its illegal blockade and collective punishment equating to ongoing war crimes against Palestinians. Netanyahu also has an election in two months. Poor Gaza. Stephen Heydt Toowong (Qld) Tit-for-tat rocket fire will not bring lasting peace to the Gaza Strip or Tel Aviv streets but true dialogue could if there was a will. Surely a worthwhile alternative to endless conflict. Eddie Raggett Mosman What hope is there for peace for the Palestinians in Gaza with Hamas in charge? Hamas is ideologically committed to the destruction of Israel. Its charter starts with: ''Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it''. It persists in shooting rockets at civilian targets in Israel provoking a response and uses its own citizens as shields against that response by embedding its launch sites in civilian areas - a double ''crime against humanity''. Malcolm Bersten Lane Cove Dumbing down TAFE costs dearly David Williamson's condemnation of cuts to arts education rightly points to a funding squeeze which will eventually destroy the public training system ('' 'Python squeeze': Williamson condemns cuts to arts education'', November 16). The comparison he draws with funding to improve the nation's sporting prowess, brawn over brain, should shame our nation's leaders. The selling of TAFE colleges is an inevitable outcome of a competitive training market. Our TAFE colleges have been turned into retail outlets selling courses to customers. Our teachers have been transformed into business managers. The teaching workforce is casualised and the teacher training has been downgraded. The customer, who has the capacity to pay or benefits from government allowances, becomes the determiner of national and regional training priorities. In this market, big industry is a major beneficiary of taxpayer dollars as are fly-by-night training providers. Investment in TAFE has declined proportionately to the growth of the private training market. This allegedly ensures a more responsive public training system. In practice, it ensures its slow decline. Narrow skills for the workforce have become the dominant priority. Courses for personal and social development have been sacrificed because apparently they have no economic outcome. But, courses for people wishing to return to study, to upgrade or update their skills are also fast disappearing. Cheap, low-quality alternatives are the substitutes. What price a clever and creative country? Jozefa Sobski Haberfield Look here, Mr Williamson, it's all right for you arty types to say ''can we have more money, please'', but spare a thought for the rest of us barbarians. We want our bread and circuses. Sport is non-complex. You don't have to think too much. You don't have to participate if you don't want. And if you're any good at it then you get paid a motza and for some unknown reason heaps of people love you. Really it's a bit like being a theatre-goer, actor or playwright. In fact an English bloke once wrote about the world being a stage: ''And all the men and women are merely football, cricket or netball players.'' James Athanasou Maroubra Slashing sport funding cannot be used as an excuse for obese children or adults (''Slash sport funding and risk nation's health'', November 16). It costs nothing to keep fit by walking and letting children play outdoors instead of sitting in front of a computer or television after school. Robyn Lewis Raglan It is ludicrous to suggest that children must necessarily participate in organised sport in order to be healthy. The main causes of ill-health in the Western world are over-eating and over-drinking, together with lack of ordinary daily exercise. I am 80 years old. I haven't taken organised exercise of any kind since I contrived, at school, to avoid participation in games. Enjoying both food and alcohol, I weigh what I weighed when I was 19, and have so far suffered no ill effects from leading a life in which exercise has consisted simply of reasonable daily walking. As for the notion that organised sport encourages respect for discipline and rules - has Brad Walter watched any organised sport lately? A good number of professional sportsmen demonstrate rather that breaking the rules is the way to fame and fortune. As for gold medals - is the idolisation of a man or woman simply because he or she demonstrates physical dominance over someone else actually a practice of any value at all? What could possibly be going on? No cause for alarm, dear reader, just another property\/mining deal going down in the Emerald City. Derek Douglas McMahons Point On the beat - or doing the beating I can see all the Joe Thug police around the world figuring their best shot at promotion in policing is to migrate to NSW (''Taser police kept on normal duties'', November 16). Terry Simpson Point Clare Following the shooting murders of two policewomen on the beat in London earlier this year, there were calls for officers on the beat to be given guns. The calls were refused - officers on the beat continue to go unarmed, citing ''tradition'' as the leading reason. What does the NSW Police think ''tradition'' is? The Wild West? Alexander Elliott Bilgola Plateau What happened to a short sharp jab or whack with a truncheon? Michael Skinner Blackheath If a police officer was the only thing between me and my family and a drug-crazed, alcohol-fuelled criminal I'd much prefer an old-style cop, adequately armed and committed to protecting me and other law-abiding citizens, thank you. Unlike Pierre Mars (Letters, November 16), I wouldn't give a damn about his or her ATAR. Stuart Salvage Huskisson In days of old ... This latest ICAC inquiry makes the days of the old brown paper bag pale into insignificance. Paint us another one The loyalty, expertise and corporate memory of these people is only worth a piddling $500,000 a year? What brilliant mind came up with that one? Watch this space for other government institutions having to do the same due to Macquarie Street brilliance. I'd love to see the full explanation of just how this amount is to be saved when the norm is that contractors cost a premium over the salaries of the workers they replace. Show us the calculations. Patrick Dodd Wahroonga It's just politics Julia Gillard is not above the law, Leo (Letters, November 16). There are no charges against her - unsubstantiated allegations by politically biased opponents. Stephen Thomas Wahroonga Certain memories best passed over Relax, Campo, the Kiwis are only getting revenge for our underarm bowling in ''that'' pyjamas match (''Sack Deans, says angry Campese'', November 16 ). We just have to ensure they don't plant a coach in our cricket team. Regarding passing, I remember you gave a shocker in your own in-goal. Frank Tweedie Morpeth In a short note Nathan Lee's list of acronyms (Letters, November 16) missed out on one of the most important: NIMTOFF (Not In My Term Of Office). Bruce Hyland Daleys Point Cheers to that As Movember winds down, hard on the heels of Ocsober, Sidetember and Dry July, I wonder if there is a link to the recent sharemarket slide. All that abstinence can't be good for the economy, with barbers, bartenders and bottle-shop attendants twiddling their thumbs for extended periods. The economy needs stimulation. I reckon we should have a month when we keep a record of drinks consumed and in return breweries, distillers and wine producers contribute to a charity of our choice. Next month looks good. Let's call it Bendercember. James McArdle Sanctuary Point Man of many parts Marie Watkins (Letters, November 16) suggests the next actor to play 007 should be Tony Abbott, but I have been told by numerous talent scouts that he is the leading contender for the role of Dr No. Early warning Unseasonal chill With a couple of days of warm weather last week I put away the heater and Doona. Big mistake. I fall for it every year. Down to 20 degrees today and jumper on. Philip Lidbury Marrickville Postscript The Catholics got a drubbing from all angles all week - and for a good reason, according to most readers. The ''louts'' who rubbished the reputation of St John's College with their alcohol-fuelled antics were front page. Frank Adshead called them ''disgusting and shameless'', although Sarah Bell, a former student at St John's College, asked that not all students ''be tarred with the same brush''. Not satisfied with the Premier's order for a ''diluted, narrow'' inquiry - as John Fryer described it - into claims of interference in police investigations of alleged paedophile Catholic priests in the Hunter Valley, many readers demanded a nationwide royal commission. Their prayers were answered. The next day the Prime Minister launched the most comprehensive inquiry into child sexual abuse in Australia's history with a nationwide royal commission. Readers welcomed the move and many called Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox, who blew the whistle on alleged abuses and cover-ups by the church in the Hunter, a hero. But few were satisfied with Cardinal Pell's insistence on the sanctity of the confessional and his claim there was a smear campaign against the church. Julian Brown said the Catholic leader was in denial. But Pell had his defenders. Martin Fitzgerald said the archbishop had done more to uncover child sexual abuse than any other senior cleric in Australia. Sins of the flesh stayed on the minds of readers thanks to the now former CIA director David Petraeus's bed-hopping, but raising blood pressure was the coroner's findings into the death of a Brazilian student after ''thuggish'' police used a Taser on him. Annabel Little wondered why no one had been charged with manslaughter. Marc McEvoy Letters co-editor This material is subject to copyright and any unauthorised use, copying or mirroring is prohibited. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Experimental algorithm trades stocks based on superstition You could make investments based on market trends or finely tuned financial data, or you could just leave it all up to Shing Tat Chung and his Superstitious Fund Project -- an experimental fund that executes trades based on lunar cycles, numerology, and other superstitions. At the core of the fund is an Automated Trading System affectionately known as Sid the Superstitious Robot. Sid isn't a robot, per se, but a computer program that buys or sells stocks using a superstition-based algorithm (source code available for download here ). The bot won't buy any stocks on the 13th of the month, and avoids the number 13 altogether. It also adjusts its behavior based on the lunar cycle, interpreting the new moon as a sign of auspice, and the full moon as a bad omen. Sid starts selling its shares with more alacrity as the full moon approaches, for fear that it may have drastic effects on investors and the market as a whole. \"an unproven, highly speculative experiment\" Chung, 25, originally launched the project out of his own interest with superstition, which he wrote about extensively on his personal blog. Over time, though, the recent Royal College of Art graduate realized the potential for larger, real-world experimentation, and decided to bring his fund to the FTSE100. \"I wanted to poke fun at our superstitions,\" he told the BBC . \"But I also wanted to highlight our irrational nature in a way that is less critical and more about encouraging dialogue.\" The Superstitious Fund began trading on June 1st (on the advice of a soothsayer), and will remain active for one year. Chung plans to benchmark its performance against other stock indices,and, in the event that he sees gains, will pay dividends to his investors. Thus far, though, things have been rather rocky. In the three weeks since Chung's fund went live, its value dropped by 12 percent from its starting point of 5,000 ($7,821). The NASDAQ100 index, by comparison, rose by four percent over the same period. The fund has since rebounded a bit, though Chung has gone out of his way to remind investors of the risks at stake. Each e-mail he sends out includes the following disclaimer: \"Please be aware, that this is an unproven, highly speculative, experiment and a project with the risk of total loss.\" ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Post navigation Sachin's century of centuries World admires Little Master as unique milestone is reached Tendulkar finally reached his 100th hundred against Bangladesh this morning It seemed to take an age. The cricketing world has held its collective breath, patiently waiting as inning after innings went by. Scores in single figures, double figures, in the 70's and 90's. But no centuries. Sachin Tendulkar was stranded on 99. Until now. This morning the 'Little Master' finally made it to the milestone. It seemed that the mark had been weighing him down. Little wonder, with the entire Indian population on his shoulders. Since he got his ninety-ninth century during last years World Cup, Tendulkar has had the world's press on edge whenever he has taken guard. People were sure he would get there during India's tour of England in the summer. He passed 50 twice, including an innings of 91 at the Oval, which when ended was almost mourned as much as it was celebrated by the home fans. From there he went home to India where the West Indies waited. The first Test saw Sachin make scores of seven and 76 while in the second he made 38. The third Test, at his home ground in Mumbai, a place where he had scored only one previous Test century, seemed to be the perfect place to achieve the unthinkable. Having watched the West Indies rack up nearly 600 in the first two days, when he got in, Sachin was determined not to get out. Ending day three on 67, the cricketing world was forced to hold its breath over night. They needn't have as he was out quickly the next morning. A tour to Australia couldn't do the trick, despite some fine knocks.  Specualation mounted as to whether Tendulkar would ever get there. Had he psyched himself out?  Was the pursuit of the goal undermining him, and more importantly, the team?  After all, India's form since the search for the century begun had been wretched. But then, with doubts surfacing, along came the Asia Cup, the little reported but one-day competition that probably would have passed even the most observant cricket fan by were it not for Tendulkar's presence.  Having failed in the first game, Sachin took to the crease against Bangladesh for the second with one thing on his mind.  100 runs later -- the time elephant has left the room at last.  While it may not have been the grand occasion he might have wanted, there was a sense of fate as this was his first century against Bangladesh. So finally, he has done the deed. But what does this achievement mean in terms of the history of cricket and for Tendulkar's future? Well, it is a unique achievement. By becoming the first and perhaps only man to reach such a landmark, Tendulkar has set himself apart. It is a testament to his longevity and brilliance over all forms of the game. No man has adapted so well between Test match and One Day cricket. 51 centuries in Tests and 49 in ODI's is testament to his equal brilliance in both formats. The worry for Indian's everywhere will now be what Sachin does next. This was the target everyone was looking at. What else is there? He has become the record run scorer of all time. He became the first batsmen to score a ODI double century. What is the end game for Tendulkar? Perhaps it is to see India gain revenge over England for the 4-0 whitewash this year. The return series takes place in early 2013, by which time Sachin would be a few months shy of his 40th birthday. Scoring runs and leading his nation to glory at that stage of his career would be quite an achievement. Then it could be time to hang up the floppy white sun hat for good. They say life begins at 40. When will Sachin begin the second part of his? ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Even years later, Bobby still sometimes had to resort to less than glamorous plays. Somewhere in your knowledge of hockey, there is a line. This line sits on a particular date, although chances are you couldn't say exactly which date it was; it was too long ago to remember, and back then you weren't counting anyway. On one side of this line are the things you know personally: the games, players, editions of teams and incarnations of the League you yourself have followed through the course of your life. On the other side are all the things you've only heard about in stories and montages, things that were over and done before your time. One side of the line is memory. The other is myth. Memory and myth engender two fundamentally distinct types of response. Players we remember ourselves are familiar creatures, we love them like friends or hate them like rivals. No old legend can ever arouse half the same tender affection we feel towards the men who inspired us as kids, even if those men were, objectively speaking, average practitioners of the game. But similarly we feel entitled to dissect and critique the players of our own time, no matter how great they were. Fans of my generation are fully capable of abjectly venerating Wendel Clark and snarkily deflating Wayne Gretzky, despite the obvious skill deferential and the certain verdict of history. And that's fine. In fact, it's one of the privileges of \"being there\", in the game, at a particular moment- the right to reimagine the grand narratives of hockey through your own idiosyncratic experience. But back on the other side of that line, things are different.  Nobody snarks about Rocket Richard or Howie Morenz anymore.  Nobody really challenges their legacy or reinterprets their achievements or even bothers to accuse them of diving.  The players who came before us we take as they are given, as a set of songs and stories, hockey cards and highlight reels.  Most of the time, we don't even think of them, but when we do, we think of them as archetypes rather than people.  They've been drained of their blood and pumped full of formaldehyde and reverence, not very much more human than their statues. Bobby Orr is right on the cusp of this transition.  He's ossifying before our very eyes. There are still several generations of fans who watched him play personally, but there are also several generations of fans who have no such experience. For half of us, he is a piece of living memory and for the other half he is already a legend. He is, at this exact moment, passing into myth.  To most hockey fans now, his hovering statue outside TD Garden is more him than his own 64-year-old body is. But of course Bobby Orr is one of those players who seems like he might have been a myth right from the beginning. The story is just too right, like a Canadian fairy tale that hockey moms told their sons back in the 40s when no one had so much as heard of an Orr and players named Robert would go by Bob. What sort of NHLer actually comes up poor in a small town, playing on frozen sloughs with newspaper stuffed in the toes of his skates and Sears catalogs strapped to his shins?  Is that even a real thing?  Are we sure that Parry Sound isn't some elaborate, Truman Show-like bubble created by HNIC in order to create good documentary footage?  Because, Occam's razor, that really does sound like a more plausible explanation than \"coincidentally one day hockey Jesus was born in hockey Bethlehem and grew up to save the Bruins from eternal damnation.\" Even if you leave aside the eerily perfect creation story, Bobby Orr has a way of accreting weird, quasi-legendary tales.  They say that he never tightened his laces, that he'd be sitting on the bench with his foot out of the boot and the whole skate dangling from his toes until Sinden tapped his shoulder, and then he'd just punch his foot down and jump the boards.  He only used one line of tape on his stick because more would make it feel 'too heavy'.  These stories aren't about accomplishments; they're about superpowers.  No mortal man plays hockey with loose skates and no tape. Even beyond that, though, there's yet another layer to the legend, for in addition to being a prototypical Good Canadian Boy and a prototypical genetic mutant freak, Orr represents a prototypical Way of Hockey.  Some players are famous because of the numbers they racked up, and certainly the digits are a part of the Orr mystique, but Bobby is one of the few, rare players who is probably more famous for his style than for his records.  His highlights all showcase a particular exotic talent: speed without rushing, vision without looking, a kinaesthetic sense that stretched across the entire expanse of the ice and allowed the man to cover the whole crowded distance from one end to the other as if it were no more than 200 feet of frozen river.  To compare a player to Bobby Orr is to invoke the rarest, loveliest, wildest heights of hockey art.  It is to compare him to Superman. Really, everything you need to know about the myth of Bobby Orr is this: he was a hockey player who, even only once, could fly. *** I don't have any of Bobby Orr's famous games. I don't have the Stanley Cup Finals in 1970 or 1972.  I don't have the game where he flew. It's easy to find the highlights, but tough to find the old games in their entirety. I take what I can get, and in the case of Orr, what I can get are a few ordinary regular season matches.  The hockey of October and January, not of April and June. In 1968, Hockey Night in Canada was a much smaller production.  A quick intro of intercut stills to the familiar theme, a couple of minutes of talking by an uncomfortable-looking gentleman with a head like uncooked bread dough, and then we're on to the anthems.  The players stand strictly at attention and perfectly still, no amphetamine fidgets, no bouncing in their skates.  Everyone has hair buzzed close the scalp or shellacked down with a half-pound of grease. No one is wearing a helmet except for Paul Henderson, who is still four years away from the moment that will make him a legend.  Even Phil Esposito looks like he'd call you \"ma'am\" and offer to carry your groceries for you.  Simpler times. Even in black and white, even with the fuzzy resolution and the motion blur, it's easy to pick out Bobby Orr. If you couldn't recognize the hair, you'd notice the skating, and if you didn't notice the skating, you'd see the deference. It's the beginning of his third year in the NHL, he's only twenty and still looks a little slight for a defenseman, but his teammates treat him like an anointed king. When Bobby wants the puck, Bobby gets the puck. When Bobby wants to go deep, he goes deep. The other Bruins circle around, adjusting as needed, giving him the space to follow whatever odd impulses come to him. It's not so much that he's doing anything especially remarkable as that everyone on the ice appears to be waiting, hoping, for him to do something remarkable. There might be a miracle. Any second now. Middle of the first he gets the puck behind his net and starts to skate it up, and I think, maybe this is it. Maybe this is where the awesome shit starts to happen. I'm on the edge of the couch, bouncing a little, excited for some Bobby-fucking-Orr hockey. This is going to be great. He skates across the defensive blue line, goes around a Leafs forward every bit as easily as the stories say, crosses the red line and... dumps it. WHAT? I am still in shock at the very notion of Bobby Orr making a dump in, when, less  than a minute later, he does it again.  Carries it just slightly more than half the distance, just far enough to evade an icing call, and slaps it the rest of the way in. A few minutes later, there's another one. It's the most bizarre thing I've ever seen, because dude can obviously get around people.  In between his own blue line and the red, he does it every time.  And yet, come that half of the neutral zone on the Leafs' side of the ice, even with no pressure and all the time in the world, Bobby Orr is perfectly content to just bang that puck off the back boards and let his forwards scramble for it.  This isn't just a once or twice thing, it's not just a PK thing.  He does it again and again and again.  He does it on the power play.  He does it for no goddamn apparent reason. By the third period, frankly, I am pretty fucking pissed at Bobby Orr. I am shouting at the TV, shouting back in time as if the force of my annoyance could somehow transcend the laws of physics and echo through the 60s: you are Bobby Orr. You are literally, actually, no-joke no-metaphor the 100% real Bobby-fucking-Orr. You are the archetypal model for puck-moving, rushing, scoring defensepersons. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DUMP IT IN. That's WRONG. WHAT?! NO, NOT AGAIN. STOP IT BOBBY STOP IT. And then I give up, and revise everything I thought I knew about Bobby Orr. Or, as am now thinking of him, Bobby Dump-In. Sure, there are excuses. You want me to make excuses for Bobby Orr? I can do that. I can say, look, it was a dump-and-chase game back then. Even sans Bobby, the Bruins are dumping the puck constantly and from every position; obviously there's a coaching influence at work. Maybe it's because the Leafs were a good team- certainly they hold their blue line hard- and Boston is trying to keep things simple. Maybe it's because they were so used to being bad they hadn't figured out how to be good yet. Or maybe it's because Orr was just back from his first off-season knee surgery, and we all know rehabilitation wasn't sophisticated back then as it is now. Maybe he's taking it easy on purpose, or maybe he's still working on getting his stamina back. But whatever the reason, the fact remains: here is Bobby Orr not playing at all like a Bobby-Orr-type player. Stephen Brunt, in his excellent biography Searching for Bobby Orr , tells me that coaches never tried to reign in his natural creativity, yet here he is playing dump-and-chase just like everyone else on his team, presumably at someone's direction. Brunt tells me that, sure, Bobby left his position in the offensive zone, but he'd always manage to get back in time to cover his defensive responsibilities- yet here he is, letting his man go and losing the footrace back to his own net, crashing ineffectually into the back boards just after the Leafs score. Here is Bobby Orr, still a good player, still obviously gifted, playing basic, uncreative, and occasionally dysfunctional standard-issue 1960s Canadian hockey. Here is Bobby Orr, being kind of boring. Myths are formed of highlights, hyperbole, and forgetting. Bobby Orr got 270 goals and 645 assists in his career, but we haven't seen most them. What we've seen is the same two dozen rushes replayed two hundred times, held up to us as characteristic.  The big numbers combine with the flashy replays to make us imagine a force that never quite was, a type of player who existed not for years on end but only for a few select moments in a few select seasons, a few very very special games. What we forget is that in between those rushes were several hundred ordinary games, where Bobby Orr was subject to all the things that all the lesser players of the world are subject to, not just the apocalyptic injuries but the slow recoveries in between, the off games, the coaching demands, the bad decisions. We forget that sometimes he was outplayed, and sometimes he was outraced, and every now and again he lost, poor kitten. *** Last year, when Erik Karlsson started racking up the pile of points that would lead him to become the second-youngest Norris winner in history,  people obviously began making comparisons to the first-youngest: Bobby Orr in 1968. This very season, that began with this dump-in-fest, would end with him deemed the best defenseman in the League.  Eugene Melnyk (indirectly) and a some Ottawa sportswriters (directly) invoked Orr in talking about Karlsson's potential, but more impressive is this: Other than the use of the word \"crap\", which no proper hockey person would ever have said aloud to the media in 1968, that could easily be a quote from an old-time scout talking about Bobby Orr in his early days.  But it's not.  That's Bobby Orr, talking about Erik Karlsson. Provoked by all this hyperbole, the always-fascinating Tyler Dellow decided to do a little experiment.  In a post entitled Erik Karlsson, Bobby Orr, and Stats, I , Dellow went through every single one of Karlsson's assists of the year to date and broke down how they happened.  We'll never know what his ultimate conclusion would have been, since Dellow never posted part II of the analysis, but the closest we have is this statement: \"The key takeaway from this should be that, of his 27 ES assists this year, about ten of them actually involved Karlsson making a play with deliberate intent to create a scoring chance, as opposed to a play like a pass across the blue line, clearing his own zone or throwing it into the mixer in front of the net\". The implication is clear: Karlsson's assists aren't really 'good' assists. They're not playmaking assists. They're not the sort of assists that merit comparison to Bobby Orr.  The presumption, on the part of both Dellow and the Karlsson boosters who made the initial comparisons, is that being a Bobby-Orr-type player means making gorgeous play after gorgeous play, brilliant pass after brilliant pass, rush after rush.  But, based on the look of this one game, anyway, I'd guess plenty of Bobby Orr's Norris-earning assists were accumulated off passes across the blue line, long shots in the general direction of the net, and flat-out dumps, from ordinary, non-mythic plays.  It could be that Karlsson is far closer to playing like the ordinary, non-mythic Bobby Orr than either his supporters or his detractors suspect. Try putting Gretzky or Lemieux or Crosby or Malkin or Ovechkin into the meat-grinder of the late '60?s and early '70?s -- It's unimaginable. Everyone would be (would have been) screaming blue, bloody murder. Back then? It was the only way an entire league of players could deal with, defend against or curtail his speed and talent and instinct. He was simply too good for his time. And, considering what he accomplished, nonetheless? Fuck me. He was \"Compleat\". Without peer. A freak of nature, thrust into a staid culture that found itself agog and disbelieving. Do you know where I can get my hands on a complete archive of all his games? Because I'd rather see for myself than take anyone's word for it. Not that I doubt his excellence- so many experts, as you say, cannot all be wrong- but I'd love to see the texture of his skill, and how many of his games really were full of the kind of play we customarily associate with his name. Unfortunately, no such archive exists -- The CBC wiped tapes regularly, to reuse them -- And they would have been the primary source, bar-none, in providing such material. I should recommend that you view (if you haven't already) the \"NHL Legends of the Game\" episode dedicated to Orr (available on youtube,) as well as NHL Network's \"The Day That Changed The Game -- May 10, 1970?, along with any and all \"found material\" (no matter how seemingly self-indulgent) on youtube. It may provide you with a fairly sound body of anecdotal evidence as to Orr's excellence, passion, competitiveness (above all) -- As well as his ready willingness to sacrifice his body, to no end, in his drive to *win*. Curious, how old are you and how much do you actually know about hockey??? Orr IS human, you know. But his bad games were still far better than most players best games OF THE TIME. Like most children being raised today, you think every stride should be a highlight moment based on what you've heard. You watch A game and you weren't instantly gratified because his every stride wasn't fairy-tale-like in your opinion. I grew up in S.E,Mass watching Bobby Orr play and he was as great as you hear about. But I got to see every game and why he came to dominate his sport and why he was the sole reason hockey was picked up by national TV in the U.S. for the first time when he played. I also grew up playing the sport to understand and appreciate the subtle nuances that separates the great from the good. I have yet to see a player who dominated the game the way he did and that includes the \"Great One\". When asked and without hesitation, Gretzky himself named Orr as the greatest player ever and said he really wished he had the opportunity to be on the same ice with him. Gretzky wasn't half the player Orr was. Orr would skate circles around the opposition and then pound them into submission if they took liberties withh im or his teammates . Gretzky whined about fighting in the game while sending his paid goon McSorley in to do what Orr did for himself. Orr could have easily dominated as a forward, where the Great One would have been Swiss cheese as a defenseman. Want to know how many hockey rinks were built in this area because of Bobby Orr WHILE HE WAS PLAYING? They weren't built years later to honor a myth, we got to see the living legend at the Garden then went on to emulate him on the streets, ponds and damn it if we didn't demand our parents build us rinks and start leagues for us and did they!! The league expanded and hockey had an 800% growth in the U.S. because of Orr while he was playing; greater than the impact Babe Ruth had on baseball!! Know how many kids from New England grew up to become pro's because of Orr during the Orr era? The 1980 U.S. Olympic \"Miracle\" Team was full of players who were directly influenced by Orr. Mike Eruzione said years after winning the gold when the team came back together, Orr made an appearance. Eruzione said he watched grown men behaving like small children getting a visit from Santa Claus when Orr walked in. Orr is the ONLY defenseman to ever win the scoring title; he did it TWICE. The second time towards the end of his career with really bad knees. He is the ONLY player to ever win 4 major awards in the same year,: Art Ross as scoring champ Norris as best defenseman Hart for regular season MVP Conne Smythe as playoff MVP while on his way to capture the Cup which is immortalized in the most recognized hockey photo that also has raised more money for charity than any other sports photo. The Great One never did that in a single year and not a single player has remotely come close since. And the one thing that separates Robert Gordon Orr from every other athlete in the New England area before or since is the type of human being he is. As ruthless of a competitor as he was on the ice, he is an incredible humanitarian with the kindest heart off the ice . We've had our share of larger than life athletes come to our area and not a one comes close to the reputation that Bobby Orr still has among the sports fans of New England to this day. You watch a game and think you got to see Bobby Orr play??? I watched him throughout his entire career and say you don't know crap. Try contacting NESN or WSBK TV in Boston for game archives and then ask NESN to send you their documentary \"Bobby Orr and the Big Bad Bruins\". WSBK TV played Bruins games when Orr came to Boston. NESN broadcasts the Bruins these days. I have had the great fortune of having met (and had a drink or two with) quite a few of Orr's team-mates at the time, over these many years: Esposito, Cashman, McKenzie, Hodge, Stanfield, Cheevers as well as other HHoFamers...I have never had the privilege of meeting Bobby. I can honestly say that my reaction to meeting him (hopefully, some day) would pretty much reflect how you described Eruzione's and the Miracle team's reaction: I would, once more, be 10 years-old and it would be Christmas Day. I'm 55, and I would proverbially \"piss myself\", given such circumstances. Funny cuz I bet Howe said Gretzky was the best ever lol. So gretzkys modest ways allows Howe to be the best? He also said federov was the most skillee player of all time but many wony even rank him in the top 50 of players In the book \"Bobby Orr: My Game,\" Orr says that he used that one little strip of tape on his stick because he assumed there was a rule against having no tape at all. But then, in 73 or 74 I think, he read the actual rule book and learned that there was no such rule, after which he used no tape on his stick at all. I'm pretty sure he also says he thinks the taping the blade tradition is a throw-back to a time when players taped their blades literally to hold the well-used stick together. He talks about the textured fiberglass coating on the then-modern blades being all you need for improved control. Re 200 feet of frozen river: Orr also mentions in the book that when he played on the Sound the nets were closer to 400 feet apart. My memory is that he says there were something like 20 kids on a side, essentially playing keepaway...which makes sense considering how he played as an adult. I think I've actually seen this game and it's not really an interesting one. Another one that is out there is Leafs\/Bruins from late in the '70-71 season and Orr is unstoppable. The Leafs go into a full-blown panic every time he touches the puck and how they didn't spend the entire game on the PK is beyond me. Yeah, I've got a few others to go through. But it really was interesting to me to see an 'uninteresting' game, just to be reminded that EVERYONE has such games, even the legends. It's good to remember that even the greatest talents aren't 100% consistent or free of the constraints of their team and era. Ideally, maybe it makes us a little more forgiving of the great talents we see in our own time? But you've seen lots of Gretzky, right? Gretzky, Lemieux, Crosby, they all had\/have ordinary games, make mistakes. Did you really need to see an ordinary Orr game to realize that he didn't make a spectacular play every time he was on the ice? No, but there's a difference between knowing such things in the abstract and actually using them as functional knowledge, particularly when- as in the Karlsson case- we use \"Bobby Orr\" as a metonym for a certain largely unachievable ideal play style. If we want to have these kinds of conversations, comparing modern players to Orr (or Gretzky, or Eddie Shore, or whoever really), we can't do it from a standpoint of examining the micro-flaws in the game of the modern guy while characterizing the old legend based entirely on his highlights. The conversation has to involve a nuanced view of both players. I suppose, at this point, what I'm trying to do is open a conversation about the nuances of Bobby Orr's game that I haven't really heard elsewhere. Have you tried checking the NHL Vault? It's accessible with a Game Centre Live account or you can pay $5\/month to access it (and maybe you can get NHL.com to hook you up with one given that you're blogging at the Score). They have a lot of old games archived on there, and might have some more Orr games (I don't have an account at the moment due to, well, y'know). I'm assuming that's where you found the game you did watch, but if not, it's worth a try. Hockey is game alot like soccer . A constantly moving struggle for possession with 'moments' of brilliance these moments like goals themselves are the exception. An average player may have one every 10 games a great one one every 5. The best 'Orr 'one every 3 ? What makes an alltime player..one of legend is his\/her imagination! To do things others haven't attempted or to do it in a manner not seen. This IS Orr's greatness- defenceman never played like this O&D all over the ice. Also, Hockey still is a team game & Boston was a weak sister His complementary cast was never as good as Montreal. Something that needs to be considered.. And yet in 1969-70, he won the Hart, Art Ross, Norris, Conn Smythe and Stanley Cup. For all the chip-and-chase, he must have been doing something right. I think it's worth mentioning that Bobby Orr probably wasn't really Bobby Orr until that 69-70 season. If the game you've watched is from 1968, that's a season in which he finished outside the top-20 in scoring with 64 points -- still a strong output, but one that he doubled the very next season. Point is, you probably watched a game of \"Bobby Orr the good defenseman,\" not of \"Bobby Orr the generational talent.\" The guy from this generation that is going to be deified is probably Nick Lidstrom. Some have already referred to the guy as \"the perfect human,\" so I can only imagine what the hyperbole is going to be like in 20+ years. Wow. This is horrible even for a blog. Bobby dump in? Have you ever seen the movie \"The Best of Bobby Orr\", or anything beyond one game? Hockey is a team sport, made up of individuals, not individuals who make a team. It invloves strategy and smarts. Please before you belittle one of the most respected men in the history of the game of hockey, keep in mind the damage the written word can do, it is impossible to take it back. I think the point here is that movies like \"The Best of Bobby Orr\" only show us highlights, and to people who weren't around watching all the games at the time seeing only such highlights creates an unrealistic picture of his general gameplay. With such a picture in mind it is difficult to make appropriate comparisons between players like Orr and new players like Karlsson, whose highlight reel plays (if they happen) are still to come in the future. I don't think anything said here could be considered \"damaging\" or \"belittling\" to Bobby at all -- it's just the reflection of someone watching the mundanity of his general play for the first time, and using that to give context to comparisons made between his play and contemporary players. I never, once, said he was average. My point is that even the greatest player in the game played ordinary sometimes, whether because of injury, coaching, or running up against hot opposition. That ordinariness WAS a component of his greatness, it was real, it happened too, just as much as the highlights did. When we imagine what Bobby Orr was, and especially when we compare him to modern players (who we get to see every game, warts and all) we should remember that the flashes of brilliance were still something that required tremendous struggle to achieve and didn't always work out the right way. Humanizing him is a way of reflecting honestly on the inconsistent and imperfect nature of hockey talent, not denigrating him. A roast? Did you read the article or just react to the title? The most negative this article gets about Orr is saying that *in this particular game* he wasn't the Superman on the ice one might expect based on the stories. Ellen, you're great on the more distant history, but this one just feels like it has no context, no comparison, just... \"Bobby Orr dumped the puck in a lot in this one game.\" If the game was in 1968, for instance, then the revolution which Bobby wrought was only in its first peekingest-out moment. Have you looked at how many points even All-Star defencemen of those years got? 25. 35. 45 max. That's it. Orr came in, and just from ages 18-19-20, as he was just starting he revved the engines to 65 points -- and had already broken the goal-scoring record. And yet, at that age, he was still playing diffidently, shyly, having to fight for room on the ice, for respect -- for himself and his team-mates. The Bruins had been bums, historically, and were just starting to get going, developing a style. Look -- you think the Leafs are bad? the bruins had missed the play-offs 8 STRAIGHT YEARS in the 1960?s before Orr arrived. They were just starting to get a sniff of how good they might be. Esposito had just come over to start 1967-68, for instance, along with Hodge and Stanfield. Cashman was just breaking in in 1968-69, Sanderson was a rookie in 1967-68, and so the Big Bad Bruins -- and that offensive juggernaut -- was just beginning. But Orr, he was already, by 1968, not just unusual on the ice, but off it -- he went under the surgeons's knife. Twice. Plus he got a wicked bad concussion (from Quinn) where he was stretchered off, plus a broken collarbone and separated shoulder. And those are just the injuries Wiki lists. So if he dumps the puck in, the absolute gold standard for defencemen of that time, it could be because he was still new... or maybe he was hobbled... or maybe the Bruins felt they could pound the Leaf defencemen of that era... or or or.... Or maybe Orr was a bore. But just in case you think that, tune in in 1969-70. I know you have some respect for stats, so try this. The NHL went from a time when guys like Ted Harris could make the 2nd All-Star team with 25 points ('68-69) to Orr scoring 33 goals and getting 120 points. With a plus of 54. It starts to get extremely tough to compare him to other defencemen. And then, there was 1970-71. 37 goals, 139 points and a +134. Think about that. We all know plus\/minus it isn't a perfect stat, but you want to know how he was on an average night, so turn that little rock over in your hand for a bit. He scored 139 points, and had a plus of 154. Now, try to think about how many average games he had in there, of the 78 he played. Can't be many, can there? Because Bobby Orr was on the ice not just for 154 goals, but for 154 MORE than the other team scored at even strength. Do the math on that. 2 per game. 2 goals more were score when he was on the ice, per game, each game, all year long. And that was just at even strength. Now add in the Boston powerplay. On which, Esposito had 25 goals, and Bucyk 22 and Hodge 4. That's your #1 PP unit, right there, and Bobby Orr was on it. So... he was probably on for another 51 goals or so there. Was he likely on the ice for some goals against, when the other team was on the PP? Sure. Except he also had 3 Short-handed goals in 70-71. In fact, Boston's main PK guys scored more than 20 short-handed goals that year. Orr likely set up a dozen of them. And by then... he was already transforming the game. Guys like Brad Park and Guy Lapointe were being headhunted and then unleashed, to eb followed by the Denis Ootvin's and Larry's Robinson's and Paul Coffey's and Salming's and Turnbull's. You'd never have seen them otherwise. Well, maybe you would. But you never DID see them before Orr. After him, they were great, sure. But not really in his league. Great blog, the kind of thing I've thought about. I did see Orr play, but I compare it to the mythos surrounding Babe Ruth. If you took a time machine and picked a random Yankee game from the 20?s or 30?s, there's a chance you'd see a game where the Babe whiffs three times and fouls out to the catcher, and mishandles a ball in the outfield because he's hung over and bloated from eating a dozen hot dogs before the game... ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Author Topic: Brendan Rodgers playing style - who is likely to be in or out of favour?  (Read 6581 times) Whenever you see Brendan Rodgers interviewed he talks about players needing a high level of \"technical\" ability in order to play in his tip tap style. He also speaks about a high level of game intelligence, allied to good fitness in order to be able to press the ball in groups, \"make the transition\" and all that mallarkey. Which of our players current or on loan are likely to fit or otherwise? An obvious casualty for me is Dirk Kuyt. God love him for his effort, but if you want to ping it about and you haven't got a crash helmet for everyone in the first three rows of the crowd, Dirks not your man. My guess is he'll be on his way very shortly. Charlie Adam? I like him but he seemingly doesn't fit the mould either with his long raking passes, his concession of possession too easily and his Friar Tuck physique. My guess is if his wages aren't too onorous, he'll be away as well. Carra? Perhaps time for the final coaching badge and a spot in amongst the back room team for our \"no nonsense\" defender? Any players which might be given another chance to shine? Well the obvious is Joe Cole, and such a topic starter wouldn't be complete without giving Albert Waterman a mention now would it? Could it just be that our extravagant outlay on both is belatedly about to bear fruit? No I don't think so either but I thought I'd throw it in. Adam, Spearing and Shelvey off the top of my head solely based on his expected tactics. It depends if he's going to use the same philosophy in every title\/cup team. He may choose a different style of player depending on the opposition. I'm hoping he's the kind of manager who can see something in a man and mould him into a player who fits into and can do a good job within his tactical model. Carroll can adapt in my opinion, have a look at Swansea's play and you'll see that they aren't afraid of whipping it in to Graham. Do think we'll go after a different type of striker to give another option though. Shelvey's young enough to adapt to a different system. Henderson will absolutely thrive under Rodgers too. Keeping Maxi might not be a bad idea now, he's very slick with his movement and short passing. I see Shelvey and Henderson flourishing, as well as of course Suarez. Thinking about possible transfers in - I think Ibrahim Affelay could do well; he is a young Joe Cole in my eyes, except with a little more flair. All depends on Joe Cole's role: does he come back or not? Carroll can adapt in my opinion, have a look at Swansea's play and you'll see that they aren't afraid of whipping it in to Graham. Do think we'll go after a different type of striker to give another option though. Shelvey's young enough to adapt to a different system. Henderson will absolutely thrive under Rodgers too. Keeping Maxi might not be a bad idea now, he's very slick with his movement and short passing. Agree with the rest but not sure about Shelvey, his passing is suspect, he rushes way too much and his spatial awareness is so low at times he looks like he needs a white stick. It'll be a good test if Rodgers can get him to fit though, for player and manager. Think Johnson will really flourish in this system, along with the others that have been mentioned above. Joe Cole was one of the players I immediately thought of, but I can't really see him getting the chance especially on his wages. Spearing, Carra, Dirk all are going to struggle to fit in IMO. Can see Dirk and Spearing being moved on, as well as Adam. Downing - Clearly his confidence is shot for sh*t, so may not be a bad idea to bring Scott Sinclair in. 4-3-3 is his prefered formation, So essentially we will need a DM (LUCAS) and 2 Attacking Midfielders (AQUILANI AND GERRARD) IN: Aquilani- Creative, a great passer of the ball, and really deserves a chance Cole - Can see Joe Cole getting another chance now.. Sterling- Pacy, Quick and can Kill full backs with pace. Agger - The kind of CB he likes I think Kuyt and Maxi may go because of wages. If we wanted to play possession football and score goals I would keep them though. Kuyt and Maxi are both intelligent movers which is fundamental in pass and move football. Got to admit that Adam, Dirk, Carragher and Spearing are the ones that I suspect might struggle. Hope I'm wrong about Spearing but to me he looks to have limited potential for improvement but I think a lot of our younger players will have the potential for real development. I can see the argument that Henderson might flourish but I think Agger, Lucas and Suarez were made for Brendan and to be honest I'm expecting big things from Shelvey and continued improvement from Carroll. Be interesting to see the shape of the team but I'll be pleased to see a lot less reliance on 442. To be fair, they played with a big guy in Danny Graham at Swansea. Carroll is good with his feet and I'd imagine that Rodgers will be willing to give him a chance, I'm interested to see how he adapts tactically though and if he's willing to constantly close the opposition defence down. An obvious casualty for me is Dirk Kuyt. God love him for his effort, but if you want to ping it about and you haven't got a crash helmet for everyone in the first three rows of the crowd, Dirks not your man. My guess is he'll be on his way very shortly. Alberto and Joe would be a good inclusion and would love to see Raheem get some more time under Rodge! Ha With Rodgers likely (Hopefully) to use his adaption of a 1-4-3-3 you could see the following all really flourishing Reina.. Will love a higher line that he can be behind and start a lot of moves and be a \"sweeper keeper\" Agger.. Ball playing centre back will adore it. Skrtel.. Will give it simple. Johnson.. Getting forward, comfortable with the ball.. Lucas.. The man in front of the back 4, good touch, not scared under pressure, will tick the play along. Henderson.. Can pass a lovely ball, all energy. Gerrard.. Can do anything.. Will love a free type role under Rodgers. Suarez... As Gerrard.. Carroll.. I think he will flourish, he has shown he has good feet towards the end of the season, is a far better player than Danny Graham, if Rodgers can get him the service he will be a big player next year. Coates.. Will improve and get more time I think.. Then the jury is out for me on.. Not that I think these will immediately move on but will have their work cut out to develop into his style. Enrique.. Is a very good defender, but on the ball can dwell on it at times, goes down blind tunnels.. Will have to improve that side of his game. Adam.. Who knows if he will get a tune out of him. Downing.. Same, does he fit the type of winger Rodgers likes? Quick, technically sound? Will get a chance next season but has to improve and quick. Shelvey.. Potential is there, thus could be a key time under Rodgers.. Will either cone good and quick or be shipped on next summer. In trouble I think are.. Kuyt.. Not quick enough to play wide under Ted.. Will want assurances of first team chances or will want out which I don't see him getting. Maxi.. Technically great.. But quick enough? Spearing.. Think his time could be up. Carra.. Anyone who reads my posts knows the respect I have for the man but on paper he doesn't seem to suit Ted's way of playing. Will probably be around next season.. Depends if he sees a future as a coach for him. Then there is the futures of Cole and Aquilani.. On paper they would be Rodgers types of players.. Will they get a chance? How will some of the promising youngsters develop.. Suso, Sterling, Adjordan and Texieria all seemingly would fit in.. The way I see it right now with what we have Rodgers may look at this.. Reina Johnson Agger Skrtel Enrique Lucas Henderson Gerrard New*                        Suarez Carroll Subs: Doni Kelly Coates New man Downing New man New man I think he may look to bring in a couple of wide men, a back up for Carroll and Lucas and possibly a replacement for Carra. If he can get us playing how Swansea did and adds a real classy wide man we will be an improvent without really shaking things up to much. Carroll will be fine. Danny Graham is hardly Messi on the floor & has been a regular for most of the season for Rodgers. In fact Carroll has bettter technique than Graham for me. Think he can adapt to whatever system Rodgers plays, I still don't buy in to this perception that anyone over 6 feet can't integrate in to a pass and move system. Another thing with Mr Rodgers, he's come from a team who's transfer record was 3.5 million quid. I wonder how many times he's seen a player who he's thought \"F**k me he'd be perfect for our system\", only to find out he'd cost 5.5 mill or something and therefore be out of their budget hitting zone. Equally, maybes there's players who are 10 mill plus who'd fit his way like a glove and now he'll potentially be able to ask about them at least. They aren't forced to be big name superstars either, there isn't much big in any way shape or form about Joe Allon and Leon Brittain. I too think Kuyt will leave, he's been a great servant but I'm sure it's now time for him to move on. I lean towards agreeing with the guys saying that Carroll may struggle, but I'm sure he will get a chance next season but if he doesn't bring a good return of goals again his position will be hugely under threat. I'd like to think Rodgers will give Sterling and Texeira game time next season, especially if players like Downing and Adam again fail to perform early on in the season. I think it's a good thing that these players that haven't been a success i.e Downing are not Rodgers' signings so I presume he won have any obligation to persevere with them if they don't perform. Agger will fit into this system perfectly, I fully believe he is one of the best all round defenders in the world. Henderson will flourish as will Joe Cole if he gets the chance. Read an interview with him a week or so ago, seemed really humble and determined to prove himself. Sadly, he's definitely need to take a pay cut. I'm cautiously optimistic about this appointment... ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Discuss this article with... Around the world it seems that different countries have tried various tactics when naming classes of public transport Sir, Your correspondent's Trans-Siberian Express experience ( letter, Oct 25 ) reminded me of a conversation I had with a Moscow taxi driver in the late 1970s. I had not been in the Soviet Union for 15 years and wondered how the man in the street was faring economically. \"Well,\" he replied. \"In the West you have inflation, but here the prices just keep on going up!\" Allan Schiller Bristol Sir, In contrast to the brutalist realism of \"hard\" and \"soft\" class, Irish Railways introduced the terms \"Standard\" and the slightly ambiguous \"Super Standard\" to differentiate their classes of on-train accommodation in ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"The European Population Forum held in Geneva in January 2004 marked the 10th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo. The four themes of the meeting were: global population and development trends from a European perspective; childbearing and parenting in low-fertility countries; morbidity, mortality, and reproductive health in the ... Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles UNITED NATIONS , July 21 -- The United Nations Economic and Social Council's Economic Commission for Europe issued the following news release: The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has recently commissioned... UNITED NATIONS , March 24 -- The United Nations Economic and Social Council's Economic Commission for Europe...Trade Measures in Timber Markets\", organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Food and Agriculture... The United Nations Economic and Social Council's Economic...the following news release: The United Nations Economic Commission (ECA) for Africa and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) have... ...NY -- The following information was released by the U.S. Mission to the United Nations : The United States applauds today's decisions at the United Nations Economic and Social Council to overturn the Committee on NGOs and grant consultative... ...released by the U.S. Mission to the United Nations : AS DELIVERED Mr. President, We...We also welcome the efforts of the United Nations , the African Union, the African Development...efforts alongside the African Union, the United Nations , and the African Development Bank... ...Sixty-eighth Session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for...this Centre was to celebrate United Nations Day last year. At that meeting...long standing support for the United Nations . Today, I wish to reiterate... The United Nations Economic and Social Council's Economic...the following news release: The United Nations Secretary-General today announced...new Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE... ","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Not-Quite-Review of A Long Time Coming This is the book that Newsweek published after the campaign, based on a series of articles in the magazine. As in the past few presidential campaigns, its reporters got some sort of exclusive access to the candidates' campaigns, but, in exchange, couldn't publish anything until after the election. The book, like its 2004 equivalent, does a fine job laying out the campaign's essential events. As with most campaign reporting, it's focused on strategy and the candidates' personalities. You won't find comparisons of Obama's and McCain's health care plans. Like most people who pay attention to politics, I know the general campaign narrative. So I read looking for the juicy tidbits that I missed or hadn't heard. The book had some, although I was greedily hoping for more. Here are the ones that stood out to me: Barack Obama's performance in the early debates was so bad that, during one debate, John Edwards \"came up to him during a break and scolded him, 'Barack, you've got to focus .'\" (p.8) As Obama mused on his early shortcomings as a candidate, he narrated this thought process to his campaign team, which Newsweek captured on tape: \"So when Brian Williams is asking me what's a personal thing you've done [that's green], I say, you know, 'Well, I planted a bunch of trees.' And he says, 'I'm talking about personal .' What I'm thinking in my head is, 'Well, the truth is, Brian, we can't solve global warming because I fucking changed light bulbs in my house. It's because of something collective.'\" (p.10) The book states that McCain was \"never comfortable playing the front runner\" and \"was ill suited to be the establishment's man.\" McCain is quoted as saying, \"What the fuck would I want to lead this party for?\" (p.34) Both the Obama and McCain campaigns were targets of \"sophisticated foreign cyberespionage,\" which was investigated by the FBI and Secret Service. Neither agency would comment for the book. The best the book can say about the culprits is this: \"There was no suggestion that terrorists were involved; technical experts hired by the Obama campaign speculated that the hackers were Russian or Chinese.\" (pp.112-13) \"Inevitably there was some tension between Democratic regulars and the Obama insurgents on the road to Denver. Delegates and congressmen, normally showed with free tickets, were allotted relatively few in order to make room for grass-roots organizers.\" (p.114) \"The John Kerry campaign had set up elaborate liaison offices dedicated to ethnic groups, organized labor, groups for the disabled, for women, for gays and lesbians. Somewhat grudgingly, the Obama campaign agreed to have a single staffer devoted to each of these constituencies, but later decided the whole thing was a waste of manpower and dispersed the interest-group liaisons to go work in the field on get-out-the-vote operations.\" (p.115) \"It did not go unnoticed in Obamaland that Hillary, toward the end of the convention, reportedly assembled her closest advisers in a hotel room to discuss her prospects for 2012.\" (p.118) \"Obama's plane was taking off from Denver airport around 9 am when Axelrod got confirmation that McCain had indeed picked Palin as his running mate. He went to the front cabin to tell Obama and his new running mate, Joe Biden. Biden asked, 'Who's Palin?'\" (p.120) \"McCain loved the whole Palin family. They seemed to offer some relief, if not a touch of anarchy, to the Straight Talk Express, which had become a bit joyless. Piper, the governor's 7-year-old, thought nothing of crawling across Joe Lieberman's lap to get to her mother. Lindsey Graham mischievously enjoyed getting the children hopped up on Mountain Dew, a beverage to which he was mildly addicted.\" (p.126) After Obama got back from the White House meeting about the financial rescue plan, he told his aides \"that Henry Paulson had gotten down on one knee to beg House Speaker Nancy Pelosi not to blow up the deal. 'Henry, I didn't know you were Catholic,' she said. She told him to go beg the House Republicans.\" (p.135) \"At the vice-presidential debate on Oct. 2, McCain was delighted to see that Sarah Palin had irritated Biden. Watching the TV with some aides, McCain exclaimed, 'He looks like an angry old senator!' The staffers were awkwardly silent, unsure if McCain appreciated the irony of his statement...\" (p.147) Why Palin brought up Ayers: \"Actually, Palin was feeling hurt and angry over the tabloid treatment of her 17-year-old daughter Bristol, and decided -- on her own -- that Ayers should be fair game. McCain's advisers were working on a strategy that would launch an Ayers attack the following week, but McCain had not signed off on it, and Salter was resisting.\" (p.156) Newsweek reports on this vote-tracking effort by the Obama campaign, but don't report whether it got off the ground: \"The geeks at New Media, working with the field department, had created a program that would allow a 'flusher' -- the term for a volunteer who goes out to round up nonvoters on Election Day -- to know exactly who had, and had not, voted in real time. The New Media magicians dubbed it Project Houdini, because of the way names disappear off the list instantly once people are identified as they wait in line at their local polling station. 'I have no idea how [Project Houdini] will work,' Steve Schle, the campaigns' Florida state director, told Newsweek a week before Election Day. 'But if it does work, it will redefine get-out-the-vote...It's an amazing, fascinating tool, and if it works, it will be the model that everyone uses going forward.\" (p. 167) \"The day of the third debate, Palin refused to go onstage with New Hampshire GOP Sen. John Sununu and Jeb Bradley, a former New Hampshire congressman running for a House seat, because their views on abortion didn't fully align and because Bradley had earlier opposed drilling in Alaska. (He changed his position during the race.) The McCain campaign ordered her onstage at the next campaign stop, but she refused to acknowledge the two Republican candidates standing behind her.\" (p. 180) With my political science hat on, I also looked for examples where Newsweek described campaigns or particular campaign events as important, but where as yet we have no real evidence that they actually affected voter behavior or election outcomes in the manner described or implied: On the \"Red Phone 3 am\" ad: \"But it was Penn who finally came up with an ad that worked, on the eve of the Ohio and Texas primaries in early March...\" (p.65) \"Running negative campaigns is as old as the republic (Jefferson slimed Adams), but in modern national campaigns, Republicans have been better at the game than Democrats.\" (p.86) On McCain's ad with images of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. \"Most pundits huffed at the ad as trivial and a cheap shot. But it dominated the news cycle for several days, something McCain had failed to do for months. Obama didn't get much bounce from his [overseas] trip, despite the heavy, overwhelmingly admiring press coverage. The ad had helped stall Obama's momentum and, with some voters, raise doubts about his depth of experience.\" (p.95) \"Palin, the polls showed, had succeeded in rallying the Republican base. But she, or the simmering anger around her, helped make Obama supporters out of countless independents.\" (p.153) I have not read Chuck Todd's new book . If anyone has thoughts, please leave them in comments. ","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Similarities between wage labor and slavery were noted at least as early as Cicero . [ 13 ] Before the American Civil War , Southern defenders of African American slavery invoked the concept to favorably compare the condition of their slaves to workers in the North. [ 14 ] [ 15 ] With the advent of the industrial revolution , thinkers such as Proudhon and Marx elaborated the comparison between wage labor and slavery in the context of a critique of property not intended for active personal use. [ 16 ] [ 17 ] The Right to be Lazy is an essay by Cuban-born French revolutionary Marxist Paul Lafargue , written from his London exile in 1880. The essay polemicizes heavily against then-contemporary liberal , conservative , Christian and even socialist ideas of work. Lafargue criticizes these ideas from a Marxist perspective as dogmatic and ultimately false by portraying the degeneration and enslavement of human existence when being subsumed under the primacy of the \" right to work \", and argues that laziness, combined with human creativity, is an important source of human progress. He manifests that \"When, in our civilized Europe, we would find a trace of the native beauty of man, we must go seek it in the nations where economic prejudices have not yet uprooted the hatred of work...The Greeks in their era of greatness had only contempt for work: their slaves alone were permitted to labor: the free man knew only exercises for the body and mind...The philosophers of antiquity taught contempt for work, that degradation of the free man, the poets sang of idleness, that gift from the Gods.\" [ 22 ] And so he says \"Proletarians, brutalized by the dogma of work, listen to the voice of these philosophers, which has been concealed from you with jealous care: A citizen who gives his labor for money degrades himself to the rank of slaves.\" (The last sentence a quote from Cicero . [ 13 ] ) Raoul Vaneigem , important theorist of the post- surrealist Situationist International which was influential in the May 68 events in France, wrote The Book of Pleasures . In it he says that \"You reverse the perspective of power by returning to pleasure the energies stolen by work and constraint...As sure as work kills pleasure, pleasure kills work. If you are not resigned to dying of disgust, then you will be happy enough to rid your life of the odious need to work, to give orders (and obey them), to lose and to win, to keep up appearances, and to judge and be judged.\" [ 23 ] Autonomist philosopher Bifo defines refusal of work as not \"so much the obvious fact that workers do not like to be exploited, but something more. It means that the capitalist restructuring, the technological change, and the general transformation of social institutions are produced by the daily action of withdrawal from exploitation, of rejection of the obligation to produce surplus value, and to increase the value of capital, reducing the value of life.\" [ 1 ] More simply he states \"Refusal of work means...I don\u2019t want to go to work because I prefer to sleep. But this laziness is the source of intelligence, of technology, of progress. Autonomy is the self-regulation of the social body in its independence and in its interaction with the disciplinary norm.\" [ 1 ] As a social development Bifo remembers \"that one of the strong ideas of the movement of autonomy proletarians during the 70s was the idea \"precariousness is good\". Job precariousness is a form of autonomy from steady regular work, lasting an entire life. In the 1970s many people used to work for a few months, then to go away for a journey, then back to work for a while. This was possible in times of almost full employment and in times of egalitarian culture. This situation allowed people to work in their own interest and not in the interest of capitalists, but quite obviously this could not last forever, and the neoliberal offensive of the 1980s was aimed to reverse the rapport de force.\" [ 1 ] As a response to these developments his view is that \"the dissemination of self-organized knowledge can create a social framework containing infinite autonomous and self-reliant worlds.\" [ 1 ] From this possibility of self-determination even the notion of Workers' self-management is seen as problematic since \"Far from the emergence of proletarian power, ...this self-management as a moment of the self-harnessing of the workers to capitalist production in the period of real subsumption... Mistaking the individual capitalist (who, in real subsumption disappears into the collective body of share ownership on one side, and hired management on the other) rather than the enterprise as the problem, ... the workers themselves became a collective capitalist, taking on responsibility for the exploitation of their own labor. Thus, far from breaking with 'work',...the workers maintained the practice of clocking-in, continued to organize themselves and the community around the needs of the factory, paid themselves from profits arising from the sale of watches, maintained determined relations between individual work done and wage, and continued to wear their work shirts throughout the process.\" [ 24 ] In the Manifesto Against Labour , [ 25 ] Robert Kurz , formerly of Krisis-Gruppe argued against the traditional Marxist notion of class struggle as the motor of history. According to Kurz, there is no class-subject. The struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie is not a struggle between a revolutionary class and its oppressor, but rather a struggle between two opposed interests that are integral to capitalism and form a single \"labor camp\". Contrary to traditional Marxism , then, Kurz asserts that the struggle against capitalism is not the struggle for the liberation of labor, but rather a struggle for liberation from labor. [ citation needed ] The Abolition of Work , Bob Black 's most widely read essay, draws upon the ideas of Charles Fourier , William Morris , Herbert Marcuse , Paul Goodman , and Marshall Sahlins . In it he argues for the abolition of the producer- and consumer-based society, where, Black contends, all of life is devoted to the production and consumption of commodities . Attacking Marxist state socialism as much as market capitalism , Black argues that the only way for humans to be free is to reclaim their time from jobs and employment, instead turning necessary subsistence tasks into free play done voluntarily - an approach referred to as \"ludic\". The essay argues that \"no-one should ever work\", because work - defined as compulsory productive activity enforced by economic or political means - is the source of most of the misery in the world. Black denounces work for its compulsion, and for the forms it takes - as subordination to a boss, as a \"job\" which turns a potentially enjoyable task into a meaningless chore, for the degradation imposed by systems of work-discipline, and for the large number of work-related deaths and injuries - which Black typifies as \" homicide \". He views the subordination enacted in workplaces as \"a mockery of freedom\", and denounces as hypocrites the various theorists who support freedom while supporting work. Subordination in work, Black alleges, makes people stupid and creates fear of freedom. Because of work, people become accustomed to rigidity and regularity, and do not have the time for friendship or meaningful activity. Most workers, he states, are dissatisfied with work (as evidenced by petty deviance on the job), so that what he says should be uncontroversial; however, it is controversial only because people are too close to the work-system to see its flaws. Play, in contrast, is not necessarily rule-governed, and is performed voluntarily, in complete freedom, as a gift economy . He points out that hunter-gatherer societies are typified by play, a view he backs up with the work of Marshall Sahlins ; he recounts the rise of hierarchal societies, through which work is cumulatively imposed, so that the compulsive work of today would seem incomprehensibly oppressive even to ancients and medieval peasants. He responds to the view that \"work,\" if not simply effort or energy, is necessary to get important but unpleasant tasks done, by claiming that first of all, most important tasks can be rendered ludic, or \"salvaged\" by being turned into game-like and craft-like activities, and secondly that the vast majority of work does not need doing at all. The latter tasks are unnecessary because they only serve functions of commerce and social control that exist only to maintain the work-system as a whole. As for what is left, he advocates Charles Fourier's approach of arranging activities so that people will want to do them. He is also skeptical but open-minded about the possibility of eliminating work through labor-saving technologies. He feels the left cannot go far enough in its critiques because of its attachment to building its power on the category of workers , which requires a valorization of work. Friedrich Nietzsche was a notable philosopher who presented a critique of work and an anti-work ethic. In 1881, he wrote: The eulogists of work. Behind the glorification of 'work' and the tireless talk of the 'blessings of work' I find the same thought as behind the praise of impersonal activity for the public benefit: the fear of everything individual. At bottom, one now feels when confronted with work - and what is invariably meant is relentless industry from early till late - that such work is the best police, that it keeps everybody in harness and powerfully obstructs the development of reason, of covetousness, of the desire for independence. For it uses up a tremendous amount of nervous energy and takes it away from reflection, brooding, dreaming, worry, love, and hatred; it always sets a small goal before one's eyes and permits easy and regular satisfactions. In that way a society in which the members continually work hard will have more security: and security is now adored as the supreme goddess...\" The followers of this ethic typically argue that capitalist and communist societies tend to encourage a \"labor\" mentality towards life either directly or indirectly through the cost of living , labor markets , the work week , applying normative values to economics , and social conventions. The critics then ask why with increasing mechanization the number of hours in the average work week have not fallen significantly; for example, Bob Black asks, \"Why hasn't the average work week gone down by more than a few minutes in the past fifty years?\" The devotees of the anti-work movement therefore attempt to find answers and practical solutions towards reducing the volume of work for a typical person and encouraging the activities they see as conducive to happiness. [ citation needed ] Work\u2013life balance is a broad concept including proper prioritizing between \"work\" ( career and ambition) on one hand and \"life\" ( health , pleasure , leisure , family and spiritual development ) on the other. Related, though broader, terms include \"lifestyle balance\" and \"life balance\". The expression was first used in the late 1970s to describe the balance between an individual's work and personal life. [ 29 ] In the United States , this phrase was first used in 1986. [ citation needed ] The term slacker is commonly used to refer to a person who avoids work (especially British English), or (primarily in North American English) an educated person who is viewed as an underachiever . [ 30 ] [ 31 ] While use of the term slacker dates back to about 1790 or 1898 depending on the source, it gained some recognition during the British Gezira Scheme , when Sudanese labourers protested their relative powerlessness by working lethargically, a form of protest known as 'slacking'. [ 32 ] The term achieved a boost in popularity after its use in the films Back to the Future by Robert Zemeckis , and Richard Linklater 's Slacker . [ 30 ] [ 33 ] In the United Kingdom, the classification comprises people aged between 16 and 24 (some 16 year olds are still of compulsory school age). In Japan, the classification comprises people aged between 15 and 34 who are unemployed , unmarried, not enrolled in school or engaged in housework , and not seeking work or the technical training needed for work. The \"NEET group\" is not a uniform set of individuals but consists of those who will be NEET for a short time while essentially testing out a variety of opportunities and those who have major and often multiple issues and are at long term risk of remaining disengaged. Freeter ( \u30d5\u30ea\u30fc\u30bf\u30fc , fur\u012bt\u0101 ? ) (other spellings below) is a Japanese expression for people between the age of 15 and 34 who lack full-time employment or are unemployed, excluding homemakers and students. They may also be described as underemployed or freelance workers. These people do not start a career after high school or university but instead usually live as so-called parasite singles with their parents and earn some money with low skilled and low paid jobs. The word freeter or freeta was first used around 1987 or 1988 and is thought to be an amalgamation of the English word free (or perhaps freelance ) and the German word Arbeiter (\"worker\"). [ 34 ] (The German word Arbeit is commonly used as the Japanese loanword arubaito for \"part-time job\".) It is said that the use was coined by the Japanese part-time job magazine From A (Japanese: \u30d5\u30ed\u30e0\u30a8\u30fc Furomu\u0113 ). Other possible spellings are fur\u012bt\u0101 , furiita , freeta , furiitaa , or furitaa in order of frequency. [ citation needed ] Parasite single (\u30d1\u30e9\u30b5\u30a4\u30c8\u30b7\u30f3\u30b0\u30eb, parasaito shinguru ) is a Japanese term for a single person who lives with their parents until their late twenties or early thirties in order to enjoy a carefree and comfortable life. In English, the expression \"sponge\" or \"basement dweller\" may sometimes be used. The expression is mainly used in reference to Japanese society, but similar phenomena can also be found in other countries worldwide. In Italy , 30-something singles still relying on their mothers are joked about, being called Bamboccioni (literally: grown-up babies) and in Germany they are known as Nesthocker (German for an altricial bird), who are still living at Hotel Mama . Such behaviour is considered normal in Greece , both because of the traditional strong family ties and because of the low wages . [ 35 ] The low income even for highly qualified university graduates does not allow young Greeks to start their own home and raise children. It is also highly encouraged in Singapore as living with parents is considered a cultural expectation, while living on one's own (sometimes even if one is married with children) is perceived as an act of insolence. [ citation needed ] Vagrancy was [ when? ] a crime in some European countries , but most of these laws have been abandoned. Laws against vagrancy in the United States have partly been invalidated as violative of the due process clauses of the U.S. Constitution. [ 36 ] However, the FBI report on crime in the United States for 2005 lists 24,359 vagrancy violations. [ 37 ] In legal terminology, a person with a source of income is not a vagrant, even if he\/she is homeless . [ citation needed ] Cynicism ( Greek : \u03ba\u03c5\u03bd\u03b9\u03c3\u03bc\u03cc\u03c2 ), in its original form, refers to the beliefs of an ancient school of Greek philosophers known as the Cynics ( Greek : \u039a\u03c5\u03bd\u03b9\u03ba\u03bf\u03af , Latin : Cynici ). Their philosophy was that the purpose of life was to live a life of Virtue in agreement with Nature . This meant rejecting all conventional desires for wealth , power , health , and fame , and by living a simple life free from all possessions. They believed that the world belonged equally to everyone, and that suffering was caused by false judgments of what was valuable and by the worthless customs and conventions which surrounded society . The first philosopher to outline these themes was Antisthenes , who had been a pupil of Socrates in the late 5th century BCE. He was followed by Diogenes of Sinope , who lived in a tub on the streets of Athens . Diogenes took Cynicism to its logical extremes , and came to be seen as the archetypal Cynic philosopher. He was followed by Crates of Thebes who gave away a large fortune so he could live a life of Cynic poverty in Athens. Cynicism spread with the rise of Imperial Rome in the 1st century, and Cynics could be found begging and preaching throughout the cities of the Empire . It finally disappeared in the late 5th century, although many of its ascetic and rhetorical ideas were adopted by early Christianity . The name Cynic derives from the Greek word \u03ba\u03c5\u03bd\u03b9\u03ba\u03cc\u03c2, kynikos , \"dog-like\" and that from \u03ba\u03cd\u03c9\u03bd, ky\u00f4n , \" dog \" ( genitive : kynos ). [ 38 ] It seems certain that the word dog was also thrown at the first Cynics as an insult for their shameless rejection of conventional manners, and their decision to live on the streets. Diogenes , in particular, was referred to as the Dog . [ 39 ] In Hinduism , sadhu is a common term for a mystic, an ascetic , practitioner of yoga ( yogi ) and\/or wandering monks. The sadhu is solely dedicated to achieving the fourth and final Hindu goal of life, moksha (liberation), through meditation and contemplation of Brahman . Sadhus often wear ochre -colored clothing, symbolizing renunciation. This article duplicates , in whole or part, the scope of other article(s) or section(s) . Please discuss this issue on the talk page and conform with Wikipedia's Manual of Style by replacing the section with a link and a summary of the repeated material, or by spinning off the repeated text into an article in its own right. (July 2013) Two hobos walking along railroad tracks, after being put off a train. One is carrying a bindle . While some tramps may do odd jobs from time to time, unlike other temporarily homeless people they do not seek out regular work and support themselves by other means such as begging or scavenging . This is in contrast to: bum , a stationary homeless person who does not work, and who begs or steals for a living in one place. obo , a homeless person who travels from place to place looking for work, often by \" freighthopping ,\" illegally catching rides on freight trains Both terms, \"tramp\" and \"hobo\" (and the distinction between them), were in common use between the 1880s and the 1940s. Their populations and the usage of the terms increased during the Great Depression . Tramp is derived from the Middle English as a verb meaning to \"walk with heavy footsteps\", and to go hiking. [ 43 ] Bart Kennedy , a self-described tramp of 1900 US, once said \"I listen to the tramp, tramp of my feet, and wonder where I was going, and why I was going.\" [ 44 ] Gutter punks are generally characterized as being voluntarily unemployed. [ 45 ] As such, \"gutter punk\" is a term that is generally only applied to able-bodied individuals with no signs of physical or mental disabilities. The term has also been used as in the field of social science to describe a specific demographic group . Gutter punks often do seek work; however, they often search for or are limited to short-term employment. Other innovative methods of procuring income, such as panhandling, are generally considered \"last resorts\" but are often used due to the average gutter punk's difficulties in finding stable employment. Those associated with the gutter punk way of life generally do not ascribe to the crust punk ideology, however, due to its name crust punk is often confused with gutter punk. Gutter punks tend not to involve themselves with peace , autonomy , veganism or other activist ideals promoted in the crust punk or peace punk scenes. [ citation needed ] ^ a b c d e f \"Refusal of work means quite simply:I don\u2019t want to go to work because I prefer to sleep. But this laziness is the source of intelligence, of technology, of progress. Autonomy is the self-regulation of the social body in its independence and in its interaction with the disciplinary norm.\" \"What is the Meaning of Autonomy Today?\" by Bifo ^ a b \"...vulgar are the means of livelihood of all hired workmen whom we pay for mere manual labor, not for artistic skill; for in their case the very wage they receive is a pledge of their slavery. \" - De Officiis [2] ","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Negotiations about how much money members of the EU should contribute to the budget over the next five years restart today, and MM took to the streets to find out if Manchester agrees with increasing UK funding. The EU Commission has called for an increase of 4.8% on its 2007-2013 budget but some members, including the UK, think it should be cut to match domestic austerity measures. The UK and several other countries, including the Netherlands and Sweden, have called for a real terms freeze in the EU budget and David Cameron has threatened to use his veto if the other countries call for a rise in spending. If no agreement is reached by the end of 2012 the budget will be rolled over with an increase of 2% along inflation lines. Several EU leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande have indicated that an agreement may be unlikely today and it is clear that there is a massive divide of opinion on this issue throughout Europe. MM went out into Manchester to ask people if the UK gives too much money to the EU? Tags Allocating further funds to the EU's financial budget is like throwing away the wealth of the people again and just like what happened with the banks by propping them up, thus indebting the people of the EU to the tune of trillions of dollars for many decades to come and with that, hard times and declining standards of living. Now we the people are asked again to prop up the EU project and where the political elite are indebting the people to more decades of misery. The problem is that those that run the EU and the Commission cannot lose out, just like the bankers as they get bailed out no matter what. Indeed these people live in a parallel universe remote from reality and where they never want for anything. This even in the knowledge that 17 out of the 27 member states are in recession and where economic conditions remain dismal to say the very least. Unfortunately even Merkel knows that things will not get any better in the long-term and where in 2009 she was a lone voice in stating \"Let's not expect a miracle, because not even the boldest political decision will turn the European economy back on the path of growth\". At the time no-other EU leader agreed with her but where now how right she really was. The EU is a complete folly where it will continue to indebt our people in perpetuity and basically in many ways eventually enslave all our future generations to come to others. In this respect it will be the mother of all economic catastrophes. Time to say no more, cut our losses and start to think as intelligent people and get out of this bottomless pit of no return. For if intelligence were used, the EU concept would be seen as dead if we equate it to people benefits and new wealth creation. Unfortunately our political classes will continue the gravy train by playing the fiddle throughout whilst Europe burns. Indeed the EU is just like all empires as they decline and where those inside cannot see what is happening. In this respect the EU has all the hallmarks of a declining empire and the sooner we see this truism the better it will be for all concerned. Dr. David Hill Chief Executive World Innovation Foundation Huddersfield, United Kingdom -- Bern, Switzerland -- Arlington, United States of America ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Emo broke into mainstream culture in the early 2000s with the platinum -selling success of Jimmy Eat World and Dashboard Confessional and the emergence of the subgenre \" screamo \". In recent years the term \"emo\" has been applied by critics and journalists to a variety of artists, including multiplatinum acts and groups with disparate styles and sounds. In addition to music, \"emo\" is often used more generally to signify a particular relationship between fans and artists, and to describe related aspects of fashion, culture, and behavior. Emo began off as a style of post-hardcore [ 6 ] and emerged from the hardcore punk scene of early-1980s Washington, D.C. , both as a reaction to the increased violence within the scene and as an extension of the personal politics espoused by Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat , who had turned the focus of the music from the community back towards the individual. [ 5 ] [ 7 ] Minor Threat fan Guy Picciotto formed Rites of Spring in 1984, breaking free of hardcore's self-imposed boundaries in favor of melodic guitars, varied rhythms, and deeply personal, impassioned lyrics. [ 8 ] Many of the band's themes would become familiar tropes in later generations of emo music, including nostalgia, romantic bitterness, and poetic desperation. [ 9 ] Their performances became public emotional purges where audience members would sometimes weep. [ 10 ] MacKaye became a huge Rites of Spring fan, recording their only album and serving as their roadie, and soon formed a new band of his own called Embrace which explored similar themes of self-searching and emotional release. [ 11 ] Guy Picciotto from Rites of Spring Similar bands soon followed in connection with the \"Revolution Summer\" of 1985, a deliberate attempt by members of the Washington, D.C. scene to break from the rigid constraints of hardcore in favor of a renewed spirit of creativity. [ 7 ] Bands such as Gray Matter , Beefeater , Fire Party , Dag Nasty , Soulside , and Kingface were connected to this movement. [ 7 ] [ 11 ] The exact origins of the term \"emo\" are uncertain, but date back to at least 1985. According to Andy Greenwald , author of Nothing Feels Good: Punk Rock, Teenagers, and Emo , \"The origins of the term 'emo' are shrouded in mystery\u00a0... but it first came into common practice in 1985. If Minor Threat was hardcore, then Rites of Spring, with its altered focus, was emotional hardcore or emocore.\" [ 11 ] Michael Azerrad , author of Our Band Could Be Your Life , also traces the word's origins to this time: \"The style was soon dubbed 'emo-core,' a term everyone involved bitterly detested, although the term and the approach thrived for at least another fifteen years, spawning countless bands.\" [ 12 ] MacKaye also traces it to 1985, attributing it to an article in Thrasher magazine referring to Embrace and other Washington, D.C. bands as \"emo-core\", which he called \"the stupidest fucking thing I've ever heard in my entire life.\" [ 13 ] Other accounts attribute the term to an audience member at an Embrace show, who yelled that the band was \"emocore\" as an insult. [ 14 ] [ 15 ] Others contend that MacKaye coined the term when he used it self-mockingly in a magazine, or that it originated with Rites of Spring. [ 15 ] The \"emocore\" label quickly spread around the Washington, D.C. punk scene and became attached to many of the bands associated with Ian MacKaye 's Dischord Records label. [ 14 ] Although many of these bands simultaneously rejected the term, it stuck nonetheless. Scene veteran Jenny Toomey has recalled that \"The only people who used it at first were the ones that were jealous over how big and fanatical a scene it was. [Rites of Spring] existed well before the term did and they hated it. But there was this weird moment, like when people started calling music ' grunge ,' where you were using the term even though you hated it.\" [ 18 ] The Washington, D.C. emo scene lasted only a few years. By 1986 most of the major bands of the movement\u2014including Rites of Spring, Embrace, Gray Matter, and Beefeater\u2014had broken up. [ 19 ] Even so, the ideas and aesthetics originating from the scene spread quickly across the country via a network of homemade zines , vinyl records, and hearsay. [ 20 ] According to Greenwald, the Washington, D.C. scene laid the groundwork for all subsequent incarnations of emo: \u201c What had happened in D.C. in the mid-eighties\u2014the shift from anger to action, from extroverted rage to internal turmoil, from an individualized mass to a mass of individuals\u2014was in many ways a test case for the transformation of the national punk scene over the next two decades. The imagery, the power of the music, the way people responded to it, and the way the bands burned out instead of fading away\u2014all have their origins in those first few performances by Rites of Spring. The roots of emo were laid, however unintentionally, by fifty or so people in the nation's capital. And in some ways, it was never as good and surely never as pure again. Certainly, the Washington scene was the only time \"emocore\" had any consensus definition as a genre . [ 21 ] \u201d MacKaye and Picciotto, along with Rites of Spring drummer Brendan Canty , went on to form the highly influential band named Fugazi who, despite sometimes being connected with the term \"emo\", are not commonly recognized as an emo band. [ 22 ] Reinvention: Early 1990s As the ideals of the Washington, D.C. emo movement spread across the United States, many bands in numerous local scenes began to emulate the sound as a way to marry the intensity of hardcore with the complex emotions associated with growing older. [ 23 ] The style combined the fatalism, theatricality, and outsiderness of The Smiths with the uncompromising and dramatic worldview of hardcore. [ 23 ] Although the bands were numerous and the locales varied, the aesthetics of emocore in the late 1980s remained more or less the same: \"over-the-top lyrics about feelings wedded to dramatic but decidedly punk music.\" [ 23 ] However, in the early 1990s, several new bands reinvented the emo style and carried its core characteristic, the intimacy between bands and fans, into the new decade. [ 24 ] Chief among these were Jawbreaker and Sunny Day Real Estate , both of whom fostered cult followings, recontextualized the word \"emo\", and brought it a step closer to the mainstream. [ 24 ] According to Andy Greenwald: \u201c Sunny Day Real Estate was emo's head and Jawbreaker its busted gut\u2014the two overlapped in the heart, then broke up before they made it big. Each had a lasting impact on the world of independent music. The bands shared little else but fans, and yet somehow the combination of the two lays down a fairly effective blueprint for everything that was labeled emo for the next decade . [ 24 ] \u201d In the wake of the 1991 success of Nirvana 's Nevermind , underground music and subcultures in the United States became big business. New distribution networks emerged, touring routes were codified, and regional and independent acts were able to access the national stage. [ 24 ] Teenagers across the country declared themselves fans of independent music, and being punk became mainstream. [ 24 ] In this new musical climate, the aesthetics of emo expanded into the mainstream and altered the way the music was perceived: \"Punk rock no-nos like the cult of personality and artistic abstraction suddenly become de rigueur \", says Greenwald. \"If one definition of emo has always been music that felt like a secret, Jawbreaker and Sunny Day Real Estate were cast in the rolls of the biggest gossips of all, reigning as the largest influences on every emo band that came after them.\" [ 25 ] Jawbreaker has been referred to as \"the Rosetta Stone of contemporary emo\". [ 25 ] Emerging from the San Francisco punk rock scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s, their songwriting combined the heft of hardcore punk with pop punk sensibilities and the tortured artistry of mid-1980s emocore. [ 25 ] Singer\/guitarist Blake Schwarzenbach focused his lyrics on topics that were personal, immediate, and lived, often lifting them directly from his journal. [ 27 ] Though they were often obscure and cloaked in metaphors , their specificity to Schwarzenbach's own concerns gave the words a bitterness and frustration that made them universal and magnetic to audiences. [ 28 ] Schwarzenbach became emo's first idol as listeners related to the singer more than the songs themselves. [ 28 ] Jawbreaker's 1994 album 24 Hour Revenge Therapy became their most-loved amongst fans and is a touchstone of mid-1990s emo. [ 29 ] The band signed to major label Geffen Records and toured with Nirvana and Green Day , but their 1995 album Dear You sold poorly and they broke up soon after, with Schwarzenbach later forming Jets to Brazil . [ 30 ] Their influence lived on, however, through later successful emo and pop punk bands openly indebted to Jawbreaker's sound. [ 31 ] Sorry, your browser either has JavaScript disabled or does not have any supported player. You can download the clip or download a player to play the clip in your browser. Sunny Day Real Estate 's sound challenged other bands to reach further with their own music. \"Seven\" helped bring emo towards the mainstream when it received airplay on MTV . [ 32 ] This song shows their style of emo going under the indie rock style, which was involved in the 1990s reinvention of emo. Sunny Day Real Estate formed in Seattle during the height of the early-1990s grunge boom. [ 33 ] In contrast to Jawbreaker, its members were accomplished musicians with high-quality gear, lofty musical ambitions, intricate songwriting, and a sweeping, epic sound. [ 33 ] Frontman Jeremy Enigk sang desperately, in a falsetto register, about losing himself and subsuming himself in something greater, often using haphazard lyrics and made-up words. [ 34 ] The band's debut album Diary (1994) was over-the-top and romantic, and the music video for \"Seven\" received airplay on MTV . [ 35 ] The band's ambitious sound challenged other bands to reach further with their own music in sentiment, instrumentation, and metaphor, and represented a generational shift between grunge and emo. [ 32 ] Other emo-leaning punk bands soon followed suit, and the word \"emo\" began to shift from being vague and undefined to referring to a specific type of emotionally overbearing music that was romantic but distanced from the political nature of punk rock. [ 36 ] Sunny Day Real Estate fell apart after Diary , as Enigk became a born-again Christian and launched a solo career while the other members drifted into new projects such as the Foo Fighters . They released three more albums through a series of breakups and occasional reunions, but are remembered primarily for the promise of their debut and the shift it engendered in the tastes of underground rock fans. [ 37 ] Underground popularity: Mid-1990s In the mid-1990s the American punk and indie rock movements, which had been largely underground since the early 1980s, became part of mainstream culture. After Nirvana 's success, major record labels capitalized on the popularity of alternative rock and other underground music by signing numerous independent bands and spending large amounts of capital promoting them. [ 41 ] In 1994, the same year that Jawbreaker's 24 Hour Revenge Therapy and Sunny Day Real Estate's Diary were released, punk rock acts Green Day and The Offspring had multiplatinum successes with their respective albums Dookie and Smash . In the wake of the underground going mainstream, over the next several years emo as a genre retreated, reformed, and morphed into a national subculture, then eventually something more. [ 41 ] Drawing inspiration from bands like Jawbreaker , Drive Like Jehu , and Fugazi , the new sound of emo was a mixture of hardcore 's passion and indie rock 's intelligence, bearing the anthemic power of punk rock and its do-it-yourself work ethic but with smoother songs, sloppier melodies, and yearning vocals. [ 42 ] The Promise Ring were one of the premier bands of the new emo style. Their music took a slower, smoother, pop punk approach to hardcore riffs, blending them with singer Davey von Bohlen 's goofy, picturesque lyrics delivered with a froggy croon and pronounced lisp , and they played shows in basements and VFW halls [ 50 ] Jade Tree released their debut 30\u00b0 Everywhere in 1996 and it sold tens of thousands of copies, a blockbuster by independent standards. [ 51 ] Greenwald describes the effect of the album as \"like being hit in the head with cotton candy.\" [ 52 ] Other bands such as Karate , The Van Pelt , Joan of Arc , and The Shyness Clinic incorporated elements of post-rock and noise rock into the emo sound. [ 53 ] The common lyrical thread between these bands was \"applying big questions to small scenarios.\" [ 53 ] A cornerstone of mid-1990s emo was Weezer 's 1996 album Pinkerton . [ 55 ] Following the success of their multiplatinum debut , Pinkerton turned from their power pop sound to a much darker, more abrasive character. [ 56 ] [ 57 ] Frontman Rivers Cuomo 's songs were obsessed with messy, manipulative sex and his own insecurities of dealing with celebrity. [ 57 ] A critical and commercial failure, [ 57 ] [ 58 ] it was ranked by Rolling Stone as the second-worst album of the year. [ 59 ] Cuomo retreated from the public eye, [ 57 ] later referring to the album as \"hideous\" and \"a hugely painful mistake\". [ 60 ] However, Pinkerton found enduring appeal with teenagers just discovering alternative rock , who were drawn to its confessional lyrics and themes of rejection and came to believe that it was directed at them. [ 54 ] Sales grew steadily as word of the album passed between fans, over online messageboards, and via Napster . [ 54 ] \"Although no one was paying attention\", says Greenwald, \"perhaps because no one was paying attention\u2014 Pinkerton became the most important emo album of the decade.\" [ 54 ] When Weezer returned in 2000, however, they did so with a decidedly pop sound. Cuomo refused to play songs from Pinkerton , dismissing it as \"ugly\" and \"embarrassing\". [ 61 ] Nevertheless, the album held its appeal and eventually achieved both high sales and critical praise, and is noted for introducing emo to larger and more mainstream audiences. [ 62 ] The emo aesthetic of the mid-1990s was embodied in Mineral, whose albums The Power of Failing (1997) and EndSerenading (1998) encapsulated the emo tropes of somber music accompanied by a shy narrator singing seriously about mundane problems. [ 63 ] Greenwald calls their song \"If I Could\" \"the ultimate expression of mid-nineties emo. The song's short synopsis\u2014she is beautiful, I am weak, dumb, and shy; I am alone but am surprisingly poetic when left alone\u2014sums up everything that emo's adherents admired and its detractors detested.\" [ 63 ] Another significant band of the era was Braid, whose 1998 album Frame and Canvas and B-side song \"Forever Got Shorter\" blurred the lines between band and listener, as the group was a mirror-image of its own audience in passion and sentiment and sang in the voice of their fans. [ 64 ] Though the emo style of the mid-1990s had thousands of young fans, it never broke into the national consciousness. [ 66 ] A few bands were offered contracts with major record labels, but most broke up before they could capitalize on the opportunity. [ 67 ] Jimmy Eat World signed to Capitol Records in 1995 and built a following among the emo community with their album Static Prevails , but did not break into the mainstream despite their major-label association as their music was mostly lost amongst the popular ska movement of the period. [ 68 ] The Promise Ring were the most commercially successful emo band of the time, with sales of their 1997 album Nothing Feels Good topping out in the mid-five figures. [ 66 ] Greenwald calls the album \"the pinnacle of its generation of emo: a convergence of pop and punk, of resignation and celebration, of the lure of girlfriends and the pull of friends, bandmates, and the road.\" [ 69 ] He refers to mid-1990s emo as \"the last subculture made of vinyl and paper instead of plastic and megabytes.\" [ 70 ] Independent success: Late 1990s and early 2000s Beginning in the late 1990s emo had a surge of popularity in the realm of independent music, as a number of notable acts and record labels experienced successes that would lay the foundation for the style's later mainstream breakthrough. As emo gained a larger fanbase the music business began see its marketing potential, and as big business entered the picture many of the acts previously associated with the term intentionally distanced themselves from it: \u201c As the '90s wore to a close, the music that was being labeled emo was making a connection with a larger and larger group of people. the aspects of it that were the most contagious\u2014the sensitivity, hooks, and average-guy appeal\u2014were also the easiest to latch onto, replicate, and mass market. As with any phenomenon\u2014exactly like what happened with Sunny Day [Real Estate]\u2014when business enters into a high-stakes, highly personal sphere, things tend to go awry very quickly\u00a0... As fans threatened to storm the emo bandwagon, the groups couldn't jump off of it fast enough. The popularity and bankability of the word\u2014if not the music\u2014transformed an affiliation with the mid-nineties version of emo into an albatross . [ 71 ] Jimmy Eat World's 1999 album Clarity was one of the most significant emo albums of the late 1990s and became a touchstone for later emo bands. [ 75 ] Writing in 2003, Andy Greenwald called it \"one of the most fiercely beloved rock 'n' roll records of the last decade. It is name-checked by every single contemporary emo band as their favorite album, as a mind-bending milemarker that proved that punk rock could be tuneful, emotional, wide-ranging, and ambitious.\" [ 75 ] However, despite warm critical reception and promotion of the single \" Lucky Denver Mint \" in the Drew Barrymore comedy film Never Been Kissed , Clarity was commercially unsuccessful in a musical climate dominated by teen pop, and the band left major label Capitol Records the following year. [ 73 ] [ 74 ] Nevertheless, the album gained steady popularity via word-of-mouth and was treasured by fans, eventually selling over 70,000 copies. [ 76 ] Jimmy Eat World self-financed the recording of their next album Bleed American (2001) before signing to Dreamworks Records . The album sold 30,000 copies in its first week and went gold shortly after. In 2002 it went platinum as emo broke into the mainstream. [ 77 ] In a world where cars are advertised as punk, Green Day members are platinum rock stars, and getting pierced and tatted up is as natural as a sweet-sixteen party, everyone is free to come up with their own definition of punk\u2014and everyone is ready to embrace it. Emo had always connected with young people\u2014it had just never aggressively marketed itself to them . [ 83 ] In the summer of 2001 Vagrant organized a national tour featuring every band on the label, sponsored by corporations such as Microsoft and Coca-Cola . This populist approach and the use of the internet as a marketing tool helped Vagrant become one of the country's most successful independent labels and also helped to popularize the term \"emo\". [ 90 ] According Greenwald, \"More than any other event, it was Vagrant America that defined emo to masses\u2014mainly because it had the gumption to hit the road and bring it to them .\" [ 87 ] The media business, so desperate for its self-obsessed, post-9\/11 predictions of a return to austerity and the death of irony to come true, had found its next big thing. But it was barely a \"thing,\" because no one had heard of it, and those who had couldn't define it. Despite the fact that the hedonistic, materialistic hip-hop of Nelly was still dominating the charts, magazine readers in the summer of '02 were informed that the nation was deep in an introverted healing process, and the way it was healing was by wearing thick black glasses and vintage striped shirts. Emo, we were told, would heal us all through fashion . [ 103 ] \u201d In the wake of this success, many emo bands were signed to major record labels and the style became a marketable product. [ 104 ] Dreamworks Records senior A&R representative Luke Wood remarked that \"The industry really does look at emo as the new raprock, or the new grunge. I don't think that anyone is listening to the music that's being made\u2014they're thinking of how they're going to take advantage of the sound's popularity at retail.\" [ 105 ] The depoliticized nature of emo, coupled with its catchy music and accessible themes, gave it a broad appeal to young mainstream audiences. Emo staple band Taking Back Sunday would continue to find major success in the years that followed, with their 2004 album Where You Want To Be charting at #3 in the Billboard 200 , with the second single of the album \" This Photograph is Proof (I Know You Know) \" being featured in the Spider-Man 2 soundtrack, and their 2006 album Louder Now , with Louder Now being the band's breakout into the mainstream and charting at #2 in the Billboard 200 , notably because of the popularity of its lead single \" MakeDamnSure \", both albums would be certified gold by the RIAA with Where You Want To Be having sold 667,000 copies as of September 2005, and Louder Now having sold over 900,000 copies as of June 9, 2008. At the same time, a darker, more aggressive offshoot of emo gained popularity. New Jersey\u2013based Thursday signed a multi-million-dollar, multialbum contract with Island Def Jam on the strength of their 2001 album Full Collapse , which reached No. 178 on the Billboard 200. [ 106 ] Their music differed from the prominent emo bands of the time in that it was more politicized and lacked dominant pop hooks and anthems, drawing influence from more maudlin bands such as The Smiths , Joy Division , and The Cure . However, the band's accessibility, openness, basement-show roots, and touring alongside bands like Saves the Day made them part of the emo movement. [ 107 ] As the genre coalesced, the record label Fueled by Ramen became a center of the movement, releasing platinum selling albums from bands like Fall Out Boy , Panic! at the Disco , and Paramore . [ 138 ] Two main regional scenes developed; in Florida the scene was created by the label Fueled by Ramen and the band Dashboard Confessional , and in the Midwest emo-pop was promoted by Pete Wentz, whose band Fall Out Boy rose to the front of the style in the mid-2000s. [ 138 ] [ 156 ] [ 157 ] In 2008, the band Cash Cash released Take It to the Floor , which Allmusic stated could be \"the definitive statement of airheaded, glittery, and content-free emo-pop\". [ 158 ] Allmusic further stated that with this release \"the transformation of emo from the expression of intensely felt, ripped-from-the-throat feelings played by bands directly influenced by post-punk and hardcore to mall-friendly Day-Glo pop played by kids who look about as authentic as the \"punks\" on an old episode of Quincy did back in the '70s was made pretty much complete\". [ 158 ] Screamo The term \"screamo\" was initially applied to a more aggressive offshoot of emo that developed in San Diego in 1991, which used short songs that grafted \"spastic intensity to willfully experimental dissonance and dynamics.\" [ 159 ] Screamo is a particularly dissonant style of emo influenced by hardcore punk [ 108 ] and uses typical rock instrumentation, but is noted for its brief compositions, chaotic execution, and screaming vocals . Some bands that formed in the United States during the late 1990s and remained active throughout the 2000s, such as Thursday , Thrice , and Poison the Well made screamo much more popular. Many of these bands took influence from the likes of post-hardcore bands like Refused and At the Drive-In . [ 108 ] By the mid-2000s, the over-saturation of the screamo scene caused many bands to purposefully expand past the genre's trademarks and incorporate more experimental elements. [ 108 ] Even bands that weren't necessarily screamo would often use the style's characteristic guttural vocal style. [ 108 ] Derek Miller, guitarist for the post-hardcore band Poison the Well , claimed that the term screamo \"describes a thousand different genres.\" [ 165 ] According to Jeff Mitchell of Iowa State Daily , \"there is no set definition of what screamo sounds like but screaming over once deafeningly loud rocking noise and suddenly quiet, melodic guitar lines is a theme commonly affiliated with the genre.\" [ 166 ] Juan Gabe, vocalist for the band Comadre , alleged that the term \"has been kind of tainted in a way, especially in the States.\" [ 111 ] Fashion Emo fashion took a noticeable turn in the 2000s; from being clean-cut to more punk looking. Today emo is commonly tied to both music and fashion as well as the emo subculture. [ 176 ] Usually among teens, the term \"emo\" is stereotyped with wearing jeans , sometimes in bright colors and may often be close-fitting, and t-shirts (usually short-sleeved) which often bear the names of emo bands. Studded belts and black wristbands can be associated in emo fashion. Some males can also be often wearing thick, black horn-rimmed glasses. [ 177 ] [ 178 ] [ 179 ] The emo fashion is also recognized for its hairstyles. Popular looks include thin, flat and smooth hair with lots of hair on the sides and back of the head with long side-swept bangs , sometimes covering one or both eyes. Also, another thing that was popular is hair that is straightened or dyed black. Bright colors, such as blue, pink, red, or bleached blond, are also typical as highlights in emo hairstyles. Short, choppy layers of hair are also common. [ 180 ] This fashion has at times been characterized as a fad . [ 181 ] However, in the early 2000s, emo fashion was associated with a clean cut look instead, but changed as it spread to teens. [ 177 ] Emo fashion also has been often confused with goth fashion [ 182 ] and scene fashion. [ 183 ] Suicide and self harm Emo music has been blamed for the suicide by hanging of teenager Hannah Bond by both the coroner at the inquest into her death and her mother, Heather Bond, after it was claimed that emo music glamorized suicide and her apparent obsession with My Chemical Romance was said to be linked to her suicide. The inquest heard that she was part of an Internet \"emo cult\" [ 189 ] and her Bebo page contained an image of an \"emo girl\" with bloody wrists. [ 190 ] It also heard that she had discussed the \"glamour\" of hanging online [ 189 ] and had explained to her parents that her self-harming was an \"emo initiation ceremony\". [ 190 ] Heather Bond criticised emo fashion, saying: \"There are 'emo' websites that show pink teddies hanging themselves.\" After the verdict was reported in NME , fans of emo music contacted the magazine to defend against accusations that it promotes self-harm and suicide. [ 191 ] Gender bias Emo has been criticized for its androcentrism . [ 192 ] Andy Greenwald notes that there are very few women in emo bands, and that even those few do not typically have an active voice in the songs' subject matter: \"Though emo\u2014and to a certain degree, punk\u2014has always been a typically male province, the monotony of the labels' gender perspective can be overwhelming.\" [ 193 ] The triumph of the \"lonely boy's aesthetic\" in emo, coupled with the style's popularity, has led to a litany of one-sided songs in which males vent their fury at the women who have wronged them: [ 193 ] Some emo bands' lyrics disguise violent anti-women sentiments in a veneer of pop music. [ 194 ] \"Fuck Emo\" graffiti on a wall in Mexico. However, despite emo's frequent portrayal of women as powerless victims, fans of the style are from both genders, and some acts have even greater popularity with women than with men. [ 195 ] One explanation for this is that the unifying appeal of emo, its expression of emotional devastation, can be appreciated equally by both sexes regardless of the songs' specific subjects. [ 196 ] Backlash The genre emo inspired a backlash movement in response to its rapid growth. Several bands considered to be \"emo\" rejected the label for the social stigma and controversy surrounding it. [ 197 ] [ 198 ] [ 199 ] [ 200 ] Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman stated that there was a \"real backlash\" among bands on the tour towards emo groups, but he dismissed the hostility as \"juvenile\" in nature. [ 201 ] The movement grew with intensity over time. Time reported in 2008 that \"anti-emo\" groups attacked teenagers in Mexico City, Quer\u00e9taro , and Tijuana . [ 202 ] [ 203 ] In Russia, a law was presented at the Duma to regulate emo websites and forbid emo style at schools and government buildings, for fears of emo being a \"dangerous teen trend\" promoting anti-social behaviour, depression, social withdrawal and even suicide. [ 204 ] [ 205 ] In May 2010 in Saudi Arabia , the religious police in the city of Dammam arrested 10 emo girls for allegedly offensive un-Islamic behaviour and dress. [ 206 ] In March 2012 reports by human rights activists suggested that, in a single month, Shia militias in Iraq had shot or beaten to death up to 58 young Iraqi emos. [ 207 ] ^ Greenwald, pp. 17\u201318. \"Fugazi is one of the best and most influential groups of the last thirty years\u2014and yet, despite some opinion to the contrary, they are not an emo band. Fugazi's fan base is too varied, too diffuse\u2014its themes likewise. Fugazi is a living blueprint for a truly committed, punk\/DIY artistic life once both the rage and the tears have faded. Making the group, perhaps, an emo doctoral program, but not emo. People have their preconceived ideas crushed by Fugazi, they don't have crushes on its members.\" ^ Lester, Paul (8 December 2008). \"New band of the day - No 445: Metro Station\" . The Guardian . Retrieved 10 June 2011 . \"They peddle \"emo-pop\", a sort of cross between saccharine boy-band pop and whatever it is that bands like Panic! at the Disco and Fall Out Boy do \u2013 emo, let's be frank.\" ^ a b c Greg, Pratt (22 September 2010). \"Altered States, Grindcore Special part 2\". Terrorizer ( United Kingdom : Miranda Yardley) (181): 43. \"Another interesting sub-sub-genre was this strange crossover of first-generation emo and grind . Bands like Reversal of Man or Orchid may not have stood the test of time, but it was a pretty cool sound at the time and one that was pretty uniquely American\" ^ \"CIRCLE TAKES THE SQUARE is in the studio\" . metal injection. 15 June 2008 . Retrieved 18 July 2011 . \"...\u00a0CIRCLE TAKES THE SQUARE have retained their integrity and stayed true to the grind influenced experimental, progressive hardcore soundscapes that defined the screamo albums of the early part of the millennium.\" ","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
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{"text":"The trust's 12th annual gala held at the Liberty Grand on May 30 \"let you embrace your inner rock star, while helping to raise much-needed funds to provide information, treatment and support for brain tumour patients and their families,\" said Nancy Pencer, president of the Gerry & Nancy Pencer Brain Trust. Holly Pencer-Bellman, the Pencers' daughter and executive director of the Brain Trust, said that \"Feb. 3, 2012, marked the 14th year since my dad, Gerry Pencer, passed away from glioblastoma multiforme -- the most aggressive type of brain cancer. Gerry was diagnosed in May 1997 with a brain tumour. At that time there were neither support groups nor clinical trials available. There was no consolidation of care. \"His vision was to create a one-stop shop for brain tumour patients and their families: a treatment centre at Princess Margaret that would consolidate all of the treatments, have the best doctors and supportive care programs under one roof.\" The Pencer Centre has an international reputation as a brain tumour treatment and research centre, not only for its state-of-the art medical treatments and enhanced patient-centred care, but also as a significant contributor to leading-edge research. At the gala attended by 800 guests, Harley-Davidson motorcycles added to the rock atmosphere in the Viper Room. Guests who were decked out in rocker attire had the opportunity to purchase \"rock box\" prizes. For $100, you got a box and inside every box was a prize with a minimum value of $100, ranging from gift certificates to jewelry. There was also a $10,000 cash prize raffle. The early part of the evening featured Supper Under the Stars for some 200 sponsors who contributed at least $14,000, a performance by Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Marc Cohn -- who's known for his signature song Walking in Memphis -- and a live auction. Former Pencer Centre patients Lynne Terry and Yves Boucher both thanked the sponsors at the Supper Under the Stars, calling the Pencer Centre an exceptional place that allowed them to be normal and keep on living their lives. \"Cancer is a word, not a sentence. The Pencer Centre makes that sentiment real. We're both living proof.\" Richard Saunders, president of Redstone Pictures, who provided video production services for the gala, said the \"crowd the Pencer Brain Trust brings out, the amount of money they are able to raise and the way its pulled together has everyone buzzing in the city. It's really something.\" Guest Sara Waxman, publisher of Dine magazine, said \"all charity events and health fundraising events are important... treatments for diseases of the brain is something that touches us all.\" ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Australia must find a Budget surplus before 2014 or it will lose its AAA rating, according Kyran Curry, S&P sovereign analyst via the AFR : \"If there's a sustained delay in returning the balance to surplus, as the economy gathers momentum and as people start spending again, as the import demand picks up and current account blows out, we might not see the government's fiscal position as being strong enough to offset weaknesses on the external side and that's what worries us...Australia's already, as we see it, got some credit metrics that are right off the scale when it comes to assessing Australia's external position...It's got high levels of external liabilities, it's got very weak external liquidity and that basically means the banks are very highly indebted compared to their peers...For us, we look to Spain, which was Australia's closest peer four or five years ago in terms of having a very strong fiscal position, very similar to what Australia has at the moment, its external position was weaker, like Australia's, and it got routed very quickly...The government needed to provide support to the banks, it had to shore up growth in the economy and its debt levels more than doubled...We can see that happening in Australia's case.\" I've feared this outcome since the GFC. Here's what I wrote back in June: In short, if the sovereign gets downgraded, so do the banks and their cost of funds rises, either raising the price of credit and\/or restricting its distribution. The RBA will aim to offset this with rate cuts but how low can they go? In a global recession scenario, the RBA is probably also constrained by the need to keep some yield spread between our rates and those oversees so that capital doesn't flee our shores. Potentially then, the resulting hit to asset prices raises unemployment further than otherwise and the automatic stabilisers become more onerous for the Budget requiring more cuts or borrowing or both. Another downgrade might follow, so on and so forth. I would alter that now a little. Given the mining boom peak is in sight, there is no longer any need for a global recession scenario for this to play out. The RBA has already been forced into cutting interest rates to emergency levels. The great likelihood is that they will go lower still. In short, all that needs to happen is that China continue a steady adjustment towards consumption-led growth and bulk commodity prices remain in current ranges and the rating will come under pressure, risking the feedback loop. The kicker of course is that it may happen anyway because fiscal tightening is already required to support the rating when the economy is not strong enough. That is, we are already in the feedback loop. In this context it makes sense that we revisit the tax base, which is what the independents want to do. Also from the AFR , Rob Oakeshott: \"If we can't make taxes like the GST more efficient to deal with pressing spending, then Australia is in a bad place...We need to look at broadening the base and in that get rid of some of the inefficient state taxes in a country where four taxes do 90 per cent of the work. We need to be brave -- because without some solution, there is no money to do what the government needs to, particularly with an ageing population and programs like Gonski and the NDIS [national disability insurance scheme],\" Mr Windsor said middle-class welfare programs such as the $5000 baby bonus meant that policies such as the Gonski education overhaul, which would improve skills in the workforce, were being deprived of billions of dollars. \"People want spending on health and education, not on hamburgers and milkshakes,\" Mr Windsor said. \"The middle-class welfare started 10 years ago when we had the money to do it, that's not the case any more, but it's difficult once you've given someone something to?take it away from them.\" Certainly anything that boosts productivity will help avoid the feedback loop but let's not kid ourselves, raising the GST as the private sector disleverages, let alone deleverages, is going to hit consumption growth and government revenues. The middle class welfare we are discussing cuts across all groups, as the SMH makes clear today: THE richest fifth of households receive nearly half of all the wages paid in Australia but also get about 12 per cent of all government handouts, new research by the Bureau of Statistics shows...the poorest 20 per cent of households receive just 2.5 per cent of the nation's wages and salaries in 2009-10 while the richest 20 per cent gets about 47 per cent. When income, government cash payments and social transfers in kind (such as public education and healthcare) are taken into account the poorest fifth's share of \"adjusted disposable income\" was 11 per cent and the richest fifth 36 per cent. But maybe the most revealing finding was the amount of government assistance being transferred to high-income households. The preliminary results showed the richest quintile of households received about 12 per cent of social assistance benefits while the next highest quintile got 11 per cent. Many high-income households qualify for the childcare rebate, which is not means tested, and the private health insurance rebate. As I've said for three years, we're in a feedback loop that is slowly gathering pace. Keep borrowing offshore and lose the AAA rating as the current account deficit blows out. Stop borrowing offshore and as growth slumps and governments can't reach surplus to protect legacy private sector debts, taxes must rise, hitting growth...and government revenues. Our one real hope to sail clear is to boost exports and grow via external demand. But while we stuff around letting the high dollar hollow us out, the maelstrom draws us ever nearer. Also, however you look at it, people who earn more and spend more pay more with broad based taxes. Even a flat income tax rate, the more you earn the more you pay. This is basic mathematics. Saying that, there is no reason anyone in the highest quintile of income should be receiving government benefits (actual handouts, because tax cuts are not 'benefits'). Welfare of any kind should be available only to those that need it to survive, ie buy food and put a roof over their heads, not buy cigarettes and booze. I just want a complete list. Without it, how can I know what people are talking about? The term \"middle-class welfare\" is more of a concept. I would gather that most people's view of welfare is to offer means of income support for those that can not acquire enough income of their own, to even satisfy what would be considered the minimum quality of life. Thus those than can not work due to disability, or age invaliding them, or those unable to obtain a job. However, a sense of entitlement has begun to pervade the landscape in Australia, where various taxpayers feel that is they put-in to the welfare kitty, they 'deserve' to get something out. So what we have is vast payments, such as family tax act A, which is the second largest category of transfer payments. bearing in mind, this is how the major components of income support payments bear out... I agree with dumping all of these other than the childcare rebates as these basically pay for themselves. More women working means more income tax, more stuff bought due to higher income means more GST, etc etc... Then again, if I could import a maid and pay them $400 a month to take care of my son and keep my house (as is done in South Asia), I'd be more than happy to give up this rebate. Don't see it happening though. LOL ... 'tis all about perspective, and the specific object of attention at the time, dontcha know? Which is why I prefer to largely set aside these more peripheral topics, and focus on identifying the root problem, why and how it exists, and what can\/should be done about it... Why? All of Ireland, Spain and Australia had conservative, well managed public balance sheets until the private sector debt ended up on it, in the first two cases. All of those countries had a reliance on one or two asset classes, that eventually funnelled into one, large, debt-blown one, that exploded in the face of politicians. Why would Australia's governing class react any differently? Ireland still has huge export oriented sector worth around 65% of GDP (mostly pharmaceutical\/chemical and IT). Even now they export pharma stuff worth $70b. That is 3 times more per capita than all our dirt. In fact, Irish pharmaceutical export per capita alone is almost twice our total export. I think that the RBA will only have limited success with it's plan to stimulate housing. perhaps we will have a small oversupply in the future, but nothing near the size of Ireland or Spain. Demand can be elastic, but it can't stay contracted forever. The currency will correct and it will probably take everyone by surprise. Yes that will create higher inflation, but it won't be the first time that the RBA overlooked short term high inflation, although this time it will be above past incidents. The ratings agencies have been ignored by the bond investors, why would we be significantly different, and in any case we have little public debt. Our house prices have not reached the dizzy heights that they did in Spain and Ireland. Although construction rate was below average, population growth was above the average, over the last 5 year census period we built 100k homes more than needed. That's on top of large existing oversupply. We have a private debt that leads the world, an employment basis reliant on one industry (which is going into relative decline going forward) a non competitive economic base, and a banking system with a narrow funding base which the government has implicitly backed. 'Our house prices have not reached the dizzy heights that they did in Spain and Ireland.' Oh yeah? Plenty of people have made and are still making the case that they have actually gone higher. Australia's insane real estate prices are at the very core of the economic deformity Australia has become. Raveswei above -- you make a good point about Ireland and one I have attempted to make here before. Ireland specifically targeted development of its export sector generally by a generous tax regime which attracted a range of multinationals to its shores. PF, you said: \"What Ireland and Spain taught us was that when you overbuild the market crashes like a stone in double quick time. Those links that you posted [http:\/\/www.independent.ie\/business\/iris\\\\... ; http:\/\/www.economist.com\/blogs\/dailychar\\\\... show the following: - there was a massive overbuild in Ireland - there was simultaneously a massive run up in prices in Ireland (even worse than in Australia on just about any metric) I fail to see how the links don't directly contradict your statement. Yes, the crash came in Ireland, but it took YEARS to happen, well after the bubble had been identified by dispassionate observers. And what about our own cache of empty houses? Until prices crash these aren't seen as overhang, but the situation quickly changes when property becomes a toxic asset class at the same time as population growth slows because immigration slows or stops. On a separate note, the minebot and I are ad idem on Ireland. It's held out as a basket case but there are MANY things that we could learn from Ireland about creating value-added export industries from scratch. This will pull them through, stronger than ever and much, much wiser for what's happened in the past 5 years. People tend to look at GDP figures only, without understanding how economy is actually performing. Ireland is export oriented economy with large trade surplus of $85b ($19k per capita). We are on the other hand import oriented country ($1.9k trade surplus per capita) with higher external debt. They plan to use surplus to pay off the debt. How we are planing to pay off our debt? Ireland and Spain fell in double quick time aided by a banking crisis in both countries. Refer to the link to \"The Economist\" interactive. Now that their bubbles have corrected -- they are still HIGHER than us. The Melbourne water use study that you linked to is interesting, but hardly conclusive in absolute terms. I'm aware that in some areas we do have an oversupply, but after we have all waited 4 years for a nationwide correction caused by this phantom oversupply, I suggest that we would have to be completely mad to not re-evaluate in the absence of any significant correction. I appreciate that you draw a different conclusion, but that is mine until I see evidence to the contrary. (BTW, I did include the link to the overbuild article but for some reason there was no hyperlink.) The way the Economist chart works is quite confusing because it's all based to the start date. If you start the comparison from 1975 you will get all sorts of wacky results because Ireland was basically a 3rd world theocracy back then. If you look at where the most recent bubble started (I make it to be around 1996), you'll see that real Irish prices have come down to now be 50% higher than at the start of the bubble. In Oz that figure is 100%. Prices against average income, we have seen a similar rise to post-bubble Ireland over the same period: 40%. Prices against rents, we're at about a 70% increase and Ireland a mere 40%. So as I read that data we certainly have a long way to fall on most measures if we're to catch up to where Ireland is now. McPaddy that graph by the economist doesn't track prices, it tracks the price\/income ratio. Some of the correction may be related to income falls. Judging by your sign on name you may have more information on that that I do. Read what Terry McFadgen wrote further down this thread, and note that it was agreed with. I really don't mind if you believe in a housing surplus in Melbourne. It may be so in the new outer ring suburbs, in fact I expected it to be so, but that isn't what the market is telling me, and I believe the market given the length of time and the lack of exhuberation in that market. PF, I'll put my hand up and admit (in case it isn't obvious) that I have no special knowledge about the Melbourne situation. My broader point remains that what can appear to be a tight supply situation (with people fighting each other to get on the ladder) can quickly transform into a glut of supply when RE starts to be viewed as a toxic ticket to debt bondage and capital annihilation, as it has been viewed in Ireland these past 5 years. The demand is simply sucked out of the market much quicker than supply can follow it down. A small point but if you go back to that Economist graph you'll note that there are many metrics you can compare, some of which are the ones I quoted. It's the drop down menu in the top left hand corner. Date range can also be adjusted to provide a data set that is in my view much more instructive than that starting from 1975. Just my 2c on that Mav ... \"winning\" an election is not carte blanche to do whatever you want, back whatever parties\/policies you want, if such action flies contrary to the general tenor of your electorate's wishes. Of course, knowing precisely what that tenor is can be unclear and\/or subjective ... hence why I advocate restructuring our political system towards Direct Democracy principles such as those practiced in Switzerland and elsewhere, whereby the electorate is empowered to hold their \"winning\" representative directly accountable for his\/her actions during their term of office, including the potential blockage \/ reversal of any legislation they may pass or seek to pass that is contrary to the electorate's wishes. Oakshott does represent his constituents, he has a go for small business and he is not corrupt, so on that front he miles ahead of the labor party. He is a decent fellow like most Nationals but without the social conservatism. Anyway I dont think its a given he will be tossed out by the coalition as they are fighting between themselves at the moment on how they tackle Lynne As opinion8red states, winning an election is not a license to do with as you please. He won the election, I understand that you lean left and support Labor but I honestly cannot see you having the same attitude has Wilkie supported the Coalition and put them in power instead. Oakshot presides over a conservative electorate that given a one or the other choice would have put the Coalition into power and it wouldn't have even been close. He was elected to represent his electorate, he hasn't done that and in a just world will be booted out next election as he deserves. Who's ignoring reality? I really do love the post rationalisation here. Who do you think his electorate wanted him to side with? Yes, he's an independent but he is still there to represent the wishes of his electorate. What do you think his electorate wanted? Like I said, had Wilkie sided with the Coalition you, and ALP supporters everywhere, would be up in arms. You can say \"yeah well that didn't happen so me\" all you want, you know it's true. MattR: I have no doubt the majority of Oakeshott's electorate is conservative and I have no doubt the majority would have preferred he sided with Abbott in 2010. However, I just like what the guy says. Is that allowed? In this Parliament the people of Lyne have a representative who speaks his mind and has some real influence over policy. In the next Parliament the people of Lyne will have an anonymous National Party MP who will do neither. ... And, as Mav pointed out, he's a former Nat who was elected as an independent, and by siding with the Gillard government he sure has demonstrated his independence! MattR, wiki says -- In his first term (2007), Oakeshott voted 32 times with the ruling Labor government (including in support of the proposed emission trading scheme) and nine times with the opposition. His \"conservative\" electorate knew all this before electing him for the 2nd term (2010). Lorax, you are certainly allowed to like him. I was merely commenting on the fact that for such a 'great' MP he doesn't have any integrity at all. Nothing says you can't like him though. Mav, polling is very clear as to what his electorate wanted him to do. He sided with the ALP and will almost certainly lose his seat now. You are essentially saying \"he got elected he can do what he wants\". Independent or not, the minute the parliament became hung this became irrelevant. At that time it was his DUTY as his electorates representative to side the with party they wanted him to side with. Simply saying \"oh he's an independent, they knew he could side with the ALP\" is post rational nonsense. And since you like facts so much more than twice as many people voted for the Nationals than the ALP in that electorate. His primary vote has dropped 20 points since the last election. You are entitled to your opinion of course, the people that matter disagree with you. On the question of Oakeshott representing his electorate, I am inclined to say that, once elected, his responsibility is to make up his own mind on issues raised in Parliament. He can't keep going back to the electors and polling them on what they want. It is then up to the electors on the roll at the next election to decide whether he has adequately represented them. I would not write off his chances of winning. Although the Lyne vote in previous elections suggest that his electorate is conservative, there is no reason they could not change -- for example, the demographics of the electorate may be changing. Also a lot of his supporters who might otherwise vote for the National Party would not be all that keen on the market oriented policies of the Liberal part of the coalition. We should expect our politicians (especially at the federal level) to do more than just represent their electorate. Yes, they need to deal with day-to-day concerns raised with their electoral office, but they also need to consider national issues and the national interest. Sometimes we are best served if they lead, rather than follow, public opinion. He went against their wishes in supporting Gillard, but he has done a lot for the electorate since. I vote in lyne and he is generally well liked and with the carbon tax scare fading he is looking good. As everyone forgets, he chose gillard primarily because of the NBN, and got an early rollout for lyne so anyone with a clue who lives in the area knows they have gained from this. A national would have delivered nothing on roads, less than nothing on broadband, no opposition to the Transgrid powerline of gold plating fame, zero backbone. As for his constant attempts to find common ground in the parliament ie his compromise bill on asylum seekers, well that is inspirational and he deserves to be reelected on that alone. The fundamental tenet of Westminster democracy (or any democracy for that matter) is that representatives represent those that voted for them. Yes, they can have varying ideas on varying issues but on something as major as choosing who gets to form government MP's, whether party affiliate or not, have a duty to chose the party their constituents want. Alex I don't buy that for a second. Oakshott got 47% of the primary vote and would easily have been returned had their been a second election. Instead he sided with the ALP and will almost certainly lose his seat along with Windsor next election. He could have had his seat for several election cycles, instead he got one term. It makes no sense at all. I used to think he was a bit of a dick particularly after the 17 min speech etc , but I have changed my mind. I wish he was my MP. He had the choice between Gillard and Abbott and he went for the one that he thought was best for both him and the electorate. He beats the hell out of that sanctimonious twit Wilkie and he has more humility than Windsor. The only independant that I rate above him is Xenophon. I certainly think Australia could do with more Polies like him and he is a reformist. a ReachTel automated phone poll conducted in August, which had the Nationals leading 55 per cent to 15 per cent on the primary vote. That poll was rightly criticised at the time for asking about the carbon tax and pokies reform before getting to voting intention.<\/i Lorax, if the voters of Lyne are stupid enough to vote for him again that's their issue. I can't see him choosing the next government regardless. At any rate he's 10 points behind on 2pp and 20 behind on primary. Can't see it happening. Windsor is still way behind too. Love how you attribute improving polls to the passing of the carbon tax scare, nothing to do with lower rates or anything. Not like they have trended with rates or anything silly and obvious like that. +1 Independents are becoming more and more crucial to effective government. Whilst all the parties are more and more inclined to play politics on absolutely every issue it is the independents that might force us to face some tough realities and hold the govt executive to account. Yes GST is not progressive but it's broad based and simple and can be easily further simplified by taking out all the exemptions like food etc. In any event the GST is not as non-progressive as people think because you can save tax by not consuming. Let's face it the hard up for a buck (which demographically also happen to be those on the porky side) are still pumping money into the tax base through the burger chains. Does RO's constituents think the parties would do anything other than just side with the power companies? It would be disgusting if they kicked RO out for another party hack. People will enter this scam willingly -- convinced that property investment is the best way to go, by the mob and by the banks. SMSF will be the heart of the scam -- get them into a SMSF, get them investing that money into property. Just don't play (or at least play carefully with what you are happy to bet). I reckon there's every possibility the b@$t@rd$ will go after SMSF's first . Have already observed a number of articles by\/for the usual suspects, suggesting\/implying that SMSF needs great \"regulation\" .. why? to \"protect\" the unwitting superannuant from unscrupulous advisers and \"investment\" spruikers, of course ... and\/or the removal of various \"incentives\" that allegedly offer an \"unfair\" advantage to SMSF. Oped -- not sure where you are going with that comment. I'm sure the gov and the banks will want a slice of the fees so the regulation will come. But my main call is that the SMSF vehicle will be the tool the banksters (facilitated by the unquenchable greed and amorality of the brokers and spruikers -- and hence allowing the banks to stay one step removed) will use to get access to the last bit of money the middle-class not yet tuned into debt. This has started a bit, with most of the sob-stories being SMSF facilitated 'invest in property backed mezzanine debt products' stories. What's even worse is that when the terms of trade Australia has decline, all of the foreign borrowing is going to be onerous to repay. For big corporations that $250M \/ year in foreign denominated debt payment balloons out with each drop of the Aussie dollar. That'll lead to either default or substantial price inflation to pass on the cost to consumers. Because reduced profits would be a no no :p I have heard from people working in Salvos that the number of so called property-onwer-people turning up to get \"food coupons\" is steadily increasing... I personally know a \"front office worker\" pulling max 50K has FOUR investment properties along with her husband (apparently husband owns a \"major\" manufacturing company!) and she was giving me TIPS and telling me HOW TO GET AHEAD in life...last week, they were told from their banks to \"reduce debt somehow\"!!! she has put 2 properties on market at 30% over-priced compared to same stock on same street!.... another property the tenant \"vanished\". no rent and no tenant... it appears that the husband-wife dont go to toilet at a specific time anymore , because they are shitting all the time! I dont disagree with the tenor of your argument HnH but I suggest that the most likely outcome is for more \"good luck\" via two channels: 1. The kleptocrats in China will move very slowly on household consumption and will stick with high levels of fixed asset investment for a few years yet. Commodity prices\/vols will be supported; 2. The USA will surprise on the upside on fiscal resolution and we will see a sharp rerating of USD\/AUD. All will be well-in a sense. I also find the Spanish\/Australian comparisons far fetched.Half of Spain was and still is covered with unoccupied multi level appts and villas(somewhat like parts of China) with zero supporting rental cashflow and no buyers..Australia has no surplus and property is occupied by families who can and will service the debt loads-albeit with a bit of pain as things contract. > also find the Spanish\/Australian comparisons far fetched.Half of Spain was and still is covered with unoccupied multi level appts and villas(somewhat like parts of China) with zero supporting rental cashflow and no buyers..Australia has no surplus and property is occupied by families who can and will service the debt loads-albeit with a bit of pain as things contract. Have you been to Adelaide?... try suburbs like West Lakes, Mawson Lakes etc.. you may not find much \"advertised\" online.. on ground.. the occupancy is sparing.. I have to say I do agree with you re Spain. Trouble there I expect is that a huge amount of the building was for holiday homes, the demand for which can vanish in a flash. Ireland I see as a bit different. There, the overbuild was catering for \/ aiming at: - people desperate to rush into a galloping property market and get a foothold -- now defunct - the immigrants that were streaming in during the boom -- this flow has reversed I get so frustrated at the term middle class welfare, when actually it's the governments method of offsetting massive costs to taxpayers for services they have failed to provide. Try and get your kid into a government preschool in Sydney. They have 20 places for 200 kids, so private day care is the only option, at triple the cost of public preschool. My argument is that there is nothing in place for kids 3+, so child care rebate is hardly welfare. Additionally, if you aren't willing to take your chances or can't access the public system to have a baby, the baby bonus is just paying for your obstetrician, which Medicare won't do. If every single pregnant woman accessed the public health system, it would collapse in a week, again, meaning the government has to funnel people to private health care. Of course, all the Boomers who rant about middle class welfare got all of those things for free, which is my preference! If we didn't apathetically continue to go along with a debt-at-usury monetary system, we would not have found ourselves in a situation where both spouses\/partners are effectively forced to work in order to support the household budget; as such, the need for childcare external to the family unit would be hugely less. Standing by for the misplaced accusations of misogyny and\/or wanting to return society to the 50?s in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... I fear you miss my point. If not for a debt-at-usury monetary system, whereby ever-increasing debt saturation of society is a fundamental necessity in order to keep the Ponzi going (for the primary benefit of the credit<\/strike debt -pushers at the top), then it would still be possible for a household to live on one income. The question of a male or female's genuinely free (not forced) choice to seek employment or not, is IMHO a separate debate. Opinion8red -- Would not alot of the fact that both partners now have to work to support the household potentially be derived from the relaxation of bank credit policy (20-30-40) years ago? Relating in particular to the fact that the banks previously would not use the female applicants income for assesment purposes thus relying soley on the male apps income keeping prices relatively stable? Once these perameters were removed and female applicants income is added in for servicing this was always going to have an effect on prices as now married couples can pay double for a property than they could previously. Add in the fact you now only require 5% deposit and bingo the Mum now needs to go back to work just in order to keep the roof over the familys head as the loan was established prior to having children, both incomes were used so there is no choice but for Mum to go back to work regardless of wether she would like to stay home or not. All blame ... repeat ALL ... for these and pretty much all societal ills, where ever \"money\" has any bearing or influence whatsoever, can IMO be laid fairly and squarely at the feet of the Merchants of Debt. I'm as anti the free-market fairy as the next raniformis but really this substantially about a corrupt party system that mis-allocates funding away from core 'house-keeping' responsibilities and has facilitated unfettered population growth massively out of alignment with infrastructure growth to keep their corporate owners in the black. The problem has more to do with unthinking ideologues lining up to suck up the vast quantities of b.s. that the parties tell them. The fact is the parties don't give two sh8ts whether the kids have a school to go to, they care about the pursuit of power and the rewards it brings them and the corporate support they need to keep it. Exactly. The damage wrought chasing the free market fairy is extensive and very difficult to fix. To be fair, we haven't moved to a liberal market. We have convinced that liberty in the market place is good, and it has convinced some... as by their never-ending spiel on 'gum'int waste!'... but all we have done is move economics structures to favour a quasi-gerontocracy. Favouring assets over labour, just favours chronology. If there was liberty in the market place, the most productive people are males aged between 29-49... they should be living it up. Instead they are the cart horse that pays for baby boomer and female largese. \"We have convinced that liberty in the market place is good, and it has convinced some... as by their never-ending spiel on 'gum'int waste!'... \" Liberty IS good when it is tempered with sensible regulation. It's actually called commonsense. That all began to fail when Clinton repealed Glass -- Steagal. The Marxist failed totalitarian rot you endorse won't get up. There are things that CAN be actually done and there are things that just WILL NOT get done. Within those boundaries lies the feasable. I espouse the wanton collapse of various business so they can be bought up on the cheap by newer venturists. I am for the elimination of the dole, the elimination of the baby bonus, for the increasing the age for the eligibility of the aged pension, the increased of the preservation age for accessing superannuation for the elimination of the federal department of health. The only socialised aspects of society I espouse are education, ceertain health and I would implement a job guarantee. You come to some airy fairy notion I'm a totalitarin because... in the politist way.. you are thick. You do not understand anything you parrot, you do not comprehend what I argue against. i argue we are already a socialst state, one that benefits business. We are a crony-corporatist state, and it has been aided by the implementation of select 'libertarian' policies, without the implementation of the necessary checks and balances. These select policies are gleefully implemented because of useful idiots like yourself. +1 GSM, too many people claim they favour free-markets and oppose crony capitalism yet will support the most horrendously interventialist policies. Personally, as a poker player, my pet hate is the enforcement of the Casino monopoly and the justification that it's to 'protect' people from too much gambing. It's pure nonsense, it's about lining the governments pockets with money made by essentially one person. The result? Innocent punters like myself get utterly ripped off by the house (in the house odds\/rake sense, rather than the sense that all casino's rip you off). This is crony capitalism at it's worst and it's all state sponsored, all crony capitalism is! Aquarian -- Where cant an Australian Citizen access the free health care system to have a child? The only people I know who pay to go private is purely by choice only OR people who are not Perm Res \/ Citizens so are not covered under medicare. If people want to spend 5k to go private then so be it but they could access the public system to do it. I think the point is that if they all did so, the public system would be overwhelmed. It's all tied up with the division of funding and responsibility for health between the States and the Commonwealth. One of the scary comparisms re spain is that they have the bulk of Europes fishing fleet, and naval building capabilities, mind you they did have as many unsold houses as the Yanks with 1\/6th of the Population. My understanding was poor old portugal had to give up its fishing fleet in deference to Spain. i think comparing Australia to spain is a bit silly. Australia is unique in a scary way. What a pathetic system that we force people to draw down housing loans to put in superannuation just to pay the banking sector a spread. And we take huge credit and system risk for our trouble. With negative gearing and superannuation we are simply a mighty derivative that needs unwinding! Interesting post HnH. Time will tell. Out of interest there are many in the thread above bemoaning the 'hollowing out' of the Australian economy. It is possible to demonstrate this statistically and is it possible to ascertain that any said 'hollowing out' is entirely due to the AUD -- not other factors like globalised manufacture. In case you hadn't noticed, the terms-of-trade have peaked, the AUD has decoupled from commodity prices -- particularly coal -- and the strong dollar is hurting the mining sector as much as anyone else now. All those mining projects that have been delayed, postponed or cancelled would become viable overnight if the AUD were to fall to its long-term average. So please, go back to your masters, and ask again: Should I still be cheering the dollar higher? Perhaps the memo was mislaid? Oh please, that's a bit rich coming from someone who is paid by the mining industry to comment here. I think we all understand the causes of changes in our export sector, its a matter of how much emphasis you put on each cause. No-one has denied that globalisation has been a factor, but you flat out deny that the exchange rate has been a factor. IMO they are roughly equal, but there's very little we can do to slow globalisation, we can however lower our exchange rate. BTW, I don't expect a speedy recovery either. I expect (hope?) a weaker currency will save what remains of the trade-exposed sector, and restore some balance to our economy. No speedy recovery. Far from it. We either usher in wide ranging economic restructuring in response or we get shredded over time. The new normal is arriving whether we like it or not.The only variable be the response Australia takes to it. With the emergence of truly globalized markets we have an unusual situation where geographically localized manufacturing support is vital to the success of the upper levels of the manufactures pyramid. Let me explain: Yesterday I mentioned a product that I had recently had manufactured in China, whereby the total time to make and import the product, was considerably less than the time to make the same product in Australia. The main reason for the difference was: -- In China, the component demands for our end product did not stress the local component supply chain. Meaning there were no BOM (bill of material) items with critical \"long lead times\". This situation correctly reflects the relative modest size of my project, compared with the enormous size \/ depth of the local Chinese component industry. By contrast in Australia: Since most of the components we used were fairly unique, we needed to either directly import these ourselves OR use an existing agent, either way we had to pay for all components in advance. This situation creates supply chain inflexibility, which although not a direct cost it does directly affect our projected turns of capital and also changes our ability to dynamically adjust product volume to meet real market demand. For a small company with growth aspirations these are very important differences. Notice that labor costs, were not the most important consideration, however the $AUD was an important consideration which was managed by pricing even our local Aussie product in $USD. As usual, not a squeak about the grotesque size of (Unionised) Govt and it's parasitic effect on strangling the economy. All this is to be expected really. If this Govt continues down its road of waste , mindless spending and protectiong Unions (just to stay in power by buying the donkey votes) then yes, we will end up like Spain. What matters is what will we do NOW, from here on. The past is done and dusted. Private debt is there- it's on the books. It wont be going anywhere but what is Govts response ? Spend more, accrueing debt and pumping up RE , again. Mindless but entirely expected. The way forward from here IMO confronts us with clear choices. - Roll the dice with status quo, ending up like something akin to Spain.It's only a matter of when not if. - Bite the bullet and slash Govt size and it's spending so that we get a REAL surplus that includes substantial Debt repayment. Combine this with massive tax and regulatory restructuring that incentivises SME's ,Ag , Health\/ research and R&D sections of the economy.Our best economic options are centred around a)providing what Asia needs and b)promoting SME's with incentives c) LOWER taxes accross the board that puts more spending power into households. Claims on public moneys need to be slashed. And to do DO something means actually plan and execute to full budgetted delivery on schedule- not seeming to do and announcing to do or putting out a white paper to do. DO. The only soft option is to do nothing and sit here like a frog in a pot. None of that is in the immediate, short term best interests of the Merchants of Debt. So it won't happen. Folks here and everywhere continue spending their time debating the many and varied aspects of the noise, while persistently failing to consider that the only way to change the tune is to take control over who plays what over the loudspeakers. Even within our meagre range of options there is choice. And likely I have not included enough choices. We may not be able to do much about the menu, but let's at least consider and ACT ON what is best for the country's future. My sense is we are approaching a major inflection point in our history. We may not be able to save the whole pack of cards but we should certainly be making and acting on choices that deliver viability for the future. One thing we should certainly be doing to prepare, is to start reducing our reliance on the savings habits of foreigners. As with manufacturing there is a short term argument that we should use the cheap imported 'saving habits'. Those easy to please foreign investors desperate for yield having being denied one in their own currency. But the problems with dependence on foreign investment\/capital\/savings habits are even more serious simply because they a major reason for the dependence on foreign manufacturing. If we really want a currency that reflects our competence and 'worth' the first thing we should self-limit our capacity to run up debt on the credit cards of foreigners. That means: * limiting sales of govt securities to foreigners, * limiting asset sales to 49% equity sharing arrangement (as do most of our local competitors), * strict limits on the sources of funds banks can use for lending for housing. * higher interest rates -- as locals will take some persuasion that saving has merit. Naturally work on the tax regime to discourage unproductive speculation on capital gains rather than generated incomes would be also helpful. People can rarely be told, most need to be shown. Until a bunch of people lose a whole lot of money on housing the \"housing prices never drop\" mentality will remain and those that profit from debt slavery will keep doing what they can to promote it. Maybe I'm stupid but it seems to me that Australia needs to firstly create export focused businesses that are such a slam dunk that the investing public is lining up to get their slice of these businesses. This increases the size of the pie and thereby provides an alternate focus for the passive investors capital. Minus this alternate investment focus, it seems to me that Aussies must ultimately conclude that their savings are safest in housing. Australia needs to create a Facebook, Google....whatever. Something that is clearly more valuable than just another house. Now the kicker is they must hang-on-to the business once it is created, unfortunately hanging on to the business is almost impossible because of the absence of a deep technical skills pool. My conclusion is that education is the place to start, IMHO this means focused technical education reaching well beyond even today's needs. Maybe there should be some simple direct reward for learning certain technical skills, (something like student loan forgiveness for all engineering grads). If you look at the success within the Indian Technical college schemes and their Chinese equivalents you'll have some ideas on how to structure such a system. Foreigners can't create AUD, so if it wasn't for the continual negative terms of trade, foreigners wouldn't have the AUD to lend us in the first place. Yet presumably our banks would still be able to create loans and our government would still be able to spend AUD. Are foreigners AUD savings just a margnially cheaper source (or maybe a capitive source) of bank funding \/ bond sales than domestic AUD savings? If they stopped buying Australian bonds or lending to our banks (and instead just left their AUD idle) would that actually be a problem? About Us No nonsense analysis of the Australian and global economy and the effects on your assets and business. ","labels":"News","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Discuss Police and Crime Commissioners at the General Chat within the Digital World Forums; Huge turnout (not) but no surprise surely? Generally, elections get poorer and poorer turnouts. I'm sure there will be many studies, polls, think-tanks and maybe the odd fact-finding mission to China or wherever. There'll be ... Re: Police and Crime Commissioners Originally Posted by Spectre I hope everyone remembers that when they flock to the polls in 2015 to vote UKIP. Then there do a recount, just like they did when BNP got in at Burnley by two votes in 2007. Once the recount gets done it will go to some other party\/candidate who agrees with there way of thinking. Basically it doesn't matter where the votes go, if you don't agree with there way of thinking you want stand a chance. Just look and read of the resent, Kev carroll police Crime commissioner scandal. They pretty much excluded him from all major advertising\/promotial events where most candidates but him was there and his party. They also took down his advertising! Democracy? Don't get me wrong I might not actually vote for any of these partys, but it's just an example of the unfair playing field. Police and Crime Commissioners - General Chat - Digital World Forums; Huge turnout (not) but no surprise surely? Generally, elections get poorer and poorer turnouts. I'm sure there will be many studies, polls, think-tanks and maybe the odd fact-finding mission to China or wherever. There'll be wailing, wringing of hands and even some gnashing of teeth but... ...the fact remains that if people think their vote does any good they'll turn out. Clearly they don't - it aint rocket science!... All times are GMT +1. The time now is 04:53 . Digital World and all information found within is for educational purposes only we do not accept any responsability for files uploaded to digital world by our members and these files\/attachments are property of the uploader\/member! ","labels":"Forum","dataset":"CORE","language":"English"}
{"text":"Office Web Apps sedaj s podporo soavtorstvu <p\/> Microsoft je v Office Web Apps, spletne razli\u010dice programov Office, dodal podporo so\u010dasnemu delu ve\u010d uporabnikov na istem dokumentu. <p\/> Sodelovanje pri urejanju dokumentov je mogo\u010de prek storitve SkyDrive, na voljo pa sta dva na\u010dina soavtorstva, prilagojena razli\u010dnim dokumentom in \u017eeljam uporabnikov. <p\/> Za ad-hoc sodelovanje in \u00bbmo\u017eganske nevihte\u00ab, pri katerih je koristno, \u010de uporabnik takoj vidi, kaj tipkajo drugi, je primernej\u0161a spletna aplikacija OneNote Web App. Uporabnikom, ki jih takoj\u0161nje prikazovanje sprememb, ki jih vpisujejo drugi, moti, so namenjene funkcije za sodelovanje v Word Web Appu. Tam se spremembe na dokumentu, ki jih je opravil sodelavec, poka\u017eejo \u0161ele, ko ta zaklju\u010di z urejanjem. <p\/> Funkcije za soavtorstvo delujejo enako tako v spletnih aplikacijah Office Web Apps kot v namiznih programih Word 2010 in Word for Mac 2011. (aNET)","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Bullshit detektor! <p\/> Ekola, so mi rekli, naj napi\u0161em blogpost o ne\u010dem kar se je dogajalo na konferenci! Najbolj zanimivo je po mojem mnenju predaval Gustav Martner, izvr\u0161ni kreativni direktor CP+B Europe (Crispin Porter + Bogusky Europe) <p\/> G. Martner je predaval o advertisingu, internetu, medijih, svoji mami, kabelski televiziji, otrocih, o tem kako mikrofon crkuje \u2013 ja res je, nekajkrat je odpovedal mikrofon, medtem ko je predaval, kar mi je pa bilo najbolj v\u0161e\u010d, da je pridobil publiko na svojo stran, ko je izjavil, da je mikrofon bullshit detektor (za tiste ki ne \u0161tekajo, mikrofon neha delat, ko Gustav naklada). Publika spro\u0161\u010dena, pozornost pridobljena. <p\/> Kaj je povedel o internetu, kot mediju? Da strnem v parih vrsticah in mal ve\u010d fotkah. Opozarjam pa, da na splo\u0161no na konferenci niso odkrili tople vode, kakor se re\u010de, pravzaprav niso povedali ni\u010d tako novega, so pa predstavili na zanimiv na\u010din. To velja za manj\u0161ino predavanj v angle\u0161kem jeziku! \u017dal ne vem, \u010de so povedali kaj bolj specifi\u010dnega v \u0161pansko govore\u010dih predavalnicah. <p\/> Gustav Martner med predavanjem <p\/> Pa kr slajdi, da si malo spo\u010dijete o\u010di, jaz pa prste: <p\/> Zakaj prodajalci ne marajo tega? - Ker se tehnologija demokratizira (je na voljo ve\u010dini ljudi) - Ker se digitalna distribucija demokratizira (je na voljo ve\u010dini ljudi) - Ker je lahko vsak zastopnik (ambasador proizvoda) - Ker se dialog in pogovor masovno producirata - Ker se vedno bolj izgublja nadzor <p\/> Kreativnost reklamnega izdelka, kulturo ki jo ustvarja, se ne da ve\u010d tako obvladovat, kakor je \u0161lo prej. <p\/> Ali to pomeni da imajo tradicionalni medij, kot je TV, radio ali tisk in tudi obi\u010dajni oglasi na spleti konkuren\u010dnega nasprotnika? Ali to pomeni da je konec obi\u010dajnih oglasov, ki so zbrejnstormani od pe\u0161\u010dice ljudi in ki so ogla\u0161evani s surovo silo online ali offline marketinga? Za tak\u0161ne kampanje je treba od\u0161teti kar nekaj ojrotov, temu pravimo \u00bbbought media\u00ab - valjda, ker smo pla\u010dali da se nam fura nov izdelek tudi po spletu! <p\/> Gustav Martner pravi, da NE! SPLOH NE! <p\/> To je dokazal na primeru majic Burger kinga, kar poglejte si slajde Gustav Martner \u2013 OMExpo Madrid. \u010ce je dobr advertizing, pol ga kar hitro izrabijo onlajn komjunitiji in zadeva postane viralna! Kar je genialno! Dve stvari sta edino reskantni! <p\/> Prva je, da ni tak\u0161ne kontrole, nad tem kaj bo viralno. Potrebna so dobra predvidevanja in na\u010drtovanja, da ponudi\u0161 komjunitiju to kar ho\u010de\u0161 da zagrabijo. Vaba! ;) Druga pa je to, da se naro\u010dniki bojijo negativne podobe in konotacije izdelka ali storitve, ki bi jo prinesla viralna vsebina.","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Signature I za 1-2 osebi <p\/> Vse savne Signature\u00ae so narejene iz lesa PEFC-certificiranih gozdov, ki izvirajo iz Zdru\u017eenih dr\u017eav Amerike. Uporabljamo samo les, pridobljen na trajnostni na\u010din, ki je odporen na visoke temperature in izjemno vzdr\u017eljiv ter tako primeren za pogosto uporabo. Prednastavite si va\u0161o savno Signature\u00ae z najmodernej\u0161im nastavljivim 36 urnim \u010dasovnikom ali pa jo nastavite na sistem stalne uporabe. Va\u0161a daljna-infrarde\u010da savna SunlightenTM bo ogreta in pripravljena na uporabo natan\u010dno takrat, ko boste Vi tako \u017eeleli! Dodatne mo\u017enosti, kot je spremljanje bio-povratnih informacijin akusti\u010dno resonan\u010dna terapija, pomagajo uporabniku za\u017eiveti zdravo \u017eivljenje. Dandanes na trgu enostavno ni nobene bolj\u0161e daljne-infrarde\u010de savne. <p\/> \u010cudovita obdelava in mo\u010dna konstrukcija <p\/> Razstavni salon","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"spomini <p\/> Spomini <p\/> Po vojni smo \u017eiveli na karte za hrano, tekstil in tudi druge \u017eivljenjske potreb\u0161\u010dine. Da si imel karte, pa \u0161e ni pomenilo, da si potrebno blago tudi dobil. Na\u0161e mame so v vrstah \u010dakale pred trgovinami \u017ee veliko prej, kot so jih odprli. Te\u017eko pri\u010dakovano in dru\u017einam nujno potrebno blago, pa ni bilo vedno neopore\u010dno. Moka je bila velikokrat (kot smo rekli) \u00bb\u017eiva\u00ab. <p\/> To je pomenilo, da so se v njej zaredili molji. Tudi take moke nismo zavrgli. Mama je moko v veliki posodi na vro\u010dem ognju prepra\u017eila, da je \u017eivali uni\u010dila, nato pa jo presejala na gostem situ in tako smo kasneje tudi porabili. <p\/> Spominjam se tudi, kak\u0161no je bilo v tistih letih spodnje perilo. V spodnjicah ni bilo elastike, ampak le navaden trak in z njim smo si morali perilo zavezati. Ko se je perilo ponosilo in strgalo se je zakrpalo. Velikokrat se je storilo tudi tako, da so iz dvojnih spodnjic nastale ene. Prav tako so se popravljale tudi mo\u0161ke srajce. Odrezal se je spodnji del in se na novo naredil ovratnik in man\u0161ete. <p\/> Nogavice, ki se niso dale ve\u010d zakrpati, so se prav tako odrezale nad gle\u017enjem in se je k njim dodal del od drugih nogavic. Tako da je ponovno iz dvojnih dotrajanih nogavic nastal nov par. <p\/> Obleke niso bile konfekcijske, ampak so nam jih izdelale \u0161ivilje, ki so bile za ta poklic izu\u010dene, ali pa tudi ne. Obleke so otrokom se\u0161ili tako, da se je dala dol\u017eina vsaj za 10 cm podalj\u0161at. Otroci smo hitro namre\u010d rasli in tako se\u0161ita obleka je lahko nekaj \u010dasa rasla z nami. Ko smo prerastli tudi tako podalj\u0161ano obleko se je vanjo v dol\u017eino in v rokave vstavil kos novega blaga, ki je bil ponavadi iz drugega materiala in druga\u010dnega vzorca kot osnovna obleka. <p\/> Enako so se \u0161ivali tudi pla\u0161\u010di. Ko smo jih kljub podalj\u0161anju prerastli pa so se sparali in blago se je obrnilo na drugo stran in se je iz njega se\u0161il novi pla\u0161\u010d za naslednjega otroka \u2026 <p\/> Brez pik in brez kart smo lahko na Partizanski cesti pri Borovu kupili tenis copate. To je bilo poletno obuvalo, ki je bilo spodaj iz gume, zgornji del pa je bil platnen. Obi\u010dajno so bili sive barve. Otroci smo si jih polep\u0161ali tako, da smo jih pobarvali z belo kredo. Ne vem kako smo dosegli, da se je barva obdr\u017eala, verjetno smo morali kredo zmo\u010diti. <p\/> Poleti smo nosili tudi posebne poletne copate, ki so bili spleteni iz koruznega li\u010dja. Dobili smo jih lahko v prosti prodaji (brez kart). Copati so bili tako ostri, da smo velikokrat imeli od njih celo krvave prste na nogah. <p\/> Poleti smo nosili tudi \u00bb\u0161pagarce\u00ab, ki nam jih je naredil \u010devljar. Izdelane so bile iz klobu\u010devine (mo\u010dni filc) sive barve. Klobu\u010devino je s podplatom povezovala \u0161paga. Take \u010devlje smo imeli otroci tudi za sve\u010dane prilo\u017enosti \u2013 na primer za birmo. <p\/> \u010cevljarji so nam na \u0161pice in na pete nabili kovinske obro\u010dke, da smo lahko \u010devlje dalje nosili.","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"V aprilu 2014 smo na ra\u010dun tujih turistov zabele\u017eili za 9 % ve\u010d prihodov in za 8 % ve\u010d preno\u010ditev turistov kot v aprilu 2013. <p\/> V aprilu 2014 visok porast prihodov in preno\u010ditev tujih turistov V turisti\u010dnih nastanitvenih objektih so v aprilu 2014 zabele\u017eili za 9 % ve\u010d prihodov in za 8 % ve\u010d preno\u010ditev turistov kot v aprilu 2013. \u0160tevilo prihodov in preno\u010ditev tujih turistov je poraslo za 17 % oz. za 16 %. Ocenjujemo, da je k visokemu porastu prispevalo tudi dejstvo, da so bili velikono\u010dni prazniki letos v aprilu, lani pa v marcu. Upadlo je \u0161tevilo prihodov in preno\u010ditev doma\u010dih turistov (prihodov za 5, preno\u010ditev za 4 %). <p\/> Ve\u010d preno\u010ditev turistov s pomembnej\u0161ih turisti\u010dnih trgov Od turistov s pomembnej\u0161ih turisti\u010dnih trgov so v Sloveniji v aprilu 2014 ustvarili ve\u010d preno\u010ditev kot v aprilu 2013 turisti iz Nem\u010dije (za 47), iz Italije (za 24), iz Avstrije (za 23), iz Hrva\u0161ke (za 11), iz Ruske federacije (za 7 %) in iz Srbije (za 4 %). <p\/> V ob\u010dini Ljubljana ter v zdravili\u0161kih in obmorskih ob\u010dinah za 11 % ve\u010d turisti\u010dnih preno\u010ditev Najve\u010d turistov je v aprilu 2014 preno\u010devalo v zdravili\u0161kih ob\u010dinah, in sicer je bilo 37 % vseh turisti\u010dnih preno\u010ditev zabele\u017eenih v tej vrsti ob\u010din. Sledile so obmorske ob\u010dine s 23 % ter gorske ob\u010dine s 14 % turisti\u010dnih preno\u010ditev. Ob\u010dina Ljubljana je zabele\u017eila 12 % vseh preno\u010ditev turistov. Ob\u010dina Ljubljana ter zdravili\u0161ke in obmorske ob\u010dine so v aprilu 2014 zabele\u017eile za 11 % ve\u010d preno\u010ditev turistov kot v aprilu 2013, gorske ob\u010dine pa so jih zabele\u017eile za 5 % ve\u010d kot lani. <p\/> V hotelih za 8 % ve\u010d preno\u010ditev turistov V aprilu 2014 je bilo zabele\u017eenih najve\u010d preno\u010ditev turistov v hotelih, 71 %; v kampih 8, v apartmajskih in po\u010ditni\u0161kih naseljih 5, v zasebnih sobah, apartmajih in hi\u0161ah pa 3 % preno\u010ditev turistov. Ve\u010d preno\u010ditev turistov je bilo v aprilu 2014 glede na april 2013 zabele\u017eenih v zasebnih sobah, apartmajih in hi\u0161ah (za 21), v kampih (za 13), v hotelih (za 8 %) ter v apartmajskih in po\u010ditni\u0161kih naseljih (za 7 %). <p\/> V prvih \u0161tirih mesecih leta 2014 ve\u010d prihodov in preno\u010ditev tujih turistov, prihodov in preno\u010ditev doma\u010dih turistov pa manj kot v istem obdobju prej\u0161njega leta Prihodov turistov je bilo v prvih \u0161tirih mesecih leto\u0161njega leta za 3 % ve\u010d kot prej\u0161nje leto v tem obdobju njihovih preno\u010ditev pa je bilo ve\u010d za 1 %. V prvih \u0161tirih mesecih 2014 so doma\u010di turisti ustvarili za 2 % manj prihodov in za 3 % manj preno\u010ditev, tuji turisti pa za 7 % ve\u010d prihodov ter za 4 % ve\u010d preno\u010ditev kot lani v tem obdobju. <p\/> Tabela 1: Prihodi in preno\u010ditve turistov, Slovenija, april 2014 1) <p\/> Indeksi <p\/> Struktura (%) <p\/> IV 2014 IV 2013 <p\/> I-IV 2014 I-IV 2013 <p\/> I-IV 2014 <p\/> Prihodi turistov <p\/> skupaj <p\/> 108,9 <p\/> 103,3 <p\/> 100 <p\/> doma\u010di <p\/> 95,0 <p\/> 97,8 <p\/> 40 <p\/> tuji <p\/> 116,7 <p\/> 107,5 <p\/> 60 <p\/> Preno\u010ditve turistov <p\/> skupaj <p\/> 108,0 <p\/> 100,6 <p\/> 100 <p\/> doma\u010di <p\/> 96,5 <p\/> 96,5 <p\/> 45 <p\/> tuji <p\/> 115,8 <p\/> 104,1 <p\/> 55 <p\/> 1) Podatki zajemajo turisti\u010dne nastanitvene objekte, ki razpolagajo z vsaj 10 stalnimi le\u017ei\u0161\u010di. <p\/> V mese\u010dnih podatkih niso zajeti nekateri turisti\u010dni nastanitveni objekti z manj kot 10 stalnimi le\u017ei\u0161\u010di v naslednjih vrstah nastanitvenih objektov: zasebne sobe, apartmaji in hi\u0161e, preno\u010di\u0161\u010da, turisti\u010dne kmetije z nastanitvijo ter delavski po\u010ditni\u0161ki domovi in apartmaji. V letnih podatkih pa so upo\u0161tevani tudi ti nastanitveni objekti.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Slavnostni zaklju\u010dek festivala Fabula <p\/> Za konec ponovne uspe\u0161ne izvedbe festivala Fabula, ki sta ga letos kronala obisk \u0161kotske literarne zvezde Irvina Welsha in njegov nastop pred nabito polnim Klubom CD, so organizatoji k besedi (in branju) povabili tri slovenske avtorje in eno avtorico. O mitih, njihovem vplivu na na\u0161e vsakdanje \u017eivljenje, pomenu za literaturo ter na\u0161i (ne) zavedni vpetosti v mitske svetove so se pogovarjali Stanka Hrastelj, Milan Kle\u010d, Marko Sosi\u010d in Du\u0161an \u0160arotar. Ob tej prilo\u017enosti je iz\u0161la tudi zbirka kratke proze Miti na\u0161i vsakdanji z eno zgodbo od vsakega povabljenega avtorja oz. avtorice. <p\/> Zakaj so bili k sodelovanju povabljeni prav ti \u0161tirje avtorji, ni povsem jasno. Je organizatorje pri izboru vodila notranja in vsebinska podstat izbranih pisav ali je \u0161lo bolj kot ne za naklju\u010dni izbor? Glede na raznorodnost \u0161tirih zbranih zgodb, ki v\u010dasih z miti nimajo skoraj ni\u010d skupnega oziroma predstavljajo kar njihovo negacijo (Stanka Hrastelj), se zdi verjetnej\u0161a druga mo\u017enost. Kljub temu pa vsaj Du\u0161anu \u0160arotarju in Marku Sosi\u010du, po njunih reflektiranih odgovorih sode\u010d, tematika mitov ni tuja in jima je slu\u017eila kot dobra izhodi\u0161\u010dna to\u010dka za nastajajo\u010do zgodbo. <p\/> Du\u0161an \u0160arotar je poudaril, da je interpretacija mitov nekaj, kar ves \u010das po\u010dne, saj miti niso ni\u010d drugega kot spomin, vsi pa smo narejeni iz spominov. Miti po njegovih besedah tudi povezujejo ljudi v \u010dasu in prostoru, opredeljujejo dolo\u010deno skupnost skozi \u010das ter ji dajejo smisel in trdnost. Marko Sosi\u010d se je strinjal, da smo tako na polju nezavednega kot zavednega vpeti v slovensko ljudsko izro\u010dilo in anti\u010dne mite. Vendar je poudaril, da moramo razviti kriti\u010den odnos do mitskih podob zahodne dru\u017ebe, ki slu\u017eijo kot modeli in ideali. Da bi se lahko soo\u010dili z dana\u0161njim \u010dasom in s samim sabo, moramo po Sosi\u010devih besedah pridobiti distanco, potrebno za kriti\u010dno refleksijo. <p\/> Stanka Hrastelj se je osredoto\u010dila na \u017eenske like, ki opredeljujejo slovensko mitolo\u0161ko polje. Razmi\u0161ljala je predvsem o dveh: o lepi Vidi, ki se zdi samoumevna izbira, in pa o liku cankarjanske matere \u2013 trpe\u010de matere in \u017eene, ki se \u017ertvuje za mo\u0161kega in v zameno pri\u010dakuje njegovo ve\u010dno hvale\u017enost. Ta lik je \u2013 kot je pravilno ugotovila avtorica \u2013 v na\u0161i dru\u017ebi \u0161e vedno zelo prisoten. Pri pisanju kratke zgodbe pa se je Hrasteljeva vendarle naslonila na lik lepe Vide, le da mu je dodala zasuk v obliki sre\u010dnega konca. Avtorica je \u0161e poudarila, da slu\u017eijo miti kot ogledalo, ki razlaga na\u0161e obna\u0161anje, saj izhajajo iz ravnanja \u010dlove\u0161tva. <p\/> Milan Kle\u010d ni povedal prav veliko. Med \u0160arotarjevim in Sosi\u010devim debatiranjem je poskrbel za komi\u010dni predah z zgodbo o skoviku, ki se mu je zavlekel na balkon in se tam vztrajno ogla\u0161al ter motil njegov (du\u0161evni) mir, saj naj bi tak\u0161no skovikanje napovedovalo smrt. \u0160torija o juna\u0161kem soo\u010denju s krilatim kalilcem miru v stanovanjski soseski in njegovo kasnej\u0161o odstranitvijo je \u2013 v kombinaciji s Kle\u010devo trpin\u010deno pojavo, saj je ves \u010das deloval, kot da bi bil v tistem trenutku raje kjerkoli drugje kot na odru Kluba CD \u2013 pribli\u017eno sto obiskovalcev ve\u010dera dodobra nasmejala. Tina Kozin, ki je vsem gostom zastavljala ista vpra\u0161anja, se ni pustila zmesti in je, ko je bil za odgovor ponovno na vrsti Kle\u010d, vpra\u0161anje spretno prilagodila glede na avtorjevo pripovedovanje (in stanje). <p\/> Na koncu je vsak od povabljencev prebral odlomek iz svoje kratke zgodbe, z izjemo Milana Kle\u010da, ki se je odlo\u010dil, da bo namesto svoje zgodbe raje prebral pesem pred kratkim umrlega Matja\u017ea Kocbeka. Marko Sosi\u010d si je za osnovo svoje zgodbe \u00bbPrezir\u00ab izbral legendo o Devinski dami ter jo vpel v trenutno zelo aktualno tematiko brezposelnosti in posledi\u010dnim ob\u010dutkom sramu Milan Kle\u010d je v zgodbi \u00bbKrakow\u00ab opisal izpolnjeno \u017eeljo revne \u0161tudentke in natakarice, ki ji pla\u010da potovanje v to poljsko mesto in nadnaravno zamenjavo, do katere pride na koncu zgodbe Du\u0161an \u0160arotar je v zgodbi \u00bbMed visoke oblake, ki bodo peli\u00ab dogajanje postavil v Soboto in ga uokviril s fascinacijo nad zvezdami in \u0161tevilnimi ljudskimi verovanji o zvezdah, ki so \u0161e vedno prisotna Stanka Hrastelj pa je \u2013 kot \u017ee re\u010deno \u2013 povedala novodobno zgodbo o lepi Vidi s sre\u010dnim koncem. <p\/> Miti so izredno \u0161iroka in hvale\u017ena tematika, o kateri bi bilo seveda mogo\u010de povedati \u0161e marsikaj. Kot je poudaril Marko Sosi\u010d, nastajajo miti iz \u010dlovekovega poskusa po razumevanju sveta, toda kljub izjemnemu znanstvenemu napredku v zadnjih stoletjih ostaja \u010dlovek v svojem bistvu isti, prav tako ostaja prisotna njegova potreba po zgodbah, ki naj mu osmi\u0161ljajo svet. <p\/> Festival Fabula 2013, ki je tokrat praznoval \u017ee okroglo, deseto obletnico, se je s tem sklenil. \u0160koda le, da se je prav letos prekinila tradicija podeljevanja Dnevnikove fabule, edine slovenske literarne nagrade za najbolj\u0161o izvirno kratkoprozno zbirko. Kot vemo, je tovrstne tradicije veliko la\u017ee nadaljevati kot pa jih obujati od mrtvih. <p\/> Obvestila po e-po\u0161ti","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Avtor Tekstilnica v Novice Datum objave: 21-januar-2014 <p\/> V mesecu septembru smo Dru\u0161tvo Ekologi brez meja in Zadruga Dobrote iz Dravograda, oba partnerja na projektu Tekstilnica, razpisali nate\u010daj \"Oblikovanje in izdelava odgovornih bo\u017ei\u010dno-novoletnih daril\". Pri tem smo imeli v mislih prakti\u010dne izdelke, ki bi v sebi zdru\u017eevali odgovoren odnos do okolja (narejeni so prete\u017eno iz rabljenega tekstila) in do soljudi, isto\u010dasno pa ponudili mo\u017enost ustvarjalnim ljudem v Sloveniji, da se uveljavijo. Do konca razpisnega obdobja se je nabralo veliko zanimivih zamisli. Strokovna komisija je poslane predloge skrbno pregledala in ocenila in na koncu izbrala 11 izdelkov, v oktobru pa so se v obratu Zadruge Dobrote \u017ee za\u010deli \u0161ivati prvi izdelki. <p\/> Pri promociji smo iskali razli\u010dne tr\u017ene poti. Na\u0161a prodajna kampanja je bila v prvi vrsti namenjena podjetjem, ker smo \u017eeleli, da bi to leto svoje zaposlene ali poslovne partnerje obdarili z druga\u010dnimi darili \u2013 tak\u0161nimi, ki imajo poleg materialne tudi sporo\u010dilno vrednost. Ponudba, opremljena s slikovnim in pisnim materialom, je bila poslana na ve\u010d kot 35.000 naslovov. <p\/> Obve\u0161\u010danje je intenzivno potekalo tudi v neposrednem stiku z ljudmi (na razli\u010dnih sejmih in prireditvah), na na\u0161i spletni in FB strani, izdelke pa smo ponudili tudi v spletni trgovini Dru\u0161tva Ekologi brez meja. <p\/> Razpis predvideva tudi denarne nagrade avtorjem najbolje prodajanih izdelkov. <p\/> Najbolje prodajan izdelek je: <p\/> Predpasnik Druga\u010den, avtorice Barbare \u017div\u010di\u0107 <p\/> Mo\u0161ka srajca se koristno spremeni v komplet predpasnika in kuhinjske krpe <p\/> Drugo mesto pa pripada izdelku: <p\/> Eko pol\u017e, avtorice Sabine Spanjol <p\/> Peresnica iz rabljenega tekstila, ki se zvije v pol\u017ea in zavzame zelo malo prostora <p\/> \u010cestitamo obema zmagovalkama! <p\/> Ve\u010dina izdelkov je splo\u0161no uporabnih in niso vezani le na decembrske praznike, zato so lahko primerno darilo ob vsaki prilo\u017enosti. <p\/> Darila so \u0161e vedno na voljo v na\u0161i spletni trgovini, za ve\u010dje koli\u010dine pa je potrebno predhodno naro\u010dilo.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Domov <p\/> Domov <p\/> MOP prenesel gradbeno dovoljenje za drugi tir na 2TDK <p\/> Dru\u017eba 2TDK je prejela odlo\u010dbo Ministrstva za okolje in prostor, s katero je preneslo gradbeno dovoljenje za gradnjo drugega tira \u017eelezni\u0161ke povezave Diva\u010da-Koper iz dosedanjega investitorja Direkcijo RS za infrastrukturo na dru\u017ebo 2TDK. V zakonu o drugem tiru, ki je stopil v veljavo 21. julija, je zapisano, da je to potrebno storiti najkasneje v 30 dneh od uveljavitve zakona. <p\/> Vlada RS kot skup\u0161\u010dina v skladu zakonom o drugem tiru mora izvesti \u0161e dokapitalizacijo 2TDK v vi\u0161ini 20 milijonov evrov, sprejeti poslovni na\u010drt dru\u017ebe in uskladiti akt o ustanovitvi 2TDK. Vlada bo imenovala \u010dlane projektno-finan\u010dnega sveta. Pripraviti in sprejeti mora uredbo, ki bo podrobneje dolo\u010dala takso na pretovor, in sklep, ki bo dolo\u010dal podrobnosti v zvezi s pribitkom, ter sprejeti investicijski program. <p\/> Med direkcijo in 2TDK poteka primopredaja dokumentacije, a ker bo nekatera gradiva obravnavala tudi Vlada RS kot skup\u0161\u010dina, bo zato potreben dodaten \u010das. Skup\u0161\u010dini bo predlagano, da obravnava nekatere dodatne vsebine, ki jih zakon ni dorekel, je pa njihova obravnava na skup\u0161\u010dini potrebna, saj so se zaradi ve\u010d kot enoletnega zamika pri uveljavitvi zakona pojavile nove situacije in pravne praznine v povezavi s primopredajo.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Intervju, objavljen v strokovni reviji Isis, glasilu Zdravni\u0161ke zbornice Slovenije, januar 2008 (27) <p\/> Ob dvatiso\u010di \u0161tevilki biltena zib <p\/> Pogovor z Anko \u0160trukelj Fras, urednico <p\/> Vpra\u0161anje: Bilten ZIB je za\u010del izhajati maja 1999. Po \u0161tirih letih ste izdali tiso\u010do \u0161tevilko, po naslednjih \u0161tirih letih, na predbo\u017ei\u010dni dan 2007, dvatiso\u010do. Kak\u0161na je va\u0161a izku\u0161nja? <p\/> Odgovor: Ta, da biltenu v tem razmeroma dolgem obdobju izhajanja ni bilo treba spreminjati vsebinske zasnove. \u0160e vedno lahko zapi\u0161emo, kar smo na za\u010detku, ko smo vabili bralce k naro\u010danju: ZIB bilten je dnevna spletna publikacija za potrebe zdravstva. Je izvirna, aktualna, pregledna, jedrnata in neodvisna. Geslo ZIB biltena je Prihranek na \u010dasu. Naslednja med izku\u0161njami je, da ZIB kot miniaturna elektronska publikacija, sestavljena iz kratkih \u010dlankov in seznamov relevantnih dokumentov ter medijskih objav, brez slikovnega gradiva in vabljivih grafi\u010dnih dodatkov, z leti pridobiva na te\u017ei. Tembolj, kolikor bolj se strani svetovnega spleta dobesedno \u0161ibijo od teh dodatkov. Spri\u010do slednjega postaja vsebina prenekaterikrat drugotnega pomena ali pa, \u010detudi dobra, bralca pri\u010dakuje zaklenjena za \u010darobnimi spletnimi vrati, odpiranje katerih terja \u010das in denar. Na\u0161i bralci predvsem nimajo \u010dasa na pretek. Med njimi so domala vsa vodstva slovenskih dr\u017eavnih, regijskih in lokalnih zdravstvenih institucij \u2013 bolni\u0161nic, zdravstvenih domov, lekarn, zavodov za zdravstveno varstvo in tudi podjetij. Dnevni ZIB prejmejo v obliki e-po\u0161te pono\u010di in ga navadno preberejo zjutraj. Ali kot nam je vo\u0161\u010dil ob tiso\u010di \u0161tevilki Igor Vuk, direktor novogori\u0161ke obmo\u010dne enote Zavoda za zdravstveno zavarovanje Slovenije: \"Za nekatere je prvo in najljub\u0161e jutranje opravilo pitje kave. Za mene je to pregledovanje va\u0161ih zgo\u0161\u010denih novic s podro\u010dja zdravstvenega varstva in zdravstvenega zavarovanja.\" Spodbudno vo\u0161\u010dilo in \u017eelimo, da \u0161e vedno velja. <p\/> Vpra\u0161anje: Toda listanje po va\u0161em elektronskem arhivu kljub temu ka\u017ee, da ste nekaj re\u010di od nastanka biltena spremenili. <p\/> Odgovor: Postopoma smo izbolj\u0161evali tehni\u010dno stran. Ob tiso\u010di \u0161tevilki smo bralce na primer nagradili z nekoliko prenovljeno stranjo in omogo\u010dili prebiranje vsebine tudi v enem stolpcu, kar olaj\u0161a prebiranje biltena na ekranu. Nato smo z izborom medijskih prispevkov za\u010deli ob dopoldnevih nuditi tudi Mali ZIB, ki prina\u0161a izbrane medijske objave tistega dne in predstavlja \"predujem\" rubrike Mediji iz nastajajo\u010dega biltena, ki izide naslednji dan. Pred dvatiso\u010do \u0161tevilko smo bralcem omogo\u010dili neposredni dostop do dokumentov javnih naro\u010dil in Uradnega lista. In \u0161e se bo kaj na\u0161lo tudi v bodo\u010de. <p\/> Vpra\u0161anje: Zdravstvo pogosto spremljajo afere, ki jih mediji razli\u010dno gradirajo, od objektivnih poro\u010dil do prikazovanja manj in bolj za\u010dinjenih dejstev ali celo interesno pristranskih dodatkov. Kako vna\u0161ate poro\u010danje o teh aferah v sicer umirjeni in v\u010dasih celo malce dostojanstveno odmaknjeni ZIB? <p\/> Odgovor: ZIB pravzaprav ni umirjen in tudi dostojanstveno odmaknjen ne. Urednica je preve\u010d novinarka, da bi ji kaj takega uspelo. Sestavljen je iz dejstev, spo\u0161tovanja in poznavanja podro\u010dja zdravstva in ljudi, ki so v njem udele\u017eeni na najrazli\u010dnej\u0161e na\u010dine. Te tri stvari \u2013 dejstva, podro\u010dje in ljudje - se prepletajo v zapletenih vzorcih, ki si jih vselej ne izmislijo posamezni ljudje, marve\u010d valovijo \u010das, v katerem nastajajo. <p\/> Da bi ZIB to odrazil z besedami, se uredni\u0161tvo dosledno izogiba slab\u0161alnim besedam in povedim v objavljenih \u010dlankih. Afere so zelo pogosto medijsko olistane prav s slab\u0161alnimi povedmi. Te kot svojski eksoti vabijo k eksoti\u010dnemu branju, pri tem pa meglijo ali celo kriven\u010dijo bistvo dejanskega pojava ali dogodka. In ko to \"listje\" otrese\u0161, ostane to, kar je. Dejstva kajpak niso vselej lepa in problemi, o katerih poro\u010damo, po pravilu niso lepi. Toda \u010de so predstavljeni taki, kot dejansko so, je ve\u010dja mo\u017enost, da jih bodo tisti, na katere se nana\u0161ajo, re\u0161ili ali odpravili. <p\/> Vpra\u0161anje: Zdaj je v zdravstvu posebej aktualno vpra\u0161anje - tudi ZIB je o tem \u017ee ve\u010dkrat pisal - o informacijah, povezanih z zdravili, pri katerih je potrebna, ni pa lahko dolo\u010dljiva, meja med informacijami in ogla\u0161evanjem. Ali je sploh dolo\u010dljiva? <p\/> Odgovor: Natan\u010dne meje ni. V dobri reklami je tudi dobra informacija, v slabi informaciji pa je tudi slaba reklama. O pomembnem, tudi kar se tega ti\u010de, lahko presoja notranji jaz. V Zibu si pri tem pomagamo z doslednimi navedbami virov informacij k slehernemu \u010dlanku. <p\/> Vpra\u0161anje: Kako reklamirate ZIB? <p\/> Odgovor: Z njim samim. No, napravili smo tudi majhnega reklamnega Zibovega ra\u010dka, kako z rumenim kljunom vabi k branju informacije o tem, kaj ZIB nudi in komu je namenjen. Tudi natisnjeni Zdravstveni koledar\u010dek nosi na\u0161 logotip. To bi bilo glede reklame pravzaprav vse. Ker se zdravstveni koledar\u010dek nenehno \u0161iri, je najnovej\u0161a verzija sproti objavljena v Gradivu na naro\u010dni\u0161ki strani. Ob dvatiso\u010di \u0161tevilki je zdravstveni koledar\u010dek kot darilo potencialnim naro\u010dnikom in bralcem pre\u0161el na odprto stran. <p\/> Vpra\u0161anje: ZIB je majhen in v njem je predstavljen en cel zdravstveni dan. Tako kot je na primer v TV dnevniku cel svetovni dan. Kako to vse bolj glasno in mnogozvo\u010dno dogajanje spravite na nekaj listov? <p\/> Odgovor: Tako, da med dogodki in dejstvi najprej odberemo relevantno snov in nato gradiva, ki slu\u017eijo nastajanju Zibovih \u010dlankov, o\u010distimo nepotrebnih besed, besednih zvez, stavkov in celo odstavkov. V tem je tudi preprosta skrivnost Zibovega gesla Prihranek na \u010dasu. <p\/> Vpra\u0161anje: \u010ce je tako, bi menili, da naro\u010dila s strani tistih, ki jim je bilten namenjen, kar de\u017eujejo. <p\/> Odgovor: Ni\u010d ne de\u017eujejo. Prihajajo po kapljicah, ki pa se ne posu\u0161ijo.","labels":"Other","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"(brez laktoze, mleka in glutena-prav tako pa je melasa dovoljena tudi diabetikom in v mali koli\u010dini pri dieti za kandido) <p\/> Jajca in melaso sem penasto stepla. ko je masa narasla sem vanjo dodala \u0161e ostale sestavine in \u0161e malo me\u0161ala. Vse skupaj sem vlila v peka\u010d oblo\u017een s peki papirjem in dala pe\u010dit v predhodno ogreto pe\u010dico na 180\u00b0C za 15 min. <p\/> Melaso sem dala v mandljevo mleko in segrela na zelo nizki temperaturi in me\u0161ala toliko \u010dasa, da se je melasa stopila. Vmes je \u017eelatina nabreknila - sem jo stopila in dodala mandljevemu mleku. <p\/> Sestava <p\/> Na mandljev biskvit sem dala zmrznjene gozdne sade\u017ee in jih prelila z mandljevo strnjenko. Vse skupaj sem \u010dez no\u010d postavila v hladilnik. <p\/> Okusno malce druga\u010de ... predvsem pa zdrava razli\u010dica sladki varjanti <p\/> O nas","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Kako se tr\u017ei seks? <p\/> Pridevniki, ki tradicionalno dobro tr\u017eijo spolnost, so duhovno, spiritualno, ezoteri\u010dno in \u0161e zlasti tantri\u010dno <p\/> Na za\u010detku devetdesetih let prej\u0161njega stoletja so \u0161irom po na\u0161i mladi domovini pognali masa\u017eni saloni, v katerih so \u00bbstrokovno usposobljene\u00ab maserke mesile po ve\u010dini zale\u017eana in od stresa razrvana mo\u0161ka telesa, \u017eeljna krep\u010dilnih eksoti\u010dnih masa\u017e: tajskih, kitajskih in malajskih, navadnih in specialnih, ro\u010dnih in no\u017enih. Se je v odi\u0161avljenih, medlo osvetljenih sobicah res vr\u0161ila najstarej\u0161a obrt? Levji dele\u017e klientele bi na to vpra\u0161anje mirne vesti z roko na Svetem pismu odgovoril z besedami biv\u0161ega ameri\u0161kega predsednika Billa Clintona: \u00bbNismo imeli spolnih odnosov s tistimi \u017eenskami. \u00ab Najeta dekleta so kliente po svojih najbolj\u0161ih neprofesionalnih mo\u010deh v resnici masirala in \u010de je pri tem neki del klienta nepri\u010dakovano otrdel, so pa\u010d ro\u010dno storila, kar je bilo v opisu del in nalog, da bi zmanj\u0161ala njegovo napetost. In to je bilo tudi vse. V masa\u017enih salonih na\u010delno ni prihajalo do klasi\u010dnih spolnih odnosov, to pa seveda ne pomeni, da se tam ni dogajalo tisto, kar lai\u010dna javnost pojmuje pod tehni\u010dnimi izrazi fafanje, rokomet, \u0161latanje in \u0161e\u0161kanje. Skratka, lastniki slovenskih masa\u017enih salonov so se obna\u0161ali v skladu s politi\u010dno korektnostjo zahodne kr\u0161\u010danske civilizacije, ki tolerira marsikaj, le tega ne, da seksu re\u010de\u0161 fuk. Oziroma tolerira navzo\u010dnost seksa v svoji sredini le, \u010de ga vpne\u0161 v nek umetni\u0161ki, in\u0161talacijski, avtorski, obrtni\u0161ki, institucionalni, estetski, kozmeti\u010dni ali spiritualni kontekst. Seks kot tak sam po sebi ni za\u017eelen. Zato tak cirkus okoli pornografije, prostitucije in podobnih pojavov, ki glede bistva prav ni\u010d ne okoli\u0161ijo. <p\/> Pridevniki, ki tradicionalno dobro tr\u017eijo spolnost skupaj z njenimi stranskimi u\u010dinki, posledicami in problemi, so duhovno, spiritualno, ezoteri\u010dno in \u0161e zlasti tantri\u010dno. Tantri\u010dni seks je hit. Infiltriral se je v terminologijo psihiatri\u010dne stroke, zavzel je tabloidne medije, obsedel nezadovoljene gospodinje, ki sanjajo o nirvanisti\u010dni kontinuiteti, in nezadovoljne gospode, ki se muzajo ob mislih na osem -, dvanajst - ali \u0161tiriindvajseturne erekcije, \u010deprav se jim niti pribli\u017eno ne sanja, kaj bi lahko v tem \u010dasu s svojim strumnim udom dosegli. Spomnimo se na Njegovo svetost guruja Bhagwan Sri Rajneesha, ki je moral leta 1981 zaradi svojega revolucionarnega pristopa do tantri\u010dnih vsebin zapustiti poduhovljeno mater Indijo in se z obse\u017eno floto po naro\u010dilu izdelanih rolls-roycev naseliti v ameri\u0161kem Oregonu. Njegova svetost je sredi Oregona vzpostavila tantri\u010dno komuno, ki je na veliko trgovala z razsvetljenstvom, zaslovela pa je po tem, da niti najbolj grosisti\u010dnim kupcem ni priznavala koli\u010dinskih popustov. Ko so se v vrsto postavila imena iz glasbenega in filmskega \u0161ovbiznisa, so mnogi pla\u010dali obscene vsote samo zato, da so lahko stali v vrsti. In samo vpra\u0161anje \u010dasa je bilo, kdaj se bo epicenter prakti\u010dne tantri\u010dne filozofije preselil v son\u010dno Kalifornijo, kjer vernikom prijazne religije vznikajo po teko\u010dem traku na dnevni osnovi, od koder bo nato kot vse ameri\u0161ke modne muhe bu\u0161nil na staro celino in posledi\u010dno tudi v Slovenijo.","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"\u010ce vam je za od\u017eejanje ljub\u0161a mineralna, voda, ne skrbite \u2013 strokovnjaki trdijo, da ni \u0161kodljiva. Osve\u017euje in hidrolizira telo prav tako kot navadna voda. <p\/> \u010cetudi mineralna voda vsebuje ogljikov dioksid, ta nikakor ne more \u0161kodovati va\u0161i zobni sklenini. Da bi postala gro\u017enja zanje, bi jo morali popiti v zelo velikih koli\u010dinah. Druga\u010de pa je z gaziranimi sokovi, ki vsebujejo fosforno kislino, sladkorje in snovi, ki so \u0161kodljive za zdravje. <p\/> Nekateri menijo, da lahko mineralna voda povzro\u010da osteoporozo, ker naj bi spirala kalcij iz kosti. A niti ena raziskava tega ni potrdila. <p\/> Mineralna voda zato ni zdravju \u0161kodljiva, je zdravilna in jo lahko pijete. Seveda pa to ni enako, \u010de pijete mineralno vodo z razli\u010dnimi okusi. Tak\u0161ni pija\u010di so prime\u0161ani sladkorji, ki \u0161kodujejo zdravju. <p\/> Preverite tudi, \u010de mineralna voda vsebuje natrij, ta v ve\u010djih koli\u010dinah lahko vpliva na visok krvni tlak. Pitje mineralne vode v zmernih koli\u010dinah, ki vsebuje veliko magnezija je zdravo. Dokazano je, da laj\u0161a simptome osteoporoze, dobro pa vpliva tudi na tiste ljudi, ki imajo povi\u0161an slab holesterol.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Priprave mladih \u0161printerjev, Beograd - 23.12.-30.12.2016 <p\/> Sob, 24 Dec 2016 09:30 | Avtor Mateja | <p\/> Iz priprav se ogla\u0161a tudi \u0161printerska ekipa, ki jo vodi trener Andrej Jeri\u010dek. Odpravili so se v novo zgrajeno atletsko dvorano v Beogradu, kjer bo marca 2017 potekalo evropsko prvenstvo za \u010dlane in \u010dlanice. Danes so opravili prvi trening in po besedah trenerja Jeri\u010dka so vsi navdu\u0161eni in se \u017ee veselijo preostalih treningov, ki jih bodo opravili (2x na dan) do 30.12.2016.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Sestavine <p\/> Za strjenko: <p\/> 0, 5l smetane <p\/> 3 lon\u010dki kozjega jogurta <p\/> 5 \u017elic sladkorja v prahu <p\/> 12 g \u017eelatine <p\/> Za biskvit: <p\/> 4 jajca <p\/> 4 \u017elice sladkorja <p\/> 70 g mandljeve moke <p\/> Ostalo: <p\/> 10 zrelih fig <p\/> 30 g zrelega kozjega sira <p\/> Priprava: <p\/> Fige olupimo, jih spasiramo in pretla\u010dimo skozi cedilo, tako da nam ostane samo krema brez ko\u0161\u010dic. <p\/> 1 lon\u010dek jogurta segrejemo in v njem raztopimo \u017eelatino, ki smo jo prej namo\u010dili. Nato zdru\u017eimo vse sestavine za strjenko in na rahlo razme\u0161amo. Tako maso lahko vlijemo v modele ali v peka\u010d, kjer je pe\u010den biskvit. Tako pripravljeno postavimo za nekaj ur v hladilnik. <p\/> Za biskvit lo\u010dimo rumenjake od beljakov in jih stepemo s sladkorjem. Zdru\u017eimo jih in dodamo mandljevo moko. V peka\u010d, oblo\u017een s peki papirjem na rahlo vlijemo maso, in sicer pribli\u017eno 2 cm debelo. Pe\u010demo v prej ogreti 13 minut pe\u010dici na 180 \u00b0 C. <p\/> Serviranje: Kemo iz fig uporabimo kot lu\u017eico na kro\u017eniku, na katero postavimo rezino strjenke z biskvitom, na katero naribamo \u0161e kozji sir.","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Tiskalnik ZQ520 predstavlja popolno razmerje med stro\u0161ki, kakovostjo, vsestranskostjo in enostavno uporabo. Ta prenosni tiskalnik je zelo robusten in je primeren tudi za uporabo izven mati\u010dne organizacije, saj prina\u0161a zanesljivost in vzdr\u017eljivost tudi v najbolj zahtevnih okoljih. So izjemno lahki, pa vendar zelo odporni na prah in padce. Njegova uporaba lahka in intuitivna, veliki gumbi pa so primerni tudi za uporabo z rokavicami. <p\/> Vse dodatne informacije si lahko preberete v spodnjih datotekah:","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"\u010de bi mi jih v banki zmenjali, tiste evr\u010dke, se res ne bi hudo jezila. Haha, kar se pa muck (posebno tistih na dveh nogah) ti\u010de, so pa bolj nevarnje tebi, kot meni. Medvede pa \u0161e vedno raje sre\u010dujem - za ograjo, pa \u010deprav samo enega na leto, M. <p\/> tisti petdesettiso\u010dak je pa \u017ee dal nekaj skozi... le koliko bi danes bil vreden no, vsekakor ve\u010d kot pa ovi natiskani evr\u010dki... lep no\u010dni pozdrav prek dobrav tetica p.s. a ovi tam je pa tvoj ma\u010dko, pa je za nas tokrat kar tak poziral ;-) <p\/> Tudi jaz sem \u017ee na\u0161la kak\u0161ne stare gnarje, pa so \u0161li sproti v razne zbirke. Hec, da sploh ni pomembno, koliko je vreden papir, pa koliko nul je na njem, va\u017ena je letnica izdaje. Kako se menjajo vrednosti enega artikla... <p\/> bila na prijetnem \" randiju \" z na\u0161im blogerskim Odsev\u010dkom, pa se ogla\u0161am \u0161ele zdaj. No, \u010dez kak\u0161no uro pa pride Purfel\u010dek, ki me bo pa gotovo ro\u010dno zabrisal s kompa. <p\/> @ An\u010dica, hehe, ja samo pomislil koliko \" gnarov \" je \u017ee \u0161lo mimo nas v \u017eivljenju - pa nam danes ne pomenijo ni\u010d. In potem res lahko re\u010demo - ta papir je iluzija, zakaj bi se zaradi njega metal na zobe? Se ne spla\u010da. Tudi z manj smo znali - moja prva pla\u010da pa je bila 12 jurjev in \u0161e zdaj vem, da mi je mama rekla, naj jo obdr\u017eim samo zase in si kupim z njo, kar \u017eelim. Kupila sem si pulover (ne doma narejen, kot sem jih imela do takrat) in kaubojke, haha. Kasneje seveda sem pla\u010devala mami \" oskrbnino in prispevke za bivanje pod isto streho \". <p\/> @ haha tetica, po moje ta petdesetiso\u010dak ne more biti ni\u010d vreden - je \u0161kartiran. Ja, ma\u010dko se je pa na\u0161emil, da sem vam ga lahko pokazala, haha. A ne da je \u0161mensi? <p\/> @ Babica, \u010desi in vrednosti se res menjajo. Kar pomisli - v\u010dasih je celo mrtev \u010dlovek vreden ve\u010d, kot je bil, ko je bil \u017eiv. Odvisno od vrednostne lestvice ocenjevalca. Tole \u017eivljenje je res ve\u010dna, v\u010dasih sme\u0161na, nerazumljiva uganka. <p\/> oja ta prvega bankovca se spomnim (((;&amp; ej marjan\u010dek ampak ve\u0161 tvoje mu\u0161nice pa mic mic tudi nista kar tako... lepo je... prav zato ker je vsaka slika svojstven unikat... svak fotograf vidi s svojimi okulami in to daje sliki izjemnost... unikatnost ((((;&amp; v\u0161e\u010d v\u0161e\u010d juhej juhej (((((((((((;&amp; <p\/> midve sva \u0161e iz tistih \u010dasov, ko smo zaslu\u017eili milijon (ha, pa naj \u0161e kdo re\u010de, da tudi midve nisva bili nikoli milijonarki, \u010de si upa), kaj se je za tisti milijon dobilo pa... No, od lakote tudi takrat, ko smo imeli inflacijo kot neko\u010d Kitajci, da je bilo dobro naro\u010deno najprej pla\u010dat, potem \u0161ele vzet - nismo gagnili. Seveda pa smo mu\u0161nice vedno samo gledali - ne jedli. Ampak ima\u0161 prav - za gledat so res \u010dedne. Najlep\u0161e bodi, M. <p\/> pi\u0161uka vidi\u0161 ti zdaj tole tile miljoni me izdajajo da nisem ve\u010d rosna mladenka em em ha ha ha ((((((((;&amp; psttt ampak klinc saj na ksihtu me ni pi\u0161e starost... ej pa \u0161e va\u017ei\u010dki sva ma\u0161inca miljonarkiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii wohoooooooooooo... em jaaaaaaaaaa to so bili cajti (((((;&amp; ja pa markovi\u010deva inflacija pa tile gnarci... ojaaaaaaaaaaaaa al kak je \u017ee blo pa vse smo pre\u017eiveli he he he... ej mu\u0161nice so cartig ni kaj ((((;&amp; <p\/> rosno mladi? No, sve\u010dko pod nosom si \u017ee sami obri\u0161eva, mladi sva pa \u0161e hudirjevo obe. Pa \" abcutki, abcutki \" kako biti milijonar so nama bili tudi dani, haha. Hvala, bom lunozvezdnato - zdaj, ko sem monitor, ki mi ga je Purfel\u010dek sesul popravila (z ne\u010dakovo asistenco po telefonu seveda, da se ne razpo\u010dim od va\u017enosti), za prmej, bom. Evo, enega gorenjskega medota nazaj, M. <p\/> marjan\u010dek pa ti si pravi stru\u010dko za popravila evo moja ta\u010dka in ti \u010destitam za popravilo wohooooooooooo ((((;&amp; ma ja \" ab\u010dutki \" ob miljonarstvu so bili fenomenalni same nule so se vidle na srat papirju he he he (((((((;&amp; <p\/> hvala, sprejmem ta\u010dko - \u010deprav, ko ima\u0161 na drugi strani telefona stru\u010dkota, pa samo pritiska\u0161 na tipke, ki ti jih on narekuje (pa \u0161e ozmerja te, vsaj naglas ne, ker tetica je pa le tetica) si kamot stru\u010dko. Ja, milijoni - nul kolikor ho\u010de\u0161 in kako bo\u0161 potem posebno \u010dastil milijonarje, \u010de pa si \u017ee sam te nule skoz dal, in \u017ee ve\u0161. \u0160tajerski in gorenjski brundoti se pa \u010disto dobro razumejo. O\u010ditno se ne ukvarjajo s politiko, M.","labels":"Forum","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Hi\u0161a samostojna prodaja <p\/> Primorsko-goranska \u017eup., Vinodolska Op\u0107ina <p\/> 95.000 \u20ac <p\/> Opis <p\/> Hi\u0161a se nahaja na mirnem kraju in je od morja in pla\u017ee oddaljena 7km in 2km od centra mesta. Sestavljena je iz pritli\u010dja in prvega nadstropja. V pritli\u010dju je kuhinja z jedilnico, dnevna soba, kopalnica, WC, velika predsoba in shramba. V prvem nadstropju je predprostor - galerija in spalnica. Hi\u0161a je centralno ogrevana z pe\u010djo na pelete. Hi\u0161a ima lepo veliko teraso in shrambo, ki jo lahko preuredite. Hi\u0161i pripada tudi vrt, kjer se lahko zgradi bazen. Ima lastno parkiri\u0161\u010de za dva avtomobila. Hi\u0161a je primerna tudi za turisti\u010den najem. Vsak dan nekaj novega - Ve\u010d kot 2000 nepremi\u010dnin v na\u0161i ponudbi! Ve\u010d na: www.sonce-nepremicnine.si","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Projektne novine <p\/> Promocijski projektni \u010dasopis \"Projektne novine\" <p\/> Osnovni namen projektnega \u010dasopisa \"Projektne novine\" je obve\u0161\u010danje javnosti o teko\u010dih aktivnostih in dose\u017ekih projekta. Projektni \u010dasopis ustvarjajo pripadniki romske skupnosti in je poleg ostalih digitalnih in elektronskih oblik diseminacije projektnih dejavnosti ter rezultatov pomemben medij, ki ga bo prejel velik del romskih gospodinjstev. <p\/> Namen na\u010drtovanega \u010dasopisa je tudi spodbuditi romske u\u010dence in dijake, ki bodo vklju\u010deni v druge projektne aktivnosti, da zanjo napi\u0161ejo in v njej objavijo svoje izdelke, vtise in razmi\u0161ljanja na temo izobra\u017eevanja.","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Po Luk\u0161i\u010devi oceni ni pri\u010dakovati, da se bosta Jan\u0161a in Jankovi\u0107 odlo\u010dila za \" radikalne ukrepe \" <p\/> Ljubljana, 08. januarja (STA) - Predsednik SD Igor Luk\u0161i\u010d ocenjuje, da bi morala premier in predsednik SDS Janez Jan\u0161a ter predsednik PS Zoran Jankovi\u0107 zaradi ugotovitev protikorupcijske komisije glede njunega premo\u017eenja krepko premisliti zadevo in nato narediti to, \" kar ve\u010dina pri\u010dakuje \". A je po njegovem te\u017eko pri\u010dakovati, da se bosta odlo\u010dila za \" kak\u0161ne radikalne ukrepe \". <p\/> Za Slovenijo je zelo slabo, da imamo v vrhu slovenske politike dva \u010dloveka, ki ignorirata prakso, ki jo ho\u010demo v dr\u017eavi uvesti, tj. da imajo politiki transparentne finance, da znajo pojasniti, od kje jim prilivi, in v kolikor tega ne znajo, da zapustijo polo\u017eaje, je v odzivu na ugotovitve protikorupcijske komisije dejal Luk\u0161i\u010d. <p\/> Upa, \" da je to tista kaplja \u010dez rob, ki bo kon\u010dno pomenila uvajanje nove prakse v slovensko politiko \". Na konkretno vpra\u0161anje, ali bi Jan\u0161a in Jankovi\u0107 morala odstopiti, pa odgovarja, da bi bilo prav, \" da krepko premislita zadevo in nato naredita to, kar ve\u010dina pri\u010dakuje \". <p\/> Vendar pa o mo\u017enostih, ki bi sledile morebitnemu odstopu - ali bi se sam zavzel za tehni\u010dno vlado ali za pred\u010dasne volitve - \u0161e ne \u017eeli govoriti. Najprej morata onadva narediti ustrezno potezo, \u0161ele potem bo \u010das za premislek o tem, kako naprej, pravi. <p\/> Dodaja, da \" nima smisla prehitevati, ker izku\u0161nje \u017eal ka\u017eejo, da se ljudje v takih situacijah zaenkrat v Sloveniji praviloma niso odlo\u010dali za to, kar bi morali narediti \". <p\/> Kar pa je za Slovenijo pomembno, je po njegovih besedah to, da dobi neko vlado, ki bo kredibilna. Luk\u0161i\u010d opozarja, da ima vlada 18-odstotno podporo in da je to klju\u010den problem. Problematizira tudi, da se vlada z 18-odstotno podporo loti prodaje slovenskega premo\u017eenja. \" Enostavno vemo, da to ne bo speljano kredibilno, ne more biti, \" ugotavlja. <p\/> \" \u010ce te posle vodijo ljudje, ki ne znajo pojasniti, kako jim je pri\u0161lo 200.000 na ra\u010dun, kako bodo znali pojasniti, kam bodo izginile te silne milijarde. Za 12 milijard gre, \" je \u0161e menil prvak SD. <p\/> Protikorupcijska komisija je pri nadzoru premo\u017eenja predsednikov strank ugotovila, da sta predsednika SDS Janez Jan\u0161a in Pozitivne Slovenije Zoran Jankovi\u0107 kr\u0161ila protikorupcijsko zakonodajo. Kot ugotavlja komisija, Jankovi\u0107 ni prijavil za najmanj 2,4 milijona evrov premo\u017eenja, prav tako je del finan\u010dnih prilivov prispel na njegov osebni ban\u010dni ra\u010dun iz naslova veri\u017enih transakcij, ki so se za\u010dele v podjetju Grep. Za Jan\u0161o pa ugotavlja, da se mu je premo\u017eenje nepojasnjeno pove\u010dalo za 210.000 evrov.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Opis <p\/> Kako delujejo lizike Zori Potovanje? <p\/> Lizike Zori Potovanje vsebujejo ekstrakta ingverja ter poprove mete. Ingver (Zingiber officinale) pomaga prepre\u010devati ob\u010dutek slabosti ter bruhanje povezano z uporabo prevoznega sredstva, poprova meta (Mentha piperita) pa prispeva k normalnemu delovanju prebavnega trakta. Da bo u\u010dinek kar najbolj\u0161i svetujemo jemanje lizike pol ure pred potovanjem. <p\/> Kaj je potovalna slabost? <p\/> Morska bolezen oziroma potovalna slabost se razvije zaradi nasprotujo\u010dih si podatkov, ki jih \u010dutila po\u0161iljajo mo\u017eganom. \u010cutila so prilagojena na zbiranje podatkov iz okolja, ki je bolj ali manj nepremi\u010dno. Ko se to ob plovbi z ladjo ali vo\u017enji z avtomobilom nenadoma pri\u010dne premikati, se podatki, ki prispejo v mo\u017egane preko vidnega \u017eivca, ne ujemajo s podatki, ki jih posreduje ravnote\u017eni organ v notranjem u\u0161esu. <p\/> Potovalna slabost je mnogo pogostej\u0161a, kot se morda zdi na prvi pogled. Pogosteje se pojavlja prav pri otrocih, s starostjo pa je vse redkej\u0161a. <p\/> Nasveti za potovalno slabost pri otroku <p\/> Zjutraj pred potovanjem naj otrok zau\u017eije lahek in topel obrok. S tem prepre\u010dimo dra\u017eenje \u017eelod\u010dne sluznice in kr\u010denje sten \u017eelodca zaradi lakote. <p\/> Pred vo\u017enjo z avtom poskrbimo za to, da bo ta dobro prezra\u010den, saj slab zrak in vro\u010dina potovalno slabost \u0161e poslab\u0161ata. <p\/> \u010ce je potovanje kraj\u0161e, med njim otroku ne dajemo hrane in pija\u010d. \u010ce je zelo \u017eejen, naj pije navadno vodo. Ne pretiravamo s hrano. <p\/> Otroka namestimo v osrednjem delu plovila, avtobusa ali letala, na sredinski liniji, obvezno obrnjeni v smeri vo\u017enje. <p\/> Otroku ne dajemo knjig ali igric, naj ne gleda risank ali filmov na DVD-ju. Pri plovbi z ladjo se odsvetuje delo in vsesplo\u0161no zadr\u017eevanje v podpalubju. <p\/> Med vo\u017enjo posku\u0161ajmo otroka \u010dim bolj zamotiti. Posku\u0161ajmo ga aktivno vklju\u010diti v pogovor ali se z njim igrajmo besedne igrice, ki bodo zahtevale natan\u010dno opazovanje okolja, ki be\u017ei mimo vozila. Otroku lahko predvajamo tudi pravljico na zgo\u0161\u010denki, ob kateri se bo zamotil. <p\/> Posku\u0161ajte ostati \u010dim bolj mirni. Otrokom je pogosto slabo prav zato, ker zaznajo strah star\u0161ev pred slabostjo. <p\/> NA\u010cIN UPORABE: <p\/> Od 1-3 lizike dnevno. Priporo\u010dene dnevne koli\u010dine oziroma odmerka se ne sme prekora\u010diti. Prehransko dopolnilo ni nadomestilo za uravnote\u017eeno in raznovrstno prehrano. Pomembna je raznolika in uravnote\u017eena prehrana ter zdrav na\u010din \u017eivljenja. <p\/> OPOZORILA: <p\/> Lizike so primerne za otroke nad 4 letom starosti. Vse sestavine v lizikah so primerne tudi za mlaj\u0161e otroke, vendar naj mlaj\u0161i otroci poli\u017eejo liziko pod nadzorstvom star\u0161ev. <p\/> SHRANJEVANJE: <p\/> Shranjevati nedosegljivo otrokom! Shranjujte v dobro zaprti embala\u017ei na suhem mestu pri temepraturi do 25 \u00b0 C.","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Predstavitev <p\/> Gostinstvo Grad, Milan \u0160pacapan s.p. posluje od leta 1993 v prostorih grajskega dvorca v Ozeljanu, kjer vas pri\u010dakuje bogata ponudba raznovrstnih pizz in ostalih jedi.V lokalu je 110 sedi\u0161\u010d, na vrtu pa 40. Sprejemamo naro\u010dila za organizirane skupine do najve\u010d 40 oseb. Dvorec Ozeljan je tudi idealna izbira za praznovanja obletnic ter za mladoporo\u010dence, saj poleg spodnjih prostorov, ki sprejmejo do 45 oseb, ponuja \u0161e prenovljeno, klimatizirano dvorano v prvem nadstropju, s sanitarijami, odrom in plesno povr\u0161ino z lo\u010denim prostorom za postre\u017ebo hrane. Vse skupaj dopolnjuje izjemen pogled z balkona v bene\u0161kem stilu na baro\u010dni vrt.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Novozelandsko prometno ministrstvo je v povezavi z dvema lokalnima podjetjema izdelalo odprtokodno orodje za analizo prometnih nesre\u010d s ciljem pove\u010danja varnosti na novozelandskih cestah. <p\/> Orodje CAS (Crash Analysis System) omogo\u010da geografsko predstavitev vseh prometnih nesre\u010d, ki jih je novozelandska policija obravnavala od leta 1980 naprej, podatke pa bodo uporabljali na\u010drtovalci prometne infrastrukture, policija in drugi organi, zadol\u017eeni za varnost v cestnem prometu. CAS je sicer \u017ee 20 let staro orodje, ki pa so ga sedaj temeljito prenovili in vanj vklju\u010dili geoprostorsko vizualizacijo podatkov, poslovno inteligenco (BI) in sodobne sisteme poro\u010danja. Uporabnik lahko podatke prikazuje v slojih in glede na te tudi izdeluje poro\u010dila.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Smo vokalna skupina dvanajstih pevk ljudskih pesmi, ki nas dru\u017ei neizmerno veselje do prepevanja ljudskih pesmi ter \u017eelja po predstavitvi raznolikosti pevske tradicije na Slovenskem. Petje nas zbli\u017euje, nam daje mo\u010d in hkrati utrjuje na\u0161e prijateljstvo, stkano \u017ee v \u0161tudentskih \u010dasih, ko smo bile plesalke AFS France Marolt in KUD-a Tine Ro\u017eanc. Danes smo zdravnice, medicinske sestre, psihologi, biologi, in\u017eenirke, pravnice... <p\/> S svojim delovanjem smo pri\u010dele leta 2003, uradno kot dru\u0161tvo pa skupina deluje od leta 2006 dalje. Umetni\u0161ki vodja pevske skupine Cintare je ga. Mira Nastran. <p\/> Pevke smo si nadele ime po zdravilni ro\u017ei - tav\u017eentro\u017ei, ki se ljudsko imenuje tudi CINTARA (centaurium erythraea). Sporo\u010dilo o njeni zdravilni mo\u010di se\u017ee dale\u010d v preteklost in se iz roda v rod, tako kot izro\u010dilo ljudske pesmi, prena\u0161a dalje. <p\/> Cintare prepevamo izvirne ljudske pesmi vseh slovenskih pokrajin pa tudi pesmi Slovencev, ki \u017eivijo preko na\u0161ih meja. Narodno blago \u010drpamo predvsem iz bogatega notnega in zvo\u010dnega gradiva Glasbeno - narodopisnega instituta v Ljubljani pri ZRC SAZU. Po treh letih delovanja na\u0161 pevski program obsega preko petdeset ljudskih pesmi, imele pa smo vrsto nastopov doma in v zamejstvu. <p\/> Poleg nastopov, ki jih imamo za ciljno publiko, se Cintare udele\u017eujemo tudi dobrodelnih prireditev, kjer s svojim petjem razveseljujemo bolnike v bolni\u0161nicah in starej\u0161e ob\u010dane v domovih ter tako na svoj na\u010din, kot tav\u017eentro\u017ea, pomagamo ljudem zdraviti du\u0161o in telo.","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"MIHA REMEC <p\/> Begosumnost in umosumnost <p\/> Dr\u017eavno pravosodje je po zapletenih, za zdravo pamet nedoumljivih poteh, izpustilo iz pripora obsojeno tajkunko Hildo Tov\u0161ak. Gospa, ki ima na grbi \u0161e ve\u010d nedokon\u010danih sodnih postopkov, je seveda nemudoma pobegnila neznano kam. Zdaj jo zaradi begosumnosti i\u0161\u010dejo s tiralico. <p\/> Ni dolgo od tega je podoben izpust iz zapora izkoristil za pobeg eden glavnih akterjev procesa zoper mednarodno tolpo tihotapcev mamil. <p\/> Nekdanji predsednik vlade Janez Jan\u0161a, ki ga je privila protikorupcijska komisija, se ves \u010das o\u010ditno nor\u010duje iz sodne veje oblasti med sojenjem v zadevi Patria. Pravkar je predstavil svojo novo knjigo z naslovom Za kulturo \u017eivljenja, v kateri med drugim kot glavnega podkupljenca pri nabavljanju finskih oklepnikov ozna\u010duje slikarja Cekuto ... <p\/> Tudi drugi osumljenec s strani korupcijske komisije, ljubljanski \u017eupan Zoran Jankovi\u0107, se z nasme\u0161ki izvija in ne priznava sumljivih denarnih mahinacij. \u010cedalje bolj se pojavlja v javnosti kot \"odmrznjeni\" vodja politi\u010dne stranke, ki je zmagala in se sama pokopala na zadnjih volitvah ... <p\/> \u0160e bi lahko na\u0161teval. Ta na\u0161a dr\u017eava postaja umosumna. Ni \u010dudno, da \u010dedalje ve\u010d pametnih iz nje be\u017ei ... Kajti utegne se zgoditi, da nas bo Evropa uvrstila med nepri\u0161tevne in nam namesto trojke poslala psihiatre.","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Ker smo imeli izjemno sre\u010do, da nas je na faksu obiskal Bo\u0161tjan Romih in nam odpredaval nadvse zabavno predavanje o govorni\u0161tvu in javnem nastopanju, tukaj povzemam nekaj napotkov, ki so se mi zdeli najbolj uporabni in zanimivi. <p\/> Kot vemo je o\u010desni stik temelj kontakta in v zvezi z njim je potrebno upo\u0161tevati dve na\u010deli: enakomernosti in naklju\u010dnosti. Potrebno je torej biti pozoren, da vsakega poslu\u0161alca gleda\u0161 pribli\u017eno enako \u010dasa. Hkrati pa se moramo izogibati vzorcem, ki bi jih lahko poslu\u0161alci razbrali. <p\/> Pri govoru se prav tako ne smemo vnaprej opravi\u010devati (npr. Vnaprej se opravi\u010dujem, da se na nastop nisem imel \u010dasa dobro pripraviti. ). Zelo verjetno bodo poslu\u0161alci \/ gledalci potem le \u0161e bolj pozorni na na\u0161e napake. Pri javnem nastopanju s tudi izogibamo nasme\u0161ku, ki ka\u017ee strah in nelagodje (raje brez nasme\u0161ka, kot pa da je prisiljen). <p\/> Pri javnem nastopanju pogosto tudi ne vemo kam z rokami. Najbolje jih je pozicionirati v vi\u0161ino popka (ve\u010d mo\u017enosti, da jih bomo dejansko uporabili kot \u010de visijo ob telesu). Kot fiksacijska to\u010dka lahko pomagajo flomastri, daljinci za power point, listi (ki pa naj bodo manj\u0161ega formata \u2013 npr. A5, zapiski pa morajo biti berljivi in napisani z dovolj veliko pisavo). Moramo pa potem paziti, da gestikuliramo z roko, ki je prosta, v kateri teh pripomo\u010dkov ne dr\u017eimo. <p\/> \u010ce pa \u017eelite vaditi razlo\u010dnost govorjenja, poskusite govoriti z svin\u010dnikom med zobmi","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"\u0160olski sklad je sklad, namenjen financiranju dejavnosti, ki niso sestavina dela vzgojno-izobra\u017eevalnega zavoda (VIZ) in se ne financirajo iz javnih sredstev. Njegovo poslanstvo je, da na\u0161im otrokom v skrbi za njihov uspe\u0161ni razvoj omogo\u010da bolj\u0161e pogoje za izvajanje dejavnosti v vrtcu in \u0161oli. <p\/> \u0160olski sklad Osnovne \u0161ole Naklo je na svoji seji dne 22. 5. 2008 ustanovil Svet Osnovne \u0161ole Naklo,, prva redna seja pa je bila v za\u010detku oktobra 2008. \u0160olski sklad deluje v skladu s Pravilnikom o delovanju in organizaciji \u0161olskega sklada Osnovne \u0161ole Naklo, ki si ga lahko ogledate na na\u0161i spletni strani. <p\/> \u0160olski sklad upravlja upravni odbor, ki ima predsednika in \u0161est \u010dlanov, od katerih so najmanj trije predstavniki \u0161ole (predvidoma ravnatelj, ra\u010dunovodja in mentor \u0161olske skupnosti). Svet star\u0161ev imenuje upravni odbor. Predstavnike \u0161ole predlaga svet \u0161ole. Mandat \u010dlanov je dve leti z mo\u017enostjo ponovne izvolitve. <p\/> Finan\u010dna sredstva \u0161olski sklad pridobiva iz prispevkov star\u0161ev in drugih ob\u010danov, donacij, zapu\u0161\u010din ter drugih virov, kot so dobrodelne prireditve. Vsak mesec mnogi star\u0161i vrt\u010devskih in osnovno\u0161olskih otrok prispevajo \"evro za otroka\" v sklad. S tem se ka\u017eeta solidarnost in volja star\u0161ev, da privo\u0161\u010dijo otrokom \u0161e nekaj ve\u010d. Priporo\u010damo se na\u0161im zvestim in novim donatorjem. Vsi, ki bi \u017eeleli podpreti projekte \u0161olskega sklada z donacijo, lahko prostovoljni prispevek naka\u017eete na poseben namenski ra\u010dun \u0161olskega sklada \u2013 IBAN: SI56 0110 0600 8339 210, sklic: 00-2990001. Sredstva sklada so se in se bodo uporabljala izklju\u010dno za projekte, namenjene na\u0161im otrokom. \u0160olski sklad o svojem poslovanju obve\u0161\u010da svet star\u0161ev in svet zavoda. <p\/> Upravni odbor je sklenil nadaljevati prakso, da finan\u010dna sredstva sklada porabi za projekte, ki so v dobro ne samo otrokom, ki so sedaj v na\u0161ih vrtcih in \u0161olah, temve\u010d tudi tistim, ki prihajajo za njimi. Tovrstna poraba sredstev je tudi najbolj transparentna. <p\/> V zadnji mandatih so bila iz sredstev \u0161olskega sklada v celoti ali deloma financirane naslednje investicije: - igrala za igri\u0161\u010de pri P\u0160 Podbrezje, - jadra pri O\u0160 Naklo in Vrtcu Mlin\u010dek, - vozi\u010dki za 6 otrok v Vrtcu Jelka in Vrtcu Mlin\u010dek, - blazine za gimnastiko, - semena, sadika in orodje za \u0161olski vrt, - predelava ko\u0161a z regulacijo v telovadnici O\u0160 Naklo, - skirojnice pri mati\u010dni \u0161oli in obeh podru\u017enicah, - ureditev u\u010dilnic na prostem, - tobogan na igri\u0161\u010du O\u0160 Naklo . <p\/> Vabimo vas k ogledu vseh pridobitev v fotogaleriji 2020. <p\/> Anja Miheli\u010d, predsednica UO \u0160olskega sklada O\u0160 Naklo Naklo, oktober 2020 <p\/> S klikom na spodnje priloge si lahko ogledate zapisnike v MS Wordu ali Adobe Readerju. Zapisniki sej \u010detrtega upravnega odbora:1. seja - priloga 25 2. ...","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"V novembru, mesecu prepre\u010devanja odvisnosti, bodo \u010dlani Lokalne akcijske skupine za prepre\u010devanje zasvojenosti izvedli niz strokovnih predavanj za star\u0161e osnovno\u0161olcev v Celju... <p\/> Predavanja, ki jih bodo ta mesec organizirali na devetih osnovnih \u0161olah v mestni ob\u010dini Celje, so namenjena star\u0161em u\u010dencev od \u0161estega do devetega razreda. Program predavanj finan\u010dno podpira Mestna ob\u010dina Celje. Osrednja tema predavanj bodo varovalni dejavniki vzgoje, ki lahko pripomorejo k neuporabi drog. Po drogah, dovoljenih in nedovoljenih namre\u010d vse pogosteje posegajo \u017ee otroci. Na predavanjih se bodo star\u0161i seznanili tudi z informacijami o tem, na katere vedenjske in telesne spremembe naj bodo pozorni, kadar sumijo, da je otrok posegel po drogi. \u010ceprav je tema aktualna, saj poleg problemov odvisnosti osvetljuje ve\u0161\u010dine u\u010dinkovitega star\u0161evstva in komuniciranja z otroki v konfliktnih situacijah, se je lani ciklusa predavanj na osmih osnovnih \u0161olah udele\u017eilo le 160 star\u0161ev. Organizatorji tokrat upajo na bolj\u0161i odziv. Niz predavanj bodo izvedli strokovnjaki s podro\u010dja medicine, psihologije, socialnega dela in kriminologije. (ba)","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Main menu <p\/> Post navigation <p\/> Pogled na otro\u010dka, ki ob nasmehu poka\u017ee pi\u0161kave zobe, me vedno raz\u017ealosti. Predvsem zato, ker me pre\u0161ine misel, da ta otrok verjetno trpi tudi bole\u010dine. Verjetno je prikraj\u0161an za prijetno izku\u0161njo oku\u0161anja hrane. Kako takemu otroku pribli\u017eati ustno higieno, je vedno izziv. <p\/> \u00bbKon\u010dno mi je nekdo vse lepo razlo\u017eil in pokazal! \u00ab \u00bbTak\u0161ne delavnice bi morale biti organizirane ve\u010dkrat v letu! \u00ab \u00bbKon\u010dno sem na\u0161la nekaj pametnega! \u00ab <p\/> To so le nekatere od izjav navdu\u0161enih udele\u017eencev delavnice Za zdrav nasmeh, ki je potekala od 1. do 6. julija v okviru festivala Lent. Namen delavnice je bil predstaviti pravilno tehniko \u010di\u0161\u010denja zob in medzobnih prostorov in obiskovalcem ponuditi informacije o ustni higieni, ki so jih \u017eeleli pridobiti.","labels":"Other","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"COOL WATER toaletna voda za mo\u0161ke 40 ml <p\/> Toaletna voda Davidoff Cool Water za mo\u0161ke 40 ml, Hladen val nosi mo\u010d oceana. Pogosto imitiran, a nikoli dose\u017een \u2013 Davidoff Cool Water je edinstvena kombinacija vitalnosti in ekstremne \u010dutnosti: esenca mo\u0161kega v naravi.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Slovensko ljudsko gledali\u0161\u010de Celje (l. 1970) <p\/> Na fotografiji SLG Celje. Slovensko ljudsko gledali\u0161\u010de Celje je 6. decembra 2015 praznovalo 65-letnico profesionalnega delovanja. Gledali\u0161\u010de je bilo ustanovljeno 6. decembra 1950, ko je MLO Celje izdal odlo\u010dbo o ustanovitvi mestnega gledali\u0161\u010da. Prva premiera poklicnega ansambla je bila 17. marca 1951, in sicer uprizoritev Mire Puc-Miheli\u010d Operacija v re\u017eiji Toneta Zorka. Prva in edina zaposlena igralka v sezoni 1950\/51 je bila Nada Bo\u017ei\u010d. (vir: http:\/\/www.slg-ce.si\/) Fotografijo je prispevala Vanja Bertossi. ...","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Pedro Leon postala najnovej\u0161a okrepitev Real Madrid potem ko je danes podpisal pogodbo s kraljevim klubom za naslednjih \u0161est sezon. Ob podpisu pogodbe so bili prisotni predsednik Florentino Perez, generalni direktor Jorge Valdano in svet direktorjev kluba, ki so mu vsi \u010destitali in za\u017eelel veliko sre\u010de v belem dresu. Po podpisu pogodbe je Leon od predsednika prejel srebrno repliko stadionu Santiago Bernab\u00e9u, nalivno pero in uro. Novi igralec Real Madrida in predsednika sta se nato prijetno pogovarjala, ob tem pa sta ob\u010dudovala replike devetih evropskih pokalov in pokal za najbolj\u0161i klub 20. stoletja. <p\/> Pedro Leon je danes zjutraj pred uradno predstavitvijo kot najnovej\u0161a okrepitev Real Madrida, uspe\u0161no prestal zdravni\u0161ki pregled. Bolni\u0161ni\u010dna Sanitas La Moraleja je bila ponovno prizori\u0161\u010de pregleda, kjer so klubski zdravniki preverili zdravstveno stanje novega igralca Real Madrida. Igralec iz Murcije je pri\u0161el v bolni\u0161nico Sanitas La Moraleja okrog 9:50, kjer ga je pri\u010dakal dr. Carlos Diez, vodja zdravni\u0161ke slu\u017ebe Real Madrida, ki je tudi sodeloval pri pregledu, ki je vklju\u010deval ve\u010d testov krvi, urina, EKG, magnetno resonanco, biomehani\u010dni pregled, kardiolo\u0161ki pregled, \u2026 \u201c Igralec je popolnoma zdrav, kar se vidi tudi v tem, da je opravil \u017ee \u0161tiri treninge s svojo prej\u0161njo ekipo \u201d so bile prve besede dr. Carlosa Dieza po opravljenem pregledu. \u201c Pri tem govorimo tudi o profesionalnem odnosu s strani Getafe, ki so nam poslali popolne informacije o igralcu. Edina stvar, ki smo jo morali naredili, je bila dokon\u010danje vrsto testov, za katere smo menili, da jih je za\u017eeleno opraviti, da dobimo popolno sliko njegovega zdravja in vsi testi so bili pozitivni. Glede na vse to, se lahko igralec takoj pridru\u017ei svojim novim igralcem na treningu. \u201d <p\/> Real Madrid je danes s Jos\u00e9 Mourinhom na \u010delu za\u010del priprave na igri\u0161\u010du. Na prvem treningu je bilo prisotnih deset igralcev prve ekipe, s katerimi se je pogovoril portugalski trener in sicer Dudek, ki je podalj\u0161al pogodbo do junija 2011 Adam, Garay, Marcelo, Drenthe, Gago, Diarra, Granero, Lass in Benzema. Na treningu so se jim pridru\u017eili \u0161e \u201c canteranosi \u201d Carvajal, Tebar, Nacho, Alex, Denis Tcherysev, Fran Rico, Joselu in Morata. Prvi del treninga je vodil kondicijski trener Rui Faria, zato so igralci izvajali posebne vaje, kjer so prevladovale vaje za najbolj\u0161o kondicijsko pripravo igralcev. Prvi trening se je za\u010del ob 9:20 in po segrevanju so igralci opravili vaje za krepitev mi\u0161ic, s katerimi so \u017eeleli prepre\u010diti bilo kak\u0161ni nev\u0161e\u010dnosti na prvem treningu na igri\u0161\u010du. Kasneje ob 9:45 je pri\u0161la na vrsto tudi \u017eoga, zato so se igralci razdelili v ve\u010d skupin. Ko je bila ura 10:20 je z napotki pri\u010del tudi Jose Mourinho, ki je vsem igralcem razlo\u017eil, da \u017eeli trenirati z \u017eogo s samo enim dotikom, Adam in Dudek pa sta medtem trenirala lo\u010deno pod vodstvom Silvina Loura, novim trenerjem vratarjev. Pred koncem treninga je portugalski trener na igri\u0161\u010de dal tudi tri majhne gole in igralci so lahko prvi\u010d vadili tudi [ \u2026 ] <p\/> Pedro Le\u00f3n S\u00e1nchez Gil (Murcia, 24-11-1986) je vezist, ki obi\u010dajno igra na desnem krilu. \u010ceprav je star samo 23 let, je \u017ee igral za Murcijo, Levante, Valladolid in Getafe, prav tako pa je zbral \u0161est nastopov za reprezentanco \u0160panije do 21 let. Pedro Le\u00f3n je \u010dvrsto krilo z odli\u010dnim kontrolo \u017eoge z obema nogama. Je hiter igralec, ki lahko igra tako na levem kot na desnem krilu, prav tako pa je odli\u010den pri strelih iz standardnih polo\u017eajev. Novi igralec Real Madrida je svojo nogometno pot za\u010del v Muli, Murcia, kot \u010dlan mladinske \u0161ole Mule\u00f1a, kasneje pa \u0161e Nueva Vanguardia Alcantarilla, preden je podpisal za Real Murcia. Leta 2005 je v dresu Real Murcie tudi do\u017eivel svoj prvenec v drugi ligi. V treh sezonah pri Real Murciji je Pedro Le\u00f3n odigral 71 tekem in dosegel 10 zadetkov. Poleti leta 2007 je podpisal za Levante, kjer je ostal samo eno sezono, v tem \u010dasu pa je odigral 27 iger in dosegel 3 cilje. 1. septembra 2008 je Pedro Le\u00f3n podpisala za Real Valladolid. V sezoni 2008\/09 je za omenjen klub odigral 36 tekem in dosegel \u0161est zadetkov. Poleti leta 2009 je Le\u00f3n okrepil Getafe, kjer je dokon\u010dno zasijal v polnem sijaju, saj je [ \u2026 ] <p\/> Real Madrid Castilla je danes dopoldan pri\u010dela s pripravami na novo sezono. Pred povratkom druge ekipe kraljevega kluba na igri\u0161\u010de, so jih v sla\u010dilnici pozdravili Jorge Valdano, Miguel Pardeza in Jose Mourinho, ki so tudi pred treningom nagovorili vse zbrane igralce. Castilla bo nadaljevala s treningi \u017ee jutri, potem ko imajo na\u010drtovana dva treninga na dan in sicer prvega ob 10:00 in drugega ob 18:30. <p\/> Real Madrid C.F. je dosegel dogovor z Getafe C.F. glede prestopa Pedra Leona, ki bo tako v naslednjih \u0161estih sezonah igral za Real Madrid. Vezist bo v petek zjutraj opravil zdravni\u0161ki pregled, nato pa bo \u0161e ob 12:30 uradno predstavljen na predsedni\u0161kem balkonu stadiona Santiago Bernab\u00e9u. <p\/> Mednarodna nogometna zveza (FIFA) je objavila najbolj\u0161o enajsterico pravkar kon\u010danega svetovnega prvenstva v Ju\u017eni Afriki, med katerimi pa sta tudi dva igralca Real Madrida, Iker Casillas in Sergio Ramos. Sicer pa je v idealni postavi kar \u0161est \u0160pancev, dva Nemca, en Brazilec, en Nizozemec in en Urugvajec. Prav tako pa je FIFA izbrala tudi najbolj\u0161ega selektorja SP-a, ki prihaja prav tako iz \u0160panije in sicer je to Vicente Del Bosque. Idealna enajsterica SP 2010: Vratar: Iker Casillas (\u0160panija) Branilci: Philipp Lahm (Nem\u010dija), Carles Puyol (\u0160panija), Maicon (Brazilija) in Sergio Ramos (\u0160panija) Vezisti: Wesley Sneijder (Nizozemska), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Nem\u010dija), Xavi in Andres Iniesta (oba \u0160panija) Napadalca: David Villa (\u0160panija) in Diego Forlan (Urugvaj) <p\/> Doktor Luis Serratosa je v intervjuju za Realmadrid.com razpravljal o testih igralcev, ki so jih opravili pred za\u010detkom priprav in o tistih, ki \u0161e sledijo. \u201c Vsi so popolnoma zdravi. Igralci so opravili tradicionalne teste, ki se jih opravi na dan, ko se vrnejo s po\u010ditnic. \u201d \u201c Obi\u010dajno vse teste opravimo postopoma. Dan, ko se vrnejo igralci je tako namenjen predvsem temu, da vidimo koliko tehtajo in da za vsakega izra\u010dunamo indeks telesne mase. \u201d \u201c Vsako leto opravimo enak pregled srca in o\u017eilja, vsakemu izmerimo krvni tlak in preko tega nato merimo razli\u010dne parametre, da vidim, \u010de so pripravljeni na napore treningov in da kasneje ne pride do neprijetnih pripetljajev, \u0161e posebej sedaj, ko bodo trenirali dvakrat na dan. \u201d \u201c V tem tednu bomo opraviti tudi teste mo\u010di, kot tudi mnogo drugih. \u201d \u201c Vsak igralec se je vrnil z \u017eeljo po delu. Govorili so s trenerjem in videl sem, da so vsi zelo motivirani. \u201d <p\/> Potem, ko je deset igralcev opravilo zdravni\u0161ki pregled, so igralce Real Madrid opremili \u0161e z uradnim oblekami za naslednjo sezono, za katere bo odslej skrbel Pedro del Hierro. Igralci so tako preizkusili obla\u010dila za proti \u010dast za sezono 2010\/11, ki so sestavljena iz rjavih hla\u010d, \u010drne polo majico in superg. Real Madrid bo v novi opravi odpotoval v ZDA 28. julija.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Esimit Europa <p\/> Vasilijev glavni sponzor je projekt Esimit Europa, ki \u017ee dve desetletji zdru\u017euje Evropejce, krepi prijateljstvo in spodbuja odli\u010dnost v \u0161portu. Esimit Europa je obenem edini evropski projekt, ki na najvi\u0161ji ravni zdru\u017euje prodro\u010dja \u0161porta, diplomacije in podjetni\u0161tva. Svoje poslanstvo \u0161iri prek jadrnice Esimit Europa 2, ene najhitrej\u0161ih in tehnolo\u0161ko najbolj popolnih jadrnic na svetu, ki je vse od svojega krsta leta 2010 zaporedoma zmagala na vseh regatah, katerih se jih je udele\u017eila. \u010clani 30-metrske lepotice, ki pluje pod pokroviteljstvom Jos\u00e9ja Manuela Barrosa, predsednika Evropske komisije, in ob sponzorstvu podjetja Gazprom, so najve\u010dji zvezdniki svetovnega jadranja - ve\u010dkratni zmagovalci Pokala Amerike in Volvo Ocean Racea, evropski in svetovni prvaki ter dobitniki olimpijskih odli\u010dij. Njihov skiper je legendarni nem\u0161ki jadralec Jochen Sch\u00fcmann, navigator \u0160panec Juan Vila, vlogo krmarja pa ima Italijan Alberto Bolzan. Vasilij v superzvezdni\u0161ki ekipi Esimit Europa 2 zaseda pomembno mesto taktika. <p\/> Ve\u010d informacij o projektu Esimit Europa je na voljo na spletni strani www.esimit.com.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Vsaka spletna stran potrebuje gostovanje <p\/> Izdelava spletne strani nujno potrebuje tudi gostovanje. To je fizi\u010dni naslov, kjer bo na\u0161a spletna stran tako reko\u010d \u017eivela. Vse to pa poteka na stre\u017eniku, kjer se nahajajo vse informacije, ki bodo prikazane na na\u0161i spletni strani. Te informacije so lahko razli\u010dnih velikosti, oblik ter formatov \u2013 vse skupaj pa sestavlja vsebino na\u0161e strani, ki jo bomo pokazali celotnemu spletu. \u010ce se s spletnim gostovanjem \u0161e nismo sre\u010dali, vam bomo v tem \u010dlanku predstavili najbolj osnovne elemente, ki je dobro, \u010de jih poznamo. <p\/> Kazalo <p\/> Vse se dogaja na stre\u017eniku <p\/> Prvo si oglejmo kaj sploh je stre\u017enik. To je mo\u010dan ra\u010dunalnik, ki ima samo en namen -, da gosti na\u0161o spletno stran na katero se pove\u017eemo prek domene. Pri nakupu spletnega gostovanja bomo imeli nekaj mo\u017enosti na izbiro. Te mo\u017enosti so: <p\/> Vrsta stre\u017enika <p\/> Zmogljivost stre\u017enika <p\/> Lokacija stre\u017enika <p\/> Nakup domene <p\/> \u010ce komaj za\u010denjamo s poslovanjem se morda ne spoznamo na vse zgoraj na\u0161tete mo\u017enosti. Lahko se izgubimo v vseh razli\u010dnih vrstah spletnega gostovanja oziroma stre\u017enika, saj se nikoli nismo sre\u010dali s temi pojmi. Pomembno se je zavedati, da potrebujemo primerno mo\u010d in pasovno \u0161irino paketa gostovanja, ki bo zadostovala obisku na na\u0161i spletni strani. <p\/> Razli\u010dne vrste gostovanja <p\/> Spletno gostovanje in stre\u017enike poznamo v mnogih konfiguracijah. Te konfiguracije so narejene za razli\u010dne profile spletnih strani. Najbolj pogoste so: <p\/> Deljeno gostovanje <p\/> Najbolj raz\u0161irjen na\u010din poganjanja spletnih strani, ki ne potrebujejo veliko mo\u010di. V tem primeru se na stre\u017eniku nahaja na desetine, ali stotine razli\u010dnih spletnih strani, ki si vse delijo zmogljivosti samega stre\u017enika. To je najbolj priporo\u010deno za male spletne trgovine in projekte, kjer ni zahtevana velika mo\u010d. <p\/> VPS gostovanje <p\/> Dale\u010d najbolj popularen na\u010din gostovanja spletnih strani. VPS hosting pomeni, da na\u0161a spletna stran deluje v virtualnem okolju. Podobno je deljenemu na\u010dinu gostovanja s to razliko, da mi zakupimo svojo zmogljivost stre\u017enika, ki pa je ne delimo z nikomer. Poleg tega so na\u0161e datoteke popolnoma varne, saj kljub temu, da se nahajajo na istem sistemu, so fizi\u010dno lo\u010dene od drugih uporabnikov. <p\/> Namensko gostovanje <p\/> Velika podjetja in projekti, ki imajo ogromno obiska, potrebujejo namensko spletno gostovanje. Tukaj zakupimo celoten stre\u017enik za svojo uporabo, kar nam da vso mo\u010d na razpolago. Stre\u017enik si ne delimo z nikomer. <p\/> Gostovanje v oblaku <p\/> To je najnovej\u0161i na\u010din spletnega gostovanja, kjer skrbi za na\u0161o spletno stran ve\u010d stre\u017enikov, ki si delijo breme. To je priporo\u010deno za najbolj zahtevne uporabnike, ki imajo ogromen dnevni obisk spletnih strani.","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Celoten \u00bbpulmo tim\u00ab Klini\u010dnega oddelka za plju\u010dne bolezni in alergijo Interne klinike in vodstvo Univerzitetnega klini\u010dnega centra Ljubljana so se razveselili donacije dru\u017ebe Bankart, procesiranje pla\u010dilnih instrumentov, d.o.o., Ljubljana. <p\/> S pomo\u010djo donacije Bankarta so v KO za plju\u010dne bolezni in alergije obnovili pomemben del opreme za izvajanje bronhoskopij (procesor, svetlobni vir, monitor, adapter za kamero). Oprema je bolj sodobna, bolj zmogljiva in bolj kompatibilna z ostalimi napravami, tako da bodo z njeno pomo\u010djo lahko izvajali bronhoskopije na najvi\u0161ji strokovni ravni. Bronhoskopija (invazivna metoda za pregled in odvzeme tkiva iz spodnjih dihal in plju\u010d) je ena izmed najpomembnej\u0161ih preiskav, ki jih uporabljajo v diagnostiki razli\u010dnih bolezni (plju\u010dni rak, sarkoidoza, druge bolezni plju\u010dnega tkiva \u2026). Na Klini\u010dnem oddelku za plju\u010dne bolezni in alergije naredijo na leto okoli 700 takih preiskav. Aparature, potrebne za to preiskavo, se z leti izrabijo in tudi zastarijo, zato je donacija Bankarta izjemno pomembna. S pomo\u010djo najsodobnej\u0161e opreme bodo lahko izvajali tudi plevroskopije - pregled rebrne mrene. <p\/> Predstavnica Bankarta, d.o.o., gospa Maja Usnik, direktorica Finan\u010dno-ra\u010dunovodsko splo\u0161nega sektorja, je ob predaji donacije izrazila zadovoljstvo, da bo oprema pomembno prispevala h kvaliteti bronhoskopije. Zaklju\u010dila je z \u017eeljo, da bi se tudi v prihodnje sre\u010dali na tak na\u010din. <p\/> Za donacijo se je najprej zahvalila strokovna direktorica prof. dr. Sa\u0161a Markovi\u010d, dr. med., vi\u0161ja svetnica, ki je zaposlenim \u010destitala za pridobitev naziva klini\u010dni oddelek oziroma terciarni status oddelka. <p\/> Zaposleni v Klini\u010dnem oddelku za plju\u010dne bolezni in alergije so ponosni na nov naziv svoje enote, ki jim ga je ob koncu leta 2008 podelilo Ministrstvo za zdravje. Ko se je pred desetimi leti Klini\u010dni oddelek za plju\u010dne bolezni in alergijo Golnik preselil iz UKC Ljubljana, je bil v UKC Ljubljana ustanovljen Center za zdravljenje bolnikov s plju\u010dnimi boleznimi, sprva predvsem za potrebe UKC Ljubljana. Na za\u010detku so bili zaposleni le trije zdravniki, ki so opravljali svetovalno slu\u017ebo za potrebe UKC Ljubljana in obravnavali paciente na 15 posteljah. Z veliko mero entuziazma in samoodrekanja so skupaj s sestrskim in nemedicinskim osebjem v 10 letih dosegli pomemben razvoj. Poleg hospitalne dejavnosti so za\u010deli s specialisti\u010dno ambulantno dejavnostjo, v kateri pregledajo 8.000 pacientov letno. Na novo so postavili invazivno diagnostiko plju\u010dnih bolezni. Razvijati so za\u010deli raziskovalno dejavnost. Objavili so veliko \u010dlankov v tuji in doma\u010di literaturi. Predavajo na doma\u010dih in tujih strokovnih sre\u010danjih. Pomembno so se vklju\u010dili v izobra\u017eevalno dejavnost Medicinske fakultete. Najpomembnej\u0161a podro\u010dja, s katerimi se ukvarjajo, so: diagnostika pacientov s plju\u010dnim rakom, pacientov z boleznimi rebrne mrene, pacientov s sarkoidozo in pacientov s plju\u010dno hipertenzijo. Nenazadnje so glavni slovenski center za vodenje pacientov pred in po presaditvi plju\u010d. Seveda pa zdravijo tudi paciente z vsemi ostalimi plju\u010dnimi boleznimi iz ljubljanske regije, ki jih ni malo. <p\/> Glavna medicinska sestra UKC Ljubljana Erna Kos Grabnar pa je ob zaklju\u010dku slovesnosti ob predaji donacije poudarila, da zaposleni zagotovo ne bi bili tako uspe\u0161ni, \u010de ne bi tako dobro sodelovali, saj veljajo za prijazen in strokovno visoko usposobljen tim, v katerem je sodelovanje med zdravniki, zdravstveno nego in drugimi na zavidljivi ravni.","labels":"Other","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"sicer tak pi\u0161e freestyle-MASTER ampak tist k misli da je mafia bol kot gta vice city je loooooooooooooooool!!! <p\/> bOy s tabo se pa nestrinjam mafia je bol\u0161a ker: -ima bolj\u0161o grafiko -bolj realna oro\u017eja -avtomobili imajo bolj\u0161i fizikalni model -bolj\u0161a zgodba -bolj zanimive in raznolike naloge -mesto je ve\u010dje in bolj zanimivo <p\/> pr GTA gre sam za golo razturavanje, pr MAFIi mor\u0161 pa mislt pa to, da kon\u010da\u0161 za GTA si sam mal \u017eivce sprosti\u0161, \u010de te kdo iz\u017evicira <p\/> Mafia mi je bol\u0161 k GTA:VC. Ampak sam za procent ali dva. Je pa res da je Mafia starej\u0161a igra kot VC. Mogo\u010de jo bo naslednja GTA celo dohitela. Ampak za enkrat mi je Mafia bol\u0161. <p\/> ja pr mafiji mi gre na jetra k s thomsonom strela\u0161 pol ure da ubije\u0161 mafijca z \u0161kifarsko pa tri krat vstrela\u0161 pa ga ubije\u0161!!! avti grejo pa ko traktori res pa je da ima mafia prednost pr tem da se more\u0161 najprej nau\u010dit avte krast!!! pa mal ko bo\u0161 hodo ob kaki bajti bo\u0161 vido da je vse nekak \u010dudno ko pa smo \u017ee prtem pr GTAju loh kopuje\u0161 bajte!! grafika pa mi je \u010dist v\u0161e\u010d! da ne omenjam kaj o \u0161kifariji avto vozi\u0161 pa te oni \u0161kif ko ni v avto to\u010dn vid kolk vozi\u0161 kada so \u017ee takrat imeli radarje!!! sploh pa na ladjo ne mor\u0161 pa se vseen vozi okol!!! \u010de bi mel \u0161e ve\u010d \u010dasa bi z veseljem \u0161e razpravljal kak\u0161ne napake so pr mafiji poleg tega tud GTA ni brez napake!!! da ne bo\u0161 mislo da sam zagovarjam gta kr pr gtaju ko si \u010dist na za\u010detku pa ko se en stari meni po telefonu je telefon ogromni pa pr gtaju loh tud k**** ba\u0161e\u0161 v avte po sexsu zgazi\u0161 k**** pa je !!! tak da men sebn je GTA bolj v\u0161e\u010d!!! mogo\u010d pa bo mafia 2 res bol\u0161a od GTAja in vrjetn tud bo! sam ko bo nov GTA se mi \u017ee dozdeva da bo mafia veliko veliko slap\u0161a!!! ne vem bomo vidl!!!GTA JE ZAKON <p\/> ja sam pozablja\u0161 da so bli avti v\u010dasih res tako po\u010dasni poleg tega pa po koncu dobi\u0161 tud bol\u0161e in zelo hitre avte \u010de obrne\u0161 mafio 100% dobi\u0161 en avto ki se mu re\u010de crazy horse in ga je nemogo\u010de vozt, ker je hitr... poleg tega ga lahko na zadnje gume postav\u0161... NORO <p\/> ja angel prav ima\u0161,\u010de obrne\u0161 poleg same igre \u0161e naloge Lucasa Bertone-ja in Free Ride Extreme je igra \u0161e bolj zanimiva <p\/> joj, ne morm ve\u010d gledat va\u0161ih brezveznih postov, ko primerjate mafio pa vice city. taka dva \u0161pila ne mor\u0161 primerjat razn po grafiki in igralnosti. vsaka ma svojo zgodbo in vsaka se dogaja v razli\u010dnem \u010dasu kar tudi pojasni avte in njihove hitrosti. bOy; noben \u0161pil ni brez napake, poleg tega pa je mafia tudi starej\u0161i \u0161pil, okoli 1 leto tak da prosim. ne z takimi brezveznimi pripombami!!! <p\/> a si nis dokonca prebral al si zgubo o\u010dala??? napiso sm da pr GTAju je oni telefon ogromni tak da predn kaj napi\u0161\u0161 si lahkoprebere\u0161 dokonca!!!sploh pa nism reko da je GTA brez napake se pa smo ob koncu leta 2003 ne pa 2222!!!","labels":"Forum","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Naj bo enostavno ... 11.11.2008 <p\/> Prazen prostor v oglasih je zelo pomemben. <p\/> Najverjetneje se ena najve\u010djih polemik v zgodovini oblikovanja vrti okrog praznega prostora (\"whitespace\") v oglasih. S stali\u0161\u010da naro\u010dnika se prazen prostor zdi kot potrata denarja: \"\u010ce sem ga pla\u010dal, ali ga ne bi moral tudi uporabiti?\" Vendar s stali\u0161\u010da oblikovalca le-ta igra klju\u010dno vlogo v dobrem dizajnu. Tudi za gledalca je ta zelo pomemben, saj bel prostor ustvari okvir in omogo\u010di, da oko zajame vse elemente dizajna. Tu se ustvari tudi vpra\u0161anje, kako donosen je ta prazen prostor. \u010ce si samo zamislite oglase za npr. Apple. Njihovi oglasi so obi\u010dajno sestavljeni iz 2-4 elementov enostavno razporejenih na strani, kar omogo\u010da, da pravo sporo\u010dilo pride v ospredje. Dizajn je enostaven, besede so mo\u010dne, bel prostor prevladuje. http:\/\/insearchofdesign.com\/?p=73","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Najstarej\u0161i pron naj bi nastal v Argentini leta 1907, mnogi pa so izgubljeni, saj so bili namenjeni predvajanju ter zaslu\u017eku in jih niso arhivirali. V Hollywoodu so po petdesetem porni\u010de zavijali v oznako \\ ' izobra\u017eevalnega filma \\ ', da so jih lahko predvajali. Industrijo erotike je najbolj spremenil prihod videorekorderja konec sedemdesetih, do\u010dim za najve\u010djo fuka\u0161ko kinouspe\u0161nico velja film Globoko grlo iz 1972.","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"SUPER CENA za tretma pomlajevanja celega obraza s tehologijo usmerjenega visoko-intenzivnega ultrazvoka (HIFU) v salonu Tajna ljepote v Zagrebu! <p\/> Tudi do 10 let mlaj\u0161i videz in dolgotrajni rezultati - mo\u010dnej\u0161i od laserja! V tej ponudbi so na voljo tudi drugi tretmaji HIFU - ne spreglejte vseh med dodatnimi mo\u017enostmi ponudbe! Kuponi so unov\u010dljivi vse do 8. 1. 2021! <p\/> 158,60\u20ac <p\/> Kupi kupon <p\/> Super cena <p\/> Pla\u010daj z Mastercard\u00ae ali Maestro\u00ae in ti vrnemo \u0161e 7,93\u20ac na eDenarnico <p\/> Bi radi bili videti 10 let mlaj\u0161i brez kirur\u0161kega posega in povezanih tveganj? Re\u0161itev je HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound), tretma, ki uporablja tehnologijo usmerjenega visoko-intenzivnega ultrazvoka, ki z izjemno, prav kirur\u0161ko natan\u010dnostjo segreva tkivo na dolo\u010deni globini in tako povzro\u010di neposredni lifting. Gre za prvi aparat na svetu, s katerim je mogo\u010de zgladiti gube, glede na njihovo globino pa je mogo\u010de veke dvigniti za 3-4 mm, zmanj\u0161ati pore na obrazu, u\u010dvrstiti in dvigniti li\u010dnice ipd. V primerih, ko je veka pove\u0161ena zaradi po\u0161kodbe \u017eivca ali je tak\u0161na prirojeno, pa z aparatom ni mogo\u010de dose\u010di sprememb in je potreben kirur\u0161ki poseg. Tudi mo\u010dno izra\u017eeni podo\u010dnjaki se lahko zmanj\u0161ajo, z enim tretmajem pa jih ni mogo\u010de popolnoma odpraviti. <p\/> Izvrstnih rezultatov tretmaja HIFU ni mogo\u010de dose\u010di z nobenim drugim aparatom ali tretmajem, prav tako je z radiofrekvenco, mezoterapijo ali dermapenom. Vseeno so pa potrebna realna pri\u010dakovanja, saj je tako napet obraz, kot ga vidite na hollywoodskih zvezdnicah, posledica dragih kirur\u0161kih posegov, brez katerih tako ekstremnih rezultatov ni mogo\u010de dose\u010di. <p\/> Tretma HIFU izvaja izobra\u017eena kozmeti\u010darka, ki izvaja tudi izobra\u017eevanje o tem tretmaju za lepotne salone po celotni Hrva\u0161ki. Do zdaj je \"polep\u0161ala\" \u017ee ve\u010d kot 150 \u017eensk iz Hrva\u0161ke in Slovenije, zato tudi vi preverite, zakaj se vam spla\u010da za pomlajevanje obraza obiskati prav salon Tajna ljepote. <p\/> Ta revolucionarna in edinstvena naprava lahko: popolnoma odstrani gube na \u010delu, dvigne obrvi za 3-4 mm (z dvigom zgornjih vek), ubla\u017eiti ali popolnoma odstraniti gube okoli o\u010di, ubla\u017eiti ali popolnoma odstraniti podo\u010dnjake, zo\u017eiti raz\u0161irjene pore, u\u010dvrstiti in dvigniti li\u010dnice, ubla\u017eiti ali popolnoma odstraniti nazolabialne gube in gube med nosom in ustnico, napeti ko\u017eo vratu, napeti in odstraniti podbradek, napeti ko\u017eo dekolteja. <p\/> Tretma pomlajevanja z ultrazvokom visoko-intenzivnim ultrazvokom ustvarja velike koli\u010dine kolagena. Po tretmaju ko\u017ea ni po\u0161kodovana in ne zahteva okrevanja. <p\/> En sam tretma pomlajevanja s HIFU je dovolj za odli\u010dne rezultate!","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Katarina Kompan Erzar je mama \u0161estletne h\u010derke in dvanajstletnega sina, \u017eena, doktorica psihologije in docentka za zakonsko in dru\u017einsko terapijo, zaposlena kot strokovni vodja Fran\u010di\u0161kanskega dru\u017einskega in\u0161tituta in terapevtka ter supervizorka. S skupino \u017eivahnih in inteligentnih sodelavcev na in\u0161titutu ponujajo terapevtsko pomo\u010d dru\u017einam, posameznikom in parom. Vodi skupino za mlade mamice, sodeluje pri skupini za zakonce v krizi, enkrat na teden vodi terapevtski trening in predava na fakulteti. <p\/> Andreja Poljanec, univ.dipl.psih. , spec. zakonske in dru\u017einske terapije, je mama \u0161tirih otrok in \u017eena. Kot mlada raziskovalka je zaposlena na Teolo\u0161ki fakulteti, terapevstsko in raziskovalno delo pa opravlja na Fran\u010di\u0161kanskem dru\u017einskem in\u0161titutu. Je asistentka za usposabljanje terapevtov in za razvojno psihologijo. Pomaga pri vodenju skupin za mlade mamice, predava na \u0161oli za predzakonce ter star\u0161em ter objavlja \u010dlanke v znanstvenih, strokovnih in poljudnih revijah. <p\/> Anketa","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Danes bodo za\u017eivela rokometna igri\u0161\u010da <p\/> Danes se bo za\u010delo dr\u017eavno prvenstvo v mo\u0161kem rokometu. V minuli sezoni so naslov dr\u017eavnih prvakov osvojili igralci velenjskega Gorenja, v novi sezoni pa so papirnati favoriti rokometa\u0161i Celja Pivovarne La\u0161ko, ki so doslej 17-krat slavili v elitnem doma\u010dem liga\u0161kem tekmovanju. Po trikrat so zmagali Velenj\u010dani, po enkrat pa Kopr\u010dani in Prul\u010dani. <p\/> V 1. NLB Leasing ligi bo v sezoni 2013\/14 nastopalo dvanajst klubov: Slovan, Gorenje Velenje, Kr\u0161ko, Sevnica, Maribor Branik, Trimo Trebnje, Krka, Celje Pivovarna La\u0161ko, Istrabenz Plini Izola, Ribnica Riko hi\u0161e, Svi\u0161 Ivan\u010dna Gorica in Jeruzalem Ormo\u017e. <p\/> Glavna pretendenta za kon\u010dno zmagoslavje sta Celje in Velenje, iz ozadja bo pritiskal Maribor, drugim pa preostane boj od 4. do 12. mesta. Novi \u010dlan prvoliga\u0161ke dru\u0161\u010dine je Slovan, medtem ko se je Herz \u0160martno odrekel nastopu v najmo\u010dnej\u0161em liga\u0161kem tekmovanju, Sevnica in Kr\u0161ko pa zavoljo usode koprske ekipe ostajata v elitni ligi. <p\/> Tekmovalni sistem v dr\u017eavnem prvenstvu ostaja nespremenjen: po prvem delu, ki se bo kon\u010dal 22. februarja prihodnje leto, se bosta oblikovali dve skupini od 1. do 6. ter od 7. do 12. mesta, vse ekipe pa bodo v kon\u010dnico prenesle to\u010dke, ki so jih osvojile v prvem delu dr\u017eavnega prvenstva. Kon\u010dnica bo na sporedu med 15. marcem in 24. majem prihodnje leto. Iz elitne dru\u0161\u010dine bosta izpadli predzadnja in zadnjeuvr\u0161\u010dena ekipa. <p\/> Pari prvega kroga so - danes: Slovan - Gorenje Velenje, Istrabenz Plini Izola - Ribnica Riko, Kr\u0161ko - Sevnica; sobota, 7. september: Maribor Branik - Trimo Trebnje, Krka - Celje Pivovarna La\u0161ko in Svi\u0161 Ivan\u010dna Gorica - Jeruzalem Ormo\u017e.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Planinski ob\u010dni zbor <p\/> ponedeljek, 3. marca 2014, avtor An\u017eej Be\u010dan <p\/> Planinci smo z ob\u010dnim zborom sredi januarja formalno zaklju\u010dili minulo planinsko sezono in se s pomlajenim vodstvom dru\u0161tva podali novim izletom in izzivom na proti. <p\/> Za uvod smo si ogledali fotografije z lanskega planinskega potepanja po Visu <p\/> Delovno predsedstvo ob\u010dnega zbora <p\/> Sledila so poro\u010dila, najprej mladinskega odseka <p\/> Markacisti so tudi lani zgledno skrbeli za prehodnost in ozna\u010devanje poti <p\/> Otroci iz osnovne \u0161ole se udele\u017eujejo izletov, plezanja, orientacije","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Slackline \"LIXUS\" <p\/> Naprave so narejene iz nerjave\u010dega jekla AISI 304 in so odporne na huj\u0161e vremenske razmere. Urban Stilum serija je zato priljubljena na vseh urbanih in obalnih obmo\u010djih, ter obmo\u010djih z visoko vsebnostjo vlage in kislega de\u017eja, ki pospe\u0161uje proces rjavenja. Na\u0161a \u0161iroka paleta fitnes naprav omogo\u010da vadbo vseh mi\u0161i\u010dnih skupin in zagotavlja varno in uporabniku prijazno vadbo. <p\/> Model <p\/> Slackline \"LIXUS\" <p\/> Koda produkta: 515610402 Dimenzije: 5606 x 606 x 1697 mm Material: Nerjave\u010de jeklo INOX AISI 304, barvni granulatni gumijasti premaz Uporaba: Telo mora med hojo po slackline-u uravnavati nihanje. S tem se zlasti izbolj\u0161a fino mehanska koordinacija med vretenci. Vadba primerna tudi za zdravljenje kapi in multiple skleroze. Certifikat: GS\/T\u00dcV EN 1176 Opozorilo: Otroci mlaj\u0161i od 12 let naj vadijo pod nadzorom starej\u0161e osebe.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"RACE KOGO <p\/> Razvojni center koro\u0161kega gospodarstva je operacija, v okviru katere je konzorcij institucij in podjetij, ki izra\u017eajo skupni interes pri razvoju gospodarstva regije, predvsem na podro\u010djih lesnopredelovalne industrije in novih materialov, ustanovil novo podjetje RACE KOGO, d.o.o.. Prilo\u017enosti podjetja izhajajo iz skupnega interesa, sinergije, nastale iz povezovanja dru\u017eb pri razvoju novih produktov in storitev, ter mo\u017enosti pridobivanja nepovratnih sredstev za skupni razvoj in delovanje. RACE KOGO daje poudarek novim produktom in storitvam, potrebnim za izgradnjo lesene hi\u0161e. Pomemben vidik bo razvoj, obdelava in preizku\u0161anje novih materialov. Sestavni del projekta bodo tudi laboratorijske raziskave, preizku\u0161anje in termomehanska obdelava materialov in meritve, razvoj oz. dodelava orodij za obdelavo materialov, testna proizvodnja, razvoj novih materialov, analiza in mo\u017enosti tr\u017eenja. Rezultati podjetja bodo torej prototipi in z njim povezan \u00bbknow how\u00ab, ter po potrebi patenti. Podjetje bo partnerjem tudi preko ustanoviteljev poleg razvoja nudilo podporo pri akumulaciji strokovnega znanja in usposabljanju razvojnega kadra z razvojem novih vsebin za usposabljanje ter organizacijo kraj\u0161ih izobra\u017eevanj. Dru\u017ebeniki RACE KOGO: Gozdno gospodarstvo Slovenj Gradec d.d., Sistemska tehnika d.o.o. Ravne na Koro\u0161kem, Ga\u0161per tr\u017eenje d.o.o. Radlje ob Dravi, FIN ARS d.o.o. Zagorje ob Savi, Duler d.o.o. Slovenj Gradec, Kopur d.o.o. Slovenj Gradec, V\u0160TP Slovenj Gradec, ERICo d.o.o., In\u0161titut za okolje in prostor, EUTRIP d.o.o., EMSISO d.o.o., Viptronik d.o.o. <p\/> V okviru RACE KOGO V\u0160TP vodi projekt vzpostavljanja 2 laboratorijev za eksperimentalne meritve materialov. Glavni namen in cilj dru\u017ebe je izvajanje projekta, ki je bil potrjen na javnem razpisu Ministrstva za gospodarstvo, za pridobitev sredstev Evropskega sklada za regionalni razvoj \u2013 ESRR \u2013 Razvojni centri slovenskega gospodarstva, objavljen v uradnem listu RS, \u0161t. 62\/2010 ter s tem vzpostavitev infrastrukture za razvoj novih produktov s podro\u010dja lesne dejavnosti in novih materialov. Vodja projekta na V\u0160TP (podprojekt 12) je dr. Primo\u017e Rus.","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Poro\u010dilo predsednika ZDIS - avgust 2012 <p\/> 04.08.2012 - Planinski dan invalidov Kope <p\/> S sekretarko ZDIS, mag. Tanjo Ho\u010devar sva se udele\u017eila 28. Planinskega dneva invalidov na Kopah, v organizaciji DI Slovenj Gradec. Na sre\u010danju je bila slavnostna govornica, dr. Zdenka \u010ceba\u0161ek - Travnik, varuhinja \u010dlovekovih pravic RS. Sre\u010danja sta se udele\u017eila svetnik Mestne ob\u010dine Slovenj Gradec, Franjo Murko in \u017eupan Ob\u010dine Mislinja, Franc \u0160ilak. Prisotni so bili tudi predstavniki DI. V kulturnem programu so sodelovale ljudske pevke \"Lastovke\", Trio Rogina in folklorna skupina iz Nove Gorice. V nagovoru sem poudaril, da je v samostojni Sloveniji poniknilo precej\u0161nje \u0161tevilo pravic in ugodnosti, s katerimi smo si invalidi laj\u0161ali tegobe, svoje telesne in \u010dutne pomanjkljivosti, postali konkuren\u010dni na odprtem trgu dela in tako v vsakdanjem \u017eivljenju skupnosti izkori\u0161\u010dali svoje potenciale. <p\/> Dal sem intervju za VTV Velenje in Koro\u0161ki radio. <p\/> 24.08.2012 \u2013 Sestanek na Ministrstvu za finance <p\/> Z Jo\u017eetom Jane\u017ei\u010dem, predstavnikom SPESS in mag. Senko Vrbica, PIC, smo se sestali s predstavniki Ministrstva za finance: direktorico Direktorata za davke, Jo\u017eico Kastelic, Ireno Zakotnik in dr. Jani Toro\u0161, vodjo kabineta ministra. Predstavili smo na\u0161e probleme in vidike re\u0161itve problemov dohodnine za delovne invalide. <p\/> Dogovorili smo se, da ZDIS posreduje na MDDSZ dopis, da se organizira sestanek s predstavniki ZPIZ, MDDSZ, MF in ZDIS, da se pregleda analiza, ki jo je pripravil ZPIZ, glede nadomestila za invalidnost po novem zakonu ZPIZ-1 ter poi\u0161\u010de re\u0161itve v novem ZPIZ-2 oziroma v Zakonu o dohodnini za delovne invalide. Dopis bo pripravila mag. Senka Vrbica, posredovali ga bomo na ZPIZ, MDDSZ in MF ter dr. Toro\u0161u v vednost. <p\/> 30.08.2012 \u2013 40. seja UO Fiesa <p\/> Z Janezom Merzdovnikom sva se udele\u017eila 40. seje UO Fiesa, na kateri smo obravnavali problematiko kompleksa Fiesa.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Uvodni nagovor <p\/> Medob\u010dinska uprava ob\u010din Bovec, Kobarid in Tolmin, s sede\u017eem v Bovcu, je bila z Odlokom o ustanovitvi organa skupne ob\u010dinske uprave \u00bbMedob\u010dinska uprava ob\u010din Bovec, Kobarid in Tolmin\u00ab ustanovljena sredi leta 2006. Odlok, ki so ga lo\u010deno obravnavali in sprejeli ob\u010dinski sveti vseh treh ob\u010din ustanoviteljic, predstavlja dodaten element sodelovanja teh treh ob\u010din. Z ustanovitvijo skupne ob\u010dinske uprave so tri poso\u0161ke ob\u010dine tudi formalno vzpostavile sodelovanje na podro\u010djih, kjer je to smiselno in predvsem racionalno. <p\/> S ciljem zni\u017eanja stro\u0161kov in racionalizacije poslovanja je bila v sklopu medob\u010dinske uprave, za opravljanje upravnih in strokovnih nalog ob\u010dinskih uprav ob\u010din ustanoviteljic, kot notranja organizacijska enota ustanovljena Medob\u010dinska in\u0161pekcija. Ta za ob\u010dine ustanoviteljice opravlja naloge ob\u010dinske in\u0161pekcije, slu\u017ebe nadzora ob\u010dinskih cest in ob\u010dinskega redarstva ter druge naloge v skladu s predpisi posameznih ob\u010din. Zaradi narave nalog, ki jih za ob\u010dine izvaja Medob\u010dinska in\u0161pekcija, je ta tudi prekr\u0161kovni organ ob\u010din ustanoviteljic, njene poobla\u0161\u010dene osebe pa vodijo prekr\u0161kovni postopek in o prekr\u0161kih, ki so kot taki definirani z zakoni in ob\u010dinskimi odloki, odlo\u010dajo glede na krajevno pristojnost posamezne ob\u010dine. Prav to pa je glavni razlog za to, da si pri na\u0161em delu \u017eelimo tudi va\u0161ega aktivnega sodelovanja. Na osnovi va\u0161ih utemeljenih pripomb, mnenj in predlogov bomo delo, ki ga opravljamo, lahko izvajali bolje in bolj u\u010dinkovito, hkrati pa ga tudi pribli\u017eali vam, ob\u010danom pa tudi vsem ob\u010dasnim ali naklju\u010dnim obiskovalcem zgornjega Poso\u010dja.","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"najbolj \u017ealostno je to, da se mora zagovarjat narodu za to, kak\u0161na je \u2026 jebemti, pa a smo ljudje al ne? ! ? ! ? koga briga, kak zgleda, kdo se sekira, \u010de ma 15 kg preve\u010d \u2026 da je debela ipd. je tragikomi\u010dno in da so mediji na dan spravili tako banalnost, ker ne vedo o \u010dem bi pisali \u2026 jaoooj \u2026 . Mediji so eno \u017eivo sranje, tak poklic, ki ga je ona opravljala pa tud. No, jaz sem \u017ee kar hudo sita o prerekanju, kolk ma kera ravn trebuh in zaobljene noge in da se tako o tem nemudoma obve\u0161\u010da javnost, kot da smo navadni butli in kot da bodo na\u0161e reakcije nevemkak\u0161ne, sploh bilo kak\u0161ne. <p\/> \u010cist ok je in sploh ne pomislim na tehtanje kak\u0161na je bila neko\u010d in kak\u0161na je zdaj \u2026 glavno, da je zdrava, ebemti\u0161. <p\/> [... ] Zanimivo, po medijskem \u201c lin\u010du \u201d zaradi pridobljenih kilogramov je kljub temu, da je zatrjevala, kako je sre\u010dna, kakr\u0161na je, vseeno shuj\u0161ala. \u0160koda. No, ampak sej na naslovki spet zatrjuje, kako je sre\u010dna, \u010deprav ni [... ] <p\/> Anja - 8.02.2008 ob 14:24 <p\/> \u201c Luckily, I \u2019 m strong enough and I have a good enough support system. \u201d Zakaj pa potem jo\u010de pri zadnjih besedah?","labels":"Forum","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"You are here <p\/> Ali za prevoz goriva zado\u0161\u010da atestirana plasti\u010dna posoda? <p\/> Domen Vrhunc <p\/> , <p\/> Torek, 22.April 2014, ob 19:04 <p\/> Pozdravljeni! <p\/> Zanima me, ali za prevoz goriva zado\u0161\u010da atestirana plasti\u010dna posoda za gorivo (npr. 20 L), ali pa je potrebno, da so na tej posodi nalepljene tudi kak\u0161ne nalepke. \u010ce so nalepke potrebne, kje je to urejeno? <p\/> Za odgovor se najlep\u0161e zahvaljujem. <p\/> Lep pozdrav <p\/> Silvan Sim\u010di\u010d <p\/> , <p\/> Petek, 25.April 2014, ob 14:04 <p\/> Spo\u0161tovani, <p\/> res je, za prevoz goriv so primerne le ustrezno atestirane posode. To dolo\u010da zakonodaja in naj navedemo, da se na tem podro\u010dju izpolnjevanje zahtev tudi kontrolira in kazensko sankcionira. Na na\u0161ih prodajnih mestih tako ne smemo prodajati goriva v neustrezne oziroma neatestirane posode. <p\/> Glede tega, katere posode so primerne oziroma v katere posode lahko nato\u010dimo gorivo lahko informacijo dobite tudi na na\u0161ih prodajnih mestih. Svetujemo vam, da se z vpra\u0161anjem obrnete na najbli\u017eji Petrolov bencinski servis, kjer razpolagajo z ustreznim navodilom in podatki o ustreznih posodah.","labels":"Other","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"12.5.2014 <p\/> Zdravilne lastnosti jogurta <p\/> Jogurt je zelo zdrav, saj je poln kalcija in beljakovin, poleg tega pa ga na\u0161e telo la\u017eje prebavlja kot mleko. <p\/> 1. Jogurt je odli\u010den vir kalcija in beljakovin. Kalcij potrebujemo za zdrave kosti, zato naj jogurt u\u017eivajo predvsem mladi in starej\u0161i. Poleg tega pa vsebuje jogurt dvakrat ve\u010d beljakovin kot mleko, te pa na\u0161e telo potrebuje za pravilno delovanje. <p\/> 2. \u010ce je na\u0161 prebavni sistem zdrav, bo vsrkal vse potrebne vitamine, minerale in druge snovi iz hrane. A za pravilno delovanje prebavnega sistema potrebujemo tudi hrano, ki ga ohranja zdravega. Jogurt je eno izmed tistih \u017eivil, ki najbolj pozitivno vpliva na na\u0161o prebavo, zato ga redno vklju\u010dujte na svoj jedilnik. <p\/> 3. Jogurt krepi tudi imunski sitem, saj vsebuje kulture \u017eivih organizmov. Te pove\u010dajo obrambno sposobnost na\u0161ega telesa, zato ga jejmo v \u010dasu, ko smo pod stresom ali pa je zunaj hladno, saj bomo tako na\u0161e telo zavarovali pred boleznimi. <p\/> 4. Nekateri ljudje mleko zelo te\u017eko prebavljajo zaradi laktoze. Jogurt je vsebuje veliko manj, znanstveniki pa so dokazali, da je zato la\u017eje prebavljiv. Vsi, ki imate te\u017eave s prebavo, zato pojejte vsaj en navaden jogurt na dan.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Zdenko Matoz, kultura pet, 27.05, 22:29 Skupino The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain ob\u010dinstvo obi\u010dajno najprej sprejema z zadr\u017ekom, do konca koncerta pa se nad njimi navdu\u0161i. Angle\u0161ki orkester ukulel je nastal pred 25 leti, sestavljajo pa ga predvsem napovedovalci na britanskem BBC Dave Suich, Peter Brooke Turner, Hester Goodman, Richie Williams, Kitty Lux, Will Grove-Whit, Jonty Bankes in George Hinchliffe. <p\/> Skupina je znana po eklekti\u010dnosti, saj rada odigra tako punk klasike, kot je Anarchy in the UK Sex Pistolsov, grunge klasike, kot je Nirvanina Smells Like Teen Spirit, pop klasike, kot je Wuthering Heights Kate Bush, in klasi\u010dne klasike, kot je Wagnerjeva Je\u017ea Valkir, in bo jutri, 29. maja, ob 20.30 nastopila v ljubljanskih Kri\u017eankah. O tem nenavadnem orkestru in njegovem glasbenem pristopu smo se pogovarjali z ustanovnim \u010dlanom in vodjem Georgeom Hinchliffom. Kako se ljudje odzovejo, ko prvi\u010d sli\u0161ijo va\u0161 orkester ukulel? <p\/> Obi\u010dajno ima ob\u010dinstvo, ki nas prvi\u010d poslu\u0161a, neke ustaljene predstave o tem, kaj bodo sli\u0161ali. Navadno pri\u010dakujejo staro swing glasbo za tleskanje s prsti. Sicer v program damo nekaj vro\u010dih jazz standardov, pa tudi rock, celo grunge in klasi\u010dno glasbo ter precej glasbe, ki jo je te\u017eko stilno opredeliti. <p\/> Smo ena tistih glasbenih skupin, za katero najve\u010d reklame naredi ustno izro\u010dilo, vsaj doslej je bilo tako. Vsak, ki je bil na na\u0161em koncertu, naslednji\u010d nanj pride s prijatelji, da lahko opazuje njihov odziv. Obi\u010dajno ljudje pri\u010dakujejo, da bo na\u0161 koncert \u0161e kar v redu, potem pa spregledajo in re\u010dejo - aha - se znebijo predsodkov, se sprostijo in u\u017eivajo v koncertu. <p\/> Se jim odpre neki novi glasbeni svet? <p\/> Tako je. Znanega gledali\u0161kega producenta je na na\u0161 koncert pripeljala \u017eena. Po koncertu smo se sre\u010dali in je dejal, da pravzaprav ni hotel iti na koncert, po koncertu pa je bil navdu\u0161en, saj je bil neizmerno zabaven. Poudaril je, da \u010deprav na koncertih uporabljamo le ukulele in glas, na visoki ravni predstavimo svoj talent ter sposobnost zabavanja in komuniciranja z ob\u010dinstvom. <p\/> Menim, da ni ni\u010d narobe z na\u0161imi koncerti, radi imamo ukulele, \u0161e raj\u0161i imamo glasbo in seveda dobro zabavo. In \u010de se zabavamo mi, se obi\u010dajno z nami zabava tudi ob\u010dinstvo. <p\/> Kako na vas gledajo drugi glasbeniki, ko vas vidijo igrati na te igra\u010dkam podobne kitare? <p\/> Od glasbenikov smo dobili \u017ee veliko pohval. Trudimo se, da se na na\u0161ih koncertih iz \u0161iroke palete glasbenih stilov in razli\u010dnih na\u010dinov izvedbe najde za vsakogar nekaj. <p\/> Opa\u017eamo, da dolo\u010dene nagovore in aran\u017emaje pesmi, \u0161e posebej na\u0161e znamenito me\u0161anje glasbenih stilov, v\u010dasih tudi v eni pesmi, nekateri znajo ceniti, drugi pa ne. Nekaterim je v\u0161e\u010d humor, drugi pa u\u017eivajo v razkrivanju glasbenih plasti in ko\u0161\u010dkov pesmi, ki jih preme\u0161amo. <p\/> Je ob takih in\u0161trumentih te\u017eko ostati resen? <p\/> Z vsakim in\u0161trumentom je mogo\u010de biti resen. Ukulele so samo in\u0161trument. Nanj se da marsikaj zaigrati, kot na orgle, godalni kvartet ali mobilni telefon. <p\/> V\u010dasih se poigravamo z napa\u010dnim mi\u0161ljenjem, da so ukulele igra\u010da ali \u0161ala. \u010ceprav sku\u0161amo predstaviti na\u0161o glasbo na zabaven na\u010din, je odigrana dobro in posko\u010dno, ekstati\u010dno, v\u010dasih se\u017ee tudi do srca. <p\/> Veliko potujete in nastopate po svetu. Kako se ob\u010dinstvo odzove, ko vas vidi in sli\u0161i? <p\/> Praviloma se ob\u010dinstvo povsod odzove enako, na Japonskem, v ZDA, Novi Zelandiji... Na\u0161 koncert v Carnegie Hall je \u010dasopis New York Times ocenil za enega od petih najbolj\u0161ih v tej presti\u017eni dvorani tisto leto. Obi\u010dajno do\u017eivimo stoje\u010de ovacije in pozive, naj zaigramo dodatek ali dva. Zanima me, kako bo na\u0161 glasbeni stil sprejelo slovensko ob\u010dinstvo. <p\/> Kako poteka predelava klasi\u010dnih in pop skladb za ukulele? <p\/> Mi igramo vsakr\u0161no glasbo. Klasi\u010dnih skladb se najprej lotimo z aran\u017emaji, obi\u010dajno jih napi\u0161em jaz, nato je na vrsti delo orkestra. Najti moramo primerno pot za prevajanje simfoni\u010dnega orkestrskega zvoka v zvok orkestra ukulel - recimo zvok harfe v plesu Sladkorne vile v Hresta\u010du in zvok trobil v Je\u017ei Valkir sta bila poseben izziv. Obi\u010dajno s posebnimi in ne vedno enostavnimi tehnikami uspe\u0161no prenesemo duh glasbe. V\u010dasih note ustrezajo, kot na primer pri voja\u0161kem mar\u0161u, ponekod pa je nujna reinterpretacija. Ker po ve\u010dini spo\u0161tujemo glasbo in besedila, si ve\u010d svobode vzamemo pri aran\u017emajih in izboru glasbene zvrsti. Je bil kateri od avtorjev kdaj u\u017ealjen, ko je sli\u0161al va\u0161o razli\u010dico svoje pesmi? <p\/> Nekajkrat nam je res pri\u0161lo na u\u0161esa, da nekateri skladatelji ali glasbene zalo\u017ebe niso bili navdu\u0161eni nad na\u0161o razli\u010dico. Ve\u010dini pa je v\u0161e\u010d, saj jim pla\u010damo avtorske pravice. (Smeh. ) <p\/> Ker sami pi\u0161emo svoje pesmi in smo sami tudi glasbena zalo\u017eba, lahko po\u010dnemo kar koli. V \u017eivo smo \u017ee nastopili z Yusufom Islamom, ki je bil svoj\u010das znan kot Cat Stevens, z The Kaiser Chiefs in bili posebni gostje na albumu skupine Madness. David Bowie je dejal, da smo zabavni in bistri, Brian Eno pa, da smo lahko to\u010dka preobrata ali pa kon\u010dna to\u010dka (turning point) v zgodovini sodobne popularne glasbe. To je \u0161ala, ki deluje le v angle\u0161\u010dini. (Smeh. ) Je bil mogo\u010de kdo zelo navdu\u0161en nad va\u0161o razli\u010dico? <p\/> Ko smo se pojavili na istem festivalu kot skupina Wheatus in ko so izvedeli, da bomo igrali njihovo uspe\u0161nico Teenage Dirtbag, so vztrajali, naj se jim pridru\u017eimo na odru, in smo skupaj odpeli to pesem. Va\u0161i nastopi potrebujejo ve\u0161\u010da u\u0161esa, ki poznajo tako zgodovino popularne kot klasi\u010dne glasbe. V\u010dasih v eno skladbo zdru\u017eite vrsto fragmentov razli\u010dnih pesmi. <p\/> Prepri\u010dan sem, da nekdo, ki ne ve veliko o glasbi, brez te\u017eav u\u017eiva v na\u0161em koncertu, glasbeni poznavalec pa bo seveda na\u0161el dodaten u\u017eitek in vrsto podtonov. Za poslu\u0161anje na\u0161e glasbe ni potrebno posebno znanje, \u010de pa nekdo ima nekoliko ve\u010d znanja, lahko ve\u010d potegne iz koncerta. Mnogi pravijo, da je na\u0161e delo ve\u010dplastno, kar pomeni, da je tudi u\u017eitek lahko ve\u010dstopenjski. Kak\u0161en program ste pripravili za koncert v Kri\u017eankah? <p\/> U\u017eiva\u0161ko, topotajo\u010de, tleskajo\u010de, pojo\u010de, plesno in o\u010darljivo potovanje skozi zgodovino glasbe. Kot pravimo v angle\u0161\u010dini - \u00bbone plucking thing after another\u00ab. Smo na svetovni turneji, potujemo le z ro\u010dno prtljago in upamo, da bomo dali ob\u010dinstvu vsaj nekaj tistega, kar pri\u010dakuje, nekaj, kar potrebuje, in nekaj presene\u010denj, za katera ne ve, da jih potrebuje.","labels":"Other","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"par stvari me zanima o ma\u010djih aknah, \u010de ima kdo kaj ve\u010d izku\u0161enj. v glavnem vem za t.i. \u010drne pikice pod brado, ki naj bi bile ma\u010dje akne oz. glivice? vem da se to lahko naredi tudi drugje po telesu. <p\/> pri nas sem ob\u010dasno pikico na bradi \u017ee videla pri kak\u0161ni, zdaj imam pa en drug problem. fergie so se te pikice naredile tik pod smr\u010dkom, samo na eni strani in pa na smr\u010dku, prete\u017eno na tej isti strani. pa\u010d okoli nosnice, \u010de si znate predstavljat. naj povem da se ona prehranjuje precej \u0161torasto in velikokrat smr\u010dek pomo\u010di v stvari, tako da se mi zdi, da bi znal bit to vzrok za ta izbruh okoli nosnice... <p\/> v\u010deraj sem s plivaseptom in vodo ta predel o\u010distila in je \u0161lo pod smr\u010dkom vse stran, ko\u017ea je bila tam rde\u010da, danes je \u017ee bolj\u0161e... se vidi da se celi. na smr\u010dku pa en del ostaja. namesto da bi imela tam lepo dlako, ima manj\u0161o krasto, ki z umivanjem ne gre dol. pretirano drgnit seveda ne mislim, ker ji je skrajno neprijetno, \u010de to po\u010dnem. <p\/> zanima me, \u010de ima kdo kak nasvet kako postopat naprej? seveda jo lahko peljem na veterino, to ni problem... razumljivo se pa sku\u0161am temu izogibat, \u010de le gre, ker no\u010dem ma\u010dke vznemirjat, \u010de ni res treba. <p\/> Po moje je samo umazanija, ki pa se zna posu\u0161ena tako \u010dvrsto sprijeti s ko\u017eo, da je joj. \u010cudno mi je le, da je tako opazno, saj Fergie ni bela okrog smr\u010dka. Predlagam, da mesto ve\u010dkrat zaporedoma samo tapka\u0161 z namo\u010deno vato, vsaki\u010d malo po\u010daka\u0161, in \u0161ele potem ne\u017eno odstranjuje\u0161. Z enkratnim postopkom skoraj zagotovo ne bo\u0161 spravila vsega stran, zato ga ponavljaj, a raje ne isti dan, da maca vmes malo pozabi. <p\/> ja zgoraj je \u010drna ja, ma sem jo tako od blizu gledala da sem vidla ko gre\u0161 s prstom \u010dez pa itak \u010duti\u0161 tisto krastico. <p\/> pomoje bo \u0161lo po\u010dasi ja, zankrat se vsaj ni vrnilo tam kjer je bilo prej <p\/> Ko sem jaz \u0161e imela za\u010dasnike, sem jim akne ( lih na tem mestu, kot si ti opisala so bile ponavadi) parkrat na dan potapkala s koloidnim srebrom na vati...potem se je naredila krastica, se odlu\u0161\u010dila in spodaj je bio vse ok. <p\/> u ja, se nisem takoj spomnila na to, ampak je dobra zadeva! bom probala dobit to zdaj <p\/> druga\u010de je pa \u017ee precej dobro! ena malenkost \u0161e ostaja na smr\u010dku zgoraj, ostalo zgleda dobro sem v bistvu razmi\u0161ljala, da je mo\u017enost da so se tudi kaj med sabo opraskale in se je \u010dez to naredila krastica pa \u0161e akne... kaj pa vem. <p\/> zdaj imam drug problem, ker si je \u0161e uho spraskala fergie se ne praska ravno ne\u017eno, \u010de jo kaj zasrbi obi\u010dajno praska \u010dist na ful, tko da sama sebe zakolje, \u010de je treba <p\/> Se jih znebi za par mesecev. Pa se spet naredijo. Pa spet ponovimo kuro pa je ok, do naslednji\u010d. Njega ne motijo, ne bolijo, se ne \u0161irijo. Vedno se pojavijo na bradi. Ve\u010d kot 4mesece miru pa \u0161e nismo imeli pred njimi odkar je bil ulovljen. Poseben Fiv\u010dek pa\u010d, ki rabi en malo ve\u010d \"vzdr\u017eevanja\", samo ga je vreden. Mene pa tudi ne skrbi, ker vem kaj je, pa da ni ni\u010d groznega. Samo akne.","labels":"Forum","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Organizirajte si \u017eivljenje <p\/> Pomlad je \u010das prebujanja, obnove in prenove, \u010di\u0161\u010denja starih grehov in za\u010denjanja novih. Poskrbite za nove za\u010detke tudi v organizaciji \u017eivljenja. <p\/> Stres v slu\u017ebi, dru\u017einske obveznosti, splo\u0161ni hiter tempo \u017eivljenja so ne le utrujajo\u010di, temve\u010d lahko povzro\u010dajo tesnobo in splo\u0161ni nemir. V\u010dasih se nam zazdi, da zaradi kopice obveznosti ne bomo uspeli opraviti niti ene, saj nam misli begajo od ene do druge, ko se nikakor ne moremo osredoto\u010diti in razmi\u0161ljamo o tem, katera je pomembnej\u0161a. <p\/> V dneh, ko v na\u0161e kraje po\u010dasi le prihaja pomlad, je pravi \u010das, da ponovno razmislimo o \u017eivljenjskih prioritetah in posku\u0161amo izbolj\u0161ati organizacijo svojega \u017eivljenja. <p\/> Enega svetovno najbolj priznanih sistemov organizacije in izbolj\u0161evanja produktivnosti oziroma upravljanja s \u010dasom je definiral avtor David Allen v svoji knjigi Getting Things Done. V naslednjih to\u010dkah vas vodimo skozi osnove organizacije, ki vam bodo pomagale sistematizirati \u017eivljenjske navade in obveznosti tako, da boste v njih pri\u010deli u\u017eivati. <p\/> 1. Zberite misli <p\/> Najprej je pomembno, da najdete najbolj\u0161e na\u010dine za zbiranje vseh informacij in misli, ki se sicer \u010dez dan podijo po va\u0161i glavi. Saj veste: pametni pi\u0161ejo! Ne posku\u0161ajte si zapomniti vseh podatkov, urnikov ali idej, ki se vam porajajo. Namesto tega s seboj vedno in ne glede na to, kam ste namenjeni nosite bele\u017eko in zapisujte vse, kar vam pade na pamet. <p\/> Predelajte informacije. Po tem, ko misli na svoj na\u010din zberete, jih tudi predelajte. Pri\u010dnite na za\u010detku \u2013 ugotovite, kaj je najpomembnej\u0161e in kaj je tisto, \u010desar sploh ne potrebujete. Odlo\u010ditve sprejemajte hitro in z njimi ne odla\u0161ajte. Bodite brez milosti in se re\u0161ite vsega balasta tako v smislu stvari kot v smislu informacij. Z nalogami odla\u0161ajte le, \u010de veste, da zahtevajo ve\u010d kot dve minuti va\u0161ega \u010dasa. V tem primeru posamezno nalogo uvrstite na seznam, jo arhivirajte, vendar se je lotite takoj, ko vam bo to dovoljeval \u010das. <p\/> 2. Na\u010drtujte <p\/> Na za\u010detku vsakega tedna, v ponedeljek zjutraj ali celo v nedeljo zve\u010der, se odlo\u010dite za eno do tri najpomembnej\u0161e cilje in jih razporedite v svoj tedenski urnik. To naj bodo ve\u010dje naloge, ki vas bodo \u2013 ko jih boste izpolnili \u2013 navdale s ponosom. Podobno si tudi vsak dan razdelite na opravljanje manj\u0161ega \u0161tevila obveznosti. S psiholo\u0161kega vidika je najbolje, \u010de najpomembnej\u0161e naloge opravljate zjutraj, saj boste tako najve\u010dji del bremena s svojih ple\u010d odvrgli \u017ee, ko se dan \u0161ele dobro za\u010denja. Va\u0161 sistem na\u010drtovanja naj bo kar se da enostaven za uporabo in razumevanje \u2013 ni potrebe, da \u010das izgubljate s seznanjanjem z Outlookom ali drugo programsko opremo va\u0161ega ra\u010dunalnika. <p\/> 3. Osredoto\u010dite se <p\/> Vsi vemo, da je te\u017eko vsako nalogo opraviti povsem osredoto\u010deno in brez prekinitev. Vendar je ravno to ena najosnovnej\u0161ih navad, ki jih morate osvojiti, saj zagotavlja dobro upravljanje s \u010dasom. Izklju\u010dite vse mogo\u010de mote\u010de faktorje: elektronsko po\u0161to, mobitel, in \u010de je potrebno, tudi internet. <p\/> Tak\u0161en na\u010din dela morda ni tako enostaven, \u010de do posameznega opravila \u010dutite odpor. V tem primeru najprej razmislite o pozitivnih vidikih naloge. Na primer, njen rezultat vam lahko prinese mo\u017enost dela na novem projektu, napredovanje na bolj\u0161e delovno mesto, lahko pa se le ne\u010desa novega in zanimivega nau\u010dite. Nato opravilo razbijte na mini-naloge, od katerih vam bo vsaka vzela najve\u010d pet minut. Ko boste opravili prvo, vam zagotavljamo, da bodo tudi ostale stekle kot po maslu. Z opravljenimi prvimi tremi ali \u0161tirimi mini-nalogami se nagradite \u2013 na primer s petminutnim branjem elektronske po\u0161te ali spletnega portala. Nato nadaljujte z delom. <p\/> 4. Uredite delovni in \u017eivljenjski prostor <p\/> Na vtis, da nas obveznosti du\u0161ijo, lahko vpliva tudi neurejenost okolja, v katerem bivamo in delamo. Pomlad je pravi \u010das, da za\u010dnemo z reorganizacijo \u017eivljenjskega in delovnega okolja in vse stvari, ki nas vsakodnevno obdajajo postavimo na svoje mesto. Najprej opredelite sistem, po katerem boste skupaj shranjevali podobne stvari (npr. ra\u010dune, dokumente). \u010cetudi nekateri dobro delujemo v funkcionalnem neredu, je ta za posameznika sistematiziran, le najti moramo tak\u0161en (ne)red, da nam ustreza. Nato sledite sistemu, vsaki stvari odredite primerno mesto in pri\u010dnite s sprotnim shranjevanjem vseh pripadajo\u010dih stvari. <p\/> 5. Pregled <p\/> Redno pregledujte tako novo vzpostavljeni sistem shranjevanja stvari kakor tudi svoj napredek v smislu izpolnjevanja ciljev. Preglejte svoje zapiske in na koncu tedna potegnite \u010drto ter ocenite, kako uspe\u0161ni ste bili pri opravljanju obveznosti. To je pomembno zato, da sami sebi ponovno potrdite uspeh oziroma da se boste v prihodnje lahko u\u010dili na svojih napakah. Po pregledu si na osnovi preteklih pomanjkljivosti in stvari, ki jih niste uspeli odkljukati s seznama, zastavite naloge in cilje za prihajajo\u010di teden. Osredoto\u010dite se na najpomembnej\u0161e oziroma poenostavite tiste, ki niso najnujnej\u0161i. <p\/> 6. Najdite svojo strast <p\/> Po\u010dnite tiste stvari, ki vas resni\u010dno veselijo, v katerih \u2013 \u010deprav so profesionalne narave \u2013 u\u017eivate in se vam zdi, da bi v njih lahko u\u017eivali do konca svojega \u017eivljenja. Da je najti popolno delovno mesto te\u017eko, je precej omiljena trditev. Vendar se ga spla\u010da najti, zato vam priporo\u010damo, da z iskanjem nikoli ne odnehate. Pomislite, s kak\u0161no lahkoto bi izpolnjevali zgoraj na\u0161tete naloge, \u010de bi bile povezane z dejavnostjo ali temo, ki vas navdu\u0161uje! \u010ce svoje strasti nikakor ne morete pretvoriti v delo, poskrbite, da se boste z njo tako ali druga\u010de ukvarjali vsaj v prostem \u010dasu, saj si lahko prav na ta na\u010din povrnete nekaj samozaupanja ali motiviranosti. <p\/> Nazadnje je pomembno \u0161e, da ustvarite svojo lastno udobno rutino. Rutina je sicer po mnenju mnogih dolgo\u010dasna in zna ubiti duha. Do neke mere to dr\u017ei, vendar vam lahko v \u010dasih, ko ste preobremenjeni, mo\u010dno olaj\u0161a vsakodnevne napore in \u017eivljenje nasploh. Rutino je tako priporo\u010dljivo razviti na podro\u010dju delovnih navad in vzorcev \u2013 \u010de vam bo tedensko in dnevno zbiranje misli, zastavljanje ciljev in na\u010drtovanje njihovega izpolnjevanja pre\u0161lo v kri, bo va\u0161e \u017eivljenje precej enostavnej\u0161e. <p\/> \u017delimo vam, da v leto\u0161njo pomlad zakorakate osredoto\u010deno in z odlo\u010dnimi koraki. <p\/> \u010clanek pripravila Elvira Leka, prevedla in priredila Katarina Cvikl.","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Infopentlja <p\/> Dajmo Evropi \u017eenski dotik: Evropska komisija je sprejela novo strategijo o enakosti med spoloma <p\/> 27.09.2010 <p\/> Evropska komisija je sprejela petletno strategijo za spodbujanje enakosti med \u017eenskami in mo\u0161kimi v Evropi. <p\/> S strategijo \u017eeli Evropska komisija izkoristiti \u017eenski potencial, ki lahko veliko prispeva h gospodarskim in dru\u017ebenim ciljem EU. Evropska komisija na\u010dela pretvarja v konkretne ukrepe, od tega, da spodbuja ve\u010dji odstotek \u017eensk v upravah podjetij, do soo\u010danja z nasiljem na podlagi spola. <p\/> Strategija vsebuje serijo ukrepov, ki se nana\u0161ajo na pet prednostnih nalog gospodarski trg in trg dela, enako pla\u010dilo, enakopravnost na vi\u0161ji polo\u017eajih in spodbujanje enakosti v EU. <p\/> Medtem je nova Eurobarometrova raziskava pokazala, da 87 % Evropejcev podpira akcije EU na podro\u010dju doma\u010dega nasilja. Eden od \u0161tirih pozna nekoga, ki je bil \u017ertev tovrstnega nasilja.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Obve\u0161\u010damo star\u0161e, da je Zakon o \u0161olski prehrani stopil v veljavo s 15. 6. 2010. Prosimo vas, da preberete dopis ravnateljice ter izpolnite in oddate prijavo u\u010denca na \u0161olsko prehrano do konca meseca junija.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"KULINARI\u010cNI TEAM BUILDING S \u0160EFOM <p\/> Kulinari\u010dni team building, ki \"za\u017eiga\" na vseh podro\u010djih. Sestavite ekipe, spogajajte se za enega izmed 4 kuhalnih pripomo\u010dkov (kotli\u010dek, ponev, re\u0161eta in \u0161pila za ra\u017enji\u010de), zakurite primeren ogenj in poka\u017eite va\u0161e mojstrstvo v pripravi jedi na odprtem ognju. Na koncu programa bo Bine ocenil va\u0161 dose\u017eek po kriterijih organizacije, komunikacije v skupini, iznajdljivosti pri re\u0161evanju problemov, predpriprave, okusa in izgleda kon\u010dne jedi. <p\/> Na Kulinari\u010dnem team buildingu s \u0161efom se boste zabavali, najedli ter nau\u010dili nekaj super trikov, s katerimi boste blesteli na va\u0161em naslednjem dru\u017einskem pikniku.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Prva resna konvencija po desetletjih po\u010ditka <p\/> Misija Si.Con <p\/> Potovanje po Sloveniji <p\/> Konvencija se bo predvidoma selila iz enega v drug kraj. Nikakor ne bo zacementirana samo na enem mestu. Prva konvencija bo v Celju. Kje bo naslednja, pa bomo glasovali na sami konvenciji glede na nominacije. seveda se na za\u010detku ne bojimo pretianega navala nominacij, saj je slovenska scena \u017eal tak\u0161na, da ve\u010dina \u010daka, da jih nedko nekam premakne. Skupno konvencijam je ime Si.Con, ki tudi mednarodni javnosti takoj pove, da gre za slovensko konvencijo. Dogodek v Celju ima ime Celjska vampirska ve\u010derja. Upam, da bomo uspeli dobiti kak\u0161nega \u010dastnega gosta, ki je napisal dobro vampir\u0161\u010dino (\u0160tefka torej odpade). <p\/> Okvir dejavnosti <p\/> Na konvenciji bodo slede\u010di generalni sklopi dejavnosti: <p\/> Okrogle mize, povezane s tematiko nam ljubih \u017eanrov <p\/> Predavanja iz razli\u010dnih aktualnih vsebin (E-objavljanje, zalo\u017eni\u0161tvo, mo\u017enosti \u017eivljenja v vesolju, eti\u010dni vidik nesmrtnosti ipd.) <p\/> Predstavitve dru\u0161tev in zdru\u017eenj <p\/> Delavnice (risanje mang, izdelava oro\u017eja za LARP, pisateljstvo,... ) <p\/> Namizne igre (turnir ipd.,) <p\/> Slovenske nagrade na podro\u010dju spekulativnih umetnosti, Drej\u010dek <p\/> Nate\u010daj za nagrade Marsov\u010dek za osnovne \u0161ole <p\/> Sicon zbirka <p\/> Organizacijski odbor <p\/> Jedro organizacijskega odbora tvorijo \u010dlani na\u0161ega dru\u0161tva. To bo toliko \u010dasa, dokler se ne vzpostavi dovolj trdna dru\u0161tvena baza, ki bo sama zmogla zahtevno organizacijo konvencije in se bo uspela izogniti pastem t.i. \" slovenskosti \" scene, ki je \u017ee nekajkrat uni\u010dila organiziran fandom. <p\/> Poleg \u010dlanov na\u0161ega dru\u0161tva, smo povabili \u0161e \u010dlane slede\u010dih dru\u0161tev: <p\/> Tolkienovo dru\u0161tvo Gil-Galad <p\/> Dru\u0161tvo ljubiteljev ZF &amp; F Prizma <p\/> Slovensko skupnost ljubiteljev animejev in mang <p\/> Slocartoon <p\/> Strpoholiki <p\/> \u010ce se kdo ne vidi na seznamu, a vendarle miga, naj se seveda javi. <p\/> Kaj bo po\u010del ta odbor? <p\/> Pripravil in uredil vsebinske zadeve, da bo vse v ravnote\u017eju. Nadalje bodo sodelovali s Komisijo za nagrade pri izboru nagrajencev nagrad Drej\u010dek. <p\/> Opomba: Znak Si.Cona je \u0161e delovna verzija.","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Organi, KS, zavodi, MI-SPO <p\/> Zimske razmere v ob\u010dini Kr\u0161ko v ponedeljek 14. januarja <p\/> Kr\u0161ko, 14. januar 2013 \u2013 Sne\u017ene padavine so zajele vso dr\u017eavo, v ob\u010dini Kr\u0161ko je do 12. ure zapadlo kar 50 cm snega. Na terenu je 50 ekip koncesionarja dru\u017ebe Kostak skupaj s podizvajalci, ki se trudijo zagotoviti prevoznost cest in pe\u0161\u010devih povr\u0161in. Ker sneg ves \u010das naletava je doslednost \u010di\u0161\u010denja toliko te\u017eja. Vse udele\u017eence v prometu prosimo za razumevanje in potrpe\u017eljivost. <p\/> Izvajanje zimske slu\u017ebe v ob\u010dini Kr\u0161ko zajema 485 km cest, 60 km plo\u010dnikov in 51.000 m2 javnih parkirnih prostorov. S plu\u017eenjem in preventivnim posipom smo za\u010deli najprej v vi\u0161inskih predelih v\u010deraj ob 17. uri, akcija na cestah se je nato nadaljevala tudi skozi vso no\u010d, ker pa so bile sne\u017ene padavine zelo intenzivne med 5. in 7. uro zjutraj, ko je padlo skoraj 10 cm dodatnega snega, so v dopoldanskih urah izvajalci zimske slu\u017ebe plu\u017eenje ponovili, je pojasnil vodja oddelka za gospodarsko infrastrukutro Rafael Jure\u010di\u010d. <p\/> Dodatne informacije <p\/> Nepredvidene dogodke ali potrebe po nujnih intervencijah lahko ob\u010dani javijo na de\u017eurni telefon koncesionarja (041 671 484) ali pokli\u010dejo Center za obve\u0161\u010danje 112. <p\/> Vsem udele\u017eencem v prometu hvala za potrpljenje in sodelovanje <p\/> Zaradi izjemnih pogojev, ki nastajajo ob poledici, snegu, sodri in \u017eledu zimska slu\u017eba velja za najte\u017ejo in najbolj zahtevno, zato Ob\u010dina Kr\u0161ko tudi tokrat udele\u017eence v prometu prosi za potrpljenje in razumevanje. Kot vedno velja priporo\u010dilo, da se na pot podajo z opremo z verigami in ostalo ustrezno opremo, da bi se izognili morebitnim trkom in zastojem, ki potek zimske slu\u017ebe \u0161e dodatno ovirajo.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Koronarna sr\u010dna bolezen <p\/> Delite: <p\/> Koronarna sr\u010dna bolezen je bolezen se razvije, ko se koronarne arterije, se pravi glavne \u017eile, ki srce oskrbujejo s hrano in kisikom, po\u0161kodujejo oziroma jih na\u010dne bolezen. Za bolezen koronarnih arterij so najve\u010dkrat krive obloge \u017eil (plaki), ki vsebujejo holesterol. <p\/> Obloge na stenah \u017eil o\u017eijo \u017eilo in s tem zmanj\u0161ujejo pretok krvi, kar pomeni, da srce dobiva premalo kisika in hranil. Zmanj\u0161ani pretok krvi lahko povzro\u010di bole\u010dino v prsih in kratko sapo. Kadar je \u017eila popolnoma blokirana, pride do sr\u010dnega infarkta. Toda to se nikoli ne zgodi od danes do jutri. Koronarna sr\u010dna bolezen je namre\u010d bolezen, kis e razvija leta in desetletja, preden poka\u017ee zobe. Bolnik dolgo nima nobenih znakov in se je sploh ne zaveda, zato je tako nevarna. Ker se razvija po\u010dasi, se bolnik tudi ne zaveda sprememb v pe\u0161anju, ki ga najve\u010dkrat pripi\u0161e staranju. Potem se pa kar nenadoma zgodi, da ga zadene sr\u010dna kap (drugo ime za miokardni infarkt). Zato je pomembno, da se pred koronarno sr\u010dno boleznijo zavarujemo, dokler imamo \u010das, dokler bodo na\u0161i ukrepi najbolj u\u010dinkoviti. Recept za to je vsem dobro znan: zdravo \u017eivljenje oziroma spremembe \u017eivljenjskega sloga: bolj zdrava prehrana z manj ma\u0161\u010dobami, s kakovostnimi ma\u0161\u010dobami, z ve\u010d sve\u017ee zelenjave in sadja, veliko manj\u0161ih obrokov, dolgotrajno \u017eve\u010denje hrane, ve\u010d rib in manj rde\u010dega mesa, pa tudi manj alkoholnih pija\u010d, ni\u010d kajenja in \u010dim ve\u010d gibanja. Recept, ki ga poznamo vsi, le upo\u0161tevati ga je v\u010dasih te\u017eko. <p\/> \u010ce so koronarne arterije zo\u017eene, ne morejo oskrbovati srca s krvjo, ki mu daje kisik. Ko srce mo\u010dno bije, na primer med fizi\u010dno aktivnostjo ali pa, \u010de smo v huj\u0161em stresu, je tak\u0161no pomanjkanje krvi s kisikom posebej nevarno. Na za\u010detku slaba preto\u010dnost \u017eil \u0161e ne bo povzro\u010dala kak\u0161nih ve\u010djih te\u017eav. Ko pa se bodo obloge pove\u010devale, ko imajo koronarne arterije vse manj\u0161i pretok, ima bolnik razli\u010dne zdravstvene te\u017eave. Med najbolj znanimi je bole\u010dina v prsih, pritisk oziroma stiskanje, kot da bi vam nekdo stisnil prsni ko\u0161. Ta bole\u010dina je navadno posledica prej omenjenega fizi\u010dnega oziroma psihi\u010dnega stresa. Pri \u017eenskah je zna\u010dilno, da bole\u010dino \u010dutijo nekoliko druga\u010de kot mo\u0161ki: kot zbadajo\u010do in zelo ostro bole\u010dino v trebuhu, na hrbtu ali pa v roki. Precej zna\u010dilen znak, opozorilo je kratka sapa. \u010ce prehodimo nekaj stopnic, ki smo jih \u0161e nedolgo tega brez te\u017eav celo preskakovali, zdaj pa smo zadihani, je treba biti pozoren in to povedati svojemu zdravniku. Tudi velika utrujenost, iz\u010drpanost je lahko znak bolezni. <p\/> Kadar je bole\u010dina zelo huda, nikar ne \u010dakajte. Takoj je treba k zdravniku. Najbolje bo, \u010de takega bolnika odpeljejo naravnost na urgenco. \u010cas je v takih primerih zelo dragocen in pravo\u010dasno ter pravilno ukrepanje lahko re\u0161i \u017eivljenje.","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Vladi R Slovenije predlagam, da v zvezi morebitne nelikvidnosti oz. pla\u010dilne nesposobnosti razpi\u0161e ljudsko posojilo v vi\u0161ini 5 milijard evrov s 5 % letno obrestno mero. Moratorij na izpla\u010dilo je 5 let nato pa izpla\u010dilo glavnice in obresti v 5 letnih obrokih. <p\/> Navedeno tkim. ljudsko posojilo se ustrezno predstavi v glasilih javnega obve\u0161\u010danja in vseh medijih na obmo\u010dju R Slovenije in se pozove dr\u017eavljane, da po svojih mo\u010deh pomogajo pri ohranitvi finan\u010dne suverenosti dr\u017eave. <p\/> Vpla\u010dujejo lahko vsi dr\u017eavljani R Slovenije in vse pravne osebe s sede\u017eem oz. registracijo na obmo\u010dju R Slovenije. <p\/> Vemo iz preteklosti, da smo \u017ee imeli podobna ljudska posojila (potres v Skopju, posojilo za ceste v Avstro-Ogrski so bila poznana vojna posojila itd.). <p\/> Ob navedenem pa naj pripomnim, da je banke prvo potrebno re\u0161evati s prodajo njihovega lastnega premo\u017eenja (odve\u010dne poslovalnice, poslovni prostori, objekti sindikalnega turizma v zdravili\u0161\u010dih in morju ter v gorah) in zastavljenimi in zavarovanimi terjatvami pravnih in fizi\u010dnih oseb (stanovanj, hi\u0161, podjetij... ) \u0161ele nato naj na pomo\u010d pristopi dr\u017eava. Prav tako je potrebno omejiti pla\u010de poslovodnih organov v vseh podjetjih in ustanovah v dr\u017eavni lasti na najve\u010d pla\u010do predsednika dr\u017eave, vlade.. Ve\u010d ne more imeti nih\u010de, najmanj pa tkim. kvazi strokovnjaki. Tako pa izka\u017ee za lansko leto direktor NKBM preko 270.000 evrov letnega dohodka, banka pa v rde\u010dih \u0161tevilkah, gospod Kramar iz Izlak 1 milijon evrov nagrade za 5 letno vodenje plus pla\u010do, NLB pa s skoraj 2 milijardama slabih kreditov, za katere je utopi\u010dno verjeti, da bodo kdajkoli popla\u010dani. \u010ce se gremo tak\u0161ne igrice in slepomi\u0161enje so vsi ukrepi vlade in var\u010devanje vseh zaposlenih nesmiselni. Alil pred kratkim objavljeno poro\u010dilo ra\u010dunskega sodi\u0161\u010da, da je investicija v 2 bloka za 170 zaprtih oseb v zaporu na Dobu narastla iz 6 milijonov evrov na kar 87 milijonov evrov. Odgovarjal seveda ne bo nih\u010de, nobenemu od \" strokovnjakov \" ne bomo pokazali vrat. Se pa\u010d zgodi. Dokler bomo bomo, za nami potop. Se \u0161e spomnite, da je Jugoslovanske kraljeva vlada l. 1941 s ve\u010d deset tonami dr\u017eavnih zlatih rezerv pobegnila v London. Danes seveda s tem ne mislim vlade, ki se trudi po svojih najbolj\u0161ih mo\u010deh (\u017eal nekaj let prepozno, ker smo vsi sanjali zgodbo o uspehu) temve\u010d posamezne podjetnike, mened\u017eerje in direktorje. Le kam boste \u0161li gospodje? <p\/> Ko je avstijskim de\u017eelam (katerih del je bila tudi dana\u0161nja Slovenija) grozila tur\u0161ka nevarnost so po cerkvah pobrali zvonove in srebrne ter zlate ma\u0161ne kelihe in obredno posodje, se\u017egali so ma\u0161ne pla\u0161\u010de v katerih so bile pletene zlate in srebrne niti, vpeljali so protitur\u0161ki davek. Tla\u010danska raja pa tudi lokalni fevdalni gospodje so stokali pod te\u017eo bremena, ki jim ga je nalagala cesarska pisarna na Dunaju. Vendar smo se tur\u0161ke nevarnosti in osmanskega jarma re\u0161ili, z ogromnimi \u010dlove\u0161kimi in materijalnimi izgubami, ki so se poznale \u0161e desetletja in stoletja. Tako smo danes, \u010de stopimo skupaj kot smo to storili l. 1991 sposobni ohraniti finan\u010dno suverenost R Slovenije. Glejte, Gr\u010dija je dobila in bo dobila ve\u010d kot 100 milijard evrov pomo\u010di (ne vem kako jih bo vrnila, najbr\u017e nikoli! ). Njeni najbogatej\u0161i dr\u017eavljani pa imajo samo v tujih bankah nalo\u017eenih skoraj 200 milijard evrov. Tukaj komentar ni potreben. <p\/> Meni se finan\u010dna suverenost na\u0161e dr\u017eave ne zdi ni\u010d tak\u0161nega, za kar bi se bil pripravljen \u017ertvovati. Prepri\u010dan sem, da bodo gospodje iz Bruslja bolje gospodarili z na\u0161im denarjem, kot to po\u010dnejo na\u0161i politiki. Kar se ti\u010de Grkov in njihovega denarja pa.... ti najbogatej\u0161i dr\u017eavljani so praviloma uspe\u0161ni poslovne\u017ei..... in nikakor niso tako neumni, da bi na veliko kupovali obveznice dr\u017eave, ki bo verjetno v roku nekaj mesecev bankrotirala. <p\/> Na ra\u010dunih rezidentov R Slovenije je ve\u010d kot dovolj sredstev, da zadeve re\u0161imo (vsaj za zdaj! ) sami brez pro\u0161enj za tujo pomo\u010d. Na\u0161i dr\u017eavljani imajo pa ban\u010dne ra\u010dune tudi na bankah v Avstiji, Lihten\u0161tajnu itd. \u010ce bi vsakdo prispeval po svojih mo\u010deh je zadeva re\u0161ena. Dr\u017eavljanom lahko jam\u010dimo tudi s morebitno prodajo Telekoma, Petrola itd. tako da bodo vedeli, da bodo denar dobili vrnjen v vsakem primeru. Obveznice bi se lahko vpisovale na okencih bank, po\u0161t, upravnih enot itd. To ni povsem enako kot kupovanje zakladnih menic in podobno. S mojim predlogom bi svoji dr\u017eavi odkupili finan\u010dno neodvisnost in s tem tudi svojo prihodnost. Zakaj imeti denar v nogavici ali pa na banki po 2 % obrestni meri in poleg tega ve\u0161, da si z vpla\u010dilom ljudskega posojila naredil nekaj dobrega zase, za svoje otroke in celo dr\u017eavo R Slovenijo. Tako to je. To bi morala biti vse slovenska akcija kot je bilo npr. za \u010dasa Avstro-Ogrske podpisovanje Majni\u0161ke deklaracije oz. nekaj podobnega. Kot sem pa rekel nih\u010de ne more imeti v dr\u017eavnih podjetjih ali podjetjih v ve\u010dinski dr\u017eavni lasti pla\u010de ve\u010dje od predsednika republike, vlade... (to je 65 pla\u010dni razred). \u010ce ne bomo re\u0161ili tudi tega problema ne bomo naredili ni\u010d. Vedno se bodo na\u0161le pijavke, ki se bodo posku\u0161ale prisesati na dr\u017eavne jasli. O kak\u0161ni strokovnosti teh gospodov pa ne bi razpravljal, druga\u010de ne bi bili tam kjer smo, to je nikjer. Tako kot so oni vodili stvari bi jih vsak diplomant ekonomije, ki se prvi\u010d zaposli kot pripravnik. Mislim, da bi njega vodila stroka in poklicni izziv medtem ko je te gospode vodil edinole gon po denarju. <p\/> Vlada redno izdaja obveznice. Vsak dr\u017eavljan ali podjetje iz EU lahko odpre podjetje pri nas, in kupi v predlogu navedene obveznice. Torej se le-te ne bi v ni\u010demer bistveno razlikovale od ostalih obveznic. Ta vlada, ki se sedaj \" trudi po najbolj\u0161ih mo\u010deh \" pa je \u0161e pred kratkim blokirala nujno potrebne reforme prej\u0161nje vlade z referendumi.... v nekaterih primerih prakti\u010dno iste zakone, kot jih sedaj predlaga sama. Ne pozabimo tega.... Glede na to, kako gledajo na\u0161i politiki na korist dr\u017eave, se mi v bistvu prisilna uprava s strani Bruslja zdi iz dneva v dan bolj\u0161a ideja. Toliko \u0161kode, kot nam je naredijo lastni politiki, vsekakor tisti iz Bruslja ne bodo naredili.","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"\"Policija s predanim delom v nezavidljivih pogojih \u0161e vedno dokazuje, da je skoraj nemogo\u010de vendarle \u0161e mo\u017eno.\" <p\/> V spomin na odlo\u010den upor mili\u010dnikov ter varovanje lastne dr\u017eave in svojega naroda smo si policisti za svoj praznik izbrali 27. junij. Dan policije obele\u017eimo vsako leto. Leto\u0161nja osrednja slovesnost, s katero smo po\u010dastili osamosvojitveno vlogo slovenskih mili\u010dnikov, je bila danes, 27. junija 2014, v Policijski akademiji. <p\/> Slovesnosti so se poleg vodstva policije, prejemnikov priznanj in visokih gostov udele\u017eili tudi svojci padlih policistov, ki so izgubili \u017eivljenje v vojni za samostojno Slovenijo, ter takrat ranjeni policisti. <p\/> Danes slovenska policija praznuje ve\u010d kot dvajsetletno zgodovino. \"V vseh teh letih smo postali dobro organizirana in u\u010dinkovita institucija. A danes \u017eal brez sodobne opreme, brez zadostnega kadra, v starih vozilih in objektih, v katerih zamaka. \/...\/ Kljub temu, da policijo \u017ee kar nekaj \u010dasa poganja rezerva, smo v preteklem obdobju zabele\u017eili lepe operativne uspehe,\" je v svojem govoru poudaril generalni direktor policije Stanislav Veniger. <p\/> Dodal je, da \"\u017eivimo v \u010dasu, ko zahteve po globalni varnosti terjajo od nas bolj odlo\u010dno preseganje miselnosti o 'varnosti le na lastnem dvori\u0161\u010du'. Svet se nezadr\u017eno manj\u0161a in meje niso nepropustne. \/...\/ Slovenija, na sre\u010do, \u0161e vedno velja za dr\u017eavo z visoko stopnjo varnosti. Varnost pa ni samoumevna in ni zastonj. V njeno zagotavljanje je vlo\u017eenega veliko dela predanih, premalo nagrajenih in s stresom obremenjenih policistov. V policijske vrste ni nih\u010de vstopil z mislijo, da bo tam obogatel. A \u010drpanje delovne motivacije zgolj iz ob\u010dutka pripadnosti in poslanstva po\u010dasi izgublja svojo mo\u010d. \/...\/ Policija je zagotovo pomemben \u010dlen pri zagotavljanju varnosti, a ne edini. Veseli me, da so svoj del zaveze bolj odlo\u010dno za\u010deli izpolnjevati tudi drugi, za varnost prav tako pristojni organi.\" <p\/> Zbrane je nagovoril tudi minister za notranje zadeve dr. Gregor Virant. Dejal je, da bi danes, triindvajset let po osamosvojitvi, lahko rekli, da smo Slovenci bolj zadovoljni s svojo policijo kot pa smo na splo\u0161no zadovoljni s svojo dr\u017eavo. \"Policija ne bele\u017ei tak\u0161nih vzponov in padcev, kot dr\u017eava, ampak je ptica stalnica na nebu. \u017de dolga leta u\u017eiva visok ugled dr\u017eavljanov, zagotavlja ljudem ob\u010dutek reda, stabilnosti in varnosti. V zadnjem \u010dasu pa bolj kot prej, to je treba priznati, tudi ob\u010dutek, da smo pred zakonom res vsi enaki. <p\/> Policija se danes ne boji nikogar, zato pa pred njo trepetajo vsi tisti, ki so okradli Slovence in jim ukradli Slovenijo. Policija je stabilna institucija s tradicijo in kakovostnim vodenjem. Kot poznavalec dr\u017eavne uprave to lahko re\u010dem. \/...\/ Moram re\u010di, da je bila ena od stvari, ki so me najbolj pozitivno presenetile, izjemno moderen pristop k vodenju in upravljanju. Pri\u0161el sem do spoznanja, da v policiji v resnici pri izbiri vodstvenih kadrov vlada pozitivna selekcija. \/...\/ Moderne metode vodenja in upravlja, uvajanja dobro praks, odpravljanje birokratskih zadev znotraj sistema, vzpostavljanje pametnih kazalnikov uspe\u0161nost. Vse to so uspehi, na katere je lahko ponosna vsaka organizacija. Zato velja vodstvu policije veliko spo\u0161tovanje in zahvala za to, da policijo vodite v pravo smer. Vendar vodje ne morejo dosegati ciljev brez sposobnih in predanih sodelavcev, zato ima zasluge za uspe\u0161nost policije vsaka policistka in vsak policist, ki se trudi in dosega pri\u010dakovane delovne rezultate. Zato vsem iskrene \u010destitke.\" <p\/> V leto\u0161njem letu praznujemo 10 let sodelovanja v Europolu, okroglo obletnico delovanja pa praznuje Postaja konjeni\u0161ke policije Ljubljana, ki smo jo obele\u017eili pred kratkim. \u017de 66. leto nas s svojim ubranim zvokom razveseljuje Policijski orkester. Pod taktirko Toma\u017ea Kmeti\u010da je tudi tokrat obogatil na\u0161o slovesnost. <p\/> Na slovesnostih, ki v teh dneh potekajo po vsej dr\u017eavi, v posameznih policijskih enotah zaslu\u017eni delavci policije prejmejo priznanja za \u0161irjenje varnostne kulture ter za zasluge in prispevek k razvijanju in krepitvi varnosti, posamezniki od drugod in druge organizacije pa znake policije za sodelovanje. Najvi\u0161ja priznanja policije sta na dana\u0161nji slovesnosti podelila minister za notranje zadeve dr. Gregor Virant in generalni direktor policije Stanislav Veniger. <p\/> Zlati znak policije za sodelovanje sta prejela Josef Erhard iz nem\u0161ke policije za odli\u010dno ve\u010dletno sodelovanje na podro\u010dju avtomobilske kriminalitete in Slovenska vojska za odli\u010dno ve\u010dletno sodelovanje, ki nedvomno pomembno prispeva k pripravljenosti za izvajanje operativnih nalog policije. Priznanje je prevzel na\u010delnik general\u0161taba Slovenske vojske, generalmajor Dobran Bo\u017ei\u010d. <p\/> Zlati \u0161\u010dit policije so prejeli Martin Poharc iz Policijske uprave Celje, Dean Juri\u010d iz Policijske uprave Koper in Vojko Rupnik iz Policijske uprave Kranj. <p\/> Veliki \u0161\u010dit policije z bronasto zvezdo so prejeli Marjan Anzeljc iz Uprave za policijske specialnosti, Simon Veli\u010dki, direktor Policijske uprave Kranj in mag. Stanislav Vre\u010dar, direktor Policijske uprave Ljubljana. <p\/> Veliki \u0161\u010dit policije s srebrno zvezdo je prejel Andrej Rupnik iz Slu\u017ebe generalnega direktorja policije. <p\/> Veliki \u0161\u010dit policije z zlato zvezdo pa je prejela Posebna policijska enota Generalne policijske uprave, v \u010digar imenu je priznanje prevzel njen poveljnik Rado Abutovi\u010d, <p\/> medtem ko je najvi\u0161je priznanje policije, strelno oro\u017eje, prejel Franc Sabli\u010d, direktor Nacionalnega forenzi\u010dnega laboratorija. <p\/> Vsem dobitnikom priznanj iskreno \u010destitamo za izjemen prispevek k varnosti dr\u017eavljanov in ugledu slovenske policije. <p\/> Dana\u0161nji dan je bil hkrati dan odprtih vrat policije, kjer smo za vse udele\u017eence proslave in obiskovalce pripravili atraktivno predstavitev slovenske policije. Veliko navdu\u0161enja je po\u017eel mimohod policistov konjenikov in njihovih plemenitih pomo\u010dnikov, pa tudi prikaz helikopterskega re\u0161evanja, kak\u0161nega sta velikokrat opravili posadki Letalske policijske enote, ki sta s policijskim helikopterjem sodelovali pri re\u0161evanju ljudi v nedavnih poplavah v Bosni in Hercegovini. <p\/> Kasneje si je bilo mogo\u010de \u010disto od blizu ogledati, kako je videti policijski helikopter, pa tudi kako je opremljen kriminalisti\u010dni kombi za preiskave krajev kaznivih dejanj, ter kak\u0161na je npr. t. i. blinda, s katero preva\u017eamo varovane osebe. Na ogled smo postavili tudi mobilno policijsko postajo in schengenski bus ter vozilo za nadzor hitrosti na avtocesti, t. i. provido. <p\/> Otroke je \u0161e posebej zanimala oprema policistov posebne policijske enote. Navdu\u0161evali so se nad njihovimi \u010deladami, \u0161\u010ditniki in atraktivnimi zgodbami z varovanj razli\u010dnih javnih prireditev. <p\/> Predvsem mlaj\u0161i obiskovalci pa so se najbolj razveselili policistov motoristov in fotografiranja na belo-modrih motorjih, pa policistov vodnikov slu\u017ebenih psov z njihovimi izurjenimi \u0161tirino\u017enimi prijatelji ter maskoto policista Leona.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Stanovanjska posojila za mlade <p\/> Kako lahko mladi pri bankah najamejo stanovanjsko posojilo? <p\/> Zanimiva raziskava in rezultat raziskave. Objavljamo pregled ponudbo bank za stanovanjsko posojilo (vir: Finance.si). Kakorkoli je pri mladih problem zastavitve osebnega premo\u017eenja, ki ga v teh letih nimajo. Najugodnej\u0161a se je sicer z najni\u017ejo efektivno obrestno mero izkazala Hranilnica Lon, z najvi\u0161jo pa Raiffeisen banka, ki sicer postopno zapu\u0161\u010da Slovenijo: <p\/> - Hranilnici Lon (3,08 odstotka) <p\/> - najvi\u0161ja pa pri Raiffeisen banki (5,93 odstotka). <p\/> K vsem stro\u0161kom je potrebno upo\u0161tevati tudi stro\u0161ke obveznega nezgodnega zavarovanja, ki so od 250 pa vse do 600 evrov. Najni\u017eje stro\u0161ke sicer imata Hranilnica Lon in Po\u0161tna banka Slovenije.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Danes delam boile in so temno sive bolj na \u010drno vle\u010dejo. Notri je pa vsega pomalo, vse tisto kar nisem jaz mogel pojesti. Razne pistacije, ara\u0161idi, orehi, le\u0161niki, bu\u010dno seme, son\u010dnica seme in \u0161e kaj drugega. Delam jih na roke, tako da so razne veli\u010dine, velike in male. In ko bojo bile skuhane, jih bom soltiral po velikosti. A raspokane od kuhanja, pa bom prvo porabil za hranjenje. Jutri in celi teden se bojo su\u0161ile na vetru. Su\u0161ile se pa bojo toliko \u010dasa, da bojo bile trde in obstojne. Tako da bojo lahko zdr\u017eale par dni za vodo, vse dokler bom lovil.","labels":"Other","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Aktualno <p\/> Arhiv <p\/> Varovanje podatkov s tehnologijo deduplikacije druge generacije <p\/> Ponedeljek, 13. avgust 2012 <p\/> Ustrezno varovanje podatkov je kot zavarovalna polica. Ve\u010dinoma je ne vnov\u010dimo, je pa klju\u010dnega pomena, \u010de te\u017eave oziroma \u0161koda dejansko nastane. Stro\u0161ki \u00bbzavarovanja\u00ab pri varovanju podatkov niso samo stro\u0161ki opreme in njenega vzdr\u017eevanja, pa\u010d pa tudi negativen vpliv na izvajanje poslovnih procesov, \u010de na primer arhiviranje ali obnavljanje podatkov trajata predolgo, \u010de podatki na oddaljenih lokacijah podjetja niso ustrezno varovani ali \u010de stvari enostavno niso urejene skladno z zakonsko regulativo. <p\/> Kot neposreden odgovor na omenjene vpra\u0161anja so se pred nekaj leti pojavile tehnologije, ki so bistveno vplivale na izbolj\u0161anje procesov arhiviranja. Poleg precej\u0161nje pocenitve trdih diskov je bil klju\u010den razvoj tehnologije deduplikacije podatkov. Prva generacije te tehnologije je sicer uporabnikom prinesla kar nekaj koristi, \u017ee tedaj pa se je vedelo, da ima ve\u010dino potenciala \u0161e pred seboj. HP je leta 2010 zasnoval strategijo razvoja deduplikacije in danes razpolaga z drugo generacijo, ki prina\u0161a izbolj\u0161ave predvsem na podro\u010djih, kot so zmogljivost, prilagodljivost in upravljanje s podatki. StoreOne tehnologija, kot jo imenujejo, je zasnovana na enotnem deduplikacijskem algoritmu, ki so ga razvili v laboratorijih HP labs in deluje na vseh HP-jevih strojnih in programskih re\u0161itvah za varovanje podatkov. Povedano druga\u010de, doti\u010dno tehnologijo deduplikacije lahko implementiramo tako na HP B6000, HP D2D2500 in HP D2D4000 seriji produktov, v celoti pa jo podpira tudi HP Data Protector arhivska programska re\u0161tevi. \u010ce na hitro pogledamo glavnega konkurenta, podjetje EMC, hitro ugotovimo, da njegove re\u0161itve temeljijo na treh med seboj nezdru\u017eljivih platformah (Data Domain, Avamar, Celerra) (poro\u010dilo Edison Group, 2011), kar predstavlja o\u010ditno razliko v primerjavi z enovito, unificirano arhitekturo, ki jo ponuja HP. <p\/> Kje nas pri varovanju podatkov najbolj \u010develj \u017euli? <p\/> Obstaja splo\u0161no soglasje, da so v povezavi z varovanjem podatkov kriti\u010dna predvsem slede\u010da podro\u010dja, ki na ta ali oni na\u010din tarejo uporabnike: <p\/> \u010casovna okna, ki so na voljo za arhiviranje <p\/> Najve\u010dji izziv je arhivirati vse ve\u010d podatkov v vse kraj\u0161em \u010dasu. Pri HP-ju na to odgovarjajo s tako imenovano \u00bbscale-out\u00ab arhitekturo, ki uporabnikom omogo\u010da, da kupijo samo tak\u0161ne kapacitete in zmogljivosti, kot jih resni\u010dno potrebujejo, ne pa da bi morali obe kategoriji kupiti na zalogo. Lestvica se v tem trenutku pri HP-ju kon\u010da s 768 TB bruto kapacitete in s hitrostjo arhiviranja okoli 100 TB \/ uro. <p\/> Obnova podatkov po katastrofi\u010dnih dogodkih <p\/> Klju\u010dno je, da so podatki shranjeni na tistih lokacijah, ki omogo\u010dajo njihovo obnovitev v primeru katastrofi\u010dnih dogodkov. Na voljo je kar nekaj mo\u017enosti za replikacijo podatkov, ki poteka po podatkovnih povezavah z nizko pasovno \u0161irino, saj med lokacijami potujejo samo deduplicirani podatki. StoreOnce tehnologija omogo\u010da, da se deduplikacija podatkov zgodi kjerkoli \u017eelimo, neposredno pri aplikaciji oziroma viru, kjer podatki nastajajo, v arhivskem stre\u017eniku ali pa neposredno na napravi, kjer se podatki shranjujejo. Deduplikacija se seveda lahko zgodi \u0161e preden se podatki prenesejo iz ene lokacije na drugo, zato lahko ve\u010d kopij istih podatkov hkrati arhiviramo na ve\u010dih lokacijah. <p\/> Varovanje podatkov na oddaljenih lokacijah <p\/> Pri podjetjih, ki delujejo na ve\u010dih lokacijah ali celo v ve\u010dih dr\u017eavah in celinah, so podatki zelo razpr\u0161eni in pogosto ne dovolj varovani. S StoreOnce tehnologijo lahko iz centralne lokacije dostopamo ali obnavljamo podatke, ne glede na to, kje se nahajajo. <p\/> Zmogljivosti pri obnavljanju podatkov <p\/> Investicije v arhivske re\u0161itve ne pomenijo ni\u010d, \u010de podatkov v razumnem \u010dasu ni mogo\u010de obnoviti. Ve\u010dina ponudnikov \u0161e vedno daje poudarek prete\u017eno na zmogljivostih arhiviranja, na obnavljanje pa pozabijo in ponavadi tega podatka niti ne objavljajo, da ne bi bili v zadregi. HP-jeve re\u0161itve so tukaj mo\u010dno v ospredju, saj omogo\u010dajo hitrosti do 30 TB \/ uro, kar je najve\u010d med primerljivimi re\u0161itvami. <p\/> StoreOnce Catalyst <p\/> StoreOnce Catalyst (API toolset) je nova nadgradnja arhivskih re\u0161itev in omogo\u010da premikanje dedupliciranih podatkov neposredno iz arhivske aplikacije med StoreOnce sistemi, brez potrebe, da bi jih pred tem \u00bbrehidrirali\u00ab, torej spravili v izhodi\u0161\u010dno stanje. StoreOnce Catalyst pravtako omogo\u010da replikacijo podatkov iz ene lokacije na ve\u010d lokacij hkrati in kaskadiranje podatkov med lokacijami v deduplicirani obliki (izraba povezav z ozko pasovno\u0161irino). StoreOnce Catalyst tehnologija je integrirana tudi v HP Data Protector 7 programsko opremo, kar je \u0161e posebej primerno za manj\u0161a podjetja. <p\/> Integracija v va\u0161e okolje <p\/> StoreOnce tehnologija je \u0161iroko podprta (podpira jo vedno ve\u010d vodilnih arhivskih programskih re\u0161itev na tr\u017ei\u0161\u010du), zato vam recimo ob nakupu D2D2500 sistema ni potrebno menjati programske opreme za arhiviranje, \u010de tega no\u010dete. \u010ce pa to ni ovira, obstaja kar nekaj dobrih razlogov, zakaj si velja bli\u017ee pogledati HP-jev Data Protector. Le-ta namre\u010d ponuja funkcionalnosti, ki jih ne boste na\u0161li drugje: <p\/> 1. HP Data Protector uporablja StoreOnce deduplikacijski algoritem, kar omogo\u010da enostaven prenos dedupliciranih podatkov na katerokoli StoreOnce strojno opremo. <p\/> 2. Data Protector podpira kontekstualno iskanje arhiviranih podatkov, kar pomeni, da lahko obnovimo podatke s to\u010dno dolo\u010deno vsebino, ne samo podatke z dolo\u010denim poimenovanjem (ime datotek). To omogo\u010da integriran \u00bbIntelligent Data Operating Layer (IDOL)\u00ab podjetja Autonomy, ki \u017ee nekaj \u010dasa sodi pod HP-jevo okrilje. <p\/> Kaj pa arhiviranje na trak? <p\/> Za dolgoro\u010dno atrhiviranje podatkov v ponudbi \u0161e naprej ostajajo tral\u010dne enote v najrazli\u010dnej\u0161ih izvedbah, saj na trgu zanje \u0161e vedno vlada precej\u0161nje povpra\u0161evanje. Dejstvo je, da je dolgoro\u010dno arhiviranje na trak \u0161e vedno dale\u010d najcenej\u0161a opcija.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"\u0160koda za te opekline. Si \u010dlovek ne bi mislil, ampak takole mimogrede in nehote se to res najhitreje zgodi :( Druga\u010de pa: iz bloga v blog si bolj\u0161a. Tole bo super branje tudi zate - \u010dez nekaj mesecev, ko bo tole fantasti\u010dno potovanje \u017ee za tabo. Lepo te je brati;)","labels":"Forum","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Novice <p\/> S 1.7.2013 je za\u010del veljati zakon, ki prepoveduje brisanje, storniranje ter popravljanje gotovinskih ra\u010dunov brez revizijske sledi. Po zakonu proizvajalci ne smemo in\u0161talirati, prodajati in servisirati programov po 1.7.2013, ki ne ustrezajo temu zakonu. <p\/> Program Uspe\u0161no poslovanje ter blagajno smo uskladili z zakonodajo ter od verzije 13.3.0.300 ustreza zakonskim zahtevam. <p\/> Konec leta se lahko pripravijo in oddajajo bilance (AJPES in DURS), dohodnina in M4 \/ M8 za znesek od 60-120 EUR + DDV. Znesek zavisi od dejavnosti podjetja oz. drugih dejavnikov in zahtev posamezne stranke. <p\/> V primeru druga\u010dnega \u0161tevila dokumentov lahko pokli\u010dete 031 628 009 ali po\u0161ljete podatke za to\u010dno ponudbo: andreja@digital-logic.si.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Sporo\u010dila za javnost <p\/> 02.02.2014 <p\/> 20:00 - Motena oskrba z elektri\u010dno energijo zaradi vremenskih razmer <p\/> Vremenske razmere in \u017eled \u0161e vedno povzro\u010dajo napake na distribucijskem omre\u017eju na obmo\u010dju Elektra Ljubljane. Pojavljajo se nove okvare, ki nam onemogo\u010dajo dostop do odjemalcev, ki so \u017ee dlje \u010dasa brez elektri\u010dne energije. Zaradi padcev drevja na ceste je ote\u017een dostop do samih okvar kar ote\u017euje in upo\u010dasnjuje lokalizacijo in odpravo okvar. <p\/> Na podro\u010dju Notranjske je zaradi izpada 110 kV omre\u017eja, brez elektri\u010dne energije celotno podro\u010dje Notranjske. <p\/> Ocenjujemo, da je brez napetosti 1781 transformatorskih postaj in je oskrba z elektri\u010dno napetostjo \u0161e vedno motena pri 50.000 odjemalcih na naslednjih obmo\u010djih: <p\/> na obmo\u010dju Cerknice 165 transformatorskih postaj, <p\/> na obmo\u010dju Logatca 138 transformatorskih postaj, <p\/> na obmo\u010dju Vrhnike 270 transformatorskih postaj, <p\/> na obmo\u010dju \u017dirov 129 transformatorske postaje, <p\/> na obmo\u010dju Grosuplja 164 transformatorskih postaj, <p\/> na obmo\u010dju Kamnika 95 transformatorskih postaj, <p\/> na obmo\u010dju Dom\u017eal 143 transformatorskih postaj, <p\/> na obmo\u010dju Litije 75 transformatorskih postaj, <p\/> na obmo\u010dju Zagradca 148 transformatorskih postaj, <p\/> na obmo\u010dju Ko\u010devja 73 transformatorskih postaj, <p\/> na obmo\u010dju Ribnice 51 transformatorskih postaj, <p\/> na obmo\u010dju Dobrepolja 138 transformatorskih postaj, <p\/> na obmo\u010dju \u010crnu\u010d 41 transformatorskih postaj, <p\/> na obmo\u010dju \u0160i\u0161ke 3 transformatorske postaje, <p\/> na obmo\u010dju Novega mesta 6 transformatorskih postaj, <p\/> na obmo\u010dju \u010crnomlja 1 transformatorska postaja, <p\/> na obmo\u010dju \u0160entjerneja 4 transformatorskih postaj, <p\/> na obmo\u010dju Trebnjega 74 transformatorskih postaj, <p\/> na obmo\u010dju Trbovelj 3 transformatorske postaje, <p\/> na obmo\u010dju Zagorja 60 transformatorskih postaj, <p\/> na obmo\u010dju Rade\u010d 1 transformatorska postaja. <p\/> Najhuje je na podro\u010dju Starega trga, kjer so odjemalci na podro\u010dju Babnega polja \u017ee od petka dopoldne brez elektri\u010dne energije. Vse razpolo\u017eljive ekipe so na terenu. <p\/> Vse odjemalce obve\u0161\u010damo, naj z napravami ravnajo, kot da so pod napetostjo. <p\/> Prosimo vas, da nam napake na omre\u017eju sporo\u010dite na na\u0161o \u0161tevilko za prijavo napak: 01 230 40 02.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Prva stran | Baze podatkov | Akterji | Papilot - Zavod za vzpodbujanje in razvijanje kvalitete \u017eivljenja <p\/> Papilot - Zavod za vzpodbujanje in razvijanje kvalitete \u017eivljenja <p\/> Skupina <p\/> nevladna organizacija <p\/> Dejavnost organizacije <p\/> Programi zaposlitvene rehabilitacije, aktivne politike zaposlovanja, center za dnevno oskrbo starej\u0161ih, psihosocialna pomo\u010d \u017ertvam kaznivih dejanj, motivacijske delavnice, socialno podjetni\u0161tvo <p\/> Ciljna skupina <p\/> \u017drtve kaznivih dejanj <p\/> Odgovorna oseba + izjava <p\/> Marija Milavec Kapun <p\/> Zavod Papilot kot nevladna in neprofitna organizacija, s sede\u017eem v Ljubljani, deluje od leta 1995 na obmo\u010dju cele Slovenije na podro\u010dju izobra\u017eevanja in svetovanja. Od leta 2006 je Zavod Papilot izbrani koncesionar Ministrstva za delo, dru\u017eino in socialne zadeve na podro\u010dju izvajanja storitev zaposlitvene\/poklicne rehabilitacije, po naro\u010dilu Zavoda RS za zaposlovanje, Zavoda za pokojninsko in invalidsko zavarovanje in posameznih podjetij. Zavod Papilot sodeluje v aktualnih projektih na podro\u010dju zaposlovanja, rehabilitacije in izobra\u017eevanja v evropskem prostoru.","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Trening video zaposlitvenega razgovora in predstavitev podjetja NXP Semiconductors Austria <p\/> Traja: 60 minut <p\/> Kje: On-line dogodek <p\/> Izvajalec: NXP Semiconductors Austria <p\/> V trenutnih razmerah, ko je potrebna socialna distanca in je pomemben dejavni virtualna komunikacija, se tudi zaposlitveni razgovori izvajajo v obliki virtualne komunikacije s pomo\u010djo razli\u010dnih e-orodij. <p\/> Vas zanima, kako lahko tudi na podlagi video komunikacije navdu\u0161ite delodajalca? Ali si poleg tega \u017eelite spoznati tudi delodajalca NXP Semiconductors Austria in njihov pogled na tovrstno komunikacijo? <p\/> V tem primeru vas vabimo, da se udele\u017eite dogodka. <p\/> Spoznali boste delodajalca NXP Semiconductors Austria in karierne prilo\u017enosti za vas v njihovem podjetju ,hkrati pa boste pridobili namige o tem, kako pripraviti ustrezno vlogo za zaposlitev ter kako se predstaviti na video zaposlitvenem razgovoru. <p\/> Za sodelovanje se prijavite na dogodek in hkrati s pomo\u010djo gesla jd1qm1y vklju\u010dite na dogodek, ki bo v virtualnem okolju MS Teams. <p\/> NXP Talent Acquisition Team <p\/> Prijava","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Prvi dokumentarec Natalije Gros <p\/> New Partisan Cinema v sodelovanju s Film Servis predstavlja nov dokumentarni film o \u0161portnem plezanju, v re\u017eiji Jureta Breceljnika, z naslovom Chalk &amp; Chocolate. Film pripoveduje zgodbo o eni najbolj\u0161ih plezalk na svetu Nataliji Gros, ki se loteva plezanja ene najte\u017ejih smeri pri nas: Histerija (8c) v Mi\u0161ji Pe\u010di. Te\u017eavno smer je pred pribli\u017eno letom dni preplezala kot \u010detrta \u017eenska na svetu. Kamera spremlja Natalijino zgodbo tako med osvajanjem Histerije kot med tekmovalno sezono (treningi, tekme, po\u0161kodbe, testiranja). Film so pri\u010deli snemati decembra 2007, ko se je Natalija prvi\u010d podala v smer, in ekipa je bila z njo od prvega dne do dne, ko je smer preplezala. Ob tem sta prikazana tako jok kot veselje, v ozadju pa kaj vse je potrebno za to, da lahko dose\u017eemo svoje sanje. Natalija je svojo plezalno pot za\u010dela \u017ee pri 7ih letih, zdaj pa \u017ee vrsto let sodi v svetovni vrh. Leta 2007 leto je z naslovom evropske prvakinje dosegla rezultat svoje kariere, za name\u010dek pa postala \u0161e najuspe\u0161nej\u0161a \u0161portna plezalka sezone. Zdaj ko je posnela svoj prvi film, pa razmi\u0161lja, da bo po kon\u010dani karieri plezalni svet zamenjala za Hollywood! <p\/> Film je bil predpremierno \u017ee prikazan v okviru 3. Mednarodnega festivala gorni\u0161kega filma 2009 v Cankarjevem domu, kjer je po\u017eel velik aplavz ter prejel kar dve nagradi. Nagrado za najbolj\u0161i plezalni film si je po mnenju \u017eirije prislu\u017eil zaradi zgo\u0161\u010denega in u\u010dinkovitega prikaza dela, vzponov in padcev vrhunske plezalke Natalije Gros. Za nagrado ob\u010dinstva pa sta poskrbeli Natalijina iskrena izpoved in vztrajnost. <p\/> Dokumentarec pa \u017eanje uspehe tudi na spletu. Posnetek iz filma o plezanju Histerije je bil dodan na spletno stran www.videoclimb.com, kjer je bil izbran za drugi najbolj\u0161i posnetek plezanja leta 2008 na svetu. Na spletni strani www.vimeo.com\/jure pa si napovednik filma do danes ogledalo \u017ee 120.000 uporabnikov. <p\/> Chalk &amp; Chocolate je osvojil tudi filmska platna mestnega kina Kinodvor, in sicer kar dvakrat, 10. maja in 25. maja. Za posladek je bil premierno prikazan kratek film o nastajanju filma.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Dravograd: 20-letnik preva\u017eal oro\u017eje brez dovoljenja in se sku\u0161al izogniti policijski kontroli <p\/> Policisti Policijske postaje Dravograd so med vikendom na obmo\u010dju Dravograda obravnavali 20-letnega voznika osebnega vozila, ki se je, ko je opazil policijsko patruljo, sku\u0161al izogniti kontroli, so sporo\u010dili s PU Celje, <p\/> Pri postopku sta policista opazila, da je imel za voznikovim sede\u017eem lovsko pu\u0161ko in strelivo. Ker ni imel oro\u017ene listine, so mu policisti oro\u017eje zasegli in uvedli postopek o prekr\u0161ku po Zakonu o oro\u017eju, saj je posedoval oro\u017eje brez oro\u017ene listine. <p\/> V nadaljevanju so ugotovili, da je zase\u017eeno oro\u017eje last drugega 20-letnika, ki z oro\u017ejem in strelivom ni ravnal skrbno in ga je posodil osebi, ki nima oro\u017ene listine. <p\/> Tudi zoper njega so uvedli postopek o prekr\u0161ku po Zakonu o oro\u017eju in zaradi njegove nezanesljivosti podali na Upravno enoto Slovenj Gradec pobudo za odvzem oro\u017eja, streliva in oro\u017ene listine, so \u0161e navedli na PU Celje.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Infopentlja <p\/> Ciprsko predsedovanje Svetu EU <p\/> 04.07.2012 <p\/> Ciprsko predsedovanje Svetu EU, kot zadnje v ciklu predsedni\u0161kega tria Poljska-Danska-Ciper se je za\u010delo v nedeljo, 1. julija in bo trajalo do 31. decembra 2012. <p\/> Predstavili so uradno spletno stran predsedstva, ki je hiter, zanesljiv in transparenten medij za tuje in lokalne medije in za \u0161ir\u0161o javnost. Na spletni strani so na voljo vse informacije, povezane s ciprskim predsedstvom Svetu EU, tu najdete program in prednostne naloge, povezane s posameznimi podro\u010dji, informacije o predsedni\u0161kem triu Poljska, Danska, Ciper in splo\u0161ne informacije o delovanju predsedstva. <p\/> Na podro\u010dju mladine je osrednja prednostna tema ciprskega predsedstva participacija mladih kar je tudi tema splo\u0161na tema drugega cikla strukturiranega dialoga. Posebna tema strukturiranega dialoga v \u010dasu ciprskega predsedovanja je participacija mladih in socialna vklju\u010denost, poleg tega pa se v \u010dasu ciprskega predsedovanja pri\u010dakuje izid EU poro\u010dila o mladih 2012. <p\/> Evropska mladinska konferenca in sre\u010danje odgovornih za podro\u010dje mladine bosta potekala od 11. do 13. septembra 2012.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"V modnem svetu naj bi veljala pravila obla\u010denja, ki se jih pravi modni navdu\u0161enci nikakor ne dr\u017eijo. Kaj je prav in kaj ne, je v zadnjem \u010dasu \u0161e toliko bolj postalo subjektivna odlo\u010ditev posameznika, zato je prav da razbijemo tudi nekatere modne mite, katerim smo do sedaj slepo sledili. Zakaj se to dogaja? Ker se modna zgodovina odvija tako, da je neko\u010d modno, ki je postalo nemodno, sedaj zopet \u00bbin\u00ab. Vendar z inovativnim preobratom. <p\/> Pravilo \u0161t.1 - Enaki \u010devlji in torbica <p\/> Neko\u010d tako pomembno pravilo, ki smo se ga sveto dr\u017eale, danes pa lahko nanj mirnega srca pozabite. \u010ce smo v\u010dasih gore\u010de iskale \u010devlje, ki bi pristajali k izbrani torbici, pa sedaj i\u0161\u010demo \u010devlje, ki torbico dopolnjujejo, so kontrastni ali pa se ujemajo le v majhni podrobnosti. Dajte si du\u0161ka in si privo\u0161\u010dite noro kombinacijo neon torbice in cvetli\u010dno obarvanih sandalov. <p\/> Pravilo \u0161t. 2- ne me\u0161aj vzorcev <p\/> Me\u0161ajte jih do onemoglosti! \u010ce jih lahko me\u0161ajo dzajnerji priznanih blagovnih znamk in modni guruji, potem jih lahko tudi ve. Inspiracijo lahko i\u0161\u010dete pri oblikovalcih kot so D &amp; G, Betsey Johnson, Preen in Mary Katrantzou, ter mnogih drugih. \u010ce svojih vzorcev ne najdete na policah dostopnej\u0161ih blagovnih znamk obla\u010dil, so vam na voljo \u010dudovito blago z dizajnerskimi motivi v trgovinah z metrskim blagom, kjer vam \u017eeleno obla\u010dilo tudi se\u0161ijejo. <p\/> Pravilo \u0161t. 3- starej\u0161i kot si bolj se \u00bbzakrij\u00ab <p\/> Kot, da se \u017eivljenje po 40 letu starosti zaklju\u010di! Velika ve\u010dina \u017eensk je videti pri svojih 40-ih veliko bolje kot marsikatera dvajsetletnica. In \u010de ima\u0161 vse mladostni\u0161ke atribute, zakaj bi jih skrival? \u010ce imate pri 45 letih \u0161e vedno popolne noge si privo\u0161\u010dite krilo do kolen in petke. Pazite le da ne pretiravate in se ne obla\u010dite v obla\u010dila namenjena 20 letnicam. Mini krila vseeno pa\u0161ejo le 20 letnim puncam. <p\/> Pravilo \u0161t. 4- nikoli ne nosite hla\u010dnih nogavic ali nogavic z odprtimi \u010devlji <p\/> \u010ce bi si nekaj let nazaj drznili stopiti na ulico v tak\u0161ni opravi, bi naleteli na veliko posmeha in \u010dudnih pogledov. Dandanes pa veliko \u017eensk nosi ravno to kombinacijo! Poglejmo si naprimer Rihanno ali Alexo Chung, ki sta s svojima edinstvenima stiloma prevzeli modno srenjo. Sedaj je \u010das da svoje najljub\u0161e hla\u010dne nogavice mirno kombinirate s poletnimi \u00bbodprtimi prsti\u00ab in kratkim krilcem. <p\/> Pravilo \u0161t. 5 \u2013 spodnje perilo se nikakor ne sme videti skozi obla\u010dila <p\/> Se \u0161e spomnite ko smo gore\u010de skrivali naramnice od nedr\u010dka? Ali bolje kar celoten nedr\u010dek, samo, da nebi bil viden. In ko smo naleteli na prosojen material \u010dudovito krojene bluze, smo bili v velikem precepu ravno zaradi vidnosti perila. Moderne modne navdu\u0161enke se tega mita niti ne spomnejo ve\u010d, kaj \u0161ele, da bi mu sledile! Mirne du\u0161e si lahko privo\u0161\u010dite prosojno belo bluzo in va\u0161 najljub\u0161i barvni nedr\u010dek. Perilo je postalo del modnega videza in prav je tako!","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Opis <p\/> Ylang ylang \u0161ampon od MaterNatura ima stimulativen u\u010dinek pri k izpadanju nagnjenih tipih las. \u0160ampon \u010disti in spodbudi zdravo in bujno rast las, medtem ko revitalizira lasi\u0161\u010de in prepre\u010di izpadanje las. Izdelek vsebuje me\u0161anico amino kislin, ma\u0161\u010dobnih kislin ter rastlinskih proteinov (kokos, oves in rde\u010da pesa), hidrolipidni sloj ko\u017ee je efektivno oja\u010dan in lasje so vitaliziranu ter sijo\u010di.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Avstrijska veleposlanica obiskala Ob\u010dino Jesenice <p\/> V petek, 31. marca, je Ob\u010dino Jesenice obiskala veleposlanica Republike Avstrije, njena ekscelenca ga. Mag. Sigrid Berka. \u017dupan Ob\u010dine Jesenice, g. Toma\u017e Tom Mencinger je veleposlanici predstavil ob\u010dino Jesenice, predvsem z vidika gospodarstva, kulture, \u0161porta in zdravstva. Pogovori so se nadaljevali tudi glede begunske krize, ob \u010demer je veleposlanica izrazila svoje priznanje, da kljub velikemu \u0161tevilu beguncev, ki so bili prepeljani preko Jesenic naprej v Avstrijo, situacija ni povzro\u010dila problemov v lokalnem okolju. Obisk veleposlanice se je nadaljeval z obiskom Stare Save in ogledom Kolperna, Kasarne in Gornjesavskega muzeja. <p\/> Prebrano 1787 krat Nazadnje urejano na ponedeljek, 03 april 2017 12:15","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"A. Vogel Dentaforce, ustna voda je namenjena za zobno in ustno higieno. Ustna voda osve\u017euje dah in je na osnovi zeli\u0161\u010d.","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Prijava na dogodek <p\/> Seznanite se s pastmi zaradi katerih utegne biti odpoved nezakonita! 10 jun 2014 <p\/> \u010clani ZDS <p\/> 95,00 \u20ac <p\/> Ne\u010dlani ZDS <p\/> 170,00 \u20ac <p\/> Vklju\u010duje udele\u017ebo na seminarju, gradivo in pogostitev med odmorom. \u010ce se seminarja udele\u017eita dva udele\u017eenca priznamo 10 % popust, ob prijavi ve\u010d udele\u017eencev je popust po dogovoru. Prosimo, da kotizacijo poravnate pred pri\u010detkom na transakcijski ra\u010dun \u0161t. 02011-0015672692, sklic 00 10062014 _ dav\u010dna \u0161tevilka. Ob registraciji prilo\u017eite dokazilo o pla\u010dilu.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Originalni ruski nastavek za dekoriranje Nifty Nozzles. <p\/> Za krasne in hitro narejene ro\u017ee, tulipane in ostale dekoracije. <p\/> Velikost nastavka: vi\u0161ina okvirno 4 cm, premer 2.5 cm in odprtina 3,8 cm <p\/> Primeren za pranje v pomivalnem stroju.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Intervju predsednika republike Boruta Pahorja za Ve\u010der <p\/> Maribor, 16. 5. 2013 | intervjuji <p\/> \" V Parizu in Berlinu sem zastavil besedo. Potem pa ...\" <p\/> Vsiljevati strankam se ne morem, pravi predsednik republike Borut Pahor za Ve\u010der. Prodaja podjetij da, a prav tako slaba banka, fiskalno pravilo in referendumska ureditev. To da Bruselj \u010daka. So razmere tako resne, da pred pala\u010do potrebujemo vojsko? <p\/> Novinarka: Katja \u0160eruga <p\/> Resni\u010dno? \u010castna garda Slovenske vojske bo ob dr\u017eavnih praznikih postrojena pred predsedni\u0161ko pala\u010do? Tako ste se odlo\u010dili. Kako to? <p\/> \" V okviru pristojnosti kot predsednik republike sem od prvega dne razmi\u0161ljal v smeri polne regeneracije dr\u017eavljanske zavesti in pripadnosti. Tega nam manjka. Tudi ko gre za \u010disto prakti\u010dno ukrepanje v krizi. Gre za ob\u010dutek samozavesti, pripadnosti skupnosti. Mislim, da nam je to manjkalo med tranzicijo. Porazgubilo se je, ko smo begali za drugimi dobrinami. Zdaj pa se zdi, da je to zelo pomembno. Za na\u0161o samozavest in za spopad z okoli\u0161\u010dinami, v katerih smo se zna\u0161li. \" <p\/> Tako resne so, da pred predsedni\u0161ko pala\u010do potrebujemo vojsko? ! <p\/> \" Ne. Gre samo za to, da se moramo zavedati, da imamo dr\u017eavo 22 let, da so njeni simboli znak na\u0161e suverenosti in da si zaslu\u017eijo primerno mesto. Tako v na\u0161em spominu kot v njihovi prezentaciji v javnosti, da jih moramo spo\u0161tovati. In \u010de pravimo, da so zaradi krize, ki ni samo finan\u010dna in gospodarska, ampak tudi moralna, neke stare, tradicionalne vrednote spet moderne, potem se mi zdi, da je po svoje spet moderno tudi to, da se simbolom dr\u017eavnosti izka\u017ee dol\u017eno spo\u0161tovanje. \" <p\/> Povzro\u010da ta va\u0161a odlo\u010ditev kak\u0161ne dodatne stro\u0161ke? <p\/> \" Ne. \" <p\/> Ste preverili? <p\/> \" Ta diskusija je stara vsaj toliko kot dr\u017eava ...\" <p\/> ... o tem je razmi\u0161ljal tudi va\u0161 predhodnik, pa si je moral premisliti. <p\/> \" Vedno se je razmi\u0161ljalo, da bi se \u010dastno gardo pred pala\u010do postavilo stalno. Da bi bila tam vsak dan med 8. in 18. uro. To gotovo ne bi bilo finan\u010dno nevtralno, kot bo dejstvo, da bi to - vsaj zaenkrat - veljalo le ob dr\u017eavnih praznikih. Videli pa bomo, kako se bodo na to odzvali na\u0161i ljudje. \" <p\/> Kako pa mislite, da se bodo odzvali? <p\/> \" Mislim, da zelo dobro. Zato ker to ni povezano s stro\u0161ki, ampak gre tudi za izraz suverenosti. Paradoksalno. Ta odlo\u010ditev pade ravno v \u010das, ko se lahko zgodi suspenz te suverenosti s tujo pomo\u010djo, \u010deprav je moja teza, da tega suspenza ne bo, da bomo te\u017eave re\u0161ili sami, resda pa skozi \u0161ivankino uho. \" <p\/> Kaj ho\u010dete re\u010di? Ko ste ravno v Mariboru, naj vpra\u0161am takole: je trojka \u017ee pri \u0160entilju? <p\/> \" Ne. \u0160e vedno je v Bruslju. Evropska komisija bo 29. maja izdala poro\u010dilo, ki bo \u0161lo konec junija \u0161e v odlo\u010danje Evropskega sveta. Vlada je z nekaterimi ukrepi, kot so vi\u0161ji DDV in uspe\u0161na pogajanja za zni\u017eanje pla\u010d v javnem sektorju, dala mo\u010dan signal, da si prizadeva za konsolidacijo javnih financ in za ukrepe za spodbujanje gospodarske rasti. A \u010de si dovolim oceniti te ukrepe, ne da bi posegal v pristojnosti vlade... Pogre\u0161am dve stvari. Eno je bistveno bolj aktivna vloga dr\u017eave pri ustanovitvi slabe banke, kjer gre za vrsto aktivnosti pri prenosu slabih terjatev. To bi dalo Evropski komisiji vedeti, da smo se resno lotili sanacije ban\u010dnega sistema, ki je glavna cokla pri na\u0161i ekonomski in finan\u010dni regeneraciji. In drugi\u010d, pa mogo\u010de se motim, ker nisem obve\u0161\u010den, menim, da se politika te dni bistveno premalo pripravlja na konec meseca, ko bo v parlamentu odlo\u010danje o novi referendumski ureditvi in zlatem fiskalnem pravilu. Evropska komisija in evropski svet zelo pozorno gledata, kaj se dogaja pri nas, zlasti z referendumsko zakonodajo. Spomnili se boste, da je bilo \u017ee 14. februarja na sestanku s predsedniki strank, ki sem ga gostil in vodil, dogovorjeno, da bo vpra\u0161anje referendumske ureditve \u0161lo skozi, a je nato ena od opozicijskih strank (SDS op. a.) rekla, da je treba pred tem odlo\u010dati o fiskalnem pravilu. Tu se res ni treba kregati, ali ima ta stranka to pravico ali ne. Brez nje dvotretjinske ve\u010dine ni. Pri dvotretjinskih odlo\u010ditvah pa je zlato pravilo, da pravila postavlja opozicija. To je bilo vedno tako. Celo ve\u010d, menim, da bi bilo v ustavo ob vnosu fiskalnega pravila mo\u017eno vpisati letnico 2015. \" <p\/> Ni mo\u017eno. Koalicija, sploh vladajo\u010da stranka, je odlo\u010dno za letnico 2017. Takrat da naj se pravilo uveljavi, da prej do uravnote\u017eenega prora\u010duna ni poti. <p\/> \" Fiskalni pakt omogo\u010da prehodno obdobje, ki bi ga pri nas omogo\u010dil izvedbeni zakon. Saj nih\u010de ne pri\u010dakuje, da bi morala vlada odstopiti, \u010de leta 2015 ne bi dosegla treh odstotkov primanjkljaja. Vsakdo bi razumel, da tega ni mogo\u010de dose\u010di, \u010de so makroekonomske okoli\u0161\u010dine dejansko odstopajo\u010de, \u010de bi denimo izbruhnila celo tretja velika recesija. Tak\u0161na odstopanja poznajo tudi druge dr\u017eave. Zato se mi zdi to prerekanje o letnici odve\u010d. Raje bi videl, da bi se fokusirali na pogoje prehodnega obdobja. Dobro razumem vlado in predsednico vlade, da bi bilo neprimerno, \u010de bi se vlada za ceno hitrega zmanj\u0161evanja primanjkljaja odlo\u010dila za surov poseg v socialno strukturo prebivalstva, s tem bi tudi dolgoro\u010dno ranili mo\u017enosti za gospodarsko okrevanje. O tem sem govoril na obiskih v Berlinu in v Parizu, razumejo to na\u0161o dilemo. \" <p\/> Dr\u017ei, da ste \u0161li v Berlin in Pariz prepri\u010dani, da bodo spremembe referendumske ureditve v smeri zmanj\u0161anja mo\u017enosti referendumov, ko gre za reformna vpra\u0161anja, hitrej\u0161e in da bo fiskalno pravilo za\u010delo veljati leta 2015? Da ste to Parizu in Berlinu tudi obljubili, potem pa seje o teh dveh temah 6. maja ni bilo? Niste vedeli? In \u0161e: v \u010dasu kampanje, gospod predsednik, ste vse stavili na sodelovanje politike. Le skupaj zmoremo, ste govorili. Zdaj pa se ravno va\u0161e sodelovanje z vlado Alenke Bratu\u0161ek ni za\u010delo ravno dobro. <p\/> \" Sodelovanje med vlado in uradom predsednika je \u0161e vedno zgledno ...\" <p\/> ... \u0161e vedno zgledno? <p\/> \" Je zgledno. Dejstvo pa je, da po 14. februarju, ko sem osebno prevzel odgovornost, da so se stranke poenotile o treh vpra\u0161anjih - o ratifikaciji pristopne pogodbe, o reformi trga dela in referendumih - vse stranke niso bile ve\u010d naklonjene temu, da bi kot predsednik prevzel podobno vlogo tudi pri ustavnih spremembah, ampak so menile, da bi bilo bolje, ko bi ta proces ostal znotraj parlamentarnega \u017eivljenja. To pomeni, da lahko vzpodbujam strankarski dialog, ne morem pa ga voditi in pripeljati do konca. V Pariz in Berlin sem od\u0161el po pogovoru s predsednico vlade in ministrom za finance. V prepri\u010danju, da bo 6. in 7. maja parlament potrdil odlo\u010ditev o referendumih in fiskalnem pravilu. Iskreno sem vam povedal, da sem zaskrbljen, ker je ta odlo\u010ditev, ki se lahko tudi zaplete, prelo\u017eena na konec meseca. Menim tudi, da bi se morale stranke \u017ee zdaj intenzivno pogovarjati o tem, pa nisem obve\u0161\u010den, da bi se. \u010ce stranke ocenijo, da lahko pomagam, sem to pripravljen storiti. Vidim pa, kako se po\u010dasi topi njihova privr\u017eenost februarskemu dogovoru o spremembah referendumske ureditve. Neodgovorno bi bilo, da to spregledam, in mislim, da so me ljudje volili tudi zato, ker imam izku\u0161njo predsednika vlade. Lahko se izvle\u010demo iz krize, a se moramo dogovoriti tudi o fiskalnem pravilu in referendumih. \" <p\/> Oprostite, ljudje so vas volili tudi zato, ker ste odlo\u010dno obljubljali, da boste povezali sprte politi\u010dne sile. Zdaj pa pripovedujete, da stranke tega niti ne dovolijo? To je bila va\u0161a klju\u010dna volilna obljuba. <p\/> \" Mi morate priznate, da sem jo izpolnil prej, kot sem mislil. Februarja. Bolj za hec kot zares smo izra\u010dunali, da sem samo za usklajevanje s strankami porabil 25 ur in pol, da smo dosegli dogovor. \" <p\/> \u017de, \u017ee, a rezultata, kot si ga \u017eelite, ni. Vsaj ne \u0161e. <p\/> \" \u017de februarja je eden od predsednikov strank (Igor Luk\u0161i\u010d op. a.) dejal, da je bil februarski sestanek legitimen, a da ni naklonjen temu, da bi predsednik republike posegal v strankarsko \u017eivljenje. Dokler se to stali\u0161\u010de ne spremeni, nimam mandata, da bi se vsiljeval v oblikovanje konsenza politi\u010dnih strank. Jaz se ne morem vsiljevati, poleg tega predsednica vlade to\u010dno ve, da ji vedno re\u010dem, da sem tu tudi zato, da ji pomagam, \u010de oceni, da je moja pomo\u010d potrebna. Vedeti morate, da sem v Parizu in Berlinu dal na mizo jokerja. Rekel sem, da zastavim besedo, da bo tej vladi uspelo izpolniti pri\u010dakovanja finan\u010dnih trgov in finan\u010dnih institucij. Da pomo\u010d ne bo potrebna. Nikar ne mislite, da se tak\u0161ni obiski lahko zgodijo vsak mesec, ker se ne morejo. In nikar ne mislite, da lahko to re\u010dete, \u010de vas dejstva postavijo v druga\u010dno lu\u010d. \u010ce imajo stranke jasen interes, da uveljavijo fiskalno pravilo in spremembe referendumske ureditve, se morajo o tem za\u010deti pogovarjati zdaj. Izrabljam prilo\u017enost tega intervjuja in pozivam stranke, da same ali pa z mojo pomo\u010djo, \u010de ocenijo, da jo potrebujejo, najdejo re\u0161itev za vnos fiskalnega pravila v ustavo in spremembe referendumske ureditve. \" <p\/> \" Ne, ker to ne vpliva na moje delo in na zavzetost, s katero ga opravljam. Mislim pa, da so v uradu izra\u010dunali, da bo moja pla\u010da zaradi dogovora s sindikati javnega sektorja ni\u017eja za 263 evrov. \" <p\/> Saj ne bo ostalo pri tem. Tudi vi\u0161je davke boste pla\u010devali. <p\/> \" Ja, in to je prav. \" <p\/> Kako pa se po\u010dutite, ko ob tem, da bo va\u0161a pla\u010da ni\u017eja, davki pa vi\u0161ji, v Ve\u010deru preberete, da je Zoran Jankovi\u0107 v banki, ki resda ni dr\u017eavna, dobil 250.000 evrov kredita za pokrivanje 300.000 evrov limita, \u010desar nekdo brez pravega priimka ne more dobiti? Kako, gospod predsednik? Po petih letih krize in razprav, \u010demu vse se je treba odre\u010di tudi zaradi anomalij, ki jih na koncu dneva pla\u010damo vsi. <p\/> \" Tega konkretnega primera, in dobro boste razumeli, zakaj, ne bom komentiral. Bom pa spomnil, da nisem bil med zadnjimi, ki so rekli, da je vrednostno \u017eari\u0161\u010de te krize ob\u010dutek nepravi\u010dnosti. Edina dobra stran krize je, da je kon\u010dala nevaren proces tranzicije, ki bi do obisti spridil na\u0161o dru\u017ebo, ker bi se trend divje privatizacije in plenjena nadaljeval. Dr\u017ei pa tudi, da se je zbudil obrambni mehanizem naroda. Ljudje so ta hip celo bolj pogumni za ukrepanje kot politika. Z zdravim razumom so pri\u0161li do spoznanja, da nas bo ta kriza pobrala, zato ima politika zdaj ve\u010d manevrskega prostora za odlo\u010dno ukrepanje, kot si ga jemlje. \" Je \u0161la pa vlada odlo\u010dno v napoved, da bo prodala 15 dr\u017eavnih podjetij. Tudi banko. NKBM. Zaradi SD-ja se spet lahko zgodi histerija, imenovana nacionalni interes. <p\/> \" Naj, prosim, ne bo nikogar med va\u0161imi bralci, ki bi si \u017eelel, da zadeve v dr\u017eavi uredi trojka. Gre za zelo surove odlo\u010ditve, izklju\u010dno v smeri var\u010devanja in ni\u010d v smeri spodbujanja rasti. Tudi pri privatizaciji nas ne bodo ni\u010d vpra\u0161ali, o nobenem interesu. V Mariboru sva. Omenili ste NKBM. To moram povedati zato, da bom verodostojen. Ko se je iztekal mandat moji vladi, je v nasprotju z mojim mnenjem AUKN napa\u010dno presodila stvari. Dr\u017eavnim podjetjem je nalo\u017eila, da v imenu nacionalnega interesa dokapitalizirajo NKBM za ceno delnice, ki je danes ne bo dosegla nobena prodaja. S tem smo izgubili precej denarja in danes bomo NKBM prodali po bistveno ni\u017eji ceni, kot jo je bilo takrat mogo\u010de dokapitalizirati z zasebnim kapitalom. In ne pozabite na male delni\u010darje, ki so verjeli v banko in kupili delnice. O tem bo v Mariboru \u0161e veliko diskusije. \" <p\/> Tudi to\u017ebe, verjetno. <p\/> \" Zlasti v primeru NKBM je treba imeti pri prodaji posluh za male delni\u010darje. \" <p\/> Za prodajo dr\u017eavnih dele\u017eev pa ste, torej? <p\/> \" Da, absolutno. \" <p\/> Nedavno smo v nem\u0161ko-slovenski gospodarski zbornici sli\u0161ali, da je bil neki nem\u0161ki investitor v severovzhodnem delu Slovenije, ki ga kriza grozljivo tol\u010de, pripravljen postaviti tovarno in odpreti 200 novih delovnih mest. Veste, zakaj jih ni? Ker ob\u010dina ni bila pripravljena na resna pogajanja o ceni zemlji\u0161\u010d. Investitor pa je na koncu od\u0161el. Na Slova\u0161ko. To je slovenski na\u010din odpiranja novih delovnih mest in privabljanja tujih investitorjev? <p\/> \" V Parizu so mi francoski poslovne\u017ei rekli, da je Slovenija iz vrste razlogov - geopoliti\u010dnih, transportnih, vrednostnih, varnostnih - absolutno atraktivna dr\u017eava. A ima tako zapleten birokratski ustroj, ki sredi poti vzame pogum. Potem gredo na Slova\u0161ko, kjer je vse bolj enostavno. A nisem za to, da bi \u0161li v drugo skrajnost, se odrekli vsem predpisom, ki varujejo okolje in slovenskega delavca, denimo, je pa cela vrsta popolnoma brezzveznih predpisov, ki jih odpravljajo vse vlade, a jih hkrati delajo na novo. Poenostavitev pravnega sistema je ena bistvenih nalog sedanje vlade. Spoznati moramo, da smo naredili predrago in prezapleteno dr\u017eavo. Na sre\u010danju z \u017eupani v Oplotnici so mi \u017eupani rekli, da investitorji pridejo na koncu tudi do njih in oni niti ne znajo pojasniti, kaj vse mora investitor storiti, da bi lahko posloval in zaposloval v njihovi ob\u010dini. \" <p\/> Na tem sre\u010danju z \u017eupani ste tudi rekli, da so ob\u010dine pomemben steber stabilnosti v dr\u017eavi. Resni\u010dno? Vseh 211 ob\u010din? <p\/> \" Stro\u0161ek diskusije, katera ob\u010dina naj se ukine, bo bistveno ve\u010dji od prihranka. To bo politi\u010dni stro\u0161ek, na koncu materialni stro\u0161ek in skregali boste ljudi. Pa veste, da sem vsa leta zagovornik manj\u0161ega \u0161tevila ob\u010din ...\" <p\/> ... saj ravno zato. <p\/> \" Ampak danes moram oceniti, da \u010de bi se spro\u017eilo vpra\u0161anje o zmanj\u0161anju \u0161tevila ob\u010din, bi spro\u017eili tudi spor, katero ob\u010dino ukiniti, koliko ob\u010din ukiniti. Sprli bi ljudi, stranke in prihranek tega ne bi odtehtal. \" <p\/> \u010ce po\u010dasi potegneva \u010drto. Pet let imamo krizo, kar tri leta v tem \u010dasu ste bili vi predsednik vlade. Va\u0161a najbolj usodna napa\u010dna odlo\u010ditev, ki jo danes pla\u010dujemo vsi, je bila? <p\/> \" Saj ste bili zraven, ko sem to povedal. Ko niti vi niti va\u0161i kolegi niste pri\u010dakovali tako iskrenega priznanja. Da sem prepozno spoznal, kako usoden problem so banke. To sem priznal, mislim, da januarja 2012. \" <p\/> Ne. Se spomnim tega. Je bilo \u017ee malo pred predsedni\u0161kimi volitvami. Po tem, ko ste padli s konja. <p\/> \" To\u010dno. Po po\u010ditnicah, septembra. Zaradi preokupiranosti s Hrva\u0161ko sem premalo pozornosti posve\u010dal re\u0161evanju ban\u010dnega sistema. \u017de takrat je minister Lahovnik predlagal slabo banko, jaz sem se z njim strinjal, vendar oba pod pogojem, da bi slabo banko naredila NLB sama, ne da bi jo vsilila dr\u017eava. Medtem ko je recimo minister Gaspari odsvetoval ustanovitev slabe banke z ukazom dr\u017eave. Takrat smo imeli v bankah okoli tri odstotke toksi\u010dnih terjatev, zdaj je tak\u0161nih pribli\u017eno petina. Predsednici vlade sem odkrito rekel, da vem, da ima zadr\u017eke do slabe banke, da je, ko je bila PS \u0161e v opoziciji, razmi\u0161ljala o referendumu o slabi banki, ampak da je zdaj treba slabo banko vzpostaviti. Imamo bolj\u0161o re\u0161itev od \u017ee preizku\u0161enih dokapitalizacij, ki niso prinesle re\u0161itev? Pazite, to je usodno povezano s prezadol\u017eenostjo podjetij. V letih 2006, 2007 in 2008 je tudi Banka Slovenija spustila vse zavore pri dajanju kreditov. Nih\u010de se ni menil za to, ali bodo ta podjetja sposobna te kredite odpla\u010devati. V letu 2009 pa smo nasedli na prezadol\u017eena podjetja, ki jih je kriza dodatno opeharila za njihov razvoj. \" <p\/> \" Zdaj izkori\u0161\u010date moje slabe zna\u010dajske lastnosti, da ne zamudim prilo\u017enosti, da bi bil tiho. Ne bi bil presene\u010den, \u010de bo komisija rekla, da da Sloveniji dodaten \u010das za uveljavitev stvari, ki jih je najavila, pa jih \u0161e ni vpeljala. To bi bil relativno ugoden razplet. \" <p\/> Pri\u010dakujete slab\u0161o oceno? Alarm? <p\/> \" Lahko je slab\u0161a, \u010de odlo\u010ditve o referendumski ureditvi in fiskalnem pravilu ne bi \u0161le skozi. Relativno ugoden razplet 29. maja bi pomiril finan\u010dne trge in preostali dve bonitetni hi\u0161i (S &amp; P in Fitch) ne bi sledili agenciji Moody's. A morava biti odkrita. \u010ce bi pa komisija Evropskemu svetu predlagala penale za Slovenijo, kar bi stalo 35 milijonov evrov oziroma odstotek BDP-ja, ter program za odpravo makroekonomskih neravnovesij, pa bi se morda zganila \u0161e katera bonitetna hi\u0161a. To bi pomenilo, da Slovenija dostopa do mednarodnih finan\u010dnih trgov tako reko\u010d ne bi ve\u010d imela. \"","labels":"Other","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Opis artikla <p\/> Stropni vgradni zvo\u010dnik Audac CELO8; tanka za\u0161\u010ditna mre\u017ea (1 mm) - mo\u017eno jo je prebarvati, eleganten in prikrit dizajn, topel in naraven zvok, 1\" + 8\" aluminijasta zvo\u010dnika (driver), 80 Watt RMS mo\u010di, Gold-ConTM povezave, hitro in enostavno montiranje. Cena velja za kos. Nakup je mo\u017een v paru min. 2 kosa.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"V ve\u010dnamenski \u0161portni dvorani Gori\u0161nica so se na turnirju 3. kola 1.SJL sre\u010dali JK Gori\u0161nica, JK Branik Broker in JK Duplek. Ekipa JK Duplek je osvojila dve to\u010dki, saj je premagala ekipo JK Gori\u0161nica z rezultatom 6 : 1 (60 : 10), medtem ko so se je dvoboj z JK Branik Broker kon\u010dal z zmago Branika z rezultatom 3 : 4 (23 : 40). V dvoboju med JK Duplek in JK Branik Broker je JK Duplek najprej povedel z 3 :0. V kategoriji do 60 kg je Dorijan Jamni\u0161ek dobil zmago brez borbe, nato pa je v kategoriji do 66 kg Simon Mohorovi\u010d s koko premagal Marcela Ognjenovi\u010da. V kategoriji do 73 kg je Tadej \u010ceh gladko z 10 : 0 odpravil Samota Masle\u0161o. V kategoriji do 81 kg je namesto po\u0161kodovanega Uro\u0161a Tajhmana nastopil Tadej Mulec in po pri\u010dakovanju klonil proti Roku Leskov\u0161ku. Tudi zadnje tri borbe so pripadle tekmovalcem JK Branik Broker in sicer je v kategoriji do 90 kg Alja\u017e Petri\u010d izgubil proti Samotu Sagadinju z ipponom, Gregor Krajnc kategoriji do 100 kg z ipponom proti Petru Bevcu in v kategoriji nad 100 kg \u0161e ne povsem ozdraveli Darko Petelin\u0161ek z ipponom proti Matiji Erjavcu. Dvoboj med JK Duplek in JK Gori\u0161nica pa so gladko dobili tekmovalci JK Duplek. Tekmovalci JK Duplek so po petih hitrih zaporednih zmagah z ipponi Dorijana Jamni\u0161ka v kategoriji do 60 kg, Simona Mohorovi\u010da v kategoriji do 66 kg, Tadeja \u010ceha v kategoriji do 73 kg, Tadeja Muleca v kategoriji do 81 kg in Alja\u017ea Petri\u010da v kategoriji do 90 kg povedli s 5 : 0. V kategoriji do 100 kg je Gregor Krajnc klonil proti Hrgi, medtem ko v kategoriji nad 100 kg Gori\u0161nica ni imela predstavnika, tako, da je Darko Petelin\u0161ek zmagal brez borbe in postavil kon\u010dni izzid dvoboja 6 : 1. <p\/> V dvoboju med JK Branik Broker in JK Gori\u0161nica pa je bil z rezultatom 5 : 1 (50 : 10 ) zmagal Branik Broker. <p\/> V Slovenski Bistrici pa je bil v \u0161portni dvorani tudi drugi turnir 3. kola 1.SJL, na katerem so se sre\u010dali doma\u010din JK Impol, JK Olimpija in JK Sankaku Celje. Dvoboji so se kon\u010dali takole : JK Impol : JK Olimpija 5 : 1 (40 : 10) JK Impol : JK Sankaku 5 : 2 (50 : 15) JK Olimpija : JK Sankaku 5 : 2 (42 : 20) <p\/> V Slovenski Bistrici pa je bil tudi dvoboj med JK \u017delezni\u010dar in JK Drava Ptuj, ki ga je dobil JK \u017delezni\u010dar s 4 : 3 (32 : 30). <p\/> Vse rezultate in lestvico po 3. kolu 1.SJL si lahko ogletate \"Tukaj\" <p\/> V TRETJEM KOLU V 2. SJL SO BILI NA SPOREDU \u010cETVEROBOJI","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Te\u017ea besed <p\/> Pride dan, ko usta pogoltnejo \u010drke in besede. Z jezikom oblepijo nebo in zadrgnejo vse zastore. Na trepalnice obesijo te\u017eke kamne in obmolknejo. Roke objamejo noge in zanihajo, kot prazen list brez \u010drnila. Pride dan brezte\u017enosti.","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"\u010cema\u017e <p\/> \u010cema\u017e (Allium ursinum), znan tudi kot divji ali gozdni \u010desen je rastlina, ki ima \u0161tevilne zdravilne u\u010dinke. Od marca do junija raste v deloma sen\u010dnih, vla\u017enih listnatih gozdovih, cveti od aprila do maja. V Sloveniji ga najdemo skoraj povsod. <p\/> Zraste od 10 do 40 cm visoko. Ima dva suli\u010dasta lista, ki sta intenzivno zelene barve. Cvet je bel. Zelo podoben je dvema zelo strupenima rastlinama: \u0161marnici in podlesku, vendar ti dve ne di\u0161ita po \u010desnu. Lahko uporabimo liste, \u010debulico, cvetove in tudi plodove. <p\/> Je bolj zdravilen od \u010desna. Ima o\u010di\u0161\u010devalen u\u010dinek - spodbuja delovanje \u017elez, \u010di\u0161\u010denje krvi in prebavil ter dihalnih poti. Ugodno deluje tudi proti astmi, zni\u017euje holesterol, odvaja se\u010d iz telesa in ni\u017ea vro\u010dino ter krvni pritisk. <p\/> Priporo\u010deno je zmerno u\u017eivanje, saj lahko prevelike koli\u010dine \u010dema\u017ea razdra\u017eijo prebavila. <p\/> \u010cema\u017e je zelo uporaben v kuhinji, saj je znan kot nadomestek \u010desna. Uporablja se za \u0161tevilne jedi, ni pa primeren za uporabo v sladicah. Lahko ga pripravimo kot \u010dema\u017eevo juho, namaz, ga dodamo k solatam, pe\u010denim in kuhanim jedem.","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Stavka v mariborskem Sanitecu <p\/> Danes ob 6. uri je okoli 200 delavcev h\u010derinskega podjetja Mariborskih livarn, Sanitec pri\u010delo s stavko. <p\/> Deli <p\/> Kot je povedala Janja Veber iz Sindikata kovinske in elektro industrije (Skei) v MLM, delavci stavkajo zaradi ne izpla\u010danih pla\u010d in zaradi ne jasne usode Santeca, torej da se jim razlo\u017ei kaj se bo z njimi zgodilo. Stavka bo trajala do preklica. <p\/> Program Sanitec zdru\u017euje proizvodnjo sanitarnih in kuhinjskih armatur ter proizvodnjo odkovkov. <p\/> Gre za h\u010derinsko podjetje v 100-odstotni lasti Mariborskih livarn Maribor (MLM), ki na torkovi skup\u0161\u010dini niso uspele prepri\u010dati dovolj delni\u010darjev za dokapitalizacijo. <p\/> Na skup\u0161\u010dini naj bi lastniki odlo\u010dali o dokapitalizaciji v obliki nove konverzije terjatev NKBM, Abanke Vipe in Probanke v lastni\u0161ke dele\u017ee. S predvideno konverzijo bi se dele\u017e lastni\u0161tva teh bank pove\u010dal na preko 75 odstotkov. Skupno 17, 4-milijonsko pove\u010danje osnovnega kapitala dru\u017ebe so \u017eeleli nameniti za pokrivanje pretekle izgube v vi\u0161ini 12 milijonov evrov. <p\/> Mariborska livarna Maribor se \u017ee nekaj \u010dasa nahaja v likvidnostnem kr\u010du, zato je \u017ee ve\u010dkrat pri\u0161lo do gro\u017eenj s stavko.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Od zvezdnic bi skoraj pri\u010dakovali, da so popolne njihove urejene pojave na rde\u010dih preprogah, zabavah ali v vsakdanjem \u017eivljenju so obdane z dragimi garderobami, nakitom in dodatki, njihova telesa pa izredno negovana. A ni nujno, v\u010dasih \u0161ele podrobna analiza fotografije oziroma ostro oko razkrijejo njihove pomanjkljivosti \u2013 nekatere jih skrivajo \u0161e kar dobro, a veliko je tistih, ki jim je o\u010ditno popolnoma vseeno. Stopala vsekakor veliko povedo o \u010dlove\u0161kih navadah in osebni higieni, \u010desar pa se najbr\u017e premalo zavedajo naslednji znani obrazi: <p\/> \u017de res, da je Naomi Campbell ena najuspe\u0161nej\u0161ih manekenk vseh \u010dasov, a ta naziv je terjal tudi svoj davek \u2013 njena stopala izgledajo deformirana. <p\/> vir: www.hollyscoop.com <p\/> vir: www.hollyscoop.com <p\/> Iman je naravnost prelepa, a premajhni sandali se ne podajo nobeni nogi. <p\/> vir: www.hollyscoop.com <p\/> Kljub temu, da je Holly Madison nekdanja Playboyeva zaj\u010dica ter hkrati tudi nekdanje dekle Hugha Hefnerja, pa bi vseeno lahko precej bolje poskrbela tudi za svoja stopala. <p\/> vir: www.hollyscoop.com <p\/> Nekaterim narava preprosto ni bila naklonjena za vsak del telesa, zato za nekoliko \u010dudne no\u017ene prste Jennifer Garner ni kriva sama. <p\/> vir: www.hollyscoop.com <p\/> Christina Hendricks tokrat ni upo\u0161tevala pravil \u2013 kljub temu, kako zelo so ti v\u0161e\u010d \u010devlji, jih ne sme\u0161 izbrati, \u010de je tvoja noga prevelika oziroma v tem primeru, predvsem pre\u0161iroka zanje. <p\/> vir: www.hollyscoop.com <p\/> Lahkotno skakljanje v petkah po ulicah New Yorka je Sarah Jessici Parker v vlogi Carrie Bradshaw prineslo o\u010ditno tudi slabosti. <p\/> vir: www.hollyscoop.com <p\/> Enako kot za Naomi velja tudi za Kate Moss, njena stopala so prehodila ne\u0161teto modnih brvi. <p\/> vir: www.hollyscoop.com <p\/> Kim Kardashian se tudi v \u010dasu svoje visoke nose\u010dnosti ni \u017eelela odpovedati visokim petkam, rezultat tega pa je bil porazen. <p\/> vir: www.hollyscoop.com <p\/> Britney Spears se je v tem primeru o\u010ditno po\u0161kodovala, a lahko bi si omislila vsaj kan\u010dek posebnega, prekrivnega make upa.","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Kaj je tisto, kar je poleg kadrovske podhranjenosti in preobremenitev, ki se kopi\u010dijo tudi ali predvsem po administrativni plati, osnovno-zdravstvenemu sodu prebilo dno? <p\/> Splo\u0161ni dogovor za leto 2019 nevzdr\u017ene razmere \u0161e poslab\u0161uje <p\/> S splo\u0161nim dogovorom za leto 2019 je na novo dolo\u010dena (povi\u0161ana) zgornja meja registracij v ambulantah dru\u017einske medicine, ki \u017ee sicer pokajo po \u0161ivih, sistemskih re\u0161itev pa ni. In to je v resnici zelo slabo sporo\u010dilo. <p\/> Splo\u0161ni dogovor, s katerim \"partnerji\" s podro\u010dja zdravstva vsako leto na novo dolo\u010dijo razrez finan\u010dne poga\u010de za izvajanje zdravstvenih storitev in programov, v resnici nima partnerskega predznaka, saj mo\u010d strokovnih argumentov vedno znova izni\u010dijo argumenti mo\u010di, za katere se zdi, da imajo na koncu en sam imenovalec: politiko, ki v zdravstvu nima kaj po\u010deti. O spornih vpra\u0161anjih vedno odlo\u010di vlada. <p\/> Zdru\u017eenje zdravstvenih zavodov predlagalo aneks k splo\u0161nemu dogovoru ... <p\/> Zato je Zdru\u017eenje zdravstvenih zavodov Slovenije predlagalo sprejetje aneksa \u0161tevilka ena k splo\u0161nemu dogovoru za to leto. V zvezi s preobremenitvami v ambulantah dru\u017einske medicine v osnovnem zdravstvu, kjer zdravniki v nekaterih zdravstvenih domovih napovedujejo odpoved pogodb o zaposlitvi, saj druge re\u0161itve ni na obzorju, je omenjeno zdru\u017eenje predlagalo re\u0161itev, povsem primerljivo z nedavno sprejetimi sklepi letne konference sindikata zdravnikov in zobozdravnikov Fides. Tako predlagani aneks pravzaprav precej presenetljivo na isti breg postavlja zdravnike, njihove sindikate in mened\u017ement zdravstvenih zavodov. <p\/> Zdru\u017eenje je namre\u010d predlog pripravilo v skladu s sporazumom o za\u010dasni prekinitvi stavkovnih aktivnosti, ki sta ga podpisala sindikat Fides in vlada \u2013 in ki je \u017ee veljal v splo\u0161nem dogovoru za pogodbeni leti 2017 in 2018. Po tem sporazumu zdravniki, ki delajo na primarni ravni, lahko odklonijo opredeljevanje novih zavarovanih oseb, ko dose\u017eejo obremenitev slovenskega povpre\u010dja glavarinskih koli\u010dnikov po posameznih specialnostih, medtem ko zdravniki dru\u017einske medicine in pediatri lahko opredeljevanje novih zavarovanih oseb odklonijo, ko dose\u017eejo obremenitev 1895 glavarinskih koli\u010dnikov. <p\/> Zdru\u017eenje zdravstvenih zavodov je predlog aneksa pripravilo v skladu s sporazumom o za\u010dasni prekinitvi stavkovnih aktivnosti. <p\/> ... upravni odbor ZZZS pa je predlog zavrnil <p\/> Za tak korak se zdravniki lahko odlo\u010dijo, \u010de pri delodajalcu niso iz\u010drpane vse kadrovsko-organizacijske mo\u017enosti, ki bi omogo\u010dile opredeljevanje zavarovanih oseb \u2013 razpisi za nove zaposlitve, predlog potreb po novih specializacijah, sklepanje podjemnih pogodb z zdravniki, tudi z upokojenimi, preusmerjanje polnoletnih zavarovanih oseb od pediatra k dru\u017einskemu zdravniku ... <p\/> Toda upravni odbor ZZZS je na v\u010deraj\u0161nji seji predlog za urgentno vklju\u010ditev te mo\u017enosti v splo\u0161ni dogovor za to leto zavrnil. Zdaj smo v slovenskem zdravstvu v situaciji, ko manevrirnega prostora \u2013 za zdaj v dru\u017einski medicini, vendar se podobne zgodbe odvijajo tudi v drugih vejah medicine \u2013 prakti\u010dno ni ve\u010d. In ker na ta resni, kompleksni problem ne opozarjajo le zdravniki ali medicinske sestre in njihovi sindikati, ampak zdaj celo mened\u017ement zdravstvenih zavodov, je to znak, da obstoje\u010di sistem v resnici ni in ne more biti ve\u010d zagotovilo za vzdr\u017eno, kakovostno, strokovno, celovito in varno delovanje zdravstvenega varstva \u2013 znak, na katerega se je nujno treba odzvati in sprejeti takoj\u0161nje ukrepe za sanacijo nastalega stanja. <p\/> Upravni odbor ZZZS je predlog za urgentno vklju\u010ditev te mo\u017enosti v splo\u0161ni dogovor za to leto zavrnil. <p\/> V zdru\u017eenju so prepri\u010dani, da je dogovor med vlado in sindikatom Fides, zapisan v sporazumu o za\u010dasni prekinitvi stavkovnih aktivnosti, treba upo\u0161tevati \u2013 \u010de bi bilo v tem smislu treba spremeniti \u010dasovnico glede doseganja ciljnega normativa, pa bi podpisniki sporazuma morali obnoviti pogajanja in dogovor oblikovati na novo. Kaj torej sledi \u2013 razen napovedanih aktivnosti zdravnikov v osnovnem zdravstvu? <p\/> \"Te\u017eko razumemo, da upravni odbor ZZZS nasprotuje temu, kar je v resnici \u017ee dogovorjeno, podpisano in sprejeto\" <p\/> \"Te\u017eko razumemo, da upravni odbor ZZZS nasprotuje temu, kar je v resnici \u017ee dogovorjeno, podpisano in sprejeto. Zdaj se ponuja nekaj mo\u017enosti. Ena je nadaljevanje s postopkom, povezanim z aneksom, vendar je tovrstno iskanje re\u0161itve dolgotrajno, zavle\u010de se lahko vse do jeseni. Obstaja pa tudi druga\u010dna pot. Novi minister za zdravje se bo s temi problemi moral spopasti takoj po imenovanju \u2013 in ni nemogo\u010de, da partnerji, ki se dogovarjamo o vsebini splo\u0161nega dogovora, ne bi zmogli oblikovati usklajenega, lahko tudi novega predloga za olaj\u0161anje pere\u010de situacije, ki smo ji pri\u010da v tem trenutku. Lahko zagotovim, da bo zdru\u017eenje kooperativno, saj \u017eeli prispevati k razumni re\u0161itvi \u2013 \u010de pa se bomo zna\u0161li v situaciji, v kateri bodo prevladala \u010dustva in drugi motivi, pa bo re\u0161itve te\u017eko najti,\" je v pogovoru za zdravstveni portal povedal Marjan Pintar, direktor zdru\u017eenja zdravstvenih zavodov. <p\/> In kak\u0161no je va\u0161e sporo\u010dilo novemu ministru za zdravje Ale\u0161u \u0160abedru? <p\/> Kaj pri\u010dakujete od novega ministra za zdravje Ale\u0161a \u0160abedra? Va\u0161e predloge in zahteve zapi\u0161ite v komentarje na na\u0161i facebook strani. Ko se jih bo nabralo dovolj, jih bomo strnili v knjigi, ki jo bomo kot civilno pobudo za nujno ukrepanje na podro\u010dju zdravstva izro\u010dili ministru.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"\u010clan Judo kluba Drava Klemen Ferjan je ta konec tedna nastopil na tekmi svetovnega pokala v judu na Samoi, v kraju Apia, kjer je kot edini predstavnik zastopal barve slovenske reprezentance. V kategoriji do 81 kg je nastopilo 12 tekmovalcev. V prvem kolu je bil, v drugem mu je namenil tekmovalca iz Nove Zelandije Pavlini\u010da, leto\u0161njega udele\u017eenca Svetovnega prvenstva v Rio de Janieru in nosilca ve\u010d medalj iz svetovnih pokalov. Klemnu je uspel met za sedem to\u010dk, nato kon\u010dni prijem, iz katerega se je Novozelandec re\u0161il. Vendar je Klemnu iz re\u0161evanja nasprotnika uspelo zaklju\u010diti akcijo z davljenjem. Tako je priboril prvo zmago. Nato se je v polfinalni borbi pomeril z Avstralcem Boughlanom in ga u\u010dinkovito premagal z \" ipponom \" \u017ee v prvi polovici borbe. Pred njim je bila le \u0161e finalna borba, v kateri je bil njegov nasprotnik Novozelandec Mark Brewer. Tekmovalcu Drave je tudi v finalu uspelo uspe\u0161no zaklju\u010diti borbo z \" ipponom \", metom za 10 to\u010dk. <p\/> \" Dobro sem treniral in se pripravljal na to tekmo. Nasprotniki so bili suvereni, moral sem dati vse od sebe, ampak se je spla\u010dalo, \" je s \u0161irokim nasmehom povedal Ferjan.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Adventni \u010das je \u010das pri\u010dakovanja. Pred nami je priprava na leto\u0161nji bo\u017ei\u010d. Priprava pa zahteva neko sodelovanje in na\u0161o anga\u017eiranost. Ne pri\u010dakujemo kri\u017eem rok. Tako se obna\u0161ajo samo otroci, ki ne vedo, kaj bi po\u010deli in se zato dolgo\u010dasijo. \u010ce se ho\u010dem osebno pripraviti na praznik in tudi od praznika najve\u010d odnesti, potem si moram narediti program, kaj bi rad dosegel in se nato truditi, da bi zastavljene cilje zares dosegel. Ne bom se zaustavljal ob tistih, ki jim bo\u017ei\u010d pomeni samo lep dru\u017einski praznik, ko so ve\u010d doma, ko se obdarujejo, ko si morda skupaj privo\u0161\u010dijo bo\u017ei\u010dne po\u010ditnice na belih strminah, vendar jih za praznike ne bomo videli v cerkvi, ker nimajo vere oziroma menijo, da so naredili \u017ee dovolj s tem, da so doma postavili smrekco in umetni\u0161ke jaslice. Stvari, ki nimajo nobene povezave s kr\u0161\u010dansko vero, pu\u0161\u010dam ob strani in se bom raje zaustavil ob slovenskem tradicionalnem bo\u017ei\u010dnem praznovanju. Kak\u0161ne cilje si lahko postavim v pripravi na bo\u017ei\u010d? Za nekatere bo bo\u017ei\u010d praznik, ko bodo obujali spomine na stare \u010dase, ko bo v ospredje stopila misel na otro\u0161tvo in \u010das, povezan s star\u0161i in dru\u017einsko tradicijo. Zato bodo postavili jaslice in bo\u017ei\u010dno smrekco, po stari navadi bodo blagoslovili prostore, kaj zmolili in si privo\u0161\u010dili dobro ve\u010derjo. Ob polno\u010di se bodo verjetno udele\u017eili polno\u010dnice. To bo zares lepo o\u017eivljanje stare tradicije in marsikomu bo prijetno pri srcu. Ob tem o\u017eivljanju starih obi\u010dajev in tradicije, se mi zastavlja vpra\u0161anje: Kak\u0161no korist mi bo to prineslo? V kolik\u0161ni meri me bodo ti stari obi\u010daji spremenili in predruga\u010dili? Kaj mi bo tak\u0161na priprava na bo\u017ei\u010d prinesla kot novost, da bo moje vsakdanje \u017eivljenje druga\u010dno, bogatej\u0161e, mirnej\u0161e in bolj smiselno. Lepi stari obi\u010daji so vsekakor potrebni, ker govorijo o na\u0161em zgodovinskem spominu, ki je potreben in se ga ne smemo sramovati. Lepi obi\u010daji so bogastvo naroda, zato je prav, da jih ohranjamo in o\u017eivljamo. Vendar se mi zdi, da to ne bo vneslo v moje vsakdanje \u017eivljenje tiste nove stvari, ki me bodo izzvale, ker mi bodo ponudile novo vsebino, ker bodo zahtevale od mene, da v adventno pripravo na bo\u017ei\u010d vnesem novosti, ki so del mene, povezane z mojim razmi\u0161ljanjem in \u010dutenjem. Tako bo\u017ei\u010dni prazniki ne bodo ve\u010d samo lepa stara folklora, ampak bodo imeli pridih sodobnega, mojega osebnega \u017eivljenja. Analitiki ugotavljajo, da \u010dlovek, \u0161e prav posebej zahodnjak in s tem tudi slovenski \u010dlovek, vedno bolj izgublja svojo du\u0161o, ker je dovolil, da ga je materializem tako potegnil vase, da se ga ve\u010d ne more otresti. Materializem je kot stra\u0161na anakonda, ka\u010da, ki se ovije okoli \u017ertve in jo stisne, da se ta ne more ve\u010d re\u0161iti iz njenega objema. To ka\u010dje stiskanje je iz trenutka v trenutek huj\u0161e, saj \u017ertvi polomi kosti in na koncu se vsa onemogla zadu\u0161i. Za bolj svobodno \u010dloveka vredno \u017eivljenje se je treba re\u0161iti iz tega objema in materializmu postaviti mejo. Zavedati se moramo, da denar ne sme biti na\u0161 gospodar, ampak ravno nasprotno, mi mu moramo gospodovati, mi moramo potro\u0161ni\u0161tvu postaviti mejo. Adventna priprava na bo\u017ei\u010d je zato najprej v tem, da naredim skrbno analizo svojega obi\u010dajnega \u017eivljenja. Jasno moram videti in oceniti svoja hotenja in pri\u010dakovanja, a hkrati se moram zavedati tudi svojih meja in svojih zablod. Oboje je treba dati na tehtnico in videti, na katero stran se tehtnica nagne: \u010de je negativnih stvari preve\u010d, je treba takoj ukrepati. Vsako zavla\u010devanje vodi samo v vedno huj\u0161e odtujevanje od sebe, od bli\u017enjih in od Boga. Vsako vztrajanje v negativnih stvareh vodi v vedno ve\u010djo odvisnost. V dolo\u010denem trenutku je treba samemu sebi dopovedati, da je pri\u0161el \u010das, da se znebi\u0161 vsega tega, kar te bremeni, ti jemlje svobodo in ti \u0161koduje. Vse to je treba odstraniti in si jasno in glasno re\u010di: \u00bbZakaj bi samemu sebi \u0161kodoval! Tega no\u010dem ve\u010d gledati! \u00ab Mo\u010dno voljo, ki se ob tem prebudi, je potem treba vsak dan bolj okrepiti. Treba je ra\u010dunati z Bogom, treba je ra\u010dunati z mo\u010djo molitve, predvsem pa je treba poglobiti vero. Samo kdor verjame v Boga, se je potem sposoben vre\u010di v bo\u017eje naro\u010dje, priznati svojo krivdo in grehe in odpustiti najprej sebi in nato bli\u017enjemu. To je edini na\u010din, kako lahko pre\u010distimo samega sebe in se osvobodimo preteklosti, ki nas pritiska k tlom in nam ne pusti svobodno dihati. Najprej je treba odpustiti sebi, si pridobiti spo\u0161tovanje in zaupanje, da potem lahko odpustimo tudi na\u0161im bli\u017enjim in se kon\u010dno spravimo z Bogom. To je edina pot, da bomo bolj svobodno zadihali. Vsako iskanje kak\u0161nega drugega sredstva, ki ne upo\u0161teva \u010dlovekovo krivdo in o\u010di\u0161\u010denje le-te z bo\u017ejim odpu\u0161\u010danjem in usmiljenjem, je obsojeno na propad. Zato ne nasedajmo razli\u010dnim internetnim ponudbam, ki obljubljajo hitro re\u0161itev. To je samo zapravljanje denarja brez pravega u\u010dinka. Zakaj se ne bi raje bolj oklenili Boga, ki zase ne zahteva nobenega pla\u010dila. Njegova ljubezen je zastonj, vse, kar od njega prejmemo, je zastonj. Zakaj ne bi izkoristili te mo\u017enosti, ki nam je dana. Zakaj ne bi iz svojega \u017eivljenja naredili nekaj lepega, na kar bomo vedno ponosni in tudi drugi bodo zaradi na\u0161e spremembe bogatej\u0161i. Predvsem pa je treba upo\u0161tevati to, o \u010demer nam je v prvem berilu govoril prerok Jeremija: \u00bbPridejo dnevi, ko izpolnim obljubo! \u00ab Bog se namre\u010d dr\u017ei svoje zaveze: kar on obljubi tudi izvr\u0161i. Morda tega ne vidimo v svojem \u017eivljenju, ker Bogu \u0161e nismo dovolili, da bi vstopil in naredil v na\u0161em \u017eivljenju pravi red. Morda smo se preve\u010d zana\u0161ali nase in na svoje sposobnosti, zato ne prepoznavamo \u010dude\u017eev, ki se dogajajo tudi danes. Morda nas je denar tako premamil, da smo vse stavili na to edino karto, zato se stalno bojimo in trepetamo pred tem, kaj se bo zgodilo z na\u0161imi prihranki, ki jih je recesija zelo oklestila. Da, tega strahu se je treba znebiti in svoje zaupanje graditi na novih temeljih, ki jih molj ne uni\u010di. Danes se torej podajamo na pot priprave na leto\u0161nji bo\u017ei\u010d. Naj bo ta praznik zares izziv za vsakega, da bi bil leto\u0161nji bo\u017ei\u010d druga\u010den. Kristus je pri\u0161el kot odre\u0161enik, da bi nas prerodil, da bi lahko postali novi ljudje. Za vsakega od nas je torej sedaj prilo\u017enost, da se to zgodi. Tukaj ni kak\u0161ne izjeme. Tudi zame je ta praznik izziv, pa \u010deprav so mi morda teoreti\u010dno stvari bolj jasne. Teorija namre\u010d ni \u017eivljenje. Zato morata priprava in sam praznik pustiti posledice na na\u0161em \u010dustvenem podro\u010dju, v odnosu do \u017eivljenja in vsega, kar nas obdaja. Ko se bo to zgodilo, bomo zares gledali na bo\u017ei\u010d precej druga\u010de. Vsekakor je res, da je bo\u017ei\u010d najbolj romanti\u010dni praznik od vseh cerkvenih praznikov, vendar mora v na\u0161e \u017eivljenje prinesti tudi novo vsebino. Zato pogumno vstopimo v adventni \u010das in ga izkoristimo za svojo osebno prenovo in tudi prenovo na\u0161e \u017eupnijske skupnosti. <p\/> Kontakt <p\/> Duhovna misel","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Javni razpis za izbor kulturnih programov, ki jih bo v letu 2012 sofinancirala Mestna ob\u010dina Maribor <p\/> Mestna ob\u010dina Maribor objavlja javni razpis za izbor kulturnih programov, ki jih bo sofinancirala v letu 2012 <p\/> (programski razpis JRPJI-KUL-2012) <p\/> Predmet razpisa je izbor celoletnih in za dalj\u0161e obdobje na\u010drtovanih javnih kulturnih programov (v nadaljevanju: programov), ki jih bo v letu 2012 Mestna ob\u010dina Maribor sofinancirala na podro\u010djih \u010dasopisno zalo\u017eni\u0161ke dejavnosti in neprofitne knji\u017ene dejavnosti, umetni\u0161kih programov in kulturno dru\u017ebenih praks (vrhunski umetni\u0161ki programi, neformalni kulturni programi, nove kulturne prakse, kulturna ustvarjalnost mladine) ter nekomercialne medijske dejavnosti in kinematografske dejavnosti. Javni razpis je namenjen ohranjanju in razvoju za mesto pomembnih kulturnih programov, ki niso vklju\u010deni v programe javne slu\u017ebe oziroma v dejavnosti javnih zavodov na podro\u010dju kulture. Upravi\u010dene osebe, ki lahko podajo vloge za sofinanciranje kulturnih programov v javnem interesu iz sredstev tega razpisa, so kulturne organizacije s statusom pravne osebe s sede\u017eem v Mestni ob\u010dini Maribor in so ustanovljene kot dru\u0161tvo, zasebni zavod ali zasebna ustanova, oziroma so gospodarske organizacije, ki so registrirane za izvajanje kulturnih dejavnosti na razpisnih podro\u010djih. Kon\u010dna vi\u0161ina sredstev v letu 2012 za sofinanciranje programov v javnem interesu, ki bodo izbrani v postopkih tega razpisa, bo dolo\u010dena s posebnim sklepom \u017eupana, izdanim po sprejetju prora\u010duna Mestne ob\u010dine Maribor za leto 2012. Razpis se pri\u010dne 20.1.2012 in se zaklju\u010di 20.2.2012. Besedilo razpisa je objavljeno v priponki. Dodatne informacije v zvezi z razpisom dobite na Uradu za kulturo in mladino Mestne ob\u010dine Maribor, Slovenska 40, 2000 Maribor: Bojan Labovi\u010d (tel. 02 2201-291, e-po\u0161ta: bojan.labovic@maribor.si.","labels":"Other","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Iz sodne prakse: Dovoljenost revizije 05.10.2015 \u010ce to\u017ee\u010da stranka ne navede vrednosti spornega predmeta za vsak posamezen zahtevek, temve\u010d navede le skupno vrednost, po ustaljeni sodni praksi ne zado\u0161\u010da za dovoljenost revizije. <p\/> Sodi\u0161\u010de prve stopnje je zavrnilo to\u017ebene zahtevke, da so to\u017eene stranke dol\u017ene skleniti s to\u017enikoma prodajno pogodbo, na podlagi katere jima bodo prodale nepremi\u010dnino, to\u017enika pa sta dol\u017ena to\u017eencem pla\u010dati \u0161e nepla\u010dani del kupnine. To\u017enika sta hkrati zahtevala, da so mu to\u017eene stranke dol\u017ene izro\u010diti nepremi\u010dnino v posest, do izro\u010ditve pa pla\u010devati mese\u010dno uporabnino. <p\/> Sodi\u0161\u010de druge stopnje je prito\u017ebo to\u017ee\u010dih strank zavrnilo in izpodbijano sodbo sodi\u0161\u010da prve stopnje potrdilo. Zoper pravnomo\u010dno sodbo sta to\u017ee\u010di stranki vlo\u017eila revizijo, v kateri sta uveljavljali vse revizijske razloge in predlagala spremembo izpodbijane sodbe, da se prito\u017ebi ugodi, sodbo sodi\u0161\u010da prve stopnje razveljavi ter zadevo vrne sodi\u0161\u010du prve stopnje v novo sojenje. <p\/> Revizija ni bila dovoljena. To\u017enika sta v to\u017ebi uveljavljala tri zahtevke zoper tri to\u017eenke. Zahtevek na sklenitev prodajne pogodbe in na izro\u010ditev nepremi\u010dnine sta nedenarna zahtevka, pri katerih je pravica do revizije odvisna od vrednosti spornega predmeta. Ne glede na dolo\u010dbo 2. odstavka 41. \u010dlena Zakona o pravdnem postopku (ZPP) se vrednost izpodbijanega dela pravnomo\u010dne sodbe ugotovi s se\u0161tevkom vrednosti posameznih zahtevkov oziroma delov teh zahtevkov, ki so \u0161e sporni, kadar je odlo\u010ditev o reviziji odvisna od re\u0161itve pravnih vpra\u0161anj, ki so skupna za vse navedene zahtevke, ali \u010de so posamezni zahtevki med seboj tako povezani, da je odlo\u010ditev o posameznem zahtevku odvisna od odlo\u010ditve o drugem zahtevku (5. odstavek 367. \u010dlena ZPP). Vendar pa v primeru prvih dveh zahtevkov (na sklenitev prodajne pogodbe in izro\u010ditve nepremi\u010dnine) ne gre le za objektivno kumulacijo, pa\u010d pa tudi za subjektivno. To\u017eene so namre\u010d tri to\u017eenke. <p\/> \u010ce se zahtevek uveljavlja zoper ve\u010d to\u017eencev, je dol\u017enost to\u017enika, da v skladu z 2. odstavkom 41. \u010dlena ZPP navede vrednost spornega predmeta za vsakega to\u017eenca posebej in ne za vse to\u017eence skupaj. \u010ce to\u017enik ne ravna tako in v tak\u0161nem primeru navede le eno vrednost spornega predmeta za vse to\u017eence skupaj, gre za t.i. nediferencirano vrednost spornega predmeta. <p\/> To\u017eenci niso enotni sosporniki, saj niso v taki materialnopravni skupnosti, da bi bila mo\u017ena le enaka odlo\u010ditev za vse tri. Ker so solastniki in s svojim solastni\u0161kim dele\u017eem na nepremi\u010dnini lahko samostojno razpolagajo, so to\u017eenci navadni sosporniki v smislu 2. to\u010dke 1. odstavka 191. \u010dlena ZPP, zato se\u0161tevanje vrednosti po prvem odstavku 41. \u010dlena v zvezi s 5. odstavkom 367. \u010dlena ZPP v takem primeru ne pride v po\u0161tev. <p\/> Poleg tega sta tudi to\u017enika navadna sospornika, saj zahtevata sklenitev pogodbe in izro\u010ditev v posest vsak zase skladno z solastni\u0161kim dele\u017eem. Glede na sosporni\u0161ka razmerja na obeh straneh je vrhovno sodi\u0161\u010de ugotovilo, da je zahtevkov, od katerih vsak lahko deli lo\u010deno pravno usodo, \u0161est. Dovoljenost revizije bi se zato presojalo po vrednosti vsakega posameznega zahtevka. <p\/> Ker pa to\u017enika nista navedla vrednost spornega predmeta za vsak posamezen zahtevek, temve\u010d je bila navedena le ena, skupna vrednost (135.000 evrov), gre za nediferencirano navedbo vrednosti spornega predmeta, ki po ustaljeni sodni praksi ne zado\u0161\u010da za dovoljenost revizije. Ni namre\u010d mogo\u010de ugotoviti, na katerega od to\u017enikov in na katerega od to\u017eencev se v to\u017ebi navedena skupna vrednost spornega predmeta nana\u0161a, tako da je polo\u017eaj enak, kot \u010de vrednost spornega predmeta sploh ne bi bila navedena, kar pa pomeni, da revizija ni dovoljena. Ker tudi vrednost denarnega zahtevka ni presegala mejne vrednosti 40.000 evrov, revizija tudi v tem delu ni dovoljena. V skladu z dolo\u010dbo 377. \u010dlena ZPP je revizijsko sodi\u0161\u010de nedovoljeno revizijo zavrglo.","labels":"Legal","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Ren\u010de med prvo svetovno vojno <p\/> Ujet trenutek ru\u0161enja zvonika ren\u0161ke cerkve med prvo svetovno vojno leta 1916. Avstrijsko vrhovno poveljstvo je odlo\u010dilo, da je treba cerkveni zvonik v Ren\u010dah in dimnike okoli\u0161kih opekarn poru\u0161iti, da ne bi slu\u017eili Italijanom kot orientirna to\u010dka. \u010casopis &gt; Slovenec <p\/> Po padcu Gorice v \u0161esti so\u0161ki bitki 9. avgusta 1916 so se Ren\u010de zna\u0161le v neposredni bli\u017eini vojnih operacij na So\u0161ki fronti. Avstro-ogrska obrambna \u010drta je potekala le nekaj kilometrov stran od Ren\u010d: preko hriba sv. Marka nad \u0160empetrom, vrtojbenskih in Biljenskih gri\u010dev, pri Mirnu je pre\u010dkala reko Vipavo in se mimo Mirenskega gradu povzpela na Kras. Italijani so se preko sorazmerno nizkih gri\u010dev hoteli prebiti v Vipavsko dolino. Na Ren\u010de je vsak dan padlo ve\u010d granat, vas se je po\u010dasi za\u010dela spreminjati v kup ru\u0161evin. ... <p\/> Ren\u0161ki trg med prvo svetovno vojno. Na hi\u0161ah in cerkvi so vidne posledice bombardiranja. <p\/> Tisti prebivalci, ki se do tedaj \u0161e niso podali v begunstvo, so morali rodne kraje zapustiti v najve\u010dji naglici. Iz tedanjega \u010dasopisja izvemo, da so bivali po raznih krajih (Ljubljana, Novo mesto, Zagorje ob Savi, Loidelstahl na Ni\u017ejem Avstrijskem, Hollern, Gertaus in Pachfurt v okraju Bruck ob Litvi), in tabori\u0161\u010dih (Wagna, Bruck, Steinklamm, Mlatz na \u010ce\u0161kem) v tedanji avsto-ogrski monarhiji. <p\/> Notranjost ren\u0161ke cerkve po ru\u0161enju zvonika 1916. <p\/> Tudi cerkvena in posvetna oblast se je morala seliti. Od avgusta do oktobra 1916 je ren\u0161ki \u017eupnik Valentin Pipan uradoval v Vi\u017emarjih pri \u0160t. Vidu nad Ljubljano. \u017dupanstvo Ren\u010de je imelo oktobra 1916 svoj sede\u017e na Rimski cesti v Ljubljani, od maja do oktobra pa v \u0160t. Vidu nad Ljubljano. V decembru 1917 je bilo \u017eupanstvo za\u010dasno v Ajdov\u0161\u010dini, tudi \u017eupnik Valentin Pipan se je preselil iz Ren\u010d v Vedrijan. <p\/> Pogled na Ren\u010de iz zvonika proti severu. V ozadju na levi se vidi tudi takratni most \u010dez Vipavo. Posnetek je bil narejen preden so zvonik poru\u0161ili. <p\/> Ru\u0161enje opekarni\u0161kega dimnika v bli\u017eini Ren\u010d med prvo svetovno vojno <p\/> Fotografije Ren\u010d v \u010dasu prve svetovne vojne in spremne informacije, prikazane na tej in naslednjih straneh, je prispeval Simon Kova\u010di\u010d, Dru\u0161tvo So\u0161ka fronta Nova Gorica. Fotografije so bile predstavljene na razstavi: Ren\u010de in gori\u0161ki Kras v prvi svetovni vojni januarja 2004 v Ren\u010dah.","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Javni razpisi <p\/> Javni razpis za podelitev priznanj Ob\u010dine Logatec za leto 2018 <p\/> Na podlagi 12.\u201315. \u010dlena Odloka o priznanjih Ob\u010dine Logatec in o priznanjih \u017eupana ob\u010dine Logatec (Loga\u0161ke novice, \u0161t. 4\/01 in 11\/08) Komisija za priznanja objavlja <p\/> R A Z P I S <p\/> za podelitev priznanj Ob\u010dine Logatec za leto 2018 <p\/> Ob\u010dina Logatec bo ob ob\u010dinskem prazniku na slavnostni seji ob\u010dinskega sveta na predlog Komisije za priznanja podelila priznanja po Odloku o priznanjih Ob\u010dine Logatec in o priznanjih \u017eupana Ob\u010dine Logatec. <p\/> Priznanje \u010castni ob\u010dan Ob\u010dine Logatec se podeli posamezniku za izredno pomembne dose\u017eke na ekonomskem, znanstvenem, kulturnem, razvojnem, vzgojno izobra\u017eevalnem, \u0161portnem, humanitarnem ali drugem podro\u010dju, s \u010dimer je posameznik izjemno prispeval k razvoju, ugledu in uveljavljanju ob\u010dine Logatec doma ali v svetu. Priznanje \u010castni ob\u010dan se lahko podeli tudi tujcu. <p\/> Spominska plaketa z znakom se podeli za izjemne uspehe in dose\u017eke in kot spodbuda za nadaljnje ustvarjalno delo. Spominsko plaketo lahko prejmejo posamezniki, skupine ob\u010danov, dru\u0161tva, pravne osebe oziroma organizacije. <p\/> Listina Ob\u010dine Logatec se podeli za posebne uspehe in dose\u017eke v zadnjem obdobju in kot spodbuda za nadaljnje ustvarjalno delo na dru\u017ebenoekonomskem, znanstvenem, tehni\u010dnem, kulturnem ali drugem podro\u010dju ustvarjalnosti in dela, ki ima poseben pomen za razvoj in napredek ob\u010dine Logatec. Listino Ob\u010dine Logatec lahko prejmejo posamezniki, skupine ob\u010danov, dru\u0161tva, vse pravne osebe oziroma organizacije. <p\/> Pobudniki za podelitev nagrad so lahko ob\u010dani ob\u010dine Logatec, skupine ob\u010danov, stranke, \u017eupan, krajevne skupnosti, podjetja in druge organizacije ter skupnosti. Predlog za priznanja ob\u010dine mora vsebovati: - podatke o predlagatelju, - vrsto predlaganega priznanja ob\u010dine, - podatke o predlaganem prejemniku priznanja, - obrazlo\u017eitev predloga, - dokumente, ki potrjujejo dejstva iz obrazlo\u017eitve. <p\/> Rok za prijavo predlogov je do 3. 5. 2018, do 10. ure, v sprejemni pisarni Ob\u010dine Logatec ali po po\u0161ti, vklju\u010dno z datumom 3. 5. 2018. Predlogi morajo biti podani na ustreznih obrazcih, ki so sestavni del razpisne dokumentacije. <p\/> Razpisna dokumentacija je na voljo v sprejemni pisarni Ob\u010dine Logatec, Tr\u017ea\u0161ka cesta 50 A, Logatec in na spletni strani www.logatec.si. <p\/> Predlogi naj bodo poslani na naslov: Ob\u010dina Logatec, Tr\u017ea\u0161ka cesta 50 A, 1370 Logatec, v zaprtih ovojnicah z oznako \"Razpis \u2013 priznanja Ob\u010dine Logatec \u2013 Ne odpiraj\". Na hrbtni strani ovojnice mora biti naveden naziv oz. ime predlagatelja, njegov sede\u017e in po\u0161tni naslov. <p\/> \u0160tev.: 094-2\/2018-1 Datum: 5. 2. 2018 <p\/> KOMISIJA ZA PRIZNANJA PREDSEDNICA Viktorija OSOLNIK KUNC l.r.","labels":"Other","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Mnogim se je s tem odkotalil FB kamen <p\/> Mnogi, ki uporabljajo Facebook v poslovni namen, so se zna\u0161li v slepi ulici, ki se je imenuje Facebook zasebni profil. Ta je namre\u010d namenjen zasebni komunikaciji, za komercialne namene pa je prepovedan. In uporabniki velikokrat to opazijo prepozno, obi\u010dajno takrat, ko ne morejo ve\u010d dodajati novih prijateljev. Teh je na zasebnem profilu lahko najve\u010d 5.000. <p\/> In zabave je konec! Novih uporabnikov ne moremo ve\u010d dodajati, tvegamo tudi, da nas bo konkurenca prijavila zaradi nepravilne uporabe Facebooka in da bomo izgubili \u0161e tiste prijatelje, ki jih imamo. Obi\u010dajno potem postavijo novo FB stran, a kaj ko je potrebno za\u010deti od za\u010detka in selitev prijateljev na stran ni ravno lahko delo. Vsak je pa\u010d raje prijatelj, kot obo\u017eevalec ;)","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"@ PJ. Na kratko bom ponovil odgovor na tvoj komentar: \u010destitke in veliko zdravja ti \u017eelim tudi v prihodnje. Zanima me ali si diagnozo \u201c hrom od pasu nazvdol \u201d, in ozdravitev \u017ee kje zapisal. To svoje pridobljeno znanje dr\u017ei\u0161 pri sebi ali te zanima, da bi to podelil \u0161e s kom, ki se ukvarja s podobnim nere\u0161ljivim problemom. <p\/> Pri meni je zadeva malo druga\u010dna. Za zelo agresivno obliko raka z zelo slabo prognozo (gledano v odstotkih ozdravljenih) je zbolel dru\u017einski \u010dlan. Nepri\u010dakovano se je zgodilo, da sem ji mesec dni, ko je \u010dakala na operacijo delal terapije po postopku oz. tehniki, ki jo izvaja Zdenko Doman\u010di\u010d in njegova ekipa. 30 dni po 2x na dan. Terapije sem delal izklju\u010dno na njeno \u017eeljo, te\u017eko razlo\u017eim, kako je sploh pri\u0161lo do tega. \u017de tretji dan se ji je stanje za\u010delo popravljati. Lahko je spet za\u010dela hoditi po stopnicah, prej tega ni ve\u010d zmogla, celo zima je bila prehlajena, te\u017eko je dihala, te\u017eave s sinusi, kroni\u010dno zama\u0161en nos, vonjala ni \u017ee leto dni. Noben antibiotik ji ni ve\u010d pomagal efektivno. V vmesnem obdobju, ko je \u010dakala na operacijo (opraviti je morala \u0161e kar nekaj preiskav) ni prejemala nikakr\u0161nih zdravil za zdravljenje rakavega obolenja. Ko je bila operirana so ugotovil, da so od petih tumorjev \u0161tirje izginili, eden je pa iz velikosti 15 mm \u0161el na velikost cca. 5 mm. Priznam, da nisem o\u0161aben in ne vem, kaj nam je uspelo na dolgi rok. To bo pokazal \u010das. Jaz z terapijami \u0161e kar nadaljujem po nasvetu ljudi iz kroga omenjenega bioenergetika. <p\/> Zato mi je zbudilo zanimanje tvoje opisovanje vpliva z energijskim tokom na bolano tkivo. <p\/> @ David: kot sem \u017ee rekel in \u010dutim, da sam spoznava\u0161, je tu ne\u010dimrnost lahko problem, ki ga je te\u017eko prese\u010di. Zatorej bom rekel le slede\u010de: sklepati je, da stopate po pravi poti. Morda bi se izpla\u010dalo seznaniti \u0161e z vsebino, ki govori o stimuliranju delovanja hipofize. <p\/> @ david: ne vem, \u010de sva se prav razumela. Si predstavljam, kako ti je v situaciji, v kateri si \u2026 Tudi mi smo se tri leta nazaj sre\u010dali z diagnozo rak pri najmlaj\u0161i v dru\u017eini. Na \u017ealost takrat \u0161e nisem poznal terapije, ki je raziskovana v 60.-ih letih in je dosegala menda odli\u010dne rezultate. <p\/> Kot sem rekel, v grobem je \u0161lo za (elektromagnetno) stimuliranje delovanja hipofize. Na podlagi tega so se tvorila telesca, ki so se prehranjevala z malignimi celicami, s katerimi se je tumor zmanj\u0161eval. Obenem so po drugi strani inhibitorji zavrli razvoj oz. probrazbo mati\u010dnih celic v maligne \u2026 <p\/> \u017dal se nisem spu\u0161\u010dal v podrobnosti. a \u010de bi imel \u0161e eno mo\u017enost, bi se. Mi smo se namre\u010d od najmlaj\u0161e v dru\u017eini pred letom dni poslovili. Domnevam pa, da gre pri tem kar opisuje\u0161, ravno za ta model zdravljenja. <p\/> David, zdaj pa previdno: P.J. o\u010ditno prina\u0161a za\u010dimbe, ki jih jed ne potrebuje, da te najprej tika, potem pa pi\u0161e o tem, da gre sklepati za mno\u017eico, ki bi naj stopala po pravi poti. S tem ti postaja\u0161 posrednik informacij \u0161e za druge in ne ve\u010d le zase (pa\u010d razli\u010dna stopnja odgovornosti \u2026). <p\/> Jaz vajinega dialoga nisem spremljal in pojma nimam, za kaj gre \u2026 a ob podobnih prehodih z ednine na mno\u017eino sem po naravi previden. <p\/> Aha, ta post je odstrnil del komunikacije \u2013 a kar se mene ti\u010de, \u0161e vedno velja, da naj bi \u010dlovek v svojem imenu pa\u010d dajal delno druga\u010dne informacije, kot \u010de jih daje v imenu skupine (\u010deprav gre za isti skupni projekt \u010desarkoli). <p\/> @ niko: hvala za opozorilo. Uporabiti bi bilo treba dvojino. Se posipam s pepelom za to napako. <p\/> Glede odgovornosti pa ti moram pritrditi. V skrbi za bolnika smo (vsak posami\u010d, ki to vlogo sprejme \u2013 da ne bo spet t\u017eav z interpretacijo) na tem, da prevzamemo (spet vsak posami\u010d) polno (so) odgovornost za izid. <p\/> P.S.: Morda \u0161e pojasnilo zakaj prehod iz ednine na mno\u017eino (oz. glede na napisano, pravilneje \u2013 dvojino). <p\/> Pri ve\u010dini zdravljenj nastopa bolnik in terapevt. Potek zdravljenja in ozdravljenje je odvisno tudi od bolnika in ne samo terapevta. Odtod stavek, da oba (vsi vpleteni), sode\u010d po opisanih rezultatih, stopata (stopate) po pravi poti. <p\/> @ PJ. Zdaj razumem. Vidim, da ima\u0161 za sabo kar nekaj te\u017ekih preizku\u0161enj. Dejansko je ta tehnika, ki jo uporabljam jaz delo Zdenka Doman\u010di\u010da. Osebno mislim, da s to terapijo celostno delujemo na imunski sistem bolnika (sam sem to videl na ve\u010d bolnikih \u017ee po nekaj dneh) in da se telo lahko (ali pa tudi ne, odvisno je seveda tudi od stanja pacienta) odzove pozitivno in se la\u017eje bori z bolezenskim stanjem. \u010ceprav \u017ee samo polaganje rok vpliva na to, da se rakave celice ne po\u010dutijo dobro. Sicer pa, \u010de te zanima ve\u010d, pojdi na youtube in vtipkaj ime omenjenega bioenergetika, tam je marsikaj povedano in tudi raziskave so bile narejene na razli\u010dnih institucijah po Slovenije (jozef stefan, mislim da tudi na onkoloskem) \u2026 <p\/> @ Niko, hvala za skrb, me pa ne skrbi ve\u010d za to, \u010de me kdo po krivici kam grupira ali me\u010de v nek ko\u0161. Na blogih so me zmerjali \u017ee z vsem mogo\u010dim od jan\u0161ista, desni\u010darja, do zaresovca, levi\u010darja in tako naprej <p\/> @ Niko, saj ne zamerim, nikomur. Vsi smo samo ljudje, zato so pa zamere na blog nivoju absurdno debilno sme\u0161ne. Kar na koncu postane kruto, \u010de te nekdo kar naprej obrekuje in zmerja. Pa vendar absurdno, \u010de je vzrok \u201c virtualen \u201d <p\/> Ne re\u010dem, da jaz tudi kaj ne zamerim, pa \u0161e kako zamerim, vendar mora biti povezano z ve\u010djo koli\u010dino denarja, \u010dasa in posledi\u010dno nedose\u017eenimi planiranimi cilji. <p\/> \u010clovek, pa saj ti nisi koga discipliniral \u2013 si se le branil. Niti o prekora\u010denem silobranu ni bilo govora. , <p\/> Tam nekje tu med starej\u0161imi posti je zapisano, kako je pri\u0161lo do tega, da sem Dajano dal v spam (etovanje) in nima ve\u010d dostopa na ta blog \u2013 edina in res mi ni bil namen kogarkoli zatirati na tak na\u010din, a pri njej vse normalne solucije odpadejo (\u017eenska zganja polucije povsod in povsem brez vzroka). Ona razume \u0161ele tisti korak preve\u010d proti prepadu. <p\/> Ta link sem pozabila pustiti tu, pod tem naslovom, ki je bil povod, da se je razvrstilo ze do konca zdolgocaseno in predvidljivo klisejsko papagajstvo z opaznimi pojavi demence blogerke Dajane in gospoda, ki suvereno obvlada poznavanje in funkcioniranje prasicjih egov, gospoda Ervinatroja. <p\/> naj vam bo v zabavo, toliko reklame, kot sta mi jo na siolu napravila onadva, mi je ni nihce! <p\/> werner, najbrz si se zelo mlad, sklepam po naivnih evforicnih sklepih, hehe \u2026 <p\/> meni je pa tole \u010dudno: v vseh ameri\u0161kih filmih kot rusi nastopajp ameri\u010dani \u2013 no v\u010dasih kak\u0161en Yugos V hipu vsi \u201c rusi \u201d govorijo angle\u0161ko <p\/> in potem naredijo film tako, da Rusi izpadejo bebci \u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2013 podobno je s komentatorji na netu \u2026 \u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026 . poduk: za mene je \u201c pameten \u201d tisti, ki mi da zaslu\u017eiti in mi to tudi pla\u010da \u2013 vsi ostali pa so mi balast, ki se ga otresam <p\/> Ti ne ve\u0161, moji u\u010ditelji pa vedo, da je v meni toliko tega kar po\u010dnem \u2013 \u010disto iz sebe, ne da bi koga brala, opona\u0161ala ali kamorkoli hodila po znanje \u2026 , grem rada le na preizkus tega, kar je v meni. In dobim potrditve. <p\/> Draga Dragica, ************ guspa, ki naju \/ nas tako rada omenja pogre\u0161a = bo in lbezen. To je dejstvo. ****** = bo dobi, \u010de ma frajerja (omenja kar nekaj tipov iz \u017eivljenja), lbezen pa tako, da bi se ji vsi klanjali in naj bi bilo po njeno. *************** Sama guspa pa ne naredi ni\u010d, da bi od tega kaj bilo. Ker je sovra\u017ena in labilna. Niti Abraham ji ne pomaga! ! Morda ji bom pa jaz \u2013 saj delam vse z ljubeznijo. Tudi njej bom izkazala ljubezen. Na malo druga\u010den na\u010din. ******************** Pravzaprav se mi smili. Odrinjena je od vseh, od katerih je kaj pri\u010dakovala. A zato si je sama kriva. Ko bo spoznala, da dela krivico ne\u0161tetim ljudem, s tem, da jih obrekuje in \u0161iri la\u017ei o njih, bo na pravi poti, da spozna ljubezen. ************************************************** In ko bo pri\u0161la do tega, sem jaz prva, ki jo bom objela. Obljubim. *************************************************** P.S. \u010de ho\u010de \u010dlovek kaj dobiti, mora tudi dati. In \u010de \u017eeli \u010dlovek dobiti ljubezen, jo mora tudi dati. *************************************** \u010ce pa \u010dlovek seje sovra\u0161tvo, dobi nazaj samo sovra\u0161tvo. ********************************************* In tu je guspa enormna. ******************* Pamet jo bo sre\u010dala, ko bo spoznala kaj je res ljubezen. ******************************************** <p\/> Draga moja Dragica, reklama je pa samo v korist, hehe in ne v \u0161kodo. ************************************** Mnogo ljudi me \u017eeli spoznati, in tudi tebe, pa NIkota, prav zaradi tega, kar se o nas pi\u0161e. kar je za nas plus. ********************************* In kdor \u017eeli imeti jasno in \u010disto sliko, pa ogledalo, pride do nas, a ni res? In potem spoznavamo same krasne ljudi. Kar je zlata vredno. <p\/> Draga gospa Vlatka: od \u010cE in KO ne bo ne hrane in ne pija\u010de \u2026 KO \/ \u010cE in KO predolgo ne vzklijeta. In pri oni dragi gospici ti lahko garantiram, da nikoli ne bo ni\u010d. Malo strahu, nekaj blatenja \u2013 potem se ji pa nos navadi na novi smrad. <p\/> Ti se pa le pojdi dobrotnika, dokler ne bo na tuj ra\u010dun (ve\u0161, tudi to, ko je v takem primeru nekdo potrpe\u017eljiv, uvideven, toleranten etc. je po\u0161teno le, dokler \u017ealitve letijo na njegov ra\u010dun: biti strpen do piromanov, dokler po\u017eigajo pri sosedu, pa ni strpnost \u2026). <p\/> Izredno lepo napisano in ob\u010dudovanja vredno. Meni je privzgojeno, da ob spoznanju iz sebe poi\u0161\u010dem tudi zrno resnice skozi branje, zatorej sem obsojen na plagiatorstvo v vsem, kar prepoznam kot dobro. <p\/> U\u010ditelj, ki mi je predajal znanje me je pred nekaj leti po 25-ih letih u\u010denja zapustil, po tem ko mi je dal vedeti, da se je od mene nau\u010dil dovolj, da \u010duti, da je izpolnil nalogo in zapusti ta svet. Tako nadaljujem poslanstvo u\u010denca in znanje vsrkavam od vseh uka \u017eeljnih.","labels":"Forum","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"natan\u010dno relacijo poti (npr. sede\u017e LJ \u2013 CE \u2013 MB \u2013 LJ kadar je pot npr v dva kraja) <p\/> opredelitev vozila (slu\u017ebeno in reg.\u0161t. zasebno) <p\/> datum in ura odhoda in prihoda <p\/> navedba \u010de je bil izpla\u010dan predujem <p\/> opredelitev obra\u010dunanih dnevnic (\u0161t.+vi\u0161ina) <p\/> navedba prevo\u017eenih kilometrov <p\/> na\u0161teti dokumente ki so nalogu prilo\u017eeni in dodatno dokazujejo obstoj slu\u017ebene poti <p\/> podpis odredbodajalca <p\/> podpis predlagatelja <p\/> \u017eig podjetja oz. podjetnika (\u010de se seveda uporablja pri poslovanju). <p\/> Opozorilo: <p\/> V kolikor se v primeru dav\u010dnega pregleda pojavi dvom v resni\u010dnost nalogov lahko dav\u010dni in\u0161pektor izlo\u010di stro\u0161ke (kot dav\u010dno priznane). S tem se povzro\u010di dvig dav\u010dne osnove (dobi\u010dka) dvig davka in zamudne obresti. Prav tako pa lahko izpla\u010dila teh stro\u0161kov fizi\u010dni osebi prekvalificira v druge prejemke iz delovnega razmerja kot posledica tega pa nastanejo \u0161e obveznosti za dopla\u010dilo dohodnine prispevkov in zamudnih obresti. <p\/> Zato je zelo pomembno da so nalogi izpolnjeni (in obra\u010dunani) pravilno in da vsebujejo \u010dim ve\u010d prilog.","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"(24-10-2016, 20:02)jabolko Napisal: Armaforce...me veseli da si umaknu Losove krogle iz svoje spletne strani, bolje tako kot da se pogovarjamo preko odvetnikov. Sedaj ko vidim da ne trmoglavi\u0161 kot strela, mi pa prosim po\u0161lji \u0161e krogle ti bova z Davidom po temeljitem preiskusu podala nepristransko oceno kvalitete iz prve roke... <p\/> (16-01-2017, 21:11)jabolko Napisal: Sem kar pozabu na te Arma krogle...ugotovitve na brzino so pa take. Krogla ima tr\u0161e jedro in posledi\u010dno je bakrenega nanosa manj, Los je to opustu \u017ee pred \u010dasom in ima ravno obratno...Tolerance, te\u017ea v mejah normale, se pa prav na vsaki krogli v \u0161katli, pozna odtis matrice na prehodu radiusa v konico to bo \u0161e za odpravit, Los je imel isti problem pa je sedaj re\u0161en, kajti taka krogla ne more v tujino... Pri streljanju, polnjenju ni\u010d posebnega, seveda bi za kaj ve\u010d rabu rest, ampak za ipsc niti ne...kot tip krogle RN \u010dist ok izdelek. Cena krogel...zmaga Los, krepko <p\/> In to je zate temeljiti preizkus o katerem si se v\u017eigal eno stran nazaj? Ma dej... Od 25.000 \u0161usov\/letno \u010dloveka se pri\u010dakuje konkreten test, ne pa te pomije. <p\/> mozakar nima cajta drugac ne bo dosegu 25.000 norme letos <p\/> Druga\u010de sem mesec in pol nazaj v paketu 124 grainskih LOS 9mm kugel, FP, na\u0161el cca 45 komadov 147 grainskih. Tako da se bo tudi veleopevani LOS moral \u0161e kaj nau\u010dit verjetno, \u010de drugega ne, kako pakirat kugle. Cena za smrtnike po uradnih kanalih-> ne vem \u010de zmaga LOS. 32\u20ac proti 34\u20ac, pri Rebcu. <p\/> Ja no saj ti pi\u0161e \u010de prebere\u0161...ugotovitve na brzino ne vem kaj pri\u010dakuje\u0161, bistvo je povedano nimam se namena s tem ukvarjat res... zakaj pa nebi sam poskusu <p\/> Odli\u010dno ne...tudi ti se bo\u0161 moral \u0161e marsikaj nau\u010diti, do takrat pa kupuj Arma krogle.... <p\/> Ne jih nisem kupil, \u010de te \u017ee zanima. Sem dosti LOSa kupil \u017ee, in ga zaradi te napake ne bom nehal. Se zgodi pa\u010d. Ni pa treba biti kot ti pametnjakovi\u010d ko eno hvali\u0161, verjetno dobi\u0161 zastonj cele tone tega. In sploh v temi Armaforce, ko je nekdo povpra\u0161al o teh kroglah, ne o LOSu. Mi pa gre firma LOS v\u010dasih na \u017eivce samo in izklju\u010dno zaradi tvojih bedastih klobasanj. <p\/> Samo hitra primerjava ene in druge je bila narejena, podal sem ugotovitve, \u010de pa ti to razume\u0161 kot hvaljenje ti pa ne morem pomagat, sto ljudi sto \u010dudi <p\/> Ja no, sej ti pi\u0161e, \u010de prebere\u0161....si ti klobasal o temeljitem preizkusu ne jaz.Tko da ne na mene valit svojih sfailranih preizkusov. <p\/> A pa si ti z celim svetom skregan, daj bodi kdaj malo pozitivca, kaj ti je \u010dlovek, kaj bi sploh rad dokazal... podal sem svoje ugotovitve, napisal da se nimam namena s tem ukvarjat in ti predlagal da \u0161e sam kaj ugotovi\u0161 \u010de ti je stvar v interesu..moj odgovor ti ni bil po volji, dal si mi minus dobil si vrnjenega...evo tako gre to v novem letu <p\/> Mojster je podal edini pameten komentar. Ostali so krepko pod nivojem. Sem mislil, da je to zna\u010dilno za jagre. Pa vidim, da nas posekate. Armaforce je naredil veliko napako z objavo LOSovih slik. To so pa\u010d marketin\u0161ki prijemi modernih podjetnikov. Vsaka reklama je dobra, \u010deprav negativna. Naivno je misliti, da je bila to napaka. \u010ce znajo krogle lepo zapakirati (odli\u010dna embala\u017ea) potem bi jih znali tudi predstaviti strelcem. To delo je potem brezpla\u010dno naredil Tine. Zahtevate od Jabolka podroben test. Zakaj bi sploh konkurenca testirala njihove krogle? Saj ste sami vrhunski strokovnjaki tule na kupu. In \u0161e kratke hitre ugotovitve Jabolka spodbijate. Jaz sem vesel vsakega novega proizvajalca. Kupim pa tisto, ki mi odgovarja. Cenovno in po kvaliteti. Jaz nimam dilem. Jih imate vi? <p\/> Ah lej sem ti povedal zakaj se ipsc smatra za kralja strelstva...zaradi doslednega spo\u0161tovanja pravil in takoj\u0161en DQ pri najmanj\u0161em kr\u0161enju le teh...strelsko znanje posameznika tu nima nobene veze, strelci ki se teh tekmovanj udele\u017eujejo so vsi kralji, kar si pravilno ugotovil, hvala hvala...znajo se z oro\u017ejem obna\u0161at po sprejetih pravilih, ker druga\u010de ne gre. Vem da je nekomu, ki ni bil na teh tekmah to popolnoma tuje, kako druga\u010de razumeti objavo nesprejemljivega videa, kjer ima\u0161 pri polnjenju in praznjenju pi\u0161tole prst na spro\u017eilcu... Ps video je pod...[nastavljivi merki za rexsa] pa bi bilo bolje da ga ni... \u010de te \u0161e kaj zanima, kar upra\u0161 ti bodo kralji pojasnili :)) <p\/> Jab\u010dek \u010de zelo dobro pogleda\u0161 prst ni na spro\u017eilcu.. Tako da js ne vidim ni\u010d spornega..dobro poglej Prst ni bil na spro\u017eilcu Drga\u010d pa sem ti povedal da si ti edini \"kralj\" ki serje s tem da je IPSC oh in sploh.. \u010ce bi pa streljal preciznjaka bi pa bila ta disciplina Kralj strelstva.. Glede Los-a...vidim da kdorkoli na trg pride s kroglami ga pljuva\u0161 in serje\u0161 s neumesnimi komentarji..Za svoja leta bi se lahko bolj primerno obna\u0161al..Raje bodi spo\u0161tljiv do drugih na trgu,ker \u010de bi se David tako obna\u0161al bi bila slika precej druga\u010dna.. V\u010dasih res me\u0161a\u0161 drek po forumu in nekaj tumba\u0161 pa bi bilo bolje da se ugrizne\u0161 za jezik.. Tako da malo razmisli \u010de je tvoje ravnanje po \"kraljevo\".. To bo\u0161 moral pa sam razmisilt.. <p\/> (18-01-2017, 12:36)alojz1 Napisal: Jaz sem vesel vsakega novega proizvajalca. Kupim pa tisto, ki mi odgovarja. Cenovno in po kvaliteti. Jaz nimam dilem. Jih imate vi? <p\/> Ti si \u017ee vesel,Jab\u010dek pa ni..Do sedaj je \u0161e vsakega spljuval in se obna\u0161a kot da je pri Los-u big i batina.. Na \u017ealost ne prenese da se tudi drugi trudijo in da bi na trg lansirali svoje krogle.. Ko je MiHec za\u010del izdelovat svoje krogle je bilo isto..Samo Jabolko je me\u0161al drek po forumu in se delal pametnega o kroglah..kot da samo Los ve kako se krogle delajo vsi ostali pa so luleki.. Dej no... Zato pa Tine nikoli ne bo\u0161 naredil iz sebe ni\u010d,ker ne zna\u0161 sprejemati konkurence... Zmeraj bo\u0161 le \u010dlovek ki zna zelo dobro podjebavat folk,namesto da bi za svoja leta podal kako koristno informacijo.. <p\/> 18-01-2017, 15:06 (Ta prispevek je bil nazadnje popravljen: 18-01-2017, 15:12 od alojz1.) <p\/> Sandi, glede konkurence le tole. Vsak ima svoje favorite. Pri jagrih je tako, da stalno i\u0161\u010dejo nekaj novega, bolj\u0161ega. Skratka kroglo, ki vedno zadene pri tem pa ne po\u0161koduje pe\u010denke, divjad pa pade na mestu. In vsaka nova je najbolj\u0161a dokler se ne zgodi..... Jaz imam dobre izku\u0161nje tudi z obema drugima proizvajalcema pri nas. \u010ce kdo vpra\u0161a za mnenje jih vedno pohvalim. Po moje so bolj\u0161e kot tako opevane Barnesove TTSX. Sam pa \u017ee vse od za\u010detka uporabljam LOSa. Pred kratkim sem kar dale\u010d v gostem uplenil 80kg pra\u0161i\u010da z njo. Padec na mestu. Zadetek skozi srce. Zakaj bi kupoval drage, \u010de ima ta krogla vse kar rabim. Le zadeti je treba. \u010ce pa streljam na papir pa tudi te\u017eko najde\u0161 cenej\u0161o in bolj natan\u010dno. In dokler bo tako bo ta krogla v moji pu\u0161ki. Vi pa se \u0161e naprej preklajte kolikor ho\u010dete. <p\/> Jaz nisem z nikomer skregan :-P \u010ce pa folk ne sprejme mojega mi\u0161ljenja in ne more argumentirano kontrirat...pa to ni moj problem. Jaz? dokazal? Jaz nimam kaj dokazovati. Ti se \u017ee sam dokazuje\u0161...iz dneva v dan... Ja, ugotovitve si podal...a ma nisi podal onih...o kakr\u0161nih si pisal...da bosta David in ti to \"razturala\". Nakonc pa izpade iz tvoje strani le en velik....bla....bla....bla... ...bla. <p\/> Ma kak\u0161n pameten komentar,prosim te lepo. Sej ga ne premore. Sej ne prenese ni\u010d drugega, kot le svoje mnenje....nekatere ov\u010dke mu pa \u0161e veselo sledijo pri temu. Lahko je on odli\u010den strelc,ko ima gewehr v rokah in ima odli\u010dne rezultate, samo ko pa podaja odgovore,pa strelja kozle....Ponavadi se oglasi v smislu LOS je zakon, ali pa 25.000 \u0161usov \/ letno, IPSC,..itd...pa \u0161e to dostikrat ko nima nobene veze s temo. Dej mi povej, a ga je kdo silil k testu? E,pa ni. Se je sam silil k testu? E,pa je. Od nekoga,ki naj bi imel pojma o kuglah,saj dela v firmi,ki kugle izdeluje, se pa\u010d pri\u010dakuje da bo test narejen v skladu z njegovim\" opletanjem jezika\", ne pa da je test tak,kot bi ga delal en jager v gostilni za \u0161ankom. <p\/> 18-01-2017, 17:55 (Ta prispevek je bil nazadnje popravljen: 18-01-2017, 18:02 od alojz1.) <p\/> Ali ste komentar Mojstra umaknili? Jaz sem ga omenil, 765Br me citira sedaj pa ga ne najdem ve\u010d. Sem kaj napa\u010dno prebral ali se tu dogajajo \u010dudne stvari? <p\/> 18-01-2017, 18:12 (Ta prispevek je bil nazadnje popravljen: 18-01-2017, 18:36 od jabolko.) <p\/> Preciznjak...ne bo nikoli kraljeva disciplina kajti tam je tako po\u010detje kot tvoje izgleda obi\u010dajno sem pa tudi sam za\u010del s preciznjakom mi ni tuj...\u0161e zmerom upam na vsako tekmo z razliko od tebe ki strogo zavra\u010da\u0161 ipsc pa bi ti koristu bi se nau\u010du obna\u0161at VARNO z oro\u017ejem. Ne bo dr\u017ealo...to kar po\u010dne\u0161 na posnetku je \u010disti DQ. Pravilo je tako da mora biti prst vidno stran od spro\u017eilca, pri tebi ni. Mora biti VIDNO iztegnjen ob zaklepu...z tako kljuko dobi\u0161 na ipsc ju takoj\u0161en DQ...da ne omenjam kje je prst po repetiranju pi\u0161tole... na SPRO\u017dILCU pa bi tam lahko bil \u0161ele, ko si v tar\u010do pomeru Ostalo me ne zanima...nimam sposobnosti ljudem brat misli, zato pa\u010d ne komentiram kaj je kdo... glede Arma krogel sem pa napisal to kar sem opazu in ni\u010d drugega ne vidim pluvanja v tem... <p\/> (18-01-2017, 17:55)alojz1 Napisal: Ali ste komentar Mojstra umaknili? Jaz sem ga omenil, 765Br me citira sedaj pa ga ne najdem ve\u010d. Sem kaj napa\u010dno prebral ali se tu dogajajo \u010dudne stvari? <p\/> (17-01-2017, 15:42)765Br Napisal: In to je zate temeljiti preizkus o katerem si se v\u017eigal eno stran nazaj? Ma dej... Od 25.000 \u0161usov\/letno \u010dloveka se pri\u010dakuje konkreten test, ne pa te pomije. <p\/> 7,65Br... u redu je vse je tako kot trdi\u0161,ne se razburjat nima smisla bo\u0161 \u0161e me\u0161anico napa\u010dno naredu pol bo pa hudi\u010d ti bo kaj zaribalo... :))","labels":"Forum","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Karacinidi <p\/> Nimajo skupne telesne posebnosti, po kateri bi jih zagotovo prepoznali.Oblike so podolgovate, velikost glave je glede na telo majhna. Po velikosti so si zelo razli\u010dne, od slabega centimetra, do preko pol metrskih predstavnikov. Enako razli\u010dna je barvna pestrost, saj poznamo preko 1000 vrst. <p\/> Za to dru\u017eino so zna\u010dilni ne\u017eni in miroljubni predstavniki (npr. razli\u010dne vrste teter- neonke,kresni\u010dke,serpe....). na drugi strani pa v to dru\u017eino spadajo resni\u010dni roparji, z izredno mo\u010dno razvito \u010deljustjo in ostrimi zobmi (npr. ve\u010dina vrst piranj) Karacindi so dru\u017eabne ribe, ki \u017eive bodisi v velikih jatah, bodisi manj\u0161ih skupinah, v nobenem primeru pa niso samotarke. Za veliko ve\u010dino karacinidov so zna\u010dilne \u017eivahne barve in miroljubno bivanje z ostalimi prebivalci v akvariju. Med njimi pa so tudi izrazito predatorske vrste za katere je zna\u010dilna napadalnost, saj ve\u010dinoma ne trpijo konkurence v svoji bli\u017eini. Razmno\u017eujejo se prosto kar pomeni da odlagajo ikre prosto v vodo.ponavadi se za svoj zarod ne brigajo in najpogosteje ve\u010dino iker kar same pojedo, \u010de jih \u017eelimo razmno\u017eiti, moramo poskrbeti, da star\u0161i ne pridejo do iker.Pri profesijonalni vzgoji se v te namen uporabljajo posebne mre\u017ee,a dovolj \u017ee bo \u010de v drstni akvarij na dnu nasujemo malo debelej\u0161i akvarijski pesek, med katerega po drsti popadajo ikre. <p\/> Serpa, je ognjeno rde\u010de barve,obarvanost je v veliki meri odvisna od pogojev v katerih \u017eivi, v temnej\u0161ih akvarijih je njena barva izrazitej\u0161a.Izrazito jatna ribica, ki zraste do 4 cm. <p\/> \u010cudovite ribe, ki jih v akvaristiki poznamo od leta 2007 in so \u010dez no\u010d postale \u0161t. 1 v svetu akvaristike.","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"KLJUB EPIDEMIJI IZVAJAMO INDIVIDUALNE TERAPEVTSKE PROGRAME <p\/> Dragi star\u0161i in uporabniki! <p\/> V \u010dasu, ko epidemija pu\u0161\u010da vse ve\u010d posledic na podro\u010dju du\u0161evnega zdravja na\u0161ih otrok, mladostnikov in dru\u017ein, za vas nemoteno izvajamo naslednje terapevtske programe: <p\/> HI KONJI\u010cEK - igralna terapija in zgodnja obravnava za pred\u0161olske otroke s posebnimi potrebami <p\/> MI SMO \u010cREDA - program pridobivanja socialnih ve\u0161\u010din za pred\u0161olske otroke, osnovno\u0161olce in srednje\u0161olce s povi\u0161anim tveganjem pojavnosti te\u017eav na podro\u010dju psihosocialnega funkcioniranja <p\/> RADOVEDNI KONJI\u010cEK - program za otroke s specifi\u010dnimi u\u010dnimi te\u017eavami <p\/> S KONJI SMO \"IN\" - program za mladostnike s \u010dustvenimi in vedenjskimi te\u017eavami <p\/> RAZGIBAJMO ODNOSE - dru\u017einski program za izbolj\u0161anje komunikacije v dru\u017eini <p\/> NAZAJ NA KONJA - program za obvladovanje stresa (za odrasle) <p\/> V kolikor se zanimate za vklju\u010ditev in bi se radi v zvezi s tem pogovorili z nami, vas prosimo, da izpolnite tale e-obrazec: <p\/> Za dodatna vpra\u0161anje se lahko obrnete na Metko Dem\u0161ar Goljev\u0161\u010dek, strokovno vodjo za podro\u010dje intervenc s pomo\u010djo konja: metka@nakonju.si. <p\/> Kontakt","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Opis <p\/> Na prodaj je novo stanovanje-apartma v Novigradu, ki ima skupno 38,25 m2 stanovanjske povr\u0161ine in se nahaja v drugem nadstropju. Stanovanje je od morja in od prekrasno urejene pla\u017ee oddaljeno le 600 m ( 5 minut) in je le 10 min. (800m) odaljeno od centra Novigrad. Stanovanje je sestavljeno iz hodnika, kuhinje z dnevnim prostorom, spalnice, kopalnice in balkona s pogledom na morje. Stanovanje je klimatizirano, pripada mu klet in parkirni prostor.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"V MURSKOSOBO\u0160KI BOLNI\u0160NICI RAZVOJNA AMBULANTA S CENTROM ZA ZGODNJO OBRAVNAVO <p\/> 29.07.2019 <p\/> Murska Sobota, 29. julij - V Splo\u0161ni bolni\u0161nici Murska Sobota od leto\u0161njega julija deluje Razvojna ambulanta s centrom za zgodnjo obravnavo. Raz\u0161irjena individualna in timska obravnava se osredoto\u010da na otroka in celotno dru\u017eino. <p\/> S 1. januarjem 2019 je vstopil v veljavo nov Zakon o celostni zgodnji obravnavi otrok s posebnimi potrebami. S tem so se prej\u0161nje razvojne ambulante z okrepitvijo timov s pove\u010danjem \u0161tevila zdravstvenega osebja in drugih strokovnjakov preoblikovale v Centre za zgodnjo obravnavo otrok s posebnimi potrebami. V razvojni ambulanti s centrom za zgodnjo obravnavo sobo\u0161ke bolni\u0161nice bodo raz\u0161irjeno individualno in timsko obravnavo nudili zdravnik specialist pediater, fizioterapevt, diplomirana in srednja medicinska sestra, zdravstveni administrator, delovni terapevt, logoped, socialni delavec, specialni pedagog, psiholog in po potrebi drugi strokovnjaki. Za potrebe raz\u0161irjene razvojne ambulante so renovirali prostore v pritli\u010dju stavbe stare porodni\u0161nice. Tako so na voljo sedaj 3 sodobno opremljene ambulante, ki so enostavno in prijazno dostopne tudi za tiste gibalno najbolj ovirane. <p\/> Zelo pomembna novost, ki ju prina\u0161a novi pristop pri obravnavi otrok s posebnimi potrebami, sta vklju\u010ditev otrokove dru\u017eine in multidisciplinarno ter transdisciplinarno timsko sodelovanje pri njegovi obravnavi. Centri oziroma raz\u0161irjene razvojne ambulante se povezujejo z vrtci, osnovnimi \u0161olami, centrom za socialno delo in drugimi. Tako so vsi dele\u017eniki, ki obravnavajo otroka s posebnimi potrebami in njegovo dru\u017eino, povezani v celoto, ki nudi sistemsko oporo dru\u017einam. <p\/> V Sloveniji je vsako leto v zgodnjo obravnavo na novo vklju\u010denih okoli 400 otrok s posebnimi potrebami, skupno pa je take obravnave v pred\u0161olskem obdobju dele\u017enih 1200 otrok. V lanskem letu so v sobo\u0161ki bolni\u0161nici v 3.134 obravnavah pregledali 498 otrok in v leto\u0161njem letu (obdobje januar-junij) so v 2.129 obravnavah pregledali 377 otrok. <p\/> Kontakt","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Domenvam, da nas je vsaj kaka pe\u0161\u010dica tak\u0161nih, ki se \u0161e predobro spominjamo \u010dasov, ko je Ray Cokes v najbolj gledanem terminu brez zadr\u017ekov rolal Slayerje in ko se je v sicer malce poznej\u0161ih no\u010dnih urah na MTV Europe vrtelo marsikaj, kar \u0161e danes me\u010demo v predal alternativne in ne pretirano komercialne godbe in se je godba tudi poslu\u0161ala, ne samo gledala. O razli\u010dnosti okusov tukaj res ne bi razpravljal, se je pa svoje \u010dase tudi na tej televizijski postaji dalo sli\u0161ati marsikaj, \u0161e posebej, \u010de si vztrajal v no\u010dni zasedi ali trpel za nespe\u010dnostjo. Kak\u0161no je trenutno psihi\u010dno stanje vseh mogo\u010dih derivatov te godbene institucije, bi te\u017eko sodil, \u017ee nekaj \u010dasa je ne spremljam ve\u010d, a sode\u010d po besedah mlaj\u0161ih kolegov sodim, da se je duh osemdesetih in zgodnjih devetdesetih kar malce pritajil in od\u0161el na po\u010ditnice neznano kam. <p\/> Zakaj pravzaprav tako butast uvod? Preprosto zaradi tega, ker je Arrested Development ena tistih skupin, ki je brez MTV-ja in njenih izumov, kot je Unplugged, tukaj skoraj zagotovo ne bi poznali. Ta prete\u017eno \u010drnski kolektiv je v prvi polovici devetdesetih na valovih prej omenjenega TV programa s prvencem prijadral v na\u0161e kraje, se nam za ve\u010dno vtisnil v male mo\u017egane in potem kar nekako izginil izven na\u0161e zavesti, tako da me je najava CUK-a v \u0160i\u0161ki kar nemalo presenetila. Priznam, za AD sem bil skorajda prepri\u010dan, da so se \u017ee davno razpustili, tako da me je njihov koncert v \u0160i\u0161ki nemalo razveselil, skoraj tako kot dejstvo, da so lani izdali \u010disto spodobno in poslu\u0161ljivo plo\u0161\u010do Strong, ki sicer ne prina\u0161a kakega posebnega prese\u017eka, je pa \u010disto prijetno \u010dtivo in ti hiphop-funky-Motown navdahnjene melodije zlahka zlezejo pod ko\u017eo, kar je \u017ee od samega za\u010detka vrlina AD. Skratka, \u0161pil ki bi ga bilo kar greh zamuditi. <p\/> \u010ce je govorjenje o tem, da so nastopajo\u010di navdu\u0161ili zbrano publiko, ponavadi kar se da predvidljivo, lahko za nastop Arrested Development v \u0160i\u0161ki trdim natan\u010do to. Toliko veselih in zadovoljnih ljudi na kvadratni meter \u017ee dolgo \u010dasa nisem videl. \u0160i\u0161ka sicer ni pokala po \u0161ivih, je bilo pa to\u010dno tako polna, da se je dalo \u010disto udobno migati, tu pa tam vzdigniti roke in kaj malega tudi zapeti, \u010deprav je bilo o\u010ditno, da ve\u010dina publike kaj dlje od njihovega prvenca niso pri\u0161li in so, razumljivo, najbolj tripali na tiste dobre, stare \u0161tiklce, ki so nam \u017ee dodobra zlezli pod ko\u017eo, ali pa na glasbene vlo\u017eke legendarnega Boba Marleya ali malo manj legendarnih 4 Non Blondes. AD se o\u010ditno dobro zavedajo, da je bil njihov domet v Evropi, kamor so pri\u0161li po dolgih letih, precej omejen in da je samo njihova godba le malce premalo, da bi dodobra vzdignila ljudi na noge, a je po drugi strani hvalevredno dejanje, da se kolektiv ni spustil na raven glasbenih \u017eelja, \u010deprav brez najbolj znanih \u0161tiklcov, posebej v finalu, le ni \u0161lo. Sama intenzivnost koncerta je bila \u017ee od vsega za\u010detka na visoki ravni in se je proti koncu \u0161e malce vzdignila, tudi po zaslugi bobnarskega, basovskega in karaoke vlo\u017eka, ki so za moj okus sicer malce pocenili celoten vtis, so pa potem v dolgem dodatku, morda bolje re\u010deno v drugem delu koncerta, nastop odli\u010dno pripeljali do velikega finala, ko so zavore popustile in je kemija med bendom in ob\u010dinstvom delovala tako dobro, da lahko govorimo \u017ee o popolnosti. <p\/> Kot tudi sami radi poudarijo, AD igrajo godbo za ljudi od ljudi, in bolj\u0161o demonstracijo tega na\u010dela bi res te\u017eko na\u0161li, \u0161e posebej, \u010de govorimo o ve\u010djih koncertih, oziroma o koncertih, na katerih se nabere vsaj kakih sto glav in o intimnem vzdu\u0161ju ne more biti govora. Ni dvoma, AD so dobro ule\u017eani in zve\u017ebani ter dobro vedo, kaj in kako je treba postoriti, da zabava, pome\u0161ana z dobronamernim trkanjem na vseob\u010do \u010dlove\u0161ko zavest, dose\u017ee svoj cilj in namen. Resnici na ljubo, AD v zadnji petnajstih letih niso izumili ni\u010d kaj presenetljivo revolucinarnega, kar pa odli\u010dno nadome\u0161\u010dajo z iskrenostjo, ki jo vlagajo v svojo glasbo in, o\u010ditno, tudi v svoje nastope, tako da se zdi, da so \u0161e vedno tisti sve\u017e bend, ki je v za\u010detku devetdesetih eksplodiral v na\u0161ih u\u0161esih. V njihovem nastopu ni bilo toliko vra\u010danja v preteklost, kot bi ga morda lahko pri\u010dakovali, bolj je bila prisotna nekak\u0161na brez\u010dasnost ujeta v tukaj in sedaj ter fascinacija nad tem, tako kot se je zdel fasciniran sam bend nad odzivom, na katerega je naletel. Ogljete si fotografije in morda vam bo bolj jasno, kaj \u017eelim povedati s tem. <p\/> Na kratko, koncert AD je bila preprosto nezate\u017eena, spro\u0161\u010dena izku\u0161nja nepretenciozne godbe, ki sku\u0161a ugajati \u0161iroki publiki, a ne ravno \u010disto vsem in ne ravno za vsako ceno, kar je seveda dobro za poslu\u0161alstvo, a malce manj hvale\u017eno za same izvajalce, ki zaradi tega kar nekako ostajajo v senci godbe, ki na tak ali druga\u010den na\u010din, niti ne nujno slab, izstopa in celote. Vsekakor je sli\u0161ati kaj novega in neobi\u010dajnega \u010disto fino in krasno, a tudi \u010disto preprosta zabava, ki pa vseeno vsebuje sporo\u010dilo in ni \u010disto plitva, ni odve\u010d in se tu in tam prile\u017ee. AD so v tem mojstri in resni\u010den u\u017eitek jim je bilo prvi\u010d in upam, da ne tudi zadnji\u010d, prisluhniti tudi pri nas.","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Grand Relax <p\/> Grand Relax je razko\u0161en po\u010divalnik, ki nudi izjemno udobje, kljub kompaktni zasnovi in dimenzijah. K udobju po\u010divalnika najbolj pripomorejo mehke blazine na sede\u017eu in hrbti\u0161\u010du, v katere se uporabnik ob sedenju po\u010dasi potopi. <p\/> Sede\u017e in hrbti\u0161\u010de se gibljeta neodvisno drug od drugega, poseben mehanizem, vgrajen v sede\u017eni del, pa absorbira te\u017eo uporabnika in omogo\u010da nagib hrbti\u0161\u010da nazaj. Z eno od ro\u010dic pod sede\u017eem je mogo\u010de nastaviti upor, ki ga nudi hrbti\u0161\u010de, z drugo pa je mogo\u010de zaustaviti nagib v \u017eeljenem polo\u017eaju. <p\/> Po\u010divalnik ima vrtljivo \u0161tirikrako podno\u017eje iz aluminija, na voljo pa je tudi podno\u017enik v enakih obdelavah.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"AIR-NEX 9320 polnilna postaja za klime R-134A <p\/> Proizvajalec: BrainBee MAHLE <p\/> AIR-NEX je popolnoma nova serija avtomatskih polnilnih postaj za klime podjetja Brainbee - MAHLE. Model Air-Nex 9320 je opremljen z velikim 7\" ekran na dotik, uporabni\u0161ki vmesnik v SLO jezik pa \u0161e dodatno olaj\u0161a upravljanje. Vgrajen Wifi modul omogo\u010da avtomatksko posodabljanje baze podatkov, nadzor na daljavo, tehni\u010dno pomo\u010d na daljavo, tiskanje rezultatov preko Wifi tiskalnika. Posebnost modela 9380 je v tem, da ima vgrajeno posebno aplikacijo, ki omogo\u010da popoln nadzor in pregled preko pametnega telefona ali tablice. Model 9320 ima 12l rezervoar za plin, namenjen za polnenje s plinom R-134a, mogo\u010da pa je tudi enostavna nadgradnja za hladilni plin R-1234yf. V celoti proizvedeno v Italiji. <p\/> BrainBee MAHLE je vodilni proizvajalec polnilnih postaj za klime. Njihov poudarek je predvsem na razvoju inovativnih re\u0161itev ter ponudbi robustnih in trpe\u017enih AC postaj. Inovativni sistemi in re\u0161itve bodo olaj\u0161ali vsakodnevno delo v katerikoli mehani\u010dni delavnici. Velik poudarek pri razvoju polnilnih postaj serije Air-Nex so namenili varnosti in za\u0161\u010diti okolja, kar potrjuje certifikat s strani EGEA zdru\u017eenja, ki izpolnjuje stroge zahteve predpisov EMC, LVP in PED. <p\/> Zasnova servisnih postaj serije AIR-NEX je bila razvita v tesnem sodelovanju z uporabniki in natan\u010dni analizi njihovega vsakodnevnega dela v delavnici. Popolnoma avtomatskem delovanju polnilne postaje AIR-NEX 9480 lahko tako popolnoma zaupate, prepri\u010dani v brezhibne rezultate pa se lahko medtem posvetite drugim opravilom v delavnici. Tako je zagotovljena u\u010dinkovitost in donosnost storitve ter zadovoljstvo strank. <p\/> Klju\u010dne prednosti polnilne postaj BrainBee MAHLE AIR-NEX 9380 <p\/> + Velik 7-pal\u010dni \"touchscreen\" zaslon ter uporabni\u0161ki vmesnik v SLO jeziku olaj\u0161a upravljanje + Wifi povezava na splet omogo\u010da posodabljanje naprave in po\u0161iljanje reporta po mailu (AIRPRINT). Prav tako omogo\u010da serviserju diagnosticiranje morebitnih te\u017eav na daljavo + Mo\u017enost krmiljenja naprave s pametnim telefonom (iOS in Android) + Funkcija za hibridna vozila(opcija) + Patentirana t.i. LONG LIFE PUMP\u00ae vakuumska \u010drpalka s samodejnim postopkom recikliranja + SUPER CHARGE\u00ae sistem zagotavlja 100-odstotno polnjenje sistema, ne glede na temperaturo okolice ali temperaturo motorja + Patentirane hitre spojke ECO LOCK\u00ae opcija) prepre\u010dujejo uhajanje plina v ozra\u010dje + Samodejno testiranje tesnjenja + Obse\u017ena baza podatkov o modelih vozil in enostavna posodobitev prek USB klju\u010da ali Wifi + Homologirane s strani skupine Daimler, Opel, GM in Toyota ter VDA zdru\u017eenja (nem\u0161ko zdru\u017eenje avtomobilske industrije) + Polnilne postaje prilagojene tudi za kmetijsko in gradbeno mehanizacijo + Enostavni dostop do klju\u010dnih sestavnih delov polnilne postaje olaj\u0161a servisiranje + Certificirana s strani EGEA zdru\u017eenja <p\/> Garancija 1 leto z mo\u017enostjo podalj\u0161anja na 3 leta, v slednjem primeru se sklene pogodba o vzdr\u017eevanju opreme. Servis in rezervni deli zagotovljeni","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Osnovni elementi in aktivnosti digitalnega marketinga <p\/> Danes je te\u017eje, kot kadarkoli do sedaj, izstopati med vso konkurenco. Niste pa \u0161e nikoli imeli toliko mo\u017enostzi za uspeh, kot jih imate danes. Pri vseh mo\u017enostih, ki so na voljo, je izbira storitev in taktik \u0161e bolj zapletena naloga. Strate\u0161ko na\u010drtovane aktivnosti, usmerjene v rezultate, pametna digitalna strategija z optimalno kombinacijo in obliko re\u0161itev, taktik in kampanj, prina\u0161a presenetljive rezultate, sploh za podjetja, ki se digitalnega marketinga \u0161ele lotevajo profesionalno, strate\u0161ko, celovito in ciljno usmerjeno, s premi\u0161ljenimi in sodobnimi pristopi usmerjenimi v rezultate. <p\/> Zaradi \u0161tevilnih mitov, neto\u010dnih ali zavajajo\u010dih trditev, novosti na eni strani ter dejanskih mo\u017enosti na podro\u010dju digitalnega tr\u017eenja na drugi strani, se podjetja, posamezniki in celo \"strokovnjaki\" \u0161e vedno prepogosto povr\u0161no odlo\u010dajo, kam usmeriti svojo energijo in sredstva. Ponudniki velikokrat ponujajo, kar znajo izvesti in ne tisto, kar stranke dejansko potrebujejo. Zato vam v naslednjih vrsticah podrobneje predstavljamo osnovne aktivnosti digitalnega marketinga, ter podrobnosti, ki u\u010dinkovite digitalne strategije lo\u010di od mno\u017eice povpre\u010dnih. <p\/> 1. Zanimiva in odzivna spletna stran prilagojena mobilnim napravam <p\/> Va\u0161a spletna stran \u017ee dolgo ni ve\u010d le vizitka. Je va\u0161e osrednje predstavni\u0161tvo na spletu in prvi prodajalec podjetja. Nih\u010de od zaposlenih ne zmore tega. Zato potrebujete izdelati spletno stran po meri, ki ustvarja nove posle in stranke v vseh okoli\u0161\u010dinah. Vedno ve\u010d nas v dana\u0161nji digitalni realnosti dostopa in komunicira z blagovnimi znamkami preko pametnih telefonov in tablic, zato je zelo pomembno, da je obiskovalcem omogo\u010den poenoten prilagojen ogled spletnih strani in vsebin na vseh napravah. Uporabni\u0161ka izku\u0161nja na strani mora biti ravno tako u\u010dinkovita, enako in hitro pregledna, in vse mora biti na svojem mestu, ne glede na to ali do vsebin dostopamo s pametnim telefonom, tablico, prenosnikom ali namiznim ra\u010dunalnikom. Vsi, ki \u0161e vedno zanemarjate mobilno tehnologijo, prilagodljive na\u010dine prikazovanja in kupce v trenutkih, ko imajo svoj telefon v roki, lahko to \u017ee dolgo ob\u017ealujete, saj jih zanemarjate v tistih intimnih trenutkih, ko se da navezati najgloblji stik z va\u0161imi sledilci, potencialnimi strankami in bralci. <p\/> 2. Optimizacija spletnih strani in iskalni marketing za \"lead generation\" <p\/> Kdor meni, da SEO optimizacija spletnih strani ne obstaja ve\u010d, ali ne prina\u0161a ve\u010d pravih rezultatov, ima slab smisel za humor. Optimizacija strani za spletne iskalnike je \u017eiva in zdrava, danes bolj kot kadarkoli do sedaj, \u010de je le prilagojena novim SEO metodam optimizacije spletnih strani. Je pa zato veliko zahtevnej\u0161a za izvedbo kakor v preteklosti, za kar se lahko danes zahvalimo prefinjenemu, v\u010dasih tudi nadle\u017enemu, Googlovemu iskalnemu algoritmu, katerega vsakodnevno izpopolnjujejo. Skupaj z optimiziranjem strani nam spletno ogla\u0161evanje v iskalnikih (npr. Google AdWords), enostavno in hitreje omogo\u010di pridobiti ve\u010d novih strank. Vse aktivnosti digitalnega marketinga je potrebno neprestano tudi spremljati z orodji za spletno analitiko, podatke primerjamti, analizirami in neprestano neprestano dopolnjevati strategijo optimizacije va\u0161e spletne strani. <p\/> 3. Email marketing <p\/> Prav neverjetno je, kako si mnogi \u0161e vedno zatiskajo o\u010di pred uporabnostjo in u\u010dinkovitostjo email marketinga. \u010ceprav smo \u017ee v letu 2017, je po\u0161iljanje elektronske po\u0161te ciljni skupini \u017ee od nekdaj ena bolj u\u010dinkovitih taktik za pove\u010danje prometa in \u0161tevila konverzij na strani. Email marketingu pravimo tudi \"evergreen digitalnega tr\u017eenja\". Poleg direktnega vpliva na prodajo ima email marketing \u0161e bolj pomembno vlogo pri izgradnji in hranjenju baze zvestih sledilcev, ki jih \"hranimo\" z vsebinami, kar posledi\u010dno pove\u010duje ponovne nakupe in kasnej\u0161e konverzije. <p\/> Samo pomislite, koliko elektronske po\u0161te prejmete vsak dan v svoj predal. A mislite, da bi je res bilo toliko, \u010de nebi delovalo? <p\/> Na\u0161 in va\u0161 cilj seveda ni polniti nabiralnike kar vsepovprek, a po\u0161iljanje ciljnih sporo\u010dil segmentirani populaciji, (ki je po\u0161iljanje dovolila), ustvarja \u010dude\u017ee. Zaradi potrebe po avtomatizaciji vseh teh procesov, je nujna tudi uporaba orodij in integracija email marketinga ter ostalih baz, orodij. Vsi, ki email marketinga \u0161e niste vklju\u010dili v va\u0161 posel, ste sedaj izvedeli, kje delate \u017ee ves ta \u010das veliko osnovno napako. <p\/> 4. Uporaba socialnih omre\u017eij <p\/> Danes ljudje te\u017eko zaupamo in smo zasi\u010deni z informacijami, vpra\u0161anji, obveznostmi; smo pa zahtevni in informirani kupci, ki se odlo\u010damo in kupujemo \u010dustveno. Stremimo k temu, da bi imeli in dosegli vse na gumb ali klik. Realnost pa ni ravno tako preprosta. Na na\u0161e sprejemanje odlo\u010ditev vplivajo tudi odnosi z ljudmi, predstavniki blagovne znamke, njihova podporna storitev, podane informacije ter ostala, tudi subliminarna sporo\u010dila blagovne znamke. <p\/> Socialna omre\u017eja so prostor, kjer lahko vse to upravljamo in sledilce razveselimo s pri\u010dakovano ali nepri\u010dakovano pozornostjo, odgovori, zanimivimi vsebinami, nagradami ter tako utrdimo blagovno znamko in predstavimo svoje vrednote. \u010ce u\u010dinkovito izvajamo vse na\u0161teto do te to\u010dke, bodo aktivnosti na socialnih omre\u017ejih le \u0161e dodatno raz\u0161irile in okrepile na\u0161o vidnost ter prepoznavnost. <p\/> 5. Vsebinski marketing, kot vezni \u010dlen <p\/> Vezni \u010dlen pametne in uspe\u0161ne strategije digitalnega marketinga je vsebinska strategija in koledar objav. Tako vse ve\u010dji dele\u017e investicije v digitalni marketing predstavljaja vsebinski marketing, blog \u010dlanki, slike, infografike, e-knjige, videi, poro\u010dila, itd. Kako tudi ne, \u010de so postale digitalne vsebine najpomembnej\u0161e sredstvo dana\u0161nje komunikacije. Vse ve\u010d razlogov je za to, da se planira, organizira in izdeluje vsebine, ki osvajajo srca bralcev po to\u010dno dolo\u010denem koledarju objav. Merilo dobre vsebine ni lepopisje, ampak vsebinska vrednost, ki anga\u017eira in pusti \u017eeljo po \u0161e. Tako se gradi avtoriteta in krepi zvestoba bralcev do blagovne znamke. Raznolika vsebina postaja paradni konj digitalnega sporo\u010danja, ki daje barvo in ton v komunikaciji in izboru novih strank. \u0160e toliko ve\u010dji je pomen vsebin, ko govorimo o marketingu in prodaji v B2B. <p\/> \u010ce si \u017eelite uspeti in ponuditi svojim strankam nekaj ve\u010d, kot ostali, je vsebinska strategija in segmentirana komunikacija eden klju\u010dnih dejavnikov uspeha, zato zelo dobro razmislite, kako boste organizirali to podro\u010dje.","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"CD PREDVAJALNIK <p\/> CD predvajalnik <p\/> CD predvajalnik oz. CD player, je idealna komponenta za o\u017eivitev va\u0161e zbirke zgo\u0161\u010denk. V zadnjih letih so ti, v\u010dasih zelo popularni mediji za\u010deli izgubljat digitalni primat, saj so v porastu tako imenovani streamerji. Slednji so zaradi preto\u010dnih servisov in vgrajenih internetnih radijev zelo enostavni za uporabo. <p\/> Fizi\u010dni format ni kar tako <p\/> Vseeno pa je \u0161e vedno nekaj na fizi\u010dnem kontaktu z vsebino, ki jo bomo poslu\u0161ali. Ni\u010d ne more odtehtati denimo spomina na nakup na\u0161e zgo\u0161\u010denke, dolgotrajnem zbiranju ali na\u0161emu prvemu stiku z digitalno vsebino. Ob poslu\u0161anju in gledanju ovitka v\u010dasih privrejo na dan spomini, kraja kjer smo jo kupili ali osebe s katero smo bili. Neprecenljivo.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Weber Performer - Original <p\/> 1401504 <p\/> \u017dar Performen - Original vas bo prepri\u010dal s svojo komfortnostjo in mobilnostjo. Ta \" raz\u0161irjeni \" \u017ear na oglje je prava delovna postaja z vsemi zna\u010dilnostmi svojih manj\u0161ih Weber bratov. <p\/> V pokrov integriran termometer: za la\u017eji nadzor temperature med peko, stabilna zlo\u017eljiva mizica, obe\u0161alniki za pribor. Za la\u017eje odstranjevanje pepela iz dna kotla - snemljiva posoda za pepel, regulacija temperature brez nadle\u017enega dvigovanja \/ spu\u0161\u010danja re\u0161etke.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Manj\u0161e poveljni\u0161ko vozilo je gasilsko vozilo, s pomo\u010djo katerega vodja oz. vodstvo intervencije vodi takti\u010dne enote. Manj\u0161e gasilsko poveljni\u0161ko vozilo je namenjeno predvsem prevozu \u0161oferja in ima prostor \u0161e za 4 oz. 6 sopotnikov. Uporablja se ga kot osnovno ali pomo\u017eno prevozno sredstvo za samostojno hitro vo\u017enjo do mesta po\u017eara, za vodenje gasilske enote med vo\u017enjo (vodenje gasilskega vlaka) in za izvidovanje stopnje razvitosti po\u017eara. To terensko vozilo ima pogon na vsa kolesa.","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Krija V kundalini jogi izvajamo krije (kriya), to je to\u010dno dolo\u010deno zaporedje vaj, polo\u017eajev telesa, ki se v kombinaciji z dolo\u010denim na\u010dinom dihanja ali mantranja povezujejo v celoto in imajo namen manifestacije dolo\u010denega fizi\u010dnega stanja in stanja zavesti. Krija pomeni akcija v popolnosti, njen u\u010dinek je popolno ravnovesje na fizi\u010dnem, mentalnem in du\u0161evnem nivoju. Ko izvajamo dolo\u010deno krijo, jo izvajamo v danem zaporedju in je ne spreminjamo, razen \u010dasovnega trajanja posameznih vaj, ki se lahko razpolovijo ali ustrezno prilagodijo na\u0161im zmo\u017enostim, nikakor pa se ne podalj\u0161ujejo.","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"SLAVNI: Kylie, vse najbolj\u0161e! <p\/> 28. 5. 2014 <p\/> Na Bansijevi spletni strani za\u010denjamo posebno rubriko, v kateri bomo predstavljali doma\u010de in tudi tuje znane osebnosti (igralce, pevce, re\u017eiserje, \u0161portnike in ostale). Rubriko bo za\u010dela avstralska pevka, Kylie Minogue, ki ravno danes praznuje rojstni dan. <p\/> Kylie Minogue se je rodila 28. maja 1968 v avstralskem mestu Melbourne. Zaslovela je kot igralka z nastopom v avstralski telenoveli Sosedje. Leta 1987 je resneje za\u010dela aktivno glasbeno kariero, saj je njena prva izdana skladba \u00bbLocomotion\u00ab postala izjemen hit. Tudi druge skladbe na njenem prvem albumu Kylie so postale velike svetovne uspe\u0161nice (albumu lahko prisluhnete na tej povezavi). <p\/> Sledil je podpis pogodbe s skupino izjemno uspe\u0161nih producentov, kar ji je omogo\u010dilo izstrelitev med zvezde in svetovno slavo. <p\/> Locomotion so prepevali in plesali povsod po svetu. Po ve\u010d kot 25 letih kariere Kylie \u0161e vedno velikokrat zapoje na koncertih. V posebni preoble\u010deni klasi\u010dni (orkestralni oz. akusti\u010dni) obliki pa jo je zraven drugih 15 uvrstila tudi na album \" The Abbey Road Sessions \". Gre za album njenih najve\u010djih uspe\u0161nic, izdala ga je v letu 2013, ko je praznovala 25-letnico svoje kariere. <p\/> Kylie je vsestranska umetnica, pevka, igralka, re\u017eiserka svojih videospotov, avtorica besedil, pod njenim imenom je iz\u0161lo tudi okrog 6 parfumov. Je pa tudi velika modna navdu\u0161enka. Na tej fotografiji vidimo predstavitev knjige Kylie Fashion, v kateri je zbranih nekaj njenih oblek in kostumov v vsej njeni 25-letni karieri. Knjiga je iz\u0161la oktobra 2012. Ste vedeli, da je Kylie v najstni\u0161kih letih razmi\u0161ljala ravno o poklicu modne oblikovalke? V enem od intervjujev je namre\u010d izjavila, da jo je \u0161ivati nau\u010dila njena babica in da ji moda zelo veliko pomeni. Ko je pri\u010dela nastopati, jo je petje in igranje na odru povsem prevzelo in ljubezen do mode je na ta na\u010din lahko uspe\u0161no vklu\u010dila v svoje \u017eivljenje. <p\/> Kylie je bila in je \u0161e vedno izjemno priljubljena po celotni rodni Avstraliji, Aziji, Ameriki in pa seveda Evropi. \u017de od za\u010detka glasbene kariere \u017eivi v Londonu, kjer so nanjo \" dobesedno nori \", izjemno priljubljena je v Franciji, \u0160paniji, tudi italijanska televizija jo pogosto vabi na nastope. Imela je \u017ee enajst ogromnih svetovnih turnej in nastopila prakti\u010dno povsod po svetu (Japonska, Kitajska, Mehika, celotna Evropa, Azija, Afrika,...). Slovenije \u0161e ni obiskala, \u010deprav ima tudi pri nas veliko obo\u017eevalcev. Kar je pri Kylie izjemno zanimivo, je to, da je svetovna slava nikoli ni preve\u010d zamajala, da bi npr. izgubila stik z realnostjo, posegala po kak\u0161nih nedovoljenih substancah, bila znana po kak\u0161nih \u010dudnih aferah in podobno. V intervjujih je vedno zelo preprosta in ne daje vtisa nedosegljivosti oziroma o\u0161abnosti. Znana je tudi po tem, da jo prijatelji, voditelji radijskih oddaj, v katerih redno nastopa, novinarji in \u010dlani njene ekipe kli\u010dejo \" Cute Kylie \" (prisr\u010dna, ljubka, Kylie). <p\/> Njena zna\u010dilnost je tudi ta, da \" snema kar naprej \". Komaj izda svoj \" uradni studijski \" album, \u017ee izda tudi spremljevalne single, ki sicer niso uvr\u0161\u010deni na album, a njeni obo\u017eevalci jih kaj hitro najdejo in tudi te pesmi postanejo velik hit. Ob svoji 25-letnici delovanja, ki ga je praznovala celotno leto 2013, je imela v rodni Avstraliji (v Melbournu in Sydneyu) in Veliki Britaniji (dva v Londonu in enega v Mancherstu), skupno torej pet koncertov, na katerih je za svoje najve\u010dje obo\u017eevalce odpela njene najbolj znane pesmi in tudi tiste, ki niso bile nikoli uradno izdane na albumih ali kot singli. Koncerte je predstavila pod naslovom Anti Tour (Anti turneja) in so bili takoj razprodani. <p\/> Pesem, ki je pri njenih obo\u017eevalcih izjemen hit, a kljub temu ni bila nikoli izdana - Cherry Bomb i z sklopa Anti turneje. <p\/> Leta 2005 so ji sredi njene velike (osme po vrsti) turneje Showgirl odkrili raka na dojki, kar jo je izjemno potrlo. Operacijo in kemoterapijo je na svojo \u017eeljo Kylie opravila v Parizu. Bolezen je uspe\u0161no pozdravila, na to temo je v intervjujih zelo pogosto govorila in v\u010dasih med njimi tudi zajokala. Na odre se je z velikim koncertom vrnila ponovno 11. novembra 2006 v rodni Avstraliji (v mestu Sydney). <p\/> Ravno v teh dneh (26. maja 2014) je Kylie izdala poseben singel z naslovom \" Crystallize \", katerega izkupi\u010dek od prodaje gre francoski fundaciji Aprec za boj proti raku. Tudi sicer je Kylie zelo pogosto dobrodelna, sploh po svoji preboleli bolezni. <p\/> Prvi singel z naslovom \" Into the blue \" iz njenega najnovej\u0161ega dvanajstega studijskega albuma. <p\/> Na prvem albumu z naslovom Kylie je tudi duet z Jasonom Donovanom. Pesem \" Especially for you \" (Posebej zate), ki je bil izjemen hit in \u0161e danes velja za eno najbolj romanti\u010dnih pesmi. V tem videoposnetku se je Kylie malce po\u0161alila in pesem zapela skupaj z \u017eabcem Kermitom iz Muppet showa. <p\/> Kylie je bila v tretji seriji TV-oddaje The Voice (v letu 2013), ki jo predvajajo na londonski televiziji BBC ena od \u010dlanic \u017eirije. Gre za oddajo, v kateri i\u0161\u010dejo nove glasbene talente. \u0160e predtem pa je ravno v tak\u0161nih oddajah \" I\u0161\u010demo talente \" nastopila po mnogih dr\u017eavah (rodni Avstraliji, Italiji, Ameriki, Franciji, tudi drugih britanskih oddajah in \u0161e kje). V tem videoposnetku, ki je iz leta 2007, jo vidimo, kako je v oddaji Star Academy na francoski televiziji zapela pesem \" I believe in you \" (Verjamem vate) z enim od nastopajo\u010dih (bodo\u010dih) glasbenih talentov. Tudi danes Kylie teh povabil na raznorazne oddaje, kjer i\u0161\u010dejo talente, ne ignorira in se v njih redno pojavlja. <p\/> Njena izjemno obse\u017ena svetovna turneja z naslovom Aphrodite World Tour je bila pevkina enajsta koncertna turneja, organizirana v sklopu promocije njenega enajstega glasbenega albuma, Aphrodite (2010). S turnejo je Kylie obiskala Evropo, Azijo, Avstralijo, Afriko in Severno Ameriko. Ta turneja je bila tehni\u010dno na izjemno visokem nivoju, celoten niz skladb je deloval kot pevsko-plesni-gledali\u0161ki \u0161ov, ki je trajal okrog dve uri. Kylie je imela z obse\u017eno ekipo v okviru turneje razpisanih okrog 80 koncertov. Rde\u010da nit turneje je bila Kylie kot Afrodita (boginja ljubezni in lepote). Turneja je trajala od 19. februarja 2011 do 14. julija 2011. Koncerti so se vrstili skoraj dan za dnem, zelo malo je bilo vmesnih prostih dni. Posnetek celotnega koncerta je dostopen tudi na spletu. <p\/> \u0160e en nastop iz leta 2008 v eni od oddaj, v kateri i\u0161\u010dejo nove glasbene talente (Star Academy na francoski televiziji). Skupaj z Mathieu-jem sta zapela enega od njenih najve\u010djih hitov \" Love At First Sight \" (Ljubezen na prvi pogled). <p\/> Kdor koli sli\u0161i ime Kyie, se najverjetneje takoj spomni na pesem, ki jo Kyie v \u0161ali ve\u010dkrat poimenuje kar \" La, la, la \". Gre za prvi singel \u00bbCan't Get You Out of My Head\u00ab z njenega osmega studijskega albuma Fever. Pesem je bila hit po vsem svetu in je dosegla prvo mesto v ve\u010d kot 40 dr\u017eavah, vklju\u010dno z Veliko Britanijo, Avstralijo, Nem\u010dijo, Francijo, Italijo, Irsko, Novo Zelandijo, \u0160vico in mnogimi drugimi evropskimi dr\u017eavami. Prodana je bila v ve\u010d kot 4 milijonih izvodov. Tukaj vidimo predstavitev te pesmi s prireditve Brits Awards 2002, kjer je Kylie prejela nagrado v kategoriji \" International Female \" (najbolj\u0161a \u017eenska izvajalka) leta 2002. <p\/> \u0160e en pompozni nastop s pesmijo \u00bbCan't Get You Out of My Head\u00ab. Nastop je po\u017eel ogromno pozitivnih kritik, je pa iz prireditve EMA MTV iz leta 2011. (Europe Music Awards MTV). <p\/> Nastop v oddaji X Faktor leta 2010, ki je prav tako ena od britanskih oddaj, v kateri i\u0161\u010dejo mlade glasbene talente. Sestra Kylie Minogue, Danii Minogue, je bila v tej oddaji ena od sodnic. Sicer pa je Kylie za pesem \" Better Than Today \" posnela tudi videospot, ki ga je re\u017eirala sama. <p\/> Sestri Kylie in Danii Kylie s pesmijo Kids (Kylie jo v izvirniku prepeva z Robbiem Williamsom). Posnetek je iz Showgirl homecoming tour, koncerta, ki je bil 11. decembra 2006 v njenem rodnem kraju Melbourne To je bil eden prvih velikih celove\u010dernih nastopov Kylie Minogue po njenem zdravljenju in diagnozi. <p\/> Kakor koli, Kylie je izjemno dejavna in uspe\u0161na. V enem od intervjujev je dejala, da je marljivost njena najprepoznavnej\u0161a vrlina in da najde navdih v prav vsaki stvari. Danes praznuje svoj 46. rojstni dan. \u010cestitamo ji tudi iz na\u0161ega uredni\u0161tva.","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Foodlogistik \u2013 Ho.Re.Ca. <p\/> FOODLOGISTIK GmbH je nem\u0161ki proizvajalec strojev za obdelavo \u017eivilskih izdelkov. Podjetje ponuja ve\u010d kot 20 razli\u010dnih modelov namenjenih za razne uporabe pri razli\u010dnih proizvodnih zmogljivostih. Podjetje ima ve\u010d kot 35 let izku\u0161enj v dizajniranju in proizvodnji zmogljivih, zanesljivih in natan\u010dnih rezalnih strojev.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Pomeni nastanek alg za\u010detek konca va\u0161ega akvarija? <p\/> Sladkovodne alge so gro\u017enja vodnemu \u017eivljenju v akvariju. Alge so izjemno trdo\u017eive, ko pride do pre\u017eivetja in \u0161irjenja po akvarijski posodi, zato boste morali biti vztrajni, da se boste re\u0161ili te te\u017eave. \u010ce ga nimate pod nadzorom, bo akvarij postal sistem za proizvodnjo strupene vode, kar bo zelo \u0161kodovalo va\u0161im ribam. To lahko prepre\u010dite tako, da spoznate kaj se v va\u0161emu akvariju dogaja in kaj storiti glede tega. Pri algah je najbolje njihov nastanek prepre\u010diti. To storite tako, da menjate vodo vsak teden, saj alge ne morejo uspevati, ko je v akvariju nova voda in pri upo\u0161tevanju ostalih vzdr\u017eevalnih del. Nekatere vrste alg so u\u017eitne, kot precej ostalega morskega rastlinja, in so vir hrane v mnogih delih sveta. Obstaja na stotine u\u017eitnih vrst, ki vsebujejo vitamine in minerale. Prav tako se jih uporablja kot gnojilo in hrano za \u017eivino. V sladkovodnih akvarijih obstaja kar nekaj vrst alg, ki pre\u017eivijo s hranili v vodi. V nekaterih primerih slu\u017eijo akvarijske alge kot hrana za prebivalce akvarija, kot so garnele in pol\u017ei, toda \u010de njihova rast ni pod nadzorom, so lahko gro\u017enja ostalemu akvarijskemu \u017eivljenju. Pogosto prisotne v novo name\u0161\u010denih akvarijih so rjave alge. Prav tako uspevajo v slabo razsvetljenih akvarijih, kjer so fosfatni nivoji visoki, medtem ko so nivoji du\u0161ika nizki. To so sluzaste in mehke alge, ki jih najdemo na akvarijskemu steklu, v substratu in v dekoracijah. Rjave alge ob prisotnosti mo\u010dne lu\u010di izginejo, \u0161e vedno pa lahko ostanejo v temnej\u0161ih predelih akvarija. V nasprotju zelene alge uspevajo v akvarijih z mo\u010dno svetlobo. Pojavijo se kot zelene pike na akvarijskih rastlinah in na steklu akvarija. Kosmate alge in nitaste alge se pojavijo kot niti v vodi. V akvarijih uspevajo, \u010de je v vodi previsoka koli\u010dina \u017eeleza. Zlahka se jih odstrani s pomo\u010djo pal\u010dke, okrog katere jih ovijete. Nitaste alge rastejo na listih rastlin, najdemo jih na konicah listov in lahko dose\u017eejo dol\u017eino 30 cm. Kosmate alge obi\u010dajno rastejo ob vzno\u017eju rastlin, po substratu in v\u010dasih tudi po dekoraciji. So zeleno sive barve in zrastejo do pribli\u017eno 4 cm. Ve\u010dina akvaristov se ne obremenjuje s temu algami, saj se z njimi prehranjujejo nekatere ribe. Sladkovodne garnele kot Caridina Japonica pa se prehranjujejo z nitastimi algami. Vrsta alge, ki poudari izgled akvarija, je bradata alga. Te alge tvorijo preprogo, ponavadi prekrivajo kamne in liste rastlin. Nastajajo bli\u017eje viru svetlobe. So mehke in spolzke in hitro zrastejo do najve\u010d 3 cm. Bradate alge potrebujejo konstanten vir svetlobe, pogoste pa so v akvarijih brez rastlin in se jih ro\u010dno precej te\u017eko odstrani. S tem, ko daste v vodo ribe, ki se prehranjujejo z algami, konstantno zmanj\u0161ujete u\u010dinek, ki ga imajo lahko alge na akvarij. Ribe kot so indijske mrenice, algojede lisi\u010dke in pik\u010dasti oklepni\u010darji, so odli\u010dna pomo\u010d pri njihovem zmanj\u0161evanju. Preden jih predstavite drugim ribam v akvariju, preverite, \u010de so lahko skupaj v akvariju, saj v nasprotnem primeru ne bodo dobro opravljali svoje naloge pri \u010di\u0161\u010denju alg. V majhnih dele\u017eih dodajo alge akvariju barvitost in \u017eivljenjskost. Poleg tega, da so hrana nekaterim bitjem v akvariju, lahko dajejo tudi zavetje za majhne ribe. Prav tako so dober pokazatelj neravnote\u017eja v sistemu. Alge poka\u017eejo, kdaj je preve\u010d hranil v vodi. Prevelika koli\u010dina hranil indicira, da morda preve\u010d hranite ribe in da morda nekatere rastline izlo\u010dajo hranilne snovi. Prav tako lahko alge nakazujejo tudi, da morate biti pozorni na akvarijsko vodo, saj je le-ta lahko \u0161kodljiva za ribe in rastline. Rast sladkovodnih alg je odvisna od obstoje\u010dih pogojev v akvariju. Rast alg je pogojena s tremi pogoji: z vodo, svetlobo in hranilnimi snovmi. Z nadziranjem teh treh virov je glavni korak pri prepre\u010devanju njihove rasti in povzro\u010danju \u0161kode. Svetlobo lahko nadzorujete tako, da postavite akvarij stran od son\u010dne svetlobe, umetne svetlobe pa se ne sme uporabljati ve\u010d kot osem ur na dan. Umetna svetloba ne sme biti premo\u010dna, dobro pa je namestiti tudi avtomatsko stikalo s \u010dasovnikom. Prehranjevalne navade rib se od vrste do vrste razlikujejo. Zaradi nadzorovanja nivojev fosfatov, ki slu\u017eijo kot hrana algam, je pomembno, da ribe ne hranite prekomerno, saj se bo s tem nivo fosfatov pove\u010dal. \u010ce so se ribe najedle, v akvariju pa so \u0161e ostali ko\u0161\u010dki hrane, jih nemudoma odstranite. Poleg tega je pomembna tudi redna menjava vode, kar prepre\u010duje, da se pove\u010dajo nivoji fosfatov in nitratov. Zamenjajte vsaj 10 do 15% vode enkrat na teden in postrgajte alge, ki se dr\u017eijo stekla. Testiranje vode vam bo prav tako omogo\u010dalo nadzor nad nastankom alg. Pripravki, ki vam pomagajo pri nadzoru nad algami: <p\/> Amtra algenmaster - Deluje tako, da \u0161koduje presnovi alg in odpravlja nastanek alginih trosov <p\/> Amtra system clean - Pomemben pripravek pri menjavi vode. Odstranjuje amoniak in nitrite, reducira nitrate, nevtralizira ostanek hrane, biolo\u0161ko razgrajuje sprhnel les in mulj. <p\/> Amtra algen control - 3 mese\u010dna za\u0161\u010dita proti algam. Ve\u017ee skupaj organske produkte in prikraj\u0161a alge za hranilne snovi.","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"In\u0161titut za narodnostna vpra\u0161anja je v okviru nadaljnjega obele\u017eevanja osemdesetletnice svojega znanstvenega dela na podro\u010dju etni\u010dnosti, nacionalizma, manj\u0161inskih in mejnih \u0161tudij organiziral mednarodno konferenco Transnacionalne etni\u010dne skupnosti: dr\u017eava in njena diaspora, ki je potekala 21. in 22. junija v prostorih Fakultete za druzbene vede v Ljubljani. V ospredje akademske razprave je bilo postavljeno vpra\u0161anje, kako sodobne nacionalne dr\u017eave upravljajo odnos med seboj in skupnostmi, ki jih \u0161tejejo za svoje etni\u010dne diaspore. Predstavljeni so bili primeri Izraela, Nizozemske, Hrva\u0161ke, Slovenije, Nem\u010dije, Kitajske in arabskih dr\u017eav. Poleg strokovnih nastopov uglednih mednarodnih avtoritet na tem podro\u010dju - prof. Sammy Smooha, prof. Ton van Naerssen, prof. Mladen Klemen\u010di\u010d, dr. Irena \u0160umi - in mladih strokovnjakov je konferenca ponudila tudi aktivno izmenjavo mnenj in stali\u0161\u010d z zainteresiranim ob\u010dinstvom. Za dodatne informacije o konferenci si oglejte spletne strani konference:","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Kaj potrebuje\u0161: plasti\u010dno vre\u010dko in zamrzovalnik. <p\/> Postopek: Zlo\u017ei svojo jakno in jo polo\u017ei v plasti\u010dno vre\u010dko. Vre\u010dko postavi v zamrzovalnik in pusti tam \u010dez no\u010d. Ledeno nizke temperature uni\u010dijo vse bakterije, ki povzro\u010dajo neprijeten vonj in se razmno\u017eujejo v toplem in vla\u017enem okolju. S tak\u0161nim na\u010dinom \u010di\u0161\u010denja bo\u0161 svojo najljub\u0161o jakno tudi veliko dlje \u010dasa ohranila v prvotnem stanju (pranje in su\u0161enje vsaki\u010d znova nekoliko poslab\u0161ata njeno stanje). <p\/> Opomba: Tak\u0161en na\u010din \u010di\u0161\u010denja pride v po\u0161tev le, \u010de na jakni nima\u0161 nobene umazanije od hrane\/pija\u010de in \u017eeli\u0161 z jakne odstraniti le bakterije in neprijeten vonj. V kolikor je jakna umazana ti seveda ne preostane drugega, kot da jo opere\u0161 v pralnem stroju.","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Povpra\u0161evanje po leseni gradnji je na splo\u0161no ve\u010dinoma \u0161e precej skromno, zato je smiselno, da jo dr\u017eave z razli\u010dnimi ukrepi spodbujajo. <p\/> Finski program pospe\u0161evanja lesene gradnje \u017ee ka\u017ee rezultate <p\/> Pri gradnji je v zadnjih letih spet bolj priljubljena uporaba lesa, ki jo nekatere dr\u017eave spodbujajo s posebnimi ukrepi. Tako je tudi na Finskem, kjer izvajajo sedemletni program pospe\u0161evanja lesene gradnje, ki \u017ee ka\u017ee rezultate. Kot je ocenil skrbnik programa Petri Heino, so med klju\u010dnimi ukrepi spremembe zakonodaje in finan\u010dne spodbude. <p\/> Povpra\u0161evanje po leseni gradnji je na splo\u0161no ve\u010dinoma \u0161e precej skromno, zato je smiselno, da jo dr\u017eave z razli\u010dnimi ukrepi spodbujajo, je ocenil Petri Heino s finskega ministrstva za okolje. \"Vlade lahko med drugim poskrbijo za spremembe zakonodaje, finan\u010dne spodbude in \u0161irjenje primerov dobrih praks za spodbujanje trajnostne gradnje,\" je dejal. <p\/> Na Finskem so napredek po njegovih besedah uspeli dose\u010di prav z zdru\u017eevanjem teh treh ukrepov. \"V promocijske aktivnosti smo uspeli vklju\u010diti \u0161irok krog dele\u017enikov,\" je povedal ter ob tem spomnil na velikost in posredne pozitivne u\u010dinke gradbenega sektorja. <p\/> Fincem so subvencije za gradnjo lesenih hi\u0161 na voljo \u017ee nekaj let, od za\u010detka leto\u0161njega leta pa jih je vlada \u0161e zvi\u0161ala. Njihova vi\u0161ina je sicer odvisna od posamezne regije; na obmo\u010dju prestolnice Helsinki subvencija denimo zna\u0161a 15.000 evrov. <p\/> Spodbujanju lesene gradnje je na Finskem namenjen poseben program, ki ga pod okriljem ministrstva za okolje izvajajo v obdobju 2016-2022. Z njim \u017eelijo med drugim spodbujati rast mednarodno konkuren\u010dne industrije lesene gradnje tako z vidika znanja kot doma\u010de proizvodnje in podpreti trajnostno rabo gozdnih virov. <p\/> Med cilji programa so desetodstotna letna rast gradnje lesenih stanovanjskih stavb ter pove\u010danje mo\u017enosti nalaganja ogljika v lesenih izdelkih, dele\u017ea lesa v javnih zgradbah in izvoza lesenih izdelkov. \"Vmesni pregled rezultatov, izveden leta 2018, je pokazal, da so aktivnosti pozitivno vplivale na ve\u010dino ciljnih podro\u010dij,\" je poudaril Heino. <p\/> Raba lesa pri gradnji je po njegovih besedah na Finskem sicer samoumevna, saj imajo obse\u017ene gozdove, ki prina\u0161ajo ve\u010dji letni prirast kot kadar koli prej. Trenutno je pri pribli\u017eno 110 milijonih kubi\u010dnih metrov, od \u010desar ga posekajo med 65 in 70 odstotkov. <p\/> Pomena lesa se zavedajo tudi mladi Finci. Nedavna \u0161tudija je po Heinovih besedah pokazala, da 69 odstotkov deklet med 14. in 23. letom starosti podpira idejo pove\u010danja rabe lesa. <p\/> Za dodatno promocijo lesa kot obnovljivega vira in prilo\u017enosti za krepitev dodane vrednosti izdelkov si prizadeva tudi Slovenija. Dr\u017eava \u017eeli med drugim dose\u010di 30-odstotni dele\u017e lesa v javnih stavbah in pove\u010dati doma\u010do predelavo hlodovine na tri milijone kubi\u010dnih metrov letno. <p\/> Kot je ocenil Heino, so izhodi\u0161\u010da spodbudna, v prihodnje pa bo smiselno te vsebine dodatno nasloviti s spremembami zakonodaje, izobra\u017eevalnih vsebin in razli\u010dnih politik. <p\/> Prilo\u017enosti se ponujajo tudi pri sodelovanju med dr\u017eavama. \"Na ministrski ravni sodelovanje neuradno \u017ee poteka, sodelujemo tudi na raziskovalnem podro\u010dju, kjer so mo\u017enosti za nadgradnjo,\" je \u0161e dejal.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Mini TOP ponudba <p\/> Rojstni dan za otroke lahko praznujete na lokacijah: Ljubljana - Poljane (center), Grosuplje ali Velike La\u0161\u010de. Pripravili smo razli\u010dne programe praznovanja rojstnega dne. Vse za nepozabno zabavo va\u0161ega ma\u010dka. <p\/> Brezpla\u010dna vabila za vse udele\u017eence rojstnega dne ter darilo za slavljenca! <p\/> Nepozabni rojstni dan. Izbirajte med programi: <p\/> 1. Igrarije - napihljiva igrala za praznovanje rojstnega dne <p\/> Nov program praznovanja rojstnega dne - Igrarije za otroke. Napihljiv grad v velikosti 4,5 x 4 m, in napihljiva zabavna hi\u0161ica v velikosti 3 x 2 m, ki sta kot nala\u0161\u010d primerna za noro rojstnodnevno zabavo za otroke. <p\/> Zabavamo se v \u0161portni dvorani, kjer se igramo raznovrstne \u0161portne igrice \u2013 igre z \u017eogo, tekmujemo med poligoni, i\u0161\u010demo zaklad, igramo se mumije, naredimo kak\u0161no akrobatsko prvino na mali pro\u017eni ponjavi - \" kanvasu \", se preizkusimo v hoji po vrvi... Raznorazno gibalno - tekalne in \u0161tafetne igre, zaviti in spretnostni poligoni in nadvse zanimivi majhni rekviziti, vas bodo popeljali v svet domi\u0161ljije in zabave. Zabavamo pa se tudi z rojstnodnevnimi turnirji v ko\u0161arki, nogometu, hokeju ali rokometu, in potem je rojstni dan lahko tudi \u00bb\u017eogometno\u00ab naravnan:) <p\/> Mini galerija","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Uporaba: Puder v prahu enakomerno in lahkotno nanesite s prilo\u017eeno pudrno blazinico.","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Festival Speculum Artium 2019 in DigitalBigScreen 2019 <p\/> 11. mednarodni festival novomedijske kulture <p\/> Enajsta edicija festivala bo v Delavskem domu Trbovlje potekala med 17. in 19. oktobrom letos s \u0161tevilnimi gosti s celega sveta. <p\/> Mednarodni festival novomedijske kulture Speculum Artiumpredstavlja avtorje in projekte na prepletu umetnosti, znanosti in tehnologije. <p\/> Festival novomedijske kulture Speculum Artium je lansko leto praznoval deseto obletnico obstoja in v tem \u010dasu se je uveljavil kot vodilni festival te vrste v Sloveniji, njegovo ime pa je znano tudi \u0161irom po svetu. V \u010dasu svojega obstoja je gostil nekatera vodilna imena s podro\u010dja visoke tehnologije, znanosti in umetnosti, kot so Hiroshi Ishiguro, Honda Robotics, Stelarc, Victoria Vesna, kot tudi doma\u010de umetnike kot so Robertina \u0160ebjani\u010d, Sre\u010do Dragan in Laibach. <p\/> Deseta obletnica je bila tudi prilo\u017enost za inventuro opravljenega dela in pogled v prihodnost festivala, ki je eden od le treh te vrste, ki jim Ministrstvo RS za kulturopriznava kakovost in relavantnost, zaradi \u010desar mu nudi tudi finan\u010dno podporo pri izvedbi. V vodstvu festivala smo se odlo\u010dili, da v duhu \u010dasa in razvoja tako vizualne kulture kot tehnologije, svoj fokus usmerimo v virtualne svetove in 3D okolja. <p\/> Eden nosilnih projektov leto\u0161njega leta je tako Brain Computer Hackhaton, prvi tovrstni dogodek v Sloveniji. Poleg njega velja izpostaviti tudi projekt Tree, ki sta ga skupaj pripravila ameri\u0161ka umetnika Milica Zec in Winslow Porter. Projekt izkori\u0161\u010da nove tehnologije in 3D okolja za anga\u017eiran pristop k zelo aktualni tematiki, kar za\u0161\u010dita okolja in klimatske spremembe gotovo so. S pomo\u010djo 3D okolja, hapti\u010dnih vmesnikov in zvo\u010dnih efektov nas umetnika prestavita v polo\u017eaj drevesa v tropskem de\u017eevnem gozdu. Ob\u010dutimo lahko kako drevo raste v svojem okolju in kako nanj vplivajo klimatske razmere. Projekt je bil predstavljen na Svetovnem ekonomskem forumu 2018 v Davosu in je po\u017eel precej zanimanja med tam zbranimi vplivne\u017ei. <p\/> Prav tako se z virtualnimi svetovi ukvarja britanska umetnica Nicola Plant, ki bo na festivalu predstavila svoj projekt Parallax, ki preko zaznavanja gibanja in mimike posameznega obiskovalca, njihove misli v virtualnem okolju deli z vsemi ostalimi obiskovalci, s \u010dimer preizku\u0161a mo\u017enosti neverbalne komunikacije med ljudmi v svetu, ki se vse bolj pomika v navidezno resni\u010dnost. Meje v digitalnem okolju ru\u0161i tudi bolgarski novomedijski umetnik Ivan Petkov, ki se bo predstavil s svojo instalacijo My country, Your Country, ki omogo\u010da obiskovalcem da na ekranu sami ri\u0161ejo meje resni\u010dnih ali izmi\u0161ljenih dr\u017eav, s \u010dimer izpostavlja dejstvo, da so meje v resnici umetna tvorba \u010dlove\u0161kega uma in ne nekaj naravnega. <p\/> Ob predstavitvi svetovne produkcije pa festival ne zamemarja tudi doma\u010dih novomedijskih umetnikov. Letos se bosta med drugim predstavila Sa\u0161a Nemec, s projektom Inside\/Outside in Bo\u0161tjan \u010cade\u017e, z VR in\u0161talacijo PD4. <p\/> Zavod za kulturo DELAVSKI DOM TRBOVLJE, Trg svobode 11a, 1420 Trbovlje GSM: 051 356 893, E-po\u0161ta: info@dd-trbovlje.si","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"vsekakor prava odlo\u010ditev <p\/> Zlati paket res zlata vreden :) <p\/> 03.10.2012 <p\/> Ob ustanovitvi \u010distilnega servisa me je \u010dakalo ogromno dodatnega dela, za katerega nisem imel \u010dasa, niti nisem bil seznanjen z vsemi zahtevami, zato sem se odlo\u010dil, da kadrovske zadeve v celoti prepustim Kadrovski pisarni. Storitev je brezhibna, hitra, pa \u0161e garancijo ima. Napotili so me na zdravni\u0161ki pregled, te\u010daj varstva pri delu, prve pomo\u010di in izdelali oceno tveganja. Skrbijo za obnovitve zakonsko predpisanih obveznosti ter hranijo mojo dokumentacijo, do katere imam dostop preko spleta. Ob zagonu novega posla je res pomembno, da se lahko v kar se da najve\u010dji meri posve\u010dam svoji dejavnosti.","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Berlusconijeve \u017eenske <p\/> Italijanski premier Silvio Berlusconi je pred \u010dasom izjavil, da se njegovemu \u0161armu in videzu nobena \u017eenska ne more upreti. Mi tega sicer ne verjamemo, je pa res, da se mu marsikatera \u017eenska ni mogla upreti. Poglejte si seznam\u010dek dam, ki naj bi jih italijanski casanova \u017ee omre\u017eil.","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Upravljanje s \u010dlove\u0161kimi viri <p\/> Da so \u010dlove\u0161ki viri klju\u010dni vir uspe\u0161nosti podjetja in upravljanje z njimi prioriteta, lahko zveni kot prazna fraza, \u010de ne celo kot nadle\u017eno pametovanje. A \u0161e kako dr\u017ei, saj brez zavzetosti tako zaposlenih kot vodstva dolgoro\u010dna uspe\u0161nost poslovanja enostavno ni realna. Naloga je torej, kako pritegniti in navdu\u0161iti zaposlene za skupno zgodbo, kakr\u0161nakoli pa\u010d \u017ee je. Zgodba o uspehu ali zgodba izhoda iz krize.","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"hm, a na Kredarci se da pla\u010dat s kartico? \u010ce tam ostane\u0161 brez gotovine, je bankomat res daaaaaale\u010d!:) Druga\u010de je pa fino, da se npr. pri nekaterih ponudnikih vo\u017enje po Ljubljanici lahko pla\u010da kar s kartico.","labels":"Forum","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Predsednik republike Pahor na investicijski konferenci v Istanbulu: \"Slovenija je pomembna za Tur\u010dijo in Tur\u010dija je pomembna za Slovenijo\" <p\/> Predsednik Republike Slovenije Borut Pahor se je danes, ob zaklju\u010dku uradnega obiska v Republiki Tur\u010diji, udele\u017eil investicijske konference, katere namen je dodatna promocija slovenskega gospodarstva in predstavitev aktualnih investicijskih prilo\u017enosti v Sloveniji. Pomembne tur\u0161ke investitorje so poleg predsednika Republike Slovenije Boruta Pahorja nagovorili tudi podpredsednik vlade in zunanji minister Karl Erjavec, dr\u017eavni sekretar ministrstva za finance Mitja Mavko, predstavnik Slovenske od\u0161kodninske dru\u017ebe in direktor Spirita Bo\u0161tjan Skalar. Uvodoma je predsednik republike poudaril, da vlada med Tur\u010dijo in Slovenijo dolgoletno prijateljstvo in spo\u0161tovanje, kar je zelo pomembno tudi za gospodarsko sodelovanje na obeh straneh. Ozna\u010dil je cilj Tur\u010dije, da v prihodnjih 10-ih letih postane eno od desetih najmo\u010dnej\u0161ih gospodarstev na svetu, kot navdihujo\u010d in ob\u010dudovanja vreden. \"Tur\u010dija je za Slovenijo strate\u0161kega pomena in okrepiti moramo sodelovanje na vseh ravneh. Slovenija je pomembna za Tur\u010dijo in Tur\u010dija je pomembna za Slovenijo,\" je dejal predsednik. Predsednik Pahor je v nagovoru ve\u010d kot 80 tur\u0161kim investitorjem Slovenijo predstavil kot dinami\u010dno, odprto in izvozno usmerjeno dr\u017eavo ter potencialne investitorje povabil, naj pridejo k nam. Izpostavil je slovenski \u010dlove\u0161ki potencial in izjemen geopoliti\u010dni polo\u017eaj Slovenije, kot sti\u010di\u0161\u010de Srednje in Jugovzhodne Evrope. V tem kontekstu je spomnil, da sta se s predsednikom G\u00fclom ob v\u010deraj\u0161njem sre\u010danju strinjala o izrednem pomenu iniciative Brdo Process za stabilnost Zahodnega Balkana. Prilo\u017enosti za strate\u0161ko investiranje v Sloveniji je veliko, je dejal predsednik Pahor in poudaril, da je Slovenija za Tur\u010dijo zelo zanimiva, saj imata dr\u017eavi dobro urejene pogodbene odnose in sklenjene vse najnujnej\u0161e sporazume, na prakti\u010dno vseh podro\u010djih skupnega interesa. Med najpomembnej\u0161imi velja omeniti Sporazum o strate\u0161kem partnerstvu. Predsednik se je v\u010deraj popoldne udele\u017eil VI. letne konference veleposlanikov Republike Tur\u010dije, kjer je imel kraj\u0161e predavanje. Po predavanju se je predsednik sre\u010dal tudi s podpredsednikom Vlade Republike Tur\u010dije Alijem Babacanom. Predsednik republike Pahor se je v\u010deraj pozno popoldne sestal s predsednikom Vlade Republike Tur\u010dije Recepom Tayyipom Erdo\u011fanom. Predsednik Pahor in Erdo\u011fan sta v pogovoru ugotovila, da so u\u010dinki podpisanega strate\u0161kega partnerstva pred dvema letoma \u017ee vidni in se zavezala za nadaljnje sodelovanje. Predsednik vlade Erdo\u011fan je pozdravil pripravljenost predsednika Pahorja, da danes v Istanbulu otvori investicijsko konferenco, ki bo tur\u0161kim vlagateljem predstavila konkretne mo\u017enosti za investiranje v slovenska podjetja, za \u017eivahnej\u0161e sodelovanje med gospodarstvi obeh dr\u017eav in za morebiten skupen nastop na tretjih trgih. Sogovornika sta spregovorila tudi o nekaterih vidikih sirske krize, zaradi katere se je v preteklih mesecih v Tur\u010dijo zateklo \u017ee nad 600.000 beguncev. Pri tem je Erdo\u011fan predstavil svoj pogled na zaustavitev oboro\u017eenih spopadov v lu\u010di bli\u017enjega zasedanja \u017deneva 2, kajti brez takoj\u0161njega ukrepanja lahko konflikt dobi \u0161ir\u0161e regijske razse\u017enosti. <p\/> Iskalnik <p\/> Kontakt","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"In\u0161trukcije matematike za osnovno \u0161olo <p\/> Morda smo star\u0161 otroku, kateri obiskuje osnovno \u0161olo in ob\u010dasno ali redno potrebuje pomo\u010d pri nalogi, ali pa dodatno u\u010denje pred preverjanjem znanja, ker mu morda kateri od predmetov ne gre najbolje. Sami pa se ve\u010d ne spomnimo vsega in mu le te\u017eko pomagamo. Obi\u010dajno najve\u010d preglavic povzro\u010da matematika. In so tako mogo\u010de potrebne in\u0161trukcije matematike za osnovno \u0161olo. Matematika za marsikaterega \u0161olarja predstavlja velik problem in potrebuje mogo\u010de pomo\u010d strokovnjaka pri u\u010denju. Morda mu te\u017eave dela zgolj dolo\u010dena snov, kakorkoli, sami pa nismo dovolj prepri\u010dani v svoje znanje, da bi mu tudi lahko pomagali. In tako se odlo\u010dimo za in\u0161trukcije, ki so obi\u010dajno najbolj\u0161a mo\u017ena re\u0161itev in ustrezna pomo\u010d v tovrstnih primerih. Pri in\u0161trukcijah je odli\u010dno to, da se in\u0161truktor posve\u010da individualno otroku, si zanj vzame \u010das, preu\u010di, kak\u0161ne so te\u017eave in naredi na\u010drt u\u010denja, zato, da bi \u010dimprej snov postala jasna in bi jo \u0161olar tudi razumel. Ne glede na to, ali otrok obiskuje osnovno \u0161olo, srednjo ali morda \u017ee \u0161tudira. Vsekakor gre za super na\u010din, s pomo\u010djo katerega lahko otroku pomagamo do potrebnega in trenutno nezadovoljivega znanja. Kar je \u0161e dobro pri in\u0161trukcijah, je tudi to, da in\u0161truktorji ugotovijo potrebe otroka in tudi imajo pravi na\u010din ali pristop, kako ga najve\u010d nau\u010diti v relativno kratkem \u010dasu. Seveda odli\u010dna prilo\u017enost za vse tiste, katerih znanje je iz dolo\u010denega predmeta pomanjkljivo. Ko otrok obiskuje osnovno \u0161olo, je obi\u010dajno najbolj pere\u010d problem matematika in sploh, \u010de gre za otroka, kateremu nasploh matematika ne le\u017ei, bomo iskali in\u0161trukcije matematike za osnovno \u0161olo. \u010ce se bomo mora lotili sami in \u017eeleli otroku pomagati, bomo zagotovo ugotovili, da osnovna \u0161ola ni tako enostavna, kot se nam je neko\u010d zdela. Mogo\u010de tudi ne bomo izbrali pravega na\u010dina u\u010denja, kar bi podalj\u0161alo u\u010denje, mogo\u010de tudi nimamo pravih izku\u0161enj in vsekakor je druga\u010de, \u010de otroka u\u010di nekdo, ki ni njegov star\u0161.","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Nemo, izredno mo\u010dna pesem, pri kateri malo zmoti (vsaj mene) izvedba. <p\/> Pesem ni rimana, zakaj torej zaznamovan red besed na toliko mestih? Morda za pridih arhai\u010dnosti? No, te tale tvoja pesem (po moje) ne rabi. <p\/> Meni se zdi bolj problem ritma. Bom probala kaj naredit glede tega, nekak se \u0161e lovim v tak\u0161ni obliki pesmi - ampak hvala za komentar :) <p\/> Ja, se mi zdi, da ritem ne pade in tudi ne zaide, \u010de kar normalizira\u0161 besedni red. Je pa \u017ee besedilo dovolj mo\u010dno, da ne rabi\u0161 okraskov (kar zaznamovan b. r. vsekakor je in ki po moje pride v po\u0161tev (skoraj!) izklju\u010dno pri lovljenju rim. <p\/> Tole spodaj ni kak\u0161na posebna \"ideja\", po kateri spra\u0161uje\u0161, ampak \u010disto preprosto - kako jaz vidim (berem) pesem: <p\/> Tako, Lidija, sem upo\u0161tevala tvoj nasvet - pa kar tako popravila vrstni red, ker \u010de bi spet kaj brkljala bi bilo le \u0161e bolj arhai\u010dno in \u0161e prec bolj nerodno od prve postavitve :) Hvala.","labels":"Forum","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"V drugem delu uspe\u0161ne filmske serije se bo moral Peter Parker pod krinko super junaka Spider-Mana znova spopasti s stra\u0161nimi zlikovci, ki se pojavljajo s \u0161e bolj naprednimi tehnologijami in neverjetnimi mo\u010dmi, obenem pa bo sku\u0161al dr\u017eati obljubo, ki jo je dal Gwen Stacey, da je ne bo vpletal v svoje nevarno \u017eivljenje. <p\/> Peter Parker ne pozna bolj\u0161ega ob\u010dutka, kot je guganje med neboti\u010dniki, u\u017eivanja v statusu junaka in pre\u017eivljanje prostega \u010dasa z Gwen Stacey. Biti Spider-man pa ima svojo ceno, namre\u010d samo on lahko za\u0161\u010diti some\u0161\u010dane New Yorka pred nepridipravi, ki ogro\u017eajo mesto. Ko se pojavi Electro, se mora Peter Parker soo\u010diti z nasprotnikom, ki je veliko mo\u010dnej\u0161i od njega. Ob vrnitvi starega prijatelja Harryja Osborna Peter spozna, da imajo vsi njegovi sovra\u017eniki eno skupno to\u010dko: Oscorp. Podjetje, v katerem je neko\u010d delal Petrov o\u010de in je povezano z izginotjem njegovih star\u0161ev. A Spider-man v prvi vrsti najhuj\u0161e boje bije v sebi: gre za konflikt med vsakdanjimi obveznostmi Petra Parkerja in izjemno odgovornostjo Spider-mana.","labels":"Other","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Sem mamica 21 mese\u010dnega Reneja, izredno \u017eivahnega in vztrajnega fantka, ki kadar je le mo\u017eno najraje igra nogomet, kjerkoli in kadarkoli. Je zelo igriv, dru\u017eaben, nasmejan, v dobro voljo spravi \u0161e tako resne in \u017ealostne ljudi, s svojimi iskricami v o\u010deh pa prevzame vsakega, ki se v njih zagleda. Rene se je rodil s prirojeno deformacijo desne nogice, ki se ji re\u010de fibular hemimelia - pomanjkanje kosti fibule, ki dr\u017ei stopalo in koleno v pravilni poziciji. Za deformacijo sem izvedela \u017ee v nose\u010dnosti, saj so me zaradi izgube dveh otrok v predhodnih nose\u010dnostih redno spremljali v Ljubljani. Glede na slabe predhodne izku\u0161nje sem bila pripravljena na najbolj \u010drne scenarije, ki se pa k sre\u010di niso uresni\u010dili in je Rene druga\u010de popolnoma zdrav in brez drugih te\u017eav. Trenutno re\u0161ujemo razliko v vi\u0161ini s pomo\u010djo prilagojenih \u010devljev in ortoze, ki jo redno izdelujejo po meri v URI So\u010da v LJ, kar pa je nekje od novega leta vedno te\u017eje, saj se je noga zaradi ve\u010dje obremenitve precej ukrivila v stopalu in kolenu. Zdravnica pri\u010dakuje, da bo v kratkem hoja s tako nogo nemogo\u010da in da bo Rene pristal v invalidskem vozi\u010dku, ter svetuje \u010dim prej\u0161njo kirur\u0161ko obravnavo. Na Ortopedski kliniki v Ljubljani, kjer smo bili vodeni od rojstva, so predlagali amputacijo noge kot edino mo\u017eno re\u0161itev. Sama sem se aktivirala prek spleta in FB ter dobila kontakt zdravnika dr.Dror Paley-a iz ZDA, ki ima svojo kliniko na Floridi. S fibular hemimelio se ukvarja \u017ee 30 let in je uspe\u0161no operiral ve\u010d kot 200 takih otrok. Za\u010detek aprila smo ga tudi obiskali in obljubil nam je popolno okrevanje. Potrebne so 3 operacije, katere je priporo\u010dljivo opraviti pri starosti 2 let, ki znesejo skupaj z rehabilitacijo in operacijo za odstranitev fiksatorja 180.000. Obstaja mo\u017enost operacije v Milanu ter nadaljne obravnave na Floridi, kar bi nekoliko zni\u017ealo skupni znesek. Termin, ki nam ga je predlagal je 20.6.2014. Glede na to, da je dr.Paley v Italiji le 1 x letno, smo se odlo\u010dili, da poskusimo na vse mo\u017ene na\u010dine pridobiti potrebna sredstva in ujeti prilo\u017enost. Takoj sem oddala tudi vlogo na ZZZS, kjer pa je postopek precej dolgotrajen in po izku\u0161njah star\u0161ev s podobnimi te\u017eavami, najve\u010dkrat le delno odobren, \u010de sploh. Zato prosim vse, ki se jih je na\u0161a zgodba dotaknila in bi radi pomagali Reneju, da bo lahko \u0161e naprej hodil in igral nogomet, da prispevajo poljuben znesek na njegov TRR SI 56 2900 0003 2052 246 pri UniCredit Banka Slovenija d.d., Rene Muhamed Tali\u0107, Martinu\u010di 2, 5292 Ren\u010de. Swift: BACXSI22 (za nakazila iz tujine), kot namen pa navedete ZA OPERACIJO. Iz srca se zahvaljujem vsem, ki bodo pomaga\u010dli! Amela Tali\u0107 (040723408)","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"REDNI DELOVNI \u010cAS NA\u0160IH PRODAJALN <p\/> Z izjemnim veseljem vam sporo\u010damo, da bodo vrata na\u0161ih prodajaln od 1.6.2020 naprej, odprta po rednem delovnem \u010dasu. Na spodnjem popisu lahko pregledate delovni \u010das posameznih poslovalnic. <p\/> Delovni \u010das prodajalne v Kopru: od ponedeljka do petka: od 8:30 do 19:00 sobota: od 9:00 do 13:00 <p\/> Delovni \u010das prodajalne v Roga\u0161ki Slatini \u2013 Pegaz: od ponedeljka do petka: od 08:00 do 19:00 sobota: od 8:00 do 13:00 <p\/> Delovni \u010das prodajalne v Roga\u0161ki Slatini \u2013 Outlet: <p\/> od ponedeljka do petka: od 10:00 do 18:00 sobota: od 8:00 do 13:00 <p\/> Delovni \u010das prodajalne v Ljubljani: od ponedeljka do sobote: od 09:00 do 20:00 <p\/> Veselimo se, da smo vam ponovno na voljo po ustaljenem delovnem \u010dasu, ter da vam bomo ponovno lahko svetovali pri izbiri \u010dudovitih kristalnih izdelkov za va\u0161 dom ali pa prekrasno darilo.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"V nedeljo, 6. marca 2011, bo potekal koncert ansambla Bitenc. Koncert, s pri\u010detkom ob 18. uri , bo potekal v dvorani kulturnega doma Poljane. <p\/> Vstopnice bodo na voljo 2 uri pred koncertom na blagajni kulturnega doma Poljane. <p\/> Ve\u010d o ansamblu lahko preberete na: www.ansambelbitenc.si","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Dodatne informacije o izdelku ReConvales Tonicum DOG <p\/> Prehransko dopolnilo za pse z bogato energetsko sestavo in visoko koncentracijo pomembnih hranil ter lahko prebavljivimi snovi. \u017divalim spodbuja je\u0161\u010dnost, zagotavlja teko\u010dino in visokokakovostne beljakovine, vitamine in minerale v sledeh. <p\/> neje\u0161\u010dnost <p\/> prenizka telesna te\u017ea <p\/> okrevanje po operaciji <p\/> okrevanje po infekcijskih bolezni <p\/> te\u017eko grizenje hrane zaradi bole\u010din v ustni votlini (zobje, dlesni) <p\/> Psi do 15 kg: 1\/2 stekleni\u010dke na dan, <p\/> psi te\u017eji od 15 kg: 1 stekleni\u010dka na dan, lahko naenkrat ali v ve\u010d odmerkih, samostojno ali zame\u0161ano v hrano. <p\/> Tonik se lahko daje 1-6 dni, kot mese\u010dna kura ali trajno. <p\/> Sestava: <p\/> Mesni in \u017eivalski stranski proizvodi (ekstrakt govejega mesa 1,2 %, pi\u0161\u010dan\u010dja jetra 0,6 %), rastlinski stranski proizvodi, olja in ma\u0161\u010dobe, minerali.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Dva vikenda smo pre\u017eiveli v Belih vodah, kjer sva z Joulom splezala Direttisimo v Visoki polici (Cima delle Cenge), takrat je tudi padla ideja za skupno turo, ki sem se ji pridru\u017eila in v odli\u010dni dru\u017ebi treh navez splezala spet eno \u010dudovito smer - Severni raz Visoke Bele \u0161pice. <p\/> Klinov v sami smeri ni, razen na sti\u010di\u0161\u010dih z Neznano ter Hunikino smer. So pa dobre poke za frende. Zadnja zajeda je pa sladica:)... nato sledi \u0161e en la\u017eji rate\u017eaj, ter \u0161e en razte\u017eaj po SV razu. Na vrhu stene sva bila po 4h. <p\/> No tkole je blo ko je po prej\u0161nem vikendu v Belih vodah Joul razpisal skupno turu: Trije kerelci iz ferajna se odpravimo v petek popoldan proti Italiji. Da pa ne bi bila \u010disto mo\u0161ka odprava pa Pe\u010do povabi \u0161e Kajo iz \u010cAO. <p\/> Pridemo do izhodi\u0161\u010da, kjer je \u017ee parkiranih nekaj vozil in ugotavljamo da zna bit gu\u017eva na bivaku. Natovorimo si 25 kg ruzake, da nam bo \u017eivljenje na bivaku udobno in okrog 8h zagrizemo v hrib. Ker je bil na\u0161 moto: \" \u010ce mamo pa kej, mao pa cajt. \" in ker so se kolena \u0161ibila pod te\u017ekimi nahrbtniki hodimo po\u010dasi. Malo pred 11h prispemo do bivaka, kjer nas \u010daka 20 punc. \u017denski tabor Ra\u0161ice in 4 x AO akademski. Ja te\u017eko za verjet (21:3 = 7):) <p\/> Ob jutranji kavi prihitijo \u0161e preostali \u010dlani AO Litija, ki so se po ve\u010dini zapodili v Raz Velike bele \u0161pice. Z Joulom pa se odpraviva v Veliko Lojtrco, kjer se kratko\u010dasiva z glasnim prepevanjem znane Humarjeve priredbe Iz El Capitana \" Sli\u0161al sem tri pti\u010dke pet... \":) iz Lojtrce sestopiva na sedlo in poplezava \u0161e po razu na Krni\u0161ko Trbi\u0161ko \u0161pico. Od kjer sestopiva na zahodno stran do sedla. Od tu nadaljujeva turo skozi rov in po grebenu do Velike Bele \u0161pice. <p\/> Na bivaku z preostalim \u010dlani AO Litija spijemo enega mrzlega na Fitovih 40 let plezanja, nato pa se pri\u0161leki odpravijo v dolino. Ve\u010der smo pre\u017eiveli z dru\u017eenjem ob ognju in peki hrenovk ki nam jih je zve\u010der pritovoril Fotr. V nedeljo se zbudimo v mrzlo, vetrovno in megleno jutro. Kuhamo kavo za kavo in \u010dakamo, \u010de se bo vreme kaj izbolj\u0161alo, ker do 11h ni kazalo ni\u010d bolje se odpravimo v dolino in s tem zaklju\u010dimo skupno turo. <p\/> V\u010deraj sva z Markom Pu\u0161nikom splezala to omenjeno smer v trapezu Velikega Dra\u0161kega vha.. Vstopnina za smer je relativno doug dostop, ter sestop. Smer je zelo lepa, ena lep\u0161ih petic. Ima solidno skalo, dosti klinov. Nekateri razte\u017eaji so res lepi in zra\u010dni. Nekje v zadnji tretjini sva imela naravni tu\u0161, ki naju je \u010disto namo\u010dil, tko da nama ni bilo vro\u010de. V steni sva bila sama. Za smer sva porabila 5h. Vse sem splezau v vodstvu. Res odli\u010dno izkori\u0161\u010den dan v \u010dudoviti smeri.","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Teptanje ustave namesto prevzema odgovornosti <p\/> Informacijski poobla\u0161\u010denec je policijo zalotil pri nelegalnem pridobivanju podatkov o bralcih spletnih portalov. Namesto prevzema odgovornosti \u017eeli ministrstvo dejanja policije legalizirati. \u010ceprav so v nasprotju z ustavo. <p\/> \u010ce dobi nekdo opozorilo, da s svojimi dejanji kr\u0161i zakone, bo, \u010de je razumen, s temi dejanji prenehal. Policija oziroma ministrstvo za notranje zadeve pa vidita stvar nekoliko druga\u010de \u2013 namesto prenehanja izvajanja nezakonitih aktivnosti bi te uzakonila. Pa \u010deprav je ta uzakonitev v nasprotju z ustavo. <p\/> A pojdimo po vrsti. Na spletnem portalu podcrto.si smo januarja letos objavili poro\u010dilo Informacijskega poobla\u0161\u010denca, ki ugotavlja ponavljajo\u010de nezakonito ravnanje policije pri pridobivanju podatkov od upravljavcev spletnih portalov. Policija je namre\u010d informacije o identiteti bralcev in piscev komentarjev na spletnih portalih od upravljavcev portalov v veliki ve\u010dini primerov zahtevala brez sodne odredbe. Zakon o elektronskem poslovanju na trgu pa dolo\u010da, da lahko policija take podatke pridobi le s sodno odredbo. A policija je po ugotovitvah informacijskega poobla\u0161\u010denca v letu 2012 informacije o bralcih s sodno odredbo pridobila le \u0161tirikrat. V preostalih 31 primerih pa jih je zahtevala mimo sodi\u0161\u010d. <p\/> Precej medijev tem ugotovitvam ni namenjalo pozornosti. To je razumljivo \u2013 mediji, ki upravljajo s spletnimi portali, so namre\u010d v 23 primerih podatke o identiteti svojih bralcev policiji tudi posredovali, \u010deprav slednja zanje ni imela sodne odredbe. Tako so tudi sami sodelovali pri kr\u0161enju zakonov. <p\/> Bolj pa presene\u010da odziv policije in ministrstva za notranje zadeve, ki je policiji nadrejen organ. Namesto ugotavljanja odgovornosti in kaznovanja krivcev v policiji za ponavljajo\u010de se kr\u0161enje zakonov so se na ugotovitve informacijskega poobla\u0161\u010denca odzvali s kreativnim razlaganjem zakonodaje, ki da pa morda vendarle omogo\u010da pridobivanje informacij mimo sodi\u0161\u010d. Tako so na plano privlekli 149.b \u010dlen zakona o kazenskem postopku. Tretji odstavek omenjenega \u010dlena policiji daje mo\u017enost, da le z njeno pisno zahtevo od operaterjev zahteva podatke o lastniku ali uporabniku dolo\u010denega komunikacijskega sredstva za elektronski komunikacijski promet, ki niso objavljeni v naro\u010dni\u0161kih imenikih. Za pravno latov\u0161\u010dino se skriva preprost namen: zakonodajalec je \u017eelel policiji delo olaj\u0161ati v primerih, ko policija ima telefonsko \u0161tevilko osumljenca, ne more pa ugotoviti njegovega imena in priimka, ker \u0161tevilke ni v telefonskem imeniku. Policija oziroma MNZ pa sta si dolo\u010dbo kreativno razlagala: pod operaterje bi lahko \u0161teli tudi upravljavce spletnih portalov, zato morajo slednji podatke dati tudi brez sodne odredbe. <p\/> To re\u0161ilno bilko policije je na koncu po seriji dopisovanj med ministrstvi za pravosodje, za gospodarstvo, in za visoko \u0161olstvo, znanost in tehnologijo z namenom ugotoviti definicijo operaterja, zlomilo slednje. Povedalo je, da Zakon o elektronskih komunikacijah operaterja definira kot nekoga, ki skrbi za komunikacijsko omre\u017eje. Tega pa spletni portali seveda ne po\u010dnejo. MNZ je zdaj zmanjkalo izgovorov in tako je konec februarja Informacijskemu poobla\u0161\u010dencu priznal, da je policija v skoraj vseh primerih pridobivanja podatkov ravnala nezakonito. <p\/> A zgodba se tu ne kon\u010da. MNZ se je namre\u010d odlo\u010dil nezakonito po\u010detje policije uzakoniti. In sicer s spremembo zakona o kazenskem postopku (ZKP). Predlagana novela ZKP, ki je trenutno v medresorskem usklajevanju, bi tako v omenjeni tretji odstavek 149.b \u010dlena vklju\u010dila tudi ponudnike storitev. S tem bi morali po tolma\u010denju MNZ podatke policiji na le njeno pisno zahtevo posredovati tudi upravljavci spletnih portalov. Do zdaj nezakonita praksa bi torej postala zakonita. <p\/> A ta argumentacija ima eno te\u017eavo \u2013 Ustavo Republike Slovenije. Kot opozarja Informacijski poobla\u0161\u010denec, Ustava v 37. \u010dlenu zagotavlja tajnost pisem in drugih ob\u010dil, samo zakon pa lahko predpi\u0161e, da se na podlagi odlo\u010dbe sodi\u0161\u010da za dolo\u010den \u010das ne upo\u0161teva varstvo tajnosti pisem in drugih ob\u010dil in nedotakljivost \u010dlovekove zasebnosti, \u010de je to nujno za uvedbo, ali potek kazenskega postopka ali za varnost dr\u017eave. Nadalje je ustavno sodi\u0161\u010de v svoji odlo\u010dbi iz leta 1997 odlo\u010dilo, da ni zagotovljena le tajnost vsebine komunikacije, torej na primer vsebine pisma, temve\u010d tudi okoli\u0161\u010dine komunikacije, torej kdo je s kom komuniciral in kdaj. Tako so tudi podatki o tem, kdo je dostopal do nekega spletnega portala ali na njem pu\u0161\u010dal svoje komentarje, ustavno za\u0161\u010diteni komunikacijski podatki. Policija pa jih lahko zato pridobi le s sodno odredbo, ne glede na to, kak\u0161en zakon si napi\u0161e. Ustava je namre\u010d kot najvi\u0161ji pravni akt nad zakonom. In glede na izku\u0161nje z jugoslovanskimi tajnimi slu\u017ebami je razumljivo, zakaj je ustava tako stroga pri pridobivanju komunikacijskih podatkov. <p\/> Namere policije oziroma notranjega ministrstva pri spreminjanju zakona o kazenskem postopku so zato skrb vzbujajo\u010de. Ne toliko z vidika \u017eelje organov po la\u017ejem pridobivanju podatkov o bralcih spletnih portalov, ampak zaradi namena o\u010ditnega izigravanja ustavnih dolo\u010dil. Slednja so temelj pravne dr\u017eave, njihovo teptanje pa nas kot dru\u017ebo spravlja v veliko nevarnost. <p\/> Zato bi organi pregona morali, v kolikor si komunikacijske podatke \u017eelijo pridobivati mimo sodi\u0161\u010d, to \u017eeljo dose\u010di po pravni poti. Tako, da predlagajo spremembo Ustave. Ta pot je seveda neprimerno te\u017eja kot dopolnitev zakona \u2013 terja namre\u010d soglasje dveh tretjin poslancev dr\u017eavnega zbora. A je edina dopustna. In edina, ki bi spro\u017eila ustrezno javno razpravo o predlaganih spremembah. <p\/> \u010ce bi bil predlog spremembe ZKP kljub temu sprejet in bi policija nato komunikacijske podatke v nasprotju z ustavnimi dolo\u010dbami za\u010dela pridobivati mimo sodi\u0161\u010d, pa se bomo soo\u010dili \u0161e z eno te\u017eavo. Tako pridobljenih dokazov sodi\u0161\u010da ne bodo smela upo\u0161tevati, saj bodo pridobljeni nezakonito. Zaradi nezakonito pridobljenih dokazov pa so na primer bili opro\u0161\u010deni akterji v zadevi balkanski bojevnik. Policija na sodi\u0161\u010du ni znala pojasniti, kako je dobila telefonske \u0161tevilke obdol\u017eencev, katerim je nato prislu\u0161kovala. \u0160tevilke namre\u010d niso bile javno objavljene. V skladu z ustavo bi morala dokazati, da jih je dobila zakonito \u2013 bodisi s sodno odredbo od mobilnega operaterja bodisi na kak drug zakonit na\u010din, na primer od policijskih sodelavcev. Sodniki so nato odlo\u010dili tako, kot so po ustavi in zakonu dol\u017eni. Nezakonito pridobljene prisluhe so zavrgli in ve\u010dino obdol\u017eencev oprostili. Po takratnih besedah direktorja uprave kriminalisti\u010dne policije Jurija Fermeta je policijo sodba \"\u0161okirala\". No, zgodovina se zdaj ponavlja, novi \u0161oki pa nas, kot ka\u017ee, \u010dakajo \u017ee za naslednjim vogalom.","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"\u0160torklje v Frankovem naselju <p\/> \u0160kofja Loka - Pred pribli\u017eno dvema mesecema so krajani Frankovega naselja v \u0160kofji Loki opazili par \u0161torkelj, ki sta v skrbi za nara\u0161\u010daj za\u010dela graditi gnezdo. \"V na\u0161ih krajih vsako pomlad opazimo \u0161torklje na Sor\u0161kem polju. Ni jih veliko, vendar smo jih veseli, tokrat pa se je prvi\u010d zgodilo, da pri nas \u0161torklja dru\u017eina tudi gnezdi,\" nam je povedal Franc Cegnar, gospodar Lovske dru\u017eine Sori\u0161ko polje. Zanimivo in neobi\u010dajno dolgonogo pti\u010djo dru\u017eino za \u0161kofjelo\u0161ko obmo\u010dje lovci in tudi krajani z veseljem opazujejo, med drugim tudi skrb star\u0161ev, ki za svojega potomca vsak dan s Sor\u0161kega polja v kljunu prineseta nekaj hrane.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Kroni\u010dna bole\u010dina v zapestju <p\/> Kroni\u010dna bole\u010dina v zapestju se pojavi postopoma in navadno ni posledica akutne po\u0161kodbe. Najpogosteje so prizadete kite in kitne ovojnice zaradi ponavljajo\u010dih obremenitev. Med njimi so najpogostej\u0161a vnetja kit zapestja, natan\u010dneje vnetje kite iztegovalke palca palca (Mb. DeQuervain), ciste kitnih ovojnic ali sklepne ovojnice in burzitisi v predelu zapestja. <p\/> Pojavljajo se tudi okvare zapestnih ko\u0161\u010dic zaradi prekrvitvenih motenj, kroni\u010dne raztrganine vezi, nestabilnost zapestja in obrabne spremembe. Mo\u017eni vzrok bole\u010din so tudi tumorske spremembe. <p\/> Prepoznajte simptome <p\/> Najbolj splo\u0161ni simptom je kroni\u010dna bole\u010dina, ki je ve\u010dinoma vezana na gibanje oz. obremenitev. Ob nestabilnosti se bole\u010dina stopnjuje pri dolo\u010denih gibih v zapestju. <p\/> Alarm za obisk ortopeda <p\/> Kadar ob\u010dutite bole\u010dino v zapestju, ki traja ve\u010d tednov, je \u010das, da obi\u0161\u010dete ortopeda. <p\/> Pot do diagnoze <p\/> Klini\u010dni pregled s strani ortopeda orientacijsko opredeli naravo te\u017eav oz. prizadete strukture zapestja. Osnovna preiskava je RTG zapestja v razli\u010dnih projekcijah. Za natan\u010dno razjasnitev opravimo UZ ali MRI preiskavo zapestja. V primeru suma na nestabilnost z raztrganjem vezi zapestja dodatne podatke pridobimo s kontrastnim slikanje z MRI. <p\/> Metode zdravljenja <p\/> Pri vnetnem vzroku bole\u010din v zapestju je za kraj\u0161e obdobje priporo\u010dljiva imobilizacija. Fizikalna terapija najprej vklju\u010duje protivnetna obsevanja z visokoenergijskim laserjem (HIL), in super magnetoterapijo (SIS). Sledijo individualne vaje za razgibavanje in raztezanje kit. <p\/> Pri za\u010detnih degenerativnih procesih pridejo v po\u0161tev tudi minimalno invazivni artroskopski operativni posegi. <p\/> V primeru nestabilnosti, okvare zapestnih kosti zaradi prekrvitvenih motenj ali drugih kompleksnej\u0161ih stanj po po\u0161kodbah, pridejo v po\u0161tev zahtevnej\u0161i kirur\u0161ki posegi.","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Predstavitev knjige je bila v Ljubljani v remizi \u017delezni\u0161kega muzeja. Ob\u010dudovali smo knjigo in stare muzejske lokomotive! <p\/> Uvod je pripravil ravnatelj muzeja Mladen Bogi\u0107. <p\/> Predstavitve knjige se je udele\u017eila Stanka Golob (na sredi s kapo), avtorica naslovne slike knjige. Slika je narejena iz peska. Poleg te, so v knjigi objavljene \u0161e tri njene slike. <p\/> Slike s predstavitve v Tolminu, 20.01.2011 Knji\u017enica Tolmin <p\/> Avtorja in knjigo je predstavil Peter Pavleti\u010d, bibliotekar iz knji\u017enice Cirila Kosma\u010da Tolmin (levo). Uvod h knjigi in podrobnej\u0161e informacije o \u017eelezni\u0161ki progi skozi Ba\u0161ko grapo je predstavil ravnatelj \u017delezni\u0161kega muzeja iz Ljubljane Mladen Bogi\u0107 (v sredini). <p\/> Predstavitev je bila odli\u010dno obiskana. Avtor je imel intervju za lokalno televizijo, ki je o prireditvi pripravila tudi reporta\u017eo. Ta dan je avtor sodeloval \u0161e v pripravi oddaje na Radiu Koper, kjer je predstavil knjigo in Ju\u017eno \u017eeleznico ter progo skozi Ba\u0161ko grapo. <p\/> Avtor Marko Ko\u0161ir (desno) med zanimivo predstavitvijo svoje knjige. <p\/> V knjigi so objavljene slike iz peska umetnice Stanke Golob. Bila je z nami na prireditvi in v zahvalo ter v spomin je predala svojo posebej narejeno sliko iz peska \u017delezni\u0161kemu muzeju iz Ljubljane. Na fotografiji jo predaja ravnatelju Mladenu Bogi\u0107u.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Pravilnik o standardih in normativih za financiranje in izvajanje javne slu\u017ebe na podro\u010dju izobra\u017eevanja odraslih <p\/> Pravilnik o standardih in normativih za financiranje in izvajanje javne slu\u017ebe na podro\u010dju izobra\u017eevanja odraslih : Uradni list RS, \u0161t. 180\/20 Pravilnik o standardih in normativih za financiranje in izvajanje javne slu\u017ebe na podro\u010dju izobra\u017eevanja odraslih (Uradni list RS, \u0161t. 180\/20) Pravilnik o standardih in normativih za financiranje in izvajanje javne slu\u017ebe na podro\u010dju izobra\u017eevanja odraslih (Uradni list RS, \u0161t. 180\/20) <p\/> Naslov ang. \"Rules on norms and standards for funding and provision of public service in adult education\" <p\/> Na podlagi 10., 25., 47., 55. in 58. \u010dlena Zakona o izobra\u017eevanju odraslih (Uradni list RS, \u0161t. 6\/18) ministrica za izobra\u017eevanje, znanost in \u0161port izdaja <p\/> I. SPLO\u0160NA DOLO\u010cBA <p\/> 1. \u010dlen <p\/> (vsebina pravilnika) <p\/> S tem pravilnikom se dolo\u010da: <p\/> - metodologija za dolo\u010ditev vrednosti javnoveljavnega izobra\u017eevalnega programa osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle (v nadaljnjem besedilu: program osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle), <p\/> - metodologija za dolo\u010ditev vrednosti svetovalne dejavnosti v izobra\u017eevanju odraslih (v nadaljnjem besedilu: svetovalna dejavnost), <p\/> - obseg javne slu\u017ebe na podro\u010dju izobra\u017eevanja odraslih (v nadaljnjem besedilu: javna slu\u017eba) in <p\/> - standardi prostorov in opreme za izvajanje javne slu\u017ebe. <p\/> 2. \u010dlen <p\/> (pomen izrazov) <p\/> Izrazi, uporabljeni v tem pravilniku, imajo naslednji pomen: <p\/> 1. Semester je del \u0161olskega leta, ki traja 6 mesecev. <p\/> 2. Standardni oddelek je oddelek, oblikovan iz udele\u017eencev enega razreda. <p\/> 3. Kombinirani oddelek je oddelek, oblikovan iz udele\u017eencev zaporednih razredov, \u010de to ni mogo\u010de, pa iz udele\u017eencev razredov, med katerima je najve\u010d en razred. <p\/> 4. Izvajalec javne slu\u017ebe je javna organizacija za izobra\u017eevanje odraslih (v nadaljnjem besedilu: izvajalec). <p\/> 5. Neposredno svetovalno delo je del svetovalne dejavnosti, ki jo opravi strokovni delavec neposredno z udele\u017eencem. <p\/> II. VREDNOST PROGRAMA OSNOVNE \u0160OLE ZA ODRASLE <p\/> 3. \u010dlen <p\/> (elementi za dolo\u010ditev vrednosti) <p\/> (1) Vrednost programa osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle je se\u0161tevek stro\u0161kov dela in izdatkov za blago in storitve, potrebnih za izvedbo programa osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle, upo\u0161tevajo\u010d obseg izobra\u017eevalnega programa. Za izvajalca, katerega ustanoviteljica je dr\u017eava, se v vrednost programa \u0161teje tudi materialne stro\u0161ke za obratovanje za izvajanje programa osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle. <p\/> (2) Stro\u0161ki dela vklju\u010dujejo pla\u010de, prispevke delodajalca, stro\u0161ke iz dela in druge prejemke delavcev, dolo\u010dene v 4. in 5. \u010dlenu tega pravilnika. <p\/> (3) Izdatki za blago in storitve vklju\u010dujejo stro\u0161ke, vezane na izvedbo programa, kot na primer u\u010dila in u\u010dni pripomo\u010dki kot drobni inventar, strokovna literatura, potro\u0161ni material za pripravo in izvedbo pouka, telekomunikacijske povezave (telefon, internet), material za tiskanje (papir), nadomestila delavcem (npr. dnevnice), \u010distila, stro\u0161ki pla\u010dilnega prometa, usposabljanje in izobra\u017eevanje strokovnih delavcev. <p\/> (4) Materialni stro\u0161ki za obratovanje vklju\u010dujejo stro\u0161ke ogrevanja, vode, elektrike, odvoza odpadkov, vzdr\u017eevanja ra\u010dunalni\u0161ke opreme in podobno. <p\/> 4. \u010dlen <p\/> (stro\u0161ek dela) <p\/> (1) Za dolo\u010ditev stro\u0161ka dela u\u010diteljev, ki izvajajo program osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle, se kot obra\u010dunski element uporabi 39. pla\u010dni razred: <p\/> - za standardni oddelek z obveznostjo izvajanja 450 ur neposrednega organiziranega izobra\u017eevalnega dela, kar vklju\u010duje tudi ure dopolnilnega in dodatnega pouka, v okviru polnega delovnega \u010dasa v semestru, <p\/> - za standardni oddelek na narodno me\u0161anem obmo\u010dju Slovenske Istre z obveznostjo izvajanja 486 ur neposrednega organiziranega izobra\u017eevalnega dela, kar vklju\u010duje tudi ure dopolnilnega in dodatnega pouka, v okviru polnega delovnega \u010dasa v semestru, <p\/> - za standardni oddelek na narodno me\u0161anem obmo\u010dju Prekmurja z obveznostjo izvajanja 522 ur neposrednega organiziranega izobra\u017eevalnega dela, kar vklju\u010duje tudi ure dopolnilnega in dodatnega pouka, v okviru polnega delovnega \u010dasa v semestru. <p\/> (2) Za dolo\u010ditev stro\u0161ka dela organizatorjev izobra\u017eevanja odraslih, ki organizirajo program osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle, se kot obra\u010dunski element uporabi 39. pla\u010dni razred: <p\/> - za standardni oddelek z obveznostjo 20 odstotkov delovnega \u010dasa od polnega delovnega \u010dasa v \u0161estih mesecih, <p\/> - za standardni oddelek na narodno me\u0161anem obmo\u010dju Slovenske Istre z obveznostjo 20 odstotkov delovnega \u010dasa od polnega delovnega \u010dasa v \u0161estih mesecih, <p\/> - za standardni oddelek na narodno me\u0161anem obmo\u010dju Prekmurja z obveznostjo 20 odstotkov delovnega \u010dasa od polnega delovnega \u010dasa v \u0161estih mesecih. <p\/> (3) Stro\u0161ek dela na ostalih delovnih mestih, potrebnih za izvajanje programa osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle, se vrednoti v vi\u0161ini 25 odstotkov vrednosti stro\u0161ka dela u\u010diteljev, kar vklju\u010duje poslovodenje, administracijo, ra\u010dunovodstvo, tehni\u010dno delo in dodatno delo zaradi specifi\u010dnih potreb ciljnih skupin. <p\/> (4) Obra\u010dunski element iz prvega in drugega odstavka tega \u010dlena se s sklepom ministra uskladi s povpre\u010dnim pla\u010dnim razredom u\u010diteljev v osnovni \u0161oli po vsakih treh letih izvajanja programa osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle, \u010de je povpre\u010dje pla\u010dnih razredov vi\u0161je od 39. pla\u010dnega razreda. <p\/> 5. \u010dlen <p\/> (izdatki za blago in storitve) <p\/> Izdatki za blago in storitve za izvedbo programa osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle se vrednotijo v vi\u0161ini 15 odstotkov vrednosti stro\u0161ka dela u\u010diteljev iz prvega odstavka prej\u0161njega \u010dlena. <p\/> 6. \u010dlen <p\/> (materialni stro\u0161ki za obratovanje) <p\/> Materialni stro\u0161ki za obratovanje za izvedbo programa osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle se vrednotijo v vi\u0161ini 50 odstotkov vrednosti stro\u0161ka dela u\u010ditelja iz prvega odstavka 4. \u010dlena tega pravilnika. <p\/> 7. \u010dlen <p\/> (vrednost oddelkov v programu osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle) <p\/> (1) Vrednost posameznega standardnega oddelka v programu osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle na semester se izra\u010duna tako, da se za: <p\/> 1. stro\u0161ek dela u\u010diteljev upo\u0161teva 5 mesecev, <p\/> 2. stro\u0161ek dela organizatorjev izobra\u017eevanja odraslih upo\u0161teva 6 mesecev, <p\/> 3. stro\u0161ek dela na ostalih delovnih mestih, potrebnih za izvajanje programa osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle, upo\u0161teva 6 mesecev, <p\/> 4. izdatke za blago in storitve za izvedbo programa osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle upo\u0161teva 6 mesecev in <p\/> 5. materialne stro\u0161ke za obratovanje za izvedbo programa osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle iz \u010detrtega odstavka 3. \u010dlena tega pravilnika upo\u0161teva 6 mesecev. <p\/> (2) Vrednost kombiniranega oddelka v programu osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle na semester se izra\u010duna tako, da se vrednost standardnega oddelka iz prej\u0161njega odstavka tega \u010dlena pove\u010da za 10 odstotkov. <p\/> (3) Vrednost standardnega ali kombiniranega oddelka v programu osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle se zni\u017ea za polovico v primeru, \u010de je oddelek oblikovan na podlagi tretjega odstavka 8. \u010dlena tega pravilnika. <p\/> 8. \u010dlen <p\/> (oblikovanje oddelkov) <p\/> (1) Normativ za oblikovanje standardnega oddelka v programu osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle je najmanj 10 in najve\u010d \u0161estnajst vpisanih udele\u017eencev. <p\/> (2) Normativ za oblikovanje kombiniranega oddelka v programu osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle je najmanj 6 in najve\u010d 10 udele\u017eencev. <p\/> (3) Ne glede na prvi in drugi odstavek tega \u010dlena se normativ za oblikovanje standardnega ali kombiniranega oddelka v programu osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle v soglasju z ministrstvom iz utemeljenih razlogov lahko zni\u017ea na najmanj 4 vpisane udele\u017eence. <p\/> (4) \u0160tevilo udele\u017eencev, dolo\u010deno za oblikovanje oddelkov iz prvega odstavka tega \u010dlena, je lahko v soglasju z ministrstvom ve\u010dje za 2 udele\u017eenca. <p\/> (5) \u0160tevilo udele\u017eencev, dolo\u010deno za oblikovanje oddelkov iz drugega odstavka tega \u010dlena, je lahko v soglasju z ministrstvom ve\u010dje za 1 udele\u017eenca. <p\/> III. VREDNOST SVETOVALNE DEJAVNOSTI <p\/> 9. \u010dlen <p\/> (elementi za dolo\u010ditev vrednosti) <p\/> (1) Vrednost svetovalne dejavnosti je se\u0161tevek stro\u0161kov dela in izdatkov za blago in storitve, potrebnih za izvedbo svetovalne dejavnosti. <p\/> (2) Stro\u0161ki dela vklju\u010dujejo pla\u010de, prispevke delodajalca, stro\u0161ke iz dela in druge prejemke delavcev, dolo\u010dene v 10. in 11. \u010dlenu tega pravilnika. <p\/> (3) Izdatki za blago in storitve vklju\u010dujejo stro\u0161ke, vezane na izvedbo svetovalne dejavnosti, kot na primer u\u010dila in u\u010dni pripomo\u010dki kot drobni inventar, strokovna literatura, potro\u0161ni material za pripravo in izvedbo svetovalne dejavnosti, telekomunikacijske povezave (telefon, internet), material za tiskanje (papir), nadomestila delavcem (npr. dnevnice), \u010distila, stro\u0161ki pla\u010dilnega prometa, usposabljanje in izobra\u017eevanje delavcev. <p\/> 10. \u010dlen <p\/> (stro\u0161ek dela) <p\/> (1) Za dolo\u010ditev stro\u0161ka dela strokovnega delavca, ki izvaja svetovalno dejavnost, se kot obra\u010dunski element uporabi 39. pla\u010dni razred, pri \u010demer je obveznost izvajanja najmanj 50 odstotkov neposrednega svetovalnega dela v okviru polnega delovnega \u010dasa na letni ravni. <p\/> (2) Stro\u0161ek dela delavcev na ostalih delovnih mestih, ki opravljajo druga dela, potrebna za izvajanje svetovalne dejavnosti, se vrednoti v vi\u0161ini 25 odstotkov vrednosti stro\u0161ka dela strokovnih delavcev, kar vklju\u010duje: poslovodenje, administracijo, ra\u010dunovodstvo, tehni\u010dno delo in dodatno delo zaradi specifi\u010dnih potreb ciljnih skupin. <p\/> (3) Obra\u010dunski element iz prvega odstavka tega \u010dlena se s sklepom ministra uskladi s povpre\u010dnim pla\u010dnim razredom strokovnih delavcev v javni slu\u017ebi po vsakih treh letih izvajanja svetovalne dejavnosti, \u010de je povpre\u010dje pla\u010dnih razredov vi\u0161je od 39. pla\u010dnega razreda. <p\/> 11. \u010dlen <p\/> (izdatki za blago in storitve) <p\/> Izdatki za blago in storitve za izvedbo svetovalne dejavnosti se vrednotijo v vi\u0161ini 20 odstotkov od vrednosti stro\u0161ka dela strokovnega delavca iz prvega odstavka prej\u0161njega \u010dlena. <p\/> 12. \u010dlen <p\/> (vrednost svetovalne dejavnosti) <p\/> Vrednost svetovalne dejavnosti na letni ravni se izra\u010duna tako, da se upo\u0161teva 12 mesecev za: <p\/> - stro\u0161ek dela strokovnega delavca, <p\/> - stro\u0161ek dela delavcev na ostalih delovnih mestih, ki opravljajo druga dela, potrebna za izvajanje svetovalne dejavnosti, <p\/> - izdatke za blago in storitve za izvedbo svetovalne dejavnosti. <p\/> IV. TRAJANJE URE POUKA <p\/> 13. \u010dlen <p\/> (trajanje ure pouka) <p\/> Ura pouka v programu osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle traja 45 minut. <p\/> V. OBSEG DEJAVNOSTI JAVNE SLU\u017dBE <p\/> 14. \u010dlen <p\/> (osnovna \u0161ola za odrasle) <p\/> Obseg dejavnosti javne slu\u017ebe za izvajalca programa osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle v enem semestru se dolo\u010di glede na \u0161tevilo standardnih in kombiniranih oddelkov, oblikovanih v skladu s tem pravilnikom. <p\/> 15. \u010dlen <p\/> (svetovalna dejavnost) <p\/> (1) Obseg dejavnosti javne slu\u017ebe za izvajalca svetovalne dejavnosti v koledarskem letu se dolo\u010di s \u0161tevilom strokovnih delavcev, ki izvajajo svetovalno dejavnost. Izra\u010duna se tako, da se se\u0161teje vrednosti, dolo\u010dene po naslednjih merilih: <p\/> 1. \u0160tevilo prebivalcev na dolo\u010denem obmo\u010dju upravnih enot: na obmo\u010dju ene ali ve\u010d upravnih enot, ki jih pokriva izvajalec (v nadaljnjem besedilu: obmo\u010dje), se na vsakih 18.000 prebivalcev, starih 15 let in ve\u010d, dolo\u010di en strokovni delavec. <p\/> 2. Zna\u010dilnosti poselitve: na obmo\u010dju, na katerem je gostota prebivalstva ni\u017eja od republi\u0161kega povpre\u010dja, se po razredih dolo\u010di: <p\/> - \u010de je gostota prebivalstva ni\u017eja od 30 odstotkov republi\u0161kega povpre\u010dja, 0,3 strokovnega delavca, <p\/> - \u010de je gostota prebivalstva ni\u017eja od 60 odstotkov republi\u0161kega povpre\u010dja, 0,2 strokovnega delavca in <p\/> - \u010de je gostota prebivalstva ni\u017eja od 70 odstotkov republi\u0161kega povpre\u010dja, 0,1 strokovnega delavca. <p\/> 3. Izobrazbena sestava prebivalstva: na obmo\u010dju, na katerem je dele\u017e prebivalcev, starih 15 let in ve\u010d, z dokon\u010dano manj kot \u0161tiriletno srednjo \u0161olo, ni\u017eji od republi\u0161kega povpre\u010dja, se po razredih dolo\u010di: <p\/> - \u010de je dele\u017e prebivalcev, starih 15 let in ve\u010d, z dokon\u010dano manj kot \u0161tiriletno srednjo \u0161olo, vi\u0161ji od 100 odstotkov republi\u0161kega povpre\u010dja, 0,3 strokovnega delavca, <p\/> - \u010de je dele\u017e prebivalcev, starih 15 let in ve\u010d, z dokon\u010dano manj kot \u0161tiriletno srednjo \u0161olo, vi\u0161ji od 107 odstotkov republi\u0161kega povpre\u010dja, 0,4 strokovnega delavca in <p\/> - \u010de je dele\u017e prebivalcev, starih 15 let in ve\u010d, z dokon\u010dano manj kot \u0161tiriletno srednjo \u0161olo, vi\u0161ji od 110 odstotkov republi\u0161kega povpre\u010dja, 0,5 strokovnega delavca. <p\/> 4. Razvojne posebnosti obmo\u010dja: na obmo\u010dju, na katerem je bruto pla\u010da na zaposlenega ni\u017eja od republi\u0161kega povpre\u010dja, se po razredih dolo\u010di: <p\/> - \u010de je bruto pla\u010da na zaposlenega ni\u017eja od 90 odstotkov republi\u0161kega povpre\u010dja, 0,4 strokovnega delavca, <p\/> - \u010de je bruto pla\u010da na zaposlenega ni\u017eja od 95 odstotkov republi\u0161kega povpre\u010dja, 0,3 strokovnega delavca in <p\/> - \u010de je bruto pla\u010da na zaposlenega ni\u017eja od 99 odstotkov republi\u0161kega povpre\u010dja, 0,2 strokovnega delavca. <p\/> 5. Prisotnost narodnih in etni\u010dnih skupin: na obmo\u010dju, na katerem so prisotne narodne in etni\u010dne skupine, se dolo\u010di 0,2 strokovnega delavca za prisotnost posamezne navedene skupine. <p\/> (2) Ne glede na dolo\u010dbo iz prej\u0161njega odstavka se pri dolo\u010ditvi obsega javne slu\u017ebe: <p\/> - na vsakem obmo\u010dju dolo\u010di obseg dela za najmanj enega strokovnega delavca, <p\/> - na obmo\u010dju upravnih enot Ljubljana, Logatec, Vrhnika, Dom\u017eale, Grosuplje, Kamnik in Litija se dolo\u010di skupaj obseg dela za najve\u010d 10 strokovnih delavcev, <p\/> - na obmo\u010dju upravnih enot Maribor, Pesnica, Ru\u0161e in Lenart se dolo\u010di skupaj obseg dela za najve\u010d 6 strokovnih delavcev. <p\/> (3) Izra\u010dun \u0161tevila strokovnih delavcev za izvajalce svetovalne dejavnosti v koledarskem letu na osnovi meril iz prvega odstavka tega \u010dlena je priloga sklepa iz 20. \u010dlena tega pravilnika. Izra\u010dun se na osnovi statisti\u010dnih podatkov a\u017eurira po vsakih treh letih izvajanja svetovalne dejavnosti. <p\/> VI. MINIMALNI STANDARDI PROSTOROV IN OPREME ZA IZVAJANJE JAVNE SLU\u017dBE <p\/> 16. \u010dlen <p\/> (minimalni standardi) <p\/> (1) Izvajalec mora imeti najmanj: <p\/> 1. en prostor za svetovalno dejavnost pri samostojnem u\u010denju, <p\/> 2. en prostor za individualno svetovalno dejavnost, <p\/> 3. en prostor za delo vodje izobra\u017eevalnega podro\u010dja oziroma organizatorja izobra\u017eevanja odraslih, <p\/> 4. en prostor za pripravo strokovnih delavcev, ki izvajajo svetovalno dejavnost in pripravo u\u010diteljev, <p\/> 5. prostore za vodstvo, administracijo in ra\u010dunovodstvo, \u010de ra\u010dunovodske posle opravlja izvajalec sam in <p\/> 6. lo\u010dene sanitarije za udele\u017eence in za strokovne delavce. <p\/> (2) Vsi prostori, v katerih se izvaja javna slu\u017eba, se lahko uporabljajo tudi za druge skupne namene. <p\/> (3) Vsi prostori, v katerih se izvaja javna slu\u017eba, morajo imeti naravno osvetlitev. <p\/> (4) Prostori morajo biti ogrevani, opremljeni z elektri\u010dnimi instalacijami v skladu z veljavnimi predpisi in imeti uporabno dovoljenje. <p\/> 17. \u010dlen <p\/> (materialni pogoji za izvajanje programa osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle) <p\/> (1) Za izvajanje programa osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle mora izvajalec imeti najmanj dve u\u010dilnici. <p\/> (2) Prostori, v katerih se izvaja program osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle, morajo biti tako veliki, da ima udele\u017eenec ali strokovni delavec na razpolaga vsaj 2,5 m2 povr\u0161ine. <p\/> (3) V prostorih iz prej\u0161njega odstavka morajo biti na razpolago najmanj: <p\/> - mize, stoli, omare oziroma police in <p\/> - interaktivna tabla. <p\/> 18. \u010dlen <p\/> (materialni pogoji za izvajanje svetovalne dejavnosti pri samostojnem u\u010denju) <p\/> (1) V prostoru za svetovalno dejavnost pri samostojnem u\u010denju morajo biti na razpolago najmanj tri u\u010dna mesta. Za vsako u\u010dno mesto mora biti zagotovljenih najmanj 5 m2 povr\u0161ine. <p\/> (2) V prostoru iz prej\u0161njega odstavka morajo biti na razpolago najmanj: <p\/> - mize, stoli, omare oziroma police, <p\/> - u\u010dna gradiva, dostop do spletnih virov in spletnih gradiv ter programov za samostojno u\u010denje, priro\u010dniki, u\u010dbeniki, slovarji, atlasi, drobni inventar in podobno, <p\/> - multimedijski ra\u010dunalnik s potrebno programsko in strojno opremo ter z mo\u017enostjo priklju\u010ditve na internet ter tiskalnik. <p\/> 19. \u010dlen <p\/> (materialni pogoji za izvajanje individualne svetovalne dejavnosti) <p\/> (1) V prostoru za individualno svetovalno dejavnost mora biti zagotovljenih najmanj 10 m2 povr\u0161ine. <p\/> (2) V prostoru za individualno svetovalno dejavnost mora biti na razpolago najmanj: <p\/> - miza, stoli, omare oziroma police, <p\/> - svetovalni pripomo\u010dki, povezani s strokovnim delom svetovalnega delavca, kot so vpra\u0161alniki, opomniki, protokoli, e-orodja, zbirna mapa u\u010dnih izidov, baze podatkov, strokovna literatura, <p\/> - multimedijski ra\u010dunalnik s potrebno programsko in strojno opremo in z mo\u017enostjo priklju\u010ditve na internet, <p\/> - telefon oziroma mobilni telefon. <p\/> (3) Za terensko delo mora biti na razpolago prenosni ra\u010dunalnik z internetom in mobilni telefon. <p\/> VII. FINANCIRANJE JAVNE SLU\u017dBE <p\/> 20. \u010dlen <p\/> (sklep) <p\/> (1) Izvajalci sporo\u010dijo ministrstvu podatke o vrsti in \u0161tevilu oddelkov ter \u0161tevilo udele\u017eencev v programu osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle do 5. oktobra za prvi semester teko\u010dega \u0161olskega leta ter do 5. februarja za drugi semester. <p\/> (2) Izvajalci sporo\u010dijo ministrstvu podatke o \u0161tevilu zaposlenih v svetovalni dejavnosti do 30. novembra za teko\u010de koledarsko leto. <p\/> (3) Minister dolo\u010di izvajalcem obseg dejavnosti javne slu\u017ebe in vi\u0161ino sredstev s sklepom, ki ga izda: <p\/> - za program osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle do 25. oktobra za prvi semester in do 30. aprila za drugi semester in <p\/> - za svetovalno dejavnost do 15. decembra za naslednje prora\u010dunsko leto. <p\/> VIII. PREHODNE IN KON\u010cNE DOLO\u010cBE <p\/> 21. \u010dlen <p\/> (prehodna dolo\u010dba) <p\/> (1) Izvajalec, \u010digar prostori ob uveljavitvi tega pravilnika ne izpolnjujejo standardov prostorov in opreme za izvajanje javne slu\u017ebe iz VI. poglavja tega pravilnika, mora zagotoviti ustrezne prostore in opremo do 1. januarja 2022. <p\/> (2) Uskladitev pla\u010dnega razreda za u\u010ditelja, ki izvaja program osnovne \u0161ole za odrasle in strokovnega delavca, ki izvaja svetovalno dejavnost, se s sklepom ministra prvi\u010d izvede po treh letih od za\u010detka veljavnosti tega pravilnika. <p\/> (3) Priloga k sklepu iz 20. \u010dlena tega pravilnika se s sklepom ministra prvi\u010d uskladi po treh letih od za\u010detka veljavnosti tega pravilnika. <p\/> 22. \u010dlen <p\/> (prenehanje uporabe in veljavnosti) <p\/> (1) Z uveljavitvijo tega pravilnika se prenehata uporabljati: <p\/> - Odredba o standardih in normativih v izobra\u017eevanju odraslih (Uradni list RS, \u0161t. 43\/00 in 6\/18 \u2013 ZIO-1), <p\/> - Odredba o strokovni izobrazbi strokovnih delavcev in o minimalnih standardih prostorov in opreme v izobra\u017eevanju odraslih (Uradni list RS, \u0161t. 82\/98 in 6\/18 \u2013 ZIO-1). <p\/> (2) Z uveljavitvijo tega pravilnika preneha veljati 29. \u010dlen Pravilnika o normativih in standardih za izvajanje programa osnovne \u0161ole (Uradni list RS, \u0161t. 57\/07, 65\/08, 99\/10, 51\/14, 64\/15, 47\/17 in 54\/19). <p\/> Ta pravilnik za\u010dne veljati 1. januarja 2021.","labels":"Legal","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Projekt kontejnerska kompresorska postaja <p\/> Predstavljamo vam za\u010detek projekta dveh kontejnerskih postaj, ki jih bomo izdelali za na\u0161ega kupca. <p\/> Na\u0161e stranka od nas vedno znova zahtevajo razli\u010dne re\u0161itve, zato je vsak projekt za na\u0161o ekipo nekaj posebnega. Vsaka stranka glede na potrebe, zahteve in bran\u017eo zahteva specifi\u010dno obravnavo. Projekte zato obravnavamo individualno in kupcu podamo najoptimalnej\u0161o re\u0161itev. <p\/> Tokrat bomo za naro\u010dnika, ki se ukvarja s predelavo odpadkov in potrebuje kvalitetno in zanesljivo preskrbo s komprimiranim zrakom uredili 2 kontejnerski postaji, vsaka dol\u017eine 12 metrov. Obe kompresorski postaji sestojita iz enega fiksnega in enega variabilnega vija\u010dnega kompresorja skupnih mo\u010di 220 kW. V kompresorski postaji bosta name\u0161\u010deni dve vertikalni 2000 l tla\u010dni posodi, hladilni\u0161ki su\u0161ilnik zraka RDP 2600 OMEGA AIR, filtracija OMEGA AIR ter adsorpcijski su\u0161ilnik zraka F-DRY 2500 OMEGA AIR s to\u010dko rosi\u0161\u010da -40 C. Kontejnerska kompresorska postaja bo urejena na klju\u010d torej s kompletnim prezra\u010devanjem, hlajenjem, ogrevanjem ter regulacijo za nadzor stisnjenega zraka. <p\/> Ve\u010d o za\u010detku projekta si oglejte v prilo\u017eenih slikah.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Projekt INNOVAge in zavod Oreli <p\/> Zavod Oreli se je odzval povabilu Razvojnega c entra Srca Slovenije, ki je v okviru projekta INNOVAge imelo nalogo, da na \u0161tudijski obisk v Helsinke na Finskem, pripelje zunanje strokovnjake na podro\u010dju oskrbe starostnikov, teleoskrbe, e-zdravja, eko-inovacij v stanovanjih in hi\u0161ah, prilagojenih starostnikom. V tem projektu sodeluje 13 evropskih partnerjev, med njimi Razvojni center Srca Slovenije kot edini slovenski partner. <p\/> Glavni cilj projekta INNOVage je prenos dobrih praks v Evropi na podro\u010dju aktivnega staranja in samostojnega bivanja starej\u0161ih na svojem domu s podporo pametne IKT (informacijsko-komunikacijske tehnologije). <p\/> Tako smo si od 10. do 12. junija 2013 ogledali aktivnosti in trenutno stanje na Finskem. Pripravili smo predstavitev na\u0161ega inovativnega modela pomo\u010di starej\u0161im na njihovih domovih, ki smo ga razvili v Kamniku. Po uspe\u0161ni predstavitvi in po organizaciji dogodkov za mre\u017eenje ter povezovanje partnerjev in zunanjih strokovnjakov partnerjev, smo opravili ve\u010d sestankov. Dobili smo potrditev, da je slovenski - kamni\u0161ki projekt inovativen, kvaliteten, zrasel iz potreb na terenu, podkrepljen s strokovnim znanjem in interesanten tudi za implementacijo v druga okolja. <p\/> Zanimivo se nam je zdelo, da ogromno strokovnjakov razvija IKT na zelo visoko raven, premalo ali skoraj ni\u010d pa nismo sli\u0161ali na temo podpornih sistemov, ki bi omogo\u010dali konkretno uporabo IKT v praksi. V Zavodu Oreli se zavedamo, da je potrebno imeti ne le orodje, temve\u010d predvsem znanje in infrastrukturo za uporabo kvalitetno razvitega orodja.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Iz muhe slona <p\/> \u010ce pesem doma\u010do zapojem naglas, zate derem se kot sraka. Po hi\u0161i stopicam na rahlo ves \u010das, ti jezi\u0161 se \"Kdo koraka?\". <p\/> \u010ce pridem minuto \u010dez polno\u010d domov, dva dni sama si bila. \u010ce ga le kozar\u010dek spijem, ne mara\u0161 me pijanega. <p\/> \u010ce deklico mlado pogledam v noge, se dr\u017ei\u0161, kot da te varam. \u010ce hitro zaspim brez, da bo\u017eal bi te, pravi\u0161 mi, da te ne maram. <p\/> Ko vdahnem globoko pred spanjem zve\u010der, kar naprej grdo smr\u010dim. \u010ce pozorno te poslu\u0161am, se zdi ti, da samo mol\u010dim. <p\/> Hej, deklica, jaz ljubim te, ti pa iz muhe dela\u0161 slona, zaljubljeno nasmiham se, ti pa dr\u017ei\u0161 se kot limona. <p\/> Ve\u0161, deklica, jaz ljubim te. Vesel sem, ker sva midva par. Iz muhe kmalu bom napravil slona, ko te bom peljal pred oltar.","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Saj nisi pozabil?!? \u0160e vedno je v teku nate\u010daj skupnosti u\u010dencev \u0161ole za najbolj\u0161o pesem na temo \"DOLG\u010cAS\". <p\/> INFORMACIJE IN NAVODILA <p\/> *Na nate\u010daju lahko sodeluje vsak u\u010denec in u\u010denka od 1. do 9. razreda. *Pesem na temo \"DOLG\u010cAS\" je lahko napisana v svobodni pesni\u0161ki obliki ali v eni od znanih oblik (npr. sonet, balada, haiku ...). *Kot pravo\u010dasno prispeli bodo upo\u0161tevani vsi izdelki, posredovani na elektronski naslov Ta e-po\u0161tni naslov je za\u0161\u010diten proti smetenju. Potrebujete Javascript za pogled. do 30. marca 2020. *Izdelki bodo poslani na nate\u010daj \"ELA\", najbolj izvirne pesmi pa tudi nagrajene. <p\/> Dragi O\u0160BI-jevci, \u017eelimo vam obilo pesni\u0161kega navdiha!","labels":"Other","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Za bralce <p\/> Dru\u017eba Delo je bila obve\u0161\u010dena, da kupec ni uspel zagotoviti ustreznih finan\u010dnih sredstev za nakup 79, 24-odstotnega dele\u017ea v dru\u017ebi \u010cZP Ve\u010der, d.d.. To pomeni, da kupec ni izpolnil enega od odlo\u017enih pogojev iz Pogodbe o prodaji dele\u017ea v dru\u017ebi \u010cZP Ve\u010der d.d., ki jo je Delo s kupcem sklenilo 26. februarja 2013 in je s tem postopek prodaje temu kupcu neuspe\u0161no kon\u010dan. Delo bo z ostalimi potencialnimi kupci nadaljevalo razgovore za prodajo Ve\u010dera.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Regres za letni dopust za leto 2006 <p\/> 70 % povpre\u010dne bruto pla\u010de Pri izra\u010dunu zneska upo\u0161tevate podatek o vi\u0161ini povpre\u010dne bruto pla\u010de v RS, ki je objavljen na spletni strani Statisti\u010dnega urada http:\/\/www.stat.si\/indikatorji.asp?ID=6 Nad tem zneskom je potrebno pla\u010dati prispevke, kar dolo\u010da 5 to\u010dka 3. \u010dlena Zakon o prispevkih za socialno varnost, ki med drugim pravi: Ne glede na prvi in drugi odstavek tega \u010dlena in ne glede na to, \u010de je z zakoni druga\u010de dolo\u010deno, pla\u010dujejo zavezanci prispevke za socialno varnost tudi od vseh drugih prejemkov iz delovnega razmerja, vklju\u010dno s stimulacijami in bonitetami ter povra\u010dili stro\u0161kov v zvezi z delom, izpla\u010danih v denarju, bonih ali v naravi. Prispevki za socialno varnost iz prej\u0161njega odstavka se obra\u010dunavajo in pla\u010dujejo iz bruto prejemkov. Ne glede na prej\u0161nji odstavek se prispevki za socialno varnost obra\u010dunavajo in pla\u010dujejo: \u2013 pri regresih za letni dopust, v delu, ki presega 70 popre\u010dne pla\u010de predpreteklega meseca zaposlenih v Republiki Sloveniji \u010de se izpla\u010dilo regresa opravi v dveh ali ve\u010d delih, se ob izpla\u010dilu naslednjega oziroma zadnjega dela regresa ugotovi celotna vi\u0161ina regresa in izvr\u0161i obra\u010dun prispevkov ter pora\u010dun pla\u010danih prispevkov od posameznih delov regresa za letni dopust. <p\/> (1) Regres za letni dopust v letu 2006 zna\u0161a najmanj 145.000 SIT, oziroma v podjetjih z izgubo v preteklem poslovnem letu najmanj 128.000 SIT. <p\/> (2) Regres za letni dopust v letu 2007 zna\u0161a najmanj 148.000 SIT, oziroma v podjetjih z izgubo v preteklem poslovnem letu najmanj 130.000 SIT. <p\/> (3) Delodajalec in sindikat pri delodajalcu se pod pogojem, da so teko\u010di poslovni rezultati ugodni, lahko dogovorijo za vi\u0161ji znesek regresa za letni dopust kot je dolo\u010den v prvem in drugem odstavku tega \u010dlena. <p\/> Kaj o regresu pravi Zakon o delovnih razmerjih \/ mdokumenti \/ zak _ del _ raz.asp Zakon o delovnih razmerjih Uradni list RS, \u0161t. 42\/02, 15. 5. 2002 131. \u010dlen (regres) (1) Delodajalec je dol\u017ean delavcu, ki ima pravico do letnega dopusta, izpla\u010dati regres za letni dopust najmanj v vi\u0161ini minimalne pla\u010de. (2) Regres se mora delavcu izpla\u010dati najkasneje do 1. julija teko\u010dega koledarskega leta. (3) S kolektivno pogodbo na ravni dejavnosti se lahko v primeru nelikvidnosti delodajalca dolo\u010di kasnej\u0161i rok izpla\u010dila regresa, vendar najkasneje do 1. novembra teko\u010dega koledarskega leta. (4) V primeru, da ima delavec pravico le do sorazmernega dela letnega dopusta, ima pravico le do sorazmernega dela regresa. 8. LETNI DOPUST 159. \u010dlen (trajanje letnega dopusta) (1) Delavec ima pravico do letnega dopusta v posameznem koledarskem letu, ki ne more biti kraj\u0161i kot \u0161tiri tedne, ne glede na to, ali dela polni delovni \u010das ali kraj\u0161i delovni \u010das od polnega. Minimalno \u0161tevilo dni letnega dopusta delavca je odvisno od razporeditve delovnih dni v tednu za posameznega delavca. (2) Starej\u0161i delavec, invalid, delavec z najmanj 60 telesno okvaro in delavec, ki neguje in varuje otroka s telesno ali du\u0161evno prizadetostjo, ima pravico do najmanj treh dodatnih dni letnega dopusta. (3) Delavec ima pravico do enega dodatnega dneva letnega dopusta za vsakega otroka, ki \u0161e ni dopolnil 15 let starosti. 160. \u010dlen (dolo\u010danje trajanja letnega dopusta) (1) Dalj\u0161e trajanje letnega dopusta, kot je dolo\u010deno v prej\u0161njem \u010dlenu, se lahko dolo\u010di s kolektivno pogodbo ali pogodbo o zaposlitvi. (2) Prazniki in dela prosti dnevi, odsotnost zaradi bolezni ali po\u0161kodbe ter drugi primeri opravi\u010dene odsotnosti z dela se ne v\u0161tevajo v dneve letnega dopusta. (3) Letni dopust se dolo\u010da in izrablja v delovnih dnevih. (4) Kot dan letnega dopusta se \u0161teje vsak delovni dan, ki je po razporeditvi delovnega \u010dasa pri delodajalcu za posameznega delavca dolo\u010den kot delovni dan. 161. \u010dlen (pridobitev pravice do letnega dopusta) Delavec pridobi pravico do celotnega letnega dopusta, ko mu prete\u010de \u010das nepretrganega delovnega razmerja, ki ne sme biti dalj\u0161i od \u0161estih mesecev, ne glede na to, ali delavec dela polni delovni \u010das ali kraj\u0161i delovni \u010das od polnega. 162. \u010dlen (pravica do sorazmernega dela letnega dopusta) (1) Delavec ima pravico do izrabe 1\/12 letnega dopusta za vsak mesec dela v posameznem koledarskem letu: \u00b7 \u010de v koledarskem letu, v katerem je sklenil delovno razmerje, ni pridobil pravice do celotnega letnega dopusta, \u00b7 \u010de mu preneha delovno razmerje pred potekom roka, po preteku katerega bi pridobil pravico do celotnega letnega dopusta, \u00b7 \u010de mu delovno razmerje v teko\u010dem koledarskem letu preneha pred 1. julijem. (2) Pri izra\u010dunavanju sorazmernega dela letnega dopusta se najmanj polovica dneva zaokro\u017ei na cel dan letnega dopusta. 163. \u010dlen (izraba letnega dopusta) (1) Letni dopust je mogo\u010de izrabiti v ve\u010d delih s tem, da mora en del trajati najmanj dva tedna. (2) Delodajalec je dol\u017ean delavcu zagotoviti izrabo letnega dopusta do konca teko\u010dega koledarskega leta, delavec pa je dol\u017ean do konca teko\u010dega koledarskega leta izrabiti najmanj dva tedna, preostanek letnega dopusta pa v dogovoru z delodajalcem do 30. junija naslednjega leta. (3) Delavec ima pravico izrabiti ves letni dopust, ki ni bil izrabljen v teko\u010dem koledarskem letu zaradi odsotnosti zaradi bolezni ali po\u0161kodbe, porodni\u0161kega dopusta ali dopusta za nego in varstvo otroka, do 30. junija naslednjega koledarskega leta, \u010de je v koledarskem letu, v katerem mu je bil odmerjen dopust, delal vsaj \u0161est mesecev. \u010ce je delavec v koledarskem letu, v katerem mu je bil odmerjen dopust, delal manj kot \u0161est mesecev, ima pravico izrabiti letni dopust v skladu s prej\u0161njim odstavkom. (4) Delavec, ki dela v tujini, lahko v celoti izrabi letni dopust do konca naslednjega koledarskega leta, \u010de je tako dolo\u010deno s kolektivno pogodbo delodajalca. 164. \u010dlen (sklenitev pogodbe o zaposlitvi z drugim delodajalcem) (1) Delavec izrabi letni dopust pri delodajalcu, kjer je pridobil pravico do njegove izrabe, razen \u010de se z delodajalcem ne dogovorita druga\u010de. (2) Ob prenehanju delovnega razmerja je delodajalec dol\u017ean dati delavcu potrdilo o izrabi letnega dopusta. 165. \u010dlen (na\u010din izrabe letnega dopusta) (1) Letni dopust se izrablja upo\u0161tevaje potrebe delovnega procesa ter mo\u017enosti za po\u010ditek in rekreacijo delavca ter upo\u0161tevaje njegove dru\u017einske obveznosti. (2) Delavec ima pravico izrabiti en dan letnega dopusta na tisti dan, ki ga sam dolo\u010di, o \u010demer mora obvestiti delodajalca najkasneje tri dni pred izrabo. Delodajalec mu tega ne more odre\u010di, \u010de to resneje ne ogro\u017ea delovnega procesa. 166. \u010dlen (neveljavnost odpovedi pravici do letnega dopusta) Izjava, s katero bi se delavec odpovedal pravici do letnega dopusta, je neveljavna. Neveljaven je tudi sporazum, s katerim bi se delavec in delodajalec dogovorila o od\u0161kodnini za neizrabljeni letni dopust, razen ob prenehanju delovnega razmerja. <p\/> Regres za letni dopust za leto 2006 \u2013 negospodarstvo 1. \u010dlen S tem dogovorom se podpisniki dogovorimo o vi\u0161ini regresa za letni dopust za leto 2006 za javne uslu\u017ebence, za katere velja Zakon o sistemu pla\u010d v javnem sektorju (Uradni list RS, \u0161t. 70\/05, uradno pre\u010di\u0161\u010deno besedilo in 14 \/ 06). 2. \u010dlen Regres za letni dopust za leto 2006 zna\u0161a 149.000,00 tolarjev. Izpla\u010da se pri pla\u010di za mesec april 2006. Dogovor o vi\u0161ini regresa za letni dopust za leto 2006, Uradni list RS 36\/2006 z dne 6. 4. 2006 \/ pokazi.asp? stran = 2287","labels":"Legal","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Kerami\u010dni hranilnik sovica Djeco <p\/> Otroka lahko \u017ee od malih nog nau\u010dite skrbeti za denar in nekaj malega privar\u010devati, pri \u010demer vam lahko na pomo\u010d prisko\u010di tudi Djeco. <p\/> Tu je namre\u010d pisana in ljubka sovica v obliki hranilnika, ki ne bo le popestrila vsakega otroka, temve\u010d se bo v njej po\u010dasi kopi\u010dil drobi\u017e. Zakaj ne bi za\u010del va\u0161 mal\u010dek po\u010dasi var\u010devati za tisto igra\u010do, ki si jo tako zelo \u017eeli?","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Zelena glina na povojnem traku 2 kosa <p\/> Zelena glina na povojnem traku je z mineralnimi snovmi bogata zelena glina za terapevtsko nego mi\u0161ic in sklepov. Zelena glina na povojnem traku je na soncu su\u0161ena, 100% naravna in neionizirana francoska glina, \u017ee pripravljena za uporabo. Izvrstno pomaga pri ohranjanju pro\u017enosti sklepov ter pomiritvi utrujenih in bole\u010dih sklepov in mi\u0161ic. Primerna je za vsak tip ko\u017ee in je dermatolo\u0161ko preverjena. <p\/> Sestavine: zelena glina 98%, celulozna osnova 2%.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"V soboto 29. 3. 2014, se je v Planici zaklju\u010dila zimska sezona 2013\/2014. Na \u010dudovit in topel (skoraj vro\u010d) dan je SK Triglav organiziral Dr\u017eavno prvenstvo za \u010dlane, ekipno za \u010dlane in za \u010dlanice. Tekmovanje je potekalo na Bloudkovi velikanki (HS139). Med malo\u0161tevilnimi gledalci nas je bilo \u010dlanov kluba SSK Sam Ihan najve\u010d. <p\/> Na\u0161i fantje so bili zelo uspe\u0161ni. Na posami\u010dni tekmi je Jernej Damjan dosegel 6. mesto, Ga\u0161per Bartol 8. mesto, Tilen Bartol 27. mesto, Ro\u017ele \u017dagar 32. mesto, Luka Plestenjak 35. mesto, Matej Lebar 43. mesto, David Krape\u017e 49. mesto, Miha Kveder 50. mesto, Ga\u0161per A. Komatar 61. mesto in Ga\u0161per \u0160tupar 74. mesto. <p\/> Na ekipni tekmi smo imeli dve ekipi; 1 in 2. Med dvanajstimi ekipami je ekipa SSK Sam Ihan 1 (v postavi: Jernej Damjan, Ga\u0161per Bartol, Tilen Bartol in Miha Kveder) dosegla 2. mesto, ekipa SSK Sam Ihan 2 (v postavi: Matej Lebar, Luka Plestenjak, David Krape\u017e, Ro\u017ele \u017dagar) pa 9. mesto. <p\/> \u010cestitke za uspeh in hvala vsem za pre\u010dudovit dan!","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Tiesto: Kaleidoscope Remixed <p\/> 13.10.2010 <p\/> Te\u017eko bi rekli, da je Ti\u00ebsto \u0161e vedno zgolj trance did\u017eej, saj se od sage In Search Of Sunrise vedno bolj odmika od pri\u010dakovanega in raziskuje meje elektronskega sveta. Kaleidoscope ni bil tisto, kar so trance puristi pri\u010dakovali, a je bil za Ti\u00ebsta bolj plesen, bolj vsestranski album pomemben korak v karieri.","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Avgusta 2017 smo v Vitanju izvedli astronomski ve\u010der za obiskovalce vesoljskega centra Hermana Poto\u010dnika Noordunga. Sprva smo izvedli astronomsko predavanje, preko katerega smo se spoznali z nastankom vesolja in z osnovnimi objekti, ki ga naseljujejo. <p\/> Nadaljevali smo na strehi zgradbe, od koder smo opazovali planete, Luno in ozvezdija. Nekaj fotografskih vtisov z dogodka si lahko ogledate spodaj. <p\/> Junija 2017 smo izvedli astronomski naravoslovni dan za 100 dijakov Srednje \u0161ole za oblikovanje in fotografijjo. Dogodek smo za\u010deli s predavanjem o vesolju, njegovem nastanku, rojstvu zvezd in galaksij. Tako smo dobili nekaj znanja, ki nam pri\u0161lo prav pri prakti\u010dnem delu spoznavanja no\u010dnega neba. <p\/> Vodeno opazovanje ozvezdij. <p\/> Ve\u010der smo nadaljevali pod no\u010dnim nebom na Kure\u0161\u010dku, nad Ljubljanskim barjem. Dijaki so se seznanili z ozvezdji in orientacijo po nebu, nato so si skozi dva teleskopa lahko ogledali planeta Saturn in Jupiter, nazadnje pa smo opazovali \u0161e precej bolj oddaljene objekte - dvojne zvezde, zvezdne kopice, meglice in galaksije. <p\/> Revija Liza je 11. maja 2017 objavila intervju z Maticem Smrekarjem. Pogovor je tekel o zvezdah, vesolju, oddaljenostih, teleskopih in aktivnostih Zavoda Z lahkoto! Vabljeni k branju!","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Olupljeni zemeljski mandlje, ki se pona\u0161ajo z visoko vsebnostjo prehranskih netopnih vlaknin, antioksidantov, vitaminov in mineralov. \u0160e posebej vitamina E in C, oleinske kisline, kalija, magnezija in fosforja. Zemeljski mandlji so odli\u010dna podpora va\u0161emu prebavnemu sistemu in zdrav prebavni sistem je klju\u010d do dobrega zdravja. <p\/> Presni ekolo\u0161ki baobab v prahu, drobTinka, 250 g <p\/> Baobab je drevo, ki mu pravijo tudi \"drevo \u017eivljenja\". Sade\u017e tega drevesa vsebuje \u010dudovito meso, ki ga posu\u0161ijo in zmeljejo v prah. Pona\u0161a se z visoko vsebnostjo C vitamina in je tudi odli\u010den vir prehranskih vlaknin. <p\/> Uporaba <p\/> V vodo dodajte 2-4 \u017eli\u010dke in si tako pripravite odli\u010den osve\u017eilni napitek. Baobab lahko dodate v va\u0161 smuti, kosmi\u010de, presne sladice, torte, marmelado, namaze, napitke, \u010daje... <p\/> EU ekolo\u0161ki certifikat, SI-EKO-002, kmetijstvo izven EU <p\/> Poreklo: Senegal <p\/> Presne ekolo\u0161ke inkovske jagode, drobTinka, 150 g <p\/> Okus presnih in ekolo\u0161kih drobTinka inkovskih jagod spominja na kiselkast okus citrusov. Njihov sve\u017e okus je tako dober, da jih lahko zobate kar iz vre\u010dke. <p\/> Uporaba <p\/> Uporabljajo se pri pripravah presnih sladic, klasi\u010dnih sladic, solat, sadnih prelivov, smutijev, ... <p\/> EU ekolo\u0161ki certifikat, SI-EKO-002, kmetijstvo izven EU <p\/> Ekolo\u0161ki presni olupljeni zemeljski mandlji, 80 g <p\/> Tiger nuts, chufa ali zemeljski mandlji NISO ORE\u0160\u010cKI, so gomolji brez glutena, laktoze, ekolo\u0161ki, presni, z visoko vsebnostjo prehranskih vlaknin. So vir \u017eeleza, kalija in magnezija. Odli\u010dni so tako za vegane kot vsejedce. <p\/> Uporaba <p\/> Naravnost iz vre\u010dke ali pa namo\u010deni v vodi za 24 ur, da se \u0161e dodatno zmeh\u010dajo.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Domov - Smu\u010darski skoki - Aktualno - V Planici vse pripravljeno za veliki finale sezone 2020\/21 <p\/> V Planici vse pripravljeno za veliki finale sezone 2020\/21 <p\/> 17.03.2021 <p\/> Pred finalom sezone svetovnega pokala v smu\u010darskih skokih, ki bo na Letalnici bratov Gori\u0161ek na sporedu prihodnji teden, so svoje misli in poglede strnili predstavniki OK Planica. <p\/> Enzo Smrekar, predsednik SZS in predsednik OK Planica <p\/> Po treh uspe\u0161no izvedenih svetovnih prvenstvih v Sloveniji in po vseh treh izvedbah tekem svetovnega pokala je pred nami zaklju\u010dek sezone s finalom v Planici. Pri\u010dakujemo vse ekipe, \u010dudovit zaklju\u010dek in vrhunsko organizacijo. \u017dal pa tudi tokrat, upam da sicer zadnji\u010d, ne bo gledalcev. Tisto, kar je pomembno je to, da tudi tokrat delamo vse na temu, da bi izgubo, ki je nastala iz naslova odpovedane tekme marca lani delno pokrili. Pri\u010dakovanja so, da bo tudi ta prireditev delala s pozitivno ni\u010dlo in bo delno tudi prispevala k pokritju sezonskega manjka. <p\/> To prilo\u017enost bi rad izkoristil tudi za to, da se zahvalim vsem na\u0161ih zvestim pokroviteljem. Brez njih ne bi bilo mo\u017eno izpeljati. Zahvala tudi vsem delavcem in sodelavcem, ki z veliko entuziazma skrbijo za to, da so na\u0161e tekme izpeljane na vrhunskem nivoju. Seveda hvala OK Planica, ki skrbi nad vsem tem in skrbi za samo izvedbo. Prepri\u010dan sem, da boste predstavniki medijev in vse ekipe za\u010dutili dobrodo\u0161lico, kljub temu, da so preventivni ukrepi strogi. Le te narekuje na eni strani stroka na drugi strani pa tudi previdnost, ki nas je letos zaznamovala kot enega od vrhunskih izvajalcev tekem svetovnega pokala pri katerih ni nikoli pri\u0161lo do kakr\u0161nih koli oku\u017eb ali odpovedi. <p\/> Ko smo v mesecu decembru zaklju\u010devali svetovno prvenstvo v poletih, smo bili \u017ee nekako z mislimi tudi pri mar\u010devskem zaklju\u010dku svetovnega pokala. Takrat smo si predstavljali, da bomo zdaj v dolini pod Poncami \u017ee lahko pozdravili tudi prve gledalce v \u017eivo. \u017dal tudi po vseh teh mesecih in \u0161e posebej po intenzivnih razgovorih v zadnjih tednih lahko samo \u0161e ugotovimo z \u017ealostjo, da tudi letos gledalcev \u0161e ne bomo pozdravili in da ukrepi, ki so bili v veljavi decembra, veljajo tudi zdaj. To pomeni, da bodo vsi, ki so udele\u017eeni v tem tekmovanju, bivali v t. i. sne\u017einki. Vzpostavljeni bosta dve podro\u010dji, t. i. zeleno in sivo podro\u010dje. Varovani podro\u010dji, v katerih se bo tekmovanje kar \u010dim bolj nemoteno odvijalo. Tudi za medije velja podoben re\u017eim kot decembra. Velja tako za delo v medijskem centru kot v me\u0161ani coni. <p\/> Kar precej smo se ukvarjali tudi z mislijo, ki je bila \u017eiva \u017ee decembra in sicer, da bi gledalci plani\u0161ko tekmovanje spremljali iz vozil. \u017dal tudi tu danes tega ne moremo potrditi. Ne samo velike koli\u010dine snega, ki smo ga bili dele\u017eni v leto\u0161nji zimi, tudi epidemiolo\u0161ka situacija v Sloveniji in \u0161ir\u0161i Evropi \u0161e ni tako dobra, da bi bilo to mo\u017eno. Z zvestim pokroviteljem, Zavarovalnico Triglav, smo zato zopet pripravili t. i. virtualno navija\u0161ko tribuno, ki bo postavljena ob izteku Letalnice bratov Gori\u0161ek. Tam se bodo virtualni gledalci lahko vklapljali v samo tekmovanje preko orodja za oddaljena sre\u010danja. \u017de zdaj bi rad vse zainteresirane povabil, da se prijavijo na spletni strani triglav.si\/planica. Tam bodo potem po\u010dakali na poziv k ogledu tekme. <p\/> Planica bo druga\u010dna ne glede na vse, kar smo preizkusili \u017ee decembra. Te izku\u0161nje so bile zelo hvale\u017ene. Re\u017eim bo sicer podoben, a takrat smo se nau\u010dili kar nekaj stvari. Kljub ostrej\u0161i zahtevi slovenske zakonodaje, vsi udele\u017eenci \u0161portnih dogodkov se morajo testirati na 48 ur, se bomo tega tudi dr\u017eali. Zaradi dodatnega tekmovalnega dneva je tveganje za oku\u017ebo \u0161e toliko ve\u010dje. Tega si ob zklju\u010dku sezone ne \u017eelimo. \u017delimo ohraniti sloves dobrega, odli\u010dnega organizatorja in zato je bila sprejeta tak\u0161na odlo\u010ditev. Pravila za tekme svetovnega pokala v smu\u010darskih skokov so v dru\u017eini FIS nekoliko druga\u010dna in v nekaterih to\u010dkah tudi ostrej\u0161a kot smo jih vajeni kje drugje. <p\/> V tem trenutku imamo prijavljenih 16 tekmovalnih ekip. Pribli\u017eno 186 oseb je na seznamu akreditacij. Dostop v dolino bo \u017ee od tega konca tedna naprej omejen. Najprej bo omejitev delna, od ponedeljka naprej pa je dolina za vse zunanje obiskovalce prakti\u010dno zaprta. Dostop bo mo\u017een le akreditiranim osebam. <p\/> Preventivni ukrepi zoper covid-19 ostajajo v veljavi \u0161e naprej. Poziv k distanci, neprestanemu no\u0161enju FFP2 mask in razku\u017eevanje! To je povsem na mestu. Prosim, da se tega dr\u017eite vsi. <p\/> Kot zanimivost lahko povem, da \u010de smo decembra tekme gostili pod \u017earometi, bodo tekme med tednom potekale v popoldanskih urah, a \u0161e v pogojih dnevne svetlobe. S TV prenosom TV Slovenije pa bomo znova poskrbeli za dodatne atraktivne vlo\u017eke, tako da bo tudi tokratni prenos iz Planice nekaj posebnega. Lahko povem, da imam ob boku leto\u0161njega tekmovanja tudi poskusni odtis knjige, ki bo iz\u0161la ob leto\u0161nji Planici. Verjamem, da jo bomo vsi z veseljem sprejeli. Brata Gori\u0161ek sta usodno povezana s Planico in Planica z njima. To je \u0161e en dodaten moment leto\u0161nje Planice. <p\/> Prora\u010dun je tokrat te\u017eak nekaj evrov manj kot 1,5 milijona evrov. \u010ce to primerjamo s sicer\u0161njimi klasi\u010dnimi finali v preteklih letih, je kar za polovico ni\u017eji. Zelo smo se morali potruditi, obrniti vsak evro in ga \u010dim bolj ekonomi\u010dno porabiti, da bo kon\u010dni izra\u010dun pokazal pozitivno ni\u010dlo. \u017dal je odsotnost gledalcev povzro\u010dila izpad pribli\u017eno 35% prihodkov. \u010ce k temu pri\u0161tejemo \u0161e izgubo, ki je bila ustvarjena lani marca, situacija ni zavidljiva, ni pa neobvladljiva. Z ekipo sodelavcev v OK Planica bomo storili vse, da to izgubo tudi uspe\u0161no saniramo. Poleg zvestih pokroviteljev, ki nam vsa leta stojijo ob strani, bi se rad zahvalil \u0161e Ministrstvu za obrambo, slovenski vojski in seveda slovenski policiji, ki s svojimi pripadniki vedno poskrbi, da je Planica tak\u0161na kot je, kot smo je vajeni in verjamem, da bo tudi tokrat posebna, \u010deprav druga\u010dna, ker gledalci v dolino pod Ponce ne bodo mogli priti. <p\/> Aljo\u0161a Dolhar, vodja tekmovanja <p\/> \u010cutim dolo\u010deno mero odgovornosti. Letos so priprave \u017ee od vsega za\u010detka potekale malce druga\u010de kot po navadi. Imeli smo specifi\u010dno situacijo in sicer smo na letalnici imeli tri vrste snega. Od mar\u010devske prireditve nam je ostalo pribli\u017eno 4000 kubi\u010dnih metrov snega, ki smo ga shranili in potem uporabili \u017ee decembra. Na to podlago je zapadlo \u0161e precej naravnega snega. Koli\u010dinsko ocenjujemo, da ga je bilo okrog 12.000 kubi\u010dnih metrov. Dodatno smo \u0161e proizvedli pribli\u017eno 5000 kubi\u010dnih metrov umetnega snega. Tekmom zime smo v sodelovanju z NC Planica sproti teptali dosko\u010di\u0161\u010de in iztek, sneg smo stiskali, ga me\u0161ali in predvsem prepre\u010devali plazenje. Na naletu smo ravno tako ohranili smu\u010dino iz decembra. Le to smo potem morali o\u010distiti in ponovno vrezati. Trenutno je situacija taka, da smo danes za\u010deli z odstranjevanjem rezervnega snega, ki smo ga imeli shranjenega v izteku. S teptalnim strojem sneg razporejamo po letalnici. Naletno smu\u010dino imamo prakti\u010dno \u017ee gotovo, tako da \u010dakamo le na to, da jo odpremo in za\u010dnemo uporabljati. S strojnimi deli bomo gotovi v petek popoldne. V soboto in nedeljo na\u010drtujemo veliko akcijo z na\u0161o ekipo, ki bo vse pripravila za torkov preizkus. <p\/> Danes in jutri v Planici potekata izbirna treninga za predtekmovalce. Po jutri\u0161njem dnevu bomo oblikovali ekipo 20-25 predskakalcev, ki bodo skakali naslednji teden. V torek ob 15.30 uri pri\u010dakujemo prvo serijo preizkusa letalnice. Druga serija je v na\u010drtu ob 17. uri, zato da bomo isto\u010dasno lahko izvedli test vidljivosti in pogojev. Kar se ti\u010de vremenske napovedi moram re\u010di, da je trenutno precej ugodna. Od torka naprej pri\u010dakujemo stabilno vreme, temperature bodo zmerne. Pono\u010di od -5 do -8, kar nam bo olaj\u0161alo delo. Dnevne temperature se bodo gibale od 2 do 8 stopinj. Vreme bo delno jasno do prete\u017eno obla\u010dno, kar je za nas bolje kot zelo jasno vreme. Upam, da je ta napoved to\u010dna. Tudi glede vetra naj bi bile razmere zelo stabilne. Tudi vreme nam gre trenutno zelo na roko. Kdo bo sko\u010dil prvi, bo znano po jutri\u0161njem treningu. <p\/> Letos se bo v Planici zamenjala celotna \u017eirija tekmovanja, ne samo vodja tekmovanja. Pri\u0161lo je tudi do menjave TD in ATD. V nedeljo po tekmi bomo videli kaj to pomeni. Tehni\u010dni delegat bo Ivo Greger iz \u010ce\u0161ke, ki po mojih informacijah s poleti \u0161e nima nobenih izku\u0161enj, a je izku\u0161en TD. Njegov asistent je moj asistent na poletih, Thomas Hasselberger iz Nem\u010dije. Dobro sva sodelovala \u017ee na vseh letalnicah in upam, da bo to nekaj odtehtalo in da bomo kot \u017eirija delovali usklajeno.","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Menjava banke \u0161e nikoli ni bila tako preprosta! <p\/> Banko Sberbank vam priporo\u010da tudi smu\u010darski skakalec Robert Kranjc. <p\/> To, kar ste si mnogi \u017eeleli, je danes postala realnost. Odslej lahko zamenjate banko brez obiska poslovalnice, preprosto od doma. Le 15 minut potrebujete, da prek spletne strani izberete ra\u010dun, ki najbolj ustreza va\u0161im potrebam in v 8 delovnih dneh boste lahko \u017ee poslovali z novo banko. <p\/> Banka Sberbank d.d. na spletni strani www.zamenjajbanko.si predstavlja svojo ponudbo in primerjavo stro\u0161kov poslovanja s transakcijskim ra\u010dunom pri va\u0161i zdaj\u0161nji banki. Prek spletnega mesta lahko sestavite svoj ra\u010dun ali izberete katerega izmed paketnih ra\u010dunov. Izbirate lahko med paketnimi ra\u010duni AMZS (optimal ali exclusive), Petrol Klub (basic, gold, vip) ali Delo premium. Lahko se odlo\u010dite za \u0161tudentski ali upokojenski ra\u010dun. Za tiste, ki \u0161e kolebajo, pa je na voljo Pr0m0 ra\u010dun s posebnimi ugodnostmi. Leto dni brezpla\u010dne uporabe izbranih ban\u010dnih storitev (vodenje transakcijskega ra\u010duna, klasi\u010dna ali zlata pla\u010dilna kartica Activa MasterCard, pristopnina za Sberbank Spletno banko in prenosni OTP \u010ditalec, odobritev prvega limita, ve\u010dvalutni ra\u010dun, brezpla\u010dni dvigi na bankomatih, kar velja tudi za vse komitente na\u0161e banke \u2026 ) je dovolj dolga doba tudi za najbolj neodlo\u010dne. <p\/> In kak\u0161en je postopek za zamenjavo banke? Na spletni strani www.zamenjajbanko.si so predstavljene prednosti poslovanja s Sberbank banko ter kako nanjo prenesete poslovanje v treh enostavnih korakih brez obiska poslovalnice. Izberite ra\u010dun, ki najbolj ustreza va\u0161im potrebam ter vpi\u0161ite potrebne osebne podatke. Obisk poslovalnice ni potreben, saj vas bo po va\u0161em naro\u010dilu odprtja ra\u010duna v sedmih delovnih dneh - na domu ali delovnem mestu - obiskal na\u0161 mobilni ban\u010dnik in vam prinesel vso potrebno dokumentacijo za za\u010detek poslovanja, vklju\u010dno z va\u0161o novo ban\u010dno kartico. \u017de naslednji delovni dan po obisku na\u0161ega mobilnega ban\u010dnika bodo va\u0161 ra\u010dun, ban\u010dna kartica in spletna banka aktivni. Seveda lahko celoten postopek opravite tudi v eni od na\u0161ih poslovalnic.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Hitra. Zabavna. Corsa OPC. S 141 kW (192 KM) in navorom do 260 Nm s prese\u017enim polnjenjem. To lahko trivratno vozilo je dovolj mo\u010dno, da se od 0 do 100 km \/ h po\u017eene v 7,2 sekunde. \u010ce pri\u0161tejete \u0161e izpopolnjeno podvozje z elektronskim programom stabilnosti, nadzorom zdrsavanja pogonskih koles in ogromne kolutne zavore na vseh kolesih, je jasno, da gre za izjemno zmogljiv avtomobil. Corsa OPC je osredoto\u010dena na voznika in privla\u010dna za mimoido\u010de. Saj veste, kako gre. Poi\u0161\u010dite motiv in fotografirajte. <p\/> Ali pa pojdite do skrajnih meja s paketom Corsa OPC Final Edition. Med dramati\u010dno \u010drnimi poudarki so 18-pal\u010dna plati\u0161\u010da iz lahkih kovin, letev z logotipom na maski, vstavek v zadnjem odbija\u010du, sijajni pokrovi zunanjih ogledal in obrobe prezra\u010devalnih \u0161ob. Za piko na i med elegantnimi okraski poskrbijo zadnji \u0161portni spojler, temno lakirani \u017earometi in zatemnjena zadnja stekla.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Nazadnje urejal\/a kaela 19 Nov 2011 19:16; skupaj popravljeno 1 krat <p\/> SUPER! i\u0161\u010dem \u017ee nekaj \u010dasa takooo poceni!! Verjetno jo kupim ! _________________ \u010cin\u010dile so pre\u010dudovite \u017eivali!","labels":"Forum","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"V torek 5. marca je v dvorani Narodnega doma v Logatcu potekala slovesna podelitev priznanj in nagrad za pomembne prispevke k za\u0161\u010diti in re\u0161evanju. Med leto\u0161njimi dobitniki priznanj civilne za\u0161\u010dite, ki se podeljujejo posameznikom in organizacijam, je bil tudi Anton Bauer, \u010dlan PGD Vas-Fara, ki je prejel srebrni znak CZ.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Inzulin <p\/> Inzulin je peptidni (proteinski) hormon, ki ga tvori in izlo\u010da trebu\u0161na slinavka (pankreas). Tvorijo ga t.i. \u00df celice trebu\u0161ne slinavke iz katerih se izlo\u010da v vensko kri, ki potuje v jetra in nato naprej v sistemski krvni obtok. <p\/> Zgradba inzulina <p\/> Inzulin je sestavljen iz dveh polipeptidnih verig. Njegova kemijska struktura je C 254 H 377 N 65 O 75 S 6. <p\/> Delovanje in u\u010dinki inzulina <p\/> Inzulin deluje na \u0161tevilna tkiva v telesu (jetra, ma\u0161\u010devje, mi\u0161ice). Njegova osnovna naloga je skladi\u0161\u010denje energijskih vi\u0161kov v telesu (predvsem spodbujanje sinteze glikogena iz glukoze - glikogeneza). Glavni dra\u017eljaj za njegovo izlo\u010danje je pove\u010dana koli\u010dina glukoze v krvi. Inzulin ima kratek razpolovni \u010das, zato s padcem glukoze hitro pade tudi njegova koncentracija v krvi. <p\/> Na katere celice deluje inzulin? <p\/> Inzulin deluje prakti\u010dno na vse telesne celice, saj so na vseh prisotni inzulinski receptorji. Razlika med celicami je v tem, da razli\u010dne vrste celic vsebujejo razli\u010dno \u0161tevilo teh receptorjev (od nekaj 10 do ve\u010d 100000).","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Opis: Predmet raziskave je padavinska odpadna voda z avtocestnega odseka Maribor-Lenart in delovanje dveh zemeljskih bazenov za \u010di\u0161\u010denje te vode (10a in Dragu\u010dova). Vrsta in koli\u010dina onesna\u017eeval v padavinski vodi \u010dasovno in prostorsko niha, kar je odvisno od \u0161tevilnih dejavnikov, ki so med sabo nelinearno povezani: klima, vozi\u0161\u010de, promet, raba ta in druge lokalne posebnosti. V Sloveniji \u0161e ni izdelane metodologije vzor\u010denja padavinske vode, prav tako nimamo celostne dolgotrajne \u0161tudije spremljanja kvalitete te vode. V prvem delu naloge smo zbrali literaturo na temo padavinske odpadne vode, s poudarkom na slovenski. Eksperimentalni del pa predstavlja izbor objektov za \u010di\u0161\u010denje padavinske vode, primernih za vzor\u010denje, dolo\u010ditev vzor\u010denih parametrov, ro\u010dno vzor\u010denje vode na dotoku in iztoku v \u010dasu padavinskih dogodkov med oktobrom 2009 in avgustom 2010. V prvi fazi smo zajeli enkratne trenutne vzorce znotraj prvega vala naliva, kasneje smo pogostost zajemov vzorcev pove\u010dali. Dobljene rezultate smo analizirali in predlagali mo\u017ene dopolnitve trenutno veljavne zakonodaje za padavinsko vodo s cest ter izpeljali sklepe, ki bodo v pomo\u010d pripravljavcem metodologije ravnanja s padavinsko vodo s cest, s poudarkom na vzor\u010denju te vode. Najdeno v: klju\u010dnih besedah Povzetek najdenega:... odpadne vode, objekt za \u010di\u0161\u010denje padavinske vode, onesna\u017eevala, zemeljski bazen, vzor\u010denje, metodologija... Klju\u010dne besede: padavinske odpadne vode, objekt za \u010di\u0161\u010denje padavinske vode, onesna\u017eevala, zemeljski bazen, vzor\u010denje, metodologija Objavljeno: 18.04.2011 Ogledov: 1163 Prenosov: 90 Polno besedilo (31,79 MB)","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"2. igralec sveta in verjetno najbolj\u0161i igralec na pe\u0161\u010deni podlagi v zgodovini \u0160panec Rafael Nadal, je v finalu ATP 500 turnirja v Barceloni po tesnem obra\u010dunu premagal neugodnega rojaka Davida Ferrerja s 7:6 (1), 7:5 v nizih. Ferrer je tako \u0161e \u010detrti\u010d ostal praznih rok v Barceloni. Za Nadala je to prekti\u010dno 7 naslov zapored, saj je od leta 2005 vedno dvignil zmagovalno trofejo, leta 2010 pa ni nastopil! <p\/> \u0160panca sta se pomerila 18 v karieri, od tega 6 x v finalih. Razmerje zmag in porazov je 14:4 za Rafaela, ki ni izgubil nobenega finala proti Davidu! <p\/> Za razliko od lani je Ferrer tokrat nudil dostojen odpor, a je Nadal v klju\u010dnih trenutkih pokazal, zakaj je te\u017eko premagljiv na pe\u0161\u010deni podlagi. V 1. nizu je obema uspel po en brejk, Nadal je re\u0161il kar 5 brejk prilo\u017enosti Ferrerja v 12 igri, na koncu pa je suvereno dobil podalj\u0161ano igro, kjer je Ferrer osvojil le to\u010dko. Prvi niz je trajal kar 93 minut! <p\/> V 2. nizu sta oba po 2 x izgubila servis, do zadnje 12 igre, ko je Rafael \u0161e s 3 brejkom kon\u010dal dvoboj. Tudi drugi niz bi se lahko kon\u010dal v rokah Ferrerja, ki je serviral pri vodstvu s 5:4, a je slabo zaklju\u010dil sme\u0161 pri mre\u017ei in Nadala vrnil v igro, sam pa je psiholo\u0161ko padel! <p\/> Dvoboj, ki se je igral le 2 niza je trajal 2 uri in 41 minut! <p\/> \" To je bil zame najte\u017eji dvoboj na pe\u0161\u010deni podlagi v tej sezoni. David te vedno pripelje do limita. Nekaj to\u010dk je bila prava loterija in takrat je bila sre\u010da na moji strani, \" je bil skromen Rafael Nadal. <p\/> Rafael Nadal je tako pri\u0161el do 48. ATP lovorike v karieri! <p\/> \" Kot vedno, Rafa. Izgubil sem \u017ee 4 x, a 4 x proti najve\u010djemu, \" je dejal David Ferrer, ki je letos \u017ee osvojil 3 ATP turnirje! <p\/> Samo Roger Federer in Novak Djokovi\u010d sta do sedaj premagala Rafaela Nadala v finalih turnirjev na pe\u0161\u010deni podlagi... .","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Muzejske zgodbe na Koro\u0161kem radiu: \u017dupnijska cerkev sv. Elizabete <p\/> Tokratno muzejsko zgodbo, zadnjo v tem mesecu, posve\u010damo sv. Elizabeti. Namre\u010d letos mineva 770 let od posvetitve mestne \u017eupnijske cerkve sv. Elizabete v Slovenj Gradcu. V ta namen bomo konec julija na Trgu svobode postavili uli\u010dno razstavo, ki bo predstavljala pomembne zgodovinske mejnike v povezavi s sv. Elizabeto in kulturno dedi\u0161\u010dino Slovenj Gradca. V muzejski zgodbi odstiramo nekatere vsebine posameznih panojev, ki bodo vidni na uli\u010dni razstavi. Muzejsko zgodbo je pripravila Aleksandra Ram\u0161ak. <p\/> Foto: Franc Mihael Strauss, glavni oltar v \u017e. c. sv. Elizabete, 1732 (Tomo Jeseni\u010dnik). <p\/> * * * * * Vsak ponedeljek ob 18.10 uri in vsako soboto ob 7.00 uri (ponovitev) lahko na Koro\u0161kem radiu poslu\u0161ate muzejske zgodbe v okviru oddaje Iz zakladnice koro\u0161ke kulturne dedi\u0161\u010dine, ki jih pripravljajo strokovni delavci Koro\u0161kega pokrajinskega muzeja. <p\/> Datum <p\/> 28 junij 2021 <p\/> Dogodek je zaklju\u010den","labels":"Other","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Jerry odhaja <p\/> \u010ce bi pisanje scenarija za zaklju\u010dek kariere Andreja Jermana \u017eeleli obogatiti s simboliko, bi imeli pravzaprav le dve mo\u017enosti: zmago ali padec. \u017dal je usoda izbrala slednjega. Najbolj\u0161i slovenski smuka\u010d vseh \u010dasov in \u0161e vedno edini zmagovalec tekme svetovnega pokala na mo\u0161ki strani si po nedavni nezgodi v Kitzb\u00fchlu ni \u017eelel vzeti prav veliko \u010dasa za razmislek o nadaljnjih korakih. <p\/> Kot bi se \u017eelel kar se da hitro re\u0161iti bremena in potisniti kamen od srca, je kmalu po vrnitvi v Tr\u017ei\u010d naznanil nastop pred sedmo silo. \u010ceprav je bilo njegovo sporo\u010dilo pri\u010dakovano, pa mu \u0161e zdale\u010d ni bilo lahko. \u201c \u0160tevilka 36 je bila moja zadnja \u0161tevilka, ki sem jo oblekel. Pri\u0161el je \u010das za slovo od \u0161porta, ki mi je veliko dal. Odlo\u010ditev ni bila lahka. \u017de letos se je bilo te\u017eko vrniti in se \u2018 metati \u2019 na glavo. Sledilo je obdobje brez pravih rezultatov. V Wengnu sem dobil novo znamenje, \u2018 Zataknilo \u2019 se mi je koleno. Vseeno sem nastopil. Tudi na tekmi sem skorajda padel. \u017deni sem dejal, da se bom odlo\u010dil po Kitzb\u00fchlu. No, Kitzb\u00fchel se je odlo\u010dil namesto mene. \u010ce bi bil zdrav, bi vztrajal. A ko ne \u010duti\u0161 pravega prepri\u010danja in zaupanja vase, je treba nehati. Zadovoljen sem s kariero. Vselej sem dajal maksimum. V\u010dasih morda celo preve\u010d. Jaz in ekipa smo delali \u010dude\u017ee. Imel sem privilegij, da sem se lahko ukvarjal s tem \u0161portom in delal, kar me je veselilo. Ve\u010dina ljudi sanja o tak\u0161nem \u017eivljenju. Imel sem to prilo\u017enost. Imel sem tudi to sre\u010do, da sem imel ob sebi prave ljudi, ki so me podpirali, \u201d je s treso\u010dim glasom na sede\u017eu Smu\u010darske zveze Slovenije, kamor je v zadnjih letih prihajal tako po \u0161ampanjec kot tudi na mukotrpna pogajanja z vodstvom, dejal 34-letni Tr\u017ei\u010dan. <p\/> Andrej Jerman je svojo pot za\u010del na doma\u010di Zelenici, navdu\u0161eval pa v Wengu, Bormiu, Kitzb\u00fchlu, Garmischu \u2026 \u010ceprav je bilo njegovo sporo\u010dilo pri\u010dakovano, pa mu \u0161e zdale\u010d ni bilo lahko. \u201c \u0160tevilka 36 je bila moja zadnja \u0161tevilka, ki sem jo oblekel. Pri\u0161el je \u010das za slovo od \u0161porta, ki mi je veliko dal. Odlo\u010ditev ni bila lahka. \u017de letos se je bilo te\u017eko vrniti in se \u2018 metati \u2019 na glavo. Sledilo je obdobje brez pravih rezultatov. V Wengnu sem dobil novo znamenje, \u2018 Zataknilo \u2019 se mi je koleno. Vseeno sem nastopil. Tudi na tekmi sem skorajda padel. \u017deni sem dejal, da se bom odlo\u010dil po Kitzb\u00fchlu. No, Kitzb\u00fchel se je odlo\u010dil namesto mene. \u010ce bi bil zdrav, bi vztrajal. A ko ne \u010duti\u0161 pravega prepri\u010danja in zaupanja vase, je treba nehati. Zadovoljen sem s kariero. Vselej sem dajal maksimum. V\u010dasih morda celo preve\u010d. Jaz in ekipa smo delali \u010dude\u017ee. Imel sem privilegij, da sem se lahko ukvarjal s tem \u0161portom in delal, kar me je veselilo. Ve\u010dina ljudi sanja o tak\u0161nem \u017eivljenju. Imel sem to prilo\u017enost. Imel sem tudi to sre\u010do, da sem imel ob sebi prave ljudi, ki so me podpirali, \u201d je s treso\u010dim glasom na sede\u017eu Smu\u010darske zveze Slovenije, kamor je v zadnjih letih prihajal tako po \u0161ampanjec kot tudi na mukotrpna pogajanja z vodstvom, dejal 34-letni Tr\u017ei\u010dan. <p\/> Z Jermanovim tekmovalnim slovesom se kon\u010duje ena od najuspe\u0161nej\u0161ih karier v zgodovini slovenskega alpskega smu\u010danja, predvsem pa po vsej verjetnosti najbolj presenetljiva in nenadejana. Slovenci so vendarle dolgo veljali zgolj za smu\u010darje v tehni\u010dnih disciplinah s kak\u0161nim drznim izletom v superveleslalom. Jerman pa je zgodovino pisal v smuku, najhitrej\u0161i in za mnoge kraljevi disciplini. Za vselej bo zapisan kot prvi slovenski zmagovalec smuka\u0161ke preizku\u0161nje svetovnega pokala. Hkrati tudi ni bil muha enodnevnica, saj je zmagal kar dvakrat in bil ob tem \u0161e po enkrat drugi in tretji, svojo kakovost pa ja dokazoval in razkazoval na razli\u010dnih terenih. O stabilnosti in vrhunskosti pri\u010da tudi preboj med elitno smuka\u0161ko sedmerico svetovnega pokala. Kar dve zaporedni sezoni je namre\u010d sklenil v dru\u0161\u010dini najhitrej\u0161ih. Z manj\u0161im \u010dasovnim zamikom je smuka\u0161ki preobrazbi sledil tudi napredek v superveleslalomu, kjer sicer nikoli ni stopil na stopni\u010dke za zmagovalce, bil pa je dvakrat \u010detrti. <p\/> Njegovi pionirski dose\u017eki so utrli pot tudi rojakom. \u017de ob njegovem prebijanju se je pod vodstvom Jo\u017eeta Gazvode, sicer smu\u010darskega o\u010deta, v okviru reprezentance oblikovala ekipa za hitri disciplini. \u201c Jerry \u201d je po nekaj prebliskih Petra Pena, Ga\u0161perja \u0160parovca in pred tem Ale\u0161a Brezav\u0161ka kot prvi dokazal, da le ta ni sama sebi namen ter da je vredno vlagati tudi v smuka\u0161ke vrste. \u201c Hitra\u0161i \u201d so tako postajali vse ve\u010dji in bolj\u0161i, posledi\u010dno pa so se za\u010deli v svetovni pokal prebijati \u0161e prebe\u017enik iz tehni\u010dnih vrst Andrej \u0160porn, Rok Perko, Alek Glebov, Ga\u0161per Marki\u010d in nazadnje \u0161e obetavni Bo\u0161tjan Kline. <p\/> Za\u010delo se je \u017ee zelo zgodaj, dale\u010d stran od fotoaparatov in kamer. Kot trinajstletnik je namre\u010d na Sori\u0161ki planini svoje smu\u010danje kon\u010dal ob trku s smreko ter si pri tem zlomil obe nogi. A \u017ee na tisti to\u010dki kariere sta do izraza pri\u0161la njegova trma in vztrajnost. \u017de leto zatem je namre\u010d zmagal na tradicionalnem pokalu Ponochio ter nato svojo nadarjenost razkazoval v vseh starostnih kategorijah. \u017dal pa je poleg smu\u010darskega znanja nato v \u010dlansko konkurenco prinesel tudi val po\u0161kodb. Tako tudi nedavni padec v Kitzb\u00fchlu ni bil njegov edini na Streifu. \u017de ob prvem sre\u010danju z znamenito progo je namre\u010d pla\u010dal davek mladostni\u0161ke zagnanosti in nemara tudi preskromnega spo\u0161tovanja. Petelinji greben je namre\u010d zapu\u0161\u010dal s po\u0161kodovanimi kolenskimi vezmi. Kmalu po rehabilitaciji jo je znova skupil, tokrat na ledeniku Zermatt, znova pa se je na udaru zna\u0161lo koleno. Ko je nato \u017ee kazalo, da je svoj bonus po\u0161kodb izpolnil, je leta 2004 znova padel in si \u0161e tretji\u010d po\u0161kodoval koleno. Ob vseh teh po\u0161kodbah imajo zlom zapestja in bole\u010dine v rami po padcu s sede\u017enice prav obroben polo\u017eaj. <p\/> Bolj usoden je bil za Jermana padec na za\u010detku sezone 2011\/12, ko je po trku ob za\u0161\u010ditno ograjo proge Ptice roparice v Beaver Creeku \u017ee razmi\u0161ljal o koncu kariere. A odlo\u010dil se je za novo rehabilitacijo po\u0161kodovanega kolena ter vrnitev v karavano svetovnega pokala. Svoj na\u010drt je uresni\u010dil, dokon\u010dno izvedbo pa je prepre\u010dil nov padec. Tokrat v Kitzb\u00fchlu. \u010ceprav je prinesel \u201c le \u201d pretres mo\u017eganov, vezi in kosti pa so na sre\u010do ostale cele, je bil zadnji v njegovi karieri. <p\/> Martin Pav\u010dnik, Siol.net <p\/> Najve\u010dji uspehi: 2 zmagi smuka\u0161ki na tekmah svetovnega pokala (Garmisch 2006\/07 in Bormio 2009 \/ 10) in \u0161e dve uvrstitvi med najbolj\u0161e 3. \u0160esti smuka\u010d sezone 2006\/07 in sedmi smuka\u010d sezone 2007\/08. Kar 11 sezon s to\u010dkami svetovnega pokala. 2. mesto na MSP (svsl, Megeve 1998)","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Prenos avtorske pravice <p\/> Ve\u010dina avtorjev ustvarja z namenom pridobivanja premo\u017eenjske koristi. Zakonu o avtorskih in sorodnih pravicah namre\u010d dolo\u010da, da se lahko med \u017eivimi prena\u0161ajo samo materialne in druge avtorske pravice. Na avtorsko pravico ni mogo\u010de se\u010di s prisilno izvr\u0161bo. S prisilno izvr\u0161bo je mogo\u010de se\u010di samo na premo\u017eenjske koristi, ki izvirajo iz avtorske pravice. <p\/> Materialne in druge avtorske pravice se prena\u0161ajo predvsem s pogodbo. Gre za prenos avtorske pravice in ne za prenos stvari, na kateri je fiksirano delo, \u010deprav sta obi\u010dajno ta dva prenosa povezana. Sklop pravil, ki urejajo pravni promet z avtorsko pravico, imenujemo tudi avtorsko pogodbeno pravo. <p\/> Omejitve avtorske pravice <p\/> \u010ceprav je avtorska pravica monopolna, obstajajo dolo\u010dene omejitve. Avtor lahko svojo avtorsko pravico omeji sam, npr. s pogodbo ali oporoko. Dolo\u010dene omejitve pa so taksativno na\u0161tete tudi v Zakonu o avtorskih in sorodnih pravicah. Potrebno jih je razlagati v skladu z na\u010delom \"In dubio pro auctore\" - V dvomu v korist avtorja! Interesi avtorja ne smejo biti nesorazmerno prizadeti. Zakonu o avtorskih in sorodnih pravicah pozna vsebinske in \u010dasovne omejitve. Med vsebinske spadata zakonita licenca in prosta uporaba. <p\/> Brezpla\u010dno svetovanje","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"video urednik - 45.1 km od Zgornja Velka <p\/> Ukvarjamo se s fotografijo, video produkcijo in ostalimi storitvami, ki jih boste na\u0161li na na\u0161i spletni strani. Fotografija in video izdelki ustavijo \u010das. Na\u0161e najlep\u0161e trenutke z zabav, obletnic, prireditev naredijo nepozabne. Zato naj tudi v va\u0161em \u017eivljenju nastanejo zgodbe z na\u0161o pomo\u010djo. Ustvarili vam bomo unikatne foto in video izdelke, ki vam bodo omogo\u010dili podo\u017eivitev va\u0161ih najlep\u0161ih trenutkov \u0161e enkrat. Zaupajte nam!","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Zakaj GTi, \u010de je pa tu XY <p\/> Peugeot je ponudil dve posebni razli\u010dici svojega mal\u010dka 208. Izbrati GTi, ali ob\u010dutno cenej\u0161i XY, ki kljub nekoliko \u0161ibkej\u0161emu agregatu zadovolji potrebe dinami\u010dnih voznikov. <p\/> Nomen est omen, ime je znamenje, pravi latinski pregovor. Za imenom Janez Novak si tako predstavljamo marljivega Slovenca, ki pa si ne vzame pravice do dopusta nekje na brisa\u010di ob morju, je voljan menjati vse nohte za zmago na\u0161ih ko\u0161arka\u0161ev, sta mu dve vrsti piva na izbiro povsem dovolj, tu in tam pa tudi njemu po zgledu \" ta bogatih \" uspe prelisi\u010diti dr\u017eavo pri kak\u0161ni dajatvi ali od zavarovalnice iztisniti povra\u010dilo za \u0161kodo, ki da mu jo je na khm - ja avtomobilu tiste germanske znamke povzro\u010dil neznanec na parkiri\u0161\u010du pred najbolj\u0161im sosedom. <p\/> Ni kli\u0161ejski <p\/> Ob avtomobilski oznaki XY, bi utegnili biti v ospredju podobni kli\u0161eji. Iksipsilon pa\u010d. Pa niso. Peugeot 208 XY je pravzaprav zelo prijetna osve\u017eitev in nekak\u0161en zgled, da je tudi pri klasi\u010dnih predstavnikih B-segmenta \u0161e rezerva in da bezljanje kupcev med kri\u017eance ni nujno prava re\u0161itev, tudi za denarnice ne. Posebna oprema in dodatki malega peugeota mu precej dvignejo ugled na ulici. Druga\u010dne poteze prednjih lu\u010di z markantnima dnevnima belima \u010drtama, 17-pal\u010dna plati\u0161\u010da, zadnji spojler, kromirani vlo\u017eki vklju\u010dno z logotipi, drzna izbira vijoli\u010dne barve pri imenu... <p\/> Vzporednice z nabritim GTi <p\/> Znotraj je premium \u0161portni ob\u010dutek prav tako zelo ob\u010duten zaradi sede\u017eev, led razsvetljave in obrob, velikega zaslona zmogljivega, na \u010dase preve\u010d zakompliciranega infotainmenta, dvopodro\u010dne klime, samozatemnitvenega ogledala, kovinske ro\u010dice menjalnika (zelo neprijetnega ob\u010dutka v vremenskih ekstremih)... veliko je \u0161e drugih vzporednic z najbolj nabritim \u010dlanom legla GTI-jem. <p\/> Oba sta le trivratnika, oba imata \u0161ir\u0161a koloteka in tr\u0161e podvozje. In v obeh se zaradi potrebe po preglednosti nenavadno situiranih merilnikov sedi visoko, vi\u0161je kot se priti\u010de avtomobilom, ki se zgledujejo po slavnih predhodnikih. tako kot GTI ima namre\u010d tudi XY prednika v eni izmed bolj civilni razli\u010dici malega razgraja\u010da izpred 25 let. <p\/> 156 konjev prava izbira <p\/> 208 XY ima torej veliko talentov za \u0161portno vo\u017enjo, zato je kljub mo\u017enosti dizelskih razli\u010dic pravi greh, \u010de ga ne poganja (cenej\u0161i! ) 1,6 THP motor. Testnika k sre\u010di je. Lahko bi rekli, da je bil pogon zelo olikan ve\u010dino \u010dasa, torej med obi\u010dajnimi potmi in med znanimi razdaljami. Ugodna poraba, navor pri nizkih vrtljajih, dobro sodelovanje z menjalnikom. Ko je bilo treba, je avto pustil oliko v predalu in postal mali razgraja\u010d, 115 kilovatov pri nizki masi pa\u010d ni kar tako. Ovinkov se tudi ni branil, podvozje in majhen volan zagotavljata enostavno obvladovanje \u0161e tudi blizu meja fizike. Skoraj greh zapisati, ampak v zavoju je bil \u0161e bolj nepopustljiv kot precej bolj \u0161portno izraziti RCZ. <p\/> \u010cistokrvni aristokratski podmladek pa \u0161e zelo nadarjen torej, tale XY. Ko mu ob bok zapelje GTI, zadrege kar ni konca. Je dodatna konjenica dobrih 40 glav pri GTI-ju, ki je edina prava razlika med avtomobiloma, sploh vredna skoraj \u0161tiri tiso\u010dake dodatnega vlo\u017eka? Cena s popustom nekaj prek 16 tiso\u010dakov ob tak\u0161ni opremi in mo\u010di za iksipsilona se namre\u010d zdi prav v redu \" deal. \" Pa \u0161e oba spola lahko enakovredno u\u017eivata v njem.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"izpla\u010dilo razlike v pla\u010dah - nadomestilo pla\u010de - nadomestila pla\u010de za \u010das \u010dakanja na razporeditev oziroma zaposlitev na drugem ustreznem delovnem mestu - invalid - u\u017eivanje pravic iz invalidskega zavarovanja, pridobljenih po prej\u0161njih predpisih - nadomestilo za invalidnost - nadomestilo za \u010das \u010dakanja - pravice po ZPIZ-1 <p\/> To\u017enica je pridobila pravico do nadomestila za \u010das \u010dakanja na razporeditev oziroma zaposlitev na drugem ustreznem delovnem mestu po predpisih o pokojninskem in invalidskem zavarovanju, zato ni upravi\u010dena do nadomestila po ZDR. <p\/> Izrek <p\/> Prito\u017ebi se delno ugodi in se izpodbijana sodba v to\u010dki II izreka (odlo\u010ditev o stro\u0161kih postopka) spremeni tako, da se dosojeni znesek zni\u017ea na 513,00 EUR. <p\/> V preostalem se prito\u017eba zavrne in se v nespremenjenem delu potrdi izpodbijana sodba sodi\u0161\u010da prve stopnje. <p\/> Stranki sami krijeta vsaka svoje prito\u017ebene stro\u0161ke. <p\/> Obrazlo\u017eitev <p\/> Z izpodbijano sodbo je sodi\u0161\u010de prve stopnje zavrnilo to\u017ebeni zahtevek to\u017enice, ki je zahtevala, da ji to\u017eena stranka obra\u010duna iz naslova premalo izpla\u010danega nadomestila pla\u010de bruto znesek 3.505,04 EUR, odvede predpisane davke in prispevke in ji nato izpla\u010da neto zneske skupaj z zakonskimi zamudnimi obrestmi od neto zneskov od bruto osnove, kot izhaja iz to\u010dke I\/1 izreka sodbe. Zavrnilo je to\u017eni\u010din zahtevek za povrnitev stro\u0161kov postopka (to\u010dka I\/2 izreka sodbe) in to\u017enici nalo\u017eilo, da je dol\u017ena to\u017eeni stranki povrniti stro\u0161ke postopka v znesku 729,96 EUR v roku 15 dni (to\u010dka II izreka sodbe). <p\/> Zoper sodbo se pravo\u010dasno prito\u017euje to\u017ee\u010da stranka iz vseh prito\u017ebenih razlogov po 1. odstavku 338. \u010dlena Zakona o pravdnem postopku (ZPP, Ur. l. RS, \u0161t. 26\/99 in naslednji) ter predlaga, da prito\u017ebeno sodi\u0161\u010de njeni prito\u017ebi ugodi in izpodbijano sodbo spremeni tako, da to\u017ebenemu zahtevku v celoti ugodi, podredno pa, da izpodbijano sodbo razveljavi in vrne zadevo sodi\u0161\u010du prve stopnje v novo sojenje, to\u017eeni stranki pa nalo\u017ei v pla\u010dilo prito\u017ebene stro\u0161ke. Sodba po mnenju to\u017enice temelji na nepravilno in nepopolno ugotovljenem dejanskem stanju, pa tudi napa\u010dno uporabljenem materialnem pravu. Glede na jasna zakonska dolo\u010dila, bi to\u017enica morala prejemati nadomestilo za \u010das \u010dakanja na delo na domu v vi\u0161ini 100 %. To\u017eena stranka je izdala to\u017enici sklep o \u010dakanju na delo doma, ker zanjo ni imela ustreznega dela. Ne glede na to, da se to\u017enica ni prito\u017eila zoper odlo\u010dbe ZPIZ-a z dne 31. 3. 2003 oziroma sklep to\u017eene stranke z dne 25. 5. 2001, ji po njenem mnenju ni mogo\u010de odre\u010di pravice do razlike, saj je v spornem obdobju, torej v \u010dasu od aprila 2005 do julija 2007, nadomestilo za \u010das \u010dakanja na delo urejal Zakona o delovnih razmerjih (ZDR, Ur. l. RS, \u0161t. 42\/2002 in naslednji). Z odlo\u010dbo ZPIZ z dne 31. 1. 2003 ni bilo z ni\u010demer v izreku odlo\u010deno, da gre za 80 % nadomestilo, ampak le, da gre za nadomestilo za \u010das \u010dakanja na delo od 7. 7. 2001 dalje v znesku 71.011,61 SIT. Da gre za 80 % nadomestilo, je odlo\u010dila s sklepom z dne 25. 5. 2001 to\u017eena stranka, zoper ta sklep pa to\u017enica ni imela podlage za prito\u017ebo, saj je ZDR-02 \u0161e ni veljal, sploh pa tudi ta sklep ni bil izdan na podlagi dolo\u010dil ZPIZ oziroma ZDR, ampak v skladu s 34. \u010dlenom pano\u017ene kolektivne pogodbe. <p\/> Prito\u017eba izpodbija tudi odlo\u010ditev o stro\u0161kih postopka. Sodi\u0161\u010de prve stopnje je opravilo kar pet narokov za glavno obravnavo, na katerih je izvedlo ve\u010d dokazov in kar dvakrat zasli\u0161alo obe stranki in \u0161ele po tem je odlo\u010dilo, da je zahtevek neutemeljen, zato bi lahko odlo\u010dilo, da vsaka stranka sama krije svoje stro\u0161ke postopka. \u010ce pa bi to\u017enica morala pla\u010dati to\u017eeni stranki kakr\u0161nekoli pravdne stro\u0161ke, pa bi sodi\u0161\u010de prve stopnje lahko to\u017eeni stranki priznalo le eno nagrado za postopek po tar. \u0161t. 3012, ne glede na to, da je sodi\u0161\u010de prve stopnje ponovno odprlo glavno obravnavo, zato predlaga, da prito\u017ebeno sodi\u0161\u010de o stro\u0161kih postopka odlo\u010di tako, da vsaka stranka sama krije svoje oziroma to\u017eeni stranki priznane stro\u0161ke zni\u017ea. <p\/> To\u017eena stranka je v odgovoru na prito\u017ebo prito\u017ebene navedbe prerekala kot neutemeljene in predlagala, da jo prito\u017ebeno sodi\u0161\u010de zavrne, to\u017ee\u010di stranki pa nalo\u017ei v pla\u010dilo prito\u017ebene stro\u0161ke to\u017eene stranke. <p\/> Prito\u017eba je delno utemeljena. <p\/> Prito\u017ebeno sodi\u0161\u010de je izpodbijano sodbo preizkusilo v mejah uveljavljanih prito\u017ebenih razlogov, pri \u010demer je na podlagi drugega odstavka 350. \u010dlena Zakona o pravdnem postopku (ZPP, Ur. l. RS, \u0161t. 26\/99 in nadaljnji) po uradni dol\u017enosti pazilo na bistvene kr\u0161itve dolo\u010db pravdnega postopka iz 1., 2., 3., 6., 7., 11. to\u010dke, razen glede obstoja in pravilnosti pooblastila za postopek pred sodi\u0161\u010dem prve stopnje ter 12. in 14. to\u010dke drugega odstavka 339. \u010dlena ZPP in na pravilno uporabo materialnega prava. Pri tem preizkusu je ugotovilo, da sodi\u0161\u010de prve stopnje bistvenih kr\u0161itev dolo\u010db pravdnega postopka, na katere pazi prito\u017ebeno sodi\u0161\u010de po uradni dol\u017enosti, ni storilo. Na pravilno in popolno ugotovljeno dejansko stanje pa je tudi pravilno uporabilo materialno pravo, le odlo\u010ditev o stro\u0161kih postopka je delno napa\u010dna, kar bo pojasnjeno v nadaljevanju. <p\/> Prito\u017ebeno sodi\u0161\u010de se v celoti strinja s pravnimi in dejanskimi razlogi iz izpodbijane sodbe sodi\u0161\u010da prve stopnje (razen z odlo\u010ditvijo o stro\u0161kih postopka), zato jih ne ponavlja in v zvezi s prito\u017ebenimi navedbami, ki so odlo\u010dilnega pomena skladno s prvim odstavkom 360. \u010dlena ZPP le \u0161e dodaja: <p\/> Sodi\u0161\u010de prve stopnje je pravilno ugotovilo, da je to\u017enica glede na svojo delovno zmo\u017enost, pravico do nadomestila pla\u010de za \u010das \u010dakanja na razporeditev oziroma zaposlitev na drugem ustreznem delu na podlagi dolo\u010db Zakona o pokojninskem in invalidskem zavarovanju (ZPIZ-1, Ur. l. RS \u0161t. 106\/99 in 72\/2000), saj je bila z odlo\u010dbo Zavoda za pokojninsko in invalidsko zavarovanje Slovenije, Obmo\u010dna enota A. \u0161t. ... z dne 4. 10. 2000 v zvezi z odlo\u010dbo Zavoda za pokojninsko in invalidsko zavarovanje Slovenije, \u0161t. ... z dne 27. 3. 2001 razvr\u0161\u010dena v III. kategorijo invalidnosti zaradi posledic bolezni in s pravico do razporeditve oziroma zaposlitve na drugo ustrezno fizi\u010dno la\u017eje delo od 29. 9. 2000 dalje. To\u017enici je bilo nadomestilo odmerjeno z odlo\u010dbo Zavoda za pokojninsko in invalidsko zavarovanje Slovenije, Obmo\u010dna enota A., \u0161t. ... z dne 31. 1. 2003, kjer je bilo dolo\u010deno, da nadomestilo pla\u010de to\u017enici v svoje breme izpla\u010duje delodajalec. Zakon o delovnih razmerjih (ZDR, Ur. l. RS, \u0161t. 42\/2002) je res stopil v veljavo pred izdajo te odlo\u010dbe, vendar je bistveno, da je to\u017enica pravico pridobila \u017ee pred tem, zato ji je bila s to odlo\u010dbo priznana pravica do nadomestila pla\u010de za \u010das \u010dakanja na razporeditev na drugo ustrezno delo od 7. 7. 2001 dalje na podlagi dolo\u010db ZPIZ-1 in Zakona o pokojninskem in invalidskem zavarovanju (ZPIZ, Ur. l. RS, \u0161t. 12\/92 do 54\/98). Na podlagi 397. \u010dlena ZPIZ-1 u\u017eivalci pravic na podlagi preostale delovne zmo\u017enosti, uveljavljenih po predpisih, ki so se uporabljali do datuma dolo\u010denega v 446. \u010dlenu tega zakona, ki je 1. 1. 2003, te pravice obdr\u017eijo tudi po tem datumu, s tem, da se denarna nadomestila usklajujejo kot se usklajujejo pokojnine. To\u017enica je bila vseskozi invalid III. kategorije, \u0161ele z odlo\u010dbo z dne 26. 10 2009 je bila razvr\u0161\u010dena v I. kategorijo invalidnosti zaradi posledic bolezni od 9. 4. 2009 dalje in ji je bila priznana pravica do invalidske pokojnine od 1. 5. 2009 dalje. Tako so prito\u017ebene navedbe, da sodi\u0161\u010de prve stopnje ni popolno ugotovilo dejanskega stanja in je napa\u010dno uporabilo materialno pravo, neutemeljene. <p\/> Ob tem prito\u017ebeno sodi\u0161\u010de \u0161e dodaja, da tudi prito\u017eba to\u017enice zoper odlo\u010dbo ZPIZ z dne 31. 3. 2003, ne bi spremenila dejstva, da je to\u017enica pridobila pravico do nadomestila po predpisih o pokojninskem in invalidskem zavarovanju in iz tega razloga ni upravi\u010dena do nadomestila po ZDR. Neutemeljene pa so tudi prito\u017ebene navedbe, da je vi\u0161ino nadomestila to\u017enici dolo\u010dila to\u017eena stranka s sklepom z dne 25. 5. 2001, saj je bila vi\u0161ina nadomestila dolo\u010dena z odlo\u010dbo ZPIZ z dne 31. 1. 2003 in sicer v znesku 71.011,61 SIT mese\u010dno. Kot osnova je bila skladno s 137. \u010dlenom ZPIZ v zvezi z 48. \u010dlenom ZPIZ-1 upo\u0161tevana najni\u017eja pokojninska osnova, od katere se je odmerilo nadomestilo pla\u010de za \u010das \u010dakanja na zaposlitev oziroma razporeditev na drugo ustrezno delo v vi\u0161ini 80 %, tako odmerjeno nadomestilo pa se je uskladilo enako kot pokojnine in je od 7. 7. 2001 zna\u0161alo 71.011,61 SIT. <p\/> Na podlagi navedenega je sodi\u0161\u010de prve stopnje pravilno zavrnilo to\u017eni\u010din zahtevek po izpla\u010dilu razlike med prejetim zneskom nadomestila za \u010das \u010dakanja na delo v vi\u0161ini 80 % osnove in 100 % zneskom nadomestila po 137. \u010dlenu ZDR. <p\/> Utemeljeno pa opozarja prito\u017eba, da je sodi\u0161\u010de prve stopnje napa\u010dno odmerilo potrebne stro\u0161ke postopka to\u017eene stranke, ki ji jih je dol\u017ena povrniti to\u017enica. Ne glede na to, da je sodi\u0161\u010de prve stopnje ponovno odprlo glavno obravnavo, je to\u017eena stranka skladno s tar. \u0161t. 3012 tarife Zakona o odvetni\u0161ki tarifi (ZOdvT, Ur. l. RS 67\/2008) upravi\u010dena le do ene nagrade za narok, zato je prito\u017ebeno sodi\u0161\u010de dosojeni znesek stro\u0161kov postopka zni\u017ealo na 513,00 EUR in sicer za eno nagrado za narok v vi\u0161ini 190,80 EUR in DDV v vi\u0161ini 20 % na ta znesek. Sodi\u0161\u010de prve stopnje pa ni imelo podlage, da bi odlo\u010dilo, kot to predlaga prito\u017eba, da bi vsaka stranka sama krila svoje stro\u0161ke postopka, saj to\u017enica v sporu ni uspela. <p\/> Zaradi navedenega je prito\u017ebeno sodi\u0161\u010de prito\u017ebi to\u017ee\u010de stranke delno ugodilo v delu, ki se nana\u0161a na odlo\u010ditev o prito\u017ebenih stro\u0161kih in dosojeni znesek zni\u017ealo na 513,00 EUR (1.odstavek 351. \u010dlena ZPP v zvezi s 5. alineo 358. \u010dlena ZPP), v preostalem pa je prito\u017ebo zavrnilo in v nespremenjenem delu potrdilo izpodbijano sodbo sodi\u0161\u010de prve stopnje (353. \u010dlena ZPP). <p\/> To\u017ee\u010da stranka je s prito\u017ebo uspela le delno, zato je prito\u017ebeno sodi\u0161\u010de na podlagi drugega odstavka 154. \u010dlena ZPP v zvezi s prvim odstavkom 165. \u010dlena istega zakona odlo\u010dilo, da sama krije svoje stro\u0161ke prito\u017ebe. To\u017eena stranka pa sama krije svoje stro\u0161ke odgovora na prito\u017ebo, saj z njim k odlo\u010ditvi ni bistveno pripomogla (prvi odstavek 155. \u010dlena v zvezi s prvim odstavkom 165. \u010dlena ZPP).","labels":"Legal","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Drugi o prireditvi <p\/> 7. Otro\u0161ki bazar Ljubljana: leto 2012 <p\/> V Kozmetiki Afrodita smo na Otro\u0161kem bazarju letos sodelovali \u017ee drugo leto zapored. V projektu smo prepoznali veliko prilo\u017enost, da se tako obstoje\u010dim kot tudi potencialnim novim kupcem predstavimo z novo otro\u0161ko kozmetiko BABY &amp; KIDS NATURAL. Glede na \u0161tevilo vzpostavljenih kontaktov ter pozitivne odzive s strani obiskovalcev ocenjujemo, da je bilo sodelovanje na Otro\u0161kem bazarju za nas obe leti izjemno uspe\u0161no. Izpolnili smo svoj osnovni cilj - se pribli\u017eali ciljni skupini na\u0161ih kupcev: predvsem star\u0161em, pa tudi mal\u010dkom. Zaradi slednjega na\u010drtujemo, da bomo na Otro\u0161kem bazarju sodelovali tudi naslednje leto. <p\/> Nastija Egartner Tr\u017eno komuniciranje Kozmetika Afrodita d. o. o. <p\/> Na Otro\u0161kem bazarju v Mariboru in Ljubljani je bilo predstavljenih veliko mo\u017enosti za kakovostno pre\u017eivljanje prostega \u010dasa dru\u017ein. Ravno zato med ponudniki niso manjkale niti Sava Hotels &amp; Resorts. Medtem, ko so na na\u0161em razstavnem prostoru otroci zavzeto sodelovali v otro\u0161kih delavnicah, so se njihovi star\u0161i in starej\u0161i spremljevalci zanimali za aktivne po\u010ditnice v na\u0161ih destinacijah. Veseli nas, da smo na podlagi predstavitve na Otor\u0161kem bazarju zabele\u017eili veliko rezervacij dru\u017einskih po\u010ditnic, zato tovrstno sodelovanje priporo\u010damo tudi drugim organizacijam in podjetjem. <p\/> Slavica Re\u0161eta Skrbnica trga - Slovenija Sava Hotels &amp; Resorts <p\/> Na 7. Otro\u0161kem bazarju Ljubljana smo s sejemskim nastopom, kjer smo predstavljali projekt \u00bbRad jem ribe\u00ab, do\u017eiveli izjemno prijetno izku\u0161njo z organizatorjem sejma, podjetjem Proevent d. o. o. Osebje tega podjetja odlikuje izredna strokovnost, profesionalen in odgovoren odnos ter izreden ob\u010dutek za razstavljavce in obiskovalce. Z velikim veseljem bomo z njimi sodelovali tudi v prihodnje. <p\/> Na Otro\u0161kem bazarju v Ljubljani smo leto\u0161nje leto sodelovali prvi\u010d. Na\u0161e podjetje je \u0161e mlado, ki pa ima za cilj biti najbolj\u0161i ponudnik razvojnih oz. didakti\u010dnih igra\u010d za vse starosti otrok. Otro\u0161ki bazar je za nas najbolj\u0161i na\u010din za vzpostavitev kontakta s kupci in neposrednimi uporabniki na\u0161ih igra\u010d. Z obiskom in vzdu\u0161jem na celotnem sejmi\u0161\u010du smo bili zelo zadovoljni in zagotovo se vidimo tudi v letu 2013. <p\/> Peter Gori\u010dan Singa d. o. o. <p\/> 7. Otro\u0161ki bazar Ljubljana v medijih <p\/> Ker smo \u010disto mlado podjetje, smo letos prvi\u010d sodelovali na Otro\u0161kem Bazarju. Bili smo navdu\u0161eni nad vzdu\u0161jem na prireditvi, saj pozitivne energije res ni manjkalo. Svoje poslovne cilje smo izpolnili: izdelke iz ekolo\u0161kega bomba\u017ea za dojen\u010dke in mal\u010dke smo predstavili mladim star\u0161em in nose\u010dnicam. Imeli smo enkraten odziv na stojnico in dobili potrdilo, da gremo v pravo smer. Tak stik s strankami je za na\u0161o spletno trgovino zelo pomemben, zato se bomo drugo leto zagotovo vrnili. <p\/> Alenka Bomba\u017eek d. o. o. <p\/> Pred prireditvijo Otro\u0161ki bazar je bilo prisotnega kar nekaj strahu, kako se bodo kriti\u010dni obiskovalci odzvali na na\u0161o promocijo obrtnih poklicev. Do sedaj smo bili pri promociji obrtnih poklicev usmerjeni predvsem na osnovno\u0161olce v zadnji triadi, vendar nas je odlo\u010ditev, da se tokrat posvetimo tudi mlaj\u0161im, prijetno presenetila. Odzivnost otrok, predvsem pa njihovih star\u0161ev, je bila izjemna. Na Obrtno-podjetni\u0161ki zbornici Slovenije \u017eelimo izpostaviti tudi vzorno sodelovanje z organizatorjem Proevent d. o. o. in se jim ob tej prilo\u017enosti tudi lepo zahvaljujemo. <p\/> Mitja Korunovski Izobra\u017eevalni center OZS <p\/> Na Otro\u0161kem bazarju smo sodelovali drugo leto zapored. Lansko leto, ko smo sodelovali prvi\u010d, smo bili nad obiskom presene\u010deni in navdu\u0161eni, a obenem, na komunikacijo z obiskovalci nismo bili primerno pripravljeni. Letos smo se bolje pripravili in obiskovalcem ponudili animacijo - frizbi golf, ki je ena od aktivnosti v na\u0161em, v leto\u0161nji sezoni novem, Poletnem parku na Krvavcu. Leto\u0161nji obisk sejma je bil ponovno zelo dober in v primerjavi z ostalimi sejmi, ki jih sicer obiskujemo, vsekakor nadpovpre\u010den. Zadovoljni smo tudi z odzivom obiskovalcev sejma, saj nas je kar nekaj teh tudi \u017ee obiskalo v na\u0161em parku in unov\u010dilo ugodnosti \/ nagrade iz na\u0161e animacijske igre s sejma. Velika zahvala organizatorjem za posluh in usklajevanje. <p\/> Luka Vran\u010di\u010d RTC Krvavec, d. d. <p\/> Danes smo z otroki iz vrtca Najdihojca iz Ljubljane (skupini Metulji in Srne) obiskali Otro\u0161ki bazar, ki je potekal na Gospodarskem razstavi\u0161\u010du. Ogledali smo si ga v brezpla\u010dnih vodenih ogledih. Vodi\u010dka je bila zelo prijetna in moramo jo pohvaliti, da se je zelo potrudila. Sam Bazar je zanimiv in ponuja raznolike dejavnosti tako za majhne kot velike. Hvala v imenu otrok in strokovnih delavcev vrtca Najdihojca, enote Pal\u010dek - skupini Metulji in Srne. \u0160e bomo pri\u0161li. <p\/> Vrtec Najdihojca enota Pal\u010dek <p\/> Prihodnost je v rokah na\u0161ih otrok, poskrbimo, da bo polna \u017eivljenja, miru, sre\u010de, lepote, veselja do dela in u\u010denja \u2026 Del\u010dek te ideje smo za\u017eiveli na leto\u0161njem Otro\u0161kem Bazarju. Z na\u0161o Montessori sobo in predstavljenimi Montessori materiali ter drugimi razvojno-didakti\u010dnimi igra\u010dami smo \u017eeleli dodati pridih pomembnosti vzgoje in izobra\u017eevanja. Obiskovalci so pristopali z velikim zanimanjem, z veliko vpra\u0161anji, \u017eeljni informacij. Montessori soba je bila ves \u010das sejma polna na\u0161ih najmlaj\u0161ih in obdana s \u0161tevilnimi opazovalci, ki smo jim podelili krasne nagrade. Vsekakor z obiskovalci \u0161e vedno ohranjamo stik. <p\/> Katarina Zver Belovi\u010d Svet Otrok <p\/> \u0160tevilna udele\u017eba leto\u0161nje prireditve za dru\u017eine Otro\u0161ki bazar je prava potrditev, da organizatorji znajo prisluhniti tako otrokom kot tudi star\u0161em. Prijeten in nevsiljiv prodajni pristop razstavljavcev, vzgojno-izobra\u017eevalne aktivnosti in dobrodelne akcije nudijo prijetno vzdu\u0161je tako obiskovalcem, kot tudi nam - podjetjem, ki predstavljamo svoje izdelke ali storitve. <p\/> Tanja Pirc Podobnik Mercator d. d. <p\/> Ljubljanske mlekarne so se na Otro\u0161kem bazarju predstavile \u017ee ve\u010dkrat. Idejo za predstavitev smo vsa leta razvijali sami, a je bila pri njeni realizaciji vedno dobrodo\u0161la podpora GR In\u017eeniringa. Ekipa, ki je kompetentna na razli\u010dnih podro\u010djih (tehni\u010dnem, komunikacijskem, organizacijskem itd.) nam je vselej pri\u0161la naproti in nam pomagala pri uresni\u010ditvi zastavljenih ciljev. Otro\u0161ki bazar je dobro organiziran, zato se nanj zagotovo tudi letos vrnemo. <p\/> Sara Wagner Ljubljanske mlekarne d. d. <p\/> Na Otro\u0161kem bazarju, ki se je odvijal na Gospodarskem razstavi\u0161\u010du, so bili otroci iz vrtca Otona \u017dupan\u010di\u010da dele\u017eni ogleda razli\u010dnih razstav, hkrati pa so s svojimi to\u010dkami sodelovali in tudi nastopili na odru. Strokovne delavke so se odlo\u010dile, da bodo tudi v prihodnje otroke popeljale na Otro\u0161ki bazar, ki je nudil raznolikost dejavnosti za otroke. <p\/> Ksenija Grabovica pomo\u010dnica ravnateljice vrtec Otona \u017dupan\u010di\u010da <p\/> Otro\u0161ki bazar je na nas naredil zelo pozitiven vtis, predvsem sve\u017eina mladih dru\u017ein in njihovo zanimanje po do\u017eivetljih narave in na\u0161ih etnolo\u0161kih delavnic. <p\/> Nives Brezovnik Zavod za kulturo, turizem in razvoj Rogatec <p\/> Leta 2010 smo na Otro\u0161kem bazarju sodelovali prvi\u010d. Organizacija prireditve (razstavni prostori ter pomo\u010d pri opremi le-teh, komunikacija s prireditelji...) je na zelo visoki ravni. \u0160iroka ponudba razstavljalcev in brezpla\u010den vstop za obiskovalce sta zagotovilo, da je obisk zares visok. Tako imajo razstavljalci ve\u010d kot dovolj mo\u017enosti za predstavitev svojih izdelkov in dejavnosti.","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Viri <p\/> Rodoslovje odkriva in bele\u017ei osebne podatke o posameznikih in jih glede na sorodstvo med seboj zdru\u017euje v rodbinske povezave v dolo\u010denem \u010dasu in prostoru. Pri tem prou\u010devanju rodoslovec posega v zgodovino in povezuje rodbinsko zgodovino s splo\u0161no, zato mora poznati vsaj njene mejnike in zna\u010dilnosti, kot so: <p\/> Jezik in pisave, ki so uporabljene v arhivskem gradivu. <p\/> Grbi in emblemi, ki so se uporabljali npr. na pe\u010datih, medaljah, kovancih. <p\/> Dr\u017eavna in cerkvena ureditev. <p\/> Navade in obi\u010daji dru\u017ebe. <p\/> Pisni in drugi viri podatkov (npr. nagrobniki, votivni kamni, spomeniki). <p\/> Na spletu je zelo \u0161iroka in raznovrstna ponudba vsakovrstnih rodoslovnih virov in orodij. Na\u0161li jih bomo, \u010de bomo iskali po splo\u0161nih klju\u010dnih besedah kot so: rodoslovje, genealogy, family tree in podobno, ali pa bomo iskanje zo\u017eili po bolj specifi\u010dnih iskalnih pojmih. Pri rodoslovnem raziskovanju nastaja velika koli\u010dina podatkov, ki jih je brez programske podpore te\u017eko urediti v smiselne celote kmalu po tem, ko rodoslovec razi\u0161\u010de svoje bli\u017enje sorodstvo. <p\/> V Sloveniji je \u0161e vedno najbolj priljubljen rodoslovni program Brother's Keeper. Pred drugimi ima prednost zaradi prevoda v slovenski jezik in zaradi podpore posebnih znakov na\u0161e abecede. Med sodobnej\u0161imi programi te zahteve izpolnjuje tudi sodobnej\u0161i Family Tree Builder (FTB) My Heritage in morda \u0161e kateri. Postopek za nalaganje programa BK s spleta je predstavljen v dveh delih \u2013 nalaganje in prirejanje. Postopek je opisan tudi na strani Slovensko rodoslovje, kjer so \u0161tevilne druge koristne povezave. <p\/> Ka\u017eipot na mnoge rodoslovne vire so na svojih straneh ponudili nekateri aktivnej\u0161i rodoslovci. Taka sta npr. kolega Fonda in Zavodnik. Najbolj popoln svetovni rodoslovni ka\u017eipot je zagotovo www.cyndislist.com. Med doma\u010dimmi viri naj samo za vzorec omenimo SiStory, kjer so objavili nekaj posebnih \u0161tevilk \u010dasopisa Drevesa, DLib, kjer je med drugim objavljen Leksikon Dravske banovine, in Kamra (Digitalizirana kulturna dedi\u0161\u010dina slovenskih pokrajin). <p\/> Za iskanje oseb v tujini so na voljo svetovna skladi\u0161\u010da rodoslovnih podatkov kot so Ancestry. Podobna stran je FamilySearch. Med evropskimi sta verjetno najbolj popularni francoska stran Geneanet in stran nem\u0161kega zdru\u017eenja. V podporo iskanju prednikov preko Svetovnega spleta in trajno hranjenje osebnih podatkov, ki so zna\u010dilni za rodoslovje, pa se vedno bolj vklju\u010dujejo spletni velikani kot sta Google in Facebook, ki hranita o svojih uporabnikih \u0161tevilne osebne podatke, ki bodo vir bodo\u010dih rodoslocev. <p\/> Rodoslovje ali genealogija ni mlada veda. Najstarej\u0161e rodoslovno delo so knjige svetega pisma Stare zaveze. Najve\u010d starih rodovnikov pa je ohranjenih iz starega veka za vladarske rodbine in plemstvo. Rodoslovne raziskave so \u0161e ena stvar, ki je v moderni dobi dostopna vsakomur. Naj vam napotki na na\u0161ih spletnih straneh dobro slu\u017eijo.","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"- za nego ko\u017ee: suha, zrela in za regeneracijo (tubi brazgotine); - v primeru astme ali ponavljajo\u010dih se respiratornih te\u017eav; - v primeru glavobolov in napetosti v vratnih mi\u0161icah; - za pomirjanje, pri tesnobi, za meditacijo. <p\/> Izdelava: \u010cebelji vosek in masli postavite na vodno kopel, da se stopijo. Dodajte olja in preme\u0161ajte (zmes mora biti teko\u010da). Dodajte eteri\u010dna olja, preme\u0161ajte in nato\u010dite v primerno embala\u017eo. Pokrijte s papirnato brisa\u010dko in po\u010dakajte, da se ohladi, \u0161ele nato zaprite. <p\/> Uporaba: Mazilo nana\u0161ajte na brazgotino nekajkrat dnevno. <p\/> Pred uporabo natan\u010dno preberite etiketo in upo\u0161tevajte navodila za uporabo!","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Prijava za brezpla\u010dno vstopnico <p\/> 1. Korak - varovan vstop <p\/> Za pridobitev brezpla\u010dne vstopnice se je potrebno registrirati. Zato je potrebno vnesti svoje osebne podatke, ime priimek in naslov, ker so vstopnice poimenske. Najprej preberete naklju\u010dno generirano vstopno kodo (geslo), ki je skrito med galasijami na sliki. \u010ce kode ne morete natan\u010dno prebrati oziroma ni razlo\u010dno vidna, kliknite na povezavo \"Obnovi\" in se bo generirala nova koda. Skrivna koda je napisana z razli\u010dnimi pisavami, v razli\u010dni barvi in nagibu. Ko pa vna\u0161ate v polje, sistem ne razlikuje med velikimi ali malimi \u010drkami. V primeru, da se pri vnosu zmotite, kliknite na 'Vrni se nazaj' in popravi.","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Kuhinjske zelene plo\u0161\u010dice Metrotiles Svetlo zelena 10x20 je ena izmed najbolj\u0161ih izbir za kuhinjo ali kopalnico. Sijo\u010da povr\u0161ina, 3D efekt - naj va\u0161a kuhinja postane lepa in neobi\u010dajna.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Prva spominska knjiga <p\/> Prva spominska knjiga je najlep\u0161e darilo ob rojstvu otroka. Novi naro\u010dniki na revijo Moj mal\u010dek jo prejmejo kot darilo! <p\/> Kako hitro se pozabi, katere predloge za dojen\u010dkovo ime je dala mamica in katere babica, kdaj natanko se je dojen\u010dek prvi\u010d prekobalil na bok, katera igra\u010dka mu je bila najljub\u0161a pri osmih mesecih, kdo je pri\u0161el pa praznovanje prvega rojstnega dne, kako je mal\u010dek rekel stekleni\u010dki, ko je bil \u0161e \u010disto majhen... Ali ne bi bilo lepo za vedno ujeti nekaj teh sladkih spominov? <p\/> Spominska knjiga za dojen\u010dka <p\/> Ko je pri hi\u0161i dojen\u010dek ali majhen otrok, mlada star\u0161a prav gotovo nimata ni\u010d odve\u010dnega \u010dasa. Zato mnogi mladi star\u0161i niti pomislijo ne, da bi zapisovali drobne in ve\u010dje dogodke iz otrokove najrosnej\u0161e starosti, saj so vsak dan tako utrujeni, da komaj \u010dakajo na no\u010dni po\u010ditek. Pa vendar... Kako hitro mine \u010das otro\u0161tva in kako radi se vra\u010damo vanj! Malo ve\u010dji otroci ho\u010dejo vedeti vse o svojem zgodnjem otro\u0161tvu - s katerimi igra\u010dami so se igrali, kak\u0161ne \u010develj\u010dke so nosili, kak\u0161na je bila njihova prva posteljnina... Zgodbe o tem bi poslu\u0161ali ure in ure. Ampak neverjetno, kako hitro te drobne vsakdanjosti star\u0161em in starim star\u0161em zdrknejo iz spomina! <p\/> Pa ne le malo ve\u010dji otroci, tudi najstniki in tudi odrasli se radi vra\u010dajo v \u010das prvega otro\u0161tva. Kakor da bi \u017eeleli rekonstruirati \u010das, ki se ga spomnijo le medlo, le v slutnji. \u0160ele ko jim ga star\u0161i ali stari star\u0161i ubesedimo z lastnimi spomini, se zdi, da so svoja ob\u010dutja in spomine povezali v dogodke, ki imajo smisel in si jih lahko razlo\u017eijo. Ugodje, ki ga pri tem ob\u010dutijo, je prav gotovo vredno truda ob zapisovanju in urejanju prve spominske knjige. Zakaj jim ga ne bi privo\u0161\u010dili? Tak\u0161ni spomini povezujejo odrasle in otroke s toplo vezjo ljubezni, z zavedanjem, kako radi smo jih vedno imeli in tudi - kaj vse so zanje \u017ee storili v preteklih letih. Ali ni to vredno, da bi tu in tam zapisali vrstico v prvo spominsko knjigo ali nalepili vanjo fotografijo? <p\/> Opora za star\u0161e Kaj pa naj bi zapisali v prvo spominsko knjigo? Ne, te\u017eava ni v tem, da bi se v dojen\u010dkovem \u017eivljenju ne dogajalo ni\u010d pomembnega. Dogaja se \u0161e preve\u010d, saj dojen\u010dek \u017ee v prvem letu zraste iz skoraj nebogljenega novorojen\u010dka v kobacaja, ki \u017ee dela prve korake. In v naslednjem letu pri\u010dne govoriti vedno ve\u010d in vedno bolje, pri treh letih pa zmore \u017ee skoraj \u00bbvse\u00ab - govori, te\u010de, sam zaspi, ujame in vr\u017ee \u017eogo, ri\u0161e... Svoje znanje mora otrok le \u0161e poglobiti in zbrusiti. V prvih treh letih, kolikor traja najzgodnej\u0161e otrokovo otro\u0161tvo, je res veliko takega, kar bi lahko zapisali. <p\/> Prva spominska knjiga je zato zasnovana tako, da je v vsakem mesecu od rojstva do otrokovega tretjega leta opisana razvojna pot povpre\u010dnega otroka - njegov telesni razvoj, gibalni razvoj, razvoj zmo\u017enosti komuniciranja... Nato pa je dovolj prostora, da pri vsakem mesecu pripi\u0161emo podatke o svojem otroku, izjemnem, ljubljenem in neponovljivem posamezniku. Ne gre za primerjavo povpre\u010dnega otroka oziroma tistega, kar bi otrok \u00bb\u017ee moral\u00ab znati, z na\u0161im otrokom, saj je vsak otrok neponovljivo bitje, ki ga imamo radi tak\u0161nega, kakr\u0161en je, in ne zaradi tistega, kar je \u017ee dosegel. Vsak otrok se razvija v svojem ritmu in do tega ima vso pravico. Opis razvojnih zna\u010dilnosti obsega le tisto, kar je vsem otrokom skupno. Mlade star\u0161e pa\u010d zanima, kaj lahko pri\u010dakujejo v prihodnjih mesecih. <p\/> Povpre\u010dne razvojne zna\u010dilnosti vsakega meseca starosti dojen\u010dka in otroka bodo star\u0161em dale dovolj opore, da bodo ocenili tudi, kaj je tisto, kar je vredno zapisati o svojem otroku. Poleg tega je v prvi spominski knjigi dovolj prostora za lepljenje otrokovih fotografij, prvih risbic, opise prvih sme\u0161nih dogodkov, seznama povabljencev na rojstne dni in podobno. <p\/> Kako je bilo, ko sem bil \u0161e majhen? Komaj spregovorijo, bi otroci radi vedeli, kako je bilo, ko so bili \u0161e majhni. Prav ni\u010d jih ne obremenjuje misel, da so pravzaprav \u0161e vedno majhni. In prav imajo - zakaj pa se ne bi veselili vsakega novega koraka v svojem razvoju? Kar opazujte otroka, ki ponosno primerja svojo \u00bbveliko\u00ab dlan z majcenim odtisom dlani in podplata, ki ste ga nalepili v njegovo prvo spominsko knjigo! Fotografija njegove prve posteljice bo povod za pogovor, kako je spal neko\u010d in kako velik je \u017ee. In fotografija, na kateri le\u017ei ob svojem prvem medvedku, vas bo spomnila, kako drobceno je bilo neko\u010d njegovo telo... Otroci pa bodo svojo spominsko knjigo radi ogledovali tudi zato, ker so na vsaki strani ljubki in igrivi liki, ki spremljajo njegovo otro\u0161tvo - medvedki, pikapolonice, metulji, pal\u010dki, Bo\u017ei\u010dek, doma\u010de \u017eivali... <p\/> Ljubosumje na dojen\u010dka Tak\u0161ni spomini zapisani v knjigi in na fotografijah lahko pomagajo tudi otroku, ki se soo\u010da z prihodom bratca ali sestrice, dojen\u010dka, na katerega ni te\u017eko biti ljubosumen, ker pa\u010d potrebuje toliko ljubezni in nege star\u0161ev. V pogovoru ob njegovi prvi spominski knjigi mu lahko nazorno poka\u017eemo, da je vso to ljubezen in pozornost potreboval in prejemal tudi on sam, \u010deprav je sedaj \u00bbve\u010dji\u00ab otrok. Morda bo otroku la\u017ee razumeti, da bo tudi bratec ali sestrica neko\u010d enako velik in samostojen, kot je sedaj otrok sam, da mu bo postal soigralec in dru\u017eabnik. <p\/> \u010ce bomo prvo dojen\u010dkovo spominsko knjigo pisali in opremljali tudi za bratca ali sestrico, bo starej\u0161i otrok lahko sproti spremljal, kako poteka razvoj bratca ali sestrice. Tak\u0161na primerjava bo dobrodo\u0161la tudi za star\u0161e, saj je prijetno vedeti, da se otrokov razvoj vedno kon\u010da enako, pa \u010deprav se v\u010dasih zdi, da se trenutki vle\u010dejo v neskon\u010dnost, drugi\u010d pa, da \u010das drvi z neznosno hitrostjo. <p\/> Prvi\u010d na morju, prvi Bo\u017ei\u010d in Novo leto... Otroci te\u017eko razumejo dimenzijo \u010dasa - kaj je bilo pred pol leta in kaj bo \u010dez dve leti. \u017divijo predvsem v sedanjem trenutku, zato je zanje tudi tako te\u017eko \u010dakati, pa \u010deprav \u00bbsamo malo\u00ab. Pri treh letih se zdi lansko poletje, ko smo bili na morju, neskon\u010dno dale\u010d. Ne \u010dudite se, \u010de se prav ni\u010desar ve\u010d ne spominja, kot da bi sploh ne bil na morju. Saj je zanj lansko poletje res \u017ee zelo dale\u010d. Zgodilo se je v prej\u0161nji tretjini otrokovega \u017eivljenja. \u010ce ste stari trideset let, bi to za vas pomenilo, da se je zgodilo pred desetimi leti... \u0160alo na stran. Otrokom (in tudi odraslim) je veliko la\u017ee, \u010de spomine obujajo ob fotografijah. Prav zato je v prvi spominski knjigi poseben prostor posve\u010den zapisom in fotografijam otrokovega prvega Bo\u017ei\u010da in novega leta, prvega odhoda na morje in prvih rojstnih dni. Skupno ogledovanje fotografij pogosto obudi skupne spomine, tudi tiste, ki jih vi niste ohranili, babica ali dedek, v\u010dasih pa tudi otrok, pa vas presenetijo in vam povedo \u0161e nekaj, kar vas lahko ponese v sre\u010dne \u010dase. <p\/> Darilo otroku ali starim star\u0161em? Prvo spominsko knjigo pa lahko pi\u0161ete in opremljate tudi skoraj na skrivaj. Morda bi jo lahko nekega dne podarili otroku kot \u010disto posebno darilo, ki mu bo povedalo, kako zelo ste ga vedno ljubili in koliko vam je bilo do njegove sre\u010de. Lahko bi mu jo podarili ob polnoletnosti, ob poroki ali tedaj, ko se mu bo rodil njegov prvi otrok. <p\/> Lahko pa je prva spominska knjiga tudi lepo darilo babici in dedku. Lepo bo, \u010de jo boste pisali vi in jima jo podarili \u017ee izpolnjeno. Lahko pa jo podarite prazno, \u0161e neizpolnjeno. Stari star\u0161i imajo obi\u010dajno ve\u010d \u010dasa kot mlada dru\u017eina, stika z otrokom pa si zelo \u017eelita. Morda ju bo veselilo izpolnjevati prvo spominsko knjigo. Starima star\u0161ema bo tudi v oporo zapis o otrokovem razvoju, ki ga bosta na\u0161la v knjigi, saj mnogi stari star\u0161i po dolgih letih, ko so bili sami mladi star\u0161i, \u017ee pozabijo, kako je z dojen\u010dkom in kako se dojen\u010dki razvijajo v mal\u010dke. Obujanje starega znanja, pa tudi spominov na lastne otroke, ki se utrinjajo ob tem, jim je v veliko veselje. <p\/> Darilo ob rojstvu Dobra zamisel pa je tudi podariti prvo spominsko knjigo bodo\u010dima star\u0161ema ali mladima star\u0161ema. Saj ni treba, da vedno podarimo pletene copatke in dva bodija, pa tudi pli\u0161astih medvedkov se bo gotovo nabralo kar nekaj, \u0161e preden bi mlada star\u0161a utegnila kupiti prvega tak\u0161nega, ki bo po njunem okusu. Veliko bolje je biti izviren in podariti prvo spominsko knjigo, ki bo mladi dru\u017eini v veselje \u0161e leta po tistem, ko bo darilo prejela. <p\/> Prvo spominsko knjigo dobite kot darilo ob novem naro\u010dilu na revijo Moj mal\u010dek.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Zamenjaj ob\u010dino <p\/> Za bolj zdrav \u017eivljenjski slog in du\u0161evno zdravje <p\/> Nov center za krepitev zdravja v Celju Za bolj zdrav \u017eivljenjski slog in du\u0161evno zdravje Zanimanje za skupinske delavnice in individualna svetovanja <p\/> Celje, 28. september 2016 \u2013 Projekt Skupaj za zdravje so z viri norve\u0161kega finan\u010dnega mehanizma izvajali na Nacionalnem in\u0161titutu za javno zdravje v letih 2015 in 2016. Usmerjen je bil v izgradnjo naprednej\u0161ega skupnostnega preventivnega modela za izbolj\u0161evanje zdravja in zmanj\u0161evanje neenakosti v zdravju. Eden od rezultatov projekta Skupaj za zdravje je tudi nov center za krepitev zdravja v Zdravstvenem domu Celje in zdravstvenih postajah \u0160tore in Vojnik\u2013Dobrna. Center je namenjen ljudem, ki so kakor koli ogro\u017eeni zaradi \u017eivljenjskega sloga, kroni\u010dnih nenalezljivih bolezni ali te\u017eav z du\u0161evnim zdravjem. Tako so zainteresiranim uporabnikom na voljo \u0161tevilne brezpla\u010dne delavnice in individualna svetovanja glede telesne dejavnosti, zdrave prehrane, tveganega pitja alkohola, opu\u0161\u010danja kajenja, \u017eivljenja s sladkorno boleznijo, spro\u0161\u010danja in obvladovanja stresa ter spoprijemanja s tesnobo in z depresijo. Letos, od januarja do sredine septembra, je bilo v delavnice za krepitev zdravja in v individualna svetovanja v Celju, \u0160torah, Vojniku in Dobrni vklju\u010denih ve\u010d kot 1600 posameznikov. Najstarej\u0161a udele\u017eenka je bila stara 96 let, najmlaj\u0161i udele\u017eenec pa 16 let. <p\/> Vse storitve so za udele\u017eence brezpla\u010dne, saj jim pripadajo iz pravic zdravstvenega zavarovanja. V Centru za krepitev zdravja Zdravstvenega doma Celje udele\u017eenci pridobijo strokovno podporo, ustrezne informacije in znanja, predvsem pa oblikujejo stali\u0161\u010da, osvojijo ve\u0161\u010dine in osmi\u0161ljajo nove vedenjske vzorce za bolj zdrav na\u010din \u017eivljenja ter krepitev du\u0161evnega zdravja. Po tej poti lahko napredujejo in se opolnomo\u010dijo, s\u010dasoma v svoje \u017eivljenje vnesejo tudi kak\u0161no dolgotrajno spremembo glede opu\u0161\u010danja tveganih navad. \u010ce pa so \u017ee bolni (na primer bolniki s sladkorno boleznijo), lahko z izku\u0161njami in znanji iz delavnic s kroni\u010dno boleznijo la\u017eje \u017eivijo. \"V referen\u010dnih ambulantah dru\u017einske medicine izvajamo preventivne preglede, ki so namenjeni vsem odraslim po tridesetem letu starosti. Prizadevamo si, da bi dovolj zgodaj odkrili dejavnike tveganja za nastanek kroni\u010dnih nenalezljivih bolezni (ti so na primer zvi\u0161an holesterol, zvi\u0161an krvni tlak, krvni sladkor, debelost, telesna nedejavnost, kajenje, tvegano u\u017eivanje alkohola) in tudi dovolj zgodaj ukrepali, da bi prepre\u010dili nastanek bolezni. S projektom Skupaj za zdravje smo v Zdravstvenem domu Celje pridobili Center za krepitev zdravja, v katerem ustrezno usposobljeni strokovnjaki izvajajo skupinske delavnice in individualna svetovanja, ki so v pomo\u010d odraslim pri spreminjanju nezdravih \u017eivljenjskih navad. Usmerili smo se v izvajanje skupnostnega pristopa, \u0161e posebej sku\u0161amo pristopiti do ranljivih skupinah prebivalstva in zmanj\u0161evati neenakosti v zdravstveni oskrbi,\" je povedala prim. dr. Jana Govc Er\u017een, vodja strokovne skupine za preventivo in promocijo zdravja v Zdravstvenem domu Celje, koordinatorica projekta Celje \u2013 zdravo mesto in nacionalna koordinatorica za prepre\u010devanje sr\u010dno-\u017eilnih bolezni. Marjana Ir\u0161i\u010d, vodja Centra za krepitev zdravja v Zdravstvenem domu Celje, je pojasnila: \"Nova zasnova Centra za krepitev zdravja prispeva h krepitvi javnozdravstvenega poslanstva zdravstvenega doma tako, da se povezujemo z drugimi slu\u017ebami v zdravstvenem domu, aktivno sodelujemo s partnerji v lokalnem okolju, se odzivamo na potrebe lokalnega prebivalstva, na\u010drtujemo in izvajamo dejavnosti promocije zdravja ter skrbimo za vklju\u010devanje (ranljivih) oseb v preventivne programe. V Centru za krepitev zdravja v Celju opa\u017eamo, da smo vzbudili zanimanje ljudi za na\u0161e nemedikamentozne programe. V primerjavi s preteklo organiziranostjo nova zasnova dela organizirano vklju\u010duje tudi ranljive skupine ljudi, za katere so bile nekatere zdravstvene storitve te\u017eje dostopne. Kot eno od novosti smo v centru preizkusili tudi sodelovanje z medkulturno mediatorko za albansko govore\u010do skupnost v Celju.\" Med ranljive skupine z vidika dostopnosti zdravstvenega sistema in vklju\u010devanja v preventivne programe spadajo brezposelni, prekarni delavci, migranti, brezdomci, uporabniki nedovoljenih drog, osebe s te\u017eavami v du\u0161evnem zdravju, Romi, osebe z raznimi oblikami oviranosti in vsi drugi, ki naletijo pri skrbi za lastno zdravje na razli\u010dne ovire. <p\/> Rezultate in dobrobiti projekta Skupaj za zdravje so zdravstveni strokovnjaki in uporabniki programov predstavili v sredo, 28. septembra, v celjskem Narodnem domu. O novem skupnostnem integrativnem pristopu na podro\u010dju krepitve zdravja in preventive so spregovorili: mag. Alenka Obrul (direktorica Zdravstvenega doma Celje), prim. Jana Govc Er\u017een (vodja strokovne skupine za preventivo in promocijo zdravja v Zdravstvenem domu Celje in nacionalna koordinatorica za prepre\u010devanje sr\u010dno-\u017eilnih bolezni), Jo\u017eica Mau\u010dec Zakotnik (predstojnica Centra za upravljanje programov preventive in krepitve zdravja na NIJZ in vodja projekta Skupaj za zdravje za odrasle), mag. Polonca Truden Dobrin (vodja projekta Skupaj za zdravje za otroke in mladostnike), Marjana Ir\u0161i\u010d (vodja Centra za krepitev zdravja v Zdravstvenem domu Celje), Nu\u0161a Konec Juri\u010di\u010d (vodja skupine za nenalezljive bolezni na Obmo\u010dni enoti Celje NIJZ), Alenka Rumbak (direktorica celjske enote Zavoda za zaposlovanje), Martin Ka\u010d (Karitas), Suzi Kvas (direktorica JZ Socio). Svoje izku\u0161nje sta predstavili tudi Stanislava Ferjanc (udele\u017eenka v programu) in Vera Haliti (medkulturna mediatorka). <p\/> Uporabniki Zdravstvenega doma Celje in zdravstvenih postaj \u0160tore in Vojnik\u2013Dobrna imajo torej mo\u017enost, da se vklju\u010dijo v eno od treh temeljnih delavnic: Zdravo \u017eivim, Ali sem fit in Tehnike spro\u0161\u010danja. Na voljo so tudi moduli o zvi\u0161anem krvnem sladkorju, zvi\u0161anih ma\u0161\u010dobah, sladkorni bolezni tipa 2 in telesni pripravljenosti. Tem delavnicam in modulom sledijo razli\u010dne poglobljene obravnave. Med mo\u017enimi programi so tri poglobljene psihoedukativne delavnice za podporo du\u0161evnemu zdravju: Spoprijemanje s stresom, Podpora pri spoprijemanju z depresijo in Podpora pri spoprijemanju z anksioznostjo. \"Na delavnicah udele\u017eenci dobijo informacije o tem, kak\u0161na je povezava med telesnim in du\u0161evnim delovanjem, zakaj pride do dolo\u010denih te\u017eav in kaj lahko sami naredijo za krepitev zdravja. V majhni skupini imajo mo\u017enost izmenjati izku\u0161nje in vpra\u0161ati tisto, kar jih zanima. Pretiran ali predolgotrajen stres nas lahko vodi v te\u017eave telesnega ali du\u0161evnega zdravja, tudi v depresijo in anksioznost. \u017dal je na podro\u010dju du\u0161evnega zdravja \u0161e vedno prisotna stigma, zaradi katere se marsikdo te\u017eje odlo\u010di poiskati pomo\u010d \u2013 vendar menim, da se tudi to po\u010dasi spreminja. Vedno ve\u010d ljudi prepozna pomen tega, da pridobijo informacije in ve\u0161\u010dine za svoje zdravje,\" je menila Maru\u0161a Nagli\u010d, psihologinja in vodja psihoedukativnih delavnic v Centru za krepitev zdravja. <p\/> Center za krepitev zdravja, kot je v Celju, deluje \u017ee tudi v Sevnici in na Vrhniki. V projektu Skupaj za zdravje, ki ga je na podro\u010dju za zdravje odraslih vodila Jo\u017eica Mau\u010dec Zakotnik, so na Nacionalnem in\u0161titutu za javno zdravje nadgradili obstoje\u010de zdravstveno-vzgojne centre tako z organizacijskega kot vsebinskega vidika. Pristopi so zasnovani tako, da odgovarjajo na potrebe ljudi, prakti\u010dno usmerjeni v opolnomo\u010denje za dolgotrajno spremembo \u017eivljenjskih navad, ki lahko posameznike vodijo do bolj\u0161ega zdravja in po\u010dutja. Nova zasnova, ki temelji na anga\u017eiranju skupnosti in usklajeni mobilizaciji \u0161tevilnih lokalnih partnerjev, omogo\u010da okrepitev skrbi za posameznikovo in javno zdravje, optimizacijo rabe sredstev za promocijo zdravja in preventivo, zagotavljanje kakovosti kadrov in programov ter izbolj\u0161anje kazalnikov zdravja v prihodnosti. Na Nacionalnem in\u0161titutu za javno zdravje so poudarili, da dosedanje izku\u0161nje iz pilotnih programov potrjujejo smisel uvajanja centrov za krepitev zdravja tudi v druge zdravstvene domove. Po zaklju\u010dku projekta Skupaj za zdravje delovanje Centra za krepitev zdravja v Celju v celoti omogo\u010da ZZZS. <p\/> *** <p\/> Dodatne informacije: <p\/> Prim. Jana Govc Er\u017een, dr. med., specialistka dru\u017einske medicine, vodja strokovne skupine za preventivo in promocijo zdravja ZD Celje, nacionalna koordinatorica za preventivo bolezni srca in \u017eilja, koordinatorica projekta Celje-zdravo mesto, Zdravstveni dom Celje <p\/> Nu\u0161a Konec Juri\u010di\u010d, dr. med., specialistka socialne medicine in javnega zdravja, vodja podro\u010dja za nenalezljive bolezni, Nacionalni in\u0161titut za javno zdravje, Obmo\u010dna enota Celje","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Knji\u017enica <p\/> Knji\u017enica Ekonomske \u0161ole Novo mesto je namenjena dijakom in u\u010diteljem ter \u0161tudentom in predavateljem Vi\u0161je strokovne \u0161ole. Knji\u017enica je bogato zalo\u017eena in ima ve\u010d kot 19.000 enot knji\u017eni\u010dnega gradiva. Hranimo strokovno gradivo s podro\u010dja ekonomije, gospodarstva, ra\u010dunovodstva, prava, organizacije podjetij, pisarni\u0161kega poslovanja, komunikacije, psihologije, mened\u017ementa. Tudi leposlovna knji\u017enica je bogata, saj jo sproti dopolnjujemo z aktualnimi novostmi. Uporabnikom knji\u017enice je na voljo tudi medioteka s 30 sede\u017ei in 8 ra\u010dunalniki. Mnogim pomeni to prostor, kjer lahko v miru napi\u0161ejo seminarske naloge, berejo revije ali knjige, medtem ko \u010dakajo na pouk. Je pa to tudi prostor, kjer pripravljamo razstave, sre\u010danja in pogovore z razli\u010dnimi ustvarjalci. <p\/> Delovni \u010das <p\/> Ponedeljek: 7.00 \u2013 9.00, 10.00 \u2013 16.30","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"O\u010de alkoholik uni\u010duje \u017eivljenje \u0161tudentki, ki se je obrnila po pomo\u010d, in njeni mami. Obe sta materialno zaenkrat \u0161e odvisni od njega. <p\/> Malo sem brskala in sem gledala na koga bi se lahko obrnila za vsaj malo pomo\u010di ali vsaj da mi vlijete malo mo\u010di, ker mi \u010disto pojenja. <p\/> stara sem 23 let in imam fotra, ki je alkoholik. in ne vemo ve\u010d kaj naj naredimo. z mamo in on \u017eivimo v bloku, starej\u0161a sestra se je odselila v tujino in tako se je vsaj ona re\u0161ila muk. velikokrat smo mu z mami rekli naj gre do zdravnice in se gre zdravit, da nam uni\u010duje \u017eivljenje. saj je grozen. zeloo je ljubusumen, \u010de gre npr. mami s kolegicami \u017ee samo na sprehod in potem jo zmerja z kurbo in vsemi groznimi izrazi. ima pa tudi ob\u010dasne izpade (kot npr. v\u010deraj v kuhinji brcnil v vratca in jih zlomil), nad nama se ne zna\u0161a. ne vem ve\u010d kaj naj naredim, saj ga niti videti ve\u010d ne morem, koliko ga sovra\u017eim (resni\u010dno)! ! <p\/> kolikokrat sem mu \u017ee rekla da nam bo vsem uni\u010dil \u017eivljenje, vendar ga to nikakor ne gane in gre raje v gostilno in se ga napije. <p\/> ravno pred kratkim je mami izgubila slu\u017ebo in sedaj bomo ve\u010dinoma odvisni od njegove pla\u010de. vendar me skrbi, da bo tudi on izgubil slu\u017ebo, saj ponavadi ko je pijan par dni zaporedoma potem kar ne hodi po par dni v slu\u017ebo (mi je \u010dudno ga \u0161e niso odpustili). jaz sem pa \u0161tudentka in imam cel teden predavanja in bi zeloo te\u017eko delala. ko lahko grem, da zaslu\u017eim zase denar. <p\/> z mami ne moreva ve\u010d tako \u017eiveti, saj je ona z \u017eivci na koncu, mene je pa tudi strah za moje \u017eivljenje, saj opa\u017eam da sem se v zadnjih 2 letih zelo spremenila-vase se zapiram. In sva razmi\u0161ljali da bi se odselili vendar ne vem kako bi se pre\u017eivljali, saj mami bo sedaj prijemala samo 300\u20ac socialne pomo\u010di. Slu\u017ebo bo pa zelo te\u017eko dobila saj je stara 51 let in brez izobrazbe. Tudi \u010de bi se odselili ne vem kako bi bilo s tem stanovanjem, saj je napisan na oba (pol pol). <p\/> Imam pa fanta \u017ee skoraj 4 leta vendar on za to ni\u010d ne ve, ker me je zelooo sram mu to povedati in to skrivam pred njem in celotno njegovo dru\u017eino, in tudi ko sva skupaj sva vedno pri njem. Ne vem pa tudi kako bi se odzval na to. Sem velikokrat razmi\u0161ljala, da bi mu povedala, vendar me je preve\u010d sram, saj on misli, da je vse ok pri meni doma. <p\/> Resni\u010dno ne vem ve\u010d kaj naj naredimo.. na koga se naj obrnem.. saj bi z mami samo radi imeli mirno \u017eivljenje. <p\/> Se opravi\u010dujem, ker sem se tako razpisala, ampak me je zelo ti\u0161\u010dalo to. <p\/> Lep pozdrav <p\/> Spo\u0161tovani! <p\/> Va\u0161a situacija res ni preprosta. Poleg tega, da je o\u010de alkoholik z vsem spremljajo\u010dim neugodnim vedenjem, sta oba z materjo \u0161e materialno odvisni od njega. Tudi stanovanje je skupno. <p\/> Glede na to, da \u0161tudirate in ste danes stari 22 let, res lahko ra\u010dunate, da sami ne boste ve\u010d dolgo v tem domu, nekaj \u010dasa pa verjetno \u0161e. <p\/> Materin polo\u017eaj se je z izgubo slu\u017ebe seveda \u0161e poslab\u0161al. <p\/> Prvo, kar se mi zdi va\u017eno: da gledate na svoj polo\u017eaj kot na nekaj, kar je prehodno, ne bo ve\u010dno trajalo. Vi boste dokon\u010dali \u0161olo in lahko od\u0161li kot je to naredila sestra. Tudi materi boste tako ali druga\u010de lahko pomagali. <p\/> Sedaj tudi ne bi bilo smiselno, da bi se mati kar vdala, da ne bo mogla ni\u010d ve\u010d zaslu\u017eiti in da bo popolnoma odvisna od o\u010deta. <p\/> Za vajino sedanjo du\u0161evno stisko pa je res nujno, da obe poi\u0161\u010deta pomo\u010d. Ne vem, v katerem delu Slovenije ste, vendar imamo danes \u017ee po vseh ve\u010djih krajih skupine, ki bi vama mogle v tem smislu pomagati. Mo\u017ena so tudi individualna svetovanja. Prilagam nekaj naslovov. <p\/> To ne gre le za pomo\u010d, kako o\u010deta spraviti na zdravljenje, temve\u010d za svojce alkoholika, ki so v stiski in rabijo pomo\u010d. <p\/> Pa \u0161e to: imate fanta, pa vas je sram povedati mu, kako je doma. Mislim, da vam bo v veliko uteho, \u010de boste lahko svoje bole\u010dine delili s \u010dlovekom, ki vam nekaj pomeni, in ki bi seveda imel tudi primerno razumevanje za to. Predstavljam si, da boste mogli veliko la\u017eje podeliti s fantom svoje skrbi, \u010de boste o njih tudi \u017ee prej kje drugje govorili. Za to je zelo dobra prilika v skupinah, kjer se zbirajo svojci zasvojenih z alkoholom. <p\/> Zato vam res svetujem, da poi\u0161\u010dete mo\u017enost takega skupinskega in \/ ali individualnega svetovanja. <p\/> Lepo pozdravljeni, Anica <p\/> AA - Anonimni alkoholiki vam lahko pomagajo, \u010de ste ugotovili, da je alkohol tudi va\u0161 problem. <p\/> www.aa-drustvo.si <p\/> 01\/433 82 25 <p\/> AL-ANON - Skupnost dru\u017einskih skupin, v kateri se zbirajo svojci in prijatelji alkoholikov. Sre\u010dujejo se v vseh ve\u010djih slovenskih krajih. <p\/> www.al-anon.si <p\/> \u2022 04\/ 533 33 15, Psihiatri\u010dna bolni\u0161nica Begunje, Oddelek za zdravljenje odvisnosti od alkohola (ambulanta je ob \u010detrtkih dopoldne, a se morate prej naro\u010diti) <p\/> \u2022 05\/ 373 44 00, Psihiatri\u010dna bolni\u0161nica Idrija, Pot sv. Antona 49 (za informacije lahko pokli\u010dete vsak dan od 11:30 do 12:30) <p\/> \u010ce ti nobena od organizacij ne vzbuja zaupanja, se seveda lahko vedno obrne\u0161 tudi na organizacijo, ki jo \u017ee pozna\u0161 (mogo\u010de te bodo vedeli kam napotit naprej) ali pa na \u0161olsko svetovalno slu\u017ebo, \u010de \u0161e hodi\u0161 v \u0161olo. Ne pozabi niti na prijatelje in star\u0161e. Sicer ti bodo oni prej nudili \u010dustveno podporo, kot strokoven nasvet. Kakr\u0161nokoli vpra\u0161anje pa lahko vedno zastavi\u0161 na na\u0161 e-mail naslov Ta e-po\u0161tni naslov je za\u0161\u010diten proti smetenju. Za ogled potrebujete Javascript, da si jo ogledate. . Ni\u010d ni narobe vpra\u0161ati.","labels":"Other","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Fotoaparat nameri in spro\u017ei, s stilom <p\/> \u010ce \u017eelite fotografije vrhunske kakovosti brez zapletov \u2013 kamor koli greste \u2013 lahko delo prepustite kompaktnim, lahkim fotoaparatom Canon nameri in spro\u017ei. Vsi fotoaparati Canon nameri in spro\u017ei so dovolj majhni, da jih lahko spravite v \u017eep ali torbico, in dovolj elegantni za vsako prilo\u017enost ter napolnjeni z najsodobnej\u0161o tehnologijo, tako da snemanje in izmenjava izjemnih fotografij in filmov \u0161e nikoli ni bilo preprostej\u0161e. <p\/> Zgrajen za zajem lepih fotografij in filmov <p\/> Pametni telefoni so lahko priro\u010dni za vsakodnevne posnetke, vendar v nasprotju s fotoaparati Canon nameri in spro\u017ei \u2013 ki so zasnovani izklju\u010dno za zajem vrhunskih fotografij \u2013 te\u017eko ujamejo ves bli\u0161\u010d trenutkov, ki jih \u017eelite ohraniti. Na\u0161i fotoaparat nameri in spro\u017ei imajo visokokakovostne objektive z opti\u010dno pove\u010davo, ki vas pribli\u017eajo dogajanju, in fotografirajo hitro, da ne zamudite trenutka. Imajo tudi enostavne gumbe in menije ter samodejni na\u010din, tako da so za vsakogar enostavni za uporabo. <p\/> Visokokakovostni objektiv z opti\u010dno pove\u010davo z ZoomPlus <p\/> Pribli\u017eajte in ujemite oddaljene predmete z impresivnimi podrobnostmi z opti\u010dno pove\u010davo, ki zagotavlja kakovostnej\u0161e rezultate od standardne digitalne pove\u010dave (kakr\u0161no najdete v ve\u010dini mobilnih naprav). \u010ce potrebujete ve\u010djo mo\u010d pove\u010dave, vam napredna digitalna pove\u010dava ZoomPlus omogo\u010da, da predmete \u0161e bolj pribli\u017eate brez opazne izgube kakovosti. Objektiv z opti\u010dno pove\u010davo omogo\u010da tudi ve\u010d ustvarjalne svobode pri zajemu \u0161ir\u0161ega nabora motivov, od pokrajin do portretov. <p\/> Wi-Fi <p\/> Preprosta izmenjava z Wi-Fi <p\/> Podpora za Wi-Fi fotoaparatom omogo\u010da, da se med tem, ko ste zunaj, v trenutku pove\u017eejo s pametnimi telefoni in tabli\u010dnimi ra\u010dunalniki, ko se vrnete domov, pa z ra\u010dunalniki in tiskalniki. Po vzpostavitvi povezave lahko fotografije nalo\u017eite neposredno v splet in takoj izmenjate zabavne, zanimive in \u010dudovite trenutke va\u0161ega \u017eivljenja s prijatelji in dru\u017einskimi \u010dlani, bodisi preko e-po\u0161te ali mest za izmenjavo, kakr\u0161ni sta Facebook in YouTube\u2122. <p\/> Pametni samodejni na\u010din in ustvarjalni na\u010din <p\/> Snemajte in ustvarjajte z najve\u010djo lahkoto <p\/> Zahvaljujo\u010d pametnemu samodejnemu na\u010dinu lahko vsakdo posname briljantne fotografije in video posnetke z enim samim pritiskom na gumb. Ta na\u010din samodejno in inteligentno poskrbi za nastavitve fotoaparata, tako da vam za ustvarjanje vrhunskih fotografij \u2013 z osupljivo ostrino, podrobnostmi in barvami \u2013 v vsaki situaciji preostane le, da namerite in spro\u017eite. Svojo kreativnost lahko razi\u0161\u010dete tudi z umetni\u0161kimi in zabavnimi kreativnimi na\u010dini, ki so enostavni za uporabo.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Govor predsednika Sveta za splo\u0161ne zadeve in zunanje odnose in ministra za zunanje zadeve RS dr. Dimitrija Rupla na zasedanju Odbora za zunanje zadeve Evropskega parlamenta (AFET) \u2013 predstavitev rezultatov zasedanja Gymnich <p\/> Velja govorjena beseda! <p\/> Spo\u0161tovani predsednik, spo\u0161tovani poslanci in poslanke! <p\/> Dovolite, da vam predstavim nekatere poudarke iz razprav neformalnega zasedanja ministrov za zunanje zadeve EU - Gymnich, ki je potekalo 28. in 29. marca na Brdu in na Bledu v Sloveniji. Na dnevnem redu zasedanja so bile to\u010dke: vloga Sirije na Bli\u017enjem Vzhodu, odnosi EU-Ruska federacija, evropska perspektiva Zahodnega Balkana, medkulturni dialog in Tibet. <p\/> BLI\u017dNJI VZHOD IN VLOGA SIRIJE <p\/> Prva tema Gymnicha je bila razprava o situaciji na Bli\u017enjem vzhodu in o vlogi Sirije. Trenutek za razpravo o bli\u017enjevzhodnem mirovnem procesu in Siriji je bil primeren zaradi raz\u0161irjenega vtisa, da je proces iz Annapolisa po\u010dasen oziroma, da se je ustavil da ni sprememb na terenu, da Izrael nadaljuje z enostranskimi ukrepi in da je kriza v Gazi. <p\/> Kolege sem seznanil z oceno in rezultati svojega nedavnega obiska v regiji, kjer sem imel prilo\u017enost izmenjati mnenja s PR Egipta Mubarakom, MZZ Al-Gheitom, GS Arabske lige Mousso s PR Abbasom, PV Fayyadom, MZZ Al-Malkijem, s PR Izraela Peresom, PV Olmertom, MZZ Livnijevo, Netanyahujem, Serryjem in drugimi sogovorniki. V pogovorih oz. ocenah mirovnega procesa so prevladovali skepsa na arabski strani ter zmerni optimizem palestinske in izraelske strani. <p\/> Strinjali smo se, da bi dokon\u010dna re\u0161itev BVMP morala vklju\u010diti tudi Sirijo. Dogovorili smo se, da Sirije ne smemo izolirati, temve\u010d bomo raje razmislili o njenem vklju\u010devanju. V preteklosti se je dogajalo, da je Sirija izrabljala na\u0161o neenotnost, zato smo sklenili, da bomo ve\u010d pozornosti posvetili koordinaciji stikov dr\u017eav \u010dlanic in institucij EU s Sirijo. <p\/> Sklenili smo, da ne smemo nagrajevati \u00bbslabega vedenja\u00ab <p\/> Potrebna je solidarnost z Libanonom in vlado Siniore. <p\/> EU bo \u0161e nadalje podpirala proces iz Annapolisa in upa tudi na pozitivni sestanek konference v Moskvi. <p\/> EU-RUSKA FEDERACIJA <p\/> Pomembna to\u010dka prvega dneva zasedanja je bila tudi izmenjava mnenj o aktualnih dogodkih v Ruski federaciji in o odnosih EU-Ruska federacija, tudi v kontekstu priprav na junijski vrh. Poudarjena je bila kompleksnost odnosov EU z Rusko federacijo na politi\u010dnem, varnostnem in energetskem podro\u010dju. Hkrati je bilo izpostavljeno dejstvo, da je Rusija na\u0161a najve\u010dja soseda in pomemben strate\u0161ki partner. Junijski vrh je prilo\u017enost za krepitev politi\u010dnega dialoga na najvi\u0161ji ravni in predajo sporo\u010dil novemu ruskemu vodstvu. Strate\u0161ko partnerstvo z Rusijo je potrebno razvijati kot celoto ter pri tem zagotoviti enoglasnost in solidarnost EU. Sodelovanje z Rusijo je potrebno krepiti tudi pri skupnih EVOP misijah in re\u0161evanju mednarodnih vpra\u0161anj v skupnem sosedstvu z namenom zagotavljanja varnosti, miru. <p\/> Govorili smo tudi o pogajalskem mandatu za novi okvirni sporazum (PCA) EU-Ruska federacija. Ve\u010dina dr\u017eav podpira \u010dim prej\u0161njo potrditev pogajalskega mandata in za\u010detek pogajanj za novi okvirni sporazum. To pomeni, \u0161e v \u010dasu slovenskega predsedstva. <p\/> Tudi Litva je izrazila podporo sklenitvi novega PCA. Minister Vaitiekunas je na Gymnichu dejal, da bo Litva prva, ki bo imela koristi od urejenih odnosov med EU in RF. Zaradi posameznih problemov, ki jih imajo z RF, \u017eelijo k mandatu na nov sporazum dodati: (1) vpra\u0161anje zaprtja naftovoda Dru\u017eba in jedrske elektrarne Ignaline (konec 2009 bo Litva tako popolnoma odvisna od RF) (2) omembo izginulega litovskega podjetnika (3) re\u0161itev zamrznjenih konfliktov v skupnem sosedstvu in (4) zagotovilo, da je mogo\u010de pogajanja kadarkoli suspendirati. Predlagajo, da sekretariat in EK pripravita analizo o tem, kako spodbuditi EU \u2013 RF odnose. Zavzemajo se tudi za odnose z RF na ministrski ravni. <p\/> Sicer pa sta predsedstvu o tem vpra\u0161anju naslovila pismo tudi zunanja ministra Velike Britanije in Francije Miliband in Kouchner. V njem sta med drugim zapisala, da \u00bbso bile ruska zunanja, varnostna, ekonomska in notranja politika v zadnjih letih razlog za zaskrbljenost. Morda pod vplivom svoje nanovo najdene vrednosti, je Rusija postavljala pod vpra\u0161aj mednarodne obveze, ki jih je sprejela v 90. letih. Zaradi tega je Rusija postala te\u017eji partner. Najti moramo pravilen skupni odgovor. \u2026 Pod\u010drtati moramo, da pozdravljamo in podpiramo na\u010drt izvoljenega predsednika Medvedjeva, da bo promoviral na\u010dela pravne dr\u017eave v Rusiji. Vsekakor bomo Rusijo sodili po dejanjih, ne samo po besedah, in EU mora vztrajati pri zahtevi, da Rusija izpolnjuje svoje mednarodne obveze o pravni dr\u017eavi in \u010dlovekovih pravicah, vklju\u010dno s tistimi, ki izhajajo iz dokumentov Zdru\u017eenih narodov in Sveta Evrope\u00ab. <p\/> Zagotovitev diverzifikacije energetskih poti in virov mora ostati prioriteta EU. Novi okvirni sporazum naj bi vseboval tudi poglavje o energetiki, kar je z vidika pomena Ruske Federacije kot dobaviteljice energentov za EU \u0161e posebej pomembno. <p\/> Potrebno je vnesti realizem v odnose z Rusijo. Rusija v odnose z EU pogosto vna\u0161a vpra\u0161anja, ki povzro\u010dajo neenotnost med dr\u017eavami \u010dlanicami in pove\u010dujejo napetosti v medsebojnih odnosih (vpra\u0161anje zamrznjenih konfliktov, odnos do Kosova, nasprotovanje vstopa Ukrajine in Gruzije v Akcijski na\u010drt za \u010dlanstvo Nata). <p\/> Zunanji ministri smo poudarili \u017eeljo, da Rusija postane zaupanja vreden in transparenten partner, kar bo dose\u017eeno tudi z vstopom Rusije v Svetovno trgovinsko organizacijo. <p\/> Predsedstvo bo skupaj s Komisijo zagotavljalo, da bo Evropski parlament v celoti obve\u0161\u010den o napredku v pogajanjih. <p\/> ZAHODNI BALKAN <p\/> Izredno me veseli, da smo na Gymnichu oblikovali pozitivno sporo\u010dilo o evropski perspektivi Zahodnega Balkana. Sre\u010dali smo se z vsemi predstavniki Zahodnega Balkana, tudi s srbskim zunanjim ministrom Jeremi\u0107em in s predsednikom kosovske vlade Thacijem. <p\/> Splo\u0161ni pregled stanja na Zahodnem Balkanu poka\u017ee, da je bil v zadnjih letih dose\u017een velik napredek: ve\u010dja stabilnost, demokrati\u010dne reforme, gospodarska rast, izbolj\u0161ano regionalno sodelovanje, napredek v smeri EU prek stabilizacijsko-pridru\u017eitvenega procesa. Te dose\u017eke je sedaj potrebno utrditi in nadgraditi, pri \u010demer si morajo dr\u017eave Zahodnega Balkana prizadevati za dosledno izpolnjevanje zavez in pogojev znotraj Stabilizacijsko-pridru\u017eitvenega procesa. <p\/> \u017de decembra lani smo se na Svetu dogovorili, da Komisija pripravi Sporo\u010dilo o Zahodnem Balkanu in da v za\u010detku leta opravimo razpravo o njegovi vsebini. <p\/> Spodbujanje neposrednih stikov med dr\u017eavami Zahodnega Balkana in EU, predvsem mlade generacije, je klju\u010dnega pomena za ponotranjenje in utrjevanje evropskih vrednot s strani dr\u017eavljanov regije. To velja predvsem za dr\u017eavljane biv\u0161e SFRJ, ki so pred letom 1990 lahko prosto potovali po vsej Evropi. V zvezi s tem bi \u017eelel izpostaviti dialog o vizumskih olaj\u0161avah, ki smo ga \u017ee pri\u010deli s Srbijo (31. januarja) z nekdanjo jugoslovansko republiko Makedonijo (20. februarja), \u010crno Goro (21. februarja) ter Albanijo (7. marca). Na sobotnem zasedanju sem se skupaj s kolegi zavzel za \u010dim prej\u0161nji zaklju\u010dek izdelave na\u010drtov t.i. \u00bbroadmapov\u00ab, ki bodo vsebovali realisti\u010dne kriterije za uvedbo brezvizumskega re\u017eima za dr\u017eave te regije. Prav tako smo govorili o mo\u017enosti uvedbe brezpla\u010dnih vizumov za dr\u017eave Zahodnega Balkana, kar bi bil del \u017ee omenjenih roadmapov. <p\/> Razpravljali smo tudi o tem, kako nadalje okrepiti regionalno sodelovanje in gospodarski razvoj Zahodnega Balkana, ki sta oba klju\u010dnega pomena za nadaljnjo stabilizacijo regije in njeno pribli\u017eevanje Evropski uniji. V zvezi s tem komunikacija EK izpostavlja vrsto pomembnih podro\u010dij ter predlaga nekaj novih pobud, npr. na podro\u010dju energetike in prometa (za\u010detek pogajanj o prometnem sporazumu), novo pobudo za ustanovitev Investicijskega sklada za Zahodni Balkan, ter pobudo za okrepljeno sodelovanje med regijo Zahodnega Balkana in EU na podro\u010dju civilne za\u0161\u010dite. <p\/> Vzpostavitev Sveta za regionalno sodelovanje (27. februarja v Sofiji) predstavlja \u0161e en dose\u017eek na podro\u010dju regionalnega sodelovanja ter izraz ve\u010dje regionalne odgovornosti. <p\/> Znotraj EU obstaja enotnost, da je obstoj mo\u010dne in aktivne civilne dru\u017ebe klju\u010dnega pomena za pospe\u0161eno implementacijo politi\u010dnih in gospodarskih reform ter za krepitev demokracije in spodbujanje sprave v regiji Zahodnega Balkana. V zvezi s tem smo na Gymnichu pozdravili ustanovitev posebnega sklada za razvoj civilne dru\u017ebe, kot ga predlaga EK v sporo\u010dilu. <p\/> Konkretizacija evropske perspektive Zahodnega Balkana <p\/> Regija je specifi\u010dna in potrebuje posebno vzpodbudo, posebej v tistih dr\u017eavah, kjer se proces EU integracije soo\u010da s \u0161ibko politi\u010dno voljo ali pa z nizko administrativno usposobljenostjo. EU mora zato v regiji nastopati posebej odlo\u010dno in pogumno. Slovensko predsedstvo si bo prizadevalo za reafirmacijo in nadaljnjo konkretizacijo evropske perspektive dr\u017eav regije. <p\/> Na zasedanju smo poudarili, da je mogo\u010d znaten napredek v pristopnih pogajanjih v teko\u010dem letu, v kolikor bo Hrva\u0161ka izpolnila \u00bbbenchmarke\u00ab in druge pogoje, vsebovane v mar\u010devski komunikaciji EK. <p\/> Nekdanja jugoslovanska republika Makedonija je kljub te\u017eavam vzpostavila pozitiven zgled multietni\u010dne dru\u017ebe. Za krepitev notranje kohezije potrebuje nadaljnjo podporo in potrditev. Iskreno upamo, da bo Skopje \u010dim prej izpolnilo pogoje (\u00bbbenchmarke\u00ab), ki so navedeni v Pristopnem partnerstvu, kar bi na podlagi pozitivne ocene v naslednjem letnem poro\u010dilu EK omogo\u010dilo dolo\u010ditev datuma za pri\u010detek pristopnih pogajanj \u0161e v letu 2008. <p\/> \u010crna gora in Albanija sta v zadnjem obdobju znatno napredovali pri izpolnjevanju obvez znotraj Stabilizacijsko-pridru\u017eitvenih sporazumov, kar predstavlja pomembno spodbudo za druge dr\u017eave regije. V izjavi z Brda smo obe dr\u017eavi pozvali, naj pospe\u0161ita uresni\u010ditev Za\u010dasnega sporazuma ter okrepita napore pri izgradnji institucionalnih sposobnosti, javne uprave in neodvisnega sodstva, kar je pogoj za nadgradnjo dosedanjih odnosov z EU. <p\/> Kar zadeva Bosno in Hercegovino, je izvedba policijske reforme \u0161e vedno pogoj za podpis Stabilizacijsko-pridru\u017eitvenega sporazuma, pri \u010demer poudarjamo, da je prihodnost BiH v EU mo\u017ena le kot enotna, celovita, funkcionalna in multietni\u010dna dr\u017eava. <p\/> V politi\u010dnem in gospodarskem smislu igra Srbija klju\u010dno vlogo v regiji, pri \u010demer trenutno stoji pred strate\u0161kimi odlo\u010ditvami glede svoje prihodnosti. Regionalno sodelovanje in dobrososedski odnosi so klju\u010dnega pomena za nadaljevanje pribli\u017eevanja Srbije v smeri EU. Srbija je na tem podro\u010dju sposobna prevzeti vlogo regionalne lokomotive. <p\/> Na zasedanju Gymnich smo skladno z zaklju\u010dki decembrskega Evropskega sveta ponovno poudarili, da je mo\u017ena pospe\u0161itev pribli\u017eevanja Srbije v EU, vklju\u010dno z dodelitvijo statusa kandidatke, vendar pa je vse to odvisno predvsem od volje sedanjega politi\u010dnega vodstva in prihodnjega, ki bo krmilo Srbije prevzelo po majskih volitvah. <p\/> Poudarjamo, da \u017eelimo perspektivo EU lo\u010diti od vpra\u0161anja Kosova, vendar pa mora Srbija zagotoviti, da si z dejanji, ki lahko ogro\u017eajo varnost \u0161ir\u0161e regije, sama ne zapre poti do EU oz. podre vseh mostov do EU. Izjave in \/ ali dejanja, ki ogro\u017eajo stabilnost Kosova, niso sprejemljive. <p\/> Tudi tokrat smo veliko pozornosti namenili Kosovu. Poudarili smo, da ima Kosovo, tako kot celotna regija, jasno perspektivo EU. EU bo tudi v bodo\u010de tesno sodelovala z ZN KFOR, OVSE in drugimi mednarodnimi akterji s ciljem utrjevanja stabilnosti. V tej zvezi \u017eelim poudariti prepri\u010danje, da bo polna in u\u010dinkovita namestitev EULEX in ICO na celotnem ozemlju Kosova izraz uspe\u0161nosti na\u0161e zavezanosti za stabilnost Kosova ter uspeh celotne SZVP. Ohranitev prisotnosti UNMIK in polno izvajanje mandata v skladu z UNSCR 1244 na celotnem ozemlju Kosova je klju\u010dni predpogoj za stabilizacijo razmer. V zvezi s tem se nam zdi izredno pomembno pri\u010deti politi\u010dni dialog EU \/ EULEX \/ ICO s kosovskimi Srbi. Stabilnost Kosova je klju\u010dnega pomena za stabilnost celotne regije. <p\/> MEDKULTURNI DIALOG <p\/> Medkulturni dialog je bil sklepna tema Gymnicha. V razpravi smo se osredoto\u010dili na oceno zadnjih dogajanj v Tibetu in na vpra\u0161anje odnosa do islama, tudi glede na nedavno objavljeni film nizozemskega poslanca Wildersa. <p\/> V zvezi s Tibetom smo ponovno izrazili zaskrbljenost zaradi zadnjih dogajanj, obsodili smo nasilje in izrazili solidarnost z \u017ertvami. Pozvali smo k prenehanju nasilja in izrazili pri\u010dakovanje, da kitajske oblasti zagotovijo transparentnost informacij in prost dostop medijev do Tibeta. Poudarjeno je bilo, da si dalajlama prizadeva za avtonomijo in ne za neodvisnost Tibeta. V tem okviru smo poudarili zahtevo po ohranitvi tibetanskega jezika, kulture, religije in tradicije. Sklenili smo, da bomo posebno pozornost namenili stanju \u010dlovekovih pravic v Tibetu. <p\/> Glede odnosa z islamom je bila v ospredju razprava v lu\u010di nedavno objavljenega filma nizozemskega poslanca Wildersa v zvezi z islamom. Poudarili smo na\u010delo pravice do izra\u017eanja, opozorili pa tudi na dejstvo, da islama ni mogo\u010de istovetiti z nasiljem. Ve\u010dina muslimanov namre\u010d zavra\u010da ekstremizem in nasilje, \u017ertve le tega pa so med drugim tudi pripadniki islamske vere. Pravica govora, ki je in ostaja temeljna vrednota EU, mora spo\u0161tovati vero in prepri\u010danje drugih. <p\/> Med drugim je bila izra\u017eena tudi zaskrbljenost nad trenutnim sodnim procesom proti tur\u0161ki stranki AK in njenim \u010dlanom. \u010ce pride do prepovedi, bi bil to prvi primer prepovedi politi\u010dne stranke, ki je zmagala na demokrati\u010dnih volitvah, kar pa bi bilo tudi v nasprotju z mnenjem Bene\u0161ke komisije Sveta Evrope.","labels":"Other","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Vinoto\u010d Gorjup <p\/> Same fejst sorte <p\/> V Halozah se nad gradom Borl pne vinograd s prostranim razgledom na Ptujsko polje. Tam rastejo trsi dru\u017eine Gorjup sorte la\u0161ki rizling, sauvignon, \u0161ipon, beli in modri pinot ter modra frankinja. Obdelujejo jih z mladostno zagnanostjo, veseljem in ljubeznijo, na naravi prijazen na\u010din. Vina so ve\u010dinoma suha, najdejo pa se tudi posebne edicije, kot so pozne trgatve, izbori, jagodni izbori ter suhi jagodni izbori.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Pazite kaj tvitate, NUK vas gleda! <p\/> Po zgledu tujih dr\u017eav bo tudi Slovenija predvidoma aprila za\u010dela shranjevati tvite in dolo\u010dene Facebook profile. V Narodni in univerzitetni knji\u017enici bodo raz\u0161irili tudi arhiv slovenkih spletnih strani, tako, da bodo zajeli vsa spletna mesta z domeno. si. <p\/> Gost Odbite je Janko Klasinc, bibliotekar in spletni arhivar v NUKu. <p\/> \u201c Ko je Kongresna knji\u017enica v ZDA za\u010dela z arhiviranjem, se spomnim odzivov ljudi, da je to totalna neumnost, zakaj da bi arhivirali par besed o tem, kaj kdo j\u00e9 za zajtrk. Ampak pomembno je, za ohranjanje pisne dedi\u0161\u010dine, da ohranjamo tudi take stvari, ne samo velike, pomembne, spletne strani, ampak tudi dru\u017eabna omre\u017eja. \u201d <p\/> Slovenija je tovrsten na\u010din shranjevanja spleta izbrala po zgledu tujih dr\u017eav. Zdaj jih je \u017ee ve\u010d kot 40. Arhivirati celoten slovenski splet je seveda \u017eelja arhivarjev v NUK-u, a je zaenkrat \u0161e neuresni\u010dljiva. Najve\u010dji problem je selekcija, veliko pa lahko postorijo \u017ee, \u010de shranijo vse strani s registrirano domeno. si. <p\/> Pri zajemanju, torej shranjevanju spletnih strani, ekipi v NUK-u pomaga robot z imenom Heritrix, ki na dolo\u010deni domeni zajame vse vsebine znotraj spletne strani. Robot deluje podobno, kot delujejo roboti, ki jih spletni brskalniki uporabljajo za indeksiranje spleta, recimo Google, je pojasnil Janko Klasinc. <p\/> Najve\u010d pozornosti pa so v NUK-u vzbudili z novico o shranjevanju tvitov. Potekalo bo podobno kot shranjevanje spletnih strani. Brez skrbi, arhiviranje tvitov bo \u010dasovno omejeno, to pomeni, da se bodo v dolo\u010denem \u010dasovnem obdobju shranjevali pomembnej\u0161i tvitera\u0161i. Pomisleki o arhiviranju tvitov, Facebook statusov in spletnih strani so odve\u010d, poudarja Janko Klasinc.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Kdaj je \u010das za prenovo strehe? <p\/> Streha je klju\u010dni konstrukcijski element, ki objekt varuje pred vremenskimi vplivi (de\u017e, sneg, to\u010da, sonce, veter). Kakovostna izvedba strehe neposredno vpliva na trajnost objekta in bivalne pogoje v njem, kar je \u0161e posebej pomembno za bivanje v mansardi. <p\/> Ko enkrat teh zahtev ne izpolnjuje ve\u010d, je \u010das za prenovo. Vsako pu\u0161\u010danje pa \u0161e ne pomeni, da bomo morali zamenjati celo streho. Kaj storiti, \u010de za\u010dne pu\u0161\u010dati streha? <p\/> Razlogi za prenovo strehe <p\/> Izvedba popravkov zaradi neustrezno izvedenih gradbenih ali sanacijskih del <p\/> Ve\u010dje po\u0161kodbe strehe ob naravnih nesre\u010dah (vetrolom, \u017eled, ipd.) <p\/> Sanacija ali rekonstrukcija <p\/> Popravimo lahko le del stre\u0161ne kritine. \u010ce pa je streha dotrajana ali zahteva dela, kot so sprememba stre\u0161ne konstrukcije zaradi dograditve (pridobitev dodatnega stre\u0161nega prostora) ali sprememba videza strehe iz estetskih razlogov, pa je najbolj smiselna rekonstrukcija. <p\/> Koliko nas bo stala prenova strehe <p\/> Cena prenove strehe je v prvi vrsti odvisna od vrste stre\u0161ne kritine in njene cene. Cene za kritino brez monta\u017ee se pri\u010dnejo pri: <p\/> 7 EUR\/m2 za betonsko in bitumensko kritino, <p\/> 8 EUR\/m2 za ope\u010dno kritino, <p\/> 10 EUR\/m2 za kovinsko kritino <p\/> Cena monta\u017ee je 15-20 EUR\/m2. \u010ce je potrebna menjava kritine v celoti, moramo poleg cene za kritino in monta\u017eo upo\u0161tevati tudi dodatna dela, ki vplivajo na ceno menjave kritine: demonta\u017ea, odvoz na deponijo, stanje lesene konstrukcije, ostali stre\u0161ni elementi (obrobe, \u017elebovi, zra\u010dniki, ...). <p\/> Primer izra\u010duna cene za menjavo strehe <p\/> Za menjavo strehe dvokapnice (ope\u010dni stre\u0161niki) s povr\u0161ino 150m2 bomo od\u0161teli pribli\u017eno 30 EUR\/m2 za material in monta\u017eo, skupaj torej 4500 EUR\/m2. <p\/> \u010ce menjava vklju\u010duje tudi namestitev paroprepustne zapore, demonta\u017eo in odvoz stare kritine, to pomeni \u0161e vsaj 1000 EUR dodatnih stro\u0161kov. <p\/> Ne pozabimo na gradbeno dovoljenje <p\/> Zamenjava ostre\u0161ja in kritine spada med vzdr\u017eevalna dela, zato zanjo ni potrebno pridobivati gradbenega dovoljenja, \u010de gre za obnovo konstrukcije, pri kateri ne bomo spreminjali velikosti in oblike objekta. V nasprotnem primeru pa je potrebno pridobiti gradbeno dokumentacijo in dovoljenje.","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Objavljeno: 25 Maj 2015 14:10 Naslov sporo\u010dila: Mojiceja Podgor\u0161ek Ljubi ne ljubi <p\/> To je drugi del knjige maru\u0161kin dnevnik. V tej knjigi mora maru\u0161a hoditi k psihologinji saj se je drogirala. Raz\u0161la se je z svojim fantom Bojanom in se zaljubila v svojega 40-letnega u\u010ditelja za kemijo toneta. Maru\u0161a na koncu spozna da ta zveza ne more prinesti ni\u010d dobrega zato se razide tudi z njim. Knjiga je napisana v obliki dnevnika, zgodba je malo nenavadna in mi ni posebno v\u0161e\u010d. Edina pozitivna stvar se mi zdi ko Maru\u0161a spozna svojo zmoto.","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Bolonjska prenova <p\/> Osrednji cilj Bolonjske deklaracije (BD) je oblikovanje odprtega skupnega visoko\u0161olskega prostora, ki bo evropskim \u0161tudentom in zaposlenim v visokem \u0161olstvu omogo\u010dal prosto gibanje znotraj tega prostora, primerljivost znanj in kompetenc ter zaposljivost. <p\/> Bolonjski proces nosi ime po Bolonjski deklaraciji, ki so jo leta 1999 v Bologni (Italija) podpisali ministri, pristojni za visoko \u0161olstvo iz 29 evropskih dr\u017eav, med drugimi tudi Slovenije. Z dokumentom so postavili smernice razvoja Evropskega visoko\u0161olskega prostora (EVP). Bolonjski proces (BP) naj bi se v dr\u017eavah podpisnicah (in drugih kasneje pridru\u017eenih dr\u017eavah) implementiral do leta 2010. <p\/> Cilj naj bi dosegli z razli\u010dnimi ukrepi kot so vzpostavitev primerljivih in preglednih visoko\u0161olskih struktur in stopenj, vzajemno priznavanje relevantnih in primerljivih visoko\u0161olskih kvalifikacij, vzpostavitev medsebojno priznanih kreditnih sistemov in sistemov zagotavljanja kakovosti, spodbujanje mobilnosti \u0161tudentov in visoko\u0161olskih u\u010diteljev, razvijanje evropske dimenzije v izobra\u017eevanju ter ve\u010dje konkuren\u010dnosti evropskega visokega \u0161olstva v svetu. <p\/> Smernice BP se povezujejo tudi z enim od ciljev Lizbonske strategije, ki predvideva, da bo Evropa do leta 2010 postala najbolj konkuren\u010dno in dinami\u010dno, na znanju temelje\u010de gospodarstvo na svetu, sposobno trajnostne rasti z ve\u010d in bolj\u0161imi delovnimi mesti in z ve\u010d socialne povezanosti. <p\/> Pot do BD predstavljajo tudi predhodni dokumenti, ki odra\u017eajo predvsem te\u017enje po avtonomiji univerze, primerljivih kvalifikacijah in priznavanju teh znotraj EVP in po poenotenju tega. <p\/> Kljub razse\u017enosti, ki jo odpre BD, pa ne gre za obse\u017een dokument, ki bi natan\u010dno dolo\u010dal implementacijo in slu\u017eil kot \u00bbnavodila za uporabo\u00ab, pa\u010d pa dokument prepu\u0161\u010da veliko mero avtonomije visoko\u0161olskim ustanovam in partnerjem. Vseeno pa BD izpostavlja nekaj klju\u010dnih to\u010dk: <p\/> osrednja vloga univerz pri razvoju evropskih kulturnih razse\u017enosti <p\/> neodvisnost in avtonomija univerz <p\/> EVP kot glavna pot k mobilnosti in zaposljivosti dr\u017eavljanov EU ter vsesplo\u0161nemu razvoju celine <p\/> prilagajanje visoko\u0161olskih sistemov nenehnim dru\u017ebenim spremembam in razvoju znanstvenih spoznanj <p\/> mednarodna konkuren\u010dnost evropskega visokega \u0161olstva. <p\/> Kot glavne cilje pa BD deklaracija zastavlja: <p\/> sprejetje sistema zlahka prepoznavnih in primerljivih diplomskih stopenj, tudi z obrazcem \u00bbPriloga k diplomi\u00ab - da bi pospe\u0161ili zaposlovanje evropskih dr\u017eavljanov ter mednarodno konkuren\u010dnost evropskega sistema visokega \u0161olstva <p\/> sprejetje sistema z dvema glavnima \u0161tudijskima stopnjama, dodiplomsko (najmanj 3 leta) in podiplomsko (magisterij, doktorat) diploma, podeljena po prvi stopnji, je za evropski trg dela relevantna tudi kot ustrezna raven kvalifikacije <p\/> vzpostavitev kreditnega sistema (European Credit Transfer System \u2013 ECTS) kot ustreznega sredstva za omogo\u010danje \u0161ir\u0161e mobilnosti \u0161tudentov krediti bi bili lahko pridobljeni tudi z vse\u017eivljenjskim izobra\u017eevanjem <p\/> pospe\u0161evanje mobilnosti <p\/> pospe\u0161evanje evropskega sodelovanja pri zagotavljanju kakovosti, tako da se razvijajo primerljiva merila in metodologije <p\/> pospe\u0161evanje potrebnih evropskih razse\u017enosti v visokem \u0161olstvu, \u0161e zlasti v zvezi s kurikularnim razvojem, medinstitucionalnim sodelovanjem, mobilnostnimi na\u010drti ter integriranimi programi \u0161tudija, usposabljanja in raziskovanja. <p\/> Ministri dr\u017eav podpisnic se sre\u010dujejo vsaki 2 leti in ocenjujejo stanje implementacije BP v posameznih \u010dlanicah in celotnem EVP. Vsakem ministrskem sre\u010danju sledijo komunikeji s predlogi za nadaljnji razvoj. \u0160tevilo pridru\u017eenih dr\u017eav pa je od leta 1999 mo\u010dno naraslo, in sicer na kar 45. <p\/> Kaj ti prina\u0161a reforma visokega \u0161olstva? <p\/> Konec maja letos je Dr\u017eavni zbor RS sprejel novelo Zakona o visokem \u0161olstvu, sredi junija pa tudi Zakon o priznavanju in vrednotenje izobra\u017eevanja. Zakona predstavljata podlago za uresni\u010ditev reforme visokega \u0161olstva, ki izhaja iz smernic bolonjskega procesa oziroma procesa oblikovanja enotnega evropskega visoko\u0161olskega prostora. Visoko\u0161olski zavodi (fakultete, akademije... ) bodo reformo uvajali postopoma, \u0161tudentje pa bomo najbolj ob\u010dutili naslednje novosti: <p\/> 1. Nova struktura \u0161tudija <p\/> a) \u0160tudij bo po novem kraj\u0161i in razdeljen na tri diplomske stopnje: <p\/> * 1. diplomska stopnja traja tri ali \u0161tiri leta in poteka kot visoko\u0161olski strokovni \u0161tudijski program ali univerzitetni \u0161tudijski program * 2. diplomska stopnja ali magistrski \u0161tudij traja eno ali dve leti (tako da skupaj s prvo diplomsko stopnjo na istem strokovnem podro\u010dju traja pet let) * 3. diplomska stopnja oziroma doktorski \u0161tudij, ki traja tri leta. <p\/> Izjeme so \u0161tudijski programi za regulirane poklice z direktivami Evropske unije, ki so lahko strukturirani druga\u010de. <p\/> b) Pogoji za vpis v vi\u0161jo stopnjo <p\/> Za vpis na drugo diplomsko stopnjo je potrebno kon\u010dati prvo diplomsko stopnjo z ustreznega strokovnega podro\u010dja. \u010ce ne gre za isto strokovno podro\u010dje (\u010de \u017eeli \u0161tudent npr. po kon\u010dani prvi diplomski stopnji iz strojni\u0161tva \u0161tudij na drugi stopnji nadaljevati na ekonomiji), se mu lahko za ta prehod predpi\u0161e najve\u010d 60 kreditnih to\u010dk dodatnih \u0161tudijskih obveznosti. Te je mo\u017eno opraviti \u017ee v okviru izbirnih vsebin na prvi diplomski stopnji ali pa z izpiti in te\u010daji pred vpisom na drugo diplomsko stopnjo. <p\/> Na tretjo diplomsko stopnjo se lahko vpi\u0161e, kdor je kon\u010dal drugo diplomsko stopnjo, kdor je kon\u010dal programe za poklice, urejene z direktivami EU, ki so ovrednoteni s 300 ali ve\u010d kreditnimi to\u010dkami, ali kdor je kon\u010dal \u0161tiriletni program na prvi stopnji in izkazuje posebne dose\u017eke, ki jih je mogo\u010de ovrednotiti s 60 kreditnimi to\u010dkami. <p\/> Pri vpisu v nove dvoletne \u0161tudijske programe na drugi diplomski stopnji se praviloma priznajo \u0161tudijske obveznosti v obsegu 60 kreditnih to\u010dk, tistim, ki so diplomirali po starih dodiplomskih univerzitetnih programih iz istega ali sorodnih strokovnih podro\u010dij. <p\/> S kon\u010dano specializacijo se je mo\u017eno vpisati na tretjo diplomsko stopnjo le z vidnimi uspehi pri raziskovalnem ali strokovnem delu, ki jih je mogo\u010de ovrednotiti s 60 kreditnimi to\u010dkami ali pa se dolo\u010di dodatne \u0161tudijske obveznosti v obsegu 60 kreditnih to\u010dk. <p\/> Tistim, ki so magistrirali v starem sistemu, se ob vpisu na tretjo diplomsko stopnjo (doktorski \u0161tudij) priznajo \u0161tudijske obveznosti v obsegu 60 kreditnih to\u010dk. <p\/> c) Rok uvedbe nove strukture in prehodno obdobje <p\/> Prvo \u0161tudijsko leto, v katerem naj bi bil mogo\u010d vpis v nove \u0161tudijske programe, bo leto 2005\/2006, zadnji rok za uvedbo nove strukture \u0161tudija pa je \u0161tudijsko leto 2009\/2010. <p\/> \u0160tudentje, ki se bodo v visoko \u0161olstvo vpisali pred uvedbo novih \u0161tudijskih programov, se izobra\u017eujejo in kon\u010dajo \u0161tudij po pogojih, ki so veljali ob njihovem vpisu, vendar najdlje do izteka \u0161tudijskega leta 2015\/2016. V kolikor \u0161tudent ponavlja letnik in nima ve\u010d na razpolago programa, v katerega se je vpisal, nadaljuje in kon\u010da \u0161tudij po novih \u0161tudijskih programih. <p\/> 2. Priloga k diplomi <p\/> Vsi \u0161tudentje bodo skupaj z diplomo brezpla\u010dno prejeli Prilogo k diplomi, ki bo izdana v sloven\u0161\u010dini in enem od uradnih jezikov Evropske unije. Priloga k diplomi je sestavni del diplome, ki vklju\u010duje informacijo o visoko\u0161olskem sistemu in uspe\u0161nosti \u0161tudenta (ocene) ter poenoten opis narave, stopnje, vsebine in status \u0161tudijskega programa. Za \u0161tudente uvedba priloge k diplomi pomenila pridobitev, saj so vse ve\u0161\u010dine in znanja, ki so jih pridobili tekom \u0161tudija, odslej zapisana v prilogi, kar jim bo olaj\u0161alo tudi pridobitev dobre zaposlitve in vpis v nadaljnji \u0161tudij. <p\/> 3. Kreditni sistem \u0161tudija <p\/> \u0160tudijske obveznosti v \u0161tudijskih programih se bodo po novem ovrednotile s kreditnimi to\u010dkami (ECTS), kar pomeni da bo vsaka obremenitev \u0161tudenta po uradnem programu to\u010dkovana (to\u010dkuje se delo, ki ga \u0161tudent vlo\u017ei v opravljanje obveznosti, vklju\u010dno s seminarji, vajami, samostojnim u\u010denjem, predavanji, pripravo diplomskega dela, itn.). Posamezni letnik \u0161tudijskega programa bo obsegal 60 kreditnih to\u010dk. Pri tem bo prva diplomska stopnja obsegala 180 ali 240 kreditnih to\u010dk (tri ali \u0161tiri leta), druga stopnja 60 ali 120 kreditnih to\u010dk (ena do dve leti, vendar tako, da na istem strokovnem podro\u010dju skupaj s \u0161tudijskim programom prve stopnje program traja pet let), tretja diplomska stopnja pa 180 kreditnih to\u010dk (tri leta). <p\/> 4. Skupni \u0161tudijski programi <p\/> Visoko\u0161olski zavodi bodo lahko z drugimi slovenskimi in tujimi visoko\u0161olskimi zavodi tvorili in izvajali skupne \u0161tudijske programe. To pomeni, da bo \u0161tudent v okviru enega \u0161tudijskega programa \u0161tudiral na razli\u010dnih visoko\u0161olskih zavodih ter ob koncu \u0161tudija pridobil eno, skupno diplomo. <p\/> ... bo po novem cenej\u0161e, kraj\u0161e in enostavnej\u0161e ter bo nadomestilo doslej uporabljano nostrifikacijo. <p\/> 6. \u0160olnine in dostopnost \u0161tudija <p\/> Za redni \u0161tudij na javnih visoko\u0161olskih zavodih na prvi diplomski stopnji ni mogo\u010de zara\u010dunati \u0161olnin. Brezpla\u010den \u0161tudij na drugi diplomski stopnji bo zagotovljen vsaj 30 odstotkom \u0161tudentov, kot kriterij za dolo\u010ditev \u0161tudentov v okviru tega dele\u017ea pa se bo upo\u0161teval socialni polo\u017eaj, regijska zastopanost in deficitarnost poklicev v razmerju 70:20:10. \u0160olnine bo \u0161e vedno mo\u017eno zara\u010dunati za izredni \u0161tudij. <p\/> 7. Pove\u010dalo se bo soupravljanje in soodlo\u010danje \u0161tudentov <p\/> \u010clanstvo \u0161tudentov v organih visoko\u0161olskih zavodov se je s sedmine pove\u010dalo na petino, petino glasov pa imajo \u0161tudentje po novem tudi pri volitvah rektorja univerz. Ve\u010dji pomen na podro\u010dju soupravljanja \u0161tudentov bodo dobile tudi \u0161tudentske ankete. \u0160tudentje bomo zastopani tudi v javni agenciji za visoko \u0161olstvo, ki bo opravljala zunanje ocenjevanje visokega \u0161olstva. <p\/> 8. Tuji \u0161tudentje: <p\/> lahko v Sloveniji prejemajo \u0161tipendije, a le v primeru, da je velja na\u010delo vzajemnosti <p\/> predavanja bodo lahko organizirana tudi v tujem jeziku, in sicer tudi v primeru, da predavanje ni organizirano tudi v sloven\u0161\u010dini.","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Oja\u010devalec brez\u017ei\u010dnega WiFi signala A9 je odli\u010dna izbira za raz\u0161iritev pokritosti brez\u017ei\u010dnega omre\u017eja v va\u0161em domu. Podpira hitrosti prena\u0161anja do 300 Mb\/s. <p\/> Tenda AC10 AC1200 Smart Dual-Band Wi-Fi je brez\u017ei\u010dni omre\u017eni usmerjevalnik (WiFi router), ki je primeren za stanovanja z visoko internetno hitrostjo. Ponuja hitrosti do 300 Mbps (2,4 GHz) in 867 Mbps (5 GHz) ter kar tri LAN RJ-45 priklju\u010dke. \u0160tiri zmogljive antene bodo poskrbele za odli\u010den sprejem in oddajanje signala. Ra\u010dunalnike lahko pove\u017eete tudi v \u017ei\u010dno omre\u017eje preko treh 1000 Mbps priklju\u010dkov na zadnji strani. Usmerjevalnik se pona\u0161a z uporabni\u0161kim vmesnikom in mobilno aplikacijo, ki vam omogo\u010da enostavno upravljanje z omre\u017ejem.","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Japonska \u2013 Kyoto in gej\u0161e <p\/> Angle\u0161ka pisateljica, raziskovalka, fotografinja in naravoslovka Isabella Bird je neko\u010d zapisala, da Japonska nudi toliko novosti, kot potovanje na kak drug planet. Ob besedi Japonska dobimo \u0161tevilne asociacije, od impozantnih sveti\u0161\u010d, ki jih obdajajo pravlji\u010dni gozdovi, do zasne\u017eene gore Fuji, srame\u017eljivih in okretnih gej\u0161, neboti\u010dnikov, osvetljenih z neonsko svetlobo, to\u010dnih in hitrih vlakov ... Japonska predstavlja edinstveno sintezo tradicionalnega in modernega, kjer se sre\u010dujejo stari bogovi, obi\u010daji, spretnosti in umetnosti z vrhunsko sodobno tehnologijo, futuristi\u010dno modo in najnovej\u0161im slogom in dizajnom. Japonska je de\u017eela, ki je pa\u0161a za vse \u010dute. Japonska je bila \u0161e v drugi polovici 19. stoletja fevdalna, konec tistega stoletja pa se je za\u010dela bliskovita industrializacija. Po drugi svetovni vojni pa se je Japonska razvila v pravega gospodarskega velikana. <p\/> Kjoto <p\/> Nekdanja cesarska prestolnica se pona\u0161a s \u0161tevilnimi templji, pala\u010dami, sveti\u0161\u010di in vrtovi. Kjoto slovi tudi po visoko razvitih tradicionalnih umetnostih in festivalih. Od leta 794 do leta 1868 je bil Kjoto cesarska prestolnica Japonske, dokler je ni Meji prestavil v Tokio. Kljub temu ohranja Kjoto primat kulturne prefinjenosti Japonske. Nekako se Kjoto dopolnjuje z Naro, kjer so bili postavljeni temelji tradicionalne japonske kulture, ki je dosegla svoj vrhunec v Kjotu. Kjoto ima ogromno znamenitosti, zato se bom osredoto\u010dil samo na najpomembnej\u0161e. <p\/> Kiyomizudera <p\/> Tempelj \u010diste vode \u2013 Kiyomizudera \u2013 spada med najpomembnej\u0161e templje Japonske in je tudi na UNESCO-vem seznamu kulturne dedi\u0161\u010dine. Ustanovljen je bil \u017ee leta 778 na mestu slapa Otowa, ki se nahaja v vzhodnem Kjotu. Glavni tempelj, kot ga vidimo danes, je dal zgraditi leta 1633 \u0161ogun Tokugawa Iemitsu, ki je med drugim tudi izgnal iz Japonske vse Evropejce in kristjane ter zaprl meje Japonske, kar je trajalo potem \u0161e ve\u010d kot 200 let. Tempelj je zgrajen brez enega samega \u017eeblja. Tempelj Kiyomizudera je najbolj znan po svojem 13 metrov visokem lesenem odru, ki nudi obiskovalcem lep razgled na \u0161tevilne \u010de\u0161nje in javorje kot tudi mesto Kjoto v daljavi. Pod templjem je slap Otowa, ki je razdeljen v tri manj\u0161e slapove. Voda iz vsakega slapa ima svoje pozitivne u\u010dinke na zdravje in dobro po\u010dutje. Vodo lahko pijete iz skodelice, ki se nahaja na dolgem lesenem drogu. Voda prvega toka slapa je koristna za dolgo \u017eivljenje, drugega za uspeh v \u0161oli in \u017eivljenju in tretja za sre\u010do in ljubezen v \u017eivljenju. Ampak nikar ne bodite objestni, pijete lahko samo vodo enega \"slapa\". <p\/> Za glavno dvorano templja Kiyomizu Dera stoji sveti\u0161\u010de Jishu, ki je posve\u010deno bo\u017eanstvu ljubezni in \u017eenitnega posredovanja. Pred templjem sta dva kamna, ki sta oddaljena 18 metrov. \u010ce z zaprtimi o\u010dmi najdete pot od enega do drugega, boste imeli sre\u010do pri iskanju ljubezni, \u010de pa vas mora kdo voditi od enega do drugega kamna, boste morda potrebovali tudi kakega posrednika pri iskanju \u017eivljenjskega sopotnika ali sopotnice. <p\/> \u010cetrt Higashiyama je ena najbolje ohranjenih starih predelov mesta, ki se nahaja med templjem Kiyomizu in sveti\u0161\u010dem Yasaka. Ob sprehodu po ozkih ulicah med lesenimi stavbami in tradicionalnimi trgovinami z lahkoto za\u010dutimo pridih stare prestolnice. \u0160tevilne majhne trgovine in restavracije \u017ee stoletja skrbijo za doma\u010dine, turiste in romarje. Na sprehodu po tej \u010detrti smo ujeli tudi gej\u0161o, ki je \u0161la po svojih opravkih in z veseljem nam je pozirala. <p\/> 1 od 3 <p\/> Izjemen je tudi tempelj Kodaiji, ki je bil ustanovljen leta 1606 v spomin na Toyotomi Hideyoshija, ene najve\u010djih zgodovinskih osebnosti Japonske, ki ga je dala postaviti njegova \u017eena Nene. <p\/> Toyotomi Hideyoshi je bil bojevnik, politik, samuraj, general in daimyo \u2013 veleposestnik, podrejen samo \u0161ogunu in je dal kri\u017eati znamenitih 26 kristjanov, znanih kot japonskih mu\u010dencev. Tempelj Kodaiji pripada sekti Rinzai zen budizma. Tempelj je obkro\u017een z vrtovi, sprehodili pa smo se tudi po \u010dudovitem bambusovem gaju. <p\/> Eno najbolj znanih sveti\u0161\u010d Kjota \u2013 Yasaka je oddaljeno le dobre pol ure hoje od templja Kiyomizu, a se seveda pot zavle\u010de, brez problema bi ostali tukaj \u0161e kako uro ve\u010d. Sveti\u0161\u010de je bilo ustanovljeno \u017ee okoli leta 650. Pred glavnim sveti\u0161\u010dem je oder z ve\u010d sto svetilkami, ki svetijo v ve\u010dernih urah. Vsaka svetilka nosi ime lokalnega podjetja, ki pla\u010da ustrezno donacijo. <p\/> Sveti\u0161\u010de Fushimi Inari <p\/> Fushimi Inari je pomembno Shinto sveti\u0161\u010de v ju\u017enem delu Kjota. Znano je po svojih tiso\u010d oran\u017enih oz. briljantno rde\u010dih torijih, ki vodijo po gozdu na sveto goro Inari, ki je visoka 233 metrov in je sestavni del sveti\u0161\u010de. <p\/> Fushimi Inari je eno najpomembnej\u0161ih od ve\u010d tiso\u010d sveti\u0161\u010d, posve\u010denih Inari, \u0161intoisti\u010dni boginji ri\u017ea. Sveti\u0161\u010de je tudi polno kipov lisic, ki so bile sle boginje Inari. Sveti\u0161\u010de Fushimi Inari je starodavnega izvora in je obstajalo, preden je leta 794 Kjoto postal prestolnica Japonske. <p\/> 1 od 4 <p\/> Arashiyama <p\/> Arashiyama je prijetno turisti\u010dno okro\u017eje v zahodnem obrobju Kjota. Obmo\u010dje je priljubljena destinacija od obdobja, ko je dobila Japonska prvo trajno prestolnico Naro leta 710. Takratno glavno mesto se je spogledovala s kitajsko prestolnico. V tem \u010dasu so gradili velike budisti\u010dne templje. Kitajski vpliv se je zmanj\u0161al, \u010deprav je bil \u0161e vedno velik, oziroma veliko stvari je bilo pojapon\u010denih. Morda nam je prva asociacija okro\u017eja Arashiyama izjemno privla\u010den bambusov gozd. <p\/> Najpomembnej\u0161i tempelj okro\u017eju Arashiyama je Tenryuji. Spada med pet velikih zen templjev Kjota in se danes nahaja na Unescovem seznamu kulturne dedi\u0161\u010dine. Tudi ta tempelj ima lastno \u0161olo Rinzai Zen sekte japonskega budizma. Tempelj je bil zgrajen \u017ee leta 1339, ko je vladal \u0161ogun Ashikaga Takauji, posvetil pa ga je takrat umrlemu cesarju Go-Daigu. Sprehod ob ribniku in po tatamijih templja je pravo do\u017eivetje Arashiyame. <p\/> Zlati paviljon \u2013 Kinkakuji <p\/> Zlati paviljon \u2013 Kinkakuji je zen tempelj, katerega zgornji dve nadstropji sta v celoti pozla\u010deni z zlatimi listi\u010di. Pred tem je bil tempelj znan pod imenom Rokuonji in je bila vila za oddih \u0161oguna Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in po njegovi volji je po njegovi smrti postal leta 1408 zen tempelj sekte Rinzai. Pred templjem je \u010dudovit ribnik. Tempelj je v svoji zgodovini ve\u010dkrat pogorel, nazadnje ga je leta 1950 po\u017egal fanati\u010den menih, vendar je bil leta 1955 zopet obnovljen. <p\/> Cesarska pala\u010da v Kjotu <p\/> Cesarska pala\u010da v Kjotu je bila do leta 1868 rezidenca japonske cesarske dru\u017eine, ko se je cesar preselil v Tokio. Nahaja se v kjotskem cesarskem parku skupaj s cesarsko pala\u010do Sento in nekaj drugimi znamenitostmi. <p\/> Sedanja cesarska pala\u010da je bila obnovljena leta 1855, potem ko je pogorela. Kompleks je obdan z obzidjem in stenami, znotraj pa so dvorane in vrtovi. Samo sedanjega cesarja Akihita so kronali v Tokiu, prej\u0161nje pa v Kjotu. <p\/> Seveda je templjev in znamenitosti \u0161e ve\u010d. Kjoto je znan tudi po gej\u0161ah, ki jih je okoli 300, med njimi sta tudi vsaj dve Evropejki.","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"ZDA Romunijo pozivajo k obrambi neodvisnega sodstva <p\/> Bukare\u0161ta, 11. januarja (STA) - ZDA so Romunijo danes pozvale k obrambi vladavine prava ter izrazile zaskrbljenost ob napadih politikov na neodvisno sodstvo. Kritiko na ra\u010dun romunskih oblasti in svarilo, da je \" neodvisno sodstvo bistveno za mo\u010dno demokracijo \", je ob obisku v Bukare\u0161ti izrekla pomo\u010dnica dr\u017eavnega sekretarja ZDA za evropske in evrazijske zadeve Victoria Nuland. <p\/> Po dolgih letih popolne nekaznovanosti je bilo v zadnjih letih nekaj visokih romunskih politikov, med njimi nekdanji premier Adrian Nastase, vendarle obsojenih zaradi korupcije in so pristali v zaporu. To po ocenah analitikov ka\u017ee, da se neodvisnost sodstva v tej balkanski dr\u017eavi, ki je od leta 2007 \u010dlanica EU, vendarle krepi, \u010deprav po\u010dasi. <p\/> \" Naredili ste velike korake naprej, \u0161e posebej v zadnjih petih letih, zato vse Romune pozivam (... ) naj se \u0161e mo\u010dneje borijo in branijo neodvisnost sodstva ter poskrbijo, da bo to ostalo zunaj politike, \" je danes v Bukare\u0161ti po sre\u010danju z romunskim predsednikom Traianom Basescujem in zunanjim ministrom Titusom Corlateanom poudarila visoka ameri\u0161ka gostja, poro\u010da francoska tiskovna agencija AFP. <p\/> Avstrijska tiskovna agencija APA dodaja, da so romunske oblasti v pri\u010dakovanju ostrih besed \u017ee pred obiskom ZDA posvarile, naj ne odpirajo vpra\u0161anja romunskega pravosodja, in spomnile, da Romunija ni ameri\u0161ka kolonija. A Nulandove to o\u010ditno ni ustavilo. <p\/> Njene besede so se sicer nana\u0161ale na poskus romunskega parlamenta, da s spremembami kazenskega zakonika ter zakona o amnestiji in pomilostitvah poslancem in lokalnim politikom zagotovi nekak\u0161no \" superimuniteto \". Ta bi aktualne politike \u0161\u010ditila tudi pred morebitnimi obto\u017ebami o korupciji. Poleg tega bi lahko pri\u0161lo do pomilostitve politikov, \u017ee obsojenih korupcije, pi\u0161e APA. <p\/> ZDA so ta poskus konec decembra nemudoma ozna\u010dile kot \" korak stran od transparentnosti in vladavine prava \", zaskrbljenost pa so izrazile tudi EU in ve\u010d njenih \u010dlanic, med drugim Nem\u010dija in Francija. Na koncu so v Bukare\u0161ti pod pritiski le popustili in sprejemanje zakona prelo\u017eili na februar, a odpovedali se mu \u0161e niso. <p\/> Za \u0161e dodatno nezadovoljstvo so poskrbele izjave socialisti\u010dnega premiera Victorja Ponte, zaprise\u017eenega nasprotnika konservativnega predsednika Basescuja, v katerih je posebnemu to\u017eilstvu za boj proti korupciji DNA in organu za integriteto ANI o\u010dital, da sta podvr\u017eena \" Basescujevemu re\u017eimu \" in da razsojata nepravi\u010dno. Prej\u0161nji teden je premier nedavno \u017ee drugo obsodbo Nastaseja zaradi korupcije celo primerjal z zaprtjem opozicijske voditeljice Julije Timo\u0161enko v Ukrajini. <p\/> Najbolj zaostrena je bila sicer situacija v Romuniji lani, ko je sku\u0161ala Pontova levosredinska koalicija z referendumom odstaviti Basescuja. Pri poskusih, da bi to dosegla, je med drugim grobo posegla v neodvisnost romunskega ustavnega sodi\u0161\u010da.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Mednarodni dan turisti\u010dnih vodnikov <p\/> 21. 2. - 7. 3. 2021 <p\/> Od 21.2.2021 dlje bodo v okviru mednarodnega dne turisti\u010dnih vodnikov potekala brezpla\u010dna virtualna turisti\u010dna vodenja. <p\/> Na pobudo Svetovne zveze dru\u0161tev turisti\u010dnih vodnikov (WFTGA) se vse od leta 1990 21. februar praznuje kot svetovni dan turisti\u010dnih vodnikov. Na ta dan turisti\u010dni vodniki organizirajo vodenja v po razli\u010dnih lokacijah, njihov namen pa je je predstaviti dejavnost in poklic turisti\u010dnega vodnika tako \u0161ir\u0161i javnosti. <p\/> Lansko leto je DRU\u0160TVO TURISTI\u010cNIH VODNIKOV KRASA IN BRKINOV izpeljalo kar 14 promocijskih dogodkov - vodenj. <p\/> Letos bo praznik Mednarodnega dneva turisti\u010dnih vodnikov obele\u017een razmeram primerno in sicer z virtualnimi vodenimi ogledi, ki se bodo od 21. februarja dalje zvrstila na FB strani Turisti\u010dni vodniki Kras in Brkini.","labels":"News","dataset":"GINCO","language":"Slovenian"}
{"text":"Your search returned the following results . Hosting questions to ask your ISP We know how important Internet connectivity is to your company . When you choose an Internet Service Provider make sure you ask them these questions : 1 . Are they a backbone provider ? Most ISPs simply ... What is the Mistral Remote Hands Service ? Remote Hands is a team of dedicated Mistral Engineers that can perform console level tasks such as reboots and tape swaps on your co-located equipment 24x7 , when your own employees are not able to attend ... What can Remote Hands do for your business ? Anything that is required from installation and configuration to testing and troubleshooting , we will do as much or as little as you require . How much does the Remote Hands service cost ? Costs are based upon the type of activity required and the length of time taken . Customers can either choose from a ' Pay as You Go ' service where you receive an invoice at the end of the month for any ... Where is the Remote Hands service available ? Mistral is able to offer the Remote Hands service to all Co-location suites in Global Switch London 1 & 2 co-location facilities . Domain transfers Why should I transfer my domain to Mistral ? Transferring your domain name to Mistral allows us to provide an \u0301 all in one \u0301 service , where we manage connectivity , hosting , administration and automatic ...","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Our Lotion is Back New Formulation Transfer Point's newly formulated nutritional lotion contains more than 3 times the amount of Aloe Vera than any other available high-end lotion for maximum skin health and rejuvenation , providing ultimate support for skin damaged by the sun or other harmful irritants . New Benefits The benefits of use are instant . No other lotion leaves skin feeling as soft , smooth and moisturized without a greasy residue , and the softness lasts all day . The light apricot fragrance is appealing to men , women and children .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"It mattered not that they made him sea-sick--he made no account of this inconvenience ; and , whilst his body was writhing under their effects , his spirit bounded with hopeful exultation . Passepartout was enraged beyond expression by the unpropitious weather . Everything had gone so well till now ! Earth and sea had seemed to be at his master's service ; steamers and railways obeyed him ; wind and steam united to speed his journey . Had the hour of adversity come ? Passepartout was as much excited as if the twenty thousand pounds were to come from his own pocket . The storm exasperated him , the gale made him furious , and he longed to lash the obstinate sea into obedience . Poor fellow ! Fix carefully concealed from him his own satisfaction , for , had he betrayed it , Passepartout could scarcely have restrained himself from personal violence . Passepartout remained on deck as long as the tempest lasted , being unable to remain quiet below , and taking it into his head to aid the progress of the ship by lending a hand with the crew . He overwhelmed the captain , officers , and sailors , who could not help laughing at his impatience , with all sorts of questions . He wanted to know exactly how long the storm was going to last ; whereupon he was referred to the barometer , which seemed to have no intention of rising . Passepartout shook it , but with no perceptible effect ; for neither shaking nor maledictions could prevail upon it to change its mind . On the 4th , however , the sea became more calm , and the storm lessened its violence ; the wind veered southward , and was once more favourable . Passepartout cleared up with the weather . Some of the sails were unfurled , and the Rangoon resumed its most rapid speed . The time lost could not , however , be regained . Land was not signalled until five o ' clock on the morning of the 6th ; the steamer was due on the 5th . Phileas Fogg was twenty-four hours behind-hand , and the Yokohama steamer would , of course , be missed . The pilot went on board at six , and took his place on the bridge , to guide the Rangoon through the channels to the port of Hong Kong . Passepartout longed to ask him if the steamer had left for Yokohama ; but he dared not , for he wished to preserve the spark of hope , which still remained till the last moment . He had confided his anxiety to Fix who--the sly rascal ! -- tried to console him by saying that Mr. Fogg would be in time if he took the next boat ; but this only put Passepartout in a passion . Mr. Fogg , bolder than his servant , did not hesitate to approach the pilot , and tranquilly ask him if he knew when a steamer would leave Hong Kong for Yokohama . \" At high tide to-morrow morning , \" answered the pilot . \" Ah ! \" said Mr. Fogg , without betraying any astonishment . Passepartout , who heard what passed , would willingly have embraced the pilot , while Fix would have been glad to twist his neck . \" What is the steamer's name ? \" asked Mr. Fogg . \" The Carnatic . \" \" Ought she not to have gone yesterday ? \" \" Yes , sir ; but they had to repair one of her boilers , and so her departure was postponed till to-morrow . \" \" Thank you , \" returned Mr. Fogg , descending mathematically to the saloon . Passepartout clasped the pilot's hand and shook it heartily in his delight , exclaiming , \" Pilot , you are the best of good fellows ! \" The pilot probably does not know to this day why his responses won him this enthusiastic greeting . He remounted the bridge , and guided the steamer through the flotilla of junks , tankas , and fishing boats which crowd the harbour of Hong Kong . At one o ' clock the Rangoon was at the quay , and the passengers were going ashore . Chance had strangely favoured Phileas Fogg , for had not the Carnatic been forced to lie over for repairing her boilers , she would have left on the 6th of November , and the passengers for Japan would have been obliged to await for a week the sailing of the next steamer . Mr. Fogg was , it is true , twenty-four hours behind his time ; but this could not seriously imperil the remainder of his tour .","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"This session is all about the HOW of telling a great story to engage your audience whoever they may be ... Some of the great presenters \/ storytellers that we see in the media appear to be effortless - spontaneous in their delivery , endlessly witty , great at timing , creating mood , leaving an unforgettable message etc. But of course , these people are professional communicators and what we do n't see is the intense preparation that goes into their message and its delivery . For example , the journalist on location researching and choosing the right examples to tug at our heart strings ; the politician telling us his values , his strategy , his motivation in the hope that it will win our votes . And the same should be true of the leader motivating others ... This high energy , fun , practical and interactive session will help leaders to start thinking about their stories , and critically , understand how to present them in a way that engages their audiences . At the end of the session , leaders should feel equipped - know their next steps ; their strengths and where they might need to focus to become a storytelling leader that creates a great personal impact and connects with their followers . The sessions will include : Constructing a great story : Understanding the essentials of great presenting Building character : Exercises and practice in creating the narrative that sticks in the mind of the listener Creating drama : How to achieve momentum in a story , without overuse of sentiment It 's not what you say ... Maximising the impact of the story with great delivery technique Personal story : Bringing values and vision to life with personal storytelling AND making it about your listeners The Presenter - Janie Van Hool Janie has been an associate of Ashridge since 2001 . Her Ashridge clients have included The Audit Commission , The Foreign Office , ATOS KPMG , Skanska , Volvo , National Australia Bank , Dixons and The Ashridge Leading Strategy and Change Programme . Janie is a RADA trained actress and has worked in national and international theatre , TV , films and done extensive voiceover work . She uses her creative skills as a performer to help people understand how to create a dynamic leadership presence , how to communicate with confidence and maximise their personal impact . In addition to her RADA Diploma , Janie holds an MA in Voice and an MSc in Performance Psychology . Her postgraduate research focuses on performance excellence , enabling clients to feel and appear their best whilst achieving and communicating optimum performance in any professional environment . She is a skilled and experienced one-to-one coach and is the co-author , with Ashridge tutor Pam Jones , of The Impact and Presence Pocketbook . Janie's current clients include : Allied Irish Bank , O2 , George Clothing , CIMA , Oracle , MoD , ATOS KPMG , London Business School and Lloyds TSB Registrars . She also works on the Ashridge Senior Executive Programme .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Fisherman's Friends deaths : Door company fined \u00a3 30 , 000 A company has been fined \u00a3 30 , 000 following the deaths of a shanty group singer and the band's promoter after a two-tonne steel door fell on them . The stage door collapsed on Fisherman's Friends vocalist Trevor Grills and Paul McMullen at Guildford's G Live venue in 2013 . Shropshire-based Express Hi-Fold Doors Ltd was found guilty of a health and safety breach at Guildford Crown Court . Director David Naylor , 57 , was cleared of manslaughter by gross negligence . The door , which allowed backstage access from outside , was designed and manufactured by the company . Father-of-three Mr Grills , 54 , from Port Isaac , Cornwall , and Mr McMullen , from Disley in Cheshire , were at the venue ahead of a performance due to be staged by the 10-piece group . Mr McMullen , 44 , died at the scene and Mr Grills in hospital three days later . Sentencing , judge Philippa Whipple , said there was no \" deliberate disregard for the law \" but the company \" fell far short of the appropriate health and safety standard \" . The court heard the door had been folded in half and was being lifted \" like a canopy \" above the men when it collapsed . Two drive chains linking the motor and gearbox to the drive shaft failed , and the chains themselves also failed , jurors were told . The court heard there had been four similar failures involving the company's doors before 2010 , including the collapse of a hangar door at Shoreham Airport in 2003 . The judge said : \" The company made some modifications , but it failed to respond more fundamentally to ensure it had taken all practicable measures . \" There was an obvious risk of death or serious injury although the likelihood was not high . \" The court heard the business barely traded in 2015 and was essentially liquidated . Paying tribute to the men and their families , the judge said : \" They died too young and I am sure they are greatly missed . \" Fisherman's Friends had chart success with a top-ten album and performed at Glastonbury .","labels":"News","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"We 're looking for an ambitious and super talented senior retail designer to join a leading creative agency . They are known for producing innovative and dynamic projects for some of the biggest brands around and their conceptual work has won them countless awards over the years . Your experience It is key that you have client-facing experience and are able to present and articulate ideas in a confident and professional manner . You must be able to use Vectorworks or Auto CAD to an extremely high standard . A 3D package such as C4D or 3D Studio Max would be advantageous . Excellent hand sketching skills is also key . This agency is looking for an individual who is highly creative and has an abundance of solid retail design experience behind them . The role There is certainly scope for you to take on as much responsibility as possible in this position , making this a fantastic opportunity for a senior looking to progress within a top creative retail agency . They work with a number of brands worldwide , from fashion to automotive to lifestyle , meaning there are always a huge variety of projects to be working on . This role is looking for a senior who is more than happy to guide and mentor a fellow midweight designer in the team ; therefore ideally you will have experience of supporting junior \/ midweights before . You will be a designer who is truly passionate about your work . You will be confident in delivering multiple projects at any given time and be fully involved from concepts to completion . Good knowledge of the retail market is key and you will have strong conceptual , technical and visualising skills . This is a truly amazing opportunity to join one of the best . Apply asap with your cv and portfoli","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"There are a few operations applied to all frames . First the raw frame may be displayed . [ general \/ _DISPLAY_FRAME_IMAGE_ ] Recipes remove any AXIS and blank TITLE components ; the latter to preserve the object name when NDFs are exported to FITS . Next they set the origin of the frame so that frame pixels retain the detector pixel indices . It then becomes possible to use a full-sized bad-pixel mask or flat field on any subset of a detector's pixel grid . [ _REMOVE_AXES_ , _REMOVE_BLANK_TITLE_ , _SET_ORIGIN_ ] Then recipes determine the displacements of the reference pixel with respect to the centre of the frame and stores the displacements in the referenceoffset calibration system . The reference pixel is where a star would be placed for photometry or the centre of a chopped and nodded pattern . [ _SET_REFERENCE_PIXEL_OFFSET_ , _GET_FRAME_CENTRE_ ] The next step is to switch on history recording . It is recommended to leave this enabled , since it provides a record of the processing steps of your final mosaics . Otherwise the pipeline becomes something of a black box . Use the KAPPA command hislist to list the history records . [ _TURN_ON_HISTORY_ ] For Michelle there is a validation check of the waveform used , comparing the waveform name given in the headers with other metadata , and recipes issue a warning if there is an inconsistency . Also the data range is validated to be between 25000-48000 . [ MICHELLE \/ _CHECK_WAVEFORM_ , MICHELLE \/ _VALIDATE_RAW_DATA_ ] For UFTI there is data validation , such that a warning is issued if the clipped mean sky level is below 24 counts per second in K band and 32 counts per second in H. [ UFTI \/ _CHECK_SKY_COUNTS_ , UFTI \/ _VALIDATE_RAW_DATA_ ] For UIST data taken before 2002 December 2 and Michelle , raw data units are converted from ADU per second to the UKIRT standard of total ADU per exposure . [ instrument \/ _INSTRUMENT_HELLO_ , UIST \/ _DATA_UNITS_TO_ADU_ ] A night log is created or appended in $ ORAC_DATA_OUT for each frame processed . This tabulates the main parameters of the observation having first corrected defective or undefined headers . [ _NIGHT_LOG_ , UIST \/ _NIGHT_LOG_ , instrument \/ _FIX_HEADERS_ for Classic Cam , IRCAM , MICHELLE , NIRI , and UFTI ]","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Aims : To offer emotional support , information and practical help to people whom have suffered the effects of crime . Our Witness Service operates in every Crown Court and it is from this base that witnesses , victims and their families are given help before , during and after hearings . We also work for the rights of victims and their families and for greater awareness of the effects of crime . Number of Students Sought : Unlimited Nature of Pro Bono Work : Working in the Victim Support service by offering a range of services to victims of crime . Emotional support through listening and reassurance is coupled with information and practical assistance . Working for the Witness Service by offering emotional support and information about court proceedings to all witnesses , victims and their families . Nature of Commitment : Victim Support volunteers commit a minimum of 2 hours per week for 2 years . Witness Service volunteers give half a day per fortnight . Method of Reruitment and Qualifications : Call Anthony Forsyth on 020 7735 9166 and ask for information on volunteering . Please make it known that you are from The City Law School at City University . Training : The basic training in both services takes about 40 hours . It is delivered by the local service at times which take into account your other commitments . Contact Details : National Office Cranmer House 39 Brixton Road London SW9 6DZ Tel : 020 7735 9166 Fax : 020 7582 5712","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"As an advocate of prevention rather than expensive treatments , again a positive sign that dentists and specialists working for the health of their patients southfldental it is normal for minor bleeding to occur during the first 24 hours after surgery . Your dentist may be sedation or intravenous sedation with nitrous oxide in patients who fear needles . Many parents do not suck their thumb or finger of your children watch . Most of these situations need help cosmetic dentistry . This form is usually taken two tablets before the dental visit in a deep state of relaxation . Aligners can give you the beautiful straight teeth you 've always dreamed . small clips used to attach the denture to existing teeth . Thanks to modern technology , dental adhesion , resins , lasers and state of the art of pottery , porcelain renewal are similar to a new rival character of strength , wear , function and appearance . In addition to dental implants is the partial denture is in place by metal staples ; fixed dental bridges in place by the crowns on the teeth , cemented adjacent to an empty room , and traditional dentures . In 1907 , Temple University , received an invitation to join the school . sealant used first cleaning the tooth surface . To s tart with , the dentist prepares the teeth of the patient by the removal of the enamel in the front and the sides of the teeth . Application of tooth-colored filling materials collage ( composite ) teeth is a dental technician for many years . The word periodontal literally means \" around the tooth southfldental floss can also buy special , one of the owners , a useful invention people who have problems removing the floss around your fingers , they also have problems with dexterity or arthritis . This advanced technology allows you to open more of its structure and tooth for tooth decay progresses before it save too far . The implant lasts for three months to connect to the leg and then at the time , the dentist can be a single crown on the implant to take the first missing tooth replaced . If your child is strong and continues Thumb Sucker , however , you can have moderate to severe movement of teeth and prevention of normal bone growth . We offer comprehensive security cheap ugly smile . There is hardly a difference between a dentist , in part because of the gel is prepared by a few producers . Perhaps your tooth is expired , broken below the gumline , or has insufficient tooth structure for restoration , as a crown or bridge . It is very important to spend at least 2-3 minutes to think about brushing your teeth southfldental this is an effective option , however , and is a good option if your colored teeth . You can find southfldental available at southfldental.com by clicking above .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"When sitting down with your solicitor for the first time talking about your claim take into account what they are saying and make sure you fully understand what they mean , they eventually should ask you if you have any questions and it is extremely important not to say ' no ' . These are several questions that definitely need to be asked to help you fully understand your claim : What 's the deal with any passengers ? Passengers are not liable to pay out any damages as they are not personally driving the car and can not be at fault . However they can claim against people who have hit them whilst in a car even if they are just the passenger . The compensation for the passenger may be decreased due to several factors , the compensation will definitely be decreased if they are found not to be wearing a seatbelt when the accident took place , another reason as to why a passengers claim maybe reduced is the knowledge that the driver was in fact intoxicated by substance if this is known by the passenger then subsequently money will be taken off . A lot of accidents can now be assessed for free and some solicitors offer a no win no fee basis , so no matter how small an accident , if you were hurt in any way it is important to looking into car accident claims . Useful and Interesting","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"The Phanerozoic Eon , also known as the eon of visible life , is divided into three major eras of time largely based on fossils of different groups of life-forms found within them : the Paleozoic ( 542 million to 251 million years ago ) , Mesozoic ( 251 million to 65.5 million years ago ) , and Cenozoic ( 65 . 5 million years ago to the present ) eras . The three eras can be divided into a collection of 12 different periods . During each period , Earth's continents made steady progress toward their present configuration through such processes as continental drift , mountain building , and continental glaciation . Although the Phanerozoic Eon represents only about the last one-eighth of time since the Earth's crust formed , its importance far exceeds its relatively short duration , because the eon is characterized by the rapid evolution of life , sometimes through cataclysmic mass extinction events , and other challenges . The descendants of these early life-forms are the plants , animals , and other life that abide on Earth today . Cambrian Period : 541 million to 485.4 million years ago Adapted from C.R. Scotese , The University of Texas at Arlington The Cambrian differed greatly from modern times , but it was also quite different from the preceding Proterozoic Eon ( 2 . 5 billion to 541 million years ago ) in terms of climate , geography , and life . Average global temperatures during much of the Neoproterozoic Era ( 1 billion to 541 million years ago ) were slightly cooler ( at around 12 \u00b0 C ) than today's average global temperature ( around 14 \u00b0 C ) However , the global average temperature of Cambrian times were warmer , averaging 22 \u00b0 C ( 72 \u00b0 F ) . Just prior to the beginning of the Neoproterozoic , Earth experienced a period of continental suturing that organized all of the major landmasses into the huge supercontinent of Rodinia . Rodinia was fully assembled by one billion years ago and rivaled Pangea ( a supercontinent that formed later during the Permian Period ) in size . Before the beginning of the Cambrian , Rodinia split in half , resulting in the creation of the Pacific Ocean west of what would become North America . By the middle and later parts of the Cambrian , rifting had sent the paleocontinents of Laurentia ( made up of present-day North America and Greenland ) , Baltica ( made up of present-day Western Europe and Scandinavia ) , and Siberia on their separate ways . In addition , a supercontinent called Gondwana formed , which was made up of what would become Australia , Antarctica , India , Africa , and South America . Before the Cambrian began , sea levels rose and some continents flooded . This flooding , combined with the warm Cambrian temperatures and changes in Earth's geography , led to increased rates of erosion that altered ocean chemistry . The most notable result was an increase in the oxygen content of seawater , which helped set the stage for the rise and later diversification of life \u2013 an event that has come to be known as the \" Cambrian explosion , \" in which early representatives of many of the major groups that make up modern animal life appeared . By the Early Cambrian the bulk of the biosphere was confined to the margins of the world's oceans ; no life was found on land ( except possibly cyanobacteria in moist sediment ) , relatively few open sea species existed , and no organisms inhabited the ocean depths . Life in the shallow regions of the seafloor , however , was already well diversified , and this early aquatic ecosystem included the relatively large carnivore Anomalocaris , trilobites , mollusks , sponges , and scavenger arthropods . Ordovician Period : 485.4 million to 443.4 million years ago Source : International Commission on Stratigraphy ( ICS ) The Ordovician Period was a time of significant changes in plate tectonics , climate , and in Earth's ecosystems . Rapid seafloor spreading at oceanic ridges produced some of the highest global sea levels in the Phanerozoic Eon ( which started at the beginning of the Cambrian ) . As a result , continents were flooded to an unprecedented level , with the continent that would become North America almost entirely underwater at times . These seas deposited widespread blankets of sediment that preserved treasure troves of fossil remains of marine animals . Scientists estimate that levels of carbon dioxide were several times higher than today , which would have created warm climates from the Equator to the poles ; however , extensive glaciers appeared for a brief time over much of the Southern Hemisphere at the end of the period . The Ordovician Period was also known for an intense diversification ( an increase in the number of species ) of marine animal life during an event which has been called the \" Ordovician radiation . \" This event resulted in the evolution of almost every modern phylum ( group of organisms having the same body plan ) of marine invertebrate by the end of the period , as well as the rise of fish . Ordovician seas were filled with a diverse group of invertebrates , which were dominated by brachiopods ( lamp shells ) , bryozoans ( moss animals ) , trilobites , mollusks , echinoderms ( a group of spiny-skinned marine invertebrates ) , and graptolites ( small , colonial , planktonic animals ) . On land the first plants appeared , as well as possibly the first invasion of terrestrial arthropods . The second largest mass extinction event in Earth's history took place at the end of the period , claiming roughly 85 percent of all Ordovician species . Some scientists argue that an ice age , which occurred at the end of the period , contributed to the decimation of species . Silurian Period : 443.4 million to 419.2 million years ago From E. Winson in W.S. McKerrow ( ed . ) , The Ecology of Fossils , Gerald Duckworth & Company Ltd During the Silurian , continental elevations were generally much lower than in the present day , and global sea level was much higher . Sea level rose dramatically as the extensive glaciers from the Late Ordovician ice age melted . This rising prompted changes in climatic conditions that allowed many faunal groups to recover from the extinctions of Late Ordovician times . Large expanses of several continents became flooded with shallow seas , and mound-type coral reefs were very common . Fishes were widespread . Vascular plants began to colonize coastal lowlands during the Silurian Period , whereas continental interiors remained essentially barren of life . Reef mounds ( bioherms ) on the Silurian seafloor contained brachiopods , gastropods ( class of mollusk containing present-day snails and slugs ) , crinoids ( class of echinoderm containing present-day sea lilies and feather stars ) , and trilobites . A wide variety of agnatha ( jawless ) fishes appeared , as did fishes with a primitive jaws . Different endemic groups developed in Laurentia ( known widely from sites in the Canadian Arctic , the Yukon , Pennsylvania , New York , and especially Scotland ) , Baltica ( especially Norway and Estonia ) , and Siberia ( including adjacent Mongolia ) . Devonian Period : 419.2 million to about 359 million years ago Adapted from : C.R. Scotese , The University of Texas at Arlington The Devonian Period is sometimes called the \" Age of Fishes \" because of the diverse , abundant , and , in some cases , bizarre types of these creatures that swam Devonian seas . Forests and the coiled shell-bearing marine organisms known as ammonites first appeared early in the Devonian . Late in the period the first four-legged amphibians appeared , indicating the colonization of land by vertebrates . During most of the Devonian Period , North America , Greenland , and Europe were united into a single Northern Hemisphere landmass , a minor supercontinent called Laurussia or Euramerica , but an ocean covered approximately 85 percent of the Devonian globe . There is limited evidence of ice caps , and the climate is thought to have been warm and equitable . The oceans experienced episodes of reduced dissolved oxygen levels , which likely caused the extinction of many species \u2013 some 70 to 80 percent of all animal species present \u2013 especially marine animals . These extinctions were followed by periods of species diversification , as the descendants of surviving organisms filled in abandoned habitats . Carboniferous Period : 358.9 million to about 298.9 million years ago Source : International Commission on Stratigraphy ( ICS ) The Carboniferous Period is divided into two major subdivisions \u2013 the Mississippian ( 358 . 9 to 323.2 million years ago ) and the Pennsylvanian ( 323 . 2 to 298.9 million years ago ) subperiods . The Early Carboniferous ( Mississippian ) world is characterized by Laurussia \u2013 a series of small landmasses in the Northern Hemisphere was made up of present-day North America , western Europe through the Urals , and Balto-Scandinavia \u2013 and Gondwana \u2013 an enormous landmass made up of present-day South America , Africa , Antarctica , Australia , and the Indian subcontinent in the Southern Hemisphere . During this time , the Tethys Sea separated the southern margin of Larussia completely from Gondwana . By Late Carboniferous ( Pennsylvanian ) times , however , most of Laurussia was fused to Gondwana and closed the Tethys . The Carboniferous was a time of diverse marine invertebrates . Benthic , or sea-bottom , marine communities were dominated by the crinoids , a group of stalked echinoderms ( invertebrates characterized by a hard , spiny covering or skin ) that still lives today . The calcareous ( containing calcium carbonate ) remains of these organisms are significant rock-forming materials . A related , but extinct , group of stalked echinoderms , the blastoids , were also a big part of Carboniferous marine ecosystems . Even though terrestrial insects had existed since the Devonian , they diversified during the Carboniferous Period . By the Pennsylvanian subperiod , dragonflies and mayflies had reached large sizes , with some of the earliest ancestors of modern dragonflies ( Protodonata ) having wingspans of approximately 70 cm ( 28 inches ) . Some scientists argued that higher oxygen concentrations present in the atmosphere during the Carboniferous Period ( some 30 percent compared with just 21 percent during the early 21st century ) may have played a role in enabling these insects to grow so large . In addition , fossils of more advanced insects capable of folding their wings , particularly cockroaches , are well represented in rocks of the Pennsylvanian subperiod . Other Pennsylvanian insects include the ancestral forms of grasshoppers and crickets and the first terrestrial scorpions . Carboniferous terrestrial environments were dominated by vascular land plants ranging from small , shrubby growths to trees exceeding heights of 100 feet ( 30 meters ) . The Carboniferous Period was also the time of peak amphibian development and the emergence of the reptiles . Permian Period : 298.9 million to 252.2 million years ago At the beginning of the Permian period glaciation was widespread , and latitudinal climatic belts were strongly developed . Climate warmed throughout the Permian times , and , by the end of the period , hot and dry conditions were so extensive that they caused a crisis in Permian marine and terrestrial life . This dramatic climatic shift may have been partially triggered by the assembly of smaller continents into the supercontinent of Pangea . Most of the Earth's land area was incorporated into Pangea , which was surrounded by an immense world ocean called Panthalassa . Terrestrial plants broadly diversified during the Permian Period , and insects evolved rapidly as they followed the plants into new habitats . In addition , several important reptile lineages first appeared during this period , including those that eventually gave rise to mammals in the Mesozoic Era . The largest mass extinction in Earth's history occurred during the latter part of the Permian Period . This mass extinction was so severe that only 10 percent or less of the species present during the time of maximum biodiversity in the Permian survived to the end of the period . Triassic Period : 252.2 million to 201.3 million years ago The Triassic Period marked the beginning of major changes that were to take place throughout the Mesozoic Era , particularly in the distribution of continents , the evolution of life , and the geographic distribution of living things . At the beginning of the Triassic , virtually all the major landmasses of the world were collected into the supercontinent of Pangea . Terrestrial climates were predominately warm and dry ( though seasonal monsoons occurred over large areas ) , and the Earth's crust was relatively quiescent . At the end of the Triassic , however , plate tectonic activity picked up , and a period of continental rifting began . On the margins of the continents , shallow seas , which had dwindled in area at the end of the Permian , became more extensive ; as sea levels gradually rose , the waters of continental shelves were colonized for the first time by large marine reptiles and reef-building corals of modern aspect . The Triassic followed on the heels of the largest mass extinction in the history of the Earth . During the recovery of life in the Triassic Period , the relative importance of land animals grew . Reptiles increased in diversity and number , and the first dinosaurs appeared , heralding the great radiation that would characterize this group during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods . Finally , the end of the Triassic saw the appearance of the first mammals \u2013 tiny , fur-bearing , shrewlike animals derived from reptiles . Another episode of mass extinction occurred at the end of the Triassic . Though this event was less devastating than its counterpart at the end of the Permian , it did result in drastic reductions of some living populations \u2013 particularly of the ammonoids , primitive mollusks that have served as important index fossils for assigning relative ages to various strata in the Triassic System of rocks . Jurassic Period : 201.3 million to 145 million years ago Adapted from : C.R. Scotese , The University of Texas at Arlington The Jurassic was a time of significant global change in continental configurations , oceanographic patterns , and biological systems . During this period the supercontinent Pangea split apart , allowing for the eventual development of what are now the central Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico . Heightened plate tectonic movement led to significant volcanic activity , mountain-building events , and attachment of islands onto continents . Shallow seaways covered many continents , and marine and marginal marine sediments were deposited , preserving a diverse set of fossils . Rock strata laid down during the Jurassic Period have yielded gold , coal , petroleum , and other natural resources . During the Early Jurassic , animals and plants living both on land and in the seas recovered from one of the largest mass extinctions in Earth history . Many groups of vertebrate and invertebrate organisms important in the modern world made their first appearance during the Jurassic . Life was especially diverse in the oceans \u2013 thriving reef ecosystems , shallow-water invertebrate communities , and large swimming predators , including reptiles and squidlike animals . On land , dinosaurs and flying pterosaurs dominated the ecosystems , and birds made their first appearance . Early mammals also were present , though they were still fairly insignificant . Insect populations were diverse , and plants were dominated by the gymnosperms , or \" naked-seed \" plants . Cretaceous Period : 145 million to 66 million years ago Courtesy of Paul C. Sereno ( 1997 ) , University of Chicago The Cretaceous is the longest period of the Phanerozoic Eon . Spanning 79 million years , it represents more time than has elapsed since the extinction of the dinosaurs , which occurred at the end of the period . The name Cretaceous is derived from creta , Latin for \" chalk , \" and was first proposed by J.B.J. Omalius d ' Halloy in 1822 . Chalk is a soft , fine-grained type of limestone composed predominantly of the armorlike plates of coccolithophores , tiny floating algae that flourished during the Late Cretaceous . The Cretaceous Period began with Earth's land assembled essentially into two continents , Laurasia in the north and Gondwana in the south . These were almost completely separated by the equatorial Tethys seaway , and the various segments of Laurasia and Gondwana had already started to rift apart . North America had just begun pulling away from Eurasia during the Jurassic , and South America had started to split off from Africa , from which India , Australia , and Antarctica were also separating . When the Cretaceous Period ended , most of the present-day continents were separated from each other by expanses of water such as the North and South Atlantic Ocean . At the end of the period , India was adrift in the Indian Ocean , and Australia was still connected to Antarctica . The climate was generally warmer and more humid than today , probably because of very active volcanism associated with unusually high rates of seafloor spreading . The polar regions were free of continental ice sheets , their land instead covered by forest . Dinosaurs roamed Antarctica , even with its long winter night . Dinosaurs were the dominant group of land animals , especially \" duck-billed \" dinosaurs ( hadrosaurs ) , such as Shantungosaurus , and horned forms , such as Triceratops . Giant marine reptiles such as ichthyosaurs , mosasaurs , and plesiosaurs were common in the seas , and flying reptiles ( pterosaurs ) dominated the sky . Flowering plants ( angiosperms ) arose close to the beginning of the Cretaceous and became more abundant as the period progressed . The Late Cretaceous was a time of great productivity in the world's oceans , as borne out by the deposition of thick beds of chalk in Western Europe , eastern Russia , southern Scandinavia , the Gulf Coast of North America , and western Australia . The Cretaceous ended with one of the greatest mass extinctions in the history of Earth , exterminating the dinosaurs , marine and flying reptiles , and many marine invertebrates . Paleogene Period : 66 million to 23 million years ago , and Neogene Period : 23 million to 2.6 million years ago Adapted from C.R. Scotese , The University of Texas at Arlington The Paleogene is the oldest of the three stratigraphic divisions of the Cenozoic Era . Paleogene is Greek meaning \" ancient-born \" and includes the Paleocene Epoch ( 66 million to 56 million years ago ) , the Eocene Epoch ( 56 million to 33.9 million years ago ) , and the Oligocene Epoch ( 33 . 9 million to 23 million years ago ) . The term Paleogene was devised in Europe to emphasize the similarity of marine fossils found in rocks of the first three Cenozoic epochs . In contrast , the Neogene Period encompasses the interval between 23 million and 2.6 million years ago and includes the Miocene ( 23 million to 5.3 million years ago ) and the Pliocene ( 5 . 3 million to 2.6 million years ago ) epochs . The Neogene , which means \" new born , \" was designated as such to emphasize that the marine and terrestrial fossils found in the strata of this time were more closely related to each other than to those of the preceding period . Until 2008 , these two intervals were known as the Tertiary Period . Together , the Paleogene and Neogene Periods made up a time of enormous geologic , climatic , oceanographic , and biological change . They spanned the transition from a globally warm world containing relatively high sea levels and dominated by reptiles to a world of polar glaciation , sharply differentiated climate zones , and mammalian dominance . The Paleogene and Neogene were the stages of dramatic evolutionary expansion of not only mammals but also flowering plants , insects , birds , corals , deep-sea organisms , marine plankton , and mollusks ( especially clams and snails ) , among many other groups . They saw huge alterations in Earth's systems and the development of the ecological and climatic conditions that characterize the modern world . The end of the Neogene was a time in which glaciers grew in the Northern Hemisphere and primates emerged that later gave rise to modern humans ( Homo sapiens ) , chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes ) , and other living great apes . Quaternary Period : 2.6 million years ago to the present The Quaternary has been characterized by several periods of glaciation ( the \" ice ages \" of common lore ) , when ice sheets many kilometers thick have covered vast areas of the continents in temperate areas . During and between these glacial periods , rapid changes in climate and sea level have occurred , and environments worldwide have been altered . These variations in turn have driven rapid changes in life-forms , both flora and fauna . Beginning some 200,000 years ago , they were responsible for the rise of modern humans .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"When is payment due ? | What sum is due ? | Who may enforce a confiscation order ? | The Director of ARA | The Magistrates' Court | Magistrates' power to obtain monies from banks and building societies | The Prosecutor | The decision to appoint an enforcement receiver | The role of third parties | Resolution of third party interests | The matrimonial home | Inadequacy of available amount | Discharging the confiscation order | Enforcement abroad | Procedure | Cases with the prosecutor holding lead responsibility | Determine whether an appeal has been lodged | Determine whether any monies have been paid | Send letter to the defendant | Determine defendant's earliest release date | List an enforcement hearing in the Magistrates' Court | Appoint Enforcement Receiver | Choice of receiver | Application to court | Content of witness statement | Hearsay evidence | Receiver's powers | Address any third party claims | Appeals ( Procedure ) | Chase up enforcement receiver | Cases where the Magistrates' Court holds lead responsibility | Useful Links | Further Information | Principle The purpose of a confiscation order , namely to deprive the defendant of the proceeds of his or her crime , is only fulfilled once the order is paid . A confiscation order is a debt owed by the defendant to the Crown . The defendant can choose to pay the order voluntarily , but if he or she fails to pay the order , compulsory enforcement action can be taken . All confiscation order payments , however enforced , go to the Treasury through the enforcing Magistrates' Court . It is intended that CPS will play an active role in the enforcement of confiscation orders by making applications to the Crown Court for the appointment of enforcement receivers and \/ or by requesting the listing of applications at the Magistrates' Court to activate the default sentence of imprisonment , if the defendant fails to pay the confiscation order . Top of page Guidance When is payment due ? The amount to be paid under a confiscation order must be paid on the date of the making of the confiscation order ( section 11 Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 ( POCA )) . If the defendant shows that he or she needs time to pay the confiscation order , the court may extend this time for payment for up to six months . If within the six months the defendant applies to the court for a further extension of this time and the court finds that there are exceptional circumstances , it can extend the time for a further six months . Before granting either an application for an extension of time or an application for a further extension of time , the Court must give the prosecutor an opportunity to make representations . Top of page What sum is due ? Interest is payable on the unpaid amount of the confiscation order , to encourage prompt payment . If the confiscation order is not paid by the due date , the amount of interest is added to the confiscation order and is treated as if it were part of the order ( section 12 POCA ) . The rate of interest is that specified in section 17 of the Judgments Act 1838 and is currently 8 % . Interest is not payable if an application to extend time to pay has been made by the defendant within twelve months of the making of the confiscation order and has not been determined by the court . Top of page Who may enforce a confiscation order ? The Director of ARA or the Magistrates' Court is responsible for the enforcement of a confiscation order . In cases where the Director of ARA is not responsible for enforcing the order , the prosecutor has an important role in enforcement by applying to the Crown Court for the appointment of an enforcement receiver to realise the defendant's assets , and \/ or to the Magistrates' Court for an enforcement hearing , so that the court can activate the sentence imposed in default of payment of the confiscation order . Top of page The Director of ARA Section 34 of POCA requires the court to appoint the Director as the enforcement authority for a confiscation order if : the Court made a confiscation order after being asked to do so by the Director ; the Court made a confiscation order after being asked by the Director to reconsider the case where no confiscation order was made ; the Court of Appeal , or the Crown Court at the direction of the House of Lords , made a confiscation order as the result of an appeal by the Director ; before the Court made the confiscation order , the Director applied to the Court to appoint him as the enforcement authority for the order . A protocol will be agreed with ARA as to the types of cases , where ARA may be willing to act as the enforcement authority . The guiding factor will be one of complexity . It is anticipated that cases , which involve the realisation of substantial assets abroad would fall within this category . Top of page The Magistrates' Court The Magistrates' Court has the ultimate responsibility of enforcing a confiscation order and it will enforce the order as if it were a fine . Nevertheless , the Magistrates' Court is not the preferred enforcer in cases involving the realisation of assets outside the jurisdiction , real property , or enforcing against property held in the names of third parties . Top of page Magistrates' power to obtain monies from banks and building societies POCA makes specific provision for cash held by banks and building societies , in order to ensure that effective enforcement of confiscation orders occurs quickly . A Magistrates' Court may order a bank or building society to pay the money to the Justices' Chief Executive towards satisfaction of the confiscation order if any of the following conditions occurs : money is held by a defendant in an account which he holds with a bank or building society ; or money has been seized by a constable under section 19 of PACE 1984 and is held by a police force in an account which it holds with a bank or building society ; or money has been seized by a customs officer under section 19 of PACE 1984 and is held by the Commissioners of Customs and Excise in an account which they hold with a bank or building society ; and the money has been restrained by a restraint order ; and a confiscation order has been made against the defendant ; and the Director has not been appointed as the enforcement authority for the confiscation order ; and an enforcement receiver has not been appointed in relation to the money ; and the period granted by the Court for payment of the confiscation order has expired . If the bank or building society fails to comply with such an order , the Magistrates' Court may order it to pay an amount not exceeding \u00a3 5000 and this money will be treated as payment towards the confiscation order ( see section 67 POCA ) . Top of page The Prosecutor As the Director of ARA is only likely to be appointed in complex cases , perhaps involving foreign properties , and as the Magistrates' Court is best equipped to recover sums of money from bank accounts or other straight forward cases , it will fall upon the prosecutor to enforce cases involving the realisation of the defendant's assets . Fortunately , this task may be easily achieved by the prosecutor applying to the Crown Court for the appointment of an enforcement receiver ( see below ) . The prosecutor , rather than the Magistrates' Court , should normally take primary responsibility in cases in which there is an existing restraint order and \/ or where the realisable assets include : Assets out of the jurisdiction ; Real property ; or Assets held in the names of third parties ( including limited companies ) . Note - This is an administrative arrangement rather than a legal requirement . Top of page The decision to appoint an enforcement receiver The prosecutor should consider making an application to the Crown Court for the appointment of an enforcement receiver wherever the realisable assets include assets out of the jurisdiction , real property or assets held by and \/ or in the names of third parties ( including limited companies ) . Another factor to consider is the cost of appointing an enforcement receiver . The CPS give the receiver an indemnity to make good any shortfall of the receiver's costs after the defendant's assets have been realised . Clearly , if the costs of hiring the receiver are likely to be in excess of the amount that is likely to be realised , a receiver should not be appointed . This may be a particularly pertinent issue in cases where there has been no restraint order , as some assets may have been dissipated prior to the appointment of the receiver . Although the application to court is made by the prosecutor , once appointed , the receiver is an officer of the court and will be separately represented on future hearings . See below for the procedure relating to the appointment of the enforcement receiver . Top of page The role of third parties Third parties have no right to be heard on a criminal confiscation hearing . The Crown Court will determine the defendant's interest in property held by third parties , whether this property is held jointly , is a tainted gift , or is property otherwise held in the names of third parties . The Court at the confiscation stage is only tasked with determining the amount of the defendant's free property , in order to calculate the recoverable or available amount in which to make an order for a sum of money and is not concerned with the property itself . Any determinations as to the defendant's interest at that stage can not be binding on third parties , as they are not parties to the proceedings ( see Re Norris [ 2001 ] UKHL 34 ) . Third party assets may be restrained and \/ or at the enforcement stage , action may be taken by a receiver to realise property , in which third parties may be claiming an interest . Third parties are entitled to have their claims determined by a court , although not as a part of the confiscation proceedings . Unlike previous legislation , POCA provides that the appropriate court will be the Crown Court . Top of page Resolution of third party interests The court may order anyone who has possession of realisable property to give it to the receiver and may order anyone who holds an interest in realisable property to pay the receiver the amount of any interest held in the property by the defendant or the recipient of a tainted gift . Once that payment is made , the interest of the defendant or the recipient of the tainted gift in the property is extinguished . Before such orders are made , the Crown Court ( Confiscation , Restraint and Receivership ) Rules 2003 ( SI 2003 No. 421 ) require that the defendant or the recipient of the gift must be given notice of the hearing and will , therefore , be able to make representations to the court . The defendant , or the recipient of a tainted gift , may apply to the court for an order that any property that can not be replaced should not be sold . Such an order made under section 69 ( 4 ) POCA may be revoked or varied . Section 62 ( 3 ) POCA provides that any person affected by the action or proposed action of a receiver may apply to the Crown Court for an order giving directions as to the exercise of the receivership powers . The court may make such order as it believes appropriate . Any person affected by an order appointing or giving powers to a receiver may also apply to the Crown Court to vary or discharge the order by virtue of section 63 ( 1 ) ( c ) POCA . Section 69 ( 3 ) POCA provides that in exercising the powers given to the court and \/ or to a receiver , the powers must be exercised with a view to allowing a person other than the defendant or a recipient of a tainted gift to retain or recover the value of any interest held by him ; in the case of realisable property held by a recipient of a tainted gift , the powers must be exercised with a view to realising no more than the value for the time being of the gift ; in a case where a confiscation order has not been made against the defendant , property must not be sold if the court so orders under subsection ( 4 ) . Top of page The matrimonial home A confiscation order is an order to pay a sum of money and may be enforced against any property held by the defendant , even if some of that property was legally obtained . Accordingly , the matrimonial home may be seized and confiscated , if the defendant fails to pay . Subject to the operation of section 31 of the Family Law Act 1996 , this may result in the eviction of other family members . The effect of section 69 ( 3 ) ( a ) POCA is to reverse the unreported case of Customs and Excise v A ( July 22 2002 , CA ) ; a case in which it was held that a property adjustment order could be made in family proceedings notwithstanding the provisions of the Drug Trafficking Act 1994 . The court may not , however , order the realisation of any share in the matrimonial home owned by the spouse or partner , unless it can be shown that the share was a tainted gift ( see R v Buckman [ 1997 ] 1 Cr . A pp. R. ( S. ) 325 ) . Top of page Inadequacy of available amount If the defendant or enforcement receiver applies to the Crown Court to vary the order the court must calculate the available amount . If it finds that the available amount is inadequate to pay the amount outstanding under the confiscation order the court may substitute the amount that it thinks just ( section 23 POCA ) . The court must disregard any inadequacy that it believes is attributable in whole or in part to anything done by the defendant to preserve property held by the recipient of a tainted gift in order to prevent it from being used to pay the confiscation order . Top of page Discharging the confiscation order In exceptional circumstances if less than \u00a3 1,000 remains to be paid under the confiscation order and a Justices' Chief Executive applies to the Court for the discharge of the order , the Court may consider whether the available amount is inadequate . If the Court finds the available amount to be inadequate to meet the amount remaining to be paid , and if this is due to fluctuations of currency exchange rates for foreign currency or due to any other reason specified by the Secretary of State , the Court may discharge the confiscation order . If only a small amount remains outstanding ( \u00a3 50.00 or less ) and a Justices' Chief Executive applies to the Court for the discharge of the order , by virtue of section 25 POCA , the Court may discharge the confiscation order . Top of page Enforcement abroad Realisable property is often held abroad . If a confiscation order has not yet been made , but any one of the five conditions for the granting of a restraint order have been satisfied and the prosecutor or the Director believes that realisable property is situated outside the United Kingdom , the prosecutor or the Director may send a request for assistance to another country via the Secretary of State to prohibit any person from dealing with realisable property and \/ or to sell realisable property and apply the proceeds in accordance with the law of that country ( see section 74 POCA ) . If the property is sold by the requested country , the money raised from that sale remains in the requested country , but the remaining balance of the amount ordered to be confiscated will be reduced by the amount raised by the sale . Top of page Procedure MAS have prepared a process map of the steps involved at the enforcement stage under the previous legislation . Enforcement . x ls The Crown Court will send the Notice of the Confiscation Order , Confiscation Certificate and Schedule ( s ) of Assets to the relevant prosecutor and the defence solicitors within seven days of the confiscation order being made . The prosecutor should then contact the Justices' Chief Executive for the Magistrates' Court within fourteen days of receipt of Orders and Schedule ( s ) from the Crown Court to inform him \/ her whether CPS intends to take the primary enforcement responsibility , or conversely whether there is an existing restraint order and that The CPS intends to take no enforcement action . The reasons for this should be detailed in a letter . The Justices Chief Executive for the Magistrates' Courts will contact the prosecutor in cases that he \/ she believes that the prosecutor should take primary responsibility , if the prosecutor has not already made contact . Top of page Cases with the prosecutor holding lead responsibility Determine whether an appeal has been lodged Contact should be made with the Court of Appeal to confirm whether or not an appeal has been lodged . If an appeal has been lodged , then the enforcement process will be stayed pending the outcome of the appeal . Top of page Determine whether any monies have been paid Before taking the action outlined below , a telephone call should be made to the Magistrates' Court to ascertain whether the defendant has voluntarily paid any of the sum due under the confiscation order . Top of page Send letter to the defendant Within fourteen days of primary responsibility being established , the prosecutor should send a letter to the defendant or defendant's representatives indicating the preferred enforcement process ( voluntary payment or application for receiver ) and enclosing any relevant documents for signature ( e . g . authorities for accounts , policies , motor vehicles , jewellery etc ) . The letter will inform the defendant that failure to satisfy the Confiscation Order by the due date together with a refusal to consent to the preferred enforcement process may lead to the imposition of the default sentence . The debt will not be expunged after the default sentence is imposed . It can not be remitted and will increase due to the accrual of interest at the relevant rate . Enforcement action to realise assets will continue even after the default sentence is imposed . Top of page Determine defendant's earliest release date The prosecutor should obtain confirmation of changes in the defendant's earliest release date and current location by faxing the Prisoner Release Service on 0121-6263474 . Where the defendant's earliest release date post-dates the expiry of time to pay , the prosecutor should ensure that any enforcement action is completed before the defendant's earliest date of release , and preferably before the expiry of time to pay , so that the magistrates' court can issue a warrant of commitment in relation to any unpaid amount while the defendant is in prison . Top of page List an enforcement hearing in the Magistrates' Court At the request of the prosecutor , the Magistrates' Court should list an enforcement hearing to see why the default sentence should not be imposed . The prosecutor should supply the Court with copies of the relevant correspondence to and from the defendant showing its efforts to pursue funds . Once a default sentence has been imposed , it can not be remitted and must be served in full , or until such time as the Confiscation order is satisfied , whichever is earliest . The incentive to the defendant is the fact that wilful refusal to co-operate is likely to lead to the default sentence being imposed and being served in full with the assets then be realised anyway . If there is no penalty for delaying the enforcement process defendants will continue to do so . At the request of the prosecutor , the Magistrates' Court should issue a distress warrant or obtain a garnishee order as appropriate . The prosecutor should supply the Court with copies of the relevant correspondence to and from the defendant showing its efforts to pursue the particular assets and any other information or documentary evidence which the Magistrates' Court might reasonably require in order to obtain a garnishee order . Enforcement hearings at the Magistrates' Court should not normally be adjourned for more than two weeks to allow for the defendant to sign relevant documentation or four weeks to permit the defendant to arrange for the transfer to the Court's bailiffs of chattel assets not already in the Crown's possession . NB . It can be more expedient and cost-effective for the court rather than a receiver to realise certain chattels or cash . Top of page Appoint Enforcement Receiver There are three conditions that must exist before the court appoints an enforcement receiver : The court has made a confiscation order ; The confiscation order has not been satisfied ; and The confiscation order is not subject to appeal . Once these conditions are met , on the application of the prosecutor , the Crown Court may appoint a Receiver in respect of realisable property . Top of page Choice of receiver A panel of receivers will be appointed to act on behalf of The CPS on a range of confiscation related matters across the 42 Areas . Areas will take receivers from a national panel on a case-by-case basis ; geography does not impact on the selection and use of receivers . Receivers will be appointed to the panel after a rigorous tendering exercise and be experienced in this work and fully acquainted with CPS requirements . The project team , on behalf of the Service , will undertake the tendering and the setting up of the panel . The receiver's letters of appointment will agree the fees they charge and the terms and conditions under which they will work as set out in the Framework Agreement . Top of page Application to court The Crown Court may determine the application without a hearing . The Rules state that unless the application to appoint the receiver is made ex parte , the application and witness statement must be lodged with the Crown Court and served on - the defendant ; the recipients of any tainted gifts ; and any other person whom the applicant knows to have an interest in any property to which the application relates , at least seven days before the date fixed by the court for hearing the application , unless the Crown Court specifies a shorter period . Top of page Content of witness statement The witness statement should give the grounds for the application including : an overview of the case and the circumstances giving rise to the need for the appointment of an enforcement receiver ; copy correspondence with the defendant inviting payment of the confiscation order ; full details of the proposed receiver and exhibit the letter of agreement setting out the basis for the receivers remuneration and operation and a consent letter from the receiver that he or she is willing to act in the case and abide by the terms of both the order and letter of agreement ; and to the best of the witness's ability , full details of the realisable property in respect of which the applicant is seeking the order and specify the person holding that realisable property . A draft receivership order must accompany the witness statement . Top of page Hearsay evidence Hearsay evidence is admissible in restraint and receivership applications , however , Rule 39 of the Crown Court ( Confiscation , Restraint and Receivership ) Rules 2003 ( SI 2003 No. 421 ) provides that section 2 ( 1 ) of the Civil Evidence Act 1995 does not apply to these proceedings . There is no duty to serve notice identifying the hearsay statements or of an intention to rely upon hearsay . Top of page Receiver's powers The receiver gets his authority to act from the court . This is set out in the order appointing him ( section 51 POCA ) . It is extremely important that the order appointing a enforcement receiver is drafted so as to give the receiver the powers that he needs to operate to manage the assets . An ex parte application to appoint an enforcement receiver the Court can not give the receiver power to manage the assets as in order to grant the receiver this power an opportunity to be heard must be given to all parties likely to be affected by the enforcement receiver order . On an ex parte order the receiver may be given the Power to take possession of property ; Power to start , carry on or defend legal proceedings in respect of the property ; Power to enter premises in England and Wales : To search for or inspect anything authorised by the Court ; To make or obtain a copy or photograph or other record as authorised by the Court ; To remove any property as authorised in the receivership order . After an inter partes hearing he may be given the powers set out above and also the Power to realise so much of the property as is necessary to meet the receivers remuneration and expenses ; and Power to realise so much of the property as is necessary to meet the receivers remuneration and expenses . Top of page Address any third party claims Please refer to the heading \" The role of third parties \" above . Top of page Appeals Any decision as to whether a prosecution appeal should be lodged , should be taken at level E , or by the head of the relevant trials unit . Prosecution appeals in respect of enforcement receivership include : Section 65 ( 1 ) to the Court of Appeal in respect of the refusal of the Crown Court to appoint and \/ or give powers to an enforcement receiver ; Section 65 ( 2 ) ( a ) to the Court of Appeal in respect of an order made by the Crown Court to appoint and \/ or to give powers to an enforcement receiver ; Section 65 ( 3 ) to the Court of Appeal where on a further application by the prosecutor , the Crown Court refuses to make an order ; Section 65 ( 4 ) to the Court of Appeal where on a further application the Crown Court has made an order ; and Section 66 to the House of Lords in respect of a decision of the Court of Appeal . In addition , the defendant and \/ or any person affected by the appointment or powers given to a enforcement receiver ; by the grant of powers to the receiver ; by the refusal or the giving of directions ; or by a refusal to discharge or vary the order , may appeal with leave to the Court of Appeal . Any party appearing in an appeal before the Court of Appeal may appeal with leave to the House of Lords . The appeal procedure may be found in a combination of POCA , the Criminal Appeal ( Confiscation , Restraint and Receivership ) Rules 2003 and in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 ( Appeals under Part 2 ) Order 2003 ( SI 2003 No. 82 ) . Notice of Appeal should be served within fourteen days , although application can be made for an appeal out of time . Top of page Chase up enforcement receiver Regular contact should be maintained with the enforcement receiver and reports obtained of the amounts recovered and of the remaining balance . This information should be entered on the Excel spreadsheet and submitted to Headquarters on a quarterly basis . Top of page Cases where the Magistrates' Court holds lead responsibility Quarterly updates as to the value of assets realised should be obtained from the relevant Magistrate's Court . The details should be entered in the Excel spreadsheet and forwarded to Headquarters every quarter whilst the order is outstanding . If the Magistrates' Court appears to be making little progress , the prosecutor should consider asking the court to list a hearing to activate the default sentence of imprisonment . Alternatively , further consideration should be given to the appointment of an enforcement receiver , if appropriate . Top of page Useful Links Enforcement protocol Receiver Panel Letter of appointment of receiver Forms Draft Orders Pre-POCA confiscation guidance","labels":"Legal","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Keywords : Crystallography , Thermal diffuse Zincblende structure , Diamond structure , Solid state physics , X-ray scattering , Iii-v compounds , Silicon , Lattice dynamics , Tds , Ii-vi compounds , I-vii compounds . Classification : 7.8 , 8 . Nature of problem : Determination of single-phonon diffuse X-ray scattering in lines , areas or volumes of reciprocal space at any temperature , using eigendata given by a lattice dynamical model . Evaluation of contribution to one - phononscattering from ionic deformations , modelled by a shell model . Solution method : The elements of the analytic solution are assembled from a combination of input data , tabulated scattering factors and transformation of a minimum set of eigendata . The scattering is evaluated along lines in reciprocal space . Restrictions : Zincblende structure compounds and Group IV elements only ; may be modified for other compounds .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT POLICY Jaguar Sustainability Our Policy * We are committed to addressing the challenges of sustainable development and operating as a responsible corporate business . We will strive to achieve sustainability by integrating and balancing our economic , social and environmental responsibilities within all our activities . We will develop and operate efficient business processes that are holistic , encompassing economic , social and environmental requirements , and that are an integral part of the decision-making process . We will implement tools and techniques to enable us to assess our sustainability impacts , to ensure performance improvement , and periodically we will report on our performance . Fundamental to our operation is the commitment to continual improvement , and to meet or exceed legal and regulatory requirements in all of our activities . * ECONOMIC - Deliver financial growth with a focus on a long term sustainability , recognising our responsibilities to the wide range of stakeholders - Account for the true impact of our activities to better inform decision making * SOCIAL - Recognise and meet our corporate responsibilities to the many stakeholders in our business , including shareholders , employees , suppliers , dealers and customers , and neighbouring communities - Understand our contribution to society in the broader context of \" sustainable mobility \" to support our long term planning . * ENVIRONMENT - Improve environmental performance throughout the business by reducing and preventing pollution , conserving resources , managing materials of concern responsibly , minimising wastes , and implementing effective and efficient processes - Optimise the potential for the use of alternative fuels , renewable energy , and recycled and sustainable materials David M Smith Chief Executive Officer","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Gentleman Jim , the greatest Blue of all He was one of the great names in football during the game's golden age after World War Two when crowds flocked back to soccer in their millions . Born in Alton 1925 , Dickinson joined Pompey from Alton Youth Club . After three years in the Royal Navy , he made his league debut against Blackburn Rovers at Fratton Park in 1946 . He established the number six shirt as his own and helped steer Pompey to successive league championships . And a total of 48 appearances for England made him Pompey's most capped player of all time . He played 764 league games for Pompey - a record for one player at a single club which was not broken until Swindon's John Trollope went six better in 1980 . Dickinson was a gentleman both on and off the pitch . He was never booked or sent off in 800 Pompey and England matches . Dickinson was a Pompey stalwart for almost 20 years . Awarded the MBE in 1964 , he played his last match for the Blues a year later , helping Pompey to a 1-1 end-of-season draw at Northampton that secured safety from relegation . For more about Jimmy Dickinson and other Pompey legends , see Hall of Fame on the Pompey pages .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"About HiFi Cables Hificables was started in 1999 by husband and wife team Paul Davis and Elaine Norman-Davis . Starting from a modest range of cable brands we have progressively expanded our product range to include a range of associated products of interest to hi-fi and home cinema enthusiasts . Our business is based upon offering a wide range of products at attractive prices combined with exceptional customer service . Many of our customers contact us first for technical advice before placing an order . We take great pride in ensuring that you end up with the optimum solution for your system . We are delighted to have built up a significant customer base of loyal customers . In a typical month we will process 1000 orders , many of which are from past customers or based upon recommendation from existing customers . From our humble beginnings our customers have made us one of the largest retailers of cables in the UK . However , we never forget that our success is based upon keeping customers happy . We now run the business from a modern 3,500 sq ft warehouse and believe we carry larger stocks of cable products than any other retailer in the UK","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Well I was born in New York in 1954 , but grew up in Los Angeles . I now live in Santa Barbara , California . As you may have guessed , my real name is n't Christopher Pike . I am very guarded about my real name , as I prefer to keep my identity a secret . My pen name was taken from Star Trek as it was the name of the first captain of the Starship Enterprise and I am a huge fan of any kind of science fiction . Apart from science fiction I love reading books by Stephen King , Tolkien and Ray Bradbury -- Fahrenheit 451 is one of my favourite books , along with Lord of the Rings . My love of books started pretty early on . At school I was very shy and as a result I would often be found absorbed in a book . I see my writing as a way of prolonging my youth ! Before writing my career took off I had various jobs including a house painter , a computer programmer and a factory worker . I left university early to begin my career and starting off writing science fiction , which I loved -- but no one would publish it . I never really set out to write books for teenagers , it just seemed to happen that way . Being a teenager is a very intense time as you 've got so many things going on in your life and I think you feel everything so much more : anger , love , jealousy and loyalty . I have written books for adults but I prefer writing books for children . After hundreds of rejection letters my first books were finally published in 1984 . The first two were Slumber Party and Weekend . I ca n't tell you how excited I was to finally see my books in print and on the bookshelves of shops . I have to confess I still go into bookshops and arrange the displays of my books . Sometimes I will see a kid looking at my books and I will tell them I know Christopher Pike . I do n't think they would believe me if I said I was Christopher Pike .","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"A car bomb in the Syrian capital has killed a senior member of the Palestinian militant group Hamas . Hamas officials say military commander Izz el-Deen al-Sheikh Khalil was killed Sunday morning while starting his car . Hamas immediately blamed Israel for the attack , and officials in the Gaza Strip threatened to carry out reprisals against Israeli targets abroad . But a Hamas official in Lebanon says no such decision has been made . In Damascus , the Syrian news agency called the attack an assassination , and said Israel bears full responsibility for its consequences . Israel has not commented . But early this month , Israeli authorities promised to strike Hamas leaders abroad . The Israeli threat came one day after Hamas-linked suicide bombers killed 16 people on two buses in southern Israel . Story supplied by :","labels":"News","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Smarter Survey Results and Impact : Abandon the Asker-Puker Model ! Today's post comes from a source of deep pain . Analysis Ninjas are valued less than I would prefer for them to be . The post is also sourced from a recent edition of my newsletter , The Marketing \u2013 Analytics Intersect . I send it once a week , and it contains my insights and recommendations on those two topics . Like this blog , the newsletter is geared towards being instantly actionable ( rather than just theory-smart , which is pretty cool too ) . Do sign up if you want to deliver a small electric shock of simulation to your brain each week . TMAI # 41 covered a graph that resulted from a survey done by Econsultancy and Lynchpin . I received a ton of responses for it , and great discussion ensued . It prompted me to write this post , essentially an expanded version of TMAI # 41 . I 've added new insights , recommendations , and two bonus lessons on how to do surveys better and a direct challenge to your company's current analytics strategy . If your heart is weak , you can stop reading now . I promise , I wo n't mind one bit . I heart you . If you are open to being challenged ... then here are the short-stories inside this post ... Some of you know that I created the phrases Reporting Squirrels and Analysis Ninjas to emphasize the difference between those that puke data and those that puke insights with actions attached to them . Here is my slide the first time I presented the concept in a keynote ... Cute , right ? : ) While companies , medium and large , often need both roles , I 've massively pushed for every company to want more Analysis Ninjas and for analysts to have careers where they can rapidly undertake metamorphosis from Reporting Squirrels to Analysis Ninjas ( after all the difference in salary is tens of thousands of dollars ) . With that as context , you can imagine how heart-broken I was when Jane shared the following visual from a study done by Econsultancy and Lynchpin . It contains the answers to the question which analytics skills are most in demand ... Checkout the y-axis ... what do you see as the common pattern across them all ? Just data puking . One row after another of data puking skills . Ranked . Almost nothing that quite captures the value of Analysis Ninjas ! N. O. T. H. I. N. G. I did a random Google search and got this list of analytical skills : + Understanding relationships between numbers + Interpreting mathematical information + Visual perception of information + Ability to organize information + Pattern recognition and understanding trends + Argumentation and logical thinking + Ability to create insightful data visualizations + Hypothesis development and design of experimentation + Strategic thinking skills And , that is just a random list ! None of these are in demand ? Look at the list in the graph , what kind of purple squirrel with ant legs and an elephant's nose that nobody needs is Lynchpin describing ? This did not happen at Econsultancy , but the data did cause introspection at my end . And , my first question was the one that is also top of mind of all readers of Occam's Razor ... Is the world so dark that the only \" analytical \" skills that are valued are directly tied to data puking and you should immediately shut down your Analysis Ninja efforts ? Let me share three thoughts for your consideration , then some guidance on how to do surveys right , and end with a call to arms for all of you and the \" data people \" you choose to work with . Three thoughts that explain the Econsultancy \/ Lynchpin graph . 1 . The survey design is at fault . The otherwise well-respected Econsultancy and Lynchpin dropped the ball massively in creating the list of answers for the respondents to choose from . I have to admit , I believe this is a major flaw ( and not just for this question in the entire report ) . What is disappointing is that they have done this for nine years in a row ! It poses these questions ... How is it that in nine years no one at these organizations realized they were simply asking people to rank data puking answers ? Did the survey list the skills Econsultancy and Lynchpin hire for and value in their own analysts ? The graph illustrates data for three years ... Was the fact that almost nothing changed in three years in terms of priority not trigger a rethink of the options provided for this question ? Anyone reading the report at the two companies creating it should have thrown a red flag up and said hey guys , the respondents keep rating the answers the same , maybe we are not asking the right question or providing the best choices for our respondents to pick . More on how to avoid this flaw in your surveys , of any kind , below . 2 . The survey is targeted to the wrong folks . They might be the wrong folks to accurately judge what analytical skills and how to appreciate the value of each skill as they rank them . That could explain the results ( not the answer choices though ) . Econsultancy \/ Lynchpin provides this description in the report : \" There were 960 respondents to our research request , which took the form of a global online survey fielded in May and June 2016 . Respondents included both in-house digital professionals and analysts ( 56 % ) and supply-side respondents , including agencies , consultants and vendors ( 44 % ) . \" The survey was 76 % from the UK and EU . Respondents were solicited from each company's database as well as Social Media . Here is the distribution provided in the report : On paper it looks like the departments are to be what you would expect . It is difficult to ascribe any blame to the folks who got the survey . There is a chance that there is a UK and EU nuance here , but I do n't think so . 3 . It is our fault . My first instinct in these cases is to look into the mirror . Perhaps we have not succeeded as much as we should when it comes to show casing the value of true data analysis . Perhaps all the people involved in all digital analytics jobs \/ initiatives , inside and outside companies , are primarily data pukers , and none of them have skills to teach companies that there is such a thing as data analysis that is better . Then , you and I , and especially our friends in UK and EU , need to work harder to prove to companies that CDPs ( customized data pukes , my name for reporting ) do not add much value , the rain of data does not drive much action . You and I need to truly move to the IABI model were we send very little data , and what little we send out is sent with copious amounts of Insights from the data , what Actions leaders need to take , and the computation of the Business Impact . The more we deliver IABI , by using our copious analytical skills , the more the leaders will start to recognize what real analytical skills are and be able to separate between Reporting Squirrels and Analysis Ninjas . Bottom-line ... I would like to blame the competency at Econsultancy and Lynchpin , especially because I believe that truly , but I must take some responsibility on behalf of the Analysis Ninjas of the world . Perhaps we suck more than we would like to admit . I mean that sincerely . Bonus # 1 : Lessons from Econsultancy \/ Lynchpin Survey Strategy . There are a small clump of lessons from my practice in collecting qualitative feedback that came to fore in thinking about this particular survey . Let me share those with you , they cover challenges that surely the E + L team faced as they put this initiative together . If your survey has questions that cease to be relevant , should you ask them again for the sale of consistency as you have done this survey for nine years ? There is a huge amount of pressure for repeated surveys to keep the questions the same because Survey Data Providers love to show time trends \u2013 month over month , year over year . It might seem silly that you would keep asking a question when you know it is not relevant , but there is pressure . This is even worse when it comes to answer choices . Survey Creators love having stability and being able to show how things have changed , and they keep irrelevant \/ awful \/ dead answers around . If you are in this position ... You will be brave , you will be a warrior , you will be the lone against-the-tide-swimmer , and you will slay non-value-added stuff ruthlessly . You will burn for from the ashes shall rise glory . If you are the Big Boss of such an initiative , here is a simple incentive to create , especially for digital-anything surveys : Give your team a standard goal that 30 % of the survey questions for any survey repeated each year have to be eliminated and 10 % new ones added . Your permission will 1 . force your employees to think hard about what to keep and what to kill ( imagine that , thinking ! ) 2 . create a great and fun culture in your analytical ( or reporting : ( ) team and 3 . push them to know of the latest and greatest and include that in the survey . If I feel I have a collection of terrible choices , do you have a strategy for how I can identify that ? This does not work for all questions of course , but here is one of my favourite choice in cases where the questions relate to organizations , people skills , and other such elements . Take this as an example ... How do you know that this is a profoundly sub-optimal collection of choices to provide ? For anyone with even the remotest amount of relevant experience , subject matter expertise , it is easy to see these are crazy choices \u2013 essentially implying purple squirrels exist . But , how would you know ? Simple . Start writing down how many different roles are represented in the list . That is just what I did ... It turns out there are at least five roles in a normal company that would possess these skills . So . Is this a good collection of skills to list ? Without that relevant information ? If you still go ahead and ask this question , what are you patterning your audience to look for \/ understand ? Oh , and I am still not over that in looking for what analysis skills are missing in the company , no actual analytical skills are listed above ! Ok , maybe statistical modeling smells like an analytical skill . But , that 's as close as it gets . I share this simple strategy , identifying the number of different roles this represents , to help you illuminate you might have a sub-optimal collection of choices . There are many other strategies like this one for other question . Look for them ! If your survey respondents are not the ideal audience for a question , what 's your job when crafting the survey ? J. K. I. Just kill it . If you do n't want to kill it ... Personally interview a random sample of 50 people personally ( for a 1,000 people survey ) . Take 10 mins each . Ask primitive basic questions about their job , their actual real work ( not job title ) , and their approximate knowledge . If these 50 pass the sniff test , send the survey . Else , know that your survey stinks . JKI . I know that I am putting an onerous burden on the survey company , taking to 50 people even for 10 mins comes at a cost . It does . I am empathetic to it . Consider it the cost of not putting smelly stuff out into the world . If your survey respondents wo n't be able to answer a question perfectly , what is a great strategy for crafting questions ? Oh , oh , oh , I love this problem . It happens all the time . You as the survey creator do n't know what you are taking about , the audience does not quite know what they are talking about , but there is something you both want to know \/ say . Here 's the solution : Do n't do drop down answers or radio button answers ! The first couple times you do this , ask open ended questions . What analytical skills do you think you need in your company ? Let them type out in their own words what they want . Then find a relatively smart person with subject matter expertise , give them a good salary and a case of Red Bull , and ask them to categorize . It will be eye opening . The results will improve your understanding and now you 'll have a stronger assessment of what you are playing with , and the audience will not feel boxed in by your choices , instead tell you how they see the answers . ( Maybe , just maybe be , they 'll give you my list of analytical skills above ! ) Then run the survey for a couple years with the choices from above . In year four , go back to the open text strategy . Get new ideas . Get smarter . Rinse . Repeat . I would like to think I know all the answers in the world . Hubris . I use the strategy above to become knowledgeable about the facts on the ground and then use those facts ( on occasion complemented by one or two of my choices ) to run the survey . This rule is great for all kinds of surveys , always start with open-text . It is harder . But that is what being a brave warrior of knowledge is all about ! If your survey results cause your senior executives , or random folks on the web , to question them , what is the best response ? The instinct to close in an be defensive , to even counter-attack , is strong . As I 'm sure your mom's taught you : Resist . Truly listen . Understand the higher order bit . Evolve . Then let your smarter walk do the talking . Simple . Awfully hard to do . Still . Simple . Bonus # 2 : The Askers-Pukers Business Model . The biggest thing a report like Econsultancy \/ Lynchpin's suffers from is that this group of individuals , perhaps even both these companies , see their role in this initiative as Askers-Pukers . It is defined as : Let us go ask a 960 people we can find amongst our customers and on social media a series of questions , convert that into tables and graphs , and sell it to the world . Ask questions . Puke data . That is all there is in the report . Download the sample report if you do n't have a paid Econsultancy subscription . If you do n't want to use your email address , use this wonderful service : www.throwawaymail.com Even if you set aside the surveying methodology , the questions framing , the answer choices and all else , there is negative value from anything you get from Askers-Pukers , because the totality of the interpretation of the data is writing in text what the graphs \/ tables already show or extremely generic text . Negative value also because you are giving money for the report that is value-deficient , and you are investing time in reading it to try and figure out something valuable . You lose twice . Instead one would hope that Econsultancy , Lynchpin , the team you interact with from Google , your internal analytics team , any human you interact who has data sees their role as IABI providers ( Insights \u2013 Actions \u2013 Business Impact ) . This is the process IABI providers follow : Ask questions . Analyze it for why the trends in the data exist ( Insights ) . Identify what a company can \/ should do based on the why ( Actions ) . Then , have the courage , and the analytical chops , to predict how much the impact will be on the company's business if they do what was recommended . Insights . Actions . Business Impact . Perhaps the fatal flaw in my analysis above , my hope above , is that I expected Econsultancy and Lynchpin to be really good at business strategy , industry knowledge , on the ground understanding of patterns with their massive collection of clients . Hence , knowing what actually works . I expected them to be Analysts . Instead , they perhaps limit their skills inside the respective company to be Askers-Pukers . Both companies are doing extremely well financially , hence I do appreciate that Askers-Pukers model does work . But for you , and for me , and for anyone else you are paying a single cent for when it comes to data \u2013 either data reported from a survey , data reported from your digital analytics tool , data reported from other companies you work with like Facebook or Google or GE \u2013 demand IABI . Why . What . How Much . If they do n't have that , you are talking to the wrong people . Press the escape button , do n't press the submit order button . [ Is n't it ironic . Econsultancy and Lynchpin did exactly what their survey has shown for nine years is not working for companies in the UK : Reporting . The outcome for both of them is exactly the same as the outcome for the companies : Nothing valuable . This is explicitly demonstrated by their full report . ] Bottom-line . I hope you see that this one survey is not the point . E + L are not the point . What their work in this specific example ( and you should check other examples if you pay either company money ) illuminates is a common problem that is stifling our efforts in the analytics business . This applies to E + L but it applies even more to your internal analytics team , it applies extremely to the consultants you hire , it applies to anyone you are giving a single cent to when it comes to data . Do n't hire Askers-Pukers . Do n't repeat things for years without constantly stress-testing for reality . Do n't make compromises when you do surveys or mine Adobe for data . Do n't create pretty charts without seeing , really looking with your eyes , what is on the chart and thinking about what it really represents . Applied to your own job inside any company , using Google Analytics or Adobe or iPerceptions or Compete or any other tool ... do n't be an Asker-Puker yourself . Be an IABI provider . That is where the money is . That is where the love is . That is where the glory is . Carpe Diem ! As always , it is your turn now . Is your company hiring Reporting Squirrels or Analysis Ninjas ? Why ? Is the work you are doing at your company \/ agency \/ consulting entity \/ survey data provider , truly Analysis Ninja work ? If not , why is it that it remains an Asker-Puker role ? Are there skills you 've developed in your career to shift to the person whose business is why , what , how much ? Lastly , when you do surveys , of the type above or others , are there favourite strategies you deploy to get a stronger signal rather than just strong noise ? Please share your life lessons from the front lines , critique , praise , fun-facts and valuable guidance for me and other readers via comments . Thank you . Merci . Arigato . PS : I hope this post illuminates the valuable content The Marketing \u2013 Analytics Intersect shares each week , sign up here . Comments Just this second your newsletter ended up in my inbox and I had to comment on it . Askers-pukers model is really one of the greatest things I 've read recently . I was just in discussion how I hate the skyscraper content method that led to all those \" 10 things you need to .. \" , \" 15 things you need to .. \" , \" 20 things .... \" you know .. and then this came in . Because I hate these \" Empirically looking nonsense reports \" just as much . The best thing is the hidden irony between dealing with Analytic Skills whilst showing not even a hint of it themselves . Asker puked model is interesting .. first time ever heard of it . Kidding . While the name is new , we are surrounded by Analysts and Agencies who practice this model . As they realize that revenue is not in this model for them or their clients hopefully they will take your advice to morph into IABI providers . Avinash \u2013 I read this , then read it again . I did n't know whether to laugh or cry . Thank you for not only pointing out some of the weaknesses but also suggesting some positive things to improve matters . These are the real learnings for me . Keep em coming . We have to remember that every generation is being exposed to exponentially more data and the tools to assist in understanding lag . More important we do n't teach this kind of critical thinking to nearly enough people . We are still very early in a huge journey and much like DTP was in the 1980s you can use good tools and produce bad work . It takes time to develop the appreciation of how to make a difference with all this new data . Peter : I concur with you about the speed and quantity of change that is happening . It is a bit crazy . I hope this is taken by vendors , consultants , and internal Analysis Ninjas as a call to arms to invest regularly in self-development . It is so very easy in this industry to become stale . It use to take 20 years , it takes less than 2 now . This is 100 % true . But I was wondering : is it possible that the very structure of businesses cause the phenomenon of data puking ? I mean , assuming that most people are actively seeking promotions , the only way for them to prove their points and to elevate in the hierarchy is to generate reports validating their hypotheses and proving that they were right in the first place . I would suggest that such a bias does not lead to greater insights , but to data pukes , as you described so well . Benoit : Yes , the way modern orgs function they do incentivize lots of data puking . There is a mistaken belief that just access to data is enough to make smarter decisions . No , what you are describing as requirement for promotions is analysis , and analysis is good . Sadly , though most of the time people just get loads of data , due to lack of skills or training they are unable to convert that data into analysis which results in fewer promotions . I continue to be amazed at your ability to identify structural gaps in thinking from just one slide . One element that might be unique to you is that you get outraged when you see bad things , while most people rarely are passionate enough to give it a second glance . That is a lesson I 'll take with me from your post . Continue to point out these issues and push the industry forward . You wrote a lot to make a simple point . The survey was extremely poorly done with little thought to the audience and topic being measured . Tracking surveys makes sense when the kpi 's being measured are in fact consistent ( e.g. , brand awareness ) . The Researchers failed to recognize the skills of an ' analyst ' are not consistent over time or universal across industries and geography . But the point that people need to think crtically about what analysts do or should do within their organization is well taken . On survey strategies , there have been many a good book written on the subject of ( marketing ) research surveys that hardly need a rehash here . Avinash , thanks for the article . I think business is evolving . I think organizations are at the beginning of the journey on how to use the data they emit . I appreciate the inspiration . Thanks for putting your thoughts and feedback into the public domain \u2013 I could definitely feel my ears privately burning on the edge of the Marketing \u2013 Analytics Intersect last week ! We do put our Lynchpin name to this survey \u2013 by way of sponsorship rather than overall authorship I should emphasise \u2013 which makes us absolutely open to challenge by association . For the avoidance of doubt ( and rumour of unloved \/ unwanted weird squirrel \/ elephant \/ ant hybrids occupying Lynchpin towers ) I definitely agree that companies should seek out analysts with fundamental traits around numeracy , pattern recognition , communication , commercial awareness , hypothesis development , strategic thinking and so on . In blunt terms , I think the idea of your world view being substantially different to that presented in the survey report and \/ or the industry reality is perhaps overstated . You cite IABA as the model to aspire to ( \" Be an IABI provider . That is where the money is . That is where the love is . That is where the glory is . \" ) . I 'm certainly not disagreeing with that aspiration , but I 'd simply call IABA as you describe it \" good reporting \" . OK , really good reporting , fantastically tailored to the audience in terms of granularity and context and so on . But still , ultimately , the end product is : a report . So I can agree that bad reports = data puking and good reports = insight puking . Maybe less puking would be good overall . But I 'm not sure the reporting squirrel ( \" loser \" ? ) \/ analytics ninja ( \" winner \" ? ) differentiation is always a helpful reference point from an organisational perspective or a career development plan . We had an interesting panel discussion when the survey was first published ( with people that run internal analytics teams for large companies on the panel , not a bunch of consultants ) , and a lot of the discussion focused around how information is communicated around the organisation and carefully managing the interactions with stakeholders involved to drive success . I appreciate stakeholder management is a fairly corporate \/ bullshit term , but it 's far from \" data puking \" and increasingly what I hear VP's ( or UK equivalent ) seeking in their analytics teams . I like your \" sniff test \" analogy . I promise you those phrases in the offensive graphs would not be in the survey if we were n't hearing them consistently from people that hold budgets describing what they think they need from their analytics functions . You rightly classify them into multiple roles . We were deliberately looking to show the breadth of expectation set upon \" analytics teams \" and \" analyst roles \" by businesses ( please fix the TMS , please present to the board , please predict our sales for next year , please tell us something useful \/ interesting about our customers , please help us understand what our objectives are ) rather than suggesting a one person frankenstein monster exists . That said , 3 years ago statistical modelling was the least recognised skill-gap . Now it is the most recognised . I think that 's perhaps still relevant as a trend for budding squirrels on this exciting intersection to understand . There is a lot more in your comment and you have absolutely carried me with you with other things you mention . I am deeply grateful for the food for thought you 've provided . I 'll humbly push back on the idea that IABI is reporting . It is not . Reporting it producing a report or a chart \u2013 a clever one , a pretty one , a necessary one ( in most modern corporations , there is no escape from reporting ) . My definition of insights , and the thing that my students are learning at Market Motive and the thing that my large team at my employer uses , is why the thing that you see in the chart \/ table happened . A mix of deep dive analysis and business analysis . My definition of actions are the things that a client should do . A mix of business strategy and competitive analysis . The output is words in English ( or Urdu or Hebrew or Mandarin ) . My definition of business impact is how much a brand or performance KPI will move if aforementioned action is accomplished . The output is one number , mentioned next to each line of English \/ Urdu . 75 % of the above is not reporting , neither will it come from your Google Analytics account , your Micro-Strategy BI tool account etc. etc. It comes from a human's ability to dig and understand business strategy and relationships with Sr. Leaders . I think of that as output of analysis : IABI . No reporting I have ever seen has ever had the three elements above . At it 's very best , as you also saw in the Econsultancy report , \" really good reporting \" repeats in text what the report ( CDP ) shows . I hope I can carry you with me in the difference between reporting and analysis . Hi Avinash , I am really happy that you wrote a post about this issue . You are a true crusader . we owe you a lot . One confession to make \u2013 I get all your new posts through email . Basically , I do n't read the whole post at that time . I come back later when I have some quite time . For my visit to not considered as bounced , I just click on any link before leaving the site : ) . I know 1 visit with bounce is n't going to change anything but I just do n't want to disappoint you . I really feel bad and week for doing this . But I also think that It is my love and respect to you and all the hard work you put into Occam's Razor that I ca n't possibly disappoint you . And one more thing , waiting very patiently for your next book \" Web analytics 3.0 \" . Bhola : You are kind , but you should not worry about Bounce Rate for this blog . I use the strategy I recommend everyone follow ... I only measure Bounce Rate for New Visitors . For Returning , I know that most will read the latest post , and that is ok ! I do love it when they share their experience via comments , it helps everyone . So , thank you . In fact you should not be worried about bounce rate for new visitors too . Your articles are so thought-provoking , and also lengthy , that often users would take time to read and digest it . Maybe you should just look at conversion of new visitors into returning , and ensure that the \" tl ; dr \" audience is less . This reflects what I see in the marketplace . Businesses want outcomes but hire staff based on outputs . Econsultancy's list looks like an employment posting , just a long list of outputs . As long as the squirrels are managed by people that know the outcomes they 're after , is there a problem ? Greg : This is a real problem , as in it is real and it is a problem ! Part of the responsibility falls on the current leadership at companies ( in pretty much any country ) that do not truly value digital , and in turn have lax management of it relying on their gut or sub-optimal metrics . This sounds lame , it is 2016 after all . But , it is sadly true . Now you know where those job descriptions come from . Part of the responsibility , as I mentioned in # 3 in this post , falls on us , the data people . We spend so much time gathering data , conflate sexier javascript tags with accomplishment , and only have time left over to data puke . We have to change this , else the job descriptions wo n't change . We found that when trying to identify issues or areas of concerns , we wrote queries to identify the Top 25 Negative Noun Tokens in Sentences and include the related sentences after Natural Language Processing . We then grouped those sentences for tagging in an interactive tree ( tree of sentences ) . We were able to identify the top issues affecting consumers , very quickly ; because of the refined sample size ( Top 25 Tokens ) . We would repeat this effort with each week of new data ... slowly becoming the knowledge experts in the source domain . As the unique issues started to dry up we instituted a dynamic filtering system where every keyword in a sentence became a filter . We could shuffle the results with each click , spinning the results . We also implemented the ability to combine those keywords and flip them for even more complex dynamic filters . And then we also started an automatic favourite keyword identification system so that on subsequent weeks of results , I knew which keywords \/ favs were able to pull back the targeted results we were after . So for those looking to find the top negative issues , this may be a plan of attack in the identification of issues , something you could include in your own system or check out text-analyzer.com to see this in action . Hope this helps someone when the uniqueness in the results seems to dry up . Very thought-provoking ! The reporting vs. analysis issue clearly stands out as THE challenge at the company I work at , in terms of data use . The current trends of \" big data \" and \" lean analytics \" make this old issue very poignant . I wonder about your push for metamorphosing squirrels into ninjas . Is that a natural progression ? Is it the only progression ? The best progression ? You note the importance of posing the right questions the right way with the right people in survey development . Asking open-ended questions to develop the right survey response selections is just one example that highlights the importance of developing good tactical approaches when developing data . You nicely tie in the importance of strategic analysis \u2013 the ' why ' question in IABI , which provides fodder for hypothesis development in Lean Analytics . This is a call for thinking about analytics as an expression of human behavior , motivation , and thinking . Changing human behavior is the implicit outcome of all the data analysis , and I like how you draw these connections . I 'm a user experience researcher with a background in experimental psychology . I ca n't help but wonder if a reverse transition , from understanding human behavior into data analytics , could also work , and perhaps provide an even easier metamorphosis . If we place Analysis Ninja at the top of the value pyramid , then it will require a person who has one foot firmly planted in both data and human behavior . Michael : There are a lot of wonderful elements to your comment , thank you for sharing your thoughts . Let me touch on a couple . There is a difference between small and big companies . Small companies need someone as close to an Analysis Ninja as possible , and it would be great if the person can also operate machinery and do marketing . Small companies ca n't afford a lot . : ) Reporting Squirrels at small companies are actively harmful , not only can they drive little change , an investment in them might have an expensive opportunity cost . In big companies , you will , for the next five years or so , need Reporting Squirrels and Analysis Ninjas . Part of the need for Reporting Squirrels is being driven by the fact that big companies simply can not do without the silly charade of data being puked left , right and center . Part of it is that there are some orgs where super-tactical decisions can be made by people in the division , and they just need CDPs more efficiently delivered . More companies are realizing they need Analysis Ninajs because efficient , real-time CDPs are simply not working . From Reporting Squirrel to an Analysis Ninja is not a natural progression . It happens 20 % of the time , but analytical skills are so different than what reporting jobs mandate . It is important to note that Reporting Squirrel is a well paid job , and for many they like the comfort of what the job demands are . Hence , it is a fabulous job if it fits your personality profile , skills and professional goals . To your note on users ... I believe , most especially for digital , we have access to so much quant and qual human behavior data , skills in User Experience Research ( UCD , HCI etc. ) would be immensely valuable to an Analysis Ninja . A lot of market-researchers do not have much appreciation for customer behavior methods , and they end up becoming askers-pukers . A smart marketer at times may not even need too much data , but just some intelligent customer behavior analysis methods and hypotheses to come up insights that will win the game for her .","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"( INDIANAPOLIS \u2013 APRIL 16 , 2010 ) \u2013 Ash continues to cause disruption and travel chaos through many major European cities following the volcanic activity in Iceland . Additionally , the European air navigation agency stated that the air traffic delays will continue well into Saturday . iTravelInsured \u00ae , Inc. ( iTI \u00ae ) , a travel insurance provider and program manager , has been assisting several of its customers troubled and affected by the delays . \" We have received many calls from concerned customers that are stuck as a result of this massive volcanic cloud of ash , \" said Bill Dismore , Executive Vice President of iTI . \" The volcano is a Natural Disaster and under an iTI program , if there is a complete cessation of services by a travel supplier ( this includes an airline ) as a result of a Natural Disaster , then coverage is provided for trip cancellation \\ interruption . Travel delay also provides a daily benefit for each 24 hour period the trip is delayed due to bad weather ( for which the volcano also would qualify ) . \" The World Health Organization stated that Europeans should remain indoors if ash from the volcano starts raining down . According to the agency , there could be ( although not certain ) potential health risks should this happen \u2013 inhaled particles could create a heightened danger from those suffering from respiratory diseases . Dismore further added , \" A volcanic eruption is a pretty rare event , but you just do n't know what can happen when you are traveling . By offering programs that safeguard their clients' travels , and provide them access to top-tier services and a 24 hour clinical staff experienced in medical management , travel agents can easily help their clients plan for an unexpected illness or injury , and provide peace of mind . \"","labels":"News","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"A region in a system , of uniform or uniformly varying properties , bounded by a surface , where properties change abruptly . A substance in a system , produced by any equilibrium reaction in that system . A physical property of a system , which can be observed or measured . Any of the chemical substances in a system . The solid , liquid or gaseous part of a system . Any process such as boiling , evaporation , condensation , freezing , melting etc. 2 The number of components of a system is : The minimum number of chemical substances necessary to define the composition of all parts of the system . The number of substances in a system , produced by any equilibrium reaction in that system . The number of chemical substances in a system . The number of intensive physical properties of a system which can be measured The number of processes such as boiling , evaporation , condensation , freezing , melting etc. occurring in a system . The number of solid , liquid or gaseous parts of a system .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Hi , I 've been bisexual for ... at least since I was 11 , although I did n't realise at the time . As time went by I started to realise what I really was . At first I was scared but then I came to realise that it did n't really single me out or make me that much different from everyone else . I came out in 2005 , a day after my birthday ( so my mum could n't shout at me : P ) and at first she could n't look me in the eye but then got used to the idea and now she is fine with it . My closest two friends know as well , one of whom is bi himself , and they are both fine with it too . I 've not made it public because I go to a chav school and will get verbally abused lol . When I go to college I probably will though .","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"The man found himself surrounded by total darkness , as if one moment he saw light , blinked , and it was gone . \" Am I blind ! \" he cried . He rubbed his eyes . He could not feel anything . He tried rubbing them again . Nothing . \" Is anyone there ? \" he shouted . He repeated himself , though this time he noticed that he could not hear his own voice . He could not even feel the vibrations in his throat or his lips moving . He only knew that he had willed the words only moments before . However , between then and now an eternity existed between his thoughts and their execution . His lips began to quiver , or , rather , the thought of his lips quivering sprang from the wellsprings of imagination . \" Am I deaf ? \" \" Why ca n't I feel vibrations in my throat ? \" \" Am I drugged ? \" \" Am I in a coma ? \" \" Am I dead ? \" \" Is this hell ? \" He slowly stretched out one hand , palm facing out . He waved it and did the same with the other . He began making large circles with his arms as he swept round his perimeter . He felt nothing . He stomped down , hoping to feel earth , wooden planks , carpet , cement , water , anything , so that he could get some bearing as to where he was . He felt nothing . At the same time , he noticed that he could not feel his limbs or movements therewith . \" Am I paralyzed ? \" He cried out in utter silence all the while the words banged around inside the confines of his mind , becoming louder and louder as words clawed over one another , vying for existence . \" Am I suspended in the air ? \" He cupped his hands and clapped at his shoulders . He could not feel anything . He could not even feel his shoulders or the tightening of his hands or finger movement . Only the memory of the thought of moving his limbs existed . He even began doubting whether his memory was of a thought or of an action . \" If I remember doing it , I must have done it , right ? \" he thought . \" Or did I only think about doing it ? Oh God , why ca n't I tell the difference ? \" \" Am I crazy ? What if the memory itself is an illusion ? Perhaps , there was no action and no idea of the action . The memory is a total fabrication . Reality could reset every moment without my knowing it . There ca n't be time then . I ca n't have a past ! How can I exist outside of time ! \" He pondered an eternity . \" If I do n't have eyes , ears , a body , whose voice is this talking ? Are these my words or is someone or something feeding me these ? Who or what is observing my thoughts ? Is there anyone there ? Oh God , is there anyone there ? Can anyone see me ? Can you hear me ? Is anyone there ... \" Panic set in again for the infinite time . He began flailing his arms and legs about , as if he were treading water in the middle of the ocean and had but only one last surge of energy before collapsing and sinking again into the abyss .","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Five British National Party ( BNP ) \" activists \" have been arrested and bailed on suspicion of committing public order offences in Swansea . Police said the men were taken into custody at 1117 BST on Sunday in the Bonymaen area of the city . The BNP's website described the men as a \" leafleting team \" that was \" lawfully campaigning \" in Swansea . A spokesman for South Wales Police said they had been released on police bail pending further inquiries .","labels":"News","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Landslide ' buried woman as she slept ' in Looe A neighbour of a woman who died when a landslide engulfed her home , has told an inquest he had to clamber over a torrent of mud and water to escape . Susan Norman , 68 , died in March 2013 when the landslide , during torrential rain , poured into her flat in Looe , Cornwall , burying her in her bed . A post-mortem report read to the jury at Truro Magistrates' Court said Mrs Norman died immediately . The inquest is expected to last until 24 November . More on the landslide inquest and other news from Cornwall Mrs Norman lived in the ground-floor flat of a house split into three apartments . It was built into the hillside with a retaining wall behind the property . The jury also heard building work had taken place to the rear of the property before the incident . Dwayne Bown , who was asleep in one of the first floor flats , said he initially thought a tree behind the house had fallen down before the house jolted and the ground dropped in front of him . \" I then saw mud and water coming down into the landing as I was trying to get out ; the entrance was blocked completely and I had to climb over dirt and water and mud to get out , \" he said . In the weeks before the landslide , the court heard a bulge had formed in the wall behind the house . Rowan Beckingham , who lived in the other first-floor flat , said in the days prior to the landslide the landlady had told him she was commissioning repairs to the wall to the rear of the property . He said he had subsequently witnessed builders \" digging a hole in the cliff behind the house and pumping concrete into it \" .","labels":"News","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"The DLR successfuly deployed a 20m2 sail structure in December of 1999 , a ground-based demonstrator that consisted of four booms made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic . In August of 2000 , DLR proposed a dedicated mission to explore near-Earth asteroids ( NEAs ) using a solar sail-driven spacecraft called ENEAS . The mission concept was to rendezvous with an object called 1996FG3 with a payload ( not counting the sail assembly ) of 75kg . Such proposals run into financial difficulties familiar to anyone who recalls NASA's early solar sail work for a Halley's Comet mission that never flew . Tight budgets have kept ambitious sail missions on the ground both within ESA and NASA , but concepts continue to multiply . A new paper by Bernd Dachwald and Wolfgang Seboldt at DLR proposes a mission called ENEAS-SR , a 70m2 sail designed to return a sample from NEA 1996FG3 within ten years of launch , carrying a 300 kg payload including lander and sample return capsule . Why , other than to shake out a new technology , should we go to a near-Earth asteroid ? In addition to pure science , NEAs are significant because they are probably fragments of main belt asteroids , and therefore representative of them . The larger class that contains them is the group called NEOs , those asteroids and comets with orbits that intersect or pass near the Earth's orbit . We need , say Dachwald and Seboldt , to know much more about them . From the paper : It is today widely accepted that NEO impacts have caused at least one mass extinction ( 65 million years ago at the Cretaceous \/ Tertiary boundary ) , and they are suspected to have caused several global catastrophes before . Even NEOs that do not intersect the orbit of Earth may evolve into Earth-crossers , because their orbits are chaotic , having a relatively short dynamical lifetime of about 107 years . One day , it will become necessary to prevent a specific object from impacting the Earth by nudging it out of its orbit . To be able to do this , the bulk properties of NEOs ( material strengths , composition , structure , moments of inertia , etc. ) should be determined as soon as possible . Solar sails seem ideal for this purpose . Once at NEA 1996FG3 , the sail-driven craft can take advantage of its sail in novel ways . Even close in to such a small object , the solar radiation pressure on the sail would exceed the asteroid's gravitational pull ; the spacecraft would therefore be placed into a hovering position in the hemisphere opposite the Sun ( the sail can be turned to vary the photon pressure upon it , making this possible ) . Although ultimately unstable , these hovering positions could be maintained for extended periods of time , long enough for the release of the lander and its Earth return capsule . Dachwald and Seboldt go on to envision an even more sophisticated triple NEA rendezvous mission with a 75kg payload and speculate on the properties of sails up to 140m2 in size . Missions like these make outstanding sense \u2013 they take us to objects like NEOs with highly inclined orbits , the kind of target difficult to reach with conventional spacecraft , and they allow us to develop space experience with lightweight structures for future propulsion systems . The paper is \" Multiple near-Earth asteroid rendezvous and sample return using first generation solar sailcraft , \" in Acta Astronautica 57 ( 2005 ) , pp. 865-875 . If we find et we can transmit the technology for beamed power propulsion to them , and then both civilizations can build the the interstellar equivelent of the train and the rail road on rails of light . tim","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"It takes less than a minute to create your own iGoogle homepage , and after that , there are lots of ways to personalize it and really make it your own . 1 . Create your page On the Google homepage , click the gear icon and select iGoogle . If this is the first time you 're using iGoogle , you 'll see the setup wizard called \" Create your own homepage in under 30 seconds . \" Choose some interests , a theme , and a location to get started ( you can add more later ) . Click See your page to create your iGoogle homepage . Use the gear icon to switch between your new iGoogle page and the standard Google homepage called \" Classic Home . \" You can choose whether or not to sign in to a Google Account when using iGoogle . Learn about the benefits of signing in , including increased privacy and more flexibility in where you can access your iGoogle page . 2 . Add more gadgets to your page Gadgets let you use tools , read info , and play games from all across the Web . Here 's how to add a gadget to your page : Click Add gadgets on the right side of the iGoogle page . Gadgets are organized into categories on the left , or you can search on the right . Once you find a gadget you 'd like to add , click Add it now . Click Back to iGoogle home at the upper left side of the page to get back to your page . You can arrange gadgets by dragging and dropping them on the page ( or between tabs ) . Edit your gadgets' settings by clicking the down-arrow in the title bar and choosing Edit settings . 3 . Organize your gadgets into tabs All iGoogle pages start out with a Home tab on the left side of the page . If you have n ' t added any new tabs , all your gadgets will appear on your Home tab . To add a new tab , follow these steps . Click the downward arrow to the right of your Home tab Select Add a tab . Name the new tab . As you type , you 'll see suggestions for naming your tab , based on names that other users have chosen . Keep the ' I 'm feeling lucky ' box selected , and we 'll automatically add gadgets based on the name of your tab . Click OK . Finally , if you like , you can add a theme to each of your tabs . Watch a video about personalizing your iGoogle page .","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Within the UK , Scotland has unique access legislation , with a right of responsible access to almost all land and inland water , as defined in the Land Reform ( Scotland ) Act 2003 . This includes woodland . There is an access code that helps define access rights for users and land managers , all explained in detail on the outdoor access web site . However although people have a right of responsible access to all woodland areas in Scotland this does not mean that there will be an obvious entrance , paths or other access facilities available nor that the woodland condition and environment will make people feel welcome . For this reason the Woodland Trust Scotland and Forestry Commission Scotland have formed an agreed definition of accessible woodland for the Scottish context . Accessible woodland is defined as woods having at least : An entrance , a useable path , track or forest road as well as access that is welcoming . Please consider this when sending in your information","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Due to expansive growth over the past few years , IAE has invested significantly in new technologies to improve manufacturing processes and decrease lead times to our customers . A large part of this investment has been within our Planning and Design department , who have been traditionally designing using standard 2D CAD technology . We have recently implemented a 3D CAD product called SolidWorks . IAE selected SolidWorks mechanical design software because of its ease of use , large assembly performance , design tables , configurations , powerful modelling tools and automated BOM generation capabilities . By deploying SolidWorks , IAE Limited has reduced its design cycles , streamlined development , and improved product visualization and communication to our customers . Using SolidWorks has allowed us to meet our customers' demands quickly and easily .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Leatherman Micra Stainless Spring-action scissors and personal care features that fit on your key chain are just part of what make the Micra truly unique . Ten useful tools are packed into this tiny classic Leatherman , making it a favorite allover the world . We 've improved the durability on our colored finishes and added a variety of colors to choose from . Covered by our 25-year warranty . The Micra provides unmatched convenience with the precision and durability of a genuine Leatherman . Supplied with sheath .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Arguably the richest source of information in biomedicine is the biomedical literature . We are developing methods to extract this information , using approaches that automatically extract words and phases from documents , and combine them with sequence , structural and other experimental data to predict such features as protein-protein interactions , protein subcellular location and other features of protein \/ gene function . Manchester hosts , and several of our informatics groups are involved in , the National Centre for Text-Mining . We are also exploiting ontologies to construct integrated bioinformatics analyses over disparate , heterogeneous information sources , as well as applying description logic approaches to a variety of data-capture issues in biology .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Welcome to the Goal . com 50 ! In this special series , Goal . com editors worldwide vote for the top 50 players of 2010-11 . We count down to the announcement of the winner on August 22 with profiles of each and every player who made it into the top 50 ... Do n't Miss Goal . com 50 : Xavi ( 3 ) Goal . com 50 : Andres Iniesta ( 4 ) Goal . com 50 : Radamel Falcao ( 5 ) Goal . com 50 : Nemanja Vidic ( 6 ) On Wednesday night , Lionel Messi produced one of the finest individual performances seen on a football field in recent memory . Two fantastic goals and one quite wonderful assist swung a captivating Clasico against Real Madrid in Barcelona's favour . And yet , after the game , nobody was talking about the Argentine forward . There were other talking points , of course . There was Marcelo's foul on Cesc Fabregas , Jose Mourinho poking Barca assistant coach Tito Vilanova in the eye , David Villa's slap on Mesut Ozil and a whole host of other ill-tempered incidents , not to mention an epic encounter between two superb sides . Nevertheless , Messi's masterclass had been the difference between a magnificent Madrid and a Barca team struggling to keep the pace with their biggest rivals . Having netted a vital goal in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu , Leo won the return almost single-handedly . It was a performance worthy of acclaim and accolades aplenty , of extreme eulogy . Quite simply , though , there is now little left to say about Messi's magic and marvel . As Pep Guardiola has oft opined : \" We are running out of words to describe Leo . \" Indeed , decisive displays have become the norm when it comes to this exceptional young man ; peerless performances are not only hoped for by Barcelona players and their fans , but expected . \" There are no words to describe Messi . You have to see it - it is something you can not describe because you have to see it to believe it . \" - Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola The Camp Nou crowds have become accustomed to special stars . Diego Maradona , Johan Cruyff , Ronaldo , Rivaldo and Romario have all graced the turf at Barca's famous old stadium . But none have done so quite as brilliantly \u2013 or consistently \u2013 as Messi . The new season has barely begun and Leo already has three goals in two games , having only just returned from his holidays \u2013 and a disappointing Copa America campaign with Argentina \u2013 ahead of the Supercopa's first leg in Madrid . Last term , he hit 53 in just 55 games , racking up an incredible 24 assists along the way . MOMENT OF THE SEASON CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI-FINAL L1 REAL MADRID 0-2 BARCELONA Just as he did in last week's Spanish Supercopa , Messi proved the difference between Barca and Madrid as he decided this tie with a brilliant brace at the Bernabeu , including a stunning second which saw him beat no less than four Real players on a trademark slalom run towards goal and angled finish past Iker Casillas . Messi missed out as Barca began the 2010-11 campaign with a 3-1 defeat in the first leg of the Supercopa in Seville , having been away on international duty earlier in the week . Back for the Camp Nou clash , however , the Argentine blew away the Andalusians with a brilliant hat-trick to ensure Barca started the season as they have become accostumed of late \u2013 by winning trophies . Leo then took just three minutes to make his mark in La Liga , netting his side 's first of the campaign in a 3-0 win at Racing Santander . Be it Supercopa , Liga , Copa del Rey or Champions League , Messi made his mark . A brilliant brace against Panathinaikos was accompanied by two assists and the Argentine came within a whisker of his hat-trick , rattling the woodwork on two occasions . A treble did come in a 5-0 thrashing of Betis in the Copa del Rey , though , while another arrived in the historic 8-0 humiliation of Almeria . Those were part of the forward's most prolific scoring run as he netted in nine consecutive games . He was unable to make it a perfect 10 in his side's next fixture , but will hardly have cared as the Catalans trounced Real Madrid 5-0 . In that match , Messi demonstrated to the watching world just how much of a complete player he has become . There were no goals , nor mazy runs , but two glorious assists for Villa and a breathtaking display of pressure and passing to inflict upon Mourinho his worst ever result as coach . The goals continued to fly in after that , with two more at Osasuna and another brace against Real Sociedad , capping a sensational 2010 as he beat off team-mates Andres Iniesta and Xavi to the Fifa Ballon d ' Or. But he would be even more decisive in 2011 . When Barca were in need of inspiration , there was Messi to provide it . Two goals , including a sensational strike to open the scoring , saw the Catalan club overcome a 2-1 first-leg deficit in the last 16 of the Champions League against Arsenal , while a hat-trick against Atletico Madrid saw the Catalans achieve a 16th successive victory , breaking a record held by Alfredo Di Stefano's brilliant Real side of the 1960s . He also bagged the only goal of the game in a vital league win at Valencia and surpassed his previous mark of 47 goals \u2013 which he had tied with Ronaldo the season before \u2013 with another strike in the Champions League quarter-final against Shakhtar Donetsk . The best , however , was yet to come . After the disappointment of losing the final of the Copa del Rey to Madrid , Messi soon erased the pain with both goals \u2013 including a stunning second \u2013 as Guardiola's side erased memories of that defeat with a 2-0 win at the Santiago Bernabeu , which sealed their passage - following a 1-1 draw at Camp Nou in the second leg - to the European showpiece against Manchester United at Wembley . \" While Ronaldo remains selfish at times , Leo's decision-making is impeccable ; he knows when to shoot , when to pass and even when to return , conserving his energies for quick , intuitive bursts and sprints . The results are often devastasting . \" For the second time in three years , Barca and United squared up in the final . And Messi , who had converted with a superb header in a 2-0 win in 2009 , beat Edwin Van der Sar this time with a thunderous left-footed drive which gave the Dutch keeper no time to react on its way in from outside the box . It turned out to be the game-winning goal and was a fitting end to a fairytale season for Barca's talisman . His 53 strikes saw him tied with Cristiano Ronaldo at the end of the campaign , but while both players were lauded for their sensational scoring form , Messi's were more often decisive . The Argentine's assist total also shows he provided more than the Portuguese . While Ronaldo remains selfish at times , Leo's decision-making is impeccable ; he knows when to shoot , when to pass and even when to run , conserving his energies for quick , intuitive bursts and sprints . The results are often devastating : Lionel Andres Messi is the best player in the world's best team , still the finest footballer on the planet and our overwhelming choice as Goal . com's prime performer from the last 12 months . With few adjectives left to describe his talents , perhaps the title of the Tina Turner track that blasts out of the tannoys before Barca's matches at Camp Nou is all that is required . Goal . com 50's worthy winner , Lionel Messi : Simply The Best .","labels":"News","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"We have established a standard of quality for our products and services , primarily to achieve a level of performance , that will protect and enhance our reputation within the industries we serve and enable us to satisfy the ever more stringent demands and requirements of our customers , together with any applicable specification , national or international standard whilst supporting the financial needs of our business . To ensure that those requirements are met , it is the policy of Hill Engineering to emphasise quality awareness and assurance in all aspects of company activities . We aim to achieve , \u00b7 A profitable , sustainable and growing business , through the satisfaction of our customer needs \u00b7 Without error , on time and every time \u00b7 Establishing an environment in which the commitment of all individuals to achieve the desired excellence is not only expected , but encouraged and recognised . \u00b7 Close liaisons with all suppliers to ensure that only raw materials and products , which fully conform to requirements are available to our customers \u00b7 Encouragement of those suppliers to join with us in a commitment to a zero defect environment , both in terms of product and service quality . \u00b7 Close liaisons with all our customers to ensure the growth of customer satisfaction and the gaining of new markets for our expertise . To support this policy , a fully documented system to control the services and operations is integral within the company structure . This system also addresses the requirements of BSEN ISO 9002 [ 1994 ] and provides assurance to our customers that all contract review , production , assembly , inspection and test procedures conform to specified standards and that materials , components or services supplied , conform to the requirements of the contract . We recognise that all heads of departments and employees have an input to and responsibility for the quality and performance of our products . Therefore training and employee development , hold a position of high importance within the company for all aspects of our activities . Where necessary , the services of suitably qualified third party personnel will be engaged , to assist in the achievement of the required quality standards . The documented system and procedures are also periodically reviewed for their effectiveness and updated as required . Other procedures and working practices that strengthen the total quality assurance programme shall also be reviewed and be subject to amendment as required . Finally , our continual endeavour is to forge closer links with our customers and provide full assurance in the achievement of customer satisfaction in all contractual situations .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"The 2nd one-day International Conference on Business Performance & CSR - SUBMISSION OF PAPERS Wednesday 22nd June 2005 National Liberal Club London , UK Organised by The International Research Group for Business Performance and Corporate Responsibility Papers should be sent electronically . Please note the following conditions for acceptance of your paper . Papers must NOT be published elsewhere . At least one author of the paper must register for the conference and present the paper . Papers in which no author attends the conference will be excluded from the final proceedings . All submissions should be sent as Microsoft Word documents and MUST fulfil guidelines shown below . Abstracts Abstracts should be concise and consist of no more than 250 words . The abstract should include the front page -- see details below - and should be submitted to Denise Arden , Conference Co-ordinator , by email at d . a rden @ mdx . a c . u k by Monday 18th April 2005 Full Paper The full paper ( s ) submitted MUST be between 10-20 A4 pages and submission process will be stated here at a later date . The full paper includes all diagrams , appendices and reference list . It must follow the page set-up stated below . The paper must include your original abstract -- see above - which will be displayed on the conference web pages after acceptance for informational purposes . Note that practitioner papers WILL NOT be subject to double blind review UNLESS authors indicate that they would like their papers to be considered for a special edition of one of the journals associated with the conference . Front Page All abstracts and full papers must come with a front page that includes the title , and will be the ONLY part of the paper that includes : The title of paper Author name ( s ) Author affiliations Postal address E-mail address Telephone number ( including country code ) Fax number ( including country code ) Up to five key words Page Set-Up of all papers All papers must be presented as A4 documents with margins as follows : Top : 2 . 54cm , Bottom : 2 . 54cm , Left : 3 . 17cm , Right : 3 . 17cm ) . The main text font must be 12 point Times New Roman . Other sizes all Times New Roman : Headings The following format should be used for headings : Title Bold 22 point centred uppercase Level 1 Bold 14 point left-justified uppercase numbered 1 to 10 Level 2 Bold 12 point left justified no numbering Level 3 Italic 10 point left justified no numbering Figures and Tables Embedded in text Centred Numbered either Fig. 1 or Table 1 Font 12 point Bold Centred at base of Figure \/ Table References Contributors should use the Harvard referencing system : Journal Paper : Author ( s ) ( Year ) Title Journal Volume ( Issue ) Page Numbers Book : Author ( s ) ( Year ) Title Publisher Place Edition Important Dates & Deadlines Submission of Abstracts Monday 18th April 2005 Review Decisions by Friday 15th April 2005 Submission of Full Paper by Monday 23 May 2005 The conference website http:\/\/mubs.mdx.ac.uk\/bpcsr05 will be updated on a regular basis . Details on the conference agenda will appear here when confirmed . Further information can be obtained from : Denise Arden Middlesex University Business School Telephone : 44 ( 0 ) 20 8880 4222","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Social Media Marketing You might have many doubts about loan modifications and how they 're able to enable you to prevent foreclosure . Loan modifications happen to be throughout the media of late . Barack obama has gone by significant , traditional legislation providing house owners much more entry to loan modifications ; the actual California legislature has additionally handed down legislation selling loan modifications . Here are a few concerns and several solutions regarding loan modifications : Q : What is a loan change ? A new : A new loan change is definitely an contract from your lender along with a debtor to change the first relation to any loan to help make obligations more affordable . Regarding house owners , any California loan change can be quite a method to live in their residence . A new loan change law firm is usually a significant resource when attemping to get a loan change . Q : How do any loan change always be accomplished ? A new : You will find several different ways to get any loan change . The interest charge over a loan can be sometimes lowered temporarily , or permanently collection at the reduced charge . A changeable charge could be collection to some fixed price . The word of the loan could be altered , from point out 30 years to be able to 40 years . There could be any principal decrease in the actual loan volume . There are many techniques and you can also possess combination of alternatives . This can be geared towards cutting your monthly payments as well as creating the mortgage more affordable . Q : Just how widespread are usually loan modifications ? A new : Because the property problems proceeds , loan modifications have become increasingly widespread . Loan modifications have been about to get a while , only while many people are in danger of shedding their houses will anyone commence to small personal loans ask questions . A few consider loan modifications can be a fresh invention , or even a con , nevertheless those with mortgages happen to be getting loan modifications for a long time . Q : Will the federal go of California local government are likely involved inside loan modifications ? A new : Because everybody is suffering due to the economic crisis , Barack obama and also the California legislature possess handed down different regulations pressuring creditors to provide loan modifications . Creditors are n't in opposition to loan modifications , particularly at the same time while numerous People in the usa are usually facing foreclosure . Foreclosed hurts the banks bottom level collections , and also the industry has now noticed countless billions of dollars inside economic reduction due to the mortgage problems . California handed down a law inside 2009 selling loan modifications , plus earlier Last year Barack obama thrown away little time in assisting people get the loan modifications they must live in their houses . Using Freddie Macintosh personal computer as well as Fannie Mae inside critical difficulties as a result of house foreclosures ( as both versions are usually national people ) , this behooves government entities to do something much quicker in saving peoples income . As we discussed , there 's a lot of data around in loan modifications , and a lot of people are ignorant quick cash loans whether or otherwise these people be eligible . Should you be facing foreclosure or going through another financial meltdown , speak to a skilled California home loan change law firm nowadays and have ready .","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Prospecting for Life Insurance Clients in the 21st Century Internet Leads vs Direct Fifty years ago the world was \" larger , \" the pace of daily life slower , and the competition for insurance within any single community much less intense than it is today . Today it is almost impossible to knock on a door , unexpected , and find a receptive audience . The previous generation of insurance agents was able to prepare an audience with the use of mass market mail campaigns followed up by phone calls and then a visit . sign up for internet insurance leads \" Mass marketing , however , has been intensely overplayed ; many people \u2013 too busy to read the many brochures , catalogs , and solicitations that arrive in their mail boxes \u2013 simply sort the \" junk \" from the bills and then pile the junk mail off to the side where it accumulates until finally it is tossed in the trash . Only a tiny percentage of mass market mail is read . In fact , one of the managers at a local recycling center reports that tons of \" garbage \" sorted at the facility is junk mail \u2013 much of which has never even been opened ! Many insurance companies try to \" incentify \" people into responding to a mailer by promising something free if they return the postage paid card . Often the \" freebie \" is a booklet promising information \u2013 such as a buyers guide for life insurance , a booklet explaining Medicare and so forth . Believing that they will just get a free booklet in the mail , individuals write their names on such cards and drop them in the mailbox . In spite of the fact that the \" small print \" explains that the card is a solicitation for some product , and that an agent will call , individuals are often irritated when an agent calls and asks to \" deliver \" the requested information . This strategy is old and outdated . Furthermore , those who sent in the card thinking they would get something for free are often not financially qualified to purchase anything . Is there still a place for mail campaigns ? Absolutely . However , mail campaigns are more likely to be effective when the recipients are \" targeted , \" not just by age and generic interest , but when they are targeted specifically by the agent whose name they are likely to recognize on the envelope . For example , if you have been the guest speaker for a group of retirees at a local church or civic club , a follow up mailer might be opened , and if the individual recalls that your service might benefit him , he might be receptive to an appointment when you call . Do n't wait by the phone , however \u2013 he usually wo n't call you first . Another positive use of a mail campaign is to your book of existing clients . These folks have already trusted you with their money . They will recognize your name and , if you send them something in a personal envelope \u2013 rather than a pre-addressed company one \u2013 they will definitely open it . Furthermore , since insurance agents are often \" recycled \" faster than fast-food restaurant employees , your people will appreciate knowing that you are still around . You should send a card , a \" personal \" letter or a newsletter created by you at least once a quarter . If you can do it monthly , that 's even better . You may think that since the client already has your information , it 's unlikely that you will gain any new business , but you could not be more mistaken . Experienced agents know that the larger policies \u2013 such as annuities and large life insurance or long term care policies \u2013 are often purchased by clients who already know you . Furthermore , \" stuff \" happens . A family member dies who did n't have insurance . Health insurance policies held by employers get cancelled . People retire and have to roll their money out of the company . A simple reminder that you are still available along with a convenient list of products you have will bring your name to the forefront when a life changing event takes place . For obtaining new clients , however , \" cold call \" mail campaigns are a huge waste of your money . Today's insurance agents must face the fact that the world and the business has been dramatically changed by technology . It 's a fact that the world is less friendly , people less patient with lengthy presentations and more likely to switch from one company to another in search of the best deal . You ca n't succeed with mail campaigns , cold calls , and door knocking . You also ca n't fight the impact of technology . The only way to cope is to make the technology work for you . Participation in an internet lead generation program is regarded by many agents and brokers as the most effective way to locate new , and interested prospects . Life changing events \u2013 a death in the family , a marriage , or a birth of new baby motivate people to search for a product . They want quotes and comparisons quickly , preferably without having to talk to anyone , even though most will work with an agent once they have made a company or product selection . Like insurance companies , lead generation companies are not all created equal . A good lead generation company will : deliver real time leads within minutes of receiving them deliver leads that have been generated from their own sites \u2013 not recycled or purchased from \" dump \" sites provide filters so you receive leads only from prospects you would be able to serve Purchasing leads via the internet is only the first step in a successful use of technology . Agents and brokers also need their own websites where they can describe their services , provide information on changes in the insurance industry , and perhaps even maintain a blog or guestbook where clients can communicate with each other and with their agents . When we have done a job a certain way for a long time , it is difficult to change . However , the bottom line in the insurance industry is that agents must meet clients where the clients are , and today , that is \" online . \"","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"The University provides a range of business services including ; contract research , consultancy , training and access to specialist equipment . In the provision of its services to business the University aims to : Honour customer confidentiality Provide a friendly , courteous and respectful service Provide prompt handling of all enquiries . Commitment to excellence through providing value and choice . Apply professional performance and quality in order to deliver to the highest standard of service for total customer satisfaction . Maintain the highest levels of business integrity and ethical standards delivering an impartial service that puts the customer first Develop and work to agreed specifications Maintain effective communications and establish long term relationships with customers Contribute to business development Ensure that the business needs of our customers are satisfied . Evaluate our performance by the level of customer satisfaction . Listen to and learn from our customers' comments and reflect them in our management . Meet , or exceed , customer expectations . If customers complain about any service we provide , we will seek to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and undertake to prevent such problems in the future .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Title : Scottish Parliament : Business Bulletin 158 \/ 2001 Author ( s ) : Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Copyright holder ( s ) Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body : \u00a9 Scottish Parliamentary copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Queen's Printer for Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body . Text Business Bulletin No. 158 \/ 2001 Monday 5 November 2001 Contents Section A : Daily Business List Section B : Business Programme Section C : Agendas of Committee Meetings Section E : Written questions lodged on 2 November 2001 Section F : Motions and Amendments Section G : Bills : Notices and Amendments Section H : New Documents Section I : Petitions lodged on 2 November 2001 Section K : Progress of Parliamentary Business Business Bulletin No. 158 \/ 2001 Monday 5 November 2001 Section A : Daily Business List Meetings of Committees All meetings take place in Committee Chambers , Edinburgh unless otherwise indicated . Education , Culture and Sport Committee 28th Meeting , 2001 The Committee will meet at 2.00 pm in the Volunteer Hall , St John Street , Galashiels 1 . Scottish Borders Education Inquiry : The Committee will take evidence from\u00e2 ' Scottish Borders Council representatives Mr John Campbell , Acting Chief Executive Mr Alan Bowman , Head of Financial Administration Lifelong Learning Department Officials Mr Graeme Donald , Assistant Director Mr David Mallen , Assistant Director Mr Kenneth Paterson , Assistant Director Ms Maria Lucia Macconnachie , Senior Education Officer Scottish Borders Council Councillors Councillor Tulley , Council Leader Councillor Anne Younger Councillor Thomas Dumble Trade Unions Ms Sue Roberts , Educational Institute of Scotland Mr Brian Bishop , Scottish Secondary Teachers Association UNISON Borders Equality in Education Ms Eileen Prior Ms Donna Allen Ms Catherine Maxwell Stuart . European Committee 14th Meeting , 2001 The Committee will meet at 2.00 pm in Committee Room 2 1 . Item in private : The Committee will consider whether to take item 6 in private . 2 . Convener's report : The Convener will update the Committee on - Letter received from John Home Robertson MSP regarding the recent decision of the EC Standing Veterinary Committee rejecting proposals to recommence lamb exports to Scotland . 3 . Scottish European Structural Funds Forum : The Committee will discuss the agenda and papers for the forthcoming meeting of the Forum , scheduled for 12 November 2001 . 4 . Governance in the European Union and the Future of Europe : The Committee will hear from and discuss a draft report produced by its adviser , Dr. Amanda Sloat . Not before 3.15 pm : 5 . UK Minister for Europe : The Committee will hear from the Rt . Hon Peter Hain MP on issues relating to the Future of Europe debate . 6 . The euro and state-of preparation in Scotland : The Committee will consider a draft report into the preparation for , and policy implications of , the single currency in Scotland : a contribution to the euro debate from a Scottish perspective . Business Bulletin No. 158 \/ 2001 Monday 5 November 2001 Section B : Business Programme As agreed by the Parliament on 1 November 2001 Wednesday 7 November 2001 2.30 pm Time for Reflection - The Very Reverend Dr Hugh R Wyllie , lately Minister at The Old Parish Church of Hamilton followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions followed by Executive Debate on Reports into the Investigation , Legal Proceedings and Family Liaison Arrangements in the Case of the Murder of Surjit Singh Chhokar followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions 5.00 pm Decision Time followed by Members' Business - debate on the subject of S1M-2300 Bruce Crawford : Rosyth-Zeebrugge Ferry Service ( for text of motion see Section F of Business Bulletin for Friday 5 October 2001 ) Thursday 8 November 2001 9.30 am Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Debate on Foot-and-Mouth Disease - Public Inquiry followed by Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Debate on The Scottish Economy followed by Business Motion 2.30 pm Question Time ( for text of questions see Section D of Business Bulletin for Thursday 1 November 2001 ) 3.10 pm First Minister's Question Time 3.30 pm Stage 1 Debate on the School Education ( Amendment ) ( Scotland ) Bill followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions 5.00 pm Decision Time followed by Members' Business - debate on the subject of S1M-2081 Mr John Home Robertson : Regulation of Opencast Mining in the Lothians ( for text of motion see Section F of Business Bulletin for Monday 1 October 2001 ) Wednesday 14 November 2001 2.30 pm Time for Reflection followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions followed by Executive Business followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions 5.00 pm Decision Time followed by Members' Business Thursday 15 November 2001 9.30 am Executive Business followed by Business Motion 2.30 pm Question Time 3.10 pm First Minister's Question Time 3.30 pm Executive Business followed by Parliamentary Bureau Motions 5.00 pm Decision Time followed by Members' Business Business Bulletin No. 158 \/ 2001 Monday 5 November 2001 Section C : Agendas of Committee Meetings Justice 2 Committee 6 November 2001 30th Meeting , 2001 The Committee will meet at 9.45 am in Committee Room 2 1 . Items in private : The Committee will consider whether to take item 2 in private and whether to consider in private lines of questioning for witnesses on the inquiry into the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service at its meetings on 14 , 20 and 28 November . 2 . Inquiry into the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service : The Committee will consider lines of questioning for item 3 . 3 . Inquiry into the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service : The Committee will take evidence from - Richard Stott , President and Helen Nisbet , Secretary , Procurator Fiscal Society ; Bernard Harkins , Branch Secretary , Alan Marshall , Treasurer and Debbie Hilton , local representative , Public and Commercial Services Union . 4 . Sexual Offences ( Procedure and Evidence ) ( Scotland ) Bill : The Committee will consider a revised draft report on the general principles of the Sexual Offences ( Procedure and Evidence ) ( Scotland ) Bill . Finance Committee 6 November 2001 21st Meeting , 2001 The Committee will meet at 10.00 am in Committee Room 1 1 . PFI \/ PPP Inquiry ( in private ) : The Committee will consider its lines of questioning for agenda item 2 . 2 . PFI \/ PPP Inquiry : The Committee will take evidence from - Professor Michael Mumford , The Management School , University of Lancaster ; Matthew Farrow , Head of Policy , CBI Scotland ; Amanda McIntyre , Head of Modernising Government , CBI . 3 . Items in private : The Committee will decide whether to take agenda item 4 in private , and whether to consider lines of questioning for future evidence taking sessions in relation to its PFI \/ PPP inquiry in private . 4 . Adviser on the Budget Process : The Committee will consider potential candidates for appointment as adviser to the Committee on the Budget Process . Public Petitions Committee 6 November 2001 13th Meeting , 2001 The Committee will meet at 10.00 am in the Chamber , Assembly Hall , The Mound , Edinburgh 1 . New Petitions : Consideration of new petitions 2 . Current Petitions : Consideration of current petitions 3 . Convener's Report : Subordinate Legislation Committee 6 November 2001 30th Meeting , 2001 The Committee will meet at 11.15 am in Committee Room 3 1 . Delegated Powers Scrutiny : The Committee will consider the delegated powers provisions in the following Bill - Water Industry ( Scotland ) Bill at Stage 1 . 2 . Delegated Powers Scrutiny : The Committee will consider the delegated powers provisions in the following Bill - Fur Farming ( Prohibition ) ( Scotland ) Bill at Stage 1 . 3 . Delegated Powers Scrutiny : The Committee will consider the delegated powers provisions in the following Bill - Scottish Local Government ( Elections ) Bill at Stage 1 . 4 . Executive Responses : The Committee will consider the responses from the Scottish Executive to points raised on the following - The Processed Animal Protein ( Scotland ) Amendment Regulations 2001 , ( SSI 2001 \/ 383 ) The Abolition of the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce ( Consequential Provisions ) ( Scotland ) Regulations 2001 , ( SSI 2001 \/ 390 ) . 5 . Draft instruments subject to approval : The Committee will consider the following - The Budget ( Scotland ) Act 2001 Amendment Order , ( Draft ) . 6 . Instruments subject to annulment : The Committee will consider the following - The Import and Export Restrictions ( Foot-and-Mouth Disease ) ( Scotland ) ( No. 2 ) Amendment ( No. 4 ) Regulations 2001 , ( SSI 2001 \/ 394 ) The Housing ( Scotland ) Act 2001 ( Transfer of Scottish Homes Property etc. ) Order 2001 , ( SSI 2001 \/ 396 ) The Import and Export Restrictions ( Foot-and-Mouth Disease ) ( Scotland ) ( Recovery of Costs ) Regulations 2001 , ( SSI 2001 \/ 401 ) . 7 . Instruments not subject to Parliamentary control : The Committee will consider the following - The Food Protection ( Emergency Prohibitions ) ( Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning ) ( West Coast ) ( Scotland ) Partial Revocation Order 2001 , ( SSI 2001 \/ 395 ) . 8 . Instruments not laid before the Parliament : The Committee will consider the following - The Housing ( Scotland ) Act 2001 ( Commencement No. 2 , Transitional Provisions , Savings and Variation ) Order 2001 , ( SSI 2001 \/ 397 ) The Standards in Scotland's Schools etc. Act 2000 ( Commencement No. 3 and Transitional Provisions ) Amendment Order 2001 , ( SSI 2001 \/ 400 ) . Rural Development Committee 6 November 2001 24th Meeting , 2001 The Committee will meet at 2.00 pm in Committee Room 1 1 . Item in Private : The Committee will decide whether to take item 4 in private . 2 . Subordinate Legislation : The Committee will consider the following instrument under the negative procedure - The Potatoes Originating in Germany ( Notification ) ( Scotland ) Order 2001 ( SSI 2001 \/ 333 ) . 3 . Protection of Wild Mammals ( Scotland ) Bill : The Committee will consider written evidence and take oral evidence at stage 2 from - Ronnie Rose ( Scottish Gamekeepers Association ) Tom Parker ( National Working Terrier Federation ) Paul Crofts ( Scottish Hillpacks Association ) . 4 . Budget Process 2002-03 : The Committee will consider a draft stage 2 report . Local Government Committee 6 November 2001 28th Meeting , 2001 The Committee will meet at 2.15 pm in the Chamber , Assembly Hall , the Mound , Edinburgh 1 . Items in Private : The Committee will consider whether to take items 3 and 4 in private . 2 . Local Government Finance Inquiry : The Committee will take evidence from - COSLA : Councillor John Pentland , Finance Spokesperson Councillor Drew Edward , Chair of Capital Task Group Norie Williamson , Director of Finance Brenda Campbell , Financial Policy Officer . 3 . Community Care and Health ( Scotland ) Bill : The Committee will consider a draft Stage 1 report . 4 . Scottish Local Government ( Elections ) Bill : The Committee will consider a draft Stage 1 report . Health and Community Care Committee 7 November 2001 26th Meeting , 2001 The Committee will meet at 9.30 am in Committee Room 1 1 . Item in private : The Committee will consider whether to take item 5 in private . 2 . Time limit on debates : The Committee will be asked to agree to limit debate on emergency affirmative SSIs to 15 minutes . 3 . Community Care and Health ( Scotland ) Bill ( Stage 1 ) : The Committee will take evidence from - Scottish Care Annie Gunner , Jim Jackson and Shona Barcus , Community Care Providers Scotland Malcolm Chisholm MSP , Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care . 4 . Subordinate Legislation : The Committee will consider the following affirmative instrument - The Food Protection ( Emergency Prohibitions ) ( Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning ) ( West Coast ) ( No. 8 ) ( Scotland ) Order 2001 , ( SSI 2001 \/ 374 ) The Food Protection ( Emergency Prohibitions ) ( Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning ) ( East Coast ) ( No. 2 ) ( Scotland ) Order 2001 , ( SSI 2001 \/ 387 ) The Food Protection ( Emergency Prohibitions ) ( Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning ) ( West Coast ) ( No. 9 ) ( Scotland ) Order 2001 , ( SSI 2001 \/ 388 ) The Food Protection ( Emergency Prohibitions ) ( Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning ) ( Orkney ) ( Scotland ) Order 2001 , ( SSI 2001 \/ 391 ) and the following negative instruments - The Feeding Stuffs and the Feeding Stuffs ( Enforcement ) Amendment ( Scotland ) Regulations 2001 ( SSI 2001 \/ 334 ) The National Health Service ( General Dental Services ) ( Scotland ) Amendment ( No. 2 ) Regulations 2001 , ( SSI 2001 \/ 368 ) . 5 . The Scottish Budget 2002 \/ 3 : The Committee will consider the draft Stage 2 Budget Report to the Finance Committee . Standards Committee 7 November 2001 14th Meeting , 2001 The Committee will meet at 9.30 am in Committee Room 3 1 . Items in Private : The Committee will consider whether to take item 3 in private . 2 . Complaint in Relation to Annexe 5 of the Code of Conduct : The Committee will take evidence from Tommy Sheridan MSP . 3 . Complaint in Relation to Annexe 5 of the Code of Conduct : The Committee will resume its consideration of the Adviser's report . 4 . Complaint in Relation to Annexe 5 of the Code of Conduct : The Committee will consider whether there has been a breach of the Code of Conduct . 5 . Replacing the Members' Interests Order : The Committee will consider a paper on possible new categories of registrable interests . Transport and the Environment Committee 9 November 2001 27th Meeting , 2001 The Committee will meet at 10.30 am in the Council Chamber , Aberdeen Town House , Aberdeen 1 . Lines of Questioning ( in private ) : The Committee will consider possible lines of questioning for the witnesses on the Water Industry ( Scotland ) Bill . Not before 10.40 am 2 . Item in Private : The Committee will consider whether to take item 6 in private . 3 . Integrated Transport Issues in Aberdeen Area : The Committee will take evidence on integrated transport issues in Aberdeen and the surrounding area , and on Petition PE357 by Aberdeen City Council , from - Councillor Len Ironside , Leader , Aberdeen City Council Councillor Alison McInnes , Chair , Infrastructure Services Committee , Aberdeenshire Council Ed Gillespie , Chief Executive , Scottish Enterprise Grampian Amanda Harvie , Chief Executive , Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce . 4 . Subordinate Legislation : The Committee will consider the following negative instruments - The Fossil Fuel Levy ( Scotland ) Amendment Regulations 2001 , ( SSI 2001 \/ 335 ) The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 ( Amendment ) ( Scotland ) Regulations 2001 , ( SSI 2001 \/ 337 ) . 5 . Aquaculture Inquiry : The Committee will receive an interim report from the reporters on the Committee's inquiry into aquaculture . 6 . Aquaculture Inquiry : The Committee will consider possible witnesses on its inquiry into aquaculture . Not before 12 . 45pm 7 . Water Industry ( Scotland ) Bill : The Committee will take evidence at Stage 1 on the general principles of the Water Industry ( Scotland ) Bill from - Alan Sutherland , Water Industry Commissioner for Scotland Tim Hooton , Colin McLaren , and Dr Donald Reid , Scottish Executive Drinking Water Regulation Team Patricia Henton ( Chief Executive ) and Tom Inglis ( Head of Policy Co-ordination ( Water )) , Scottish Environment Protection Agency Dr Jon Hargreaves ( Chief Executive ) and Councillor Robert Cairns ( Chairman ) , East of Scotland Water Authority Katharine Bryan ( Chief Executive ) , Colin Rennie ( Chairman ) , and Doug Sutherland ( Director of Finance ) , North of Scotland Water Authority Charlie Cornish ( Chief Executive ) , West of Scotland Water Authority . Business Bulletin No. 158 \/ 2001 Monday 5 November 2001 Section E : Written questions lodged on 2 November 2001 S1W-19630 Stewart Stevenson : To ask the Scottish Executive what contracts with a value of \u00a3 100,000 and over it and the Scottish Office placed with PricewaterhouseCoopers and their predecessors , Price Waterhouse and Coopers and Lybrand , in each year since 1993 . S1W-19631 Stewart Stevenson : To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make funding available to Grampian Health Board to enable it to make available the anti-tumour necrosis factor alpha drugs Enbrel ( Etanercept ) and Remicade ( Infliximab ) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis . S1W-19632 Stewart Stevenson : To ask the Scottish Executive which health boards currently make available the anti-tumour necrosis factor alpha drugs Enbrel ( Etanercept ) and Remicade ( Infliximab ) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis . S1W-19633 Stewart Stevenson : To ask the Scottish Executive , further to the answer to question S1W-17239 by Ross Finnie on 21 August 2001 , whether all local authorities have completed rebilling those on low incomes under the Water and Sewerage Charges Reduction Scheme . S1W-19634 Mr Andy Kerr : To ask the Scottish Executive what plans there are to implement the proposals on the registration of births , deaths and marriages in Scotland outlined in the consultation paper Civil Registration in the 21st Century . S1W-19635 Mr Andrew Welsh : To ask the Scottish Executive what pilot projects have been , or are being , conducted whereby paramedics deliver clot-busting drugs before patients are taken to hospital for emergency treatment . S1W-19636 Mr Andrew Welsh : To ask the Scottish Executive what risks there are to patients from the use of clot-busting drugs . S1W-19637 Mr Andrew Welsh : To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been carried out into the delivery of clot-busting drugs by paramedics before patients are taken to hospital for emergency treatment . S1W-19638 Mr Andrew Welsh : To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been carried out into the effectiveness of clot-busting drugs . S1W-19639 Mr Andrew Welsh : To ask the Scottish Executive how much it will cost Tayside University Hospitals NHS Trust annually to run the community thrombosis service in Angus , whereby paramedics deliver clot-busting drugs before patients are taken to hospital for emergency treatment . S1W-19640 Mr Andrew Welsh : To ask the Scottish Executive whether heart attack patients in Angus who are not suitable for treatment with clot-busting drugs will be at greater risk of death or permanent disability following the proposed closure of the Coronary Care Unit at Stracathro Hospital . S1W-19641 Dorothy-Grace Elder : To ask the Scottish Executive , further to the answer to question S1O-2005 by Henry McLeish on 22 June 2000 , whether it has any plans to revise its approach to ensuring availability of skilled labour in Glasgow in light of the concerns expressed by the Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise Glasgow in The Herald on 4 October 2001 . S1W-19642 Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : To ask the Scottish Executive , further to the answer to question S1W-18538 by Mr Jim Wallace on 9 October 2001 , whether The Land Reform ( Scotland ) Bill will be published in November . S1W-19643 Michael Russell : To ask the Scottish Executive whether the issue of site ownership was a factor in the decision to choose Galashiels over Irvine as a base for the relocated jobs in the Scottish Public Pensions Agency . S1W-19644 Michael Russell : To ask the Scottish Executive whether the explanation given by the Minister for Finance and Local Government in his interview with the Irvine Times published on 2 November 2001 for the decision to relocate jobs from the Scottish Public Pensions Agency to Galashiels rather than Irvine is consistent with the previous explanation given by its officials to North Ayrshire Council . S1W-19645 Michael Russell : To ask the Scottish Executive how many civil service jobs it plans to relocate to North Ayrshire as part of its commitment to decentralising government departments and what the timescale is for any such relocation . S1W-19646 Michael Russell : To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in producing and providing support and teaching materials for schools for the new National Qualifications ; what its timetable is for the completion and provision of this material , and whether this timetable is on schedule . S1W-19647 Stewart Stevenson : To ask the Scottish Executive what programmes exist for serious sex offenders serving sentences of more than four years and in which prisons these programmes are delivered . S1W-19648 Stewart Stevenson : To ask the Scottish Executive how many psychologists are employed or contracted to the Scottish Prison Service for the treatment of sex offenders and in which prisons they are based . S1W-19649 Stewart Stevenson : To ask the Scottish Executive how long the governor of each prison establishment had been in his or her present position as at 31 October 2001 . S1W-19650 Nicola Sturgeon : To ask the Scottish Executive why there has been a rise from 273.4 in 1998 to 802.9 whole-time equivalents in 1999 in the number of NHS nurses whose specialty is classified as \" other \" as opposed to a more specific specialty according to Skipper ( 3 ) published by the Information and Statistics Division of the Common Services Agency and whether it will give a more detailed breakdown of the specialities or areas within which those nurses classified as \" other \" work . S1W-19651 Nicola Sturgeon : To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to reclassify the categories of nurse used in NHS statistical returns so as to make the published statistics more informative . S1W-19652 Brian Adam : To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to allow compulsory repair orders to be served on commercial properties . S1W-19653 Iain Smith : To ask the Scottish Executive , further to the answer to question S1O-3798 by Lewis Macdonald on 20 September 2001 , how many responses it has received in total to its consultation document Review of Strategic Planning ; how many related to strategic planning arrangements in Fife , and how many were opposed to the proposals for strategic planning in Fife . S1W-19654 Nora Radcliffe : To ask the Scottish Executive how many sections of trunk road were ( a ) opened and ( b ) significantly upgraded in order to increase capacity in each year since 1979 . S1W-19655 Nora Radcliffe : To ask the Scottish Executive how many significant upgrades to sections of trunk roads it is currently planning in order to increase capacity . S1W-19656 Nora Radcliffe : To ask the Scottish Executive how many miles of trunk road were ( a ) created and ( b ) substantially upgraded in order to increase capacity in each year since 1979 . S1W-19657 Nora Radcliffe : To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on the enhancement of the trunk road network in each year since 1979 . S1W-19658 Stewart Stevenson : To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail any performance or achievement related awards that have been made to prisons since 1997 . S1W-19659 Stewart Stevenson : To ask the Scottish Executive how many prison officers have attained qualifications at higher national diploma level and above since 1997 , broken down by qualification and by prison . S1W-19660 Stewart Stevenson : To ask the Scottish Executive how many sex offenders were serving sentences of four years or over in each prison for part or the whole of each year since 1993 . S1W-19661 Stewart Stevenson : To ask the Scottish Executive how many sex offenders undertook the Stop programme at ( a ) HM Prison Barlinnie and ( b ) HM Prison Polmont in ( i ) 1999 , ( ii ) 2000 and ( iii ) so far in 2001 . S1W-19662 Stewart Stevenson : To ask the Scottish Executive whether sex offender programmes are operated at HM Prison Saughton ; if so , whether it will detail the programmes which are operated and how many prisoners undertook them in ( a ) 1999 , ( b ) 2000 and ( c ) so far in 2001 and , if no programmes are operated , why this was and what plans it has to start such programmes . S1W-19663 Stewart Stevenson : To ask the Scottish Executive how many prison visiting committees have made representations to it or the Scottish Prison Service on the treatment of sex offenders in prisons since 1997 ; whether it will detail any such representations , and what the outcomes were of any such representations . S1W-19664 Stewart Stevenson : To ask the Scottish Executive what the current status is of the Investors in People ( IiP ) programme in each prison and when IiP status was awarded to each prison . S1W-19665 Stewart Stevenson : To ask the Scottish Executive how many senior management staff are currently employed at the headquarters of the Scottish Prison Service and how many of these have had work experience within a prison in the last ( a ) one , ( b ) three and ( c ) five years . S1W-19666 Nora Radcliffe : To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is planning to introduce in areas where peak-time concessionary fares for bus travel are available to pensioners and \/ or disabled people in order to ensure that any such fares continue to be available following the introduction of free off-peak bus travel for pensioners and disabled people . S1W-19667 Dennis Canavan : To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to publish its consultation document on the review of the European Blue Badge Scheme of parking concessions for disabled people . S1W-19668 John Farquhar Munro : To ask the Scottish Executive how many digital hearing aids have been distributed by Highland Health Board in each of the past three years . S1W-19669 Mr Adam Ingram : To ask the Scottish Executive how many ( a ) paediatricians and ( b ) psychiatrists have undergone specific training in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder . S1W-19670 Mr Adam Ingram : To ask the Scottish Executive when it will make an announcement on the establishment , remit and budget of the Scottish Medicines Consortium . S1W-19671 Mr Adam Ingram : To ask the Scottish Executive how many qualified psychiatric nurses are currently employed on the NHS 24 helpline . S1W-19672 Mr Adam Ingram : To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that special educational needs training is a core unit within teacher training courses . S1W-19673 Mr Brian Monteith : To ask the Scottish Executive when it first learned of Scottish Amicable's decision to make 430 compulsory and voluntary job cuts at its headquarters at Craigforth , Stirling . S1W-19674 Mr Brian Monteith : To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings it has had with representatives of Scottish Amicable or the Prudential to discuss the 430 job losses at the headquarters of Scottish Amicable in Craigforth , Stirling , and whether it will make available any papers or documents referred to at these meetings . S1W-19675 Fergus Ewing : To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to the European Commission in opposition to the draft Physical Agents Directive on vibration and place copies of any such representations in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre or , if it will not make direct representations , whether it will make such representations to Her Majesty's Government and place copies of these in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre . S1W-19676 Fergus Ewing : To ask the Scottish Executive what savings will result from the establishment of NHS Highland to replace Highland NHS Board , Highland Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and Highland Primary Care NHS Trust in the current and in each of the next two budgetary years and whether it will place a breakdown of such savings in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre . S1W-19677 Mr Adam Ingram : To ask the Scottish Executive , further to the answer to question S1W-17592 by Susan Deacon on 6 September 2001 , when it will publish the review by the Chief Medical Officer on the mapping of the relationship between the various bodies with an interest in clinical quality . Business Bulletin No. 158 \/ 2001 Monday 5 November 2001 Section F : Motions and Amendments A full list of outstanding motions is available to view each Monday in paper copy at the Chamber Desk or alternatively on the Scottish Parliament web site as Outstanding Motions . Items marked with an asterisk ( * ) are new or have been altered . Asterisks in the text show the extent of alterations made . Motions which members wish to be considered for debate as members' business in the Parliament are marked with a hash symbol ( # ) * S1M-2404 # Iain Smith : Strategic Planning in Fife-That the Parliament notes the strong opposition from Fife Council , residents and community councils in Fife to the proposals contained in the Scottish Executive's consultation document Review of Strategic Planning which would split Fife for strategic planning purposes between the cities of Dundee and Edinburgh ; further notes that Fife Council is the only local authority area proposed to be split for strategic planning purposes ; recognises that Fife Council shares boundaries with other major public sector agencies such as Scottish Enterprise Fife , NHS Fife and Fife Tourist board which , together with its unique geography , make Fife ideally suited for strategic planing as a single unit , and therefore considers that the Scottish Executive should review its proposals in the light of the consultation and retain Fife as a single strategic planning area . Supported by : Robin Harper * * S1M-2403 # Margaret Smith : Edinburgh Tourism Action Group-That the Parliament acknowledges the work and success of Edinburgh Tourism Action Group ( ETAG ) in a difficult financial and international climate ; commends its work as a model of best practice in private and public sector partnership , between private companies and the City of Edinburgh Council , Edinburgh and Lothian Tourist Board and Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian ; acknowledges Edinburgh's position as a tourist gateway to Scotland and one of the world's premier city destinations , and believes that the Scottish Executive should do all it can to support ETAG and the 25,000 people who work in the tourist industry in Edinburgh . Supported by : Robin Harper * * S1M-2402 # Alex Fergusson : Research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis-That the Parliament notes the privately funded research to be carried out by Dr Derek Pheby in Bristol , and that being carried out by Dr Vance Spence in Dundee , into the factors which may be involved in the development of severe myalgic encephalomyelitis ( ME ) ; recognises that ME is a condition growing in incidence among both adults and children in Scotland , and considers that the Scottish Executive should take the lead within the UK by commissioning further research under the remit of the NHS into the causes of , and cures for , this debilitating condition . Supported by : Mr John McAllion * , Mary Scanlon * , Nicola Sturgeon * , Tommy Sheridan * , Margaret Smith * , Robin Harper * * S1M-2401 # Cathy Peattie : 15th Anniversaries of Greentrax and Kilbirnie Records-That the Parliament congratulates Greentrax and Kilbirnie Records on their 15th anniversaries ; recognises the contribution of these companies , and in particular Ian Green , to traditional music in Scotland , and hopes that together they will continue to build upon their achievements . * S1M-2400 # Bristow Muldoon : Proposed Closure of Binny House , Sue Ryder Care-That the Parliament condemns the unilateral and disgraceful decision by Sue Ryder Care to close the Binny House care centre in Ecclesmachan , West Lothian ; considers that this shows a complete disregard for the interests of the residents and staff of the centre ; believes that by walking away from very substantial offers of additional finance from health boards and local authorities Sue Ryder Care has demonstrated bad faith , and further believes that , unless this decision is reversed , local authorities and the NHS should regard Sue Ryder Care as an unsuitable partner for any future care projects . Supported by : Mrs Mary Mulligan * , Robin Harper * S1M-2399 # Proposed New Testing System of Scallops ( lodged on 1 November 2001 ) Mr Andrew Welsh * , Robin Harper * S1M-2398 # Digital Hearing Aids ( lodged on 1 November 2001 ) Dorothy-Grace Elder * , Mr Andrew Welsh * S1M-2397 # Arbuthnott Formula and Funding of Grampian Health Board ( lodged on 1 November 2001 ) Richard Lochhead * , Robin Harper * S1M-2396 Moratorium on GM Foods ( lodged on 1 November 2001 ) Roseanna Cunningham * , Alex Neil * , Robin Harper * , Fergus Ewing * , Dorothy-Grace Elder * , Mr Andrew Welsh * S1M-2395 # Remploy and Social Inclusion ( lodged on 1 November 2001 ) Robin Harper * S1M-2393 Science and the Parliament Event , November 15 2001 ( lodged on 1 November 2001 ) Mr Andrew Welsh * , Robin Harper * S1M-2392 Enough is Enough ( lodged on 1 November 2001 ) Robin Harper * S1M-2391 Recent Alleged Comments by Sheriff Ronald Smith on Peace Protestors ( lodged on 31 October 2001 ) Dorothy-Grace Elder * , Robin Harper * S1M-2389 Centrally Held Information ( lodged on 31 October 2001 ) Robin Harper * S1M-2388 # Son-Rise Program ( lodged on 31 October 2001 ) Robin Harper * S1M-2387 The Charter for Equality and Diversity in Ageing ( lodged on 31 October 2001 ) Robin Harper * S1M-2386 Wallace Clan Contribution to New York Fire Department Fund ( lodged on 30 October 2001 ) Dorothy-Grace Elder * S1M-2376 Use of Cannabis ( lodged on 29 October 2001 ) Robin Harper * S1M-2375 Literature on Scottish History , Heritage and Culture ( lodged on 29 October 2001 ) Dorothy-Grace Elder * S1M-2374 Close the Cattle Incinerator at Carntyne , Glasgow ( lodged on 29 October 2001 ) Robin Harper * S1M-2373 # Psychiatric Hospital Closures ( lodged on 26 October 2001 ) Dorothy-Grace Elder * S1M-2372 Institutional Racism ( lodged on 26 October 2001 ) Dorothy-Grace Elder * S1M-2371 Licensing of the Sale of Fireworks ( lodged on 26 October 2001 ) Dorothy-Grace Elder * S1M-2368 People Management in Scottish Universities ( lodged on 25 October 2001 ) Tavish Scott * , Maureen Macmillan * , Rhoda Grant * S1M-2367 Outdoor Access for All ( lodged on 25 October 2001 ) Maureen Macmillan * S1M-2366 # Consultation and Advocacy Promotion Service ( lodged on 25 October 2001 ) Maureen Macmillan * S1M-2360 The Pearce Institute in Govan ( lodged on 24 October 2001 ) Dorothy-Grace Elder * S1M-2359 Sue Ryder Care Home , Marchmont House , Greenlaw ( lodged on 24 October 2001 ) Alex Fergusson * S1M-2339 # Violence Against Women - 16 Days Campaign 2001 , 25 November - 10 December 2001 ( lodged on 22 October 2001 ) Brian Fitzpatrick * , Maureen Macmillan * S1M-2337 # Scottish Science Library ( lodged on 22 October 2001 ) Lord James Douglas-Hamilton * , Dorothy-Grace Elder * S1M-2335 16 Days Campaign ( lodged on 19 October 2001 ) Dorothy-Grace Elder * S1M-2332 Devolution of Broadcasting ( lodged on 18 October 2001 ) Dorothy-Grace Elder * S1M-2331 # Scottish Agricultural College , Auchincruive ( lodged on 18 October 2001 ) Mr Murray Tosh * , David Mundell * , Stewart Stevenson * , Lord James Douglas-Hamilton * S1M-2329 Afghanistan ( lodged on 17 October 2001 ) Dorothy-Grace Elder * S1M-2327 Binny House , Ecclesmachan , West Lothian ( lodged on 16 October 2001 ) John Scott * S1M-2326 Importance of the Construction Industry ( lodged on 16 October 2001 ) Dorothy-Grace Elder * S1M-2325 Liquid-based Cytology \/ Human Papilloma Virus Test ( lodged on 16 October 2001 ) Dorothy-Grace Elder * S1M-2320 Water Charges Relief Scheme ( lodged on 11 October 2001 ) Alex Fergusson * S1M-2319 # Future of Highland Air Services ( lodged on 11 October 2001 ) Maureen Macmillan * S1M-2318 # The First Scottish Ecumenical Assembly ( lodged on 9 October 2001 ) Maureen Macmillan * S1M-2316 # Reversal of Her Majesty's Government's Decision on Mixed Oxide Fuel Plant at Sellafield , Cumbria ( lodged on 9 October 2001 ) Dorothy-Grace Elder * S1M-2305 # Scottish Huntington's Association ( lodged on 4 October 2001 ) Dorothy-Grace Elder * S1M-2304 # Foot-and-Mouth Disease-Free Status ( lodged on 4 October 2001 ) Dr Elaine Murray * Business Bulletin No. 158 \/ 2001 Monday 5 November 2001 Section G : Bills : Notices and Amendments New amendments to Bills lodged on 2 November 2001 Protection of Wild Mammals ( Scotland ) Bill - Stage 2 After section 1 Mike Watson 53 After section 1 , insert - Exception : stalking and flushing from cover ( 1 ) A person does not contravene section 1 ( 1 ) by using a dog under control to stalk a wild mammal , or flush it from cover ( including an enclosed space within rocks , or other secure cover ) above ground for the purpose of - ( a ) protecting livestock , fowl ( including wild fowl ) or game birds in , or crops growing at , a particular place from attack by wild mammals ; ( b ) providing food for consumption by a living creature ; ( c ) protecting human health ; or ( d ) preventing the spread of disease , but only if that person acts to ensure that , once a wild mammal is found or emerges from cover , it is shot , or killed by a bird of prey , as soon as possible . ( 2 ) A person does not contravene section 1 ( 1 ) by using a dog under control to flush a fox from below ground , but only if that person - ( a ) acts to ensure that the fox is flushed as soon as possible after it is located and shot as soon as possible after it is flushed ; ( b ) takes all reasonable steps to prevent injury to the dog ; ( c ) holds a valid firearms licence or shotgun certificate ; and ( d ) is either - ( i ) the owner or lawful occupier of the land on which the activity takes place ; or ( ii ) has the written permission of the owner or lawful occupier of that land to undertake that activity . Section 3 Mike Watson 54 In section 3 , page 2 , line 30 , leave out rabbit or Section 7 Mike Watson 55 In section 7 , page 4 , line 34 , at end insert - ( ) does not include a rabbit Mike Watson 56 In section 7 , page 4 , line 34 , at end insert - ( ) does not include a rodent Proposals for Members' Bills Names marked with an asterisk ( * ) are new names of support . Proposals that have attracted 11 supporters have those supporters' names shown in bold . The member who lodged such a proposal has the right to introduce a Member's Bill to give effect to that proposal under rule 9.14 . Robin Harper : Proposed Organic Food and Farming Targets Bill-Proposal for a Bill to require the Scottish Executive ( a ) to establish targets to increase the proportion of land that is certified organic , by a specified date ; and ( b ) to take steps including the preparation of an action plan to ensure those targets are met . ( lodged 1 November 2001 ) Supported by : Tavish Scott , Irene McGugan , Donald Gorrie , Tommy Sheridan , Dennis Canavan , Colin Campbell , Linda Fabiani , Kenny MacAskill , Bruce Crawford , Richard Lochhead , Fiona McLeod , Ms Margo MacDonald Iain Smith : Proposed University of St. Andrews Medical Postgraduate Qualification Bill-Proposal for a Bill to amend the Universities ( Scotland ) Act 1966 to allow the University of St. Andrews to introduce a postgraduate research degree for qualified medical practitioners . ( lodged 1 November 2001 ) Supported by : Keith Raffan , Mr Keith Harding , Brian Monteith , Marilyn Livingstone , Murdo Fraser , Helen Eadie , Bruce Crawford , Margaret Smith , Tavish Scott , Nora Radcliffe , Donald Gorrie , Ian Jenkins , Scott Barrie , Tricia Marwick Business Bulletin No. 158 \/ 2001 Monday 5 November 2001 Section H : New Documents Other Documents The following document was laid before the Parliament on 2 November 2001 and is not subject to any Parliamentary procedure Scotland's Budget Documents 2001-02 : Budget ( Scotland ) ( No. 2 ) Act 2001 for the year ended 31 March 2002 ( SE \/ 2001 \/ 253 ) Committee Reports The following Reports are being published on 5 November 2001 - Equal Opportunities Committee , 3rd Report 2001 : Civic Participation Event on the Race Relations Acts ( SP Paper 427 ) Transport and the Environment Committee , 13th Report 2001 : Report On Subordinate Legislation ( SP Paper 439 ) European Documents Members wishing to see a list of European documents received in the Parliament should contact the clerk to the European Committee ( stephen . i mrie @ scottish . p arliament . u k ) . Members are reminded that a complete set of all documents received is held by SPICe in G15 , PHQ and copies can be made available on request . Additionally , SPICe holds a set of Briefing Papers produced primarily for MEPs covering the views of the UK Government on proposals for EC \/ EU legislation . These are now being made available to all MSPs and parliamentary staff . Copies can be obtained on the SPICe page of the Parliament's intranet . Business Bulletin No. 158 \/ 2001 Monday 5 November 2001 Section I : Petitions lodged on 2 November 2001 The following Petitions were lodged with the Parliament on 2 November 2001 - PE417 Petition by Brian Smith calling for the Scottish Parliament to take the necessary steps to ensure that the Cowal Peninsula and the islands of Bute and Inchmarnock become part of the core area of the proposed Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park . PE418 Petition by Mr Gordon Clyde Ford calling for the Scottish Parliament to take the necessary steps to ensure that ( a ) objectors are consulted on the choice of the Reporter in a Local Plan Public Inquiry or , ( b ) in case of multiple objectors the choice is made by the Inquiry Unit in Edinburgh alone and not by the local authority and , ( c ) the final Report is returned to the Scottish Executive for decision instead of the local authority . Business Bulletin No. 158 \/ 2001 Monday 5 November 2001 Section K : Progress of Parliamentary Business For further information on the progress of Bills , subordinate legislation and committees shown in this section , please contact either the relevant clerk or web site ( end of Section for addresses ) Bills in Progress Note : Where a Bill is listed below with a date for Stage 2 ( or for a day at that Stage ) , the deadline for lodging amendments for that Stage ( or that day ) is 2.00 pm , two sitting days earlier ( e . g . 2.00 pm on Monday for a Stage 2 meeting on Wednesday ) . Where a Bill is listed with a date for Stage 3 , the deadline is 4.30 pm , three sitting days earlier . Amendments should be lodged with the clerks to the Stage 2 committee . Community Care and Health ( Scotland ) Bill Stage 1 ( evidence , Health and Community Care Committee ) 7 November Freedom of Information ( Scotland ) Bill Stage 1 ( evidence , Justice 1 Committee ) 13 November Fur Farming ( Prohibition ) ( Scotland ) Bill Stage 1 ( evidence , Rural Development Committee ) 27 November Police and Fire Services ( Finance ) ( Scotland ) Bill Passed 1 November Protection from Abuse ( Scotland ) Bill Passed 4 October Protection of Wild Mammals ( Scotland ) Bill Stage 2 ( evidence , Rural Development Committee ) 6 November Public Appointments ( Parliamentary Approval ) ( Scotland ) Bill Stage 1 ( evidence , Local Government Committee ) 18 December School Education ( Amendment ) ( Scotland ) Bill Stage 1 ( debate , meeting of the Parliament ) 8 November Scottish Local Government ( Elections ) Bill Stage 1 ( Local Government Committee ) 6 November Sexual Offences ( Procedure and Evidence ) ( Scotland ) Bill Stage 1 ( Justice 2 Committee ) 6 November Water Industry ( Scotland ) Bill Stage 1 ( evidence , Transport and the Environment Committee ) 9 November Subordinate legislation in progress ( date of laying ) ( Lead Committee ) Affirmative Instruments The Food Protection ( Emergency Prohibitions ) ( Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning ) ( West Coast ) ( No. 8 ) ( Scotland ) Order 2001 ( SSI 2001 \/ 374 ) ( 11 October 2001 ) ( Health and Community Care ) The Food Protection ( Emergency Prohibitions ) ( Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning ) ( East Coast ) ( No. 2 ) ( Scotland ) Order 2001 ( SSI 2001 \/ 387 ) ( 22 October 2001 ) ( Health and Community Care ) The Food Protection ( Emergency Prohibitions ) ( Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning ) ( West Coast ) ( No. 9 ) ( Scotland ) Order 2001 ( SSI 2001 \/ 388 ) ( 22 October 2001 ) ( Health and Community Care ) The Food Protection ( Emergency Prohibitions ) ( Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning ) ( Orkney ) ( Scotland ) Order 2001 ( SSI 2001 \/ 391 ) ( 24 October 2001 ) ( Health and Community Care ) The draft Sheriff Courts ( Scotland ) Act 1971 ( Privative Jurisdiction and Summary Cause ) Order 2001 ( 25 October 2001 ) ( Justice 2 ) The draft Small Claims ( Scotland ) Amendment Order 2001 ( 25 October 2001 ) ( Justice 2 ) The draft Budget ( Scotland ) Act 2001 ( Amendment ) Order 2001 ( 1 November 2001 ) Negative Instruments Subject to annulment until 11 November 2001 The Highlands and Islands Agricultural Programme and Rural Diversification Programme ( Scotland ) Amendment Regulations 2001 ( SSI \/ 2001 \/ 319 ) ( 21 September 2001 ) ( Rural Development ) The Farm and Conservation Grant Amendment ( Scotland ) Regulations 2001 ( SSI \/ 2001 \/ 321 ) ( 21 September 2001 ) ( Rural Development ) Subject to annulment until 14 November 2001 The Building Standards ( Scotland ) Amendment Regulations 2001 ( SSI \/ 2001 \/ 320 ) ( 24 September 2001 ) ( Transport and the Environment ) Subject to annulment until 17 November 2001 The Housing ( Scotland ) Act 2001 ( Registered Social Landlords ) Order 2001 ( SSI 2001 \/ 326 ) ( 27 September 2001 ) ( Social Justice ) Subject to annulment until 18 November 2001 The Education and Training ( Scotland ) Amendment Regulations 2001 ( SSI 2001 \/ 329 ) ( 28 September 2001 ) ( Enterprise and Lifelong Learning ) Subject to annulment until 21 November 2001 The Feeding Stuffs and the Feeding Stuffs ( Enforcement ) Amendment ( Scotland ) Regulations 2001 ( SSI \/ 2001 \/ 334 ) ( 1 October 2001 ) ( Health and Community Care ) Subject to annulment until 22 November 2001 The Potatoes Originating in Germany ( Notification ) ( Scotland ) Order 2001 ( SSI 2001 \/ 333 ) ( 2 October 2001 ) ( Rural Development ) The Fossil Fuel Levy ( Scotland ) Amendment Regulations 2001 ( SSI 2001 \/ 335 ) ( 2 October 2001 ) ( Transport and the Environment ) The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 ( Amendment ) ( Scotland ) Regulations 2001 ( SSI 2001 \/ 337 ) ( 2 October 2001 ) ( Transport and the Environment ) Subject to annulment until 25 November 2001 The Foot-and-Mouth Disease ( Marking of Meat , Meat Products , Minced Meat and Meat Preparations ) ( Scotland ) Regulations 2001 ( SSI 2001 \/ 358 ) ( 5 October 2001 ) ( Rural Development ) The National Health Service ( General Dental Services ) ( Scotland ) Amendment ( No. 2 ) Regulations 2001 ( SSI 2001 \/ 368 ) ( 5 October 2001 ) ( Health and Community Care ) Subject to annulment until 28 November 2001 The Import and Export Restrictions ( Foot-and-Mouth Disease ) ( Scotland ) ( No. 2 ) Amendment ( No. 3 ) Regulations 2001 ( SSI 2001 \/ 367 ) ( 8 October 2001 ) ( Rural Development ) The Processed Animal Protein ( Scotland ) Amendment Regulations 2001 ( SSI 2001 \/ 383 ) ( 19 October 2001 ) ( Rural Development ) Subject to annulment until 1 December 2001 The Abolition of the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce ( Consequential Provisions ) ( Scotland ) Regulations 2001 ( SSI 2001 \/ 390 ) ( 23 October 2001 ) ( Rural Development ) Subject to annulment until 2 December 2001 The Legal Aid ( Employment of Solicitors ) ( Scotland ) Regulations 2001 ( SSI 2001 \/ 392 ) ( 24 October 2001 ) ( Justice 1 ) Subject to annulment until 4 December 2001 The Import and Export Restrictions ( Foot-and-Mouth Disease ) ( Scotland ) ( No. 2 ) Amendment ( No. 4 ) Regulations 2001 ( SSI 2001 \/ 394 ) ( 26 October 2001 ) ( Rural Development ) Subject to annulment until 8 December 2001 The Housing ( Scotland ) Act 2001 ( Transfer of Scottish Homes Property etc ) Order 2001 ( SSI 2001 \/ 396 ) ( 30 October 2001 ) ( Social Justice ) Subject to annulment until 10 December 2001 The Import and Export Restrictions ( Foot-and-Mouth Disease ) ( Scotland ) ( Recovery of Costs ) Regulations 2001 ( SSI 2001 \/ 401 ) ( 1 November 2001 ) Committee Business Dates indicate when the next meeting is due to take place on the relevant subject . Audit 13 November Education , Culture and Sport See Section A Enterprise and Lifelong Learning 14 November Equal Opportunities 13 November European See Section A Finance 6 November Health and Community Care 7 November Justice 1 13 November Justice 2 6 November Local Government 6 November Procedures 20 November Public Petitions 6 November Rural Development 6 November Social Justice 14 November Standards 7 November Subordinate Legislation 6 November Transport and Environment 9 November [ CENSORED : table inserted here in original giving contact information ] This work is protected by copyright . All rights reserved . The SCOTS Project and the University of Glasgow do not necessarily endorse , support or recommend the views expressed in this document .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"When it comes to choosing a solar panel , electricians may base their decision on nominal efficiency factors or the price per Watt peak . These are of course two important criteria \u2013 but , from a long-term perspective , simply not enough . After all , solar installations must last for 25 years . And they will , provided they are installed correctly and are of good quality . But how do you actually recognise good quality in a solar panel ? For Conergy Australia general manager David McCallum , such panels must fulfil three criteria : they must be high-yield , solid and safe . Efficiency delivers high-yield The solar cells themselves are responsible for the yield factor . Innovative cell designs can deliver efficiencies of 16 % to 23 % , depending on material and processing effort . The market is currently dominated by cells with two metallic collector contacts on the upper side \u2013 ' busbars ' . Some manufacturers print three busbars instead of two onto their solar panels to allow for more efficient dissipation of the generated power . David says there are definite benefits in improved power distribution . \" Three busbars help to reduce contact resistance between the cells . The result is increased and more consistent module efficiency . \" He also believes that combined with suitable cell connectors , the use of three busbars provides more reliability in terms of power generation . David and his colleagues also favour bypass diodes when it comes to module manufacturing . \" They function like a protection switch for the cells . If , for example , foliage should shade individual cells , the bypass diodes will channel away power , thus protecting the shaded cells , \" he explains . \" Once sunlight is no longer impeded , the bypass diodes switch back to their original mode , and the module will once again work at full capacity . \" High-quality components provide stability Even the highest yield is of little use if the module does n't last for its projected 25-year lifespan . The production process must lead the way into the right direction . Premium quality components , like specialist solar glass and a robust frame , provide the necessary protection for the fragile cells . But even for solar glass , the choice is endless : smooth , unstructured , micro-structured , heavily structured or even specially coated glass is on offer . Each and every glass type is designed to conduct as much sunlight as possible into the solar module . \" Heavily structured glass types tend to attract contaminants , which over time will lead to a decrease in the module's capacity , \" David explains . \" The module frame stabilises the solar module , and protects both the glass and the cells . The most robust frames are those made from anodised aluminium . They are much more scratch-resistant than coated frames . \" David also warns about possible hazards due to hollow enclosures . \" Frames should not have any hollow enclosures , as these could collect water , which can then turn to ice in the winter in Australia's cooler climates . As a result , the frame could buckle or even burst . \" In summer , contaminants like pollen or dust will find no adhesion , which means that moss growth can be avoided . Contaminants of that type can be particularly critical , as they will permanently shade cells , which will result in a significant loss in module capacity \u2013 and in consequence in output of the entire solar installation . The safety aspect is one of the most important criteria to bear in mind when shopping around for solar modules . David therefore advises electricians to pay particularly close attention to the junction box . Faulty construction or poor workmanship can , under certain circumstances , create a fire hazard for the entire solar plant . \" I generally advise against clamp , plug or screw connections . These could easily come undone or corrode if installed improperly . The resulting arc could cause the junction box to catch fire . \" Instead , he recommends molded junction boxes made from non-flammable plastic with soldered connections . These are moisture-protected and vacuum-sealed , providing maximum safety . Solar module manufacturers offer many safety options : warranties , certifications and positive capacity tolerances . The actual scope of services provided is determined individually by each manufacturer . A warranty period of five years for solar modules should be the absolute minimum offered . \" If the solar modules will be deployed in regions with severe weather conditions , electricians should look for additional certifications , like ammonia resistance , or for special certifications regarding corrosion-resistance if the solar modules will be installed in coastal regions . \"","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"These procedures are for complaints regarding Admissions only COMPLAINTS PROCEDURES FOR APPLICANTS These procedures are to be followed when an applicant wishes to lodge a complaint concerning any aspect of the applications process . Complaints should be made in writing and referred , in the first instance , to the Admissions Officer . The Admissions Officer shall reply to the complainant stating that the complaint is being dealt with and that a full , written reply will be sent within 15 working days . The Admissions Officer shall refer the complaint to the appropriate Admissions Tutor \/ administrative Officer for comment , together with the original application form and all relevant supporting material . All papers should be returned to the Admissions Office within 5 working days . The Admissions Officer shall refer the complaint plus departmental comments to the Dean of Admissions who shall advise as to appropriate action . The Admissions Officer shall communicate the decision of the Dean to the candidate .","labels":"Legal","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Here 's a quick & dirty of the ' trouble ' currently plaguing Paula Deen . A former employee of Deen and her brother Bubba Hiers filed a lawsuit against them , citing both sexual and racial discrimination . At the forefront of the allegations were Deen's own racist remarks and her usage of the \" n-word . \" During her deposition , Deen admitted that she had used the word before on several occasions . She insisted that neither she nor her family were racist or stereotyped or discriminated against any race or gender . But the racially-charged language she readily used ( and admitted to ) suggested something entirely different . During her deposition she even admitted to planning an old fashioned southern event , complete with a black-only staff of servants . She stated that she decided against the party because of the obvious backlash and public relations problems that would have obviously resulted from it . Once all this information became public , people began to come out of the woodwork to condemn Deen , her show , and her apparently racist position . She immediately released a video apology that appeared rushed , forced , half-hearted , and disingenuous . She later released a second apology which brought a similar amount of ire . Most opponents claimed that Deen did n't mean what she was saying when she apologized and that she was forced into it to try and save face . But unfortunately for Paula Deen , her apologies most definitely did not save face . Funny thing \u2013 in show business today , most people do n't take too kindly to racism . In the wake of this sensation , the Food Network decided against renewing Deen's contract ( which expired yesterday ) . And many of her other publishers and networks have followed suit . As mentioned already , Deen's publisher has dropped her for the upcoming release of her cookbook . As an ABC News report describes , her networks and agencies dropping her include the following : Smithfield Pork : An international distributor of all sorts of pork products Wal-Mart : Wal-Mart has decided against ordering any new Paula Deen based products in the wake of this news . Target : Target stores will also be phasing out all Paula Deen merchandise from their retail outlets and online stores . Home Depot : Home Depot also announced that they were cutting ties with Deen and no longer carrying her cookware and other merchandise . Novo Nordisk : The manufacturer of Type 2 Diabetes drugs , Novo Nordisk had Deen as a spokeswoman when she revealed she was suffering with the disease . She 'll suspend operations as a spokeswoman to focus her efforts on her current debacle . Caesars Entertainment : This company had used Deen's name in a variety of restaurants in several places on the east side of the country . They plan to re-brand the restaurants and phase out Deen's name altogether . QVC : QVC is suspending sales of Deen-related merchandise , although they claim the severing of sales is only temporary . J.C. Penney : Based on all the bad press , J.C. Penney will be phasing out all Deen merchandise from their stores . Sears and Kmart : Both stores also decided to abandon the Paula Deen ship due to all the negative press . Walgreens : All Deen-branded food products will be slowly phased out and no longer reordered for this pharmacy chain . With a list this expansive , can you say witch hunt ? Poor Paula is lucky she was n't cast out of the country and placed into exile for her misdeeds . But the truth here is pretty apparent : no company wants to keep themselves linked to something when it stinks . And the current situation with Paula Deen definitely stinks . A Look on the Other Side Let 's take a moment to play devil's advocate and argue in defense of Deen . Think about her background and her upbringing . She was born in the 1940s in the south . She came from a fairly lucrative family background of rich , white southern blood . It 's no surprise that language like this was common for her in her upbringing . In her deposition , you ca n't fault Paula Deen for being completely open and honest about her misstep . She was willing to admit that yes , she has used the racial slur before . She admitted that she had probably used it several times , too . That sort of honesty is uncommon for someone in a position like Deen's . At least you can commend her for that . But you ca n't commend her for allowing that racism and that type of language to continue long after her southern youth . The suit alleging her discrimination came long after she had come into celebrity prominence . If she was indeed non-discriminatory toward any race or gender , then why was this sort of conduct continuing to occur ? There 's no explanation that could justify the use of racist language for any reason . Unfortunately for her , Deen is paying dearly for her mistakes . Her entire empire is crumbling before her ( at an extremely rapid rate , too ) . She 's losing traction in all the areas that have made her a fortune and a celebrity . And all of this is because of actions she has taken \u2013 and has continued to take \u2013 even though she asserts she was n't racist and did n't discriminate . As unfortunately as the situation is for her , there 's no one Deen can blame but herself .","labels":"News","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Great Famine , also called Irish Potato Famine , Great Irish Famine , or Famine of 1845 \u2013 49 , famine that occurred in Ireland in 1845 \u2013 49 when the potato crop failed in successive years . The crop failures were caused by late blight , a disease that destroys both the leaves and the edible roots , or tubers , of the potato plant . The causative agent of late blight is the water mold Phytophthora infestans . The Irish famine was the worst to occur in Europe in the 19th century . Famine ( 1997 ) , commemorating the Great Famine , sculpture by Rowan ... In the early 19th century , Ireland's tenant farmers as a class , especially in the west of Ireland , struggled both to provide for themselves and to supply the British market with cereal crops . Many farmers had long existed at virtually the subsistence level , given the small size of their allotments and the various hardships that the land presented for farming in some regions . The potato , which had become a staple crop in Ireland by the 18th century , was appealing in that it was a hardy , nutritious , and calorie-dense crop and relatively easy to grow in the Irish soil . By the early 1840s almost half the Irish population \u2013 but primarily the rural poor \u2013 had come to depend almost exclusively on the potato for their diet . The rest of the population also consumed it in large quantities . A heavy reliance on just one or two high-yielding types of potato greatly reduced the genetic variety that ordinarily prevents the decimation of an entire crop by disease , and thus the Irish became vulnerable to famine . In 1845 a strain of Phytophthora arrived accidentally from North America , and that same year Ireland had unusually cool moist weather , in which the blight thrived . Much of that year's potato crop rotted in the fields . That partial crop failure was followed by more-devastating failures in 1846 \u2013 49 , as each year's potato crop was almost completely ruined by the blight . Starving Irish people raiding a government potato store ; wood engraving from the ... The British government's efforts to relieve the famine were inadequate . Although Conservative Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel continued to allow the export of grain from Ireland to Great Britain , he did what he could to provide relief in 1845 and early 1846 . He authorized the import of corn ( maize ) from the United States , which helped avert some starvation . Under the Liberal ( Whig ) cabinet of Lord John Russell , which assumed power in June 1846 , the emphasis shifted to reliance on Irish resources and the free market , which made disaster inevitable . An overview of the Great Famine in Ireland . Much of the financial burden of providing for the starving Irish peasantry was thrown upon the Irish landowners themselves ( through local poor relief ) and British absentee landowners . Because the peasantry was unable to pay its rents , however , the landlords soon ran out of funds with which to support them , and the result was that hundreds of thousands of Irish tenant farmers and labourers were evicted during the years of the crisis . Under the terms of the harsh 1834 British Poor Law , enacted in 1838 in Ireland , the \" able-bodied \" indigent were sent to workhouses rather than being given famine relief per se . British assistance was limited to loans , helping to fund soup kitchens , and providing employment on road building and other public works . The Irish disliked the imported cornmeal , and reliance on it led to nutritional deficiencies . Despite those shortcomings , by August 1847 as many as three million people were receiving rations at soup kitchens . All in all , the British government spent about \u00a3 8 million on relief , and some private relief funds were raised as well . The impoverished Irish peasantry , lacking the money to purchase the foods their farms produced , continued throughout the famine to export grain , meat , and other high-quality foods to Britain . The government's grudging and ineffective measures to relieve the famine's distress intensified the resentment of British rule among the Irish people . Similarly damaging was the attitude among many British intellectuals that the crisis was a predictable and not-unwelcome corrective to high birth rates in the preceding decades and perceived flaws , in their opinion , in the Irish national character . The famine proved to be a watershed in the demographic history of Ireland . As a direct consequence of the famine , Ireland's population of almost 8.4 million in 1844 had fallen to 6.6 million by 1851 . The number of agricultural labourers and smallholders in the western and southwestern counties underwent an especially drastic decline . A further aftereffect of the famine was thus the clearing of many smallholders from the land and the concentration of landownership in fewer hands . Thereafter , more land than before was used for grazing sheep and cattle , providing animal foods for export to Britain . Victims of the Irish Potato Famine arriving in Liverpool , Eng . ; illustration in the ... About one million people died from starvation or from typhus and other famine-related diseases . The number of Irish who emigrated during the famine may have reached two million . Ireland's population continued to decline in the following decades because of overseas emigration and lower birth rates . By the time Ireland achieved independence in 1921 , its population was barely half of what it had been in the early 1840s . Victims of Ireland's Great Famine ( 1845 \u2013 49 ) immigrating to North America by ship ; wood ... Britannica Web sites The worst famine to occur in Europe in the 19th century was the Irish Potato Famine , which resulted in the deaths of about one million people . The famine is also called the Great Potato Famine or the Great Irish Famine . The potato was the staple food of Ireland at the time , with most of the population relying on it for much of their diet . Poor people who lived in rural areas tended to eat potatoes almost exclusively . From 1845 to 1849 a plant disease caused the potato crops in Ireland to fail , year after year . Without potatoes to eat , the people went hungry .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Over the past 12 years ACS has resolved a variety of IT issues and have implemented many IT solutions for a broad range of Clients . Below is what a few of our clients have thought of our services : Morgan Hunt began working with ACS over 10years ago when our business was founded . Over the years Morgan Hunt has flourished and we are delighted to have worked with ACS all the way through rapid expansion across our all businesses . We enjoy an excellent level of service from Huw and his team who continue support us in our London , Manchester and Moscow offices . A professional reliable and helpful service , thank you ! Morgan Hunt Ltd Fox Rodney Search has been a client of ACS for several years . We have always found them to be very approachable and easy to talk to . ACS goes that extra mile to help their customers and that is fully appreciated . Fox Rodney Search Ltd Thank you for the high levels of customer service given by ACS to my organization . None of us are technically minded any instructions given to myself or my staff are ' user friendly ' . Your service has proved to be most trustworthy and cost effective . Chambers Communication Lt","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Ghehe , just looked at the dates . First I looked at summer school dates , and I thought it clashed . But summerschool is exactly one month later . Whoo for that . But , then I looked at the timetable for my exams , and I found out that on the 7th of June I have a bloody difficult exam . ( I already have to take three resits in August .. ) It 's a hard choice to make .. But I 'm going to think about it for well , let 's say .. until the day before .. ( I hope I 'll choose to go , though , ofcourse )","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"East Staffordshire schools girls football tournament 31 May 2006 On Wednesday 10 th May , girls from local primary schools in years 3 & 4 , 5 & 6 across East Staffordshire were invited to Shobnall Leisure Complex in Burton on Trent for the Annual Girls Football Tournament . In the Years 3 & 4 tournament , four teams participated , Richard Wakefield were the eventual winners . The years 5 & 6 had seventeen teams participating . William Shrewsbury won a very tense final after extra time against Tower View . On Tuesday 16 th May , five teams participated in the years 7 & 8 , with Abbot Beyne beating John Taylor in the final to become the winners of the tournament . In the years 9 & 10 tournament five teams participated with Thomas Alleynes winning a close encounter against John Taylor in the final . Liam Rooney , Sports Development Officer , said : \" It was fantastic to see so many teams representing their school playing football and enjoying themselves . The high quality of football being played by all teams shows that Girls Football is getting more and more popular each year . \" The winners from each age group were invited to represent East Staffordshire in the Youth Games on the Saturday 20 th May , where they competed against the best of Staffordshire's eight other Local Authorities . Liam continued : \" William Shrewsbury won the years 5 & 6 tournament , a tremendous achievement by everyone that was involved . In the years 7 & 8 tournament , Abbot Beyne finished runners up and in the years 9 & 10 tournament , Thomas Alleynes came away with the fair play trophy . \" Overall , East Staffordshire came away with the most trophies , this was a fantastic achievement by all the schools which were representing East Staffordshire . \" Further information please contact Liam Rooney , Sports Development Officer on 01283 505914","labels":"News","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Finding Your Next Superstar Although your admissions staff is likely complete at this point in the cycle , it 's never too early to start the search for new talent . How to spot the next superstar to bring in well-qualified students who will be retained and wo n't require heavy discounting to enroll ? One who will stay more than a year or two , wo n't experience premature burnout and has the potential to be promoted ? While your own student ambassadors and tour guides are an obvious starting point , beware of filling your permanent openings exclusively from their ranks . As a young alumnus , your current student guides will likely have only one institutional perspective , and that , from a student point of view . Can they adjust that focus to include the viewpoints of families and referral sources , as well ? One obvious danger of going directly from the classroom to an entry-level admissions office at the same college or university is that your new staffer will not know his or her \" subject \" well . As a student , his or her \" subject \" was English , or education , or business . Now , as an alumnus and novice admissions counselor , the subject to master is \" your institution . \" Can your new staffer transcend his or her personal student experiences to take a broader , objective view ? Finally , your new hire must be as proficient in knowing your competition as he or she is in your institution . They must not only be able to present a compelling \" 30-second elevator message \" about your own campus , but also need to know equally well the competitive advantages of competing colleges and universities . That 's why it is often advantageous to hire a graduate of an aspirational school . So , a word to the wise is , look beyond your own campus for new hires . The ideal candidate is someone who has mastered the \" s-w-o-t \" formula ( strengths , weaknesses , opportunities , threats ) of both your campus and that of at least one competing institution . This person might be an alumnus of your school who has gone on to graduate at a peer institution , or vice - versa . A third choice might be someone who , as a consultant or vendor , has worked with a number of similar colleges and universities , including your own . When looking for your next \" superstar , \" beware of candidates who say they want to enter the admissions profession because they \" love people . \" Obviously , you would not hire a candidate lacking in interpersonal skills . The challenge is that while a viable , long-term member of your team must enjoy working with a wide range of people , he or she must also possess many other equally important attributes , among them high energy , ability to manage details , a thick skin , perseverance in the face of frequent rejection and a strong work ethic . If your new hire offers the potential for promotion within your office , this individual will need to become conversant with market research , demographics and yes , with student financial aid formulas . That leads us to another peril of hiring young graduates who think of endless admissions travel as \" fun \" and \" exciting . \" As the novelty of the road inevitably begins to wear off , it 's vital to make sure that the candidate's expectations about the job are a good fit with the reality of the counselor's position . The former cheerleader and fraternity president may be great with people , but what about the myriad details that go with the position , the arranging of appointments , the prospect research , the follow-up , the transcript review ? Look for experience with task-oriented projects as well as those involving primarily social interaction . Because turnover is costly and detrimental to team building in your shop , how can you identify those who will stay beyond a year or two ? The reality is that the bright , promising young hires you seek are the same talented young graduates who will have many other options . But you can minimize turnover by giving them a reality check about the job , being honest and thorough in your job description and interview process . While there 's no magical formula , check the candidate's resume for continuity and commitment to one or more organizations during their college years . If the candidate played soccer and acted in the drama club all four years , that 's a better recommendation than one who lists a dozen short-term activities . Ask direct questions of references : Is this a candidate likely to stay more than a year or two ? Is he or she qualified for promotion ? How does he \/ she handle setbacks and details ? The admissions world is replete with successful directors , deans and vice presidents for enrollment who started as entry-level counselors . Likewise , it is full of former admissions staffers who , after an initial burst of enthusiasm , could not sustain any demonstrable success . By incorporating these suggestions into your hiring plan , you can maximize your chances of finding the former and minimize the odds of recruiting the latter . 2 Comments","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Dear Ms. Blacksmith , Did you know that in Genovia : \u00b7 Only 33 % of kids get to see the inside of a high school classroom ? \u00b7 56 % of kids will die from starvation or easily-curable diseases before they see adulthood ? \u00b7 98 % of the population is illiterate ? When I 'm asked why we should care about what happens in Genovia , I think about Sophie . When Sophie first came to our school , she could n't read . As the eldest sister , she was in charge of caring for her siblings while her parents went out and worked . Her future looked bleak : without an education , she was destined to live a life on the streets . Because of our mobile school for Genovian children , we were able to provide comprehensive care for Sophie's whole family . Sophie went to school , while her younger siblings were also cared for . Sophie is in medical school now . Her goal ? To become a doctor , and come back to work with Genovian children to provide much-needed health care . Investing in Sophie's life , was like investing in all the children of Genovia . This year , we have the ambitious goal of opening more Mobile Classrooms . Wo n't you consider helping us give the children of Genovia a brighter future ? After all , your small investment can last for generations . Sincerely , Francis Fake , Executive Director Hope for Genovia","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Wipeout Pulse ( stylised as wipEout pulse ) is a futuristic racing video game developed by SCE Studio Liverpool and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation Portable . It was first released in December 2007 in Australia and Europe , and in February 2008 in North America . A PlayStation 2 port was released exclusively in Europe in June 2009 . The game is the seventh instalment of the Wipeout series and serves as a sequel to Wipeout Pure . It takes place in 2198 and revolves around players competing in the FX400 anti-gravity racing league . The game was developed by Sony Studio Liverpool . Production was centred around focusing on the feedback left by fans regarding Wipeout Pure , and improving on aspects where the development team thought they had failed in with the predecessor . The game features sixteen licensed music tracks from techno artists , including Kraftwerk . Wipeout Pulse received positive reviews upon release . Critics praised the graphics and presentation , although some criticised the repetitiveness and hard difficulty . From left to right clockwise , the interface displays the number of laps , the teams of competing players , speedometer , shield strength , current playing song , and lap time . Wipeout Pulse is a racing game set in 2198 , one year after the events of Wipeout Pure . As with its predecessor , the game revolves around players competing in the FX400 anti-gravity racing league . Players pilot anti-gravity ships owned by racing corporations ( collectively refereed to as \" teams \" in-game ) . There are ten teams in Wipeout Pulse , with one ship available for each \u2013 although the player will have the ability to upgrade and change the appearance of their ships . Each ship has different characteristics ; depending on the team chosen , its ship will vary in terms of handling , speed , acceleration and shield strength . Every ship is equipped with an energy shield which will protect the player from damage sustained from weapons fire or colliding with walls , although energy is taken away if this happens . If the shield completely runs out , the ship will explode and the player will be eliminated from the race . In addition , the player's ship is equipped with air brakes which can be used for manoeuvring through difficult corners at high speed . The game features a number of weapons which can be utilised to destroy other opponents or for self-defence . Defensive weapons range from shields \u2013 which make the player's ship invulnerable to damage for a short period \u2013 to land mines and stationary bombs . Offensive weaponry vary from machine guns , missiles , plasma bolts , and a \" quake \" \u2013 which comes in the form of a devastating earthquake that will damage all opponents . The campaign mode features sixteen grids divided into cells , each containing a separate event which will vary from ordinary races to tournaments . Once the player finishes the event in a single cell , they will earn \" completion points \" needed to progress to the next grid . Clearing a cell will unlock additional cells adjoining it . Returning game modes from Wipeout Pure includes single races , tournaments , time trials , and the \" Zone \" mode , which involves the player's ship automatically accelerating to extreme speeds . A returning game mode from Wipeout 3 is \" Elimination \" , which revolves around a group of competitors attempting to destroy each other the quickest in a set amount of time . Wipeout Pulse was developed by Sony Studio Liverpool ( formerly known as Psygnosis ) . Colin Berry , the lead designer of the game , stated in an interview that the team had received a lot of positive feedback from Wipeout Pure , and was willing to use parts of the feedback to \" help shape some elements of Pulse \" . According to Berry , some people had felt that the previous game was too difficult ; the ships were considered too fast and the artificial intelligence ( AI ) too advanced , whereas others thought that the game was too easy and they wanted \" something more challenging to keep them coming back \" . The development team also took steps to decrease the feeling of repetition , which was often cited as one of the main complaints of Wipeout Pure . In addition , the team altered the game's difficulty settings so that players were given the choice to change the speed of the game at any time , in the event that they \" got stuck \" . Reflecting on this , Berry said : \" We want the people who buy it , to see all the game , we do not want to lock them out \" . During development , the team decided early on to focus on creating new content rather than bringing back old race tracks which were featured in previous Wipeout games . Berry , however , acknowledged that classic tracks \" went down well \" and sought out the possibility of introducing them through future downloadable content ( DLC ) . Berry stated that by the end of Wipeout Pure , Sony Studio Liverpool had designed almost 100 tracks as potentials to include in subsequent games , although the team were only satisfied with 32 of them . The remainder of the tracks were either disregarded or amalgamated into other games . Berry reflected that the tracks using the same 3D computer graphics software as its predecessor meant that certain repetition appeared and caused the team to \" dry up on ideas \" . The developers recognised that track design was an important aspect to the game , and also accepted the difficulty in designing a track that is both memorable and enjoyable . Berry felt concerned that the team were starting to repeat design features , and thus decided to create new variables to the track design : as a result of this , the team conceptualised the \" mag strip \" \u2013 a section of a track which would feature artificial gravity so that a player could safely circumnavigate loops , steep slopes , and upside down sections . After the release of Wipeout Pure on the PlayStation Portable , rumours circulated that a port was in development for the PlayStation 2 . In January 2009 , Sony issued a statement saying : \" There are over 9.5 million PS2s in the UK and we will continue to support this large userbase with software on an ongoing basis \" . The PlayStation 2 version was released exclusively in Europe in June 2009 , featuring enhanced graphics and all of the DLC . The game also features sixteen licensed music tracks in addition to customisable soundtracks from techno artists , including Kraftwerk , DJ Fresh , and Skream . The game received positive reviews upon release . It holds an average score of 82 per cent at Metacritic , based on an aggregate of 40 reviews . Critics unanimously praised the game's visuals and presentation . Jeff Haynes of IGN stated that the game was \" Wipeout at its purest \" , praising the visual presentation of the courses , cities , and other environments . Gabe Graziani of GameSpy thought the graphics were beautiful and also commended the design of the tracks . Eduardo Zacarias of GameZone stated that Wipeout Pulse was a \" very visually pleasing game with some solid visual effects \" , and also praised the detailed tracks and ships . A reviewer from Game Revolution considered the game's level of detail to the tracks and smooth framerate to be \" staggering \" on a handheld . The reviewer also praised the \" meticulously constructed \" backdrops and \" incredibly styled \" presentation . Guy Cocker of GameSpot said that the visuals were \" superb \" , though he thought that many aspects were similar to its predecessor , Wipeout Pure . A reviewer from Edge described the visuals as \" even smoother , brighter , and sharper than Pure's \" . The various aspects of gameplay were mostly praised , although some reviewers criticised the game's repetitiveness and difficulty . Tom Bradwell from Eurogamer praised the new \" Elimination \" mode , stating that it was initially \" alarming \" and frustrating , but admitted that it \" grows to be rather good \" . Cocker enjoyed the new tracks , the difficulty levels , and the promise of downloadable content , although he noted that it had not been made available in the United States at the time of his review . Game Revolution's reviewer surmised that Wipeout Pulse was a more refined version of Wipeout Pure , stating that despite all of the solid and reliable gameplay , the game did not revolutionise the series . Regarding general gameplay , Zacarias opined that Wipeout Pulse \" does n't deliver \" despite the variety in the game modes and \" racetrack front \" . Haynes similarly gave a negative opinion on the gameplay , stating that the repetition of tracks and balance of weapons for the AI was disappointing . Graziani criticised the game's difficulty , saying that it was \" extremely challenging to the point of being impenetrable for the uninitiated \" . Edge ' s reviewer described the game as simply another instalment of Wipeout .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Title of Research Survival strategies of bone and cartilage cells Summary of Research Skeletal cells use specialised mechanisms to survive disease , overuse , drug side-effects and ageing hormonal systems . Skeletal health and repair depends on replenishment of ageing cells from precursor stem cells , efficient function of mature cells and adequate life span . Current treatments such as corticosteroids , HRT , bisphosphonates , statins and intermittent PTH affect skeletal cells to different degrees at all of these levels . While much is known about the molecular players that control survival and death in the immune system , brain and in cancer cells , the skeleton remains under studied . This prevents improvements in drug design and hampers development of new therapeutic technologies such as tissue engineering and use of bone marrow stem cells . Promotion of survival of healthy bone cartilage is essential for retaining mobility in an ageing population . This study seeks to provide fundamental understanding of the strategies used by skeletal cells to survive , so that we can harness this knowledge to produce more effective drugs .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Mark Wright is an accomplished writer \" currently scraping out a living as a freelance \" contributing to various magazines , writing for Big Finish's range of Doctor Who audio dramas and turning out the odd book along the way ( he 's currently planning to write a guide to the Indiana Jones adventures ) . OTT caught up with Mark as he battled with deadlines to complete his latest book , 1001 DVDs You Should Own , to ask him about his recent publication 24 : Season 2 : The Unofficial Guide , published by Contender Books . OTT : So , how come you did n't write the 24 book for Contender last year ? MARK WRIGHT : I first came to work for Contender when I was commissioned to write the production notes and booklet for the first box set of The Professionals on DVD . Lee Binding , who commissioned me for that work , recommended me to the company's book division when they were keen to do a guide to the first season of 24 . I was asked to write the book , but unfortunately in the time scale they wanted the finished manuscript , I was working on a Doctor Who script whilst still holding down a 9 - 5 job at What DVD , so it just was n ' t possible . This was a real shame , as books was a direction I really wanted to go in . Jim Sangster is a mate , and as he had written some highly successful episode guides himself , I happily recommended him . As it was , I was commissioned to write a guide to CSI : Crime Scene Investigation , so I got to do my book after all ( although that never saw the light of day for reasons I sha n ' t bore you with - but I 've got a fully typeset manuscript sitting on my desk ) . OTT : What was the brief this time around ? Were you looking to follow up on what Jim had done , or take a different direction for the second book ? MARK WRIGHT : When it came to season two , naturally Jim was the first choice to handle it , but he had just got a commission for the official Spooks book , so the project was handed to me . I had just gone freelance , so was incredibly keen . I wanted to keep intact a lot of what Jim had done with the first volume , but take some of the elements into a more humorous direction . The strength of the first book is the mini-essays that discuss a related theme from the episode in detail , and Jim is so good at doing those and basically , I 'm not , so I decided to lose that aspect and expand the categories of the guide . So we get analysis of Jack's character , and Kim's dumbness , and I went for sections like \" Fashion Police \" , that kind of thing . I also wanted some sort of episode review and rating system ( which also satisfies the legal angle of unofficial publishing of this nature ) , so hence the \" Debrief \" and \" Pulse Rate \" sections . OTT : What were the actual mechanics of writing the book ? MARK WRIGHT : I was commissioned to wrote the book in October , and had a delivery date of late May to tie in with the transmission of the final episode in the US . So , of course , I did n't start writing until April ! It was easy to write the up front sections as that was all to hand , researchable material like actor profiles and synopsis of the first season . I also had interviews with Dennis Haysbert and Leslie Hope from the publicity rounds for the first season DVD , so that really strengthened the front section . The most difficult thing to write was the actual synopsis of the episodes . The plots are so involved with 24 that you really have to include everything and that can take a couple of hours . It 's very dry writing , and you always wonder if you should be spicing it up with comments and off the cuff lines , but that would probably get in the way . Those are the sections that make the writing process arduous . The fun bits are the categories where you can actually be creative and put your own voice into the writing . I did drag my heels a little bit , so I think I 'd watched the first 10 episodes by the time I started writing . But that was a good idea as the general feel of the season was established by then , all the conventions and characters were in place , so I could work with running jokes by that point . I wrote the main block of the episode guide section at my parents ' in Yorkshire over Easter . I was house-sitting so I had the place to myself and just got my head down . At that stage I was doing around three episodes a day , which is about nine hours work . I ca n ' t really say how long the book took to write as I dragged my heels so much . Writers can probably get work done in half the time it actually takes them , but we wait until the last possible second before having to do it . There are far too many cups of tea , trips to the shop for a bun , computer-games to play and episodes of Doctors to watch before getting on with any work . OTT : Presumably you came to 24 series two with some preconceptions . What had you thought of the first series ? Were you a hardcore fan ? And what were your hopes for series two ? MARK WRIGHT : Like most people , I thought that season one was highly disjointed , however entertaining . That 's even more apparent when you watch the season back to back on DVD , which was my first experience of 24 . I actually interviewed Leslie Hope when I 'd seen just the first episode ! I would n ' t say I was a hardcore fan at this point . I thought the real-time aspect got in the way of good storytelling , especially when you watch in the UK and it blatantly is n't in real-time . But the performances were compelling all round , and TV is rarely this entertaining , which will always be 24 ' s virtue . The gimmick is secondary . OTT : How did you think series two compared to the first ? This time around the whole 24 episodes were plotted in advance - do you think that made a difference ? MARK WRIGHT : I thought it was much more polished and confident . There was an air of pushing the envelope a bit , of a team who 'd had chance to play and beat out the main points . At first I thought it was a mistake to detonate the bomb when they did , and was n ' t sure if they could pull the narrative back from such a high point of adrenaline . But then I realized that the final act was much more contemplative , having the courage to examine the ramifications of that event . OTT : What 's your take on the slightly gratuitous torture sequences this time around , and the continuing plot device of people being locked in rooms ? MARK WRIGHT : Anyone who has heard my Doctor Who plays will know that I 'm never averse to a bit of torture , but perhaps things were taken a little far . It 's a debate that could go on and on . There are bad people in the world who do bad things , and good people in the world who have to do bad things to bad people to get information . I think it 's well within Jack's character to act in the way he did towards Ali and Marie , and to have our central character die at the hands of torturers made for one of the best cliffhangers in that real adventure serial style . We know Jack will survive , but it 's damn exciting ! I do think that the torture and murder of Paul Koplin in front of Kate Warner was a bit much though , especially when the poor bloke had his old man chopped off . Now that was just cruel . As for the constant turnaround of people being locked in rooms , I think it 's good fun actually . It 's a convention of the series in the same way that running up and down corridors is part of Doctor Who and red shirts dying is part of Star Trek . I do think Palmer should have phoned out for pizza and watched a movie when he was locked up - that was a lovely widescreen TV he had in that room . OTT : Likewise , how do you view Kim's storylines ? An annoying distraction from the main plot , or a welcome second layer ? MARK WRIGHT : I 'm in two minds about this one . On the one hand , the constant need to have Kim in danger was a bit silly . But then there are moments when she absolutely breaks your heart . Her reaction to Jack's apparent sacrifice with the bomb was beautifully played by Elisha Cuthbert . I loved the plotline with Kevin Dillon as the loony survivalist , but I think all of Kim's adventures were justified in that one moment when she guns down Gary Matheson . Jack must force his daughter to become a killer , and it 's a wonderful character moment that really pays off . OTT : What do you think have been this year's stand-out moments ? Do they compare to the highpoints from series one ? MARK WRIGHT : George Mason was a joy throughout . I cried when he went down with the bomb . That was the best episode by far . The return of Nina Myers was handled well and I was a big fan of the team-up between Jack and Yusuf Auda . It was like a different show , and I suspect that might form something of a blueprint for season three . The cliffhanger ending felt too tacked on to be truly successful , but still fun , although you have to be a real fan to realize the connection back to season one . I had to look twice . I do n't think season one had that many standout moments , aside from Terri's death . I think the team wanted more \" events \" this time round , almost playing to the crowd a little too much , but I reckon they pulled it off . OTT : Earlier this year you guested on BBC3's 24 \" fanzine \" , Pure 24 . How was the experience of doing live TV ? Do the studio audience collectively watch the episode together as the show suggests ? And what 's your take on this kind of programme ? MARK WRIGHT : Pure 24 was a blast . I was very surprised to be on there , but it was great fun . At the end of the day , I 'm a hack , and then I 'm being flown to Manchester to do some telly . Very bizarre . I 've done TV and radio before from my days working on What DVD magazine so the live aspect was n ' t too daunting , and I love the atmosphere of a TV studio . The Pure 24 team are lovely , and everybody has a laugh . It was great being on that first show with Lennie James as I 'd seen him in so many things , and he gave me a couple of suggestions for the book , like the drinking game . All in all it was a great experience and one that I 'd love to do again . As far as I know the audience watch the episode together , but the couch guests are across the road discussing the episode with Zara the Assistant Producer . I think shows like this are good if the fan base is there , and 24 seems to have that kind of fan who do want to discuss the episode over the watercooler on Monday morning . Pure 24 sort of preempts that , and I tend to think if the BBC feel there 's an audience for shows like this , then why not ? It 's been successful enough to warrant a third series next year . OTT : How important do you think the real time format is to 24 ' s success ? MARK WRIGHT : I think it might become a hindrance for season three and get in the way of telling a good story . It was fine for the first two as it was almost believable , but I 'm not sure about it for season three . It was a great hook for the audience to begin with , but now we know the characters so well , do we really need it ? Having said that , take away the real-time aspect , and I guess you lose what makes the show so unique . OTT : Where next for the series ? Is there anything left for it to do ? MARK WRIGHT : I think we 'll get a more personal story for season three . You ca n ' t really get any bigger than a nuclear bomb going off , there 's nowhere else to go , unless you want to do 24 hours of an alien invasion ( now that might work ! ) I think we 'll see things much more from Jack's perspective , see him happier and back at work , maybe in the field . I would n ' t like to say if any of the hanging plot strands from season two will be picked up , but from what I 've been hearing it will take place a couple of years later during Palmer's campaign for re-election ( so it seems he survives ) . And as for Kim being gay ? I think that might be too many people listening to internet gossip ! WITH THANKS TO MARK WRIGHT","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"I have found that holy place of rest Still changeless .  \u2013 Mrs. Hemans \u2013 When Mr. Thornton had left the house that morning he was almost blinded by his baffled passion . He was as dizzy as if Margaret , instead of looking , and speaking , and moving like a tender graceful woman , had been a sturdy fish-wife , and given him a sound blow with her fists . He had positive bodily pain \u2013 a violent headache , and a throbbing intermittent pulse . He could not bear the noise , the garish light , the continued rumble and movement of the street . He called himself a fool for suffering so ; and yet he could not , at the moment , recollect the cause of his suffering , and whether it was adequate to the consequences it had produced . It would have been a relief to him , if he could have sat down and cried on a door-step by a little child , who was raging and storming , through his passionate tears , at some injury he had received . He said to himself , that he hated Margaret , but a wild , sharp sensation of love cleft his dull , thunderous feeling like lightning , even as he shaped the words expressive of hatred . His greatest comfort was in hugging his torment ; and in feeling , as he had indeed said to her , that though she might despise him , contemn him , treat him with her proud sovereign indifference , he did not change one whit . She could not make him change . He loved her , and would love her ; and defy her , and this miserable bodily pain . He stood still for a moment , to make this resolution firm and clear . There was an omnibus passing \u2013 going into the country ; the conductor thought he was wishing for a place , and stopped near the pavement . It was too much trouble to apologise and explain ; so he mounted upon it , and was borne away \u2013 past long rows of houses \u2013 then past detached villas with trim gardens , till they came to real country hedge-rows , and , by-and-by , to a small country town . Then every body got down ; and so did Mr. Thornton , and because they walked away he did so too . He went into the fields , walking briskly , because the sharp motion relieved his mind . He could remember all about it now ; the pitiful figure he must have cut ; the absurd way in which he had gone and done the very thing he had so often agreed with himself in thinking would be the most foolish thing in the world ; and had met with exactly the consequences which , in these wise moods , he had always fore-told were certain to follow , if he ever did make such a fool of himself . Was he bewitched by those beautiful eyes , that soft , half-open , sighing mouth which lay so close upon his shoulder only yesterday ? He could not even shake off the recollection that she had been there ; that her arms had been round him , once \u2013 if never again . He only caught glimpses of her ; he did not understand her altogether . At one time she was so brave , and at another so timid ; now so tender , and then so haughty and regal-proud . And then he thought over every time he had ever seen her once again , by way of finally forgetting her . He saw her in every dress , in every mood , and did not know which became her best . Even this morning , how magnificent she had looked \u2013 her eyes flashing out upon him at the idea that , because she had shared his danger yesterday , she had cared for him the least ! If Mr. Thornton was a fool in the morning , as he assured himself at least twenty times he was , he did not grow much wiser in the afternoon . All that he gained in return for his sixpenny omnibus ride , was a more vivid conviction that there never was , never could be , any one like Margaret ; that she did not love him and never would ; but that she \u2013 no ! nor the whole world \u2013 should never hinder him from loving her . And so he returned to the little market-place , and remounted the omnibus to return to Milton . It was late in the afternoon when he was set down , near his warehouse . The accustomed places brought back the accustomed habits and trains of thought . He knew how much he had to do \u2013 more than his usual work , owing to the commotion of the day before . He had to see his brother magistrates ; he had to complete the arrangements , only half made in the morning , for the comfort and safety of his newly imported Irish hands ; he had to secure them from all chance of communication with the discontented work-people of Milton . Last of all , he had to go home and encounter his mother . Mrs. Thornton had sat in the dining-room all day , every moment expecting the news of her son's acceptance by Miss Hale . She had braced herself up many and many a time , at some sudden noise in the house ; had caught up the half-dropped work , and begun to ply her needle diligently , though through dimmed spectacles , and with an unsteady hand ! and many times had the door opened , and some indifferent person entered on some insignificant errand . Then her rigid face unstiffened from its gray frost-bound expression , and the features dropped into the relaxed look of despondency , so unusual to their sternness . She wrenched herself away from the contemplation of all the dreary changes that would be brought about to herself by her son's marriage ; she forced her thoughts into the accustomed household grooves . The newly-married couple-to-be would need fresh household stocks of linen ; and Mrs. Thornton had clothes-basket upon clothes-basket , full of table-cloths and napkins , brought in , and began to reckon up the store . There was some confusion between what was hers , and consequently marked G H T ( for George and Hannah Thornton ) , and what was her son's \u2013 bought with his money , marked with his initials . Some of those marked G H T were Dutch damask of the old kind , exquisitely fine ; none were like them now . Mrs. Thornton stood looking at them long \u2013 they had been her pride when she was first married . Then she knit her brows , and pinched and compressed her lips tight , and carefully unpicked the G H. She went so far as to search for the Turkey-red marking-thread to put in the new initials ; but it was all used \u2013 and she had no heart to send for any more just yet . So she looked fixedly at vacancy ; a series of visions passing before her , in all of which her son was the principal , the sole object \u2013 her son , her pride , her property . Still he did not come . Doubtless he was with Miss Hale . The new love was displacing her already from her place as first in his heart . A terrible pain \u2013 a pang of vain jealousy \u2013 shot through her : she hardly knew whether it was more physical or mental ; but it forced her to sit down . In a moment , she was up again as straight as ever \u2013 a grim smile upon her face for the first time that day , ready for the door opening , and the rejoicing triumphant one , who should never know the sore regret his mother felt at his marriage . In all this , there was little thought enough of the future daughter-in-law as an individual . She was to be John's wife . To take Mrs. Thornton's place as mistress of the house , was only one of the rich consequences which decked out the supreme glory ; all household plenty and comfort , all purple and fine linen , honour , love , obedience , troops of friends , would all come as naturally as jewels on a king's robe , and be as little thought of for their separate value . To be chosen by John , would separate a kitchen-wench from the rest of the world . And Miss Hale was not so bad . If she had been a Milton lass , Mrs. Thornton would have positively liked her . She was pungent , and had taste , and spirit , and flavour in her . True , she was sadly prejudiced , and veryignorant ; but that was to be expected from her southern breeding . A strange sort of mortified comparison of Fanny with her , went on in Mrs. Thornton's mind ; and for once she spoke harshly to her daughter ; abused her roundly ; and then , as if by way of penance , she took up Henry's Commentaries , and tried to fix her attention on it , instead of pursuing the employment she took pride and pleasure in , and continuing her inspection of the table-linen . His step at last ! She heard him , even while she thought she was finishing a sentence ; while her eye did pass over it , and her memory could mechanically have repeated it word for word , she heard him come in at the hall-door . Her quickened sense could interpret every sound of motion : now he was at the hat-stand \u2013 now at the very room-door . Why did he pause ? Let her know the worst . Yet her head was down over the book ; she did not look up . He came close to the table , and stood still there , waiting till she should have finished the paragraph which apparently absorbed her . By an effort she looked up . \" Well , John ? \" He knew what that little speech meant . But he had steeled himself . He longed to reply with a jest ; the bitterness of his heart could have uttered one , but his mother deserved better of him . He came round behind her , so that she could not see his looks , and , bending back her gray , stony face , he kissed it , murmuring : \" No one loves me \u2013 no one cares for me , but you , mother . \" He turned away and stood leaning his head against the mantel-piece , tears forcing themselves into his manly eyes . She stood up \u2013 she tottered . For the first time in her life , the strong woman tottered . She put her hands on his shoulders ; she was a tall woman . She looked into his face ; she made him look at her . \" Mother's love is given by God , John . It holds fast for ever and ever . A girl's love is like a puff of smoke \u2013 it changes with every wind . And she would not have you , my own lad , would not she ? \" She set her teeth ; she showed them like a dog for the whole length of her mouth . He shook his head . \" I am not fit for her , mother ; I knew I was not . \" She ground out words between her closed teeth . He could not hear what she said ; but the look in her eyes interpreted it to be a curse \u2013 if not as coarsely worded , as fell in intent as ever was uttered . And yet her heart leapt up light , to know he was her own again . \" Mother ! \" said he , hurriedly , \" I can not hear a word against her . Spare me \u2013 spare me ! I am very weak in my sore heart ; \u2013 I love her yet ; I love her more than ever . \" \" And I hate her , \" said Mrs. Thornton , in a low fierce voice . \" I tried not to hate her , when she stood between you and me , because \u2013 I said to myself \u2013 she will make him happy ; and I would give my heart's blood to do that . But now , I hate her for your misery's sake . Yes , John , it 's no use hiding up your aching heart from me . I am the mother that bore you , and your sorrow is my agony ; and if you do n't hate her , I do . \" \" Then , mother , you make me love her more . She is unjustly treated by you , and I must make the balance even . But why do we talk of love or hatred ? She does not care for me , and that is enough \u2013 too much . Let us never name the subject again . It is the only thing you can do for me in the matter . Let us never name her . \" \" With all my heart . I only wish that she , and all belonging to her , were swept back to the place they came from . \" He stood still , gazing into the fire for a minute or two longer . Her dry dim eyes filled with unwonted tears as she looked at him ; but she seemed just as grim and quiet as usual when he next spoke . \" Warrants are out against three men for conspiracy , mother . The riot yesterday helped to knock up the strike . \" And Margaret's name was no more mentioned between Mrs. Thornton and her son . They fell back into their usual mode of talk \u2013 about facts , not opinions , far less feelings . Their voices and tones were calm and cold a stranger might have gone away and thought that he had never seen such frigid indifference of demeanour between such near relations .","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"A poem by a resident Life in an Extra Care scheme They said I could n't manage on my own anymore But , where would I go , I really was n't sure I 'm not eating properly , and I 'm having a few falls But I 've lived for many years in those safe and solid walls It 's really very scary , where will I go from here ? Will I be tossed up on the scrap heap ? does anybody care ? I went to look at a nursing home , but that was not for me . People just sat staring at a loud TV . Then some one mentioned Lakeside Court , an independent life With mid day meal provided , to take away the strife . I booked up an appointment , just to go and see If that would be the kind of place , that 's suitable for me . A warm and friendly welcome , met me at the door It helped me to feel comfortable , I wanted to see more It felt so light and airy , a cheerful happy place People that I met that day had a smile upon their face . So here I am , I have my flat , It 's my turn now to smile For I have a place where I can live in independent style No longer am I lonely or afraid that I 'm alone I 've lots of new friends around me and I now called Lakeside ' HOME ' .","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"26 November 2004 : Andrew Wilbey appointed President of the Society of Dairy Technology 18 November 2004 : Professor Glen Gibson to give University's Christmas Lecture for Children - 20 December 2004 16 November 2004 : Visits to Taiwan help strengthen research links with National Pingtung University of Science and Technology 4 November 2004 : BSc Nutrition and Food Science now recruiting ! 3 November 2004 : \" Obesity and health : Is Santa Claus a good role model ? \" - Public Lecture on 15 December 2004 2 November 2004 : Prizes for excellent student performances 1 November 2004 : School welcomes visitors from Henan University , China 26 November 2004 : Andrew Wilbey appointed President of the Society of Dairy Technology Andrew Wilbey , a lecturer in the School of Food Biosciences , has been appointed as President of the Society of Dairy Technology . Andrew joined the School of Food Biosciences having worked for several years in the diary industry . At the University he has maintained this specialism with work on dairy products and , in particular , ice cream . The Society of Dairy Technology is dedicated to the advancement of dairy science and technology across all areas of the agri-food sector , to the mutual benefit of milk producers , dairy processors , food retailers and consumers , by the dissemination , and application , of knowledge gained from experience and experiment . Its primary publication is the International Journal of Dairy Technology . For more details of the Society , visit their web site at : http:\/\/www.sdt.org \/ 18 November 2004 : Professor Glen Gibson to give University's Christmas Lecture for Children - 20 December 2004 Each year , the University of Reading hosts a ' Christmas Lecture ' for school children . This year , Professor Glen Gibson , Professor of Food Microbiology in the School of Food Biosciences , is giving the lecture on the 20th December at 3 . 00pm in the University's main Palmer Lecture Theatre in the Palmer Building . The lecture has the title : \" Bugs in the Gut \" and will include interesting facts about : the trillions and trillions of bacteria inside you what they are about to do to your Christmas dinner how to build models of the human gut how to use diet to feed the friendly flora how to assess the sweetness of the diet and what this does to the germs Update ( 6 December ) : Due to a very high demand , we have been informed that all tickets have now been allocated by the University 16 November 2004 : Visits to Taiwan help strengthen research links with National Pingtung University of Science and Technology A series of symposia are being held as part of the events to mark the 80th anniversary of the founding of the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology , Taiwan . The School has close links with the University through a former PhD student , Dr Mei-Jen Lin . Dr Mike Lewis has just returned from participation in one of the symposia . The subject of his paper was \" Raw milk quality and its role in the safety and quality of heat treated milks \" . This week , Dr Alistair Grandison is in Taiwan giving a paper on \" Manufacture and Purification of Prebiotic Oligosaccharides \" and , in early December , Dr Niranjan will also be visiting and giving a paper on \" Engineering Challenges in Modern Food Manufacturing \" The National Pingtung University has strong research programmes in flavour science , milk stability , prebiotics and probiotics and biotechnology . We hope that the attendance of our staff at these anniversary symposia will further strengthen our relationship with the University . The English version of the University web site can be found at : http:\/\/www.npust.edu.tw\/english\/index.htm 4 November 2004 : BSc Nutrition and Food Science now recruiting ! Official approval has now been given to the launch of our new degree programme - BSc Nutrition and Food Science . Following a detailed scrutiny of our proposed degree by a panel including external assessors , the Faculty Board has given the green light to this expansion of our programmes . The BSc programme will be accepting students from October 2005 . The School has been expanding its work in areas of nutrition and health . We launched our MSc Nutrition and Food Science in 2000 and our increasing activity now enables us to provide an undergraduate programme combining studies in nutrition with our more traditional food science . The combination of the two areas will provide graduates who will be of great value at a time when consumers are increasingly interested in the functional properties of foods . For more details of the new degree programme , please see BSc Nutrition and Food Science 3 November 2004 : \" Obesity and health : Is Santa Claus a good role model ? \" - Public Lecture on 15 December 2004 A free public lecture is to be given by Professor Christine Williams Professor of Human Nutrition and Head of the School of Food Biosciences here at the University of Reading . The lecture will be given at The Madejski Lecture Theatre Agriculture Building Whiteknights Campus The University of Reading 8 pm Wednesday 15 Dec 2004 The lecture is given in association with the Thames Valley Branch of the British Association for the Advancement of Science Ideally , you should register for the lecture by e-mailing petergraves @ warfieldsberks . f snet . c o . u k . But if you wish you can just turn up 2 November 2004 : Prizes for excellent student performances Congratulations to Chris Armah for winning the student competition for the best presentation at the Oxford Nutrition Group's 10th Anniversary meeting held in Oxford yesterday . Chris is a research assistant studying for a PhD degree . The title of his talk was ' Dietary fat and vascular tone ' . He is working with Dr Anne Marie Minihane . Two of our new second year students have been awarded Prizes as a result of their excellent performance in their Part 1 examinations : Miss Sonam Sanghi , studying Biotechnology , achieved the best results in the Faculty of Life Sciences and was awarded the Ede and Ravenscroft Faculty Prize . Miss Jessica Jin , studying Food Science , achieved the best results for a student on a food related programme and was awarded the Sainsbury's Prize . Congratulations to them all ! 1 November 2004 : School welcomes visitors from Henan University , China As part of our developing link programme with Henan University , the School welcomed 3 members of their staff to the School . Henan University of Technology ( HUT ) , formerly Zhengzhou Institute of Technology , is running a 2 year international programme from which students can progress onto the second year of BSc degree programmes within the School . The first students from this programme will come to Reading in October 2005 . The visit today was part of the preparation for the arrival of the new students . The picture shows ( from left to right ) : Mr Wilbey ( SFB ) , Xaioxi Wang ( Associate Dean and Associate Professor , HUT ) , Lan Kuang ( Vice President and Associate Professor , International College , HUT ) , Professor William s ( Head of School , SFB ) , Professor Lou Yuangong ( Vice President , HUT ) and Dr Gordon ( Director of Teaching and Learning , SFB ) . For more details of this link ,","labels":"News","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Nature of problem : The problem treated is the analysis of the effect , on the detected AC signals , of imperfections in and misalignment of the optical components of a polarization-modulation ellipsometer . This permits correction of the values of psi and delta ( characteristics of the sample surface ) for systematic error , estimation of the uncertainty in the final result , and identification of the most significant sources of experimental error . Solution method : The transmitted amplitude vector is computer using the Jones matrices of the individual components . The modified Jones matrices introduced by O ' Handley are used to separate the DC and AC components of the detected intensity . Running time : 1.4 sec for one datum point ( systematic error correction with 5 iterations + complete calculations of experimental uncertainty ) . 0.3 sec for uncertainty calculation only .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Anselm Bourke Mgr Anselm Bourke , born Nicholas Bourke , ( Dublin , 10 September 1835 \u2013 West Perth , 2 June 1924 ) was a Roman Catholic priest of Irish origins . He was prominent in Catholic education for several decades , and also founded the West Perth ( now Northbridge ) parish of the Church in 1901 . He made his profession as a Benedictine monk in 1858 , but got dispensation from his monastic vows from the Vatican in 1871 ; therefore , he can not be called a Benedictine . He was still studying to become a priest of the Benedictine order when he arrived in Western Australia on 24 May 1855 aboard the Lady Amhurst with the Spanish Benedictine Father Jos\u00e9 Mar\u00eda Benito Serra OSB - also known as Joseph Serra in Western Australia - , and several other clergymen , mostly Spaniards , but also Irish and French . He made his religious profession on 26 July 1858 , and completed his education and was ordained in 1859 . In 1860 , Bourke was appointed to teach at the Roman Catholic boys' schools at Fremantle and Perth , where he became known as an able scholar and teacher . In 1864 , he was appointed the first parish priest of York \u2013 prior to this , the parish had been administered by priests from Toodyay and New Norcia . He lived in simple quarters at the rear of the church and conducted Mass every Sunday . During his time in York , he employed ten ticket of leave men , including three as teachers . Returning to Perth in 1870 , he became the chaplain of Fremantle Prison , and taught at various schools . He got dispensation from his monastic vows on 30 April 4 , 1871 , but his name would still be the one he used in his profession , for which he was known in the Colony , not his birth one . The troublesome years of Bourke , his erratic behaviour and apparent mental problems , his difficult disengagement from the Benedictines and from New Norcia , as well as his temporary exile from Western Australia , ignored by most scholars until now , are mentioned by Dr. Teresa De Castro . In 1885 , he became the first resident priest of the Vasse region at Busselton . In 1889 , on returning to Perth , he became Vicar General for Western Australia serving under Bishop Matthew Gibney , and served voluntarily as New Norcia's agent in Perth , and canvassed the Government for a Roman Catholic representative on the Education Board . He also became active in the debate over state aid to private schools , which had existed since 1871 and had become central to the public debate leading to the June 1894 elections in Western Australia . With the help of three Catholic members of the Legislative Assembly , he founded the Education Defence League to lobby for the continuation of state aid . The normally mild-mannered priest caused some sensation at a public meeting prior to the election by suggesting violence would result if state aid were lifted . The battle was ultimately lost \u2013 the MPs who had supported him lost their seats at the election , and in late 1895 the Government passed a bill bringing the funding arrangement to an end . In August 1894 , he resigned as Vicar General , desiring to retire to New Norcia , but changed his mind thereafter , deciding that the number of Catholics arriving in Western Australia due to the gold rush and the cause of maintaining the private schools justified his continued presence . He became Chairman of the Education Board , a position which he held for a number of years . He was also a patron and benefactor of the Sisters of Mercy and financed St Mary's in Leederville and St Brigid's in West Perth , apparently from his own funds . He became a Monsignor in 1898 and the inaugural parish priest for West Perth in 1901 , residing in the Presbytery of St Brigid's in Fitzgerald Street for the rest of his life . He also became involved with the foundation of the University of Western Australia . The Archives of New Norcia keeps an important group of letters addressed from Bourke to the superiors of the monastery , especially to Bishop Rosendo Salvado OSB . Those offer a real portray of Bourke's personality , personal troubles , opinions and interests on relevant matters for his time . This information is completed by the many references to Bourke found in other letters kept in New Norcia Archives , especially in the correspondence between Bishop Martin Griver and Bishop Rosendo Salvado .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Timing Matters : How Social Influence Affects Adoption Pre - and Post-Product Release Sara B. Soderstrom , a Brian Uzzi , b Derek D. Rucker , b James H. Fowler , c Daniel Diermeierd a ) University of Michigan ; b ) Northwestern University ; c ) University of California , San Diego ; d ) University of Chicago Abstract : Social influence is typically studied after a product is released . Yet , audience expectations and discussions begin before a product's release . This observation suggests a need to understand adoption processes over a product's life cycle . To explore pre - and postrelease social influence processes , this article uses survey data from Americans exposed to word of mouth for 309 Hollywood movies released over two and a half years . The data suggest pre - and postrelease social influences operate differently . Prerelease social influence displays a critical transition point with relation to adoption : before a critical value , any level of social influence is negligibly related to adoption , but after the critical value , the relationship between social influence and adoption is large and substantive . In contrast , postrelease social influence exhibits a positive linear relationship with adoption . Prerelease social influence is argued to require more exposures than postrelease social influence because of differences in the diagnosticity and accessibility of the information . To complement the survey data , computational models are used to test alternative hypotheses . Evidence from the computational models supports the proposed model of social influence . Keywords : social influence ; adoption ; prerelease ; diagnosticity ; accessibility Citation : Soderstrom , Sara B. , Brian Uzzi , Derek D. Rucker , James H. Fowler and Daniel Diermeier . 2016 . \" Timing Matters : How Social Influence Affects Adoption Pre - and Postproduct Release . \" Sociological Science 3 : 915-939 . Received : February 24 , 2016 Accepted : August 21 , 2016 Published : October 24 , 2016 Editor ( s ) : Jesper S\u00f8rensen , Gabriel Rossman DOI : 10.15195 \/ v3 . a40 c 2016 The AuCopyright : thor ( s ) . This open-access article has been published under a Creative Commons Attribution License , which allows unrestricted use , distribution and reproduction , in any form , as long as the original author and source have been credited . c b conversations about companies and their innovations number in the billions . These conversations occur in various venues , from water cooler chatter to social media , but as much as 90 percent remains face-to-face ( Keller and Fay 2012 ) . These conversations allow for social influence to occur . In fact , one survey found that word-of-mouth ( WOM ) influences 70 percent of all buying decisions ( Balter 2008 ) . A single face-to-face conversation can even exert more impact on product judgments than public relations or marketing efforts ( Herr , Kardes , and Kim 1991 ) . These dynamics have led to growing efforts to understand social influence and its effect on corporate and consumer behavior ( Aral and Walker 2011 ; Centola 2011 ; Cialdini and Goldstein 2004 ; Dubois , Rucker , and Tormala 2011 ; Salganik , Dodds , and Watts 2006 ) . Past research has traditionally emphasized \" post-release \" social influence \u2013 communications among consumers and stakeholders that follow their experience with an innovation or product ( Banerjee et al. 2013 ; Foutz and Jank 2010 ; Walgrave and Wouters 2014 ) . For example , early social influence research found that consumers were more likely to adopt a product when they heard about it from a current adopter ( Coleman , Katz , and Menzel 1966 ) . Subsequent research substantiated these effects with a range of explanations , including networks and social proofs ( Goldenberg et al. 2009 ; Mahajan , Muller , and Bass 1990 ; Salganik et al. 2006 ) . Yet , not all social influence is experience based . Social influence occurs throughout D AILY 915 Soderstrom et al. Timing Matters a product's life cycle , including before it is released . For example , social influence can set expectations for actual experiences and subsequent adoption processes ( Banerjee et al. 2013 ; Gopinath , Chintagunta , and Venkataraman 2013 ) . In this regard , prerelease social influence may be critical to postrelease adoption because it can shape expectations , subsequent postrelease conversations , and the size of the early adopter group \u2013 key factors predictive of the adoption rate and ultimate market share ( Aral and Walker 2012 ; Salganik et al. 2006 ) . To expand our knowledge of the adoption life cycle , we investigate the relationship between prerelease social influence and adoption patterns . Specifically , we examine a nationwide random sample of Americans exposed to a major form of social influence \u2013 direct WOM exchanges with friends and network contacts . We draw on information processing work in psychology to suggest that prerelease WOM might be less accessible and diagnostic than postrelease WOM and that these differences change how WOM influences adoption behavior before and after a product is released . Specifically , based on proposed differences in the diagnosticity and accessibility of information ( Feldman and Lynch 1988 ; Lynch 2006 ) , we predict the relationship between WOM and subsequent adoption differs as a function of whether the WOM occurs during the pre - or postrelease of a product . We present two tests of our hypotheses . First , we test our hypotheses econometrically . These models estimate statistical relationships , functional forms , and effect sizes using proprietary company data on the prerelease WOM , postrelease WOM , and adoption of 309 Hollywood movies released over a two-and-a-half-year period from 1999 \u2013 2001 . Second , we use agent-based models to test whether dynamic person-level and network-level interactions , as outlined by our explanatory framework , account for the adoption rates and functional form patterns of adoption observed in the data . In addition , we evaluate how robust our findings are to alternative specifications . In this way , we seek evidence of the factors associated with pre - and postrelease adoption in equilibrium and the dynamic micro organizational processes that can produce the observed macro equilibrium . Theory Our theoretical predictions draw on information processing and network theories of diffusion . Information processing theory suggests that people are more inclined to act on information when it is accessible and diagnostic ( Feldman and Lynch 1988 ; Lynch 2006 ) . Accessibility refers to whether information is available in a person's mind , whereas diagnosticity refers to whether accessible information is viewed as sufficient to help a person reach a decision consistent with his or her goals ( Lynch 2006 ) . For example , a person deciding whether to purchase a car may have encountered many facts about the car . Not all facts are likely to be equally accessible when she is on the showroom floor . The handling of the car may be salient because of commercial ads , whereas crash test ratings may be less salient . In this example , the accessibility of the handling suggests it will be more likely to influence a person's decision . However , the fact that the handling of the car is salient is not necessarily sufficient for the person to act on this information . She has to decide if the information is diagnostic for the decision at hand . If the handling of sociological science | www.sociologicalscience.com 916 October 2016 | Volume 3 Soderstrom et al. Timing Matters the car is viewed as sufficiently diagnostic , then she may proceed with a purchase ; if this feature is not diagnostic , then she may search her memory for additional information until she is satisfied with the diagnosticity of the accessible information ( Lynch 2006 ) . Several factors can affect the accessibility and the diagnosticity of information ( Feldman and Lynch 1988 ) . For instance , the accessibility of information can be affected by how vivid information is . Vivid information , as compared to pallid information , is more likely to draw initial attention and provoke elaboration that can increase the memory for ( and accessibility of ) that information ( Herr et al. 1991 ; Kisielius and Sternthal 1986 ) . Thus , vividly presented information is more likely to be available to serve as an input to a subsequent adoption decision . Diagnosticity of information can be affected by direct or indirect experience with a product . Direct experience with a product is often more relevant and informative than indirect experience , and thus more diagnostic . For example , individuals were more likely to act on their opinions of food when they tasted it ( direct experience ) versus read about it ( indirect experience ) ( Wu and Shaffer 1987 ) . Indirect experience typically requires greater reinforcement to achieve a similar level of diagnosticity as direct experience . However , while the degree of exposures or number of inputs required may be different , both direct and indirect experiences may eventually surpass the required level of diagnosticity to make an adoption decision ( Lynch 2006 ; Lynch , Marmorstein , and Weigold 1988 ; Wyer and Srull 1986 ) . We propose that social influence in the form of WOM may differ in accessibility and diagnosticity during different stages of a product's life cycle . By definition , prerelease WOM lacks firsthand , trial-based information . Prerelease WOM is based on speculation of what experience with an innovation or product might produce . This dynamic suggests that prerelease WOM lacks the vivid descriptions and testimonial reactions of an innovation or product that come with actual use , reducing the accessibility of prerelease WOM . By definition , the inherently speculative nature of prerelease WOM would seem to render it less diagnostic than postrelease WOM based on product use . Thus , we propose that prerelease WOM is often less diagnostic and less accessible than postrelease WOM . For example , within the movie context , prerelease WOM is likely to possess less vivid descriptions of specific scenes , storylines , and personal reactions to the overall quality of the movie than the same descriptions drawn from movie attendance . Although , on average , prerelease WOM is likely to be less accessible and diagnostic than postrelease WOM , multiple exposures to information can raise its accessibility ( Petrocelli , Tormala , and Rucker 2007 ) . In addition , multiple exposures can also increase a message's diagnosticity . Specifically , even when the validity of a message is unverified , receiving it from multiple individuals can increase belief in the message , an effect observed in experiments ( Salganik et al. 2006 ) , legal decision making ( Waters and Hans 2009 ) , and attitudes in friendship networks ( Fowler and Christakis 2008 ) . As an anecdotal example , National Public Radio's tech news reported that Apple Inc. was releasing a new personal computing product to compete with the Kindle and the Nook , two electronic readers . Even without firsthand information about the product , the station had multiple reports from different sources which appeared sufficient for the station to report the name of Apple's sociological science | www.sociologicalscience.com 917 October 2016 | Volume 3 Soderstrom et al. Timing Matters to-be-released reader as the iSlate . 1 Thus , apparent social agreement may increase the diagnosticity of what was indirect and speculative information , while , at the same time , repeated exposure raises accessibility ( Rosnow and Fine 1976 ; see also Dubois et al. 2011 ) . The implication is that prerelease WOM will require exposure from multiple sources to be as effective as postrelease WOM . Complex contagion theory ( Centola and Macy 2007 ) complements the accessibility and diagnosticity framework ( Feldman and Lynch 1988 ; Lynch 2006 ) . Centola and Macy ( 2007 ) argue that for adoption behaviors that are \" costly , risky , or controversial , the willingness to participate may require independent affirmation or reinforcement from multiple sources \" ( p. 703 ) . Because no one has adopted an innovation or product prior to release , prerelease WOM is likely to be riskier to act on than postrelease WOM , which contains first-hand information from individuals who have already adopted the new product . Thus , prerelease WOM can be likened to a more complex contagion than postrelease . In this sense , our work connects complex contagion theory and the diagnosticity framework through explaining and specifying an empirical test of how the level of exposure to pre - and postrelease WOM may be related to adoption . Exposure to information is dependent upon on the network of connections among individuals ( Aral and Walker 2011 ; 2012 ; Centola and Macy 2007 ; Dodds and Watts 2004 ) . In social networks , most people have a few friends and a few people have many friends ( Rivera , Soderstrom , and Uzzi 2010 ) . If few people are spreading WOM , chances are it is not coming from the unusual individuals with many contacts but from the individuals with few contacts . As a consequence , WOM is likely to be circulating among contacts in a relatively small number of separate friendship circles of strong ties ( Centola and Macy 2007 ; Valente 2012 ) . However , as the number of people spreading WOM increases , chances rise that the smaller number of highly connected people will be among those spreading WOM ( Onnela and Reed-Tsochas 2010 ) . And , when highly connected people spread WOM , they can spread it to their many weak ties throughout the network , who then circulate it among their contacts in their local friendship circles ( Valente 2012 ) . Put simply , after a critical mass is achieved , the small number of people with many contacts will spread the messages to many separate friendship circles , which produces multiple exposures and thus enhances social influence . For example , Paluck , Shepherd , and Aronow ( 2016 ) found that highly connected students spreading antibullying messages have significantly greater influence in decreasing bullying in middle schools compared to less-connected students sharing the same messages . The preceding discussion suggests that below a critical value of persons spreading WOM , a relatively small number of persons are likely to experience multiple exposures to WOM , but above the critical value , many persons are likely to experience multiple exposures to WOM ( Centola and Macy 2007 ; Dodds and Watts 2004 ; Granovetter 1978 ) . We believe this observation , in conjunction with the notions of accessibility and diagnosticity , suggests that the relationship between adoption and pre - and postrelease WOM differ in several predictable ways . First , the relationship between prerelease WOM and adoption can have two distinct regimes , one before reaching and one after reaching a critical mass of persons spreading WOM in the network . In the first regime , any amount of prerelease WOM before the critical sociological science | www.sociologicalscience.com 918 October 2016 | Volume 3 Soderstrom et al. Timing Matters value is likely to result in negligible increases in adoption in the population . This outcome arises because only a minority of people in the population are hearing WOM from multiple sources ; as such , the majority of the population does not hear WOM at a rate that is likely to meet their accessibility and diagnosticity threshold for adoption . However , after the critical value , the relationship between WOM and adoption is likely to result in significant adoption in the population at all levels of WOM because many people in the population are likely to experience multiple exposures that should facilitate reaching their accessibility and diagnosticity thresholds for adoption . Second , based on the constructs of accessibility and diagnosticity , such a dual regime is less likely for postrelease WOM . Specifically , as postrelease information should be of greater accessibility and diagnosticity , even one exposure to postrelease WOM could be sufficient to surpass an individual's diagnosticity threshold . Because multiple exposures are not needed , this suggests a linear relationship between the amount of WOM and adoption . No critical value exists ; rather , each exposure is likely to prompt an adoption . Thus , comparing the effects of WOM on adoption for the same innovation or product in pre - and postrelease , we expect a critical value dynamic only for prerelease WOM . Formally , we present the three following hypotheses : H1 : A critical value exists that must be met for prerelease WOM to influence innovation adoption . Below this critical value , any level of prerelease WOM has relatively little impact on the level of initial adoption . After WOM is above the critical value , any level of prerelease WOM has a positive effect on adoption . H2 : Small changes around the critical value of prerelease WOM are associated with large differences in adoption . H3 : The effect of postrelease WOM on adoption is independent of a critical value . Postrelease WOM is proportional to adoption at all levels of WOM . Methods Data The movie industry provides a broad basis for theory development and testing ( Cattani et al. 2008 ; Hsu 2006 ; Sorenson and Waguespack 2006 ; Zuckerman et al. 2003 ) . Our data includes 309 Hollywood movies released over a two-and-ahalf-year period between March 1999 and August 2001 . Our tests are based on unique , nonpublic data obtained from a professional survey firm for film production companies and shared with us for research purposes . For each movie , WOM is longitudinally measured in pre - and postrelease phases of adoption life cycle . The survey data records information on respondents' movie-going behavior , movie preferences , and whether they heard WOM about forthcoming and released movies from their family or friends . Respondents were a national random sample chosen through the random digit dialing of over 180,000 respondents . About 300 persons sociological science | www.sociologicalscience.com 919 October 2016 | Volume 3 Soderstrom et al. Timing Matters were contacted each day , Monday through Thursday , from March 1999 to August 2001 , excluding holidays . The survey had a repeated-survey design ; the same items were asked of different respondents on each survey . A professional telephone interviewer led respondents through the survey . First , respondents were asked to indicate all the movies they knew were playing or forthcoming in the cinema . Second , for all the movies the respondents indicated , the respondents were asked whether friends or family were talking about the movie . Third , respondents were asked questions about their movie-going behavior , such as their favorite genre . Because the data is sold to end users who demand reliability , the data is checked for random sampling across demographic and movie-going groups , and respondents are read pick lists that contain fictitious movie titles to gauge respondents' true recall . We merged our survey data with archival data on movie , studio , star , director , and box office characteristics from the Internet Movie Database ( IMDb ) , and Metacritic.com ( Hsu 2006 ; Sorenson and Waguespack 2006 ; Zuckerman et al. 2003 ) . Measures Our dependent variable is movie adoption . Movie adoption was measured as ( 1 ) opening weekend box office and ( 2 ) second weekend box office . Data are from the IMDb and are measured in dollars . Our criterion variables are pre - and postrelease WOM . Prerelease WOM was operationalized as the percentage of respondents who reported that their friends were talking about a particular movie during the Monday \u2013 Thursday prior to its release on opening box office weekend . Postrelease WOM was operationalized as the percentage of respondents who reported that their friends were talking about a particular movie during the Monday \u2013 Thursday after opening box office weekend but before the second weekend box office . We note that postrelease WOM is likely to still consist of WOM from those who have not directly seen the movie . However , given we are predicting different functional forms , this limitation appears to make our tests more conservative . To infer the level of pre - or postrelease WOM around the average person in the population , we exploited the random sample's ability to estimate a population mean . Because each respondent was randomly sampled , we aggregated the percentage of respondents reporting they heard WOM into a percentage-level variable for that survey and movie . For example , if 20 percent of the sample of people surveyed on a particular day said they had heard WOM about a specific movie , we operationalized the level of WOM for that movie on that day at 20 percent . We controlled for a number of factors known to influence movie consumption ( Basuroy , Chatterjee , and Ravid 2003 ; Eliashberg and Shugan 1997 ; Liu 2006 ; Sorenson and Waguespack 2006 ) . Screens . The number of screens a movie is shown on affects the number of tickets that can be sold . This variable also serves as a proxy for advertising because advertising budgets are designed to fill the available seats ( Elberse and Eliashberg sociological science | www.sociologicalscience.com 920 October 2016 | Volume 3 Soderstrom et al. Timing Matters 2003 ; Sorenson and Waguespack 2006 ) . We measured this variable as the count of the number of screens on which the movie played as reported in IMDb . Critics' reviews . Critics affect film attendance ( Eliashberg and Shugan 1997 ; Zuckerman et al. 2003 ) . Critics' reviews were operationalized by Metacritic.com as a weighted average of all the scores assigned by individual critics to each movie . The scores ranged from 0 to 100 , with higher scores representing better reviews . Well-known critics ( e.g. , Roger Ebert ) and influential publications were more highly weighted than local reviews ( see Metacritic.com for methodological details ) . Percent avid . Avid moviegoers more frequently consume movies and by definition have lower thresholds for attending any movie . To control for avidity , we coded a respondent who saw at least one movie a month as an avid ( De Vany 2004 ) . The proportion of avids was aggregated from the survey responses in the same way as WOM to form a measure of percent avid . Holiday release . Films released during holidays experience greater overall demand for movie tickets and advertising . We coded a movie's release date as reported on IMDb for whether or not it was released during a peak movie-going weekend ( 1 = yes ; 0 otherwise ) . Movie budget . We measured movie budget as the total production costs in dollars , which subsumes the costs of the movie including salaries , studio time , props , and advertising ( Sorenson and Waguespack 2006 ) . Although a line item breakdown of a movie's budget would be ideal to control for the exact level of advertising expenditures , advertising expenditures for movies are not publicly available ( Elberse and Eliashberg 2003 ) . Nevertheless , previous work has shown that a movie's production costs provides a reasonable and widely-used proxy measure for advertising expenses ( Elberse and Eliashberg 2003 ; Gopinath et al. 2013 ; Joshi and Mao 2012 ; Lui 2006 ) . In addition , we use number of screens and holiday release as further proxy measures ( Sorenson and Waguespack 2006 ) as reported from IMDb . Star power . The name recognition of the actors ( i.e. , a bankable star ) can affect a movie's box office . We use the methodology of Basuroy et al. ( 2003 ) to assess star power by how many top fifteen \u2013 grossing films in the previous five years starred one of the top three billed actors in a film . If one star had been in a single top-grossing film , another star had been in three top-grossing films , and the third star had been in no top-grossing films , Star Power equaled 4 . Alternative operationalizations , such as assigning star power points for top ten or top twenty \u2013 grossing films , produced similar results . Genre . We controlled for the type of movie with an indicator variable using the standard categories of Action \/ Adventure , Comedies , Dramas , Horror , Sci-Fi , and Family . sociological science | www.sociologicalscience.com 921 October 2016 | Volume 3 Soderstrom et al. Timing Matters Rating . We controlled for the movie's rating with an indicator variable using the standard categories of G , PG , PG-13 , or R. Lagged number of prior adopters . Prior work operationalized social influence in terms of the number of prior adopters ( Cialdini and Goldstein 2004 ) . The number of prior adopters for the second weekend box office was defined as opening weekend box office . By definition , there is no count of prior adopters for prerelease . Descriptive statistics and correlations can be found in the online supplement , appendix 1 . Statistical Model We used ordinary least squares ( OLS ) regression and a spline methodology to test for changes in the relationship between WOM and box office at different levels of WOM . Prerelease WOM was measured the week prior to opening weekend box office , and postrelease WOM was measured between opening weekend box office and second weekend box office . The spline method has three steps . ( 1 ) Because theory does not specify a critical value or position of a critical value , we adopted a conservative method , which segmented WOM's observed range into equidistant length splines at 5 percentile increments ( Long and Freese 2001 ) . ( 2 ) For each cut-point , we determined whether the estimated slope before and after the cut-point were statistically different from each other by computing the difference between the slope before the cut point ( i.e. , slope 1 ) and the slope after the cut point . Statistically significant different slopes ( i.e. , slope difference ) indicate that a critical value is present at which the strength of the relationship between WOM and adoption changes . ( 3 ) To determine which critical value , if any , provides the best fit relative to other critical values or a null relationship of a simple linear model , we used the Bayesian information criterion ( BIC ) statistic ( Kuha 2004 ) . Robust standard errors were used to control for nonhomogeneity in the residuals . Variance inflation factor ( VIF ) statistics had values < 3 . 0 , for which values of 10.0 or more indicate multicollinearity . Results Table 1 presents 8 regressions ( models 1 \u2013 8 ) of opening weekend box office on prerelease WOM levels and control variables . Model 1 is the control variable \u2013 only model . Model 2 is the control variable model plus prerelease WOM without a spline segmentation . Our first finding indicates that WOM is positively and significantly related to the level of initial adoption . Highlighting the explanatory power of prerelease WOM on opening box office weekend , model 2 shows that prerelease WOM is positive and significant , and the R-squared is 28 percentage points ( 0 . 72 \u2013 0 . 44 ) greater than the baseline model ( model 1 ) . Our second finding indicates that prerelease WOM is associated with a critical value around which the relationship between prerelease WOM and adoption changes . Prerelease WOM had a smaller effect on adoption until a critical value was reached , after which point increases in the level of WOM were associated with sociological science | www.sociologicalscience.com 922 October 2016 | Volume 3 sociological science | www.sociologicalscience.com 923 0.72 \u2212 16 . 386 \u2020 ( 6 . 864 ) \u2212 45 . 213 \u2020 ( 11 . 430 ) 0.44 1.559 * ( 0 . 791 ) 9.322 \u2020 ( 2 . 636 ) 0.127 \u2020 ( 0 . 024 ) \u2212 12 . 427 * ( 5 . 255 ) 0.286 ( 1 . 427 ) 0.171 ( 0 . 447 ) \u2212 \u2212 6.138 \u2020 ( 1 . 273 ) 22.70 \u2020 ( 3 . 324 ) 0.187 \u2020 ( 0 . 037 ) \u2212 13 . 128 ( 8 . 449 ) 0.856 ( 1 . 651 ) 0.616 ( 0 . 483 ) \u2212 \u2212 94.940 \u2020 ( 6 . 962 ) 39.159 * ( 17 . 060 ) 78.423 \u2020 ( 18 . 994 ) 2.750 \u2020 ( 1 . 012 ) 8.317 \u2020 ( 2 . 600 ) 0.131 \u2020 ( 0 . 023 ) \u2212 13 . 440 \u2020 ( 5 . 145 ) 0.171 ( 1 . 362 ) 0.080 ( 0 . 436 ) \u2212 \u2212 \u2212 3 . 521 \u2020 ( 1 . 023 ) \u2212 17 . 594 * ( 8 . 245 ) 23.8 0.75 Model 3 35th percentile 39.186 \u2020 ( 14 . 621 ) 81.093 \u2020 ( 17 . 058 ) 2.820 \u2020 ( 1 . 031 ) 8.459 \u2020 ( 2 . 609 ) 0.134 \u2020 ( 0 . 023 ) \u2212 13 . 554 \u2020 ( 5 . 151 ) 0.127 ( 1 . 350 ) 0.123 ( 0 . 436 ) \u2212 \u2212 \u2212 3 . 271 \u2020 ( 0 . 976 ) \u2212 18 . 514 * ( 8 . 285 ) 27.5 0.75 26.726 * ( 13 . 411 ) 94.729 \u2020 ( 16 . 180 ) 2.827 \u2020 ( 1 . 053 ) 8.496 \u2020 ( 2 . 617 ) 0.135 \u2020 ( 0 . 023 ) \u2212 13 . 569 \u2020 ( 5 . 168 ) 0.193 ( 1 . 361 ) 0.113 ( 0 . 436 ) \u2212 \u2212 \u2212 1 . 818 * ( 1 . 046 ) \u2212 17 . 481 * ( 8 . 478 ) 26.7 0.75 34.888 \u2020 ( 11 . 135 ) 94.073 \u2020 ( 14 . 817 ) 2.846 \u2020 ( 1 . 028 ) 8.512 \u2020 ( 2 . 616 ) 0.142 \u2020 ( 0 . 023 ) \u2212 14 . 118 \u2020 ( 5 . 226 ) 0.334 ( 1 . 358 ) 0.105 ( 0 . 432 ) \u2212 \u2212 \u2212 2 . 382 * ( 1 . 182 ) \u2212 18 . 365 * ( 8 . 188 ) 31.4 0.76 37.346 \u2020 ( 8 . 937 ) 98.588 \u2020 ( 15 . 633 ) 2.946 \u2020 ( 1 . 066 ) 8.850 \u2020 ( 2 . 616 ) 0.144 \u2020 ( 0 . 023 ) \u2212 13 . 838 \u2020 ( 5 . 202 ) 0.535 ( 1 . 373 ) 0.138 ( 0 . 429 ) \u2212 \u2212 \u2212 0 . 761 ( 1 . 464 ) \u2212 19 . 962 * ( 8 . 518 ) 34.8 0.76 Threshold Piece-wise Linear Models Model 4 Model 5 Model 6 Model 7 40th 45th 55th 65th percentile percentile percentile percentile 37.310 \u2020 ( 8 . 772 ) 99.322 \u2020 ( 16 . 495 ) 2.945 \u2020 ( 1 . 065 ) 8.809 \u2020 ( 2 . 596 ) 0.144 \u2020 ( 0 . 023 ) \u2212 13 . 949 \u2020 ( 5 . 155 ) 0.530 ( 1 . 369 ) 0.145 ( 0 . 433 ) \u2212 \u2212 \u2212 0 . 133 ( 1 . 594 ) \u2212 19 . 878 * ( 8 . 515 ) 34.8 0.76 Model 8 70th percentile Note : 309 observations ; robust standard errors in parentheses ; VIF statistics showed there was no multicollinearity bias in the specification ( VIF between 3.2 and 5.5 across all models ) . The categorical controls are not shown for simplicity ; these data can be found in the online supplement . \u2020 p < 0.01 ; * p < 0.05 ( two-tailed test of significance ) BIC ' R-squared Constant Genre Rating Spline intercept Star power Holiday release Avidity Critics ' reviews Budget ( sqrt ) Screen ( log ) Prerelease WOM : Slope difference Prerelease WOM : Slope 1 Prerelease WOM Linear Models Model 1 Model 2 Table 1 : Prerelease WOM and first week product adoption . Soderstrom et al. Timing Matters October 2016 | Volume 3 Soderstrom et al. Timing Matters significant increases in the level of adoption . Models 3 \u2013 8 represent these findings as a series of splines . Each model creates a spline for a different percentile of WOM over the observed range of WOM , which was between its 35th and 70th percentile . ( Note the percentiles do NOT correspond to the simple percentage of people hearing WOM . In prerelease , for example , the 35th and 65th percentiles correspond to 10 percent and 21 percent of the persons hearing WOM , respectively . ) Consistent with hypothesis 1 , models 3 \u2013 8 indicate that a spline model statistically significantly fits the data better than does a linear model . The spline coefficients for prerelease WOM : slope 1 and prerelease WOM : slope difference are jointly and statistically significant for spline models 7 and 8 . On average , the effect of prerelease WOM on consumption is almost four times stronger once it exceeds the critical value ( [ WOM : slope difference + WOM : slope 1 ] \u00f7 WOM : slope 1 ) . The BIC statistic of piecewise model was 34 ( Table 1 , model 7 ) , which provides \" strong \" evidence that the piecewise model is a better fit than the baseline linear model ( Long and Freese 2001 ) . The BIC statistic indicates that the best fit is the 65th percentile ; beyond the 65th percentile , there are no additional increases in fit . Our third finding is that after the critical value is reached , the association between prerelease WOM and adoption intensifies , as shown by the statistically significant value of prerelease WOM : slope difference . Small changes in the level of prerelease information around the critical value can tip the system from one regime to the other . The large value of prerelease WOM : slope difference substantiates the change in slope that occurs after the critical point . Numerically , model 7 suggests that after the critical value , each one-unit increase in prerelease WOM ( units are in 1 percent point increments from 1 \u2013 100 ) results in a gain of $ 1 . 3 million at the box office . Before the critical value , each one-unit increase in WOM only results in gains of $ 0 . 3 million . Figure 1a plots these relationships . On the x axis is the level of prerelease WOM and on the y axis is the opening box office weekend . Each scatter point on the plot represents a different movie . The plot also indicates that the critical value for this set of movies was approximately at the level of 21 percent WOM in the system . Before this point , each increase in WOM has a small , positive effect on the growth of adopters , but after that critical value , each increase in the percentage of persons spreading WOM is associated with a greater increase in the number of adopters . Our fourth finding is that distinctive WOM dynamics occur for prerelease and postrelease for the same set of products . The relationship between postrelease WOM and adoption does not display a critical value ; rather , the relationship between postrelease WOM and adoption is similar at all levels of WOM . Table 2 shows the effects of regressing second weekend box office on our control variables , as well as opening box office and prerelease WOM . The table of effects indicates that a simple linear model ( Table 2 , model 2 ) provides as good a fit to the data as any spline specification ( Table 2 , models 3 \u2013 8 ) . All models in Table 2 indicate a positive and significant association between postrelease WOM and second weekend box office . Moreover , the BIC statistic comparing the linear model with the spline models consistently produced a negative BIC statistic , a strong indication that there is no critical value of WOM in postrelease , supporting hypothesis 3 . Figure 1c plots these relationships and shows the second weekend box office for the same set of movies sociological science | www.sociologicalscience.com 924 October 2016 | Volume 3 sociological science | www.sociologicalscience.com First Week Box Office ( millions ) 925 0 20 40 60 80 0 20 40 60 0 0 Nurse Betty 0.2 0.2 Notting Hill Spy Kids Never Been Kissed Double Jeopardy ( c ) 0.4 Prerelease WOM ( a ) 0.4 Prerelease WOM X Men Hannibal 0.6 0.6 American Pie 2 Pearl Harbor 0 20 40 60 80 0 0 20 40 60 80 0 Nurse Betty Spy Kids Notting Hill 0.2 0.2 Double Jeopardy American Pie 2 ( d ) 0.4 Postrelease WOM ( b ) 0.4 Postrelease WOM Never been Kissed X Men Pearl Harbor Hannibal 0.6 0.6 Figure 1 : Data distributions for WOM versus adoption . ( a ) Prerelease WOM empirical results , ( b ) postrelease WOM empirical results , ( c ) prerelease WOM simulation results , ( d ) postrelease WOM simulation results . Estimated Box Office ( millions ) Second Week Box Office ( millions ) Estimated Box Office ( millions ) 80 Soderstrom et al. Timing Matters October 2016 | Volume 3 Soderstrom et al. Timing Matters as shown in Figure 1a . The plots indicate that the relationship between postrelease WOM and second weekend box office is linear , consistent with hypothesis 3 . Computational Findings Our empirical tests regressed adoption rates on various levels of pre - and postrelease WOM across different movies and controlled for time-varying covariates . However , a limitation of the empirical data is that it does not allow us to measure a person's infectiousness nor the network structure directly because our person-level observations are randomly sampled nationally , which benefits statistical generalization but does not furnish a direct measure of the friendship network . To address these limitations , we used the above theory to specify agent-based simulations that complement the empirical analyses . The simulations provide a confirmatory analysis of the mechanisms underlying the empirical data and offer tests for the fit and plausibility of alternative mechanisms . If our proposed micro-framework regarding accessibility and diagnosticity holds , we should find that : ( 1 ) the observed functional forms are related to different levels of exposure to WOM in prerelease and postrelease stages of adoption , ( 2 ) a critical value exists for prerelease WOM but not postrelease WOM , and ( 3 ) the observed critical value and the estimated critical value from the simulation are in agreement . The simulations use a social network structure approximated from an actual , typical social network based on the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health ( Add Health ) . These data have been used extensively for the same purpose we use it here ( Fowler and Christakis 2008 ) . 2 Consistent with our empirical analysis , the computational model does not analyze the adoption curve of one product over time but rather the average adoption of multiple movies exhibiting common exposure , informational , and network characteristics . Our simulation model has three steps . First , we \" seed \" the network with a certain number of persons who can spread WOM . In the prerelease model , the seed levels were assigned by drawing one observation bi from a distribution b of \" WOM \" ( the subscript i denotes the ith movie to adopt ) , which was taken from the survey data for prerelease WOM . In the postrelease model , a person who has seen the movie in the prerelease WOM model ( i.e. , an adopter ) can spread WOM . Second , we assign each person who can spread WOM a probability of spreading it to one of their contacts in their network . In prerelease , a person can spread WOM to a contact with probability ti , a uniform random distribution between 0.01 and 0.05 . This means the expected number of contacts a person spreads WOM to is ti times the number of contacts he or she has . In postrelease , each person who has seen the movie can spread WOM with probability ri . We assigned a constant ri = 0.15 , the probability that an adopter spreads WOM to a contact . ti and ri were based on research that reported a person's likelihood of spreading WOM about a product before and after its release ( Banerjee , et al. 2013 ; Goldenberg , Libai , Muller , 2001 ) . Third , adoption of a movie is calculated . In our hypothesized prerelease model , a person goes to a movie after they have heard WOM from two or more network contacts . In our hypothesized postrelease model , any person who has not seen the sociological science | www.sociologicalscience.com 926 October 2016 | Volume 3 sociological science | www.sociologicalscience.com 927 0.81 \u2212 4 . 892 ( 6 . 043 ) 0.554 \u2020 ( 0 . 024 ) 0.368 ( 0 . 728 ) \u2212 1 . 685 ( 1 . 493 ) 0.044 \u2020 ( 0 . 015 ) \u2212 2 . 126 ( 4 . 069 ) 2.038 \u2020 ( 0 . 621 ) 0.239 ( 0 . 194 ) \u2212 \u2212 0.82 0.474 ( 6 . 015 ) \u2212 12 . 747 ( 7 . 893 ) 0.460 \u2020 ( 0 . 035 ) \u2212 0 . 367 ( 0 . 757 ) \u2212 0 . 642 ( 1 . 502 ) 0.037 * ( 0 . 016 ) \u2212 3 . 190 ( 4 . 021 ) 2.022 \u2020 ( 0 . 615 ) 0.225 ( 0 . 190 ) \u2212 \u2212 26.092 \u2020 ( 7 . 965 ) 20.884 ( 14 . 866 ) 6.833 ( 14 . 023 ) \u2212 13 . 168 ( 7 . 958 ) 0.452 \u2020 ( 0 . 038 ) \u2212 0 . 196 ( 0 . 820 ) \u2212 0 . 717 ( 1 . 522 ) 0.038 * ( 0 . 016 ) \u2212 3 . 215 ( 4 . 035 ) 2.029 \u2020 ( 0 . 619 ) 0.223 ( 0 . 191 ) \u2212 \u2212 \u2212 0 . 007 ( 0 . 891 ) \u2212 0 . 178 ( 6 . 252 ) \u2212 10 . 9 0.82 Model 3 35th percentile ( 0 . 619 ) 0.225 ( 0 . 191 ) \u2212 \u2212 \u2212 0 . 343 ( 0 . 902 ) \u2212 0 . 615 ( 6 . 232 ) \u2212 10 . 8 0.82 24.459 ( 13 . 764 ) 4.293 ( 12 . 671 ) \u2212 13 . 322 ( 7 . 962 ) 0.449 \u2020 ( 0 . 039 ) \u2212 0 . 199 ( 0 . 819 ) \u2212 0 . 652 ( 1 . 517 ) 0.039 * ( 0 . 016 ) \u2212 3 . 251 ( 4 . 033 ) ( 0 . 617 ) 0.238 ( 0 . 192 ) \u2212 \u2212 \u2212 0 . 549 ( 0 . 863 ) \u2212 0 . 983 ( 6 . 249 ) \u2212 10 . 4 0.82 25.914 * ( 12 . 443 ) 4.243 ( 11 . 122 ) \u2212 13 . 491 ( 7 . 960 ) 0.444 \u2020 ( 0 . 040 ) \u2212 0 . 173 ( 0 . 816 ) \u2212 0 . 583 ( 1 . 518 ) 0.040 * ( 0 . 016 ) \u2212 3 . 240 ( 4 . 030 ) ( 0 . 617 ) 0.230 ( 0 . 191 ) \u2212 \u2212 \u2212 0 . 126 ( 0 . 840 ) \u2212 0 . 966 ( 6 . 256 ) \u2212 10 . 5 0.82 22.552 * ( 10 . 782 ) 7.669 ( 9 . 705 ) \u2212 13 . 531 ( 7 . 965 ) 0.443 \u2020 ( 0 . 040 ) \u2212 0 . 118 ( 0 . 814 ) \u2212 0 . 647 ( 1 . 515 ) 0.040 * ( 0 . 017 ) \u2212 3 . 318 ( 4 . 037 ) ( 0 . 617 ) 0.224 ( 0 . 191 ) \u2212 \u2212 0.539 ( 0 . 841 ) \u2212 0 . 747 ( 6 . 265 ) \u2212 10 . 1 0.82 20.287 * ( 9 . 815 ) 7.880 ( 8 . 984 ) \u2212 13 . 265 ( 7 . 977 ) 0.447 \u2020 ( 0 . 040 ) \u2212 0 . 115 ( 0 . 812 ) \u2212 0 . 752 ( 1 . 519 ) 0.039 * ( 0 . 016 ) \u2212 3 . 233 ( 4 . 033 ) Threshold Piece-wise Linear Models Model 4 Model 5 Model 6 Model 7 40th 45th 55th 65th percentile percentile percentile percentile ( 0 . 617 ) 0.224 ( 0 . 191 ) \u2212 \u2212 0.570 ( 0 . 866 ) \u2212 0 . 514 ( 6 . 275 ) \u2212 10 . 3 0.82 22.027 * ( 9 . 073 ) 6.103 ( 8 . 807 ) \u2212 13 . 640 ( 7 . 978 ) 0.447 \u2020 ( 0 . 040 ) \u2212 0 . 164 ( 0 . 810 ) \u2212 0 . 674 ( 1 . 509 ) 0.040 * ( 0 . 016 ) \u2212 3 . 208 ( 4 . 037 ) Model 8 70th percentile Note : 285 observations ; robust standard errors in parentheses ; VIF statistics showed there was no multicollinearity bias in the specification ( VIF between 4.1 and 4.9 across all models ) . The categorical controls are not shown for simplicity ; these data can be found in the online supplement . \u2020 p < 0.01 ; * p < 0.05 ( two-tailed test of significance ) BIC ' R-squared Constant Genre Rating Spline intercept Star power Holiday release Avidity Critics ' reviews Budget ( sqrt ) Box office performance ( lag ) Screen ( log ) Prerelease WOM Postrelease WOM : Slope difference Postrelease WOM : Slope 1 Postrelease WOM Linear Models Model 1 Model 2 Table 2 : Postrelease WOM and second week product adoption . Soderstrom et al. Timing Matters October 2016 | Volume 3 Soderstrom et al. Timing Matters movie but who has heard WOM from at least one contact postrelease goes to the movie . In all WOM models , we assume that a fraction of the population goes to the movie because of idiosyncratic factors that are constant in pre - and postrelease ( Gopinath , et al. 2013 ; Valente 2012 ) using an error term ei drawn from a log normal distribution ( to avoid negative values ) with mean = 0.0025 and variance = 0.00004 . In each model , we add up all of the people who have gone to a movie to calculate the total adoption . To estimate the level of adoption from box office sales , we assume a potential movie audience of 300 million people and a ticket cost of $ 6 each , the average of 1999 \u2013 2001 ticket prices in the United States ( see online supplement , appendix 2 , for further details and code ) . Robustness Checks We included tests of alternative mechanisms from the literature ( e.g. , Centola and Macy , 2007 ; Goldenberg et al. 2001 ) . Alternative A. In prerelease , the adoption decision rule changes from the hypothesized relationship to hearing WOM from one or more contacts . This model reflects more standard adoption rules in which pre - and postrelease WOM both act as simple contagions with higher levels of accessibility and diagnosticity . Alternative B. In postrelease , the adoption decision rule changes from the hypothesized relationship to hearing WOM from two or more contacts . This model reflects a more complex contagion with a higher threshold for accessibility and diagnosticity prior to adoption in both pre - and postrelease stages . Alternative C. In pre - and postrelease , the adoption decision rules change from the hypothesized relationships to hearing WOM from three or more , four or more , five or more , or a random number of contacts , or from 10 percent , 25 percent , 50 percent , 75 percent , and 100 percent of their contacts . These models test for differences in adoption thresholds . Alternative D. In the hypothesized models , the number of contacts ( i.e. , degree ) of individuals in the network varies per the empirical distributions of degree found in the Add Health data ( range 1 to 10 connections ) . Here , we change the size of individual networks so degree is fixed for all individuals in the network at two , four , six , or eight connections and follows the hypothesized decision rules . Results Figure 1 displays scatter plots of the visual agreement between the observed and simulation data for prerelease ( left panel ; Figure 1a , 1c ) and postrelease ( right panel ; Figure 1b , 1d ) , respectively . Consistent with our framework and regression analyses , the simulations' results closely mirror the same functional relationship found in the empirical data . The simulations estimated a weak relationship between the sociological science | www.sociologicalscience.com 928 October 2016 | Volume 3 Soderstrom et al. Timing Matters level of prerelease WOM and adoption between the values of \u223c 5 percent to \u223c 21 percent WOM . After a critical level of prerelease WOM , the simulation shows that each increase in prerelease WOM is associated with large increases in adoption . The pattern of weak and then strong effects before and after the critical value , as well as the critical value itself , correspond closely to the empirical results . By contrast , postrelease WOM does not display the same effects . Postrelease WOM is proportionally associated with adoption , both empirically and in the simulation . These results offer confirmatory support to the findings of the empirical analysis . Alternative models A \u2013 D further support our hypothesized model . Across all models , formal tests indicated that the hypothesized model fit the observed data the best . Simulation results are displayed in Figures 2 and 3 . Figure 2 shows that the hypothesized threshold of two persons in prerelease ( Figure 2a ) and one person in postrelease ( Figure 2b ) fits the data better than other specifications . For example , alternative model A for prerelease overestimated opening box office adoption by more than 200 percent . Figure 3 shows that the critical network threshold is robust to changes in the size of a person's network . The best fit is for 4 degrees for prerelease ( Figure 3a ) , which corresponds to the average size of a person's network in the Add Health network data ; postrelease results ( Figure 3b ) are less conclusive but generally consistent with our hypothesized model . Formal tests bore out these results . We took the mean and the variance of the empirical data at 10 percent intervals of WOM and compared those observed values with the values generated by each alternative model specification . Specifically , we evaluated the fit of all models using the \u03c72 test , which measures the sum of squared errors between the model and observed values for each of the bins , both for the means and the variances . We fitted the data to a Landau distribution , which accounts for the long tail of box-office returns that skew toward lower levels in each bin ( Landau 1944 ) . Table 3 displays the results of these robustness checks . The hypothesized model fits the prerelease data with a \u03c72 of p = 96 percent and postrelease of p = 88 percent . The model that uses a constant degree of 4 also agrees well with prerelease data \u03c72 of p = 94 percent but poorly in postrelease of p = 23 percent . These alternative models further support a prerelease individual threshold for adoption of hearing WOM from two or more contacts . The next best fit for a postrelease alternative model was alternative C ( random distribution of individual thresholds with mean threshold of 1 ) with p = 55 percent , which suggests that in postrelease there may be more variation in individual thresholds , with some individuals still wanting to hear from two or more individuals before adopting , but this does not represent the adoption behavior as well as our hypothesized model . These findings indicate that the mechanisms outlined in our framework offer a plausible explanation for how micro behaviors of spreading and hearing preand postrelease social influence within networks can generate the observed macro patterns of adoption . Discussion As noted at the outset of this article , WOM appears to be of increasing interest to both academics and practitioners . However , prior research has not systematically sociological science | www.sociologicalscience.com 929 October 2016 | Volume 3 Soderstrom et al. Timing Matters 70 empirical 2 - hypothesized 3 4 5 60 Box Office ( millions ) 50 40 30 20 10 0 0-0 . 1 0 . 1-0 . 2 0 . 2-0 . 3 Prerelease WOM 0 . 3-0 . 4 0 . 4-0 . 5 ( a ) 45 40 Box Office ( millions ) 35 empirical 1 - hypothesized 2 3 4 5 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 0-0 . 1 0 . 1-0 . 2 0 . 2-0 . 3 Postrelease WOM 0 . 3-0 . 4 0 . 4-0 . 5 ( b ) Figure 2 : ( a ) Opening weekend box office : empirical results compared to simulation outcomes for varying thresholds . ( b ) 2nd weekend box office : empirical results compared to simulation outcomes for varying thresholds . Note : The vertical lines represent the 1-sigma uncertainty in the empirical data within that range of WOM . sociological science | www.sociologicalscience.com 930 October 2016 | Volume 3 Soderstrom et al. Timing Matters 80 empirical degree 2 degree 4 degree 6 degree 8 70 Box Office ( millions ) 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 0-0 . 1 0 . 1-0 . 2 0 . 2-0 . 3 Prerelease WOM 0 . 3-0 . 4 0 . 4-0 . 5 ( a ) 80 70 Box Office ( millions ) 60 empirical degree 2 degree 4 degree 6 degree 8 50 40 30 20 10 0 0-0 . 1 0 . 1-0 . 2 0 . 2-0 . 3 Postrelease WOM 0 . 3-0 . 4 0 . 4-0 . 5 ( b ) Figure 3 : ( a ) Opening weekend box office : empirical results compared to simulation outcomes for varying individual network sizes . ( b ) 2nd weekend box office : empirical results compared to simulation outcomes for varying individual network sizes . Note : The vertical lines represent the 1-sigma uncertainty in the empirical data within that range of WOM . sociological science | www.sociologicalscience.com 931 October 2016 | Volume 3 sociological science | www.sociologicalscience.com 932 Alternative C : Test robustness to individual thresholds as number of contacts and percent of contacts 3 + Pre - and postrelease : Threshold Underestimating adoption in pre - and postre = 3 or more lease 4 + Pre - and postrelease : Threshold Underestimating adoption in pre - and postre = 4 or more lease 5 + Pre - and postrelease : Threshold Underestimating adoption in pre - and postre = 5 or more lease Random distribution Prerelease : Mean threshold = 2 , Overestimating adoption in prerelease of individual threshold postrelease : Mean threshold = 1 10 % + Pre - and postrelease : Overestimating adoption for prerelease Threshold = 10 % of contacts Overestimating adoption for low levels of WOM in postrelease 25 % + Pre - and postrelease : Overestimating adoption for prerelease Threshold = 25 % of contacts Underestimating adoption for higher levels of WOM in postrelease < 5 % 55 % < 5 % < 5 % < 5 % < 5 % < 5 % < 5 % < 5 % < 5 % < 5 % < 10 % 88 % 88 % < 5 % 96 % Alternative B : Test baseline with threshold of 2 in both pre - and postrelease 2 + Pre - and postrelease : Threshold Underestimating adoption in postrelease = 2 or more 96 % < 5 % Consistent with empirical data Qualitative Comparison to Empirical Data Simulation Fit to Empirical Data : Probability of Fit for \u03c72 Prerelease : Postrelease : Alternative A : Test baseline with threshold of 1 in both pre - and postrelease 1 + Pre - and postrelease : Threshold Overestimating adoption in prerelease = 1 or more Hypothesized Model : Test proposed mechanisms Hypothesized Prerelease : Threshold = 2 or more Mechanisms Postrelease : Threshold = 1 or more Model Condition : Simulation Mechanisms Table 3 : Simulation models overview . Soderstrom et al. Timing Matters October 2016 | Volume 3 sociological science | www.sociologicalscience.com 933 Alternative D : Sensitivity Analysis of Individual Network Size Degree of 2 Prerelease : Threshold = 2 or more Postrelease : Threshold = 1 or more Degree of 4 Prerelease : Threshold = 2 or more Postrelease : Threshold = 1 or more Degree of 6 Prerelease : Threshold = 2 or more Postrelease : Threshold = 1 or more Degree of 8 Prerelease : Threshold = 2 or more Postrelease : Threshold = 1 or more Threshold = 100 % of contacts Pre - and postrelease : Threshold = 75 % of contacts Pre - and postrelease : 75 % + 100 % Pre - and postrelease : Threshold = 50 % of contacts 50 % + Model Condition : Simulation Mechanisms Table 3 continued . Overestimating adoption in pre - and postrelease Overestimating adoption in pre - and postrelease Underestimating adoption in pre - and postrelease Consistent with empirical data Overestimating adoption for prerelease Underestimating adoption for higher levels of WOM in postrelease Overestimating adoption for prerelease Underestimating adoption in postrelease Overestimating adoption for low levels of WOM in prerelease Underestimating adoption in postrelease Qualitative Comparison to Empirical Data < 5 % < 5 % 22 % 23 % 94 % 37 % < 5 % < 5 % < 5 % < 5 % < 10 % < 5 % < 5 % < 5 % Simulation Fit to Empirical Data : Probability of Fit for \u03c72 Prerelease : Postrelease : Soderstrom et al. Timing Matters October 2016 | Volume 3 Soderstrom et al. Timing Matters compared pre - and postrelease WOM to their social influence . In this article , we tackled this issue using large-scale , real-world empirical data on movie adoption accompanied by an agent-based model . Our results demonstrate that life cycle stage matters : pre - versus postrelease WOM follow distinctive patterns of potential theoretical and practical importance . Theoretically , we introduce the notion of a functional form difference between pre - and postrelease WOM and adoption . For prerelease WOM , until a critical value of WOM is reached , only a small , positive relationship between social influence and adoption is present . However , after this critical value of WOM is reached , every increase in WOM correlates with a significant and large increase in adoption . In contrast , for postrelease WOM , the relationship between WOM and adoption follows a single linear functional form . These patterns were supported by time-series data and agent-based models . Together , these findings suggest the importance of distinguishing and studying preversus postrelease WOM with respect to social influence and adoption . We draw upon an accessibility \u2013 diagnosticity framework to explain these functional forms and adoption patterns . The framework focuses on how differences in information and the transfer of information in a network are associated with socially induced adoption . We reasoned that prerelease WOM is based on speculation , hearsay , and other secondhand information that does not appear to significantly affect adoption until sufficient repeated exposure increases the accessibility and diagnosticity of the information . This level of exposure is obtained when potential adopters have the information echoed throughout their network by multiple contacts , which occurs when a sufficient number of highly connected persons in a social network relay prerelease WOM across otherwise disconnected social network clusters . By contrast , because postrelease WOM is more likely to be based on firsthand and direct experience , a single exposure can be sufficient to provide the required accessibility and diagnosticity to prompt adoption . We suggest prerelease WOM acts as a more complex contagion than postrelease WOM because of differences in accessibility and diagnosticity across a product's life cycle . Our work complements and extends that of Centola and Macy ( 2007 ) . Using simulations , Centola and Macy found that complex contagions saturate a network more slowly over time than simple contagions . We extend this work by looking at a snapshot of adoption levels for many different products ( movies ) at one time ( either pre - or postrelease ) . We find a critical point for the influence of a complex contagion ( prerelease WOM ) on adoption but a linear relationship for a simple contagion ( postrelease WOM ) . Further , our empirical analysis suggests that a contagion as \" simple \" as WOM can change across a product's life cycle stages as it moves from complex to simple . Future research should explore how the role of weak ties may change over time for product adoption as the complexity of contagion changes . We also advanced theory by emphasizing the importance of studying interactions between individual and network thresholds . Prior models have investigated the implications of different individual thresholds on adoption ( Dodds and Watts 2004 ; Granovetter 1978 ) . By contrast , we emphasized the predictive value of a global network \u2013 level threshold . Unless this global network reaches a certain threshold of prerelease social influence , negligible changes exist in adoption behavior by consumers . Furthermore , we found a key link : a global network threshold occurred sociological science | www.sociologicalscience.com 934 October 2016 | Volume 3 Soderstrom et al. Timing Matters when individual thresholds for adoption were responsive to exposures or greater WOM . Future research might turn to examine how individual-level thresholds influence this global threshold . The importance of prerelease social influence has a number of potential implications for management research . Consumer trends highlight continued growth in social influence as processes for generating and sharing information about products continue to expand via interpersonal and social media ( Aral and Walker 2011 ) . The present work suggests that managers should move beyond questions of how social influence spreads and seek to understand how influence patterns differ based on the life cycle of an innovation or product : pre - versus postrelease stages . Indeed , were managers to rely only on relationships or observations of postrelease social influence , they may be poorly equipped to make decisions that involve prerelease marketing efforts . Improvement in practice may further occur if future research investigates a broader range of products to identify how critical values vary across product categories and how sensitive the critical value is to change in the level of prerelease social influence before and after the critical value . On a related point , our research suggests the possibility of different interventions as a function of pre - versus postrelease of a product . Prior to a product's release , marketers might focus on encouraging communications among a smaller number of diverse consumers to increase the chance that multiple sources of influence are enacted in the network to foster initial levels of adoption . However , in postrelease , marketers might focus more heavily on getting people to hear about one person's experience with the product , as that one experience may be enough to foster adoption . In addition , during the prerelease phase , failure to have the required level of social influence may also indicate that release should be postponed until prerelease social influence reaches the desired value . Our study uses survey data on face-to-face WOM , which remains a central form of consumer behavior ( Bond et al. 2012 ; Keller and Fay 2012 ) . However , the data are older and censor most of the smallest-budget movies released during that timeframe . Therefore , generalization to current conditions should be done with caution . This limitation recognized , a benefit of the timing for the survey is that it is before the advent of social media sites and therefore likely captured interpersonal WOM . Currently , Facebook and other social media channels complement traditional faceto-face WOM ( Aral and Walker 2011 ; De Bruyn and Lilien 2008 ) . This introduces a new question with respect to how social influence , as measured by WOM , may have changed over time as people hear about products via face-to-face and social media WOM . We suspect that the accessibility , diagnosticity , and complexity of WOM often varies for a phone call compared to a FaceBook post , for example . Future research should explore how the different channels of pre - versus postrelease social influence affect each other as well as consumption behavior . In all cases , a broader and more complete understanding of social influence is acquired by understanding how it operates in different stages of an innovation's life cycle . sociological science | www.sociologicalscience.com 935 October 2016 | Volume 3 Soderstrom et al. Timing Matters Notes 1 The real name was , of course , the iPad . 2 Add Health's initial wave of the study utilized a sampling design that resulted in a nationally representative sample that included participation from 145 middle , junior high , and high schools ; from those schools , 90,118 students completed a 45-minute questionnaire . Each school becomes a full network within the overall Add Health network . In these networks , the number of outward nominations is restricted to 10 because of the procedure used by Add Health . 90.0 percent of subjects named fewer than the maximum , indicating that the degree of each person's network is probably not truncated by the instrument . The average number of friends of a person is 3.8 ( SD = 3.7 ) . 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Lynch , John G. 2006 . \" Accessibility-diagnosticity and the Multiple Pathway Anchoring and Adjustment Model . \" Journal of Consumer Research 33 ( 1 ) : 25-27 . http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10. 1086 \/ 504129 Lynch , John G. , Howard Marmorstein , and Michael F. Weigold . 1988 . \" Choices from Sets including Remembered Brands : Use of Recalled Attributes and Prior Overall Evaluations . \" Journal of Consumer Research 15 ( 2 ) : 169-184 . http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1086\/209155 Mahajan , Vijay , Eitan Muller , and Frank M. Bass . 1990 . \" New Product Diffusion Models in Marketing : A Review and Directions for Research . \" Journal of Marketing 54 ( 1 ) : 1-26 . http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.2307\/1252170 Onnela , Jukka-Pekka , and Felix Reed-Tsochas . 2010 . \" Spontaneous Emergence of Social Influence in Online Systems . \" Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107 ( 43 ) : 18375-18380 . http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.0914572107 Paluck , Elizabeth Levy , Hana Shepherd , and Peter M. Aronow . 2016 . \" Changing Climates of Conflict : A Social Network Experiment in 56 Schools . \" Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113 ( 3 ) : 566-571 . http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.1514483113 Petrocelli , John V. , Zakary L. Tormala , and Derek D. Rucker . 2007 . \" Unpacking Attitude Certainty : Attitude Clarity and Attitude Correctness . \" Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 92 ( 1 ) : 30-41 . http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1037\/0022-3514.92.1.30 Rivera , Mark T. , Sara B. Soderstrom , and Brian Uzzi . 2010 . \" Dynamics of Dyads in Social Networks : Assortative , Relational , and Proximity Mechanisms . \" Annual Review of Sociology 36 : 91-115 . http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1146\/annurev.soc.34.040507.134743 Rosnow , Ralph L. , and Gary A. Fine . 1976 . Rumor and Gossip : The Social Psychology of Hearsay . New York : Elsevier . Salganik , Matthew J. , Peter Sheridan Dodds , and Duncan J. Watts . 2006 . \" Experimental Study of Inequality and Unpredictability in an Artificial Cultural Market . \" Science 311 ( 5762 ) : 854-856 . http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1126\/science.1121066 Sorenson , Olav , and David M. Waguespack . 2006 . \" Social Structure and Exchange : SelfConfirming Dynamics in Hollywood . \" Administrative Science Quarterly 51 ( 4 ) : 560-589 . Valente , Thomas W. 2012 . \" Network Interventions . \" Science 337 ( 6090 ) : 49-53 . http:\/\/dx.doi . org \/ 10 . 1126 \/ science . 1217330 Walgrave , Stefaan , and Ruud Wouters . 2014 . \" The Missing Link in the Diffusion of Protest : Asking Others . \" American Journal of Sociology 119 ( 6 ) : 1670-1709 . http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10. 1086 \/ 676853 Waters , Nicole L. , and Valerie P. Hans . 2009 . \" A jury of one : Opinion formation , conformity , and dissent on juries . \" Journal of Empirical Legal Studies 6 ( 3 ) : 513-540 . http:\/\/dx.doi . org \/ 10 . 1111 \/ j . 1740-1461 . 2009 . 01152 . x Wu , Chenghuan , and David R. Shaffer . 1987 . \" Susceptibility to Persuasive Appeals as a Function of Source Credibility and Prior Experience with the Attitude Object . \" Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 52 ( 4 ) : 677-688 . http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1037\/ 0022-3514 . 52 . 4 . 677 sociological science | www.sociologicalscience.com 938 October 2016 | Volume 3 Soderstrom et al. Timing Matters Wyer , Robert S. , and Thomas K. Srull . 1986 . \" Human Cognition in its Social Context . \" Psychological Review 93 ( 3 ) : 322-359 . http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1037\/0033-295X.93.3.322 Zuckerman , Ezra W. , Tai-Young Kim , Kalinda Ukanwa , and James Von Rittmann . 2003 . \" Robust Identities or Nonentities ? Typecasting in the Feature-Film Labor Market . \" American Journal of Sociology 108 ( 5 ) : 1018-1073 . http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1086\/377518 Acknowledgements : This research was sponsored by the Northwestern University Institute on Complex Systems , the Army Research Laboratory under Cooperative Agreement Number W911NF-09-2-0053 , and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency grant BAA-11-64 , Social Media in Strategic Communication . The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies , either expressed or implied , of the Army Research Laboratory or the U.S. government . Sara B. Soderstrom : Organizational Studies and Program in the Environment , University of Michigan . E-mail : capasb@umich.edu . Brian Uzzi : Management and Organizations , Kellogg School of Management , Northwestern University . E-mail : uzzi@kellogg.northwestern.edu . Derek D. Rucker : Marketing , Kellogg School of Management , Northwestern University . E-mail : d-rucker@kellogg.northwestern.edu . James H. Fowler : Political Science , University of California , San Diego . E-mail : fowler@ucsd.edu . Daniel Diermeier : Provost , The University of Chicago . E-mail : ddiermeier@uchicago.edu . sociological science | www.sociologicalscience.com 939 October 2016 | Volume 3","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"You can do anything when you hit 18 I was downcast after Doncaster , but my longest run so far -- in a respectable time -- has put a spring in my step ( and an ache in the rest of me ) . In this mood , I could run all the way to London and still get round the marathon course . I 'm pleased to say that this week things have improved . I managed to run 18 miles on Saturday and that was quite comfortable . It 's cheered me up to know that the Doncaster half-marathon last week was such a disaster because I was ill , not because I was unfit . That one long run has given my confidence a boost and I 'm convinced I 'll now survive London . It was n't particularly fast -- three hours 21 minutes to be exact -- but at least I know I can do it . Doncaster put some doubt in my mind but I 've bounced back -- in fact it 's spurred me on . I 'm looking forward to the next few weeks of training and I 'm hoping to speed up a bit . I do n't think I 'll be challenging Paula Radcliffe but hopefully I might break five hours . That 's my goal and now I 'm back to my usual cheery self I 'm determined to do it . Liz Champion is the editor of Epilepsy Today","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Pam Musk Media Fellows Pam Musk Aligning the Strategic and Conservation Goals of New York's Audubon Centers Hilary Clinton said , \" Fail to plan , plan to fail . \" Pam Musk took her advice to heart ! She 'll employ this philosophy to transform Audubon Centers throughout New York State into the most effective hubs for conservation they can be within their communities . Musk is the Director of Centers and Education for Audubon New York , where she is responsible for both the quality of the education programs and the operations of the State's six Audubon Centers . She has seen firsthand how environmental education provides the stepping-stones needed for individuals to pursue conservation careers . She also understands that educators must meet people where they are comfortable and help them build on their comfort , knowledge , and interest in the environment . Audubon Centers are uniquely positioned to inspire individuals to get involved in the environment , as they offer physical places that attract community members . Since each Audubon Center in New York is at a different point in its development , Musk believes a concerted planning effort is critical to ensure they are effective venues for achieving strategic and conservation goals . For her TogetherGreen Conservation Fellowship , Musk designed software to plan and implement conservation , education and advocacy goals at Audubon Centers in New York . The planning now forms the basis for all work done at the Centers , whether it be conducting education programs for young children or reducing the threats to conservation targets at that site , making the Center a conservation hub within its community . She convened the partners of the Montezuma Audubon Center to complete a conservation plan for the site and started to take the lessons learned from this pilot process to the State's five other Centers and set each on a path to completing conservation plans . Musk hopes that conservation planning and coordination will provide the stepping-stones to build the capacity of the Centers . This will allow each Center to more fully serve its community and in turn allow Audubon New York to achieve its mission of conserving and restoring the state's ecosystems . Featured Current Fellow To Jeremy Solin , one of the most enduring challenges in solving environmental problems is developing a vibrant sense in people's minds of what their unique , local environment really is : what it produces , what its assets are , and what caretaking has to happen to ensure its continuation . As Interim Associate Director of the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education and Director for its ...","labels":"News","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplants Bone marrow is a soft substance in our bones . It is the job of the bone marrow to make our blood . We have three types of blood cells . Red blood cells , white blood cells and platelet blood cells . It is the job of red blood cells to carry oxygen in the body , the white blood cells to protect our bodies from infection and the platelet blood cells to make our blood clot so that when we wound ourselves , the wound heals and we do not lose lots of blood . When these blood cells are at the earliest stage of development , they are called stem cells . A stem cell or bone marrow transplant provides healthy bone marrow to a patient to allow much higher doses of chemotherapy and improve the chances of curing the disease . When the cells are taken from the bone marrow we talk about bone marrow transplant and when cells are taken from the blood we talk about stem cell transplant . One type of transplant is using stem cells or bone marrow from a donor ( called allogeneic transplant ) . Another way is by using the patient's own stem cells or bone marrow . This is sometimes called an autologous transplant or an autograft , but strictly speaking it is not actually a transplant as this method does not use stem cells from someone else . It is therefore often rather called high dose treatment and stem cell support . When very high doses of chemotherapy are given , the treatment destroys the cells in the bone marrow . The doctors can take stem cells or bone marrow from the patient before they get the chemotherapy and then store the cells while the treatment is going on . This way , healthy cells from the patient are being protected while the strong treatment is destroying the cells that are left in the bone marrow . When the treatment is over , the healthy stem cells or bone marrow are given back to the patient and help them fight infection and cope with the strong treatment . With a proper transplant , the patient need another person ( a donor ) to give them healthy stem cells or bone marrow .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Chapter 4 Entering Text 4.1 The Hardware Keyboard Your device comes with a QWERTY keyboard , which is similar to a standard keyboard on a computer . To use the keyboard , slide the screen panel to the right to reveal the keyboard . The screen orientation automatically switches to landscape mode when the keyboard is opened . 104 Entering Text Adjusting the LCD screen angle After sliding out the hardware keyboard , you can adjust the angle of the device screen to minimize glare and reflection . 50 \u00b0 angle The maximum tilting angle of the screen is 50 degrees . Do not force the screen to tilt further than the maximum tilting angle as it will break the device . Before you retract the screen , please be sure to adjust the screen angle back to the original horizontal position . Using the hardware keyboard You can do the following with the hardware keyboard : \u2022 To type lowercase letters and numbers , press the keys using your thumbs or fingers . \u2022 To enter all uppercase letters , press twice , or press first and then press . To change back to all lowercase letters , press again . Entering Text 105 \u2022 To enter a single uppercase letter , press corresponding key . and then press the \u2022 To enter the symbol or punctuation mark , or launch the program that is printed at the upper right corner of a key , press , then press the corresponding key . \u2022 To open the Symbol Pad , press \u2022 Press \u2022 Press the arrow keys \/ \/ and then press \/ . to insert a hard return while typing . for directional movement . first and \u2022 To delete the character to the right of the blinking cursor , press then press . To delete the previous character , press . \u2022 Press \u2022 Press \u2022 Press to open the Messaging program . and then and then press to open your SMS \/ MMS messaging account . to open the XT9 menu . \u2022 Use the same way as you use the Control key of a computer keyboard . For example , when you are editing a Word document , you can do the following with this key : Press ... Ctrl + A Ctrl + B Ctrl + I Ctrl + U Ctrl + C To ... Select all Bold Italics Underline Copy Press ... Ctrl + X Ctrl + V Ctrl + Z Ctrl + Y Ctrl + Q To ... Cut Paste Undo Redo Exit Note Not all of the Ctrl key shortcuts may be supported in certain programs . 106 Entering Text 4.2 On-screen Input Methods When you start a program or select a field that requires text or numbers , the Input Panel icon is displayed on the menu bar . Tap the Input Selector arrow ( next to the Input Panel icon ) to open a menu where you can select a text input method and customize input options . After selecting a text input method , the corresponding Input Panel is displayed , which you can use to enter text . To show or hide the Input Panel , tap the Input Panel icon . Input Panel ( Full QWERTY ) Input Selector arrow Input Panel icon : Full QWERTY Phone Keypad Note Text input methods Select Other Input Methods to display more input methods . You can choose from Keyboard , which is the Windows Mobile on-screen keyboard with QWERTY layout , Block Recognizer , Letter Recognizer , or Transcriber . Entering Text 107 4.3 Using the Full QWERTY The Full QWERTY is a full on-screen QWERTY keyboard layout similar to a computer keyboard . Note The keyboard layout may vary according to the region or country . \u2022 Tap to enter letters or symbols . \u2022 Tap and hold to enter the punctuation mark , symbol , or number at the top of a key . Tap to toggle between using Normal or Predictive mode . \u2022 Tap to enter an uppercase letter . \u2022 Tap twice to turn on Caps Lock . Displays the word candidate list in predictive mode . Tap a word to insert it into your text . Tap to add a word to the XT9 dictionary . Tap to delete the previous character . Tap to create a new line . Tap to open a keyboard layout that lets you easily enter numbers and symbols . See \" Using Numeric and Symbol Mode \" for details . To enter text using the Full QWERTY 1 . Start a program that accepts text input , such as Word Mobile . 2 . Tap the Input Selector arrow , then tap Full QWERTY . 3 . Start tapping keys on the keyboard to enter your text . 108 Entering Text As you tap the keys , the activated character displays on top of the key . Activated character Key when tapped . To learn how to enter text using Predictive mode , see \" Using Predictive Mode \" in this chapter . To enter accented characters 1 . Tap and hold a key with accent options ( for example , vowels ) to display the accented characters bar . Accented characters bar Tapped key Slide your finger left or right on the screen to select an accented character . 2 . Slide your finger left or right on the screen to select the accented character you want to enter . Entering Text 109 3 . When you have selected the character , release your finger to enter it . Tip You can also use the Numeric and Symbol mode to enter accented characters . For more information , see \" Using Numeric and Symbol Mode \" in this chapter for details . 4.4 Using the Phone Keypad The Phone Keypad is an on-screen keypad that has a layout similar to mobile phone keypads , plus some additional keys . The Phone Keypad has large keys and enhanced input features such as predictive text input , which make it faster for you to enter text in your messages and documents . \u2022 Tap to enter letters or symbols . \u2022 Tap and hold to enter the punctuation mark , symbol , or number at the top of the key . Tap to toggle between using Normal or Predictive mode . \u2022 Tap to enter an uppercase letter . \u2022 Tap twice to turn on Caps Lock . Displays the word candidate list in Predictive mode . Tap a word to insert it into your text . Tap to add a word to the XT9 dictionary . Tap to delete the previous character . Tap to create a new line . Tap to open a keyboard layout that lets you easily enter numbers , symbols , and accented characters . See \" Using Numeric and Symbol Mode \" for details . 110 Entering Text To enter text using the Phone Keypad 1 . Start a program that accepts text input , such as Word Mobile . 2 . Tap the Input Selector arrow , then tap Phone Keypad . 3 . When in multitap mode ( ) , enter a character by tapping a key until the desired character is displayed on the screen . As you tap the keys , the activated key displays just above the tapped key . \u2022 To enter the first letter that shows on a key , tap the key once . To enter the second letter , tap twice , and so on . \u2022 To enter a punctuation mark , symbol , or number that appears at the top of a key , tap and hold the key . Note You can also use the Predictive text input mode in Phone Keypad . For more information , see \" Using Predictive Mode \" in this chapter . 4.5 Using Predictive Mode XT9 is a predictive text input mode which displays a word candidate list as you enter the first few characters so you just select the word that you want . To enter text using Predictive mode 1 . Make sure that the input mode is set to XT9 ( ) . 2 . Start entering the first few letters of a word . As you enter each letter , predicted words appear in the word candidate bar . 3 . Tap the desired word to enter . If the word is highlighted in the word candidate bar , you can also tap the Enter key or the Space bar to enter it . Note If there are several words to choose from , touch the left or right directional arrow keys below the input panel to navigate through the word candidate list . Entering Text 111 To add a word to the XT9 dictionary If the word that you have entered is not found in the dictionary , you can add it to the dictionary . 1 . While in Predictive mode , type a letter and then tap word candidate list . 2 . Type the word you want to add , and then tap key or the Space bar to add the word . on right side of the . You can also tap the Enter Cancel word addition . To customize Predictive mode settings 1 . Tap the Input Selector arrow , then tap Touch Input Settings . 2 . On the XT9 Settings tab , select or clear the following options according to your preferences : \u2022 Spell Correction . Lets you correct typographical errors by selecting from a list of possible words that reflect the characters of the keys you have tapped as well as characters of nearby keys . \u2022 Word Completion in XT9 mode . Lets you select from a list of possible words based on the keys that you have tapped and on the words available in the dictionary . \u2022 Word Completion in ABC mode ( Phone Keypad only ) . Lets you select from a list of possible combinations based on the characters that appear on the keys that you tapped . \u2022 Auto-Substitution . Automatically inserts an apostrophe when you type common contracted words ( for example , \" dont \" automatically becomes \" do n't \" ) . 3 . Tap OK . 112 Entering Text 4.6 Using Numeric and Symbol Mode Switch to Numeric and Symbol mode to easily enter numbers and common symbols such as parentheses , braces , currency signs , punctuation marks , and special characters . To switch to Numeric and Symbol mode 1 . While using Full QWERTY or Phone Keypad , tap Tap a number or symbol to enter it . Go to the previous or next page of symbols . Tap to switch back to the letter keyboard layout . Phone Keypad Full QWERTY . 2 . Locate and tap the desired number or symbol to enter it . To automatically switch to the letter keyboard layout By default , the keyboard in Numeric and Symbol mode is locked so you can continuously enter symbols and numbers . Do the following if you want to automatically switch to the letter keyboard layout after entering a symbol . 1 . Tap the Input Selector arrow and then tap Touch Input Settings . 2 . On the Options tab , clear Turn on symbol lock . 3 . Tap OK .","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"The amount you need to eat changes as you get older . It also depends on how active you are , if you are still growing or not , and how much you already weigh . The more active you are , the more energy you need from food . The energy food gives you is measured in calories . Hector says : \" If we eat more food than we need to make energy , the extra food turns to fat and this is stored in our bodies . \" Children are much smaller than adults but they are usually very active and still growing . They usually need between 1000 and 2000 calories every day . Adult women need between 2000 and 4000 calories every day and men need between 3000 and 5000 calories , depending on how active they are . Adult bodies are larger than children's so adults need to eat more to produce energy . Older people generally tend to use less energy than other adults . Depending on how active they are , they only need between 1000 and 2000 calories a day .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Notice of Public Information Meeting April 28 , 2015 at 7 : 00 p.m. Village of Shorewood Hills , Village Hall 810 Shorewood Boulevard Public Discussion \u2013 How Will Future Development Affect Shorewood Hills ? You are encouraged to attend and participate in a meeting to discuss development along the University Avenue \/ Marshall Court Corridor April 28 , 2015 at 7 : 00 p.m. at the Village Hall \u2022 A Review of the Past \u2022 A Look at the Present \u2022 Planning for the Future \u2022 Presentations \u2022 Panel of Experts \u2022 Public Input with Questions , some Answers and identification of issues needing further investigation","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Billboard rules of the road We 've pulled out all the stops to advertise the launch of our very own Ascend's Golden Guide . One of the ways we 've decided to advertise the publication and website is through four strategically placed billboards located next to highways throughout the Kansas City metro . Creating a successful billboard is actually more challenging than long-form content . Despite the large space , you have to get your message across instantaneously . Drivers often have fewer than 10 seconds to view . Here are six fundamental rules : Writing for billboards \u2013 or bus signs , meeting banners and other large signs meant to be seen from far away \u2013 is all about the short and sweet hook . Twitter's 140-character limit is a good introduction to writing concise content , but actually , the most eye-catching billboards are ones that feature seven words or less . It should be catchy and have an immediate effect on the reader . The best billboards hit a nerve with readers . Signs that elicit an emotional response are more memorable . Try the humorous approach , pull on their heartstrings or intrigue or surprise your readers . \" Good advertising is storytelling , \" according to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America ( OAAA ) . \" Dramatic tension or suspense influences viewer interest [ that ] can be expressed on three different cognitive levels : rational , emotional and cultural . \" Rely on imagery over words , if possible . For our billboard campaign , we chose to use a picture of the Ascend's Golden Guide cover for recognition , as the publication is now available in magazine racks at various locations , such as libraries , CVS pharmacies , doctor's offices and more , across the city . Think outside the billboard . Check with your billboard vendor to see if you can take your message or graphic past the frame . \" Extensions or other 3-D embellishments and environmental applications will enhance an overall design by producing greater impact , \" according to the OAAA . Fonts must be easy to read from variable distances . Make the text large and legible , paying close attention to the spacing between letters . For our billboard , which we wanted drivers to be able to read from the highway , we used Myriad , a sans-serif font .","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"When his bed sheets began to hint at something more beneath them , Bruce Bailey blamed his wayward mind . It had played nothing but dirty tricks for months now \u2013 since the day Sheila died \u2013 yes , since then . So , when he entered his bedroom that Tuesday to catch a nap before his late shift at the factory , he frowned , rubbed his jaw and thought : I made the bed , did n't I ? I always make the bed . He slept fitfully . Nothing strange in that : just another legacy from Sheila's death . As much as he disliked the thought Bruce was growing used to the nightmarish quality of his days ; of the long drawn out shadows that breathed and lurched drunkenly around his room . The light fixture had begun to resemble a blind milky eye , as if age itself worked upon it . Sometimes he wished it would simply blow . It offered little comfort anyway ; its glow had grown sickly . Bruce imagined jaundiced skin clinging to it , tainting the light as it passed through . It was these thoughts that occupied the greater part of Bruce's mind , and when they were n't there , Sheila's face would take up residence , wounded , half pleading waiting to come in from the cold . Unable to sleep , he staggered out of bed , stood for a moment trying to recollect what he was supposed to do next . He 'd slept in his work clothes again , something Mr Shueman had remarked upon the day before . His sympathy had long died along with his patience towards Bruce's shattered attention . \" Ca n't work on a fac-to-ry floor Bruce , if you 're playing with the fairies . \" He 'd said in his neat and concise way . For the second time that day ( did n't I make it before ? ) Bruce re-made the bed . In the bathroom he washed his face , ignoring his reflection . On impulse he pulled off his white shirt and dragged on a blue one , it was unwashed but wearable . He returned to the bedroom and stopped . The sheets were dishevelled , pulled in places into curves and valleys . Sheila had been dead four months , not long enough for him to forget how a woman looked beneath bed covers . Bruce knew he was n't mistaken ; there was someone in his bed . She lay curled on her side , her hands beneath her head and her feet drawn up . \" It 's my fucking head , \" Bruce muttered , working his fists . \" My goddamned head ! \" The sheets moved . A sigh shivered into the room , strong enough to upset the fabric stifling the woman's mouth . Bruce stumbled back , shock sending jolts of ice into his gut . This was by far the most lucid of his wild imaginings . So much so that he believed he could smell her . An acrid stench of something charred , it grew thick and cloying . Over-cooked meat . Bad meat , Bruce thought , against his better judgement stepping closer . His mind had grown unhealthy , ( that 's it and that 's all it is , right ? ) He could n't blame it , the way he 'd been living . The house was a mess ; dirty clothes strewn everywhere , litter overflowing the bin . His thoughts had adapted to their surroundings ; to his depression . Why else , did n't he simply remove the unsightly bulb and replace it with a new one ( should turn the Goddamned thing off ! ) , open the curtains instead of putting up with sullied shadow ? Because he did n't want to , Bruce wanted to nurture the only thing he had left , Sheila \u2013 no - Sheila's dead . He found himself standing by the bed . The bed he 'd slept in for four months now wishing human warmth beside him . A pillow was a poor companion . His weary eyes took in the sheets , the slender figure beneath them . Definitely there . He could even see the rise and fall of her breath . Her breath . Sheila ... Toying with the corner of the sheet Bruce said , \" Come out . \" The figure turned , called from sleep , her blind face searching , \" Bruce ? \" She said , and her voice cracked like a bad connection . \" Bruce ? \" Unable to bear it Bruce screamed and tore away the sheet . The fabric whispered \u2013 only friction makes a sound like that \u2013 against her skin , her hands reached for her face , fingers splayed against her cheeks . \" Sheila - \" his voice failed him , his legs buckled , Bruce found himself kneeling before the parody of his wife . Her hands fled to her chest , her stomach , they squeezed and prodded , as if unable to believe she was intact . Almost . She had no hair . Her eyes no longer blue but yellow and shrivelled , her collarbone and chest was littered with fragments of metal . Because of the crash , she 'd always thought small cars were safer , so wrong . A small guy will always come off worst against a giant , and her mini resembled an accordion after the accident . Could n't get free , could n't escape the flames . Burnt away her hair , her face . \" You 're dead ! \" Bruce gasped , oily sweat pock-marking his face and neck . Her yellow eyes pinned him ; lips tried to smile . \" Huh huh , \" Sheila said , shaking her head . An odd , contemplative look shadowed her naked face , \" I 've come to keep our bed warm , \" she whispered in that strange long distance way , crawling ( like a broken puppet ) toward the foot of the bed where Bruce knelt frozen , \" You 've been missing me , Bruce , have n't you ? \"","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"CHAPTER XXXIII When Mr. St. John went , it was beginning to snow ; the whirling storm continued all night . The next day a keen wind brought fresh and blinding falls ; by twilight the valley was drifted up and almost impassable . I had closed my shutter , laid a mat to the door to prevent the snow from blowing in under it , trimmed my fire , and after sitting nearly an hour on the hearth listening to the muffled fury of the tempest , I lit a candle , took down \" Marmion , \" and beginning -- \" Day set on Norham's castled steep , And Tweed's fair river broad and deep , And Cheviot's mountains lone ; The massive towers , the donjon keep , The flanking walls that round them sweep , In yellow lustre shone \" -- I soon forgot storm in music . I heard a noise : the wind , I thought , shook the door . No ; it was St. John Rivers , who , lifting the latch , came in out of the frozen hurricane--the howling darkness--and stood before me : the cloak that covered his tall figure all white as a glacier . I was almost in consternation , so little had I expected any guest from the blocked-up vale that night . \" Any ill news ? \" I demanded . \" Has anything happened ? \" \" No. How very easily alarmed you are ! \" he answered , removing his cloak and hanging it up against the door , towards which he again coolly pushed the mat which his entrance had deranged . He stamped the snow from his boots . \" I shall sully the purity of your floor , \" said he , \" but you must excuse me for once . \" Then he approached the fire . \" I have had hard work to get here , I assure you , \" he observed , as he warmed his hands over the flame . \" One drift took me up to the waist ; happily the snow is quite soft yet . \" \" But why are you come ? \" I could not forbear saying . \" Rather an inhospitable question to put to a visitor ; but since you ask it , I answer simply to have a little talk with you ; I got tired of my mute books and empty rooms . Besides , since yesterday I have experienced the excitement of a person to whom a tale has been half-told , and who is impatient to hear the sequel . \" He sat down . I recalled his singular conduct of yesterday , and really I began to fear his wits were touched . If he were insane , however , his was a very cool and collected insanity : I had never seen that handsome-featured face of his look more like chiselled marble than it did just now , as he put aside his snow-wet hair from his forehead and let the firelight shine free on his pale brow and cheek as pale , where it grieved me to discover the hollow trace of care or sorrow now so plainly graved . I waited , expecting he would say something I could at least comprehend ; but his hand was now at his chin , his finger on his lip : he was thinking . It struck me that his hand looked wasted like his face . A perhaps uncalled-for gush of pity came over my heart : I was moved to say -- \" I wish Diana or Mary would come and live with you : it is too bad that you should be quite alone ; and you are recklessly rash about your own health . \" \" Not at all , \" said he : \" I care for myself when necessary . I am well now . What do you see amiss in me ? \" This was said with a careless , abstracted indifference , which showed that my solicitude was , at least in his opinion , wholly superfluous . I was silenced . He still slowly moved his finger over his upper lip , and still his eye dwelt dreamily on the glowing grate ; thinking it urgent to say something , I asked him presently if he felt any cold draught from the door , which was behind him . \" No , no ! \" he responded shortly and somewhat testily . \" Well , \" I reflected , \" if you wo n ' t talk , you may be still ; I 'll let you alone now , and return to my book . \" So I snuffed the candle and resumed the perusal of \" Marmion . \" He soon stirred ; my eye was instantly drawn to his movements ; he only took out a morocco pocket-book , thence produced a letter , which he read in silence , folded it , put it back , relapsed into meditation . It was vain to try to read with such an inscrutable fixture before me ; nor could I , in impatience , consent to be dumb ; he might rebuff me if he liked , but talk I would . \" Have you heard from Diana and Mary lately ? \" \" Not since the letter I showed you a week ago . \" \" There has not been any change made about your own arrangements ? You will not be summoned to leave England sooner than you expected ? \" \" I fear not , indeed : such chance is too good to befall me . \" Baffled so far , I changed my ground . I bethought myself to talk about the school and my scholars . \" Mary Garrett's mother is better , and Mary came back to the school this morning , and I shall have four new girls next week from the Foundry Close--they would have come to-day but for the snow . \" \" Indeed ! \" \" Mr. Oliver pays for two . \" \" Does he ? \" \" He means to give the whole school a treat at Christmas . \" \" I know . \" \" Was it your suggestion ? \" \" No. \" \" Whose , then ? \" \" His daughter 's , I think . \" \" It is like her : she is so good-natured . \" \" Yes . \" Again came the blank of a pause : the clock struck eight strokes . It aroused him ; he uncrossed his legs , sat erect , turned to me . \" Leave your book a moment , and come a little nearer the fire , \" he said . Wondering , and of my wonder finding no end , I complied . \" Half-an-hour ago , \" he pursued , \" I spoke of my impatience to hear the sequel of a tale : on reflection , I find the matter will be better managed by my assuming the narrator's part , and converting you into a listener . Before commencing , it is but fair to warn you that the story will sound somewhat hackneyed in your ears ; but stale details often regain a degree of freshness when they pass through new lips . For the rest , whether trite or novel , it is short . \" Twenty years ago , a poor curate--never mind his name at this moment--fell in love with a rich man's daughter ; she fell in love with him , and married him , against the advice of all her friends , who consequently disowned her immediately after the wedding . Before two years passed , the rash pair were both dead , and laid quietly side by side under one slab . ( I have seen their grave ; it formed part of the pavement of a huge churchyard surrounding the grim , soot-black old cathedral of an overgrown manufacturing town in --- shire . ) They left a daughter , which , at its very birth , Charity received in her lap--cold as that of the snow-drift I almost stuck fast in to-night . Charity carried the friendless thing to the house of its rich maternal relations ; it was reared by an aunt-in - law , called ( I come to names now ) Mrs. Reed of Gateshead . You start--did you hear a noise ? I daresay it is only a rat scrambling along the rafters of the adjoining schoolroom : it was a barn before I had it repaired and altered , and barns are generally haunted by rats . -- To proceed . Mrs. Reed kept the orphan ten years : whether it was happy or not with her , I can not say , never having been told ; but at the end of that time she transferred it to a place you know--being no other than Lowood School , where you so long resided yourself . It seems her career there was very honourable : from a pupil , she became a teacher , like yourself--really it strikes me there are parallel points in her history and yours--she left it to be a governess : there , again , your fates were analogous ; she undertook the education of the ward of a certain Mr. Rochester . \" \" Mr. Rivers ! \" I interrupted . \" I can guess your feelings , \" he said , \" but restrain them for a while : I have nearly finished ; hear me to the end . Of Mr. Rochester's character I know nothing , but the one fact that he professed to offer honourable marriage to this young girl , and that at the very altar she discovered he had a wife yet alive , though a lunatic . What his subsequent conduct and proposals were is a matter of pure conjecture ; but when an event transpired which rendered inquiry after the governess necessary , it was discovered she was gone--no one could tell when , where , or how . She had left Thornfield Hall in the night ; every research after her course had been vain : the country had been scoured far and wide ; no vestige of information could be gathered respecting her . Yet that she should be found is become a matter of serious urgency : advertisements have been put in all the papers ; I myself have received a letter from one Mr. Briggs , a solicitor , communicating the details I have just imparted . Is it not an odd tale ? \" \" Just tell me this , \" said I , \" and since you know so much , you surely can tell it me--what of Mr. Rochester ? How and where is he ? What is he doing ? Is he well ? \" \" I am ignorant of all concerning Mr. Rochester : the letter never mentions him but to narrate the fraudulent and illegal attempt I have adverted to . You should rather ask the name of the governess--the nature of the event which requires her appearance . \" \" Did no one go to Thornfield Hall , then ? Did no one see Mr. Rochester ? \" \" I suppose not . \" \" But they wrote to him ? \" \" Of course . \" \" And what did he say ? Who has his letters ? \" \" Mr. Briggs intimates that the answer to his application was not from Mr. Rochester , but from a lady : it is signed ' Alice Fairfax . ' \" I felt cold and dismayed : my worst fears then were probably true : he had in all probability left England and rushed in reckless desperation to some former haunt on the Continent . And what opiate for his severe sufferings--what object for his strong passions--had he sought there ? I dared not answer the question . Oh , my poor master--once almost my husband--whom I had often called \" my dear Edward ! \" \" He must have been a bad man , \" observed Mr. Rivers . \" You do n't know him--do n't pronounce an opinion upon him , \" I said , with warmth . \" Very well , \" he answered quietly : \" and indeed my head is otherwise occupied than with him : I have my tale to finish . Since you wo n ' t ask the governess's name , I must tell it of my own accord . Stay ! I have it here--it is always more satisfactory to see important points written down , fairly committed to black and white . \" And the pocket-book was again deliberately produced , opened , sought through ; from one of its compartments was extracted a shabby slip of paper , hastily torn off : I recognised in its texture and its stains of ultra-marine , and lake , and vermillion , the ravished margin of the portrait-cover . He got up , held it close to my eyes : and I read , traced in Indian ink , in my own handwriting , the words \" JANE EYRE \" -- the work doubtless of some moment of abstraction . \" Briggs wrote to me of a Jane Eyre : \" he said , \" the advertisements demanded a Jane Eyre : I knew a Jane Elliott . -- I confess I had my suspicions , but it was only yesterday afternoon they were at once resolved into certainty . You own the name and renounce the _alias_ ? \" \" Yes--yes ; but where is Mr. Briggs ? He perhaps knows more of Mr. Rochester than you do . \" \" Briggs is in London . I should doubt his knowing anything at all about Mr. Rochester ; it is not in Mr. Rochester he is interested . Meantime , you forget essential points in pursuing trifles : you do not inquire why Mr. Briggs sought after you--what he wanted with you . \" \" Well , what did he want ? \" \" Merely to tell you that your uncle , Mr. Eyre of Madeira , is dead ; that he has left you all his property , and that you are now rich--merely that--nothing more . \" \" I ! -- rich ? \" \" Yes , you , rich--quite an heiress . \" Silence succeeded . \" You must prove your identity of course , \" resumed St. John presently : \" a step which will offer no difficulties ; you can then enter on immediate possession . Your fortune is vested in the English funds ; Briggs has the will and the necessary documents . \" Here was a new card turned up ! It is a fine thing , reader , to be lifted in a moment from indigence to wealth--a very fine thing ; but not a matter one can comprehend , or consequently enjoy , all at once . And then there are other chances in life far more thrilling and rapture-giving : _this_ is solid , an affair of the actual world , nothing ideal about it : all its associations are solid and sober , and its manifestations are the same . One does not jump , and spring , and shout hurrah ! at hearing one has got a fortune ; one begins to consider responsibilities , and to ponder business ; on a base of steady satisfaction rise certain grave cares , and we contain ourselves , and brood over our bliss with a solemn brow . Besides , the words Legacy , Bequest , go side by side with the words , Death , Funeral . My uncle I had heard was dead--my only relative ; ever since being made aware of his existence , I had cherished the hope of one day seeing him : now , I never should . And then this money came only to me : not to me and a rejoicing family , but to my isolated self . It was a grand boon doubtless ; and independence would be glorious--yes , I felt that--that thought swelled my heart . \" You unbend your forehead at last , \" said Mr. Rivers . \" I thought Medusa had looked at you , and that you were turning to stone . Perhaps now you will ask how much you are worth ? \" \" How much am I worth ? \" \" Oh , a trifle ! Nothing of course to speak of--twenty thousand pounds , I think they say--but what is that ? \" \" Twenty thousand pounds ? \" Here was a new stunner--I had been calculating on four or five thousand . This news actually took my breath for a moment : Mr. St. John , whom I had never heard laugh before , laughed now . \" Well , \" said he , \" if you had committed a murder , and I had told you your crime was discovered , you could scarcely look more aghast . \" \" It is a large sum--do n't you think there is a mistake ? \" \" No mistake at all . \" \" Perhaps you have read the figures wrong--it may be two thousand ! \" \" It is written in letters , not figures , -- twenty thousand . \" I again felt rather like an individual of but average gastronomical powers sitting down to feast alone at a table spread with provisions for a hundred . Mr. Rivers rose now and put his cloak on . \" If it were not such a very wild night , \" he said , \" I would send Hannah down to keep you company : you look too desperately miserable to be left alone . But Hannah , poor woman ! could not stride the drifts so well as I : her legs are not quite so long : so I must e ' en leave you to your sorrows . Good-night . \" He was lifting the latch : a sudden thought occurred to me . \" Stop one minute ! \" I cried . \" Well ? \" \" It puzzles me to know why Mr. Briggs wrote to you about me ; or how he knew you , or could fancy that you , living in such an out-of-the-way place , had the power to aid in my discovery . \" \" Oh ! I am a clergyman , \" he said ; \" and the clergy are often appealed to about odd matters . \" Again the latch rattled . \" No ; that does not satisfy me ! \" I exclaimed : and indeed there was something in the hasty and unexplanatory reply which , instead of allaying , piqued my curiosity more than ever . \" It is a very strange piece of business , \" I added ; \" I must know more about it . \" \" Another time . \" \" No ; to-night ! -- to-night ! \" and as he turned from the door , I placed myself between it and him . He looked rather embarrassed . \" You certainly shall not go till you have told me all , \" I said . \" I would rather not just now . \" \" You shall ! -- you must ! \" \" I would rather Diana or Mary informed you . \" Of course these objections wrought my eagerness to a climax : gratified it must be , and that without delay ; and I told him so . \" But I apprised you that I was a hard man , \" said he , \" difficult to persuade . \" \" And I am a hard woman , -- impossible to put off . \" \" And then , \" he pursued , \" I am cold : no fervour infects me . \" \" Whereas I am hot , and fire dissolves ice . The blaze there has thawed all the snow from your cloak ; by the same token , it has streamed on to my floor , and made it like a trampled street . As you hope ever to be forgiven , Mr. Rivers , the high crime and misdemeanour of spoiling a sanded kitchen , tell me what I wish to know . \" \" Well , then , \" he said , \" I yield ; if not to your earnestness , to your perseverance : as stone is worn by continual dropping . Besides , you must know some day , -- as well now as later . Your name is Jane Eyre ? \" \" Of course : that was all settled before . \" \" You are not , perhaps , aware that I am your namesake ? -- that I was christened St. John Eyre Rivers ? \" \" No , indeed ! I remember now seeing the letter E. comprised in your initials written in books you have at different times lent me ; but I never asked for what name it stood . But what then ? Surely -- \" I stopped : I could not trust myself to entertain , much less to express , the thought that rushed upon me--that embodied itself , -- that , in a second , stood out a strong , solid probability . Circumstances knit themselves , fitted themselves , shot into order : the chain that had been lying hitherto a formless lump of links was drawn out straight , -- every ring was perfect , the connection complete . I knew , by instinct , how the matter stood , before St. John had said another word ; but I can not expect the reader to have the same intuitive perception , so I must repeat his explanation . \" My mother's name was Eyre ; she had two brothers ; one a clergyman , who married Miss Jane Reed , of Gateshead ; the other , John Eyre , Esq. , merchant , late of Funchal , Madeira . Mr. Briggs , being Mr. Eyre's solicitor , wrote to us last August to inform us of our uncle's death , and to say that he had left his property to his brother the clergyman's orphan daughter , overlooking us , in consequence of a quarrel , never forgiven , between him and my father . He wrote again a few weeks since , to intimate that the heiress was lost , and asking if we knew anything of her . A name casually written on a slip of paper has enabled me to find her out . You know the rest . \" Again he was going , but I set my back against the door . \" Do let me speak , \" I said ; \" let me have one moment to draw breath and reflect . \" I paused--he stood before me , hat in hand , looking composed enough . I resumed -- \" Your mother was my father's sister ? \" \" Yes . \" \" My aunt , consequently ? \" He bowed . \" My uncle John was your uncle John ? You , Diana , and Mary are his sister's children , as I am his brother's child ? \" \" Undeniably . \" \" You three , then , are my cousins ; half our blood on each side flows from the same source ? \" \" We are cousins ; yes . \" I surveyed him . It seemed I had found a brother : one I could be proud of , -- one I could love ; and two sisters , whose qualities were such , that , when I knew them but as mere strangers , they had inspired me with genuine affection and admiration . The two girls , on whom , kneeling down on the wet ground , and looking through the low , latticed window of Moor House kitchen , I had gazed with so bitter a mixture of interest and despair , were my near kinswomen ; and the young and stately gentleman who had found me almost dying at his threshold was my blood relation . Glorious discovery to a lonely wretch ! This was wealth indeed ! -- wealth to the heart ! -- a mine of pure , genial affections . This was a blessing , bright , vivid , and exhilarating ; -- not like the ponderous gift of gold : rich and welcome enough in its way , but sobering from its weight . I now clapped my hands in sudden joy--my pulse bounded , my veins thrilled . \" Oh , I am glad ! -- I am glad ! \" I exclaimed . St. John smiled . \" Did I not say you neglected essential points to pursue trifles ? \" he asked . \" You were serious when I told you you had got a fortune ; and now , for a matter of no moment , you are excited . \" \" What can you mean ? It may be of no moment to you ; you have sisters and do n't care for a cousin ; but I had nobody ; and now three relations , -- or two , if you do n't choose to be counted , -- are born into my world full-grown . I say again , I am glad ! \" I walked fast through the room : I stopped , half suffocated with the thoughts that rose faster than I could receive , comprehend , settle them : -- thoughts of what might , could , would , and should be , and that ere long . I looked at the blank wall : it seemed a sky thick with ascending stars , -- every one lit me to a purpose or delight . Those who had saved my life , whom , till this hour , I had loved barrenly , I could now benefit . They were under a yoke , -- I could free them : they were scattered , -- I could reunite them : the independence , the affluence which was mine , might be theirs too . Were we not four ? Twenty thousand pounds shared equally would be five thousand each , justice--enough and to spare : justice would be done , -- mutual happiness secured . Now the wealth did not weigh on me : now it was not a mere bequest of coin , -- it was a legacy of life , hope , enjoyment . How I looked while these ideas were taking my spirit by storm , I can not tell ; but I perceived soon that Mr. Rivers had placed a chair behind me , and was gently attempting to make me sit down on it . He also advised me to be composed ; I scorned the insinuation of helplessness and distraction , shook off his hand , and began to walk about again . \" Write to Diana and Mary to-morrow , \" I said , \" and tell them to come home directly . Diana said they would both consider themselves rich with a thousand pounds , so with five thousand they will do very well . \" \" Tell me where I can get you a glass of water , \" said St. John ; \" you must really make an effort to tranquillise your feelings . \" \" Nonsense ! and what sort of an effect will the bequest have on you ? Will it keep you in England , induce you to marry Miss Oliver , and settle down like an ordinary mortal ? \" \" You wander : your head becomes confused . I have been too abrupt in communicating the news ; it has excited you beyond your strength . \" \" Mr. Rivers ! you quite put me out of patience : I am rational enough ; it is you who misunderstand , or rather who affect to misunderstand . \" \" Perhaps , if you explained yourself a little more fully , I should comprehend better . \" \" Explain ! What is there to explain ? You can not fail to see that twenty thousand pounds , the sum in question , divided equally between the nephew and three nieces of our uncle , will give five thousand to each ? What I want is , that you should write to your sisters and tell them of the fortune that has accrued to them . \" \" To you , you mean . \" \" I have intimated my view of the case : I am incapable of taking any other . I am not brutally selfish , blindly unjust , or fiendishly ungrateful . Besides , I am resolved I will have a home and connections . I like Moor House , and I will live at Moor House ; I like Diana and Mary , and I will attach myself for life to Diana and Mary . It would please and benefit me to have five thousand pounds ; it would torment and oppress me to have twenty thousand ; which , moreover , could never be mine in justice , though it might in law . I abandon to you , then , what is absolutely superfluous to me . Let there be no opposition , and no discussion about it ; let us agree amongst each other , and decide the point at once . \" \" This is acting on first impulses ; you must take days to consider such a matter , ere your word can be regarded as valid . \" \" Oh ! if all you doubt is my sincerity , I am easy : you see the justice of the case ? \" \" I _do_ see a certain justice ; but it is contrary to all custom . Besides , the entire fortune is your right : my uncle gained it by his own efforts ; he was free to leave it to whom he would : he left it to you . After all , justice permits you to keep it : you may , with a clear conscience , consider it absolutely your own . \" \" With me , \" said I , \" it is fully as much a matter of feeling as of conscience : I must indulge my feelings ; I so seldom have had an opportunity of doing so . Were you to argue , object , and annoy me for a year , I could not forego the delicious pleasure of which I have caught a glimpse--that of repaying , in part , a mighty obligation , and winning to myself lifelong friends . \" \" You think so now , \" rejoined St. John , \" because you do not know what it is to possess , nor consequently to enjoy wealth : you can not form a notion of the importance twenty thousand pounds would give you ; of the place it would enable you to take in society ; of the prospects it would open to you : you can not -- \" \" And you , \" I interrupted , \" can not at all imagine the craving I have for fraternal and sisterly love . I never had a home , I never had brothers or sisters ; I must and will have them now : you are not reluctant to admit me and own me , are you ? \" \" Jane , I will be your brother--my sisters will be your sisters--without stipulating for this sacrifice of your just rights . \" \" Brother ? Yes ; at the distance of a thousand leagues ! Sisters ? Yes ; slaving amongst strangers ! I , wealthy--gorged with gold I never earned and do not merit ! You , penniless ! Famous equality and fraternisation ! Close union ! Intimate attachment ! \" \" But , Jane , your aspirations after family ties and domestic happiness may be realised otherwise than by the means you contemplate : you may marry . \" \" Nonsense , again ! Marry ! I do n't want to marry , and never shall marry . \" \" That is saying too much : such hazardous affirmations are a proof of the excitement under which you labour . \" \" It is not saying too much : I know what I feel , and how averse are my inclinations to the bare thought of marriage . No one would take me for love ; and I will not be regarded in the light of a mere money speculation . And I do not want a stranger--unsympathising , alien , different from me ; I want my kindred : those with whom I have full fellow - feeling . Say again you will be my brother : when you uttered the words I was satisfied , happy ; repeat them , if you can , repeat them sincerely . \" \" I think I can . I know I have always loved my own sisters ; and I know on what my affection for them is grounded , -- respect for their worth and admiration of their talents . You too have principle and mind : your tastes and habits resemble Diana's and Mary's ; your presence is always agreeable to me ; in your conversation I have already for some time found a salutary solace . I feel I can easily and naturally make room in my heart for you , as my third and youngest sister . \" \" Thank you : that contents me for to-night . Now you had better go ; for if you stay longer , you will perhaps irritate me afresh by some mistrustful scruple . \" \" And the school , Miss Eyre ? It must now be shut up , I suppose ? \" \" No. I will retain my post of mistress till you get a substitute . \" He smiled approbation : we shook hands , and he took leave . I need not narrate in detail the further struggles I had , and arguments I used , to get matters regarding the legacy settled as I wished . My task was a very hard one ; but , as I was absolutely resolved--as my cousins saw at length that my mind was really and immutably fixed on making a just division of the property--as they must in their own hearts have felt the equity of the intention ; and must , besides , have been innately conscious that in my place they would have done precisely what I wished to do--they yielded at length so far as to consent to put the affair to arbitration . The judges chosen were Mr. Oliver and an able lawyer : both coincided in my opinion : I carried my point . The instruments of transfer were drawn out : St. John , Diana , Mary , and I , each became possessed of a competency .","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"This may vary from vendor to vendor , but NSS has n't tested the capabilities of these devices to \" learn \" the networks they 're installed in without manual intervention . The recommendation has always been to install them in a passive monitoring mode , watch what they alert on , and then have custom exclusions written for unique applications . NGFWs do not natively include the ability to ' self-learn ' the behavior of custom apps . It requires manual intervention to identify the unknown application traffic in order for the NGFW to properly identify and manage the application . What impact will the trend of social media webpages like Facebook moving towards https have on the ability to block \" specific \" traffic or traffic patterns ? You will need SSL interception capabilities on your NGFW . The most common problem in this type of implementation is to manage the whitelist \/ blacklist sites . For regulatory reasons corporations do not want to intercept SSL connections to employee benefits \/ payroll \/ personal banking sites . Many organizations now require secure file transfers ( SFTP or FTPS ) ... how can a next-gen firewall inspect that traffic if the data is encrypted ? Absolutely . One reason why you do n't hear much from most NGFW vendors about IPv6 is that they have not built in the dual-stack support and feature & performance parity necessary to provide the same level protection for IPv6 as they deliver for IPv4 traffic . In other words , they hope you do n't have a requirement to support IPv6 because they ca n't support it today . Why this is an issue is threefold : You likely have IPv6 traffic in your network whether you know it or not . Many devices and OS have supported native IPv6 enabled , and can send and receive IPv6 traffic by default . Dual stack support does n't mean feature parity , and most vendors only support IPv6 in software . Supporting IPv6 is just the first significant step \u2013 vendors have to invest the R & D resources to ensure that their products can deliver the same features \/ functions in both protocols , and also invest in the custom processors to deliver hardware-based acceleration of the IPv6 data to avoid becoming a security bottleneck . How quickly , realistically , can an organization expect to apply the Next-Gen Firewall capabilities to a legacy ruleset ? IPS is probably the easiest . Application control might be also quickly implemented if the organization has proper logging and analysis done on the legacy ruleset . Perhaps the NNGFW ( next-next-generation firewall ) ? In all seriousness , the NGFW will evolve , and the term will at some point be replaced . Vendors have to keep adding new features to keep pace with the changing networking environment . One area that we at Fortinet have launched is client reputation , which provides a set of behaviors that the FortiGate device uses to calculate a reputation score . The value of this is that a change in behavior by a device ( whether sudden or over an extended period of time ) will trigger an alert , providing a real-time method to identify the bad actors in your network at any time , as well as identity potentially compromised systems . Two trends we are certainly seeing are : 1 ) More consolidation \u2013 firewalls will get better at consolidating network security functions , not just IPS , but also URL filtering and advanced malware detection , and are likely to add more capabilities . 2 ) Virtual ( Hypervisor-based ) Firewalls \u2013 while adoption is limited currently , firewalls that can inspect VM to VM traffic will become more prevalent , as organizations will virtualize their environment to the point where workloads that differ in their security requirements are executed on the same physical machine . I think NGFW is still not mature , Data Loss Prevention is just scratching the surface of NGFW . IPv6 will bring some more challenges in firewall space . Content examination within protocols , digital marking for DLP , authentication function for bidirectional connection to support mobile devices are probably some areas of interest . Thanks to our panelists for responding to these questions . For more commentary on where the firewall is headed , check out our \" Evolution of the Firewall \" blog .","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Chapter 11 Camera and Multimedia 11.1 Taking Photos and Videos Use Camera to take photos and record video clips . To open the Camera screen On the Home screen , slide to the Photos and Videos tab and then tap the camera icon ( ) . The screen orientation automatically switches to landscape mode when you open Camera . To close the Camera Tap the On-screen control button ( ) , and then tap . Changing the capture mode Tap , then tap the capture mode icon ( \u2013 the icon displayed is based on the current capture mode ) . On the menu , tap the capture mode you want to use . Icon Capture Mode Captures standard still images . Records video clips , with or without audio . 196 Camera and Multimedia Icon Capture Mode Captures still images continuously in one direction , and then stitches them to create a panoramic view of a scenery . Records video clips suitable for sending via MMS . Captures a still image that you can assign as a contact picture . Captures still images and places them within frames . Note When using the second camera to capture , you can use all modes , except for Panorama . Using the focus Note Use the automatic focus or Touch Focus function to capture sharp and crisp photos and videos . The second ( front ) camera has no auto-focus function . Auto-focus Auto-focus sets the focus on the object at the center of the screen and is available for all capture modes . By default , touching the Virtual Camera button ( ) activates auto-focus and a flashing white bracket ( ) appears in the center of the screen . When focus is set , the bracket changes to a steady green bracket ( ) , and then the Camera takes the photo or starts to record the video . Touch Focus Touch Focus allows you to focus on a particular area of the screen . Touch Focus is enabled by default and is only available for Photo or Contacts Picture mode . Note To disable Touch Focus , see \" Setting advanced options \" in this chapter . Camera and Multimedia 197 To use Touch Focus : 1 . Set the Camera to Photo or Contacts Picture mode . 2 . Touch the area on the screen that you want to focus . The Touch Focus indicator ( ) positions itself on the selected area . Note If you tap outside the effective focus area , a white box appears to indicate the area where you can use Touch Focus . 3 . Touch to activate auto-focus on the selected area and take the photo . See \" Auto-focus \" in this chapter for more information . Tip To move the Touch Focus indicator back to the center of the screen , tap . Capturing photo or recording video By default , the Camera automatically takes the shot or starts capturing video after you have set the focus . \u2022 In Photo or Contacts Picture mode , touch the Virtual Camera button to activate auto-focus ; when focus is set , the Camera automatically takes the shot . \u2022 In Video or MMS Video mode , touch the Virtual Camera button to activate auto-focus ; when focus is set , the Camera automatically starts recording . Touch the Virtual camera button again to stop recording . \u2022 In Picture Theme or Panorama mode , touch the Virtual Camera button to activate auto-focus ; when focus is set , the Camera automatically takes the first shot . Do the same for each shot you need to take . 198 Camera and Multimedia The Review screen Icon After capturing a photo or recording video , the Review screen gives you the option to view \/ play , send , or delete the photo or video clip . Function Return to the live Camera screen . \/ View the captured image or play the captured video in Album . See \" Viewing Photos and Videos Using Album \" in this chapter . Delete the captured image or video . Send the captured image or video via MMS or e-mail . After capturing in Contacts Picture mode , tap to assign the photo to a contact . On-screen controls Tap to display the on-screen controls . 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 Album . Open the Album program . See \" Viewing Photos and Videos Using Album \" for details . 2 Capture mode . See \" Changing the capture mode \" for details . 3 Touch Focus \/ Auto-focus indicator . See \" Using the focus \" for details . Camera and Multimedia 199 4 Menu . Open the Menu Panel . See \" Menu Panel \" for details . 5 Virtual Camera button . Activates the auto-focus and functions as the shutter release button . 6 Template Selector icon . In Picture Theme mode , tap to select another frame . 7 Progress indicator . In Picture Theme and Panorama modes , this shows the number of consecutive shots . Menu Panel The Menu panel lets you quickly adjust common camera settings and provides access to more advanced camera settings . To open the Menu panel , tap on the Camera screen , and then tap . To adjust a setting , keep tapping a button , for instance , White Balance , to cycle through the available settings . Note The available menu panel buttons depend on the selected capture mode . Icon Function Select the white balance setting according to the current lighting condition to capture colors more accurately . Open the Brightness bar and adjust the brightness level . Tap outside the Brightness bar to apply the change . Select the camera to use . You can choose from main camera ( second camera ( ) . ) or Set the ISO level manually to 100 , 200 , 400 , or 800 , or set it back to AUTO . Higher ISO numbers are better for taking pictures in low light conditions . Note The camera automatically adjusts the ISO level up to 400 only . Set the self-timer to 2 seconds , 10 seconds , or Off when in Photo or Contacts Picture mode . Open the advanced camera settings . See \" Setting advanced options \" for details . 200 Camera and Multimedia Zooming Before capturing a photo or a video clip , you can zoom in or out on your subject . To zoom in or out , slide your finger up or down on the Zoom bar while holding the device sideways . While you are sliding your finger on the Zoom bar , the level of zoom is shown on the zoom control bar on the screen . Zoom control bar Zoom bar The camera zoom range for a photo or a video clip depends on the capture mode and resolution . Refer to the table for more information . Capture mode Photo Resolution Normal : 2048 x 1536 3M Widescreen : 2048 x 1216 Normal : 1600 x 1200 2M Widescreen : 1600 x 960 Normal : 1280 x 960 1M Widescreen : 1280 x 768 Normal : 640 x 480 L Widescreen : 640 x 384 Normal : 320 x 240 M Widescreen : 320 x 192 Zoom range 1 . 0x to 1 . 6x 1 . 0x to 1 . 6x 1 . 0x to 1 . 6x 1 . 0x to 1 . 6x 1 . 0x to 3 . 2x Camera and Multimedia 201 Capture mode Video Resolution VGA 640 x 480 * CIF 352 x 288 L 320 x 240 M 176 x 144 S 128 x 96 M 176 x 144 S 128 x 96 L 640 x 480 M 320 x 240 M 272 x 272 Determined by the current template Zoom range 1 . 0x to 1 . 6x 1 . 0x to 1 . 6x 1 . 0x to 1 . 6x 1 . 0x to 1 . 6x 1 . 0x to 1 . 6x 1 . 0x to 1 . 6x 1 . 0x to 1 . 6x 1 . 0x to 1 . 6x 1 . 0x to 3 . 2x 1 . 0x to 3 . 2x Depends on the size of the selected template MMS Video Panorama Contacts Picture Picture Theme * Available only in some models . Note The capture resolutions and zoom ranges are only for the main camera . Setting advanced options The Advanced options let you adjust options for your selected capture mode and set Camera program preferences . Tap Advanced on the Menu panel to open the Advanced screen . Tap an item to change the setting . Tap to go back to the Camera screen . Tap to navigate through the Advanced option screens . 202 Camera and Multimedia \u2022 Resolution . Select the resolution to use . \u2022 Widescreen ( Photo mode ) . When On ( default ) you can use the entire screen as viewfinder . Refer to the zoom table for the resolution when Widescreen is On . \u2022 Touch Focus ( Photo and Contacts Picture modes ) . Enables or disables the Touch Focus function . Touch Focus is On by default . \u2022 Review Duration . Set the time for a captured photo \/ video to remain on the Review screen . \u2022 Quality . Select the image quality level for captured photos . \u2022 Capture Format ( Video and MMS Video modes ) . Select the file format for recorded videos . \u2022 Time Stamp ( Photo mode ) . Include the date and time on captured photos . \u2022 Storage . Select where to save photos and videos . You can either save the files to the main memory , or to a storage card if available . \u2022 Keep Backlight . Turn the backlight on or off . This overrides your device backlight settings while you are using the camera . \u2022 Shutter Sound . Play a shutter sound when you tap the Virtual Camera button . \u2022 Image Properties . Adjust the image properties . 1 2 Tap a property to adjust . Save the settings . Decrease the value . Reset all properties to default . Increase the value . Close the Image Properties screen without applying and saving the changes . 1 3 4 5 6 2 3 4 5 6 \u2022 Effect . Apply a special effect to your photos or videos . Camera and Multimedia 203 \u2022 Metering Mode . Select a metering mode to allow the camera to measure the amount of light and calculate the best-fit exposure value before capturing . \u2022 Prefix . The file name of a newly captured photo or video is set to \" IMAGE \" or \" VIDEO \" followed by a sequential number , for example : IMAGE_001 . jpg . You can also choose the current date or date and time as the file name prefix . Note You can not change the file name prefix when saving captured photos to a storage card . Captured photos are named using the convention IMAGnnnn . jpg ( where ' nnnn ' is the counter ) , and are saved to the \\ DCIM \\ 100MEDIA folder on the storage card . \u2022 Counter . Reset the file naming counter back to 1 . \u2022 Flicker Adjustment . When taking indoor shots under fluorescent lighting , keep this setting on Auto or change it to the proper frequency ( 50Hz or 60Hz ) of the power in your country to reduce flicker . \u2022 Grid ( Photo mode ) . Show a grid on the screen so you can easily frame and center your subjects . \u2022 Record with Audio ( Video or MMS Video mode ) . Select On to record videos with audio , or Off to record videos without audio . \u2022 Recording Limit ( Video mode ) . Set the maximum duration or file size for recording video . \u2022 Template ( Picture Theme mode ) . Select a template . \u2022 Template Folder ( Picture Theme mode ) . By default , templates are stored in the \\ My Documents \\ Templates folder on the device's Main Memory . If you transferred some templates to a storage card , set this option to Main + Card . \u2022 Show Reminder ( Contacts Picture mode ) . Select On if you want the Camera to prompt you to assign the captured picture to a contact . \u2022 Direction ( Panorama mode ) . Choose the direction in which to stitch the photos in a panorama . \u2022 Stitch Count ( Panorama mode ) . Select the number of shots to take and stitch into a panorama . 204 Camera and Multimedia 11.2 Viewing Photos and Videos Using Album Use Album to view photos and videos in your device . To open Album On the Home screen , slide to the Photos and Videos tab , and then tap Album . You can also tap while on the Camera program to open Album . Open the Camera program . View the photo in full screen . View another album . Play the video file . Start a slideshow , set the album as favorite , and more . Camera and Multimedia 205 Viewing photos While viewing a photo , tap the screen to open the menu . Send the photo using e-mail or MMS . Save the photo as a contact picture , save the on-screen image as a new file , and more . Start the slideshow . Return to the previous screen . To view the next or previous photo in the album When you are holding your device upright , view the next or previous photo by swiping your finger up or down the screen . When you turn your device sideways , view the next or previous photo by swiping your finger left or right across the screen . To zoom in or out on an photo Double-tap the area on the photo you want to zoom in on . To zoom out , doubletap the screen again . Tips \u2022 Use the zoom bar to zoom in on the center of the photo . Slide your finger to the right of the zoom bar to zoom in . Slide to the left of the zoom bar to zoom out . \u2022 When you zoom in on a photo , tap and hold the screen to pan and view other areas of the photo . When you zoom in on a photo , tap the screen , tap and then select Save Screen Image to save the zoomed in photo as a new file . 206 Camera and Multimedia To view a slideshow of photos in the current album While viewing a photo , tap the screen , and then tap Note . Animated GIF and video files are excluded from the slideshow . During the slideshow , tap the screen to show the playback controls . Return to the previous screen . Set the transition effect , time per slide , and orientation of the photos . Go back to the previous image . Tip Go to the next image . Play or pause the slideshow . If the photos are in your favorite album , you can start the slideshow from the Photos and Videos tab on the Home screen . See \" Photos and Videos \" in Chapter 3 for details . Camera and Multimedia 207 Playing videos While playing back video , tap the screen to show the playback controls . Drag to go forward or backward in the video . Elapsed time Go back to the beginning of the video . Play or pause Stop the video . the video . Total duration Change the video display mode to Fit & Crop ( default ) , Best Fit , or Stretch . Closing Album Tap When viewing photos in full screen , tap the screen to show the on-screen menu or playback controls and then tap to go back to the main Album screen . on the main Album screen to close Album . 208 Camera and Multimedia 11.3 Using Windows Media \u00ae Player Mobile Windows Media \u00ae Player Mobile plays digital audio and video files that are stored on your device or on the web . To open Windows Media \u00ae Player Mobile Tap Start > All Programs > Windows Media . Windows Media \u00ae Player Mobile opens with the Library screen . Use the Library screen to find and play songs , videos , and playlists that are stored on your device or on the storage card . Playing media To update the Library In most cases , Windows Media \u00ae Player Mobile automatically updates the library . However , you can manually update the library to ensure that it contains new files that you recently copied to your device or to the storage card . Tap Menu > Update Library to manually update the library list . To play audio and video files 1 . On the Library screen , tap the Library arrow ( near the top of the screen ) , then tap the media storage that you want use , for example , Storage Card . 2 . Select a category ( for example , My Music or My Playlists ) . 3 . Tap and hold the item that you want to play ( such as a song , album , or artist name ) , and then tap Play . Camera and Multimedia 209 The playback screen opens and plays the audio or video file . Drag to jump to any part of the video or audio . Full screen Mute \/ Unmute Increase volume Visit WindowsMedia . com Decrease volume Skip to the beginning of Skip to the next file . the current file or to the Play \/ Pause previous file . Synchronizing video and audio files Use the latest version of Windows Media \u00ae Player on your computer to synchronize digital media files from your computer to your device . This ensures that protected files and album art ( for skins ) are correctly copied to your device . To automatically synchronize content to your device 1 . On your computer , open Windows Media \u00ae Player , then connect your device to your computer . 2 . In the Device Setup Wizard , select Yes , search my computer now . 210 Camera and Multimedia Note If you have previously opened Windows Media \u00ae Player and searched for media on your computer , you are not prompted to search your computer in step 2 . 3 . On the Device Setup dialog box , enter a name for your device and click Finish . Note If you installed a storage card that has a capacity of more than 4GB and your entire library can fit into the storage card , Windows Media Player will automatically synchronize your music files . The device also needs to be set to Disk Drive mode for Windows Media Player to automatically synchronize . 4 . On the left panel of Windows Media \u00ae Player , right-click the name of your device and click Set Up Sync . Note To set up media synchronization on a storage card , right-click Storage Card in the left panel of Windows Media \u00ae Player , then click Set Up Sync . 5 . Select the playlist ( s ) that you want to sync between your computer and device , then click Add . Note On the Device Setup dialog box , make sure that the Sync this device automatically check box is selected . 6 . Click Finish . The files begin synchronizing to your device . The next time you connect your device to your computer while Windows Media \u00ae Player is running , synchronization will start automatically . To manually synchronize content to your device 1 . If you have not set up media synchronization between your device and computer , follow steps 1 to 3 in \" To automatically synchronize content to your device \" . 2 . Click the Sync tab on the Windows Media \u00ae Player of your computer . Select a Playlist or a Library on the left panel of the Windows Media \u00ae Player . 3 . From the Content List , drag the media files that you want to sync to your device and drop them to the Sync List . Camera and Multimedia 211 Playlists and Library List Content List Sync List 4 . Click Start Sync to start synchronizing the selected files to your device . Notes \u2022 Use Windows Media \u00ae Player 11 or higher on your computer to synchronize media files to your device . \u2022 Audio files copy faster if Windows Media \u00ae Player is configured to automatically set the quality level for audio files copied to your device . For more information , see the Windows Media \u00ae Player Help . Creating playlists Create a new playlist by saving the current Now Playing playlist and giving it a new name . To save a new playlist 1 . If you are not on the Library screen , tap Menu > Library . 2 . Tap to select a category ( for example , My Music or My Playlists ) . 212 Camera and Multimedia 3 . Select a media file that you want , then tap Menu > Queue Up . This adds the file to the Now Playing list . Repeat this step until you have added all desired media files to the Now Playing list . Note You can not select multiple files simultaneously . 4 . After adding the media files , tap Menu > Now Playing . 5 . On the Now Playing screen , tap Menu > Save Playlist . 6 . Enter the playlist name , then tap Done . 7 . To play back the playlist you created , tap My Playlists in the Library , select your playlist , then tap Play . Troubleshooting For troubleshooting information , visit http:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/windowsmobile\/ en-us \/ help \/ more \/ windows-media-player . mspx Camera and Multimedia 213 11.4 Using Audio Booster Audio Booster optimizes sound by providing an audio equalizer for a better listening experience . To use Audio Booster , connect the supplied wired headset to your device . To open Audio Booster Tap Start > All Programs > Audio Booster . 1 3 1 2 3 4 Enable or disable the equalizer . Apply the modified settings . Choose the equalizer preset to use . Drag the sliders to adjust the frequency . Exit Audio Booster without applying the modified settings , or save or delete preset equalizer settings . 4 5 2 5 To create a custom equalizer preset 1 . Adjust the frequency bands to your desired values by dragging the equalizer controls . 2 . When finished , tap Menu > Save as Preset . 3 . Enter a preset name and then tap Done . The equalizer preset is added to the preset list box . Note To delete a custom equalizer preset , select it on the preset list box and then tap Menu > Delete Preset . You can not delete pre-installed equalizer presets . 214 Camera and Multimedia","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Potential of wind power projects under the Clean Development Mechanism in India Results : CDM Potential of Wind Power Projects in India Considerable variation has been observed in the reported values of the PLF of the wind power plants in the CDM Project Design Documents ( Table 5 ) . Therefore , in this study to estimate the CDM potential of wind power projects in India the PLF of the wind power plants have been taken as 25 % . There are five regional grids within the country \u2013 the Northern , Western , Southern , Eastern and North-Eastern . Therefore , the CO2 emissions mitigation potential through wind power projects in India is estimated on the basis of the regional grids , whose emission factors have been calculated by the Central Electricity Authority ( CEA ) of the Government of India in 2006 . Table 6 presents the estimated values of CDM potential through wind power projects in India on the basis of the regional baselines . We now do a sensitivity analysis with regards to additionality determination . The case of lax additionality assumes that all wind power projects submitted are registered . The median case assumes that the rejection rate remains at the current level ( 2 out of 18 projects , i . e . 11 % ) . The case of stringent additionality assumes that 50 % of the projects are registered . In the lax additionality case , gross annual CER potential of wind power in India reaches 86 million . Similarly , based on the technical potential of wind power projects in India the CDM potential has been estimated as 25 million tonne . Among all the states in India , Gujarat has the largest CO2 emissions mitigation potential through wind power ( 19 million tonne ) followed by Andhra Pradesh ( 15 . 6 million tonne ) , Madhya Pradesh ( 10 . 8 million tonne ) , Karnataka ( 12.5 million tonne ) , Rajasthan ( 8 . 9 million tonne ) , and so on ( Table 6 ) . The annual electricity generation by wind power projects based on the gross and technical potential is also given in Table 6 . With 25 % PLF of wind power projects the annual gross electricity generation potential has been estimated at 99 TWh whereas the annual technical electricity generation potential has been estimated at 28 TWh . Table 7 presents the projected values of the cumulative capacity of wind power and likely CER generation using the logistic model described in the Methods section while Figure 5 shows the development over time . It may be noted that with the current trend of dissemination of wind power projects in the country , around 22 GW capacity could be installed up to the end of first crediting period in the SS scenario whereas in the OS scenario 36 GW capacity could be installed . Up to the the year 2020 , more than 44 GW capacity of the wind power projects are expected to be installed that would generate 87 million CERs . Discussion : How the CDM could be applied to the Diffusion of Wind Power Projects ? The CDM was slow to take off as after the Marrakech Accords of 2001 it took another three years to define the bulk of the rules . The CDM Executive Board ( EB ) which is the body defining the CDM rules surprised many observers by taking a rigorous stance on critical issues such as baseline and additionality determination ( see below ) . Once the key rules were in place , a \" gold rush \" happened in 2005 and 2006 . Over 1500 projects were submitted with an estimated CER volume of about 1.5 billion . However , the volume share of renewable energy projects has been less than expected due to the high attractiveness of projects reducing industrial gases and methane from waste . Out of the 1478 CDM projects submitted to the EB , 456 projects had been registered by the EB till 20th December , 2006 [ 32,33 ] . 183 CDM projects related to wind energy of which 47 have been registered , 9 requested registration and 127 were at the validation stage [ 33 ] . Figure 6 presents the status of the wind power projects from India . Out of the 89 projects submitted to the UNFCCC , 18 projects had been registered and two projects had submitted the request for registration . 67 projects were at the validation stage whereas 2 projects had been rejected by the EB . The quantification of GHG benefits of a CDM project is done by means of a \" baseline \" . A baseline describes the ( theoretical ) emissions that would have occurred in case the CDM project was not implemented . The amounts of CERs that can be earned by the project are then calculated as the difference of baseline emissions and project emissions . The CO2 emissions mitigation benefits associated with a wind power project depend upon the amount of electricity saved . To estimate the CDM potential of wind power project in the country , the approved consolidated baseline methodology for grid-connected electricity generation from renewable sources ACM0002 ( Version 06 ) has been used . For the small scale CDM ( SSC ) projects , the small scale methodology AMS - I. D. \" Grid connected renewable electricity generation \" in its version of 23rd December 2006 [ 34 ] can be used which explicitly mentions wind power for electricity generation . In India , most of the wind power projects are grid connected and substitute grid electricity . Therefore , for such systems , the baseline is the kWh produced by the renewable generating unit multiplied by an emission coefficient ( measured in g CO2eq . \/ kWh ) calculated in a transparent and conservative manner . This coefficient is 800 g CO2eq . \/ kWh for a grid where all generators use exclusively fuel oil and \/ or diesel fuel , whereas it is the weighted average of the so-called operating margin ( emission factor of all thermal power plants serving the grid ) and build margin ( emission factor of the most recently built plants that provide 20 % of the grid's electricity ) . For wind power , the weight of the operating margin is 0.75 while the build margin is weighted at 0.25 . Alternatively , project developers can use the weighted average emissions of the current generation mix but this will always be less than the emission factor derived previously and thus unattractive . For intermittent and non-dispatchable generation types such as wind and solar photovoltaic , ACM0002 allows to weigh the operating margin ( OM ) and build margin ( BM ) at 75 % and 25 % , respectively , however , in this study we have used combines margin by using equal weights for OM and BM as given in CEA document [ 35 ] . To maintain the environmental integrity of the Kyoto Protocol , CERs are given only for \" additional \" activities that would otherwise not be expected to occur [ 36 ] . Therefore , any CDM project requires careful analysis of additionality . This has probably been the most contentious point in the development of the CDM and also resulted in great confusion amongst project developers [ 37,38 ] . The Kyoto Protocol stops short of requiring project proponents to show strict financial additionality \u2013 that the CDM revenue makes an uneconomic project economic \u2013 and left scope for the CDM EB to refine the demonstration of additionality . The EB subsequently took a fairly strict interpretation of additionality and developed an additionality tool which formally is voluntary but which has become de facto mandatory as it was incorporated in most baseline methodologies . The additionality tool requires an investment analysis and \/ or a barrier analysis to determine whether the CDM project is the most attractive realistic alternative . This means that the project can be profitable and additional as long as developers can show that another project type was even more profitable . It is estimated that wind power in many countries is already competitive with fossil fuel and nuclear power if social \/ environmental costs are considered [ 28 ] . However , in India , in terms of costs per kWh in grid-connected areas , costs of wind power are higher than electricity provided by a coal plant projects thus be additional at any rate . The unit cost of electricity generation is 0.05 \u20ac \/ kWh for coal and 0.06 \u20ac \/ kWh for fuel oil based system whereas in case of wind , the unit cost of electricity generation is 0.07 \u20ac \/ kWh in the best locations . The problem with this reasoning is that if wind projects are used to displace expensive grid electricity for industrial consumers ( priced at 0.09 \u20ac \/ kWh [ 39 ] ) , they are invariably the most attractive alternative unless they are built in locations with low wind speed . The situation for wind projects that supply to the grid at the state-guaranteed feed-in tariff is less clear ; the attractiveness depends on the level of the tariff . As the investment test will not be passed by most wind projects ( or only if they omit the tax incentives , as has been done by a project that achieved registration ) , project developers will use the barrier test . The barrier of higher capital cost compared to fossil fuel power plants is not really credible due to the abundance of capital for wind power in India and thus is mentioned only rarely . More credible barriers are low capacity utilization factor , and possible reduction in feed-in tariffs . The former depends on the siting of the project . The latter is very important as shown by the policy of Rajasthan ( see Table 3 ) and other states . In 2001 , Tamil Nadu Electricity Board ( TNEB ) changed its policy and froze the power purchase tariff for wind energy at Rs 2.70 per kWh with no escalation till 2006 and had informed that this power purchase tariff would be reviewed at 2006 and a new tariff would be fixed then . This was a major barrier for establishing new wind farms as other renewable energy plants continued to get a higher tariff . For instance , the power purchase tariff for electricity from an industrial waste \/ municipal waste based generation was Rs 3.49 for the year 2005 as against Rs 2.70 for wind energy . This policy encourages investors to invest in other renewable energy plants . Reduction in power purchase tariff was a major investment barrier . Moreover , feed-in-tariffs may be replaced by the Availability Based Tariff ( ABT ) in which the generators with firm delivery of power against commitment will start getting more prices for the generated power , whereas wind power producers can not guarantee supply of electricity and will be thus receive lower rates . For the projects that substitute grid electricity at industrial tariffs , there is the risk that the wind power benefit will melt down as liberalization permits industrial electricity consumers to choose the supplier in a competitive environment . Some projects have also highlighted the technological risks associated with new types of wind turbines . Lack of familiarity and experience with such new technologies can lead to perceptions of greater technical risk than for conventional energy sources . Doing the investment test \u2013 case study A 125 MW wind project in Karnataka calculated an IRR of 7.3 % . At that rate , the project would clearly be unattractive for an investor . However , the picture changes if one analyzes the project more closely . If one uses industry averages for the investment cost ( Rs 5 crore per MW ) , the IRR is 11 % . If one includes the accelerated depreciation of 80 % in the first year and the 10 year income tax holiday , the IRR reaches 22 % ( personal communication by Mr. Sanjeev Chadha ) . It would be difficult to find serious alternatives that are more attractive . Nevertheless , the project was registered by the EB . Table 5 presents the additionality arguments of Indian wind power projects . 14 projects out of 20 have carried out investment and barrier analysis for the justification of additionality whereas 6 projects carried out the barrier analysis only . An assessment of the PDD's indicates that the investment analysis is not convincing in most of the cases . Two wind projects from India were rejected due to lack of additionality . The rejection was mainly due to the following statement in the annual report of the company that had invested in the projects : \" The project is extremely beneficial on a standalone basis and has a payback period of three years with an internal rate of return in excess of 28 per cent . In addition to hedging Bajaj Auto's power costs , this investment also provides sales tax incentives and an income tax shield \" [ 40 ] .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Military Provisioning Guardian 6 Recommendations . 1 : Increasing long-term federal investment in high-technology industries , particularly those involving advanced research and manufacturing capabilities . The distinguishing attribute of the U.S. defense industrial base is technological innovation . As foreign nations continue manufac \u00ac turing an ever-larger share of America's defense supplies , the United States increases its risk of diminishing its capacity to design and commercialize emerging defense technologies . To help ensure that our armed forces dominate the future battlefield , Congress should provide funding for American manufacturers to develop and implement advanced process technologies . 2 : Properly applying and enforcing existing laws and regulations to support the U.S. defense industrial base . Domestic source preferences already enacted into law , such as those that apply to the steel and titanium industries under the Specialty Metals Clause , must be retained to ensure that important defense capabilities remain secure and available for the U.S. armed forces . 3 : Developing domestic sources of key natural resources required by our armed forces . Right now the United States relies far too heavily on foreign nations for certain key metals and other raw materials needed to manufacture weapons systems and other military supplies . For example , most rare earth elements , which are essential components of many modern military technologies , currently must be purchased from China . The U.S. government and industry must stockpile these vital raw materials , strengthen efforts to resume mining and transformation of the materials in the United States , improve recycling to make more efficient use of current supplies , and identify alternate materials . 4 : Developing plans to strengthen our defense industrial base in the U.S. National Military Strategy , National Security Strategy , and the Quadrennial Defense Review process . This would make creating and sustaining a healthier defense industrial base a higher national priority , with a focus on increasing support for the most important and vulnerable industrial sectors . 8 : Crafting legislation to support a broadly representative defense industrial base strategy . Congress and the Administration must collaborate on economic and fiscal policies that budget for enduring national security capabilities and sustain the industrial base necessary to support them . 9 : Modernizing and securing defense supply chains through networked operations . These operations should be built on the excellent work that the DOD and industry are already doing to map and secure defense supply chains . The operations would provide ongoing communications between prime contractors and the supply chains they depend on . Closer communications , patterned on the networked operations of U.S. military forces around the world , would help managers identify and solve recurring problems with military supplies . 10 : Identifying potential defense supply chain chokepoints and planning to prevent disruptions . This recommendation would require determining the scope of foreign control over critical military supply chains and finding ways of restoring U.S. control . Subscribe Now !","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"You can not live to please everyone else . You have to edify , educate and fulfill your own dreams and destiny , and hope that whatever your art is that you 're putting out there , if it 's received , great , I respect you for receiving it . If it 's not received , great , I respect you for not .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"We are humbly appealing in your good office to intervene or to investigate the suspension of our Local Executive Mayor Celso Gomera Regencia issued from your office through Executive Secretary , Paquito M. Ochoa , Jr. Dear Mr. President , May the Spirit of the Almighty God to be with you ! We , the undersigned , are the people of Iligan City . We are humbly appealing in your good office to intervene on the suspension of our Local Executive Mayor Celso Gomera Regencia issued from your office through Executive Secretary , Paquito M. Ochoa , Jr. Based on our prayer reflections and consultations - legal and moral matters , we find that our City Mayor never commits a grave abuse of authority . What we had done is following to your thrust of office which is \" ANG TUWID NA DAAN \" . Because of his new leadership , the misuse of public fund ceases , and the corruptors start to get nothing . One great act of our City Mayor that we appreciate most was his unearthing of the three thousand more ghost casuals who were receiving salaries for a couple years . It is in this regards that we ask you , our dear President , to look and make further investigation on this case . We do n't want that your thrust of office \" ANG TUWID NA DAAN \" which is beginning to effect now through our City Mayor comes to nothing by suspending him , and the ghost casuals start to resurrect . We are praying for your immediate actions , and your reversal of the decision . God bless you and more power ! Respectfully yours , People of Iligan City","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"An Improvement on Jacob's Ladder In the morning of the day after that on which I swore my oath against the Six , I gave certain orders , and then rested in greater contentment than I had known for some time . I was at work ; and work , though it can not cure love , is yet a narcotic to it ; so that Sapt , who grew feverish , marvelled to see me sprawling in an armchair in the sunshine , listening to one of my friends who sang me amorous songs in a mellow voice and induced in me a pleasing melancholy . Thus was I engaged when young Rupert Hentzau , who feared neither man nor devil , and rode through the demesne \u2013 where every tree might hide a marksman , for all he knew \u2013 as though it had been the park at Strelsau , cantered up to where I lay , bowing with burlesque deference , and craving private speech with me in order to deliver a message from the Duke of Strelsau . I made all withdraw , and then he said , seating himself by me : \" The King is in love , it seems ? \" \" Not with life , my lord , \" said I , smiling . \" It is well , \" he rejoined . \" Come , we are alone , Rassendyll \u2013 \" I rose to a sitting posture . \" What 's the matter ? \" he asked . \" I was about to call one of my gentlemen to bring your horse , my lord . If you do not know how to address the King , my brother must find another messenger . \" \" Why keep up the farce ? \" he asked , negligently dusting his boot with his glove . \" Because it is not finished yet ; and meanwhile I 'll choose my own name . \" \" Oh , so be it ! Yet I spoke in love for you ; for indeed you are a man after my own heart . \" \" Saving my poor honesty , \" said I , \" maybe I am . But that I keep faith with men , and honour with women , maybe I am , my lord . \" He darted a glance at me \u2013 a glance of anger . \" Is your mother dead ? \" said I. \" Ay , she 's dead . \" \" She may thank God , \" said I , and I heard him curse me softly . \" Well , what 's the message ? \" I continued . I had touched him on the raw , for all the world knew he had broken his mother's heart and flaunted his mistresses in her house ; and his airy manner was gone for the moment . \" The duke offers you more than I would , \" he growled . \" A halter for you , sire , was my suggestion . But he offers you safe-conduct across the frontier and a million crowns . \" \" I prefer your offer , my lord , if I am bound to one . \" \" You refuse ? \" \" Of course . \" \" I told Michael you would ; \" and the villain , his temper restored , gave me the sunniest of smiles . \" The fact is , between ourselves , \" he continued , \" Michael does n't understand a gentleman . \" I began to laugh . \" And you ? \" I asked . \" I do , \" he said . \" Well , well , the halter be it . \" \" I 'm sorry you wo n't live to see it , \" I observed . \" Has his Majesty done me the honour to fasten a particular quarrel on me ? \" \" I would you were a few years older , though . \" \" Oh , God gives years , but the devil gives increase , \" laughed he . \" I can hold my own . \" \" How is your prisoner ? \" I asked . \" The K \u2013 ? \" \" Your prisoner . \" \" I forgot your wishes , sire . Well , he is alive . \" He rose to his feet ; I imitated him . Then , with a smile , he said : \" And the pretty princess ? Faith , I 'll wager the next Elphberg will be red enough , for all that Black Michael will be called his father . \" I sprang a step towards him , clenching my hand . He did not move an inch , and his lip curled in insolent amusement . \" Go , while your skin's whole ! \" I muttered . He had repaid me with interest my hit about his mother . Then came the most audacious thing I have known in my life . My friends were some thirty yards away . Rupert called to a groom to bring him his horse , and dismissed the fellow with a crown . The horse stood near . I stood still , suspecting nothing . Rupert made as though to mount ; then he suddenly turned to me : his left hand resting in his belt , his right outstretched : \" Shake hands , \" he said . I bowed , and did as he had foreseen \u2013 I put my hands behind me . Quicker than thought , his left hand darted out at me , and a small dagger flashed in the air ; he struck me in the left shoulder \u2013 had I not swerved , it had been my heart . With a cry , I staggered back . Without touching the stirrup , he leapt upon his horse and was off like an arrow , pursued by cries and revolver shots \u2013 the last as useless as the first \u2013 and I sank into my chair , bleeding profusely , as I watched the devil's brat disappear down the long avenue . My friends surrounded me , and then I fainted . I suppose that I was put to bed , and there lay , unconscious , or half conscious , for many hours ; for it was night when I awoke to my full mind , and found Fritz beside me . I was weak and weary , but he bade me be of good cheer , saying that my wound would soon heal , and that meanwhile all had gone well , for Johann , the keeper , had fallen into the snare we had laid for him , and was even now in the house . \" And the queer thing is , \" pursued Fritz , \" that I fancy he 's not altogether sorry to find himself here . He seems to think that when Black Michael has brought off his coup , witnesses of how it was effected \u2013 saving , of course , the Six themselves \u2013 will not be at a premium . \" This idea argued a shrewdness in our captive which led me to build hopes on his assistance . I ordered him to be brought in at once . Sapt conducted him , and set him in a chair by my bedside . He was sullen , and afraid ; but , to say truth , after young Rupert's exploit , we also had our fears , and , if he got as far as possible from Sapt's formidable six-shooter , Sapt kept him as far as he could from me . Moreover , when he came in his hands were bound , but that I would not suffer . I need not stay to recount the safeguards and rewards we promised the fellow \u2013 all of which were honourably observed and paid , so that he lives now in prosperity ( though where I may not mention ) ; and we were the more free inasmuch as we soon learnt that he was rather a weak man than a wicked , and had acted throughout this matter more from fear of the duke and of his own brother Max than for any love of what was done . But he had persuaded all of his loyalty ; and though not in their secret counsels , was yet , by his knowledge of their dispositions within the Castle , able to lay bare before us the very heart of their devices . And here , in brief , is his story : Below the level of the ground in the Castle , approached by a flight of stone steps which abutted on the end of the drawbridge , were situated two small rooms , cut out of the rock itself . The outer of the two had no windows , but was always lighted with candles ; the inner had one square window , which gave upon the moat . In the outer room there lay always , day and night , three of the Six ; and the instructions of Duke Michael were , that on any attack being made on the outer room , the three were to defend the door of it so long as they could without risk to themselves . But , so soon as the door should be in danger of being forced , then Rupert Hentzau or Detchard ( for one of these two was always there ) should leave the others to hold it as long as they could , and himself pass into the inner room , and , without more ado , kill the King who lay there , well-treated indeed , but without weapons , and with his arms confined in fine steel chains , which did not allow him to move his elbow more than three inches from his side . Thus , before the outer door were stormed , the King would be dead . And his body ? For his body would be evidence as damning as himself . \" Nay , sir , \" said Johann , \" his Highness has thought of that . While the two hold the outer room , the one who has killed the King unlocks the bars in the square window ( they turn on a hinge ) . The window now gives no light , for its mouth is choked by a great pipe of earthenware ; and this pipe , which is large enough to let pass through it the body of a man , passes into the moat , coming to an end immediately above the surface of the water , so that there is no perceptible interval between water and pipe . The King being dead , his murderer swiftly ties a weight to the body , and , dragging it to the window , raises it by a pulley ( for , lest the weight should prove too great , Detchard has provided one ) till it is level with the mouth of the pipe . He inserts the feet in the pipe , and pushes the body down . Silently , without splash or sound , it falls into the water and thence to the bottom of the moat , which is twenty feet deep thereabouts . This done , the murderer cries loudly , \" All 's well ! \" and himself slides down the pipe ; and the others , if they can and the attack is not too hot , run to the inner room and , seeking a moment's delay , bar the door , and in their turn slide down . And though the King rises not from the bottom , they rise and swim round to the other side , where the orders are for men to wait them with ropes , to haul them out , and horses . And here , if things go ill , the duke will join them and seek safety by riding ; but if all goes well , they will return to the Castle , and have their enemies in a trap . That , sir , is the plan of his Highness for the disposal of the King in case of need . But it is not to be used till the last ; for , as we all know , he is not minded to kill the King unless he can , before or soon after , kill you also , sir . Now , sir , I have spoken the truth , as God is my witness , and I pray you to shield me from the vengeance of Duke Michael ; for if , after he knows what I have done , I fall into his hands , I shall pray for one thing out of all the world \u2013 a speedy death , and that I shall not obtain from him ! \" The fellow's story was rudely told , but our questions supplemented his narrative . What he had told us applied to an armed attack ; but if suspicions were aroused , and there came overwhelming force \u2013 such , for instance , as I , the King , could bring \u2013 the idea of resistance would be abandoned ; the King would be quietly murdered and slid down the pipe . And \u2013 here comes an ingenious touch \u2013 one of the Six would take his place in the cell , and , on the entrance of the searchers , loudly demand release and redress ; and Michael , being summoned , would confess to hasty action , but he would say the man had angered him by seeking the favour of a lady in the Castle ( this was Antoinette de Mauban ) and he had confined him there , as he conceived he , as Lord of Zenda , had right to do . But he was now , on receiving his apology , content to let him go , and so end the gossip which , to his Highness's annoyance , had arisen concerning a prisoner in Zenda , and had given his visitors the trouble of this enquiry . The visitors , baffled , would retire , and Michael could , at his leisure , dispose of the body of the King . Sapt , Fritz , and I in my bed , looked round on one another in horror and bewilderment at the cruelty and cunning of the plan . Whether I went in peace or in war , openly at the head of a corps , or secretly by a stealthy assault , the King would be dead before I could come near him . If Michael were stronger and overcame my party , there would be an end . But if I were stronger , I should have no way to punish him , no means of proving any guilt in him without proving my own guilt also . On the other hand , I should be left as King ( ah ! for a moment my pulse quickened ) and it would be for the future to witness the final struggle between him and me . He seemed to have made triumph possible and ruin impossible . At the worst , he would stand as well as he had stood before I crossed his path \u2013 with but one man between him and the throne , and that man an impostor ; at best , there would be none left to stand against him . I had begun to think that Black Michael was over fond of leaving the fighting to his friends ; but now I acknowledged that the brains , if not the arms , of the conspiracy were his . \" Does the King know this ? \" I asked . \" I and my brother , \" answered Johann , \" put up the pipe , under the orders of my Lord of Hentzau . He was on guard that day , and the King asked my lord what it meant . \" Faith , \" he answered , with his airy laugh , \" it 's a new improvement on the ladder of Jacob , whereby , as you have read , sire , men pass from the earth to heaven . We thought it not meet that your Majesty should go , in case , sire , you must go , by the common route . So we have made you a pretty private passage where the vulgar can not stare at you or incommode your passage . That , sire , is the meaning of that pipe . \" And he laughed and bowed , and prayed the King's leave to replenish the King's glass \u2013 for the King was at supper . And the King , though he is a brave man , as are all of his House , grew red and then white as he looked on the pipe and at the merry devil who mocked him . Ah , sir \" ( and the fellow shuddered ) , \" it is not easy to sleep quiet in the Castle of Zenda , for all of them would as soon cut a man's throat as play a game at cards ; and my Lord Rupert would choose it sooner for a pastime than any other \u2013 ay , sooner than he would ruin a woman , though that he loves also . \" The man ceased , and I bade Fritz take him away and have him carefully guarded ; and , turning to him , I added : \" If anyone asks you if there is a prisoner in Zenda , you may answer \" Yes . \" But if any asks who the prisoner is , do not answer . For all my promises will not save you if any man here learns from you the truth as to the prisoner of Zenda . I 'll kill you like a dog if the thing be so much as breathed within the house ! \" Then , when he was gone , I looked at Sapt . \" It 's a hard nut ! \" said I. \" So hard , \" said he , shaking his grizzled head , \" that as I think , this time next year is like to find you still King of Ruritania ! \" and he broke out into curses on Michael's cunning . I lay back on my pillows . \" There seems to me , \" I observed , \" to be two ways by which the King can come out of Zenda alive . One is by treachery in the duke's followers . \" \" You can leave that out , \" said Sapt . \" I hope not , \" I rejoined , \" because the other I was about to mention is \u2013 by a miracle from heaven ! \"","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Augmentation : 1 . ) Asylum MOM Conversion This augmentation technology is similar to the traditional M.O.M. conversion however , there are many important differences . The most important difference is that this version was developed by the Asylum . The Asylum has managed to reduce and in many cases eliminate the insanities that are experienced by the traditional M.O.M. recipient . The Asylum conversion process also grants increased Mental Endurance , Mental Affinity , Physical Endurance , etc. The conversion also grants the person ' maternal instincts ' ; hence , ' MOM conversion . ' Bonuses : + 3d6 to S.D.C. and 3d6 to hit points , The Character can go 72 hours without sleep and only needs 2-3 hours of sleep each night to be at full efficiency Enhanced vision , the character can see even the smallest spot of dirt behind the ears The ability to ' see truth ' , The Character will always know when they are being lied to ( 85 % of the time any way ) +2 to save vs H.F. +2 to M.E. +45 % to intimidate someone ( when they choose to ) Additionally the character will always be trying to get the other members of his \/ her group to eat right , clean up after themselves , get more sleep , etc. This character can be a lot of fun for both the GM and the players if handled correctly . 2 . ) Bionics \/ Cybernetics The Asylum has also been hard at work developing new implants and bionics . In addition to being able to provide the standard systems listed in most of the world books the Asylum also offers a few ' house specials ' with that Asylum twist . Asylum Bio-Comp implant This implant system is nearly identical to the juicer version with two major exceptions . The first difference is that the Asylum version can be implanted into any ' mundane ' race with very little modification . The second difference is that the system does not provide any of the superhuman abilities that the juicer system does . The Asylum Bio-Comp system merely monitors the users body functions and helps keep the person healthy . Bonuses : Wounds heal twice as fast ! +4 to save from drugs , poisons , gases , etc. Additionally the Bio-comp is capable of displaying body functions on a display to assist medical doctors ( + 15 % ) , and it will communicate with the host via ear implant or multioptic eye , or other . This communication is one way and is limited primarily to suggestions . For example : let 's say Bob has the Bio-comp system decides to eat at Taco Bell . When he gets his food the Bio-comp may say something like \" You are n't going to eat THAT , are you ? Do you have any idea how many carcinogens are in that ? \" or perhaps Bob is running for his life , and has not slept in 24 hours , the bio-comp will suggest that Bob should get some sleep and will even go so far as to suggest tranquilizers ! Specialized Tool Hands These are interchangeable ( with the proper adapters of course ) tool hands for those characters with bionic hands . The Asylum offers a broad range of tool hands in a variety of bright colors . The Screwdriver hand : The hand is replaced with a multi-bit screwdriver The Culinary hand : This hand is a little like a Swiss Army knife except that all of the fold out tools are for cooking . The hand has a Spatula , salad fork , ice cream scoop , mixer attachment , etc. +15 % to cooking skill The Artist hand : This hand has attachments for external paint supplies for the built in air brush , it also has a ten brushes of various sizes , as well as a glue dispenser , stapler and a pen \/ pencil combination . The Asylum will also make customized hands as per a characters specifications however , even these customized hands will have that special twist . Upgrades : 1 . ) H.U.D. Screen savers The Asylum has done it again , this is a breakthrough development for all of you adventurers out there who use H.U.D. systems in your armor , vehicles , computers , etc. These revolutionary programs prevent that irritating ' burn-in ' that occurs when the display is left on for long periods of time . The Screen saver works just like a computer screen saver does , after the user has been idle for a predetermined period of time the screen saver kicks in . The Asylum has a wide variety of options ranging from the ever popular flying toasters , to the ' attacking Dragon ' ( complete with sound effects ! ) . GM's picture the possibilities , your players are sitting very still , waiting for an ambush , as their targets approach suddenly , their characters HUD systems break into the screen savers and the players fields of vision are suddenly interrupted by flying toasters !! 2 . ) Plate ( and saucer ) armor The Asylum has released this product specifically for those adventurers who insist upon taking their fine china with them where ever they go . This armor will protect your fine China from bumps , bangs , and even that occasional stray shot . The armor provides 15 M.D.C. for up to ten place settings . Miscellaneous 1 . ) Asylum Martial Arts This Martial Arts form is only for those dedicated to the Military Arts . Level 40 % base art ability , Photography 40 % , W.P. Paintbrush 30 % base painting ability , recognize military art 30 % + 5 % +5 % to paint skill 35 % base Calligraphy ability +10 % to recognize military art , 30 % base Camouflage ability 40 % base dance ability recognize important military figures 45 % + 5 % portrait creation 50 % + 5 % Sing 40 % +3 to M.E. ( learning how to deal with critics ) the character becomes ' known ' if not already , may be commissioned for a piece propaganda 30 % base ability media \/ medium manipulation 50 % base skill +10 % to all ' art ' skills 2 . ) Oxygen Filter This filter is designed to remove the oxygen from whatever gas is filtered through it . Note : it is the oxygen that gets trapped in the filter . 3 . ) Water Filter This filter is designed to remove the water from any liquid that is poured through it . Note : it is the water that gets trapped in the filter while the ' impurities ' are allowed to pass through it . 4 . ) Glare Filter The Asylum will often offer this as part of a standard refit or upgrade . This filter is for optic systems and will allow the user to see only the glare , all parts of the image that are not glare will be filtered out . 5 . ) Asylum Silly Putty Two Geniuses at the Asylum were working on two separate projects ( one with nano-technology , the other with Changeling DNA ) , when a lab accident caused the two projects to come into contact with each other . The end result was the creation of ' Silly Putty ' This putty is independently intelligent and is sold in 12 oz. units . These little blobs , can understand the spoken word and are quite loyal to their owner \/ friend \/ master . No one understands quite what the putty is but , it is a lot of fun . The putty can understand and will follow simple commands like : \" Crawl under the door and open it from the inside . \" or \" Hide this ' bug ' in the room . \" The silly putty gets it 's name from it tendency to laugh maniacally for no apparent reason . Note : it is impossible for two or more silly putties to be combined into one larger putty , as each has an independent personality and will resist the union .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"A How-To Guide for Purchasing Salvage Vehicles in Colorado Salvage yards are locations where vehicles that are worn out because of usage , cars that are no longer usable on the road , or vehicles that have been marked salvage by the state are kept . In addition , salvage yards in Colorado and other states are a destination for cars which have been seized by the state , an insurance company , or a financier . These institutions may repossess a vehicle from its owner because the owner defaulted on tax payments . Salvage yards may also house cars which have been recovered from crime scenes or have been found stolen . It may be difficult for the institutions that have seized the cars to maintain and store these vehicles because storing cars is an expensive endeavor . Said institutions may find it easier to sell off these cars to salvage yards in Colorado and other states to save costs . Therefore , salvage yards also house relatively new cars , which are brought to the site by these companies to be sold to new buyers for a cheaper price . The problem with newer salvage cars may be that their bumper is broken or their tail lights are smashed because of dangerous driving or from mishandling . There are numerous salvage yards in Colorado , and each of these yards also hosts their own website . If a potential buyer needs to locate salvage yards in Colorado , one simply needs to consult the yellow pages or go online and search for the salvage yard closest to one's vicinity . If one is interested in buying a car from a salvage yard in Colorado , one should follow a few steps . Firstly , one needs to register online by carefully choosing a salvage yard website and become a member of that online community . Secondly , after registration , which can be done online for a minimum fee , one will see a number of cars in the listing on the website . Each car listing will include numerous photographs taken from various angles of a specific car , and all other relevant information about the salvage car is provided to the user in a friendly way , if the site is well made . Thirdly , one needs to select which car he or she is interested in before one proceeds to place a bid for the car . Before one bids on the car of choice , one must ensure communication with the dealer by personally speaking with them at the salvage yard to determine exactly what is wrong with the specific car . If one is in the vicinity of the salvage yard , it is advisable to visit the yard firsthand along with an expert mechanic to find out what the car is missing . After this examination , the car can be purchased , and then the search for the missing spare part begins . The user can post a buying requirement at any of the salvage yards in Colorado via a website where the user is registered . This parts request sends information to all the warehouses in contact with the car dealer , and it is a much easier method for the user to locate the part , which can then be purchased for a reasonable price .","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Ethics and the Criminal Defence Lawyer More on this article Full text PDF ( 10 kb ) The Ethics of Prosecution Lawyers More on this article Full text PDF ( 10 kb ) Civil Advocacy and the Dogma of Adversarialism More on this article Full text PDF ( 10 kb ) Divorce Solicitors and Ethical Approaches-The Best Interests of the Client and \/ or the Best Interests of the Family ? More on this article Full text PDF ( 10 kb ) Cause Lawyers and the Alternative Ethical Paradigm : Ideology and Transgression More on this article Full text PDF ( 10 kb ) Afterword : In Defence of Contextually Sensitive Moral Activism More on this article Full text PDF ( 10 kb ) Book Reviews Lawyers & Vampires : Cultural Histories of Legal Professions Edited by W Wesley Pue and David Sugarman More on this article Full text PDF ( 10 kb ) English Lawyers betweeen Market and State : The Politics of Professionalism by Richard Abel p. 284 More on this article Full text PDF ( 10 kb ) The Australian Judiciary by Enid Campbell and H.P. Lee p. 289 More on this article Full text PDF ( 10 kb ) Discussion Forum Reflections from the International Conference on Legal Ethics from Exeter More on this article Full text PDF ( 10 kb ) Editorial Special Issue : Lawyers' Duties , Adversarialism and Partisanship in UK Legal Ethics More on this article Full text PDF ( 10 kb )","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Find a Person About Us The Yale Department of Psychiatry is dedicated to providing the highest quality education in the field of Psychiatry ; to providing leaders and leadership for the field ; acquiring and disseminating new scientific knowledge pertinent to the causes and treatments of severe neuropsychiatric disorders and to serving as a model of exemplary mental health care for students and society . The Yale Department of Psychiatry's teaching and research efforts further advance the body of knowledge in neurochemistry , genetics , psychopharmacology and brain imaging , as well as in social and behavioral therapies . Its teaching , research and clinical programs span across three geographically distinct clinical settings ( The Connecticut Mental Health Center , Yale-New Haven Psychiatric Hospital , the Psychiatry Service at the West Haven Campus of the VA Connecticut Healthcare System ) in a wide variety of areas including substance abuse , schizophrenia , health care delivery systems research , molecular psychiatry and many more . In each of these areas there is a critical mass of investigators who , although sometimes geographically separated , work as a team along with clinicians to address the challenges provided by these diverse disease areas . Our clinical services are enhanced by our research efforts . Known for their close alliance to our research staff , our clinical components are at the forefront of treatment both pharmacological and social .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Neil Hamilton , Jordan , Paul Daniels and Michael Winner will all make guest appearances on Shooting Stars when it returns next month . But missing will be team captain Mark Lamarr , who has been replaced by writer Will Self for the fourth series . Also joining the regulars is Johnny Vegas , who won a British Comedy Award on Saturday for his role in Paul Whitehouse's Happiness . The show , which has been off the air for four years , will initially be broadcast on BBC Choice , starting on January 13 . Other stars set to appear include Patsy Kensit , Larry Hagman and Paul Whitehouse .","labels":"News","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Rats That Bite There is an argument that suggests that any rat that bites should be humanely destroyed , as a biting rat is not acceptable as a pet . While I agree with that in part , there are also a whole host of reasons why this does not have to be the ' unwritten law ' of rat keeping . Pet rats are generally kept in cages - they can not bite anyone outside their cage , only someone who infringes on their territory by putting their fingers through the bars , or their hand through the door . Being a biter does not necessarily make the rat dangerous ( as long as you follow basic rules , like NOT sticking your fingers through the bars ) , neither does it mean that the rat in question ca n ' t have a long and fulfilled life ( it may be perfectly happy with cage mates ) . As an owner , you have to decide whether you are willing to accept the constraints of a biting rat and whether you are willing to put in the time and effort to correct this character flaw . You also have to consider , especially if there are children involved , whether it is realistic to even attempt to do this - it may be wiser to pass the rat over to someone else who is less interested in having the rat as a cuddly pet . It is very rare for pet rats to aggressively bite , but they can and will bite for a whole host of other reasons . Understanding the reason ( s ) can help an owner overcome the problem , or at least allow themselves not to be hurt when dealing with a particular rat , as well as allowing the rat to lead as normal a life as possible . The primary cause of any bite is fear . A well-socialised regularly handled rat is highly unlikely to bite compared to a solitary un-handled rat . Unfortunately , unless you buy your rats from reputable breeders , you will have no way of telling how socialised your new friends are until you try to pick them up - they may be used to the person in the pet shop , picking them up for short periods or shooing them out of the way while their cages are cleaned , but that does not mean they can cope with , or understand , the loving attentiveness of a new owner . As an owner you must be patient and understanding , giving your new friends time to settle into their new environment and introducing yourself to them slowly and carefully . Start off by just resting your hand in their cage , so they can get used to your smell , or try putting an old t-shirt that you 've recently worn in their cage . You will be able to tell , quite easily , which of your new rats are nervous and which are quite happy to see you : nervous rats will cower , run away , move in a jerky manner and make every attempt to avoid your hand at all costs ! This is when you need to be extra patient because the one thing that will get a rat to investigate you is curiosity . By talking calmly to the rats and not making any sudden movements , even the shyest of kittens will try and sneak a sniff , a lick or even a ' is it edible ? ' nip ( which wo n ' t hurt you at all ! ) . Trust building exercises , like letting rats lick yummy stuff from your fingers , help to teach the rat to associate hands with nice things and also that fingers are not for biting , only for licking . When venturing to pick up your baby rats , NEVER EVER pick them up by the tail - either use a scooping motion supporting the tummy , or place your first 2 fingers either side of their neck , just above the shoulders , with your thumb and remaining fingers supporting their tummy . You obviously ca n ' t do this with bigger rats , unless you have big hands ! Once you 've scooped them up you must support their feet : rats feel very vunerable when left dangling in mid-air ! When you first get your baby rats out of their cage , do n't go too far with them - stay close to the cage so that they can still smell it and , if they panic , you can easily put them back . You must handle your baby rats daily , for at least 20 minutes - there is a theory that a baby rat can not stay frightened for more than 20 minutes so , by handling them for at least this length of time in any one go , they will realise that there 's nothing to be frightened of . However , some rats are far more nervous than others , and can show obvious distress at being handled after only a very short time . Stress is very bad for rats so I would suggest that nervous rats should have their handling time gradually increased - a little amount of handling but several times a day . If they are particularly nervous you will need to make sure they do n't associate your visits with just being handled : on one visit to the cage handle them , on the next give them a treat , on the next just have your hand in etc. If you do have nervous babies , it may be worth considering not giving them a covered bed or bolt-hole in their cage : this may seem a bit harsh but most pet shops do not provide cover and , for the first few weeks at least , it will be easier for you to handle the rats if you do n't have to chase them round the cage or fish them out of a hidey-hole ! Gradual but continual ( and that 's the key ! ) trust building will socialise your rats in no time and , though it wo n ' t guarantee a shoulder or lap rat ( that depends on the personality of the rat ) , it will almost certainly guarantee that your baby rats wo n ' t grow up to be biters ! Older rats that bite are more of a problem and the reasons behind their biting can be more complex and harder to figure out . If you ' adopt ' an adult biter , you have no way of telling whether it has been handled regularly , whether it has been mistreated or whether it is insecure and unsocialised . Trust training can also work with adult rats , though will probably take longer and require a lot more persistence on your part . Thick gardening gloves can be worn to minimise the risk of damage to fingers , or some people use a thick towel to scoop or catch the rat in , should it be necessary to handle it . You have to decide whether this will stress the rat out and undo all your hard work of trust training , or whether you should ignore the handling aspect of socialising your rat until it feels safe in your company and is used to you lightly touching or brushing it with your fingers . There is no need to feel rushed in your socialisation and trust training of your new rat - each rat is different and each will take their own time to ' come round ' to your way of thinking ! Being naturally sociable animals , it is very rare for a rat to just be aggressive and unhandleable with no hope of character redemption , but any rat that exhibits outward unprovoked aggression should NEVER be bred from . Responsible breeders breed as much for character as they do for colouring and they socialise their rats almost from birth , getting them used to being handled from an early age - a good reason to consider buying your rats from breeders rather than pet shops , which can sometimes breed and sell rodents for reptile food ( ' feeders ' ) and are consequently uninterested in the character and health of the animals they produce . Whether from a breeder or a shop always get at least a pair of same sex rats . If buying from a pet shop , unless you know the shop to be reputable , get young , recently weaned rats . Wherever you buy your new pets from , the time spent building bonds can be one of the most rewarding experiences of rat ownership , so have fun !","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"News The Latest from Databerry Oracle Releases New Java Patch September 6th , 2012 by Geoey Cook Earlier last week , Oracle released a patch for their Java web programming code aimed to resolve certain flaws hackers were exploiting . If you 've been keeping up with news surrounding Oracle , you may be aware that a number of hacker attacks have been made through their Java programming language . This raised concerns of several digital security firms worldwide . In an effort to prevent further attacks , Oracle has released a Java patch to fix the flaw being exploited by hackers . To learn more about this recent patch and whether or not it worked , keep reading . Did The Patch Work ? Apparently , researchers are saying the patch did in fact fix two errors that were being exploited by hackers to cause malicious attacks . With that said , the Java 7 patch also opened up several other vulnerabilities . I guess you could compare Oracle's recent patch to a \" double-edged sword \" in the sense that it fixed one problem but opened up another . Because Oracle was able to release the Java 7 patch so quickly , analysts say they had patch ready for months . So , if Oracle had the patch ready , why did n't they release it ? Well , patches need to be ran through a quality assurance team to ensure they work and do n't break other parts of the system , and it 's likely that Oracle was doing this for their Java 7 patch . It 's unclear as to when Oracle will release another patch aimed at fixing the current vulnerabilities opened up by their most recent Java 7 patch . However , security analysts are saying it needs to be soon , as hackers could potentially utilize those for yet another series of attacks . In any case , be aware of phishing emails when you 're checking your inbox .","labels":"News","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Your access to and use of the sites is subject to these terms , the Kink Privacy Policy and any other terms contained on the Web Site ( \" Terms of Use \" ) . Every time you go to the Web Site or WAP site , you agree to access and use the sites , and the material on the sites , in accordance with the Terms of Use . The Terms of Use are a legally binding agreement between you and us . 1 Changes to the Terms of Use 1.1 From time to time , we may need to change these Terms of Use . We may change the Terms of Use at any time by posting the changed Terms on the Sites , and by posting a notice to users on our homepage stating that a change has occurred . 1.2 Any change in the Terms of Use will not affect the terms of any pre-existing agreement between you and us regarding your acquisition of any products or services from the sites . 2 Usage Rules 2.1 The content and information on the sites are provided for your personal use only . 2.2 Unless expressly stated otherwise on the sites , you may download the content and information on the sites onto your personal computer , but only to the extent necessary to allow you to view that content and information . You may also print hard copies of that content and information , but only for your own personal use and reference . 2.3 You must use the Sites in a responsible manner , and in compliance with all relevant rules . 2.4 If you are under 18 years of age , you must obtain a parent or guardian's consent before accessing or using Kink Kommunity . 2.5 You must not : ( a ) change , modify , adapt , manipulate , reverse engineer , decompile , distort or enhance any of the content or information on the Sites ; ( b ) incorporate or merge any of the content on the Sites with any other material , including advertising or promotional material ; ( c ) create HTTP links from the Sites to any other web site on the Internet ; or ( d ) send , post , communicate or transmit to or via the Sites ( including any chat rooms ) any information or material which infringes a third party's rights ( including intellectual property rights ) , or which is obscene , indecent , inflammatory , pornographic , defamatory , illegal , misleading or deceptive ; ( e ) use the Sites or any facilities available on or via the Sites ( including any chat rooms ) to defame , harass , threaten , menace or offend any person , or in a way which inhibits another person from using or enjoying the Sites or those facilities ; ( f ) tamper with , hinder the operation of , or make unauthorised modifications to the Sites or any content on the Sites ; ( g ) knowingly transmit any virus , worm , trojan horse or other disabling feature to or via the Sites ; ( h ) use the Sites to send commercial , unsolicited or bulk electronic messages to anyone or in any other way which would constitute an infringement of the Spam Act 2003 ( Cth ) ; ( i ) use another person's name , username or password on the Sites or to access any content on the Sites ; or ( j ) attempt to do , or permit another person to do , any of the above acts . 3 Operation of the Sites 3.1 We will use reasonable efforts to make sure that you can access and use the Sites at all times . 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{"text":"What was this ?  cried Keola , who came to himself the first , because he was the younger . \" The pang of it was like death . \" \" It matters not , \" panted Kalamake . \" It is now done . \" \" And , in the name of God , where are we ? \" cried Keola . \" That is not the question , \" replied the sorcerer . \" Being here , we have matter in our hands , and that we must attend to . Go , while I recover my breath , into the borders of the wood , and bring me the leaves of such and such a herb , and such and such a tree , which you will find to grow there plentifully - three handfuls of each . And be speedy . We must be home again before the steamer comes ; it would seem strange if we had disappeared . \" And he sat on the sand and panted . Keola went up the beach , which was of shining sand and coral , strewn with singular shells ; and he thought in his heart - \" How do I not know this beach ? I will come here again and gather shells . \" In front of him was a line of palms against the sky ; not like the palms of the Eight Islands , but tall and fresh and beautiful , and hanging out withered fans like gold among the green , and he thought in his heart - \" It is strange I should not have found this grove . I will come here again , when it is warm , to sleep . \" And he thought , \" How warm it has grown suddenly ! \" For it was winter in Hawaii , and the day had been chill . And he thought also , \" Where are the grey mountains ? And where is the high cliff with the hanging forest and the wheeling birds ? \" And the more he considered , the less he might conceive in what quarter of the islands he was fallen . In the border of the grove , where it met the beach , the herb was growing , but the tree further back . Now , as Keola went toward the tree , he was aware of a young woman who had nothing on her body but a belt of leaves . \" Well ! \" thought Keola , \" they are not very particular about their dress in this part of the country . \" And he paused , supposing she would observe him and escape ; and seeing that she still looked before her , stood and hummed aloud . Up she leaped at the sound . Her face was ashen ; she looked this way and that , and her mouth gaped with the terror of her soul . But it was a strange thing that her eyes did not rest upon Keola . \" Good day , \" said he . \" You need not be so frightened ; I will not eat you . \" And he had scarce opened his mouth before the young woman fled into the bush . \" These are strange manners , \" thought Keola . And , not thinking what he did , ran after her . As she ran , the girl kept crying in some speech that was not practised in Hawaii , yet some of the words were the same , and he knew she kept calling and warning others . And presently he saw more people running - men , women and children , one with another , all running and crying like people at a fire . And with that he began to grow afraid himself , and returned to Kalamake bringing the leaves . Him he told what he had seen . \" You must pay no heed , \" said Kalamake . \" All this is like a dream and shadows . All will disappear and be forgotten . \" \" It seemed none saw me , \" said Keola . \" And none did , \" replied the sorcerer . \" We walk here in the broad sun invisible by reason of these charms . Yet they hear us ; and therefore it is well to speak softly , as I do . \" With that he made a circle round the mat with stones , and in the midst he set the leaves . \" It will be your part , \" said he , \" to keep the leaves alight , and feed the fire slowly . While they blaze ( which is but for a little moment ) I must do my errand ; and before the ashes blacken , the same power that brought us carries us away . Be ready now with the match ; and do you call me in good time lest the flames burn out and I be left . \" As soon as the leaves caught , the sorcerer leaped like a deer out of the circle , and began to race along the beach like a hound that has been bathing . As he ran , he kept stooping to snatch shells ; and it seemed to Keola that they glittered as he took them . The leaves blazed with a clear flame that consumed them swiftly ; and presently Keola had but a handful left , and the sorcerer was far off , running and stopping .","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Chapter 7 Working With Company E-mail and Meeting Appointments 7.1 Synchronizing with the Exchange Server To keep up-to-date with your company e-mail messages and meeting schedules while you 're out of the office , you can connect your device to the Internet through Wi-Fi or a data connection and synchronize with your company's Exchange Server . Setting up an Exchange Server connection Before you can synchronize or access information on the Exchange Server , you need to set up an Exchange Server connection on your device . You need to get the Exchange Server name ( must be Outlook Web Access server name ) , domain name , user name , and the password that you use at work from your network administrator and enter them on your device . Note You can set up an Outlook e-mail account that synchronizes with the Exchange Server from the TouchFLO 3D Mail tab using Mail Setup . See \" Mail \" in Chapter 3 for details . If you have not synchronized your device with your computer , follow these steps to set up an Exchange Server connection . 1 . Tap Start > All Programs > Messaging > Setup E-mail . 2 . Enter the E-mail address and Password for the e-mail account and select the Save password option . Tap Next . 144 Working With Company E-mail and Meeting Appointments 3 . Clear the Try to get e-mail settings automatically from the Internet option and tap Next . 4 . In Your e-mail provider , select Exchange server and tap Next . 5 . Tap Next again . 6 . Select the Attempt to detect Exchange Server Settings automatically option and tap Next . 7 . Enter the Domain name and tap Next . 8 . In Server address , enter the Exchange Server address and tap Next . 9 . Select the items that you want to sync with the Exchange Server . Tips \u2022 To change synchronization settings of an information item , for example , E-mail , select the item , then tap Settings . \u2022 To change the rules for resolving synchronization conflicts , tap Menu > Advanced . \u2022 If you synchronized e-mail messages with your computer before , open ActiveSync on your device , then tap Menu > Add Server Source to set up an Exchange Server connection . When prompted to select information types for synchronization , you must first clear the E-mail check box under the Windows PC item before you can select E-mail under Exchange Server . \u2022 To change Exchange Server settings , open ActiveSync on your device , and then tap Menu > Configure Server . 10 . Tap Finish . Notes Starting synchronization Before you start synchronizing with the Exchange Server , make sure your device has been set up with a Wi-Fi or data connection to the Internet so that you can synchronize over the air . For more information about connections , see Chapter 8 . After you finish setting up an Exchange Server connection , your device automatically starts synchronization . Working With Company E-mail and Meeting Appointments 145 To manually start synchronization , tap Start > Settings , and then touch Sync Data . Note If you connect your device to your office computer via a USB or Bluetooth connection , you can use this connection to the computer to \" pass through \" to the network and download Outlook e-mail messages and other information to your device . 7.2 Working With Company E-mail Messages Your device gives you instant access to your company e-mail messages and lets you manage your messages easier . Direct Push , Fetch Mail , Remote e-mail search , and e-mail flags are just some of the tools you can use to manage your e-mail messages . Note Some messaging features depend on the Microsoft Exchange Server version used in your company . Check with your network administrator for the availability of these features . Automatic synchronization through Direct Push Direct Push technology ( push e-mail feature ) enables you to receive new e-mail messages on your device as soon as they arrive in your Inbox on the Exchange Server . Items such as contacts , calendar and tasks are also immediately updated onto your device when these items have been changed or new entries have been added on the Exchange Server . To make Direct Push work , you need to have a Wi-Fi or data connection on your device . You need to perform a full synchronization between your device and the Exchange Server before Direct Push can be enabled . Requirement The Direct Push feature works for your device only if your company is using Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2 ( SP2 ) with Exchange ActiveSync or later . 146 Working With Company E-mail and Meeting Appointments To turn on Direct Push in Comm Manager 1 . Tap Start > Settings , and then touch Communications . Tip You can also tap Start > All Programs > Comm Manager . 2 . On the Comm Manager screen , touch the OFF \/ ON slider at the right side of the Microsoft Direct Push item . To turn on Direct Push in ActiveSync 1 . Tap Start > ActiveSync and then tap Menu > Schedule . 2 . Select As items arrive in the Peak times and Off-peak times boxes . Note When Direct Push is off , you need to manually retrieve your e-mail messages . Scheduled synchronization If you do not want to use Direct Push , you can set a regular schedule for synchronizing Outlook e-mail and information . 1 . In ActiveSync on your device , tap Menu > Schedule . 2 . Select from the available options to set the synchronization schedule . Tip You can select a shorter interval in the Peak times box and a longer interval in the Off-peak times box , so that your e-mail messages are synchronized more frequently when you are working . To set the days and hours that make up your peak and off-peak times , tap the peak times link at the bottom of the screen . Instant download through Fetch Mail The Fetch Mail feature downloads an entire e-mail immediately without the need for you to perform a full Send \/ Receive action . This limits the download to just the e-mail message that you want and helps save data cost . Requirement Fetch Mail works for your device only if your company is using Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 or later . 1 . Tap Start > All Programs > Messaging > Outlook E-mail . 2 . Open an e-mail message . Working With Company E-mail and Meeting Appointments 147 3 . By default , only the first few words of the message are shown . To download the whole e-mail , finger-scroll to the end of the message , then tap Get the rest of this message . 4 . Wait for the remainder of the message body to download . Notes \u2022 For information about changing e-mail sync options such as setting the download size for e-mail , see \" Customizing e-mail settings \" in Chapter 6 . \u2022 When you receive an e-mail that contains a link to a document such as a PDF or Microsoft Office document located on SharePoint or an internal file server , you can tap the link to view the document on your device . You can view the document only if you have a Microsoft Outlook account that synchronizes with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 or later . Exchange Server must also be set up to allow access to SharePoint document libraries or internal file servers . Searching for e-mail messages on the Exchange Server You can access e-mail messages that are not available on your device by searching your Microsoft Exchange Server mailbox . The search results are downloaded and displayed in a Search Results folder . Requirement Your company must be using Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 or later . 1 . Tap Start > All Programs > Messaging > Outlook E-mail . 2 . Tap Menu > Tools > Search Server . 3 . In the Look for text box , enter the search keyword . 4 . Choose the date range of messages to search from . 5 . In the Look in list , specify whether to search in the Inbox , Sent Items , or All Folders , and then tap Search . Tip To clear the search results and return to the message list , tap Menu > Clear Results . 148 Working With Company E-mail and Meeting Appointments Flagging your messages Flags serve as a reminder for you to follow-up on important issues or requests contained in e-mail messages . Flagging messages , which has been a useful feature on desktop Outlook E-mail , can also be done in Outlook Mobile on your device . You can flag received e-mail messages on your device . Requirement Flags are enabled only if e-mail messages are synchronized with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 or later . Flags are disabled or hidden if e-mail messages are synchronized with earlier versions of Microsoft Exchange Server . To flag or unflag a message 1 . Tap Start > All Programs > Messaging > Outlook E-mail . 2 . Open a message . 3 . Tap Menu > Follow Up and select one of the following options : \u2022 Set Flag Mark the message with a red flag to remind yourself to follow it up . \u2022 Complete Flag Mark the message with a check mark to indicate that the issue or request in the e-mail is already completed . \u2022 Clear Flag Remove the flag to unmark the message . Note E-mail message reminders are displayed on your device if the messages are flagged with reminders and synchronized from the Exchange Server . Working With Company E-mail and Meeting Appointments 149 Out-of-office auto-reply Outlook Mobile allows you to retrieve and change your out-of-office status . Just like desktop Outlook , Outlook Mobile automatically sends an auto-reply message when you 're not available . To send out-of-office auto-reply messages 1 . Tap Start > All Programs > Messaging > Outlook E-mail . 2 . Tap Menu > Tools > Out of Office . 3 . In the I am currently list , select Out of the Office . 4 . Enter your auto-reply message , and then tap Done . 7.3 Managing Meeting Requests When you schedule and send meeting requests from your device , you can invite attendees to your meeting and check their availability . When you receive a meeting request , you can reply by accepting or declining the request . The meeting request also clearly indicates whether or not there are conflicting or adjacent meetings . Requirement Your company must be using Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 or later . To reply to a meeting request 1 . When you receive a meeting request e-mail , a notification is displayed on your device . Open the e-mail . 2 . Tap Accept to reply and accept the meeting request , or tap Menu > Decline if you can not attend the meeting . 150 Working With Company E-mail and Meeting Appointments Tips \u2022 Before responding , you can check your availability during the time of the requested meeting by tapping View your calendar . \u2022 If the time of the meeting conflicts with your other appointments , a \" Scheduling Conflict \" status appears on top of the e-mail . 3 . Choose whether or not to edit your response e-mail before sending , then tap OK . If you accept the meeting request , it is automatically added as an appointment in Calendar on your device . 7.4 Finding Contacts in the Company Directory In addition to having contacts on your device , you can access contact information from your organization's Company Directory . By having over-the-air access to the Company Directory , you can easily send e-mail messages and meeting requests to anyone in your company . Requirement Access to the Company Directory is available only if your organization is running Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 SP2 or higher , and you have completed your first synchronization with the Exchange Server . When browsing Contacts , composing e-mail , or creating a meeting request 1 . Synchronize with the Exchange Server . 2 . Do any of the following : \u2022 While browsing through your contacts on the Contacts or Phone screen , tap Menu > Company Directory . \u2022 In a new e-mail message , tap the To box ( or tap Menu > Add Recipient ) , and then tap Company Directory on the top of the list . \u2022 When creating a meeting request and selecting required and optional attendees in Calendar , tap Company Directory . Working With Company E-mail and Meeting Appointments 151 3 . Enter a partial or full contact name and tap Search . In the search results list , tap a contact to select it . 4 . You can save a contact from the Company Directory to your device by selecting the contact , and then tapping Menu > Save to Contacts . Note You can search for the following information as long as that information is included in the Company Directory : First name , Last name , E-mail name , Display name , E-mail address , or Office location . ? When viewing a received Outlook e-mail message 1 . Open a received Outlook e-mail message . 2 . If a Search button ( ) appears to the right of the sender name in the e-mail message , tap this button to search for the sender in the Company Directory . 3 . If the sender is found , the contact details will be displayed . You can then choose to save the sender to your contacts , call the sender , and more . 152 Working With Company E-mail and Meeting Appointments","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
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{"text":"CHAPTER V. Advice from a Caterpillar The Caterpillar and Alice looked at each other for some time in silence : at last the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth , and addressed her in a languid , sleepy voice . ' Who are YOU ? ' said the Caterpillar . This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation . Alice replied , rather shyly , ' I--I hardly know , sir , just at present--at least I know who I WAS when I got up this morning , but I think I must have been changed several times since then . ' ' What do you mean by that ? ' said the Caterpillar sternly . ' Explain yourself ! ' ' I ca n ' t explain MYSELF , I 'm afraid , sir ' said Alice , ' because I 'm not myself , you see . ' ' I do n't see , ' said the Caterpillar . ' I 'm afraid I ca n ' t put it more clearly , ' Alice replied very politely , ' for I ca n ' t understand it myself to begin with ; and being so many different sizes in a day is very confusing . ' ' It is n't , ' said the Caterpillar . ' Well , perhaps you have n ' t found it so yet , ' said Alice ; ' but when you have to turn into a chrysalis--you will some day , you know--and then after that into a butterfly , I should think you 'll feel it a little queer , wo n ' t you ? ' ' Not a bit , ' said the Caterpillar . ' Well , perhaps your feelings may be different , ' said Alice ; ' all I know is , it would feel very queer to ME . ' ' You ! ' said the Caterpillar contemptuously . ' Who are YOU ? ' Which brought them back again to the beginning of the conversation . Alice felt a little irritated at the Caterpillar's making such VERY short remarks , and she drew herself up and said , very gravely , ' I think , you ought to tell me who YOU are , first . ' ' Why ? ' said the Caterpillar . Here was another puzzling question ; and as Alice could not think of any good reason , and as the Caterpillar seemed to be in a VERY unpleasant state of mind , she turned away . ' Come back ! ' the Caterpillar called after her . ' I 've something important to say ! ' This sounded promising , certainly : Alice turned and came back again . ' Keep your temper , ' said the Caterpillar . ' Is that all ? ' said Alice , swallowing down her anger as well as she could . ' No , ' said the Caterpillar . Alice thought she might as well wait , as she had nothing else to do , and perhaps after all it might tell her something worth hearing . For some minutes it puffed away without speaking , but at last it unfolded its arms , took the hookah out of its mouth again , and said , ' So you think you 're changed , do you ? ' ' I 'm afraid I am , sir , ' said Alice ; ' I ca n ' t remember things as I used--and I do n't keep the same size for ten minutes together ! ' ' Ca n ' t remember WHAT things ? ' said the Caterpillar . ' Well , I 've tried to say \" HOW DOTH THE LITTLE BUSY BEE , \" but it all came different ! ' Alice replied in a very melancholy voice . ' Repeat , \" YOU ARE OLD , FATHER WILLIAM , \" ' said the Caterpillar . Alice folded her hands , and began : -- ' You are old , Father William , ' the young man said , ' And your hair has become very white ; And yet you incessantly stand on your head -- Do you think , at your age , it is right ? ' ' In my youth , ' Father William replied to his son , ' I feared it might injure the brain ; But , now that I 'm perfectly sure I have none , Why , I do it again and again . ' ' You are old , ' said the youth , ' as I mentioned before , And have grown most uncommonly fat ; Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door -- Pray , what is the reason of that ? ' ' In my youth , ' said the sage , as he shook his grey locks , ' I kept all my limbs very supple By the use of this ointment--one shilling the box -- Allow me to sell you a couple ? ' ' You are old , ' said the youth , ' and your jaws are too weak For anything tougher than suet ; Yet you finished the goose , with the bones and the beak -- Pray how did you manage to do it ? ' ' In my youth , ' said his father , ' I took to the law , And argued each case with my wife ; And the muscular strength , which it gave to my jaw , Has lasted the rest of my life . ' ' You are old , ' said the youth , ' one would hardly suppose That your eye was as steady as ever ; Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose -- What made you so awfully clever ? ' ' I have answered three questions , and that is enough , ' Said his father ; ' do n't give yourself airs ! Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff ? Be off , or I 'll kick you down stairs ! ' ' That is not said right , ' said the Caterpillar . ' Not QUITE right , I 'm afraid , ' said Alice , timidly ; ' some of the words have got altered . ' ' It is wrong from beginning to end , ' said the Caterpillar decidedly , and there was silence for some minutes . The Caterpillar was the first to speak . ' What size do you want to be ? ' it asked . ' Oh , I 'm not particular as to size , ' Alice hastily replied ; ' only one does n ' t like changing so often , you know . ' ' I DO N'T know , ' said the Caterpillar . Alice said nothing : she had never been so much contradicted in her life before , and she felt that she was losing her temper . ' Are you content now ? ' said the Caterpillar . ' Well , I should like to be a LITTLE larger , sir , if you would n ' t mind , ' said Alice : ' three inches is such a wretched height to be . ' ' It is a very good height indeed ! ' said the Caterpillar angrily , rearing itself upright as it spoke ( it was exactly three inches high ) . ' But I 'm not used to it ! ' pleaded poor Alice in a piteous tone . And she thought of herself , ' I wish the creatures would n ' t be so easily offended ! ' ' You 'll get used to it in time , ' said the Caterpillar ; and it put the hookah into its mouth and began smoking again . This time Alice waited patiently until it chose to speak again . In a minute or two the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth and yawned once or twice , and shook itself . Then it got down off the mushroom , and crawled away in the grass , merely remarking as it went , ' One side will make you grow taller , and the other side will make you grow shorter . ' ' One side of WHAT ? The other side of WHAT ? ' thought Alice to herself . ' Of the mushroom , ' said the Caterpillar , just as if she had asked it aloud ; and in another moment it was out of sight . Alice remained looking thoughtfully at the mushroom for a minute , trying to make out which were the two sides of it ; and as it was perfectly round , she found this a very difficult question . However , at last she stretched her arms round it as far as they would go , and broke off a bit of the edge with each hand . ' And now which is which ? ' she said to herself , and nibbled a little of the right-hand bit to try the effect : the next moment she felt a violent blow underneath her chin : it had struck her foot ! She was a good deal frightened by this very sudden change , but she felt that there was no time to be lost , as she was shrinking rapidly ; so she set to work at once to eat some of the other bit . Her chin was pressed so closely against her foot , that there was hardly room to open her mouth ; but she did it at last , and managed to swallow a morsel of the lefthand bit . * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ' Come , my head 's free at last ! ' said Alice in a tone of delight , which changed into alarm in another moment , when she found that her shoulders were nowhere to be found : all she could see , when she looked down , was an immense length of neck , which seemed to rise like a stalk out of a sea of green leaves that lay far below her . ' What CAN all that green stuff be ? ' said Alice . ' And where HAVE my shoulders got to ? And oh , my poor hands , how is it I ca n ' t see you ? ' She was moving them about as she spoke , but no result seemed to follow , except a little shaking among the distant green leaves . As there seemed to be no chance of getting her hands up to her head , she tried to get her head down to them , and was delighted to find that her neck would bend about easily in any direction , like a serpent . She had just succeeded in curving it down into a graceful zigzag , and was going to dive in among the leaves , which she found to be nothing but the tops of the trees under which she had been wandering , when a sharp hiss made her draw back in a hurry : a large pigeon had flown into her face , and was beating her violently with its wings . ' Serpent ! ' screamed the Pigeon . ' I 'm NOT a serpent ! ' said Alice indignantly . ' Let me alone ! ' ' Serpent , I say again ! ' repeated the Pigeon , but in a more subdued tone , and added with a kind of sob , ' I 've tried every way , and nothing seems to suit them ! ' ' I have n ' t the least idea what you 're talking about , ' said Alice . ' I 've tried the roots of trees , and I 've tried banks , and I 've tried hedges , ' the Pigeon went on , without attending to her ; ' but those serpents ! There 's no pleasing them ! ' Alice was more and more puzzled , but she thought there was no use in saying anything more till the Pigeon had finished . ' As if it was n ' t trouble enough hatching the eggs , ' said the Pigeon ; ' but I must be on the look-out for serpents night and day ! Why , I have n ' t had a wink of sleep these three weeks ! ' ' I 'm very sorry you 've been annoyed , ' said Alice , who was beginning to see its meaning . ' And just as I 'd taken the highest tree in the wood , ' continued the Pigeon , raising its voice to a shriek , ' and just as I was thinking I should be free of them at last , they must needs come wriggling down from the sky ! Ugh , Serpent ! ' ' But I 'm NOT a serpent , I tell you ! ' said Alice . ' I 'm a--I 'm a -- ' ' Well ! WHAT are you ? ' said the Pigeon . ' I can see you 're trying to invent something ! ' ' I--I 'm a little girl , ' said Alice , rather doubtfully , as she remembered the number of changes she had gone through that day . ' A likely story indeed ! ' said the Pigeon in a tone of the deepest contempt . ' I 've seen a good many little girls in my time , but never ONE with such a neck as that ! No , no ! You 're a serpent ; and there 's no use denying it . I suppose you 'll be telling me next that you never tasted an egg ! ' ' I HAVE tasted eggs , certainly , ' said Alice , who was a very truthful child ; ' but little girls eat eggs quite as much as serpents do , you know . ' ' I do n't believe it , ' said the Pigeon ; ' but if they do , why then they 're a kind of serpent , that 's all I can say . ' This was such a new idea to Alice , that she was quite silent for a minute or two , which gave the Pigeon the opportunity of adding , ' You 're looking for eggs , I know THAT well enough ; and what does it matter to me whether you 're a little girl or a serpent ? ' ' It matters a good deal to ME , ' said Alice hastily ; ' but I 'm not looking for eggs , as it happens ; and if I was , I should n ' t want YOURS : I do n't like them raw . ' ' Well , be off , then ! ' said the Pigeon in a sulky tone , as it settled down again into its nest . Alice crouched down among the trees as well as she could , for her neck kept getting entangled among the branches , and every now and then she had to stop and untwist it . After a while she remembered that she still held the pieces of mushroom in her hands , and she set to work very carefully , nibbling first at one and then at the other , and growing sometimes taller and sometimes shorter , until she had succeeded in bringing herself down to her usual height . It was so long since she had been anything near the right size , that it felt quite strange at first ; but she got used to it in a few minutes , and began talking to herself , as usual . ' Come , there 's half my plan done now ! How puzzling all these changes are ! I 'm never sure what I 'm going to be , from one minute to another ! However , I 've got back to my right size : the next thing is , to get into that beautiful garden--how IS that to be done , I wonder ? ' As she said this , she came suddenly upon an open place , with a little house in it about four feet high . ' Whoever lives there , ' thought Alice , ' it 'll never do to come upon them THIS size : why , I should frighten them out of their wits ! ' So she began nibbling at the righthand bit again , and did not venture to go near the house till she had brought herself down to nine inches high .","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"1 Application-level Fault-Tolerance Protocols arXiv : 1611 . 02273v1 [ cs . SE ] 5 Nov 2016 Vincenzo De Florio University of Antwerp , Middelheimlaan 1 , 2020 Antwerp , Belgium Preface 1 INTRODUCTION The central topic of this book is application-level fault-tolerance , that is the methods , architectures , and tools that allow to express a fault-tolerant system in the application software of our computers . Application-level fault-tolerance is a sub-class of software fault-tolerance that focuses on the problems of expressing the problems and solutions of fault-tolerance in the top layer of the hierarchy of virtual machines that constitutes our computers . This book shows that application-level fault-tolerance is a key ingredient to craft truly dependable computer systems \u2013 other approaches , such as hardware fault-tolerance , operating system fault-tolerance , or fault-tolerant middleware , are also important ingredients to achieve resiliency , but they are not enough . Failing to address the application layer means leaving a backdoor open to problems such as design faults , interaction faults , or malicious attacks , whose consequences on the quality of service could be as unfortunate as , e.g. , a physical fault affecting the system platform . In other words , in most cases it is simply not possible to achieve complete coverage against a given set of faults or erroneous conditions without embedding fault-tolerance provisions also in the application layer . In what follows the provisions for application-level fault-tolerance are called application-level fault-tolerance protocols . As a lecturer in this area , I wrote this book as my ideal textbook for a possible course on resilient computing and for my doctoral students in software dependability at the University of Antwerp . Despite this , the main goal of this book is not \u2013 only \u2013 education . The main mission of this book is first of all spreading the awareness of the necessity of application-level fault-tolerance . Another critical goal is highlighting the role of several important concepts that are often neglected or misunderstood : The fault and the system models , i.e. , the assumptions on top of which our computer services are designed and constructed . Last but not the least of our goals , this book aims to provide a clear view to the state-of-the-art of application-level fault-tolerance , also highlighting in the process a number of lessons learned through hands-on experiences gathered in more than 10 years of work in the area of resilient computing . It is our belief that any person who wants to include dependability among the design goals of their intended software services should have a clear understanding of concepts such as dependability , system models , failure semantics , and fault models and of their influence on their final product's quality of experience . Such information is often scattered among research papers while it is presented here in a unitary Application-level fault-tolerance is defined in what follows as the sub-class of software fault-tolerance that focuses on how to express the problems and solutions of fault-tolerance in the top layer of the hierarchy of virtual machines that constitutes our computers . Traditionally research in this sub-class was initiated by Brian Randell with his now classical article on which system structure to give our programs in order to be tolerant to faults ( Randell , 1975 ) . The key problem expressed in that paper was that of a cost-effective solution to embed fault-tolerance in the application software . Recovery blocks ( treated in Chapter 4 ) was the proposed solution . Randell was also the first to state the insufficiency of fault-tolerance solutions based exclusively on hardware designs and the need of appropriate structuring techniques such that the incorporation of a set of fault-tolerance provisions in the application software could be performed in a simple , coherent , and well structured way . A first proposal for the embedding recovery blocks in a programming language was proposed shortly afterwards ( Shrivastava , 1978 ) . Leaving the safe path of hardware fault-tolerance brought about new problems and challenges : Hardware redundancy guarantees random component failures , while software replication does not guarantee statistical independence of failures . In other words , a single cause may produce many ( undesirable ) effects . This means that \" in software the redundancy required is not simple replication of programs but redundancy of design \" ( Randell , 1975 ) . An answer to this problem and another important milestone was the conception of N - version programming by Algirdas Aviz \u0306 ienis ( Aviz \u0306 ienis , 1985 ) , which combines hardware and information redundancy in the attempt to reduce the chance of correlated failures in the software components . At the same time , the very meaning of computing and programming was evolving , again bringing new possibilities but also opening up new problems and challenges : The spread of distributed systems meant also the end of the purely synchronous model for computing and communication ( see for instance ( Jalote , 1994 ) and ( Lamport , Shostak , & Pease , 1982 ) and Chapter 2 ) ; object orientation made it possible to easily reuse third-party software components , but turned our applications into a chain of links of unknown strength and trustworthiness ( Green , 1997 ) . The logics for assembling the links together is in our applications , hence it is clear that the logics to prevent the break of those links to lead to disaster must also involve the application layer ( Saltzer , Reed , & Clark , 1984 ) . Luckily from the object model there began to stem several variants , such as composition filters , distributed objects , or fragmented objects , that would provide the programmer with powerful tools for fault-tolerance programming in the application layer ( see Chapter 6 for a few examples ) . Other approaches are also being devised , e.g. aspect-oriented programming \u2013 though their potential as fault-tolerance language is yet to be confirmed ( see Chapter 8 for a brief introduction ) . Still other approaches are also discussed in this book . A special accent is given to those approaches where the author had first-hand experience with . In one case \u2013 the Ariel recovery language \u2013 the reader is provided with enough details to even understand how the approach has been crafted . We are now at the verge of yet another change , with ubiquitous computing , service orientation and the novel Web technology promising to serve us as even more powerful solutions to accompany us in the transition towards the Information Society of tomorrow . Such topics would require a book on their own and have not been treated here . Still the problems of application-level fault-tolerance are with us , while to date no ultimate and general-purpose solution has been found out . This book is about this possibly unique case in computer science and engineering of a problem yet unsolved though being formulated more than 30 years ago . Table 1 : A short introduction to application-level fault-tolerance framework and from the viewpoint of the application-level dependable software engineer . Another aspect that makes this book unique from all others in the field is the fact that concepts are described with examples that , in some cases , reach a deep level of detail . This is not the case in all chapters , as it reflects the spectrum of working experiences that the author had during more than a decade of research in this area . Any such spectrum is inherently not uniformly distributed . As a consequence some chapters provide the reader with in-depth knowledge , down to the level of source code examples , while others just introduce the reader into the subject , explain the main concepts , and place the topic in the wider context of methods treated in this book . To increase readability , we isolated some of the most technical texts into quoted sections typed in blue . Furthermore , this book has a privileged viewpoint , which is the one of real-time , concurrent , and embedded system design . This book does not focuses in particular on the design of fault-tolerance provisions for service-oriented applications , such as web services , and does not cover fault-tolerance in the middleware layer . In what follows the background top-level information and the structure of this book are introduced . 2 BACKGROUND AND STRUCTURE No man conceived tool in human history has ever permeated so many aspects of human life as the computer has been doing for the last 60 years . An outstanding aspect of this success story is certainly given by an overwhelming increase in computer performance . Another one , also very evident , is the continuous decrease of costs of computer devices \u2013 A 1000 $ PC today provides its user with more performance , memory , and disk space of a million dollar mainframe of the Sixties . Clearly performance and costs are \" foreground figures \" \u2013 society at large is well aware of their evolution and of the societal consequences of the corresponding spread of computers . On the other hand this process is also characterized by \" background figures \" , that is , properties that are often overlooked despite their great relevance . Among such properties it is worth mentioning the growth in complexity and the crucial character of the roles nowadays assigned to computers : Human society more and more expects and relies on good quality of complex services supplied by computers . More and more these services become vital , in the sense that lack of timely delivery ever more often can have immediate consequences on capitals , the environment , and even human lives . Strangely though it may appear , the common man is well aware that computers get ever more powerful and less expensive , but does n't seem to be aware or even care about computers being safe and up to their ever more challenging tasks . The turn of the century brought about this problem for the first time \u2013 the Millennium Bug , also known as Y2K , reached the masses with striking force , as a tsunami of sudden awareness that \" yes , computers are powerful , but even computers can fail . \" Y2K ultimately did not show up , and the dreaded scenarios of a society simultaneously stripped by its computer services ended up in a few minor accidents . c 2008 Marvel Characters , Figure 1 : Perception of dependability in the Sixties ( TM & Inc. All Rights Reserved . ) But society had had a glimpse to some of the problems that are central to this book : Why do we trust computer services ? Are there modeling , design , development practices , conceptual tools , and concrete methods , to convince me that when I take a computer service , that service will be reliable , safe , secure , available ? In other words , is there a science of computer dependability , such that reliance of computer systems can be measured , hence quantitatively justified ? And , is there an engineering of computer dependability , such that trustworthy computer services can be effectively achieved ? Dependability \u2013 the discipline that studies those problems \u2013 is introduced in Chapter 1 . This book in particular focuses on fault-tolerance , which is described in Chapter 1 as one of the \" means \" for dependability : Fault-tolerance is one of the four classes of methods and techniques enabling one to provide the ability to deliver a service on which reliance can be placed , and to reach confidence in this ability ( together with fault prevention , fault removal , and fault forecasting ) . Its core objective is \" preserving the delivery of expected services despite the presence of fault-caused errors within the system itself \" ( Aviz \u0306 ienis , 1985 ) . The exact meaning of faults and errors is also given in the cited chapter , together with an introduction to fault-tolerance mainly derived from the works of Jean-Claude Laprie ( Laprie , 1992 , 1995 , 1998 , 1985 ) . What is important to remark here is that fault-tolerance acts after faults have manifested themselves in the system : Its main assumption is that faults are inevitable , but they must be tolerated , which is fundamentally different from other approaches where , e.g. , faults are sought to be avoided in the first place . Why focusing on fault-tolerance , why is it so important ? For the same reason referred above as a background figure in the history of the relationship between human society and computers : The growth in complexity . Systems get more and more complex , and there are no effective methods that can provide us with a zero-fault guarantee . The bulk of the research of computer scientists and engineers concentrated on methods to pack conveniently ever more complexity in computer systems . Software in particular has become a point of accumulation of complexity , and the main focus so far has been on how to express and compose complex software modules so as to tackle ever new challenging problems rather than dealing with the inevitable faults introduced by that complexity . Layered design is a classical method to deal with complexity . Software , software fault-tolerance , and application-level software fault-tolerance , are the topics of Chapter 2 . It is explained what does it mean that a program is fault-tolerant and what are the properties expected from a fault-tolerant program . The main objective of Chapter 2 is introducing two sets of design assumptions that shape the way people structure their fault-tolerant software \u2013 the system and the fault models . Often misunderstood or underestimated , those models describe \u2022 what is expected from the execution environment in order to let our software system function correctly , \u2022 and what are the faults that our system is going to consider . Note that a fault-tolerant program shall ( try to ) tolerate only those faults stated in the fault model , and will be as defenseless against all other faults as any non fault-tolerant program . Together with the system specification , the fault and system models represent the foundation on top of which our computer services are built . Not surprisingly enough , weak foundations often result in fragile constructions . To provide evidence to this , the chapter introduces three well-known accidents \u2013 the Ariane 5 flight 501 and Mariner-1 disasters and the Therac-25 accidents ( Leveson , 1995 ) . In each case it has been stressed out what went wrong , what were the biggest mistakes , and how a careful understanding of fault models and system models would have helped highlighting the path to avoid catastrophic failures that cost considerable amounts of money and even the lives of innocent people . After this , the chapter focuses on the core topic of this book , application-level software fault-tolerance . Main questions addressed here are : How to express and achieve fault-tolerance in the mission layer ? And , why is application-level software fault-tolerance so important ? The main reason for this is that a computer service is the result of the concurrent execution of several \" virtual \" and physical machines ( see Fig. 2 ) . Some of these machines run a predefined , special-purpose service , meant to serve \u2013 unmodified \u2013 many different applications . The hardware , the operating system , the network layers , the middleware , a programming language's run-time executive , and so forth , are common names of those machines . A key message in this book is that tolerating the faults in one machine does not protect from faults originating in another one . This includes the application layer . Now , while the machines \" below \" the application provide architectural ( special-purpose ) complexity , the mission layer contributes to computer services with general-purpose complexity , Figure 2 : Computer Services are the result of layered designs . The higher you go , the more specialized is the layer . which is intrinsically less reliable . This and other reasons justifying the need for application-level software fault-tolerance are given in that chapter . The main references here are ( Randell , 1975 ; Lyu , 1998a , 1998b ) . Chapter 2 also introduces what the author considers to be the three main properties of application-level software fault-tolerance : Separation of design concerns , adaptability , and syntactical adequacy ( De Florio & Blondia , 2008b ) . In this context the key questions are : Given a certain fault-tolerance provision , is it able to guarantee an adequate separation of the functional and non-functional design concerns ? Does it tolerate a fixed , predefined set of faulty scenarios , or does it dynamically change that set ? And , is it flexible enough as to host a large number of different strategies , or is it a \" hardwired \" solution tackling a limited set of strategies ? Finally , this chapter defines a few fundamental fault-tolerance services , namely watchdog timers , exception handling , transactions , and checkpointing-and-rollback . After having described the context and the \" rules of the game \" , this book discusses the state of the art in application-level fault-tolerance protocols . First , in Chapter 3 , the focus is on so-called single-version and multiple-version software fault-tolerance ( Aviz \u0306 ienis , 1985 ) . \u2022 Single-version protocols are methods that use a non-distributed , single task provision , running side by side with the functional software , often available in the form of a library and a run-time executive . \u2022 Multiple-version protocols are methods that use actively a form of redundancy , as explained in what follows . In particular the chapter discusses recovery blocks and N-version programming . Chapter 3 also features several in-depth case studies deriving from the author's research experiences in the field of resilient computing . In particular the EFTOS fault-tolerance library ( Deconinck , De Florio , Lauwereins , & Varvarigou , 1997 ; Deconinck , Varvarigou , et al. , 1997 ) is introduced as an example of application-level single-version software fault-tolerance approach . In that general framework , the EFTOS tools for exception handling , distributed voting , watchdog timers , fault-tolerant communication , atomic transactions , and data stabilization , are discussed . The reader is also given a detailed description of RAFTNET ( Raftnet , n.d. ) , a fault-tolerance library for data parallel applications . A second large class of application-level fault-tolerance protocols is the focus of Chapter 4 , namely the one that works \" around \" the programming language , that is to say either embedded in the compiler or via language transformations driven by translators . In that chapter it is also discussed the design of a translator supporting language-independent extensions called reflective and refractive variables and linguistic support for adaptively redundant data structures . \u2022 Reflective and refractive variables ( De Florio & Blondia , 2007a ) are syntactical structures to express adaptive feedback loops in the application layer . This is useful to resilient computing because a feedback loop can attach error recovery strategies to error detection events . \u2022 Redundant variables ( De Florio & Blondia , 2008a ) are a tool that allows designers to make use of adaptively redundant data structures with commodity programming languages such as C or Java . Designers using such tool can define redundant data structures in which the degree of redundancy is not fixed once and for all at design time , but rather it changes dynamically with respect to the disturbances experienced during the run time . The chapter shows that by a simple translation approach it is possible to provide sophisticated features such as adaptive fault-tolerance to programs written in any programming language . In Chapter 5 te reader gets in touch with methods that work at the level of the language itself : Custom fault-tolerance programming languages . In this approach fault-tolerance is not embedded in the program , nor around the programming language , but provided through the syntactical structures and the run-time executives of fault-tolerance programming languages . Also in this case application-level complexity is enucleated from the source code and shifted to the architecture , where it is much easier and cost-effective to tame . Three classes of approaches are treated \u2013 object-oriented languages , functional languages , and hybrid languages . In the latter class special emphasys is given to Oz ( M\u00fcller , M\u00fcller , & Van Roy , 1995 ) , a multi-paradigm programming language that achieves both transparent distribution and translucent failure handling . A separate chapter is devoted to a large case study in fault-tolerant languages : The so-called recovery language approach ( De Florio , 2000 ; De Florio , Deconinck , & Lauwereins , 2001 ) . In Chapter 6 the concept of recovery language is first introduced in general terms and then proposed through an implementation : the Ariel recovery language and a supporting architecture . That architecture is an evolution of the EFTOS system described in Chapter 3 , and targets distributed applications with non-strict real-time requirements , written in a procedural language such as C , to be executed on distributed or parallel computers consisting of a predefined set of processing nodes . Ariel and its run-time system provide the user with a fault-tolerance linguistic structure that appears to the user as a sort of second application-level especially conceived and devoted to address the error recovery concerns . This separation is very useful at design time , as it allows to bound design complexity . In Ariel this separation holds also at run-time , because even the executable code for error recovery is separated from the functional code . This means that , in principle , the error recovery code could change dynamically so as to match a different set of internal and environmental conditions . This can be used to avoid \" hardwiring \" a fault model into the application \u2013 an important property especially when , e.g. , the service is embedded in a mobile terminal ( De Florio & Blondia , 2005 ) . Chapter 7 discusses fault-tolerance protocols based on aspect-oriented programming ( Kiczales et al. , 1997 ) , a relatively novel structuring technique with the ambition to become the reference solution for system development , the way object-orientation did starting with the Eighties . We must remark how aspects and their currently available implementations have not yet reached a maturity comparable with that of the other techniques discussed in this book . For instance , the chapter remarks how no aspect-oriented fault-tolerance language has been proposed to date and , at least in same cases , the adequacy of aspects as a syntactical structure to host fault-tolerance provisions has been questioned . On the other hand , aspects allow regarding the source code as a flexible web of syntactic fragments that the designer can rearrange with great ease , deriving modified source codes matching particular goals , e.g. performance and , hopefully in the near future , dependability . The chapter explains how aspects allow to separate design concerns , which bounds complexity and enhances maintainability , and presents three programming languages : AspectJ ( Kiczales , 2000 ) , AspectC ++ ( Spinczyk , Lohmann , & Urban , 2005 ) and GluonJ ( GluonJ , n.d. ) . The following chapter , Chapter 8 , deals with failure detection protocols in the application layer . First the concept of failure detection ( Chandra & Toueg , 1996 ) , a fundamental building block to develop fault-tolerant distributed systems , is introduced . Then the relationship between failure detection and system models is highlighted \u2013 the key assumptions on which our dependable services are built , which were introduced in Chapter 2 . Then it is introduced a tool for the expression of this class of protocols ( De Florio & Blondia , 2007b ) , based on a library of objects called time-outs ( V. De Florio , 2006 ) . Finally a case study is described in detail : The failure detection protocol employed by the so-called EFTOS DIR net ( De Florio , Deconinck , & Lauwereins , 2000 ) , a distributed \" backbone \" for fault-tolerance management which was introduced in Chapter 3 and that later evolved into the so-called Backbone discussed in Chapter 6 . Hybrid approaches are the focus of Chapter 9 , that is , fault-tolerance protocols that blend two or more methods among those reported in previous chapters . In more detail R\u03b5Linda is introduced \u2013 a system coupling the recovery language approach of Chapter 6 and generative communication , one of the models introduced in Chapter 4 ( De Florio & Deconinck , 2001 ) . After this the recovery language-empowered extensions of two single-version mechanisms previously introduced in Chapter 3 are described , namely a distributed voting mechanism and a watchdog timer ( De Florio , Donatelli , & Dondossola , 2002 ) . The main lessons learned in this case are that the recovery language approach allows to fast-prototype complex strategies by composing a set of building blocks together and by building system-wide , recovery-time coordination strategies with the Ariel language . This allows set up sophisticated fault-tolerance systems while keeping the management of their complexity outside of the user application . Other useful properties achieved in this way are transparency of replication and transparency of location . Chapter 10 provides three examples of approaches used to assess the dependability of application-level provisions . In the first case reliability analysis is used to quantify the benefits of coupling an approach such as recovery languages to a distributed voting mechanism ( De Florio , Deconinck , & Lauwereins , 1998 ) . Then a tool is used to systematically inject faults onto the adaptively redundant data structure discussed in Chapter 4 ( De Florio & Blondia , 2008a ) . Monitoring and fault-injection are the topic of the third case , where a hypermedia application to watch and control a dependable service is introduced ( De Florio , Deconinck , Truyens , Rosseel , & Lauwereins , 1998 ) . Chapter 11 concludes the book by summarizing the main lessons learned . It also offers a view to the internals of the application-level fault-tolerance provision described in Chapter 6 \u2013 the Ariel recovery language . 3 SUMMARY OF CONTRIBUTIONS Application software development is not an easy task ; writing truly dependable fault-tolerant applications is even more difficult , not only in itself for the additional complexity required by fault-tolerance but often also because of the lack of awareness which is necessary in order to master the complexity of this tricky task . The first and foremost contribution of this book is increasing the awareness of the role and significance of application-level fault-tolerance . This has been reached by highlighting important concepts that are often neglected or misunderstood , as well as introducing the available tools and approaches that can be used to craft high-quality dependable services by working also in the application layer . Secondly , this book summarizes the most widely known approaches to application-level software fault-tolerance . A base of properties in which those approaches can be compared and assessed is defined . Finally , this book features a collection of several research experiences the author had in the field of resilient computing through his participation to several research projects funded by the European Community . This large first-hand experience is reflected into the deep level of detail that is reached in some cases . We hope that the above contributions will prove useful to the readers and intrigue them into entering the interesting arena of resilient computing research and development . Also , too many times the lack of awareness and know-how in resilient computing has brought the designers to supposedly robust systems whose failures had in some cases dreadful consequences on capitals , the environment , and even human lives \u2013 as a joke we call them sometimes \" endangeneers \" . We hope that this book may contribute to the spread of that awareness and know-how that should always be part of the education of dependable software engineers . This important requirement is witnessed by several organizations such as the European Workshop on Industrial Computer Systems Reliability , Safety and Security , technical committee 7 ) , whose mission is \" To promote the economical and efficient realization of programmable industrial systems through education , information exchange , and the elaboration of standards and guidelines \" ( EWICS , n.d. ) , and the ReSIST network of excellence ( ReSIST , n.d. ) , which is developing a resilient computing curriculum recommended to all people involved in teaching dependability-related subjects . References Aviz \u0306 ienis , A. ( 1985 , December ) . The N - version approach to fault-tolerant software . IEEE Trans . Software Eng . , 11 , 1491 \u2013 1501 . Chandra , T. D. , & Toueg , S. ( 1996 ) . Unreliable failure detectors for reliable distributed systems . Journal of the ACM , 43 ( 1 ) , 225 \u2013 267 . Deconinck , G. , De Florio , V. , Lauwereins , R. , & Varvarigou , T. ( 1997 ) . EFTOS : a software framework for more dependable embedded HPC applications . In Proc . of the 3rd int . euro-par conference , lecture notes in computer science ( Vol. 1300 , pp. 1363 \u2013 1368 ) . Springer , Berlin . Deconinck , G. , Varvarigou , T. , Botti , O. , De Florio , V. , Kontizas , A. , Truyens , M. , et al. ( 1997 ) . ( Reusable software solutions for more fault-tolerant ) Industrial embedded HPC applications . Supercomputer , XIII ( 69 ) , 23 \u2013 44 . De Florio , V. ( 2000 ) . A fault-tolerance linguistic structure for distributed applications . Unpublished doctoral dissertation , Dept. of Electrical Engineering , University of Leuven . ( ISBN 90-5682-266-7 ) De Florio , V. , & Blondia , C. ( 2005 , June 13 \u2013 16 ) . A system structure for adaptive mobile applications . In Proceedings of the sixth ieee international symposium on a world of wireless , mobile and multimedia networks ( wowmom 2005 ) ( pp. 270 \u2013 275 ) . Taormina - Giardini Naxos , Italy . De Florio , V. , & Blondia , C. ( 2007a , August 27 \u2013 31 ) . Reflective and refractive variables : A model for effective and maintainable adaptive-and-dependable software . In Proceedings of the 33rd euromicro conference on software engineering and advanced applications ( seea 2007 ) , software process and product improvement track ( sppi ) . L\u00fcbeck , Germany : IEEE Computer Society . De Florio , V. , & Blondia , C. ( 2007b , February 7 \u2013 9 ) . A tool for the expression of failure detection protocols . In Proceedings of the 15th euromicro conference on parallel , distributed and network-based processing ( pdp 2007 ) ( pp. 199 \u2013 204 ) . Naples , Italy : IEEE Computer Society . De Florio , V. , & Blondia , C. ( 2008a , February 13 \u2013 15 ) . Adaptive data integrity through dynamically redundant data structures . In submitted to the 16th euromicro international conference on parallel , distributed and network-based processing ( pdp 2008 ) . Toulouse , France . De Florio , V. , & Blondia , C. ( 2008b ) . A survey of linguistic structures for application-level fault-tolerance . To appear in the ACM Computing Surveys . De Florio , V. , & Deconinck , G. ( 2001 , December 4 \u2013 6 ) . A parallel processing model based on generative communication and recovery languages . In Proc . of the 14th int . l conference on software & systems engineering and their applications ( icssea 2001 ) . Paris , France . De Florio , V. , Deconinck , G. , & Lauwereins , R. ( 1998 , December ) . Software tool combining fault masking with user-defined recovery strategies . IEE Proceedings \u2013 Software , 145 ( 6 ) , 203 \u2013 211 . ( Special Issue on Dependable Computing Systems . IEE in association with the British Computer Society ) De Florio , V. , Deconinck , G. , & Lauwereins , R. ( 2000 , April 3 \u2013 5 ) . An algorithm for tolerating crash failures in distributed systems . In Proc . of the 7th annual ieee international conference and workshop on the engineering of computer based systems ( ecbs ) ( pp. 9 \u2013 17 ) . Edinburgh , Scotland : IEEE Comp . Soc. Press . De Florio , V. , Deconinck , G. , & Lauwereins , R. ( 2001 , February 7 \u2013 9 ) . The recovery language approach for software-implemented fault tolerance . In Proc . of the 9th euromicro workshop on parallel and distributed processing ( euro-pdp ' 01 ) . Mantova , Italy : IEEE Comp . Soc. Press . De Florio , V. , Deconinck , G. , Truyens , M. , Rosseel , W. , & Lauwereins , R. ( 1998 , January ) . A hypermedia distributed application for monitoring and fault-injection in embedded fault-tolerant parallel programs . In Proc . of the 6th euromicro workshop on parallel and distributed processing ( euro-pdp ' 98 ) ( pp. 349 \u2013 355 ) . Madrid , Spain : IEEE Comp . Soc. Press . De Florio , V. , Donatelli , S. , & Dondossola , G. ( 2002 , April 8 \u2013 11 ) . Flexible development of dependability services : An experience derived from energy automation systems . In Proc . of the 9th annual ieee international conference and workshop on the engineering of computer based systems ( ecbs ) . Lund , Sweden : IEEE Comp . Soc. Press . De Florio , V. , Leeman , M. , Leeman , M. , Snyers , T. , Stijn , S. , & Vettenburg , T. ( n.d. ) . RAFTNET \u2013 reliable and fault tolerant network . ( Retrieved on August 25 , 2007 from sourceforge . net \/ projects \/ raftnet ) EWICS \u2013 european workshop on industrial computer systems reliability , safety and security . ( n.d. ) . ( Retrieved on August 23 , 2007 from www.ewics.org ) Gluonj . ( n.d. ) . ( Retrieved on August 26 , 2007 from www.csg.is.titech.ac.jp\/projects\/gluonj ) Green , P. A. ( 1997 , October 22 \u2013 24 ) . The art of creating reliable software-based systems using off-the-shelf software components . In Proc . of the 16th symposium on reliable distributed systems ( srds ' 97 ) . Durham , NC . Jalote , P. ( 1994 ) . Fault tolerance in distributed systems . Prentice Hall , Englewood Cliffs , NJ . Kiczales , G. ( 2000 , June 6 \u2013 9 ) . AspectJTM : aspect-oriented programming using JavaTM technology . In Proc . of the sun's 2000 worldwide java developer conference ( javaone ) . San Francisco , California . ( Slides available at URL http:\/\/aspectj.org\/servlets\/AJSite?channel= documentation & subChannel = papersAndSlides ) Kiczales , G. , Lamping , J. , Mendhekar , A. , Maeda , C. , Videira Lopes , C. , Loingtier , J. - M. , et al. ( 1997 , June ) . Aspect-oriented programming . In Proc . of the european conference on object-oriented programming ( ecoop ) , lecture notes in computer science ( Vol. 1241 ) . Finland : Springer , Berlin . Lamport , L. , Shostak , R. , & Pease , M. ( 1982 , July ) . The Byzantine generals problem . ACM Trans . on Programming Languages and Systems , 4 ( 3 ) , 384 \u2013 401 . Laprie , J. - C. ( 1985 , June ) . Dependable computing and fault tolerance : Concepts and terminology . In Proc . of the 15th int . symposium on fault-tolerant computing ( ftcs-15 ) ( pp. 2 \u2013 11 ) . Ann Arbor , Mich. : IEEE Comp . Soc. Press . Laprie , J. - C. ( 1992 ) . Dependability : Basic concepts and terminology in english , french , german , italian and japanese ( Vol. 5 ) . Wien : Springer Verlag . Laprie , J. - C. ( 1995 ) . Dependability \u2013 its attributes , impairments and means . In B. Randell , J. - C. Laprie , H. Kopetz , & B. Littlewood ( Eds . ) , Predictably dependable computing systems ( pp. 3 \u2013 18 ) . Berlin : Springer Verlag . Laprie , J. - C. ( 1998 ) . Dependability of computer systems : from concepts to limits . In Proc . of the ifip international workshop on dependable computing and its applications ( dcia98 ) . Johannesburg , South Africa . Leveson , N. G. ( 1995 ) . Safeware : Systems safety and computers . Addison-Wesley . Levine , J. , Mason , T. , & Brown , D. ( 1992 ) . Lex & YACC ( 2nd ed . ) . O ' Reilly & Associates . Lyu , M. R. ( 1998a , August 25 \u2013 27 ) . Design , testing , and evaluation techniques for software reliability engineering . In Proc . of the 24th euromicro conf . on engineering systems and software for the next decade ( euromicro ' 98 ) , workshop on dependable computing systems ( pp. xxxix \u2013 xlvi ) . V\u00e4ster\u00e5s , Sweden : IEEE Comp . Soc. Press . ( Keynote speech ) Lyu , M. R. ( 1998b , December ) . Reliability-oriented software engineering : Design , testing and evaluation techniques . IEE Proceedings \u2013 Software , 145 ( 6 ) , 191 \u2013 197 . ( Special Issue on Dependable Computing Systems ) M\u00fcller , M. , M\u00fcller , T. , & Van Roy , P. ( 1995 , 7December ) . Multi-paradigm programming in Oz . In D. Smith , O. Ridoux , & P. Van Roy ( Eds . ) , Visions for the future of logic programming : Laying the foundations for a modern successor of Prolog . Portland , Oregon . ( A Workshop in Association with ILPS ' 95 ) Randell , B. ( 1975 , June ) . System structure for software fault tolerance . IEEE Trans . Software Eng . , 1 , 220 \u2013 232 . ReSIST \u2013 european network of excellence on resilience for survivability in IST . ( n.d. ) . ( Retrieved on August 23 , 2007 from www.ewics.org ) Saltzer , J. H. , Reed , D. P. , & Clark , D. D. ( 1984 ) . End-to-end arguments in system design . ACM Trans . on Computer Systems , 2 ( 4 ) , 277 \u2013 288 . Shrivastava , S. ( 1978 ) . Sequential Pascal with recovery blocks . Software \u2013 Practice and Experience , 8 , 177 \u2013 185 . Spinczyk , O. , Lohmann , D. , & Urban , M. ( 2005 , May ) . Aspectc ++ : an aop extension for c ++ . Software Developer's Journal , 68 \u2013 76 . V. De Florio , C. B. ( 2006 ) . Dynamics of a time-outs management system . Complex Systems , 16 ( 3 ) , 209 \u2013 223 . page DEPENDABILITY AND FAULT-TOLERANCE : BASIC CONCEPTS AND TERMINOLOGY Contents 1 INTRODUCTION 1 2 DEPENDABILITY , RESILIENT COMPUTING , AND FAULTTOLERANCE 2 2.1 The Attributes of Dependability ..... ............. 3 2.1.1 Reliability ........................... 4 2.1.2 Mean Time To Failure , Mean Time To Repair , and Mean Time Between Failures .................... 5 2.1.3 Availability .......................... 5 2.1.4 Safety .................... ......... 6 2.1.5 Maintainability ........................ 6 2.2 Impairments to Dependability .................... 6 2.2.1 Failures ......................... ... 7 2.2.2 Errors ............................. 10 2.2.3 Faults ............. ................ 10 2.3 Means for Dependability ....................... 12 2.3.1 Fault-Tolerance ........................ 12 3 FAULT-TOLERANCE , REDUNDANCY , AND COMPLEXITY 14 4 CONCLUSION 15 References 16 1 INTRODUCTION The general objective of this chapter is to introduce the basic concepts and the terminology of the domain of dependability . Concepts such as reliability , safety , or security , have been used inconsistently by different communities of researchers : The real-time system community , the secure computing 1 community , and so forth , each had its own \" lingo \" and was referring to concepts such faults , errors and failures without the required formal foundation . This changed in the early Nineties , when Jean-Claude Laprie finally introduced a tentative model for dependable computing . To date , the Laprie model of dependability is the most widespread and accepted formal definition for the terms that play a key role in this book . As a consequence , the rest of this chapter introduces that model . 2 DEPENDABILITY , RESILIENT COMPUTING , AND FAULT-TOLERANCE As just mentioned the central topic of this chapter is dependability , defined in ( Laprie , 1985 ) as the trustworthiness of a computer system such that reliance can justifiably be placed on the service it delivers . In this context , service means the manifestations of a set of external events perceived by the user as the behavior of the system ( Aviz \u0306 ienis , Laprie , & Randell , 2004 ) user means another system , e.g. , a human being , or a physical device , or a computer application , interacting with the former one . The concept of dependability as described herein was first introduced by Jean-Claude Laprie ( Laprie , 1985 ) as a contribution to an effort by IFIP Working Group 10.4 ( Dependability and Fault-Tolerance ) aiming at the establishment of a standard framework and terminology for discussing reliable and fault-tolerant systems . The cited paper and other works by Laprie are the main sources for this chapter \u2013 in particular ( Laprie , 1992 ) , later revised as ( Laprie , 1995 ) and ( Laprie , 1998 ) . A more recent work in this framework is ( Aviz \u0306 ienis , Laprie , Randell , & Landwehr , 2004 ) . Professor Laprie is continuously revising his model , also with the contributions of various teams of researchers in Europe and abroad \u2013 let me just cite here the EWICS TC7 ( European Workshop on Industrial Computer Systems Reliability , Safety and Security , technical committee 7 ) , whose mission is \" To promote the economical and efficient realization of programmable industrial systems through education , information exchange , and the elaboration of standards and guidelines \" ( EWICS , n.d. ) , and the ReSIST network of excellence ( ReSIST , n.d. ) , boasting a 50-million items resilience knowledge base ( Anderson , Andrews , & Fitzgerald , 2007 ) , which developed a resilient computing curriculum recommended to all involved in teaching dependability-related subjects . Laprie's is the most famous and accepted definition of dependability , but it is certainly not the only one . Not surprisingly , due to the societal relevance of such a topic , dependability has also slightly different definitions ( Motet & Geffroy , 2003 ) . According to Sommervilla ( Sommervilla , 2006 ) , for instance , dependability is \" The extent to which a critical system is trusted by its users \" . This is clearly a definition that focuses more on how the user perceives the system than on how the system actually is trustworthy . It reflects the extent of the user's confidence that the system will operate as users expect and in particular without failures . In other words , dependability is considered by Sommervilla and others as a measure of the quality of experience of a given user and a given service . From this descends that the objective of dependability engineers is not to make services failure-proof , but to let its users believe so ! Paraphrasing Patterson and Hennessy ( Patterson & Hennessy , 1996 ) , if a particular hazard does not occur very frequently , it may not be worth the cost to avoid it . This means that residual faults are not only inevitable , but sometimes even expected . It 's the notion of \" dependability economics \" : Because of the very high costs of dependability achievement , in some cases it may be more cost effective to accept untrustworthy systems and pay for failure costs . This is especially relevant when time-to-market is critical to a product's commercial success . Reaching the market sooner with a sub-optimal product may bring more revenues than doing so with a perfectly reliable product surrounded by early bird competitors that have already captured the interest and trust of the public . In what follows the book shall stick to Laprie's model of dependability . Following such model , a precise and complete characterization of dependability is given 1 . by enumerating its basic properties or attributes , 2 . by explaining which phenomena constitute potential impairments to it , and 3 . by reviewing the scientific disciplines and the techniques that can be adopted as means for improving dependability . Attributes , impairments , and means can be globally represented into one picture as a tree , traditionally called the dependability tree ( Laprie , 1995 ) ( see Fig. 1 ) . 2.1 The Attributes of Dependability As just mentioned , dependability is a general concept that embraces a number of different properties ( Walkerdine , Melville , & Sommerville , 2002 ) . These properties correspond to different viewpoints from which the user perceives the quality of the offered service \u2013 in other words , for different users there will be in general different key properties corresponding to a positive assessment of the service : \u2022 Availability is the name of the property that addresses the readiness for usage . \u2022 Reliability is the property that measures the continuity of service delivery . Figure 1 : The dependability tree \u2022 The property expressing the reliance on the non-occurrence of events with catastrophic consequences on the environment is known as safety . \u2022 The property that measures the reliance on the non-occurrence of unauthorized disclosure of information has been called confidentiality . \u2022 The property that measures the reliance on the non-occurrence of improper alterations of information has been called integrity . \u2022 The property that expresses the ability to undergo repairs and upgrades has been called maintainability . These properties qualify dependability , and therefore are known as its attributes ( Laprie , 1995 ) . Certain combinations of these attributes received a special name \u2013 security ( Jonsson , 1998 ; Bodeaum , 1992 ) , for instance , is defined as the conjoint requirement for integrity , availability , and confidentiality . This section defines a number of important measures of a system's quality of service , including some of the attributes presented in Sect . 2.1 that are most relevant in what follows . 2.1.1 Reliability When we take a plane , or even just a lift , the key property we expect from the computer system behind the service is that it proceed without flaws for the entire duration of the service . Any disruption of the service in the middle of the run would be disastrous . Reliability is the property that measures the continuity of service delivery . In other words , one expects \u2013 and hopes ! \u2013 that airborne systems be reliable throughout their flights ! More formally , reliability is defined as the conditional probability that the system will perform correctly throughout interval [ t0 , t ] , given that the system was performing correctly at time t0 ( Johnson , 1989 ) . Time t0 is usually omitted and taken as the current time . The general notation for reliability is therefore R ( t ) . The negative counterpart of reliability , unreliability , is defined as Q ( t ) = 1 \u2212 R ( t ) , and represents the conditional probability that the system will perform incorrectly during the interval [ t0 , t ] , given that the system was performing correctly at time t0 . Unreliability is also known as the probability of failure . 2.1.2 Mean Time To Failure , Mean Time To Repair , and Mean Time Between Failures If a system is known to fail , it makes sense to ask how long the system can be expected to run without problems . Such figure is called Mean Time to Failure ( MTTF ) . MTTF is defined as the expected time that a system will operate before the occurrence of its first failure . Another important property is Mean Time to Repair ( MTTR ) . MTTR is defined as the average time required for repairing a system . It is often specified by means of a repair rate \u03bc , namely the average number of repairs that occur per time unit . Mean Time Between Failures ( MTBF ) is the average time between any two consecutive failures of a system . This is slightly different from MTTF which regards on a system 's very first failure . The following relation holds : MTBF = MTTF + MTTR . As it is usually true that MTTR is a small fraction of MTTF , it is usually allowed to assume that MTBF \u2248 MTTF . 2.1.3 Availability When we need to perform a banking transaction , or when we press the brake pedal while driving our car , or when we take an elevator and press the key corresponding to the floor we need to reach , the key property we expect from the system is that it serve us \u2013 it allow us to complete our transaction , or to slow down our car , or simply that the elevator works . What really matters is not how long the system worked so far , but that it works the moment we need it . This property is called availability . Availability is defined as a function of time representing the probability that a service is operating correctly and is available to perform its functions at the instant of time t ( Johnson , 1989 ) . It is usually represented as function A ( t ) . Availability represents a property at a given point in time , whereas reliability concerns time intervals . These two properties are not to be mistaken with each other \u2013 a system might exhibit a good degree of availability and yet be rather unreliable , e.g. , when inoperability is pointwise or rather short . Availability can be approximated as the total time that a system has been capable of supplying its intended service divided by the elapsed time that system has been in operation , i.e. , the percentage of time that the system is available to perform its expected functions . The steady-state availability can be proven ( Johnson , 1989 ) to be MTTF \u00b7 Ass = MTTF + MTTR 2.1.4 Safety Safety is the attribute of dependability that measures a system's ability to operate , normally or not , without damaging that system's environment ( Sommervilla , 2006 ) . So though it might seem a little strange at first , safety does not take into account the correctness of the system . In other words , while e.g. reliability is a functional attribute , this is not the case for safety . With reliability , quality is related to conformance to the functional specifications . With safety , quality is non-functional . A crashed system would exhibit minimal reliability and maximal safety . As remarked by Sommervilla , because of the increasing number of software-based control systems , software safety is being recognized as an important aspect of overall system safety . Systems where the issue of safety is particularly important , to the point that failures may lead to loss of lives or severe environmental damages are called life-critical or mission-critical systems ( Storey , 1996 ) . An example architecture for safety-critical systems is Cardamon ( Corsaro , 2005 ) . 2.1.5 Maintainability Maintainability is a function of time representing the probability that a failed system will be repaired in a time less than or equal to t . Maintainability can be estimated as M ( t ) = 1 \u2212 exp \u2212 \u03bct , \u03bc being the repair rate , assumed to be constant ( see Sect . 2.1.2 ) . 2.2 Impairments to Dependability Hardware and software systems must conform to certain specifications , i.e. , agreed upon descriptions of the expected system response corresponding to any initial system state and input , as well as the time interval within which the response should occur . This includes a description of the functional behavior of the system \u2013 basically , what the system is supposed to do , or in other words , a description of its service \u2013 and possibly a description of other , non-functional requirements . Some of these requirements may concern the dependability of the service . In real life , any system is subject to internal or external events that can affect in different ways the quality of its service . These events have been partitioned into three classes by their cause-effect relationship : depending on this , an impairment can be classified as a fault , an error , or a failure . When the delivered service of a system deviates from its specification , the user of the system experiences a failure . Such failure is due to a deviation from the correct state of the system , known as an error . That deviation is due to a given cause , for instance related to the physical state of the system , or to bad system design . This cause is called a fault . A failure of a system could give rise to an event that is perceived as a fault by the user of that system , bringing to a concatenation of cause-and-effects events known as the \" fundamental chain \" ( Laprie , 1985 ) : ... fault \u21d2 error \u21d2 failure \u21d2 fault \u21d2 error \u21d2 failure \u21d2 ... ( symbol \" \u21d2 \" can be read as \" brings to \" ) . Attributes defined in Sect . 2.1 can be negatively affected by faults , errors , and failures . For this reason , failures , errors , and faults have been collectively termed as the \" impairments \" of dependability . They are characterized in the following three paragraphs . 2.2.1 Failures Failures System failures occur when the system does not behave as agreed in the system specifications or when the system specification did not properly describe its function . This can happen in many different ways ( Cristian , 1991 ) : omission failures occur when an agreed reply to a well defined request is missing . The request appears to be ignored ; timing failures occur when the service is supplied , though outside the real-time interval agreed upon in the specifications . This may occur when the service is supplied too soon ( early timing failure ) , or too late ( late timing failure , also known as performance failure ) ; response failures happen either when the system supplies an incorrect output ( in which case the failure is said to be a value failure ) , or when the system executes an incorrect state transition ( state transition failure ) ; crash failure is when a system continuously exhibits omission failures until that system is restarted . In particular , a pause-crash failure occurs when the system restarts in the state it had right before its crash , while a halting-crash occurs when the system simply never restarts . When a restarted system re-initialises itself wiping out the state it had before its crash , that system is said to have experienced an amnesia crash . It may also be possible that some part of a system's state is re-initialized while the rest is restored to its value before the occurrence of the crash \u2013 this is called a partial-amnesia crash . Defining the above failure classes allows extending a system's specification \u2013 that is , the set of its failure-free behaviors \u2013 with failure semantics , i.e. , with the failure behavior that system is likely to exhibit upon failures . This is important when programming strategies for recovery after failure ( Cristian , 1991 ) . For instance , if the service supplied by a communication system may delay transmitted messages but never lose or corrupt them , then that system is said to have performance failure semantics . If that system can delay and also lose them , then it is said to have omission \/ performance failure semantics . In general , if the failure semantics of a system s allows it to exhibit a behavior in the union of two failure classes F and G , then s is said to have F \/ G failure semantics . In other words , the \" slash \" symbol can be read as the union operator among sets . For any given s it is possible to count the possible failure behaviors in a failure class . Let us call b this function from the set of failure classes to integers . Then , given failure classes F and G , b ( F \/ G ) = b ( F UG ) = b ( F ) + b ( G ) . Failure semantics can be partially ordered by means of function b : Given any two failure semantics F and G , then F is said to exhibit a weaker ( less restrictive ) failure semantics than G : F < G \u2261 b ( F ) > b ( G ) . In particular , it is true that F \/ G < F. Therefore , the union of all possible failure classes represents the weakest failure semantics possible . If system s exhibits such semantics , s is said to have arbitrary failure semantics , i.e. , s can exhibit any failure behavior , without any restriction . By its definition , arbitrary failure semantics is also weaker than arbitrary value failure semantics . This latter is also known as Byzantine failure semantics ( Lamport , Shostak , & Pease , 1982 ) . In the case of stateless systems , pause-crash and halting-crash behaviors are subsets of omission failure behaviors ( Cristian , 1991 ) , so omission failure semantics is in this case weaker than pause-crash and halting-crash failure semantics . As clearly stated in ( Cristian , 1991 ) , it is the responsibility of a system designer to ensure that it properly implements a specified failure semantics . For instance , in order to implement a processing service with crash failure semantics , one can use duplication with comparison : Two physically independent processors executing in parallel the same sequence of instructions and comparing their results after the execution of each instruction . As soon as a disagreement occurs , the system is shut down ( Powell , 1997 ) . Another possibility is to use self-checking capabilities . Anyway , given any failure semantics F , it is up to the system designer to decide how to implement it , also depending on the designer's other requirements , e.g. , those concerning Figure 2 : Failure classes . costs and expected performance . In general , the weaker the failure semantics , the more expensive and complex it is its implementation . Moreover , a weak failure semantics imply higher costs in terms of redundancy exhaustion ( see Sect . 3 ) and , often , higher performance penalties . For this reason , the designer may leave the ultimate choice to the user \u2013 for instance , the designer of the Motorola C compiler for the PowerPC allows the user to choose between two different modes of compilation \u2013 the fastest mode does not guarantee that the state of the system pipeline be restored on return from interrupts ( Sun , 1996 ) . This translates into behaviors belonging to the partial-amnesia crash semantics . The other mode guarantees the non-occurrence of these behaviors at the price of a lower performance for the service supplied by that system \u2013 programs compiled with this mode run slower . Failures can also be characterized according to the classification in Fig. 2 ( Laprie , 1995 ) , corresponding to the different viewpoints of \u2022 failure domain ( i.e. , whether the failure manifests itself in the time or value domain ) , \u2022 failure perception ( i.e. , whether any two users perceive the failure in the same way , in which case the failure is said to be consistent , or differently , in which the failure is said to be inconsistent ) , \u2022 and consequences on the environment . In particular a failure is said to be benign when consequences are of the same order as the benefits provided by normal system operation , while it is said catastrophic when consequences are incommensurably more relevant than the benefits of normal operation ( Laprie , 1995 ) . Systems that provide a given failure semantics are often said to exhibit a \" failure mode \" . For instance , systems having arbitrary failure semantics ( in both time and value domains ) are called fail-uncontrolled systems , while those only affected by benign failures are said to be fail-safe systems ; likewise , systems with halt-failure semantics are referred to as fail-halt systems . These terms are also used to express the behavior a system should have when dealing with multiple failures \u2013 for instance , a \" fail-op , fail-op , fail-safe \" system is one such that is able to withstand two failures and then behaves as a fail-safe system ( Rushby , 1994 ) ( fail-op stands for \" after failure , the system goes back to operational state \" ) . Finally , it is worth mentioning the fail-time-bounded failure mode , introduced in ( Cuyvers , 1995 ) , which assumes that all errors are detected within a pre-defined , bounded period after the fault has occurred . 2.2.2 Errors An error is the manifestation of a fault ( Johnson , 1989 ) in terms of a deviation from accuracy or correctness of the system state . An error can be either latent , i.e. , when its presence in the system has not been yet perceived , or detected , otherwise . Error latency is the length of time between the occurrence of an error and the appearance of the corresponding failure or its detection . 2.2.3 Faults A fault ( I. Lee & Iyer , 1993 ) is a defect , or an imperfection , or a lack in a system's hardware or software component . It is generically defined as the adjudged or hypothesised cause of an error . Faults can have their origin within the system boundaries ( internal faults ) or outside , i.e. , in the environment ( external faults ) . In particular , an internal fault is said to be active when it produces an error , and dormant ( or latent ) when it does not . A dormant fault becomes an active fault when it is activated by the computation process or the environment . Fault latency is defined as either the length of time between the occurrence of a fault and the appearance of the corresponding error , or the length of time between the occurrence of a fault and its removal . Faults can be classified according to five viewpoints ( Laprie , 1992 , 1995 , 1998 ) \u2013 phenomenological cause , nature , phase of creation or occurrence , situation with respect to system boundaries , persistence . Not all combinations can give rise to a fault class \u2013 this process only defines 17 fault classes , summarized in Fig. 3 . These classes have been further partitioned into three \" groups \" , known as combined fault classes . The combined fault classes that are more relevant in the rest of the book are now briefly characterized : Physical faults : \u2022 Permanent , internal , physical faults . This class concerns those faults that have their origin within hardware components and are continuously active . A typical example is given by the fault corresponding to a worn out component . \u2022 Temporary , internal , physical faults ( also known as intermittent faults ) ( Bondavalli , Chiaradonna , Di Giandomenico , & Grandoni , 1997 ) . These are typically internal , physical defects that become active depending on a particular pointwise condition . \u2022 Permanent , external , physical faults . These are faults induced on the system by the physical environment . Figure 3 : Laprie's fault classification scheme . \u2022 Temporary , external , physical faults ( also known as transient faults ) ( Bondavalli et al. , 1997 ) . These are faults induced by environmental phenomena , e.g. , EMI . Design faults : \u2022 Intentional , though not malicious , permanent \/ temporary design faults . These are basically trade-offs introduced at design time . A typical example is insufficient dimensioning ( underestimations of the size of a given field in a communication protocol1 , and so forth ) . \u2022 Accidental , permanent , design faults ( also called systematic faults , or Bohrbugs ) : flawed algorithms that systematically turn into the same errors in the presence of the same input conditions and initial states \u2013 for instance , an unchecked divisor that can result in a division-by-zero error . \u2022 Accidental , temporary design faults ( known as Heisenbugs , for \" bugs of Heisenberg \" , after their elusive character ) : while systematic faults have an evident , deterministic behavior , these bugs depend on subtle combinations of the system state and environment . Interaction faults : \u2022 Temporary , external , operational , human-made , accidental faults . These include operator faults , in which an operator does not correctly perform his or her role in system operation . \u2022 Temporary , external , operational , human-made , non-malicious faults : \" neglect , interaction , or incorrect use problems \" ( Sibley , 1998 ) . Examples include poorly chosen passwords and bad system parameter setting . \u2022 Temporary , external , operational , human-made , malicious faults . This class includes the so-called malicious replication faults , i.e. , faults that occur when replicated information in a system becomes inconsistent , either because replicates that are supposed to provide identical results no longer do so , or because the aggregate of the data from the various replicates is no longer consistent with system specifications . 2.3 Means for Dependability Developing a dependable service , i.e. , a service on which reliance can be placed justifiably , calls for the combined utilisation of a set of methods and techniques globally referred to as the \" means for dependability \" ( Laprie , 1998 ) : fault prevention aims at preventing the occurrence or introduction of faults . Techniques in this category include , e.g. , quality assurance and design methodologies ; fault-tolerance groups methods and techniques to set up services capable of fulfilling their function in spite of faults ; fault removal aims at reducing the number , incidence , and consequences of faults . Fault removal is composed of three steps : verification , diagnosis and correction . Verification checks whether the system adheres to certain properties \u2013 the verification conditions \u2013 during the design , development , production or operation phase ; if it does not , the fault ( s ) preventing these conditions to be fulfilled must be diagnosed , and the necessary corrections ( corrective maintenance ) must be made ; fault forecasting investigates how to estimate the present number , the future incidence and the consequences of faults . Fault forecasting is conducted by evaluating the system behavior with respect to fault occurrence or activation . Qualitatively , it aims at identifying , classifying and ordering failure modes or at identifying event combinations leading to undesired effects . Quantitatively , it aims at evaluating ( in terms of probabilities ) some of the attributes of dependability . Of the above mentioned methods , fault-tolerance represents the core tool for the techniques and tools presented in this book . Because of this , it is discussed in more detail in Sect . 2.3.1 . 2.3.1 Fault-Tolerance Fault-tolerance methods come into play the moment a fault enters the system boundaries . Its core objective is \" preserving the delivery of expected services despite the presence of fault-caused errors within the system itself \" ( Aviz \u0306 ienis , 1985 ) . Fault-tolerance has its roots in hardware systems , where the assumption of random component failures is substantiated by the physical characteristics of the adopted devices ( Rushby , 1994 ) . According to ( Anderson & Lee , 1981 ) , fault-tolerance can be decomposed into two sub-techniques \u2013 error processing and fault treatment . Error processing aims at removing errors from the computational state ( if possible , before failure occurrence ) . It can be based on the following primitives ( Laprie , 1995 ) : Error detection , which focuses on detecting the presence in the system of latent errors before they are activated . This can be done , e.g. , by means of built-in self-tests or by comparison with redundant computations ( Rushby , 1994 ) . Error diagnosis i.e. , assessing the damages caused by the detected errors or by errors propagated before detection . Error recovery consists of methods to replace an erroneous state with an error-free state . This replacement takes one of the following forms : 1 . Compensation , which means reverting the erroneous state into an error-free one exploiting information redundancy available in the erroneous state , predisposed , e.g. , through the adoption of error correcting codes ( Johnson , 1989 ) . 2 . Forward recovery , which finds a new state from which the system can operate ( frequently in degraded mode ) . This method only allows recovering from errors of which the damage can be anticipated 2 \u2013 therefore , this method is system dependent ( P. Lee & Anderson , 1990 ) . The main tool for forward error recovery , according to ( Cristian , 1995 ) , is exception handling . 3 . Backward recovery , which substitutes an erroneous state by an error-free state prior to the error occurrence . As a consequence , the method requires that , at different points in time ( known as recovery points ) , the current state of the system be saved in some stable storage means . If a system state saved in a recovery point is error-free , it can be used to restore the system to that state , thus wiping out the effects of transient faults . For the same reason , this technique allows also to recover from errors of which the damage can not or has not been anticipated . The need for backward error recovery tools and techniques stems from their ability to prevent the occurrence of failures originated by transient faults , which are many times more frequent than permanent faults ( Rushby , 1994 ) . The main tools for backward error recovery are based on checkpoint-and-rollback ( Deconinck , 1996 ) and recovery blocks ( Randell , 1975 ) ( see Chapter 3 ) . According to ( Rushby , 1994 ) , an alternative technique with respect to error recovery is fault masking , classically achieved by modular redundancy ( Johnson , 1989 ) : a redundant set of components perform independently on the same input value . Results are voted upon . The basic assumption of this method is again that of random component failures \u2013 in other words , to be effective , modular redundancy requires statistical independence , because correlated failures translate in contemporary exhaustion of the available redundancy . Unfortunately a number of experiments ( Eckhardt et al. , 1991 ) and theoretical studies ( Eckhardt & Lee , 1985 ) have shown that often this assumption is incorrect , to the point that even independent faults are able to produce correlated failures . In this context , the concept of design diversity ( or N - version programming ) came up ( Aviz \u0306 ienis , 1985 ) . It is discussed in Chapter 3 . Fault treatment aims at preventing faults from being re-activated . It can be based on the following primitives ( Laprie , 1995 ) : Fault diagnosis i.e. , identifying the cause ( s ) of the error ( s ) , in location and nature , i.e. determining the fault classes to which the faults belong . This is different from error diagnosis ; besides , different faults can lead to the same error . Fault passivation i.e. , preventing the re-activation of the fault . This step is not necessary if the error recovery step removes the fault , or if the likelihood of re-activation of the fault is low enough . Reconfiguration updates the structure of the system so that non-failed components fulfill the system function , possibly at a degraded level , even though some other components have failed . 3 FAULT-TOLERANCE , REDUNDANCY , AND COMPLEXITY A well-known result by Shannon ( Shannon , Winer , & Sloane , 1993 ) tells us that , from any unreliable channel , it is possible to set up a more reliable channel by increasing the degree of information redundancy . This means that it is possible to trade off reliability and redundancy of a channel . The author of this book observes that the same can be said for a fault-tolerant system , because fault-tolerance is in general the result of some strategy effectively exploiting some form of redundancy \u2013 time , information , and \/ or hardware redundancy ( Johnson , 1989 ) . This redundancy has a cost penalty attached , though . Addressing a weak failure semantics , able to span many failure behaviors , effectively translates in higher reliability \u2013 nevertheless , 1 . it requires large amounts of extra resources , and therefore implies a high cost penalty , and 2 . it consumes large amounts of extra resources , which translates into the rapid exhaustion of the extra resources . For instance , a well-known result by Lamport et al. ( Lamport et al. , 1982 ) sets the minimum level of redundancy required for tolerating Byzantine failures to a value that is greater than the one required for tolerating , e.g. , value failures . Using the simplest of the algorithms described in the cited paper , a 4-modular-redundant ( 4-MR ) system can only withstand any single Byzantine failure , while the same system may exploit its redundancy to withstand up to three crash faults \u2013 though no other kind of fault ( Powell , 1997 ) . In other words : After the occurrence of a crash fault , a 4-MR system with strict Byzantine failure semantics has exhausted its redundancy and is no more dependable than a non-redundant system supplying the same service , while the crash failure semantics system is able to survive to the occurrence of that and two other crash faults . On the other hand , the latter system , subject to just one Byzantine fault , would fail regardless its redundancy . Therefore , for any given level of redundancy , trading complexity of failure mode against number and type of faults tolerated may be considered as an important capability for an effective fault-tolerant structure . Dynamic adaptability to different environmental conditions3 may provide a satisfactory answer to this need , especially when the additional complexity does not burden ( and jeopardize ) the application . Ideally , such complexity should be part of a custom architecture and not of the application . On the contrary , the embedding in the application of complex failure semantics , covering many failure modes , implicitly promotes complexity , as it may require the implementation of many recovery mechanisms . This complexity is detrimental to the dependability of the system , as it is in itself a significant source of design faults . Furthermore , the isolation of that complexity outside the user application may allow cost-effective verification , validation and testing . These processes may be unfeasible at application level . The author of this book conjectures that a satisfactory solution to the design problem of the management of the fault-tolerance code ( presented in Chapter 2 ) may translate in an optimal management of the failure semantics ( with respect to the involved penalties ) . The fault-tolerance linguistic structure proposed in Chapter 6 allows solving the above problems by means of its adaptability . 4 CONCLUSION This chapter has introduced the reader to Laprie's model of dependability describing its attributes , impairments , and means . The central topic of this book , fault-tolerance , has also been briefly discussed . The complex relation between the management of fault-tolerance , of redundancy , and of complexity , has been pointed out . In particular , a link has been conjectured between attribute adaptability and the dynamic ability to trade off the complexity of failure mode against number and type of faults being tolerated . References Anderson , T. , Andrews , Z. 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Currently , an IP address consists of four sections separated by periods . Each section contains an 8-bit value , for a total of 32 bits per address . Normally this would allow for more than 4 billion possible IP addresses \u2013 a rather acceptable value . Unfortunately , due to a lavish method for assigning IP address space , IP addresses are rapidly running out . A new protocol , IPv6 ( Hinden & Deering , 1995 ) , is going to fix this problem through larger data fields ( 128-bit addresses ) and a more flexible allocation algorithm . 2 In general , program specifications are not complete : there exist input states for which the behavior of the corresponding program P has been left unspecified . No forward recovery technique can be applied to deal with errors resulting from executing P on these input states . On the contrary , if a given specification is complete , that is , if each input state is covered in the set G of all the standard and exceptional specifications for P , and if P is totally correct , i.e. fully consistent with what prescribed in G , then P is said to be robust ( Cristian , 1995 ) . In this case forward recovery can be used as an effective tool for error recovery . 3 The following quote by J. Horning ( Horning , 1998 ) captures very well how relevant may be the role of the environment with respect to achieving the required quality of service : \" What is the most often overlooked risk in software engineering ? That the environment will do something the designer never anticipated \" . page FAULT-TOLERANT SOFTWARE : BASIC CONCEPTS AND TERMINOLOGY Contents 1 INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES 2 WHAT IS A FAULT-TOLERANT PROGRAM ? 2.1 Dependable Services : The System Model ...... 2.1.1 Synchronous System Model .......... 2.1.2 Asynchronous System Model ....... .. 2.1.3 Partially Synchronous System Model .... 2.2 Dependable Services : The Fault Model ....... 20 ..... ................................... 21 22 22 23 24 25 3 ( IN ) FAMOUS ACCIDENTS 26 3.1 Faulty Fault Models : The Ariane 5 Flight 501 ........... 26 3.2 Faulty Specifications : The Mariner 1 ..... ............ 28 3.3 Faulty Models : The Therac-25 Accidents .............. 30 4 SOFTWARE FAULT-TOLERANCE 32 5 SOFTWARE FAULT-TOLERANCE IN THE APPLICATION LAYER 34 6 STRATEGIES , PROBLEMS , AND KEY PROPERTIES 35 7 SOME WIDELY USED SOFTWARE FAULT-TOLERANCE PROVISIONS 7.1 Watchdog Timers ....................... .... 7.2 Exceptions and Exception Handlers ................. 7.3 Checkpointing and Rollback ..... ................ 7.4 Transactions ............................. 37 37 39 42 44 8 CONCLUSION 45 References 46 1 INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES After having described the main characteristics of dependability and fault-tolerance , it is analyzed here in more detail what does it mean that a program is fault-tolerant and what are the properties expected from a fault-tolerant program . The main objective of this chapter is introducing two sets of design assumptions that shape the way our fault-tolerant software is structured \u2013 the system and the fault models . Often misunderstood or underestimated , those models describe \u2022 what is expected from the execution environment in order to let our software system function correctly , \u2022 and what are the faults that our system is going to consider . Note that a fault-tolerant program shall ( try to ) tolerate only those faults stated in the fault model , and will be as defenseless against all other faults as any non fault-tolerant program . Together with the system specification , the fault and system models represent the foundation on top of which our computer services are built . It is not surprising that weak foundations often result in falling constructions . What is really surprising is that in so many cases little or no attention had been given to those important factors in fault-tolerant software engineering . To give an idea of this , three well-known accidents are described \u2013 the Ariane 5 flight 501 and Mariner-1 disasters and the Therac-25 accidents . In each case it is stressed what went wrong , what were the biggest mistakes , and how a careful understanding of fault models and system models would have helped highlighting the path to avoid catastrophic failures that cost considerable amounts of money and even the lives of innocent people . The other important objective of this chapter is introducing the core subject of this book : Software fault-tolerance situated at the level of the application layer . First of all , it is explained why targeting ( also ) the application layer is not an open option but a mandatory design choice for effective fault-tolerant software engineering . Secondly , given the peculiarities of the application layer , three properties to measure the quality of the methods to achieve fault-tolerant application software are introduced : 1 . Separation of design concerns , that is , how good the method is in keeping the functional aspects and the fault-tolerance aspects separated from each other . 2 . Syntactical adequacy , namely how versatile the employed method is in including the wider spectrum of fault-tolerance strategies . 3 . Adaptability : How good the employed fault-tolerance method is in dealing with the inevitable changes characterizing the system and its run-time environment , including the dynamics of faults that manifest themselves at service time . Finally , this chapter also defines a few fundamental fault-tolerance services , namely watchdog timers , exception handling , transactions , and checkpointing-and-rollback . 2 WHAT IS A FAULT-TOLERANT PROGRAM ? So what makes a program fault-tolerant ? In order to answer this key question , let us further detail what a service is : In the following a service is considered as a set of manifestations of external events that , if compliant to what agreed upon in a formal specification , can be considered by a watcher as being \" correct \" . This said , a program can be defined as a physical entity , stored for instance as voltage values in a set of memory cells , which is supposed to drive the production of a service . One of the main goals of software engineering is being able to set up of a robust link ( in mathematical terms , a emphhomomorphism \/ ) between a service's high-level specification and a low-level computer design ( the program ) . More formally , for some functions f and g it is true that Service = f ( program ) , program = g ( specification ) . A first ( obvious ) conclusion is the hard link between the service and its specification : Service = g \u00b7 f ( specification ) . Building robust versions of f and g is well known as being a difficult , non trivial job . Now let us concentrate on the range of g ( the software set ) . For any two systems a and b , if a relies on b to provide its service , then the expression \" a depends on b \" will be used . We shall represent this through the following notation : a \u21d2 b . This relation is called the \" dependence \" among the two systems . Clearly it is true that , for instance , Service \u21d2 program , program \u21d2 CPU , and CPU \u21d2 memory . Trying to develop an exhaustive list of dependent systems may be a long-lasting exercise , and most likely it would end up with an incomplete categorization . Figure 1 provides an arbitrary incomplete expansion of the dependence relation . As evident from that picture , dependences call for Dependability , i.e. , the fundamental property to achieve Dependable services which has been characterized in Chapter 1 . A dependable service is then one that persists even when , for instance , its corresponding program experiences faults \u2013 to some agreed upon extent . When designing a fault-tolerant program , two important steps are : Figure 1 : An expansion of the dependence relation . 1 . Defining the System model , which declares the characteristics we expect from the run-time environment \u2013 the main system features our program will depend upon at run-time . 2 . Defining the Fault model , which enumerates the erroneous cases that one considers and aims to tolerate . Summarizing , the main three variables that the designer of a fault-tolerant service needs to take into account in order to preserve its functions are : The specification , the system model , and the fault model : Fault-tolerant Service \u21d2 ( specification , system model , fault model ) . In the following two sections the system and fault models are characterized . 2.1 Dependable Services : The System Model System Model The system model characterizes the properties of the system components our program depends upon . It could be represented as a tree like the one in Fig. 1 whose leaves are computation , communication and clock sub-systems . These leaves are annotated with statements representing some expected properties of the corresponding sub-systems . 2.1.1 Synchronous System Model . A well-known system model is the synchronous model : In such a system the service depends on \" perfect \" ( ideal ) computation , communication and clock sub-systems . In particular , that model dictates that it is possible to know precisely how long will it take for any task to be fully executed by the available CPUs and for any message to be sent and eventually received through the available communication networks . Moreover , the hardware clocks available on different nodes are perfect \u2013 no drift is possible . The main benefit of such a model is that it facilitates considerably the task of the designer and the developer : The system is assumed to be perfectly stable , which means that no disruptions are deemed as likely to occur . This paves the way to the adoption of simple software structures , such as connection-oriented communication : Any two tasks willing to communicate with each other first establish a connection and then synchronously exchange messages through it . This structure is very simple and much more effective than , e.g. , datagram-based communication \u2013 where messages are sent asynchronously , and each of them must be routed separately to destination . Clearly opting for the synchronous system model is an optimistic approach , though not always a very realistic one . Writing a program with these assumptions means basically shifting problems to deployment time . This is because whatever violation of the system assumptions becomes a fault . Possible events , such as a late message arrival or a missed deadline , violate the model assumptions and can lead to a failure . Even momentary disruptions e.g. a node becoming unavailable for a small fraction of a second and then back on-line are not compatible with the synchronous system assumption \u2013 for instance , they break all the connections between the tasks on that node and those residing elsewhere in the system . This single event becomes a fault that triggers potentially many errors . Tolerating that single fault requires a non trivial error treatment , e.g. re-establishing all the broken connections through some distributed protocol . Of course in some cases it can be possible to build up a system that strictly obeys the synchronous system model . But such a system would require custom , non-standard hardware \/ software components : For instance , synchronous Ethernet could be used for communication instead of the inherently non-deterministic CSMA \/ CD Ethernet . These choices clearly have the consequence to strengthen the dependence between service and target platform . Embedded systems are exactly this \u2013 a combination of custom hardware and software assembled so as to produce a well defined , special purpose service . In some other cases \u2013 for instance , hard real-time systems \u2013 the synchronous system model is the only option , as the service specification dictates strict deterministic execution for all processing and communication tasks . 2.1.2 Asynchronous System Model . At the other extreme in the spectrum of possible system models is the asynchronous system model . Its main assumptions are : \u2022 No bounds on the relative speed of process execution . \u2022 No bounds on message transmission delays . \u2022 No hardware clocks are available or otherwise there are no bounds to clock drift . As can be clearly understood this model is quite simple , does not impose special constraint on the hardware platform and ( in a sense ) is more close to reality : It recognizes that non-determinism and asynchrony are common and does not try to deny or fight this matter of fact . This matches many common life execution environments such as the Internet . Unfortunately as Einstein would say this system model is too simple : It was proven that given these assumptions one can not come up with effective solutions to services such as time-based coordination and failure detection ( Fischer , Lynch , & Paterson , 1985 ) . 2.1.3 Partially Synchronous System Model . Given the disadvantages of these two main system models , designers have been trying to devise new models combining the best of both aspects . Partial synchrony models belong to this category . Such models consider that for some systems and some environments there are long period of times where the system is obeying the synchronous hypotheses and physical time bounds are respected . Such periods are followed by brief periods where delays are experienced on processing and communication tasks . One such model is the so-called timed asynchronous system model ( Cristian & Fetzer , 1999 ) , which is characterized by the following assumptions : Timed asynchronous system model \u2022 All tasks communicate through the network via a datagram service with omission \/ performance failure semantics ( see Chapter 1 ) . \u2022 All services are timed : specifications prescribe not only the outputs and state transitions that should occur in response to inputs , but also the time intervals within which a client task can expect these outputs and transitions to occur . \u2022 All tasks ( including those related to the OS and the network ) have crash \/ performance failure semantics ( again , see Chapter 1 ) . \u2022 All tasks have access to a local hardware clock . If more than one node is present , clocks on different nodes have a bounded drift rate . \u2022 A \" time-out \" service is available at application-level : Tasks can schedule the execution of events so that they occur at a given future point in time , as measured by their local clock1 . In particular , this model allows a straightforward modeling of system partitioning : As a result of sufficiently many omission or performance communication failures , correct nodes may be temporarily disconnected from the rest of the system during so-called periods of instability ( Cristian & Fetzer , 1999 ) . Moreover it is assumed that , at reset , tasks or nodes restart from a well-defined , initial state \u2013 partial-amnesia crashes ( defined in Chapter 1 ) are not considered . As clearly explained in the cited paper , the above hypotheses match well current distributed systems based on networked workstations \u2013 as such , they represent an effective model on which to build our fault-tolerant services . 2.2 Dependable Services : The Fault Model Another important step when designing a fault-tolerant system is the choice of which erroneous conditions one wants to tackle so as to prevent them to lead to system failures . This set of conditions that our fault-tolerant system is to tolerate is the fault model , F. What is F exactly ? It is a set of events that \u2022 may hinder the service distribution , and that \u2022 are considered as likely to occur , and that \u2022 one aims to tolerate ( that is , prevent them from turning into failures ) . Clearly F is a very important property for any fault-tolerant program , because even the most sophisticated fault-tolerant program p will be defenseless when any other condition than the ones in its fault model takes place . To highlight this fact , programs shall be referred to as functions of F , e.g. one shall write p ( F ) . A special case is given by non fault-tolerant programs , that is , programs with an empty fault model . In this case one shall write p ( \u2205 ) . The same applies for the service produced by program p ( F ) . In what follows such a service will be referred to as an F - dependable service . In other words an F - dependable service is one that persists despite the occurrence of faults as described in its fault model F. An important property of F is that , in turn , it is a function of an environment E where the service ( or better , its corresponding program ) is operating . Clearly an F - dependable service may tolerate faults in E ' and may not do so for those in E '' : An airborne service may well experience different events than , e.g. , one meant in an electrical energy primary substation2 ( Unipede , 1995 ) . Obviously the choice of F is an important aspect towards a successful development of a dependable service . Imagine for instance what may happen if our fault model F matches the wrong environment , or if the target environment changes its characteristics ( e.g. a rising of temperature due to a firing ) . One may argue that all the above cases are exceptional , and that most of the time they do not take place . This was maybe the case in the past , when services were stable . Our services now run in a very fluid environment , where the occurrence of changes is the rule , not the exception . As a consequence , software engineering for fault-tolerant systems should allow to consider the nature of faults as a dynamic system , i.e. , a system evolving in time , and by modeling faults as a function F ( t ) . The author is convinced that any current fault-tolerance provision should adopt such structure for its fault model . Failing to do so leaves the designer with two choices : 1 . Overshooting , i.e. , over-dimensioning the fault-tolerance provisions with respect to the actual threats being experienced , or 2 . undershooting , namely underestimating the threat in view of an economy of resources . Note how those two risks turn into a crucial dilemma to the designer : Wrong choices here can lead to either unpractical , too costly designs , or to cheap but vulnerable provisions : Fault-tolerant codes that are not dependable enough to face successfully the threats actually experienced . In Chapter 4 it is introduced and discussed an example of fault-tolerant software whose fault model dynamically changes tracking the environment . Next section focuses on a few cases where static fault models and wrong system models led to catastrophic consequences . 3 3.1 ( IN ) FAMOUS ACCIDENTS Faulty Fault Models : The Ariane 5 Flight 501 On June 4 , 1996 , the maiden flight of the unmanned Ariane 5 rocket ended in a failure just forty seconds after its lift-off from Kourou , French Guiana . At an altitude of about 3700 meters , the launcher veered off its flight path , broke up and exploded . The rocket was on its first voyage , and it took the European Space Agency ( ESA ) more than a decade of intense development costing $ 7 billion . Designed as a successor to the successful Ariane 4 series , the Ariane 5 was designed to be capable of hurling a cargo of several tons \u2013 four identical scientific satellites that were designed to establish precisely how the Earth's magnetic field interacts with solar winds \u2013 into orbit each launch , and was intended to give Europe a leading edge in the commercial space business . After the failure , the ESA set up an independent Inquiry Board to identify the causes of the failure . It was their task to determine the causes of the launch failure , investigate whether the qualification tests and acceptance tests were appropriate in relation to the problem encountered and recommend corrective actions . The recommendations of the Board concern mainly around software engineering practices like testing , reviewing and the construction of specifications and requirements . The case of the Ariane 5 is particularly meaningful to what discussed so far , because it provides us with an example of a fault-tolerant design that did not consider the right fault model . This was the ultimate cause of its failure . In the following we discuss what happened and which have been the main mistakes with respect to the discussion so far . The Flight Control System of the Ariane 5 was of a standard design . The attitude of the launcher and its movements in space were measured by an Inertial Reference System ( SRI ) . The SRI had its own internal computer , in which angles and velocities were calculated on the basis of information from a strap-down inertial platform , with laser gyros and accelerometers . The data from the SRI were transmitted through the data-bus to an On-Board Computer ( OBC ) , which executed the flight program and controlled the nozzles of the solid boosters and the so-called Vulcain cryogenic engine , via servovalves and hydraulic actuators . As already mentioned , this system was fault-tolerant : In order to improve its reliability two SRI's were operating in parallel , with identical hardware and software . For the time being the consequences of this particular design choice will not be considered \u2013 Chapter 3 will go back to this issue . One SRI was active and one was in hot stand-by \u2013 as soon as the OBC detected that the active SRI had failed it immediately switched to the other one , provided that this unit was functioning properly . Likewise the system was equipped with two OBC's , and a number of other units in the Flight Control System were also duplicated . The software used in the Ariane 5 SRI was mostly reused from that of the Ariane 4 SRI . The launcher started to disintegrate about 39 seconds after take-off because of high aerodynamic loads due to an angle of attack of more than 20 degrees that led to separation of the boosters from the main stage , in turn triggering the self-destruct system of the launcher . This angle of attack was caused by full nozzle deflections of the solid boosters and the so-called Vulcain main engine . These nozzle deflections were commanded by the OBC software on the basis of data transmitted by the active Inertial Reference System ( SRI 2 ) . Part of these data at that time did not contain proper flight data , but showed a diagnostic bit pattern of the computer of the SRI 2 , which was interpreted as flight data . The reason why the active SRI 2 did not send correct attitude data was that the unit had declared a failure due to a software exception . The OBC could not switch to the backup SRI 1 because that unit had already ceased to function during the previous data cycle ( 72 millisecond period ) for the same reason as SRI 2 . The internal SRI software exception was caused during execution of a data conversion from 64-bit floating point to 16-bit signed integer value . The floating point number which was converted had a value greater than what could be represented by a 16-bit signed integer . This resulted in an Operand Error . The data conversion instructions ( in Ada code ) were not protected from causing an Operand Error , although other conversions of comparable variables in the same place in the code were protected . No reference to justification of this decision was found directly in the source code . Given the large amount of documentation associated with any industrial application , the assumption , although agreed , was essentially obscured , though not deliberately , from any external review . The reason for the three remaining variables , including BH , the one denoting horizontal bias , being unprotected was that further reasoning indicated that they were either physically limited or that there was a large margin of safety , a reasoning which in the case of the variable BH turned out to be faulty . The main reason behind the failure was a software reuse error in the Inertial Reference System ( ISR ) . Specifically , the conversion from horizontal velocity of the rocket ( represented as a 64-bit floating-point number ) with respect to the platform to a 16-bit signed integer resulted in an overflow , as the number was larger than the largest integer storable in a 16-bit unsigned integer , resulting in an overflow exception being thrown . This failure caused complete loss of guidance and attitude information approximately 37 seconds after the start of the main engine ignition sequence . Ariane 5 had been deprived of its basic faculties : Its perception of where it was in the sky and which direction it had to proceed . This loss of information was due to specification and design errors in the ISR , upon which depends the Flight Control Computer ( FCC ) . This software was originally developed and successfully used in the Ariane 4 but was not altered to support the new flight trajectory and increase in horizontal acceleration resulting from the new Vulcain engines . Because of this , the ISR memory banks were quickly overloaded with information that could not be processed and fed to the onboard computers fast enough . The FCC could thus no longer ensure the correct guidance and control and from that instant the launcher was lost . Several are the reasons behind the Ariane 5 failure \u2013 in what follows the focus shall go on the one more pertaining to this chapter : Several faults resulting in Operand Errors were included in the Ariane 4 fault model , F. Treating these faults introduced some run-time overhead . To minimize this overhead , some of these faults were not included in the fault model , reduced to a smaller F ' . One of the faults in F but not in F ' triggered the chain of events that ultimately led to the Ariane failure . 3.2 Faulty Specifications : The Mariner 1 . The Mariner Program , a series of ten spacecrafts , was started by NASA on July 22 , 1962 with the launch of Mariner 1 and ended on November 3 , 1973 , with the launch of Mariner 10 . Other spacecraft , based on these , were continued with different names , like Voyager and Viking . Mariner 1 , a 202.8 kg unmanned spacecraft , was sent to Venus for a flyby with several scientific instruments on board , such as a microwave radiometer , an infrared radiometer and a cosmic dust detector . These should investigate Venus and its orbits . The Mariner was made by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory ( JPL ) and to be used by NASA . The total costs for this spacecraft were close to $ 14 million . For getting into space , the Mariner 1 was attached to an Atlas-Agena rocket . Such type of rocket had been already used for launching missiles . It used different antennas to be controllable by a ground control unit , but it had its own on-board control system in case of a failing communication . The launch was rescheduled to July 20 , 1962 . That day at Cape Canaveral launch platform the first countdown started , after which a fey delays occurred because of problems in the range safety command system . The countdown was stopped and restarted once before being canceled because of a blown fuse in the range safety circuits . At 23 : 08 local time on July 21 , the countdown began again . Another three holds gave the technicians time to fix minor issues such as power fluctuations in the radio guidance system . At 09 : 21 : 23 UTC , the countdown ended and the spaceship started its launch . Let us call this time as time X. A few minutes later , the range safety officer noticed that the spacecraft was going out of course , and at X + 4 minutes , it was clear that manual correction was necessary . However , the spacecraft did not react as hoped and went more and more off course . A strict deadline at this stage was Figure 2 : The Mariner 1 time X + 300 , corresponding to the separation of the Atlas \/ Agena rocket . After this time destroying the Mariner1 would not be possible anymore . To prevent serious damage , the range safety officer decided to enforce destroyment at X + 293 seconds . The Mariner 1 radio transponder kept sending signals until X + 357 seconds . The investigation on what went wrong includes many factors . A brief overview is given in what follows . It is sometimes stated that a misspelling in a Fortran program was responsible for the crash of the Mariner 1 . However , this is not true \u2013 such bug existed in another system in the Mercury project , which was fixed before being able to do any harm . In fact , the faulty software was used in several missions , but corrected before the resulting inaccurate data resulted in a flight failure . The bug was caused by two main factors : Fortran , which ignores spaces , and a design fault \u2013 a small typo , a period instead of a comma , resulting in a line like \" DO 5 K = 1 , 3 \" ( an iterative loop ) being interpreted as \" DO5K = 1.3 \" ( an assignment ) . The actual cause of the crash started with a hardware malfunction of the Atlas antennas . The beacon for measuring the rate of the spacecraft failed to pass signals for four periods ranging from 1.5 to 61 seconds . During the absence of correct data , a smoothed function should guide the spacecraft into the right direction . However , the smooth function had not been implemented , resulting in fast changes in the course direction . To counteract these drastic changes , the course was changed over and over again , with the vehicle going more and more off its intended course . For each flight , a Range Safety Officer made sure that , should the spacecraft go out of a safety zone , it would be destructed before being able to do any harm to people or the environment . After the Range Safety Officer saw that the flight was uncontrollable before being out of reach he ordered to let the Mariner 1 explode , to prevent further damage . This happened only 7 seconds before the separation of the Mariner 1 and the Atlas-Agena rocket , which held the explosives . Why the smooth function had not been implemented ? The error had occurred when an equation was being transcribed by hand in the specification for the guidance program . The writer missed the superscript bar in r \u0307 n ( the n-th smoothed value of the time derivative of a radius ) . Without the smoothing function indicated by the bar , the program treated normal minor variations of velocity as if they were serious , causing spurious corrections that sent the rocket off course . Because of that the Range Safety Officer had to shut it down . As the method would be used only in case of communication failure , and such failure had not been injected during testing experiments , the simulation did not verify the consequences of the hardware failure and did neither notice the slight but catastrophic difference between the expected and the real function values . It is possible to conclude that the Mariner 1 is a classic example of the consequences of a faulty or misinterpreted specification : As mentioned before , Service = f ( program ) , program = g ( specification ) , and a flawed specification fatally translates in a failed service . 3.3 Faulty Models : The Therac-25 Accidents The Therac-25 accidents have been recognized as \" the most serious computer-related accidents to date \" ( Leveson , 1995 ) . Herein they are briefly discussed to give an idea of the consequences of faulty system and fault models . The Therac-25 was a linac , that is , a medical linear accelerator that uses accelerated electrons to create high-energy beams able to destroy tumors with minimal impact on the surrounding healthy tissue . It was the latest member of a successful family of linacs , including e.g. the Therac-6 and the Therac-20 , built by Atomic Energy Commission Limited ( AECL ) , a Canadian company . Compared to its ancestors , the Therac-25 had a revolutionary design : it was smaller , cheaper and more powerful . In the past AECL had built several successful medical linear accelerators , including the Therac-6 and the Therac-20 . Compared to its ancestors , the Therac-25 had three advantages : It was more compact , cheaper and had more features . The compactness was due to the so-called \" double-pass \" concept used for the Therac-25 . This double-pass design of the accelerator meant that the accelerator itself was much more compact , rendering the total size of the machine much smaller . This was achieved by folding the mechanism that accelerates the electrons ( a little like it is for the French horn among wind instruments ) . The cheaper cost of the Therac-25 came from several factors \u2013 it was a dual-mode linacs , that is , it was able to produce both electron and photon beams , which required normally two machines ; also , the Therac-6 and the Therac-20 both had hardware interlocks to ensure safe operation . With the development of the Therac-25 however , AECL decided that such interlocks were an unnecessary burden for the customer , raising the costs without bringing extra benefits . Most of the extra complexity of the Therac-25 , including safety issues , was managed in software . This is a key difference between the new model and its ancestors \u2013 in the latter , software played a very limited role and \" merely added convenience to the existing hardware , which was capable of standing alone \" ( Leveson , 1995 ) . Such software was custom built but reused routines of the original Therac-6 and Therac-20 code . The Therac-25 software was developed over a period of several years by a single programmer using the PDP 11 assembly language . Even the system software was not standard but custom built . One could argue that when used to compose a life-critical service such as this , software should come with guarantees about its quality and its fault-tolerant features ; unfortunately this was not the case at the time3 . Not only no fault model or system model document had been produced \u2013 the safety analysis carried out by AECL was a fault tree where only hardware faults had been considered ! AECL apparently considered their software as error-free . It is interesting to note the assumptions AECL drew on software , as they could be considered as the three main mistakes in fault-tolerant software development : 1 . Programming errors have been significantly reduced by extensive testing on a simulator . Any residual software error is not included in the analysis . 2 . Program software does not wear out or degrade . 3 . Possible faults belong to the following two classes : Hardware physical faults and transient physical faults induced by alpha particles and electromagnetic noise . The Therac-25 software was very complex . It consisted of four major components : Stored data , a scheduler , a set of critical and non-critical tasks , and interrupt services . It used the interrupt-driven software model , and inter-process communication among concurrent tasks was managed through shared memory access . Analysis revealed that no proper synchronization was put into place to secure accesses to shared memory . This introduced race conditions that would cause some of the later accidents . One of the tasks of the software was to monitor the machine status . In particular the treatment unit had an interlock system designed to remove power in case of a hardware malfunction . The software monitored this interlock system and , when faults got detected , either prevented a treatment from being started or , if the treatment was in progress , it suspended or put in hold the treatment . The software had been developed relying on the availability of said interlock system \u2013 in other words , it had to be part of the system model document . Changing the system and reusing the software led to disaster . Indeed hardware interlocks had been the only reason that prevented deadly overdoses to be delivered while using the old members of the Therac family of devices . A proof of this was found later with the Therac-20 . At the University of Chicago , students could exercise radiation therapy with the Therac-20 . In the beginning of each academic year , there were a lot of defected machines . Most of the time , the main problem was blown fuses . After about three weeks , these failures would typically go away . After carefully studying this behavior , it was concluded that due to the random faulty configurations entered by students who did not know the machine , overdose charges took place . Fortunately fuses were in place to prevent any overdose damage . Would these fuses also have been in place in the Therac-25 , many of the accidents could have been avoided4 . 4 SOFTWARE FAULT-TOLERANCE Research in fault-tolerance concentrated for many years on hardware fault-tolerance , i.e. , on devising a number of effective and ingenious hardware structures to cope with faults ( Johnson , 1989 ) . For some time this approach was considered as the only one needed in order to reach the requirements of availability and data integrity demanded by nowadays complex computer services . Probably the first researcher who realized that this was far from being true was B. Randell who in 1975 ( Randell , 1975 ) questioned hardware fault-tolerance as the only approach to employ \u2013 in the cited paper he states : \" Hardware component failures are only one source of unreliability in computing systems , decreasing in significance as component reliability improves , while software faults have become increasingly prevalent with the steadily increasing size and complexity of software systems . \" Indeed most of the complexity supplied by modern computing services lies in their software rather than in the hardware layer ( Lyu , 1998a , 1998b ; Huang & Kintala , 1995 ; Wiener , 1993 ; Randell , 1975 ) . This state of things could only be reached by exploiting a powerful conceptual tool for managing complexity in a flexible and effective way , i.e. , devising hierarchies of sophisticated abstract machines ( Tanenbaum , 1990 ) . This translates in implementing software with high-level computer languages lying on top of other software strata \u2013 middleware , the device drivers layers , the basic services kernel , the operating system , the run-time support of the involved programming languages , and so forth . Partitioning the complexity into stacks of software layers allowed the implementor to focus exclusively on the high-level aspects of their problems , and hence it allowed managing a larger and larger degree of complexity . But though made transparent , still this complexity is part of the overall system being developed . A number of complex algorithms are concurrently executed by the hardware , resulting in the simultaneous progress of many system states \u2013 under the hypothesis that no involved abstract machine , nor the actual hardware , be affected by faults . Unfortunately , as in real life faults do occur , the corresponding deviations are likely to jeopardize the system's function , also propagating from one layer to the other , unless appropriate means are taken to avoid in the first place , or to remove , or to tolerate these faults . In particular , faults may also occur in the application layer , that is , in the abstract machine on top of the software hierarchy5 . These faults , possibly having their origin at design time , or during operation , or while interacting with the environment , are not different in the extent of their consequences from those faults originating , e.g. , in the hardware or the operating system . An efficacious argument to bring evidence to the above statement is the case of the so-called \" millennium bug \" , i.e. , the most popular class of design faults that ever emerged in the history of computing technologies , also known as \" the year 2000 problem \" , or as \" Y2K \" . The source of this problem is simple : Most of the software still in use today was developed using a standard where dates are coded in a 6-digit format . According to this standard , two digits were considered as enough to represent the year . Unfortunately this translates into the impossibility to distinguish , e.g. , year 2000 from year 1900 , which by the en of last century was recognized as the possible cause of an unpredictably large number of failures when calculating time elapsed between two calendar dates , as for instance year 1900 was not a leap year while year 2000 is . Choosing the above mentioned standard to represent dates resulted in a hidden , almost forgotten design fault , never considered nor tested by application programmers . As society got closer and closer to the year 2000 , the possible presence of this design fault in our software became a nightmare that seemed to jeopardize all those crucial functions of our society today appointed to programs manipulating calendar dates , such us utilities , transportation , health care , communication , public administration , and so forth . Luckily the expected many and possibly crucial system failures due to this one application-level fault ( Hansen , LaSala , Keene , & Coppola , 1999 ) were not so many and not that crucial , though probably for the first time the whole society became aware of the extent of the relevance of dependability in software . These facts and the above reasoning suggest that , the higher the level of abstraction , the higher the complexity of the algorithms into play and the consequent error proneness of the involved ( real or abstract ) machines . As a conclusion , full tolerance of faults and the complete fulfillment of the dependability design goals of a complex software application call for the adoption of protocols to avoid , remove , or tolerate faults working at all levels , including the application layer . 5 SOFTWARE FAULT-TOLERANCE IN THE APPLICATION LAYER The need of software fault-tolerance provisions located in the application layer is supported by studies that showed that the majority of failures experienced by nowadays computer systems are due to software faults , including those located in the application layer ( Lyu , 1998a , 1998b ; Laprie , 1998 ) ; for instance , NRC reported that 81 % of the total number of outages of US switching systems in 1992 were due to software faults ( NRC , 1993 ) . Moreover , nowadays application software systems are increasingly networked and distributed . Such systems , e.g. , client-server applications , are often characterized by a loosely coupled architecture whose global structure is in general more prone to failures6 . Due to the complex and temporal nature of interleaving of messages and computations in distributed software systems , no amount of verification , validation and testing can eliminate all faults in an application and give complete confidence in the availability and data consistency of applications of this kind ( Huang & Kintala , 1995 ) . Under these assumptions , the only alternative ( and effective ) means for increasing software reliability is that of incorporating in the application software provisions of software fault-tolerance ( Randell , 1975 ) . Another argument that justifies the addition of software fault-tolerance means in the application layer is given by the widespread adoption of object orientation , components and service orientation . Structuring one's software into a web of objects , components and services is a wonderful conceptual tool which allows to quickly compose a service out of reusable components . This has wonderful relapses on many aspects including development and maintenance times and costs , but has also a little drawback : it promotes the composition of software systems from third-party objects the sources of which are unknown to the application developers . In other words , the object , component and service abstractions fostered the capability to deal with higher and higher levels of complexity in software and at the same time eased and therefore encouraged software reuse . As just mentioned , this has very positive impacts though it translates the application in a sort of collection of reused , pre-existing components or objects made by third parties . The reliability of these software entities and hence their impact on the overall reliability of the user application is often unknown , to the point that Grey refers as an \" art \" to the ability to create reliable applications using off-the-shelf software components ( Green , 1997 ) . The case of the Ariane 501 flight and that of the Therac-25 linear accelerator ( see Chapter 2 ) are well-known examples that show how improper reuse of software may produce severe consequences ( Inquiry , 1996 ) . But probably the most convincing reasoning for not excluding the application layer from a fault-tolerance strategy is the so-called \" end-to-end argument \" \u2013 a system design principle introduced in ( Saltzer , Reed , & Clark , 1984 ) . Such principle states that , rather often , functions such as reliable file transfer , can be completely and correctly implemented only with the knowledge and help of the application standing at the endpoints of the underlying system ( for instance , the communication network ) . This does not mean that everything should be done at the application level \u2013 fault-tolerance strategies in the underlying hardware and operating system can have a strong impact on the system's performance . However , an extraordinarily reliable communication system that guarantees that no packet is mistreated ( lost , duplicated , or corrupted , or delivered to the wrong addressee ) does not reduce the burden of the application programmer to ensure reliability : For instance , for reliable file transfer , the application programs that perform the transfer must still supply a file-transfer-specific , end-to-end reliability guarantee . The main message of this chapter can be summarized as follows : Pure hardware-based or operating system-based solutions to fault-tolerance , though often characterized by a higher degree of transparency , are not fully capable of providing complete end-to-end tolerance to faults in the user application . Relying solely on the hardware , the middleware , or the operating system is a mistake : \u2022 It develops only partially satisfying solutions . \u2022 It requires a large amount of extra resources and costs . \u2022 And often it is characterized by poor service portability ( Saltzer et al. , 1984 ; Siewiorek & Swarz , 1992 ) . 6 STRATEGIES , PROBLEMS , AND KEY PROPERTIES The above conclusions justify the strong need for application-level fault-tolerance . As a consequence of this need , several approaches to application-level fault-tolerance have been devised during the last three decades ( see chapters 5 \u2013 8 for an extensive survey ) . Such a long research period hints at the complexity of the design problems underlying Application-level fault-tolerance engineering , which include : 1 . How to incorporate fault-tolerance in the application layer of a computer program . 2 . Which fault-tolerance provisions to support . 3 . How to manage the fault-tolerance code . Problem 1 is also known as the problem of the system structure to software fault-tolerance , which was first proposed by B. Randell in 1975 ( Randell , 1975 ) . It states the need of appropriate structuring techniques such that the incorporation of a set of fault-tolerance provisions in the application software might be performed in a simple , coherent , and well structured way . Indeed , poor solutions to this problem result in a huge degree of code intrusion : in such cases , the application code that addresses the functional requirements and the application code that addresses the fault-tolerance requirements are mixed up into one large and complex application software . \u2022 This greatly complicates the task of the developer and demands expertise in both the application and the fault-tolerance domains . Negative repercussions on the development times and costs are to be expected . \u2022 The maintenance of the resulting code , both for the functional part and for the fault-tolerance provisions , is more complex , costly , and error prone . \u2022 Furthermore , the overall complexity of the software product is increased \u2013 which , as mentioned in Chapter 1 , is in itself a source of faults . One can conclude that , with respect to the first problem , an ideal system structure should guarantee an adequate Separation between the functional and the fault-tolerance Concerns ( in what follows this property will be referred to as \" sc \" ) . Moreover , the design choice of which fault-tolerance provisions to support can be conditioned by the adequacy of the syntactical structure at \" hosting \" the various provisions . The well-known quotation by B. L. Whorf efficaciously captures this concept : \" Language shapes the way we think , and determines what we can think about \" : Indeed , as explained in Chapter 1 , a non-optimal answer to Problem 2 may \u2022 require a high degree of redundancy , and \u2022 rapidly consume large amounts of the available redundancy , which at the same time would increase the costs and reduce the reliability . One can conclude that , devising a syntactical structure offering straightforward support to a large set of fault-tolerance provisions , can be an important aspect of an ideal system structure for application-level fault-tolerance . In the following this property will be called Syntactical Adequacy ( or more briefly \" sa \" ) . Finally , one can observe that another important aspect of any application-level fault-tolerance architecture is the way the fault-tolerance code is managed , at compile time as well as at execution time . If one wants to realize F - dependable systems where the fault model F can change over time , as mentioned in Chapter 2 , then our architecture must allow the fault-tolerance code to be changed as well so as to track the changing fault model . A possible way to do so is for instance to have an architectural component to monitor the observed faults and check whether the current fault model is still valid or not . When this is not the case , the component should extend the fault model and change the fault-tolerance code accordingly , either loading some pre-existing code or synthesizing a new one matching the current threat . In both cases , the architecture must allow disabling the old code and enabling the new one . Adaptability ( or a for brevity ) is defined herein as the ability of an application-level fault-tolerant architecture such that it allows on-line ( dynamic ) or at least off-line management of the fault-tolerance provisions and of their parameters . This would allow letting the fault-tolerance code adapt itself to the current environment or at least allow service portability . Clearly an important requirement for any such solution is that it does not overly increase the complexity of the resulting application \u2013 which would be detrimental to dependability . The three properties sc , sa and a will be referred to in what follows as the structural attributes of application-level fault-tolerance . 7 SOME WIDELY USED SOFTWARE FAULT-TOLERANCE PROVISIONS In this section the key ideas behind some widely used software fault-tolerance building blocks will be introduced : the watchdog timer , exception handling , transactions , and checkpointing and rollback . Such building blocks will be studied in depth in the rest of the book . 7.1 Watchdog Timers Clov : Wait ! Yes Yes ! I have it ! I set the alarm . Hamm : This is perhaps not one of my bright days , but frankly Clov : You whistle me . I do n't come . The alarm rings . I 'm gone . It does n't ring . I 'm dead . [ Pause . ] Hamm : Is it working ? [ Pause . Impatiently . ] The alarm , is it working ? Clov : Why would ' nt it be working ? Hamm : Because it 's worked too much . Clov : But it 's hardly worked at all . Hamm : [ Angrily . ] Then because it 's worked too little ! ( Samuel Beckett , Endgame . ) Watchdogs are versatile and effective tools in detecting processing errors . The idea is very simple : Let us suppose there is a process p that needs to perform cyclically a critical operation and then releases the locks that keep in a waiting state several concurrent processes . Clearly the pending processes are dependant on p : A single fault affecting p and preventing it to continue would result in blocking indefinitely all the pending processes . Obviously it is very important to make sure that a fault stopping p be timely detected . ( Such first service would then lead to proper error recovery steps , e.g. releasing the locks ) . A watchdog timer is an additional process w that monitors the execution of p by requiring the latter to send w periodically a \" sign of life \" \u2013 clearing a shared memory flag or sending a heartbeat message to w . By checking whether the flag has been cleared or the heartbeat has arrived , process w can assess that p , at least in the last period , had been at least able to timely send the sign of life . In more formal terms , using the vocabulary of Chapter 2 , one could say that watchdog timers protect p against crash \/ performance failures . If w does not receive the expected sign of life , then it is said to \" fire . \" Despite its simplicity , the watchdog calls for important choices at design and configuration time . In particular , \u2022 How often should p send the sign of life implies a trade off of performance and failure detection latency . Moreover , quite often the dependency chain between p and w is not simple : For instance , p may rely on a communication system C to deliver a heartbeat message , which complicates the matter at hand considerably ( p \u21d2 C , so is it C or p that failed when w fired ? ) Of course also dependency chains such as these are an arbitrary simplification , and C could be more precisely identified as a long cascade of dependent sub-services , whose emergent behavior is that of a communication system , each component of which could be the actual source of a problem ultimately resulting in the firing of w . \u2022 How often should w check for the arrival of a sign of life from p implies the adherence to a system model , explicitly defined or otherwise . A synchronous system model corresponds to a hard real-time system assumptions , which would allow for a very \" tight \" watchdog cycle . The farther one goes from that assumption ( the more asynchronous the system model , so to say ) , the larger the chance to introduce unexpected latencies in the execution of both p and w . A consequence of this is that , if one wants to reduce the probability that w erroneously declares p as faulty , then he shall need to compensate for late processing and late messages by widening the watchdog cycle . Of course this implies a larger failure detection latency . Bringing this to the limit , in a fully asynchronous system , the compensation time grows without bound , at the cost of not being able to accomplish any sensible task anymore ! This result was proven in the famous article ( Fischer et al. , 1985 ) , which I usually refer to as \" the FLoP paper \" ( a little kidding with the names of its authors ) . Scientists have found a way to deal with this ostensible conundrum , and the idea is based on using a web of \" extended watchdogs \" \u2013 so called failure detectors ( see Chapter 8 . ) \u2022 What to do if the watchdog timer fails . Everything has a coverage , and this includes watchdogs , so it is unwise assuming that a watchdog can not fail . Furthermore , the failure can be as simple to deal with as a crash , or as tricky as a Byzantine ( arbitrary ) failure . Failures could be for instance the result of either \u2013 a design fault in the algorithm of the watchdog , or \u2013 a physical fault , e.g. causing the processing node of the watchdog to get disconnected from the network , or \u2013 an attack , e.g. a man-in-the-middle attack or an identity spoofing attack ( Harshini , Sridhar , & Sridhar , 2004 ) . Watchdog timers are often used in software fault-tolerance designs . The problem this book focuses on , as mentioned already , is how to express watchdog timers and their configuration . And again , an important factor in measuring the effectiveness of the available solutions is for us how such solutions perform with respect to the three structural properties of application-level software fault-tolerance , and to sc in particular . The less code intrusion an approach requires , the higher our assessment . This book presents two examples : The EFTOS watchdog timer ( a library and run-time executive requiring full code intrusion , see Chapter 3 ) and the Ariel watchdog timer ( an evolution of the EFTOS watchdog timer that makes use of the Ariel language to enucleate the configuration statements from the source code \u2013 thus reducing code intrusion ; see Chapter 6 and Appendix \" The Ariel Internals . \" ) 7.2 Exceptions and Exception Handlers An exception is an event that is triggered at run time due to the interaction with the environment and results in a ( temporary or permanent ) suspension of the current application so to manage the event . Let us consider the following C fragment : void main ( void ) { int a , b , c ; a = function1 ( ) ; b = function2 ( ) ; c = a \/ b ; \/ * danger here * \/ } Clearly instruction a \/ b is unprotected against a division-by-zero exception : When b is zero the division is undefined and \u2013 unless the division instruction is faulty \u2013 the CPU does not know how to deal with it . Other examples of exceptions are : \u2022 An overflow or underflow condition . \u2022 A not-a-number ( NaN ) floating point constant . \u2022 Misalignments . \u2022 A breakpoint is encountered . \u2022 Access to protected or non existing memory areas . \u2022 Power failures . \u2022 A sub-system failure , e.g. a disk crash while accessing a file . As the CPU has no clue about how to recover from the condition , either the program stops or it tries to deal with it with some code supplied by the programmer precisely for that , that is , to catch the exception and deal with it . The following version of the above code fragment does prevent the exception to occur : void main ( void ) { int a , b , c ; a = function1 ( ) ; b = function2 ( ) ; if ( b ! = 0 ) c = a \/ b ; \/ * no more danger here * \/ else { fprintf ( stderr , \" An exception has been avoided : division-by-zero \\ n \" ) ; } } As can be seen from the above mentioned examples , not all the exceptions can be avoided . Hence it is very important that a programming language hosts some mechanisms that allow the user to catch exceptions and properly deal with them . One such language is Java . Java is particularly interesting for not only it allows , but mandates ( with some exception , if you excuse me for the pun ) that the programmer supplies proper code to deal with all the exceptions that can be raised by the sub-services the application depends upon ( Pelliccione , Guelfi , & Muccini , 2007 ) . For example , if one tries to compile an instruction such as this : ImageFile input = new OpenImageFile ( \" edges . png \" ) ; whose purpose is to open an image file and associate its descriptor with a local variable , the Java compiler would report an error complaining the lack of proper instructions to deal with the case that the OpenImageFile method fails due to a java . io . FileNotFoundException . In more detail , the Java compiler would emit a message like \" unreported exception i ; must be caught or declared to be thrown s \" , where i is the exception and s is the lacking statement , and report an unrecoverable error . The only way to compile successfully the above Java fragment is through the following syntax : try { ImageFile input = new OpenImageFile ( \" edges . png \" ) ; } catch ( FileNotFoundException exception ) { System . out . println ( \" Exception : Could n't open file edges . png \" ) ; exception . printStackTrace ( ) ; } whose semantics is : First try to execute the statements in the try block ; if everything goes well , skip the catch statement and go on ; otherwise if the catch block refers the raised exception , execute it . In this case the handling of the exception is a simple printed message and a dump of the program execution stack though method printStackTrace , which reports on where in the control flow graph the execution took place and how it propagated through the system and application modules . Note how a Try-Catch block is a nice syntactical construct to build mechanisms such as Recovery Blocks ( discussed in Chapter 3 ) \u2013 that is , the Syntactical Adequacy ( sa ) of Java to host mechanisms such as Recovery Blocks is very high . The general syntax for exception handling in Java is try { ... Instructions possibly raising exceptions ... } catch ( ExceptionType1 exception1 ) { ... Instructions to deal with exception Exception1 ... } catch ( ExceptionType2 exception2 ) { ... Instructions to deal with exception Exception2 ... } ... finally { ... Instructions to be executed in any case at the end of the try block ... } An example follows : try { x = new BufferedReader ( new FileReader ( argv [ 0 ] )) ; \/\/ this instruction \/\/ throws FileNotFoundException String s = x . readLine ( ) ; while ( s ! = null ) { System . out . println ( s ) ; \/\/ this one throws IOException s = x . readLine ( ) ; \/\/ this one throws IOException } } catch ( FileNotFoundException e1 ) { System . out . println ( \" I ca n't open a file . \" ) ; e1 . printStackTrace ( ) ; } catch ( IOException e2 ) { System . out . println ( \" I ca n't read from a file \" ) ; ioe . printStackTrace ( ) ; } finally { x . close ( ) ; \/\/ this one throws IOException \/\/ and NullPointerException } Java defines a large number of exceptions , divided into two classes : Checked and unchecked exceptions . Checked exceptions are basically recoverable exceptions , which include e.g. those due to input \/ output failures or network failures . Checked exceptions mandatorily call for a corresponding try ... catch block . Unchecked exceptions are unrecoverable conditions corresponding to the exhaustion of the system assets ( e.g. an out of memory error or a segment violation ) . Java also offers a mechanism to propagate an exception from an invoked module to the invoking one \u2013 this is known as \" throwing \" an exception . Java and other systems offer so-called Automated Exception Handling or Error Interception tools , which continuously monitor the execution of programs recording debugging information about exceptions and other conditions . Such tools allow tracking the cause of exceptions taking place in Java programs that run in production , testing or development environments . An example of an exception handling mechanism is given in Chapter 3 . 7.3 Checkpointing and Rollback Checkpointing and Rollback ( CR ) is a widely used fault-tolerance mechanism . The idea is simple : Someone ( the user , or the system , or the programmer ) takes a periodic snapshot of the system state and , if the system fails afterwards , the snapshot is reloaded so as to restore the system to a working and ( hopefully ) correct situation . The fault model of most of the available CR tools is transient ( design and physical ) faults , i.e. , faults that might not show up again when the system re-executes . Checkpointing is also a basic building blocks for more complex fault-tolerance mechanisms , such as Recovery Blocks ( described in Chapter 3 ) , where after rollback a new software version is tried out , or task migration ( supported by language Ariel , see Chapter 6 ) , where the snapshot is loaded on a different processing node of the system . Clearly in the latter case the fault model may be somewhat extended so as to consider permanent faults having their origin in the originating machine ( for instance in its local run-time executives , or compilers , or shared libraries , and so forth ) . CR is also a key requirement to achieve atomic actions ( see Sect . 7.4 ) . CR packages can be divided into three categories : \u2022 application-level libraries , such as psncLibCkpt ( Meyer , 2003 ) , \u2022 user commands , e.g. Dynamite ( Iskra et al. , 2000 ) or ckpt ( Zandy , n.d. ) , \u2022 operating system mechanisms and patches , e.g. psncC \/ R ( Meyer , 2003 ) . Another classification is given by the logics for initiating checkpointing , which can be : \u2022 Time-based ( \" every t time units do checkpointing \" ) . This is supported e.g. by ckpt and libckpt ( Plank , Beck , Kingsley , & Li , 1995 ) . The latter in particular supports incremental checkpointing ( only the data that changed from last checkpointing needs to be stored . ) \u2022 Event based ( e.g. , when the user generates a signal , e.g. with UNIX command \" kill \" ) . An example of this is psncLibCkpt . A special case is ( Shankar , 2005 ) , where the signal can actually terminate the process and create a dump file that can be \" revived \" afterwards ) . \u2022 Algorithmic ( that is , when the algorithm enters a given phase , e.g. , the top of a loop ; obviously application-level libraries allow this ) . Also in the case of checkpointing there are several important design and configuration issues : In particular , \u2022 How often should the checkpointing occur ? Suppose one has executed a series of checkpointings , c1 , c2 , ... cn , and after the last one and before the next one the system experiences a failure . The normal practice in CR is to reload cn and retry . Are we sure that the corresponding fault occurred between cn \u2212 1 and cn ? In other words , are we sure that the period of checkpointing is large enough to compensate for fault latency and error latency ( see Chapter 1 for their definitions ) ? \u2022 Are we sure that the checkpointed state includes the whole of the system state ? The state of the system may include e.g. descriptors of open TCP connections , the state of low-level system variables , the contents of files distributed throughout the network , and so forth . Failing to restore the whole system state may well result in a system failure . \u2022 Are we sure the the checkpointed state resides in a safe part of the system ? Are we sure that we will be able to access it , unmodified , when rollback is needed ? In other words , are we making use of a reliable stable storage for checkpointed states ? Recall that everything has a coverage , and this includes stable storage ; so how stable is our stable storage ? See further on for a section on stable storage . CR has been specialized in several different contexts , such as distributed systems , parallel computers , clusters and grid systems ( Schneider , Kohmann , & Bugge , n.d. ) Our focus is on how to express checkpointing and rollback , so mainly in CR libraries and their configuration . As usual the less code intrusion an approach requires , the better its sc . Chapter 3 briefly discusses two CR libraries , PsncLibCkpt and Libckpt . 7.4 Transactions An important building block to fault-tolerance is transactions . A transaction bundles an arbitrary number of instructions of a common programming language together and makes them \" atomic \" , that is indivisible : It is not possible to execute one such bundle partially , it either executes completely or not at all . More formally a transaction must obey the so-called ACID properties : Atomicity : In a transaction involving two or more blocks of instructions , either all of the blocks are committed or none are . Consistency : A transaction either brings the system into a new valid processing state , or , if any failure occurs , returns it to exact state the system was before the transaction was started . Isolation : Running , not yet completed transactions must remain isolated from any other transaction . Durability : Data produced by completed transactions is saved in a stable storage that can survive a system failure or a system restart . A common protocol to guarantee the ACID properties is so-called two-phase commit , described e.g. in ( Moss , 1985 ) . Two important services required by transactions are stable storage and checkpointing and rollback . As mentioned in ( Kienzle & Guerraou , 2002 ) , transactions act like a sort of firewall for failures and may be considered as effective building blocks for the design of dependable distributed services . Another important feature of transactions is that they mask concurrency , which makes transaction-based systems eligible for being executed on a parallel machine . As it is always the case in fault-tolerant computing , the hypotheses behind transaction processing are characterized by their coverage , that is , a probability of being effectively achieved . A so-called transaction monitor is a sort of Watchdog controlling and checking the execution of transactions . Transactions are common in database management systems , where operations such as database updating must be either fully completed or not at all in order to avoid inconsistencies possibly leading to financial disasters . This explains why transactions are supported by SQL , the Structured Query Language that is the standard database user and programming interface . Transactions require considerable run-time support . One system supporting transactions is OPTIMA ( Kienzle & Guerraou , 2002 ) , a highly configurable , object-oriented framework that offers support for open multithreaded transactions and guarantees the ACID properties for transactional objects . Written in Java , it provides its users with a procedural interface that allows an application programmer to start , join , commit , and abort transactions . Argus and Arjuna ( discussed in Chapter 5 ) are examples of transactional languages . The C programming language does not provide any support for transactions in its standard library ; for this reason , a custom tool was developed for that within the EFTOS project . Such tool is described in Chapter 3 . 8 CONCLUSION Together with system specifications , two important ingredients to craft correct fault-tolerant systems are the system model and the fault model . After describing those models , it has been shown how relevant their choice can be on the dependability of important services . Configurable communication protocols and services are collections of modules that can be combined into different configurations . This allows designing system that can be customized with respect to the requirements of the system and fault models . This allows to put those models in the foreground and to fine-tune the system towards the application requirements ( Hiltunen , Ta\u0131 \u0308 ani , & Schlichting , 2006 ) . As a side effect of this , one would obtain a system characterized by less overhead and higher performance . This chapter also reviewed a few famous accidents . What is surprising is that , quite often , the reports summarizing the \" things that went wrong \" all lead to the same conclusions , which have been nicely summarized in ( Torres-Pomales , 2000 ) : \" In a system with relaxed control over allowable capabilities , a damaged capability can result in the execution of undesirable actions and unexpected interference between components . \" The various approaches to application-level fault-tolerance surveyed in this book provide different system structures to solve the above mentioned problems . Three \" structural attributes \" are used in the next chapters in order to provide a qualitative assessment of those approaches with respect to various application requirements . The structural attributes constitute , in a sense , a base with which to perform this assessment . One of the outcomes of this assessment is that regrettably none of the approaches surveyed in this book is capable to provide the best combination of values of the three structural attributes in every application domain . For specific domains , such as object-oriented distributed applications , satisfactory solutions have been devised at least for sc and sa , while only partial solutions exist , for instance , when dealing with the class of distributed or parallel applications not based on the object model . The above matter of facts has been efficaciously captured by Lyu , who calls this situation \" the software bottleneck \" of system development ( Lyu , 1998b ) : in other words , there is evidence of an urgent need for systematic approaches to assure software reliability within a system ( Lyu , 1998b ) while effectively addressing the above problems . 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User and kernel level checkpointing \u2013 PROGRESS project . In Proc . of the sun microsystems hpc consortium meeting . Phoenix , AZ . Moss , E. ( 1985 ) . Nested transactions : An approach to reliable distributed computing . The MIT Press , Cambridge , Massachusetts . NRC . ( 1993 , June ) . Switch focus team report ( Tech . Rep. ) . National Reliability Council . Pelliccione , P. , Guelfi , N. , & Muccini , H. ( Eds . ) . ( 2007 ) . Software engineering and fault tolerance . World Scientific Publishing Co. Plank , J. S. , Beck , M. , Kingsley , G. , & Li , K. ( 1995 , January ) . Libckpt : Transparent checkpointing under Unix . In Usenix winter technical conference ( pp. 213 \u2013 223 ) . Randell , B. ( 1975 , June ) . System structure for software fault tolerance . IEEE Trans . Software Eng . , 1 , 220 \u2013 232 . Saltzer , J. H. , Reed , D. P. , & Clark , D. D. ( 1984 ) . End-to-end arguments in system design . ACM Trans . on Computer Systems , 2 ( 4 ) , 277 \u2013 288 . Schneider , G. , Kohmann , H. , & Bugge , H. ( n.d. ) . Fault tolerant checkpointing solution for clusters and grid systems ( Tech . Rep. ) . HPC4U Checkpoint White paper V 1.0 . ( Available online through www.hpc4u.org ) Shankar , A. ( 2005 ) . Process checkpointing and restarting ( using dumped core ) . ( Available at URL http:\/\/www.geocities.com\/asimshankar\/checkpointing ) Siewiorek , D. P. , & Swarz , R. S. ( 1992 ) . Reliable computer systems design and implementation . Digital Press . Tanenbaum , A. S. ( 1990 ) . Structured computer organization ( 3rd ed . ) . Prentice-Hall . Torres-Pomales , W. ( 2000 ) . Software fault tolerance : A tutorial ( Tech . Rep. No. TM-2000-210616 ) . NASA . Unipede . ( 1995 , January ) . Automation and control apparatus for generating stations and substations \u2013 electromagnetic compatibility \u2013 immunity requirements ( Tech . Rep. No. UNIPEDE Norm ( SPEC ) 13 ) . UNIPEDE . Wiener , L. ( 1993 ) . Digital woes . why we should not depend on software . Addison-Wesley . Zandy , V. ( n.d. ) . Ckpt \u2013 a process checkpoint library . ( Available at URL http:\/\/pages.cs.wisc.edu\/ \u223c zandy ) Notes 1 In Chapter 8 we describe in detail a time-out service . Chapter 3 for a characterization of the faults typical of a primary substation , as well as for a case study of a fault-tolerant service for primary substations . 3 Quoting Frank Houston of the US Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) , \" A significant amount of software for life-critical systems comes from small firms , especially in the medical device industry ; firms that fit the profile of those resistant to or uninformed of the principles of either system safety or software engineering . \" 4 A full report about the Therac-25 accidents is out of the scope of this book ; the reader may refer e.g. to ( Leveson , 1995 ) for that . 5 In what follows , the application layer is to be intended as the programming and execution context in which a complete , self-contained program that performs a specific function directly for the user is expressed or is running . 6 As Leslie Lamport efficaciously synthesised in his quotation , \" a distributed system is one in which I can not get something done because a machine I 've never heard of is down \" . 2 See page FAULT-TOLERANT PROTOCOLS USING SINGLE - AND MULTIPLE-VERSION SOFTWARE FAULT-TOLERANCE 1 INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES This chapter discusses two large classes of fault-tolerance protocols : \u2022 Single-version protocols , that is , methods that use a non-distributed , single task provision , running side by side with the functional software , often available in the form of a library and a run-time executive . \u2022 Multiple-version protocols , which are methods that use actively a form of redundancy , as explained in what follows . In particular recovery blocks and N-version programming will be discussed . The two families have been grouped together in this chapter because of the several similarities they share . The chapter also introduces two important structures for software fault-tolerance , namely exception handling and transactions , and proposes several examples of single-version and multiple version tools . 2 FAULT-TOLERANT PROTOCOLS USING SINGLE - AND MULTIPLE-VERSION SOFTWARE FAULT-TOLERANCE A key requirement for the development of fault-tolerant systems is the availability of replicated resources , in hardware or software . A fundamental method employed to attain fault-tolerance is multiple computation , i.e. , N - fold ( N > 1 ) replications in three domains : Time That is , repetition of computations . Space I. e . , the adoption of multiple hardware channels ( also called \" lanes \" ) . Information That is , the adoption of multiple versions of software . Following Aviz \u0306 ienis ( Aviz \u0306 ienis , 1985 ) , it is possible to characterize at least some of the approaches towards fault-tolerance by means of a notation resembling the one used to classify queuing systems models ( Kleinrock , 1975 ) : nT \/ mH \/ pS , the meaning of which is \" n executions , on m hardware channels , of p programs \" . The non-fault-tolerant system , or 1T \/ 1H \/ 1S , is called simplex in the cited paper . 2.1 Single-version Software Fault-Tolerance : Libraries of Tools Single-version software fault-tolerance ( SV ) is basically the embedding into the user application of a simplex system of error detection or recovery features , e.g. , atomic actions ( Jalote & Campbell , 1985 ) , checkpoint-and-rollback ( Deconinck , 1996 ) , or exception handling ( Cristian , 1995 ) . The adoption of SV in the application layer requires the designer to concentrate in one physical location , namely , the source code of the application , both the specification of what to do in order to carry on some user computation and the strategy such that faults are tolerated when they occur . As a result , the size of the problem addressed is increased . A fortiori , this translates into increasing the size of the user application . This induces loss of transparency , maintainability , and portability while increasing development times and costs . A partial solution to this loss in portability and these higher costs is given by the development of libraries and frameworks created under strict software engineering processes . In the following , three examples of this approach are presented \u2013 the EFTOS library and the SwIFT system . Special emphasis is reserved in particular to the first system , for which the author of this book designed a number of contributions . 2.1.1 The EFTOS library . EFTOS ( Deconinck , De Florio , Lauwereins , & Varvarigou , 1997 ; Deconinck , Varvarigou , et al. , 1997 ) ( the acronym stands for \" embedded , fault-tolerant supercomputing \" ) is the name of ESPRIT-IV project 21012 . The aims of this project were to integrate fault-tolerance into embedded distributed high-performance applications in a flexible and effective way . The EFTOS library has been first implemented on a Parsytec CC system ( Parsytec , 1996b ) , a distributed-memory MIMD supercomputer consisting of processing nodes based on PowerPC 604 microprocessors at 133MHz , dedicated high-speed links , I \/ O modules , and routers . As part of the project , this library has been then ported to a Microsoft Windows NT \/ Intel PentiumPro platform and to a TEX \/ DEC Alpha platform ( TXT , 1997 ; DEC , 1997 ) in order to fulfill the requirements of the EFTOS application partners . The main characteristics of the CC system are the adoption of the thread processing model and of the message passing communication model : communicating threads exchange messages through a proprietary message passing library called EPX ( Parsytec , 1996a ) . The porting of the EFTOS library was achieved by porting EPX on the various target platforms and developing suitable adaptation layers . Through the adoption of the EFTOS library , the target embedded parallel application is plugged into a hierarchical , layered system whose structure and basic components ( depicted in Fig. 1 ) are : \u2022 At the base level , a distributed net of \" servers \" whose main task is mimicking possibly missing ( with respect to the POSIX standards ) operating system functionalities , such as remote thread creation ; \u2022 One level upward ( detection tool layer ) , a set of parameterizable functions managing error detection , referred to as \" Dtools \" . These basic components are plugged into the embedded application to make it more dependable . EFTOS supplies a number of these Dtools , including : \u2013 A watchdog timer thread ( see Sect . 4 ) ; \u2013 a trap-handling mechanism ( described in Sect . 5 ) ; \u2013 in Sect . 6 , a tool to manage transactions . and an API for incorporating user-defined EFTOS-compliant tools ; \u2022 At the third level ( control layer ) , a distributed application called \" DIR net \" ( its name stands for \" detection , isolation , and recovery network \" ) is used to coherently combine the Dtools , to ensure consistent fault-tolerance strategies throughout the system , and to play the role of a backbone handling information to and from the fault-tolerance elements ( Deconinck et al. , 1999 ) . The DIR net can be regarded as a fault-tolerant network of crash-failure detectors , connected to other peripheral error detectors . Each node of the DIR net is \" guarded \" by an < I 'm Alive > thread that requires the local component to send periodically \" heartbeats \" ( signs of life ) . For this reason the algorithm of the DIR net shall be described ( in Chapter 8 , devoted to failure detection protocols . ) A special component of the DIR net , called RINT , manages error recovery by interpreting a custom language called RL \u2013 the latter being a sort of ancestor of the programming language described in this book in Chapter 6 ; \u2022 At the fourth level ( application layer ) , the Dtools and the components of the DIR net are combined into dependable mechanisms , among which will be described : \u2013 In Sect . 3 , a distributed voting mechanism called \" voting farm \" ( De Florio , 1997 ; De Florio , Deconinck , & Lauwereins , 1998a , 1998c ) . \u2013 In Sect . 7 , a so-called data stabilizing tool . Other tools not described in what follows include e.g. a virtual Stable Memory ( Deconinck , Botti , Cassinari , De Florio , & Lauwereins , 1998 ) . \u2022 The highest level ( presentation layer ) is given by a hypermedia distributed application based on standard World-Wide Web technology , which monitors the structure and the state of the user application ( De Florio , Deconinck , Truyens , Rosseel , & Lauwereins , 1998 ) . This application is based on a special CGI script ( E. Kim , 1996 ) , called DIR Daemon , which continuously takes its inputs from the DIR net , translates them into HTML ( Berners-Lee & Connolly , 1995 ) , and remotely controls a WWW browser ( Zawinski , 1994 ) so that it renders these HTML data . A description of this application is in Chapter 10 . A system of communication daemons , called Server network in the EFTOS lingo , manages communication among the processing nodes in a way somewhat similar to that used in the Parallel Virtual Machine ( see ( Geist et al. , 1994 ) for more details on this ) . The author of this book contributed to this project designing and developing a number of basic tools , e.g. , its distributed voting system ( described in detail in Sect . 3 ) , the EFTOS monitoring tool ( see Chapter 10 ) , the RL language and its run-time system ( that is , the task responsible for the management of error recovery ( De Florio , Deconinck , & Lauwereins , 1998b , 1998c ) , which will evolve into the ariel language discussed in Chapter 6 ) . Furthermore , he took part in the design and development of various versions of the DIR net ( De Florio , 1998 ) . 2.1.2 The SwIFT System . SwIFT ( Huang , Kintala , Bernstein , & Wang , 1996 ) , whose name stands for Software Implemented Fault-Tolerance , is a system including a set of reusable software components ( watchd , a general-purpose UNIX daemon watchdog timer ; libft , a library of fault-tolerance methods , including single-version implementation of recovery blocks and N - version programming ( see Sect . 2.3 ) ; libckp , i.e. , a user-transparent checkpoint-and-rollback library ; a file replication mechanism called REPL ; and addrejuv , a special \" reactive \" feature of watchd ( Huang , Kintala , Kolettis , & Fulton , 1995 ) that allows for software rejuvenation1 . The system derives from the HATS system ( Huang & Kintala , 1995 ) developed at AT & T. Both have been successfully used and proved to be efficient and economical means to increase the level of fault-tolerance in a software system where residual faults are present and their toleration is less costly than their full elimination ( Lyu , 1998 ) . A relatively small overhead is introduced in most cases ( Huang & Kintala , 1995 ) . Figure 1 : The structure of the EFTOS library . Light gray has been used for the operating system and the user application , while dark gray layers pertain EFTOS . 2.1.3 Two libraries for Checkpointing and Rollback As mentioned in Chapter 2 , checkpointing and rollback ( CR ) is an important mechanism to achieving software fault-tolerance . The focus here goes on two packages working in the application layer . Library psncLibCkpt . PsncLibCkpt ( Meyer , 2003 ) is a library for applications written in C. psncLibCkpt has been designed for simplicity \u2013 very few changes in the application software allow to add the CR functionality . Such changes are so simple that could be applied automatically , e.g. through the C preprocessor \" # define \" statement . In practice , only the main function needs to be renamed as ckpt target , with no modification on its parameters . Once this is done , the application is ready to catch signals of type \" SIGFREEZE \" and to save a checkpoint as a response . Restarting the application on the last saved checkpoint is quite easy : calling the program with argument \" = recovery \" makes psncLibCkpt load the checkpoint . Configuration is also quite simple and can be done through a configuration file or by editing a header file . The latter case requires compiling the application . Library libckpt . Libckpt ( Plank , Beck , Kingsley , & Li , 1995 ) is another CR library for C applications . It performs several optimizations such as \" main memory checkpointing \" ( a 2-stage pipeline overlapping application execution and flushing of the checkpointed state onto disk ) and state compression . The main reason for our interest in libckpt is its support for so-called \" user-directed checkpointing \" , which means that libckpt makes intense use of the application layer to optimize processing . One of these optimizations is user-driven exclusion of memory blocks from the state to be checkpointed . This allows not to include , e.g. , clean data ( memory yet to be initialized or used ) . Two function calls are available , exclude_bytes ( address , size , usage ) ; include_bytes ( address , size ) ; which allow to adapt the checkpointed state dynamically at run-time . Another application-level mechanism is so-called \" synchronous checkpointing \" : The user can specify , in the application program , points where checkpointing the state would have more sense from an algorithmic point of view . Function checkpoint_here does exactly this . There are also parameters allowing the express a minimum and a maximum amount of time between checkpointings . In the cited articles the authors of libckpt show how the adoption of user-directed checkpointing on the average brought to halving the checkpoint size . Conclusions . Two libraries for checkpointing and rollback , both of them targeting the same class of applications , have been discussed . The first case only manages user commands while the second one allows more control in the Figure 2 : A fault-tolerant program according to a SV system . application layer . Apart from performance issues , one can observe that the second case allows greater control but exhibits lower sc . Such control may be used to achieve adaptive resizing of the checkpointed state , so a slightly better a . 2.2 Conclusions . Figure 2 synthesizes the main characteristics of the SV approach : the functional and the fault-tolerant code are intertwined and the developer has to deal with the two concerns at the same time , even with the help of libraries of fault-tolerance provisions . In other words , SV requires the application developer to be an expert in fault-tolerance as well , because he ( she ) has to integrate in the application a number of fault-tolerance provisions among those available in a set of ready-made basic tools . His ( hers ) is the responsibility for doing it in a coherent , effective , and efficient way . As it has been observed in Chapter 2 , the resulting code is a mixture of functional code and of custom error-management code that does not always offer an acceptable degree of portability and maintainability . The functional and non-functional design concerns are not kept apart with SV , hence one can conclude that ( qualitatively ) SV exhibits poor separation of concerns ( sc ) . This in general has a bad impact on design and maintenance costs . As to syntactical adequacy ( sa ) , one can easily observe how following SV the fault-tolerance provisions are offered to the user through an interface based on a general-purpose language such as C or C ++ . As a consequence , very limited sa can be achieved by SV as a system structure for application-level software fault-tolerance . Furthermore , little or no support is provided for off-line and on-line configuration and reconfiguration of the fault-tolerance provisions . Consequently the adaptability ( a ) of this approach is deemed as insufficient . On the other hand , tools in SV libraries and systems give the user the ability to deal with fault-tolerance \" atoms \" without having to worry about their actual implementation and with a good ratio of costs over improvements of the dependability attributes , sometimes introducing a relatively small overhead . Using these toolsets the designer can re-use existing , long tested , sophisticated pieces of software without having each time to \" re-invent the wheel \" . It is also important to remark that , in principle , SV poses no restrictions on the class of applications that may be tackled with it . As a final remark , it is interesting to note how , at least judging from the following recent work ( Liu , Meng , Zhou , & Wu , 2006 ) , it appears that the concept of a reusable \" library \" of fault-tolerance services is re-emerging in the context of service-oriented architectures . 2.3 Multiple-version Software Fault-Tolerance : Structures for Design Diversity This section describes multiple-version software fault-tolerance ( MV ) , an approach that requires N ( N > 1 ) independently designed versions of software . MV systems are therefore xT \/ yH \/ N S systems . In MV , a same service or functionality is supplied by N pieces of code that have been designed and developed by different , independent software teams2 . The aim of this approach is to reduce the effects of design faults due to human mistakes committed at design time . The most used configurations are N T \/ 1H \/ N S , i.e. , N sequentially applicable alternate programs using the same hardware channel , and 1T \/ N H \/ N S , based on the parallel execution of the alternate programs on N , possibly diverse , hardware channels . Two major approaches exist : the first one is known as recovery block ( Randell , 1975 ; Randell & Xu , 1995 ) , and is dealt with in Sect . 2.3 . The second approach is the so-called N - version programming ( Aviz \u0306 ienis , 1985 , 1995 ) . It is described in Sect . 2.3 . The Recovery Block Technique . Recovery Blocks are usually implemented as N T \/ 1H \/ N S systems . The technique addresses residual software design faults . It aims at providing fault-tolerant functional components which may be nested within a sequential program . Other versions of the approach , implemented as 1T \/ N H \/ N S systems , are suited for parallel or distributed programs ( Scott , Gault , & McAllister , 1985 ; Randell & Xu , 1995 ) . The recovery blocks technique is similar to the hardware fault-tolerance approach known as \" stand-by sparing \" , which is described , e.g. , in ( Johnson , 1989 ) . The approach is summarized in Fig. 3 : on entry to a recovery block , the current state of the system is checkpointed . A primary alternate is executed . When it ends , an acceptance test checks whether the primary alternate successfully accomplished its objectives . If not , a backward recovery step reverts the system state back to its original value and a secondary alternate takes over the task of the primary alternate . When the secondary alternate Figure 3 : The recovery block model with two alternates . The execution environment is charged with the management of the recovery cache and the execution support functions ( used to restore the state of the application when the acceptance test is not passed ) , while the user is responsible for supplying both alternates and the acceptance test . ends , the acceptance test is executed again . The strategy goes on until either an alternate fulfills its tasks or all alternates are executed without success . In such a case , an error routine is executed . Recovery blocks can be nested \u2013 in this case the error routine invokes recovery in the enclosing block ( Randell & Xu , 1995 ) . An exception triggered within an alternate is managed as a failed acceptance test . A possible syntax for recovery blocks is as follows : ensure by else by else by else error acceptance test primary alternate alternate 2 .. alternate N Note how this syntax does not explicitly show the recovery step that should be carried out transparently by a run-time executive . The effectiveness of recovery blocks rests to a great extent on the coverage of the error detection mechanisms adopted , the most crucial component of which is the acceptance test . A failure of the acceptance test is a failure of the whole recovery blocks strategy . For this reason , the acceptance test must be simple , must not introduce huge run-time overheads , must not retain data locally , and so forth . It must be regarded as the ultimate means for detecting errors , though not the exclusive one . Assertions and run-time checks , possibly supported by underlying layers , need to buttress the strategy and reduce the probability of an acceptance test failure . Another possible failure condition for the recovery blocks approach is given by an alternate failing to terminate . This may be detected by a time-out mechanism that could be added to recovery blocks . This addition , obviously , further increases the complexity . The SwIFT library that has been described in Sect . 2.1 implements recovery blocks in the C language as follows : # include <ftmacros.h> ... ENSURE ( acceptance-test ) { primary alternate ; } ELSEBY { alternate 2 ; } ELSEBY { alternate 3 ; } ... ENSURE ; Unfortunately this approach does not cover any of the above mentioned requirements for enhancing the error detection coverage of the acceptance test . This would clearly require a run-time executive that is not part of this strategy . Other solutions , based on enhancing the grammar of pre-existing programming languages such as Pascal ( Shrivastava , 1978 ) and Coral ( Anderson , Barrett , Halliwell , & Moulding , 1985 ) , have some impact on portability . In both cases , code intrusion is not avoided . This translates into difficulties when trying to modify or maintain the application program without interfering \" much \" with the recovery structure , and vice-versa , when trying to modify or maintain the recovery structure without interfering \" much \" with the application program . Hence one can conclude that recovery blocks are characterized by unsatisfactory values of the structural attribute sc . Furthermore , a system structure for application-level software fault-tolerance based exclusively on recovery blocks does not satisfy attribute sa3 . Finally , regarding attribute a , one can observe that recovery blocks are a rigid strategy that does not allow off-line configuration nor ( a fortiori ) code adaptability . On the other hand , recovery blocks have been successfully adopted throughout 30 years in many different application fields . It has been successfully validated by a number of statistical experiments and through mathematical modeling ( Randell & Xu , 1995 ) . Its adoption as the sole fault-tolerance means , while developing complex applications , resulted in some cases ( Anderson et al. , 1985 ) in a failure coverage of over 70 % , with acceptable overheads in memory space and CPU time . A negative aspect in MV system is given by development and maintenance costs , that grow as a monotonic function of x , y , z in any xT \/ yH \/ zS system . Development costs may be alleviated by using an approach such as diversity for off-the-shelf products ( Gashi & Popov , 2007 ; Gashi , Popov , & Strigini , 2006 ) . Other researchers have sought cost-effective diversity through the use of different computer architectures , different compilers , or different programming languages ( Meulen & Revilla , 2005 ) . A recent approach is using diversity for security concerns ( Cox et al. , 2006 ) . N-Version Programming . N - Version Programming ( NVP ) systems are built from generic architectures based on redundancy and consensus . Such Figure 4 : The N - Version Software model when N = 3 . The execution environment is charged with the management of the decision algorithm and with the execution support functions . The user is responsible for supplying the N versions . Note how the Decision Algorithm box takes care also of multiplexing its output onto the three hardware channels \u2013 also called \" lanes \" . systems usually belong to class 1T \/ N H \/ N S , less often to class N T \/ 1H \/ N S. NVP is defined by its author ( Aviz \u0306 ienis , 1985 ) as \" the independent generation of N > 1 functionally equivalent programs from the same initial specification . \" These N programs , called versions , are developed for being executed in parallel . This system constitutes a fault-tolerant software unit that depends on a generic decision algorithm to determine a consensus or majority result from the individual outputs of two or more versions of the unit . Such a strategy ( depicted in Fig. 4 ) has been developed under the fundamental conjecture that independent designs translate into random component failures \u2013 i.e. , statistical independence . Such a result would guarantee that correlated failures do not translate into immediate exhaustion of the available redundancy , as it would happen , e.g. , using N copies of the same version . Replicating software would also mean replicating any dormant software fault in the source version \u2013 see , e.g. , the accidents with the Therac-25 linear accelerator ( Leveson , 1995 ) or the Ariane 5 flight 501 ( Inquiry , 1996 ) . According to Aviz \u0306 ienis , independent generation of the versions significantly reduces the probability of correlated failures . A number of experiments ( Eckhardt et al. , 1991 ) and theoretical studies ( Eckhardt & Lee , 1985 ) questioned the correctness of this assumption , though a more recent study involving a large number of independently developed multiple software versions claims otherwise ( Lyu , Huang , Sze , & Cai , 2003 ) . The main differences between recovery blocks and NVP are : \u2022 Recovery blocks ( in its original form ) is a sequential strategy whereas NVP allows concurrent execution ; \u2022 Recovery blocks require the user to provide a fault-free , application-specific , effective acceptance test , while NVP adopts a generic consensus or majority voting algorithm that can be provided by the execution environment ( EE ) ; \u2022 Recovery blocks allow different correct outputs from the alternates , while the general-purpose character of the consensus algorithm of NVP calls for a single correct output4 . The two models collapse when the acceptance test of recovery blocks is done as in NVP , i.e. , when the acceptance test is a consensus on the basis of the outputs of the different alternates . A few hybrid designs derived by coupling the basic ideas of recover blocks and NVP are now briefly discussed . Variations on the Main Theme . N Self-Checking Programming ( Laprie , Arlat , Beounes , & Kanoun , 1995 ) couples recovery blocks with N - version programming : as in N - version programming , N independently produced versions are executed , sequentially or in parallel . Each version is associated to a separate acceptance test , possibly different from the others , which tells whether the version passed the test and also produces a \" rank \" . A selection module then chooses as overall output the one produced by the version with the highest rank . A variant of this technique organized versions in couples and performs comparison between the outputs of their versions as a general-purpose acceptance test . To the best of our knowledge , no application-level support for N Self-Checking Programming has been proposed to date . Consensus recovery blocks ( Vouk , McAllister , Eckhardt , & Kim , 1993 ) targets the chance that the N - version programming scheme fail because it is not possible to find a majority vote among the output of the replicas . When this is the case , instead of declaring failure the outputs are assessed by acceptance tests ( as in recovery blocks ) , which then have the last word in choosing the overall system output or declaring failure . Reliability analysis proves this approach to be better than N - version programming and recovery blocks , though the added complexity may well translate in higher chances of introducing faults in the architecture ( Torres-Pomales , 2000 ) . Distributed recovery blocks ( K. Kim & Welch , 1989 ) ( DRB ) may be considered as a parallel computing extension of recovery blocks . In DRB there is not a single couple of primary and alternate versions . Instead , several couples are running concurrently on different interconnected processing nodes . Each couple executes the recovery block scheme in parallel . Nodes and couples are organized hierarchically . When the execution of the top-level couple finishes , one queries the result of the acceptance test . If the test is passed by either primary or alternate , then the system declares success . If the test is not passed , instead of declaring failure as in plain recovery blocks , DRB goes on checking the acceptance test at the top-minus-one node . Global failure is only declared if no successful acceptance test can be found when orderly scanning the nodes . A time acceptance test is also used to handle performance failure of the acceptance tests . Again on the Ariane 5 . Chapter 2 briefly reported on the case of the Ariane 5 disaster . As it was mentioned there , the chain of events that brought to the Ariane 5 failure started within the Inertial Reference System ( SRI ) , a component responsible for the measurement of the attitude of the launcher and its movements in space . To enhance the dependability of the system , the SRI was equipped two computers . Such computers were operating in parallel , with identical hardware and software . As described in the mentioned chapter , the SRI software had a number of data conversion instructions . Some of these instructions were \" protected \" ( proper exception handling code had been associated to them ) , while some others were considered \" safe enough \" and were not protected so as to reduce the overhead on performance . One of the unprotected variables experienced an Operand Error . If the Ariane 5 designers had divided the SRI variables into two blocks , and had protected one block on the primary SRI and the other block on the backup SRI , they would have had no increased performance penalty and the failure would not have occurred . 2.3.1 A hybrid case : Data Diversity A special , hybrid case is given by data diversity ( Ammann & Knight , 1988 ) . A data diversity system is a 1T \/ N H \/ 1S ( less often a N T \/ 1H \/ 1S ) . It can be concisely described as an NVP system in which N equal replicas are used as versions , but each replica receives a different minor perturbation of the input data . Under the hypothesis that the function computed by the replicas is non chaotic , that is , it does not produce very different output values when fed with slightly different inputs , data diversity may be a cost-effective way to fault-tolerance . Clearly in this case the voting mechanism does not run a simple majority voting but some vote fusion algorithm ( Lorczak , Caglayan , & Eckhardt , 1989 ) . A typical application of data diversity is that of real time control programs , where sensor re-sampling or a minor perturbation in the sampled sensor value may be able to prevent a failure . Being substantially an NVP system , data diversity reaches the same values for the structural attributes . The greatest advantage of this technique is that of drastically decreasing design and maintenance costs , because design diversity is avoided . Conclusions . As in recovery blocks , also NVP has been successfully adopted for many years in various application fields , including safety-critical airborne and spaceborne applications . The generic NVP architecture , based on redundancy and consensus , addresses parallel and distributed applications written in any programming paradigm . A generic , parameterizable architecture for real-time systems that supports the NVP strategy straightforwardly is GUARDS ( Powell et al. , 1999 ) . It is noteworthy to remark that the EE ( also known as N - Version Executive ) is a complex component that needs to manage a number of basic functions , for instance the execution of the decision algorithm , the assurance of input consistency for all versions , the inter-version communication , the version synchronization and the enforcement of timing constraints ( Aviz \u0306 ienis , 1995 ) . On the other hand , this complexity is not part of the application software \u2013 the N versions \u2013 and it does not need to be aware of the fault-tolerance strategy . An excellent degree of transparency can be reached , thus guaranteeing a good value for attribute sc . Furthermore , as mentioned in Chapter 2 , costs and times required by a thorough verification , validation , and testing of this architectural complexity may be acceptable , while charging them to each application component is certainly not a cost-effective option . Regarding attribute sa , the same considerations provided when describing recovery blocks hold for NVP : also in this case a single fault-tolerance strategy is followed . For this reason NVP is assessed here as unsatisfactory regarding attribute sa . Off-line adaptability to \" bad \" environments may be reached by increasing the value of N \u2013 though this requires developing new versions \u2013 a costly activity for both times and costs . Furthermore , the architecture does not allow any dynamic management of the fault-tolerance provisions . One concludes that attribute a is poorly addressed by NVP . In other words , the choices of the designer about the fault model are very difficult to maintain and change . Portability is restricted by the portability of the EE and of each of the N versions . Maintainability actions may also be problematic , as they need to be replicated and validated N times \u2013 as well as performed according to the NVP paradigm , so not to impact negatively on statistical independence of failures . Clearly the same considerations apply to recovery blocks as well . In other words , the adoption of multiple-version software fault-tolerance provisions always implies a penalty on maintainability and portability . Limited NVP support has been developed for \" conventional \" programming languages such as C. For instance , libft ( see Sect . 2.1 ) implements NVP as follows : # include <ftmacros.h> ... NVP Figure 5 : A fault-tolerant program according to a MV system . VERSION { block 1 ; SENDVOTE ( v_pointer , v_size ) ; } VERSION { block 2 ; SENDVOTE ( v_pointer , v_size ) ; } ... ENDVERSION ( timeout , v_size ) ; if ( ! agreeon ( v_pointer )) error_handler ; ENDNVP ; Note that this particular implementation extinguishes the potential transparency that in general characterizes NVP , as it requires some non-functional code to be included . This translates into an unsatisfactory value for attribute sc . Note also that the execution of each block is in this case carried out sequentially . It is important to remark how the adoption of NVP as a system structure for application-level software fault-tolerance requires a substantial increase in development and maintenance costs : both 1T \/ N H \/ N S and N T \/ 1H \/ N S systems have a cost function growing with the square of N. The author of the NVP strategy remarks how such costs are paid back by the gain in trustworthiness . This is certainly true when dealing with systems possibly subjected to catastrophic failures \u2013 let us recall once more the case of the Ariane 5 flight 501 ( Inquiry , 1996 ) . Nevertheless , the risks related to the chances of rapid exhaustion of redundancy due to a burst of correlated failures caused by a single or few design faults ( Motet & Geffroy , 2003 ) justify and call for the adoption of other fault-tolerance provisions within and around the NVP unit in order to deal with the case of a failed NVP unit . Figure 5 synthesizes the main characteristics of the MV approach : several replicas of ( portions of ) the functional code are produced and managed by a control component . In recovery blocks this component is often coded side by side with the functional code while in NVP this is usually a custom hardware box . 3 The EFTOS Tools : The EFTOS Voting Farm In this section the EFTOS voting farm \u2013 a library of functions written in the C programming language and implementing a distributed software voting mechanism \u2013 is described : This tool could be used to implement NVP systems in the application software . It has developed in the framework of project EFTOS , which was introduced in Sect . 2.1.1 . The Voting Farm was designed to be used either as a stand-alone tool for fault masking or as a basic block in a more complex fault tolerance structure set up within the EFTOS fault tolerance framework . In what follows the design and structure of the stand-alone voting farm are described as a means to orchestrate redundant resources with fault transparency as primary goal . It is also described how the user can exploit said tool to straightforwardly set up systems consisting of redundant modules and based on voters . An example of such system is given by so-called \" restoring organs . \" 3.1 Basic Structure and Features of the EFTOS Voting Farm A well-known approach to achieve fault masking and therefore to hide the occurrence of faults is the so-called N-modular redundancy technique ( NMR ) , valid both on hardware and at software level . To overcome the shortcoming of having one voter , whose failure leads to the failure of the whole system even when each and every other module is still running correctly , it is possible to use N replicas of the voter and to provide N copies of the inputs to each replica , as described in Fig. 6 . This approach exhibits among others the following properties : 1 . Depending on the voting technique adopted in the voter , the occurrence of a limited number of faults in the inputs to the voters may be masked to the subsequent modules ( Lorczak et al. , 1989 ) ; for instance , by using majority voting , up to ceil ( N \/ 2 ) \u2212 1 faults can be made transparent . 2 . If one considers a pipeline of such systems , then a failing voter in one stage of the pipeline can be simply regarded as a corrupted input for the next stage , where it will be restored . The resulting system is easily recognizable to be more robust than plain NMR , as it exhibits no single-point-of-failure . Dependability analysis confirms intuition . Property 2 . in particular explains why such systems are also known as \" restoring organs \" ( Johnson , 1989 ) . Figure 6 : A restoring organ , i.e. , an N-modular redundant system with N voters , when N = 3 . From the point of view of software engineering , this system though has two major drawbacks : \u2022 Each module in the NMR must be aware of and responsible for interacting with the whole set of voters ; \u2022 The complexity of these interactions , which is a function increasing with the square of N , the cardinality of the voting farm , burdens each module in the NMR . Within EFTOS the two above flaws were recognized as serious impairments to our design goals , which included replication transparency , ease of use , and flexibility ( De Florio , Deconinck , & Lauwereins , 1998a ) . In order to reach the full set of our requirements , the design of the system was slightly modified as described in Fig. 7 : In this new picture each module only has to interact with and be aware of one voter , regardless the value of N. Moreover , the complexity of such a task is fully shifted to the voter , i.e. , it is transparent to the user . The basic component of our tool is therefore the voter ( see Fig. 8 ) which is defined as follows : A voter is a local software module connected to one user module and to a farm of fully interconnected fellows . Attribute \" local \" Figure 7 : Structure of the EFTOS voting farm mechanism for a NMR system with N = 3 ( the well-known triple modular redundancy system , or TMR ) . Figure 8 : A user module and its voter . The latter is the only member of the farm of which the user module should be aware of : from the user point of view , messages will only flow between these two ends . This has been designed so as to minimize the burden of the user module and to keep it free to continue undisturbed as much as possible . means that both user module and voter run on the same processing node . As a consequence of the above definition , the user module has no other interlocutor than its voter , whose tasks are completely transparent to the user module . It is therefore possible to model the whole system as a simple client-server application : On each user module the same client protocol applies ( see Sect . 3.1.1 ) while the same server protocol is executed on every instance of the voter ( see Sect . 3.1.3 ) . 3.1.1 Client-Side of the Voting Farm : the User Module Table 3 gives an example of the client-side protocol to be executed on each processing node of the system in which a user module runs : a well-defined , ordered list of actions has to take place so that the voting farm be coherently declared and defined , described , activated , controlled , and queried : In particular , describing a farm stands for creating a static map of the allocation of its components ; activating a farm substantially means spawning the local voter ( Sect . 3.1.3 will shed more light on this ) ; controlling a farm means requesting its service by means of control and data messages ; finally , a voting farm can also be queried about its state , the current voted value , etc. As already mentioned , the above steps have to be carried out in the same way on each user module : this coherency is transparently supported in Single-Process , Multiple-Data ( SPMD ) architectures . This is the case , for instance , of Parsytec EPX ( Embedded Parallel eXtensions to UNIX , see , e.g. , ( Parsytec , 1996a , 1996b )) whose \" initial load mechanism \" transparently runs the same executable image of the user application on each processing node of the user partition . This protocol is available to the user as a class-like fault-tolerant library of functions dealing with opaque objects referenced through pointers . A tight resemblance with the FILE set of functions of the standard C programming language library ( Kernighan & Ritchie , 1988 ) has been sought so to shorten as much as possible the user's learning time \u2013 the API and usage of Voting Farm closely resemble those of FILE ( see Table 1 ) . phase declaration opening control closings FILE class FILE * f ; f = fopen ( . .. ) ; fwrite ( f , ... ) ; fclose ( f ) ; VotingFarm t class VotingFarm t * vf ; vf = VF open ( ... ) ; VF control ( vf , ... ) ; VF close ( vf ) ; Table 1 : The C language standard class for managing file is compared with the VF class . The tight resemblance has been sought in order to shorten as much as possible the user's learning time . The Voting Farm has been developed using the CWEB system of structured documentation ( De Florio , 1997 ) \u2013 an invaluable tool both at design and at development time ( Knuth , 1984 ) . 3.1.2 System and Fault Models A fault and system model document allows to bring to the foreground all the assumptions and dependencies that were used while designing a service . This is done so that when porting that service to a new platform all those underlying dependencies and assumptions do not slip the attention of the designer \u2013 see Chapter 2 for possible consequences of such a mistake . The EFTOS target platform was a dedicated system with a custom , dedicated communication network . Accordingly , the adopted system model was that of partially synchronous systems . This assumption is in this case a realistic one , at least for parallel environments like that of the Parsytec EPX , which was equipped with a fast and dedicated communication subsystem , such that processors did not have to compete \" too much \" for the network . Such subsytem also offered a reliable communication means and allowed to transparently tolerate faults like , e.g. , the break of a link , or a router's failure . The internal algorithms of the Voting Farm are assumed to have fail \/ stop behavior . Upper bounds are known for communication delays . A means to send and to receive messages across communication links is assumed to be available . Let us call these functions Send and Receive . Furthermore , the following semantics is assumed for those functions : Send blocks the caller until the communication system has fully delivered the specified message to the specified ( single ) recipient , while Receive blocks the caller until the communication system has fully transported a message directed to the caller , or until a user-specified timeout has expired . The Voting Farm can deal with the following classes of faults ( Laprie , 1995 ) : \u2022 physical as well as human-made , \u2022 accidental as well as intentional , \u2022 development as well as operational , \u2022 internal and external faults , \u2022 permanent and temporary , as long as the corresponding failure domain consists only of value failures . Timing errors are also considered , though the delay must not be larger than some bounded value ( which is assumed to be the case in the system model ) . The tool is only capable of dealing with one fault at a time \u2013 the tool is ready to deal with other new faults only after having recovered from the present one . Consistent value errors are tolerated . Under this assumption , arbitrary in-code value errors may occur . As a final remark , let us recall what mentioned in Chapter 2 : software engineering for fault-tolerant systems should allow considering the nature of faults as a dynamic system , i.e. , a system evolving in time , and by modeling faults as a function F ( t ) . The EFTOS Voting Farm allows to do so : If a service using the voting farm is moved to a new environment , for instance one characterized by a higher frequency of faults affecting the voters , the designer has just to choose a new value for N , the number of voters . Nothing changes in the application layer except that value . Of course this is an example of off-line adaptation , as it requires recompiling the service programs . In Chapter 4 an example of a tool will be described , which tracks the environment adjusting its fault model accordingly . 3.1.3 Server-Side of the Voting Farm : the Voter The local voter thread represents the server-side of the voting farm . After the set up of the static description of the farm ( Table 3 , Step 3 ) in the form of an ordered list of processing node identifiers ( positive integer numbers ) , the server-side of our application is launched by the user by means of the VF run function . This turns the static representation of a farm into an \" alive \" ( running ) object , the voter thread . This latter connects to its user module via inter-process communication provisions ( so called \" local links \" ) and to the rest of the farm via synchronous , blocking channels ( \" virtual links \" ) . Once the connection is established , and in the absence of faults , the voter reacts to the arrival of the user messages as a finite-state automaton : In particular , the arrival of input messages triggers a number of broadcasts among the voters \u2013 as shown in Fig. 9 \u2013 which are managed through the distributed algorithm described in Table 2 . When faults occur and affect up to M < N voters , no arrival for more than \u2206 t time units is interpreted as an error . As a consequence , variable input messages is incremented as if a message had arrived , and its faulty state is recorded . By doing so one can tolerate up to M < N errors at the cost of M \u2206 t time units . Note that even though this algorithm tolerates up to N \u2212 1 faults , the voting algorithm may be intrinsically able to cope with much less than that : for instance , majority voting fails in the presence of faults affecting ceil ( N \/ 2 ) or more voters . As another example , algorithms computing a weighted average of the input values consider all items whose \" faulty bit \" is set as zero-weight values , automatically discarding them from the average . This of course may also lead to imprecise results as the number of faults gets larger . Besides the input value , which represents a request for voting , the user module may send to its voter a number of other requests \u2013 some of these are used in Table 3 , Step 5 . In particular , the user can choose to adopt a voting algorithm among the following ones : \u2022 Formalized majority voting technique , \u2022 Generalized median voting technique , Figure 9 : The \" local \" input value has to be broadcast to N \u2212 1 fellows , and N \u2212 1 \" remote \" input values have to be collected from each of the fellows . The voting algorithm takes place as soon as a complete set of values is available . 1 \/ * each voter gets a unique voter id in { 1 , ... , N } * \/ voter id = who-am-i ; 2 \/ * all messages are first supposed to be valid * \/ For all i : validi = TRUE ; 3 \/ * keep track of the number of received input messages * \/ i = input messages = 0 ; 4 do { 5 \/ * wait for an incoming message or a timeout * \/ Wait Msg With Timeout ( \u2206 t ) ; 6 \/ * u points to the user module's input * \/ if ( Sender == USER ) u = i ; 7 \/ * read it * \/ if ( \u00ac Timeout ) msgi = Receive ; 8 \/ * or invalidate its entry * \/ else validi = FALSE ; 9 \/ * count it * \/ i = input messages = input messages + 1 ; 10 if ( voter id == input messages ) Broadcast ( msgu ) ; 11 } while ( input messages \u00ac = N ) ; Table 2 : The distributed algorithm needed to regulate the right to broadcast among the N voters . Each voter waits for a message for a time which is at most \u2206 t , then it assumes a fault affected either a user module or its voter . Function Broadcast sends its argument to all voters whose id is different from voter id . It is managed via a special sending thread so to circumvent the case of a possibly deadlock-prone Send . \u2022 Formalized plurality voting technique , \u2022 Weighted averaging technique , \u2022 Consensus , the first four items being the voting techniques that were generalized in ( Lorczak et al. , 1989 ) to \" arbitrary N-version systems with arbitrary output types using a metric space framework . \" To use these algorithms , a metric function can be supplied by the user when he or she \" opens \" the farm ( Table 3 , Step 2 , function objcmp ) : this is exactly the same approach used in opaque C functions like e.g. , bsearch or qsort ( Kernighan & Ritchie , 1988 ) . A default metric function is also available . Note how the fault model assumption : \" arbitrary in-code value errors may occur \" is due to the fact that the adopted metric approach is not able to deal with non-code values . The choice of the algorithm , as well as other control choices are managed via function VF control , which takes as argument a voting farm pointer plus a variable number of control argument \u2013 in Table 3 , Step 5 , these arguments are an input message , a virtual link for the output vote , an algorithm identifier , plus an argument for that algorithm . Other requests include the setting of some algorithmic parameters and the removal of the voting farm ( function VF close ) . The voters' replies to the incoming requests are straightforward . In particular , a VF DONE message is sent to the user module when a broadcast has been performed ; for the sake of avoiding deadlocks , one can only close a farm after the VF DONE message has been sent . Any failed attempt causes the voter to send a VF REFUSED message . The same refusing message is sent when the user tries to initiate a new voting session sooner than the conclusion of the previous session . Note how function VF get ( Table 3 , Step 6 ) simply sets the caller in a waiting state from which it exits either on a message arrival or on the expiration of a time-out . 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 \/ * declaration * \/ VotingFarm t * vf ; \/ * definition * \/ vf = VF open ( objcmp ) ; \/ * description * \/ For all i in { 1 , ... , N } : VF add ( vf , nodei , identi ) ; \/ * activation * \/ VF run ( vf ) ; \/ * control * \/ VF control ( vf , VF input ( obj , sizeof ( VFobj t )) , VF output ( link ) , VF algorithm ( VFA WEIGHTED AVERAGE ) , VF scaling factor ( 1 . 0 )) ; \/ * query * \/ do { } while ( VF error == VF NONE and VF get ( vf ) == VF REFUSED ) ; \/ * deactivation * \/ VF close ( vf ) ; Table 3 : An example of usage of the voting farm . 3.1.4 Voting Farm : An Example This section introduces and discusses a program simulating a NMR ( N modular redundant ) restoring organ which makes use of the Voting Farm class . N is set to the cardinality of that list of values to vote on . \/\/ An example of usage of the EFTOS voting farm \/\/ We exploit the SPMD mode to launch the same executable on all target nodes \/\/ First the necessary header files are loaded # include <vf.h> # include \" tmr . h \" void main ( int argc , char * argv [ ] ) { \/\/ vf is the pointer to the Voting Farm descriptor 10 VotingFarm t * vf ; VF msg t * m ; \/\/ m is a Voting Farm message object double metrics ( void * , void * ) ; \/\/ metrics is the opaque function to compare votes double sf = 0.5 ; \/\/ sf is the scaling factor for voting algorithm double d ; \/\/ d is an input value to vote upon , read from the command line int this ; \/\/ this is the processor id ( the node on which the code runs ) int i ; \/\/ this is the id of the processor I 'm running on this = GET_ROOT ( ) - > ProcRoot - > MyProcID ; 20 \/\/ up to argc processors are to be used if ( this > = argc-1 ) return ; \/\/ declare a voting farm , with metrics ( ) as metric function vf = VF_open ( metrics ) ; \/\/ add version i @ node i for ( i = 0 ; i < argc-1 && i < NPROCS ; i ++ ) VF_add ( vf , i , i ) ; 30 \/\/ spawn the farm VF_run ( vf ) ; \/\/ read the value to be voted sscanf ( argv [ this + 1 ] , \" % lf \" , & d ) ; \/\/ send vf three parameters : scaling factor ... VF_send ( vf , 3 , VFO_Set_Scaling_Factor ( & sf ) \/\/ ... voting algorithm ... , VFO_Set_Algorithm ( VFA_MAJORITY ) \/\/ ... an input value , VFO_Set_Input_Message ( & d , sizeof ( d ))) ; 40 \/\/ wait for a message from the farm do { m = VF_get ( vf ) ; \/\/ keep on waiting while there 's no error and return \/\/ code is VF REFUSED ( \" refused attempt to close VF \" ) } while ( VF error == 0 && m \u2212 > code == VF REFUSED ) ; 50 \/\/ when there an error or a different message , let 's check : done ? if ( m - > code == VF_DONE ) { \/\/ was it possible to find a majority vote ? if ( m - > msglen == VF_FAILURE ) printf ( \" < user % d > : no output vote is available \\ n \" , this ) ; else printf ( \" < user % d > : output vote is % lf \\ n \" , this , DOUBLE ( m - > msg )) ; \/\/ anyway , close the farm VF_close ( vf ) ; \/\/ wait for an acknowledgment or error do { m = VF_get ( vf ) ; } while ( VF_error == 0 && m - > code ! = VF_QUIT ) ; return ; } 70 return ; } \/\/ metrics reveals the nature of the two opaque input values : \/\/ they are double precision floating point numbers , and their \/\/ distance is abs ( a-b ) double metrics ( void * a , void * b ) { double * d1 , * d2 ; d1 = ( double * ) a , d2 = ( double * ) b ; if ( * d1 > * d2 ) { return * d1 - * d2 ; } return * d2 - * d1 ; } 3.1.5 Voting Farm : Some Conclusions The EFTOS Voting Farm is currently available for a number of message passing environments , including Parsytec EPX , Windows , and TXT TEX . A special version has been developed for the latter , which adopts the mailbox paradigm as opposed to message passing via virtual links . In this latter version , the tool has been used in a software fault tolerance implementation of a stable memory system for the high-voltage substation controller of ENEL , the main Italian electricity supplier ( Deconinck et al. , 1998 ) . This stable memory system is based on a combination of temporal and spatial redundancy to tolerate both transient and permanent faults , and uses two voting farms , one with consensus and the other with majority voting . 80 60 Figure 10 : The interaction between Watchdog Timer , DIR net and the application . The dotted line represents control flow , the full line stands for data flow . The Voting Farm can be used as a stand-alone tool , as seen so far ; but it can also be used as a tool to compose more complex dependable mechanisms within a wider framework . Chapter 9 shall describe how to use our tool with the so-called \" recovery language approach \" , a linguistic framework and an architecture for dependable automation services . As a conclusion the Voting Farm is characterized by limited support for sc and bad sa ( as it only targets a single provision ) . As for aone may observe how , despite that tool exhibits no support for adaptability in the form described in this section , this aspect could be enhanced by using an hybrid approach such as the one described in Chapter 9 . 4 The EFTOS Tools : The Watchdog Timer This section describes the EFTOS watchdog timer . It consists of a single thread . This thread does the timing and checking of user-driven timestamps , and informs a DIR Agent thread if a performance failure is detected . This concept is depicted in Fig. 10 . The whole set up of Fig. 10 is built by executing the single StartWD function when the two major system component for EFTOS , the so-called DIR net and Server net , are both used and when the Watchdog thread was pre-configured through the server net ( details on how to do this have been omitted ) . Note that after this step any future interaction with the WatchDog Timer , done via watchdap , is characterized by a satisfactory level of transparency : The user needs not to concern about low level details such as protocols and interface ; he or she has just to control the process through a high-level application-program interface . This user-transparency can no longer be sustained if neither DIR net nor Server net are used . In this case it is the responsibility of the user to deploy the watchdog through function StartWDnd and to let it start watching by issuing function WDStart . In both cases the user interfaces its watchdog through the same function , the already mentioned watchdap . As can be seen from Fig. 10 , an active watchdog connects to a so-called DIR agent and notifies it of all performance failures experienced by its watched task . When no DIR net is used , this message must nevertheless be sent to some other task . The following short source code illustrates the usage of the EFTOS watchdog : \/\/ A worker performs some work receiving input and sending output \/\/ through a communication link called ioLink \/\/ \/\/ To protect the worker , a watchdog timer is started ( in this case \/\/ by the worker itself ) . Within the processing loop , the watcher \/\/ sends n heartbeat signal to the watchdog through function watchdapp \/\/ int worker ( LinkCB \u0307 t * ioLink ) { \/\/ declare the communication link with the watchdog 10 LinkCB \u0307 t * AWDLink ; \/\/ declare the communication link with the EFTOS server net LinkCB \u0307 t * mylink2server ; \/\/ input and output buffers char input [ 1024 ] , output [ 1024 ] ; int size , error ; 20 \/\/ Connects ( or spawns ) the EFTOS Server net mylink2server = ConnectServer ( ) ; if (( AWDLink = StartWD ( link2server , ... various parameters ... , ... cycle times ... , & error )) == NULL ) fprintf ( stderr , \" Failed to initialise the WD , error : % d \" , error ) ; \/\/ main processing loop : get input data ... 30 while (( size = RecvLink ( ioLink , ( byte * ) input , sizeof ( input ))) ! = 0 ) { \/\/ ... process data ... process ( input , output ) ; \/\/ ... forward output ... SendLink ( ioLink , ( byte * ) output , strlen ( output ) + 1 ) ; \/\/ ... and say \" I 'm OK \" if ( watchdap ( AWDLink , TIMESTAMP , 0 ) ! = 0 ) 40 fprintf ( stderr , \" Error re-initialising the watchdog \" ) ; } } For more details on programming and configuring the EFTOS watchdog timer the reader may refer to ( Team , 1998 ) . The system model of the EFTOS Watchdog Timer is the same specified for the whole EFTOS framework : A fully synchronous system \u2013 an assumption allowed by the embedded character of the EFTOS target services and platforms . The fault model includes accidental , permanent or temporary design faults , and temporary , external , physical faults . As a final statement let us remark how , as for the structural properties , what has been said for the Voting Farm also applies to the EFTOS watchdog timer : limited support for sc , bad sa due to the single design concern , and no adaptability unless coupled with other approaches and tools . One such hybrid approach is described in Chapter 9 . The EFTOS watchdog timer was developed by Wim Rosseel at the University of Leuven . 5 The EFTOS Tools : The EFTOS Trap Handler Programming languages such as C constitute powerful tools to craft efficient system services , but are streamlined \" by construction \" for run-time efficiency . As a consequence , their run-time executive is very simple : They lack mechanisms for bound checking in arrays , are very permissive with data type conversions , and allow all type of \" dirty tricks \" with pointers . A fortiori , the C language does not provide any support for exception handling . Within project EFTOS a so-called Trap Handler was designed and developed . This tool is basically a library and a run-time executive to manage exceptions taking place in programs written in the C programming language on Parsytec supercomputers based on PowerPC processors . The library was developed Stephan Graeber at DLR ( the Deutsche Zentrum f\u00fcr Luft - und Raumfahrt ) with the Parsytec EPX message passing library . In the following this tool is described . 5.1 The EFTOS Trap Handling Tool As mentioned in Chapter 2 , exception ( or trap ) handling is an important feature to design software fault-tolerant systems . When the processor e.g. tries to access memory that is not allocated or executes illegal instructions then a trap is generated , which causes the processor to jump to a specialized routine called trap handler . As other operating systems , also EPX provides a standard trap handling function which simply stops processing and writes a core dump file . The EFTOS framework provides two ways to alter this behavior : 1 . The Trap Handling Tool connects to a third party ( by default , the EFTOS DIR net ) and creates a \" fault notification stream \" : Caught exceptions are forwarded to a remote handler . A generalization of this strategy is used in Oz ( see Chapter 5 ) and Ariel ( in Chapter 6 ) and , in service-oriented architectures , in the system reported in ( Ardissono , Furnari , Goy , Petrone , & Segnan , 2006 ) . 2 . The programmer defines which exception to catch and how to handle them with the functions of the Trap Handling library . This is semantically equivalent to , e.g. , Java exceptions , but very different from the syntactical point of view . This is because the handling is done with the programming language , as opposed to in . 5.2 Algorithm of the Trap Handling Tool . The first action of StartTrapTool is to give the server network the command to create remotely a thread on a specified node with the code of the TrapTool . After that , it connects to the newly spawn trap tool and exchanges some additional information with it . After this state has been set up properly , it installs a new trap handler for the current thread . The Trap handling Tool itself first gets the connection to the StartTrapTool function and receives the additional information from there . After that it connects to the appropriate DIR agent , and waits for incoming messages for the rest of its execution time . If a trap message arises from the trap handler , the DIR net is informed and the necessary information about the trap that occurred is passed to the responsible DIR agent . The DIR net is also able to send messages to the Trap Handling Tool to enact user-defined exception handling procedures . The trap handler itself is only responsible for passing the message of a fault to the Trap Tool and to set the processor in a sleeping mode . The processor will resume only when proper actions to handle the exception are scheduled for execution . 5.2.1 Structure of user trap handling The concept of user-defined trap handlers is based on a stack of functions . The first element in the stack is the default EPX trap handler . New user-defined handlers are orderly pushed onto the stack . When an exception is caught , the stack is visited from top to bottom calling each visited function . When a function successfully handles the exception the Trap Handler stops this procedure , otherwise the stack reaches its bottom and EPX performs termination and memory dump . A user defined trap handler can handle either one or more classes of traps . Traps are processor-dependent , e.g. the PowerPC defines among others the following classes : 1 . DSI exception : A data memory access can not be performed because of a memory protection violation , or because the instruction is not supported for the type of memory addressed . 2 . ISI exception : An instruction fetch can not be performed . Reasons may be that an attempt is made to fetch an instruction from a non-execute segment , or that a page fault occurred when translating the effective address , or that the fetch access violates memory protection . 3 . Alignment exception : processor can not perform a memory access because of an incorrect alignment of the requested address . 4 . Program exception : This may have several reasons . E.g. the execution of an instruction is attempted with an illegal opcode . The user-defined trap handler should be defined as a function with the following prototype : int MyTrapHandler ( int TrapNo ) With TrapNo this function gets the trap number , that is the exception code corresponding to the exception that was actually caught by the system . This corresponds to the exception code returned by Java in the catch statements . The user defined trap handler function should return 1 if the trap was handled and the system has to be recovered , otherwise the function should return 0 . If a trap occurs , in some cases the whole node has to be rebooted . In such cases a user defined trap handler can be used for instance to store state information on another node , so as to restart execution from there or on the same node after reboot . Obviously this procedure only covers transient faults . In other cases the fault shall represent itself and cause the occurrence of the same failure again . With the function NewTrapHandler the user can push a trap handling function on top of the handling functions stack . When the function is called for the first time , a stack manager is installed as internal trap handler and the stack of functions is initialized . With function ReleaseTrapHandler the user can remove the function at the top of the stack . To remove all functions and bring the stack to its initialization state with just the original EPX trap handler , the user can invoke function SetDefaultTrapHandler . As can be clearly seen , the EFTOS Trap Handler is not as easy and intuitive as e.g. the exception handling mechanism used in Java : As mentioned already , syntactical adequacy ( sa , defined in Chapter 2 ) has a strong link with complexity . The other side of the coin is given by efficiency : The EFTOS trap handling tool is characterized by a very limited overhead and consumes quite few system resources . The following short source code illustrates the usage of user defined trap handlers : \/\/ Function MyTraphandler returns 1 if an exception \/\/ is caught and processed , and 0 otherwise . \/\/ int MyTrapHandler ( int TrapNo ) { switch ( TrapNo ) { \/\/ this is the equivalent of the Java catch statement . \/\/ NK TRA DFETCH means in EPX '' data access exception '' case NK TRAP DFETCH : 10 \/\/ what follows is the handling of the data access exception ... return 1 ; \/\/ other cases may follow here .. . * \/ default : return 0 ; } } 20 void main ( void ) { \/\/ some work is done here ... \/\/ right before an operation that may result in a data exception NewTrapHandler ( & MyTrapHandler ) ; 30 \/\/ here there is an operation that may result in a data exception ... \/\/ the default handler is finally restored ReleaseTrapHandler ( ) ; } 5.2.2 System and Fault Models of the EFTOS Trap Handling Tool The system model of the EFTOS Trap Handling Tool is the same specified for the whole EFTOS framework : A fully synchronous system \u2013 an assumption allowed by the embedded character of the EFTOS target services and platforms . Target faults are clearly exceptions and system errors such as the one presented in Chapter 2 . The fault model includes temporary design faults , and temporary external physical faults . 5.2.3 Conclusions A single-version software fault-tolerance tool has been introduced , addressing exception handling and fault information forward . Developed in the framework of the EFTOS project , the tool is characterized by limited support for sc , bad sa due to its single design concern , and no adaptability . 6 The EFTOS Tools : Atomic Actions The main goal of the functions described in what follows is to provide a mechanism for atomic transactions : The actions checked by these functions either end properly or are not executed at all . A description of transactions can be found in Chapter 2 . 6.1 The EFTOS Atomic Action Tool As explained in Chapter 2 , an atomic action or transaction may be defined as the activity of a set of components where no information flows between that set and the rest of the system during that activity , and the activity is either fully completed or not at all ( Anderson & Lee , 1981 ) . To guarantee this property an atomic action needs to be able to checkpoint its state before the beginning of the action and roll back in case of failure . In literature several protocols for atomic commitment have been proposed ( Babaoglu , Toueg , & Mullender , 1993 ; Jalote & Campbell , 1985 ) . As mentioned already , probably the best known and the simplest protocol is the two phase commit protocol ( 2PC ) ( Lampson , 1981 ) . The 2PC protocol although very simple has as the big drawback that it may block . For example , if the coordinator fails while all the cohorts are waiting to receive a decision message , then none of these processes will be able to terminate . The cohorts need to wait until the coordinator is recovered before being able to decide on the outcome of the action . It is clear that such behavior is unacceptable . Next to the blocking aspect of several protocols , often the assumption is made that no faults can occur in the communication layer . Clearly this assumption has a coverage , which means one needs accomodate for the cases where it proves to be not valid . The tool described herein takes these aspects into account . Let us begin by introducing our assumptions : Atomic Action Algorithm : ( save the status ) ( Synchronize ) Check an assertion Set the timer t_i , Broadcast the result of the assertion to the other partners { while the deadline has not passed for all partners send result within time if sending timed out change state to abort and inform everyone hereof } Receive the result from all partners { while not received all results and deadline t_i has not passed receive if deadline t_i passed abort and inform everyone } If at least one result was abort then abort Wait ( t_2 ) for potential stray messages if result is abort do recovery Table 4 : A pseudo code sketch of the algorithm of the Atomic Action tools . 6.1.1 System Model Assumptions . As already remarked , any algorithm is valid under specific assumptions . In the case of the EFTOS Atomic Action Tool a partially synchronous model of computation is assumed : although not limited as in the synchronous model , an upper bound on message delays is assumed to be known . At any time a process may be either operational or non-operational . A process is considered to be operational when it follows exactly the actions specified by the program it is executing . Any operational process may end up in a non-operational state due to a failure . In a non-operational state any information related to that process is considered to be lost , unless it was stored into some stable storage . A non-operational process may be returned to an operational state after executing some recovery protocol . During this recovery protocol the information saved in stable memory is used to restore the process . Each processor has its local clock , which does not run synchronous with the neighboring processors . Each local clock however is only used to measure time intervals , so a global time is not a necessary assumption ( Lamport , 1978 ) . The target design platforms require a bounded termination time and a low amount of communication , as communication negatively affect the communication vs. processing ratio . Therefore a reasonably simple and lightweight algorithm has been designed . It has as main constraint that all tasks should be loosely synchronized before making use of the algorithm . The Algorithm . Figure 4 provides the reader with a pseudo code overview of the algorithm . The algorithm has a fairly simple structure as can be seen at first glance . Some pre-processing steps like saving state information and loosely synchronizing should be considered . Hereafter the algorithm will start by checking an assertion which decides on the local status . After the local status has been decided a timer t1 , conditional for the successful completion of the action , is set . As a next step the local status information is propagated to the other partners in the action and the algorithm starts waiting for the status information to be received from the other partners . All expected messages should be received within the time-out t1 to be able to result in a successful action . Once all status messages are received , a decision is made on success or failure of the action . The decision propagation however is delayed for some more time t2 , so that possible failure messages can be received . This will be further elaborated in the next section where some failure cases are discussed . By means of these multiple time-outs ( t1 , t2 ) the algorithm can guarantee successful functioning under the specified restrictions . Failure Mode . Both process and communication failures are considered . For process failures , it may be clear that the time-out ( t1 ) will trigger a transition to the ABORT state ( see Fig. 11 ) . For communication , due to the synchronous nature hereof on the design platforms , failures can be compared to process failures . This is clear in case of blocking . In such a case either one partner never joined in the communication or both partners tried to send or receive over the same communication link . Otherwise the link communication might also truly fail . This case can be considered as a failure of the two partners in communication . This assumption is valid because the only thing the processes are aware of is the fact that their communication with another process failed . In Fig. 12 some failure cases are illustrated . In the first case it is considered a process failure . The failure of this process will lead to a condition in which insufficient inputs have been received for a successful decision phase . This will lead to a time-out that will automatically trigger the ABORT behavior of the action . In the second case it is assumed that some communication fails . This will lead to the situation where some partners will decide to ABORT as they have not received sufficient inputs , while others will Figure 11 : The behavior in case of a not responding partner . C ? stands for potential commit . A ? stands for potential abort , A ! is an agreed abort . T ? is a potential time-out in communication . t1 is the primary time-out the action should respect , t2 is the secondary timeout used to receive stray messages . decide to COMMIT in the first step . The transition to ABORT however , due to insufficient input , will trigger the propagation of the ABORT message to all other partners . Upon receipt of this message all partners will still change their status to ABORT . 6.1.2 The Implementation The status of the action is decided upon by assertions provided by the user . The implementation has two working modes . In one mode only the local status is changed , unless there is a transition from COMMIT to ABORT at which point this new state is propagated to all partners in the action . In the second mode the distributed state decision is made . This is the mode illustrated in Fig. 13 . Notice that the communication time-out is realized by means of a return message that should be received within time T. In Fig. 14 the state graph of the used algorithm is shown . AA End in this graph is the intermediate state complying with the first mode of the algorithm . From this graph it is clear that any error will result in a transition to the ABORT state . 6.1.3 Functionality The whole mechanism basically is based on two levels of control ( see Fig. 15 . The first level embraces the local state . This is achieved by direct interaction with a local Atomic Action thread . The second level embraces a global state . This global state is maintained by the Atomic Action threads themselves , using the knowledge of the requirements to limit the communications . The communication limitation is achieved for in-block checks , where the global state will only be adapted if a request comes to change to local state to Figure 12 : The behavior in case of a communication fails ( time-out ) . \" abort \" . A final check always leads to a proprietary decision among all local states and the current global state . This leads to communication from every partner to every other partner , thus having a quadratic complexity . More details about the EFTOS Atomic Action tool is available in ( Team , 1998 ) and ( Rosseel , De Florio , Deconinck , Truyens , & Lauwereins , 1998 ) . 6.2 Conclusion A single-version software fault-tolerance provisions for managing atomic actions has been briefly sketched . As most of the EFTOS tools , it is characterized by limited support for SC , bad SA and no adaptability . 7 The TIRAN Data Stabilizing Software Tool An application-level tool is described , which implements a software system for stabilizing data values , capable of tolerating both permanent faults in memory and transient faults affecting computation , input and memory devices by means of a strategy coupling temporal and spatial redundancy . The tool maximizes data integrity allowing a new value to enter the system only after a user-parameterizable stabilization procedure has been successfully passed . Designed and developed in the framework of the ESPRIT project TIRAN ( the follow-up of project EFTOS , described in more detail in Chapter 6 ) , the tool can be used in stand-alone mode but can also be coupled with other dependable mechanisms developed within that project . Its use had been suggested by ENEL , the main Italian electricity supplier , in order to replace a hardware stable storage device adopted in their highvoltage sub-stations . Figure 13 : The message passing scheme in fault free case for the EFTOS implementation . The application starts the AA thread which will spawn a sender thread on its own . This is illustrated in the beginning of the time-scale . At this point node I also will save some status information to a stable storage entity . Once a distributed decision is to be achieved messages are exchanged according to the algorithm . Upon the agreed decision of ABORT , the first node will restore its saved status . The central zone between node 0 and node i illustrates execution locked time , the black rectangle illustrates the beginning of the user-function the unfilled rectangle illustrates the returning of the user-function . Figure 14 : This is a state-graph of the implementation . AACommit is the intermediate COMMIT state , AA END is an intermediate ABORT state and AA Abort is the ABORT state . AA Commit is the start state for the algorithm . Figure 15 : The Atomic Action embraces two levels of control , local within the Atomic Action thread and global in agreement with the other Atomic Action threads . 7.1 Introduction In this text the design and the implementation of a data stabilizing software system are introduced . Such system is a fault-tolerant software component that allows validating input and output data by means of a stabilization procedure . Such data stabilizing system has been developed with the explicit goal of taking over a pre-existing stable storage hardware device used at ENEL S.p.A. \u2013 the main Italian electricity supplier , the third largest world-wide \u2013 - within a program for substation automation of their high voltage sub-stations . The mentioned hardware device is able to tolerate the typical faults of a highly disturbed environment subject to electro-magnetic interference : transient faults affecting memory modules and the processing devices , often resulting in bit flips or even in system crashes . This hardware component was mainly used within control applications with a cyclic behavior only dependent on their state ( that is , Moore automata ) . Typically these applications : \u2022 Read their current state from stable storage , \u2022 produce with it an output that , once validated , is propagated to the field , \u2022 then they read their input from the field and compute a tentative future state and future output . The whole cycle is repeated a number of times in order to validate the future state . When this temporal redundancy scheme succeeds , the tentative state is declared as a valid next state and the stable storage is updated accordingly . The cyclic execution is paced by an external periodic signal which resets the CPU and re-fetches the application code from an EPROM . External memory is not affected by this step . This policy and the nature of faults ( frequency , duration and so forth ) allow confining possible impairment affecting the internal state of the application within one cycle . Developed in the framework of the ESPRIT project TIRAN , a prototypic version of this data stabilizing tool has been successfully integrated in a test-bed control application at ENEL , whose cyclic behavior is regulated by a periodic restart device \u2013 the only custom , dedicated component of that architecture . Initially developed on a Parsytec CC system equipped with 4 processing nodes , the tool has been then ported to a number of runtime systems ; at ENEL , the tool is currently running under the TEX nanokernel ( DEC , 1997 ; TXT , 1997 ) and VxWorks on several hardware boards , each based on the DEC Alpha processor . Preliminary results on these systems show that the tool is capable to fulfill its dependability and data integrity requirements , adapting itself to a number of different simulated disturbed environments thanks to its flexibility . In what follows an analysis of the requirements to the Data Stabilizing System tool is carried out . Basic functionalities of the tool are then summarized . The two \" basic blocks \" of our tool , namely a manager of redundant memories and a data stabilizer , are then introduced . Finally some conclusions are drawn , summarizing the lessons learned while developing our Data Stabilizing Software Tool . 7.2 Requirements for the Data Stabilizer In an electrical power network , automation is a fundamental requirement for the subsystems concerning production , transport and distribution of energy . In many sites of such a network , remotely controlled automation systems play an important role towards reaching a more efficient and cost-effective management of the networks . While considering the option to install high performance computing nodes as controllers into such environments , the question of a software solution for a data stabilizer arose . The goal of a data stabilizer is to protect data in memory from permanent faults affecting memory devices and from transient faults affecting data of systems running in disturbed environments , as they typically arise by electro-magnetic interference , and to validate these data by means of a stabilization procedure based on the joint exploitation of temporal and spatial redundancy . When controlling high voltage , an important source of faults is electricity itself \u2013 because all switching actions in the field cause electrical disturbances , which enter the control computers via their I \/ O devices , often overcoming the filtering barriers . Furthermore , electro-magnetic interference causes disturbs in the controllers . Clearly , due to the very nature of this class of environments , such faults can not be avoided ; on the other hand , they should not impair the expected behavior of the computing systems that control the automation system . In order to overcome the effects of transient faults , temporal redundancy is employed . This means that all computation is repeated several times ( a concept also known as \" redoing \" and introduced in Chapter 5 ) , assuming that due to the nature ( frequency , amplitude , and duration ) of the disturbances , not all of the cyclic replications are affected . As in other redundancy schemes , a final decision is taken via a voting between the different redundant results . Clearly this calls for a memory component that be more resilient to transient faults with respect to conventional memory devices . In traditional applications often a special hardware device , called stable storage device , is used for this . The idea was to replace this special hardware with a software solution , which offers on the one hand more flexibility , while on the other hand it provides the same fault tolerance functionality . The following requirements were deduced from this : 1 . The data stabilizer has to be implemented in conventional memory available on the hardware platform running the control application . Typical control applications show a cyclic behavior , which is represented in the following steps : ( a ) Read sensor data , ( b ) calculate control laws based on new sensor data and status variables , ( c ) update status variables , ( d ) and output actuator data . The data stabilizer has to interface with such kind of applications . 2 . The Data Stabilizing System has to tolerate any transient faults affecting the elaboration or the inputs . Furthermore , it has to tolerate permanent and transient faults affecting the memory itself . 3 . The Data Stabilizing System has to store and to stabilize status data , i.e. if input data to the Data Stabilizing System have been confirmed a number of times , they should be considered as stable . 4 . Because of this stabilization the Data Stabilizing System has to provide a high data integrity , i.e. only correct output should be released . A few further requirements were added , namely : 1 . The Data Stabilizing System has to minimize the number of custom , dedicated , hardware components in the system : In particular , the system has to work with conventional memory chips . 2 . The system has to make use of the inherently available redundancy of a parallel or distributed system . 3 . Its design goal must include maximizing flexibility and re-usability , so as to favor the adoption of the system in a wide application field , which , in the case of ENEL , ranges from energy production and transport to energy distribution . 4 . The Data Stabilizing System has to eliminate the use of mechanisms possibly affecting the deterministic behavior , for instance by not using dynamic memory allocation during the critical phases of real-time applications . 5 . A major focus of the system is on service portability ( see Chapter 2 ) in order to have minimal dependencies with specific hardware platforms or specific operating systems . 6 . The system has to be scalable , at least from 1 to 8 processors . In the following the functionality of the Data Stabilizing System is deduced from the requirements stated in the last paragraph . First one needs to clarify the concept of data stabilization . Let us assume one wants to develop a controller with a short cycle time with respect to the dynamics of the input and the output data . Disturbances from temporal faults can influence either the input or the output data . These temporal effects , in particular on the output data , must be eliminated . For this reason , the controller is run several times with the same input data . Let us furthermore assume that , in the absence of faults , the same output data are produced . This allows the output of the controller from several runs to be compared . If the output does not change in a number of consecutive cycles , the output is staid to be stable . The described process of repeated runs of the controller and comparison of the results is called stabilization . The described procedure of cyclic repetition of a process is the basis of temporal redundancy ( that is , redoing ) . In order to detect and overcome transient faults , even if their characteristics such as distribution of frequency and duration are not known , temporal redundancy can be applied . If the computation time for a process is outspoken longer than the expected duration of a transient fault , and the frequency of the disturbances is low enough , it is assumed that in several repetitive computations of the same data only one fault may show up . So if the algorithm performs the same computation several times , there will be a period of some consecutive , not impaired results . The number Ntime of consecutive equal data inputs to the Data Stabilizing System is the level of temporal redundancy . It is the minimum number of cycles the Data Stabilizing System has to execute until a new input can be assumed to be stable . Another strong requirement of our design is that of maximizing data integrity . To reach this goal , the Data Stabilizing System tool adopts a strategy , to be described later on , aiming at ensuring that data are only allowed to be stored in the Data Stabilizing System the moment they have been certified as being \" stable \" . On a read request from a given memory location , the Data Stabilizing System will then return the last stabilized data , while a write into Data Stabilizing System will actually take place only when the strategy guarantees that data that are going to be written are stable . Another important requirement is that permanent faults affecting the system should not destroy the data . A standard method for increasing the reliability of memory is replication of data in redundant memories : a \" write \" is then translated into writing into each of a set of redundant memories , with voting of the data when reading out . An approach like the one described in Chapter 4 , that is , redundant variables , was not available yet and therefore it was not used in this case . No additional hardware is required for this , as the writings are done in the memories of the processing nodes of the target , distributed memory platform . Using the principles of spatial redundancy , the same data are replicated in different memory areas \u2013 let us call them banks . The spatial redundancy factor Nspat is the number of replicas stored in the Data Stabilizing System . Changing this parameter the user is allowed to trade off dependability with performance and resource consumption . In order to fulfill the above mentioned requirements the Data Stabilizing System implements a strategy based on two buffers , one for reading the last stabilized data , and the other for receiving the new data . These two buffers are called the memory banks . \u2022 The bank used for the output of the stabilized data is called the current bank . \u2022 The other bank , called future bank , receives the Ntime input data for the Data Stabilizing System one after the other and checks whether the results are stable . If the results are stable the role of the banks is switched , so that the future bank becomes the new current bank and the output data are fetched from there . During the design and implementation phases of the Data Stabilizing System tool , the idea arose to isolate the spatial redundancy from the tool to build a custom tool especially devoted to the distributed memory approach \u2013 the Distributed Memory Tool . It showed that this approach simplifies the design and the implementation of the Data Stabilizing System tool . 7.2.1 The Distributed Memory Tool The Distributed Memory Tool is the sub-system responsible for the management of the spatial redundancy scheme for the Data Stabilizing System . Let us call a local user context either a thread or a process , which the user application sees as one task with its own local environment . Assume that the user application consists of several such local user contexts , which are distributed among several nodes of a multiprocessor system . The basic component of the distributed memory tool is the local handler , which is defined as follows : A local memory handler is a local software module connected to one local user context and to a set of fully interconnected fellows . The attribute \" local \" means that both user context and memory handler run on the same processing node and they represent the whole tool from the viewpoint of the processing node . As a consequence of this definition , the local user context regards the local memory handler as the only interface to the distributed memory tool . The local memory handler and the attached user module are connected via an IPC mechanism based on shared memory , referred to in the following as a \" local link \" and borrowed from the EPX terminology5 . Commands to the distributed memory or messages from the memory will only flow between local user context and local memory handler . The tasks of the local memory handler are completely transparent to the user module . The same design concepts used for the EFTOS Voting Farm and described in Sect . 3 have been used here . Figure 16 : The local memory handler with its memory banks . The associated partitions are represented in a hatched way . 7.2.2 The Local Memory Handler and Its Tasks As mentioned in the previous section , the local memory handler ( see Fig. 16 ) is responsible for the management of two banks of memory , i.e. , the current bank , that is , the bank where all read access take place , and the future bank , which is the bank for all writing actions . Each bank is cut into Nspat partitions , where each handler is responsible for exactly one partition . This partition can be seen as the part of the redundant memory attached to the local user context , which is assigned to the local handler . This partition is referred to as the one associated to the user module . If a user module ( i.e. a local user context ) initiates to write data into its partition , this is done via a command to the local memory handler , which is sent via the connecting local link . The local handler then stores the data into the associated partition , and distributes them to the other local memory handlers residing on the other nodes . With this method the data are distributed as soon as they are received from the application . For reading from the local memory handler there are several concurrent commands available . The common way is to request voted data from the local memory handler . In this case , one local handler receives a request for voted data from the attached user module . It then informs all other handlers and requests a voting service to vote among the replicas of the partition associated to the requesting user module . The result of the voting is provided to the calling user module as result of the read action . The kind of voting is user definable among those treated in ( Lorczak et al. , 1989 ) . If a voting task fails , a time-out system allows regarding such an event as the delivery of a dummy vote . If the user application has a cyclic behavior , such that the user modules on the different nodes all execute the same cycle , and under the hypothesis of each node serving exclusively the same set of tasks , then under the hypothesis Figure 17 : Structure of the Distributed Memory Tool . The associated partitions are represented hatched . State 1 2 3 4 Flag A 0 0 1 1 Flag B 0 1 0 1 Current A B B A Future B A A B Table 5 : Coding of the current and future bank flags of a synchronous system model it is possible to assume that the requests for reading may be processed more or less simultaneously on all nodes . In this case , this information can be used to synchronize the nodes via the set of local memory handlers and some data transfer between the nodes can be run in an optimized way . Clearly the Distributed Memory Tool is not aware of the logics pertaining to the stabilization mechanism , hence it is a task of the user application to inform the local memory handler about when to switch the banks ( in the next section it is shown how the temporal redundancy tasks take care of this ) . Normally this can be done once per cycle . The switching can also be connected with a checking phase , testing whether the current banks are equal on all nodes by means of an equality voting . Clearly , both determining the role of each bank and switching these roles are crucial points for the whole strategy . In particular , these actions need to be atomic . A fast and effective way to reach this property is the use of two binary flags \u2013 one per bank \u2013 whose contents concurrently determines the roles of the banks . These flags have been protected by storing them in the bank themselves . Table 5 shows how the coding of the flags in both banks is done . The idea is that , for changing from one state to another , just one write action is needed in the future bank . The current bank can therefore be regarded as being a readonly memory bank . As an example if the actual state is state 2 , and one wants to switch the banks , then it suffices to change the flag in the future bank , which is bank A. Changing Flag A from 0 to 1 brings the system to state 4 . 7.2.3 Application-program Interface and Client side Using function calls the user module is able to initialize the tool , to setup the net of local handlers , and to activate the tool . This process is done in several steps : 1 . Each instance of a DMT is built up by declaring a pointer to a corresponding data structure : dmt_t * dmt ; This data structure is the place to hold all information for one instance of the Distributed Memory Tool on each node . So each user module that wants to use the Distributed Memory Tool needs to declare a variable of this type . Figure 18 : Structure of the Data Stabilizing System Tool . 2 . In the next step , the Distributed Memory Tool is defined and described . This creates a static map which holds all necessary information to drive the tool on each node . The following code fragment : dmt = DMT_open ( id , VotingAlgorithm ) ; for ( i = 0 ; i < NumHandlers ; i ++ ) DMT_add ( dmt , i , PartitionSize , ( i == MyNodeId )) ; when executed on every node where the Distributed Memory Tool is intended to run , sets up a local memory handler to be used by the tool . The voting algorithm can be selected by the user via a kind of call-back function . 3 . After the definition and description of the Distributed Memory Tool , the latter has to be started to set up data structures and threads . This activation is done via function int DMT_run ( dmt_t * dmt ) ; This function simply spawns the local memory handler thread after having checked the consistency of the structures defined in the description phase . All allocation of memory is done in the handler itself . 7.3 The Data Stabilizing System Tool As already mentioned , the Data Stabilizing System tool builds on top of the Distributed Memory Tool . The latter is used for the management of the spatial redundancy ( see Fig. 18 ) , while the Data Stabilizing System takes care of the management of the temporal redundancy strategy . On each node the writing requests to the Data Stabilizing System are done into a temporal redundancy buffer , which holds a user definable number Ntime of copies of the last inputs . As the temporal buffers are only handled locally , this fits well to the concept of local memory handler . The Data Stabilizing System module performs a voting on the contents of the temporal buffers and , if this voting is successful , the result is fed into the Distributed Memory Tool . The Data Stabilizing System handles all accesses as well as the temporal voting transparently of the local user context . 7.3.1 Algorithms The Data Stabilizing System Module as a whole gives each local user context a combination of temporal and spatial redundant memory buffers , which are able to keep the local state variables . The set of all local user contexts that store data in an instance of a Data Stabilizing System is called the context family associated to that tool . The Data Stabilizing System completely hides the memory handling and the handling of the Distributed Memory Tool , so that the user only needs to write to and read from the memory \u2013 all other handling is done transparently . This guarantees an acceptable separation of design concerns ( sc ) , which could be further improved by using some translator as in Chapter 4 . The following steps are executed automatically : 1 . The new data is written into the temporal buffer . 2 . Using internal flag values the current and the future banks are determined . This is done within the Distributed Memory Tool , therefore only the flag values of the spatial redundancy buffers are used . 3 . A voting on the temporal buffer takes place . If the temporal buffer is stabilized , i.e. the voting is positive , the content of the temporal buffer is stored into the spatial redundancy buffers , i.e. the respective calls to the DMT are done . 4 . If the evaluation of the internal flags allows it , the Distributed Memory Tool switches the memory banks . 5 . A voting is applied to evaluate the output of the current bank in the distributed memory . Such output is returned to the calling local user context . 7.3.2 Application-Program Interface The Data Stabilizing System is identified via a control block structure . It must be seen in connection with the Distributed Memory Tool \u2013 in fact it is a kind of front end to that tool , which provides additional functionality . The steps to be performed to set up the Data Stabilizing System are similar to those elaborated for the Distributed Memory Tool : 1 . Each instance of a Data Stabilizing System Tool is built up by declaring a pointer to a corresponding data structure : smCB_t * sm ; Each local user context that is member of the associated context family needs to declare a pointer to a variable of type smCB t . Similarly to the Distributed Memory Tool , the Data Stabilizing System Tool has to be defined and described . With the SM open statement a local instance of the system is created . In addition to the parameters of the DMT open statement some parameters regarding the temporal redundancy are passed to this statement . sm = SM_open ( id , N_time , TemporalVotingAlgorithm , SpatialVotingAlgorithm ) ; for ( i = 0 ; i < N_spat ; i ++ ) SM_add ( sm , i , PartitionSize , ( i == MyNodeId )) ; The above code sets up an instance of the Data Stabilizing System tool , provided it is called in every local user context that needs to take part in the processing of the tool . 2 . Up to this point the Data Stabilizing System Tool is defined and described , that is its structure is set up , but no instance has been installed , no memory has been allocated and no handler for the spatial redundant memory has been started yet . To do this the tool must be activated . This is done via the function SM run . This function allocates the temporal redundancy buffers , initializes the variables , and activates the attached Distributed Memory Tool using the function DMT run . The Data Stabilizing System can only be started up if all local user contexts belonging to its context family call SM run at the same point in their start-up phase . At run-time , the Data Stabilizing System Tool is controlled via two functions , which read the data from the application or provide stabilized and voted data to the application : int SM_write ( smCB_t * MyCB , void * SM_in ) ; int SM_read ( smCB_t * MyCB , void * SM_out ) ; The user provides data to the Data Stabilizing System via function SM write , which is then responsible for the handling of these values . This function is used to input the local data of a local user context to the Data Stabilizing System . The parameters submitted to the function describe the Data Stabilizing System control block structure ( MyCB ) and the address of the data to be copied into the Data Stabilizing System ( SM in ) . When the function is returned , all data provided to the function using the SM in pointer are copied out of this memory location into the temporary buffer of the Data Stabilizing System . The SM read function writes the local data of the calling local user context back to the address submitted through the pointer SM out . The Data Stabilizing System control block structure MyCB is used to identify the Data Stabilizing System . Switching from the current to the future bank is achieved by means of the following procedure : \u2022 Determine the current meaning of the banks from their internal flags . \u2022 Write data into the specified partition ( s ) of the future bank of the memory . \u2022 Output data via a voting between the distributed copies of the current bank . \u2022 If the contents of the future banks of all nodes are equal , switch the role of the memory banks . 7.3.3 System and Fault Models As already mentioned , the embedded and hard real-time character of the application makes it reasonable to assume a synchronous system model . The overall strategy implemented in the Data Stabilizing System allows to mask a number of transient faults resulting in : \u2022 An erroneous input value . \u2022 Errors affecting the circular buffer . \u2022 Errors affecting the temporal redundancy modules . \u2022 Errors affecting the flag values , occurring during the execution cycle , or caused by an external disturbance , or a wrong flag value , and so forth . These are tolerated either through the voting sessions ( temporal redundancy ) or are masked via the periodic restarts which invalidate the current cycle . In this latter case this is therefore perceived as a delay of the stabilized output . The same applies when a fault affects the phase of determining the current bank , or faults occurring during the voting among temporal redundancy modules , or faults affecting the spatial redundancy modules . More details on this can be found in [ 4 ] . Tolerance of permanent faults resulting in node crashes is achieved by using the Data Stabilizing System as a dependable mechanism compliant to the recovery language approach described in Chapter 6 . As explained in that chapter , this approach exploits a high level distributed application ( the TIRAN backbone ) and a library of error detection tools in order to detect events such as node and task crashes . User defined error recovery actions can then be attached to the error detection events so as to trigger corrective actions such as a reconfiguration of the Data Stabilizing System tasks . 7.4 Conclusion In the text above a software system implementing a data stabilizing tool has been described . Such tool is to be placed in highly disturbed environments such as those typical of sub-station automation . Due to its design , based on a combination of spatial and temporal redundancy and on a cyclic restart policy , the tool proved to be capable of tolerating transient and permanent faults and to guarantee data stabilization . Initially developed on a Parsytec CC system , the tool has been then ported to several runtime systems . The most important lessons learned while developing this tool are those that brought the author of this book to the concept of service portability introduced in Chapter 2 : A software code such as the one of the system described so far can be ported to a different environment with a moderated effort ; but porting the service is indeed something else . In this case , a thorough evaluation of the new working environment is due in order to come up with proper new values for parameters such as Ntime and Nspat . A system like the Data Stabilizing tool puts this requirement in the foreground and makes it possible to perform an off-line adaptability of its service . As a consequence a is assessed as \" moderate \" . Augmenting the approach towards acceptable degrees of a would call for the adoption of a strategy such as the one used in redundant variables ( see Chapter 4 ) . As a final remark , its single-purpose design intrinsically translates in bad sa . 8 An Approach to Express Recovery Blocks : The Recovery Meta-Program The Recovery Meta-Program ( RMP ) ( Ancona , Dodero , Giannuzzi , Clematis , & Fernandez , 1990 ) is a mechanism that alternates the execution of two cooperating processing contexts . The concept behind its architecture can be captured by means of the idea of a debugger , or a monitor , which : \u2022 is scheduled when the application is stopped at some breakpoints , \u2022 executes some sort of a program , written in a specific language , Figure 19 : Control flow between the application program and RMP while executing a fault-tolerance strategy based on recovery blocks . \u2022 and finally returns the control to the application context , until the next breakpoint is encountered . Breakpoints outline portions of code relevant to specific fault-tolerance strategies \u2013 for instance , breakpoints can be used to specify alternate blocks or acceptance tests of recovery blocks ( see Sect . 2.3 ) \u2013 while programs are implementations of those strategies , e.g. , of recovery blocks or N - version programming . The main benefit of RMP is in the fact that , while breakpoints require a ( minimal ) intervention of the functional-concerned programmer , RMP scripts can be designed and implemented without the intervention and even the awareness of the developer . In other words , RMP guarantees a good separation of design concerns . As an example , recovery blocks are implemented , from the point of view of the functionally concerned designer , specifying alternates and acceptance tests , while the execution goes like in Fig. 19 : \u2022 When the system encounters a breakpoint corresponding to the entrance of a recovery block , control flows to the RMP , which saves the application program environment and starts the first alternate . \u2022 The execution of the first alternate goes on until its end , marked by another breakpoint . The latter returns the control to RMP , this time in order to execute the acceptance test . \u2022 Should the test succeed , the recovery block is exited , otherwise control goes to the second alternate , and so forth . In RMP , the language to express the meta-programs is Hoare's Communicating Sequential Processes language ( Hoare , 1978 ) ( CSP ) . Conclusions . In the RMP approach , all the technicalities related to the management of the fault-tolerance provisions are coded in a separate programming context . Even the language to code the provisions may be different from the one used to express the functional aspects of the application . One can conclude that RMP is characterised by optimal sc . The design choice of using CSP to code the meta-programs influences negatively attribute sa . Choosing a pre-existent formalism clearly presents many practical advantages , though it means adopting a fixed , immutable syntactical structure to express the fault-tolerance strategies . The choice of a pre-existing general-purpose distributed programming language as CSP is therefore questionable , as it appears to be rather difficult or at least cumbersome to use it to express at least some of the fault-tolerance provisions . For instance , RMP proves to be an effective linguistic structure to express strategies such as recovery blocks and N - version programming ( Yeung & Schneider , 2003 ) , where the main components are coarse grain processes to be arranged into complex fault-tolerance structures . Because of the choice of a pre-existing language like CSP , RMP appears not to be the best choice for representing provisions such as , e.g. , atomic actions ( Jalote & Campbell , 1985 ) . This translates in very limited sa . No a was foreseen among the design choices of RMP . Our conjecture is that the coexistence of two separate layers for the functional and the non-functional aspects could have been better exploited to reach the best of the two approaches : Using a widespread programming language such as Java for expressing the functional aspect , while devising a custom language for dealing with non-functional requirements , e.g. , a language especially designed to express error recovery strategies . This design choice has been taken in the approach described in Chapter 6 , the recovery language approach . 9 A Hybrid Case : The RAFTNET Library for Dependable Farmer-Worker Parallel Applications RAFTNET is a tool to compose dependable parallel applications obeying the farmer-worker data parallel paradigm . It is described here as a hybrid example of a system that appears to its users as a library , hence a single-version software fault-tolerance provision , though at run-time manages a potentially large degree of redundant components \u2013 a typical characteristics of multiple-version software fault-tolerance . 9.1 Introducing RAFTNET The RAFTNET Library is another example of a library to build fault-tolerant services . The main difference between RAFTNET and a system such as the Voting Farm is that it does not provide the application programmer with a dependable mechanism ( in this case , distributed voting ) , but rather it provides a dependable structure for a class of target applications . In more detail , RAFTNET is a library for data parallel , farmer-worker applications : Any such applications using RAFTNET makes uses of the available redundancy not only to reach higher performance but also to tolerate certain faults and disruptions that would normally jeopardize its progress . In the following the structure of RAFTNET , its models , properties , and features are described . 9.2 Why Dependable Parallel Applications ? Parallel computing is nowadays the only technique that can be used in order to achieve the impressive computing power needed to solve a number of challenging problems ; as such , it is being employed by an ever growing community of users in spite of what are known as two main disadvantages , namely : 1 . harder-to-use programming models , programming techniques and development tools \u2013 if any , \u2013 which sometimes translate into programs that do n't match as efficiently as expected with the underlying parallel hardware , and 2 . the inherently lower level of dependability that characterizes any such parallel hardware i.e. , a higher probability for events like a node's permanent or temporary failure . A real , effective exploitation of any given parallel computer asks for solutions which take into a deep account the above outlined problems . Let us consider for example the synchronous farmer-worker algorithm i.e. , a well-known model for structuring data-parallel applications : a master process , namely the farmer , feeds a pool of slave processes , called workers , with some units of work ; then polls them until they return their partial results which are eventually recollected and saved . Though quite simple , this scheme may give good results , especially in homogeneous , dedicated environments . But how does this model react to events like a failure of a worker , or more simply to a worker's performance degradation due e.g. , to the exhaustion of any vital resource ? Without substantial modifications , this scheme is not able to cope with these events \u2013 they would seriously affect the whole application or its overall performances , regardless the high degree of hardware redundancy implicitly available in any parallel system . The same inflexibility prevents a failed worker to re-enter the computing farm once it has regained the proper operational state . As opposed to this synchronous structuring , it is possible for example to implement the farmer-worker model by de-coupling the farmer from the workers by means of an intermediate module , a dispatcher which asynchronously feeds these latter and supplies them with new units of work on an on-demand basis . This strategy guarantees some sort of a dynamic balancing of the workload even in heterogeneous , distributed environments , thus exhibiting a higher matching to the parallel hardware . The Live Data Structure computational paradigm , known from the LINDA context , makes this particularly easy to set up ( see for example ( Carriero & Gelernter , 1989a , 1989b ; De Florio , Murgolo , & Spinelli , 1994 )) . With this approach it is also possible to add a new worker at run-time without any notification to both the farmer and the intermediate module \u2013 the newcomer will simply generate additional , non-distinguishable requests for work . But again , if a worker fails or its performances degrade , the whole application may fail or its overall outcome be affected or seriously delayed . This is particularly important when one considers the inherent loss in dependability of any parallel ( i.e. , replicated ) hardware . Next sections introduce and discuss a modification to the above sketched asynchronous scheme , which inherits the advantages of its parent and offers new ones , namely : \u2022 it allows a non-solitary , temporarily slowed down worker to be left out of the processing farm as long as its performance degradation exists , and \u2022 it allows a non-solitary worker which has been permanently affected by some fault to be definitively removed from the farm , both of them without affecting the overall outcome of the computation , and dynamically spreading the workload among the active processors in a way that results in an excellent match to various different MIMD architectures . 9.3 The Technique For the purpose of describing the technique the following scenario is described : a MIMD machine consists of n + 2 identical \" nodes \" ( n > 0 ) , or processing entities , connected by some communication line . On each node a number of independent sequential processes are executed on a time-sharing basis . A message passing library is available for sending and receiving messages across the communication line . A synchronous communication approach is used : a sender blocks until the intended receiver gets the message . A receiver blocks waiting for a message from a specific sender , or for a message from a number of senders . When a message arrives , the receiver is awaken and is able to receive that message and to know the identity of the sender . Nodes are numbered from 0 to n + 1 . Node 0 is connected to an input line and node n + 1 is connected to an output line . \u2022 Node 0 runs : \u2013 a Farmer process , connected by the input line to an external producer device . From now on a camera is assumed to be the producer device . A control line wires again the Farmer to the camera , so that this latter can be commanded to produce new data and eventually send this data across the input line ; \u2013 a Dispatcher process , yet to be described . Figure 20 : Summary of the interactions among the processes . \u2022 Node n + 1 runs a Collector process , to be described later on , connected by the output line to an external storage device e.g. , a disk ; \u2022 Each of the nodes from 1 to n is purely devoted to the execution of one instance of the Worker process . Each Worker is connected to the Dispatcher and to the Collector processes . 9.4 Interactions Between the Farmer and the Dispatcher On demand of the Farmer process , the camera sends it an input image . Once it has received an image , the Farmer performs a predefined , static data decomposition , creating m equally sized sub-images , or blocks . Blocks are numbered from 1 to m , and are represented by variables bi , 0 < i < m + 1 . The Farmer process interacts exclusively with the camera and with the Dispatcher process . \u2022 Three classes of messages can be sent from the Farmer process to the Dispatcher ( see Fig. 20 ) : 1 . a NEW RUN message , which means : \" a new bunch of data is available \" ; 2 . a STOP message , which means that no more input is available so the whole process has to be terminated ; 3 . a couple ( k , bk ) , k in { 1 , ... m } i.e. , an integer which identifies a particular block ( it will be referred from now on as a \" block-id \" ) , followed by the block itself . \u2022 The only type of message that the Dispatcher process sends to the Farmer process is a block-id i.e. , a single integer in the range { 1 , ... , m } which expresses the information that a certain block has been fully processed by a Worker and recollected by the Collector ( see Sect . 9.4.2 . ) At the other end of the communication line , the Dispatcher is ready to process a number of events triggered by message arrivals . For example , when a class-3 message is received , the block is stored into a work buffer as follows : receive ( k , bk ) sk = DISABLED wk = bk ( Here , receive is the function for receiving an incoming message , ~ s is a vector of m integers pre-initialized to DISABLED , which represents some status information that will be described later on , and w ~ is a vector of \" work buffers \" , i.e. , bunches of memory able to store any block . DISABLED is an integer which is not in the set { 1 , ... , m } . ) As the Farmer process sends a class-1 message , that is , a NEW RUN signal , the Dispatcher processes that event as follows : ~ s = 0 broadcast RESUME that is , it zeroes each element of ~ s and then broadcasts the RESUME message to the whole farm . When the first image arrives to the Farmer process , it produces a series ( bi ) 0 < i < m + 1 , and then a sequence of messages ( i , bi ) 0 < i < m + 1 . Finally , the Farmer sends a NEW RUN message . Starting from the second image , and while there are images to process from the camera , the Farmer performs the image decomposition in advance , thus creating a complete set of ( k , bk ) couples . These couples are then sent to the Dispatcher on an on-demand basis : as soon as block-id i is received , couple ( i , bi ) is sent out . This is done for anticipating the transmission of the couples belonging to the next run of the computation . When eventually the last block-id of a certain run has been received , a complete set of \" brand-new \" blocks is already in the hands of the Dispatcher ; at that point , sending the one NEW RUN message will simultaneously enable all blocks . 9.4.1 Interactions Between the Dispatcher and the Workers The Dispatcher interacts with every instance of the Worker process . \u2022 Four classes of messages can be sent from the Dispatcher to the Workers ( see Fig. 20 ) : 1 . a SLEEP message , which sets the receiver into a wait condition ; 2 . a RESUME message , to get the receiver out of the waiting state ; 3 . a STOP message , which makes the Worker terminate ; 4 . a ( k , w ) couple , where w represents the input data to be elaborated . \u2022 Worker j , 0 < j < n + 1 , interacts with the Dispatcher by sending it its worker-id message , i.e. , the j integer . This happens when Worker j has finished dealing with a previously sent w working buffer and is available for a new ( k , w ) couple to work with . In substance , Worker j continuously repeats the following loop : send j to Dispatcher receive message from Dispatcher process message Clearly , send transmits a message . The last instruction , in dependence with the class of the incoming message , results in a number of different operations : \u2022 if the message is a SLEEP , the Worker waits until the arrival of a RESUME message , which makes it resume the loop , or the arrival of any other message , which means that an error has occurred ; \u2022 if it is a STOP message , the Worker breaks the loop and exits the farm ; \u2022 if it is a ( k , w ) couple , the Worker starts computing the value f ( w ) , where f is some user-defined function e.g. , an edge detector . If a RESUME event is raised during the computation of f , that computation is immediately abandoned and the Worker restarts the loop . Contrariwise , the output couple ( k , f ( w )) is sent to the Collector process . When the Dispatcher gets a j integer from Worker j , its expected response is a new ( k , w ) couple , or a SLEEP . What rules in this context is the ~ s vector \u2013 if all entries of ~ s are DISABLED , then a SLEEP message is sent to Worker j . Otherwise , an entry is selected among those with the minimum non-negative value , say entry l , and a ( l , bl ) message is then sent as a response . Then sl is incremented by 1 . More formally , considered set S = { s in ~ s | s \u00ac = DISABLED } , if S is non-empty it is possible to partition S according to the equivalence relation R defined as follows : For all ( a , b ) in S \u00d7 S : aR b if and only if sa = sb . So the blocks of the partition are the equivalence classes : def [ x ] = { s in S | Exists y in { 1 ... m } such that ( s = sy ) and ( sy = x ) } . Now , first let us consider a = min { b | Exists b > = 0 such that [ b ] in S \/ R } ; then l is chosen in [ a ] in some way , e.g. pseudo-randomly ; finally , message ( l , bl ) is sent to Worker j , sl is incremented , and the partition is reconfigured accordingly . If S is the empty set , a SLEEP message is generated . In other words , entry si when greater than or equal to 0 represents some sort of a priority identifier ( the lower the value , the higher the priority for block bi ) . The block to be sent to a requesting Worker process is always selected among those with the highest priority ; after the selection , si is updated incrementing its value by 1 . In this way , the content of si represents the degree of \" freshness \" of block bi : it substantially counts the number of times it has been picked up by a Worker process ; fresher blocks are always preferred . As long as there are \" brand-new \" blocks i.e. , blocks with a freshness attribute of 0 , these are the blocks which are selected and distributed . Note that this means that as long as the above condition is true , each Worker deals with a different unit of work ; on the contrary , as soon as the last brand-new block is distributed , the model admits that a same block may be assigned to more than one Worker . This is tolerated up to a certain threshold value ; if any si becomes greater than that value , an alarm event is raised \u2013 too many workers are dealing with the same input data , which might mean that they are all affected by the same problem e.g. , a software bug resulting in an error when bi is being processed . This special case shall not be considered . Another possibility is that two or more Workers had finished their work almost at the same time thus bringing rapidly a flag to the threshold . Waiting for the processing time of one block may supply the answer . A value of DISABLED for any si means that its corresponding block is not available to be computed . It is simply not considered during the selection procedure . 9.4.2 Interactions Between the Workers and the Collector Any Worker may send one class of messages to the Collector ; no message is sent from this latter to any Worker ( see Fig. 20 ) . The only allowed message is the couple ( k , o ) in which o is the fully processed output of the Worker's activity on the k th block . The Collector's task is to fill a number of \" slots \" , namely pi , i = 1 , ... , m , with the outputs coming from the Workers . As two or more Workers are allowed to process a same block thus producing two or more ( k , o ) couples , the Collector runs a vector of status bits which records the status of each slot : if fi is FREE then pi is \" empty \" i.e. , it has never been filled in by any output before ; if it is BUSY , it already holds an output . f ~ is firstly initialized to FREE . For each incoming message from the Worker , the Collector repeats the following sequence of operations : receive ( k , o ) from Worker if fk is equal to FREE then send k to Dispatcher pk = o fk = BUSY check-if-full else detect endif where : check-if-full checks if , due to the last arrival , all entries of f ~ have become BUSY . In that case , a complete set of partial outputs has been recollected and , after some user-defined post-processing ( for example , a polygonal approximation of the chains of edges produced by the Workers ) , a global output can be saved , and the flag vector re-initialized : if f ~ is equal to BUSY then post-process p ~ save p ~ f ~ = FREE endif detect is a user-defined functionality \u2013 he or she may choose to compare the two o 's so to be able to detect any inconsistency and start some recovery action , or may simply ignore the whole message . Note also that an acknowledgment message ( the block-id ) is sent from the Collector to the Dispatcher , to inform it that an output slot has been occupied i.e. , a partial output has been gathered . This also means that the Farmer can anticipate the transmission of a block which belongs to the next run , if any . 9.4.3 Interactions Between the Collector and the Dispatcher As just stated , upon acceptance of an output , the collector sends a block-id , say integer k , to the Dispatcher \u2013 it is the only message that goes from the Collector to the Dispatcher . The Dispatcher then simply acts as follows : sk = DISABLED send k to Farmer that is , the Dispatcher \" disables \" the k th unit of work \u2013 set S as defined in Sect . 9.4.1 is reduced by one element and consequently partition S \/ R changes its shape ; then the block-id is propagated to the Farmer ( see Fig. 20 ) . On the opposite direction , there is only one message that may travel from the Dispatcher to the Collector : the STOP message that means that no more input is available and so processing is over . Upon reception of this message , the Collector stops itself , like it does any other receiver in the farm . 9.5 Discussion The just proposed technique uses asynchronicity in order to efficiently match to a huge class of parallel architectures . It also uses the redundancy which is inherent to parallelism to make an application able to cope with events like e.g. , a failure of a node , or a node being slowed down , temporarily or not . \u2022 If a node fails while it is processing block k , then no output block will be transferred to the Collector . When no more \" brand-new \" blocks are available , block k will be assigned to one or more Worker processes , up to a certain limit . During this phase the replicated processing modules of the parallel machine may be thought of as part of a hardware redundancy fault tolerant mechanism . This phase is over when any Worker module delivers its output to the Collector and consequently all others are possibly explicitly forced to resume their processing loop or , if too late , their output is discarded . \u2022 If a node has been for some reason drastically slowed down , then its block will be probably assigned to other possibly non-slowed Workers . Again , the first who succeeds , its output is collected ; the others are stopped or ignored . In any case , from the point of view of the Farmer process , all these events are completely masked . The mechanism may be provided to a user in the form of some set of basic functions , making all technicalities concerning both parallel programming and fault tolerance transparent to the programmer . Of course , nothing prevents the concurrent use of other fault tolerance mechanisms in any of the involved processes e.g. , using Watchdog timers to understand that a Worker has failed and consequently reset the proper entry of vector f ~ . The ability to re-enter the farm may also be exploited committing a reboot of a failed node and restarting the Worker process on that node . 9.5.1 Reliability Analysis In order to compare the original , synchronous farmer-worker model with the one described in this paper , a first step is given by observing that the synchronous model depicts a series system ( Johnson , 1989 ) i.e. , a system in which each element is required not to have failed for the whole system to operate . This is not the case of the model described in this paper , in which a subset of the elements , namely the Worker farm , is a parallel system ( Johnson , 1989 ) : if at least one Worker has not failed , so it is for the whole farm subsystem . Note how Fig. 20 may be also thought of as the reliability block diagram of this system . Considering the sole farm subsystem , if Ci ( t ) , 0 < i < n + 1 is the event that Worker on node i has not failed at time t , and R ( t ) is the reliability of any Worker at time t then , under the assumption of mutual independency between the events , one can conclude that : ( 1 ) being Rs ( t ) the reliability of the farm as a series system , and ( 2 ) where Rp ( t ) represents the reliability of the farm as a parallel system . Of course failures must be independent , so again data-induced errors are not considered . Figure 21 shows the reliability of the farm in a series and in a parallel system as a Worker's reliability goes from 0 to 1 . An Augmented LINDA Model . The whole idea pictured in this paper may be implemented in a LINDA tuple space manager ( see for example ( Carriero & Gelernter , 1989b , 1989a )) . Apart from the standard functions to access \" common \" tuples , a new set of functions may be supplied which deal with \" book-kept tuples \" i.e. , tuples that are distributed to requestors by means of the algorithm sketched in Sect . 9.4.1 . As an example : fout ( for fault tolerant out ) may create a book-kept tuple i.e. , a content-addressable object with book-kept accesses ; frd ( fault tolerant rd ) may get a copy of a matching book-kept tuple , chosen according to the algorithm in Sect . 9.4.1 ; fin ( fault tolerant in ) may read-and-erase a matching book-kept tuple , chosen according to the algorithm in Sect . 9.4.1 , and so on . The ensuing augmented LINDA model results in an abstract , elegant , efficient , dependable , and transparent mechanism to exploit a parallel hardware . Chapter 9 describes another example of a dependable LINDA model . 9.6 Implementation Issues The RAFTNET system has been developed for network of workstations using a subset of the MPICH routines ( MPICH ( MPICH , n.d. ) is a portable implementation of the MPI message passing library ( Gropp , Lusk , & Skjellum , 1 n = 16 0.8 n = 8 n = 4 either n = 2 0.6 Rp ( t ) or Rs ( t ) n = 1 0.4 n = 2 n = 4 0.2 n = 8 n = 16 0 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 R ( t ) Figure 21 : For a fixed value ~ t , a number of graphs of Rp ( ~ t ) ( the reliability of the parallel system ) and Rs ( ~ t ) ( the reliability of the series system ) are portrayed as functions of R ( ~ t ) , the reliability of a Worker at time t , and n , the number of the components . Each graph is labeled with its value of n ; those above the diagonal portray reliabilities of parallel systems , while those below the diagonal pertain to series systems . Note that for n = 1 the models coincide , while for any n > 1 Rp ( ~ t ) is always above Rs ( ~ t ) except when R ( ~ t ) = 0 ( no reliable Worker ) and when R ( ~ t ) = 1 ( totally reliable , failure-free Worker ) . Figure 22 : Data structures and data structure conversions in the masterworker library . 1999 )) . The code of this system has been also ported to a \" pure \" TCP \/ IP environment by porting the MPICH subset ( Raftnet , n.d. ) . The implemented master-worker system acts as black box . Firstly , knowledge about the algorithm details is not required by the user application programmer . This allows a fast integration of the master-worker library in existing serial applications . Secondly , in RAFTNET data structures in the user application can take any form . They need not to be known beforehand by the master-worker algorithm . Both aspects contribute to the flexibility of the system . The resulting master-worker library can be integrated in a wide variety of programs , on the condition that a limited set of user application functions are written . Both ideas are explained in this section . The modified master-worker algorithm is implemented in the master-worker library . The application that is to be parallelized , resides in the user application library . A main process calls the master-worker library with a restricted set of arguments . Most of these arguments are pointers to functions in the user library for splitting , merging , post-processing the output data or for handling data structures . Communication between the master-worker and the user application library is solely via these functions . Writing these functions forms the main effort of the programmer for integrating the master-worker library with his \/ her user application library . This setup ensures that the master-worker algorithm can be used for a wide variety of programs . Furthermore , the detailed implementation of the master-worker algorithm remains a black box for the user . The concept of the user application acting as a black box for the master-worker library , is mainly a matter of handling data structures and requires a more elaborated explanation . Often , the program flow can be regarded as a series of data structure conversions . To support a variety of applications , the master-worker library keeps track of various data structures ( Fig. 22 ) . DW STRUCT , WC STRUCT and CM STRUCT denote the input blocks , the processed blocks and the post-processed output data respectively . The prefixes are the first letters of source and destination . Conversion between these structures is performed in the user functions for processing and merging . MC MERGED STRUCT is a structure containing supporting information for merging the data . Fields in data structures are sent one at a time . Details Figure 23 : Process for sending and receiving one field of a data structure . about these structures are beforehand only known by the user library . On the other hand , the master-worker library needs to know these details for sending and receiving the data . Two functions written by the user application programmer , that are passed on via the master-worker interface , serve as a communication channel between user application library and master-worker library for these structure details ( Fig. 23 . ) \u2022 The first function ( describe ) receives as input from the master-worker library , information such as the index of the structure ( which is one of the structures in Fig. 22 ) and the field index . The describe function in the user library returns information such as the number of entries in that field ( in case it is an array ) and the data type . For the receiving process , the returned information allows allocating memory for the receive buffer by the master-worker library . For the sending process , also the data itself is returned to the master-worker library , which is transmitted immediately . \u2022 After actually receiving this data , the receive process fills in the users data structure with this received field . The user function fillstruct receives via its arguments the structure and field index , the structure itself and the data . It returns the structure with the data field filled in . Via this schedule , the master-worker library does not need to be aware of the data structure details \u2013 these are returned and filled in by the user application 's describe and fillstruct functions . The user programmer is completely in control of the data structures that are used . 9.6.1 Failure semantics Due to the characteristics of the underlying algorithm , our system compensates omission \/ performance and state-transition failures of its workers . \u2022 Omission failures occur when an agreed reply to a request is missing . The request appears to be ignored . This is compensated by redistributing a request when its \" freshness \" allows it . \u2022 Performance failures occur when the service is supplied , though too late with respect to some real-time interval possibly agreed upon in the specifications . This class of failures can be compensated by adopting a number of workers large enough to mask , e.g. , crashing or late processing workers . \u2022 State transition failures are also covered , as the state of the system is never lost because of a failing worker : Indeed , by construction , each state transition is atomic : A block is marked as processed only when its completion is explicitly acknowledged . Half finished blocks are simply discarded . Memory Allocation Delays and Failures . A memory allocation failure can be due to either not enough available memory on that node possibly resulting from memory leaks or due to another memory-greedy program running . In the former case , memory allocation fails permanently and contribution to the system eventually ends . In the latter , the worker might be able to continue after the other program is finished or when it is in a further stage of processing . When receiving data , the receiving process can fail to allocate memory for the receive buffer . In this case , the process sleeps a certain time slice , polling for available memory regularly . In case the failure is temporary ( e.g. another memory-greedy program running on the same node ) , this will allow the process to continue its program cycle . For permanent failures , the process stops contribution after trying to allocate memory for a certain number times . Processes Sending to Failed Workers . The algorithm handles failures of workers if error codes are returned to the master-worker library . These can fail to contribute or be delayed for quite some time . However , processes that send towards these workers are not aware of these kinds of events . Therefore , such events are handled by using appropriate send operations . When using synchronous messages for sending a bunch of data , a sort of \" handshake \" is required between the sender and the receiver . When the send operation is a blocking one and the receiving process is a worker that failed meanwhile , the whole system will block . For this reason , using synchronous blocking messages for sending towards workers is avoided . In the MPI-1 standard , no explicit asynchronous send operation is available . The standard send operation can be asynchronous , but this depends typically on the MPI implementation and \u2013 in case of MPICH \u2013 also on the length of the message that is to be transmitted . Therefore , non-blocking send operations are invoked . This is combined with standard messages , in order to exploit optimizations of buffering in the MPI implementation . 9.6.2 Initialization and Finalization The master-worker library and the MPI environment are initialized and finalized with two separate calls to the master-worker library , masterworker_init and masterworker_final . The masterworker interface itself can be invoked one or more times in between . One master-worker run can e.g. use the output of a former master-worker run as input . Also , other process functions or other user functions can be used in these separate masterworker runs . All nodes can be initialized and finalized via user application functions that are passed on to the master-worker library via the masterworker interface . These functions can be used for setting up or freeing global variables in these processes once . These global variables can be used during the program flow of that node , avoiding re-initialization and re-finalization after each process cycle of that node . If such initialization is not necessary , empty functions can be used . Not all variables that are needed for processing are available at all nodes . If a set of variables is needed by the collector for merging the data , these can be transmitted in the MC_MERGED_STRUCT structure . Variables needed for processing a block , but changing according to the blockid ( k ) , should be sent to the workers via the DW_STRUCT . Variables that do not change according to the blockid , should however not be transmitted with each block . These can be initialized as global variables before calling the masterworker_init function . All processes will possess these variables in this case . 9.6.3 Speeding up Possible time-consuming operations , such as saving results , splitting input units or merging and post-processing the output , are performed in RAFTNET by separate threads . In this way , temporary delays are smoothed out over one cycle of the master-worker system for splitting , processing and postprocessing a data unit . The same reasoning has been applied to the master and the dispatcher . These consist of separate threads on the same node . Sending a certain set of input blocks from the master to the dispatcher results in this case in only exchanging pointers . This avoids the communication cost of sending input blocks from the master to the dispatcher or output units from the dispatcher to the master . 9.7 9.7.1 Application and System Description Parallelization Choice Not all algorithms are good candidates to apply the master-worker on . Parallelising an application over different processors offers a real added value when code optimizations have been done on the algorithm . As such , these two approaches are complementary . The following rules of thumb were used in the decision of applying the raftnet library on the algorithms described in the rest of this section : Algorithm locality : Splitting up the input data for parallel execution is most efficient when operations have no or little data dependency or when these operations are very local if there is a positional data dependency ( e.g. pixels in an image grid ) . Input and output : When data is split up , this can affect the final result . Either the result is erroneous ( mostly because of the absence of locality in the algorithm ) , the output has noise added to it or the merged output is correct ( identical to serial execution ) . This example is often because parallel execution only used a similar split policy that was already inherently used in the serial execution ( e.g. audio MP3 encoding ) . In the second case , the evaluation has to be made if the noise is significant for the final outcome and if it is , can the noise be filtered out in an efficient way . In the following , a case study is briefly described : Feature selection via corner detection and Delaunay triangulation on the reconstructed points . The testing environment consisted of a PA RISC 85000 processor with a 400 MHz clock and 1.5 MB cache , running the HP-UX 11.0 operating system . MPICH 1.2.2 has been used , which implements the MPI 1.2 standard . 9.7.2 Corner Detection The corner detection algorithm ( Harris & Stephens , 1988 ) forms the basis of , e.g. , a 3D reconstruction algorithm . The features selected in this phase are matched ( i.e. the corresponding corners in several images ) and used for reconstruction of the 3rd dimension , which was lost in the projection to 2D while capturing . During the tests , the setup in Fig. 24 was used . Machine A captures , via a Conexant Bt878 based card , the data onto a local disk ( NVREC , n.d. ) . In turn , this disk is shared via NFS with the rest of the network , in particular the parallel master-worker cluster . The images are captured in PAL VideoCD format , 352 \u00d7 288 , 25 fps ( frames per second ) , to pgm frames . The initial version in C , based on the C ++ development code was not even close to be able to process the images in soft real time and only 7 fps were processed . In a following step , the algorithm was optimized by including faster Figure 24 : Capture and processing setup . Figure 25 : Image processing parallelization schemes . and more memory aware data types and by reducing intermediate buffers and loop transformations ( Leeman et al. , 2005 ) . Due to these changes , this algorithm got a speedup of 30 % , which still put it about two times slower than the minimal soft real time requirement ( 10 \u2013 12 fps ) . Since conventional code optimization techniques were exhausted , assigning a larger cycle budget to the task within the available environment was done by adding a parallelization layer . Figure 25 shows two possible parallelization schemes . One possibility is to split up the figure . In doing this , edge effects have to be accounted for , so about 7 % of the pixel values need to be replicated . In the test setup , the second option was preferred : The frames are handled in a FIFO by the master and are sent as a whole to the workers . This has also the advantage that no splitting is needed at the dispatcher side , nor is there need for merging of the results ( coordinate data ) on the collector's side . For the integration of the master-worker algorithm , only 125 extra lines of code had to be written to use the required functionality of raftnet . Tests on the implemented system show that soft real time feature detection in the absence of faults is possible with 4 to 5 workers ( depending on the network and worker load ) . Adding more workers improves further performance and , at the same time , enhances the dependability of the service . Voting Farm Trap Handler Atomic Actions Broadcast algorithm General algorithm General algorithm Sect . 3.1.3 Sect . 5.2 Sect . 6.1.1 Table 2 Table 4 Table 6 : The algorithms of the EFTOS tools . 10 CONCLUSION In this chapter single-version and multiple-version software fault-tolerance have been described . Also the main features of a few systems based on these approaches have been discussed . After this a number of examples have been treated in more detail \u2013 a flexible and easy to use mechanism for software voting ; a software watchdog timer ; a tool providing exception handling for the C programming language ; a tool to manage transactions in C ; and a system combining spatial and temporal redundancy to achieve data stabilization . Some of their algorithms have been introduced \u2013 Table 6 locates them in the chapter . A so-called recovery meta-program \u2013 a syntactical structure for the expressions of provisions such as recovery blocks \u2013 has been also introduced . Finally a hybrid system , RAFTNET , combining aspects of both approaches , has been discussed . Main aspect of the SV approach is the inherent mixture of the functional and the fault-tolerant code , which requires the developer to deal with the two corresponding concerns at the same time . MVSFT do not suffer from such flaw . On the other hand , as already mentioned , MVSFT have been designed expressly in order to address residual design faults . Such fault model though is intrinsically static , as the approach requires an off-line definition of the variants . This means that any service adopting the MVSFT provision assumes a static , stable environment , the typical faults of which are known as well as the extent of their consequences . Any time this is not valid anymore , the risk is higher of a coverage failure for the assumption of statistical independence becomes greater . 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( 1994 , December ) . Remote control of UNIX Netscape ( Tech . Rep. ) . Netscape Communications Corp. ( Retrieved on July 28 , 2007 from wp.netscape.com \/ newsref \/ std \/ x-remote . html ) Notes 1 Software rejuvenation ( Huang et al. , 1995 ) offers tools for periodical and graceful termination of an application with immediate restart , so that possible erroneous internal states , due to transient faults , be wiped out before they turn into a failure . 2 This requirement is explained very clearly by Randell ( Randell , 1975 ) : \" All fault-tolerance must be based on the provision of useful redundancy , both for error detection and error recovery . In software the redundancy required is not simple replication of programs but redundancy of design . \" Chapter 2 reported the consequences of a well known case where redundancy of design would have prevented a catastrophic failure \u2013 the Ariane 5 flight 501 . 3 Randell himself states that , given the ever increasing complexity of modern computing , there is still an urgent need for \" richer forms of structuring for error recovery and for design diversity \" ( Randell & Xu , 1995 ) . 4 This weakness of NVP can be narrowed , if not solved , adopting the approach used in the so-called \" voting farm \" ( De Florio , Deconinck , & Lauwereins , 1998c , 1998a ; De Florio , 1997 ) , a generic voting tool designed by author of this book in the framework of his participation to project \" EFTOS \" ( see Sect . 2.1.1 ) : such a tool works with opaque objects that are compared by means of a user-defined function . This function returns an integer value representing a \" distance \" between any two objects to be voted . The user may choose between a set of predefined distance functions or may develop an application-specific distance function . Doing the latter , a distance may be endowed with the ability to assess that bitwise different objects are semanticly equivalent . Of course , the user is still responsible for supplying a bug-free distance function \u2013 though is assisted in this simpler task by a number of template functions supplied with that tool . 5 We recall that EPX , or Embedded Parix , was the operating system and message passing library of EFTOS' target platforms . page Contents 1 INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES 49 2 FAULT-TOLERANT PROTOCOLS USING SINGLE - AND MULTIPLEVERSION SOFTWARE FAULT-TOLERANCE 49 2.1 Single-version Software Fault-Tolerance : Libraries of Tools .... 50 2.1.1 The EFTOS library ...................... 50 2.1.2 The SwIFT System ...................... 52 2.1.3 Two libraries for Checkpointing and Rollback ....... 54 2.2 Conclusions ............................... 55 2.3 Multiple-version Software Fault-Tolerance : Structures for Design Diversity ............................... . 56 2.3.1 A hybrid case : Data Diversity ................ 61 3 The EFTOS Tools : The EFTOS Voting Farm 3.1 Basic Structure and Features of the EFTOS Voting Farm 3.1.1 Client-Side of the Voting Farm : the User Module . 3.1.2 System and Fault Models .............. 3.1.3 Server-Side of the Voting Farm : the Voter ..... 3.1.4 Voting Farm : An Example ............. 3.1.5 Voting Farm : Some Conclusions .......... 4 The EFTOS Tools : The Watchdog Timer ........................ 64 64 67 68 69 72 74 75 5 The EFTOS Tools : The EFTOS Trap Handler 77 5.1 The EFTOS Trap Handling Tool .................. 78 5.2 Algorithm of the Trap Handling Tool ................ 78 5.2.1 Structure of user trap handling ............... 78 5.2.2 System and Fault Models of the EFTOS Trap Handling Tool ............................. . 81 5.2.3 Conclusions .......................... 81 6 The EFTOS Tools : Atomic Actions 6.1 The EFTOS Atomic Action Tool . 6.1.1 System Model ........ 6.1.2 The Implementation .... 6.1.3 Functionality ... ..... 6.2 Conclusion ................................................ .......... 81 81 82 84 84 85 ........................................ 7 The TIRAN Data Stabilizing Software Tool 7.1 Introduction ....................... 7.2 Requirements for the Data Stabilizer ......... 7.2.1 The Distributed Memory Tool ........ 7.2.2 The Local Memory Handler and Its Tasks .. 7.2.3 Application-program Interface and Client side 7.3 The Data Stabilizing System Tool ... ....... 7.3.1 Algorithms ................... 7.3.2 Application-Program Interface ........ 7.3.3 System and Fault Models ........... 7.4 Conclusion ........................... ........................................................ 85 . 88 . 89 . 92 . 93 . 95 . 97 . 97 . 98 . 99 . 100 8 An Approach to Express Recovery Blocks : The Recovery MetaProgram 100 9 A Hybrid Case : The RAFTNET Library for Dependable FarmerWorker Parallel Applications 102 9.1 Introducing RAFTNET ..... .................. 102 9.2 Why Dependable Parallel Applications ? .............. 103 9.3 The Technique ............................ 104 9.4 Interactions Between the Farmer and the Dispatcher ....... 105 9.4.1 Interactions Between the Dispatcher and the Workers .. 106 9.4.2 Interactions Between the Workers and the Collector ... 108 9.4.3 Interactions Between the Collector and the Dispatcher .. 109 9.5 Discussion ............................... 110 9.5.1 Reliability Analysis ........ .............. 110 9.6 Implementation Issues ........................ 111 9.6.1 Failure semantics ....................... 115 9.6.2 Initialization and Finalization ....... ......... 116 9.6.3 Speeding up .......................... 116 9.7 Application and System Description ................ 117 9.7.1 9.7.2 Parallelization Choice ............... ..... 117 Corner Detection ....................... 117 10 CONCLUSION 119 References 119 FAULT-TOLERANT PROTOCOLS USING COMPILERS AND TRANSLATORS 1 INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES In this chapter our survey of methods and structures for application-level fault-tolerance continues getting closer to the programming language : Indeed , tools such as compilers and translators work at the level of the language \u2013 they parse , interpret , compile or transform our programs , so they are interesting candidates for managing dependability aspects in the application layer . An important property of this family of methods is the fact that fault-tolerance complexity is extracted from the program and turned into architectural complexity in the compiler or the translator . Apart from continuing with our survey , this chapter also aims at providing the reader with two practical examples : \u2022 Reflective and refractive variables , i.e. a syntactical structure to express adaptive feedback loops in the application layer . This is useful to resilient computing because a feedback loop can attach error recovery strategies to error detection events . \u2022 Redundant variables , that is a tool that allows designers to make use of adaptively redundant data structures with commodity programming languages such as C or Java . Designers using such tool can define redundant data structures in which the degree of redundancy is not fixed once and for all at design time , but rather it changes dynamically with respect to the disturbances experienced during the run time . Both tools are new research activities that are currently being carried out by the author of this book at the PATS research group of the University of Antwerp . It is shown how through a simple translation approach it is possible to provide sophisticated features such as adaptive fault-tolerance to programs written in any language , even plain old C. 2 FAULT-TOLERANT PROTOCOLS USING COMPILERS AND TRANSLATORS Our first subject is tools that work \" within \" the compiler : Meta-object protocols . Most of such tools are based on the concept of reflection : The ability to mirror the feature of a system by creating a causal connection between sub-systems and internal objects . In other words , events experienced by a reflected sub-system trigger events on the object representing that sub-system , and vice-versa . 2.1 Compiler-level Tools : Meta-object Protocols , Reflection , and Introspection Some of the negative aspects pointed out while describing single and multiple version software approaches can be in some cases weakened , if not solved , by means of a generic structuring technique that allows to reach in some cases an adequate degree of flexibility , transparency , and separation of design concerns : the adoption of meta-object protocols ( Kiczales , Rivi\u00e8res , & Bobrow , 1991 ) . The idea is to \" open \" the implementation of the run-time executive of an object-oriented language like C ++ or Java so that the developer can adopt and program different , custom semantics , adjusting the language to the needs of the user and to the requirements of the environment . Using meta-object protocols , the programmer can modify the behavior of a programming language's features such as methods invocation , object creation and destruction , and member access . The transparent management of spatial and temporal redundancy ( Taylor , Morgan , & Black , 1980 ) is a context where meta-object protocols appear to be particularly adequate . The key concept behind meta-object protocols is that of computational reflection , or the causal connection between a system and a meta-level description representing structural and computational aspects of that system ( Maes , 1987 ) . The protocols offer the meta-level programmer a representation of a system as a set of meta-objects , i.e. , objects that represent and reflect properties of \" real \" objects , i.e. , those objects that constitute the functional part of the user application . Meta-objects can for instance represent the structure of a class , or object interaction , or the code of an operation . This mapping process is called reification ( Robben , 1999 ) . The causality relation of meta-object protocols could also be extended to allow for a dynamical reorganisation of the structure and the operation of a system , e.g. , to perform reconfiguration and error recovery . The basic object-oriented feature of inheritance can be used to enhance the reusability of the fault-tolerance mechanisms developed with this approach . A related concept is introspection , a technique that hacks the compiler to unravel and reason upon the hidden structure of our programs . 2.1.1 OpenC ++ and Project FRIENDS OpenC ++ has been defined as a \" code analysis library \" ( Karpov , 2008 ) : A tool to parse and analyze C ++ source code . Such tool makes use of a meta-object protocol to provide services for language extensions . In OpenC ++ , classes are objects as in Smalltalk , and called class metaobjects . A class metaobject translates \u2013 at compile time \u2013 expressions involving a class . In a sense , it works like a filter parsing all the expressions that mention its class . The default filter leaves the expressions unmodified , but the programmer can choose otherwise . This simple idea translates in a powerful tool for the programmer : For instance ( Shigeru , 1996 ) , shows how easy it is to perform some accounting on all methods invocations of a given class ( doing this in a standard programming language such as C ++ would require considerable programming effort ( Leeman et al. , 2005 )) . As one can easily understand , such features may translate in a useful syntactical structure for the tolerance of faults . An architecture supporting this approach is the one developed in the framework of project FRIENDS ( Fabre & P\u00e9rennou , 1996 , 1998 ) . Name FRIENDS is the acronym of \" Flexible and Reusable Implementation Environment for your Next Dependable system \" . This project aims at implementing a number of fault-tolerance provisions ( e.g. , replication , group-based communication , synchronization , voting ) at meta-level . In FRIENDS a distributed application is a set of objects interacting via the proxy model , a proxy being a local intermediary between each object and any other ( possibly replicated ) object . 2.1.2 Javassist Javassist ( Java Programming Assistant ) ( Javassist , n.d. ) is a Java meta-library : It allows the programmer to access and manipulate the bytecode of an application , that is , the Java pseudo-code that is interpreted by the Java Virtual Machine to execute that application . This powerful feature allows to change the implementation of a class at run-time , which is known as structural reflection . Javassist can edit the bytecode either in the high-level form of the corresponding Java source level or directly as bytecodes . It is even possible to compile bytecode strings on the fly . Working with the standard Java compiler and virtual machine , Javassist offers a meta-object interface to control method invocations on base-level objects . All these features makes it a powerful tool for program transformation . One of the possible uses of Javassist is to augment Java for aspect-oriented programming1 , e.g. inserting before , after , and around advices . This gave raise to the GluonJ system , \" a light-weight but powerful AOP framework on top of Javassist \" ( GluonJ , n.d. ) . Another interesting application would be to make use of Javassist to monitor and protect objects , for instance taking periodic \" snapshots \" of their state . This is but one possible way to achieve higher dependability through an approach like the one offered by Javassist , though to the best of our knowledge no research is being carried out on this topic yet . 2.1.3 MetaC ++ MetaC ++ ( Strasser , 2005 ) is a tool that reads a C ++ program and produces a tree with a representation of language constructs . The tree is exported to clients through an API or in the form of an XML file . The gathered meta-data can be used to rewrite a modified version of the original program , including all types of patches , filters , and improvements \u2013 which makes it interesting as a fault-tolerance provision . It was designed by its author primarily as a source-to-source code translator , but also to be used by source code analysis tools , stub generators , and source-to-UML converters . According to its author , future releases of MetaC ++ will provide mechanisms to mark elements of the language with attributes , as in persistent class MyDatabaseObject ; This will facilitate the set up of systems such as redundant variables , the dynamically redundant data structures described in Chapter 10 . 2.1.4 Introspection Data hiding and encapsulation are powerful tools to master the complexity of complex computer services , but they also represent a process that inhibits the access to complexity that is still there , and therefore can potentially jeopardize those services . The idea of introspection is to gain access into this complexity , to inspect the hidden structure of programs , and to interpret their meaning through semantic processing , the same way the Semantic Web promises to achieve with the data scattered in the Internet . Quoting its author , \" introspection is a means that , when applied correctly , can help crack the code of a software and intercept the hidden and encapsulated meaning of the internals of a program \" . The way to achieve introspection is by instrumenting the software with data collectors producing information available in a form allowing semantic processing , such as RDF . This idea is being used in the Introspector project , which aims at instrumenting the GNU programming tool-chain so as to create a sort of semantic web of all software derived from those tools . The ultimate goal is very ambitious : \" To create a super large and extremely dense web of information about the outside world extracted automatically from computer language programs \" ( DuPont , n.d. ) . Should this become possible , we would be given a tool to reason ( and to let computers reason on our behalf ! ) about the dependability characteristics of the application software \u2013 imagine what could mean for instance being able to check for the presence of a hidden design goal and have the problem solved without human intervention . Some years ago this would have sounded like science fiction , now it appears that many researchers are focussing on tools that go in this direction : GASTA ( Gcc Abstract Syntax Tree Analysis ) ( Thouvenin , 2004 ) for instance uses introspection to automatically annotate C code to analyze the presence of null pointer design faults ) . GCC-XML ( King , 2004 ) has similar goals . A more advanced example appears to be XOGASTAN ( XML-Oriented Gcc Abstract Syntax Tree ANalyzer ) ( Antoniol , Di Penta , Masone , & Villano , 2004 ) , which uses the abstract syntax tree produced by the GNU compiler while processing a C file and translates it into XML . Another of their tools then can read the XML file and analyze it . So let us hope this may become part of our future . Conclusions . Meta-object protocols and reflection are indeed a promising system structure for embedding different non-functional concerns in the application-level of a computer program . They work at language level , providing means to modify the semantics of basic object-oriented language building blocks like object creation and deletion , calling and termination of class methods , and so forth . This appears to match perfectly to a proper subset of the possible fault-tolerance provisions , especially those such as transparent object redundancy , which can be straightforwardly managed with the meta-object approach . When dealing with these fault-tolerance provisions , meta-object protocols and reflection provide a perfect separation of the design concerns , i.e. , optimal sc . Some other techniques , specifically those who might be described as \" the most coarse-grained ones \" , such as distributed recovery blocks ( Kim & Welch , 1989 ) , appear to be less suited for being efficiently implemented via meta-object protocols . These techniques work at distributed , i.e. , macroscopic , level . The above situation reminds the author of this book of another one , regarding the \" quest \" for a novel computational paradigm for parallel processing able of dealing effectively with the widest class of problems , the same way the Von Neumann paradigm does for sequential processing , though with the highest degree of efficiency and the least amount of changes in the original ( sequential ) user code . In that context , the concept of computational grain came up : Some techniques were inherently looking at the problem \" with coarse-grained glasses , \" i.e. , at macroscopic level , while others were considering the problem exclusively at microscopic level . Meta-object protocols are an example of the latter approaches : They provide a small grain access to a program's atomic structures and provide means to modify their behavior . Meta-object protocols look at the problem from a microscopic point of view . Some of the hitherto developed fault-tolerance techniques fit perfectly with this approach \u2013 for instance , object redundancy can be easily managed with the meta-object approach , and , for instance , Robben ( Robben , 1999 ) describes meta-programs for checkpointing , active replication , and transaction processing . It is still unclear whether this set is general enough to host , efficaciously , many forms of fault-tolerance , as it is remarked for instance in ( Randell & Xu , 1995 ; Lippert & Videira Lopes , 2000 ) ( \" what reflective capabilities are needed for what form of fault-tolerance , and to what extent these capabilities can be provided in more-or-less conventional programming languages , and allied to other structuring techniques [ like RB and NVP ] remain to be determined \" ) . It is therefore difficult to establish a qualitative assessment of attribute sa for meta-object protocols and reflection . Judging from the evidence acquired to date one can cautiously assess their sa as \" \u2265 average \" ( average or more . ) The run-time management of libraries of meta-object protocols may be used to reach satisfactory values for attribute a . To the best of our knowledge this feature has not been exploited for reaching higher dependability in any system supporting meta-object protocols and reflection . As evident , the target application domain is mostly the one of object-oriented applications written with languages extended with a meta-object protocol , such as Open C ++ . One can conclude that meta-object protocols and reflection offer an elegant system structure to embed a certain set of non-functional services ( including some fault-tolerance provisions ) in an object-oriented program . Computational reflection is a relatively old concept , though still actively investigated in various forms , especially because it is one of the possible ways to realize aspect-orientation , which is being given an even larger attention by researchers these days . OpenC ++ is still referenced and investigated ( Karpov , 2008 ) . MetaC ++ does not appear to have received wide attention . On the contrary , introspection appears to be spreading with projects such as GASTA , XOGASTAN and GCC-XML . Both computational reflection and introspection are conceptual ingredients that can be used to craft fault-tolerance systems , though can not provide an answer of their own but must be coupled with other approaches . No fault-tolerance provisions based on introspection surfaced to date , so it is difficult to assess the value of the structural attributes for introspection for the time being . 2.2 2.2.1 Enhancing Programs through Translations LINDA Systems The Linda ( Carriero & Gelernter , 1989b , 1989a ) approach adopts a special model of communication , known as generative communication ( Gelernter , 1985 ) . According to this model , communication is still carried out through messages , though messages are not sent to one or more addressees for them to be retrieved from local mailboxes \u2013 on the contrary , messages are included in a distributed ( virtual ) shared memory , called tuple space , where every Linda process has equal read \/ write access rights . In generative communication , the sender of a message can not know who will read any sent message \u2013 if any eventually will . This means that traditional terms such as client-server or peer-to-peer , which are normally used to describe relationships between communicating entities , do not apply to generative communication . A tuple space is some sort of a shared relational database for storing and withdrawing special data objects called tuples , sent by the Linda processes . Tuples are basically lists of objects identified by their contents , cardinality and type . Two tuples match if ( 1 ) they have the same number of objects , ( 2 ) if the objects are pairwise compatible for what concerns their types , and ( 3 ) if the memory cells associated to the objects are bitwise equal . A Linda process inserts , reads , and withdraws tuples via blocking or non-blocking primitives . Read operations can be performed by supplying a template tuple \u2013 that is , a prototype tuple consisting of constant fields and of fields that can assume any value . A process trying to access a missing tuple via a blocking primitive enters a wait state that continues until any tuple matching its template tuple is added to the tuple space . This allows processes to synchronize . When more than one tuple matches a template , the choice of which actual tuple to address is done in a non-deterministic way . Concurrent execution of processes is supported through the concept of \" live data structures \" : Tuples requiring the execution of one or more functions can be evaluated on different processors \u2013 in a sense , they become active , or \" alive \" . Once the evaluation has finished , a ( no more active , or passive ) output tuple is entered in the tuple space . Parallelism is implicit in Linda \u2013 there is no explicit notion of network , number and location of the system processors , though Linda has been successfully employed in many different hardware architectures and many applicative domains , resulting in a powerful programming tool that sometimes achieves excellent speedups without affecting portability issues . Unfortunately the model does not cover the possibility of failures \u2013 for instance , the semantics of its primitives are not well defined in the case of a processor crash , and no fault-tolerance means are part of the model . Moreover , in its original form , Linda only offers single-op atomicity ( Bakken & Schlichting , 1995 ) , i.e. , atomic execution for only a single tuple space operation . With single-op atomicity it is not possible to solve problems arising in two common Linda programming paradigms when faults occur : Both the distributed variable and the replicated-worker paradigms can fail ( Bakken & Schlichting , 1995 ) . As a consequence , a number of possible improvements have been investigated to support fault-tolerant parallel programming in Linda . Apart from design choices and development issues , many of them implement stability of the tuple space ( via replicated state machines ( Schneider , 1990 ) kept consistent via ordered atomic multicast ( Birman , Schiper , & Stephenson , 1991 )) ( Bakken & Schlichting , 1995 ; Xu & Liskov , 1989 ; Patterson , Turner , Hyatt , & Reilly , 1993 ) , while others aim at combining multiple tuple-space operations into atomic transactions ( Bakken & Schlichting , 1995 ; Anderson & Shasha , 1991 ; Cannon & Dunn , 1992 ) . Other techniques have also been used , e.g. , tuple space checkpoint-and-rollback ( Kambhatla , 1991 ) . The author of this book also proposed an augmented Linda model for solving inconsistencies related to failures occurring in a replicated-worker environment ( see Chapter 9 ) and an algorithm for implementing a resilient replicated worker scheme for message-passing farmer-worker applications . As seen in Chapter 3 , this algorithm can mask failures affecting a proper subset of the set of workers ( De Florio , Deconinck , & Lauwereins , 1999 ) . Linda can be described as a parallel processing extension that can be added to any existing programming language . The greater part of these extensions requires a preprocessor translating the extension in the host language . This is the case , e.g. , for FT-Linda ( Bakken & Schlichting , 1995 ) , PvmLinda ( De Florio , Murgolo , & Spinelli , 1994 ) , C-Linda ( Berndt , 1989 ) , and MOM ( Anderson & Shasha , 1991 ) . A counterexample is , e.g. , the POSYBL system ( Schoinas , 1991 ) , which implements Linda primitives with remote procedure calls , and requires the user to supply the ancillary information for distinguishing tuples . Linda systems allow dealing with redundant data and redundant processes in a transparent way , so they are in general characterized by good sc . Though available in many flavours , typically Linda systems focus on a few fault-tolerance solutions , hence sa is assessed as \" average \/ potentially good \" . Adaptivity is not supported in the available Linda systems , so their a is deemed as insufficient . The Linda approach , on the other hand , may make use of its high transparency to achieve fault-tolerance applications whose redundancy changes with the experienced or forecast faults \u2013 which would bring to good a . Very popular some years ago , Linda appears not to be an emergent fault-tolerance the solution these days . 2.2.2 The Porch Translator Porch ( Strumpen , 1998 ) is a source-to-source translator that converts a sequential C program into an equivalent one that supports the saving and reloading of \" portable checkpoints \" . This means that Porch allows to dump a checkpoint on machine m and restart it on machine n , even though m and n have different computer architecture . Clearly this can be used to achieve task migration and reconfiguration . Porch allows to execute checkpoints periodically , or by sending signals e.g. through the UNIX \" kill \" command . Porch suffers from several limitations : Rolling back a checkpoint does not preserve open file descriptors and sockets ; only initialized pointers are stored in the checkpoints , hence uninitialized pointers may change their value . Porch is functionally not dissimilar from other checkpoint and rollback systems such as psncLibCkpt ( Meyer , 2003 ) , ckpt ( Zandy , n.d. ) or Dynamite ( Iskra et al. , 2000 ) . Its added value is the use of a translator , which improves its sc . Clearly sa is limited to a single class of fault-tolerance provisions . No adaptivity is foreseen in Porch , so a is set to insufficient . Next section describes an application-level approach to fault-tolerance employing translators . The approach is based on so-called Reflective and refractive variables . Available as a rough prototype , a system supporting this approach is currently being developed by the author of this book . Figure 1 : A simple example of the use of reflective and refractive variables . 3 AN EXAMPLE : REFLECTIVE AND REFRACTIVE VARIABLES The idea behind reflective and refractive variables is to use memory access as an abstraction to perform concealed tasks . Reflective and refractive variables are volatile variables whose identifier links them with an external device , such as a sensor , or an RFID , or an actuator . In reflective variables , memory cells get asynchronously updated by service threads that interface those external devices . The well-known concept of reflection is used , because those variables \" reflect \" the values measured by those devices . In refractive variables , on the contrary , write requests trigger a request to update an external parameter , such as the data rate of the local TCP protocol entity or the amount of redundancy to be used in transmissions . We use to say that write accesses \" refract \" ( that is , get redirected ( Institute for Telecommunication Sciences , n.d. )) onto corresponding external devices . The reflective and refractive variables model does not require any special language : Figure1 is an example in the C language . The portrayed program declares two variables : \" cpu \" , a reflective integer , which reports the current percentage of usage of the local CPU as an integer number between 0 and 100 , and \" tcpTxRate \" , a reflective and refractive integer , which reports and sets the send rate parameter of the TCP layer . The code periodically queries the CPU usage and , when that reaches a value greater than 90 % , it requests to change the TCP send rate . Note that the only non standard C construct used in the example is attribute \" Ref t \" , which specifies that a corresponding declaration is reflective or refractive or both . Through a translation process , discussed in detail in Sect . 3 , this code is instrumented so as to include the logics required to interface the cpu and the TCP external devices . Figure3 shows this simple code in action on our development platform \u2013 a Pentium-M laptop running Windows XP and the Cygwin tools . One can observe that through the reflective and refractive variable model the design complexity is partitioned into two well defined and separated Figure 2 : An excerpt from the execution of the code in Fig. 2 . components : The code to interface external devices is specified \" elsewhere \" ( Sect . describes where and how ) while the functional code is specified in a familiar way , in this case as a C code reading and writing integer variables . The result is a structured model to express tasks such as cross-layered optimization , adaptive or fault-tolerant computing in an elegant , non intrusive , and cost-effective way . Such model is characterized by strong separation of design concerns ( that is , excellent sc ) , for the functional strategies are not to be specified aside with the layer functions . Only instrumentation is required , and this can be done once and for all . This prevents spaghetti-like coding for both the functional and the non-functional aspects , and translates in improved maintainability and enhanced efficiency . The reflective and refractive variable model provides the designer also with another attribute : a variable , be it a reflective \/ refractive variables or a \" common \" one , can be tagged as being \" redundant \" . Redundant variables are variables whose contents get replicated several times so as to protect them from memory faults . Writing to a redundant variable means writing to a number of replicas , either located strategically2 on the same processing node , or on remote nodes \u2013 when available and the extra overhead be allowed . Reading from a redundant variable actually translates in reading from each of its cells and performing majority voting ( through an approach such as the one described in Chapter 3 ) . The result of this process is monitored by a special device , called Redundance . Redundance measures the amount of votes that differ from the majority vote , and uses this as a measure of the disturbance in the surrounding environment . Under normal situation , Redundance triplicates the memory cells of redundant variables . This corresponds to tolerating up to one memory fault in the cells associated to a redundant variable . Under more critical situations , the amount of redundancy should change . This is indeed what actually happens : The component that manages redundant variables Figure 3 : General structure of feedback loops . Figure 4 : Redundant variables . declares the integer reflective variable \" ref t int redundance \" . The latter is set asynchronously by the Redundance device , which adjusts the corresponding memory cells3 with a number representing the ideal degree of redundancy with respect to the current degree of disturbances . The reflective and refractive variables model can also be used in contexts such as cross-layer optimization . In general , it provides an application-level construct to manage feedback loops . Feedback loops ( see Fig. 2 ) \u2013 a well known concept from system theory \u2013 are ideal forms to shape our systems so as to be adaptive-and-dependable ( Van Roy , 2006 ) . As we have mentioned already in Chapter 2 , such property is an important pre-requisite for the welfare of our computer-dominated societies and economies : In the cited paper Van Roy explains their relevance to future software design . Reflective and refractive variables provide a straightforward syntactical structure and software architecture for the expression of feedback loops . This structure is used , e.g. , to implement redundant variables . The main advantage in this case is that , instead of taking a design decision once and for all , one lets a system parameter change as needed , zeroing in on the optimum . The use of reflective and refractive variables simplifies the design of our solution , which also enhances maintainability . But probably the most important consequence of that design choice is that our solution does not assume a fixed , immutable fault model , but lets it change with the actual faults being experienced \u2013 which is precisely the property pointed out in Chapter 2 as a key requirement for modern dependable software . Figure4 shows how simple it is to use a redundant variable : No syntactic differences can be noticed . The required logic is \" hidden \" in the translation process . More detail about redundant variables is provided in Sect . 4 . 3.1 Implementation The core of the reflective and refractive variables architecture is a LEX analyzer4 that translates the input source code into two source files , one with an augmented version of the original code and one server-side to monitor and drive the external devices . This process is considered in Fig. 5 , an excerpt from the translation of the code in Fig. 4 . Let us review the resulting code in more detail ( please note that item x in the following list refer to lines tagged as \" \/\/ x \" in the code ) : 1 . First the translator removes the occurrences of attributes \" ref t \" and \" redundant \" . 2 . Then it performs a few calls to function \" aopen \" . This is to open the associative arrays \" reflex \" and \" rtype \" . As well known , an associative array generalizes the concept of array so as to allow addressing items by non-integer indexes . The arguments to \" aopen \" are functions similar to \" strcmp \" , from the C standard library , which are used to compare index objects . The idea is that these data structures create links between the name of variables and some useful information ( see below ) . 3 . There follow a number of \" awrites \" , i.e. , associations are created between variables identifiers and two numbers : The corresponding variables' address and an internal code representing its type and attributes . 4 . Then \" Server \" , the thread responsible to interface the external devices , is spawned . 5 . Besides a write access into refractive variable tcpTxRate , the translator places a call to function \" CalltcpTxRate \" . In general , after a call to refractive variable v , the call \" Callv ( & v ) \" is produced . 6 . Similarly , a write access to redundant variable w , of type t , is followed by a call to \" RedundantAssign t ( & w ) \" . 7 . Finally , reading from redundant variable w , of type t , is translated into a call to function \" RedundantRead t ( & w ) \" . It is the responsibility of the designer to make sure that proper code for functions \" Callv ( & v ) \" is produced . Functions \" RedundantAssign t ( & w ) \" and \" RedundantRead t ( & w ) \" are automatically generated through a template-like approach \u2013 the former performs a redundant write , the latter a redundant read plus majority voting . For voting , an approach similar to that in Chapter 3 has been followed ( that is , voting farms ) . As already mentioned , the \" Server \" thread is the code responsible to monitor and interface the external devices . Its algorithm is quite simple ( see Fig. 6 ) : Figure 5 : Abridged version of the main function of the translated code . the code continuously waits for a sensor update ( lines tagged with \" \/\/ 1 \" ) , then retrieves the address and type of the corresponding reflective variable ( in \" \/\/ 2 \" ) and finally updates that variable ( \" \/\/ 3 \" ) . The complexity to interface external devices is charged to function \" getValue \" , an excerpt of which is shown in Fig. 7 . The core of \" getValue \" is function \" cpu \" , which returns the amount of CPU currently being used . 3.2 Other Uses of Reflective and Refractive Variables As mentioned at the beginning , our research on this topic has begun only recently . We are in the process of making use of our approach in several real-life applications \u2013 most likely the subject of future publications . In what follows a few contexts where our variables could provide effective and low-cost solutions are discussed . 3.2.1 Management of Concurrency As cleverly explained e.g. by Gates in ( Gates , 2007 ) , a well known challenge in robotics is concurrency , defined in the cited paper as \" how to simultaneously handle all the data coming in from multiple sensors and send the appropriate commands to the robot's motors \" . The conventional approach , i.e. , making use of a long loop that first reads all the data from the sensors , then processes the input and finally controls the robot is not adequate enough . Because of this , the robot control could be using stale values , which could bring to disastrous consequences . As Gates mentions in the cited paper , this is a scenario that applies not only to Figure 6 : The Server code . Figure 7 : Function getValue interfaces all the external devices that are connected to reflective and refractive variables . Figure 8 : RR var to localize objects with RFID tags on them . robotics but also to all those fields such as distributed , parallel and resilient computing where data and control often need to be effectively orchestrated under strict real-time constraints and despite the occurrence of faults . \" To fully exploit the power of processors working in parallel , the new software must deal with the problem of concurrency \" , Gate says . It is our belief that an approach such as the one offered by reflective and refractive variables could result in an effective syntactic structure for that : A control loop using reflective variables , for instance , would not need to specify a reading order for the input variables , which are updated asynchronously , as new values need to replace old ones . Within that loop one could attach e.g. the asynchronous management of failures . 3.2.2 Localizing Hidden Assets Extending our translator it can be possible to allow writing programs such as the one in Fig. 8 . At first sight the program may sound meaningless , as it only declares a function and a reflective variable , \" rfid \" , and does not seem to perform any useful action . \" Behind the lines \" \u2013 a nice feature offered by translators \u2013 what happens is that surrounding RFID tags reflect their content onto variable \" rfid \" . Data stored into that variable is compared with the initialization value ( in this case , an ISBN number ) . In case of a match , function \" beep \" is called . Now imagine running this code onto your PDA while walking through the lanes of a large library such as the Vatican Library in search for a \" lost \" or misplaced book . When in reach of the searched item , the PDA starts beeping5 . Or imagine that , thanks to international regulations , all \" companies \" building antipersonnel mines be obliged by law to embed RFID tags into their \" products \" . When activated , these tags and a program as simple as the one in Fig. 8 could easily prevent dreadful events that continuously devastate the lives of too many a human being . Changing context , the same approach could be used to speed up the localizing of people trapped in the ruins of a fallen building after an earthquake , and so forth . This could be sensible in a highly seismic region . Conclusions . This section introduced a translation system that allows making use of reflection in a standard programming language such as C. The same translator supports \" refraction \" , that is the control of external devices through simple memory write accesses . These two features are used to realize redundant data structures . As well known , redundancy is a key property in fault-tolerance . The Shannon theorem teaches us that through any unreliable channel it is possible to send data reliably by using a proper degree of redundancy . This famous result can be read out in a different way : For each degree of unreliability , there is a minimum level of redundancy that can be used to tolerate any fault . Our approach uses reflective and refractive variables to attune the degree of redundancy required to ensure data integrity to the actual faults being experienced by the system . This provides an example of adaptive fault-tolerant software . Reflective and refractive variables can be used to express problems in cross-layer optimization , but also in contexts where concurrency calls for expressive software structures , e.g. robotics . Localization problems could also be solved through a very simple scheme . Other fields where our tool is being exercised include personalized healthcare ( De Florio , Vaerenbergh , & Blondia , 2007 ) and global adaptation frameworks to enhance the quality of experience of mobile services ( Sun , De Florio , Ning , & Blondia , 2007 ) . By construction , reflective and refractive variables exhibit a good amount of transparency , which translates in good sc . sa is limited to those fault-tolerance techniques that can be expressed in terms of the variables ; some variables could be used e.g. to express processing and communication entities , and allow them to migrate transparently ; other variables could change their state to represent the detection of faults , and so forth . As authors we are convinced of their merits , but we must be objective and state that no such provisions exist so far \u2013 with the exception of the ones described in next section . So a fair assessment for sa could be \" limited \/ potentially good \" . The hidden implementation of reflective and refractive variables allows to achieve a good a with an approach such as the one described in the next section . 4 ADAPTIVE DATA INTEGRITY THROUGH DYNAMICALLY REDUNDANT DATA STRUCTURES Changes , they use to say , are the only constant in life . Everything changes rapidly around us , and more and more key to survival is the ability to rapidly adapt to changes . This consideration applies to many aspects of our lives . Strangely enough , this nearly self-evident truth is not always considered in computer science with the seriousness that it calls for : The assumptions that are drawn for our systems often do not take into due account that e.g. , the run-time environments , the operational conditions , or the available resources will vary . Software is especially vulnerable to this threat , and with today's software-dominated systems controlling crucial services in nuclear plants , airborne equipments , health care systems and so forth , it becomes clear how this situation may potentially lead to catastrophes . Let us consider in particular the viewpoint of the software fault-tolerance engineer and the design goal of enhanced data integrity : It is clear that protecting data against memory faults requires the definition of a fault model stating the possible fault scenarios that our software is going to experience . The current practice is to take this as a static choice , which means that our data integrity provisions ( DIP ) have a fixed range of admissible events to address and tolerate . This translates into two risks : 1 . overshooting , i.e. , over-dimensioning the DIP with respect to the actual threat being experienced , and 2 . undershooting , namely underestimating the threat in view of an economy of resources . Note how those two risks turn into a crucial dilemma to the designer : Wrong choices here can lead to either unpractical , too costly designs or cheap but vulnerable provisions . A sensible example of the problem just stated is given by redundant data structures ( RDS ) . Here redundancy and voting are used to protect memory from possible transient or permanent corruptions . The common choice would be that of adopting a static fault model assumption , such as e.g. \" during any mission , up to 3 faults shall affect the replicas \" , which translates into using a 7-redundant cell to address the worst possible scenario . This is precisely a case of the above stated dilemma . Our starting point in the research reported herein was the question \" Is this the right approach ? , \" or \" Does it make sense in the first place to fix , once and for all , a set of possible conditions affecting memory modules ? \" We do n't think so . First of all , memory technology ( like all technologies ) changes , which means that while yesterday our software was running atop CMOS chips , today the common choice e.g. for airborne applications is SDRAMs because of speed , cost , weight , power and simplicity of design ( Ladbury , 2002 ) . But CMOS memories for airborne applications mostly experience single bit errors ( Oey & Teitelbaum , 1981 ) , while SDRAMS are known to be subject to several classes of faults , including so-called \" single-event effects \" , i.e. single faults affecting whole chips6 ( Ladbury , 2002 ) . Furthermore the cited paper remarks how even from lot to lot error \/ failure rates vary more than one order of magnitude . A static choice of the fault model can not take all this into proper account . A second argument is that run-time environments change , often because the application is mobile but sometimes also because of external events affecting e.g. temperature , radiation , electro-magnetic interference , or cosmic rays ( think of a wireless sensor network to assist a fire brigade , or of a spaceborne application circulating around the sun ) . Also in these cases a static choice would be unpractical , as the nature of faults may change during a same mission . Figure 9 : A simple example of use of redundant variables . Our conjecture is that the solution to this problem should come by considering the nature of faults as a dynamic system , i.e. , a system evolving in time , and by modeling faults as a function F ( t ) . Consequently , any fault-tolerance provision that be able to solve effectively the problem of over-dimensioning and under-dimensioning should function as an adaptation feedback loop ( Van Roy , 2006 ) in which the resources are allocated after the estimated values of F ( t ) , derived by monitoring sensible environmental variables . This section reports on the design of a tool compliant to that model . Our tool allows designers to make use of adaptively redundant data structures with commodity programming languages such as C or Java . Designers using such tool can define redundant data structures where the degree of redundancy changes dynamically with respect to the disturbances experienced at run-time . Our approach attunes the degree of redundancy required to ensure data integrity to the actual faults being experienced by the system and provides an example of adaptive fault-tolerance software provision . In what follows a description of our tool and design issues are given . 4.1 Dynamically Redundant Data Structures Our tool is a translator that loosely parses a source code performing some transformations as reported in the rest of this section . A translator was developed in the C programming language together with the Lex lexical analyzer generator and the YACC syntactic analyzers generator ( Levine , Mason , & Brown , 1992 ) . The reported version supports the C syntax though the same principles can be easily applied to any other language . Our translator performs a simple task \u2013 it allows the programmer to tag variables with a keyword , \" redundant , \" and then instruments the memory accesses to tagged variables . Figure 9 shows how this is done in practice with a very simple example whose translation is provided in Fig. 10 . Let us review the resulting code in more detail ( please note that item x in the following list refer to lines tagged as \" \/\/ x \" in the code ) : 1 . First the translator removes the occurrences of attribute \" redundant \" . 2 . Then it performs a few calls to function \" aopen \" . This is to open the associative arrays \" redun \" and \" rtype \" . As well known , an associative Figure 10 : An excerpt from the translation of the code in Fig. 9 . Variable \" Redundance \" represents the current amount of redundancy , initially set to \" REDUNDANCE \" ( that is , 3 ) . array generalizes the concept of array so as to allow addressing items by non-integer indexes . The arguments to \" aopen \" are functions similar to \" strcmp \" , from the C standard library , which are used to compare index objects . The idea is that these data structures create links between the name of variables and some useful information ( see below ) . 3 . There follow a number of \" awrites \" , i.e. , associations are created between variables' identifiers and two numbers : the corresponding variables' address and an internal code representing its type and attributes ( code 64 means \" redundant int \" ) . 4 . Then the \" Server \" thread , responsible to allocate replicas and to monitor and adapt to external changes , is spawned . 5 . A write access to redundant variable w , of type t , is followed by a call to \" RedundantAssign t ( & w ) \" . 6 . Finally , reading from redundant variable w , of type t , is translated into a call to function \" RedundantRead t ( & w ) \" . The strategy to allocate replicas is a research topic on its own . Solutions range from na\u0131 \u0308 ve simple strategies such as allocating replicas into contiguous cells \u2013 which makes them vulnerable to burst faults \u2013 to more sophisticated strategies where replicas get allocated e.g. in different memory banks , or different memory chips , or even on different processors . Clearly each choice represents a trade-off between robustness and performance penalty . In our current version replicas are separated by strides of variable length . The core of our tool is given by functions \" RedundantAssign t ( & w ) \" and \" RedundantRead t ( & w ) \" , which are automatically generated for each type t through a template-like approach . The former function performs a redundant write , the latter a redundant read plus majority voting . For voting , an approach similar to that in ( De Florio , Deconinck , & Lauwereins , 1998 ) is followed . What differs our tool from classical libraries for redundant data structures such as the one in ( Taylor et al. , 1980 ) is the fact that in our system the amount of replicas of our data structures changes dynamically with respect to the observed disturbances . A monitoring tool is assumed to be available to assess the probability of memory corruptions of the current environment . An example of such monitoring tool , which estimates that probability by measuring for each call to \" RedundantRead t \" the risk of failure r , is provided . Quantity r may be defined for instance as follows : If our current redundancy is 2n + 1 , and if the maximum set of agreeing replicas after a \" RedundantRead t \" is m ( 0 < m < 2n + 2 ) , then ( 1 ) For instance if redundancy is 7 and m = 6 , that is if only one replica differs , then r = 1 \/ 3 . Clearly the above choice of r lets risk increase linearly with the number of replicas not in agreement with the majority . Other formulations for r and for the monitoring tool7 are possible and likely to be more effective than the ones taken here \u2013 also a matter for future research . Our strategy to adjust redundancy is also quite simple : If r > 0.5 , redundancy is increased by 2 ; if r = 0 for 1000 consecutive calls to \" RedundantRead t \" , redundancy is decreased by 2 . Lower bound and upper bound for redundancy have been set to 3 and 11 respectively . Each request for changing redundancy is reflected by the \" Server \" thread into variable \" Redundance \" through the scheme introduced in ( De Florio & Blondia , 2007 ) . In Chapter 10 it is described how our tool behaves when memory faults are injected . It us shown how , despite the above na\u0131 \u0308 ve design choices , our tool already depicts valuable results . 4.2 Conclusions As already pointed out , redundancy is a key asset to achieve fault-tolerance . The Shannon theorem teaches us that through any unreliable channel it is possible to send data reliably by using a proper degree of redundancy . This famous result can be read out in a different way : For each degree of unreliability characterizing a run-time environment there is a minimum level of redundancy that can be used to tolerate any fault . Unfortunately environments change , e.g. because of external events , or because assets dissipate , or because the service is mobile . Hence , there is no static allocation of redundancy that can accommodate for any possible scenario : A highly redundant system will withstand no more faults than those considered at design time , and will allocate a large amount of resources even when no faults are threatening the service . Denying this truth is not a wise choice : As Einstein said , the rule should be \" Make everything as simple as possible , but not simpler \" . Likewise , hiding complexity is good , but hiding too much can lead to disasters \u2013 history of computing is paved with dreadful examples unfortunately . The main lesson learned by carrying out our research is that this problem must be addressed , and that this complexity must not be neglected , but isolated into architectural components . This section introduced a translation-based approach that has precisely these design goals \u2013 addressing the problem of complex fault behaviors and providing an architectural solution that make it as simple as possible for the designer to concentrate on their functional design goals . Our tool provides programmers of commodity languages such as C or Java with adaptively redundant data structures . Designers using our tool can define redundant data structures in which the degree of replication is not fixed once and for all at design time , but changes dynamically with respect to the disturbances experienced during the run time . In Chapter 10 the performance of our tool is reported . Such analysis is carried out through a fault injector called scrambler , which is also briefly introduced . Redundant variables are a recent research project of our group at the University of Antwerp . Future work will be devoted to further developing and enhancing both those tools , e.g. by experimenting with other adaptation strategies , other replica allocation strategies , and introducing more complex fault injection scenarios such as single event effects . The global effect of adaptive dependable provisions on power consumption shall also be investigated in the near future . 5 CONCLUSIONS Focus of this chapter has been approaches that reach fault-tolerance by means of compilers and translators . Such tools are not only used to bring \" syntactic sugar \" and possibly enhance sa and sc : It was shown how compilers can become another important \" place \" where one may place application-level fault-tolerant protocols that operate at the level of the programming language through so-called meta-object protocols . The reader is also provided of what we consider to be a glimpse into the future of our discipline : As cleverly stated by Torres-Pomales , \" we use computer languages to try to capture the essence of software , but the concepts are so intricate that they generally defy attempts to completely visualize them in a practical manner and require the use of techniques to simplify relationships and enable communication among designers . \" ( Torres-Pomales , 2000 ) This is exactly the starting point of the approaches based on introspection . 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( Available at URL http:\/\/pages.cs.wisc.edu\/ \u223c zandy ) page FAULT-TOLERANT PROTOCOLS USING FAULT-TOLERANCE PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES 1 INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES The programming language itself is the focus of this chapter : Fault-tolerance is not embedded in the program ( as it is the case e.g. for single-version fault-tolerance ) , nor around the language ( through compilers or translators ) ; on the contrary , fault-tolerance is provided through the syntactical structures and the run-time executives of fault-tolerance programming languages . Also in this case a significant part of the complexity of dependability enforcement is moved from each single code to the architecture , in this case the programming language . Many cases exist of fault-tolerance programming languages ; this chapter proposes a few of them , considering three cases : Object-oriented languages , functional languages , and hybrid languages . In particular it is discussed the case of Oz , a multi-paradigm programming language that achieves both transparent distribution and translucent failure handling . 2 FAULT-TOLERANT PROTOCOLS USING CUSTOM PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES Another approach is given by working at language level enhancing a pre-existing programming language or developing an ad hoc distributed programming language so that it hosts specific fault-tolerance provisions . The following two sections cover these topics . 2.1 2.1.1 Object-oriented approaches The Arjuna Distributed Programming System Arjuna ( Arjuna Technologies , ltd . ) is an object-oriented system for portable distributed programming in C ++ ( Shrivastava , 1995 ) . It can be considered as a clever blending of useful and widespread tools , techniques , and ideas \u2013 as such , it is a good example of the evolutionary approach towards application-level software fault-tolerance . It exploits remote procedure calls ( Birrell & Nelson , 1984 ) and UNIX daemons ( Haviland & Salama , 1987 ) . On each node of the system an object server connects client objects to objects supplying services . The object server also takes care of spawning objects when they are not yet running ( in this case they are referred to as \" passive objects \" ) . Arjuna also exploits a \" naming service \" , by means of which client objects request a service \" by name \" . This transparency effectively supports object migration and replication . Arjuna offers the programmer means for dealing with atomic actions ( via the two-phase commit protocol ) and persistent objects . Unfortunately , it requires the programmers to explicitly deal with tools to save and restore the state , to manage locks , and to declare in their applications instances of the class for managing atomic actions . As its authors state , in many respects Arjuna asks the programmer to be aware of several complexities \u2013 as such , it is prejudicial to transparency and separation of design concerns ( insufficient sc ) . On the other hand , its good design choices result in an effective , portable environment . Arjuna provides the programmer with \" a computation model in which application programs manipulate persistent objects under the control of atomic actions \" ( Shrivastava , 1995 ) . This concise definition reflects the opinions of many fault-tolerance language designers , that is , that coupling the object and atomic action model with object persistency provides a good solution to designing fault-tolerant systems . In Arjuna a failure appears to the programmer as a persistent object becoming unavailable . Actual reasons for this event may be e.g. a crash of the object repository , or a network partitioning . Accordingly , avoiding failures in Arjuna is achieved by any method directed to increasing the availability of its objects . The main approach used for this in Arjuna is object replication . Like in any replication scheme , clearly this calls for consistency protocols among the replicas . As mentioned above , Arjuna uses an object server to turn passive objects into active ones , when a reference to any such object is detected in the system . Binding is the name of the operation that creates a local instance of any valid Arjuna object and creates one such reference . The object server then attaches the latest ( committed ) state of the named object to the local instance . An example ( from the cited reference ) follows : { \/ * scope of o1 , o2 and act is between the C ++ block ( \" automatic variables \" ) * \/ MyArjunaObject o1 ( Name-A ) ; \/ * o1 is bound to object whose global name is \" A \" * \/ MySecondArjunaObject o2 ( Name-B ) ; \/ * o2 to \" B \" * \/ AtomicAction act ; \/ * o1 and o2 will be used in atomic action act * \/ act . Begin ( ) ; \/ * act starts * \/ o1 . method1 ( ... ) ; o2 . method1 ( ... ) ; \/ * invocations , possibly changing state of o1 and o2 * o2 . method2 ( ... ) ; ....... act . End ( ) ; \/ * act commits : if successful , \" A \" and \" B \" get updated } \/ * o1 and o2 are deallocated , which breaks bindings to A and B * \/ As it is often the case for ALFT based on programming languages , Arjuna builds on top of a few design axioms that determine its effectiveness but also limit its general usability . Hence sa is assessed as \" average \" . No support for adaptivity exists , though transparency replication could have been exploited to reach a better a ( limited \/ potentially good ) . 2.1.2 Programming languages based on Compositional Filters Composition Filters ( CF ) are a concept developed and explored at the University of Twente , The Netherlands . Originally CF were embedded into a custom programming language called Sina . Later the concept was enucleated from Sina and made available as extensions to existing languages such as C ++ ( Glandrup , 1995 ) or Java ( Wichman , 1999 ) . The latter reference provides a very nice and clear metaphor explaining what CF are . In what follows the main reference is ( Wichman , 1999 ) and the Java implementation of composition filters , ComposeJ . Composition filters allow extending the object oriented model with the possibility to model concerns such as coordinated behavior , dynamic inheritance , delegation and multiple interfaces \/ views in a reusable , extensible and adaptable way . The main idea is that of introducing input and output filters , i.e. components that intercept and manipulate message transmission and reception . An input filter set filters incoming messages and an output filter set filters outgoing messages . Filters in a filter set orderly evaluate and possibly manipulate the messages before passing them to the target object . All messages sent to the object have to pass its input filter set . All messages sent by the object have to pass its output filter set . A special object ( the filter object ) provides the filters as its methods , which are not publicly available to the filtered object . Filter set are like a block of selection statements : An ordered cascade of conditions , each of which checks whether the incoming message belongs or not to some category . If so , the message is intercepted ( \" accepted \" , in the CF lingo ) and processed . As a consequence of this processing , the message may change . Then the message is passed to the next filter in the set and this goes on until the last filter in the set is encountered . A message that is not accepted by the last filter raises an exception . Clearly this procedure can be added to any hosting language , as it is a procedural addition that has no impact on the language grammar . The input and output filter set are declared within a class through the inputfilters and outputfilters keywords , for instance , inputfilters filter1 : Error = .. ( will be explained shortly ) filter2 : Dispatch = ( will be explained shortly ) The general structure of a filter element is FilterName : FilterType = Conditions ConclusionOperator MatchingPattern Parameters \" Conditions \" is a Boolean that rejects the message when false . If true , the second and the third sections come into play : if \" ConclusionOperator \" is an inclusion , represented by ' = > ' , then one accepts all messages that verify the matching pattern ; if it is an exclusion , represented by ' ~ > ' , then one accepts all message that did not verify a previous inclusion operator . \" Parameters \" is an optional section that depends on the filter being used . If a message is accepted , the filter 's accept handler is executed , otherwise the next filter element is evaluated . If there are no more elements left in the current filter , the filter's reject handler is executed . Filters belong to different types : \u2022 Dispatch : any accepted message is delegated to one or more objects ; rejected messages go to the next filter in the set . \u2022 Error : any accepted message does to next filter ; rejected ones raise an exception . \u2022 Substitution : the accepted message is substituted with another one as specified in section \" Parameters \" ; rejected messages go to the next filter . \u2022 Send : accepted messages are passed to any object ; rejected messages go to the next filter . \u2022 Meta : any accepted message is reified and delegated to a \" meta-object \" ( that is , an object describing and monitoring the behavior of another object ) ; rejected messages go to the next filter . \u2022 Wait : accepted messages go to the next filter , while rejected ones are blocked until a certain condition is met \u2013 which is clearly useful for concurrency control and synchronization . For the sake of brevity these filters shall not be discussed in detail , but it is clear that they have the potential to compose powerful fault-tolerance mechanisms based , e.g. , on replication and reflection . As an example , a Dispatch input filter could be used to redirect an input message to several replicas , while a Substitution or a Meta filter could be used to do voting among the output objects produced by the replicas ; a Wait filter could make sure that all replicas synchronize , and so forth . Composition Filters and Aspect Oriented Programming ( described in Chapter 7 ) have many points in common , as they represent two paths towards reaching similar goals , e.g. , separation of concerns . The main difference between the two approaches is in the fact that Composition Filters work on a per object basis , while AOP languages provide a system-wide ( application-wide ) specification which is integrated with the class hierarchies by means of a pre-processor ( the aspect weaver , see Chapter 7 ) . Composition Filters provide \" by construction \" , so to say , excellent sc . As it is often the case in this category of fault-tolerance provisions , sa is limited to those fault-tolerance techniques that can be expressed in terms of composition filters ( average sa ) . All CF implementations we are aware of work at compile-time , which impacts negatively on a . 2.1.3 FT-SR FT-SR ( Schlichting & Thomas , 1995 ) is basically an attempt to augment the SR ( Andrews & Olsson , 1993 ) distributed programming language with mechanisms to facilitate fault-tolerance . FT-SR is based on the concept of fail-stop modules ( FSM ) . A FSM is defined as an abstract unit of encapsulation . It consists of a number of threads that export a number of operations to other FSMs . The execution of operations is atomic . FSM can be composed so to give rise to complex FSMs . For instance it is possible to replicate a module n > 1 times and set up a complex FSM that can survive to n \u2212 1 failures . Whenever a failure exhausts the redundancy of a FSM , be that a simple or complex FSM , a failure notification is automatically sent to a number of other FSMs so to trigger proper recovery actions . This feature explains the name of FSM : as in fail-stop processors , either the system is correct or a notification is sent and the system stops its functions . This means that the computing model of FT-SR guarantees , to some extent , that in the absence of explicit failure notification , commands can be assumed to have been processed correctly . This greatly simplifies program development because it masks the occurrence of faults , offers guarantees that no erroneous results are produced , and encourages the design of complex , possibly dynamic failure semantics ( see Chapter 1 ) based on failure notifications . Of course this strategy is fully effective only under the hypothesis of perfect failure detection coverage \u2013 an assumption that sometimes may be found to be false . FT-SR exloits much of the expressive power of SR to offer fault-tolerance to the programmer ; the only additions added by FT-SR are : \u2022 Automatic generation of failure notifications , when a resource is destroyed due to failure or explicit termination , and \u2022 so-called higher-level fail-stop atomic objects . Automatic generation of failure notifications . In FT-SR a failure is detected by the language runtime system . The focus herein is on the ways the application programmer instructs a notification . FT-SR offers so-called synchronous and asynchronous failure notifications : \u2022 Synchronous notification is one that is attached to a method's invocation and specifies a backup method to be executed as soon as the primary has been detected as failed . This is done very simply from the point of view of the programmer : He or she has just to add the identifier of the backup method , as in call { task1 . primary , task2 . backup } . \u2022 Asynchronous failure notifications are used when one wants to make sure that , whenever a certain condition takes place during a certain time interval , a given \" alarm \" or reactive measure will be instructed . This is specified by issuing the monitor statement , as in monitor task1 send task2 ( arguments ) , after which the FT-SR run-time executive starts monitoring task1 with task2 ( arguments ) as reactive measure . This mean that , in case task1 fails during monitoring , method task2 ( arguments ) is implicitly invoked with the current value of its arguments . Higher-level fail-stop atomic objects . FT-SR makes use of replication and error recovery techniques to build more complex fault-tolerance mechanisms ( Schlichting & Thomas , 1992 ) . Replication is used to create a group of replicated resources that appear to the user as a single , more resilient or more performant resource . A similar concept has been adopted in Ariel for tasks ( see Chapter 6 ) . Replication is available to the FT-SR programmer through the create statement \u2013 an augmented version of the SR statement with the same name . As an example , task1_cap : = create ( i : = 1 to N ) task2 ( ) on remote_node_caps [ i ] creates a replicated task consisting of N replicas of task2 , with replica i to be executed on the processing node specified in remote_node_caps [ i ] . Once the replicated task is created , all operations to that task are managed accordingly : Sending messages becomes a multicast and the same applies for invoking methods . The system guarantees consistent total order , but the programmer can choose otherwise . Sending is managed through atomic broadcast . When performing a call to a method in a replicated task , it is the run-time system that makes sure that only a single result is returned to the caller . No voting is done by the run-time system in this case : the failure semantic assumptions of fail-silent processes allows the system to just return the first result becoming available . Another important feature offered by FT-SR is restartability \u2013 the ability to instruct the automatic restart of a failed entity in a healthier location of the system's . The syntax for doing so is very simple : restart entity on somewhere_else . The entity may be replicated , in which case the programmer can make use of a syntax similar to that of create : restart ( i : = 1 to N ) task2 ( ) on remote_node_caps [ i ] . Restarted FT-SR entities are not ... restarted from scratch : they retain their state \u2013 a useful property which is not available , e.g. , with the RESTART recovery code of Ariel ( again , see Chapter 6 for more details on Ariel ) . Finally , FT-SR offers persistency ( also called \" implicit restart \" by its authors ) : any entity tagged with the persistent attribute when declared is automatically restarted on any of a certain number of backup nodes ( \" backup virtual machines \" in FT-SR lingo ) . This allows to compose easily a stable storage resource , which in turn is an important requirement to build even more complex and advanced fault-tolerance protocols . FT-SR places fault-tolerance in the foreground of system design , which translates in bad sc . It offers several constructs , with sufficient sa . No support for a is part of the language . 2.1.4 ARGUS Argus ( Liskov , 1988 ) is a distributed object-oriented programming language and operating system . Argus was designed to support application programs like banking systems . To capture the object-oriented nature of such programs , it provides a special kind of objects , called guardians , which perform user-definable actions in response to remote requests . To solve the problems of concurrency and failures , Argus allows computations to run as atomic transactions . Argus' target application domain is clearly the one of transaction processing . Like in Arjuna , Argus builds on top of a few fault-tolerance design axioms , which limits Argus' sa . Explicit , non-transparent support translates in insufficient sc . No support for adaptivity has been foreseen in Argus . 2.1.5 The Correlate Language The Correlate object-oriented language ( Robben , 1999 ) adopts the concept of active object , defined as an object that has control over the synchronization of incoming requests from other objects . Objects are active in the sense that they do not process immediately their requests \u2013 they may decide to delay a request until it is accepted , i.e. , until a given precondition ( a guard ) is met \u2013 for instance , a mailbox object may refuse a new message in its buffer until an entry becomes available in it . The precondition is a function of the state of the object and the invocation parameters \u2013 it does not imply interaction with other objects and has no side effects . If a request can not be served according to an object's precondition , it is saved into a buffer until it becomes servable , or until the object is destroyed . Conditions like an overflow in the request buffer are not dealt with in ( Robben , 1999 ) . If more than a single request becomes servable by an object , the choice is made non-deterministically . Correlate uses a communication model called \" pattern-based group communication \" \u2013 communication goes from an \" advertising object \" to those objects that declare their \" interest \" in the advertised subject . This is similar to Linda's model of generative communication , introduced in Chapter 4 . Objects in Correlate are autonomous , in the sense that they may not only react to external stimuli but also give rise to autonomous operations motivated by an internal \" goal \" . When invoking a method , the programmer can choose to block until the method is fully executed ( this is called synchronous interaction ) , or to execute it \" in the background \" ( asynchronous interaction ) . Correlate supports meta-object protocols . It has been effectively used to offer transparent support for transaction , replication , and checkpoint-and-rollback . The first implementation of Correlate consists of a translator to plain Java plus an execution environment , also written in Java . Correlate bears several similarities with Composition Filters and reaches the same values of the structural attributes . 2.1.6 Fragmented Objects Fragmented Objects ( FO ) are an extension of objects for distributed environments ( Makpangou , Gourhant , Narzul , & Shapiro , 1994 ) . FO do not reside integrally in one processing node , but are decomposed into chunks called \" fragments \" , consisting of data and methods , which may reside on different nodes . The logics for the distribution of fragments is part of the objects themselves . The client of a FO must have access to at least one fragment . FO offer an abstract view and a concrete view : In the abstract view they appear as a single , shared object . In the concrete view , the designer can decompose the objects into fragments and can deploy them on different machines . He or she may also control the communications among fragments . All these aspects are specified through a custom programming language , FOG ( an extension of C ++ ) , a toolbox , and a compiler also responsible for object serialization . The key aspect of FO with respect to dependability is the full transparency that they provide their users with : In particular there is no way to distinguish between a local object and a local fragment . This paves the way to the transparent adoption of dependability methods based on replication and reconfiguration ( Reiser , Kapitza , Domaschka , & Hauck , 2006 ) . In particular the amount of redundancy used could be made adaptively tracking the current disturbances \u2013 with an approach similar to the redundant variables described in Chapter 4 . This translates in potentially good a . Also sc is good in FO , due to the ingenious separation between abstract and concrete views . sa appears to be somewhat limited due to specifics of the approach . The interest around FO has never abated \u2013 examples include the adaptive fragmented objects of FORMI ( Kapitza , Domaschka , Hauck , Reiser , & Schmidt , 2006 ) . 2.2 2.2.1 Functional Languages Fault-Tolerance Attribute Grammars The system models for application-level software fault-tolerance encountered so far all have their basis in an imperative language . A different research trend exists , which is based on the use of functional languages . This choice translates in a program structure that allows a straightforward inclusion of fault-tolerance means , with high degrees of transparency and flexibility . Functional models that appear particularly interesting as system structures for software fault-tolerance are those based on the concept of attribute grammars ( Paakki , 1995 ) . This paragraph briefly introduces the model known as FTAG ( fault-tolerant attribute grammars ) ( Suzuki , Katayama , & Schlichting , 1996 ) , which offers the designer a large set of fault-tolerance mechanisms . A noteworthy aspect of FTAG is that its authors explicitly address the problem of providing a syntactical model for the widest possible set of fault-tolerance provisions and paradigms , developing coherent abstractions of those mechanisms while maintaining the linguistic integrity of the adopted notation . This means that optimizing the value of attribute sa is one of the design goals of FTAG . FTAG regards a computation as a collection of pure mathematical functions known as modules . Each module has a set of input values , called inherited attributes , and of output variables , called synthesized attributes . Modules may refer to other modules . When modules do not refer any other module , they can be performed immediately . Such modules are called primitive modules . On the other hand , non-primitive modules require other modules to be performed first \u2013 as a consequence , an FTAG program is executed by decomposing a \" root \" module into its basic submodules and then applying recursively this decomposition process to each of the submodules . This process goes on until all primitive modules are encountered and executed . The execution graph is clearly a tree called computation tree . This scheme presents many benefits , e.g. , as the order in which modules are decomposed is exclusively determined by attribute dependencies among submodules , a computation tree can be mapped onto a parallel processing means straightforwardly . The linguistic structure of FTAG allows the integration of a number of useful fault-tolerance features that address the whole range of faults \u2013 design , physical , and interaction faults . One of these features is called redoing . Redoing replaces a portion of the computation tree with a new computation . This is useful for instance to eliminate the effects of a portion of the computation tree that has generated an incorrect result , or whose executor has crashed . It can be used to implement easily \" retry blocks \" and recovery blocks by adding ancillary modules that test whether the original module behaved consistently with its specification and , if not , give rise to a \" redoing \" , a recursive call to the original module . Another relevant feature of FTAG is its support for replication , a concept that in FTAG translates into a decomposition of a module into N identical submodules implementing the function to replicate . The scheme is known as replicated decomposition , while involved submodules are called replicas . Replicas are executed according to the usual rules of decomposition , though only one of the generated results is used as the output of the original module . Depending on the chosen fault-tolerance strategy , this output can be , e.g. , the first valid output or the output of a demultiplexing function , e.g. , a voter . It is worth remarking that no syntactical changes are needed , only a subtle extension of the interpretation so to allow the involved submodules to have the same set of inherited attributes and to generate a collated set of synthesized attributes . FTAG stores its attributes in a stable object base or in primary memory depending on their criticality \u2013 critical attributes can then be transparently retrieved from the stable object base after a failure . Object versioning is also used , a concept that facilitates the development of checkpoint-and-rollback strategies . FTAG provides a unified linguistic structure that effectively supports the development of fault-tolerant software . Conscious of the importance of supporting the widest possible set of fault-tolerance means , its authors report in the cited paper how they are investigating the inclusion of other fault-tolerance features and trying to synthesize new expressive syntactical structures for FTAG \u2013 thus further improving attribute sa . FTAG also exhibits \" by construction \" a good separation of concerns ( sc ) . No support for a is known to exist for FTAG . Unfortunately , the widespread adoption of this valuable tool is conditioned by the limited acceptance and spread of the functional programming paradigm outside the academia . 2.3 A Hybrid Case : Oz Oz is defined by its authors as \" a multiparadigm programming language \" . The main reasons for that is that Oz offers , by construction , several features common to programming paradigms such as logic , functional , imperative , and object-oriented programming . Another important feature of Oz is that it provides the programmer with a network-transparent distributed programming model that facilitates considerably the development of distributed fault-tolerant applications . The Oz programming system , called Mozart , was designed by the so-called Mozart Consortium . Thanks to its rich model , Oz allows to solve , to some extent , the transparency conundrum of distributed computing : Indeed distributed computing approaches either choose to mask all complexity providing an illusion of a fully synchronous system where all failures and disruptions are masked , or go for a fully translucent system where everything is made known and reflected onto the system controller . Oz solves this and shows that \" network transparency is not incompatible with entity failure reflection \" ( Collet & Mej\u0131 \u0301 as , 2007 ) . The idea is that the language gives the illusion of a single memory space shared by distributed processing nodes called sites . Full transparency is achieved for this : It is simply not possible to tell whether a method or an entity is local or distributed . But this is not true for all aspects of distribution \u2013 in particular , site crashes and partial failures are made translucent and reflected in the language . The mechanism offered by Oz to handle partial failures is asynchronous failure detectors , managed through failure listeners : All entities produce streams of events that reflect the sequential occurrence of their fault states . Any Oz task can become a failure listener , that is , it can hook to such streams and be informed of all the faults experienced by any other tasks . This means that fault detection is intrinsically managed by Oz and Mozart . Error recovery can then be managed by guarded actions , a little like in ariel , the error recovery language described in next chapter . This facilitates considerably the development of asynchronous failure detectors with one of the algorithms described in Chapter 8 . The trade off between transparency and translucency in Oz leads to a satisfactory sc . Its multiparadigmic nature should translate in a good score for sa , though no concrete evidence to this appears to exist . Oz has been used to express adaptive control loops ( Van Roy , 2006 ) for self-management , so it proved to exhibit good a . 3 CONCLUSION Several examples of fault-tolerance protocols embedded in custom programming languages have been shown . This class of methods can achieve satisfactory degrees of sc . The language designer has the widest syntactic freedom which is necessary to achieve good values of sa , but often , as a result of the design choices , the programmer is confined to a limited amount of possibilities . Attribute a depends on specific characteristics of the language , e.g. being able to select dynamically the error recovery strategy when the environment and its faults change . Most of the programming languages discussed so far is not being supported anymore , a noteworthy exception being Oz , whose most widespread platform , Mozart , is a strategic research path at the University of Louvain-la-neuve , Belgium . Next chapter is devoted to a special case of a fault-tolerance programming language : The ariel error recovery language . References Andrews , G. R. , & Olsson , L. L. ( 1993 ) . The SR programming language : Concurrency in practice . Benjamin \/ Cummings . Birrell , A. D. , & Nelson , B. J. ( 1984 ) . Implementing remote procedure calls . ACM Trans . Computer Systems , 2 , 39 \u2013 59 . Collet , R. , & Mej\u0131 \u0301 as , B. ( 2007 ) . Asynchronous failure handling with mozart . ( Presentation for the Seminarie Informatica course of the University of Leuven , 2007 ) Glandrup , M. H. J. ( 1995 ) . Extending C ++ using the concepts of composition filters . Unpublished master's thesis , Dept. of Computer Science , University of Twente , NL . Haviland , K. , & Salama , B. ( 1987 ) . UNIX system programming . Addison-Wesley , Reading MA . Kapitza , R. , Domaschka , J. , Hauck , F. J. , Reiser , H. P. , & Schmidt , H. ( 2006 ) . FORMI : Integrating adaptive fragmented objects into Java RMI . In Ieee distributed systems online , vol. 7 , no . 10 , 2006 , art . no . 0610-o10001 . Liskov , B. ( 1988 , March ) . Distributed programming in Argus . Communications of the ACM , 31 ( 3 ) , 300 \u2013 312 . Makpangou , M. , Gourhant , Y. , Narzul , J. - P. L. , & Shapiro , M. ( 1994 ) . Fragmented objects for distributed abstractions . In T. L. Casavant & S. M. ( Eds . ) , Readings in distributed computing systems ( pp. 170 \u2013 186 ) . IEEE Computer Society Press . Paakki , J. ( 1995 , June ) . Attribute grammar paradigms : A high-level methodology in language implementation . ACM Computing Surveys , 27 ( 2 ) . Reiser , H. P. , Kapitza , R. , Domaschka , J. , & Hauck , F. J. ( 2006 ) . Fault-tolerant replication based on fragmented objects . In Proc . of the 6th ifip wg 6.1 int . conf . on distributed applications and interoperable systems - dais 2006 ( bologna , italy , june 14-16 , 2006 ) . Robben , B. ( 1999 ) . Language technology and metalevel architectures for distributed objects . Unpublished doctoral dissertation , Dept. of Computer Science , University of Leuven . Schlichting , R. D. , & Thomas , V. T. ( 1992 ) . FT-SR : A programming language for constructing fault-tolerant distributed systems ( Tech . Rep. No. TR 92-31 ) . Tucson , Arizona . Schlichting , R. D. , & Thomas , V. T. ( 1995 , February ) . Programming language support for writing fault-tolerant distributed software . IEEE Transactions on Computers , 44 ( 2 ) , 203 \u2013 212 . ( Special Issue on Fault-Tolerant Computing ) Shrivastava , S. ( 1995 , July ) . Lessons learned from building and using the Arjuna distributed programming system . In Theory and practice in distributed systems , lecture notes in computer science ( Vol. 938 ) . Suzuki , M. , Katayama , T. , & Schlichting , R. D. ( 1996 , May ) . FTAG : A functional and attribute based model for writing fault-tolerant software ( Tech . Rep. No. TR 96-6 ) . Department of Computer Science , The University of Arizona . Van Roy , P. ( 2006 ) . Self management and the future of software design . To appear in the Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science ( www.elsevier.com\/locate\/entcs ) . Wichman , J. C. ( 1999 ) . ComposeJ : The development of a preprocessor to facilitate composition filters in the java language . Unpublished master's thesis , MSc . thesis , Dept. of Computer Science , University of Twente . page THE RECOVERY LANGUAGE APPROACH 1 INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES After having discussed the general approach of fault-tolerance languages and their main features , the focus is now set on one particular case : The ariel1 recovery language . It is also described an approach towards resilient computing based on ariel and therefore dubbed the \" recovery language approach \" ( R\u03b5L ) . In this chapter first the main elements of R\u03b5L are introduced in general terms , coupling each concept to the technical foundations behind it . After this a quite extensive description of ariel and of a compliant architecture are provided . Target applications for such architecture are distributed codes , characterized by non-strict real-time requirements , written in a procedural language such as C , to be executed on distributed or parallel computers consisting of a predefined ( fixed ) set of processing nodes . Reason for giving special emphasis to ariel and its approach is not in their special qualities but more on the fact that , due to the first-hand experience of the author , who conceived , designed and implemented ariel in the course of his studies , it was possible for him to provide the reader with what may be considered as a sort of practical exercise in system and fault modeling and in application-level fault-tolerance design , recalling and applying several of the concepts introduced in previous chapters . 2 THE ARIEL RECOVERY LANGUAGE This section casts the basis of a general approach in abstract terms , while a particular instance of the herein presented concepts is described in Section 3 as a prototypic distributed architecture supporting a fault-tolerance linguistic structure for application-level fault-tolerance . System and fault models are drawn . The approach is also reviewed with respect to the structural attributes ( sc , sa and a ) and to the approaches presented in Chapter 3 , 5 , and 6 . The structure of this section is as follows : \u2022 Models are introduced in Sect . 2.1 . \u2022 Key ideas , concepts , and technical foundations are described in Sect . 2.2 . \u2022 Section 2.4 shows the workflow corresponding to using R\u03b5L . \u2022 Sect . 2.5 summarizes the positive values of the structural attributes sa , sc , and a for R\u03b5L . 2.1 System and Fault Models This section introduces the system and fault models that will be assumed in the rest of this chapter . 2.1.1 System Assumptions In the following , the target system is assumed to be a distributed or parallel system . Basic components are nodes , tasks , and the network . \u2022 A node can be , e.g. , a workstation in a networked cluster or a processor in a MIMD parallel computer . \u2022 Tasks are independent threads of execution running on the nodes . \u2022 The network system allows tasks on different nodes to communicate with each other . Nodes can be commercial-off-the-shelf ( COTS ) hardware components with no special provisions for hardware fault-tolerance . It is not mandatory to have memory management units and secondary storage devices . A general-purpose operating system is required on each node . No special purpose , distributed , or fault-tolerant operating system is required . The number N of nodes is assumed to be known at compile time . Nodes are addressable by the integers in { 0 , ... , N \u2212 1 } . For any integer m > 0 let us call the set of integers { 0 , ... , m \u2212 1 } as Im . Let us furthermore refer to the node addressed by integer i as ni , i in IN . Tasks are pre-defined at compile-time : in particular for each i in IN , it is known that node ni is to run ti tasks , up to a given node-specific limit . No special constraints are posed on the task scheduling policy . On each node , say node i , tasks are identified by user-defined unique local labels \u2013 integers greater than or equal to zero . Let us call Ini the set of labels for tasks to be run on node ni , i in IN . The task with local label j on node i will be also referred to as ni [ j ] . The system obeys the timed asynchronous distributed system model ( Cristian & Fetzer , 1999 ) already introduced in Chapter 2 . As already mentioned , such model allows a straightforward modeling of system partitioning \u2013 as a consequence of sufficiently many omission or performance communication failures , correct nodes may be temporarily disconnected from the rest of the system during so-called \" periods of instability \" ( Cristian & Fetzer , 1999 ) . Moreover it is assumed that , at reset , tasks or nodes restart from a well-defined , initial state \u2013 partial-amnesia crashes ( defined in Chapter 1 ) are not considered . A message passing library is assumed to be available , built on the datagram service . Such library offers asynchronous , non-blocking multicast primitives . The adoption of a library like ISIS ( see Chapter 3 ) is suggested , in order to inherit the benefits of its reliable multicast primitives . As clearly explained in ( Cristian & Fetzer , 1999 ) , the above hypotheses match well to nowadays distributed systems based on networked workstations \u2013 as such , they represent a general model with no practical restriction . The following assumptions characterize the user application : 1 . ( When N > 1 nodes are available ) : the target application is distributed on the system nodes . 2 . It is written or is to be written in a procedural language such as , e.g. , C or C ++ . 3 . The service specification includes non-safety-critical dependability goals \u2013 safety-critical systems may also be addressed , but in this case the crash failure semantics assumption must be supported with a very high coverage ( Mortensen , 2000 ) This would require : \u2022 Extensive self-checking ( by means of , e.g. , signature checking , arithmetic coding , control flow monitoring , or dual processors ) . \u2022 Statistical estimation of the achieved coverage , by means of proper fault injection . 4 . Inter-process communication takes place by means of the functions in the above mentioned message passing library . Higher-level communication services , if available , must be built atop that message passing library too . The reason behind the third assumption is that , forcing communication through a single virtual provision , namely the functions for sending and for receiving messages , allows a straightforward implementation of mechanisms for task isolation . This concept is explained in more detail in Sect . 3.2.9 . 2.1.2 Fault Model As suggested in Chapter 2 , any effective design including dependability goals requires provisions , located at all levels , to avoid , remove , or tolerate faults . Hence , as an application-level structure , R\u03b5L is complementary to other approaches addressing fault-tolerance at system level , i.e. , hardware-level and OS-level fault-tolerance . In particular , a system-level architecture such as GUARDS ( Powell et al. , 1999 ) , that is based on redundancy and hardware and operating system provisions for systematic management of consensus , appears to be particularly appropriate for being coupled with R\u03b5L , which offers application-level provisions for NVP and replication ( see later on ) . The main classes of faults addressed by R\u03b5L are those of accidental , permanent or temporary design faults , and temporary , external , physical faults . Both value and timing failures are considered . The architecture addresses one fault at a time : The system is ready to deal with new faults only after having recovered from the present one . 2.2 Key Ideas and Technical Foundations The design of R\u03b5L tries to capture , by construction , some of the positive aspects of most of the approaches so far surveyed . Some of the key design choices of R\u03b5L are : \u2022 The adoption of a fault-tolerance toolset . \u2022 The separation of the configuration of the toolset from the specification of the functional service . \u2022 The separation of the system structure for the specification of the functional service from that for error recovery and reconfiguration . These concepts and their technical foundations are illustrated in the rest of this section . 2.3 Adoption of a Fault-Tolerance Toolset A requirement of R\u03b5L is the availability of a fault-tolerance toolset , to be interpreted herein as the conjoint adoption of : \u2022 A set of fault-tolerance tools addressing error detection , localisation , containment and recovery , such as the ones in SwIFT ( Huang , Kintala , Bernstein , & Wang , 1996 ) or EFTOS ( Deconinck , De Florio , Lauwereins , & Varvarigou , 1997 ; Deconinck , Varvarigou , et al. , 1997 ) . As seen in detail in Chapter 3 , fault-tolerance services provided by the toolset include , e.g. , watchdog timers and voting . Such tools are called basic tools ( BT ) in what follows . \u2022 A \" basic services library \" ( BSL ) is assumed to be present , providing functions for : \u2013 intra-node and remote communication ; \u2013 task management ; \u2013 access to the local clock ; \u2013 application-level assertions ; \u2013 functions to reboot or shut down a node . This library is required to be available in source code so that it can be instrumented , e.g. , with code to forward information transparently to some collector ( described in what follows ) . Information may include , for instance , the notification of a successful task creation or any failure of this kind . This allows to create fault streams as in Oz ( Chapter 5 ) . If supported , meta-object protocols ( see Chapter 4 ) may also be used to implement the library and its instrumentation . It is also suggested that the functions for sending messages work with opaque objects that reference either single tasks or groups of tasks . In the first case , the function would perform a plain \" send \" , while in the second case it would perform a multicast . This would increase the degree of transparency . \u2022 A distributed component serving as a sort of backbone controlling and monitoring the toolset and the user application . Let us call this application \" the Backbone \" . It is assumed that the Backbone has a component on each node of the system and that , through some software ( and , possibly , hardware ) fault-tolerance provisions , it can tolerate crash failures of up to all but one node or component . An application such as the EFTOS DIR net discussed in Chapter 3 may be used for this . Notifications from the BSL and from the BT are assumed to be collected and maintained by the Backbone into a data structure called \" the database \" ( DB ) . The DB therefore holds data related to the current structure and state of the system , the user application , and the Backbone . A special section of the DB is devoted to keeping track of error notifications , such as , for instance , \" divide-by-zero exception caught while executing task 11 \" sent by a trap handling tool like the one discussed in Chapter 3 . If possible , error detection support at hardware or kernel level may be also instrumented in order to provide the Backbone with similar notifications . The DB is assumed to be stored in a reliable storage device , e.g. , a stable storage device , or replicated and protected against corruption or other unwanted modifications . \u2022 Following the hypothesis of the timed asynchronous distributed system model ( Cristian & Fetzer , 1999 ) , a time-out management system is also assumed to be available . This allows an application to define time-outs , namely , to schedule an event to be generated a given amount of \" clock ticks \" in the future ( Cristian & Schmuck , 1995 ) . Let us call this component the \" time-out manager \" ( tom ) . A prototype of a R\u03b5L-compliant toolset has been developed within the European ESPRIT project \" TIRAN \" . Section 3.2 describes its main components . 2.3.1 Configuration Support Tool The second key component of R\u03b5L is a tool to support fault-tolerance configuration , defined herein as the deployment of customized instances of fault-tolerance tools and strategies . R\u03b5L envisages a translator to help the user configure the toolset and his \/ her application . The translator has to support a custom configuration language especially conceived to facilitate configuration and therefore to reduce the probability of fault-tolerance design faults \u2013 the main cause of failure for fault-tolerant software systems ( Laprie , 1998 ; Lyu , 1998 ) . As an output , the translator could issue , e.g. , C or C ++ header files defining configured objects and symbolic constants to refer easily to the configured objects . Recompilation of the target application is therefore required after each execution of the translator . Configuration can group a number of activities , including : \u2022 Configuration of system and application entities , \u2022 configuration of the basic tools , \u2022 configuration of replicated tasks , \u2022 configuration for retry blocks , \u2022 configuration for multiple-version software fault-tolerance . The above configuration activities are now briefly described . 2.3.2 Configuration of System and Application Entities One of the tasks of a configuration language is to declare the key entities of the system and to define a global naming scheme in order to refer to them . Key entities are nodes , tasks , and groups of tasks . For each node ni , 0 < = i < N and for each task ni [ j ] , 0 < = j < Ini , a unique , global-scope identifier must be defined by the user . Let us call this identifier the task's unique-id . This can be done by editing a configuration script with rules of the form taskt = ni [ j ] , ( 1 ) which assigns unique-id t to ni [ j ] , that is , task number j on node i . Similarly one could define groups of task with rules of the form groupg = { u } , ( 2 ) where u is a list of comma-separated integers representing unique-ids . Such rule defines then a group named g and made of the tasks corresponding to the mentioned unique-ids . The translator would then turn a configuration script containing rules of this kind into a header file to be compiled with the target application and , if necessary , in configuration files expected by the toolset . 2.3.3 Configuration of the Fault-Tolerance Tools in the Toolset Specific instances of the tools in the toolset can be statically configured by means of the translator . For instance , in the case of a watchdog timer , configuration can specify : \u2022 The unique-id of the watching task as well as that of the watched task . \u2022 The initial expected frequency of \" heartbeats \" to be sent from the watched task to the watchdog . \u2022 The actions to be taken when an expected heartbeat is not received in time , and so forth . As an example , a watchdog timer may be configured in high level terms as follows : WATCHDOG TASK 10 WATCHES TASK 14 HEARTBEATS EVERY 100 MS ON ERROR WARN TASK 18 END WATCHDOG Ideally , the output of the translator should be a configuration file for the BSL to associate transparently the creation of the configured instance of the watchdog to the creation of the watched task . Doing like this , the only non-functional code to be intruded in the watched task can be the function call corresponding to sending the heartbeat to the watchdog . A generic \" HEARTBEAT \" method , with no arguments , can be used . This can be a symbolic name properly defined in a header file written by the translator and automatically included when compiling the user application . Even when instrumenting is not possible , the watched task can start the watchdog by means of a symbolic name properly defined in the above mentioned header file . This kind of translations can be applied to most of the tools of a library such as SwIFT or EFTOS that have been described in Chapter 3 . Note how the minimal or absent code intrusion provides an optimal sc . The adoption of a custom , ad hoc language for the expression of the configuration concerns can be used to reach high values for sa and compile-time a . Configuration of Replicated Tasks . The translator and the BSL may be used to implement replicated tasks , i.e. , multiple instances of the same task that perform like a more dependable entity . The goal of the translator is to mask this choice and any other fault-tolerance technicalities , including , in this specific case , replication . This can be obtained , e.g. , by solving separately the following sub-problems , both at syntactical and at semantic level : 1 . Replication and forwarding of the input value . 2 . Execution support of a fault-tolerance strategy . 3 . Output management . Problem 1 can be solved by defining a group-of-tasks object that , once passed to the BSL function for sending messages , triggers a multicast of the same message to the whole group , as suggested in Sect . 2.3.2 . Problem 2 can be solved in various ways \u2013 for instance , through a temporal redundancy scheme , executing the involved tasks one after the other , on the same node , or via spatial redundancy , executing tasks in parallel . Increased dependability may be obtained via a number of software techniques , implementing schemes such as active replication or primary-backup replication ( Guerraoui & Schiper , 1997 ) . As noticed in the cited paper , each scheme has both positive and negative aspects and requires solving specific problems . All these problems are low-level design issues that can be made transparent to the user of an R\u03b5L system . Other choices and options , e.g. , which type and degree of replication and which redundancy scheme to adopt , that would result in non-functional code intrusion , can be also made transparent to the user by means of the translator ( see Sect . 2.3.3 ) , hence increasing configurability . Problem 3 , depending on the adopted scheme , can be as simple as sending a message ( when in primary-backups mode ) or could require special processing . For instance , in the case of active replication , two sub-problems would call for specific treatment : 3.1 . Routing the outputs produced by the base tasks . 3.2 . De-multiplexing , i.e. , production of a unique output value from the values routed in sub-problem 3.1 . Sub-problem 3.1 can be solved , e.g. , by a proper combination of pipelining and redirection . Other approaches may be used when the OS does not support the above tools . De-multiplexing , i.e. , solution of sub-problem 3.2 , can be for instance the result of a voting procedure performed among the outputs produced by the base tasks . Also in this case , the availability of a translator and an appropriate syntax rule could guarantee an almost complete separation of design concerns . The configuration of a replicated task requires the specification of : \u2022 The unique-id of a task globally representing a set of replicas . \u2022 The unique-ids of the replicas . \u2022 The replication method and its parameters . \u2022 The actions to be taken when an output is produced by the replicated task . \u2022 The actions to be taken when an error occurs . In the case of replicated tasks , the translator is also responsible for the set up of a proper run-time executive . The latter would then be responsible , at run-time , for the orchestration of the services required by the replicated tasks \u2013 task management , distributed voting , and so forth . Proper calls to the BSL and to instances of the basic tools may be used for this . A voting tool such as the EFTOS voting farm , described in Chapter 3 , appears to be a natural choice , as it addresses many of the required issues . It is worth noting how , also in this case , full transparency is reached : A client of a replicated task would have no way to tell whether its server be simple or replicated \u2013 possibly apart from some performance penalty and a higher quality of service . This translates into optimal sc . The same applies to sa and a for the reasons mentioned in Sect . 2.3.3 . Configuration for Retry Blocks . Transparent support for redoing ( see e.g. language FTAG in Chapter 5 ) \u2013 another important fault-tolerance provisions \u2013 can be provided via \" retry blocks \" . Again , a proper run-time executive is to be produced by the translator . The problems to be solved at this level include 1 . reversibility of a failed task and 2 . input replication . The first problem can be solved by implementing some \" recovery cache \" ( as in the recovery block technique described in Chapter 3 ) : That is a mechanism to checkpoint the state of the calling task before entering the retry block and to roll it back to its original value in case the acceptance test fails . This may be done transparently or with the intervention of the user . In the latter case , one restricts the size of the recovery cache and reduces the corresponding overheads , at the same time increasing the code intrusion . The second problem could be solved via an \" input cache \" , i.e. , a mechanism that : \u2022 Intercepts the original input message . \u2022 Stores the original message into some stable means . \u2022 And forwards the saved original message to each new retry instance . Transparent adoption of an input cache can also be realized , e.g. , by means of pipelining and redirection ( when the OS supports these ) . The configuration of a retry block requires the specification of : \u2022 The unique-id of a task to be retried in case of errors . \u2022 An acceptance test , in the form of the name of a function returning a Boolean value or of a task that , upon termination , returns a Boolean value2 . \u2022 A threshold r representing the maximum number of retries . \u2022 The actions to be taken when the base task fails for r times in a row . Configuration for Multiple-Version Software Fault-Tolerance . Compile-time support towards multiple-version software fault-tolerance can be provided by the translator through syntax rules and techniques similar to those described for task replication . The configuration of a provision for MV requires the specification of : \u2022 The unique-id of a task representing the provision . \u2022 The unique-id 's of the tasks running the versions . \u2022 A set of thresholds representing time-outs on the execution of the version tasks3 . \u2022 The name of the user-specified function to be executed by each version task . \u2022 A method to de-multiplex the multiple outputs produced by the versions into a single output value . \u2022 Possible arguments to the de-multiplexing method . \u2022 The unique-id of a task to be notified each time an execution cycle is successfully completed . \u2022 The unique-id of a task to be notified each time an execution cycle fails . Support towards consensus recovery blocks ( Scott , Gault , & McAllister , 1985 ) may be provided in a similar way . Acceptance tests should be specified as described in Sect . 2.3.3 . An Example Scenario and Some Conclusions . A possible compile-time and run-time scenario is now described for the case of the configuration of multiple-version software fault-tolerance . This is done in order to provide the reader with a more concrete view of the kind of support supplied by a configuration language . It is assumed that the OS supports pipelining and stream redirection . It is also assumed that , by agreement , the user tasks that are going to be used as NVP versions forward a single output value onto the standard output stream . Finally , user tasks are assumed to be side effect-free . Once fed with a configuration script , the translator writes a number of source files for the tasks corresponding to the employed versions . Each of these source files , set up from some template file , specify how to : \u2022 Set up a configured instance of a distributed voting tool ( such as the EFTOS voting farm ) . \u2022 Redirect standard output streams . \u2022 Execute one of the version tasks . During the execution , when a client needs to access a service supplied by the provisions , it simply sends a request message to the corresponding task . The client does not need to know that the latter is actually an \" NVP task \" , that is , a group . Through the BSL , this sending turns into a multicast to the version tasks . These tasks , which in the meanwhile have transparently set up a distributing voting tool , \u2022 get their input , \u2022 compute some user-specified function , \u2022 produce an output , \u2022 and ( by the above agreement ) write that output into their standard output stream . This output , which was already redirected through a piped stream to the template task , is fed into the voting system . The latter eventually produces an output that , in case of success , is sent to some output task with the notification of successful completion of a processing cycle . Note that the client task of such an \" NVP task \" is completely unaware of the context in which it is running , with full transparency and separation of design concern . One can conclude that the adoption of a configuration strategy like the one just sketched can lead to an optimal sc . The variety of fault-tolerance provisions that can be supported by configuration and the adoption of a linguistic environment separated from the functional application layer can be exploited by programming language designers in order to attain optimal values for sa and a as well . 2.3.4 Recovery Languages Two of the three key concepts of R\u03b5L have been described , namely the adoption of a fault-tolerance toolset and that of a configuration language . This section now introduces the third component of R\u03b5L . This component supports two application layers , namely : \u2022 The functional application layer , i.e. , the one devoted to the fulfillment of the functional requirements and to the specification of an intended user service , supported by the run-time modules of conventional programming languages such as , e.g. , C or C ++ . \u2022 An ancillary application layer , specifically devoted to error processing and fault identification , to be switched in either asynchronously , when errors are detected in the system , or when the user synchronously signals particular run-time conditions , such as a failed assertion , or when the control flow runs into user-defined breakpoints . In the following the service language is the language constituting the front layer and recovery language the one related to error processing . Note how a recovery language can be specified in a separate script . The latter can then be translated into pseudo-code to be interpreted at run-time , or , e.g. , into plain C to be compiled with the user application . In the first case , the functional code and the recovery code are fully separated , also at run-time , which can be exploited to reach optimal a and to extend or reduce the set of faults to be tolerated . This feature could be used to realize the vision of a fault model structured as a dynamic system , F ( t ) , as described in Chapter 2 . The second case eliminates the overhead of interpreting the pseudo-code . The same translator used for fault-tolerance configuration may be used to generate the pseudo-code or the C source code . The general strategy is as follows : \u2022 During the lifetime of the application , in the absence of errors , the front layer controls the progress of the service supply while the Backbone collects and maintains in the DB the data concerning the state of each component of the application , the state of each node of the system , the state and progress of public and private resources , and so forth . \u2022 As soon as an error is detected by a basic tool , such as a watchdog timer , the latter transparently forwards a notification of this event to the Backbone , which awakes the ancillary layer by enabling a module to interpret or execute the recovery code . Let us call this module RINT , for recovery interpreter . A possible syntactical structure for the recovery language is that of a list of guarded actions , i.e. , statements in the form g : a , where g is a guard , i.e. , a Boolean expression on the contents of the DB , and a is one or more actions ( to be specified later on ) . Hence , adequate paradigms for the recovery language could be that of procedural or logic programming languages . The following two paragraphs describe guards and actions in more detail . Guards represent conditions that require recovery . As just said , they are Boolean expressions made of basic queries called atoms . Possible atoms may express conditions such as : \u2022 Task t has been detected as faulty . \u2022 Task t has been detected as faulty by error detection tool d . \u2022 For m times in a row , task t has been detected as faulty . \u2022 A time-out concerning task t has expired . \u2022 An N - version task has signaled that no full consensus has been reached , or in more detail : \u2013 For m times in a row , the same version , say task t ' , has been found in minority with respect to the other versions ; \u2013 for m times in a row , version t ' did not produce any output within its deadline ; \u2013 and so forth . \u2022 Node n is down , or , in more detail : \u2013 Node n has crashed ; \u2013 Node n is unreachable ; \u2013 No sign of life from node n in the last s seconds , as measured by the local clock ; \u2013 and so forth . \u2022 Task t could not be restarted ; \u2022 Some of the tasks in group g are faulty . and so forth . Most of the atoms in a Boolean clause will require a DB query or proper actions on DB fields \u2013 for instance , conditions such as \" task t is affected by a transient fault \" require the adoption , within the DB , of a thresholding statistical technique such as \u03b1-count ( Powell et al. , 1999 ; Bondavalli , Chiaradonna , Di Giandomenico , & Grandoni , 1997 ) , which is capable of distinguishing between transient and permanent \/ intermittent faults . In particular , \u03b1-count ( described in Sect . 3.2.4 ) can be straightforwardly \" wired \" into the DB management system within the Backbone , because that mechanism is based on adjusting some counters according to the contents in a stream of error messages forwarded by a set of error detectors . Actions are local or remote commands to be executed when their guard is evaluated as true . Actions can specify , for instance , recovery or reconfiguration services . A special case of action can be also another guarded action \u2013 this allows to have nested guarded actions that can be represented as a tree . The execution of an inner guard is , again , its evaluation . When a parent guard is evaluated as false , all its actions are skipped , including its child guards . Actions can include , for instance : \u2022 Switching tasks in and out of a fault-tolerance structure such as , e.g. , an \" NVP task \" ( see Sect . 2.3.3 ) . \u2022 Synchronizing groups of tasks . \u2022 Isolating4 groups of tasks . \u2022 Instructions to roll the execution of a task or a group of tasks back to a previously saved checkpoint , and so forth . Actions have a system-wide scope and are executed on any processing node of the system where a non-faulty component of the Backbone is running . They may include commands to send control signals to specific components of the Backbone or to user tasks . Basic tools such as a distributed voting tool like the EFTOS voting farm ( discussed in Chapter 3 ) can be instructed so that they respond to that signal supplying transparent support towards graceful degradation , task switching , and task migration , as described for instance in ( De Florio , Deconinck , & Lauwereins , 1998 ) . Furthermore , the ability to distinguish between transient and permanent \/ intermittent faults can be exploited , in order to avoid unnecessary reconfigurations or other costly or redundancy-consuming actions , attaching different strategies to these two cases . Figure 1 : A workflow diagram for R\u03b5L . Labels refer to usage steps and are described in Sect . 2.4 . 2.4 Workflow This section describes the workflow corresponding to the adoption of the R\u03b5L approach . Figure 1 summarizes the workflow . The following basic steps have been foreseen : \u2022 In the first steps ( labels 1 and 2 in the cited figure ) , the designer describes the key application and system entities , such as tasks , groups of tasks , and nodes . The main tool for this phase is the configuration language . \u2022 Next ( step 3 ) , the designer configures the basic tools and the fault-tolerance provisions he \/ she has decided to use . The configuration language is used for this . The output of steps 1 \u2013 3 is the configuration code . \u2022 Next ( step 4 ) , the designer defines what conditions need to be caught , and what actions should follow each caught condition . The resulting list is coded as a number of guarded actions via a recovery language . \u2022 The configuration code and the recovery code are then converted via the translator into a set of C header files , C fragments , and system-specific configuration files ( steps 5 and 6 ) . These files represent : configured instances of the basic tools , of the system and of the application ; initialization files for the communication management functions ; user preferences for the backbone ; and the recovery pseudo-code . \u2022 On steps 7 \u2013 9 , the application source code and the configured basic tool instances are compiled in order to produce the executable code of the application . \u2022 Next , the backbone is compiled on steps 10 \u2013 12 . \u2022 Finally , on step 13 , the communication management services of the BSL are configured in order to allow the proper management of multicasting and other communication services . 2.5 Conclusions In this section an approach to application-level software fault-tolerance has been introduced . Such an approach provides its users with a linguistic structure to express application-level error recovery concerns and to configure a number of fault-tolerance provisions outside the functional application layer . The latter can be provided by any procedural language . The R\u03b5L approach addresses dependability goals for distributed or parallel applications written in any procedural language . Its target hardware platforms include distributed and parallel computers consisting of a set of processing nodes known at compile time . Within this application and system domain , the novel approach can be qualitatively assessed as reaching optimal values of the structural attributes . In particular , with respect to the application-level software fault-tolerance approaches reviewed in Chapter 3 , 4 , and 5 : \u2022 Error recovery is expressed in a separate programming context \u2013 thus good sc can be obtained . \u2022 The executable code is separable \u2013 that is , at run-time , the portion of the executable code devoted to the fault-tolerance aspects is clearly distinct from the functional code . \u2022 Run-time adaptability to diverse environmental conditions may be obtained without requiring the entire executable code to be recompiled . This and previous items bring to a good a . \u2022 A large number of well-known fault-tolerance strategies are supported in a straightforward way ( i.e. good sa ) . \u2022 The R\u03b5L approach addresses a wide class of applications : That of distributed applications , with non-strict real-time requirements , written in a procedural language , to be executed on distributed or parallel computers consisting of a set of processing nodes known at compile time . \u2022 Our approach reaches both the benefits of the evolutionary approaches , which base themselves on standards , and those of \" revolutionary \" approaches , exploiting ad-hoc , non-standard solutions . \u2022 It can host other provisions and approaches . \u2022 As shown in Chapter 9 , in same cases R\u03b5L can be adopted with minimal programming effort and minimal adaptation of a pre-existing , non fault-tolerant application . Finally , one can note that the language-based approaches such as those in Chapter 5 differ considerably from R\u03b5L . Despite their many positive characteristics , their very axioms \u2013 using a custom syntax for both the functional and the fault-tolerance concerns \u2013 may restrict significantly their usability . The lack of standards is further detrimental to their diffusion . On the contrary , the choice to support a standard language for the functional aspects and an ad-hoc syntactical structure for the fault-tolerance aspects allows reach optimal sa with no impact on the usability . Next chapter describes a prototype architecture based on the R\u03b5L approach . 3 A DISTRIBUTED ARCHITECTURE BASED ON THE RECOVERY LANGUAGE APPROACH This section describes a prototypic architecture based on R\u03b5L that has been designed in the context of the European ESPRIT project TIRAN . The structure of the section is as follows : first , project TIRAN is described in Sect . 3.1 . The main components of the TIRAN architecture are covered in Sect . 3.2 . Section 3.2.6 describes the TIRAN configuration and recovery language . Section 5 closes this part and draws a few conclusions . 3.1 The ESPRIT Project TIRAN TIRAN is the name of the European ESPRIT project 28620 . Its name loosely derives from \" Tailorable fault-tolerance frameworks for embedded applications \" ( Botti et al. , 1999 ) . The main objective of TIRAN was to develop a software framework 5 providing fault-tolerant capabilities to automation systems . Application-level support to fault-tolerance was included by means of a R\u03b5L architecture , which is described in the rest of this chapter . The framework provides a library of software fault-tolerance provisions that are parametric and support an easy configuration process . TIRAN builds on top of EFTOS , inheriting several of the concepts and tools developed in that project and described in Chapter 3 . Using the TIRAN framework , application developers are allowed to select , configure and integrate provisions for fault masking , error detection , isolation and recovery among those offered by the library . Goal of the TIRAN project was to provide a tool that significantly reduced the development times and costs for dependable systems . TIRAN's target market segment was that of non-safety-critical6 distributed real-time embedded systems ( Botti et al. , 2000 ) . TIRAN explicitly adopted formal techniques to support requirement specification and predictive evaluation . This , together with the intensive testing on pilot applications , was exploited in order to : \u2022 Guarantee the correctness of the framework . \u2022 Quantify the fulfillment of real-time , dependability and cost requirements . \u2022 Provide guidelines to the configuration process of the users . Most of the TIRAN framework was designed for being platform independent . A single version of the framework has been written in the C programming language making use of a BSL designed by the TIRAN consortium and initially developed by one of the partners for the development platform ( Microsoft Windows NT ) . Within TIRAN , a number of target platforms and systems compliant to the model sketched in Sect . 2.1 have been selected . Porting the TIRAN code to these platforms was mainly obtained through the porting of the BSL . As mentioned already , this does not automatically translate in porting the service expected by the BSL ; the latter was obtained by proper verification and validation of its properties on the target platforms . Such platforms included : \u2022 A set of Mosaic0207 boards running the Virtuoso microkernel ( Systems , 1998 ; Mosaic020 , 1998 ) . \u2022 A set of VME boards based on PowerPC processors and running the VxWorks operating system ( VxWorks , 1999 ) . An MMU is available on these boards , which translates in special hardware support for memory protection . \u2022 A set of DEC Alpha boards running the TEX kernel . These boards have no MMU and address spaces of tasks are not protected . Proper protection is guaranteed by TEX , which does not allow any dynamic memory allocation . All addresses are therefore known at compile time , so a preprocessing tool could be used in principle to prevent memory contamination . \u2022 Clusters of Windows-CE personal computers ( PCs ) . The final version of the TIRAN framework , running on all the above systems , was demonstrated in November 2000 at the final TIRAN review meeting and at the TIRAN workshop ( Thielemans , 2000 ) . Some elements of the TIRAN framework ( namely those derived from EFTOS ) are also available on Parsytec CC and Parsytec Xplorer systems based on the PowerPC processor and the EPX kernels ( Parsytec , 1996a , 1996b ) and on a proprietary hardware board based on the DEC Alpha chip and running the TEX kernel . The main components of the TIRAN framework are : 1 . The TIRAN toolset , the components of which are discussed in Sect . 3.2 . 2 . The TIRAN configuration and recovery language ariel , described in Sect . 3.2.6 . In particular : \u2022 Its translator is dealt with in Sect . 3.2.9 . \u2022 The run-time executive of ariel , which is sketched in Sect . 3.2.9 . As mentioned already TIRAN was built on top of ESPRIT project EFTOS \u2013 described in full detail in Chapter 3 . In particular TIRAN adopted and improved the EFTOS voting farm ( De Florio et al. , 1998 ) , also described in the mentioned chapter , so as to function as the distributed voting system of the TIRAN framework . Figure 2 draws the TIRAN architecture and locates its main components into it . Two types of edges are used in the picture : \u2022 The thinner , directed edge represents relation \" <Sends> \" : If such an edge goes from entity a to entity b then it means that a sends a data message to b or requests a service provided by b through a control message or a method invocation . \u2022 The thicker edge is only used between the RINT and ariel entities and means that the former implements the latter through the process of interpreting a pseudo-code called \" r-codes \" ( detailed information about this is available in Sect . 3.2.9 ) . The central , whiter layers represent the TIRAN framework . In particular : \u2022 The level 0 hosts the TIRAN BSL , which gives system-independent access to the services provided by the underlying run-time system ( see Sect . 2.3 ) . The user application , the BT , the Backbone , the Time-out Manager , and the dependable mechanisms ( DMs , see Sect . 3.2.3 ) , all make use of the BSL , e.g. , to create tasks or to send messages through mailboxes . \u2022 Level 1 services are provided by the BT for error detection and fault masking ( level 1.1 ) and by the BT addressing error isolation , recovery and reconfiguration ( level 1.2 ) . Both services are supplied by node-local ( simplex ) provisions . Section 3.2.1 describes in more detail the BT . The edge from BT to Backbone represents the sending of error detection or diagnostic messages . The edge from Backbone to BT represents control messages , such as , for instance , a request to modify a parameter of a watchdog , or a request to reboot the local node ( see Fig. 4 ) . Figure 2 : A representation of the TIRAN elements . The central , whiter layers constitute the TIRAN framework . This same structure is replicated on each processing node of the system . \u2022 Level 2 hosts the TIRAN Backbone , including the Time-out Manager component , the DB management functions , and the recovery interpreter , RINT . In Fig. 2 , the thicker edge connecting RINT to ariel means that RINT actually implements ( executes ) the ariel programs . Note the control and data messages that flow from Backbone to Time-out Manager , DB , and RINT . RINT also sends control messages to the isolation and recovery BT . Data messages flow also from Backbone to the monitoring tool . \u2022 Dependable mechanisms , i.e. , high-level , distributed fault-tolerance tools exploiting the services of the Backbone and of the BT , are located at level 3 . These tools include the distributed voting tool , the distributed synchronization tool , the stable memory tool , and the distributed memory tool , described in Sect . 3.2.3 . Dependable Mechanisms receive notifications from RINT in order to execute reconfigurations such as introducing a spare task to take over the role of a failed task ( see Table 5 ) . The layers around the TIRAN framework in Fig. 2 represent ( from the layer at the bottom and proceeding clockwise ) : \u2022 The run-time system . \u2022 A provision to inject software faults at all levels of the framework and in the run-time system . \u2022 The monitoring tool , for hypermedia rendering of the current state of the system within the windows of an Internet browser . \u2022 The functional application layer and the recovery language application layer ( the latter is represented as the box labeled ariel ) . Figure 3 pictures the key elements of the TIRAN architecture within the workflow diagram in Fig. 1 . The following sections describe some of the TIRAN components in more detail . 3.2 Some Components of the TIRAN Framework This section describes some key components of the TIRAN framework , namely : The TIRAN toolset , i.e. , the BT , the BSL , the Backbone , and the Time-out Manager service . It also briefly enumerates the TIRAN level-3 mechanisms . 3.2.1 The TIRAN Basic Tools The TIRAN Basic Tools represent a layer of node-local services for error detection , fault masking , error recovery , and isolation . The TIRAN BT include : 1 . A watchdog timer . Figure 3 : The main components of the R\u03b5L architecture developed in TIRAN are located within the workflow diagram of Fig. 1 . A so-called \" SocketServer \" has been also depicted , i.e. , a BSL component managing message transmission and dispatching . 2 . A node-local voting system . 3 . An input replicator , to be used with the voting system . 4 . An output collector , to be used with the voting system . 5 . A tool responsible for node shutdowns . 6 . A tool responsible for node reboots . 7 . A tool responsible for isolating a task . Some of the BT ( such as the level 1.1 BT with numbers 1 \u2013 4 ) are application-level software tools , others ( for instance , the level-1 . 2 BT number 5 \u2013 7 ) provide hooks to lower-level services . Most of these tools have been designed and developed by the TIRAN partners and have been especially conceived in order to meet hard real-time requirements . A deeper description of some of these tools can be found in ( Deconinck , Botti , Cassinari , De Florio , & Lauwereins , 1998 ; Deconinck et al. , 1999 ) . As a side effect of using these tools , the TIRAN Backbone ( see Sect . 3.2.4 ) is transparently notified of a number of events related to fault-tolerance . Notifications generally describe the state of a given component and have the form of a 4-tuple of integers ( c , t , u , p ) , in which c identifies a specific condition , t is a label that identifies a class of BT , u is the unique-id of either a task , or a group of tasks , or a node , and p is a possibly empty list of optional arguments . Unlike in Mozart ( Chapter 5 ) , where an entity can register to a fault stream and be notified of all faults affecting any entity , within TIRAN an entity must explicitly set up such fault stream by calling function RaiseEvent . Such function forwards notifications to the Backbone . It has the following prototype : int RaiseEvent ( int condition , int actor , TIRAN TASK ID uniqueId , int nargs , ... ) . 3.2.2 The TIRAN Basic Services Library The TIRAN Basic Services Library offers specific services such as communication , task creation and management , access to the local hardware clock , management of semaphores , and so forth . It supports multicasting : Messages are sent to so-called \" logicals , \" i.e. , groups of tasks . It was designed by the TIRAN Consortium and developed by various partners for the different target platforms and operating systems . Specific adaptation layers may be designed for mapping existing communication libraries , such as MPI2 , to the TIRAN BSL . As a side effect of using some of the BSL functions , the TIRAN Backbone ( see Sect . 3.2.4 ) can be transparently notified of events such as a successful spawning of a task , or the failure state of a communication primitive . BSL notifications are similar to BT notifications \u2013 4-tuples of integers ( c , t , u , p ) , where c and p are as in Sect . 3.2.1 , while in this context t is a label that specifies the class of BSL services and u is the unique-id of the task that experienced condition c . A full description of the TIRAN BSL can be found in ( Calella et al. , 1999 ) . 3.2.3 The TIRAN Dependable Mechanisms As already mentioned , the TIRAN Dependable Mechanisms are distributed , high-level fault-tolerance provisions that can be used to facilitate the development of dependable services . The TIRAN Dependable Mechanisms include : \u2022 A tool to enhance data integrity by means of a stabilizing procedure ( data is only allowed to pass through the system boundaries when it is confirmed a user-defined number of times ) . This is known as Stable Memory Tool and is described in detail in Chapter 3 . \u2022 A Distributed Synchronization Tool , i.e. , a software tool for synchronizing a set of tasks . A description of this tool can be found in ( Calella et al. , 1999 ) . \u2022 A so-called Distributed Memory Tool that creates and manages distributed replicas of memory cells . Several features of this tool have been described in Chapter 3 . \u2022 A \" Redundant Watchdog \" , i.e. , a distributed system exploiting multiple instances of the watchdog basic tool in order to enhance various dependability properties ( see Chapter 9 ) . \u2022 The TIRAN distributed voting tool ( DV ) , an adaptation of the EFTOS voting farm described in Chapter 3 . 3.2.4 The TIRAN Backbone The TIRAN Backbone is the core component of the fault-tolerance distributed architecture described in this chapter . The main objectives of the TIRAN Backbone include : 1 . Gathering and maintaining error detection information produced by TIRAN BT and BSL . 2 . Using this information at error recovery time . In particular , as described in Sect . 3.2.1 , the TIRAN BT focusing on error detection and fault masking forward their deductions to the Backbone . The Backbone maintains these data in the TIRAN DB , replicated on multiple nodes of the system . Incoming data are also fed into an \u03b1-count ( Powell et al. , 1999 ) filter ( see Sect . 3.2.4 ) . This mechanism allows identifying statistically the nature of faults \u2013 whether a given fault is transient or whether it is permanent or intermittent . A set of private functions to query the current state of the DB is available within the Backbone . Other private functions request remote services such as , for instance , rebooting a node or spawning a certain task on a given node . When the underlying architecture is built around a host computer controlling a number of target boards by means of a custom OS , the latter may execute remote commands on the boards . On the contrary , when the OS is general-purpose and node-local , remote services can be executed on any node of the system by sending command messages from one component to the other of the Backbone \u2013 for instance , a \" reboot \" message may be sent from the component of the Backbone on node 0 to the component on node 2 . On receipt , the latter may execute the reboot command by forwarding a local request to a BT addressing error isolation or recovery , e.g. , the tool managing the reboot service . Figure 4 represents this scheme . The above remote services can be the basis for more complex , system-wide recovery and reconfiguration actions . Figure 4 : On each processing node exactly one component of the Backbone is located . This component is the intermediary of the Backbone on that node . In particular , it gathers information from error detection and fault containment BT ( grey circles ) and forwards requests to error containment and recovery BT ( light grey circles ) . These latter execute recovery actions and possibly , at test time , fault injection requests . The TIRAN Backbone consists of two core components . In the absence of system partitioning , within the system there is exactly one manager , holding the main copy of the DB and with recovery management responsibilities . On other nodes , Backbone components called assistants deal with DB replicas , forward local deductions to the manager and can take over the role of the manager should the latter or its node fail . A key point in the effectiveness of this approach is guaranteeing that the Backbone itself tolerates internal and external faults . A custom distributed algorithm has been designed to detect the failures of up to all but one of the components of the Backbone or the nodes of the system . The same algorithm also tolerates system partitioning during the \" periods of instability \" ( see the timed-asynchronous distributed system model ( Cristian & Fetzer , 1999 ) , briefly described in Chapter 2 ) . This procedure has been called the \" algorithm of mutual suspicion \" ( AMS ) since each component of the Backbone continuously questions the correctness of all the other valid components . It is described in detail in Chapter 7 . The \u03b1-Count Fault Identification Mechanism . It is a well known fact that reconfiguration is a costly activity , in the sense that it always results in redundancy consumption . This translates in a possibly graceful , though actual degradation of the quality of service of a system . This may have drastic consequences , especially in systems where service degradations are static and irreversible . For instance , in satellites and space probes , rapid exhaustion of redundancy may severely affect the duration of the useful mission hours and hence reliability ( Inquiry , 1996 ) . Two important issues towards solving the problem just stated are : 1 . Understanding the nature of faults , and in particular identifying faults as permanent ( and thus actually requiring reconfiguration ) with respect to transient ones . 2 . Tolerating transient faults with less redundancy consuming techniques , possibly not based on reconfiguration . Issue 1 means that the adopted fault-tolerance mechanism is required not only to locate a component subject to an error , but also to assess the nature of the originating fault . This implies processing additional information and unfortunately translates also in a larger delay in fault diagnosis . Despite this larger delay , in same cases the benefits of techniques based on the above issues may be greater than its penalties in performance and latency ( Bondavalli et al. , 1997 ) . A number of techniques have been devised to assess the character of faults \u2013 some of them are based on tracking the occurrences and the frequency of faults and adopting thresholds of the kind \" a device is diagnosed as affected by a permanent fault when four failures occurs within 24 hours \" . This and other similar heuristics are described in ( Lin & Siewiorek , 1990 ) . A fault identification mechanism , called \u03b1-count , has been described in ( Powell et al. , 1999 ) and generalized in ( Bondavalli , Chiaradonna , Di Giandomenico , & Grandoni , 2000 ) . \u03b1-count is also based on thresholds . The basic idea is that each system component to be assessed is to be \" guarded \" by an error detection device . This device should forward its deductions , in the form of a binary digit , to a device called \u03b1-count filter . For each incoming judgement , the filter would then perform the \u03b1-count technique and issue an assessment about the nature of the fault leading to the detected error . More formally , given n \" guarded \" components ui , 0 < = i < n , the authors of the strategy call J ( i , L ) the L-th judgement on ui . Judgement 0 means success ( ui is \" healthy \" ) , 1 means failure ( ui is faulty ) . A score vector , \u03b1 ( i ) , 0 < = i < n , is initially set to zero and updated , for each judgement L > 1 , as follows : \u03b1 ( i , L ) = \u03b1 ( i , ( L \u2212 1 )) Kif J ( i , L ) = 0 \u03b1 ( i , L ) = \u03b1 ( i , ( L \u2212 1 )) + 1if J ( i , L ) = 1 , ( 3 ) being 0 < = K < = 1 . When \u03b1 ( i , L ) becomes greater than a certain threshold \u03b1T , ui is diagnosed as affected by a permanent or intermittent fault . This event may be signaled to a reconfigurator or another fault passivation mechanism . The authors of \u03b1-count show that their mechanism is asymptotically able to identify all components affected by permanent or intermittent faults \u2013 if the threshold \u03b1T is set to any finite positive integer A , and if the Figure 5 : The picture shows how an \u03b1-count filter , \u03b1 ( 1 , L ) , is updated when it receives 14 error detection notifications ( 0 < = L < = 13 ) from the Backbone . Notifications are in this case chosen randomly . Note that , on the last notification ( L = 13 ) , a threshold ( in this case , 5.5 ) is reached and the corresponding fault is assessed as permanent or intermittent . component is indeed affected by a permanent or intermittent fault , they prove that \u03b1 ( i , L ) will eventually become greater than or equal to A ( Bondavalli et al. , 1997 ) . The authors also prove that similar results can be reached with some variants of formula ( 3 ) . Figure 5 shows how that counter evolves when random-valued notifications ( either positive or negative assessments ) are sent to the Backbone . It is worth noting how the mechanism described above requires an approach slightly similar to the one of the R\u03b5L toolset : in both cases , a fault stream has to flow from a periphery of detection tools to a collector . This collector is the \u03b1-count filter in the one case and the TIRAN Backbone and its DB in the other one . This makes it straightforward adopting \u03b1-count in TIRAN : The filter can simply be fed with data coming from the detection BT just before this data in inserted into the DB . The added value of this approach is that it is possible to set up a function that returns the current estimation of the nature of a fault ( see Sect . 3.2.9 ) . Clearly , a requirement of this technique is that each detection tool not only forward notifications of erroneous activity , but also confirmations of normal behavior . This may have negative consequences on the performance of the approach , as it may result in many communication requests . In the prototype version developed by the author , Figure 6 : An assistant running on a node of a cluster of PCs . The upper window hosts the assistant , the lower one its SocketServer ( see Fig. 3 ) . In the former one , note how the \u03b1-counter detects that task 2 is affected by a permanent or intermittent fault . each notification from any detection tool to the backbone is tagged with an integer label starting at 0 and incremented by 1 at each new deduction . This way , only negative assessments can be sent \u2013 in fact , if , for instance , the backbone receives from the same detection tool two consecutive negative assessments labeled respectively , e.g. , 24 and 28 , then this implicitly means that there have been three positive assessments in between , and the \u03b1-counter can be updated accordingly \u2013 though possibly with some delay . This strategy has been conceived by the author of this book . Figure 6 shows the \u03b1-counter in action \u2013 a task has reached its threshold and has been declared as affected by a permanent or intermittent fault . Clearly a system like Mozart ( Chapter 5 ) may also easily adopt a tool like \u03b1-count . 3.2.5 The TIRAN Time-Out Manager As already mentioned , the main assumption of R\u03b5L is the adoption of the timed asynchronous distributed system model ( Cristian & Fetzer , 1999 ) , the promising model for solving problems such as dynamic membership ( Cristian & Schmuck , 1995 ) in distributed systems that has been introduced in Chapter 2 . The availability of a class of functions for managing time-outs is an important requirement for that model . The TIRAN Time-out Manager ( De Florio , Deconinck , & Lauwereins , 2000 ) fulfils this need \u2013 it is basically a mechanism for managing lists of time-outs , that is objects that postpone a function call for a certain number of local clock units . Time-outs are ordered by clock-units-to-expiration , and time-out lists are managed in such a way that only the head of the list needs to be checked for expiration . When the specified amount of time elapses for the head of the list , its function \u2013 let us call it \" alarm \" \u2013 is executed and the object is either thrown out of the list or renewed ( in this second case , a time-out is said to be \" cyclic \" ) . A special thread monitors and manages one or more of such lists , checking for the expiration of the entries in the time-out list . Within the strategy of the TIRAN Backbone , a Time-out Manager task is available on each node of the system , spawned at initialization time by the local Backbone component . Time-out Manager is used in this context to translate time-related clauses , such as , \" pa seconds have elapsed \" , into message arrivals . In other words , each Time-out Manager instance of the Backbone may be represented as a function a from C to M such that , for any time-related clause c in C : a ( c ) = message \" clause c has elapsed \" is in M. This homomorphism is useful because it allows deal with the entire set of possible events \u2013 both messages and time-related events \u2013 as the arrival of a homogeneous set of messages . Hence , a single multiple-selection statement such as the C language switch can be used to manage all cases , which translates into a simpler and more straightforward implementation for error detection protocols such as the AMS . The Time-out Manager uses a well-known algorithm for managing its time-outs ( Tanenbaum , 1996 ) . Once the first time-out is entered , the manager creates a linked-list of time-outs and polls the top of the list . For each new time-out to be inserted , a proper position in the list is found and the list is modified accordingly , as described in Fig. 7 . If the top entry expires , a user-defined alarm function is invoked . This is a general mechanism that allows associate any event with the expiring of a time-out . In the case of the backbone , the Time-out Manager component on node k sends a message to Backbone component on the same node \u2013 the same result may also be achieved by sending that component a UNIX signal ( Haviland & Salama , 1987 ) . Special time-outs are defined as \" cyclic \" , i.e. , they are automatically renewed at each new expiration , after invoking their alarm function . A special function renews a time-out , i.e. , it deletes and re-enters that entry . It is also possible to temporarily suspend8 a time-out and re-enable it afterwards . Time-out Manager exploits multiple alarm execution threads in order to reduce the congestion that is due to concurrent execution of alarms and the consequent run-time violations . A description of this strategy can be found in ( De Florio et al. , 2000 ) . Figure 7 : How the alarm manager works : in 1 . , a 330ms alarm called X is inserted in the list . In 2 . , after 100ms , X has been reduced to 230ms and a 400ms alarm , called Y , is inserted ( its value is 170 , i.e. , 400-230 ) . Another 70ms have passed in 3 . , so X has been reduced to 160ms . At that point , a 510ms alarm , Z is inserted \u2013 it goes at the third position . In 4 . , after 160ms , alarm X occurs \u2013 Y becomes then the top of the list ; its decrement starts . In 5 . another 20ms have passed and Y is at 150ms \u2013 at that point a 230ms alarm , called W is inserted . Its position is in between Y and Z , therefore the latter is adjusted . In 6 . , after 150ms , Y expires and W goes on top . The TIRAN Time-out Manager is a fundamental building block for the TIRAN dependability strategies , but it is a useful tool also for other approaches : Chapter 7 describes one of them , that is failure detection protocols . 3.2.6 The Ariel Configuration and Recovery Language ARIEL My master through his art foresees the danger That you , his friend , are in ; and sends me forth \u2013 For else his project dies \u2013 to keep them living . ( Shakespeare , The Tempest , Act II , Scene I ) Within TIRAN , a single syntactical structure \u2013 provided by the ariel language ( De Florio , Deconinck , & Lauwereins , 2001 ; Deconinck , De Florio , & Botti , 2001 ) \u2013 has been devised by the author of this book as both a configuration and a recovery language . This chapter describes this language and its compile-time and run-time tools . The structure of the section is as follows : \u2022 The general characteristics of ariel are described in Sect . 3.2.7 . \u2022 ariel as a configuration language is introduced in Sect . 3.2.8 . \u2022 Section 3.2.9 is on ariel as a recovery language . ariel bears its name after the character with the same name of Shakespeare's last Comedy , The Tempest . In fact , in the Tempest , spirit Ariel is a magic creature , the invisible assistant of Prospero , the Duke of Milano . While Prospero plays his role in the foreground of the Comedy \u2013 orchestrating a strategy to regain possession of his dukedom , which had been usurped by Prospero's brother Antonio \u2013 Ariel faithfully serves Prospero performing his magic in the background , exploiting his powers to execute Prospero's commands when his \" Master through his art foresees the danger \" ( see above quote ) . In a sense , the role of the ariel language is somewhat similar to the one of Prospero's ally . Its run-time support is given by the agent that is sent forth when the Backbone , through its nervous terminals \u2013 the error detection basic tools \u2013 senses a potentially dangerous condition . The author of this book thinks that the name Ariel captures well this similarity . This is also the reason that led to the choice of \" R\u03b5L \" as an abbreviation for \" Recovery Language \" : indeed , the spelling of that word is \" [ a : * ] - [ i : ] - [ el ] \" . 3.2.7 General Characteristics of ariel ariel is a declarative language with a simple syntax somewhat similar to that of a UNIX shell . One instruction per line is allowed . Comments are like in the C shell ( \" # \" starts a comment which ends at next new line or at end-of-file ) . Names are not case-sensitive . ariel deals with five basic types : \" nodes \" , \" tasks \" , \" logicals \" , integers , and real numbers . A node is a uniquely identifiable processing node of the system , e.g. , a processor of a MIMD supercomputer . A task is a uniquely identifiable process or thread in the system . A logical is a uniquely identifiable collection of tasks , possibly running on different nodes . Nodes , tasks , and logicals are generically called entities . Entities are uniquely identified via non-negative integers ; for instance , NODE3 or N3 refer to processing node currently configured as node number 3 . Integer symbolic constants can be \" imported \" from C language header files through the statement INCLUDE . For instance , if the C language header file \" vf . h \" contains a define statement such as : # define PROC NUM 4 , then it is possible to use that symbolic constant wherever an integer is expected in the language . To de-reference a symbolic constant imported via INCLUDEs a \" brace-operator \" has been defined \u2013 for instance , under the above assumptions the following valid ariel statement : NPROCS = { PROC_NUM } ( described later on ) is equivalent to NPROCS = 4 . An ariel script basically consists of two parts : \u2022 A part dealing with configuration . This is described in Sect . 3.2.8 . \u2022 A part containing the guarded actions which constitute the user-defined error recovery strategy . They are described in Sect . 3.2.9 . 3.2.8 ariel as a Configuration Language Special linguistic support has been designed by the author of this book while taking part in the TIRAN project . Aim of this linguistic support is to facilitate the configuration of the instances of the framework elements , of the system and application parameters , and of the fault-tolerance provisions . Let us call these elements a framework instance . Once the user has configured a framework instance with ariel , the TIRAN ariel translator \" art \" must be used to translate these high level specifications into the actual C language calls that set up configured tasks such as , for instance , user-configured watchdogs . The output of the translator is a set of C files that need to be compiled with the user application . A subset of the fault-tolerance provisions described in Chapter 6 is supported by the version of ariel described in this book . The rest of this section describes the process of configuring a framework instance with ariel . System and Application Parameters . The ariel configuration language can be used to define and configure the target system and application entities , e.g. , nodes , tasks , and group of tasks . The rules defined in Sect . 2.3.2 are coded as follows : \u2022 Rule ( 1 ) , as for instance in task3 = n0 [ 8 ] , is coded as TASK 3 = \" TMR . EXE \" IS NODE 0 , TASKID 8 . In other words , the above statement declares that task 8 , local to node 0 , is to be globally referred to as \" task 3 \" . String \" TMR . EXE \" may also be used to refer symbolically9 to task3 . More complex rules are possible \u2013 for instance , TASK [ 1 , 3 ] = \" Triple \" IS NODE 0 , TASKID [ 6 , 8 ] is equivalent to TASK 1 = \" Triple1 \" IS NODE 0 , TASKID 6 , TASK 2 = \" Triple2 \" IS NODE 0 , TASKID 7 , TASK 3 = \" Triple3 \" IS NODE 0 , TASKID 8 . \u2022 Rule ( 2 ) , as in group10 = { 5 , 6 , 7 } , is coded as LOGICAL 10 = \" TMR \" IS TASK 5 , TASK 6 , TASK 7 END LOGICAL . ( String \" TMR \" may also be used to refer symbolically to group10 ) . The example defines a logical to be globally referred to as \" logical 10 \" , symbolically known as TMR , and corresponding to the three tasks whose unique-id are 5 , 6 , and 7 . Let us assume the following lines have been written in a file called \" test . ariel \" : TASK 5 = \" TMR_LEADER \" IS NODE 0 , TASKID 8 TASK 6 = \" TMR2 \" IS NODE 1 , TASKID 8 TASK 7 = \" TMR3 \" IS NODE 2 , TASKID 8 LOGICAL 10 = \" TMR \" IS TASK 5 , TASK 6 , TASK 7 END LOGICAL File test . ariel can be translated by executing program art as follows : bash-2 . 02 $ art - i test . ariel Ariel translator , v2 . 0g 03-Aug-2000 , ( c ) K.U. Leuven 1999 , 2000 . Parsing file test . ariel ...... done ( 4 lines in 0.01 CPU secs , or 400 lines per CPU sec . ) Output written in file . rcode . Logicals written in file LogicalTable . csv . Tasks written in file TaskTable . csv . Alpha-count parameters written in file alphacount . h . The bold typefaced string is the command line . What follows is the output printed to the user screen . The italics-highlighted strings are the names of two configuration files that are written by art on successful execution . These two files declare tasks and logicals in the format expected by the BSL and by other ancillary components ( e.g. , on the version for Windows NT , these tables are also used by a \" SocketServer10 \" ) . The user can also define a number of other parameters of the TIRAN world like , for instance : \u2022 N , i.e. , the total number of processing nodes in the system . \u2022 ti , i.e. , the number of tasks running on node ni . \u2022 Task-specific parameters of the \u03b1-count fault identification mechanism supported by the TIRAN Backbone . As an example , the following lines declare a system consisting of two nodes , each of which has to host 10 user tasks , and define the \u03b1-count parameters of task 5 : NPROCS = 2 NUMTASKS 1 = 10 NUMTASKS 2 = 10 ALPHA-COUNT 2 IS threshold = 3.0 , factor = 0.4 END ALPHA-COUNT . The output produced by the art translator is given in this case by a number of header files : bash-2 . 02 $ art - i test . ariel - s Ariel translator , v2 . 0g 03-Aug-2000 , ( c ) K.U. Leuven 1999 , 2000 . Parsing file test . ariel ...... done ( 8 lines in 0.01 CPU secs , or 800 lines per CPU sec . ) Output written in file . rcode . Logicals written in file LogicalTable . csv . Tasks written in file TaskTable . csv . static version Preloaded r-codes written in file trl . h . Time-outs written in file timeouts . h . Identifiers written in file identifiers . h . Alpha-count parameters written in file alphacount . h . Again , the command has been given in bold typeface and relevant lines have been highlighted using the italics typeface . The \" - s \" option , for \" static \" , requests the writing of a number of header files . The produced header files contain definitions like the following one , from file \" timeouts . h \" : \/ * Number of available nodes * \/ # define MAX_PROCS 2 These are the first few lines of the output file \" alphacount . h \" : \/ ******************************************************************** * * * Header file alphacount . h * * * * This file contains the parameters of the alphacount filter * * ( factor and threshold ) * * Written by art ( v2 . 0g 03-Aug-2000 ) on Wed Aug 16 15 : 46 : 40 2000 * * ( c ) Katholieke Universiteit Leuven \/ ESAT \/ ACCA - 2000 . * * * ******************************************************************* \/ # ifndef # define ALPHA COUNT ALPHA COUNT # include \" DB . h \" alphacount t alphas [ ] = { { 0.000000 , 0.000000 , { 0.000000 , 0.000000 , { 0.400000 , 3.000000 , { 0.000000 , 0.000000 , 0 0 1 0 } , } , } , } , \/ * \/ * \/ * \/ * entry entry entry entry 0 1 2 3 * \/ * \/ * \/ * \/ ( Note how , at entry 2 , the threshold and factor of the \u03b1-count related to task 2 have been entered in an array . The latter will then be used by the TIRAN backbone when updating the \u03b1-count filters \u2013 see Sect . 3.2.4 ) . Backbone Parameters . ariel can be used to configure the Backbone . In particular , the initial role of each Backbone component must be specified through the DEFINE statement . For instance , the following two lines configure a system consisting of four nodes and place the Backbone manager on node 0 and three assistants on the other nodes : DEFINE 0 = MANAGER DEFINE 1-3 = ASSISTANTS A number of backbone-specific parameters can also be specified via the ariel configuration language . These parameters include , for instance , the frequency of setting and checking the < I 'm Alive > flag of the backbone . Values are specified in microseconds . A complete example can be seen in Table 1 . Again , the art translator changes the above specifications into the appropriate C language settings as expected by the TIRAN Backbone . 20 10 1 2 # Specification of a strategy in the recovery language Ariel # Include files INCLUDE \" phases . h \" INCLUDE \" vf . h \" 3 4 5 # Definitions # After keyword ' DEFINE ' , the user can specify # an integer , an interval , or a list , followed by # the equal sign and a backbone role , that may be # ASSISTANT ( s ) or MANAGER NPROCS = 4 Define 0 = MANAGER Define 1-3 = ASSISTANTS 6 7 # Time-out values for the Backbone and the < I 'm Alive > mechanism MIA SEND TIMEOUT = 800000 # Manager Is Alive -- manager side TAIA RECV TIMEOUT = 1500000 # This Assistant Is Alive -- manager side 8 9 MIA RECV TIMEOUT = 1500000 # Manager Is Alive -- backup side TAIA SEND TIMEOUT = 1000000 # This Assistant Is Alive -- backup side 10 TEIF TIMEOUT = 1800000 # After this time a suspected node is assumed # to have crashed . 11 I 'M ALIVE CLEAR TIMEOUT = 900000 # < I 'm Alive > timeout -- clear IA flag 12 I 'M ALIVE SET TIMEOUT = 1400000 # < I 'm Alive > timeout -- set IA flag 13 14 15 16 # Number NUMTASKS NUMTASKS NUMTASKS NUMTASKS 17 18 19 20 TASK TASK TASK TASK of tasks 0 = 11 # node 0 is to be loaded with 11 tasks 1 = 10 2 = 10 3 = 10 [ 0 , 10 ] IS NODE 0 , TASKID [ 0 , 10 ] [ 11 , 20 ] IS NODE 1 , TASKID [ 1 , 10 ] [ 21 , 30 ] IS NODE 2 , TASKID [ 1 , 10 ] [ 31 , 40 ] IS NODE 3 , TASKID [ 1 , 10 ] 21 LOGICAL 1 IS TASK 1 , TASK 2 , TASK 3 END LOGICAL Table 1 : An excerpt from an ariel script : configuration part . Line numbers have been added for the sake of clarity . Basic Tools . ariel can be used to configure statically the TIRAN tools . The current prototypic version can configure only one tool , the TIRAN watchdog . The following syntax is recognized by art to configure it : WATCHDOG 10 WATCHES TASK 14 HEARTBEATS EVERY 100 MS ON ERROR WARN TASK 18 END WATCHDOG . The output in this case is a C file that corresponds to a configured instance of a watchdog . The application developer needs only to send heartbeats to that instance , which can be done as follows : HEARTBEAT 10 . Configuring Multiple-Version Software Fault-Tolerance . As described in Sect . 2.3.3 , it is possible to design syntax rules to support the configuration of the software fault-tolerance provisions described in Chapter 3 . This section describes the solution provided by ariel in order to support N - version programming ( Aviz \u0306 ienis , 1985 ) , and a possible syntax to support consensus recovery blocks ( Scott et al. , 1985 ) and retry blocks ( Huang & Kintala , 1993 ) . The following is an example that shows how it is possible to define an \" N - version task \" with ariel : # include \" my_nvp . h \" N-VERSION LOGICAL { NVP_LOGICAL } VERSION 1 IS TASK { VERSION1 } TIMEOUT { VERSION_TIMEOUT } VERSION 2 IS TASK { VERSION2 } TIMEOUT { VERSION_TIMEOUT } VERSION 3 IS TASK { VERSION3 } TIMEOUT { VERSION_TIMEOUT } METRIC \" nvp_comp \" ON SUCCESS TASK { NVP_OUTPUT } ON ERROR TASK { NVP_ERROR } { NVP_LOGICAL } VOTING ALGORITHM IS MAJORITY END N-VERSION The art translator , once fed with the above lines , produces three source files for tasks the unique-id of which is { VERSION1 } , { VERSION2 } and { VERSION3 } . These source files consist of code that \u2022 sets up the TIRAN distributed voting tool ( described in Sect . 3.2.3 ) using metric function int nvp_comp ( const void * , const void * ) , setting the voting algorithm to majority voting , and so forth ; \u2022 redirects standard output streams ; \u2022 executes a user task , e.g. , task { VERSION3 } . By agreement , each user task ( i.e. , each version ) has to write its output onto the standard output stream . During run-time , when the user needs to access a service supplied by an NVP logical , it simply sends a message to entity { NVP_LOGICAL } . This translates into a multicast to tasks { VERSION1 } , { VERSION2 } and { VERSION3 } . These tasks , which in the meanwhile have transparently set up a distributing voting tool , \u2022 get their input , \u2022 compute a generic function , \u2022 produce an output \u2022 and ( by the above stated agreement ) they write the output onto their standard output stream . The latter , which had been already redirected through a piped stream to the template task , is fed into the voting system . Such system eventually produces an output that goes to task { NVP_OUTPUT } . A time-out can also be set up so to produce an error notification when no output is sent by a version within a certain deadline . Table 2 shows one of the three files produced by the ariel translator when it parses the script of Sect . 3.2.8 . Note how this file basically configures an instance of the TIRAN DV tool described in Sect . 3.2.3 . Note also how all technicalities concerning : \u2022 The API of the tool , \u2022 input replication , \u2022 the adopted voting strategy , \u2022 output communication , and so forth are fully made transparent to the designer , who needs only be concerned with the functional service . This allows the fault-tolerance designer to modify all the above mentioned technicalities with no negative relapses on the tasks of the application designer , and even to deploy different strategies depending on the particular target platform . This can be exploited in order to pursue performance design goals . Support towards consensus recovery block may be provided in a similar way , e.g. , as follows : # include \" my_crb . h \" CONSENSUS RECOVERY BLOCK LOGICAL { CRB_LOGICAL } VARIANT 1 IS TASK { VARIANT1 } TIMEOUT { VARIANT_TIMEOUT } ACCEPTANCE TEST TASK { ACCEPT1 } VARIANT 2 IS TASK { VARIANT2 } TIMEOUT { VARIANT_TIMEOUT } ACCEPTANCE TEST TASK { ACCEPT2 } # include \" TIRAN . h \" \/ * Task 101 of NVersion Task 20 Version 1 \/ 3 * \/ int TIRAN task 101 ( void ) { TIRAN Voting * dv ; size t size ; double task20 cmp ( const void * , const void * ) ; 10 dv = TIRAN VotingOpen ( task20 cmp ) ; if ( dv == NULL ) { RaiseEvent ( TIRAN ERROR VOTING CANTOPEN , TIRAN DV , 101 , 0 ) ; TIRAN exit ( TIRAN ERROR VOTING CANTOPEN ) ; } \/ * voting task description : which tasks \/ * constitute the n-version task * \/ TIRAN VotingDescribe ( dv , 101 , 1 , TIRAN VotingDescribe ( dv , 102 , 2 , TIRAN VotingDescribe ( dv , 103 , 3 , and which versions * \/ 1 ) ; 0 ) ; 0 ) ; 20 TIRAN VotingRun ( dv ) ; \/ * output should be sent to task 40 * \/ TIRAN VotingOutput ( dv , 40 ) ; TIRAN VotingOption ( dv , TIRAN VOTING IS MAJORITY ) ; \/ * redirect stdout into a pipe input stream * \/ TIRAN pipework ( ) ; 30 \/ * execute the version * \/ task 101 ( ) ; size = read ( 0 , buff , MAX BUFF ) ; if ( size > 0 ) { \/ * forward the input buffer to the local voter of this version * \/ TIRAN VotingInput ( dv , buff , size ) ; } 40 else { \/ * signal there 's no input * \/ TIRAN VotingInput ( dv , NULL , 0 ) ; RaiseEvent ( TIRAN ERROR VOTING NOINPUT , TIRAN DV , 101 , 0 ) ; TIRAN NotifyTask ( 60 , TIRAN ERROR VOTING NOINPUT ) ; } } 50 \/ * EOF file TIRAN task 101 . c * \/ Table 2 : Translation of the N-Version Task defined in Sect . 3.2.8 . 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 REPLICATED TASK 10 IS TASK 101 , 102 , 103 METHOD IS MODULAR REDUNDANCY VOTING ALGORITHM IS MAJORITY METRIC \" int_cmp \" END METHOD ON SUCCESS TASK 20 ON ERROR TASK 30 END REPLICATED Table 3 : A possible syntax rule for compile-time management of replicated tasks . VARIANT 3 IS TASK { VARIANT3 } TIMEOUT { VARIANT_TIMEOUT } ACCEPTANCE TEST TASK { ACCEPT3 } METRIC \" crb_comp \" ON SUCCESS TASK { CRB_OUTPUT } ON ERROR TASK { CRB_ERROR } { CRB_LOGICAL } VOTING ALGORITHM IS MAJORITY END CRB This is syntactically similar to the previous example , but the user is asked to supply tasks for the execution of acceptance tests . Other possibilities might also be considered , e.g. , supplying a function name corresponding to the acceptance test , in order to avoid the overhead of spawning a task for that purpose . As described in Sect . 2.3.3 , it is possible to design syntax rules to support the configuration of replicated tasks . Table 3 shows the syntax recognized by ariel for this . Lines have been numbered to ease the discussion . Line 1 specifies which tasks constitute the replicated task . Line 2 defines the method of replication ( NMR in this case ) . Sub-options of the chosen method , at lines 3 and 4 , specify the type of voting to perform when de-multiplexing the multiple outputs of the base modules of the replicated task ( here , majority voting11 ) . Line 6 specifies the task the output of the replicated task is to be sent to . Line 7 specifies which task to notify in case of failure , e.g. , when no majority can be found . ariel supports redoing as described in Table 4 . Note how , in that table , task 10 has to complete within a user-defined deadline ( line 2 ) fulfilling an acceptance test ( executed by task 20 at line 3 ) . This allows regard run-time violations as actual faults . Note also that both the latter task and task 10 could be also transparently replicated by means of the technique depicted in Sect . 2.3.3 . An upper bound on the number of retries is set at line 4 : should task 10 fail three times in a row , task 30 would be notified of this event and could execute some error recovery scheme . 1 2 3 4 5 6 RETRY TASK 10 TIMEOUT 100ms ACCEPTANCE TEST TASK 20 RETRIES 3 ON ERROR TASK 30 END RETRY Table 4 : A possible syntax rule for compile-time management of retry blocks . 3.2.9 ariel as a Recovery Language The same linguistic structure that realizes the TIRAN configuration language is used also to host the structure in which the user defines his or her error recovery strategies . Recovery strategies are collections of sections with the following syntax12 : section : if elif else fi ; if : IF ' [ ' guard ' ] ' THEN actions ; elif : | ELIF ' [ ' guard ' ] ' THEN actions elif ; else fi : | ELSE actions ; : FI ; where non-terminals guard and actions are the syntactical terms defined respectively in Sect . 2.3.4 and Sect . 2.3.4 . Ariel's guards . follows : An excerpt of the context-free grammar rules for guards status : FAULTY | RUNNING | REBOOTED | STARTED | ISOLATED | RESTARTED | TRANSIENT ; entity : GROUP | NODE | TASK ; expr : status entity | ' ( ' expr ' ) ' | expr AND expr | expr OR expr | NOT expr | ERRN ' ( ' entity ' ) ' comp NUMBER | PHASE ' ( ' entity ' ) ' comp NUMBER ; comp : EQ | NEQ | GT | GE | LT | LE ; The following conditions and values have been foreseen : Faulty . This is true when an error notification related to a processing node , a group of tasks , or a single task , can be found in the TIRAN DB . Running . True when the corresponding entity is active and no error has been detected that regards it . Rebooted ( only applicable to nodes ) . This means that a node has been rebooted at least once during the run-time of the application . Started ( not applicable to nodes ) . This checks whether a waiting task or group of task has been started . Isolated . This clause is true when its argument has been isolated from the rest of the application through a deliberate action . Phase ( only applicable to tasks ) . It returns the current value of an attribute set by any task via the public function RaiseEvent . This value is forwarded to the Backbone to represent its current \" phase \" or state ( e.g. , an identifier referring to its current algorithmic step , or the outcome of a test or of an assertion ) . For instance , a voting task could inform the Backbone that it has completed a given algorithmic step by setting a given integer value after each step ( this approach is transparently adopted in the EFTOS voting tool and is described in more detail in ( De Florio et al. , 1998 )) . Recovery block tests can take advantage of this facility to switch back and try an alternate task when a primary one sets a \" failure \" phase or when a guarding watchdog expires because a watched task sent it no signs of life . This condition returns an integer symbol that can be compared via C-like arithmetic operators . Restarted ( not applicable to nodes ) . This returns the number of times a given task or group has been restarted . It implies started . Transient is true when an entity has been detected as faulty and the current assessment of the \u03b1-count fault identification mechanism ( see Sect . 3.2.4 ) is \" transient \" . It implies faulty . Furthermore , it is possible to query the number of errors that have been detected and pertain to a given entity . Complex guards can be built via the standard logic connectives and parentheses . As an example , the following guard : FAULTY TASK { MASTER } AND ERRN ( TASK { MASTER } ) > 10 AND RESTARTED TASK { MASTER } checks whether the three conditions : \u2022 the task , the unique-id of which is the value of the symbolic constant MASTER , has been detected as faulty ; \u2022 more than 10 errors have been associated to that task ; \u2022 that task has been restarted , are all true . Ariel's actions . \" Actions \" can be attached to the THEN or ELSE parts of a section . In the current implementation of the language , these actions allow to start , isolate , restart , terminate a task or a group of tasks , to isolate or reboot a node , to invoke a local function . Moreover , it is possible to multicast messages to groups of tasks and to purge events from the DB . A section of the context-free grammar for Ariel's actions follows : actions action : | actions action ; : | | section recovery action ; recovery action : STOP entity | ISOLATE entity | START entity | REBOOT entity | RESTART entity | ENABLE entity | SEND NUMBER TASK | SEND NUMBER GROUP | WARN entity ( condition ) | REMOVE PHASE entity FROM ERRORLIST | REMOVE ANY entity FROM ERRORLIST ; | CALL NUMBER | CALL NUMBER ' ( ' list ' ) ' condition : ERR NUMBER entity ; As suggested in Sect . 2.3.4 , a special case of action is a section , i.e. , another guarded action . This allows specify hierarchies ( trees ) of sections . During the run-time evaluation of the recovery strategies , a branch shall only be visited when its parent clause has been evaluated as true . The following actions are supported : Stop terminates a task or a group of tasks , or initiates the shutdown procedure of a node13 . Isolate prevents an entity to communicate with the rest of the system14 . Reboot reboots a node ( via the TIRAN Reboot Node basic tool ) . IF [ FAULTY ( GROUP { My Group } ) AND NOT TRANSIENT ( GROUP { My Group } ) ] THEN STOP TASK @ SEND { DEGRADE } TASK \u223c FI Table 5 : This section queries the state of group { My Group } and , if any of its tasks have been detected as affected by a permanent or intermittent fault , it stops those tasks and sends a control message to those considered as being correct so that they reconfigure themselves gracefully degrading their overall service . Start spawns ( or , in static environments , awakes ) a task or a group . Restart is reverting a task or group of tasks to their initial state or , if no other means are available , stopping that entity and spawning a clone of it . Enable awakes a task or group , or boots a node . Send multicasts ( or sends ) signals to groups of tasks ( or single tasks ) . Warn informs a task or group of tasks that an error regarding an entity has been detected . Action \" WARN x \" is equivalent to action \" SEND { WARN } x \" Remove purges records from the section of the DB collecting the errors or the phases of a given entity . Custom actions and conditions may be easily added to the grammar of ariel15 . When actions are specified , it is possible to use meta-characters to refer implicitly to a subset of the entities involved in the query . For instance , when the first atom specifies a group of tasks , STOP TASK @ 1 means \" terminate those tasks , belonging to the group mentioned in the first atom of the guard , which fulfill that condition \" , while WARN TASK \u223c 2 means \" warn those tasks , belonging to the group mentioned in the second atom of the guard , that do not fulfil the second condition \" . If one does not specify any number , as in STOP TASK @ , then the involved group of tasks is the one that fulfils the whole clause . Table 5 shows an example of usage of this feature . Metacharacter \" star \" ( * ) can be used to refer to any task , group , or processing node in the system . Actions like STOP TASK * or STOP GROUP * are trapped by the translator and are not allowed . Metacharacter \" dollar \" ( $ ) can be used to refer in a section to an entity mentioned in an atom . For instance , STOP GROUP $ 2 means \" stop the group mentioned in the second atom of the clause \" . A larger excerpt of ariel's grammar has been given in Chapter 4 . Compile-time Support for Error-Recovery . Once fed with a recovery script , the art translator produces a binary pseudo-code , called the r-code . In the current version , this r-code is written in a binary file and in a C header file as a statically defined C array , as in Table 6 . As can be seen in that table , the r-code is made of a set of \" triplets \" of integers , given by an opcode and two operands . These are called \" r-codes \" . This header file needs to be compiled with the application . Run-time error recovery is carried out by the RINT module , which basically is an r-code interpreter . This module and its recovery algorithm are described in the following section . The rest of this section describes how to translate an ariel script into the r-code . Within this section and the following one the simple script of Table 7 will be used as an example . The following scenario is assumed : a triple modular redundancy ( TMR ) system consisting of three voting tasks , identified by integers { VOTER1 } , { VOTER2 } , and { VOTER3 } is operating . A fourth task , identified as T { SPARE } , is available and waiting . It is ready to take over one of the voting tasks should the latter fail . The failed voter signals its state to the backbone by entering phase HAS_FAILED through some self-diagnostic module ( e.g. , assertions or control-flow monitoring ) . The spare is enabled when it receives a { WAKEUP } message and it requires the identity of the voter it has to take over . Finally , it is assumed that once a voter receives a control message with the identity of the spare , it has to initiate a reconfiguration of the TMR such that the failed voter is switched out of and the spare is switched in the system . Table 7 shows a recovery section that specifies what to do when task { VOTER1 } fails . The user needs to supply a section like the one in lines 8 \u2013 12 for each voting task . Once the specification has been completed , the user can translate it , by means of the art program , into a pseudo-code whose basic blocks are the r-codes ( see Table 8 ) . A textual representation of the r-codes is also produced ( see Table 9 ) . Other than syntax errors , art catches a number of semantic inconsistencies which are reported to the user \u2013 as an example , a non-sense request , such as asking the phase of a node , gives rise to the following response : bash-2 . 02 $ art - i . ariel - s Ariel translator , v2 . 0f 25-Jul-2000 , ( c ) K.U. Leuven 1999 , 2000 . Parsing file . ariel ... Line 76 : semantic error : Can only use PHASE with tasks if-then-else : ok ... done ( 85 lines . ) 1 error detected --- output rejected . The ariel Recovery Interpreter . This section briefly describes the ariel recovery interpreter , RINT . Basically RINT is a virtual machine executing r-codes . Its algorithm is straightforward : Each time a new error or burst of errors is detected , \u2022 it executes the r-codes one triplet at a time ; \/ ************************************************************* * * * Header file trl . h * * * * Hardwired set of r-codes for Ariel file ariel * * Written by art ( v2 . 0g 03-Aug-2000 ) on Fri Aug 18 2000 * * ( c ) Katholieke Universiteit Leuven 1999 , 2000 . * * * ************************************************************* \/ # ifndef T R L H # define T R L H 10 # include \" rcode . h \" # define RCODE CARD 15 \/ * total number of r-codes * \/ rcode t rcodes [ ] = { \/ * line # * \/ \/ * opcode * \/ \/ * operand 1 * \/ \/ * operand 2 * \/ \/ * 0 * \/ { R INC NEST , \u2212 1 , \u2212 1 } , 0 , \u2212 1 } , \/ * 1 * \/ { R STRPHASE , \/ * 2 * \/ { R COMPARE , 1 , 9999 } , \/ * 3 * \/ { R FALSE , 10 , \u2212 1 } , 18 , 0 } , \/ * 4 * \/ { R STOP , \/ * 5 * \/ { R PUSH , 18 , \u2212 1 } , 18 , 3 } , \/ * 6 * \/ { R SEND , 0 , \u2212 1 } , \/ * 7 * \/ { R PUSH , 18 , 3 } , \/ * 8 * \/ { R SEND , \/ * 9 * \/ { R PUSH , 3 , \u2212 1 } , \/ * 10 * \/ { R SEND , 18 , 1 } , \/ * 11 * \/ { R PUSH , 3 , \u2212 1 } , \/ * 12 * \/ { R SEND , 18 , 2 } , \/ * 13 * \/ { R DEC NEST , \u2212 1 , \u2212 1 } , \/ * 14 * \/ { R OANEW , 1 , \u2212 1 } , \/ * 15 * \/ { R STOP , \u2212 1 , \u2212 1 } , } ; Table 6 : The beginning of header file trl . h , produced by art specifying option \" - s \" . Array rcodes is statically initialized with the r-code translation of the recovery strategy in the ariel script . 20 30 1 INCLUDE \" my definitions . h \" 2 3 4 5 TASK TASK TASK TASK 6 7 8 IF [ PHASE ( T { VOTER1 } ) == { HAS FAILED } ] THEN STOP T { VOTER1 } { VOTER1 } IS NODE { NODE1 } , TASKID { VOTER1 } { VOTER2 } IS NODE { NODE2 } , TASKID { VOTER2 } { VOTER3 } IS NODE { NODE3 } , TASKID { VOTER3 } { SPARE } IS NODE { NODE4 } , TASKID { SPARE } 9 10 SEND { WAKEUP } T { SPARE } SEND { VOTER1 } T { SPARE } 11 12 13 FI SEND { SPARE } T { VOTER2 } SEND { SPARE } T { VOTER3 } Table 7 : Another excerpt from a recovery script : after the declarative part , a number of \" sections \" like the one portrayed in here can be supplied by the user . \u2022 if the current r-code requires accessing the DB , a query is executed and the state of the entities mentioned in the arguments of the r-code is checked ; \u2022 if the current r-codes requires executing actions , a request for execution is sent to the Backbone . RINT plays an important role within the R\u03b5L architecture \u2013 its main objective is establishing and managing a causal connection between the entities of the Ariel language ( identifiers of nodes , tasks , and groups of tasks ) and the corresponding components of the system and of the target application . This causal connection is supported by the Backbone and its DB . In particular , each atom regarding one or more entities is translated at run-time into one or more DB queries . Under the hypothesis that the DB reflects \u2013 with a small delay \u2013 the actual state of the system , the truth value of the clauses on the entities of the language will have a large probability to tally with the truth value of the assertions on the corresponding components of the system . Furthermore , by means of RINT , symbolic actions on the entities are translated into actual commands on the components . These commands are then managed by the Backbone as described in Fig. 4 . The RINT task is available and disabled on each Backbone assistant while it is enabled on the Backbone manager . Only one execution process is allowed . RINT has the architecture of a stack-based machine \u2013 a run-time stack is used bash-2 . 02 $ art - i ariel - v - s Ariel translator , v2 . 0g 03-Aug-2000 , ( c ) K.U. Leuven 1999 , 2000 . Parsing file ariel ... [ Including file ' my_definitions . h ' ... 9 associations stored . ] substituting { VOTER1 } with 0 substituting { NODE1 } with 1 substituting { VOTER2 } with 1 substituting { NODE2 } with 2 substituting { VOTER3 } with 2 substituting { NODE3 } with 3 substituting { SPARE } with 3 substituting { NODE4 } with 4 substituting T { VOTER1 } with T0 substituting { HAS_FAILED } with 9999 substituting { WAKEUP } with 18 substituting T { SPARE } with T3 substituting T { VOTER2 } with T1 substituting T { VOTER3 } with T2 if-then-else : ok ... done ( 17 lines in 0.02 CPU secs , or 850.000 lines per CPU sec . ) Output written in file . rcode . Tasks written in file TaskTable . csv . Preloaded r-codes written in file trl . h . Time-outs written in file timeouts . h . Identifiers written in file identifiers . h . Table 8 : The art program translates the section mentioned in Table 7 into r-codes . The \" - i \" option is used to specify the input filename , \" - v \" sets the verbose mode , while \" - s \" allows create three header files containing , among other things , an array of pre-loaded r-codes ( see Table 6 ) . Art translated Ariel strategy file : .... ariel into rcode object file : ................ rcode line rcode opn1 opn2 --------------------------------------------- 00000 SET_ROLE 0 Manager 00001 SET_ROLE 1 Assistant 00002 SET_ROLE 2 Assistant 00003 SET_ROLE 3 Assistant 00004 IF 00005 STORE_PHASE ... Thread 0 00006 ... COMPARE == 9999 00007 FALSE 10 00008 STOP Thread 0 00009 PUSH ... 18 00010 ... SEND Thread 3 00011 PUSH ... 0 00012 ... SEND Thread 3 00013 PUSH ... 3 00014 ... SEND Thread 1 00015 PUSH ... 3 00016 ... SEND Thread 2 00017 FI 00018 ANEW_OA_OBJECTS 1 00019 STOP Table 9 : A textual representation of the r-code produced when translating the recovery section in Table 7 . during the evaluation of clauses . In a future release of RINT , the run-time stack shall also be used as a means for communicating information between actions . For any r-code being executed , a message will be broadcast to the non-faulty assistants . Next r-code will only be executed when all the non-faulty assistants acknowledge the receipt of this message and update their stack accordingly . This allows maintain a consistent copy of the current status of the run-time stack on each assistant . Should the manager fail while executing recovery , the new manager would then be able to continue recovery seamlessly , starting from the last r-code executed by the previous manager . 4 INTEGRATING RECOVERY STRATEGIES INTO A PRIMARY SUBSTATION AUTOMATION SYSTEM The DepAuDE architecture provides an approach to integrate fault tolerance support into distributed embedded automation applications . It allows error recovery to be expressed in terms of recovery strategies , i.e. , the lightweight code fragments described in Chapter 6 . At run time , the middleware orchestrates their execution . This section reports on the integration of diferent recovery scripts into a distributed run-time environment applied to the embedded automation system of a primary substation . An instrumented automata-based design environment allows the application to be deployed on a heterogeneous platform with several real-time operating systems . While the middleware detects the errors and selects the correct recovery scripts to be executed , the application functionality is maintained through system reconfiguration or graceful degradation . The added value comes from the flexibility to modify recovery strategies without requiring major modifications to the application , while tolerating the same physical faults as in the dedicated hardware solutions . 4.1 Introduction Industrial distributed embedded systems such as those used in the control and automation of electrical energy infrastructures rely on off-the-shelf components and protocols to ensure cost-efficient exploitation ( Caird , 1997 ; Dy-Liacco , 2002 ) . As a particular application can be deployed on a variety of hardware targets ( with different sets of sensors and actuators attached ) and within different environments ( e.g. with different levels of electro-magnetic interference ) , flexibility is needed both to instantiate the application functions appropriately and to react adequately to disturbances to the information and communication infrastructure on which the application is running . For instance , system reconfiguration and recovery may be different , depending on which I \/ O devices are connected to the different parts of the distributed controllers . More generally , adaptability is required to modify fault tolerance strategies depending on the environment . The DepAuDE architecture deploys a set of middleware modules to provide fault tolerance by exploiting the embedded systems distributed hardware and by separating functional behavior from the recovery strategy , i.e. , the set of actions to be executed when an error is detected . This architecture has been integrated in an innovative demonstrator of a Primary Substation Automation System , i.e. the embedded hardware and software in a substation for electricity distribution , connecting high voltage lines ( HV ) to medium voltage ( MV ) lines over transformers . The Primary Substation Automation System requires protection , control , monitoring and supervision capabilities . It is representative of many applications with dependability requirements in the energy field ( Gargiuli , Mirandola , & et al. , 1981 ) . As mentioned already in Chapter 4 , the major source of faults in the system is electro-magnetic interference caused by the process itself ( opening and closing of HV \/ MV switchgear ) in spite of the attention paid to designing for electromagnetic compatibility . Software and hardware faults in the automation system have to be considered as well . These cause errors in communication , execution and memory subsystems . In the ongoing renewal of electric infrastructures in Europe , utility companies are replacing their dedicated hardware-based fault tolerance solutions by commercial , interconnected platforms . This trend is motivated by the growing need for more functionality : Development of new , dedicated ( hardware-based ) solutions is considered too expensive and not flexible enough to keep up with the evolving requirements of the liberalized electricity market . The required dependability is reached by exploiting hardware redundancy in the distributed platform , combined with software-implemented fault tolerance solutions at the application and at the middleware level . Although software-based fault tolerance may have less coverage than hardware-based solutions , this was not considered inhibitive , because the physical ( electrical , non-programmable ) protection in the plant continues to act , as a last resort , as a safeguard for non-covered faults16 . Besides , high-quality software engineering and extensive on-site testing remain important to avoid the introduction of design faults that could hamper mission-critical services . This section presents the experience of integrating this DepAuDE software architecture into an application developed with the ASFA distributed run-time environment , a prototypic embedded control system for a primary substation . According to the approach proposed here , support for allocation of tasks to components , for reactions to detected errors and for maintainability of the fault tolerance strategy is accomplished by using the configuration-and-recovery language ariel introduced in Chapter 6 , which was developed in the framework of project TIRAN and later became is a key component of the DepAuDE architecture . In what follows we describe in Sect . 4.2 the DepAuDE assumptions and models , in Sect . 4.3 the Primary Substation Automation System application and in Sect . 4.3 the instantiation of the DepAuDE architecture therein . Section 4.4 concludes with a qualitative evaluation of the experience . 4.2 Assumptions and Models DepAuDE relies on the following assumptions : \u2022 Fault model and failure semantics : A single physical fault affects execution or communication entities ( tasks , nodes , links ) . Experiments confirm that EMI affects only the entity to which the responsible I \/ O element is connected ( Gargiuli et al. , 1981 ) . Depending on the underlying hardware and RTOS ( for instance , whether a memory management unit is available or not ) , a fault containment region is a task or node . Crash failure semantics ( fail-silent behavior ) is assumed for the fault containment region . \u2022 System model : A synchronous system model is assumed ( i.e. known and bounded processing delays , communication delays , clock differences and clock drifts , as explained in more detail in Chapter 2 ) . As mentioned already , this is realistic for the set of targeted real-time automation applications , because of their implementation on dedicated systems . \u2022 Communication , provided by a Basic Services Library similar to the one designed in the project TIRAN , is assumed to be perfect ( no lost messages , no duplicates , keeping message order ) . In order to increase the coverage for this assumption , a set of mechanisms such as the EFTOS Fault Tolerant Communication tasks described in Chapter 3 can be employed or developed in a similar way . \u2022 The communication mechanism targets groups of tasks , that is , a multicast service is prescribed to be available , whose behavior is assumed to be atomic : When a message is sent to a group of tasks , the either all the non-crashed processes receive it or none of them . If this assumption coverage is too low , dedicated atomic multicast support and group membership functions can be added . The DepAuDE middleware supports the reintegration of the basic services library and of the DepAuDE fault tolerance mechanisms ( a concept also derived from the TIRAN project ) . Furthermore it can reload application tasks . The application in itself is responsible for reintegrating these restarted tasks into the ongoing execution , as no checkpoint \/ restore mechanisms are included . 4.3 Case Study The Local Control Level module is a Primary Substation Automation System component providing control and protection functions for the primary substation , as well as an interface to the operator and \u2013 over the inter-site network \u2013 to remote control systems and remote operators . The Local Control Level controls the switches to the two HV \/ MV transformers , the switch connecting the Red MV bar ( on the left ) to the Green MV bar ( on the right ) , as well as switches local to the MV lines ( Figure 8 ) . The pilot application implements two functions from the Local Control Level module : automatic power resumption ( function1 ) and parallel transformers ( function2 ) . Function1 allows automatic power resumption when a HV \/ MV transformer goes down , e.g. triggered by internal protection ( temperature too high , oil alarm , ... ) . It disconnects the MV lines connected to the busbar of the transformer , computes the load carried by the transformer just before the event happened , and if possible , causes the remaining transformer to take the entire load , as e.g. in the following scenario : \u2022 ( Initially ) Red transformer carries 32 MVA ( 8 lines of 4 MVA ) and Green transformer 24 MVA ( 8 x 3 MVA ) ; the switches connecting the Red and Green bars to the transformers are closed ; the switch connecting the Green MV bar to the Red MV bar is open . \u2022 ( Anomaly ) An internal protection mechanism shuts down the Green transformer , and its power drops from 24 MVA to zero . The switch connecting the Green bar to the Green transformer opens . ( The switch connecting the Red bar to the Red transformer remains closed and the switch connecting the two bars remains open . ) \u2022 ( Reaction ) The switch connecting the Green bar to the Red bar receives the command to close . It closes 1 execution cycle ( 100 ms ) later and the load carried by the Red transformer rises to 56 MVA . Function2 ( parallel transformers ) consists of a series of automatic actions , assisting remote operators . As an example , an operator can request to switch on a transformer and function2 translates this request into a specific sequence of commands . Such a re-insertion scenario may be applied some time after transformer exclusion . System Setup The Primary Substation Automation System application has been developed using a proprietary , automata-based , design environment based on the specification technique ASFA . Application development consists of several steps : \u2022 Function1 and function2 are extracted from the Primary Substation Automation System application and specified through the ASFA Graphical Editor , obtaining a tabular description of the pilot application . \u2022 These ASFA tables are processed by the ASFA-C Translator , producing a target-independent C-code version of the application , and by the ASFA Partitioner , allowing an application to be mapped to a single task or decomposed into a set of tasks ( Ciapessoni & Maestri , 2001 ) . The single task version has been used for the functional test of the application on a single host node , while a four-task version was selected for testing on a distributed system . Figure 8 : Electric circuit ( grey lines ) and control architecture ( black lines ) of the Primary Substation . Table 10 : Allocation of middleware tasks to nodes . PU stands for \" Peripheral Unit \" . \u2022 At run time , the Distributed Execution Support Module , composed of Basic Software ( BSW ) and Executive , enforces cyclic execution , typical for PLC-based automation systems ( PLC = Programmable Logic Controller ) . Robust execution is ensured by cyclically refreshing the I \/ O image and the non-protected memory areas , while the applications state is safeguarded by hardware or software mechanisms [ 5 ] . The Basic Software takes care of synchronization and exception handling , while the Executive supplies the RTOS interface and a set of ASFA-specific library functions . A peculiarity of the ASFA environment is that the application code is automatically obtained by translating the automata-based specification . Besides reducing the probability of introducing coding errors , this approach provides portability to all platforms supported by the Distributed Execution Support Module . As shown in Figure 9 , this pilot application was deployed on a distributed system consisting of three dedicated heterogeneous ( \" target \" ) processors for the automation functions and two standard PCs for support functions , interconnected by an Ethernet switch : \u2022 N1 and N2 : two industrial PCs ( VMIC and INOVA ) , with VxWorks as RTOS ; \u2022 N3 : A Siemens SIMATIC M7 , that is , an extended PLC with I \/ O modules , with RMOS32 as real-time operating system ; \u2022 N4 : A number of Linux-based standard PCs , hosting the DepAuDE Backbone ( an enhanced version of the EFTOS DIR net and of the TIRAN Backbone described in previous chapters ) ; \u2022 N5 : A Windows-NT PC with Operator Console functions . For inter-site connections ( not considered here ) , an additional node hosts the gateway software . Figure 9 : Primary Substation Automation System hardware architecture . The pilot application runs on this heterogeneous hardware equipment ; input and output from \/ to the field is simulated . Synchronization signals , for cyclic application execution , are generated by the internal clock of one of the nodes ( in a real set-up , they are obtained from an independent , external device ) . The following assumptions are made for the target nodes : \u2022 All three target nodes ( N1 , N2 and N3 in Table 10 ) are attached to I \/ O components on the field ( the PU boxes in Fig. 8 , that is , peripheral units ) . \u2022 The target node N3 handles the synchronization signal . In order to provide a backup solution in case of faults on N3 , synchronization interrupts are also available at N1 and N3 . Instantiating the DepAuDE Mechanisms on the Primary Substation Automation System . The run-time components of the DepAuDE framework are integrated into the Primary Substation Automation System pilot application ( see Table 10 ) . The fault containment region is a node . \u2022 An RMOS32 and a VxWorks implementation of the Basic Services Library tasks run on the target nodes ( N1 , N2 , N3 ) ; a Linux and WinNT version runs on the host nodes ( N4 , N5 ) . \u2022 A LAN Monitor \u2013 that is , a fault-tolerant mechanism used for detecting crashed or isolated nodes \u2013 is present on all nodes . \u2022 The DepAuDE Backbone task , responsible for the execution of the recovery strategies as described in Chapter 6 , is allocated to N4 . \u2022 Each of the three target nodes hosts an instance of the ASFA Distributed Execution Support Module , composed of Basic Software and Executive . Each instance of the Basic Software is able to act as master ( BSW M , on the master node ) or slave ( BSW S , on the slave nodes ) . The role is chosen depending on the specific system configuration . All BSW S entities make up the BSW SLAVE GROUP . The configuration with highest performance ( see below ) requires BSW M to be allocated to N3 and the BSW S processes to run on N1 and N2 . Executive process instances are identical on each processing node and they compose the EXECUTIVE GROUP . The allocation of the application tasks depends on the partitioning of the two Local Control Level functions ( function1 and function2 ) , among which there is no communication . Function2 consists of a single task , PARALLEL TRS , function1 ( automatic power resumption ) consists of three tasks : two tasks ( BUSBAR1 and BUSBAR2 ) handle low-level , I \/ O dependent , computations relative to the MV lines attached to each busbar ; one task , STRAT , coordinates the whole function and performs no field I \/ O. There is no communication between the two BUSBAR tasks , while both communicate with STRAT . The basic constraint for allocating tasks to nodes is that a task that controls a specific plant component should be allocated to a processor attached to that plant component ( due to I \/ O paths ) . As both functions of the pilot application control the same set of field components ( same transformers and switches ) , all target nodes are assumed to be connected to that portion of the field . We assume that target node N2 provides better computing performance than N1 . The start-up configuration is the optimal distribution of application tasks onto the heterogeneous hardware . The most performant configuration , Config 0 in Table 2 , does not require off-node communication among the application tasks : \u2022 no application task is allocated to N3 , whose Basic Software acts as master and handles communication with the remote control center ; \u2022 PARALLEL TRS runs on N1 ; \u2022 BUSBAR1 , BUSBAR2 , and STRAT are allocated to N2 . Table 11 : Different configurations to allocate active Primary Substation Automation System application tasks to target nodes . \u2022 Each application task has at least one standby replica task Ri on a different target node Ni ( i = 1 ... 3 ) . 4.3.1 Recovery Strategy of the Primary Substation Automation System In order to cope with temporary and permanent physical faults affecting the information and communication infrastructure of the Primary Substation Automation System , an appropriate recovery strategy has been designed and coded as a set of Ariel recovery scripts . Such strategy combines different kinds of error detection mechanisms , error recovery and system reconfiguration . Reconfiguration is statically associated to the crash of a single node . If two nodes crash simultaneously no reconfiguration is possible . The following scripts are examples of recovery actions . Example 1 . If a slave node ( e.g. , N1 ) crashes , the LAN Monitor detects this event and notifies the Backbone executing the following Ariel code : IF [ FAULTY NODE { N1 } AND RUNNING NODE { N2 } AND RUNNING NODE { N3 } AND PHASE ( TASK { BSW_M } ) == { NEW_CYCLE_PH } ] THEN ISOLATE NODE { N1 } SEND { CONFIG_1 } TASK { BSW_MSG_M } SEND { CONFIG_1 } GROUP { BSW_SLAVE_GROUP } RESTART GROUP { EXECUTIVE_GROUP } RESTART TASK { PARALLEL_TRS_R2 } FI If the guard of the above script is fulfilled , application tasks are reconfigured as of CONFIG 1 from Table 11 . CONFIG 1 maintains the full Primary Substation Automation System functionality by transferring Parallel TRS to N2 , actually activating its spare replica . This node is able to cope with the whole computational load , as it does not need to perform communication requested by the BSW M's functions . To avoid undesired interference by the Backbone during critical phases of BSW M activity , a condition on the current execution phase ( PHASE ( TASK { BSW_M } ) == { NEW_CYCLE_PH } ) must be satisfied in conjunction with the crash test . The ISOLATE NODE action corresponds to informing other nodes that they may not accept any message from the isolated peer \u2013 even if it comes back to life \u2013 until the isolation is undone . Example 2 . If a target node ( e.g. N2 ) crashes during a different execution phase of the master Basic Software , then this error is notified by the BSW M to the Backbone ( through function RaiseEvent ( RE_BSW_error )) , causing the execution of the following ARIEL code : IF [ EVENT { RE_BSW_error } ] THEN IF [ FAULTY NODE { N2 } AND RUNNING NODE { N3 } ] THEN ISOLATE NODE { N2 } SEND { CONFIG_2 } TASK { BSW_MSG_M } SEND { CONFIG_2 } TASK { BSW_MSG_S1 } RESTART GROUP { EXECUTIVE_GROUP } RESTART TASK { BUSBAR1_R3 } , TASK { BUSBAR2_R3 } , TASK { STRAT_R3 } RESTART TASK { PARALLEL_TRS_R1 } FI FI Hence the system is reconfigured as in Config 2 : The spare replicas of BUSBAR1 , BUSBAR2 and STRAT are activated on N3 . Example 3 . In case of a fault on target node N3 ( where BSW M is running ) , the following ARIEL code is executed , triggered by error detection by the LAN Monitor and subsequent notification to the Backbone : IF [ FAULTY NODE { N3 } AND RUNNING NODE { N1 } AND RUNNING NODE { N2 } ] THEN ISOLATE NODE { N3 } SEND { CONFIG_3 } GROUP { BSW_SLAVE_GROUP } SEND { BACKUP_MASTER } TASK { BSW_MSG_S2 } RESTART GROUP { EXECUTIVE_GROUP } STOP TASK { PARALLEL_TRS } RESTART TASK { STRAT_R1 } , TASK { BUSBAR1_R1 } , TASK { BUSBAR2_R1 } FI Figure 10 : User interface for application supervision and active task allocation . As a consequence , the function of master node is transferred to N2 and the application tasks of N2 are moved to N1 . As N1 can not support both application functions simultaneously , PARALLEL TRS is disabled , thus proceeding to a graceful degradation of the automation system ( config 3 ) . Evaluation . Other recovery strategies , such as restarting all tasks on a node after a transient fault , or shutting down the system when reconfiguration is not possible , have also been coded in ARIEL and implemented . We did not provide recovery strategies associated with a crash of N4 or N5 , because as they are not target nodes , they are not concerned with the automation control function itself ; so even if they crash , the application is not endangered . In a real deployment they could be replicated or could backup each other . Figure 10 shows the user interface of the pilot application demonstrator . 4.4 Summary and Lessons Learned The lack of flexibility that is inherent to dedicated hardware-based fault tolerance solutions makes their adoption not cost-effective in cases where similar functionality has to be deployed in several sites , each characterized by a slightly different environment . This section presented the integration of a fault-tolerance architecture based on the recovery language approach into the distributed automation system of a primary substation . The deployment of this fault tolerance middleware allows different recovery strategies to be integrated on a heterogeneous platform . Given the generality of the methods and techniques used the designed solution is applicable to a wide class of process automation systems . The following points summarize the lessons learned : \u2022 The ASFA design environment with automatic code generation provides several advantages : less development time , absence of coding errors , portable application code and possibilities for application partitioning . It is straightforward to interface it to IEC 61850-compliant Intelligent Electronic Devices ( IED ) . \u2022 The implementation effort required to integrate the DepAuDE Basic Services Library into an ASFA application was limited ( about 2400 lines of code for the RMOS and VxWorks targets ) . The communication mechanism supplied by the DepAuDE Basic Services Library provided transparent inter-process communication among ASFA application tasks . The grouping of tasks revealed itself as a useful tool when implementing the standby replicas . Inter-processor communication among application tasks strongly influences application performance and reconfiguration time in case of faults . Therefore inter-processor data flow should be avoided if possible , or at least minimized . \u2022 The deployment of the DepAuDE architecture allowed integrating several recovery strategies on a heterogeneous platform . The separation between functional and error recovery programs provides flexibility to modify recovery strategies without requiring major modifications to the application , while tolerating the same physical faults as in the dedicated hardware solutions . 5 CONCLUSION The recovery language approach and ariel , a configuration-and-recovery language , have been discussed . First the concepts have been treated in general terms ; then , a particular context has been chosen and the concepts in that context have been deployed in the form of a prototypic architecture developed in the framework of a European project , TIRAN . Finally , a real-life example from the domain of electrical automation system has been discussed . ariel and its run-time system provide the user with a fault-tolerance linguistic structure that appears to the user as a sort of second application-level especially conceived and devoted to address the error recovery concerns . 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( Available at URL http:\/\/www.wrs.com\/products\/html\/vxwks52.html ) Notes 1 To be pronounced as \" [ a : * ] - [ i : ] - [ el ] . \" instance , via the exit function call from the C standard libraries . 3 Note how , according to the hypothesis of adherence to the timed-asynchronous distributed system model , such thresholds are known because all services are timed . 4 \" Virtual \" isolation of a task can be obtained , when the task obeys the fourth application assumption at page 164 , \" disactivating \" the corresponding BSL communication descriptors . 5 To be intended herein as a set of software libraries , distributed components , and formal techniques . 6 Safety-critical systems , i.e. , computer , electronic or electromechanical systems whose failure may cause injury or death to human beings , such as an aircraft or nuclear power station control system ( FOLDOC , 2000 ) , were not covered within TIRAN . This allowed the crash failure semantics assumption ( see Sect . 2.1.1 ) to be satisfied with less strict coverage , which translates into lower development costs for the framework . 7 Mosaic020 boards have been developed in the framework of the ESPRIT project Dipsap II ( Dipsap-II , 1997 ) by DASA \/ DSS and Eonic Systems . They are based on the Analog Devices ADSP-21020 DSP and the SMCS communication chip . The SMCS chip complies with the IEEE 1355 standard ( IEEE , 1995 ) and has hardware support for detecting transmission and connection errors and for higher level system protocols such as reset-at-runtime . 8 A time-out is said to be suspended when , on expiration , no alarm is executed . The corresponding entry stays in the time-out list and obeys its rules \u2013 in particular , if the timeout was cyclic , on expiration the entry is renewed . 9 An associative array ( see , for instance , ( De Florio , 1996 )) may then be used to de-reference an entity through its symbolic name . 10 In TIRAN lingo , a SocketServer is a task run on each node of the system , which is used by the TIRAN BSL for managing off node communication ( via UDP sockets ) and for local dispatching of remote messages . This is a well-known technical solution which is used , e.g. , in PVM , where a single component , pvmd ( PVM daemon ) , is launched on each node of a PVM cluster to manage global tasks ( Geist et al. , 1994 ) . 11 A number of voting techniques have been generalized in ( Lorczak , Caglayan , & Eckhardt , 1989 ) to \" arbitrary N - version systems with arbitrary output types using a metric space framework \" . To use these algorithms , a metric function can be supplied by the user so to compare any two votes . Such a function is called a \" metric \" and has a fixed prototype , the one of function strcmp of the C standard library function \u2013 in the example , a function called int cmp is selected . The object code of this function must be available and addressable when compiling the target application . See Chapter 3 for more details on this . 12 Here and in the following , context-free grammars are used in order to describe syntax rules . The syntax used for describing those rules is that of the YACC ( Johnson , 1975 ) parser generator . Appendix A to Chapter 11 describes YACC in detail . Terminal symbols such as GT are in capital letters . They are considered as intuitive and their definition ( in this case , string \" > \" ) in general will not be supplied . 13 These services are obtained via specific function calls to the level-1 . 2 BT ( see the edge from RINT to those BT in Fig. 2 ) . Such BT , in turn , can either execute , through the BSL , a kernel-level function for stopping processes \u2013 if available \u2013 or send a termination signal to the involved processes . The actual choice is taken transparently , and RINT only calls one or more times either a TIRAN Stop Task or a TIRAN Stop Node function . 14 This service is obtained as described in the previous footnote . Depending on the characteristics of the adopted platform , isolation can be reached either through support at the communication driver or kernel level , or as follows : when a task opens a connection , a reference to a given object describing the connection is returned to both the user code and the 2 For local component of the Backbone . Action ISOLATE simply substitutes this object with another one , the methods of which prevent that task to communicate . This explains the third application-specific assumption of Sect . 2.1.1 . 15 For instance , condition \" DEADLOCKED \" and action \" CALL \" ( see the Appendix of Chapter 11 ) were added to test the inclusion in ariel , respectively , of a provision for checking whether two tasks are in a deadlock ( see ( Efthivoulidis et al. , 1998 ) for a description of this provision ) and of a hook to the function call invocation method . These two provisions were easily introduced in the grammar of ariel . 16 As we have seen in the case of the Therac-25 linear accelerator in Chapter 2 , it is often a good design choice not to remove hardware safeguards ... page FAULT-TOLERANT PROTOCOLS USING ASPECT ORIENTATION 1 INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES This chapter resumes our survey of application-level fault-tolerance protocols considering approaches based on aspect-oriented programming . Aspect-compliant programming languages allow to treat a source code as a pliable web that the designer can weave so as to specialize or optimize towards a certain goal without having to recode it . This useful property allows separate concerns , bound complexity and enhance maintainability . Aspect programs may be used for different objectives , including non-functional properties such as dependability . To date it is not known whether aspect-orientation will actually provide satisfactory solutions for fault-tolerance in the application layer . Some researchers believe this is not the case ( Kienzle & Guerraou , 2002 ) \u2013 at least for some fault-tolerance paradigm . Some preliminary studies have been carried out ( for instance in ( Lippert & Videira Lopes , 2000 )) , but no definitive word has been said on the matter . It is our belief that , at least for some paradigms , aspects may reveal themselves as invaluable tools to engineer the application-level of fault-tolerance services . For this reason their approach is described in this chapter . 2 2.1 FAULT-TOLERANT PROTOCOLS THROUGH ASPECT ORIENTATION General Ideas Aspect-oriented programming ( AOP ) ( Kiczales et al. , 1997 ) is a programming methodology and a structuring technique that explicitly addresses , at application level , the problem of the best code structure to express different , possibly conflicting design goals such as high performance , optimal memory usage , and dependability . Indeed , when coding a non-functional service within an application \u2013 for instance an application-level error handling protocol \u2013 using either a procedural or an object-oriented programming language , one is required to decompose the original goal , in this case a certain degree of dependability , into a multiplicity of fragments scattered among a number of procedures or objects . This happens because those programming languages only provide abstraction and composition mechanisms to cleanly support the functional concerns . In other words , specific non-functional goals , such as high performance , can not be easily captured into a single unit of functionality among those offered by a procedural or object-oriented language , and must be fragmented and intruded into the available units of functionality . As already observed , this code intrusion is detrimental to maintainability and portability of both functional and non-functional services ( the latter called \" aspects \" in aspect-oriented terminology ) . Such aspects tend to crosscut the system's class and module structure rather than staying , well localized , within one of these unit of functionality , e.g. , a class . This increases the complexity of the resulting systems . The main idea of aspect-oriented programming is to use : 1 . A \" conventional \" programming language ( that is , a procedural , object-oriented , or functional programming language ) to code the basic functionality . The resulting program is called a component program . The basic functional units of the component program are called components . 2 . A so-called aspect-oriented language to implement given aspects by defining specific interconnections ( \" aspect programs \" in aspect-oriented lingo ) among the components in order to address various systemic concerns . 3 . An aspect weaver , that takes as input both the aspect and the component programs and produces with those ( \" weaves \" ) an output program ( \" tangled code \" ) that addresses specific aspects . The weaver first generates a data flow graph from the component program . In this graph , nodes represent components , and edges represent data flowing from one component to another . Next , it executes the aspect programs . These programs edit the graph according to specific goals , collapsing nodes together and adjusting the corresponding code accordingly . Finally , a code generator takes the graph resulting from the previous step as its input and translates it into an actual software package written , e.g. , for a procedural language such as Java . This package is only meant to be compiled and produce the ultimate executable code fulfilling a specific aspect like , e.g. , higher dependability . In a sense , aspect-oriented programming systematically automatizes and supports the process to adapt an existing code so that it fulfils specific aspects . Aspect-oriented programming may be defined as a software engineering methodology supporting those adaptations in such a way as to guarantee that they do not destroy the original design and do not increase complexity . The original idea of aspect-oriented programming is a clever blending and generalization of the ideas that are at the basis , for instance , of optimizing compilers , program transformation systems , meta-object protocols , and even literate programming ( Knuth , 1984 ) . 2.2 2.2.1 AspectJ and Aspectwerkz AspectJ AspectJ is the first and probably most wide-spread aspect-oriented language ( Kiczales , 2000 ; Lippert & Videira Lopes , 2000 ) . Developed as a Xerox PARC project , AspectJ can be defined as an aspect-oriented extension to the Java programming language . AspectJ provides the programmer with the following constructs : \u2022 Join points , i.e. points in a program where additional behavior ( logging for example ) can be attached . They represent relevant points in a program's dynamic call graph . Join points mark the code regions that can be manipulated later one by an aspect weaver ( see above ) . In AspectJ , these points can be \u2013 method executions , \u2013 constructor calls , \u2013 constructor executions , \u2013 field accesses , and \u2013 exception handlers . Join points can be expressed through pointcuts ( see below ) . \u2022 Pointcuts are a way to express join points in a program . Let us suppose for example one would need to achieve transparent logging of all the methods whose names start with string \" do \" . In AspectJ this can be expressed as pointcut doMethod ( ) : execution ( * do * ( * )) ; \u2022 An advice is the additional code ( the actual logging , for instance ) that has to be executed at the join point . In the logging example it can be implemented as follows : after ( ) returning : doMethod ( ) \/\/ log something . \u2022 Inter-type declarations provide a mechanism to change the structure of existing classes . It is possible to add methods , fields and even interfaces to existing classes without changing the class itself . For instance if one needs to log how many times a method is executed , it is possible to add a counter field to the class . AspectJ is in a sense an extension to Java and in this regard it has two important properties . The first property is that all valid Java programs are valid AspectJ programs and the second is that after transformation of the AspectJ program , it becomes a valid Java program that can be run in the Java Virtual Machine ( jvm ) . In order for AOP to work , AspectJ has an AspectJ-compiler ( ajc ) that weaves the aspects into the code . This weaving can happen at three different times : \u2022 Compile-time : ajc will compile the classes from source and produce the woven classes as output . This is the simplest approach and only necessary if the aspects are required for the code to compile ( which would not be a good approach ) . \u2022 Post-compile-time : ajc will weave existing class - and jar-files with the aspects . Post-compiletime weaving allows great flexibility as it enables us to add aspects after the original code has been compiled . \u2022 Load-time : The weaving only happens when the class loader loads the class in the environment . This requires the support from a weaving class loader and weaving agent by adding aspectjweaver . jar to the classpath . Load-time weaving allows the most flexibility as the aspects to be woven need only be known at runtime . Another extension to Java is AspectJ's support of the Design by Contract methodology ( Meyer , 1997 ) , where contracts ( Hoare , 1969 ) define a set of pre-conditions , post-conditions , and invariants , that determine how to use and what to expect from a computational entity . A study has been carried out on the capability of AspectJ as an aspect-oriented programming language supporting exception detection and handling ( Lippert & Videira Lopes , 2000 ) . It has been shown how AspectJ can be used to develop so-called \" plug-and-play \" exception handlers : libraries of exception handlers that can be plugged into many different applications . This translates into better support for managing different configurations at compile-time . This addresses one of the aspects of attribute a defined in Chapter 2 . 2.2.2 Dynamic weaving of aspects As mentioned in ( Hiltunen , Ta\u0131 \u0308 ani , & Schlichting , 2006 ) , dynamic behavior through run-time weaving is being recognized more and more as a key property in modern aspect-oriented architectures . While early versions of AspectJ could only define joinpoints as static source code locations it is now possible to define joinpoints on the occurrence of run-time conditions . This allows activate or deactivate aspects dynamically . Many researchers believe that through this powerful syntactical framework it will be possible to tackle effectively dynamic adaptation and self-configuration . An interesting example of this trend is AspectWerkz ( Bon\u00e9r & Vasseur , 2004 ; Vasseur , 2004 ) , defined by its authors as \" a dynamic , lightweight and high-performant AOP framework for Java \" ( Bon\u00e9r , 2004 ) . AspectWerkz utilizes bytecode modification to weave classes at project build-time , class load time or runtime . This capability means that the actual semantics of an AspectWerkz code may vary dynamically over time , e.g. , as a response to environmental changes . This translates in a useful structure to create dependable service whose fault model changes over time , as discussed in Chapter 2 , hence characterized by an excellent a . Recently the AspectJ and AspectWerkz projects have agreed to work together as one team to produce a single aspect-oriented programming platform building on their complementary strengths and expertise . 2.3 Variations on the Main Theme : AspectC ++ and GluonJ A recent project , AspectC ++ ( AspectCpp , n.d. ) , proposes an aspect-oriented implementation of C ++ which appears to achieve most of the positive properties of the other Java-based approaches and adds to this efficiency and good performance . AspectJ and Aspectwerkz are not the only aspect-oriented languages focusing on Java : Another example is GluonJ ( GluonJ , n.d. ; Chiba & Ishikawa , 2005 ) , whose primary design goal is simplicity \u2013 a fundamental property for truly dependable systems . Quoting his author , GluonJ \" provides simple but powerful AOP constructs by using annotations in regular Java . Developers can use GluonJ as a compile-time AOP system or a load-time AOP system \" . GluonJ in particular provides its programmer with a mechanism for extending an existing class , called refinement . As mentioned in Chapter 4 , GluonJ has been written on top of Javassist , the Java Programming Assistant meta-library briefly introduced in that chapter . 3 CONCLUSION Figure 1 synthesizes the main characteristics of AOP : it allows decompose , select , and assemble components according to different design goals . This has been represented by drawing the components as pieces of a jigsaw puzzle created by the aspect program and assembled by the weaver into the actual source code . AOP addresses explicitly code re-engineering , which in principle should allow to reduce considerably maintenance costs . AOP is a relatively recent approach to software development . AOP can in principle address any application domain and can use a procedural , functional or object-oriented programming language as component language . The isolation and coding of aspects requires extra work and expertise that may be well paid back by the capability of addressing new aspects while keeping a single unmodified and general design . For the time being it is not yet possible to tell whether AOP will spread out as a programming paradigm among academia and industry the way object-oriented programming has done since the Eighties . The many qualities of AOP are currently being quantitatively assessed , both with theoretical Figure 1 : A fault-tolerant program according to an AOP system . studies and with practical experience , and results seem encouraging . Furthermore , evidence of an increasing interest in AOP is given by the large number of research papers and conferences devoted to this interesting subject . From the point of view of the dependability aspect , one can observe that AOP exhibits optimal sc ( \" by construction \" , in a sense ( Kiczales & Mezini , 2005 )) , and that recent results show that attribute a can in principle reach good values when making use of run-time weaving ( Vasseur , 2004 ) , often realized by dynamic bytecode manipulation . This work by Ostermann ( Ostermann , 1999 ) is an interesting survey on this subject . The adequacy at fulfilling attribute sa is indeed debatable also because , to date , no fault-tolerance aspect languages have been devised1 \u2013 which may possibly be an interesting research domain . Positive values for sa have been questioned , at least in the case of fault-tolerance paradigms such as transactions , which appear to be difficult to be \" aspectized \" ( Kienzle & Guerraou , 2002 ) especially because of the \" very syntactic-only nature \" of the manipulations supported by the approach . Possibly an evolution of aspects allowing semantic processing , a little like in Introspector ( Chapter 4 ) , could provide us with the ultimate tool to master the application-level complexity of fault-tolerance expression . References Bon\u00e9r , J. ( 2004 , March ) . AspectWerkz - dynamic AOP for Java . In Proceedings of aosd 2004 . Bon\u00e9r , J. , & Vasseur , A. ( 2004 , May ) . Dynamic AOP : SOA for the application . ( Tutorial presented at BEA eWorld 2004 ) Chiba , S. , & Ishikawa , R. ( 2005 ) . Aspect-oriented programming beyond dependency injection . In Proc . of ecoop 2005 \u2013 object-oriented programming , lncs 3586 ( pp. 121 \u2013 143 ) . Glasgow , UK . Gluonj . ( n.d. ) . ( Retrieved on August 26 , 2007 from www.csg.is.titech.ac.jp\/projects\/gluonj ) Hiltunen , M. , Ta\u0131 \u0308 ani , F. , & Schlichting , R. ( 2006 , March ) . Aspect reuse and domain-specific approaches : Reflections on aspects and configurable protocols . In Proceedings of the 5th international conference on aspect-oriented software development ( aosd ' 06 ) . Hoare , C. A. R. ( 1969 , October ) . An axiomatic basis for computer programming . Comm . ACM , 12 ( 10 ) , 576 \u2013 580 . The home of aspectc ++ . ( n.d. ) . ( Retrieved on August 21 , 2007 from www.aspectc.org ) Kiczales , G. ( 2000 , June 6 \u2013 9 ) . AspectJtm : aspect-oriented programming using Javatm technology . In Proc . of the sun's 2000 worldwide java developer conference ( javaone ) . San Francisco , California . ( Slides available at URL http:\/\/aspectj.org\/servlets\/AJSite?channel= documentation & subChannel = papersAndSlides ) Kiczales , G. , Lamping , J. , Mendhekar , A. , Maeda , C. , Videira Lopes , C. , Loingtier , J. - M. , et al. ( 1997 , June ) . Aspect-oriented programming . In Proc . of the european conference on object-oriented programming ( ecoop ) , lecture notes in computer science ( Vol. 1241 ) . Finland : Springer , Berlin . Kiczales , G. , & Mezini , M. ( 2005 ) . Separation of concerns with procedures , annotations , advice and pointcuts . In Proceedings of the european conference on object-oriented programming ( ecoop ) , springer lncs series . Kienzle , J. , & Guerraou , R. ( 2002 ) . Aop : Does it make sense ? the case of concurrency and failures . In Proceedings of the 16th european conference on object oriented programming ( pp. 37 \u2013 61 ) . Knuth , D. E. ( 1984 ) . Literate programming . The Comp . Jour . , 27 , 97 \u2013 111 . Lippert , M. , & Videira Lopes , C. ( 2000 , June ) . A study on exception detection and handling using aspect-oriented programming . In Proc . of the 22nd international conference on software engineering ( icse ' 2000 ) . Limmerick , Ireland . Meyer , B. ( 1997 ) . Fault-tolerant computer systems design . New Jersey : Prentice-Hall . Ostermann , K. ( 1999 ) . Towards a composition taxonomy ( Tech . Rep. ) . Siemens AG CT SE 2 . Vasseur , A. ( 2004 , March ) . Dynamic AOP and runtime weaving for Java \u2013 how does AspectWerkz address it ? In Proceedings of aosd 2004 , dynamic aop workshop . Notes 1 For instance , AspectJ only addresses exception error detection and handling . Remarkably enough , the authors of a study on AspectJ and its support to this field conclude ( Lippert & Videira Lopes , 2000 ) that \" whether the properties of AspectJ [ documented in this paper ] lead to programs with fewer implementation errors and that can be changed easier , is still an open research topic that will require serious usability studies as AOP matures \" . page FAILURE DETECTION PROTOCOLS IN THE APPLICATION LAYER 1 INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Failure detection is a fundamental building block to develop fault-tolerant distributed systems . Accurate failure detection in asynchronous systems ( Chapter 2 ) is notoriously difficult , as it is impossible to tell whether a process has actually failed or it is just slow . Because of this , several impossibility results have been derived \u2013 see for instance the well known paper ( Fischer , Lynch , & Paterson , 1985 ) . As a consequence of these pessimistic results , many researchers have devoted their time and abilities to understanding how to reformulate the concept of system model in a fine-grained alternative way . Their goal was being able to tackle problems such as distributed consensus with the minimal requirements on the system environment . This brought to the theory of unreliable failure detectors for reliable systems , pioneered by the works of Chandra and Toueg ( Chandra & Toueg , 1996 ) . This chapter introduces these concepts and the formulation of failure detection protocols in the application layer . In particular a linguistic framework is proposed for the expression of those protocols . As a case study it is described the algorithm for failure detection used in the EFTOS DIR net and in the TIRAN Backbone \u2013 that is , the fault-tolerance managers introduced respectively in Chapter 3 and Chapter 6 . 2 FAILURE DETECTION PROTOCOLS IN THE APPLICATION LAYER In Chapter 2 the concept of system model was briefly introduced together with the main features of the classical asynchronous and synchronous system models . The former model , also known as \" time-free \" system model , is the one that is implicitly used by most non real-time services : For such systems there is no bound for the time required to execute any computation or communication step , which means that there is no way to tell whether a certain part of the system is slow or if it has failed . How to distinguish between these two cases ? The answer found by researchers is failure detectors . As cleverly expressed by Michel Raynal , failure detectors may be considered as a sort of distributed oracle for failure detection . This oracle observes the system and draws its conclusions about failures , informing those who query it . It could be regarded as a sort of middleware service for failure detection . Failure detectors are characterized by two properties : \u2022 Completeness , which is the actual detection of failures , and \u2022 Accuracy , which tells how reliable a failure detector can be in its assessments . In a sense , completeness and accuracy represent two coordinates by means of which the spectrum of all possible failure detectors can be drawn . This spectrum represents also a two-dimensional set of possible system models , a set which is much more detailed and fine-grained than the linear one hitherto available to researchers : In other words , before failure detectors , the researchers had a sort of interval defined by its two extremes , the asynchronous model ( \" I ask nothing , so I get nothing \" ) and the synchronous model ( \" I ask too much , so I ca n't get it \" ) . Partial synchronous systems are points vaguely identified within that interval . With failure detectors everything changes and one can talk of system model ( c , a ) , where ( c , a ) are the completeness and accuracy of the minimal failure detector F D ( c , a ) that can be implemented in a system obeying that model . This view has revolutionized the research on dependable distributed systems . Several and very important have been the consequences of the introduction of failure detectors . Among them the following ones are highlighted herein : \u2022 Famous impossibility results such as the impossibility to solve consensus in a fully asynchronous system ( Fischer et al. , 1985 ) , which had puzzled the research community for years , have been now understood and tamed . The correct way to solve it is to ask which is the weakest of failure detectors the underlying asynchronous system has to be equipped with in order for the consensus problem to be solved . This in turns means to be able to identify which minimal set of additional mechanisms must be available in an asynchronous system in order implement that failure detector , thus making it able to support consensus . The same reasoning can be applied to any other distributed computing problem . Clearly this is a powerful conceptual and practical tool to reason about reliable systems . \u2022 Another important consequence of introducing a theory of failure detectors is that a failure detector also reveals what are the minimal requirements necessary for a service to migrate from a system to another while keeping the desired quality of service . One of the key messages of this book is that it is important to distinguish between porting a code Construct Repeat periodically Upon t = current time Upon receive message Concurrency management NFD-E no \u03c6 no FD yes GMFD no D \u2208 \u2666 P yes HB yes HB-pt yes yes no yes yes no no no yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes no no yes yes yes Table 1 : Syntactical constructs used in several failure detector protocols . \u03c6 is the accrual failure detector discussed in ( Hayashibara , 2004 ; Hayashibara et al. , 2004 ) . D is the eventually perfect failure detector of ( Chandra & Toueg , 1996 ) . HB is the Heartbeat detector of ( Aguilera et al. , 1999 ) . HB-pt is the partitiontolerant version of the Heartbeat detector . By \" Concurrency management \" it is meant co-routines , threading or forking . and porting the service that that code is meant to offer , and that the history of the relations between human beings and computers is paved of cases where erroneous software reuse has led to dreadful disasters . Failure detectors provide the designers with powerful \" lens \" through which the differences among systems and the consequences of migrations are put in the foreground . It is a pity that the awareness of the role of failure detectors in dependable software development has not been fully recognized and exploited yet in the ICT community at large . \u2022 Finally , from a theoretical point of view , failure detectors create a partial ordering among problems , which is also very important to better understand and compare the threats of dependability . Failure detection protocols are often described by their authors making use of informal pseudo-codes of their conception . Often these pseudo-codes use syntactical constructs such as repeat periodically ( Chandra & Toueg , 1996 ) ( Aguilera , Chen , & Toueg , 1999 ) ( Bertier , Marin , & Sens , 2002 ) , at time t send heartbeat ( Chen , Toueg , & Aguilera , 2002 ; Bertier et al. , 2002 ) , at time t check whether message has arrived ( Chen et al. , 2002 ) , or upon receive ( Aguilera et al. , 1999 ) , together with several variants ( see Table 1 ) . Such syntactical constructs are not often found in COTS programming languages such as C or C ++ , which leads us to the problem of translating the protocol specifications into running software prototypes using one such standard language . Furthermore the lack of a formal , well-defined , and standard form to express failure detection protocols often leads their authors to insufficiently detailed descriptions . Those informal descriptions in turn complicate the reading process and exacerbate the work of the implementors , which becomes time-consuming , error-prone and at times frustrating . Several researchers and practitioners are currently arguing that failure detection should be made available as a network service ( Hayashibara et al. , 2004 ; Renesse , Minsky , & Hayden , 1998 ) . No such service exists to date . Lacking such tool , it is important to devise methods to express in the application layer of our software even the most complex failure detection protocols in a simple and natural way . In the following one such method is introduced , which is based on the class of time-outs ( i.e. , objects that postpone a certain function call by a given amount of time ) that has been introduced in Chapter 6 . As mentioned already , this feature allows convert time-based events into non time-based events such as message arrivals . It also allows easily express the constructs in Table 1 in standard C1 . In some cases , our class allows get rid of concurrency management requirements such as co-routines or thread management libraries . The formal character of our method allows rapid-prototype the algorithms with minimal effort . This is proved through a Literate Programming ( Knuth , 1984 ) framework that produces from a same source file both the description meant for publication and a software skeleton to be compiled in standard C or C ++ . The rest of this chapter is structured as follows : Section 2.1 introduces our tool . In Sect . 2.1.2 our tool is put to work and used to express three classical failure detectors . Section 2.2 is a case study describing a software system built with our tool . Our conclusions are drawn in Sect . 2.3 . 2.1 TOM : A Time-outs Management System This section briefly describes the architecture of our time-out management system ( TOM ) . The TOM class appears to the user as a couple of new types and a library of functions . Table 2 provides an idea of the client-side protocol of our tool . To declare a time-out manager , the user needs to define a pointer to a TOM object and then call function tom init . Argument to this function is an alarm , i.e. , the function to be called when a time-out expires : int alarm ( TOM * ) ; tom = tom init ( alarm ) ; The first time function tom init is called a custom thread is spawned . That thread is the actual time-out manager . At this point the user is allowed to define his or her time-outs . This is done via type timeout t and function tom declare ; an example follows : timeout t t ; tom declare ( & t , TOM CYCLIC , TOM SET ENABLE , TID , TSUBID , DEADLINE ) . In what above , time-out t is declared as : \u2022 A cyclic time-out ( renewed on expiration ; as opposed to TOM NON CYCLIC , which means \" removed on expiration \" ) , 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . \/ * declarations * \/ TOM * tom ; timeout t t1 , t2 , t3 ; int my alarm ( TOM * ) , another alarm ( TOM * ) ; \/ * definitions * \/ tom \u2190 tom init ( my alarm ) ; tom declare ( & t1 , TOM CYCLIC , TOM SET ENABLE , TIMEOUT1 , SUBID1 , DEADLINE1 ) ; tom declare ( & t2 , TOM NON CYCLIC , TOM SET ENABLE , TIMEOUT2 , SUBID2 , DEADLINE2 ) ; tom declare ( & t3 , TOM CYCLIC , TOM SET DISABLE , TIMEOUT3 , SUBID3 , DEADLINE3 ) ; tom set action ( & t3 , another alarm ) ; \/ * insertion * \/ tom insert ( tom , & t1 ) , tom insert ( tom , & t2 ) , tom insert ( tom , & t3 ) ; \/ * control * \/ tom enable ( tom , & t3 ) ; tom set deadline ( & t2 , NEW DEADLINE2 ) ; tom renew ( tom , & t2 ) ; tom delete ( tom , & t1 ) ; \/ * deactivation * \/ tom close ( tom ) ; Table 2 : An example of usage of the TOM class . In 1 . a time-out list pointer and three time-out objects are declared , together with two alarm functions . In 2 . the time-out list and the time-outs are initialized , and an alarm differing from the default one is attached to time-out t3 . Insertion is carried out at point 3 . At 4 . , some control operations are performed on the list , namely , time-out t3 is enabled , a new deadline value is specified for time-out t2 which is then renewed to activate the changing , and time-out t1 is deleted . The whole list is finally deactivated in 5 . \u2022 enabled ( only enabled time-outs \" fire \" , i.e. , call their alarm on expiration ; an alarm is disabled with TOM SET DISABLE ) , \u2022 with a deadline of DEADLINE local clock ticks before expiration . A time-out t is identified as a couple of integers , in the above example TID and TSUBID . This is done because in our experience it is often useful to distinguish instances of classes of time-outs . TID is used for the class identifier and TSUBID for the particular instance . A practical example of this is given in Sect . 2.2 . Once defined , a time-out can be submitted to the time-out manager for insertion in its running list of time-outs \u2013 see ( De Florio & Blondia , 2006 ) for further details on this . From the user point of view , this is managed by calling function tom insert ( TOM * , timeout t * ) . Note that a time-out might be submitted to more than one time-out manager . After successful insertion an enabled time-out will trigger the call of the default alarm function after the specified deadline . If that time-out is declared as TOM CYCLIC the time-out would then be re-inserted . Other control functions are available : a time-out can be temporarily suspended while in the time-out list via function tom disable ( TOM * , timeout t * ) and ( re - ) enabled via function tom enable ( TOM * , timeout t * ) . Furthermore , the user is allowed to specify a new alarm function via tom set action ) and a new deadline via tom set deadline ; he or she can delete a time-out from the list via tom delete ( TOM * , timeout t * ) , and renew2 it via tom renew ( TOM * , timeout t * ) . Finally , when the time-out management service is no longer needed , the user should call function tom close ( TOM * ) , which possibly halts the time-out manager thread should no other client be still active . 2.1.1 Requirements A fundamental requirement of our model is that processes must have access to some local physical clock giving them the ability to measure time . The availability of means to control the priorities of processes is also an important factor to reducing the chances of late alarm execution . Another assumption is that the alarm functions are small grained both in CPU and I \/ O usage so as to not interfere \" too much \" with the tasks of the TOM . Finally , asynchronous , non-blocking primitives to send and receive messages are assumed to be available . 2.1.2 Discussion In this section it is shown that the syntactical constructs in Table 1 can be expressed in terms of our class of time-outs . This is done by considering three classical failure detectors and providing their time-out based specifications in the cweb Literate Programming framework ( Knuth , 1984 ) . Let us consider the classical formulation of eventually perfect failure detector D ( Chandra & Toueg , 1996 ) . The main idea of the protocol is to require each task to send a \" heartbeat \" to its fellows and maintain a list of tasks suspected to have failed . A task identifier q enters the list of task p if no heartbeat is received by p during a certain amount of time , \u2206 p ( q ) , initially set to a default value . This value is increased when late heartbeats are received . The basic structure of D is that of a co-routine with three concurrent processes , two of which execute a task periodically while the third one is triggered by the arrival of a message : The repeat periodically in Task 1 is called a \" multiplicity 1 \" repeat , because indeed a single action ( sending a \" p-is-alive \" message ) has to be tracked , while the one in Task 2 is called a \" multiplicity q \" repeat , which requires to check q events . Our reformulation of the above code is as follows : where tasks and actions are defined as follows : The following observations can be drawn : \u2022 Our syntax is less abstract than the one adopted in the classical formulation . Indeed it was deliberately chosen a syntax very similar to that of programming languages like C and its derivatives . Behind the lines , a similar semantics is also assumed . \u2022 Our syntax is more strongly typed : We have deliberately chosen to define ( most of ) the objects our code deals with . \u2022 Set-wise operations such as union , complement or membership have been systematically avoided by transforming sets into arrays as , e.g. , in outputp \u2190 outputp U { q } , which was changed into outputp [ q ] = PRESENT . \u2022 The abstract constructs repeat periodically have been systematically rewritten as one or more time-outs ( depending on their multiplicity ) . Each of these time-out has an associated action that sends one message to the client process , p. This means that 1 . time-related event \" it 's time to send p-is-alive to all \" becomes event \" message REPEAT TASK1 has arrived . \" 2 . time-related events \" it 's time to check whether q-is-alive has arrived \" becomes event \" message ( REPEAT TASK2 , id = q ) has arrived . \" \u2022 Due to the now homogeneous nature of the possible events ( message arrivals ) a single process may manage those events through a multiple selection statement ( a switch ) . The requirement for a co-routine has been removed . Through the Literate Programming approach and a compliant tool such as cweb ( Knuth & Levy , 1993 ; Knuth , 1984 ) it is possible to further improve our reformulation . As well known , the cweb tool allows have a single source code to produce a pretty printable TEX documentation and a C file ready for compilation and testing . In our experience this link between these two contexts can be very beneficial : testing or even simply using the code provides feedback on the specification of the algorithm , while the improved specification may reduce the probability of design faults and in general increase the quality of the code . Figure 1 and Figure 2 respectively show a reformulation for the HB failure detector for partitionable networks ( Aguilera et al. , 1999 ) and for the group membership failure detector ( Raynal & Tronel , 1999 ) produced with cweb . A full description of these protocols is out of the scope of this book \u2013 for that the reader is referred to the above cited articles . The focus here is mainly on the syntactical constructs used in them and our reformulations , which include simple translations for the syntactical constructs in Table 1 in terms of our time-out API . A case worth noting is that of the group membership failure detector : Here the authors mimic the availability of a cyclic time-out service but intrude its management in their formulation \u2013 which could be avoided using our approach . 2.2 A Development Experience : The DIR net As mentioned in Chapter 3 and Chapter 6 , at the core of the software fault tolerance strategies of several European projects ( Deconinck , De Florio , Varvarigou , Verentziotis , & Botti , 2002 ; Botti et al. , 2000 ; Deconinck , De Florio , Dondossola , & Szanto , 2003 ) there is a distributed application Figure 1 : Reformulation of the HB failure detector for partitionable networks . Special symbols such as \u03c4 and Dp are caught by cweb and translated into legal C tokens via its \" @ f \" construct . The expression m . path [ q ] \u2264 PRESENT means \" q appears at most once in path \" . Figure 2 : Reformulation of the group membership failure detector . called \" DIR net \" ( De Florio , 1998 ) or \" Backbone \" . In this section that application is described ( let us call it just as the DIR net ) and it is reported on how it was designed and developed by means of the TOM system . The DIR net has been described as a fault-tolerant network of failure detectors connected to other peripheral error detectors ( called Dtools in what follows ) . Objective of the DIR net is to ensure consistent fault tolerance strategies throughout the system and play the role of a backbone handling information to and from the Dtools ( De Florio , Deconinck , & Lauwereins , 2000 ) . The DIR net consists of four classes of components . Each processing node in the system runs an instance of a so-called I-am-alive Task ( IAT ) plus an instance of either a DIR Manager ( DIR-M ) , or a DIR Agent ( DIR-A ) , or a DIR Backup Agent ( DIR-B ) . A DIR-A gathers all error detection messages produced by the Dtools on the current processing node and forwards them to the DIR-M and the DIR-B's . A DIR-B is a DIR-A which also maintains its messages into a database located in central memory . It is connected to DIR-M and to the other DIR-B 's and is eligible for election as a DIR - M. A DIR-M is a special case of DIR - B. Unique within the system , the DIR-M is the one component responsible for running error recovery strategies \u2013 see ( De Florio , 2000 ; De Florio & Deconinck , 2002 ) for a description of the latter . Let us use DIR-x to mean \" the DIR-M or a DIR-B or a DIR - A. \" An important design goal of the DIR net is that of being fault-tolerant . This is accomplished also through a failure detection protocol that will be described Time-out tIA SET tIA CLR Caller DIR-x IAT Action On TimeNow + dIA SET do send mIA SET ALARM to Caller On TimeNow + dIA CLR do send mIA CLR ALARM to IAT Cyclic ? Yes Yes Table 3 : Description of time-outs tIA SET and tIA CLR . Message mIA SET ALARM mIA CLR ALARM Receiver DIR-x IAT k Explanation Time to set IAF Time to check IAF Action IAF \u2190 TRUE if ( IAF \u2261 FALSE ) SendAll ( mTEIF , k ) else IAF \u2190 FALSE , Table 4 : Description of messages mIA SET ALARM and mIA CLR ALARM . in the rest of this section . 2.2.1 The DIR net failure detection protocol Our protocol consists of a local part and a distributed part . Each of them is realized through our TOM class . DIR net protocol : local component . As already mentioned , each processing node hosts a DIR-x and an IAT . These two components run a simple algorithm : they share a local Boolean variable , the I 'm Alive Flag ( IAF ) . The DIR-x has to set periodically the IAF to TRUE while the IAT periodically has to check that this has indeed occurred and reverts IAF to FALSE . If the IAT finds the IAF set to FALSE it broadcasts message mTEIF ( \" this entity is faulty \" ) . The just mentioned cyclic tasks can be easily modeled via two time-outs , tIA SET and tIA CLR , described in Table 3 and Table 4 ( TimeNow being the system function returning the current value of the clock register ) . Note that the time-outs' alarm functions do not clear \/ set the flag \u2013 doing so a hung DIR-x would go undetected . On the contrary , these functions trigger the transmission of messages that once received by healthy components trigger the execution of the meant actions . The following is a pseudo-code for the IAT algorithm : The IAT k executes as follows : timeout t tIA CLR ; msg t activationMessage , m ; tom declare ( \u2740 tIA CLR , TOM CYCLIC , TOM SET ENABLE , IAT CLEAR TIMEOUT , 0 , dIA CLR ) ; tom set action ( \u2740 tIA CLR , actionSendmIA CLR ALARM ) ; tom insert ( \u2740 tIA CLR ) ; Receive ( activationMessage ) ; forever { Receive ( m ) ; if ( m . type \u2261 mIA CLR ALARM ) if ( IAF \u2261 TRUE ) IAF \u2190 FALSE ; else SendAll ( mTEIF , k ) ; delete timeout ( \u2740 tIA CLR ) ; } actionSendmIA CLR ALARM ( ) { Send ( mIA CLR ALARM , IAT k ) ; } The time-out formulation of the DIR-x is given in next section . 2.2.2 DIR net protocol : distributed component The resilience of the DIR net to crash faults comes from the DIR-M and the DIR-B 's running a distributed algorithm of failure detection . Algorithm DIR - M. Let us call mid the node hosting the DIR-M and b the number of processing nodes that host a DIR - B. The DIR-M has to send cyclically a mMIA ( \" Manager-Is-Alive \" ) message to all the DIR-B 's each time time-out tMIA A expires \u2013 this is shown in the right side of Fig. 3 . Obviously this is a multiplicity b \" repeat \" construct , which can be easily managed through a cyclic time-out with an action that signals that a new cycle has begun . In this case the action is \" send a message of type mMIA A ALARM to the DIR - M. \" The manager also expects periodically a ( mTAIA , i ) message ( \" This-Agent-Is-Alive \" ) from each node where a DIR-B is expected to be running . This is easily accomplished through a vector of ( tTAIA A , ~ \u0131 ) time-outs . The left part of Fig. 3 shows this for node i . When time-out ( tTAIA A , p ) expires it means that no ( mTAIA , p ) message has been received within the current period . In this case the DIR-M enters a so called \" suspicion period \" . During such period the manager has to try to tell a late DIR-B from a crashed one . This is done by inserting a non-cyclic time-out , namely ( tTEIF A , p ) . During the suspicion period only one out of the following three events may take place : 1 . A late ( mTAIA , p ) is received . 2 . A ( mTEIF , p ) from IAT at node p is received . 3 . Nothing comes in and the time-out expires . In case 1 , one gets out of the suspicion period , concludes that DIR-B at node p was simply late and goes back waiting for the next ( mTAIA , p ) . A wrong deduction at this point is possible and will be detected in one of next cycles . Adjustments of the deadlines are possible but not dealt with here for the sake of simplicity of description . Figure 3 : The algorithm of the DIR - M. If 2 is the case the remote component is assumed to have crashed though its node is still working properly , as the IAT on that node still gives signs of life . Therefore an error recovery step is initiated . This includes sending a \" WAKEUP \" message to the remote IAT so that it spawns another DIR-B on that node . In case 3 the entire node is assumed to have crashed and node recovery is initiated . Underlying assumption of our algorithm is that the IAT is so simple that if it fails then the whole node can be safely assumed to have failed . Algorithm DIR - B. This algorithm is also divided into two concurrent tasks . In the first one DIR-B on node i has to cyclically send ( mTAIA , i ) messages to the manager , either in piggybacking or on expiring of time-out tTAIA B. This is represented in the right side of Fig. 4 . The DIR-B 's in turn periodically expect a mMIA message from the DIR - M. As evident when comparing Fig. 3 with Fig. 4 , the DIR-B algorithm is very similar to the one of the manager : also DIR-B enters a suspicion period when its manager does not appear to respond quickly enough \u2013 this period is managed via time-out tTEIF B , the same way as in DIR - M. Also in this case one can get out of this state in one out of three possible ways : either 1 . a late ( mMIA B ALARM , mid ) is received , or 2 . a ( mTEIF , mid ) sent by the IAT at node mid is received , or 3 . nothing comes in and the time-out expires . In case 1 one gets out of the suspicion period , concludes that manager was simply late , goes back to normal state and starts waiting for the next ( mMIA , mid ) message . Also in this case , a wrong deduction shall be detected in next cycles . If 2 , one concludes that the manager has crashed though its node is still working properly , as its IAT acted as expected . Therefore a manager recovery phase is initiated similarly to the DIR-B recovery step described in Sect . 2.2.2 . In case 3 the node of the manager is assumed to have crashed , elect a new manager among the DIR-B's , and perform a node recovery phase . Table 5 summarizes the DIR-M and DIR-B algorithms . Time-out tMIA A tTAIA A [ i ] tTEIF A [ i ] tTAIA B tMIA B tTEIF B Caller DIR-M DIR-M DIR-M DIR-B j DIR-B j DIR-B j Message ( mTAIA , i ) mMIA A ALARM mTAIA A ALARM ( mTEIF , i ) ( mTEIF A ALARM , i ) mMIA mTAIA B ALARM mMIA B ALARM mTEIF mTEIF B ALARM Action Every dMIA A do send mMIA A ALARM to DIR-M Every dTAIA A do send ( mTAIA A ALARM , i ) to DIR-M On TimeNow + dTEIF A do send ( mTEIF A ALARM , i ) to DIR-M Every dTAIA B do send mTAIA B ALARM to DIR-B j Every dMIA B do send mMIA B ALARM to DIR-B j On TimeNow + dTEIF B do send mTEIF B ALARM to DIR-B j Receiver DIR-M DIR-M DIR-M DIR-M DIR-M DIR-B j DIR-B j DIR-B j DIR-B j DIR-B j Explanation DIR-B i is OK A new heartbeat is required Possibly DIR-B i is not OK DIR-B i crashed Node i crashed DIR-M is OK A new heartbeat is required Possibly DIR-M is not OK DIR-M crashed DIR-M's node crashed Cyclic ? Yes Yes No Yes Yes No Action ( Re - ) Insert or renew tTAIA A [ i ] Send mMIA to all DIR-B's Delete tTAIA A [ i ] , insert tTEIF A [ i ] Declare DIR-B i crashed Declare node i crashed Renew tMIA B Send ( mTAIA , j ) to DIR-M Delete tMIA B , insert tTEIF B Declare DIR-M crashed Declare DIR-M's node crashed Table 5 : Time-outs and messages of DIR-M and DIR - B. Figure 4 : Algorithm DIR - B. The DIR net was developed using the Windows TIRAN libraries ( Botti et al. , 2000 ) and the cweb system of structured documentation . Figures 5 \u2013 8 show the DIR net at work in a system consisting of just a DIR-M and a DIR - B. Two ancillary processes called SocketServers are used to manage UDP communication . 2.2.3 Special services Configuration . The management of a large number of time-outs may be an error prone task . To simplify it , the configuration language of Chapter 6 was used . Figure 9 shows an example of configuration script to specify the structure of the DIR net ( in this case , a four node system with three DIR-B 's deployed on nodes 1 \u2013 3 and the DIR-M on node 0 ) and of its time-outs . A translator produces the C header files to properly initialize an instance of the DIR net . Figure 5 : A DIR net consisting of a DIR-B ( top left picture ) and a DIR-M ( bottom left ) . Pictures on the right portray the \" SocketServers \" , i.e. ancillary processes managing communication . Figure 6 : Time-out tTAIA A expires , meaning that expected message mTAIA has not been received within the corresponding deadline dTAIA A. As a result , tTEIF A is inserted . This corresponds to action \" At time TimeNow + dTEIF A check whether mTEIF has arrived \" . Figure 7 : A DIR-B is stopped . Time-out tTEIF A expires and as a result , the assistant is tagged as \" faulty \" . Figure 8 : The DIR-B is restarted . As a result , it begins sending mTAIA messages . Upon receiving , the manager tags the assistant as \" OK . \" Figure 9 : An excerpt from the configuration script of the DIR net . 2.2.4 Fault injection Time-outs may also be used to specify fault injection actions with fixed or pseudo-random deadlines . In the DIR net this is done as follows . First the time-out is defined : # ifdef INJECT tom_declare ( & inject , TOM_NON_CYCLIC , TOM_SET_ENABLE , INJECT_FAULT_TIMEOUT , i , INJECT_FAULT_DEADLINE ) ; tom_insert ( tom , & inject ) ; # endif The alarm of this time-out sends the local DIR-x a message of type \" INJECT FAULT TIMEOUT \" . Figure 10 shows an excerpt from the actual main loop of the DIR-M in which this message is dealt with . Fault tolerance . A service such as TOM is indeed a single-point-of-failure in that a failed TOM brings the local DIR net components to the impossibility to perform their failure detection protocols . Such a case would be indistinguishable from that of a crashed node by the other DIR net components . As well known from , e.g. , ( Inquiry , 1996 ) , a single design fault in TOM's implementation could bring the system to a global failure . Nevertheless , the isolation of a service for time-out management may pave the Figure 10 : An excerpt from the cweb source of the DIR net : the beginning of Code Section 18 ( loop of the DIR-M ) . way for a cost-effective adoption of multiple-version software fault tolerance techniques ( Lyu , 1998 ) such as the well known recovery block ( Randell & Xu , 1995 ) or N - version programming ( Aviz \u0306 ienis , 1995 ) . No such technique has been adopted in the current implementation of TOM . 2.3 Conclusions A tentative lingua franca for the expression of failure detection protocols was introduced . TOM encloses the advantages of being simple , elegant and not ambiguous . Obvious are the many positive relapses that would come from the adoption of a standard , semi-formal representation with respect to the current Babel of informal descriptions \u2013 easier acquisition of insight , faster verification , and greater ability to rapid-prototype software systems . Given the current lack of a network service for failure detection , the availability of standard methods to express failure detectors in the application layer is an important asset : a tool like the one described in this chapter isolates and crystallizes a part of the complexity required to express failure detection protocols . This complexity becomes transparent of the designer \u2013 which saves development times and costs \u2013 and eligible for cost-effective optimizations . Separation of design concerns is not among the design goals of our tool , which provides the programmer with a library . Hence , our tool is characterized by bad . is not applicable , as TOM only targets one fault-tolerance provisions , i.e. failure detectors . No is considered , but in principle the server side of our system could be designed with adaptivity in mind , e.g. , masking the actual number of failure detectors being used . Similar considerations apply to the DIR net . As a final remark it is noteworthy to remark how , at the core of our design choices , is the selection of C and literate programming , which proved to be invaluable tools to reach our design goals . Nevertheless these choices may turn into intrinsic limitations for the expressiveness of the resulting language . In particular , they enforce a syntactical and semantic structure , that of the C programming language , which may be regarded as a limitation by those researchers who are not accustomed to that language . At the same time we would like to remark also that those very choices allow us a straightforward translation of our constructs into a language like Promela ( Holzmann , 1991 ) , which resembles very much a C language augmented with Hoare's CSP ( Hoare , 1978 ) . Accordingly , our future work in this framework shall include the adoption of the Promela extension of Prof. Bo\u0161na\u010dki , which allows for the verification of concurrent systems that depend on timing parameters ( Bo\u0161na\u010dki & Dams , 1998 ) . Interestingly enough , this version of Promela includes new objects , called discrete time countdown timers , which are basically equivalent to our non-cyclic time-outs . Our goal is to come up with a tool that generates from the same literate programming source ( 1 ) a pretty printout in TEX , ( 2 ) C code ready to be compiled and run , and ( 3 ) Promela code to verify some properties of the protocol . 3 CONCLUSION The role of failure detection in dependable computing has been explained . Several examples of failure detection protocols have been described in a uniform way based on the time-out management system used in TIRAN to realize the algorithm used by the Backbone to detect and tolerate crash failures of nodes and Backbone components . That algorithm has been also described with time-outs as a case study . Failure detectors are being studied intensively by many research groups throughout the world . Future work in our group at the University of Antwerp will focus on the expression of failure detection services for service-oriented architectures . References Aguilera , M. K. , Chen , W. , & Toueg , S. ( 1999 ) . Using the heartbeat failure detector for quiescent reliable communication and consensus in partitionable networks . Theoretical Computer Science ( 1 ) , 3 \u2013 30 . Aviz \u0306 ienis , A. ( 1995 ) . The methodology of N - version programming . In M. Lyu ( Ed . ) , Software fault tolerance ( pp. 23 \u2013 46 ) . John Wiley & Sons , New York . Bertier , M. , Marin , O. , & Sens , P. ( 2002 , June ) . Implementation and performance of an adaptable failure detector . In Proceedings of the international conference on dependable systems and networks ( dsn ' 02 ) . IEEE Society Press . Bo\u0161na\u010dki , D. , & Dams , D. ( 1998 ) . Discrete-time promela and spin . In Proc . of formal techniques in real-time and fault-tolerant systems ( ftrtft ' 98 ) , lecture notes in computer science 1486 ( pp. 307 \u2013 310 ) . Springer-Verlag . Botti , O. , De Florio , V. , Deconinck , G. , Lauwereins , R. , Cassinari , F. , Donatelli , S. , et al. ( 2000 , January 19 \u2013 21 ) . 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Holzmann , G. J. ( 1991 ) . Design and validation of computer protocols . Prentice-Hall . Inquiry Board Report . ( 1996 , July 19 ) . ARIANE 5 \u2013 flight 501 failure . ( Available at URL http:\/\/www.esrin.esa.it\/htdocs\/tidc\/Press\/Press96\/ariane5rep.html ) Knuth , D. E. ( 1984 ) . Literate programming . The Comp . Jour . , 27 , 97 \u2013 111 . Knuth , D. E. , & Levy , S. ( 1993 ) . The cweb system of structured documentation ( Third edition ed . ) . Addison \u2013 Wesley , Reading , MA . Lyu , M. R. ( 1998 , December ) . Reliability-oriented software engineering : Design , testing and evaluation techniques . IEE Proceedings \u2013 Software , 145 ( 6 ) , 191 \u2013 197 . ( Special Issue on Dependable Computing Systems ) Randell , B. , & Xu , J. ( 1995 ) . The evolution of the recovery block concept . In M. Lyu ( Ed . ) , Software fault tolerance ( pp. 1 \u2013 21 ) . John Wiley & Sons , New York . Raynal , M. , & Tronel , F. ( 1999 ) . Group membership failure detection : a simple protocol and its probabilistic analysis . Distributed Systems Engineering , 6 , 95 \u2013 102 . Renesse , R. van , Minsky , Y. , & Hayden , M. ( 1998 , September ) . A gossip-style failure detection service . In J. S. N. Davies K. Raymond ( Ed . ) , Middleware ' 98 ( p. 55-70 ) . The Lake District , UK : Springer . Notes 1 In Table 1 , NFD-E refers to ( Chen et al. , 2002 ) , \u03c6 to ( Hayashibara , 2004 ) , FD to ( Bertier et al. , 2002 ) , GMFD to ( Raynal & Tronel , 1999 ) , D \u2208 \u2666 P to ( Chandra & Toueg , 1996 ) , HB to ( Aguilera et al. , 1999 ) , and HB-pt to ( Aguilera et al. , 1999 ) . 2 Renewing a time-out means removing and re-inserting it . page HYBRID APPROACHES 1 INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES This chapter describes some hybrid approaches for application-level software fault-tolerance . All the approaches reported in the rest of this chapter exploit the recovery language approach introduced in Chapter 6 and couple it with other tools and paradigms described in other parts of this book . Objective of this chapter is to demonstrate how R\u03b5L can serve as a tool to further enhance some of the application-level fault-tolerance paradigms introduced in previous chapters . But why hybrid approaches in the first place ? The main reason is that joining two or more concepts and their \" system structures \" ( Randell , 1975 ) , that is , the conceptual and syntactical axioms used in disparate application-level software fault-tolerance provisions , one comes up with a tool with better Syntactical Adequacy ( the SA attribute introduced in Chapter 2 ) . As already mentioned , a wider syntactical structure can facilitate the expression of our codes , while on the contrary awkward structures often lead to clumsy , buggy applications . Hybrid approaches are often more versatile and may also inspire brand new designs . A drawback of hybrid approaches is that they are modifications of existing designs . The extra design complexity must be carefully added to prevent the introduction if design faults in the architecture . Which approaches to make use of is an important design choice . In some cases this may be under the control of the programmer : An example could be for instance , using a fault-tolerance library such as EFTOS to create a library of fault-tolerance meta-objects with OpenC ++ . Section 3 and Sect . 3 are other examples of this case . More ambitious goals would definitely require the design of new frameworks or architectures , such as it is the case for the model described in next section and the system in Sect . 5 . The first case is that of R\u03b5Linda , a model coupling R\u03b5L with generative communication , introduced in Sect . 2 . Section 3 then shows how to use R\u03b5L to enhance the resiliency of N-modular redundant systems by using spare components . A similar method is used in Sect . 4 to come up with flexible and dependable watchdog timers . Finally , Cactus is introduced \u2013 a system coupling a sort of recovery language with single-version software fault-tolerance mechanisms . 2 A DEPENDABLE PARALLEL PROCESSING MODEL BASED ON GENERATIVE COMMUNICATION AND RECOVERY LANGUAGES As already remarked , redundancy is an important ingredient at the basis of both parallel computing and dependable computing . In other words , the availability of redundancy and a proper management of the available redundancy can be exploited to reach both functional objectives , such as high performance , and non-functional goals such as the ones at the core of this book , for instance high availability and data integrity . Indeed , the truly extended use of parallel computing technologies asks for effective software engineering techniques to design , develop and maintain dependable parallel software \u2013 that is , it requires expressive programming models capable to make effective use of the available redundancy for capturing both the above classes of goals . This happens because any computing service based on parallel computing technologies must be designed in such a way as ( 1 ) to face and counterbalance the inherently lower level of dependability that characterizes any parallel hardware , due to the considerably higher probability for events such as a node's permanent or temporary failure in any such highly redundant system ; and ( 2 ) to match the involved algorithms to the target hardware platform , so as to exploit optimally the available redundancy and reach , e.g. , the expected performance . One can conclude that , in order to be able to set up parallel computing services actually capable to provide their users with the expected high quality of service , it is important that the designers have at their disposal effective structuring techniques and software engineering methodologies for developing and maintaining dependable parallel services : lacking these techniques , the complexity pertaining to the management of the purely functional aspects , i.e. , the service , the aspects related to the performance , i.e. , the parallelism , and those related to fault tolerance , would jeopardize the design of the service increasing both its development times and costs and the probability of introducing design faults . Considering all the above and the main lessons learned exposed in this book , one can conclude that a simple and coherent structuring technique for dependable and parallel services , providing straightforward and effective means to control their complexity , would be a key factor for the wide-spreading of parallel computing technologies . This chapter describes a novel software engineering methodology and structuring technique , R\u03b5Linda , whose main goals include separation of design concerns , dynamic adaptability of the service to varying environmental conditions , and expressiveness . Such technique provides a parallel programming model that couples the recovery language approach described in Chapter 5 and generative communication ( Gelernter , 1985 ) i.e. , the well-known model of communication of systems such as , for instance , Linda ( Carriero & Gelernter , 1989 ) or JavaSpaces ( Oaks & Wong , 2000 ) briefly introduced in Chapter 4 . R\u03b5Linda provides its users with a single model for both parallel and dependable programming , and it is our conjecture that this single software framework provides both the elegance of generative communication and the effectiveness of recovery languages and , as such , is a valuable design tool for the composition of parallel , and dependable , services . A prototypic implementation of some components of a R\u03b5Linda architecture took place in the framework of the ESPRIT project TIRAN , also introduced in Chapter 5 . The key characteristic of the reported technique is that it allows structure the target application into three distinct components , respectively responsible for ( 1 ) the functional service , including its performance aspects , ( 2 ) the management of the fault-tolerance provisions , and ( 3 ) the adaptation to the current environmental conditions . As such it provides another solution to the problem of an optimal expression of fault-tolerance protocol whose fault model is not fixed once and for all but changes with the actual faults being experienced . In what follows the R\u03b5Linda approach , its models and elements are described . 2.1 The R\u03b5Linda Approach This section describes the R\u03b5Linda approach . It is structured into two parts . First , the system and application models are provided in Sect . 2.1.1 . After that , in Sect . 2.1.2 , the basic ideas behind R\u03b5Linda are exposed . A key component is then described in \u00a7 2 . 1 . 3 , which also points out the key relation between the recovery language approach and R\u03b5Linda . 2.1.1 System and Application Models The target system for R\u03b5Linda is assumed to be a distributed or parallel system . Basic components of this system are the nodes , the tasks , and the communication network . In particular , \u2022 a node can be , e.g. , a workstation in a networked cluster or a processor in a MIMD parallel computer . The number of available nodes is n , n > 0 . Nodes can be commercial-off-the-shelf hardware components with no special provisions for hardware fault-tolerance . \u2022 Tasks are independent threads of execution running on the nodes . \u2022 The network system allows tasks on different nodes to communicate with each other with the same properties described in Chapter 5 for the TIRAN architecture . A general-purpose operating system ( OS ) is required on each node . No special purpose , distributed , or fault-tolerant OS is assumed to be required . The system is assumed to obey the timed asynchronous distributed system model ( Cristian & Fetzer , 1999 ) ( see Chapter 2 ) . The following assumptions characterize the user application : \u2022 the service is supplied by a parallel application ; \u2022 it is written or is to be written in a procedural or object-oriented language such as , e.g. , C or Java ; \u2022 the service specification includes non-safety-critical dependability goals ; \u2022 the target application is characterized by soft real-time requirements . In particular , performance failures ( Cristian , 1991 ) may occasionally show up during error recovery ; \u2022 communication is based on the GC model . User tasks communicate exclusively through functions with the semantics of the Linda primitives \u2013 in ( ) , out ( ) , rd ( ) , and their non-blocking versions , inp ( ) and rdp ( ) . \u2022 task management and , in particular , task creation and termination , is done respectively via a function with the semantics of the Linda primitive eval ( ) and via function lave ( ) , which terminates the matching active tuples . 2.1.2 R\u03b5Linda Herein the elements of the R\u03b5Linda approach and some key components of its architecture are described . To the performance-oriented designer , R\u03b5Linda appears as a standard Linda-like system . In addition to standard tuples , created by the user via function out ( ) , R\u03b5Linda supports a special class of tuples , called error notifications ( ENs ) . Error notifications are special , read-only tuples1 that represent error detections such as , for instance \" divide-by-zero exception caught while executing task 11 , \" sent by a trap handling tool , and have the following structure : ( \" ERROR \" , m , t , e , v [ 1 ... e ] ) , where m is an integer that identifies an error detector ( see later on ) , t is an integer that identifies a task found in error by m , e is an integer , e \u2265 0 , and v is a vector of e integers describing the current error detection . By agreement , neither function out ( ) nor function eval ( ) are allowed specify tuples with the same structure as the error notifications . This means that the programmer has no direct way to emit an error notification2 . Indeed , error notifications can only be produced by : \u2022 A set of tools addressing error detection and fault masking , collectively called \" error detectors \" ( EDs ) . EDs are tools similar to those of SwIFT ( see Chapter 3 ) or the TIRAN Dtools ( see Chapter 5 ) , and provide services such as , e.g. , watchdog timers and software voting ( a system like the EFTOS Voting Farm could be used for that , see Chapter 3 ( De Florio , Deconinck , & Lauwereins , 1998 ) 3 ; \u2022 a failing eval ( ) ; \u2022 or a failing assert ( ) , the latter being a function with the semantics of the C standard library function with the same name ( Kernighan & Ritchie , 1988 ) . On the other hand , each user task has free read-only access to the error notifications , and hence can query the current status of any task t \u2013 according to its error detectors . This can be used to unblock potentially dangerous deadlock conditions , such as two Table 1 : Scheme of execution of TS when it processes request r . 1 Begin request ( r ) : 2 if tuple type ( r ) 6 = EN then 3 insert plain tuple ( r ) 4 return SUCCESS 5 endif 6 if sender = ED then 7 8 9 10 11 12 update \u03b1-count ( r ) insert EN tuple ( r ) awake recovery interpreter ( r ) return SUCCESS endif return FAILURE tasks where each of them is waiting for the other to become available for processing \u2013 by simply specifying , as an unblocking condition , the availability of the error notification describing that the other task is being found in error . As it is for \" plain \" Linda systems , also the R\u03b5Linda architecture foresees a tuple space manager ( TS ) . The latter is a distributed application , constituted of c components , where 1 \u2264 c \u2264 n , each of which is located on a different node of the system . As a whole , the TS executes the algorithm of mutual suspicion , that is , the fault tolerance distributed algorithm described in Chapter 5 which allows tolerate up to c \u2212 1 crash failures affecting either its components or the nodes hosting them . Tuples are stored by the tuple space manager into a database that is replicated on each of its c components . Each time a new request for insertion of either an error notification or a \" plain \" tuple reaches the tuple space manager , it is processed according to the following scheme , also summarized in Table 1 : \u2022 If the request pertains to a \" plain \" tuple , the latter is inserted in the tuple space . This implies updating the remote copies of the database . \u2022 Otherwise , if the ES was sent by an error detector , \u2013 first , a field of the database , called \u03b1-counter is updated ( see below for more details on this ) ; \u2013 then the error notification is inserted as a plain tuple ; and \u2013 ( 3 ) a RINT recovery interpreter is started ( see Chapter 5 for a description of RINT ) . Field \u03b1-counter is a task-specific variable that is processed according to the threshold-based statistical technique known as \u03b1-count and described in Chapter 5 . As explained there , this technique is capable of assessing whether a task is affected by a transient vs. a permanent or intermittent fault ; as such , it allows express fault-aware error recovery strategies . Apart from managing tuples and error notifications , the tuple space manager also keeps track of the current structure and state of the system , the user application , and itself . These data are used at error recovery time as described in the following text . 2.1.3 R\u03b5Linda Error Recovery Component The execution of the recovery actions is done via a fixed ( i.e. , special-purpose ) scheme , portrayed in the sequence diagram of Fig. 1 : as soon as an error is detected , a Figure 1 : Scheme of execution of a R\u03b5Linda-compliant distributed application : together with the application , two special-purpose tasks are running \u2013 a distributed tuple space manager , which stores both the error notifications sent by the error detectors and the \" plain \" tuples requested via out ( ) or eval ( ) , and a \" recovery application \" , i.e. , a task responsible for the execution of a set of recovery actions . The shown sequence diagram describes the execution of the user-specified recovery actions . notification describing that event is sent to a distributed entity responsible for the collection and the management of these notifications . Clearly , in R\u03b5Linda this entity is the TS and the above mentioned notifications are the ENs . Immediately after storing each notification , the guards of the recovery actions are evaluated . Guards evaluation is done by querying the database of the TS . When a guard is found to be true , its corresponding actions are executed , otherwise they are skipped . As a conclusive remark R\u03b5Linda may be described as a specialization ( in object-oriented terminology ) of the general abstract class R\u03b5L addressing parallel programming . 2.2 Conclusions This section has exposed the key ideas behind a novel approach called R\u03b5Linda , coupling Generative Communication with the the R\u03b5L approach introduced in Chapter 6 . As such , R\u03b5Linda is an attempt to explicitly address both the dependability and the performance aspects making use of a single design framework . R\u03b5Linda offers a high degree of separation of design concerns , such that the functional and the FT aspects do not conflict with each other . Its dynamic adaptability to varying environmental conditions , which may obtained as described in ( De Florio , 2000 ) through dynamic linking of the r-code , is another important feature of R\u03b5Linda . SA in R\u03b5Linda is limited to those fault-tolerance provisions that better match its model ; in particular , the strong link with parallel computing makes it especially in line with methods such as MVSFT ( see Chapter 3 ) . Several other important topics related to R\u03b5Linda's components could be investigated in the future . Such topics include , for instance , the inclusion in the TS of the concept of so-called \" book-kept tuples , \" i.e. , tuples that are distributed to requesters by means of the algorithm of RAFTNET for dependable farmer worker applications described in Chapter 3 . This strategy translates into effective and elegant support to highly performing and highly dependable data-parallel applications . Another research path is the extension of these schemes towards persistent object stores ( Oaks & Wong , 2000 ) and CORBA-compliant or service-oriented middleware . Other strategies to further increase the dependability of R\u03b5Linda applications are , e.g. , the possibility to combine multiple tuple space operations into atomic transactions ( Bakken & Schlichting , 1995 ; Anderson & Shasha , 1991 ; Cannon & Dunn , 1992 ) . Other techniques that could be investigated to further enhance the dependability of the tuple space could be e.g. , tuple space checkpoint-and-rollback ( Kambhatla , 1991 ) . 3 ENHANCING A TIRAN DEPENDABLE MECHANISM As observed by the designers of GUARDS ( Powell et al. , 1999 ) , many embedded systems may benefit from an hardware architecture based on redundancy and consensus in order to fulfill their dependability requirements . As pointed out in Chapter 2 , such a hardware architecture needs to be coupled with some application-level strategy or mechanism in order to guarantee end-to-end tolerance of faults4 . The software architecture described in this book may support in many ways the class of applications eligible for being embedded in a GUARDS system instance . The main tool for this is the TIRAN Distributed Voting mechanism ( derived from the EFTOS Voting Farm described in Chapter 3 ) . This section describes how it is possible to further increase the dependability of the TIRAN Distributed Voting mechanism by using ARIEL as both a configuration and a recovery language and making use of the TIRAN framework . An assessment of these enhancements is reported in Chapter 10 . The system realizes a sophisticated N - version programming executive that implements the software equivalent of an NMR system . Because of this assumption , the user is required to supply four versions of the same software , designed and developed according to the N - version approach ( Aviz \u0306 ienis , 1985 ) . This requirement can be avoided if it is possible to assume safely that no design faults resulting in correlate failures affect the software . To simplify the case study it is assumed that the service provided by any of the versions or instances is stateless . When this is not the case , the management of the spare would also call for a forward recovery mechanism \u2013 e.g. , the spare would need to acquire the current state of one of the non-faulty tasks . Furthermore , when using pipelines of N-version tasks under strict real-time requirements , further techniques ( currently not part of the prototype presented in this work ) would be required in order to restore the state of the spare with no repercussion on the real-time goals ( see ( Bondavalli , Di Giandomenico , Grandoni , Powell , & Rab\u00e9jac , 1998 ) for an example of these techniques ) . The enhanced TIRAN Distributed Voting mechanism described in what follows is representative of the class of applications that are best eligible for being addressed via an application-level fault-tolerance structure such as NVP . This section describes how R\u03b5L provides to those applications two additional features , namely , support of spares and support of fault-specific reconfiguration , which are not part of plain NVP systems . A system of four nodes is assumed . Nodes are identified by the symbolic constants NODE1 , ... , NODE4 , defined in the header file nodes . h . Header file my_definitions . h contains a number of user definitions , including the unique-id of each version task ( VERSION1 , ... , VERSION4 ) and the local identifier of each version task ( in this case , on each node the same identifier is used , namely VERSION ) . In the same file also the time-outs of each version are defined ( TIMEOUT_VERSION1 , ... , TIMEOUT_VERSION4 ) . Let us consider the following ARIEL script : INCLUDE \" nodes . h \" INCLUDE \" my definitions . h \" TASK TASK TASK TASK { VERSION1 } { VERSION2 } { VERSION3 } { VERSION4 } IS IS IS IS NODE NODE NODE NODE { NODE1 } , { NODE2 } , { NODE3 } , { NODE4 } , TASKID TASKID TASKID TASKID { VERSION } { VERSION } { VERSION } { VERSION } N-VERSION TASK { TMR PLUS ONE SPARE } VERSION 1 IS TASK { VERSION1 } TIMEOUT { TIMEOUT VERSION1 } ms VERSION 2 IS TASK { VERSION2 } TIMEOUT { TIMEOUT VERSION2 } ms VERSION 3 IS TASK { VERSION3 } TIMEOUT { TIMEOUT VERSION3 } ms VERSION 4 IS SPARE TASK { VERSION4 } TIMEOUT { TIMEOUT VERSION4 } ms VOTING ALGORITHM IS MAJORITY METRIC \" tmr cmp \" ON SUCCESS TASK 20 ON ERROR TASK 30 END N-VERSION IF [ PHASE ( T { VERSION1 } ) == { HAS FAILED } || FAULTY T { VERSION1 } ] THEN STOP T { VERSION1 } SEND { WAKEUP } T { VERSION4 } SEND { VERSION1 } T { VERSION4 } FI SEND { VERSION4 } T { VERSION2 } SEND { VERSION4 } T { VERSION3 } IF [ PHASE ( T { VERSION2 } ) == { HAS FAILED } || FAULTY T { VERSION2 } ] THEN STOP T { VERSION2 } SEND { WAKEUP } T { VERSION4 } SEND { VERSION2 } T { VERSION4 } FI SEND { VERSION4 } T { VERSION1 } SEND { VERSION4 } T { VERSION3 } IF [ PHASE ( T { VERSION3 } ) == { HAS FAILED } || FAULTY T { VERSION3 } ] THEN STOP T { VERSION3 } SEND { WAKEUP } T { VERSION4 } SEND { VERSION3 } T { VERSION4 } FI SEND { VERSION4 } T { VERSION2 } SEND { VERSION4 } T { VERSION1 } The above script consists of two parts \u2013 one for managing the configuration of tasks and tools , the other for describing a recovery strategy . The following two subsections describe the two parts . 3.1 Configuration The configuration section of the script just shown defines four tasks , each running on a different node of the system . This decision has been taken to reduce the probability of a common source for multiple failures , in case of a crash of a node . It is worth noting that this design decision \u2013 the physical location of the tasks \u2013 is made outside the application code and can be changed with no repercussion on it , thus allowing location transparency and high SC . Three of the four tasks are then configured as versions of a TIRAN Distributed Voting mechanism ( derived from the EFTOS Voting Farm described in Chapter 3 ) . The fourth task ( VERSION4 ) is configured as a spare . This means that , when task TMR PLUS ONE SPARE is launched , the first three tasks arrange themselves as components of a TIRAN Distributed Voting mechanism , with each task assisted by a local voter as described in the aforementioned section . On the contrary , the fourth task is blocked waiting for the arrival of a special \" wakeup \" signal . Feeding the ARIEL translator with the configuration script as described in Chapter 6 , a number of source codes are produced , including : \u2022 The basic user tasks of a TIRAN Distributed Voting mechanism consisting of three modules , an example of which can be seen in Chapter 6 when configuring multiple-version software fault-tolerance . \u2022 The spare user task , initially waiting for the arrival of a wakeup message . \u2022 Task TMR PLUS ONE SPARE . This task is in charge of the : 1 . Transparent set up of the TIRAN Distributed Voting mechanism via the TIRAN CreateTask function of the TIRAN Basic Services Library . 2 . Management of the replication of the input value . 3 . Declaration and insertion in the TIRAN TOM of the set of time-outs that represent an upper limit to the duration of the base tasks . This upper limit is set by the user and known by one of the hypotheses of the timed-asynchronous distributed system model introduced in Chapter 2 ( all services are timed ) . 4 . De-multiplexing and delivering the output value . In the absence of faults , task TMR PLUS ONE SPARE would appear to the user as yet another version providing the same service supplied by tasks VERSION1 , ... , VERSION4 . The only difference would be in terms of a higher reliability ( see Chapter 10 ) and a larger execution time , mainly due to the voting overhead . Location transparency in this case is supported by ARIEL , while replication transparency is supported by the TIRAN Distributed Voting mechanism . The degree of code intrusion in the application source code is reduced to the one instruction to spawn task TMR PLUS ONE SPARE . No support for the automatic generation of makefiles is provided in the current version of the ARIEL translator , so the user needs to properly instruct the compilation of the source files written by the translator . 3.2 Recovery The recovery section of the ARIEL script on p. 267 defines a recovery strategy for task TMR PLUS ONE SPARE . When any error is detected in the system and forwarded to the backbone , the backbone replies to this stimulus as follows : 1 . It stores the error notification in its local copy of the DB . 2 . It updates the \u03b1-count variable related to the entity found in error . 3 . If the notification is local , i.e. , related to a local task , then the local component of the BB forwards the notification to the other components . 4 . If the local BB entity plays the role of coordinator , it initiates error recovery by sending a \" wakeup \" message to the recovery interpreter . This latter orderly reads and executes the r-codes . Table 2 shows a trace of the execution of some of the r-codes produced when translating a simplified version of the ARIEL script on p. 267 . As already mentioned , RINT implements a virtual machine with a stack architecture . Line 5 starts the scanning of a guard . Line 6 stores on RINT's run-time stack the current value of the phase of task 0 ( the value of symbolic constant VERSION1 ) . Line 7 compares the top of the run-time stack with integer HAS FAILED . The result , 0 ( false ) is stored on top of the stack . Line 8 checks the top of the stack for being 0 . The condition is fulfilled , so a jump is made to line 18 of the r-code list . That line corresponds to the end of the current IF statement \u2013 the guard has been found as false , therefore the corresponding recovery actions have been skipped . Then , on line 19 , some internal variables are reset . Line 20 starts the evaluation of the clause of the second IF of the recovery script . The scenario is similar to the one just described , though ( on line 22 ) the phase of task 1 ( that is , VERSION2 ) is found to be equal to HAS FAILED . The following conditional jump is therefore skipped , and a stream of recovery actions is then executed : task VERSION2 is terminated on line 24 , then value 10 ( WAKEUP ) is sent to task VERSION4 by means of r-code SEND ( which sends a task the top of the run-time stack ) , and so forth , until line 33 , which closes the current IF . A third guard is then evaluated and found as false . Clearing some internal structures closes the execution of RINT , which again \" goes to sleep \" waiting for a new \" wakeup \" message to arrive . Figure 2 , 3 , and 4 show three different views to a TMR-and-one-spare system at work , as displayed by the TIRAN monitoring tool in a Netscape client ( De Florio , Deconinck , Truyens , Rosseel , & Lauwereins , 1998 ) . The first picture renders the current state and shape of the overall target application . Figure 3 summarizes the framework-level events related to processing node 0 . In particular , a value domain failure is injected on the voter on node 2 . This triggers the execution of a recovery script which reconfigures the TMR isolating the voter on node 2 and switching in the spare voter on node 3 . The execution trace of the r-codes in this script is displayed in Fig. 4 . It is worth noting how , modifying the base recovery strategy of the ARIEL script on p. 267 does not require any modification in the application source code \u2013 not even recompiling the code , in case the r-codes are read from an external means ( e.g. , from a file ) . The two design concerns \u2013 that of the fault-tolerance software engineer and that of the application software engineer \u2013 are kept apart , with no repercussions on the maintainability of the service overall . To prove this , let us consider the ARIEL excerpt in Table 3 . Such a strategy is again based on a TMR plus one spare , though now , before switching off the faulty version and in the spare , the current value of the \u03b1-count filter related to the current version is compared with a threshold supplied by the user in the configuration section . If the value is below the threshold , it is not possible to assess that the fault affecting { VERSION1 } is permanent or intermittent . In this case , the faulty task is restarted rather than substituted . In other words , another chance is given to that version , while its \" black list \" ( its \u03b1-counter ) is updated . As mentioned in Chapter 6 , research studies have shown that , whatever the threshold , the \u03b1-count is bound to exceed it when the fault is permanent or intermittent . In the latter case , therefore , sooner or later the second strategy is to be executed , permanently removing the faulty version . It is worth noting how the adoption of such a scheme , which is no longer purely based on masking the occurrence of a fault , in general implies an execution overhead that may violate the expected real-time behavior \u2013 during error-recovery . Further support towards graceful degradation when spares are exhausted could also be foreseen . 5 6 7 8 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 48 49 IF statement . STORE-PHASE : stored phase of task 0 , i.e. , 0 . COMPARING ( 9999 vs. 0 ) : Storing 0 . Conditional GOTO , fulfilled , 18 . FI statement . OA-RENEW . IF statement . STORE-PHASE : stored phase of task 1 , i.e. , 9999 . COMPARING ( 9999 vs. 9999 ) : Storing 1 . Conditional GOTO , unfulfilled , 24 . KILLING TASK 1 . PUSH ( 10 ) . SEND MSG 10 to TASK 3 . PUSH ( 1 ) . SEND MSG 1 to TASK 3 . PUSH ( 3 ) . SEND MSG 3 to TASK 2 . PUSH ( 3 ) . SEND MSG 3 to TASK 0 . FI statement . OA-RENEW . IF statement . STORE-PHASE : stored phase of task 2 , i.e. , 0 . COMPARING ( 9999 vs. 0 ) : Storing 0 . Conditional GOTO , fulfilled , 48 . FI statement . OA-RENEW . Table 2 : Trace of execution of the r-codes corresponding to the recovery section of the ARIEL script on p. 267 . Number 9999 is the value of constant HAS FAILED . Figure 2 : A global view of the state and shape of the target application , as rendered by a monitoring CGI script . In this case a four processing node system is used . Node 0 hosts the main component of the backbone . The circular icons are hypermedia links ( see Fig. 5 ) . The small icon on the bottom right links to the execution trace of the A RIEL interpreter . Figure 3 : A view to the events tracked while monitoring processing node 0 . This view can be obtained by selecting the top circular icon of Fig. 2 . Events are ordered decreasingly with respect to their conclusion time . Times are expressed in seconds and measured through the local clock . Going from bottom to top : on line 15 process 2 is detected as faulty . On 16 , that process is terminated . On 17 , a new process ( a spare voter ) is awaken . On 18 and 20 , respectively voter 0 and 1 acknowledge the reconfiguration . This allows retry a global consensus that succeeds ( see lines 21 , 23 , and 24 ) . Finally all voters acknowledge their termination . Figure 4 : As soon as an error is detected \u2013 in this case , a voter has been found in minority \u2013 RINT starts executing the r-codes . This picture is the execution trace of the r-codes in Table 6 and Table 9 of Chapter 6 . Numbers refer to the code lines in those tables . Note how , at line 37 , the state information of task 2 is found to be equal to \" 9999 \" ( HAS FAILED ) . As a consequence , a number of actions are executed in lines 39 \u2013 47 . In particular , task 2 is terminated at line 39 . ALPHACOUNT { VERSION1 } IS threshold = 3.0 , factor = 0.4 END IF [ PHASE ( T { VERSION1 } ) == { HAS FAILED } || FAULTY T { VERSION1 } ] THEN IF [ TRANSIENT T { VERSION1 } ] THEN RESTART T { VERSION1 } SEND { VERSION1 } T { VERSION2 } SEND { VERSION1 } T { VERSION3 } ELSE STOP T { VERSION1 } SEND { WAKEUP } T { VERSION4 } SEND { VERSION1 } T { VERSION4 } FI SEND { VERSION4 } T { VERSION2 } SEND { VERSION4 } T { VERSION3 } FI Table 3 : An ARIEL script for a TMR-plus-one-spare system that exploits the \u03b1-count technique to avoid unnecessary reconfigurations . 3.3 Lessons learned Enhancing the TIRAN Distributed Voting mechanism allowed include two special services ( spare support and fault-identification ) into those offered by NVP systems . For those applications that best match with the MV application-level fault-tolerance approach , and with NVP in particular , those services allow further increase the dependability without being detrimental to SC \u2013 i.e. , without intruding code . Eligible applications include coarse-grained , distributed or parallel applications , i.e. , those addressed by R\u03b5L . SA is clearly limited to the above class of provisions . A has not been considered here , but the code separation of ARIEL could be used to achieve some adaptability . Furthermore , safety-critical parallel or distributed airborne and spaceborne applications appear to be well addressed by those services . It must be remarked , though , that the safety-critical character of these applications calls for specific framework-level and system-level support , such as the one provided by the GUARDS architecture ( Powell et al. , 1999 ) , a generic , parameterizable hardware and OS architecture for real-time systems , which straightforwardly supports the NVP scheme . 4 COMPOSING DEPENDABLE MECHANISMS : THE REDUNDANT WATCHDOG This section describes how it is possible to compose dependable mechanisms addressing specific needs by means of the R\u03b5L architecture devised in TIRAN . The case reported in the rest of this section originated by a requirement of one of the TIRAN partners , ENEL SpA . In present day's fault-tolerance systems at ENEL , a hardware watchdog timer is available and integrated in several of their automation applications . Such device is a custom ( non-COTS ) hardware component that is capable of guaranteeing both high availability and high integrity . This allows its use in contexts where safety is the main concern . As mentioned in Chapter 3 , ENEL has started an internal plan that aims at renewing and enlarging their park of automation systems , also with the goal of improving their efficiency and quality of service . Within this plan , ENEL is investigating the possibility to substitute this hardware device with a software component , exploiting the redundancy of COTS parallel or distributed architectures , in such a way as to guarantee acceptable levels of safety and availability for their applications . While taking part in TIRAN , CESI posed the above problems to the consortium . The TIRAN consortium proposed the solution described in this section , based on the R\u03b5L approach . 4.1 An Industrial Problem : The Redundant Watchdog Requirements Technicians of energy automation systems typically express requirements in textual form , capturing the main dependability needs of the applications . Considering the Primary Substation Automation System a list of dependability requirements has been collected and addressed in the TIRAN project ( Botti et al. , 1999 ) . In this section the focus will be on two of those Application Requirements ( referred as AR1 and AR2 below ) that lead to the need of an enhanced watchdog mechanism . They are formulated as follows : AR1 : \" If an erroneous situation can not be recovered according to required mode and within given time constraints , then a mechanism for the auto-exclusion of the system should be provided which , if not reset before the expiration of a pre-fixed time-out , disconnects the system from the plant , leaving the plant in an acceptable state , forcing the output to assume a pre-defined secure configuration , providing appropriate signalling to the operator and to the remote systems ( as automation system failures should not affect the plant ) . \" AR2 : \" The auto-exclusion should guarantee a high availability , integrity and security \u2013 e.g. by a redundant and periodically tested mechanism , with auto-diagnostics . \" The auto-exclusion functionality ( as required by AR1 and AR2 ) has been traditionally supported by the so-called plant's watchdog ( plantWD ) mechanism , a dedicated hardware device with high integrity and availability degrees . In most cases the plantWD mechanism is used as an ultimate action of a fault tolerant strategy to detect un-recovered processing errors and to avoid their propagation . Errors are typically run-time violations occurring during the execution of an application process due to , e.g. , a process that has crashed or is slowed down . The watchdog mechanism ( WD ) cyclically sets a timer requiring an application process to explicitly reset it by sending an \" I am alive \" message before it reaches its deadline . If , for any reason , the application process is not able to send the message , the watchdog raises an error condition that has to be treated by some entity in some way . Depending on the global fault tolerance strategy adopted our plantWD is set to count either the double of or the same time of the basic application cycle . In support of the migration to flexible software dependability services running on COTS platforms , the goal of developing a robust , software-based WD mechanism has been addressed by the TIRAN Project . A watchdog basic tool has been implemented characterized by the following Watchdog Requirements ( WR ) and Properties ( WP ) : WR1 : \" The WD has to survive at system reboot or reset , i.e. the memory it allocates for its counter is not to be cleared . \" WR2 : \" In a distributed software architecture the application node's signals have to be put in a logic AND to actually signal the WD , i.e. the WD effectively stops to countdown only if on each node the execution has terminated correctly . \" WR3 : \" The WD has to survive at node failures , i.e. whatever node faults the WD mechanism should be not compromised . \" WR4 : In order to guarantee correct operation of the WD mechanism , it is mandatory that the WD task is running at a higher priority than the tasks ( that run on the same node ) it supervises . WD tasks supervising tasks on other nodes must have appropriate priority to ensure proper operation . It is the responsibility of the application writer to ensure correct partitioning and priority allocation . WP1 : The watchdog task can be placed either on the same node where the application tasks run on or on a different node . WP2 : Placing the watchdog task on the same node where the application task runs on minimizes overhead and detection latency . WP3 : Placing the watchdog task on a different node with respect to the application node lowers the probability of a common failure for both application and watchdog task that would go undetected . WP4 : Detection latency is under the control of the application writer . The higher the frequency of sending \" I 'm alive \" messages , the lower the detection latency . WP5 : Overhead is under the control of the application writer . The lower is the frequency of sending \" I 'm alive \" messages , the lower is the overhead paid by the application task and the communication system . WP6 : WD is just one task which receives system clock ticks and application \" I 'm alive \" messages . Both types of messages are received through interprocess communication and are asynchronous to WD task . WP7 : Being the WD in a distributed software architecture it is able to receive multiple signals and to apply a logical operation on them ( i.e. in the case of the logical operation AND required by WR1 the WD will fire if at least one node does not produce its signal ) . In Section 4 it will be shown how the requirement WR3 above may be fulfilled by instantiating more WD mechanisms and by applying different voting mechanisms to their firings . Such Redundant WatchDog ( RWD ) mechanism is characterized by the following design properties : RWP1 : Processing errors affecting WD replicas can be detected and recovered transparently by the RWD RWP2 : The number of WD replicas and the voting mechanism chosen determine a different improvement of the RWD dependability : e.g. Nreplica = 3 , allows a 2-out-of-3 voting ( which can correct up to 1 fault ) ; the selection of the suitable Nreplica and voting is a compromise among dependability and performance overhead , left to the application writer's experience . RWP3 : WD replicas can be placed all on the same node . This minimizes overhead and detection latency but does not increase the RWD dependability . RWP4 : WD replicas can be placed on different nodes . This minimizes the chance of a common failure affecting each WD replica . 4.2 The Strategy and Its Key Components The strategy proposed within TIRAN exploits the following components : \u2022 The Basic Services Library , and specifically its function TIRAN Send , which multicasts a message to a logical , i.e. , a group of tasks . \u2022 The configuration support provided by ARIEL . \u2022 The TIRAN BB and its DB . \u2022 The recovery language ARIEL . \u2022 The watchdog Basic Tool , i.e. , a node-local software component in level 1.1 of the TIRAN architecture ( see Chapter 6 for a description of the TIRAN architecture . ) The latter , which executes on a single processing node , can not guarantee the required degree of availability when used as a substitute of the ENEL hardware watchdog . This notwithstanding , the adoption of the above components allowed composing \u2013 rather than programming \u2013 a new prototypic DM , the so-called Redundant Watchdog ( RW ) . This composition is made in terms of the above elements of the TIRAN framework , with ARIEL playing the role of coordinator . In order to introduce the strategy , the following scenario is assumed : \u2022 A distributed system is available , consisting of three nodes , identified as N1 , N2 and N3 . \u2022 On each node of this system , a number of application tasks and an instance of the TIRAN watchdog are running . The design goal to be reached is enhancing the dependability of this basic scheme by means of a technique that does not overly increase , at the same time , the complexity of the overall software tool . The adopted strategy is now explained \u2013 each step has been tagged with a label describing the main R\u03b5L feature being exploited . Configuration : Define and configure the three watchdogs by means of the provisions described in Chapter 6 . In particular , \u2022 Assign them the unique-ids W1 , W2 , and W3 . \u2022 Specify that , on a missed deadline , a notification is to be sent to the TIRAN BB . \u2022 Deploy the watchdogs on different nodes . Configuration : Define logical L , consisting of tasks W1 , W2 , and W3 . Recovery : Define in ARIEL an \" AND-strategy \" , that triggers an alarm when each and every watchdog notifies the BB , an \" OR-strategy \" , in which the alarm is executed when any of the three watchdog expires , and a \" 2-out-of-3 strategy \" , in which a majority of the watchdogs needs to notify the BB in order to trigger the alarm . In the current prototype , the alarm is a notification to the task the unique-id of which is A. The configuration step is coded as in Table 4 . Table 5 lists the recovery actions corresponding to the AND-strategy . When a watched task sends \" watchdog L \" its heartbeats , the Basic Services Library relays these messages to the three watchdogs on the three nodes . In absence of faults , the three watchdogs5 process these message in the same way \u2013 each of them in particular resets the internal timer corresponding to the client task that sent the heartbeat . When a heartbeat is missing , the three watchdogs expire and send a notification to the BB , one at the time . The reply of the BB to these notifications is the same : RINT is awoken and the r-codes are interpreted . The difference between the three strategies is then straightforward : \u2022 The OR-strategy triggers the alarm as soon as any of the watchdog expires . This tolerates the case in which up to two watchdogs have crashed , or are faulty , or are unreachable . This intuitively reduces the probability that a missing heartbeat goes undetected , hence can be regarded as a \" safety-first \" strategy . At INCLUDE \" watchdogs . h \" TASK { W1 } IS TASK { W2 } IS TASK { W3 } IS NODE { N1 } , TASKID { W1 } NODE { N2 } , TASKID { W2 } NODE { N3 } , TASKID { W3 } WATCHDOG { W1 } HEARTBEATS EVERY { HEARTBEAT } MS ON ERROR WARN BACKBONE END WATCHDOG WATCHDOG { W2 } HEARTBEATS EVERY { HEARTBEAT } MS ON ERROR WARN BACKBONE END WATCHDOG WATCHDOG { W3 } HEARTBEATS EVERY { HEARTBEAT } MS ON ERROR WARN BACKBONE END WATCHDOG LOGICAL { L } IS TASK { W1 } , TASK { W2 } , TASK { W3 } END LOGICAL Table 4 : Configuration of the Redundant Watchdog . IF [ PHASE ( TASK { W1 } ) == { EXPIRE } AND PHASE ( TASK { W2 } ) == { EXPIRE } AND PHASE ( TASK { W3 } ) == { EXPIRE } ] THEN SEND { ALARM } TASK { A } REMOVE PHASE LOGICAL { L } FROM ERRORLIST FI Table 5 : The AND-strategy of the Redundant Watchdog . Action REMOVE resets the phase corresponding to the tasks of logical L. the same time , the probability of \" false alarms \" ( mistakingly triggered alarms ) is increased . Such alarms possibly lead to temporary pauses of the overall system service , and may imply costs . \u2022 The AND-strategy , on the other hand , requires that all the watchdogs reach consensus before triggering the system alarm . It decreases the probability of false alarms but at the same time decreases the error detection coverage of the watchdog Basic Tool . It may be regarded as an \" availability-first \" strategy . \u2022 Strategy 2-out-of-3 requires that a majority of watchdogs expire before the system alarm is executed . Intuitively , this corresponds to a trade-off between the two above strategies . More sophisticated strategies , corresponding to other design requirements , may also be composed . Other schemes , such as meta-watchdogs ( watchdogs watching other watchdogs ) can also be straightforwardly set up . 5 Cactus Cactus is a design framework and runtime system for implementing and executing configurable services based on an event-driven execution model . As mentioned in Chapter 2 , configurable services such as configurable communication protocols , file systems , database systems , and middleware are a useful approach to explicitate the system and fault model requirements and a useful tool to reach truly portable services , that is systems characterized by dynamic and adaptive system and fault models . One such system is the Configurable Transport Protocol . The Cactus programming model is a clever improvement on the classical layered system design principle : Systems have a macroscopic structure , that is , the traditional layers , called services in the Cactus terminology , and a microscopic structure , that is a web of modules representing the atoms constituting the services and connected non-hierarchically into a network of so-called \" micro-protocols \" . Non-hierarchically means here that there is no communication restriction between modules , which can exchange information and cooperate regardless their macroscopic position ( that is , even though the corresponding services are not contiguous to each other ) . This structuring technique is said to provide the designer with a model coupling enhanced flexibility with the required separation of design concerns . In Cactus micro-protocols communicate through an even-driven execution model . In the above mentioned Configurable Transport Protocol , for instance , all service properties and functional components are implemented as micro-protocols , each of which is a list of event handlers in the familiar form of guarded actions , i.e. , statements structured like in g : a , where g is an event stating a significant change such as the arrival of a message and a is one or more event handler assocuated to the guard g . When g occurs , a is executed . This is clearly the same principle used in the recovery language Ariel discussed in Chapter 6 . The Cactus designers did not choose to develop a custom event-based programming language such as Ariel to specify its guarded actions \u2013 instead , they preferred to come up with a set of conventions and a software library . This allowed produce Cactus implementations in several languages , such as C and Java . As explained in ( Hiltunen , Ta\u0131 \u0308 ani , & Schlichting , 2006 ) , Cactus has been used to build services ranging from low-level communication protocols to group membership and group remote procedure call . Application-level services such as a configurable distributed system monitoring service have also been developed with Cactus . The clever design choices of Cactus place it in between a system like Ariel and library-based approaches ; moreover , several similarities between Cactus and aspect-oriented programming have been pointed out in ( Hiltunen et al. , 2006 ) . One concludes by assessing SC as bad ( the system requires the explicit coding and intertwining of the protocols ) , SA as limited ( by Condor's model and structure ) , and A as potentially good ( though dynamic trading of event handlers , e.g. , appears not to be part of Condor . ) 6 CONCLUSIONS The reported experiences demonstrate how R\u03b5L allows fast-prototype complex strategies by composing a set of building blocks together out of those available in the TIRAN framework , and by building system-wide , recovery-time coordination strategies with ARIEL . This allows set up sophisticated fault-tolerance systems while keeping the management of their complexity outside the user application . The compact size of the ARIEL configuration scripts is one of the arguments that can be used as evidence to this claim . Transparency of replication and transparency of location are also reached in this case . No similar support is provided by the application-level fault-tolerance approaches reviewed in Chapters 4 \u2013 6 . As a final remark let us observe how SC is guaranteed here by a custom , separate composition language ( ARIEL ) , that SA is limited to the single class of addressed provisions , and that the possibility to trade off strategies or compose new ones at run-time brings to an excellent degree of A. References Anderson , B. G. , & Shasha , D. ( 1991 ) . Persistent Linda : Linda + transactions + query processing . In J. Ban\u00e2tre & D. Le M\u00e9tayer ( Eds . ) , Research directions in high-level parallel programming languages ( pp. 93 \u2013 109 ) . Springer . Aviz \u0306 ienis , A. ( 1985 , December ) . The N - version approach to fault-tolerant software . IEEE Trans . Software Eng . , 11 , 1491 \u2013 1501 . Bakken , D. E. , & Schlichting , R. D. ( 1995 , March ) . Supporting fault-tolerant parallel programming in Linda . IEEE Trans . on Parallel and Distributed Systems , 6 ( 3 ) , 287 \u2013 302 . Bondavalli , A. , Di Giandomenico , F. , Grandoni , F. , Powell , D. , & Rab\u00e9jac , C. ( 1998 , April 20 \u2013 22 ) . State restoration in a COTS-based N-modular architecture . In Proc . of the first int . symp . on object-oriented real-time distributed computing ( isorc ' 98 ) ( pp. 174 \u2013 183 ) . Kyoto , Japan : IEEE Comp . Soc. Press . Botti , O. , Cassinari , F. , De Florio , V. , Deconinck , G. , Donatelli , S. , Klein , A. , et al. ( 1999 , October ) . D1 . 1 \u2013 Requirement Specification . ( TIRAN Deliverable ) Cannon , S. , & Dunn , D. ( 1992 , August ) . A high-level model for the development of fault-tolerant parallel and distributed systems ( Tech . Rep. No. A0192 ) . Department of Computer Science , Utah State University . Carriero , N. , & Gelernter , D. ( 1989 ) . Linda in context . Comm . ACM , 32 ( 4 ) , 444 \u2013 458 . Cristian , F. ( 1991 , February ) . Understanding fault-tolerant distributed systems . Communications of the ACM , 34 ( 2 ) , 56 \u2013 78 . Cristian , F. , & Fetzer , C. ( 1999 , June ) . The timed asynchronous distributed system model . IEEE Trans . on Parallel and Distributed Systems , 10 ( 6 ) , 642 \u2013 657 . De Florio , V. ( 2000 ) . A fault-tolerance linguistic structure for distributed applications . Unpublished doctoral dissertation , Dept. of Electrical Engineering , University of Leuven . ( ISBN 90-5682-266-7 ) De Florio , V. , Deconinck , G. , & Lauwereins , R. ( 1998 , December ) . Software tool combining fault masking with user-defined recovery strategies . IEE Proceedings \u2013 Software , 145 ( 6 ) , 203 \u2013 211 . ( Special Issue on Dependable Computing Systems . IEE in association with the British Computer Society ) De Florio , V. , Deconinck , G. , Truyens , M. , Rosseel , W. , & Lauwereins , R. ( 1998 , January ) . A hypermedia distributed application for monitoring and fault-injection in embedded fault-tolerant parallel programs . In Proc . of the 6th euromicro workshop on parallel and distributed processing ( euro-pdp ' 98 ) ( pp. 349 \u2013 355 ) . Madrid , Spain : IEEE Comp . Soc. Press . Gelernter , D. ( 1985 , January ) . Generative communication in Linda . ACM Trans . on Prog . Languages and Systems , 7 ( 1 ) . Hiltunen , M. , Ta\u0131 \u0308 ani , F. , & Schlichting , R. ( 2006 , March ) . Aspect reuse and domain-specific approaches : Reflections on aspects and configurable protocols . In Proceedings of the 5th international conference on aspect-oriented software development ( aosd ' 06 ) . Kambhatla , S. ( 1991 ) . Replication issues for a distributed and highly available Linda tuple space . Unpublished master's thesis , Dept. of Computer Science , Oregon Graduate Institute . Kernighan , B. W. , & Ritchie , D. M. ( 1988 ) . The c programming language ( 2nd ed . ) . Englewood Cliffs , NJ : Prentice-Hall . Lamport , L. , Shostak , R. , & Pease , M. ( 1982 , July ) . The Byzantine generals problem . ACM Trans . on Programming Languages and Systems , 4 ( 3 ) , 384 \u2013 401 . Oaks , S. , & Wong , H. ( 2000 ) . Jini in a nutshell . O ' Reilly & Associates . Powell , D. , Arlat , J. , Beus-Dukic , L. , Bondavalli , A. , Coppola , P. , Fantechi , A. , et al. ( 1999 , June ) . GUARDS : A generic upgradable architecture for real-time dependable systems . IEEE Trans . on Parallel and Distributed Systems , 10 ( 6 ) , 580 \u2013 599 . Randell , B. ( 1975 , June ) . System structure for software fault tolerance . IEEE Trans . Software Eng . , 1 , 220 \u2013 232 . Notes 1A read-only tuple is one that can only be read via either rd ( ) or rdp ( ) . rationale behind this decision is that , this way , the user can not produce mock error notifications , which would increase the risk of Byzantine failures ( Lamport , Shostak , & Pease , 1982 ) . 3 If available , error detection support at driver or kernel level may be also instrumented so to emit ENs . 4 This way , also software design faults would be addressed . 5 In this case study , three instances of the same software component have been used . Clearly this does not protect the system from design faults in the watchdog component itself . Using NVP when developing the watchdogs may possibly guarantee statistical independence between failures . 2 The page MEASURING AND ASSESSING TOOLS 1 INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES As mentioned in Chapter 1 , a service's dependability must be justified in a quantitative way and proved through extensive on-field testing and fault injection , verification and validation techniques , simulation , source-code instrumentation , monitoring , and debugging . An exhaustive treatment of all these techniques falls outside the scope of this book , nevertheless the author feels important to include in this text an analysis of the effect on dependability of some of the methods that have been introduced in previous chapters . 2 RELIABILITY ANALYSIS OF THE TIRAN DISTRIBUTED VOTING MECHANISM As mentioned in Chapter 9 , a number of applications are structured in such a way as to be straightforwardly embedded in a fault-tolerance architecture based on redundancy and consensus . Applications belonging to this class are , for instance , parallel airborne and spaceborne applications . The TIRAN Distributed Voting mechanism provides application-level support to these applications . This section analyses the effect on reliability of the enhancements to the TIRAN Distributed Voting mechanism described in the mentioned chapter , that is , management of spares , dealt with in Sect . 2.1 , and fault-specific recovery strategies supported by the \u03b1-count feature , analysed in Sect . 2.2 . 2.1 Using ariel to Manage Spares This section analyses the influence of one of the features offered by ariel \u2013 its ability to manage spare modules in N - modular redundant systems \u2013 that has been introduced and discussed in Chapter 6 and Chapter 9 . Reliability can be greatly improved by this technique . Let us first consider the following equation : R ( 0 ) ( t ) = 3R ( t ) 2 \u2212 2R ( t ) 3 , ( 1 ) i.e. , the equation expressing the reliability of a TMR system with no spares , R ( t ) being the reliability of a single , non-replicated ( simplex ) component . Equation ( 1 ) can be derived for instance via Markovian reliability modeling under the assumption of independence between the occurrence of faults ( Johnson , 1989 ) . With the same technique and under the same hypothesis it is possible to show that , even in the case of non-perfect error detection coverage , this equation can be considerably improved by adding one spare . This is the equation resulting from the Markov model in Fig. 1 , expressed as a function of error recovery coverage ( C , defined as the probability associated with the process of identifying the failed module out of those available and being able to switch in the spare ( Johnson , 1989 )) and time ( t ) : R ( 1 ) ( C , t ) = ( \u2212 3C 2 + 6C ) \u00d7 [ R ( t ) ( 1 \u2212 R ( t )) ] 2 + R ( 0 ) ( t ) . ( 2 ) Appendix A gives some mathematical details on Eq. ( 2 ) . Adding more spares obviously implies further improving reliability . In general , for any N \u2265 3 , it is possible to consider a class of monotonically increasing reliability functions , ( R ( M ) ( C , t )) M > 0 , ( 3 ) corresponding to systems adopting N + M replicas . Depending on both cost and reliability requirements , the user can choose the most-suited values for M and N. Note how quantity ( 2 ) is always greater than quantity ( 1 ) as R ( 0 ) ( t ) and ( \u2212 3C 2 + 6C ) are always positive for 0 < C \u2264 1 . Figure 2 compares Eq. ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) in the general case while Fig. 3 covers the case of perfect coverage . In the latter case , the reliability of a single , non-redundant ( simplex ) system is also portrayed . Note furthermore how the crosspoint between the three-and-one-spare system and the non-redundant system is considerably lower than the crosspoint between the latter and the TMR system \u2013 R ( t ) \u2248 0.2324 vs. R ( t ) = 0.5 . The reliability of the system can therefore be increased from the one of a pure NMR system to that of N-and-M-spare systems ( see Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 ) . 2.2 Using the \u03b1-count Feature As it has been already mentioned , the TRANSIENT clause of ariel , exploiting the \u03b1-count fault identification mechanism introduced in Chapter 6 , can be adopted to associate different recovery or reconfiguration strategies : \u2022 To the detection of a permanent or intermittent fault , in general requiring reconfiguration and redundancy exhaustion , \u2022 and to the detection of a transient fault , that could be tolerated with a recovery technique such as resetting the faulty component . This section describes a simple Markov reliability model of a TMR system discriminating between these two cases . Figure 4 shows the model . T is the probability that the current fault is a transient one and R is the probability of Figure 1 : Markov reliability model for a TMR-and-1-spare system . \u03bb is the failure rate , C is the error recovery coverage factor . A \" fail safe \" state is reached when the system is no more able to correctly perform its function , though the problem has been safely detected and handled properly . In ' Fail unsafe , ' on the contrary , the system is incorrect , though the problem has not been handled or detected . Every other state is labeled with three digits , d1 d2 d3 , such that d1 is the number of non-faulty modules in the TMR system , d2 is the number of nonfaulty spares ( in this case , 0 or 1 ) , and d3 is the number of undetected , faulty modules . The initial state , 310 , has been highlighted . This model is solved by Eq. ( 2 ) . Figure 2 : Graphs of Eq. ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) as functions of C and of R. Note how the graph of ( 2 ) is strictly above the other . successful recovery for a component affected by a transient fault . To simplify the model , recovery is assumed to be instantaneous . The system degrades only when permanent faults occur . Solving the model brings to the following equation : \u03b1 Rtmr ( t ) = 3 exp \u2212 2 ( 1 \u2212 RT ) \u03bbt \u2212 2 exp \u2212 3 ( 1 \u2212 RT ) \u03bbt . ( 4 ) Eq. 4 can be written as \u03b1 Rtmr ( t ) = 3R ( t ) 2 ( 1 \u2212 RT ) \u2212 2R ( t ) 3 ( 1 \u2212 RT ) , ( 5 ) with R ( t ) the reliability of the simplex system . Note how , in a sense , the introduction of the \u03b1-count technique results in a modification of the exponents of Eq. 1 by a factor equal to 1 \u2212 RT . In general , the resulting system shows a reliability that is larger than the one of a TMR system . Figure 5 compares these reliabilities . As it is evident from that image , the crosspoint between the reliability graphs of the simplex and that of the TMR system extended with the \u03b1-count technique is in general lower . Its exact value is given by the function crosspoint ( R , T ) = 0.51 \/ ( 1 \u2212 RT ) , which is drawn in Fig. 6 . 1 0.8 0.6 Reliability 0.4 0.2 0 TMR-and-1-spare TMR non-redundant system 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 Simplex Reliability 0.8 1 Figure 3 : Graphs of Eq. ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) when C = 1 ( perfect error detection coverage ) . The reliability of a single , non-redundant system is also portrayed . 3 PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF REDUNDANT VARIABLES In Chapter 4 the concept of redundant variables was introduced : Data structures in which the degree of replication is not fixed once and for all at design time , but changes dynamically with respect to the disturbances experienced during the run time . Here it is shown how the performance of our approach was analyzed . In order to analyze our system , a simulator , called \" scrambler \" was developed . Our scrambler tool allows to simulate a memory , to protect it with redundant variables , to inject memory faults ( bit flips or \" bursts \" corrupting series of contiguous cells ) , and to measure the amount of redundancy actually used . Scrambler interprets a simple scripting language consisting of the following commands : SLEEP s , which suspends the execution of the scrambler for s seconds , SCRAMBLE n , p , which repeats n times action \" scramble a pseudo-random memory cell with probability p \" , BURST n , p , l , which repeats n times action \" scramble l contiguous cells with probability p \" , Figure 4 : The Markov reliability model of a TMR system that gracefully degrades in the presence of a permanent or intermittent fault and \" cleans up \" ( that is , rejuvenates ) the components affected by transient faults . 1 0.8 0.6 Reliability 0.4 0.2 0 simplex tmr tmr + \u03b1-count 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 Simplex Reliability 0.8 1 Figure 5 : Reliability of a simplex system , of a TMR system , and of a modified TMR system exploiting the \u03b1-count fault identification technique . In this case T is 50 % and R = 0.6 . Figure 6 : The crosspoint between the graph of the reliability of the simplex \u03b1 system and that of Rtmr as a function of R and T. END , which terminates the simulation . The above commands can be used to compose a complex sequence of fault injections . As an example , the following script , corresponds to the following configuration : no faults for 1 second , then various disturbances occurring with Gaussian distribution1 , then no disturbances again for 5 seconds : SLEEP 1 \/\/ sleep 1 sec SCRAMBLE 2000 , 0.1053992 \/\/ scramble 2000 random cells \/\/ with probability f ( - 3 ) SCRAMBLE 2000 , 0.3678794 \/\/ scramble 2000 random cells \/\/ with probability f ( - 2 ) BURST 2000 , 0.7788008 , 10 \/\/ execute 2000 bursts of 10 \/\/ contiguous cells \/\/ with probability f ( - 1 ) SCRAMBLE 2000 , 1 \/\/ scramble 2000 random cells BURST 2000 , 0.7788008 , 10 \/\/ execute 2000 bursts of 10 \/\/ contiguous cells \/\/ with probability f ( 1 ) SCRAMBLE 2000 , 0.3678794 \/\/ scramble 2000 random cells \/\/ with probability f ( 2 ) SCRAMBLE 2000 , 0.1053992 \/\/ scramble 2000 random cells \/\/ with probability f ( 3 ) SLEEP 5 \/\/ sleep 5 secs END \/\/ stop injecting faults The idea behind these scripts is to be able to represent executions where a program is subjected to environmental conditions that vary with time and range from ideal to heavily perturbed . Scenarios like these ones are common , e.g. , in applications servicing primary substation automation systems ( Deconinck , De Florio , Dondossola , & Szanto , 2003 ) or spaceborne applications ( Oey & Teitelbaum , 1981 ) . In the following a few experiments are described , together with the results obtained with scrambler . All our experiments have been carried out with an array of 20000 redundant 4-byte cells and an allocation stride of 20 ( that is , replicas of a same logical cell are spaced by 20 physical cells ) . In all the reported experiments the following script was run : SLEEP 1 SCRAMBLE SCRAMBLE SLEEP 3 SCRAMBLE SCRAMBLE END 10000 , 0.9183156388887342 10000 , 0.9183156388887342 10000 , 0.9183156388887342 10000 , 0.9183156388887342 Concurrently with the execution of this script , 1500000 read accesses were performed in round robin across the array . The experiments record the number of scrambled cells and the number of read failures . Scrambler makes use of standard C function \" rand \" , which depends on an initial seed to generate each pseudo-random sequence . In the reported experiments the same value has been kept for the seed , so as to produce exactly the same sequences in each experiment . 3.1 Experiment 1 : Fixed , low redundancy In this first experiment scrambler was executed with fixed ( non adaptive ) redundancy 3 . Table 1 shows the setting of this experiment . The main conclusion one can draw from this run is that a statically redundant data structures provision in this case fails 193 times : In other words , for 193 times it was not possible to find a majority of replicas in agreement , and the system reported a read access failure . The total number of memory accesses is proportional to 3 \u00d7 1500000 \u00d7 k , where k > 0 depends on the complexity of the redundant read operation . 3.2 Experiment 2 : Fixed , higher redundancy Also experiment 2 has fixed redundancy , this time equal to 5 . Table 2 shows the setting of this new experiment . Main conclusion is that the higher redundancy is enough to guarantee data integrity in this case : No read access failures are experienced . The total number of memory accesses is proportional to 5 \u00d7 1500000 \u00d7 k . $ scrambler faults . in 3 scrub noadaptive Scrambler :: sleep ( 1 ) run 1 run 50001 run 100001 run 150001 Scrambler :: scramble ( 10000 , 0 . 918316 ) Scrambler :: scramble ( 10000 , 0 . 918316 ) Scrambler :: sleep ( 3 ) run 200001 run 250001 ... lines omitted ... run 650001 Scrambler :: scramble ( 10000 , 0 . 918316 ) Scrambler :: scramble ( 10000 , 0 . 918316 ) Scrambler :: END run 700001 run 750001 ... lines omitted ... run 1500001 36734 scrambled cells , 193 failures , redundance == 3 redundance 3 : 1500001 runs redundance 5 : 0 runs redundance 7 : 0 runs redundance 9 : 0 runs redundance 11 : 0 runs Table 1 : Experiment 1 : Scrambler executes the script in file \" faults . in \" . Parameters set redundancy to 3 , select memory scrubbing to repair corrupted data when possible , and keep redundancy fixed . $ scrambler faults . in 5 scrub noadaptive Scrambler :: sleep ( 1 ) run 1 run 50001 run 100001 Scrambler :: scramble ( 10000 , 0 . 918316 ) Scrambler :: scramble ( 10000 , 0 . 918316 ) Scrambler :: sleep ( 3 ) run 150001 ... lines omitted ... run 500001 Scrambler :: scramble ( 10000 , 0 . 918316 ) Scrambler :: scramble ( 10000 , 0 . 918316 ) Scrambler :: END run 550001 ... lines omitted ... run 1500001 36734 scrambled cells , 0 failures , redundance == 5 redundance 3 : 0 runs redundance 5 : 1500001 runs redundance 7 : 0 runs redundance 9 : 0 runs redundance 11 : 0 runs Table 2 : Experiment 2 : Scrambler executes the same script as before ; only , redundancy is now set to 5 . No failures are observed . $ scrambler faults . in 5 scrub adaptive run 1 Scrambler :: sleep ( 1 ) run 50001 run 100001 run 150001 run 200001 Scrambler :: scramble ( 10000 , 0 . 918316 ) Scrambler :: scramble ( 10000 , 0 . 918316 ) Scrambler :: sleep ( 3 ) run 250001 ... lines omitted ... run 600001 Scrambler :: scramble ( 10000 , 0 . 918316 ) Scrambler :: scramble ( 10000 , 0 . 918316 ) Scrambler :: END run 650001 ... lines omitted ... run 1500001 36734 scrambled cells , 1 failures , redundance == 3 redundance 3 : 1455404 runs redundance 5 : 6054 runs redundance 7 : 28967 runs redundance 9 : 9576 runs redundance 11 : 0 runs Table 3 : Experiment 3 : Scrambler executes the same script as before ; only , redundancy is now adaptive . No failures are observed , but the employed redundancy is mostly of degree 3 . 3.3 Experiment 3 : Adaptive Redundancy In this last experiment adaptive redundancy was enabled and initially set to 5 . Table 3 shows the resulting setting . Most worth noting is the fact that also in this case no read access failures show up , but the actual amount of redundancy required to reach this result is much lower . Consequently , also the total number of memory accesses , proportional to ( 3 \u00d7 1455404 + 5 \u00d7 6054 + 7 \u00d7 28967 + 9 \u00d7 9576 ) \u00d7 k , is considerably lower . Figure 7 shows how redundancy varies during the first 100000 read cycles . During this time frame no fault injection takes place . This is captured by our adaptation strategy , which decreases redundancy to 3 after 1000 cycles . Figure 8 depicts an interval where several fault injections do take place . These events are detected and trigger several adaptations . 3.4 Conclusions The analysis of the performance of one of the application-level approaches introduced in Chapter 4 , namely redundant variables , was described . The Figure 7 : The first 100000 cycles of experiment 3 ( Sect . 3.3 ) . Note how redundancy drops to its minimum after the first 1000 cycles . Figure 8 : A section of experiment 3 in which fault injection takes place . Note how redundancy changes accordingly . main focus here was on the methods and tools used to assess , in a quantitative way , the properties of our tool . 4 A TOOL FOR MONITORING AND FAULT INJECTION To conclude this chapter a distributed , multimedia application for monitoring and fault injection is described . Such application was developed in the framework of Project EFTOS ( Embedded Fault-Tolerant Supercomputing , already introduced in Chapter 3 ) . It dynamically sets up a hierarchy of HTML pages reflecting the current status of an EFTOS-compliant dependable application running on a Parsytec CC system . These pages are fed to a WWW browser playing the role of hypermedia monitor . The adopted approach allows the user to concentrate on the high-level aspects of his \/ her application so as to quickly assess the validity of their dependability assumptions . This view of the system lends itself well for being coupled with a tool to interactively inject software faults in the user application . 4.1 Introduction As systems get more and more complex , the need for a one-look snapshot of their activity is indeed ever increasing . This need has been strongly felt by the people involved in Project EFTOS ( Deconinck , De Florio , Lauwereins , & Varvarigou , 1997 ) , whose aim was to set up a software framework for integrating fault-tolerance into embedded distributed high-performance applications in a flexible and easy way . Through the adoption of the EFTOS framework , the target application running on a parallel computer is plugged into a hierarchical , layered system whose structure and basic components have been described in detail in Chapter 3 : \u2022 at the lowest level , a set of parameterizable functions managing error detection ( Dtools ) and error recovery ( Rtools ) . EFTOS supplies a number of these Dtools and Rtools , plus an API for incorporating user-defined EFTOS-compliant tools ; \u2022 at the middle level , the DIR net ( detection , isolation , and recovery network ) is available to coherently combine Dtools and Rtools , to ensure consistent strategies throughout the whole system , and to play the role of a backbone handling information to and from the fault-tolerance elements . To fulfill these requirements , the DIR net makes use of processes called Manager , Agents , and Backup Agents ; \u2022 at the highest level , these elements are combined into dependable mechanisms e.g. , methods to guarantee fault-tolerant communication , voting methods and so on . As explained in Chapter 3 , during the lifetime of the application the EFTOS framework guards the service from a series of possible deviations from the expected behavior ; this is done by executing detection , isolation , and reconfiguration tasks . For instance , a memory access exception caught in a thread by a trap handling Dtool may trigger a relocation of that thread elsewhere in the system . As another example , if an error is detected which affects a component of the DIR net itself , say a Manager , then the system will isolate that component and elect another one ( actually , one of the Backup Agents ) as the DIR Manager . In order to allow the user to keep track of events such as those sketched above , the DIR net continuously prints on the system console short textual descriptions . Evidently such a linear , unstructured listing of events pertaining to different aspects of different actions taking place in different points of the user application , does not make up the best of mechanisms to gain insight in the overall state of the fault-tolerant system . On the contrary , a hierarchical , dynamic view of the structure and behavior of that system , including : \u2022 Its current shape ( on which node which components are running , and their topology ) , \u2022 the current state of its components ( for instance , whether they are regarded to be correct , faulty , or are being recovered ) , \u2022 each component's running history , appeared much more attractive . Two main advantages from the adoption of such a strategy were expected to be : \u2022 ( At design and system validation time ) the possibility to assist the user assessing and \/ or validating his \/ her EFTOS-based fault-tolerance design , \u2022 ( at run time ) the possibility to shorten the latency between the occurrence of the event , its comprehension , and a proper reaction at user level2 . This text describes the architectural solution that was successfully adopted within EFTOS to easily and quickly develop a tool fulfilling the above stated needs \u2013 a portable , highly customizable hypermedia monitor for the EFTOS applications making use of cheap , ready available off-the-shelf software components like e.g. , an Internet Browser . It also shows how our monitor supplies the user with the needed structured information , and how it proved its usefulness within EFTOS . In particular an extension is described by means of which our monitor can be turned into a versatile tool for fault-injection . 4.2 Design Requirements In order to quickly deliver human-comprehensible information from the gigantic data stream produced by an EFTOS application , two needs have been assessed : \u2022 Deriving a hierarchical representation of the data . ( Most of the produced data is available , but it has to be organized and made browsable in \" layers \" : \u2013 At the highest level , only the logical structure of the application should be displayed : Which nodes are used , the EFTOS components executed on each node , and their overall state ; \u2013 at a medium level , a concise description of the events pertaining to each particular node should be made available ; \u2013 at the lowest level , a deeper description of each particular event may also be supplied on user-demand ) , \u2022 the use of multimedia . \" An image is worth a thousand words \" , they say , and maybe even more insight can be derived from the extensive use of colors , sounds , video-clips and so on . For instance , re-coloring a green image to red may lead the user into realizing that a previously fault-free state has turned into a problem . The use of colors traditionally associated to meanings , or whose meaning can be borrowed from well-known everyday situations ( e.g. , those of traffic lights ) further speeds up the delivery of the information to the user . Both aspects were already available in Internet browsers available at the time of EFTOS , such as Netscape , which were able to render hierarchies of dynamically produced HTML ( Berners-Lee & Connolly , 1995 ) pages . Therefore it was decided to develop a distributed application piloting an Internet browser that in turn plays the role of a hypermedia renderer for the EFTOS system activity . This product , called the EFTOS Monitor , is described in the following sections . 4.3 The Architecture of the EFTOS Monitor The EFTOS Monitor basically consists of three components ( see Fig. 9 ) : 1 . A client module , to be run by the DIR net ; 2 . an \" intermediate \" module , to be run by a number of Common Gateway Interface ( Kim , 1996 ) ( CGI ) scripts ; 3 . the \" renderer \" i.e. , an Internet browser . \u2022 The client part , together with the DIR net and the user application , runs on a Parsytec CC system ( Parsytec , 1996b ) , a distributed-memory MIMD supercomputer consisting of powerful processing nodes based on PowerPC 604 at 133MHz , dedicated high-speed links , I \/ O modules and Figure 9 : The architecture of the EFTOS Monitor : the CGI scripts and the EFTOS application share the same file system and communicate via a socket stream : Each time a new event takes place , the DIR net updates a special database ( 1 ) and sends a notification to the main CGI script ( 2 ) . The latter reads the database ( 3 ) on the arrival of the notification and converts it into a HTML hypertext , which is then fed back ( 4 ) to a Netscape or another Internet browser for hypermedia rendering . The client part of the Monitor is integrated in the DIR net Manager process . routers . The system adopts the thread processing model ; as mentioned in Chapter 3 , threads communicate via a proprietary message passing library called EPX ( Parsytec , 1996a ) ( Embedded Parallel extensions to uniX ) . The main tasks of the client module are the set up and management of a database maintaining an up-to-date snapshot of the system activity , including the current mapping of the DIR net's components onto the processing nodes and the state and current activity of each component . This module also connects to the intermediate part via TCP sockets ( as described for instance in ( Comer , 1993 )) and sends it signals at the very beginning and on each state transition . \u2022 The intermediate module consists of a hierarchy of CGI scripts spawned by an Apache HTTP ( Berners-Lee , Fielding , & Frystyk , 1996 ; Fielding et al. , 1997 ) server , all running on the workstation hosting the CC system . The root script of this hierarchy connects with the client module and acts as a TCP server : for each new stimulus , the snapshot file is read over and a HTML document is produced and fed to the renderer . A connection is also started up with this latter so as to be able to interact with it without the intervention of the HTTP daemon : Having done so , one CGI script may stay alive and produce multiple HTML requests . This special feature is known as \" non-parsing header \" ( NPH ) mode ( Kim , 1996 ) . Logically speaking , one may say that the intermediate module acts as a gateway between the CC system and the hypermedia renderer . Like mythical Janus ( the god of gates , doors and doorways ( Janus , n.d. ) ; in Italian , Giano ) , one \" face \" of the system is turned to the client module and gathers its requests , while a second one is turned to the renderer and translates those requests in HTML . Because of this its main component has been called cgiano . \u2022 The third component , the renderer , is a browser playing the role of a server able to display HTML data . The application is started in two steps via a shell script whose first task is to run the renderer ( or to reconnect to a previously run renderer : This latter is possible using e.g. , remote control extensions ( Zawinski , 1994 ) or an approach based on the Common Client Interface mechanism . The renderer is run with a uniform resource locator ( URL ) pointing to the root-level CGI script , which connects to Netscape in NPH-mode and starts listening for a TCP connection . As a second step , the shell script spawns the parallel application on the CC system . Then the application launches the DIR net and the Monitor's client module . The latter initializes the snapshot files , connects to the CGI script and sends it the first signal . The script reacts to that stimulus by translating the main snapshot file in HTML and requesting the renderer to display it . The top-left image in Fig. 10 shows a typical output of this phase : The EFTOS application appears to the user as an HTML table depicting the processing nodes in the user partition . The state of each module is illustrated by means of colors ( green is \" OK \" , red is \" not OK \" , yellow means that the module is currently being recovered , and so on ) . In this way the user can immediately perceive whether a node is ready or not and which actions are carried out on it , as asked for in the requirements ( Sect . 4.2 . ) Information displayed in this HTML document only covers the logical structure of the application . If the user \" clicks \" any icon on this page , a high-level hypertextual description of the DIR net-events pertaining to that specific node is displayed in a separate browser ( see Fig. 10 , Window \" Node-specific Information \" ) . To keep this page up to date , an automatic reload is periodically performed . This technique is explained e.g. , in ( Kim , 1996 ) . This secondary document is in turn a hypertext whose links point to in-depth descriptions of each specific event ( see Fig. 10 , Window \" Attached Information . \" ) 4.4 Architecture Assessment A number of observations may be drawn upon the above presented architecture ; in particular : \u2022 Our architecture is based on unmodified , low-cost , off-the-shelf hypermedia components . \u2022 It is open , in the sense that the architecture is based on wide-spread standards e.g. , the use of uniform resource locators within a World-Wide Web interconnection , the HTML language , TCP \/ IP sockets , the MIME classification , and so on ; \u2022 It is distributed , and in particular the renderer may run on any X11-compliant Display Server , including remote PCs running Cygwin \/ X11 . A possible alternative was to develop a custom application to play as a tailored monitoring tool . As an example , Scientific Computing Associates' TupleScope visual debugger is a custom X-based visualization and debugging tool for parallel programs using the LINDA approach introduced in Chapter 4 . This may result in higher performance and possibly be more flexible but of course : \u2022 It reasonably requires more time to develop even for a simple prototype ; \u2022 it requires custom design and development choices that may impact portability and supported features e.g. , which software development environment and specifically which language and which libraries to use , or whether to restrict the hypermedia rendering to images or to use sounds as well \u2013 these choices may be simply skipped in our approach ; \u2022 distribution and hypermedia issues call for specific support which turn into higher costs and longer times . For instance , TupleScope runs with the user application by adding a special linking option at compile time to the user application ; this means it has been developed on purpose as a custom X11 application . Though it perfectly addresses its own goals , it has limited rendering capabilities ( it only deals with static images ) and would certainly require non-negligible efforts to adapt it towards other media . Moreover , TupleScope is available on a number of platform , though the costs of this portability and consequent support are certainly not negligible as well . 4.5 A Tool for Fault Injection The same approach used to monitor the state of an EFTOS-compliant application is also effective in order to actively interact with it . Considering once again Fig. 9 , a control path may be drawn starting from the user at his \/ her browser , then crossing a CGI script , and eventually reaching the user application . It is therefore fairly possible to add a layer to the hierarchy of HTML pages dynamically created by the intermediate modules so that the user may freely choose among a certain set of malicious actions to bring against an EFTOS application , including for instance : \u2022 An integer division-by-zero , \u2022 a segmentation violation , Figure 10 : The three windows of the EFTOS Monitor . In window 1 ( \" Global view \" ) , the visual column contains graphical hyperlinks pointing to second-level information about the corresponding processing node at the same row . Configuration is the DIR net-role . Status may be one of the following values : OK , Faulty , Isolated , Recovering , and Killed . Some minor information is also displayed at the bottom of the page . The right-hand hypertext ( window \" Node-specific information \" ) is the result of \" clicking \" on the top circular icon and enumerates the actions that have just taken place on node 0 , fresher-to-older . The elapsed time ( in seconds ) corresponding to each event is displayed . Underlined sentences may be further expanded by clicking on them e.g. , the bottom-left image reports about action number 115 of the hypertext . Figure 11 : The recursive loop of fault injection and monitoring . \u2022 a link failure , \u2022 rebooting a processing node , \u2022 killing a thread . These requests would then reach a CGI script , be translated in appropriate system - or application-level actions , which would then be executed or turned into fault-injection requests to be fulfilled by the DIR Manager . As an example of system-level action , the CGI script may directly execute a system command to reboot one node in the CC system . As of application-level actions , the Manager may for instance ask the trap handler tool ( see Chapter 3 ) to trigger a specific signal like SIGSEGV ( segmentation violation ) on a certain thread ; or it may request a watchdog timer tool ( again , described in Chapter 3 ) on a particular node to behave like if it had detected a time-out . As a direct consequence of the injection of these faults , a number of detection , isolation , and recovery actions take place on the system according to the EFTOS-based fault-tolerance strategies adopted by the designer in his \/ her application . These actions will then be reported in the snapshot files and displayed by the Monitor . This process , summarized in Fig. 11 , may be modeled after a recursive loop like follows : do { Inject fault ; Observe feed-back ; Derive conclusions ; Correct the fault tolerance model ; } while ( model is unsatisfying ) . This procedure should result in a useful tool for rapidly assessing a design , trying alternative fault-tolerance strategies , and overloading the system with malicious attacks aiming at verifying its resilience , with a quick and meaningful feed-back from the system . 4.6 Conclusions A distributed application has been presented , for monitoring the fault tolerance aspects of an embedded parallel application and for interactively injecting faults into it . The overall system makes up an integrated environment in which \u2022 the application , \u2022 a graphical rendering of the results , and \u2022 real-time interactions cyclically evolve . By doing so the researcher is made able to verify the hypothesis he \/ she is formulating about the system . The design choice to adopt low-cost , off-the-shelf components for hypermedia rendering revealed to be cost-effective , speed up the development process , match the design requirements , and pave the way towards more ambitious capabilities and features . In particular , the use of an Internet browser as hypermedia renderer allows inherit the benefits of the volcanic evolutions of web services , HTML languages , HTTP protocol , multimedia capabilities of the browsers , and so on . The high degree of openness proven by this heterogeneous application basing itself on uniform communication mechanisms and standardized access interfaces guarantees portability and makes it also a good starting point towards the development of similarly structured applications ranging from remote equipment control to hypermedia multi-user environments . The deeper insight gained from the EFTOS Monitor on the run-time aspects of our dependable applications has turned it into an invaluable tool to speed up the development of our application-level fault-tolerance provisions . 5 CONCLUSION We have described three examples of approaches used to assess the dependability of application-level provisions : Reliability analysis is used to quantify the benefits of coupling an approach such as recovery languages to a distributed voting mechanism ( De Florio , Deconinck , & Lauwereins , 1998 ) ; a custom tool is used to systematically inject faults onto the adaptively redundant data structure discussed in Chapter 4 ( De Florio & Blondia , 2008 ) ; a hypermedia application to watch and control a dependable service is then used for monitoring and fault-injection ( De Florio , Deconinck , Truyens , Rosseel , & Lauwereins , 1998 ) . A MATHEMATICAL DETAILS RELATED TO EQ . 2 The basic steps leading to Eq. 2 , i.e. , are described in what follows . The Markov reliability model of Fig. 1 brings to the following set of equations : The above equations can be written as follows : For any state s , let us now call Ls = L ( ps ( t )) , where L is the Laplace transform . Furthermore , as ( 310 ) is the initial state , it is reasonable to assume that p310 ( 0 ) = 1 and \u2200 s 6 = ( 310 ) : ps ( 0 ) = 0 . Then taking the limit of the above equations as \u2206 t goes to zero and taking the Laplace transform brings to Inverting the Laplace transform , the following probabilities can be found : ( only useful states have been computed ) . Let us denote with R the reliability of the basic component of the system , i.e. , exp \u2212 \u03bbt , and Rtmr as the reliability of the TMR system based on the same component . The reliability of the three and one spare system , R ( 1 ) ( C , t ) , is given by the sum of the above probabilities : which proves Eq. ( 2 ) . References Berners-Lee , T. J. , & Connolly , D. ( 1995 , Nov. ) . Hypertext markup language \u2013 2.0 ( Tech . Rep. No. Request for Comments n . 1866 ) . Network Working Group . Berners-Lee , T. J. , Fielding , R. , & Frystyk , H. ( 1996 , May ) . Hypertext transfer protocol \u2013 http \/ 1 . 0 ( Tech . Rep. No. Request for Comments n . 1945 ) . Network Working Group . Comer , D. E. ( 1993 ) . Internetworking with tcp \/ ip , volume 2 : Client-server programming and applications . Prentice-Hall , Englewood Cliffs , NJ . Deconinck , G. , De Florio , V. , Dondossola , G. , & Szanto , J. ( 2003 ) . Integrating recovery strategies into a primary substation automation system . In Proc . of the international conference on dependable systems and networks ( dsn-2003 ) . IEEE Comp . Soc. Press . Deconinck , G. , De Florio , V. , Lauwereins , R. , & Varvarigou , T. ( 1997 ) . EFTOS : a software framework for more dependable embedded HPC applications . In Proc . of the 3rd int . euro-par conference , lecture notes in computer science ( Vol. 1300 , pp. 1363 \u2013 1368 ) . Springer , Berlin . De Florio , V. , & Blondia , C. ( 2008 , March 4 \u2013 7 ) . Adaptive data integrity through dynamically redundant data structures . In Proc . of the third international conference on availability , reliability and security ( ares 2008 ) . Barcelona , Spain : IEEE Computer Society . De Florio , V. , Deconinck , G. , & Lauwereins , R. ( 1998 , December ) . Software tool combining fault masking with user-defined recovery strategies . IEE Proceedings \u2013 Software , 145 ( 6 ) , 203 \u2013 211 . ( Special Issue on Dependable Computing Systems . IEE in association with the British Computer Society ) De Florio , V. , Deconinck , G. , Truyens , M. , Rosseel , W. , & Lauwereins , R. ( 1998 , January ) . A hypermedia distributed application for monitoring and fault-injection in embedded fault-tolerant parallel programs . In Proc . of the 6th euromicro workshop on parallel and distributed processing ( euro-pdp ' 98 ) ( pp. 349 \u2013 355 ) . Madrid , Spain : IEEE Comp . Soc. Press . Fielding , R. , Irvine , U. , Gettys , J. , Mogul , J. , Frystyk , H. , & Berners-Lee , T. J. ( 1997 , Jan. ) . Hypertext transfer protocol \u2013 http \/ 1 . 1 ( Tech . Rep. No. Request for Comments n . 2068 ) . Network Working Group . Johnson , B. W. ( 1989 ) . Design and analysis of fault-tolerant digital systems . New York : Addison-Wesley . Kim , E. ( 1996 ) . Cgi developer's guide . SAMS . NET . Oey , K. K. , & Teitelbaum , S. ( 1981 , October 26 \u2013 28 ) . Highly reliable spaceborne memory subsystem . In 3rd computers in aerospace conference ( pp. 66 \u2013 71 ) . San Diego , CA : American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics . Parsytec . ( 1996a ) . Embedded parix programmer's guide . Aachen , Germany : Parsytec GmbH . Parsytec . ( 1996b ) . Parsytec cc series \u2013 cognitive computing . Aachen , Germany : Parsytec GmbH . Wikipedia . ( n.d. ) . Janus ( mythology ) . ( Retrieved on September 9 , 2007 , from en.wikipedia.org \/ wiki \/ Janus ( mythology )) Zawinski , J. ( 1994 , December ) . Remote control of UNIX Netscape ( Tech . Rep. ) . Netscape Communications Corp. ( Retrieved on July 28 , 2007 from wp.netscape.com \/ newsref \/ std \/ x-remote . html ) Notes 1 The chosen probabilities correspond to Gaussian f ( x ) = exp ( \u2212 x2 \/ 4 ) for and 0 . 2 Indeed , the high volume of data coming out of such a complex system is least delay the appearance of the failure in the so-called user's universe i.e. , of a system ultimately sees the effect of faults and errors \" ( Johnson , 1989 ) ; may also make it transparent to the user altogether . page x = \u00b1 3 , \u00b1 2 , \u00b1 1 , very likely to at \" where the user in some cases it CONCLUSIONS AND APPENDICES 1 AN INTRODUCTION AND SOME CONCLUSIONS We have reached the end of our discussion about application-level fault-tolerance protocols , which were defined as the methods , architectures , and tools that allow the expression of fault-tolerance in the application software of our computers . Several \" messages \" have been given : \u2022 First of all , fault-tolerance is a \" pervasive \" concern , spanning the whole of the system layers . Neglecting one layer , for instance the application , means leaving a backdoor open for problems . \u2022 Next , fault-tolerance is not abstract : It is a function of the target platform , the target environment , and the target quality of service . The tools to deal with this are the system model and the fault model , plus the awareness that 1 ) all assumptions have a coverage and 2 ) a coverage means that , sooner or later , maybe quite later but \" as sure as eggs is eggs , \" cases will show up where each coverage will fail . \u2022 This means that there is a ( even ethical ) need to design our systems thinking of the consequences of coverage failures at mission time , especially considering safety critical missions . I coined a word for those supposed fault-tolerant software engineers that do not take this need into account : Endangeneers . Three well-known accidents have been presented and interpreted in view of coverage failures in the fault and system models . \u2022 Next , the critical role of the system structure for the expression of fault-tolerance in computer applications was put forth : From this stemmed the three properties characterizing any application-level fault-tolerance protocol : Separation of concerns , adequacy to host different solutions , and support for adaptability . Those properties address the following question : Given a certain fault-tolerance provision , is it able to guarantee an adequate separation of the functional and non-functional design concerns ? Does it tolerate a fixed set of faulty scenarios , or does it dynamically change that set ? And , is it flexible enough as to host a large number of different strategies ? 309 Figure 1 : Application-level software fault-tolerance protocols according to the three structural attributes sc , sa , and a . \u2022 Then it has been shown that there exist a large number of techniques and hence of system structures able to enhance the fault-tolerance of the application . Each of these techniques has its pros and cons , which we tried to point out as best as we could . We also attempted to qualify each technique with respect to the above mentioned properties1 . A summary of the results of this process is depicted in Fig. 1 . \u2022 Another key message is that complexity is a threat to dependability , and we must make sure that the extra complexity to manage fault-tolerance does not become another source of potential failures . In other words , simplicity must be a key ingredient of our fault-tolerance protocols , and a faulty fault-tolerant software may produce the same consequence of a faulty non fault-tolerant software \u2013 or maybe direr . \u2022 Finally , we showed with some examples that adaptive behaviour is the only way to match the ever mutating and unstable environments characterizing mobile systems . As an example , static designs would make bad use of the available redundancy . As the reader will have noticed , this book also has different levels of deepenings : Some approaches are sketched , some others are explained in deep detail . As mentioned already this is due to the fact that this book represents the author's current vision and summa of personal experiences . This is particularly true for ariel , the system described in Chapter 7 . ariel is described in large detail there , then used in Chapter 10 in two of the hybrid cases described there . One of its component , the DIR net , is described in detail in Chapter 9 . Finally , in what follows , a view to the internals of the ariel system is provided so as to give the reader an idea of how a fault-tolerance architecture for the application layer was actually implemented . I trust this to be particularly useful to young researchers in the initial phase of a master or doctoral program in resilient computing . Enjoy ! References Johnson , S. C. ( 1975 ) . YACC : Yet another compiler compiler ( Tech . Rep. No. 32 ) . Murray Hill , New Jersey : Bell Laboratories . Levine , J. , Mason , T. , & Brown , D. ( 1992 ) . Lex & YACC ( 2nd ed . ) . O ' Reilly & Associates . Parr , T. ( 2007 ) . The definitive ANTLR reference \u2013 building domain-specific languages . The Pragmatic Programmer . Notes 1 Clearly it is very difficult to consider a quantitative metrics for using the above properties ; we limited ourselves to a qualitative , if not subjective , assessment , based on the information in our possessions and in some cases on first-hand experiences . page CONCLUSIONS AND APPENDICES 1 AN INTRODUCTION AND SOME CONCLUSIONS We have reached the end of our discussion about application-level fault-tolerance protocols , which we defined as the methods , architectures , and tools that allow the expression of fault-tolerance in the application software of our computers . Several \" messages \" have been given : \u2022 First of all , fault-tolerance is a \" pervasive \" concern , spanning the whole of the system layers . Neglecting one layer , for instance the application , means leaving a backdoor open for problems . \u2022 Next , fault-tolerance is not abstract : It is a function of the target platform , the target environment , and the target quality of service . The tools to deal with this are the system model and the fault model , plus the awareness that 1 ) all assumptions have a coverage and 2 ) a coverage means that , sooner or later , maybe quite later but \" as sure as eggs is eggs , \" cases will show up where each coverage will fail . \u2022 This means that there is a ( even ethical ) need to design our systems thinking of the consequences of coverage failures at mission time , especially considering safety critical missions . I coined a word for those supposed fault-tolerant software engineers that do not take this need into account : Endangeneers . We also showed three well-known accidents and we interpreted them in view of coverage failures in the fault and system models . \u2022 Next , we put forth the critical role of the system structure for the expression of fault-tolerance in computer applications : From this stemmed the three properties characterizing any application-level fault-tolerance protocol : Separation of concerns , adequacy to host different solutions , and support for adaptability . Those properties address the following question : Given a certain fault-tolerance provision , is it able to guarantee an adequate separation of the functional and non-functional design concerns ? Does it tolerate a fixed set of faulty scenarios , or does it dynamically change that set ? And , is it flexible enough as to host a large number of different strategies ? 312 Figure 1 : Application-level software fault-tolerance protocols according to the three structural attributes sc , sa , and a . \u2022 Then we have shown that there exist a large number of techniques and hence of system structures able to enhance the fault-tolerance of the application . Each of these techniques has his pros and cons , which we tried to point out as best as we could . We also attempted to qualify each technique with respect to the above mentioned properties1 . A summary of the results of this process is depicted in Fig. 1 . \u2022 Another key message is that complexity is a threat to dependability , and we must make sure that the extra complexity to manage fault-tolerance does not become another source of potential failures . In other words , simplicity must be a key ingredient of our fault-tolerance protocols , and a faulty fault-tolerant software may produce the same consequence of a faulty non fault-tolerant software \u2013 or maybe direr . \u2022 Finally , we showed with some examples that adaptive behaviour is the only way to match the ever mutating and unstable environments characterizing mobile systems . As an example , static designs would make bad use of the available redundancy . As the reader will have noticed , this book also has different levels of deepenings : Some approaches are sketched , some others are explained in deep detail . As mentioned already this is due to the fact that this book represents the author's current vision and summa of personal experiences . This is particularly true for ariel , the system described in Chapter 7 . ariel is described in large detail there , then used in Chapter 10 in two of the hybrid cases described there . One of its component , the DIR net , is described in detail in Chapter 9 . Finally , in what follows , a view to the internals of the ariel system is provided so as to give the reader an idea of how a fault-tolerance architecture for the application layer was actually implemented . I trust this to be particularly useful to young researchers in the initial phase of a master or doctoral program in resilient computing . We provide in what follows an introduction to Lex and YACC , two tools that are often useful when dealing with linguistic structures for computers . The provided information is not a full manual , which would be out of the scope of this book , but more a summary of the minimal information required to fully comprehend the next section , devoted to the ariel internals . Enjoy ! A TOOLS FOR TRANSLATORS AND COMPILERS : LEX AND YACC This section describes two well-known tools for crafting efficient translators and compilers : The LEX lexical analyzer and the YACC syntactical analyzer . A. 1 Introduction The capability to compose valid sentences in a given language , as well as to verify that a given string represents a valid sentence in a given language builds upon two lower-level capabilities : 1 . Classification , which is the ability to turn a stream of characters into a stream of lexical entities ( words , punctuation , delimiters ) , and 2 . Verification , that is , the ability to recognize the syntactical correctness of a sentence , starting from a stream of lexical entities . The first capability is also known as lexical analysis , the second as syntactical analysis . Given , for instance , the mathematical expression : p sin ( a + ( 0 . 4 )) , the first capability means translating the stream of characters representing the above expression , i.e. ( ' s ' , ' i ' , ' n ' , ' ' , ' ( ' , ' a ' , ... ) , into a stream of tokens , or syntactical atoms : ( \" sin \" , ' ( ' , \" a \" , ' + ' , \" sqrt \" , ... ) ; Syntactical analysis is indeed the tool that allows us to verify the syntactical correctness of a sentence , given a certain set of rules , called \" grammar \" \u2013 in the above example , the grammar of well-formed mathematical formulae . The above mentioned capabilities are experienced by human beings as inherent and natural abilities , of which one has not even full awareness . When one has to set up , e.g. , an interpreter of a computer language , or any other software module that needs recognize a given structure in its input stream , then it is useful to set up a hierarchical structure at the base of which there are tools for lexical and syntactical analysis . Such tools are software systems that ease the development of lexical and syntactical analyzers . Two well known standard utilities for this are LEX and YACC ( or their GNU counterpart , Flex and Bison ) . LEX and YACC allow to speed up considerably the development of parsers , translators , compilers , interpreter , conversion tools and have been used for more than 20 years by the author of this book to craft various tools , including those described in this chapter and in chapters 7 , 10 , and 11 . LEX and YACC have been especially designed for combined use and for hosting user-defined C routines . Custom versions supporting C ++ and Java also exist . In what follows we strictly follow the following two sources : ( Levine , Mason , & Brown , 1992 ) and ( Johnson , 1975 ) . A. 2 The LEX Lexical Analyzer LEX may be defined as a \" tokenizator \" : Given a stream of chars , LEX performs a classification of groups of contiguous characters . These groups are called tokens , i.e. , words and symbols that are atomic from the viewpoint of syntactical analysis . For instance , LEX can translate string sin ( a + sqrt ( 0 . 4 )) in a set of couples \" ( token , token number ) \" , e.g. , as follows : \u2022 \" sin \" , FUNCTION \u2022 \" ( \" , ' ( ' \u2022 and so forth . The token number identifies the class the token belongs to . LEX can be used \u2022 either as a stand-alone tool , so to perform simple translations or compute statistics on the lexical atoms , \u2022 or in conjunction with a parser generator . YACC is the natural choice , but it is always possible to choose another parser . LEX writes a deterministic finite state automaton from a list of regular expressions . Regardless the number of rules supplied by the user , and regardless their complexity , the LEX finite state automaton breaks the input stream into tokens in a time that is proportional to the length of the input stream . The number of rules and their complexity only influence the size of the output source code . The general structure of a LEX program is as follows : [ Definitions ] %% [ Rules ] [ %% User functions ] Definitions and User functions can be missing . Hence , the minimum size LEX program is the following one : %% LEX performs its classification via a list of regular expressions ( regex ) that the user needs to supply through a standard language . Regex describe patterns of characters to be located in the text . LEX reads these regular expressions and produces a finite state machine that recognizes those patterns . Finite state machines are indeed the simplest conceptual tool with which to recognize words expressed by regex . LEX uses the same regular expressions recognizer used by most of those UNIX tools that offer pattern matching services : vi , sed , awk , find , grep , for instance , adopt a similar set of agreement based on a similar set of \" meta-characters \" , including \" \\ [ ] ^ - ? . * + | { } $ \/ ( ) % < > . ( Perl , archie , and others , adopt slightly different sets ) . In what follows we provide a brief description of the most important among the meta-characters : \" the quotation mark operator is the simplest meta-character : all the characters of a string between quotation marks are interpreted as plain ( non-meta ) characters . [ ... ] Squared parentheses ( pair [ ] ) specify classes of characters . For instance , [ xyz ] means : \" a single x , y or z char \" The hyphen sign between any two chars a and b means that all the chars between ord ( a ) and ord ( b ) are specified . For instance , [ A-Z ] means \" any uppercase letter \" , while [ A-Za-z ] means : \" any letter \" . Furthermore , [ \\ 40 - \\ 176 ] for instance selects a range of characters , that is , the one between octal ( 40 ) and octal ( 176 ) . [ ^ ... ] Character \" ^ \" , within the squared parentheses , means \" complementary set \" . For instance , [ ^ 0-9 ] means \" any character but the digits \" . \\ ( Backslash ) has the same meaning it has , e.g. , in the C language function printf : It turns a meta-character into a plain character .. ( Dot ) means \" any character but ' \\ n ' \" . ? The question mark goes after optional strings of characters . For instance , ab ? c means : \" either ' ac ' or ' abc ' \" . * Postfix operator \" star \" means zero or more instances of a given class . As an example , [ ^ a-zA-Z ] * means \" zero or more instances of non-alphabetic chars \" . + Postfix operator \" plus \" means one or more instances of a given class . For instance , [ xyz ] + means \" any non-empty string , of any size , consisting of any of the characters ' x ' , ' y ' and ' z ' \" , such as e.g. xyyyyyyzz . Operators ( ) and | . Parentheses group a set of characters into one object . For instance , in ( xyz ) + , operator + is applied to string xyz . Within a group , the OR between entities is specified via meta-character | . For instance , ( ab | cd + ) ? ( ef ) * means \" zero or more instances of string \" ef \" , possibly preceded either by string ab or by cd + ( c followed by one or more instances of d ) \" . ^ : This char , if not within square parentheses , means \" at begin-of-file or right after a newline . \" $ : This means \" at the end of a line \" or \" at end-of-file \" , i.e. , if the following char is either ' \\ n ' or EOF . For instance , ( riga | row ) $ means \" string riga or string row followed either by \\ n or by EOF . \/ : Infix operator slash checks whether an entity is followed by another one . For instance , a \/ b means \" character a , only when followed by character b \" . Note that ab \/ \\ n is equivalent to ab $ . { } : Curly brackets have two meanings : \u2022 When grouping two comma-separated numbers , as in ( xyz ) { 1 , 5 } , they represent a multiple instance . The above example means \" from one to five instances of string xyz \" . \u2022 When grouping letters , they represent the value of a regex alias ( see further on ) . % Character % is reserved character , not a meta-character . A LEX source file may include up to three sections ; the first one is the one including the LEX definitions . Definitions include a list of regular expressions : letter letters [ a-zA-Z ] { letter } + This is , so to say , the grammar of the LEX definitions : 1 . At column 1 , an identifier is supplied , 2 . then some blank or tab chars , 3 . and finally a regular expression . After its definition , the identifier becomes an alias for its regular expression . To dereference an alias one has to put curly brackets around it . The Rules section is mainly a list of associations in the form r \u21d2 a where r is a regular expression and a is a list of actions , i.e. , user defined C language statements that are executed when the corresponding regular expression is recognized . An example follows : %% begin end printf ( \" { \" ) ; { putchar ( ' } ' ) ; } When no rule is verified , a default rule is executed : ECHO , meaning \" print the current character \" . For readers accustomed to thinking in C , this means that the finite state automaton produced by LEX has a switch statement ending with \" default : ECHO ; . \" Practical consequences of this include , e.g. , that there is no need to supply rules for the so called \" literal tokens , \" i.e. , single characters whose token number is equal to their ASCII code . Another consequence is that in order to \" sift out \" some portion of text from the input stream , one needs recognize it explicitly and to associate a null action to it . As an example , to remove newline characters , one needs write this simple program : %% \\ n ; Some simple transformations can be useful in order to facilitate the import of a file . For instance some word processors , such as TEX , regard paragraphs as multiple lines of text separated by two or more line feed characters , while other programs such as Word regard paragraphs as a single line and separate paragraphs with one or more line feed character . When one wants to import some TEX text into Word the following simple script may be useful : %% \\ n \\ n \\ n ECHO ; putchar ( ' ' ) ; It converts every single \\ n into a character space . When a regular expression is recognized , the corresponding string ( the token ) is copied in a string pointed by a char * called yytext . This is true also for literal tokens . The corresponding script is similar to the previous one : %% [ ^ \\ n ] \\ n [ ^ \\ n ] { putchar ( yytext [ 0 ] ) ; putchar ( ' ' ) ; putchar ( yytext [ 2 ] ) ; } It is sometimes interesting to take a look at the source code of the program produced by LEX ; for instance , on my system running cygwin and flex , action ECHO turns out to actually be this simple macro : # define ECHO puts ( yytext ) Variable int yyleng is set by LEX to the number of characters of the string that verifies the current rule ; in other words , yyleng == strlen ( yytext ) . The following excerpt shows an example of how to use yyleng : %% [ 0-9 ] + [ a-zA-Z ] + ( . | \\ n ) dig + = yyleng ; alp + = yyleng ; oth ++ ; Clearly the above excerpt is not a completely meaningful LEX program : 1 . Variable dig etc. have not been declared . 2 . No output message is provided at the end . Nevertheless , this is not a buggy LEX program : The objective of LEX is to produce a C program , not necessarily an error free one : No checks are done on the syntactic correctness of the output program . Typical situations are that some syntax errors slip in the actions ( indeed , actions are simply copied as strings into the output program ) . Later on we will describe how to introduce C text into the output program so as to declare variables and produce output messages at end of processing time . A number of functions are available to the LEX user : yymore ( ) instructs LEX so that the next matched string is attached to the current value of yytext . An example follows : %% \\ \" [ ^ \" ] * { if ( yytext [ yyleng-1 ] == ' \\\\ ' ) yymore ( ) ; else do_that ( yytext ) ; } yyless ( ) \" sends back \" a given number of characters . This can be very useful in some cases . For instance , in the early days of the C programming language , a = - b had the same meaning of a - = b ( that is , subtract b from a ) . This is no more the case , so the first form could result in a hidden bug when current compilers deal with \" old dusty deck \" software . To detect possible problems one may use the following filter : %% = - [ a-zA-Z ] { printf ( \" Operator = - is ambiguous : \" ) ; printf ( \" not recognized . \\ n \" ) ; yyless ( yyleng-2 ) ; manage_assignment ( ) ; } The form yyless ( x ) pushes back onto the input yyleng \u2212 x characters . int input ( ) reads the next input character . Character NULL ( bitwise equivalent to ( int ) 0 ) is interpreted as the end-of-file condition ) . void output ( char c ) writes c onto the output stream . void unput ( char c ) \" pushes back \" c into the input stream . The user can choose between a standard version of these functions or make use of his or her own versions of those functions , which must have the same name and prototype . int yywrap ( void ) This system ( or user - ) function is called when an EOF is encountered . The system version of this function returns 1 , which means \" end of processing . \" The user can substitute this function with a new version which , if it returns 0 , lets the execution continue until a new EOF is encountered . By doing so it is possible , e.g. , to process more than one input file during the same run . Another use of yywrap ( ) is to allow the user to specify end-of-job functions ( for instance , printing the final output ) , which is one of the requirement we highlighted for the code fragment at page 319 . LEX adopts two steps to select which user rule to apply : 1 . The rule that recognizes the largest string is always preferred . 2 . If more than one rule recognizes largest strings , it is chosen the rule the user has specified first in the LEX script . Within a same rule , LEX returns the largest possible string : %% \\ ' . * \\ ' { yytext [ 0 ] = ' [ ' ; yytext [ yyleng-2 ] = ' ] ' ; printf ( \" % s \" , yytext ) ; } produces a program that , when reading an input string such as ' hi ' - he said - ' how are you ? ' , writes the following string on the output : [ hi ' - he said - ' how are you ? ] . When LEX selects which rule to execute , it creates an ordered list of possible candidates . The one to be executed is the one at the top of the list . When that action includes macro REJECT ; the following two actions take place : 1 . The input string is sent back onto the input stream . 2 . The rule is removed from the list . The rule that is selected is therefore the new top one . REJECT is useful , e.g. , to count all the \" digrams \" ( that is , all the couples of contiguous alphabetic characters ) in a given text : %% [ A-Z ] [ a-z ] { ( . | \\ n ) digram [ yytext [ 0 ]] [ yytext [ 1 ]] ++ ; REJECT ; } ; Each digram in the text is located by the first rule , as it returns a string of two characters while the second one returns a string of just one character . REJECT writes back the two characters of the digram onto the standard input stream and rejects the first rule . The second one is then executed . As a result , a character is removed from the input stream . LEX allows to include in the output C source code any useful information ( header files , declaration of global variables and so forth ) . An example follows : %% [ a-z ] [ a-z ] { extern int dig [ 26 ] [ 26 ] ; dig [ yytext [ 0 ] - ' a ' ] [ yytext [ 1 ] - ' a ' ] ++ ; REJECT ; } ( . | \\ n ) ; %% int dig [ 26 ] [ 26 ] ; int yywrap ( ) { int i , j ; for ( i = 0 ; i < 26 ; i ++ ) for ( j = 0 ; j < 26 ; j ++ ) if ( dig [ i ] [ j ] ) printf ( \" digram [ % c % c ] = % d \\ n \" , ' a ' + i , ' a ' + j , dig [ i ] [ j ] ) ; return 1 ; } Inclusion can be done in three \" zones \" of the output source file : 1 . At the end of the file ( as it is done in the above example ) . 2 . At the beginning of the file , that is , before any of the functions . 3 . At the beginning of function yylex ( ) . The three zones in the output source code correspond to the following zones of the LEX script : 1 . In User Functions . 2 . In Definitions , 3 . On top of Rules , i.e. , right after the first %% ; Case 1 is trivial \u2013 one has just to write the required C code , as shown in the above example . For 2 and 3 , we need to distinguish the text to be processed by LEX from the text that needs be copied verbatim in the output file . To do so , one can follow any of these ways : \u2022 [ t ] + . * ( at least a blank space or tab character at column zero , then the data to be flushed onto the output file . ) \u2022 Anything between % { and % } . In most UNIX environments , in order to process a LEX source code available in file source . l , one needs execute the following commands : 1 . lex source . l ( that is we use LEX to translate source . l into the C program lex . yy . c ; the same syntax is used with GNU flex . ) 2 . cc - o output lex . yy . c - ll ( that is we use the C compiler to read the C program produced by LEX and compile it with the assistance of the LEX library , producing an executable file called output . ) 3 . . \/ output ( that is , we execute the output file . ) File lex . yy . c includes function yylex ( ) i.e. , the actual scanner . Compiling lex . yy . c with the system library libl . a ( or libfl . a in the case of FLEX ) a main ( ) function is automatically supplied , which calls function yylex ( ) . The user can substitute this default main ( ) with one of his or her own design . Doing this , one can choose between either automatically generating an executable or \" pipelining \" LEX output to other programs \u2013 for instance , a syntactical analyzer such as YACC . A. 3 Syntactical Analysis with YACC YACC , whose name stands for \" Yet Another Compiler-Compiler , \" has been defined by its authors as a system for describing the input structure of a program . Indeed , the YACC programmer is required to supply : 1 . The syntactical structure of the input , and 2 . C code to be executed when the syntax rules are recognized . On the basis of the above input data , YACC produces a C program with a parsing routine . The parsing routine calls a lower level routine , called yylex ( ) , in order to get the next lexical atoms in the input stream . It goes without saying that LEX produces exactly one such routine . YACC works with grammars of type LALR ( 1 ) , plus rules to solve ambiguities . As its names tell , YACC is just one of many \" compiler compilers \" , and many new powerful syntactical analyzers have been designed , a noteworthy example being ANTLR ( Parr , 2007 ) . Some of them are open software and can be easily downloaded and compiled from the Internet . YACC ( or its GNU sibling , Bison ) is likely to be available on any UNIX distribution , so we decided to focus on its syntax . Another reason to go for YACC with respect to other tools is that its syntax has been designed so as to make it very easy to master its functions for someone who knows LEX already . A. 3 . 1 Structure of a YACC Script The general structure of a YACC script strictly follows the one of a LEX script : [ Definitions ] %% Rules & Actions [ %% User functions ] In particular , the structure of Rules & Actions is similar to the corresponding section of a LEX script : It includes a set of grammar rules , plus actions that are associated to each rule . Each time a rule is recognized , the corresponding actions are executed . Actions may return values and use the values returned by other actions . YACC rules have the following structure : lhs : rhs ; where lhs is a non-terminal symbol and rhs is a sequence of zero or more terminal or non-terminal symbols , \" literals \" ( see below ) , and actions . Identifiers for terminal and non-terminal symbols follow the rules of the C language , with the addition that character ' . ' is considered as a letter . A literal is a constant character defined as follows : literal : QUOTE char QUOTE | QUOTE BACKSLASH char QUOTE | QUOTE BACKSLASH od od od QUOTE ; where in this case QUOTE is character \" and od is an octal digit . The pipe character \" | \" is the YACC way to represent alternative definitions \u2013 it reads out as \" or \" . It is used when more than one rule has the same lhs . As with LEX , the parentheses % { and % } allow to include in the output of YACC any C source code . This code is global with respect to the parser function and to the user functions . YACC uses a number of identifiers starting with \" yy \" for internal purposes . As a consequence it is a good idea to avoid that prefix : While the YACC syntax is more or less standard , clearly its implementations may be completely different from each other or from future ones . A variable starting with \" yy \" may translate in a hidden design fault . Lexical atoms ( the tokens ) must be explicitly declared in Definitions . This is done , for instance , by writing one or more lines such as the following one : % token name1 name2 ... All the symbols that have not declared as tokens are implicitly declared as non-terminals ( non-terminals ) . An important property that must be guaranteed for any YACC source program is that each non-terminal must be the lhs of at least one rule . The declaration of the start symbol of the grammar may be done as follows : % start name in Declarations . If this specification is missing , it is assumed that the start symbol is the lhs of the first grammar rule specified by the user . A special token marks the end-of-input . This is called end-marker in YACC lingo . If the tokens encountered between the start of processing and the end-marker ( not including the latter ) verify the start symbol , then the parsers successfully stops processing after having read the end-marker . Reading the end-marker before the start symbol is verified leads to an error . Within each rule , the programmer can specify some actions to be executed each time that rule is recognized while analysing the input stream . Actions may return values and use the values returned by other actions . Also the tokens returned by yylex ( ) may have values . Actions are a group of C statements between curly brackets . Each action can return a value by setting variable $$ . For instance : { action ( ) ; $$ = 1 ; } returns 1 . Also the rules may return values . This value is either the value of the first component or the value of variable $$ . For instance : A : B ; is equivalent to A : B { $$ = $ 1 ; } ; The following example shows how it is possible to use the values returned by previous rules : expr : ' ( ' { expr ' ) ' $$ = $ 2 ; } ; In other words , $ i is the value returned by RHS [ i ] . An example follows : Let us suppose we wanted to build a syntax analysis tree and for that we are using a function node ( ) that allocates a new syntax object and returns its address . Then such functions could be called in rules such as the following one : expr : expr infix_op expr { $$ = node ( $ 2 , $ 1 , $ 3 ) ; } ; Values returned by rules and actions are integers by default . As we mentioned in previous section , function yylex ( ) returns an integer \u2013 the token number . This number is either a literal ( when in [ 0 , 255 ] ) or a symbolic constant s > 256 that describes the lexical \" class \" the recognized string belongs to . One such class could be , for instance , NUMBER , identifying all numerical symbolic constants . Function yylex ( ) also returns the actual string that was found in the input . That string is kept in variable extern X yylval ; where X is either int or can be defined by the user . An example follows : %% [ 0-9 ] + { yylval = atoi ( yytext ) ; return NUMBER ; } The choice of which integers to use with tokens can be done automatically by YACC , which associates the integers from 256 one by one to the tokens that have been declared with the % token keyword ; or implicitly for literals , to which it is associated their ASCII code ; or explicitly by the YACC programmer , who can associate an integer greater than 0 after the name of a token or a literal in section Declarations . Token numbers must be different . When executing yacc with the - d option , a header file is created , called y . tab . h , which contains all the token numbers . This file can be included , e.g. , in the LEX script , through a statement such as the following one : % { # include \" y . tab . h \" % } Note that the C program produced by LEX can be either compiled separately or even included in the YACC output program by specifying in User functions the following statement : # include \" lex . yy . c \" A. 3 . 2 Associativity rules Some arithmetical operators have their own associativity rules , and by agreement there are priorities between them . Therefore a method is required in order to set a priority among operators and to choose beforehand the type of associativity that is required . The kind of associativity of an operator can be defined in YACC by the three directives : % left % right % nonassoc Such directives also represent an alternative way to declare tokens and literals with respect to % token . For instance , % right % left ' = ' ' - ' ' + ' selects right association for the assignment operator ( that is , a = b = c is interpreted as a = ( b = c )) and left association for ' + ' and ' - ' . Each row defines a priority level . The earlier the specification appears in the source file , the lower its priority : ' = ' \u227a ( ' + ' , ' - ' ) \u227a \u00b7 \u00b7 \u00b7 For instance , a = b = c \u2217 d \u2212 e \u2212 f \/ g ; is interpreted as a = ( b = ((( c \u2217 d ) \u2212 e ) \u2212 ( f \/ g ))) ; Keyword % nonassoc specifies that a certain operator must not be applied more than once . For instance , in Fortran the following expression A. LT . B. LT . C is not valid . The % nonassoc tokens catch such conditions . There are cases in which a same sign , for instance ' - ' , has two different meanings and priorities : expr : | | | expr ' = ' expr expr ' * ' expr expr ' - ' expr ' - ' expr Unary \" minus \" has greater priority than that of diadic \" minus \" . In such cases one can make use of a fictitious token and operator % prec : % left ' + ' ' - ' % left ' * ' ' \/ ' % left UMINUS %% expr : expr ' - ' expr | .... | ' - ' expr % prec UMINUS \/ * same priority of UMINUS * \/ As we have seen already , the value stack of YACC is by default based on short integers . The user can override that choice and choose any other type . In this case the value stack is organized as a vector of union's . The programmer can declare such union and associate the name of its members with the tokens and non-terminals that return a value . When the user does declare the union , the following string is attached to any reference like $$ or $ i : . field-name This is a possible example % union { char * String ; double Real ; int Integer ; } An equivalent way to shape this union is by defining explicitly type YYSTYPE : typedef union { char * String ; double Real ; int Integer ; } YYSTYPE ; After that definition one can associate a field-name to a token like follows : % left % right <Integer> <Real> ' + ' ' = ' ' - ' It is even possible to associate a field-name to a non-terminal : % type % type <String> <Real> expr number Another possibility is to associate a field-name to an action : expr : ' ( ' strexp ' ) ' { $ <Real> $ = atof ( $ <String> 2 ) ; } ; that is , \" $ < \" , followed by a field-name , followed by \" > $ \" References Johnson , S. C. ( 1975 ) . YACC : Yet another compiler compiler ( Tech . Rep. No. 32 ) . Murray Hill , New Jersey : Bell Laboratories . Levine , J. , Mason , T. , & Brown , D. ( 1992 ) . Lex & YACC ( 2nd ed . ) . O ' Reilly & Associates . Parr , T. ( 2007 ) . The definitive ANTLR reference \u2013 building domain-specific languages . The Pragmatic Programmer . Notes 1 Clearly it is very difficult to consider a quantitative metrics for using the above properties ; we limited ourselves to a qualitative , if not subjective , assessment , based on the information in our possessions and in some cases on first-hand experiences . page B The Ariel internals In this section we would like to provide the reader with an ( abridged ) description of the internals of the Ariel translator , art , so as to give a real-life example of the way tools such as Lex and YACC can be used to craft application-level fault-tolerance provisions . Art is built by compiling the Lex source code \" Ariel . l \" and the YACC source code \" Ariel . y \" , together with several ancillary C source codes . Art takes as input an Ariel script and produces as output : 1 . 2 . A number of configuration files describing a distributed application and an execution platform . An error recovery specification , expressed in the form of a pseudo-code for the Ariel virtual machine . The configuration files are to be compiled with the sources of the distributed application , while the error recovery specifications are compiled with the Ariel virtual machine , which then executes concurrently with the distributed application . Each time a fault is detected in the system , the Ariel virtual machine executes the error recovery specification interpreting the pseudo-code . This pseudo-code is called \" r-code \" ( recovery code ) and represents the \" virtual machine language \" for a stack machine called RINT . More details on this can be found in Chapter 7 . We begin with the Ariel's scanner , \" ariel . l \" , then we provide an excerpt of some ancillary source code used by Ariel's parser , and we conclude with an abridged view to the latter . Ariel's scanner Source code Ariel . l starts with a \" % { \" ... \" % } \" section , within which a few comment lines introduce the source code , its version and so forth . C header files are included and some global variables are declared . An example is \" lines \" , an integer starting at 1 and counting the number of lines being processed : % { \/ ************************** ** ** File : ariel . l ** ** Description : scanner ** ** Language : lex ** ** History : ** Version 2 . 0d 08-Feb-2006 ** - added \" Watchdog \" ... lines omitted ... *************************** # include int lines = 1 ; % } Ariel . l continues with its definitions . These include : Ariel's keywords , such as \" IF \" or \" THEN \" ; generic lexical atoms such as \" NUMBER \" or \" REAL \" ; atoms such as \" THREAD \" or \" NODE \" , defining the Ariel identifiers for Ariel's \" entities \" , in this case respectively processes or computers ; atoms such as \" AGENT \" or \" MANAGER \" , defining the roles that are to be assigned to certain processes : IF FI ELSE THEN ( [ Ii ] [ Ff ] ) ( [ Ff ] [ Ii ] ) ( [ Ee ] [ Ll ] [ Ss ] [ Ee ] ) ( [ Tt ] [ Hh ] [ Ee ] [ Nn ] ) ... lines omitted ... THREAD ( [ Tt ] ( [ 0-9 ] + ) GROUP ( [ GgLl ] ( [ 0-9 ] + ) NODE ( [ Nn ] ( [ 0-9 ] + ) DIGIT [ 0-9 ] NUMBER ( \" - \" ) ? [ 0-9 ] + REAL ((( { NUMBER } ) ? { DOT } ) ? { NUMBER } ) AGENT ( [ Aa ] [ Gg ] [ Ee ] [ Nn ] [ Tt ] [ Ss ] ? ) BACKUPAGENT (( [ Bb ] [ Aa ] [ Cc ] [ Kk ] [ Uu ] [ Pp ] [ Ss ] ? ) { AGENT } ? ) | ( [ Aa ] [ Ss ] [ Ss ] [ Ii ] [ Ss ] [ Tt ] [ Aa ] [ Nn ] [ Tt ] [ Ss ] ? ) MANAGER ( [ Mm ] [ Aa ] [ Nn ] [ Aa ] [ Gg ] [ Ee ] [ Rr ] ) ROLE ( { AGENT } | { BACKUPAGENT } | { MANAGER } ) Other definitions specify Ariel's guards or pre-conditions . Such guards are to check whether a given entity has been stopped or restarted , or detected as faulty , or isolated , and so forth : KILLED RESTARTED PRESENT RUNNING ISOLATED FAULTY \" - \" ? (( [ Kk ] ( [ Ii ] [ Ll ] [ Ll ] [ Ee ] [ Dd ] ) ? ) | ( [ Ss ] [ Tt ] [ Oo ] [ Pp ] [ Pp ] [ Ee ] [ Dd ] )) \" - \" ? [ Rr ] ( [ Ee ] [ Ss ] [ Tt ] [ Aa ] [ Rr ] [ Tt ] [ Ee ] [ Dd ] ) ? \" - \" ? [ Pp ] ( [ Rr ] [ Ee ] [ Ss ] [ Ee ] [ Nn ] [ Tt ] ) ? \" - \" ? ( [ Rr ] [ Uu ] [ Nn ] [ Nn ] [ Ii ] [ Nn ] [ Gg ] ) \" - \" ? [ Ii ] ( [ Ss ] [ Oo ] [ Ll ] [ Aa ] [ Tt ] [ Ee ] [ Dd ] ) ? \" - \" ? [ Ff ] ( [ Aa ] [ Uu ] [ Ll ] [ Tt ] [ Yy ] ) ? There follow some definitions for the configuration of single version and multiple version fault-tolerance provisions . As an example , these are the Lex definitions corresponding to a watchdog timer : WATCHDOG KEYW_AT WATCHES HEARTBEATS EVERY MS US REBOOT EndWatchdog [ Ww ] [ Aa ] [ Tt ] [ Cc ] [ Hh ] [ Dd ] [ Oo ] [ Gg ] ( [ Aa ] [ Tt ] ) [ Ww ] [ Aa ] [ Tt ] [ Cc ] [ Hh ] [ Ee ] [ Ss ] [ Hh ] [ Ee ] [ Aa ] [ Rr ] [ Tt ] [ Bb ] [ Ee ] [ Aa ] [ Tt ] [ Ss ] [ eE ] [ vV ] [ eE ] [ Rr ] [ Yy ] [ Mm ] [ Ss ] [ Uu ] [ Ss ] [ Rr ] [ Ee ] [ Bb ] [ Oo ] [ Oo ] [ Tt ] ( [ Ee ] [ Nn ] [ Dd ] (( [ ] + ) ? ( { WATCHDOG } ))) Then the Ariel's rules are listed . As an example , when art encounters the token \" GID \" ( in Ariel , the identifier of a group of tasks , e.g. \" G42 \" ) , the corresponding actions set the return value , yylval , with the group number ( 42 ) and with the role of the given entity ( in this case , ID_NORMAL | ID_GROUP , which means \" a user-defined group of tasks \" ) . Note how yylval is in this case is not a scalar value but a complex data type defined by the YACC \" % union \" statement ( see Section 3 ) : %% { GID } { yylval . id . role = ID_NORMAL | ID_GROUP ; sscanf ( yytext + 1 , \" % d \" , & yylval . id . id ) ; return GID ; } Another few examples of Ariel rules . Some of them set yylval ( e.g. \" NUMBER \" , corresponding to an integer input , or \" REAL \" , namely a real number ) ; some others simply return a token number to the calling parser ( e.g. , definition \" WATCHDOG \" returns the token number represented by the symbolic constant having the same name ) . Token numbers are created automatically by YACC in this case . The last rule catches unrecognized characters , which are printed on the output and ignored : { NUMBER } { sscanf ( yytext , \" % d \" , & yylval . integer ) ; return NUMBER ; } { { REAL } sscanf ( yytext , \" % f \" , & yylval . real ) ; return REAL ; { WATCHDOG } { WATCHES } { HEARTBEATS } { EVERY } { MS } { US } { REBOOT } { EndWatchdog } { THRESHOLD } { ALPHACOUNT } { FACTOR } { EndAlpha } . } return WATCHDOG ; return WATCHES ; return HEARTBEATS ; return EVERY ; return MILLISEC ; return MICROSEC ; return REBOOT ; return KEYW_ENDWATCHDOG ; return THRESHOLD ; return ALPHACOUNT ; return FACTOR ; return KEYW_ENDALPHA ; fprintf ( stderr , \" Lex : unrecognized char : % s \\ n \" , yytext ) ; Ariel's r-code As we mentioned already , the output of the art translator include the translation of the Ariel script into rcode . To explain in more detail how this is done , we provide here an excerpt of the header files and source codes that create the r-code . Finally , we briefly describe the main loop of RINT , the run-time executive of the r-code . 1 . R-code . h Header file \" rcode . h \" defines the opcode of the RINT virtual machine . These are organized as a series of integer numbers between 0 and LAST_RCODE ( in the current implementation , 56 ) . The opcodes are organized into classes , consisting of one or more opcode . The header file also defines a number of predicates , such as isstoprcode or issetrcode , returning a non-zero value when the argument satisfies the predicate . Rcode . h consists of a compile-time section , used when compiling the Ariel translator \" art \" , and a run-time section , used when compiling the r-code virtual machine RINT . \/ * The R-opcodes * \/ # define R_STOP # define isstoprcode ( x ) 000000 ( ! x ) # define R_SET_ROLE # define R_SET_DEF_ACT 1 2 # define issetrcode ( x ) ( x > = R_SET_ROLE && x < = R_SET_DEF_ACT ) # define # define # define # define # define # define # define 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R_AND R_OR R_NOT R_INC_NEST R_DEC_NEST R_STRVAL R_STRPHASE # define is1operandrcode ( x ) ( x > = R_AND && x < = R_STRPHASE ) # define # define # define # define # define # define # define R_FALSE R_GOTO R_PUSH R_FUNCTION_CALL R_OANEW R_CLEAR R_PAUSE 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 # define is2operandrcode ( x ) # define # define # define # define # define # define # define # define R_KILLED R_RESTARTED R_PRESENT R_ISOLATED R_FAULTY R_FIRED R_PAUSED R_REINTEGRATED # define R_STRERRN # define R_STRERRT # define R_COMPARE ( x > = R_FALSE && x < = R_PAUSE ) 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 # define isclause ( x ) ( x > = R_KILLED && x < = R_REINTEGRATED ) # define istestrcode ( x ) ( x > = R_KILLED && x < = R_COMPARE ) # define # define # define # define # define # define # define # define # define # define # define # define # define # define # define # define # define # define # define # define # define # define # define # define # define # define # define # define R_KILL R_WARN R_ANDWARN R_START R_RESTART R_REBOOT R_CHKERR R_ENABLE R_REMOVE R_REMOVE_ALL R_SEND R_GET R_SET R_CONST R_ADD R_SUBTRACT R_MULTIPLY R_DIVIDE R_COMPLEMENT R_LOGS R_LOGI R_LOGC R_LOGV R_EVENT R_ISOLATET R_ISOLATEG R_ISOLATEN R_SETPHASE 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 # define isactionrcode ( x ) # define R_DEADLOCKED # define LAST_RCODE \/\/ \/\/ \/\/ \/\/ \/\/ \/\/ \/\/ VdF , VdF , VdF , VdF , VdF , VdF , VdF , Oct 2002 Oct 2002 30 Oct 2002 30 Oct 2002 30 Oct 2002 30 Oct 2002 13 Oct 2002 ( x > = R_KILL && x < = R_REMOVE_ALL ) 56 R_DEADLOCKED There follow the definition of type rcode_t , which is a triplet of integers consisting of an opcode and two arguments . The rcode translation of the Ariel script is stored into an array of rcode_t triplets , called compile_time_rcode : typedef int rcode_t [ 3 ] ; # ifdef COMPILETIME static rcode_t compile_time_rcode [ RCODE_MAX_CARD ] ; # endif The rcode . h header file then defines the data structures for the management of Ariel nested IF statements , which need to be translated into their rcode equivalent by means of conditional and unconditional branch instructions ( R_FALSE and R_GOTO ) . Their meaning is explained in Sect . 2 . struct goto_t { int pc ; \/ * pc is the value of the RINT program counter * \/ struct goto_t * next ; } ; typedef struct { int pc ; struct goto_t * gotos ; } if_t ; static if_t ifs [ RCODE_MAX_NEST ] , * iftop ; static int ifp ; This concludes the compile-time section of header file rcode . h . There follow the declarations for the r-code functions , i.e. , the functions that are executed by RINT when interpreting the opcodes . All these functions read the three integers corresponding to an r-code and return an integer exit value : # ifndef COMPILETIME int int int int int int R_Stop ( int , int , int ) ; R_And ( int , int , int ) ; R_Or ( int , int , int ) ; R_Not ( int , int , int ) ; R_OArenew ( int , int , int ) ; R_Clear ( int , int , int ) ; ... lines omitted ... int int int R_IsolateGroup ( int , int , int ) ; R_IsolateNode ( int , int , int ) ; R_Deadlocked ( int , int , int ) ; An extra function called R_Nop ( for \" no operation \" ) is also declared . Such function corresponds to outdated opcodes still to be reorganized . Finally , rfunc , an array of function pointers is defined statically ( that is , at compile time ) . Note that entry rfunc [ i ] corresponds to the i-th opcode : int R_Nop ( int a , int b , int c ) ; \/\/ { return 0 ; } static int ( * rfunc [ ] ) ( int , int , int ) = { R_Stop , \/\/ 0 R_Nop , \/\/ 1 R_Nop , \/\/ 2 R_And , \/\/ 3 R_Or , \/\/ 4 R_Not , \/\/ 5 R_NestIn , \/\/ 6 R_NestOut , \/\/ 7 R_StoreVal , \/\/ 8 ... lines omitted ... R_IsolateGroup , R_IsolateNode , R_Deadlocked , } ; \/\/ 54 \/\/ 55 \/\/ 56 2 . R-code . c Source file rcode . c defines , among others , the functions to generate the rcode-equivalent of an Ariel recovery script . Some of these functions are very simple , such as rcode_stop : \/ ***************************************************************************** \/ \/ * generates the R_STOP R-code , which closes an R-code object file * \/ \/ ***************************************************************************** \/ int rcode_stop ( ) { if ( pc < RCODE_MAX_CARD ) { compile_time_rcode [ pc ] [ 0 ] = R_STOP ; compile_time_rcode [ pc ] [ 1 ] = -1 ; compile_time_rcode [ pc ] [ 2 ] = -1 ; pc ++ ; return pc ; } return 0 ; } Some others are complex and intertwined , such as those corresponding to the IF THEN ... ELSE \/ ELIF ... FI statements : \/ ***************************************************************************** \/ \/ * generates the R_FALSE R-code , corresponding to the beginning of * \/ \/ * ' if \/ then \/ elif \/ else \/ fi ' statements . * \/ \/ ***************************************************************************** \/ int rcode_if ( ) { if ( pc < RCODE_MAX_CARD ) { if ( iftop == NULL ) { iftop = & ifs [ 0 ] ; ifp = 0 ; } else { ifp ++ ; iftop = & ifs [ ifp ] ; } \/ * top-level if * \/ \/ * non top-level if * \/ iftop - > gotos = NULL ; iftop - > pc = pc ; compile_time_rcode [ pc ] [ 0 ] compile_time_rcode [ pc ] [ DEST ] compile_time_rcode [ pc ] [ 2 ] = R_FALSE ; = 0 ; = -1 ; \/ * new R_FALSE statement * \/ \/ * goto value initially set to 0 * \/ \/ * unused * \/ pc ++ ; return pc ; } return 0 ; } \/ ***************************************************************************** \/ \/ * generates the R_GOTO R-code ( unconditioned branch ) . It is used to * \/ \/ * jump to the next ' elif ' or the ' else ' part of an ' if ' statement . * \/ \/ ***************************************************************************** \/ int rcode_goto ( int where ) { if ( pc < RCODE_MAX_CARD ) { compile_time_rcode [ pc ] [ 0 ] = R_GOTO ; compile_time_rcode [ pc ] [ 1 ] = where ; compile_time_rcode [ pc ] [ 2 ] = -1 ; pc ++ ; return pc ; } return 0 ; } \/ ***************************************************************************** \/ \/ * generates the R_GOTO R-code statement which closes the current section * \/ \/ * of an ' if ' statement , together with the R_FALSE R-code which starts a * \/ \/ * new ' elif ' section . * \/ \/ ***************************************************************************** \/ int rcode_elif ( int goto_address ) { \/ * when we encounter an ' elif ' statement , three things have to be managed : 1 . first , a goto_t block has to be allocated and linked to the list , and an incomplete goto statement has to be added to rcode list ; 2 . secondly , compile_time_rcode [ iftop - > pc ] [ 3 ] i.e. , the running value , has to be updated with the current value of the pc register ; 3 . third , a new ' false ' statement has to added , and iftop - > pc should be updated with the current value of the pc register . * \/ ... lines omitted ... } \/ ***************************************************************************** \/ \/ * generates the R_GOTO R-code , corresponding to the beginning of * \/ \/ * an ' else ' section of an ' if ' statement . Ends the R_FALSE R-code * \/ \/ * R-code corresponding to previous section . * \/ \/ ***************************************************************************** \/ int rcode_else ( int goto_address ) { \/ * when we encounter an ' else ' statement , two things have to be managed : 1 . first , a goto_t block has to be allocated and linked to the list , and an incomplete goto statement has to be added to rcode list ; 2 . secondly , compile_time_rcode [ iftop - > pc ] [ 3 ] i.e. , the running value , has to be updated with the current value of the pc register ; No new ' false ' statement has to be added , nor iftop - > pc should be updated with the current value of the pc register , as it was the case with rcode_elif ( ) . * \/ ... lines omitted ... } \/ ***************************************************************************** \/ \/ * ends the pending R_GOTO's , corresponding to all sections of the * \/ \/ * current ' if ' . Ends also the top R_FALSE . * \/ \/ ***************************************************************************** \/ int rcode_fi ( ) { \/ * Once we encounter a ' fi ' it obviously means that a whole ' if ' statement is over ; when this happens we still have to adjust the whole list of goto's so as to point to this statement . When everything is done for each and every goto , then it 's time to pop the ' if ' statement off the stack . When we reach the bottom we also have to reset iftop to NULL . * \/ ... lines omitted ... } Rcode . c also defines rflush , the function that , at the end of processing time , flushes the contents of compile_time_rcode into the output files . One such file is \" trl . h \" , an example of which is available in Table 6 of Chapter 7 . Function rflush is called by the main function of the Ariel . y parser . \/ ***************************************************************************** \/ \/ * flushes the R-codes to the object file , resets counters accordingly * \/ \/ ***************************************************************************** \/ int rflush ( ) { extern FILE * f ; n = fwrite (( void * ) & compile_time_rcode [ 0 ] [ 0 ] , sizeof ( rcode_t ) , pc , f ) ; fflush ( f ) ; 3 . Rint . c This section briefly sketches the source code of the RINT virtual machine , the interpreter of the r-code generated by the art translator . Its main function is rather simple : int main ( void ) \/ * RINT main module * \/ { rdump = fopen ( \" rdump . txt \" , \" w \" ) ; \/ * rdump logs all the executed rcodes * \/ if ( BSL_InitLibrary ( ) == BSL_ERROR ) { \/ * connects to the BSL ( re : Chap . 7 , Sect . 3 . 2 ) * \/ fprintf ( stderr , \" RINT : failed to initialise BSL \\ n \" ) ; BSL_CloseLibrary ( ) ; return -1 ; } dowhile ( ) ; \/ * executes a loop in function \" dowhile \" * \/ if ( BSL_CloseLibrary ( ) == BSL_ERROR ) { \/ * and disconnects * \/ fprintf ( stderr , \" RINT : failed to close BSL . Clean up the system manually ! \\ n \" ) ; return -1 ; } return 0 ; } Clearly the greater part of the complexity of RINT lies in its dowhile function , which just waits continuously for a waking message after which it executes the rcodes one by one : dowhile ( ) { int line ; extern int rcode_card ; size = sizeof ( message_t ) ; while ( 1 ) { RINTGetMessage ( ) ; \/ * \" Wake up ! \" * \/ printf ( \" Recovery starts ( % d r-codes ) . \\ n \" , rcode_card ) ; BSL_ResetTimerBase ( ) ; \/ * Zero time counters * \/ line = 0 ; while ( line < rcode_card ) { \/ * line ( program counter ) is zeroed * \/ \/ * while there are rcodes ... * \/ ... lines omitted ... \/ * execute the function corresponding to the current rcode * \/ rfunc [ rcodes [ line ] [ 0 ] ] ( rcodes [ line ] [ 1 ] , rcodes [ line ] [ 2 ] , line ) ; line ++ ; } The execution of the rcodes implies the use of a run-time stack for the evaluation of arithmetical and Boolean expressions . Such stack is accessed through function R_Push and R_Pop , defined elsewhere . After the execution of any arithmetical or Boolen operation , the result is pushed onto the stack . This is for instance the execution of R_False , _the function corresponding to recovery opcode R_FALSE : if ( R_Pop ( ) == FALSE ) \/\/ check the top of the stack { fprintf ( rdump , \" % d \\ tConditional GOTO , fulfilled , % d . \\ n \" , line , line + rcodes [ line ] [ 1 ] ) ; line + = rcodes [ line ] [ 1 ] ; \/\/ if FALSE , execute jmp continue ; } Another simple example is given by function R_Or ( the run-time executive for opcode R_OR ) : int R_Or ( int op1 , int dummy , int rline ) { \/ * RCODE : R_OR ARIEL : part of the expressions within IF statements * \/ int t = R_Pop ( ) ; int s = R_Pop ( ) ; R_Push ( t || s ) ; fprintf ( rdump , \" % d \\ tOR statement ( popped % d and % d , pushed % d ) . \\ n \" , rline , t , s , t || s ) ; return t || s ; } After having described the Ariel scanner and Ariel's compile-time and run-time components , we can now focus our attention on the Ariel parser . Ariel's parser The Ariel parser is the program that actually instructs the translation from the high-level Ariel source into the lower-level rcodes and configuration header files . A thorough description of this section would be inappropriate , so we concentrate on a few particularly meaningful fragments . As already mentioned , the structure of a YACC parser closely resembles that of LEX scanners . For instance , like Ariel . l , also Ariel . y begins with a \" % { \" ... \" % } \" section . Among other things , in that section we include header file \" rcode . h \" , described in previous section , and define the type of yylval through the \" % union \" statement : % { ... lines omitted ... # include \" rcode . h \" typedef struct { unsigned int role ; \/ * a bit pattern with one or more of these bit positions turned on : ID_GROUP , ID_THREAD , ID_NODE , ID_ENTITY , ID_NORMAL , ID_STAR , ID_DOLLAR * \/ int id ; } \/ * an integer identifying the entity * \/ ident_t ; % union { float real ; int integer ; ident_t id ; struct { char name [ 64 ] ; int rcode ; } string ; char quoted_string [ 64 ] ; int status ; \/\/ \/\/ \/\/ \/\/ value of value of role and symbolic the just scanned real number the just scanned integer number id of an entity name of an rcode opcode \/\/ value of a quoted string \/\/ status info } Ariel also defines 26 integer variables , each for each letter of the English alphabet . The Definitions section of YACC also makes room for them : static int var [ 26 ] ; \/ * Ariel's 26 pre-defined and pre-initialised variables * \/ Several sections follow , which describe the data structures for the configuration of some of the \" Basic Tools \" ( see Chapter 7 , Sect . 2.3 for more detail on this ) . One such tool is the watchdog timer , a Singleversion software fault-tolerance provision that would normally be configured in the functional source code of the user application . Ariel allows configuring such tools in the Ariel ( non-functional ) source code . Here is the YACC section of the watchdog : ... lines omitted ... \/ ************************** watchdogs ***************************** \/ typedef struct { int watching , \/ * id of the watching task * \/ watched , \/ * id of the watched task * \/ rate , unit , action , target , running ; } watchdog_t ; # define MAX_WDOGS 32 watchdog_t watchdog [ MAX_WDOGS ] ; int w_sp = 0 ; # define INCWATCH ++ w_sp ; # define WATCHTOP watchdog [ w_sp ] # define BADWATCH ( w_sp > MAX_WDOGS ) # define MAX_WD_FNAME 80 # define MAX_WD_NAME 40 int watchdog_flush ( watchdog_t * , int ) ; \/\/ creates the source codes for the watchdogs \/ *********************** end watchdogs **************************** \/ Another section defines a restoring organ ( see Chapter 4 , Section 3 on the EFTOS Voting Farm , the source of which was used here ) . Note that this is a software fault-tolerance provision that would normally require a non-negligible amount of code intrusion , which is considerably reduced in this case : \/ ************************* nversion ****************************** \/ typedef struct { int version , \/\/ version id task , \/\/ task id timeout , \/\/ max duration of task unit ; \/\/ millisecs or microsecs } version_t ; # define MAX_VERS 7 \/\/ up to 7 versions ( 7-MR system ) typedef struct { int running , \/\/ parsing flag task ; \/\/ task id of the restoring organ version_t va [ MAX_VERS ] ; \/\/ the versions int va_num ; \/\/ running number of encountered versions int voting ; \/\/ voting algorithm char * metric ; \/\/ name of the metric function int success , error ; int versmin , versmax ; \/\/ versions can be given in any order } nversion_t ; # define MAX_NVERS 16 \/\/ up to 16 restoring organs nversion_t nversion [ MAX_NVERS ] ; int nv_sp = 0 ; \/\/ stack pointer for nversion [ ] # define INCNVERS ++ nv_sp ; # define NVERSTOP nversion [ nv_sp ] # define BADNVERS ( nv_sp > MAX_NVERS ) # define MAX_NV_FNAME 80 # define MAX_NV_NAME 40 int nversion_flush ( nversion_t * , int ) ; \/\/ creates the sources of the restoring organs \/ *********************** end nversion **************************** \/ Another section defines the tokens , ( optionally ) their type , and precedence \/ associativity rules : % token % token % token % token ROLE <integer> NUMBER VAR <real> REAL <id> GID NID TID % token % token % token % token % token % token % token % token % token IF ELSE ELIF FI THEN KILL RESTART START ISOLATE KEYW_TASK KEYW_TASKID KEYW_NODE KEYW_IS KEYW_ALIAS KEY KEYW_LOGICAL KEYW_ENDLOGICAL WATCHDOG WATCHES HEARTBEATS EVERY REBOOT KEYW_ENDWATCHDOG NVERSION KEYW_VERSION TIMEOUT VOTING MAJORITY ALGORITHM METRIC SUCCESS KEYW_ENDNVERSION ... lines omitted ... % token <integer> LET VAL % token <integer> EQ NEQ GT GE LT LE % token <integer> MILLISEC MICROSEC % left AND OR % left NOT % token KILLED RESTARTED PRESENT % token ISOLATED FAULTY DEADLOCKED % token REINTEGRATED FIRED PAUSED % type % type % type % type % type status <id> id <integer> compare <integer> seconds <integer> expression linexp \/ * precedences \/ associativity * \/ % left ' + ' ' - ' % left ' * ' ' \/ ' % left UMINUS We get then to the main YACC section , that of Rules & Actions . The start symbol is \" rlstats \" , which states that an Ariel script consists of one or more \" rlstat \" or erroneous lines : %% rlstats : | rlstats rlstat | error ' \\ n ' { fprintf ( stderr , \" \\ tLine % d : syntax error . \\ n \" , lines ) ; errors ++ ; } ; It is the definition of \" rlstat \" that lists all possible cases for a valid Ariel statement . Here it follows its ( abridged ) specification : rlstat : ' \\ n ' | definition ' \\ n ' { if ( rec ) { fprintf ( stderr , \" \\ tLine % d : semantical error : \" , lines ) ; yyerror ( \" Ca n't define roles in strategy section \" ) ; errors ++ ; } } | section ' \\ n ' | include ' \\ n ' | timeouts ' \\ n ' | definitions ' \\ n ' | identifiers ' \\ n ' | alphacounts ' \\ n ' | aliases ' \\ n ' | logicals ' \\ n ' | entrypoints ' \\ n ' | stacksizes ' \\ n ' | watchdog ' \\ n ' | nversiontask ' \\ n ' | injection ' \\ n ' ; An exhaustive description not being appropriate here , we decided to focus our attention on some of the above mentioned statements . We begin with an example of a configuration statement : this is the syntax of statements for the configuration of watchdogs . watchdog : ; watchdog_args : | | | ; watchdog_start watchdog_args watchdog_end on_error watchdog_args heartbeats watchdog_args w_alphacount watchdog_args watchdog_start : WATCHDOG KEYW_TASK NUMBER WATCHES KEYW_TASK NUMBER ' \\ n ' { WATCHTOP . running = 1 ; \/ * flag : we 're within a watchdog * \/ WATCHTOP . watching = $ 3 ; WATCHTOP . watched = $ 6 ; taskram [ $ 3 ] . actor = RE_WD ; } ; w_alphacount : ALPHACOUNT KEYW_IS THRESHOLD ' = ' REAL ' , ' FACTOR ' = ' REAL KEYW_ENDALPHA ' \\ n ' { alphas [ WATCHTOP . watching ] . used = 1 ; alphas [ WATCHTOP . watching ] . threshold = $ 5 ; alphas [ WATCHTOP . watching ] . k = $ 9 ; } ; seconds : ; MILLISEC | MICROSEC heartbeats : HEARTBEATS EVERY NUMBER seconds ' \\ n ' { if ( WATCHTOP . running ) { WATCHTOP . rate = $ 3 ; WATCHTOP . unit = ( $ 4 == MILLISEC ) ? 0 : 1 ; } else { fprintf ( stderr , \" \\ tLine % d : semantical error : \" , lines ) ; yyerror ( \" bad use of ON ERROR . \" ) ; errors ++ ; } } ; on_error : | | ON ERROR WARN KEYW_TASK NUMBER ' \\ n ' { if ( WATCHTOP . running ) { WATCHTOP . action = 0 ; WATCHTOP . target = $ 5 ; } else { fprintf ( stderr , \" \\ tLine % d : semantical error : \" , lines ) ; yyerror ( \" bad use of ON ERROR . \" ) ; errors ++ ; } } ON ERROR REBOOT ' \\ n ' { if ( WATCHTOP . running ) WATCHTOP . action = 1 ; else { fprintf ( stderr , \" \\ tLine % d : semantical error : \" , lines ) ; yyerror ( \" bad use of ON ERROR . \" ) ; errors ++ ; } } ON ERROR RESTART ' \\ n ' { if ( WATCHTOP . running ) WATCHTOP . action = 2 ; else { fprintf ( stderr , \" \\ tLine % d : semantical error : \" , lines ) ; yyerror ( \" bad use of ON ERROR . \" ) ; errors ++ ; } } ; watchdog_end : KEYW_ENDWATCHDOG ' \\ n ' { WATCHTOP . running = 0 ; INCWATCH ; if ( BADWATCH ) { fprintf ( stderr , \" \\ tLine % d : semantical error : \" , lines ) ; yyerror ( \" Too many watchdogs have been defined . \" ) ; errors ++ ; } } ; Apart from converting configuration statements into configured header files and source code fragments , the other important task of the Ariel translator is producing the rcode equivalent of the Ariel recovery script . As an example , herein we describe how the IF THEN ... ELSE ... FI statements are dealt with : section : if elif else fi ; if : { \/ * each IF increments the IF nesting counter * \/ rcode_single_op ( R_INC_NEST ) ; ... lines omitted ... } IF ' [ ' expr ' ] ' Sepp \/ * Sepp is whitespaces * \/ { \/ * at first we issue an incomplete R_FALSE statement that is meant to jump to the ELSE clause or to the FI statement if the expression will be evaluated as false * \/ rcode_if ( ) ; ... lines omitted ... } THEN Sepp actions { \/ * No maintenance is required by THEN * \/ } else : ; | \/ * else may be missing * \/ { \/ * at first , before ELSE , we issue an incomplete R_GOTO corresponding to the Beginning of the ELSE clause and we record where we are * \/ goto_pc = rcode_goto ( 0 ) ; } ELSE { \/ * after ELSE , we complete the R_FALSE R-code issued at the closest IF statement . * \/ rcode_else ( goto_pc ) ; } Sepp actions { \/ * there go the else actions ... * \/ } ; fi : FI { rcode_fi ( ) ; \/ * each FI implies decrementing the nesting counter * \/ rcode_single_op ( R_DEC_NEST ) ; ... lines omitted ... } ; The possibility to have nested IF is expressed very simply : actions : | actions action ; action : ' \\ n ' | section | recovery_action ; Sepp Sepp The actual error recovery actions are defined as follows : recovery_action : KILL { id \/ * This means \" KILL * \" , which is not likely to be a sensible recovery action , hence is not allowed * \/ if ( $ 2 . role & ID_STAR ) { fprintf ( stderr , \" \\ tLine % d : semantical error : \" , lines ) ; yyerror ( \" Ca n't use ' * ' with KILL \" ) ; errors ++ ; } \/ * GENERATE_RACTION is , in its simplest form , a rcode_raction ( $ 1 , $ 2 . role , $ 2 . id ) * \/ GENERATE_RACTION ( R_KILL , $ 2 ) ; } | RESTART TID { GENERATE_RACTION ( R_RESTART , $ 2 ) ; } | RESTART GID { GENERATE_RACTION ( R_RESTART , $ 2 ) ; } | RESTART NID { GENERATE_RACTION ( R_REBOOT , $ 2 ) ; } | CALL NUMBER { \/ * CALL takes its argument from the stack ; first argument is arg counter , 0 in this case * \/ rcode_twoargs ( R_PUSH , 0 ) ; \/ * the available function calls are identified by integers * \/ rcode_twoargs ( R_FUNCTION_CALL , $ 2 ) ; } | CALL NUMBER ' ( ' list ' ) ' { for ( i = card_list-1 ; i > = 0 ; i -- ) { rcode_twoargs ( R_PUSH , list [ i ] ) ; } rcode_twoargs ( R_PUSH , card_list ) ; rcode_twoargs ( R_FUNCTION_CALL , $ 2 ) ; } | LET VAR ' = ' linexp { rcode_twoargs ( R_SET , $ 2 ) ; \/ * linexp pushes its result on top of the evaluation stack ; then The code for R_Set is very simple : int R_Set ( int index , int dummy1 , int dummy2 ) { int t = R_Pop ( ) ; return var [ index ] = t ; } * \/ } | LOG NUMBER { rcode_twoargs ( R_LOGI , $ 2 ) ; } | LOG CLOCK { rcode_single_op ( R_LOGC ) ; } | LOG VAR { rcode_twoargs ( R_LOGV , $ 2 ) ; } ; ... many lines omitted ... The last section of the YACC source code Ariel . y includes the whole scanner and defines the main function : %% # include \" lex . yy . c \" main ( int argc , char * argv [ ] ) After a long list of definitions , the management of the art's command arguments , and the opening of the input files , the main function executes yyparse , i.e. , the actual parser . As a result \u2013 provided that the parsing concluded successfully \u2013 several data structures are filled with configuration data and the actual output rcode . The processing ends with a series of \" flush \" calls : yyparse ( ) ; rflush ( ) ; if ( w_sp > 0 ) { watchdog_flush ( watchdog , w_sp ) ; fprintf ( stderr , \" Watchdogs configured . \\ n \" ) ; } if ( nv_sp > 0 ) { nversion_flush ( nversion , nv_sp ) ; fprintf ( stderr , \" N-version tasks configured . \\ n \" ) ; } ... lines omitted ... }","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Operating system : NLTSS , VMS , UNIX , MAC OS , DOS . Keywords : Boltzmann equation , Electron distribution , Transport coeffcients , Physics laser , Plasma physics , Gas discharges , Kinetic model . Classification : 19.8 , 19.11 . Nature of problem : ELENDIF calculates the time evolution of the electron energy distribution function in a mixture of partially ionized gases with or without an applied electric field . The code can treat inelastic and superelastic processes , electron-electron and electron-ion collisions , photon-electron ( free-free ) processes , attachment and recombination , ionization including a distribution of secondary electrons , and an external source of electrons ( e.g. an electron beam ) . The code also computes the mean electron energy , drift velocity , diffusion coefficient , rate coefficients and energy flow rates for the processes being included in the calculation . Solution method : ELENDIF solves the time-dependent Boltzmann transport equation in terms of the electron number density . By finite-differencing the electron energy axis , the Boltzmann equation is transformed into a finite set of coupled differential equations for the electron number density at each energy grid as a function of time . The matrix of densities is then evolved forward in time using a combination of explicit and implicit methods . The electron energy distribution is then convolved with the cross section to provide the transport coefficients , collisional rates and energy flow rates . Restrictions : It is assumed in the formulation of ELENDIF that the two-term spherical harmonic expansion of the electron distribution function is adequate . Running time : On the Vax 8650 the code takes 0.11 seconds per timestep if the effects of electron-electron collisions are ignored , and 0.46 seconds per timestep if electron-electron collisions are included .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Abkhazia , Georgia Introduction The present report is submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 1427 ( 2002 ) of 29 July 2002 , by which the Council decided to extend the mandate of the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia ( UNOMIG ) until 31 January 2003 and requested me to report three months from the date of the adoption of the resolution . It provides an update on developments since my report of 10 July 2002 ( S \/ 2002 \/ 742 ) . Heidi Tagliavini continued to head UNOMIG as my Special Representative for Georgia , and Major General Kazi Ashfaq Ahmed ( Bangladesh ) continued to serve as the Chief Military Observer . The strength of UNOMIG on 1 October 2002 stood at 108 military observers ( see annex ) . Political process During the period under review , UNOMIG continued to search for ways to engage the Georgian and Abkhaz sides on the paper entitled \" Basic Principles for the Distribution of Competences between Tbilisi and Sukhumi \" and its transmittal letter , as a step towards holding substantial negotiations on the core issue of the conflict , namely , the future status of Abkhazia within the State of Georgia . In these efforts , it had the support of the Group of Friends of the Secretary-General . At the same time , UNOMIG devoted considerable energy to the situation in the Kodori Valley , which remained a major source of tension . The situation in the wider area remained tense in the context of which UNOMIG carries out its work . In addition to consulting with the leadership of the two sides , and in order to find ways to move the political process forward and overcome continuing Abkhaz refusal to even discuss the paper on competences , my Special Representative embarked on a round of consultations in the capitals of the Member States constituting the Group of Friends . In August and September , she visited Moscow , Washington and Berlin and she intends to visit London and Paris in the near future . She also conducted consultations at Headquarters in New York . The efforts to arrange a meeting in Sukhumi at which my Special Representative , together with the representatives of the Group of Friends , would familiarize the Abkhaz leadership with the substance of the paper on competences ( see S \/ 2002 \/ 742 , para . 4 ) have not succeeded so far . In view of this , and in consultation with the Group of Friends and my Special Representative , the Russian Federation offered to facilitate a meeting in Moscow with the de facto Abkhaz Prime Minister , Anri Jergenia . It was envisaged that , at that meeting , Mr. Jergenia would be acquainted with the substance of the paper on competences and the rationale behind it , but that it would not be handed over ; Mr. Jergenia in turn would have the opportunity to explain his views on the settlement of the conflict . The meeting was scheduled for 5 October but it was not held because Mr. Jergenia rejected a discussion of the paper and the participation of my Special Representative . UNOMIG continued its efforts to bring the two sides together in the framework of the Coordinating Council . While it again proved to be impossible to arrange a meeting of the Council itself , the sides did meet on 20 July in Working Groups I ( on security matters ) and II ( on internally displaced persons and refugees ) of the Council . They also met several times , both in the presence of UNOMIG and bilaterally , to discuss the situation in and around the Kodori Valley . Operational activities The UNOMIG military observers continued to perform their mandated tasks through daily ground patrols in the Gali and Zugdidi sectors , as well as two - or three-day patrols in the Kodori Valley , the latter jointly with the Commonwealth of Independent States ( CIS ) peacekeeping force . On three occasions the patrols had to be cancelled because of the lack of security guarantees . Patrolling by helicopter remained suspended ; administrative flights were conducted following a flight path over the Black Sea . The investigation into the shooting down of a UNOMIG helicopter on 8 October 2001 is to be completed by the end of October 2002 . Kodori Valley Following the gradual stabilization of the situation in and around the Kodori Valley in May and June ( see S \/ 2002 \/ 742 , para . 10 ) , a joint UNOMIG \/ CIS patrol was conducted from 16 to 18 July . It assessed the situation as calm but unstable ; the mortars and ammunition observed in the Georgian-controlled upper valley by earlier patrols ( see S \/ 2002 \/ 742 , para . 11 ) had , however , still not been removed . On 20 July , Working Group I of the Coordinating Council met under the chairmanship of the Chief Military Observer to discuss measures to further stabilize the situation in the Kodori Valley . The Georgian side stated that it had reduced the number of border guards and undertook again to remove the military equipment from the valley . Late in July , the situation took a turn for the worse . On 30 July , the Georgian authorities informed UNOMIG that Abkhaz troops had been spotted near the Marukhi Pass ( on the Russian-Georgian border ) which is connected to the upper Kodori Valley by the approximately 40-kilometre long Chkhalta Valley . On the same day , the Abkhaz side informed UNOMIG that several Georgian helicopters had landed troops close to the pass ; it threatened military action if the Georgian side did not withdraw immediately . On 31 July , a UNOMIG \/ CIS patrol was told by Georgian officials that a Russian helicopter carrying troops had landed south of the Marukhi Pass . Later in the day , the Georgian Defence Minister and the Chief of the National Guard arrived in the Kodori Valley and went to the Marukhi Pass . On their return , the two officials stated to the UNOMIG patrol that the Russian helicopter had flown into the area mistakenly and that the situation had been resolved . Also on 31 July , UNOMIG received a letter from the Abkhaz side , expressing strong concerns about Georgian landings in the Marukhi Pass area the day before and informing UNOMIG that several checkpoints would be established there to prevent infiltration by \" international terrorists \" and \" illegal actions \" by the Georgian side . As the tensions were mounting , UNOMIG worked with the two parties to prevent a resort to force . On 4 August , it arranged a meeting between the Georgian State Minister , Avtandil Jorbenadze , and Mr. Jergenia on the Inguri River bridge . At that meeting , and a follow-up meeting of the respective Chiefs of General Staff on 6 August , the parties agreed to withdraw their units from the Marukhi Pass area and jointly inspect it as soon as possible . That inspection has not so far been carried out . The parties also requested UNOMIG to participate in the inspection and consider establishing a permanent post in the upper Kodori Valley . During the following days , the tensions continued . The Georgian side accused the Abkhaz of moving their forces to Georgian-controlled territory near the Marukhi Pass and firing on a border guard helicopter . On 13 August , another high-level meeting between the two sides was convened . Soon after the talks started , however , the Georgian delegation received a report that fighting had broken out between the two sides near the Marukhi Pass . The meeting was suspended , and the Georgian delegation flew to the area to clarify the situation . It returned later that day and stated that Abkhaz armed units had moved forward from their positions into the Chkhalta Valley and that Georgian forces had opened fire . On 14 August , the Defence Ministers of the two sides met . They again agreed to withdraw their forces from the positions in the Marukhi Pass area , to remove jointly newly laid mines there , and to request UNOMIG and the CIS peacekeeping force to monitor the withdrawal and mine clearing . A joint UNOMIG \/ CIS patrol to the Kodori Valley planned for mid-August was cancelled because the Georgian authorities did not provide the necessary security guarantees . The planned joint mine clearance has not been carried out so far , because the sides at subsequent technical meetings , could not agree on the modalities for the operation . Despite this lack of tangible results of the various meetings , they succeeded in defusing the tensions for the time being and a joint UNOMIG \/ CIS patrol to the Kodori Valley was conducted from 31 August to 2 September . It found that the Abkhaz side was repairing the road in the lower part of the valley and that the CIS checkpoints there had increased their protective measures ; the Georgian mortars and ammunition in the upper valley had still not been removed . The next two patrols , however , planned to start on 12 and 25 September respectively , were cancelled , the first because the Georgian side had not cleared the mines at the entrance to the Georgian-controlled upper part of the valley ( as is the usual procedure ) , and the second because the Abkhaz side did not provide security clearance for the Abkhaz-controlled lower part , owing to the alleged presence of armed irregulars there . A patrol did go to the Kodori Valley from 3 to 8 October and observed the removal of the Georgian mortars and ammunition from the valley . Gali and Zugdidi sectors The general security situation in the Gali sector was calm , with the exception of the lower Gali area , where there were two particularly violent shooting incidents . The first was an exchange of fire between the Abkhaz militia and an unidentified armed group during the night of 31 August \/ 1 September at Khumuskhuri ( about 15 kilometres south-west of Gali city ) ; three members of the armed group were killed . The second occurred on 25 September , when three Abkhaz officials were killed in an ambush in broad daylight near the main bridge across the Inguri River . There were also a number of shootings at Abkhaz and CIS positions , as well as two explosions ; none of these incidents led to fatalities . There was the usual upsurge in robberies during the hazelnut harvest , though the crime rate overall was lower than in previous years . Still , 14 robberies were reported , as well as a number of tit-for-tat abduction cases . The activities of local law enforcement agencies are seen as insufficient by the returnee population in the lower Gali area . In order to explore ways of strengthening the law enforcement agencies , my Special Representative continued consultations with the two sides . In this connection , a meeting of Working Group II of the Coordinating Council was convened on 20 July , chaired by the representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ( UNHCR ) to Georgia . Working Group II had previously only met twice in 1998 . The outcome included a request for UNOMIG to dispatch a security assessment team to the Gali and Zugdidi districts later this year , as a follow-up to the recommendations of the joint assessment mission undertaken in November 2000 ( see S \/ 2001 \/ 59 , annex II ) . The assessment team will provide options and make recommendations to my Special Representative for improving the effectiveness of law enforcement personnel and agencies and their cooperation with the judiciary , with the aim of creating a safer and more secure environment for persons wishing to exercise their right of return or having already returned . Working Group II also agreed that the problems of the returnee population would become a topic for the weekly quadripartite meetings ( these meetings bring together the two parties , UNOMIG and the CIS peacekeeping force for a regular exchange on practical issues on the ground ) . The general security situation in the Zugdidi sector was calm . The law and order situation has improved to some extent ; there were only two robberies reported to UNOMIG during the reporting period . Criminal activities across the ceasefire line nevertheless remained a problem , and often perpetrators of crimes on one side flee to the other side to take refuge . Demonstrations by internally displaced persons , including a blockade of the main bridge over the Inguri River from 22 August to 5 September , reflected the desperation among the refugees 10 years after the start of the hostilities . They demanded the proper payment of their allowances , the withdrawal of the CIS peacekeeping force and the prompt return of refugees to their original homes . As a result of heavy rainfall at the end of June , a significant number of bridges and roads within the Zugdidi sector were either damaged or destroyed , which had a negative effect on UNOMIG patrols . Cooperation with the collective peacekeeping force of the Commonwealth of Independent States UNOMIG and the CIS peacekeeping force continued to work in close cooperation , in particular in conducting the joint patrols to the Kodori Valley , and maintained good relations at all levels . The staff of the two organizations held regular meetings , complementing the exchanges between the Chief Military Observer and the CIS Force Commander . The weekly quadripartite meetings and the activities of the Joint Fact-Finding Group also remained useful platforms for information sharing and coordination . Humanitarian situation and human rights International humanitarian agencies and non-governmental organizations continued their programmes , targeting the acute food and medical needs of the most vulnerable segments of the population in Abkhazia , and conducted mine-clearance , small-scale rehabilitation and community development activities . Their operations continued to be hampered by restrictions on border crossings at the Psou River . UNHCR continued its limited humanitarian operation in Abkhazia , against the background of recurrent concerns about security and criminality . In cooperation with local authorities and beneficiary communities , it pursued the basic rehabilitation of school buildings , as endorsed by the parties in Working Group III of the Coordinating Council . This year , the emphasis of this activity , which covers 49 schools , is in areas beyond the Gali district . The project has essentially been implemented , though some construction work remains to be completed by the local communities . A group of vulnerable elderly persons in Sukhumi continued to benefit from a small-scale UNHCR assistance programme through a local non-governmental implementing partner . Following the establishment of a sub-account for humanitarian quick-impact projects in the UNOMIG Trust Fund , efforts are under way to obtain funding for a number of projects that have been identified . The human rights situation in Abkhazia remained fragile , particularly in the security zone at the Gali side of the ceasefire line . The Mission's Human Rights Office continued to promote human rights awareness through a specialized programme on a district television station and the publication of two United Nations human rights documents in the Abkhaz language , \" Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement \" and \" Minority Rights \" . It also started to participate in the weekly quadripartite meetings , following the decision by Working Group II that returnee issues would be discussed regularly in that forum . Support issues UNOMIG has now installed two more satellite communication stations , thereby providing full interconnectivity throughout the Mission area , including the two sectors . A further 14 microwave systems are being deployed in the Mission area . The VHF network has been expanded from 16 to 32 channels to make provision for operational , evacuation , security , air operations and medevac \/ search and rescue channels . Observations During the period reviewed in this report , the situation in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zone has , unfortunately , not improved . In the absence of a substantive negotiation process on the core issue of the conflict \u2013 the status of Abkhazia within the State of Georgia \u2013 upsurges of tension , including exchanges of gunfire , continued to occur with alarming frequency , while the population suffered from crime , partisan violence and the lack of economic development . To reduce these tensions , the Abkhaz side needs to reconsider its refusal even to discuss the paper \" Basic Principles of the Distribution of Competences between Tbilisi and Sukhumi \" and its transmittal letter , which is , after all , only the starting point for negotiations in which the legitimate interests of the multi-ethnic population of Abkhazia can be addressed . The Georgian side , for its part , needs to make more efforts to promote trust and confidence on the Abkhaz side . My Special Representative will continue her efforts , with the support of the Group of Friends , to encourage advancement in the political process , but the basic responsibility lies with the parties . The Kodori Valley has been a source of tension for more than a year . UNOMIG will continue its efforts to defuse tensions emanating from the area and bring the parties together to address the underlying problems . However , again it is up to the parties , who exercise control in this area , to do their part to prevent destabilization and create the security conditions in which UNOMIG can function . It is deplorable that there has been no progress on refugee returns , owing to the absence of the safe , secure and dignified conditions under which such returns are to be effected according to international law and the 1994 Quadripartite Agreement . The UNOMIG security assessment team will seek to identify ways in which the existing law enforcement personnel and institutions can improve their effectiveness in combating criminal activities and strengthening the rule of law . One year after the shooting down of a United Nations helicopter , as UNOMIG remembers its colleagues who lost their lives in the service of peace , the perpetrators of the crime are still at large , as are those responsible for taking UNOMIG personnel hostage in several incidents from 1998 to 2000 . Every effort must be made to apprehend them and bring them to trial . In conclusion , I should like to express my appreciation for the steadfastness and dedication with which my Special Representative , Heidi Tagliavini , the Chief Military Observer , Major General Kazi Ashfaq Ahmed , and the men and women of UNOMIG have carried out their difficult and often dangerous duties . Annex Countries providing military observers ( as at 1 October 2002 ) Map on page 7","labels":"News","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"There 's simply no reason to pay such a high price at the dealer when we can do the same repair for significantly less . Imagine what you could do with the \u00a3 162 you save on a major repair . Think about the \u00a3 59 you would save a minor repair and the \u00a3 29 savings on front pads . Over the entire life of your vehicle , the money you can save by bringing your car to Fleet Road Garage can be fairly significant . We 're talking possibly thousands of pounds depending on how long you own your vehicle . An Independent Garage You Can Trust It 's no secret that many car owners have an unfavourable view of repair shops and technicians . A lot of that is due to the fact that some repair shops are known for being dishonest in their business practices . They might perform work that 's unnecessary , overcharge for work that is necessary , or apply an especially steep mark-up on the parts they use . Rest assured that Fleet Road Garage only engages in the most ethical business practices possible . If you ever doubt our recommendations we 'll be happy to show you the broken or faulty components in person . We 'll also let you know if there 's something that needs to be addressed but can wait until your next service appointment . If you 're concerned about the expertise and professionalism of our technicians , there 's no need to be . When we hire a new technician it 's usually because he 's left a main dealer or another garage looking for better pay and more opportunity . We do n't hire just any mechanic of the street , and we certainly do n't hire mechanics on bonus . As Independent Skoda Specialists , what you get from us is dependability , trustworthiness , and service and repairs done right .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Contents A painter leaves the town and walks around countryside . While he is resting on the grass , humming the melody of Speak Softly Love , a large spaceship lands near him . An alien exits the spaceship , photographs the environment and tries to contact the painter by changing his appearance to resemble nearby animals and objects and by touching him . The painter is frightened and tries to run away , but becomes tired , falls from a cliff and lies on the ground , imagining that the alien is going to lock him in a cage and torture him . The alien approaches the painter and tries to hum the same melody that the painter hummed earlier , but makes some mistakes . The painter understands that the alien is friendly , teaches him the correct melody , and they walk away together hand in hand . The film has no dialogue in any language . All communication is made using music , gestures and gazes ; the alien also tries to communicate by shapeshifting . Director Vladimir Tarasov explored this theme of universal communication in his other films ; he considered animation \" the Esperanto of all mankind \" . [ 1 ] Even though The Godfather films were not distributed in the Soviet Union , [ citation needed ] the theme music was familiar to Soviet people thanks to this short film . [ 1 ] Contact received awards at the following festivals : [ 2 ] XVIII Festival of science fiction films in Trieste , 1979 VIII Festival of short and documentary films in Lille , 1979","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Healthy Balance Toolkit The CIGNA Mix Six for Healthy Balance Toolkit is CIGNA and HKC's latest project offering real-life tips and activities for employers , individuals and families to incorporate better health into their daily routines . Healthy Balance for Families Toolkit - For families looking to set a healthy example for their children \u2013 especially those ages five to 12 . Toolkit resources include a Getting Started section , Create Your Plans section , and activities for Young Kids ( up to age 5 ) and Older Kids ( ages 6 and up ) . For adults whose goal is to incorporate the healthy steps into their daily lives . Resources included in this tookit are ... Getting Started : Health for Myself , Learn the Importance of Each Challenge , Create Your Plans , Get Tips and Track Your Progress , and a special section to Stay on Track While You 're At Work . For employers , associations or groups looking to implement the program into a worksite , club or other group setting . Includes tip sheets , health challenges and goal setting , newsletter articles , posters , and flyers for each of the Six Healthy Challenges . Each Toolkit focuses on six key health behaviors . There 's no beginning or end \u2013 simply start at one behavior and work your way through all six in any order you choose .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"The biosynthesis of disaccharides , oligosaccharides and polysaccharides involves the action of hundreds of different glycosyltransferases . These are enzymes that catalyse the transfer of sugar moieties from activated donor molecules to specific acceptor molecules , forming glycosidic bonds . A classification of glycosyltransferases using nucleotide diphospho-sugar , nucleotide monophospho-sugar and sugar phosphates ( 2 . 4 . 1 . - ) and related proteins into distinct sequence based families has been described [ 1 ] . This classification is available on the CAZy ( CArbohydrate-Active EnZymes ) web site [ 2 ] . The same three-dimensional fold is expected to occur within each of the families . Because 3-D structures are better conserved than sequences , several of the families defined on the basis of sequence similarities may have similar 3-D structures and therefore form ' clans ' . Glycosyltransferase family 28 GT_28 comprises enzymes with a number of known activities ; 1 , 2-diacylglycerol 3-beta-galactosyltransferase ( 2 . 4 . 1 . 46 ) ; 1 , 2-diacylglycerol 3-beta-glucosyltransferase ( 2 . 4 . 1 . 157 ) ; beta-N-acetylglucosamine transferase ( 2 . 4 . 1 . - ) . Structural analysis suggests the C-terminal domain contains the UDP-GlcNAc binding site .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"We are looking for a highly motivated individual with a proven track record in a call centre type role to join our successful and innovative Service Department . Working closely with our customers and Service Team Leaders alike , the ideal candidate will possess excellent listening skills and be an accomplished communicator . You will need to have a pleasant telephone manner and be confident in dealing with customers at all levels , from business to private owner driver . Attention to detail , excellent organisational skills and a genuine commitment to building lasting customer relationships , are all essential qualities for this key role within the business .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Perceptive Engineering offer three day training courses throughout the year . The objectives of these courses are to provide an introduction to the techniques that are available within the monitorMV software package , to demonstrate how this package can be applied to industrial plants in real-time and to highlight the benefits that monitorMV can offer operations and engineering staff . Throughout the course mathematical technicalities are kept to a minimum with greater emphasis being placed on the practical issues of the statistical technology and control within monitorMV . At the end of the course , attendees should be in a position where they are comfortable with the monitorMV software environment , able to analyse process data and capable of developing effective real-time condition monitoring solutions for application to industrial process plant . Structure of the Course The 3-day training course divides itself naturally into three key issues : An overview of multivariate statistical techniques and their exploitation in the monitorMV software package . This issue is addressed in the first half of day one of the course . A detailed exploration of the off-line analysis capabilities of monitorMV is provided which together with a series of hands-on case studies provides the attendee with a thorough understanding of both the capabilities and configuration of the monitorMV package when applied to both continuous and batch operations . Overview of the on-line capabilities of monitorMV and its integration within a complete solution . Please download our training course flyer . Course Dates There are currently places available on the following courses : - 4 - 6 October 2004 To book a place on one of these courses please contact Juliette Cameron : Telephone : +44 ( 0 ) 1925 750170 Fax : +44 ( 0 ) 1925 752464","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"The ugly duckling It was lovely summer weather in the country , and the golden corn , the green oats , and the haystacks piled up in the meadows looked beautiful . The stork walking about on his long red legs chattered in the Egyptian language which he had learnt from his mother . The corn-fields and meadows were surrounded by large forests , in the midst of which were deep pools . It was , indeed , delightful to walk about in the country . In a sunny spot stood a pleasant old farm-house close by a deep river , and from the house down to the water side grew great burdock leaves , so high , that under the tallest of them a little child could stand upright . The spot was as wild as the centre of a thick wood . In this snug retreat sat a duck on her nest , watching for her young brood to hatch ; she was beginning to get tired of her task , for the little ones were a long time coming out of their shells , and she seldom had any visitors . The other ducks liked much better to swim about in the river than to climb the slippery banks , and sit under a burdock leaf , to have a gossip with her . At length one shell cracked , and then another , and from each egg came a living creature that lifted its head and cried , \" Peep , peep . \" \" Quack , quack , \" said the mother , and then they all quacked as well as they could , and looked about them on every side at the large green leaves . Their mother allowed them to look as much as they liked , because green is good for the eyes . \" How large the world is , \" said the young ducks , when they found how much more room they now had than while they were inside the egg-shell . \" Do you imagine this is the whole world ? \" asked the mother ; \" Wait till you have seen the garden ; it stretches far beyond that to the parson's field , but I have never ventured to such a distance . Are you all out ? \" she continued , rising ; \" No , I declare , the largest egg lies there still . I wonder how long this is to last , I am quite tired of it ; \" and she seated herself again on the nest . \" Well , how are you getting on ? \" asked an old duck , who paid her a visit . \" One egg is not hatched yet , \" said the duck , \" it will not break . But just look at all the others , are they not the prettiest little ducklings you ever saw ? They are the image of their father , who is so unkind , he never comes to see . \" \" Let me see the egg that will not break , \" said the duck ; \" I have no doubt it is a turkey's egg . I was persuaded to hatch some once , and after all my care and trouble with the young ones , they were afraid of the water . I quacked and clucked , but all to no purpose . I could not get them to venture in . Let me look at the egg . Yes , that is a turkey's egg ; take my advice , leave it where it is and teach the other children to swim . \" \" I think I will sit on it a little while longer , \" said the duck ; \" as I have sat so long already , a few days will be nothing . \" \" Please yourself , \" said the old duck , and she went away . At last the large egg broke , and a young one crept forth crying , \" Peep , peep . \" It was very large and ugly . The duck stared at it and exclaimed , \" It is very large and not at all like the others . I wonder if it really is a turkey . We shall soon find it out , however when we go to the water . It must go in , if I have to push it myself . \" On the next day the weather was delightful , and the sun shone brightly on the green burdock leaves , so the mother duck took her young brood down to the water , and jumped in with a splash . \" Quack , quack , \" cried she , and one after another the little ducklings jumped in . The water closed over their heads , but they came up again in an instant , and swam about quite prettily with their legs paddling under them as easily as possible , and the ugly duckling was also in the water swimming with them . \" Oh , \" said the mother , \" that is not a turkey ; how well he uses his legs , and how upright he holds himself ! He is my own child , and he is not so very ugly after all if you look at him properly . Quack , quack ! come with me now , I will take you into grand society , and introduce you to the farmyard , but you must keep close to me or you may be trodden upon ; and , above all , beware of the cat . \" When they reached the farmyard , there was a great disturbance , two families were fighting for an eel's head , which , after all , was carried off by the cat . \" See , children , that is the way of the world , \" said the mother duck , whetting her beak , for she would have liked the eel's head herself . \" Come , now , use your legs , and let me see how well you can behave . You must bow your heads prettily to that old duck yonder ; she is the highest born of them all , and has Spanish blood , therefore , she is well off . Do n't you see she has a red flag tied to her leg , which is something very grand , and a great honor for a duck ; it shows that every one is anxious not to lose her , as she can be recognized both by man and beast . Come , now , do n't turn your toes , a well-bred duckling spreads his feet wide apart , just like his father and mother , in this way ; now bend your neck , and say ' quack . ' \" The ducklings did as they were bid , but the other duck stared , and said , \" Look , here comes another brood , as if there were not enough of us already ! and what a queer looking object one of them is ; we do n't want him here , \" and then one flew out and bit him in the neck . \" Let him alone , \" said the mother ; \" he is not doing any harm . \" \" Yes , but he is so big and ugly , \" said the spiteful duck \" and therefore he must be turned out . \" \" The others are very pretty children , \" said the old duck , with the rag on her leg , \" all but that one ; I wish his mother could improve him a little . \" \" That is impossible , your grace , \" replied the mother ; \" he is not pretty ; but he has a very good disposition , and swims as well or even better than the others . I think he will grow up pretty , and perhaps be smaller ; he has remained too long in the egg , and therefore his figure is not properly formed ; \" and then she stroked his neck and smoothed the feathers , saying , \" It is a drake , and therefore not of so much consequence . I think he will grow up strong , and able to take care of himself . \" \" The other ducklings are graceful enough , \" said the old duck . \" Now make yourself at home , and if you can find an eel's head , you can bring it to me . \" And so they made themselves comfortable . But the poor duckling , who had crept out of his shell last of all , and looked so ugly , was bitten and pushed and made fun of , not only by the ducks , but by all the poultry . \" He is too big , \" they all said , and the turkey cock , who had been born into the world with spurs , and fancied himself really an emperor , puffed himself out like a vessel in full sail , and flew at the duckling , and became quite red in the head with passion , so that the poor little thing did not know where to go , and was quite miserable because he was so ugly and laughed at by the whole farmyard . So it went on from day to day till it got worse and worse . The poor duckling was driven about by every one ; even his brothers and sisters were unkind to him , and would say , \" Ah , you ugly creature , I wish the cat would get you , \" and his mother said she wished he had never been born . The ducks pecked him , the chickens beat him , and the girl who fed the poultry kicked him with her feet . So at last he ran away , frightening the little birds in the hedge as he flew over the palings . \" They are afraid of me because I am ugly , \" he said . So he closed his eyes , and flew still farther , until he came out on a large moor , inhabited by wild ducks . Here he remained the whole night , feeling very tired and sorrowful . In the morning , when the wild ducks rose in the air , they stared at their new comrade . \" What sort of a duck are you ? \" they all said , coming round him . He bowed to them , and was as polite as he could be , but he did not reply to their question . \" You are exceedingly ugly , \" said the wild ducks , \" but that will not matter if you do not want to marry one of our family . \" Poor thing ! he had no thoughts of marriage ; all he wanted was permission to lie among the rushes , and drink some of the water on the moor . After he had been on the moor two days , there came two wild geese , or rather goslings , for they had not been out of the egg long , and were very saucy . \" Listen , friend , \" said one of them to the duckling , \" you are so ugly , that we like you very well . Will you go with us , and become a bird of passage ? Not far from here is another moor , in which there are some pretty wild geese , all unmarried . It is a chance for you to get a wife ; you may be lucky , ugly as you are . \" \" Pop , pop , \" sounded in the air , and the two wild geese fell dead among the rushes , and the water was tinged with blood . \" Pop , pop , \" echoed far and wide in the distance , and whole flocks of wild geese rose up from the rushes . The sound continued from every direction , for the sportsmen surrounded the moor , and some were even seated on branches of trees , overlooking the rushes . The blue smoke from the guns rose like clouds over the dark trees , and as it floated away across the water , a number of sporting dogs bounded in among the rushes , which bent beneath them wherever they went . How they terrified the poor duckling ! He turned away his head to hide it under his wing , and at the same moment a large terrible dog passed quite near him . His jaws were open , his tongue hung from his mouth , and his eyes glared fearfully . He thrust his nose close to the duckling , showing his sharp teeth , and then , \" splash , splash , \" he went into the water without touching him . \" Oh , \" sighed the duckling , \" how thankful I am for being so ugly ; even a dog will not bite me . \" And so he lay quite still , while the shot rattled through the rushes , and gun after gun was fired over him . It was late in the day before all became quiet , but even then the poor young thing did not dare to move . He waited quietly for several hours , and then , after looking carefully around him , hastened away from the moor as fast as he could . He ran over field and meadow till a storm arose , and he could hardly struggle against it . Towards evening , he reached a poor little cottage that seemed ready to fall , and only remained standing because it could not decide on which side to fall first . The storm continued so violent , that the duckling could go no farther ; he sat down by the cottage , and then he noticed that the door was not quite closed in consequence of one of the hinges having given way . There was therefore a narrow opening near the bottom large enough for him to slip through , which he did very quietly , and got a shelter for the night . A woman , a tom cat , and a hen lived in this cottage . The tom cat , whom the mistress called , \" My little son , \" was a great favorite ; he could raise his back , and purr , and could even throw out sparks from his fur if it were stroked the wrong way . The hen had very short legs , so she was called \" Chickie short legs . \" She laid good eggs , and her mistress loved her as if she had been her own child . In the morning , the strange visitor was discovered , and the tom cat began to purr , and the hen to cluck . \" What is that noise about ? \" said the old woman , looking round the room , but her sight was not very good ; therefore , when she saw the duckling she thought it must be a fat duck , that had strayed from home . \" Oh what a prize ! \" she exclaimed , \" I hope it is not a drake , for then I shall have some duck's eggs . I must wait and see . \" So the duckling was allowed to remain on trial for three weeks , but there were no eggs . Now the tom cat was the master of the house , and the hen was mistress , and they always said , \" We and the world , \" for they believed themselves to be half the world , and the better half too . The duckling thought that others might hold a different opinion on the subject , but the hen would not listen to such doubts . \" Can you lay eggs ? \" she asked . \" No. \" \" Then have the goodness to hold your tongue . \" \" Can you raise your back , or purr , or throw out sparks ? \" said the tom cat . \" No. \" \" Then you have no right to express an opinion when sensible people are speaking . \" So the duckling sat in a corner , feeling very low spirited , till the sunshine and the fresh air came into the room through the open door , and then he began to feel such a great longing for a swim on the water , that he could not help telling the hen . \" What an absurd idea , \" said the hen . \" You have nothing else to do , therefore you have foolish fancies . If you could purr or lay eggs , they would pass away . \" \" But it is so delightful to swim about on the water , \" said the duckling , \" and so refreshing to feel it close over your head , while you dive down to the bottom . \" \" Delightful , indeed ! \" said the hen , \" why you must be crazy ! Ask the cat , he is the cleverest animal I know , ask him how he would like to swim about on the water , or to dive under it , for I will not speak of my own opinion ; ask our mistress , the old woman \u2013 there is no one in the world more clever than she is . Do you think she would like to swim , or to let the water close over her head ? \" \" You do n't understand me , \" said the duckling . \" We do n't understand you ? Who can understand you , I wonder ? Do you consider yourself more clever than the cat , or the old woman ? I will say nothing of myself . Do n't imagine such nonsense , child , and thank your good fortune that you have been received here . Are you not in a warm room , and in society from which you may learn something . But you are a chatterer , and your company is not very agreeable . Believe me , I speak only for your own good . I may tell you unpleasant truths , but that is a proof of my friendship . I advise you , therefore , to lay eggs , and learn to purr as quickly as possible . \" \" I believe I must go out into the world again , \" said the duckling . \" Yes , do , \" said the hen . So the duckling left the cottage , and soon found water on which it could swim and dive , but was avoided by all other animals , because of its ugly appearance . Autumn came , and the leaves in the forest turned to orange and gold . Then , as winter approached , the wind caught them as they fell and whirled them in the cold air . The clouds , heavy with hail and snow-flakes , hung low in the sky , and the raven stood on the ferns crying , \" Croak , croak . \" It made one shiver with cold to look at him . All this was very sad for the poor little duckling . One evening , just as the sun set amid radiant clouds , there came a large flock of beautiful birds out of the bushes . The duckling had never seen any like them before . They were swans , and they curved their graceful necks , while their soft plumage shown with dazzling whiteness . They uttered a singular cry , as they spread their glorious wings and flew away from those cold regions to warmer countries across the sea . As they mounted higher and higher in the air , the ugly little duckling felt quite a strange sensation as he watched them . He whirled himself in the water like a wheel , stretched out his neck towards them , and uttered a cry so strange that it frightened himself . Could he ever forget those beautiful , happy birds ; and when at last they were out of his sight , he dived under the water , and rose again almost beside himself with excitement . He knew not the names of these birds , nor where they had flown , but he felt towards them as he had never felt for any other bird in the world . He was not envious of these beautiful creatures , but wished to be as lovely as they . Poor ugly creature , how gladly he would have lived even with the ducks had they only given him encouragement . The winter grew colder and colder ; he was obliged to swim about on the water to keep it from freezing , but every night the space on which he swam became smaller and smaller . At length it froze so hard that the ice in the water crackled as he moved , and the duckling had to paddle with his legs as well as he could , to keep the space from closing up . He became exhausted at last , and lay still and helpless , frozen fast in the ice . Early in the morning , a peasant , who was passing by , saw what had happened . He broke the ice in pieces with his wooden shoe , and carried the duckling home to his wife . The warmth revived the poor little creature . But when the children wanted to play with him , the duckling thought they would do him some harm ; so he started up in terror , fluttered into the milk-pan , and splashed the milk about the room . Then the woman clapped her hands , which frightened him still more . He flew first into the butter-cask , then into the meal-tub , and out again . What a condition he was in ! The woman screamed , and struck at him with the tongs ; the children laughed and screamed , and tumbled over each other , in their efforts to catch him ; but luckily he escaped . The door stood open ; the poor creature could just manage to slip out among the bushes , and lie down quite exhausted in the newly fallen snow . It would be very sad , were I to relate all the misery and privations which the poor little duckling endured during the hard winter ; but when it had passed , he found himself lying one morning in a moor , amongst the rushes . He felt the warm sun shining , and heard the lark singing , and saw that all around was beautiful spring . Then the young bird felt that his wings were strong , as he flapped them against his sides , and rose high into the air . They bore him onwards , until he found himself in a large garden , before he well knew how it had happened . The apple-trees were in full blossom , and the fragrant elders bent their long green branches down to the stream which wound round a smooth lawn . Everything looked beautiful , in the freshness of early spring . From a thicket close by came three beautiful white swans , rustling their feathers , and swimming lightly over the smooth water . The duckling remembered the lovely birds , and felt more strangely unhappy than ever . \" I will fly to those royal birds , \" he exclaimed , \" and they will kill me , because I am so ugly , and dare to approach them ; but it does not matter : better be killed by them than pecked by the ducks , beaten by the hens , pushed about by the maiden who feeds the poultry , or starved with hunger in the winter . \" Then he flew to the water , and swam towards the beautiful swans . The moment they espied the stranger , they rushed to meet him with outstretched wings . \" Kill me , \" said the poor bird ; and he bent his head down to the surface of the water , and awaited death . But what did he see in the clear stream below ? His own image ; no longer a dark , gray bird , ugly and disagreeable to look at , but a graceful and beautiful swan . To be born in a duck's nest , in a farmyard , is of no consequence to a bird , if it is hatched from a swan's egg . He now felt glad at having suffered sorrow and trouble , because it enabled him to enjoy so much better all the pleasure and happiness around him ; for the great swans swam round the new-comer , and stroked his neck with their beaks , as a welcome . Into the garden presently came some little children , and threw bread and cake into the water . \" See , \" cried the youngest , \" there is a new one ; \" and the rest were delighted , and ran to their father and mother , dancing and clapping their hands , and shouting joyously , \" There is another swan come ; a new one has arrived . \" Then they threw more bread and cake into the water , and said , \" The new one is the most beautiful of all ; he is so young and pretty . \" And the old swans bowed their heads before him . Then he felt quite ashamed , and hid his head under his wing ; for he did not know what to do , he was so happy , and yet not at all proud . He had been persecuted and despised for his ugliness , and now he heard them say he was the most beautiful of all the birds . Even the elder-tree bent down its bows into the water before him , and the sun shone warm and bright . Then he rustled his feathers , curved his slender neck , and cried joyfully , from the depths of his heart , \" I never dreamed of such happiness as this , while I was an ugly duckling . \"","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Weight and Body Mass Index A more realistic statistic of how your own body weight compares with general population norms , is an estimate of Body Mass Index ( or BMI ) . This takes into consideration your weight and height ( but not your build ) . You could try the following calculation : Take your weight in Pounds and multiply this by 700 Then divide by your height in Inches Again , divide by your height in Inches The sum is a number representing your BMI If your BMI falls below 20 , than this suggests that you are underweight . If your BMI falls above 27 then this suggests that you are overweight . If your BMI falls below 18 or above 30 then you should speak to your GP about this . For example for a person who weighs 9 stone 7 lbs. ( 133 lbs. ) , and who is 5 feet 5 inches ( 65 inches ) tall 133lbs multiplied by 700 = 93100 Divided by 65 inches = 1432 Divided by 65 inches = a body mass index of 22 ( which falls within the healthy range ) Remember that this calculation gives you only a rough guide to weight in comparison with your height and that there are many other factors which contribute towards maintaining a healthy body weight . If you are concerned about your weight why do n't you make an appointment to see your GP , or visit the Health Centre to see the Practice Nurse or to attend A Well Woman \/ A Well Man Clinic . You could also visit a counsellor at the Counselling Service to discuss some of your concerns . This page is maintained by the Student Support and Counselling Service","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Comcast initially declined they were doing anything to web traffic , than changed course and acknowledged they were slowing ( or \" throttling \" ) the traffic speeds but only as a \" reasonable \" measure to manage the traffic loads on their network . Peer to peer software , like Bit Torrent , often involves substantially more uploading of data than is typical for regular Internet browsing and email behavior . The throttling was claimed to be justified as a necessary step to balance the load this puts on servers and insure Comcast can provide and equally high quality of service for all customers . In November several consumer groups and a few companies asked the FCC to look into the allegations . Two of the groups even suggested an outrageous fine of $ 195k per subscriber . ( Comcast has about 12m subscribers ) . The FCC will now officially investigate whether Comcast ' s load balancing behavior was reasonable . They 'll also look into what obligation Comcast had to disclose these practices to their subscribers . Comcast stands by their statement that their actions are reasonable and \" in accordance with the FCC's policy statement . \" The investigation will hopefully determine that . It could turn into a referendum on the entire \" net neutrality \" issue . [ More Information explaining the history and concepts of Net Neutrality , and providing background on Comcast ' s actions can be found at the below \" Related Articles \" Links ]","labels":"News","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Woodlands Games has been created by Woodlands Junior School for students to enjoy during free time and when they are at home . All the games have been downloaded from websites with free games to download and then uploaded on to our servers . We have done our best to acknowledge the author of the game where possible . Woodlands Junior School can not and does not take credit for any of the games on Woodlands Games .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"View Changer ( change your colour and font ) Introduction Use the ' view changer ' to create your own personalised style sheet . You can change background and text colour , font type and size . Simply click on the boxes to change your settings . You do not have to check all the boxes , only the ones where you want to make a change to how you view web-based information . For more information on how to use the ' view changer ' please refer to the online help . NB : Once you have created and saved a personalised style sheet , it must be selected each time you browse the internet . This may be done via Tools \/ Internet Options \/ Accessibility \/ User Style Sheet . Please complete the form below to create your style sheet . If you are unsure on what an option does , click on help for more information .","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"This card game contains 99 cards and follows the format of the original board game , focusing on specific problem or concerns of children . Like the original game , the card game is sure to help children communicate their feelings and develop insight into their problems . Full Description : The Talking , Feeling , and Doing Game - devised by Dr. Richard A. Gardner in 1968 and first published in 1973 - has enjoyed worldwide utilization as an extremely effective psychotherapeutic instrument . Most child therapist 's consider it an indispensable part of their playroom equipment . With a high degree of predictability , the game will engage the most resistant and inhibited children into meaningful psychotherapeutic endeavors . The game routinely facilitates disclosures often not otherwise obtainable . Further , the material elicited by the game serve as points of departure for meaningful psychotherapeutic interchanges . The game has proved helpful for shortening the psychotherapeutic process because quickly and predictably provides the therapist with information about the child's underlying psychological processes . Information that might have taken weeks or even months to elicit may even be obtained during the first few sessions . The game was originally designed to enable inhibited children to reveal themselves , but even children who are more freely engaged in direct discussion and insight-oriented therapy will find it a pleasurable additional psychotherapeutic experience . Sales of the game are restricted to qualified mental health professionals . Buyers must hold at least a Masters Degree in psychology , counseling , social work or a related field , and should have received appropriate clinical training in working with children or adolescents . Please include license number or the name of your graduate school , degree , and year graduated as part of the order .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"We recomend that when ordering wellington boots , you order your normal shoe size . If you need a half size then go for the size above . i . e if you take a size UK 4 1 \/ 2 then go for a size UK 5 . If you are ordering from the clearance range wellington boots , we recommend that you order a size down as these boots are a bit roomier .","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"At eight o ' clock I heard a knock at the door , and on opening the window found it was one of the servants from the house of my foes . I cried out to let her in , and I breathed again on hearing that Miss Charpillon had just arrived in a sedan-chair in a pitiable condition , and that she had been put to bed . \" I made haste to come and tell you , \" said the cunning maid , \" not for the sake of your two guineas , but because I saw you were so unhappy . \" This duped me directly . I gave her the two guineas , and made her sit down on my bed , begging her to tell me all about her mistress's return . I did not dream that she had been schooled by my enemies ; but during the whole of this period I was deprived of the right use of my reason . The slut began by saying that her young mistress loved me , and had only deceived me in accordance with her mother's orders . \" I know that , \" I said , \" but where did she pass the night ? \" \" At a shop which she found open , and where she was known from having bought various articles there . She is in bed with a fever , and I am afraid it may have serious consequences as she is in her monthly period . \" \" That 's impossible , for I caught her in the act with her hairdresser . \" \" Oh , that proves nothing ! the poor young man does not look into things very closely . \" \" But she is in love with him . \" \" I do n't think so , though she has spent several hours in his company . \" \" And you say that she loves me ! \" \" Oh , that has nothing to do with it ! It is only a whim of hers with the hairdresser . \" \" Tell her that I am coming to pass the day beside her bed , and bring me her reply . \" \" I will send the other girl if you like . \" \" No , she only speaks English . \" She went away , and as she had not returned by three o ' clock I decided on calling to hear how she was . I knocked at the door , and one of the aunts appeared and begged me not to enter as the two friends of the house were there in a fury against me , and her niece lay in a delirium , crying out \" There 's Seingalt , there 's Seingalt ! He 's going to kill me . Help ! help ! \" \" For God's sake , sir , go away , \" I went home desperate , without the slightest suspicion that it was all a lie . I spent the whole day without eating anything ; I could not swallow a mouthful . All night I kept awake , and though I took several glasses of strong waters I could obtain no rest . At nine o ' clock the next morning I knocked at the Charpillon's door , and the old aunt came and held it half open as before . She forbade me to enter , saying that her niece was still delirious , continually calling on me in her transports , and that the doctor had declared that if the disease continued its course she had not twenty-four hours to live . \" The fright you gave her has arrested her periods ; she is in a terrible state . \" \" O , fatal hairdresser ! \" I exclaimed . \" That was a mere youthful folly ; you should have pretended not to have seen anything . \" \" You think that possible , you old witch , do you ? Do not let her lack for anything ; take that . \" With these words I gave her a bank note for ten guineas and went away , like the fool I was . On my way back I met Goudar , who was quite frightened at my aspect . I begged him to go and see how the Charpillon really was , and then to come and pass the rest of the day with me . An hour after he came back and said he had found them all in tears and that the girl was in extremis . \" Did you see her ? \" \" No , they said she could see no one . \" \" Do you think it is all true ? \" \" I do n't know what to think ; but one of the maids , who tells me the truth as a rule , assured me that she had become mad through her courses being stopped , while she has also a fever and violent convulsions . It is all credible enough , for these are the usual results of a shock when a woman is in such a situation . The girl told me it was all your fault . \" I then told him the whole story . He could only pity me , but when he heard that I had neither eaten nor slept for the last forty-eight hours he said very wisely that if I did not take care I should lose my reason or my life .","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"The May \/ June ' 06 issue carried an article on the history of run-ins between morays and divers near Stingray City and the Sand Bar in Grand Cayman's North Sound ( \" It 's A Moray . . . You Do n't Always Get What You Feed \" ) . The run-ins have continued sporadically . Despite repeated requests by the Cayman Island's Department of the Environment ( DoE ) that watersports operators refrain from feeding or encouraging interaction with green morays , this practice continues . \" After all , divers and local operators have enjoyed this practice for many years , \" said a DAN Member who recently traveled to Cayman . \" Many of us feel that an occasional bite is worth the interaction . We 're dealing with wild creatures here ; that 's part of the thrill of diving with them . \" According to Cayman News Net , on Oct. 11 , 2006 , in an area off the Sand Bar known as \" the reef , \" a dive guide played with a moray for the entertainment of his diving customers . Apparently aware of possible danger , he reportedly told his group to cross their arms and clench their fists if the creature approached . The customer who recounted this incident noted that several of those on the tour were given squid to feed the eel . At some point , the guide , who was also the captain , was bitten on the arm severely enough to incapacitate him and require multiple surgeries and several days' hospitalization . The May 2006 article noted that the DoE was considering new approaches to manage such activities , including limiting the number of boats and people present at any one time , as well as restricting the amount of squid \/ bait per craft . To date , the DoE has n't publicized their specific proposed amendments to current marine conservation law . However , it has indicated that \" wildlife interaction zones \" are to be established wherein the feeding of marine animals would be tightly regulated . Feeding of underwater creatures outside of these zones would be prohibited . In the meantime , our earlier advice stands : Pay attention to your surroundings , do n't wear shiny objects , and do n't wave your hands or fingers or provoke marine life in any other way . To this we add , ask watersport operators about their policies regarding interactions with morays . Heed their rules and respect the wildlife , and you 'll enjoy your dive - we 'll all be happier for it . Know What to Do Accidents happen , no matter how cautious we are . Plus , there are those times we forget to be consistently vigilant . You might be searching in a rocky crevice for a lobster dinner ( in season , of course ) , or you might have inadvertently jostled a creature making way for your dive buddy near the reef . What happens if you or your buddies get bitten ? Could you handle the situation ? Would n't it be great to know right away the steps to first aid for this ? You can get that know-how by signing up for DAN's First Aid for Hazardous Marine Life Injuries course . You 'll learn how to identify the problem quickly and how to take immediate action . Here are some tips , however blunt , about getting along with marine life . They appear in DAN's Dive and Travel Medical Guide , a membership benefit when joining DAN . Avoid contact with the animal : This sounds simple , but it may not be if you have poor buoyancy control and \/ or are experiencing conditions of poor visibility , currents , confined areas or other environmental limitations . Do not attempt to handle , tease , feed or annoy any marine animal . Exploring a crevice with your hand is a good way to receive an injury from a hidden animal defending itself . Strive to develop excellent buoyancy control and be aware of what surrounds you . Do not allow a current to force you against a fixed object ; it may be covered with marine animals . Wear protective clothing . Make an effort to find out which animals you may encounter in your dive and learn about their characteristics and habitats before you begin the dive . This will help you enjoy your dive more and prevent possible injury from the animals you encounter .","labels":"News","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Report of the Consultative Group of Experts on National Communications from Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention Note by the secretariat * Contents Paragraphs Page Mandate The Conference of the Parties ( COP ) , at its fifth session , by its decision 8 \/ CP . 5 , decided to establish the Consultative Group of Experts on National Communications from Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention ( CGE ) , with the objective of improving the preparation of national communications from these Parties ( non-Annex I Parties ) . In order to fulfil this objective , the COP , in the annex to this decision , mandated the CGE to : Exchange experience and information on the preparation of national communications , including consideration of subregional experience , through meetings and workshops , on the basis of agendas prepared in consultation with the participants ; Consider , as appropriate , the needs for and availability of financial resources and technical support , and the identification of barriers to and gaps in this support ; Consider , as appropriate , information in national communications from non-Annex I Parties in accordance with the guidelines for the preparation of initial national communications by non-Annex I Parties contained in the annex to decision 10 \/ CP . 2 ; Review existing activities and programmes to facilitate and support the preparation of national communications by non-Annex I Parties with a view to identifying gaps and making recommendations to better coordinate these activities and programmes in order to enhance the preparation of national communications ; Identify the difficulties encountered by non-Annex I Parties in the use of the guidelines contained in the annex to decision 10 \/ CP . 2 and in the use of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) methodologies and other models , and make recommendations for improvement where appropriate ; Identify the analytical and methodological issues , including technical problems in the preparation and reporting of greenhouse gas ( GHG ) inventories , in particular with respect to the improvement of data collection , the development of local and regional emission factors and activity data , and the development of methodologies , where appropriate , with a view to enhancing the quality of future inventories ; Examine national communications , in particular greenhouse gas inventories , submitted by non-Annex I Parties , with a view to arriving at recommendations on ways of overcoming difficulties in the use of the IPCC methodologies and the UNFCCC guidelines relating to inventories contained in the annex to decision 10 \/ CP . 2 , and on possible innovations , and produce reports thereon ; Encourage interaction among experts from all Parties . The COP further , at it seventh session , in decision 31 \/ CP . 7 , decided that the CGE shall continue to have the objective of improving the preparation of national communications by non-Annex I Parties . By the same decision , the COP also decided that in addition to its mandate contained in the annex to decision 8 \/ CP . 5 , as outlined above , the CGE shall identify and assess technical problems and constraints that have affected the preparation of initial national communications from non-Annex I Parties that have yet to complete them , and make recommendations for consideration by the subsidiary bodies , and shall also provide input to the draft improved guidelines for the preparation of national communications by non-Annex I Parties . The COP , pursuant to decision 31 \/ CP . 7 , mandated the CGE to conduct two workshops during 2002 , with the objective of sharing experiences to ensure adequate coverage of issues referred to in paragraph 2 above . Scope of the report This document contains a summary of the main issues , technical problems and constraints relating to the preparation of national communications and those that have particularly affected the preparation of initial national communications by non-Annex I Parties that have yet to complete them ( section III ) , and the activities and programmes that facilitated and supported the preparation of initial national communications from non-Annex I Parties ( section IV ) . Section V outlines the recommendations made by the CGE for the improvement of the process of preparation of national communications from non-Annex I Parties . Possible actions by the subsidiary bodies The Subsidiary Body for Implementation ( SBI ) may wish to take note of the information presented in this document with a view to improving the process of preparation of national communications from non-Annex I Parties . In particular , the SBI may wish to recommend to the COP , a draft decision on further guidance for the future work of the CGE in improving the preparation of national communications from non-Annex I Parties . In addition , the SBI may wish to consider the recommendations made by the CGE , contained in this report , and make these recommendations available , through the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice , to the IPCC , with a view to developing appropriate methods , tools and models for use in non-Annex I Parties . The SBI may also wish to consider the information contained in this document and make available recommendations , through the COP , to the bilateral and multilateral support programmes to provide additional financial resources and technical support for the preparation of national communications from non-Annex I Parties . Organization of work Pursuant to decisions 8 \/ CP . 5 and 31 \/ CP . 7 , the CGE held five meetings , each immediately prior to sessions of the subsidiary bodies , and six workshops , between May 2000 and August 2002 . The issues discussed at the meetings of the CGE included the consideration of the conclusions and recommendations of the CGE workshops aimed at the improvement of the preparation of national communications by non-Annex I Parties , development of work plans , examination of the information presented in national communications submitted by non-Annex I Parties , and preparation of the CGE reports for consideration by the subsidiary bodies . The reports of four meetings are contained in documents FCCC \/ SBI \/ 2000 \/ 16 , FCCC \/ SBI \/ 2001 \/ 2 , FCCC \/ SBI \/ 2001 \/ 3 , and FCCC \/ SBI \/ 2002 \/ 2 . The report of the fifth meeting was presented by the CGE Chair as an oral report to the subsidiary bodies at their sixteenth session , and is contained in the annex to this document . The six workshops were conducted by the CGE members with the support of the secretariat to facilitate the exchange of experiences between non-Annex I Parties , within and between each developing region , on the preparation of each of the elements of the national communication , so as to identify problems and constraints relating to analytical , technical and methodological issues , and make recommendations for consideration by the subsidiary bodies to overcome these problems and constraints . A total of 105 experts nominated by 70 non-Annex I Parties , 9 experts from 8 Annex I Parties and 12 representatives from 4 bilateral and 8 multilateral agencies participated in the workshops . The elements of a national communication considered at the workshops were national GHG inventories , vulnerability and adaptation assessment , research and systematic observation , GHG mitigation analysis , education , training and public awareness , information and networking , and financial and technical support . In view of the need to analyse information pertaining to each of the elements of a national communication , the CGE divided itself into six task groups to cover : national GHG inventory ; vulnerability and adaptation assessment and research and systematic observation ; GHG mitigation analysis ; education , training and public awareness ; information and networking ; and financial and technical support . The task groups , each facilitated by a coordinator , analysed information presented in 81 initial national communications , and in CGE meetings and workshops . The CGE members also made active use of the CGE listserv , developed and maintained by the secretariat , to exchange views on various issues pertaining to the discharge of its work . The work of the CGE was supported by the secretariat which provided administrative and technical support , and prepared its reports . The CGE , in fulfilling its mandate and terms of reference , contained in the annex to decision 8 \/ CP . 5 , examined information contained in the first compilation and synthesis report ( FCCC \/ SBI \/ 1999 \/ 11 ) and in the 50 initial national communications which had been officially submitted to the secretariat between June 2000 and March 2001 . A report on this work was completed and submitted to the subsidiary bodies at their fifteenth session ( FCCC \/ SBI \/ 2001 \/ 15 ) . In that report , conclusions and recommendations were made by the CGE relating to the improvement of the preparation of the various elements of the national communication , including the recommendations for the improvement of the guidelines for the preparation of national communications by non-Annex I Parties contained in the annex to decision 10 \/ CP . 2 ( UNFCCC guidelines ) . Since the completion of that report , the CGE was mandated by the COP ( decision 31 \/ CP . 7 ) to continue its work to improve the process of the preparation of national communications from non-Annex I Parties . To this end , it examined , together with the previous 50 initial national communications , an additional 31 communications submitted between April 2001 and June 2002 , in accordance with the annex to decision 8 \/ CP . 5 . Additionally , the CGE identified technical problems and constraints that have affected the preparation of initial national communications by non-Annex I Parties that have yet to complete them , in accordance with decision 31 \/ CP . 7 . Data and information The most common problem \/ constraint encountered by non-Annex I Parties in the preparation of their national communications was related to the scarcity and quality of data ( for example , availability , accessibility and reliability ) in all the relevant areas of the national communications . This problem was exacerbated by lack of capacities and expertise to access , collect , analyse , manipulate and manage the data and databases necessary to conduct these studies and analyses . In almost all relevant categories of GHG sources and sinks ( energy , industrial processes , agriculture , land-use change and forestry , and waste ) most Parties found that there was lack of and \/ or deficiencies in the activity data . This is particularly true in the informal and household sectors of the economy , as well as on gases such as hydrofluorocarbons ( HFC ) , perfluorocarbons ( PFC ) and sulphur hexafluoride ( SF6 ) . Some Parties found that the lack of disaggregation of data on fuel consumption in the industrial and transport sectors made it difficult to estimate emissions from these sectors ( e . g . in biomass and kerosene combustion ) , which caused delays in completing their national GHG inventories . In the assessment of vulnerability and adaptation , Parties noted a lack of the data required as input to impact models and assessments . Therefore , vulnerability and adaptation assessments were based on broad sensitivity studies and the use of expert judgement , although some experts indicated that this method was not generally the preferred option for conducting such assessments . Many Parties also indicated that the assessment of potential mitigation options was constrained by the lack of relevant data and information . Where data were available they were not relevant for sector - and country-specific mitigation analysis . IPCC methodologies and other models Parties generally reported that many of the methodological problems and constraints they encountered in using the IPCC methodologies and other models were due to the fact that many of the default methodologies from the IPCC did not take into account their specific national circumstances . Many Parties also reported that the use of the Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines ( IPCC Guidelines ) for estimating the GHG emissions in some sectors was inappropriate to their circumstances , particularly in the land-use change and forestry sector ( LUCF ) where forest classifications and the terms used in the LUCF section of the IPCC Guidelines were not consistent with the classifications and definitions used in non-Annex I Parties . For example , growth rates of biomass and \/ or emission rates used in the IPCC Guidelines for soil carbon , and estimation of fractions of biomass burnt on site , burnt off site or left to decay , were not appropriate for use in many non-Annex I Parties . Many Parties also had difficulties in matching the classification systems recommended by the IPCC Guidelines for animals and agricultural soils to their own circumstances . This created problems in the choice and use of default emission factors , thereby affecting the reliability of the results in the agriculture sector . Similar problems were experienced in calculating the emissions from waste disposal . Many difficulties were encountered in applying and using the IPCC Technical Guidelines for Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation ( IPCC Technical Guidelines ) in completing vulnerability and adaptation assessments . These difficulties mainly stem from the unsuitability of existing methods and tools , lack of national capacity \/ expertise to develop and \/ or use socio-economic scenarios , and lack of financial resources for assessment work . The analytical methods provided by the IPCC Technical Guidelines and the internationally developed integrated assessment methods , and policy development and decision support tools were often found to be incompatible with local needs and capacities . Integrated assessments and other such sophisticated diagnostic assessments typically required levels of information and expertise that were not widely and readily available in many non-Annex I Parties . This led Parties to use qualitative studies , which were compatible with local capacities , but could be less credible . Many Parties found that difficulties in undertaking impact assessments were mainly due to unavailability of models and inability to apply them . For example , some countries had difficulties in selecting and testing a general circulation model that would adequately fit their own circumstances . The use of MAGICC \/ SCENGEN was generally reported as being unsatisfactory due to its inappropriate downscaling methods and output . Other Parties indicated that they did not have sufficient knowledge or expertise to use \/ apply impact models for vulnerability and adaptation assessment . Most of the Parties identified adaptation to climate change as a major issue and included a list of potential adaptation options in their national communications . However , many of these Parties did not evaluate , prioritize and cost these adaptation options . This could be attributed to the fact that the IPCC Technical Guidelines did not adequately address the identification and evaluation of specific adaptation strategies , and to the lack of national expertise to undertake cost-benefit analysis on adaptation options . In general , the identified GHG mitigation options were not assessed comprehensively , due to the lack of common analytical tools ( e . g . models ) and of specific studies , and expertise . Additionally , the lack of models \/ software for scenario construction , particularly in the agriculture and livestock sectors , presented a serious constraint in conducting mitigation assessments . For some Parties , the preparation of technical studies was constrained by the fact that many of the methodologies and other models , and their instructions and other related documentation , were available only in English , so it was difficult for some experts to use and apply these methods and models . Institutional arrangements , information and networking A major constraint for many Parties was the lack of appropriate institutional arrangements and of clarity over roles and responsibilities of experts and institutions in carrying out the technical studies relating to the preparation of the national communication , which affected data collection and information exchange and networking among countries , regions and project personnel . Some Parties reported that their activities were constrained by the lack of effective coordination among the different ministries involved , and limited awareness among policy makers . The national climate change committees charged with the preparation of national communications in many countries were neither active , nor operational , and many were not granted the necessary legal and institutional authority to effectively carry out their work ; they were therefore not sufficiently motivated to implement their tasks in a timely manner . They also lacked the necessary human capacity to ensure a minimum level of active participation in and monitoring of technical studies , review and endorsement of the project outputs and launching of concrete follow-up actions relating to the preparation of national communications . In some Parties , project implementation was delayed by high turnover of technical staff , political instability and \/ or a change in project leadership within the institutions responsible for the preparation of the national communication . Some Parties found that weak institutional arrangements and the lack of human resources and capacities for conducting systematic data collection , together with the absence of universities and \/ or research centres working on climate change issues , particularly in small and poor countries , made it difficult to implement the activities relating to the preparation of national communications . Many Parties recognized that the use of information systems forms an important part of GHG inventories , vulnerability and adaptation assessment and mitigation analysis , and that networking helps to provide access to updated information and promote the exchange of experiences on these issues . However , many Parties found that such exchange of information and networking were generally weak due to limited human and financial resources , limited data and information , and underdeveloped systems for collecting , processing and maintaining data and information . The lack of hardware , software and expertise for establishing and maintaining networking facilities for the exchange of information ( computers , communication channels ) , presented major constraints in this regard . Many Parties stressed that the low priority granted to vulnerability and adaptation issues by policy makers at the highest levels of government has affected cooperation and coordination among stakeholders in conducting the vulnerability and adaptation assessments . Research and systematic observation , education , training and public awareness Almost all Parties highlighted their limited capacities to undertake research and systematic observation activities such as accessing , analysing and managing data relevant to climate change in the areas of impact assessment , detection and early warning of climate extreme events and climate prediction . These limitations were mainly due to lack of financial resources and of human capacities and capabilities , as well as to limited technical support . Many Parties indicated that the level of scientific research and scholarship in institutions which have been established to conduct research was low and \/ or deteriorating . Some Parties further noted that the problem of lack of research activities was further compounded by irregular observations , out-dated and \/ or deteriorating infrastructure \/ systems for data collection , and the inability to access , process and transfer observational data . Many Parties emphasized that the issue of climate change was new to them and so their effort in climate change education , training and public awareness was not commensurate with the importance they placed on this issue . Some Parties also indicated that unavailability of experts and limited financial resources caused difficulties in organizing training workshops for their technical teams , which contributed to the considerable delays in the preparation of different technical studies ( inventory , mitigation , vulnerability ) . The integration of climate change issues into educational curricula was recognized as crucial for the future , but many Parties did not have appropriate resources for such integration . There was also a lack of clear and targeted awareness and education programmes , and the training provided was limited in scope . Many Parties emphasized that awareness and education on climate change issues among the public at large and the policy makers was minimal , partly because of the limited coverage of climate change issues by local media , the lack of active participation on this issue by non-governmental organizations in that area , and limited technical advice and support material . In this context , several Parties mentioned the lack of sufficiently trained scientific and technical personnel , policy makers , and the institutions to carry out research and training on climate change issues . Resources : human , technical and financial Globally the resources dedicated to vulnerability and adaptation studies were not commensurate with the needs and the importance that Parties place on these issues . Limited financial resources , insufficient and inappropriate tools , limited sectoral coverage , insufficient capacity and expertise , lack of experience to coordinate , implement and participate in climate change activities efficiently at the national , subregional , regional and international levels , were all highlighted . Many Parties considered that the level of funding provided and the period allowed for the preparation of the initial national communication were not sufficient to enable them to provide adequate and reliable information in the initial national communication . Some Parties noted that their governments had limited resources to address climate change issues and pointed out that these limitations were not very well compensated by external support for climate change activities . They further indicated that this may be because some bilateral programmes focus on the countries that have a large GHG mitigation potential . Other Parties stressed that their low economic situation meant that climate change issues were given low priority . Insufficient funds for international consultants and for project team members presented many problems in the implementation of the activities relating to the preparation of the national communications . This was particularly true in engaging and involving experts in training , international meetings and workshops . Some Parties stressed that funding available to conduct impact and vulnerability analyses in many sectors that are of vital importance to the national economy was inadequate . Many Parties indicated that in order to address climate change issues in a multidisciplinary and an efficient way , they would require additional financial and technical resources to develop and train a critical mass of human resources . Specific technical problems and constraints that have affected non-Annex I Parties that have yet to complete their initial national communications Many of the problems and constraints faced by those Parties who have not yet submitted their initial national communications were similar to those faced by non-Annex I Parties that had already completed their initial national communications . However , Parties that have yet to complete their initial national communications face other specific technical problems and constraints . Some Parties stressed that the implementation of the activities and tasks relating to the preparation of national communications was often hampered by the lack of , or insufficient , level of coordination , especially among the technical experts responsible for such tasks , which often led to lengthy delays in starting and completing technical studies relevant for the preparation of national communications . Many Parties found that bureaucratic inertia \/ bottlenecks inherent within national institutions responsible for the preparation of national communication , and weak institutional linkages between the United Nations Development Programme ( UNDP ) Country Offices and the national executing agencies , with resulting lack of clarity over their respective roles and responsibilities , often slowed progress in implementing the activities and tasks relating to the preparation of national communications . Some Parties also had difficulties in applying the UNDP modalities for the nationally executed programmes , which were not necessarily consistent with the enabling activities project management procedures . This also led to further delays in the implementation of the projects relating to the preparation of national communications . Some Parties specifically attributed the delays in the preparation of initial national communications to social disturbances and \/ or political problems and the resultant changes in the leadership of the projects . Such changes sometimes led to inactivity relating to the preparation of national communications , where either the expertise was not available or the institutional arrangements were not appropriate . Other Parties indicated that it was not always clear which agency would be responsible for preparing the initial national communication , thereby leading to lengthy delays . In its previous report to the subsidiary bodies ( FCCC \/ SBI \/ 2001 \/ 15 ) , the CGE noted that a number of multilateral and bilateral assistance programmes had provided human , technical and financial assistance to 137 of a total of 146 non-Annex I Parties for the preparation of their initial national communications . The Global Environment Facility ( GEF ) was the largest contributor ( US $ 79.6 million ) , through its climate change enabling activities programmes . This , however , represented only about seven per cent of the total funds ( US $ 1.052 billion ) allocated by the GEF to the climate change focal area for the period 1991 to July 2000 . The majority of non-Annex I Parties ( 124 ) had received support from the GEF climate change enabling activities programmes , and only three Parties that had submitted their initial national communication ( Israel , the Republic of Korea and Singapore ) did not receive any support from any of the support programmes . The GEF , in collaboration with the UNDP , the United Nations Environment Programme ( UNEP ) and the UNFCCC , established and funded the National Communications Support Programme , which provided human and technical support to 130 non-Annex I Parties , including countries in Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States . Technical support and assistance provided was mainly in the form of thematic subregional exchange workshops , technical reviews , a help desk and networking . Funding for this support programme comprised US $ 2.1 million from the GEF and US $ 1.3 million through cofinancing from Denmark , the European Community , Finland and Norway . Support from the bilateral support programmes and Annex II Parties was provided through their respective programmes : the United States Country Studies Programme ( USCSP ) , the German Technical Cooperation Agency ( GTZ ) , the Netherlands Climate Change Studies Assistance Programme ( NCCSAP ) , the Finland Climate Change Assistance Programme , and the governments of New Zealand and Greece . Other Annex II Parties ( Australia , Denmark , Japan , Italy , Spain and the United Kingdom ) had also provided financial resources and technical assistance to non-Annex I Parties through climate change training courses , workshops , studies and projects \/ programmes . Level of funding As of 30 June 2002 , the GEF has provided US $ 1.5 billion in grants for climate change projects since its establishment as a pilot programme in 1991 . About US $ 87.6 million , representing about six per cent of the total amount , was provided by the GEF to 133 non-Annex I Parties through its climate change enabling activities programmes for the preparation of initial national communications . The analysis of the support provided by multilateral and bilateral support programmes points to a growing need to increase capacity and enhance the work relating to the preparation of the national communications in the areas of national GHG inventories , vulnerability and adaptation assessments and GHG mitigation analysis . In considering the availability of financial resources and technical support , the CGE found that many needs relating to financial and technical support still exist , and new needs have been identified by Parties . These needs will require additional financial and technical support to improve the preparation of national communications . Additional financial support would be needed for data collection , accessing , archiving , quality control , retrieval and management , as well as for capacity-building , and promotion of education , training and public awareness . The analysis of the distribution of financial resources , however , indicated that some countries had received three or four times more funding than had many other countries . The differing focus of the support activities and of the coverage across technical areas , countries and regions , as well as the lack of a reporting framework for the support programmes , particularly bilateral ones , made it difficult to undertake a comprehensive analysis of the effectiveness of these efforts to date . However , from the information presented above on the funding and activities of the support programmes , and information contained in document FCCC \/ SBI \/ 2001 \/ 15 on this issue , it appeared that the level of funding and the number and scope of activities were not commensurate with the needs of Parties identified in their initial national communications and the needs of those Parties that have yet to complete the preparation of their initial national communications . Coordination An analysis of the implementation of activities of the support programmes indicated that there was a need for better coordination and interaction between these programmes , in order to enhance the overall effectiveness of their use of limited resources and to ensure that smaller and poorer countries received adequate attention . This could be done through the establishment of an information sharing mechanism , developed and hosted by a relevant agency \/ institution , such as the UNFCCC secretariat , to provide information on assistance programmes that support the preparation of national communication or any of its elements . The CGE noted the important role of the National Communication Support Programme in assisting non-Annex I Parties during the preparation of their initial national communications . The CGE was of the view that the newly established National Communications Support Unit of the UNDP might be well placed to assist countries , particularly those that have recently started to prepare their initial national communications . Additionally , the CGE emphasized that there was a need to develop and strengthen interactions and links within and between countries and regions , through multi-country , regional and global projects , and through regional centres of excellence working on various climate change issues , where appropriate . Lessons learned The experiences gained and lessons learned by the multilateral and bilateral support programmes in providing human , financial and technical support for project implementation point to a number of areas where changes could improve the institutional arrangements necessary for the preparation of national communications : Greater involvement of and participation by key policy stakeholders from the beginning of the project cycle and \/ or at the project concept level and heightened country-driven discussions on the projects and acitvities ; Political support and buy-in to the project and the enhancement of appropriate institutional frameworks for the preparation of national communication ; Engagement of in-country personnel in project activities and promotion of country ownership of the project ; Provision of financial and technical support and integration of project activities and outputs with national policies and strategies ; Building and maintaining capacity of national and \/ or regional expertise to collect , process and analyse data for enhancing the preparation of national communications and planning for sustainable development ; Focusing studies undertaken in the context of the preparation of national communications , on national priorities . Future plans The multilateral and bilateral support programmes also indicated their plans to continue their activities and programmes to facilitate and support non-Annex I Parties in the implementation of the Convention , including the preparation of national communications . These programmes include the UNEP \/ IPCC project on the Assessment of Impacts of and Adaptation to Climate Change in multiple regions or sectors , and the World Bank project on Mainstreaming Adaptation to Climate Change in the Caribbean region . The UNDP's National Communication Support Unit will implement three regional pilot projects to build capacity in 34 countries on improving the quality of national GHG inventories through the use of the IPCC Good Practice Guidance and Uncertainty Management and to prepare for stage II adaptation using the UNDP's Adaptation Policy Framework . Additionally , a global project on systematic observation is underway , in conjunction with the Global Climate Observing System secretariat . All these activities will feed into the national communication process . The bilateral programmes include phase II of the Netherlands Climate Change Studies Assistance Programme , support by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation to the National Communications Support Unit of the UNDP , and the activities of the Danish Agency for Development Assistance . The United States Agency for International Development and the United States Environmental Protection Agency have plans to continue to provide human , technical and financial support to non-Annex I Parties for activities that underpin the preparation of national communications , including national GHG inventories , vulnerability and adaptation assessments and mitigation analysis . To overcome some of the technical problems and constraints identified by non-Annex I Parties in their initial national communications , and by the CGE in fulfilling its mandate in pursuance of decisions 8 \/ CP . 5 and 31 \/ CP . 7 , several recommendations were made by the CGE to improve the process of the preparation of national communications from non-Annex I Parties . Data and information Additional resources should be mobilized to develop and implement a sustainable data collection , compilation , archiving and updating management system for national GHG inventories , vulnerability and adaptation assessments , and GHG mitigation analysis . Regional cooperation in activity data generation and management should be encouraged . Particular groups of nations and or regions should develop emission factors , particularly for key sources , to better reflect their national circumstances . Information relating to technical material , methods , tools and models for national GHG inventories , vulnerability and adaptation assessments and GHG mitigation analysis needs to be made available in all official languages of the United Nations at the earliest opportunity and in sufficient quantities to meet the needs of Parties . IPCC methodologies and other models Existing methodologies for GHG inventories should be improved and made clearer for use in non-Annex I Parties . In particular , more clarification is needed in the use of terms and the forest classification systems in the land-use change and forestry sector . The IPCC should be encouraged to develop methods , tools and other models for use in assessing impacts and adaptations in agriculture , water resources , coastal zones and human health at time scales that are relevant for policy-making processes in non-Annex I Parties . Methodologies and models for assessing mitigation options and analysing abatement potential should be made readily accessible to non-Annex I Parties . Studies to conduct detailed cost-benefit analysis should be encouraged in non-Annex I Parties . Institutional arrangements , information and networking Non-Annex I Parties should be encouraged , with international support , to develop appropriate and sustainable institutional frameworks and arrangements to carry out activities relating to the preparation of national communications and the implementation of the Convention on a continuous basis . Non-Annex I Parties should be encouraged to streamline and mainstream activities relating to national GHG inventories , vulnerability and adaptation assessments , and GHG mitigation analysis in their recurrent programmes of work . The GEF and its implementing agencies should be encouraged to clarify roles and responsibilities in close consultation with the national executing agencies relating to the preparation of national communications . Information exchange and sharing of experiences on the preparation of the national communications should be encouraged within and between countries and regions . Regional research and educational centres should be strengthened and , where appropriate , established in various regions . Research and systematic observation , education , training and public awareness Non-Annex I Parties should be encouraged to undertake assessment of their capacity and needs for research and systematic observation and for climate change education , training and public awareness . Training of national experts on climate change issues such as national GHG inventories , vulnerability and adaptation assessments , and GHG mitigation analysis should be carried out continuously . The scope of training on climate change issues should be widened , to include data and uncertainty analysis and vulnerability and adaptation assessments , at both basic and advanced levels . Resources : human , technical and financial Additional human , technical and financial resources should be provided to non-Annex I Parties for the improvement of the process of preparation of national communications . Additional financial resources should be made available to non-Annex I Parties to enhance national expertise to systematically collect , analyse and maintain appropriate data and databases for the preparation of national communications . Clear additional guidance should be given to the GEF to provide financial resources that are commensurate with the resource needs identified by non-Annex I Parties in their national communications . Existing methodologies and national capacities to undertake integrated assessment of climate change impacts in different sectors , such as water resources , agriculture and human health , coastal zones , human settlements and biodiversity , should be enhanced . Training on the use of software and technical guidelines should be provided to non-Annex I Parties so that the studies can be carried out locally . Financial and technical assistance should be provided for assessment of vulnerability and the economic and social costs of adaptation measures . UNFCCC guidelines for the preparation of national communications In fulfilling its mandate contained in decision 8 \/ CP . 5 , the CGE considered the information presented in the initial national communications in accordance with the UNFCCC guidelines for the preparation of national communications from non-Annex I Parties ( annex to decision 10 \/ CP . 2 ) , with a view to improving them . The CGE report containing recommendations for improving the guidelines for reporting on national GHG inventories , vulnerability and adaptation assessments , GHG mitigation analysis and education , training and public awareness in the national communication , was submitted to the subsidiary bodies at their fifteenth session , and is contained in document FCCC \/ SBI \/ 2001 \/ 15 . In pursuance of decision 31 \/ CP . 7 , the CGE also provided its input to the proposed improved UNFCCC guidelines for the preparation of national communications from Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention . The input of the CGE on the proposed improved guidelines is contained in document FCCC \/ SBI \/ 2002 \/ INF . 8 . Annex Report of the Chair of the Consultative Group of Experts A report on the work of the Consultative Group of Experts on National Communications from Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention ( CGE ) was presented to the sixteenth sessions of the subsidiary bodies by the Chair of that group , Ms. Isabelle Niang-Diop ( Senegal ) . In her report , the Chair of the CGE recalled that the CGE had presented its first report ( FCCC \/ SBI \/ 2001 \/ 15 ) , covering the period 2000-2001 , to the subsidiary bodies at their fifteenth sessions in October 2001 in Marrakesh , Morocco . In addition to the mandate contained in the annex to decision 8 \/ CP . 5 , the Chair of the CGE reminded delegates of the mandate given by the Conference of the Parties at its seventh session ( decision 31 \/ CP . 7 ) , requesting the CGE : ( i ) to identify and assess technical problems and constraints that have affected the preparation of initial national communications by non-Annex I Parties that have yet to complete them and make recommendations for consideration by the subsidiary bodies ; ( ii ) to provide input to the draft improved guidelines for the preparation of national communications from non-Annex I Parties ; ( iii ) to conduct two workshops with the objective of sharing experiences ; and ( iv ) to organize , to the extent possible , a meeting back-to-back with a meeting of the least developed countries expert group ( LEG ) . The Chair subsequently gave an overview of the activities undertaken by the CGE since its last report . This included a summary of the workshop held in April 2002 on the identification and assessment of technical problems and constraints faced by non-Annex I Parties that have yet to submit their initial national communications , as well as the outcomes of the fifth CGE meeting which addressed the issue of coordination of activities and programmes that facilitate and support the preparation of national communications from non-Annex I Parties , the work plan to fulfil its current mandate , the relationship between the CGE and the LEG and the exchange of views on potential activities for future improvement of the preparation of national communications . The Chair noted that the CGE , in implementing the mandate contained in decision 31 \/ CP . 7 , had held its first workshop from 10 to 12 April 2002 in Bonn , Germany . The workshop had facilitated the exchange of experiences with non-Annex I Parties on different issues related to the preparation of national communications . It had also provided the initial input by the CGE into the draft improved guidelines which was presented to the intersessional workshop on the revision of the guidelines for the preparation of national communications from non-Annex I Parties , held from 15 to 17 April 2002 in Bonn , Germany . The CGE had analysed views provided by some non-Annex I Parties ( not including least developed countries ) that had received funds more than three years ago for the preparation of their initial national communications and had not submitted them . Views on the technical problems and constraints Parties are facing had been provided by means of a questionnaire and presentations at the workshop . The CGE noted that those Parties faced methodological and analytical problems similar to those of Parties that had submitted their initial national communications . However , the presentations in the workshops had revealed additional institutional , management and resource constraints , as reported in document FCCC \/ SBI \/ 2002 \/ INF . 3 . According to the Chair , the CGE recognized the difficulties with the coordination of existing activities and programmes that facilitate and support the preparation of national communications from non-Annex I Parties . The CGE had thus recommended that exchange of information on existing activities and programmes be improved , for example by establishing a publicly accessible database on past and ongoing activities and programmes relating to the preparation of national communications . The CGE had also recognized with concern that important programmes that supported the preparation of national communications were no longer in place , without any consideration for their replacement . The Chair indicated that the CGE had stressed that there was a need for continuing the financial and technical assistance for the 62 non-Annex I Parties that were still in the process of preparing their initial national communications . Regarding the CGE work plan for the period between June and October 2002 , the Chair stated that the CGE had held discussions on its report to the seventeenth session of the subsidiary bodies and on a tentative programme for its second workshop . From these discussions , the CGE had agreed on the following : The report of the CGE to the seventeenth session of the subsidiary bodies would consist of a synthesis of the work accomplished by the CGE from its establishment at COP 5 up to COP 8 in October 2002 . It would also present the results of exchange of views on potential activities for future improvement of the preparation of national communications ; The CGE had decided to hold its second workshop from 7 to 9 August , possibly in Nassau , Bahamas , with the aim of completing its work on problems and constraints of non-Annex I Parties that had yet to submit their initial national communications , and on support programmes and activities . Countries that had not yet presented information on the technical problems and constraints that they were facing in the preparation of their initial national communications would be invited to do so at this workshop . Representatives of multilateral agencies that support the preparation of national communications would be invited to make presentations on their programmes in accordance with a framework that should be provided by the CGE . Presentations would also be made by experts on how to overcome some of the constraints that had been identified already . The Chair reported that the CGE had also discussed its relationship with the least developed countries expert group ( LEG ) . The group had noted that a back-to-back meeting would unfortunately not be feasible for 2002 as originally decided at COP 7 ( decision 31 \/ CP . 7 , paragraph 5 ) . The CGE , however , had stressed the importance of exchanging views between the two groups through the two common members , the consideration of each group's reports and the participation of experts from the LEG at the CGE workshops . The CGE had also discussed the provision of financial resources for the preparation of the second national communications . In the light of the gaps and constraints identified in the preparation of the initial national communications , the CGE recognized that it might be necessary to increase the financial resources to improve the process of the preparation of national communications . The CGE recommended that the distribution by the GEF of financial resources among Parties for the preparation of national communications should be based on transparent criteria , considering the specific needs of each Party . Furthermore , the CGE had exchanged views on possible future activities to improve the preparation of national communications from non-Annex I Parties and in this regard had identified as potential areas : a technical assessment of national communications on a voluntary basis ; organization of workshops on specific topics ; monitoring of capacity-building programmes and strengthening of coordination between the national communication processes ; and reporting activities under other environmental agreements . In line with this , it would be necessary to identify the appropriate institutional arrangements to support these activities . The Chair of the CGE stated that it was her belief that many of the technical issues , problems and constraints identified in the preparation of initial national communications , and recommendations made by the CGE , would form the basis upon which financial and technical support would be made available for the preparation of subsequent national communications from non-Annex I Parties . Therefore , the subsidiary bodies might wish to invite the financial mechanism and bilateral organizations to provide financial and technical resources to those non-Annex I Parties that were ready to start the preparation of their second national communications . In concluding , the Chair acknowledged the dedication and commitment provided by the CGE experts , and their respective governments and organizations who had supported their participation in the CGE . She also extended this acknowledgement to the other experts ( 101 participants representing 68 Parties ) that had participated in the CGE workshops . It was to these that the Chair , on behalf of the CGE , expressed her gratitude and thanks . The Chair also thanked the Governments of Australia , Finland , Germany ( through the Bonn Fund ) , Switzerland , the Netherlands and the United States of America for funding the CGE workshops and the UNFCCC secretariat for the excellent support it had provided to the CGE in the organization of its work and the production of its reports . * This document is submitted after the due date because all the necessary information was not available on time . Three regional workshops , one each for the regions of Africa , Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean , were held in 2000 ; one interregional workshop was held in 2001 ; and two interregional workshops were held in 2002 . Support programmes are those activities , projects and programmes which supported the preparation of initial national communications , and the preparation of various elements of the national communication ( e . g . national GHG inventories , vulnerability and adaptation assessment , mitigation assessment ) . The climate change enabling activities programmes include activities that are funded through expedited procedures , full projects that use standard procedures of funding , and projects covering limited components of initial national communications from non-Annex I Parties . See Report of the GEF to the Eighth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ( FCCC \/ CP \/ 2002 \/ 4 ) . English English English","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Gazing Balls And Globes Gazing Balls To many , the gazing globe seems to be a farly new piece of garden decor . In truth , gazing balls have a history dating back to gardens in the 13th century . And depending on its use , has been called many different names . The Garden Ball , Gazing Globe , and Garden Globe are all names we use today . Throughout history it 's been called a Witch Ball , Butler Globe , Globe of Happiness , and Victorian Ball . The ball also carries with it a few legends . It was said to bring happiness , good luck and prosperity to anyone who owned it . That 's a good enough reason to own one . The globe was also said to ward off evil spirits , misfortune , illness , and also witches ! There a different versions as to how it keeps witches away . Some say the ball should be placed near the entrance of the house so that if a witch came to your house , she would not be able to get past her reflection . Witches ca n't break away from thier own image . There are other stories that say a witch can not bear to see her own reflection so she will not come near a \" witch's ball \" . A witch also ca n't sneak up on a person gazing into a globe as he can see if a witch approaches from behind . The gazing globe had practical purposes as well . In Victorian times , the \" Butler Ball \" served as a mirror for servants to see when guests were needing assistance without staring at them throughout the meal . Another practical use was in the foyer of the home . Parents could keep a close eye on their daughter and her date as he bid her goodnight . Today , the gazing ball is used as an enhancement to the garden and landscaping . The reflective ball lets you see the whole garden , including the sky , in one glance . A group of different colored balls peeking out from between shrubs gives a whimsical appeal to the garden . It is a simple but elegant piece of garden decor that fits well in almost any application .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Recent theoretical studies have suggested that the observed suppression of superconductivity in superconductor \/ ferromagnet ( S \/ F ) heterostructures could be modulated by controlling the ferromagnetic exchange interaction in the superconductor . The exchange interaction in the superconductor is the sum of the exchange interaction from the ferromagnetic regions , which has a phase and magnitude that depends upon the direction that the ferromagnet is magnetised and the distance . As the exchange interaction has a phase it is possible that the contribution from two regions will cancel out . The exchange interaction , which can be viewed as an imbalance in the spin populations , suppresses superconductivity so any reduction in the exchange interaction will increase the superconducting transition temperature ( Tc ) of the heterostructure . Thus by changing the magnetisation of the ferromagnetic regions it is possible to control the exchange interaction in the superconductor and so the superconducting p. ..","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Rhinoplasty either can be considered a cosmetic plastic surgery or perhaps a medical surgery . There are patients who consider rhinoplasty to assist them to obtain pre-accident noses last very good condition . Others consider this action as a way of improving their facial features . Getting your nose lifted or even reduced will be your choice . If you believe rhinoplasty brings out your top in you , then , do it . A typical patient at a cosmetic surgeon's office is just not surviving in a mansion . Most patients who are looking for cosmetic procedures are regular professional who would like to spend a bit of their hard-earned money to look and feel better . While the wealthy will bear a few of this tax burden , like so many other taxes it 'll fall disproportionately about the middle class . By increasing the cost of cosmetic procedures , many of the treatments will now be out of reach of the average American . A facelift can be a cosmetic surgery procedure performed by a board certified plastic surgeon of choice so that you can lift up a sagging face . This operation targets the reduced seventy-five percent with the face , which includes the jowls , cheeks and neckline . If a person shows how old they are in their eyelids or brow area , they might prefer to have a brow lift instead or even simultaneously . Excessive wrinkling ought to be addressed in a very different or additional manner also . Botox is a good way to relax wrinkles away from one's facial surface . Resurfacing techniques like dermabrasion , microdermabrasion , and peels are alternate wrinkle removing techniques which entail taking out the upper layer of dermis so that you can present a smoother new surface upon healing . Facial liposuction is another approach to have a less invasive way for detaching the jowl and cheek pudginess which help with the haggard look . Once you have confirmed the best medical clinic , you will need to ensure that you are qualified to undergo the operation . There are several considerations that ought to be taken into consideration , specifically in your track record . Medical professionals should make certain you are safe from possible negative reactions in the surgery . In addition , it is also necessary for the medical companies to adhere to post-surgery protocols that would be vital for your fast and secured path towards recovery . Pay much attention in preventing unnecessary infections that may ruin the results of your respective operation . Also take notice that ideal results would just be appreciated following your marks in the operations have healed . And to do this , proper maintenance really required . Picking Simple and easy Advice For Abdominoplasty Exploring Realistic Plastic surgeon Barrie Secrets Tummy Tuck \u2013 Which Option is Right For You ' Will you be obtaining a full or a mini Tummy Tuck ' Do you know the difference ' you will be surprised to understand that many groups do n't have a clue what makes them different . What 's more , there are lots of groups that hath merely been aware of the method in passing and intheir minds believe that it is restricted to the rich and famous . However , An abdominoplasty is n't distinctive from any other type of surgery , regardless of whether may possibly not be medically necessary . General anesthesia is frequently applied , a surgical incision is done and also the surgeon operates in the body . Like other surgeries of all types , there 's a problem involved than simply the before an after . As you have noticed , men's and women's abdomens usually are not perfectly flat . There are curves and ridges that produce for attractive shapes of this type in the body . What this means is that the Denver liposuction specialist must also be a designer , in the sense that your physician will shape the abdominal area , detaching the fat cells where had to enable you to get the form that you desire . Results are noticeable soon after surgery and virtually all patients are content directly after the operation . It is important to remember that this operation is not a substitute for eating balanced and healthy diet and exercising . This type of cosmetic surgery requires maintenance with lifelong lifestyle modifications . Your doctor can help you find out more on eating and working out routines which will keep the flat abdomen for years to come . The benefits of these procedures are that they 're relatively painless , and 70 % of results can be seen from the first two days . A marked improvement healthy might be achieved . Possible risks include temporary swelling , bruising and minimal discomfort . Numbness , whether it occurs , usually disappears after a few months . For much more very nice websites and similar details visit this : Abdominoplasty thus I desire you should like it .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Those Xbox One and PS4 preorders went by pretty fast , huh ? If you overslept the day that retailers put them out , then good news : Walmart 's going to have a new stock of preorders available this Saturday , August 24 . So maybe South Park was wrong and Walmart 's not that evil after all . These are n't your average $ 5 minimum preorders , though . You 'll need to give a 10 percent down payment in order to reserve a shiny new console . So that means you 'll need to pay $ 40 for the PS4 and $ 50 for the Xbox One . But do n't fret if you ca n't immediately pay the rest . You have the option of paying in full when you preorder . This is pretty smart on Walmart's part , given that many people want these consoles but do n't have the $ 399-499 up front . The store will hold your console for you from launch date ( November 15 for the PS4 , the Xbox One's is still unknown ) until December 13 , and throughout that period you 'll be able to make payments to cover the cost of the system .","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"High Class Residential Care Home In Beautiful Surroundings Holly Bank Care Home The Promenade Arnside LA5 0AA Telephone 01524 761277 DUE TO RECENT REFURBISHMENT WE NOW HAVE SUPERIOR SINGLE AND COMPANION ROOMS AVAILABLE This well established residential care home is situated on the sea front in the picturesque village of Arnside in the heart of the Lake District Professional , sensitive care is constantly at hand from our friendly and highly qualified care team all of whom contribute to the family atmosphere that make our home so appealing Individual needs are respected and catered for and residents are encouraged to maintain their independence where possible Recent refurbishment of superior single rooms available Spacious lounges with large flat screen T. V. Recently created ultra modern hairdressing room Separate dining room Permanent or short stays available For further details or a brochure contact The Home Manager Holly Bank Residential Care Home The Promenade , Arnside LA5 0AA Tel 01524 761277","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Instructions Preparation Stand over barbell with balls of feet positioned under bar slightly wider apart than hip width . Squat down and grip bar with overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder width . Position shoulders over bar with back arched tightly . Arms are straight with elbows pointed along bar . Execution ( Clean ) Pull bar up off floor by extending hips and knees . As bar reaches knees , vigorously raise shoulders while keeping barbell close to thighs . When barbell passes mid-thigh , allow it to contact thighs . Jump upward extending body . Shrug shoulders and pull barbell upward with arms , allowing elbows to flex out to sides , keeping bar close to body . Aggressively pull body under bar , rotating elbows around bar . Catch bar on shoulders while moving into squat position . Hitting bottom of squat , stand up immediately . Execution ( Jerk ) Adjust grip if necessary . Inhale and position chest high with torso tight . Keeping pressure on heels , dip body by bending knees and ankles slightly . Explosively drive upward with legs , driving barbell up off shoulders . Drop body downward and split one foot forward and other backward as fast as possible , while vigorously extending arms over head . The split position places front shin vertical to floor with front foot flat on floor . The rear knee is slightly bent with rear foot positioned on toes . The bar should be positioned directly over ears at arm's length with back straight . Push up with both legs . Position feet side by side by bringing front foot back part way and then rear foot forward . Return Lower barbell to shoulders , then bend knees slightly and lower barbell to mid-thigh position . Slowly lower bar with taut lower back and trunk close to vertical . The advanced athlete may unload ( drop ) bar from completed position . This technique may be practiced to reduce stress or fatigue involved in lowering bar as prescribed . Use rubber weightlifting plates on weightlifting platform if this unloading method is used ( unless floor demolition is desired ) . Also known as Squat Clean and Jerk .","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Laurence Flynn Surgical House Officer played by Reece Shearsmith Laurence is a doctor that is not cut out for his job . Fresh out of medical college with failed first time final exam results he is determined to redeem himself of his past . But with the help of his neurotic personality , lack of sleep and unpopularity among the rest of the staff , everyday he draws closer and closer to a nervous breakdown . His hobbies include ranting about his working conditions , banging into various objects , screaming and shouting ' No ' and acting wide-eyed around nurse Judy . Dr Stephen Noble Surgical Registrar played by Alexander Armstrong Stephen is Laurence's mentor and only real friend however he mischievously enjoys the practical jokes played on Laurence ( some are set by himself ) . Although Stephen loves his medical career , he is world weary and cynical about the hospital he works in . If anything goes wrong in the surgical unit , Mr Ron usually blames Stephen . But Stephen does n ' t need to worry about that anymore because he can blame it all on Laurence ! Stephen's hobbies include surviving on coffee , having endless sex with other members of staff and winding Laurence up . ( And playing \/ watching rugby ) . Nurse Judy Conway Staff Nurse played by Georgia Mackenzie Judy is a smart , caring but devastatingly cool nurse on the surgical ward . Laurence has huge romantic passion for Judy , which she cruelly takes advantage of and becomes responsible for most of the practical jokes played on him . Judy's hobbies include playing practical jokes on Laurence , guarding coffee with the other nurses and hanging out with her nurse roommate Terry . Gasman Anaesthetist played by Erich Redman Gasman is a German anaesthetist that has an obsession with pain , which is worrying because his job is to relieve pain . He 's wonderful dream would be that a patient woke in the middle of an operation and is proud that the NHS is acceptable of meaningless suffering ! Gasman has only one hobby . Making sure he can get as much pain out of the patients ( and sometimes staff ) as he can ! Sister Charity Hope Ward Sister played by Llewella Gideon Charity is the sane mother figure of all the staff in the unit . She keeps everyone under control ( including Mr Ron ) and you can count on her to keep you safe if you 're a patient on her ward . Her hobbies include keeping her ward under control and using old body parts as earrings . Mr Benedict Ron Director of Surgery played by Richard Griffiths Mr Ron is the head of the department who is loving and caring towards his patients but sadly is n't a very good surgeon . Laurence is n't on Mr Ron's good list since he will always find that he has been up to some sort of trouble . Mr Ron's hobbies include shouting Laurence's surname and blaming others for his failed operations . Terry Cheung Theatre Nurse played by Benedict Wong Terry is a gay nurse that has a crush on Laurence but is n't afraid to show it . In theatre he makes campy comments towards him embarrassing Laurence in front of the surgical team . Terry , in partnership with Judy , is also responsible for some of the practical jokes played on Laurence although want he really wants from him is a ... Terry's hobbies include flirting with Laurence and hanging out with Judy . Other Appearances Various other people appeared as patients in TLC . The actors included Paul Putner as the Chef , Edna Dor\u00e9 as Ethel , Pip Torrens as Mr. Copperfield , Frank Harper as Frank Briggs and Rebecca Santos as Juanita .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Iraq suicide attacks : Ambulances used in Tikrit and Samarra From the section Middle East Burnt-out buses at the scene of a suicide blast in Samarra on 6 November 2016 A mosque car park was targeted in Samarra , killing Shia pilgrims Islamic State Islamic State group : The full story Is so-called Islamic State finished ? Islamic State and the crisis in Iraq and Syria in maps Why is Dabiq so important for IS ? Suicide bombers have used explosives-laden ambulances to kill at least 21 people and wound many others in the Iraqi cities of Tikrit and Samarra . The so-called Islamic State ( IS ) group said it had carried out both attacks . The attack in the holy city of Samarra targeted Shia pilgrims , including Iranians . A queue of vehicles waiting to enter Tikrit was also hit . Further north , government forces continue to battle IS in Mosul , but deadly street fighting has slowed them . They are facing fierce resistance as they push through the city's eastern and southern suburbs , blocked by concrete barricades and snipers on rooftops . Slow progress The deadliest of Sunday's blasts happened in Tikrit , some 200km ( 123 miles ) south of Mosul . A suicide bomber drove a booby-trapped ambulance into a line of vehicles queuing at a checkpoint at the southern entrance to the city , once the hometown of executed former leader Saddam Hussein . The blast was so huge it blew some victims into a nearby river . Firefighter hoses down remnants of suicide bomb blast near Tikrit on 6 November 2016 The scene of the blast in Tikrit Iraqi forces inspect the site of a suicide bomb attack near Tikrit on 6 November 2016 A queue of cars waiting at a checkpoint were hit In Samarra , further south , another ambulance was detonated in a car park for the al-Askari mosque - one of the holiest shrines in Shia Islam . Iranian pilgrims were among the dead . The number of dead and wounded at both attacks varies between reports . Media captionBBC Arabic's Feras Kilani in Mosul , with cameraman Marek Polaszewski : \" A large armed car drives packed with explosives drives directly into the convoy \" Iraq's special forces ( CTS ) have secured a foothold in the eastern districts of Mosul but have moved only a kilometre since Friday . They are now pushing into more densely populated areas and have had to curtail air strikes in order to protect civilians . CTS spokesman Sabah al-Numani said they were facing \" the toughest urban warfare that any force in the world could undertake \" , with sniper fire from rooftops and IS militants using false flags of surrender to entice troops towards car bombs . Satellite images show the erection of barricades on key routes . IS has also dug ditches , some of which have been filled with water . The IS-linked news agency , Amaq , released images of destroyed government military vehicles . Satellite images of MosulImage copyrightSTRATFOR.COM \/ AIRBUS Satellite images show IS barricades on key routes in Mosul and razed ground near the airport Satellite images of MosulImage copyrightSTRATFOR.COM \/ AIRBUS Closer-up image of the line of barricades Civilians in Mosul's eastern Gogjali areaImage copyrightAP Troops in Mosul are faced not only with battling IS but evacuating thousands of civilians One resident of the Quds district told Reuters by telephone : \" We still ca n't go out of our houses ... mortars are falling continuously on the quarter . \" Another resident in Malayeen district said IS fighters had set mobile homes ablaze to use as a smokescreen . Government troops have gained control of Hammam al-Alil , about 15km ( 10 miles ) south of Mosul on the Tigris river , despite fierce resistance . Lt-Gen Raed Shakir Jawdat said security forces were in control of the centre of the town , but did not say whether IS militants had been pushed out completely . Fighting is also continuing in Bashiqa , 13km north-east of Mosul . More on this story The battle so far On schedule but not exactly to plan How IS sells the battle for Mosul Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi , visiting the front line to the east of Mosul , said the government-led forces \" will not retreat and will not be broken \" . \" My message to IS , \" he said , \" if they want to save their lives they should lay down their weapons now . \" Mosul fell to the jihadists in June 2014 and their leader , Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi , chose a mosque in the city as a place to proclaim the establishment of a \" caliphate \" . Before the offensive began on 17 October , there were believed to be between 3,000 and 5,000 militants remaining in Mosul , along with up to 1.5 million civilians .","labels":"News","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"National Transitions of Care Coalition ( NTOCC ) Launches Three New Resources to Assist Practitioners in Addressing Issues Related to Transitions \" The Compendium was developed to serve as a centralized online resource for clinical practitioners and consumers , \" explained NTOCC Advisory Task Force member and Chair of the NTOCC Measure Workgroup Mary Fermazin , M.D. , MPA , Vice President of the Health Policy and Quality Measurement and Chief Medical Officer for HSAG-California , Health Services Advisory Group . \" The searchable database contains descriptions and links to hundreds of journal articles , white papers , web sites , forms , and other care-transitions resources . This allows interested users to have a convenient centralized place to easily access materials that will help them improve care transitions . The interface allows users to search for relevant items by key words or by predetermined categories , organized by Care Strategy and Care Setting . The Compendium , which will be periodically updated , also offers a feature that allows users to recommend new resources . \" NTOCC recently convened a team of experts in the field of electronic medical records ( EMR ) , care coordination , transitions of care , patients and family caregiver advocates to examine current EMR systems and protocols . From those findings , a HIT white paper was created addressing how EMR can promote healthy transitions of care . \" Improving Transitions of Care with Health Information Technology \" is a comprehensive body of work that includes HIT barriers and gaps supporting EMRs , defines potential areas for improvement , and highlights four distinct issues that stockholders can consider when striving to address the mandate for incorporation of EMR . H. Edward Davidson , PharmD , MPH , Assistant Professor of Clinical Internal Medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School and an NTOCC Task Force member commented that \" the release of these two new resources should assist a broad level of professionals in their quest to improve transitions of care . The Compendium , a comprehensive collection of peer-reviewed literature , model programs , and other published resources , should aid those seeking answers to specific transitions-of-care questions . The position paper is an up-to-date snapshot of HIT barriers and gaps in supporting transitions of care , and offers strategic direction for areas needing improvement . \" NTOCC also updated its Concept Paper recently to include a brief addendum of findings and considerations of the \" Vision of the National Transitions of Care Coalition . \" Featured in the addendum is information specific to improving transitional communications ; reconciling medication through electronic health records ; identifying the expanded role of pharmacists ; and establishing points of accountability for case management , care coordination , payment systems incentives , and performance measures . ###","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"With accreditation to BS EN ISO 9001 : 2000 for all of our project consultancy activities , our Business Management System ( BMS ) allows us to deliver a consistently high level of service on every assignment . Our commitment to quality starts from our initial contact with each client and continues throughout the delivery of our services , including : The BMS is subject to a continuous process of review and development . This ensures that Improcom's business process continues not only to support our consultants in the field but also to respond to the needs of our clients . The high quality standards we employ help keep clients coming back to Improcom .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Agenda The situation concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo . The meeting was called to order at 10.45 a . m . Expression of thanks to the retiring President The President : As this is the first open meeting of the Security Council for the month of August , I should like to take the opportunity to pay tribute , on behalf of the Council , to His Excellency Sir Jeremy Greenstock , Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations , for his service as President of the Security Council for the month of July 2002 . I am sure I speak for all members of the Council in expressing deep appreciation to Ambassador Greenstock for the great diplomatic skill with which he conducted the Council's business last month . Adoption of the agenda The agenda was adopted . The situation concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo The President : I should like to inform the Council that I have received letters from the representatives of the Democratic Republic of the Congo , Rwanda and South Africa , in which they request to be invited to participate in the discussion of the item on the Council's agenda . In conformity with the usual practice , I propose , with the consent of the Council , to invite those representatives to participate in the discussion , without the right to vote , in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter and rule 37 of the Council's provisional rules of procedure . There being no objection , it is so decided . On behalf of the Council , I extend a warm welcome to Her Excellency Ms. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma , Minister for Foreign Affairs of South Africa . At the invitation of the President , Ms. Dlamini Zuma ( South Africa ) took a seat at the Council table . The President : On behalf of the Council , I extend a warm welcome to His Excellency Mr. L\u00e9onard She Okitundu , Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo . At the invitation of the President , Mr. She Okitundu ( Democratic Republic of the Congo ) took a seat at the Council table . The President : On behalf of the Council , I also extend a warm welcome to His Excellency Mr. Patrick Mazimpaka , Special Envoy of the President of Rwanda on the Great Lakes Region . At the invitation of the President , Mr. Mazimpaka ( Rwanda ) took a seat at the Council table . The President : The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda . The Council is meeting in accordance with the understanding reached in its prior consultations . I would like to extend a warm welcome to the Secretary-General , Mr. Kofi Annan , and to thank our special guests for having come so far at such short notice . They have shown great statesmanship by signing an Agreement that represents an important step towards ending a war that that has cost countless lives and produced immeasurable suffering . With the help of South African President Mbeki , the signatory heads of State have for the first time met to pledge to bring this difficult chapter in their history to a close . They should be applauded . The Agreement signed in Pretoria on 30 July provides a real opportunity for progress . Members of the Council want to understand fully the provisions of the Agreement and the intentions of the parties to ensure that all those who will play a role in making the Agreement work understand their responsibilities and obligations . Implementation will be a difficult and complicated task that will require unswerving commitment by the parties and by the international community . Having said that by way of introduction , I shall now give the floor to the Secretary-General . The Secretary-General : I shall be brief this morning . Let me say how happy I am to see the representatives of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda here this morning , as well as , of course , Minister Dlamini Zuma , representing South Africa , which co-facilitated this agreement . I believe that the signing of the peace agreement between the Governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda in Pretoria on 30 July represents an important political milestone which could help pave the way towards a lasting resolution of one of Africa's most complex conflicts . The parties have indicated their determination to honour this agreement and to end the conflict . We , on our side , should do whatever we can to assist them in implementing the agreement . I applaud President Mbeki for his important contribution to the agreement in his capacity as Chairman of the African Union . The two presidents have committed themselves to achieving peace and , specifically , to working with each other to achieve it . That is very encouraging . We must now quickly approach the parties in a pragmatic manner and urge them to take the steps required to operationalize the agreement as soon as possible . I believe that the international community must provide all necessary support to ensure the success of this initiative . The momentum established must be maintained and built upon . I hope this meeting of the Council can contribute to that . I have instructed the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ( MONUC ) to determine which actions it can take within its current mandate and resources to assist the parties to carry out the agreement . However , the parties need to be perfectly clear on the tasks to be performed and to provide the necessary information in order for MONUC to define its specific role . The Secretariat is also looking forward to receiving a team of experts from South Africa \u2013 in fact , I think they have arrived today \u2013 to discuss together the support that the process requires and how we move forward from here . I therefore expect to revert to the Council in due course with specific recommendations for MONUC after the Secretariat undertakes intensive consultations with the parties concerned . The presence with us today of the South African Foreign Minister , as well as of Mr. She Okitundu of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mr. Mazimpaka of Rwanda is particularly valuable because it enables you to engage directly with the Council and enables the Council to engage you on issues that are directly concerned with the implementation of the agreement . Of course , I look forward to a very serious dialogue not only here in the Council but also with the various United Nations departments . I think that reflects the value of the new partnership between the African Union and the United Nations . I am now eager to listen to the Foreign Minister of South Africa and to the representatives of the parties so that we can gain a full and detailed understanding of this important agreement and this implementation as soon as possible . The President : I now give the floor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of South Africa . Ms. Dlamini Zuma ( South Africa ) : Mr. President , allow me to congratulate you on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month of August . Let me also express our sincere gratitude for inviting us to address the Council on an important development in our continent . I would also like to pay tribute to the Secretary-General for his tireless efforts and contribution to bring about peace and stability throughout the African continent . The recent launch of the African Union has highlighted our commitment to peace and development in Africa . We believe that the United Nations can be an important partner as we rebuild our continent , especially using the principles enshrined in the New Partnership for Africa's Development ( NEPAD ) . Last week , the Presidents of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Rwandese Republic took an important step by signing a peace agreement on the withdrawal of the Rwandan troops from the territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the dismantling of the former Rwandan Army ( ex-FAR ) and Interahamwe forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo . This peace agreement assumes greater significance in that it comes in the wake of the tremendous progress that was made by the Congolese people in the inter-Congolese dialogue , which was held in our country earlier this year . This agreement is very important , and it is at the centre of the peace process . It therefore gives a strong signal of political will on the sides of both Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to expedite a peace process between themselves . It is very important that we all support and encourage the implementation of this agreement . We can not be seen to be less than enthusiastic about it . To understand the agreement before us , we must go back to the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement of 1999 . In that agreement , there was a question on how to deal with the foreign forces that had come into the Democratic Republic of the Congo . Everyone acknowledged that the foreign troops would have to withdraw in order to allow the people of the country to decide on their future without any external interference . The problem remained of the presence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo of the armed military groups such as Interahamwe and ex-FAR , which were implicated in the Rwandese genocide . In the years since the signing of the Lusaka Agreement , it has become even more clear that the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo could not be resolved until the matter of the armed groups was addressed . We are all aware that these armed groups operate freely within the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and not only continue to pose a real threat to the people of Rwanda but can destabilize the Democratic Republic of the Congo itself . We welcome the declared wish of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo not to have those armed groups utilize its territory for launching attacks against its neighbours . We also welcome the commitment of the Government of Rwanda to withdraw its forces from the Democratic Republic of the Congo as soon as those military groups cease to be a threat to the people of Rwanda . At the launch of the African Union , a crucial meeting was held when President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and President Paul Kagame of Rwanda met for the first time . The meeting was held in the presence of President Mbeki and Secretary-General Kofi Annan , who was accompanied by senior leadership of United Nations Secretariat and of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ( MONUC ) . Follow-up meetings were later held with ministers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda , together with MONUC . In this regard , we would like to pay tribute to MONUC for its role in supporting peace efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo . Despite its limited strength and the difficult conditions that prevail , MONUC has managed to carry out its duties . The Durban meeting laid the basis for the peace agreement . It was where both President Kagame and President Kabila asked President Mbeki and Secretary-General Annan to act jointly as a third party guaranteeing the agreement . From the outset we wish to make clear that the agreement signed between the two Governments is a reflection of their wishes and interests . Furthermore , it does not supplant the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement of 1999 and subsequent agreements but , rather , complements all of them . The need for this Agreement stems from the recognition that progress in establishing lasting peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo can not be registered without resolving the conflict between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda . There is no doubt that the developments of the last month have created a political momentum that must be seized and supported by all actors concerned , including the international community . That momentum , in turn , requires that every one of us do everything necessary to achieve the targets set out in the programme of implementation . This Agreement has given the rare gift of hope to the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to all the countries of the Great Lakes region . We can not , therefore , be seen to have contributed to the slowing down of the peace process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo , Rwanda and , indeed , in the rest of the Great Lakes region . We therefore look forward to the discussions this morning as a step forward towards taking the peace process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes region to higher levels . The President : I give the floor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Republic of the Congo . Mr. She Okitundu ( Democratic Republic of the Congo ) ( spoke in French ) : Mr. President , we wish to associate ourselves with earlier speakers in offering you our warmest congratulations and in saying how gratified our delegation is to see you presiding over the Security Council in this month of August 2002 . We believe that your intellectual skills and your diplomatic talents , together with your lengthy experience of international relations , will ensure the success of the work of the Council this month . We wish also to convey to your predecessor , Sir Jeremy Greenstock of the United Kingdom , our warm congratulations and our sincere thanks for having guided the work of the Security Council with a great deal of energy and skill last month . We also wish thank you , Sir , for having convened this important meeting of the Security Council on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo , which certainly once again has the merit of helping us better to evaluate the peace process that is under way and to welcome the recent and very significant advances made to put an end to the war of aggression that has been waged against my country for more than four years now . We hope also that it will help to pave the way towards lasting peace for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and for all the countries of the region . The Security Council has just heard a comprehensive statement by Ms. Nkosazana Clarice Dlamini Zuma , the Minister for Foreign Affairs of South Africa . The Minister has clearly and eloquently described the Peace Agreement that was concluded at Pretoria on 30 July between our Government and that of the Republic of Rwanda , as well as the programme for implementation covering the withdrawal of Rwandese troops from the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the dismantling of the former Rwandan army ( ex-FAR ) and Interahamwe forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo . The Minister has described what is at stake in the Peace Agreement and the prospects for success . We fully share her vision , and \u2013 as our head of State , Major-General Joseph Kabila , President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo , stated at the signing ceremony of the Agreement \u2013 the obligations and commitments undertaken by the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo pursuant to this peace agreement will be scrupulously complied with . Here we wish to extend our very sincere thanks to President Thabo Mbeki , his Government and the people of South Africa for their determination , and I would even say their obstinacy , which took us from Sun City to Pretoria by way of Durban , to ensure that peace prevails once again in the Great Lakes region . We wish also to pay tribute to our regional organization , the African Union , which , through the Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity ( OAU ) , Mr. Salim Ahmed Salim , was the first to highlight the useless and senseless nature of this war of aggression . The efforts of the interim Chairman of its Commission , Mr. Amara Essy , has always been , and remains , decisive in the quest to restore peace and calm to our region . May I lastly thank Mr. Kofi Annan , Secretary-General of our universal Organization , for his important statement . We are very grateful to him for having lent his moral weight by endorsing the Pretoria Agreement . We wish in this connection to express our full appreciation for all of his endeavours , and especially for his commitment to tirelessly exploring all possibilities likely to bring about a successful and prompt conclusion of the peace process that began at Lusaka . In order to settle the question of the war of aggression once and for all , since last year our Government has been in direct contact with the leaders of countries whose forces are illegally occupying our country , pursuant to the relevant resolutions of the Security Council , which call for the holding of such meetings in order to establish the necessary relations of trust in order to promote the cause of peace . For his part , the Secretary-General , Mr. Kofi Annan , has tirelessly committed himself to this process , particularly in terms of organizing meetings with the Rwandese party , the most recent of which , at which he was present , took place in Durban , in parallel with the OAU \/ African Union Summit . The Pretoria Agreement , which is basically bilateral and guaranteed by the third party , falls \u2013 as the South African Minister said just now \u2013 within the framework of the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement . In this regard , the Pretoria Agreement is likely greatly to facilitate and speed up the completion of the remaining phases provided for in the timetable for the implementation of the Lusaka Agreement . The Pretoria Agreement is also in conformity with the provisions of the relevant resolutions of the Security Council calling for the orderly withdrawal of all foreign troops and in particular resolution 1341 ( 2001 ) , whereby the Council , for the first time , called for , among other things , the elaboration of a plan and a precise timetable which would lead to the finalization of the total and orderly withdrawal of foreign troops , as well as for disarmament , demobilization , reintegration and repatriation or resettlement ( DDRRR ) programmes . With respect to the DDRRR process , the Democratic Republic of the Congo undertakes strictly to comply with its obligations under this Agreement , inter alia , by pursuing the process of the demobilization and disarmament of Rwandese combatants which began at Kamina and by extending it to other areas of the country under foreign occupation as the authority of the State is established there . Moreover , we would like to express to the international community as a whole our trust in the fact that we will receive support from it in the simultaneous process of the withdrawal of troops and repatriation , reintegration and resettlement of combatants in their countries of origin , in conformity with international law . With respect to the withdrawal of foreign troops , it should be noted that the majority of the parties to the conflict had already submitted their plans to the Joint Military Commission and have commenced their withdrawal . Among the countries that came to the assistance of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in defending its national sovereignty and its territorial integrity \u2013 countries that we wish once again to thank on behalf of the Republic for the sacrifice of their sons and daughters to the noble cause of truth , justice and dignity \u2013 Namibia has totally withdrawn , and Angola and Zimbabwe have repatriated a large number of their contingents . As to the uninvited forces , withdrawal movements have been observed only on the part of Uganda and Burundi . Rwanda , for its part , has considerably increased its forces and remains the only country to be engaged in large-scale military operations on Congolese soil . There will be tremendous rejoicing when the Congolese people , the third party and the international community are officially informed , in a few hours , of the withdrawal plan for Rwandese troops from the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo , pursuant to the programme of implementation of the Pretoria Agreement . Another promising sign will be the beginning of the demilitarization of the city of Kisangani , pursuant to resolution 1304 ( 2000 ) . This city , as we have stated before , must no longer be the symbol of the martyrdom of a whole nation . It must , rather , become the political and physical symbol of renewal and return to dignity for the whole of the Congolese people , the emblem of the hope for a better life for present and future generations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo . At the same time , all illegal activities to exploit the natural resources and other forms of wealth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo , which feed the continued war of aggression , must end . Our Government , which is fully cooperating with the group of experts set up for that purpose , will ensure that this is done . The Agreement is certainly the most serious opportunity for peace since the beginning of the war of aggression on 2 August 1998 . It provides a response \u2013 which we hope is adequate \u2013 to Rwanda's security concerns , although it is the Democratic Republic of the Congo that has been experiencing total insecurity for four years . The Agreement also envisages the restoration of the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo , which was gravely imperilled by the Rwandan presence . Finally , the Agreement embodies the ingredients for a return to normality for the countries and the peoples of the Great Lakes region . We must succeed , but we must be helped to succeed . The international community , which welcomed the Pretoria Agreement , must invest in it tangibly and unstintingly , on either the bilateral or the multilateral level , to assist the two signatory parties and the third parties in their determination to end a conflict that has caused the deaths of more than 3 million people in four years . For its part , the United Nations can help immediately , especially by formulating for its Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo a new concept of operations that would effectively activate phase III of its deployment and would both support the verification mechanism and enable it to participate in the execution structure that the third party will put in place , within the framework of the Pretoria Agreement . Action is needed now . The situation \u2013 which continues to be fragile , as demonstrated by recent events in Kisangani and by the deadly skirmishes between the Rwandese Patriotic Army and Congolese combatants of Tutsi origin in the high plateaux of Kivu \u2013 may worsen . That would augur ill for the credibility of the United Nations as a whole . We must avoid that at all costs . The improvement in the prospects for peace in the Great Lakes region enables us to look with more serenity to the process of reconciliation and national concord in our country . The political agreement for consensual management of the transition in the Democratic Republic of the Congo , concluded at Sun City , has made possible the reunification of more than 70 per cent of the national territory . Talks are now under way , on the one hand , with the signatory parties to the Sun City agreement and , on the other , with the other armed component , its dissidents and the components of society and the unarmed opposition , in order to define the contours of an agreement that would be more consensual and inclusive . The essential here is that we must procrastinate no longer , but rather must decide to make headway on this issue . In that regard , we are convinced that the efforts of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General , Mr. Moustapha Niasse , will meet with success . Those working to advance the transition will certainly be political leaders of all stripes , but also leaders representing religious faiths , the academic world , the media , private and public enterprise and civil society . Leaders dedicated to the moral values of governance , their greatest virtues remain disinterest and love of country . As Mrs. Mary Robinson , United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights , noted in her report to the Council , impunity remains one of the principal causes of human rights violations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo . Putting an end to such impunity is a fundamental requirement for the return to a durable peace in the region . The choice of transition leaders should take that requirement into account . Such an approach is in conformity with the recommendations in the High Commissioner's report , namely , strengthening the rule of law and the administration of justice , and the creation of mechanisms whereby all those responsible for human rights violations and for war crimes must answer for their acts . The creation of a truth and reconciliation commission on the South African model could provide an element of response . We must do justice for the millions of Congolese dead , formulating concrete measures with a view to putting an end to impunity , compensating victims and preventing the resurgence of such acts . The process of restoring peace and establishing and consolidating relations of trust must continue and be strengthened by increased credibility for the United Nations and the Security Council , for there is a risk of seeing crumble the whole edifice of the partnership that the Council has patiently built with the parties bound by the Lusaka Agreement . The United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ( MONUC ) needs to review its operations , particularly with regard to the protection of civilians under imminent threat of physical violence , as the Council reaffirmed in resolution 1417 ( 2002 ) . The Council must redefine the concept of MONUC's operations in order to enable it to properly carry out the mission conferred on it by the Pretoria Agreement . MONUC must be given the means to enable it to operate and have unhindered access to needy populations . For example , it is indispensable that the MONUC team be authorized without further delay to have access to the locality of Minembwe in the high plateaux . It is also imperative that the reopening of the river network for humanitarian assistance and commercial trade between Kinshasa and Kisangani become a reality and that the city of Kisangani be accessible once river traffic is opened to trade in the reunified zones , pursuant to the Sun City agreement . Here , I should like to pay tribute to our friends in MONUC , under the leadership of Mr. Amos Namanga Ngongi , Special Representative of the Secretary-General , for the quality of the work that they have done and for their total devotion to the cause of peace and the restoration of dignity to the Democratic Republic of the Congo . Their efforts deserve to be encouraged and supported . For their part , the States of the region must supplement their efforts . First , it is urgent that the Democratic Republic of the Congo conclude with the Governments of Uganda and Burundi agreements similar to the Pretoria Agreement . The Government of Burundi has , in a timely manner , informed us of its intention to do this . Contacts have already been made at the highest level . We must translate into concrete action the good will expressed on both sides . Then we must sit down together and discuss our region's future . The international conference for peace , stability , security and development that we earnestly wish for should lay the basis for a new order . The international conference could help the region's countries ensure the security of their States and of their populations so that no element can intervene to disrupt order and tranquillity , while at the same time conceiving , defining and fostering the creation and development of economic activities of common interest and , lastly , promoting and intensifying trade and the movement of persons and goods . A new order at the regional level presupposes a new order at the national level . Processes of democratic transition are under way in our country and in Burundi . We remain certain that they will succeed . Furthermore , we welcome the willingness expressed by the Rwandese authorities to hold elections in their country in the medium term . We ask the international community to assist that country's efforts so that it can restore internal peace and national concord . In saying that , the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo wishes to assure all its partners \u2013 in particular our brothers in neighbouring countries \u2013 f our fervent desire to live in perfect harmony with the whole world , in a spirit of tolerance , solidarity and frank cooperation . The Pretoria Agreement is the very foundation for restoring the trust that has been lost , on the basis of which we can together renew the bonds of friendship and good-neighbourliness that should govern our future relations . The Democratic Republic of the Congo will never serve as a channel to sow discord and desolation in any country , in particular our neighbours . That is a sacred principle of our diplomacy , which we have always wished to be constructive and not subversive . The Democratic Republic of the Congo looks forward to the advent of a region where peace , security , justice and prosperity prevail . The President : I now give the floor to the Special Envoy of the President of Rwanda on the Great Lakes Region . Mr. Mazimpaka ( Rwanda ) : It is my honour to congratulate you , Sir , as others who have spoken before me have done , on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month of August . In addition , allow me , through you , to extend our recognition to your predecessor , the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom , for the way in which he conducted the affairs of the Council last month . We have come to the Council today , at its invitation , to present what we believe is an unprecedented step towards the resolution of the conflict that has afflicted Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo , in the main , and the Great Lakes Region as a whole , since the signing of the Lusaka Agreement for a ceasefire in the Democratic Republic of the Congo , in 1999 . The Pretoria Agreement provides solutions for what up to now have been intractable problems in the implementation of the Lusaka Agreement . The problem of the forces that carried out genocide and then relocated to bases in Zaire , later the Democratic Republic of the Congo , has preoccupied the Council and the signatories for a long time , without their having found a clear solution . Throughout , the Council continued to urge Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to work together to resolve the root causes of the conflict , that is , to find how to dissuade the former Rwandan Army ( ex-FAR ) and Interahamwe forces from carrying out attacks on Rwanda from bases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo . Today we firmly believe that our plan , worked out with the help of the President of the Republic of South Africa and with the encouragement and support of the Secretary-General , has a chance to succeed . We appeal to the Council to do its utmost to assist us along this path . At the signing ceremony in Pretoria , South Africa , of what is now known as the Pretoria Agreement or the Peace Agreement between the Governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Rwanda , President Paul Kagame characterized the Agreement as very important . He said that because the Agreement addresses two core issues that underlie the conflict : first , how to resolve the problem of the ex-FAR and Interahamwe and , secondly , the withdrawal of all former forces from the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo . By addressing those two issues , the Agreement paves the way for peace and stability , which have eluded our respective countries for a long time . Those familiar with the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement , including the Council , know that we have been painfully aware of the poor record of our performance in the area of the disarmament , demobilization and repatriation of the armed groups . As crucial as that part of the Lusaka Agreement may be , the parties have so far failed to make any headway in effecting any meaningful disarmament and , hence , in reducing the security threat to affected countries , principally Rwanda . What the Pretoria Agreement brings to the process is a solemn commitment by the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to track , assemble and disarm ex-FAR and Interahamwe , in collaboration with the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ( MONUC ) , the Joint Military Commission ( JMC ) and the third party . Rwanda , in turn , undertook to withdraw its troops from the Democratic Republic of the Congo as soon as this process gets under way and is judged to be irreversible . Let me recall here that Rwanda's commitment to the repatriation and reintegration of combatants has withstood the test of time , numbers and adverse conditions . Since 1994 , a large number of members of the former Armed Forces of Rwanda have rejoined the military service in our country or been demobilized like any members of the national forces . The militias who accompanied these forces in the wars in the Congo have also come home in large numbers and have been resettled into normal civilian life . The now-well-documented 2,000 captives of the 2001 war in the north-west of Rwanda have by now been settled , and some of them have actually formed a group to carry out sensitization work among those who are still in Congo , using the themes of national unity and reconciliation , which they have witnessed in the country . Recently , this group accompanied MONUC to Benin to help in confidence-building among the small group of combatants who had indicated that they wanted to go home . Unfortunately , for that particular operation , the heavy presence of detractors of this process made it impossible for the group to go home , although they had been waiting for two months to be repatriated . We hope that in the future such groups will not be exposed to so-called political leaders and other agents who interfere with their wish to return home . Through the work of MONUC and the JMC we are all aware , or will have an idea , about where the ex-Far and Interahamwe are operating from in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and how they are organized . Indeed , it is on that basis that assembly areas were planned . Those plans were approved by the signatories to the Lusaka Agreement . We need MONUC's assistance to make the assembly areas operational and secure . The repatriation exercise will require more resources , particularly for transport and resettlement . The Government of Rwanda will continue to do its part in ensuring that this process is successful . Rwanda is grateful for all the assistance the United Nations has provided in our trying times . We hope that the Council will see the resolution of the conflict in the region as a shared challenge . Rwanda is grateful to President Thabo Mbeki and the rest of the leadership of the Republic of South Africa for their commitment to peace in our region . Equally , we warmly welcome the commitment of President Mbeki as Chairman of the African Union ( AU ) , as well as that of the Secretaries-General of the AU and of the United Nations , to see the Agreement implemented as signed . We appeal for continued support for all the parties involved in the conflict , as this effort alone can not resolve all the outstanding problems \u2013 such as the need to work out an all-inclusive agreement and to achieve the withdrawal of all other foreign forces . On this occasion , Rwanda fully recognizes the problems caused by the presence and activities of our nationals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo . That is why we salute and welcome the decision of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to negotiate this Agreement , as well as the leadership demonstrated by President Joseph Kabila in signing the Pretoria Agreement . In this spirit , we believe that all the other outstanding issues should find solutions through a sincere and pragmatic exchange among the countries of our region . Allow me to conclude my remarks by reiterating the commitment President Paul Kagame made on behalf of the people of Rwanda on the occasion of the signing of the Peace Agreement in Pretoria at the end of last month . \" Rwanda is ready to fulfil its part of the obligations as agreed in this Memorandum of Understanding . We are going to sign . We stand ready to work with you , our African brothers and sisters , and to work with the rest of the international community so as to bring about peace and security , which are very important to the people to Rwanda , the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the whole people of Africa . \" The President : There are no further speakers inscribed on my list for this portion of the meeting this morning . The Security Council will continue the consideration of this item on its agenda following the adjournment of the open meeting , whereupon we will enter into a private meeting . But before adjourning this portion of the meeting , I would like to thank the Secretary-General for his presence in having joined us this morning . The meeting rose at 11.35 a . m . This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the interpretation of speeches delivered in the other languages . The final text will be printed in the Official Records of the Security Council . Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only . They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service , room C-178 .","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Role of Lead Consultants for Flexible Training A named Lead Consultant has been identified from most of the Specialty Training Committees . The Consultant is important in speaking to training issues concerning flexible trainees in that speciality and in acting as a liaison between the Speciality Training Committee and the Flexible Training Office . Roles and responsibilities include : 1 . informed opinion on the Speciality Training Committee on matters concerning flexible training in that speciality and the flexible trainees currently in training ; 2 . receiving on behalf of the speciality , current information about the flexible training scheme and flexible opportunities ; 3 . ensuring through the Speciality Training committee and with the Programme Directors that there are available part-time training programmes which fulfil the Colleges' curricular requirements and which are appropriate for intending flexible trainees . 4 . advising individual trainees : - ( a ) about flexible training opportunities in their speciality and practical considerations associated with this ; ( b ) when appropriate , approve eligibility for flexible training , help implement flexible training at SpR grade , keeping Flexible Training Office informed , and co-ordinating arrangements with Specialty training Committee Chairman and Programme Directors . ( c ) from an overview of the flexible trainees and training opportunities to advise the Flexible Training Office about job--share opportunities and to help implement these where possible ; 5 . facilitating return to full-time training if requested by trainee .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Johnson Controls , Inc planned to become a LEED Platinum Certified complex so they employed TAB to move and repurpose their file storage equipment - leaving only a single garbage can of waste at the end of the project ! Read Case Study Download our case study for the details on how we executed a fully managed document conversion for this organization , streamlining the scanning process along the way to leave the company in an excellent position to deal with future growth . Read Case Study If you could use your records storage space to help generate revenue instead of storing files , would you ? Banner Life Insurance Company said yes . Find out how TAB helped them purge their files and create storage space ! Read Case Study DaVita Inc. , the leading private provider of kidney care services in the United States , was looking to centralize their HR records . Since they already had a great relationship with TAB , implementing a solution with TAB FusionRMS was the perfect choice to centralizing records while giving employees access to these documents quickly and securely . Read Case Study A Land Registry Office storage and manages official documents such as maps , site plans and highway schematics . When the decision to move offices was made , one LRO saw an opportunity to improve the efficiency of their large document storage facility to better serve the public . Read Case Study When Manitoba Finance switched their clients to a single business number to improve service , they needed to merge their legacy filing systems into one , and convert all existing files to match the new system . Read Case Study If you could free-up all of the resources your organization currently uses to label files , would you ? When TAB put this question to the management at a major financial institution , the answer was a resounding \" yes \" . Find out what we did for them to help them save upwards of $ 250 , 000 a year ! Read Case Study The Land Records file room for a leading energy company wanted a more efficient way to incorporate the high volume of new files generated from their constant acquisition of assets . We did it for them ! Read Case Study Get the details on how TAB helped Imperial Oil successfully move their records collection during their massive corporate headquarters relocation . Not one file was lost and there was ZERO downtime ! Read Case Study What are the 3 things you need when imaging your critical records ? Accessibility , security and integrity . For the Division of University Advancement at the University of Toronto , these were top of mind when they began the search for a digitization vendor . Read more on how TAB helped the University of Toronto image a major collection . Read Case Study","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Mediolanum ( Whitchurch ) This is the British Mediolanum of the Antonine Itinerary . Ptolemy places a separate Mediolanum , sometimes identified with Meifod , in central Wales . The town was located on a major Roman routeway between Deva Victrix ( Chester ) and Viroconium Cornoviorum ( Wroxeter ) . The Romans first built a fort which has been tentatively suggested as forming part of the border defences established by Ostorius Scapula around AD 52 . By about AD 100 , however , the army had probably moved on and the surrounding civilian ' vicus ' would have taken over the site . In the mid-2nd century , the area was at least partly covered by timber-framed industrial buildings . The town reached the height of its prosperity by the early 3rd century and there was much rebuilding in stone . This continued for the next hundred years . Masonry houses with associated wooden outhouses were most common during this period . [ 1 ] Roman artefacts from the site are on display in the Whitchurch Heritage Centre . [ 2 ]","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"John looked all about him , drinking the clear air like wine ; then his eyes returned to the cabman's face as he sat , not ungleefully , awaiting John's communication , with the air of one looking to be tipped . The features of that face were hard to read , drink had so swollen them , drink had so painted them , in tints that varied from brick-red to mulberry . The small grey eyes blinked , the lips moved , with greed ; greed was the ruling passion ; and though there was some good nature , some genuine kindliness , a true human touch , in the old toper , his greed was now so set afire by hope , that all other traits of character lay dormant . He sat there a monument of gluttonous desire . John's heart slowly fell . He had opened his lips , but he stood there and uttered nought . He sounded the well of his courage , and it was dry . He groped in his treasury of words , and it was vacant . A devil of dumbness had him by the throat ; the devil of terror babbled in his ears ; and suddenly , without a word uttered , with no conscious purpose formed in his will , John whipped about , tumbled over the roadside wall , and began running for his life across the fallows . He had not gone far , he was not past the midst of the first afield , when his whole brain thundered within him , ' Fool ! You have your watch ! ' The shock stopped him , and he faced once more toward the cab . The driver was leaning over the wall , brandishing his whip , his face empurpled , roaring like a bull . And John saw ( or thought ) that he had lost the chance . No watch would pacify the man's resentment now ; he would cry for vengeance also . John would be had under the eye of the police ; his tale would be unfolded , his secret plumbed , his destiny would close on him at last , and for ever . He uttered a deep sigh ; and just as the cabman , taking heart of grace , was beginning at last to scale the wall , his defaulting customer fell again to running , and disappeared into the further fields . CHAPTER VIII - SINGULAR INSTANCE OF THE UTILITY OF PASS-KEYS WHERE he ran at first , John never very clearly knew ; nor yet how long a time elapsed ere he found himself in the by-road near the lodge of Ravelston , propped against the wall , his lungs heaving like bellows , his legs leaden-heavy , his mind possessed by one sole desire - to lie down and be unseen . He remembered the thick coverts round the quarry-hole pond , an untrodden corner of the world where he might surely find concealment till the night should fall . Thither he passed down the lane ; and when he came there , behold ! he had forgotten the frost , and the pond was alive with young people skating , and the pond-side coverts were thick with lookers - on . He looked on a while himself . There was one tall , graceful maiden , skating hand in hand with a youth , on whom she bestowed her bright eyes perhaps too patently ; and it was strange with what anger John beheld her . He could have broken forth in curses ; he could have stood there , like a mortified tramp , and shaken his fist and vented his gall upon her by the hour - or so he thought ; and the next moment his heart bled for the girl . ' Poor creature , it 's little she knows ! ' he sighed . ' Let her enjoy herself while she can ! ' But was it possible , when Flora used to smile at him on the Braid ponds , she could have looked so fulsome to a sick - hearted bystander ? The thought of one quarry , in his frozen wits , suggested another ; and he plodded off toward Craigleith . A wind had sprung up out of the north-west ; it was cruel keen , it dried him like a fire , and racked his finger-joints . It brought clouds , too ; pale , swift , hurrying clouds , that blotted heaven and shed gloom upon the earth . He scrambled up among the hazelled rubbish heaps that surround the caldron of the quarry , and lay flat upon the stones . The wind searched close along the earth , the stones were cutting and icy , the bare hazels wailed about him ; and soon the air of the afternoon began to be vocal with those strange and dismal harpings that herald snow . Pain and misery turned in John's limbs to a harrowing impatience and blind desire of change ; now he would roll in his harsh lair , and when the flints abraded him , was almost pleased ; now he would crawl to the edge of the huge pit and look dizzily down .","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Before connecting the Speedtouch modem to your PC : Insert the SpeedTouch Setup CD-ROM in your PC's CD-ROM drive . The SpeedTouch setup should run automatically . If the SpeedTouch CD Browser window does not appear automatically , run D : \\ menu . exe from Start \/ Run ... , where D is the drive letter of your CD-ROM drive . The Choose Language window prompts you to select a language : Select the language of your choice and click OK . The SpeedTouch CD Browser menu appears : Click SpeedTouch USB \/ 330 Software . Click Install PPP USB Software The following window asks you to select your local setting . Select the appropriate setting as specified by your Service Provider . The Welcome to SpeedTouch Setup window appears : Click Next to proceed . The Software License Agreement window appears : You must accept before continuing . Click Yes to accept . Follow the instructions onscreen and click Next to install the driver At the end of the procedure the following window appears : Click Finish to complete the installation . You can now connect the ADSL modem to your computer's USB port Windows should now detect and install the ADSL modem . Setting up your ADSL account Double-click the SpeedTouch Dial-up icon on your desktop In the Speedtouch Dial-up window , enter the user name and password for your account which you have been provided with . Click Connect ( or Dial ) . As soon as the connection is established , the connection message box and dial-up window are minimized into a DUN icon in the system tray You can open your web browser and surf the Internet .","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"1995 No. 2704 ( N.I. 14 ) The Health and Personal Social Services ( Amendment ) ( Northern Ireland ) Order 1995 F002 Made 18th October 1995 Title and commencement 1 . -- ( 1 ) This Order may be cited as the Health and Personal Social Services ( Amendment ) ( Northern Ireland ) Order 1995 and shall come into operation on such day or days as the Head of the Department may by order appoint F001 . ( 2 ) An order under paragraph ( 1 ) may make such transitional provisions and savings as appear to the Head of the Department to be necessary or expedient in connection with the coming into operation of this Order . Interpretation 2 . -- ( 1 ) The Interpretation Act ( Northern Ireland ) 1954 shall apply to Article 1 and the following provisions of this Order as it applies to a Measure of the Northern Ireland Assembly . ( 2 ) In this Order \" the 1972 Order \" means the Health and Personal Social Services ( Northern Ireland ) Order 1972 . ( 3 ) Article 2 ( 2 ) of the 1972 Order ( interpretation ) shall apply for the purposes of this Order as it applies for the purposes of that Order . Disqualified practitioners : engagement in provision of services by others 3 . For paragraph 3 of Schedule 11 to the 1972 Order ( functions of Tribunal on finding that the inclusion of a person's name in a list prepared under Part VI of that Order would be prejudicial to the efficiency of the services to which the list relates ) there shall be substituted -- \" 3 . The Tribunal , on receiving representations from a Health and Social Services Board shall , and in any other case may , inquire into the case and , if it is of opinion that the continued inclusion of the said person in any list to which the representations relate would be prejudicial to the efficiency of the said services -- ( a ) shall direct that his name be removed from that list ; and ( b ) may also , if it thinks fit , direct that his name be removed from , or not be included in , any corresponding list kept by other Health and Social Services Board ; and ( c ) where it makes a direction under sub-paragraph ( b ) , may also , if it thinks fit , declare that he is not fit to be engaged in any capacity in the provision of those services \" . Interim suspension of practitioners 4 . After paragraph 8 of Schedule 11 to the 1972 Order there shall be inserted -- \" 8A . -- ( 1 ) A Health and Social Services Board which has made representations under paragraph 1 may , at any time before the case is disposed of by the Tribunal , apply to the Tribunal for a direction to be made under sub-paragraph ( 2 ) in relation to the person to whom the case relates . ( 2 ) If , on an application under this paragraph , the Tribunal is satisfied that it is necessary to do so in order to protect patients , it shall direct that sub-paragraph ( 3 ) shall apply to the person concerned as respects services of the kind to which the case in question relates . ( 3 ) A person to whom this sub-paragraph applies shall -- ( a ) be deemed to have been removed from any relevant list in which his name is included , ( b ) be disqualified for inclusion in any relevant list in which his name is not included , and ( c ) be deemed to be a person in relation to whom there is in force a declaration under paragraph 3 ( c ) concerning his fitness to be engaged in the provision of services of the relevant kind . ( 4 ) A direction under sub-paragraph ( 2 ) shall cease to have effect on the Tribunal 's disposing of the case in connection with which it is made . ( 5 ) In sub-paragraph ( 2 ) , the reference to patients is to persons to whom services of the kind to which the case in question relates are , or may be , provided under Part VI of this Order . ( 6 ) In the application of sub-paragraph ( 3 ) to any person -- ( a ) \" relevant list \" means a list prepared under Part VI of this Order of persons undertaking to provide services of the kind to which the direction applying the sub-paragraph to him relates , and ( b ) \" services of the relevant kind \" means services of the kind to which that direction relates . 8B . -- ( 1 ) Where -- ( a ) on disposing of a case under paragraph 3 , the Tribunal makes a direction under sub-paragraph ( b ) of that paragraph , and ( b ) the person to whom the direction relates is a person to whom paragraph 8A ( 3 ) would , apart from this paragraph , cease to apply on the disposal of the case , the Tribunal may , if it considers it necessary to do so in order to protect patients , direct that that provision shall continue to apply to him as respects services of the kind to which the direction under paragraph 3 ( b ) relates . ( 2 ) A direction under sub-paragraph ( 1 ) shall cease to have effect -- ( a ) where no appeal against the direction under paragraph 3 ( b ) is brought , at the end of the period for bringing an appeal , and ( b ) where an appeal against that direction is brought , when the appeal process has been exhausted . ( 3 ) Where the power conferred by sub-paragraph ( 1 ) is exercisable by virtue of a direction which is not coupled with a declaration under paragraph 3 ( c ) , paragraph 8A ( 3 ) shall have effect , in relation to the exercise of that power , with the omission of head ( c ) . ( 4 ) In sub-paragraph ( 1 ) , the reference to patients is to persons to whom services of the kind to which the direction under paragraph 3 ( b ) relates are , or may be , provided under Part VI of this Order . 8C . -- ( 1 ) Before making a direction under paragraph 8A ( 2 ) or 8B ( 1 ) in relation to any person , the Tribunal shall give him an opportunity -- ( a ) to appear before the Tribunal , either in person or by counsel or solicitor or such other representative as may be prescribed , and ( b ) to be heard and to call witnesses and produce other evidence . ( 2 ) Regulations may -- ( a ) make provision for , or for the determination of , procedure in relation to determining applications under paragraph 8A or the exercise of the power conferred by paragraph 8B ( 1 ) , and ( b ) provide for the functions of the Tribunal under paragraph 8A or 8B to be carried out , or to be carried out in prescribed circumstances , by the chairman or a deputy chairman of the Tribunal . 8D . -- ( 1 ) This paragraph applies where , under any provisions in force in England and Wales or Scotland corresponding to paragraph 8A or 8B , a person ( \" the practitioner \" ) is disqualified for inclusion in all lists prepared under the provisions in force there corresponding to the provisions of Part VI of this Order of persons undertaking to provide services of one or more of the kinds specified in paragraph 1 ( 1 ) , other than those in which his name is included . ( 2 ) The practitioner shall , while he is so disqualified -- ( a ) be disqualified for inclusion in any list prepared under Part VI of this Order of persons undertaking to provide services of the same kinds ( \" relevant list \" ) in which his name is not included , and ( b ) be deemed to have been removed from any relevant list in which his name is included . 8E . -- ( 1 ) Regulations may provide for the making to persons to whom paragraph 8A ( 3 ) or 8D ( 2 ) applies of payments in consequence of the application of that provision . ( 2 ) Regulations under sub-paragraph ( 1 ) may provide for the determination by the Department in a prescribed manner of anything for which provision may be made by regulations under that sub-paragraph . \" . Procedure relating to disqualification 5 . In paragraph 8 of Schedule 11 to the 1972 Order , for sub-paragraphs ( a ) and ( b ) ( regulations to provide for the procedure for the holding of inquires and the powers of the Tribunal ) there shall be substituted -- \" ( a ) for inquiries under paragraphs 3 , 6 and 9 to be held in accordance with such procedure as may be prescribed by or determined under the regulations and , in particular -- ( i ) for any person who is the subject of any such inquiry to have an opportunity of appearing , either in person or by counsel or solicitor or such other representative as may be prescribed , before , and of being heard by , the Tribunal , and of calling witnesses and producing other evidence on his behalf ; and ( ii ) for the hearing by the Tribunal to be in public if the person who is the subject of the inquiry so requests ; ( b ) for conferring on the Tribunal such powers as appear to the Department to be necessary for the purpose of holding inquiries under this Schedule , including power to require the attendance of witnesses and the production of documents , and to administer oaths ; and \" . Constitution of the Tribunal 6 . In Part II of Schedule 11 to the 1972 Order ( which makes provision for the constitution of the Tribunal ) for paragraphs 11 to 15 there shall be substituted -- \" 11 . The Tribunal shall consist of -- ( a ) a chairman appointed by the Lord Chief Justice , ( b ) such number of deputy chairmen as the Lord Chief Justice may appoint , ( c ) such number of persons as the Department may appoint for the purposes of this sub-paragraph , ( d ) such number of medical practitioners as the Department may appoint for the purposes of this sub-paragraph , ( e ) such number of medical practitioners having the qualifications prescribed under Article 62 as the Department may appoint for the purposes of this sub-paragraph , ( f ) such number of dental practitioners as the Department may appoint for the purposes of this sub-paragraph , ( g ) such number of ophthalmic opticians as the Department may appoint for the purposes of this sub-paragraph , and ( h ) such number of pharmacists as the Department may appoint for the purposes of this sub-paragraph . 12 . A person appointed as the chairman or a deputy chairman shall be either a barrister-at-law practising in Northern Ireland or a practising solicitor of the Supreme Court of Judicature of Northern Ireland of not less than ten years' standing . 13 . Any appointment for the purposes of paragraph 11 ( c ) shall be made after consultation with Health and Social Services Boards . 14 . Any appointment for the purposes of any of sub-paragraphs ( d ) to ( h ) of paragraph 11 shall be made after consultation with such organisations as the Department may recognise as representative of the profession or calling concerned . 15 . -- ( 1 ) The functions of the Tribunal shall be exercised by three members consisting of -- ( a ) the chairman or a deputy chairman , ( b ) a person appointed under paragraph 11 ( c ) , and ( c ) a person appointed under such one of sub-paragraphs ( d ) to ( h ) of paragraph 11 as provides for the appointment of persons of the same profession or calling as that of the person concerned . ( 2 ) In sub-paragraph ( 1 ) ( c ) , the reference to the person concerned is -- ( a ) in the case of functions under paragraph 3 , to the person to whom the representations in question relate , ( b ) in the case of functions under paragraph 6 or 9 , to the person whose disqualification is under consideration , ( c ) in the case of functions under paragraph 8A , to the person to whom the application in question relates , and ( d ) in the case of functions under paragraph 8B , to the person in relation to whom the application of paragraph 8A ( 3 ) may be continued . ( 3 ) In the case of functions under paragraph 8A or 8B , sub-paragraph ( 1 ) is subject to paragraph 8C ( 2 ) ( b ) . \" . Repeal 7 . Paragraph 2 of Schedule 1 to the Health and Social Security ( Northern Ireland ) Order 1984 is hereby repealed .","labels":"Legal","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"The Juno spacecraft arrives at Jupiter on July 4 , 2016 , after a journey of nearly five years and 2.7 billion km ( 1 . 7 billion miles ) . It will be the first space probe to orbit Jupiter since Galileo plunged into that planet's atmosphere in 2003 . NASA \/ JPL-Caltech Jupiter is the most-massive planet in the solar system , and because it is so large , it retained all of the gas it was born with . Nothing could escape its gravitation by seeping into space , like the hydrogen in Earth's atmosphere . By studying the composition of Jupiter , Juno will be able to identify the gas that the planet formed with 4.5 billion years ago and thus maybe learn how Jupiter came to be . NASA \/ JPL The Great Red Spot is a storm larger than Earth ( about 16,500 km wide ) that has been swirling since at least the 1830s and maybe even since the mid-17th century . Although it 's been observed for centuries , almost nothing is known about it . What is powering it ? Why has it lasted for hundreds of years ? Juno will get a very close view of the spot , from just 4,600 km ( 3 , 000 miles ) away , which may clear up its mysteries . Not much is known about the core of Jupiter , or even if it really has one at all . Scientists have speculated that Jupiter's core is likely hydrogen that has been squeezed by the enormous weight of the atmosphere above it into a metallic form . As the probe's velocity changes as it orbits the planet , the frequency of radio waves that Juno transmits to Earth will change . From these changes , Juno will measure Jupiter's gravitational field and its internal structure precisely . NASA \/ JPL \/ Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Jupiter has the largest magnetosphere of any planet . The magnetic field lines stretch out over a space 75 times bigger than the planet itself . Juno is teeming with instruments to study the charged particles trapped in Jupiter's magnetic field . These measurements \u2013 when combined with the study of Jupiter's deep internal structure , where the magnetic field is generated \u2013 will give a much better understanding of this powerful magnetosphere . NASA \/ JPL \/ Space Science Institute Juno will be in a polar orbit around Jupiter in order to avoid encounters with the planet's strong radiation belts , which could damage the spacecraft . Thus , Juno will be the first probe to get a close-up view of Jupiter's poles . The polar regions of Jupiter are very interesting because of Jupiter's powerful magnetosphere , which generates strong aurora . The auroral oval even has spots from which currents of plasma flow from Jupiter's moons to the poles of the planet .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"The face seemed more heavy and more wrinkled , while that ominous venous tinge was more pronounced as he panted up the hill . The clean lines of his cheek and chin were marred by a day's growth of grey stubble , and his large , shapely head had lost something of the brave carriage which had struck me when first I glanced at him . He had a letter there , the same , or another , but still in a woman's hand , and over this he was moping and mumbling in his senile fashion , with his brow puckered , and the corners of his mouth drawn down like those of a fretting child . So I left him , with a vague wonder as to who he might be , and why a single spring day should have wrought such a change upon him . So interested was I that next morning I was on the look out for him . Sure enough , at the same hour , I saw him coming up the hill ; but very slowly , with a bent back and a heavy head . It was shocking to me to see the change in him as he approached . \" I am afraid that our air does not agree with you , sir , \" I ventured to remark . But it was as though he had no heart for talk . He tried , as I thought , to make some fitting reply , but it slurred off into a mumble and silence . How bent and weak and old he seemed--ten years older at the least than when first I had seen him ! It went to my heart to see this fine old fellow wasting away before my eyes . There was the eternal letter which he unfolded with his shaking fingers . Who was this woman whose words moved him so ? Some daughter , perhaps , or granddaughter , who should have been the light of his home instead of ---- I smiled to find how bitter I was growing , and how swiftly I was weaving a romance round an unshaven old man and his correspondence . Yet all day he lingered in my mind , and I had fitful glimpses of those two trembling , blue-veined , knuckly hands with the paper rustling between them . I had hardly hoped to see him again . Another day's decline must , I thought , hold him to his room , if not to his bed . Great , then , was my surprise when , as I approached my bench , I saw that he was already there . But as I came up to him I could scarce be sure that it was indeed the same man . There were the curly-brimmed hat , and the shining stock , and the horn glasses , but where were the stoop and the grey-stubbled , pitiable face ? He was clean - shaven and firm lipped , with a bright eye and a head that poised itself upon his great shoulders like an eagle on a rock . His back was as straight and square as a grenadier's , and he switched at the pebbles with his stick in his exuberant vitality . In the button - hole of his well-brushed black coat there glinted a golden blossom , and the corner of a dainty red silk handkerchief lapped over from his breast pocket . He might have been the eldest son of the weary creature who had sat there the morning before . \" Good morning , Sir , good morning ! \" he cried with a merry waggle of his cane . \" Good morning ! \" I answered how beautiful the bay is looking . \" \" Yes , Sir , but you should have seen it just before the sun rose . \" \" What , have you been here since then ? \" \" I was here when there was scarce light to see the path . \" \" You are a very early riser . \" \" On occasion , sir ; on occasion ! \" He cocked his eye at me as if to gauge whether I were worthy of his confidence . \" The fact is , sir , that my wife is coming back to me to day . \" I suppose that my face showed that I did not quite see the force of the explanation . My eyes , too , may have given him assurance of sympathy , for he moved quite close to me and began speaking in a low , confidential voice , as if the matter were of such weight that even the sea-gulls must be kept out of our councils . \" Are you a married man , Sir ? \" \" No , I am not . \" \" Ah , then you can not quite understand it . My wife and I have been married for nearly fifty years , and we have never been parted , never at all , until now . \" \" Was it for long ? \" I asked . \" Yes , sir . This is the fourth day . She had to go to Scotland . A matter of duty , you understand , and the doctors would not let me go .","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Haiti : Beyond the Capital Posted 17 January 2010 22 : 42 GMT Much of the coverage of the destruction in the earthquake's aftermath has been focused in and around Haiti's capital city , Port-au-Prince . But many other areas close to the ' quake's epicentre have also been affected , as bloggers are quick to point out ... Jacmel , located about twenty-five miles south of Port-au-Prince , is \" stranded and increasingly desperate \" , according to Repeating Islands' republication of an excerpt from \" the award-winning team of reporters from the Miami Herald : Residents of Jacmel , a quaint , historic Caribbean port city that suffered widespread damage and has been cut off from Port-au-Prince to the north , complain they have been forgotten . Four days after the quake struck Jacmel with equal force , they say they are still awaiting food , water , medical supplies and relief workers . Despite the blog's discontent \" about the nature of the coverage of the earthquake in Haiti on American television and other media \" , in another post it follows the Herald team as it reports on another area that is receiving little media attention , Carrefour : This town , which on Tuesday was the epicenter of the earthquake , is living in the epicenter of oblivion . Pwoje Espwa - Hope in Haiti , meanwhile , reports on the relief efforts taking place in Les Cayes : In contrast to the situation in PAP , the UN is guiding the relief efforts in les Cayes , and will be coordinating and providing a platform for the efforts of all the NGOs working in the area . There is no fuel left for purchase in Cayes and the UN has very little left . The UN folks are not sure when food and fuel will be delivered . All of us are nervous about this . There was a commercial flight on Tortugair this afternoon from Cap Haitian to Cayes , and they delivered a group of 8 orthopedic surgeons to work at the hospital . As the people arrive here from the destroyed capitol we will assist them in any way we can . Some need money to go on to family on the coast or inland ; some require medical attention ; all are hungry and thirsty ; almost all need clothing and shoes along with personal hygiene items . A simple thing like letting this young woman use my cell phone to call her mother and tell her she was all right and in Cayes was momentous for her and her mother . Konbit Pou Ayiti says that \" Haiti KONPAY has been playing a critical role coordinating a rapid response to the crisis in both Jacmel and Port-au-Prince ... pursuing two major strategies \" : 1 . Delivering immediate support to people on the ground in Jacmel and Port-au-Prince by coordinating the transport of supplies and volunteers . Carefully design volunteer interventions to avoid exacerbating the developing food and water shortages . 2 . Encouraging the evacuation of Port-au-Prince and establishing the resources necessary to assist victims when they arrive in the countryside by assessing existing resources in outlying areas and sending teams and equipment to clinics . The post goes on to quote a report \" from Amber Munger on the ground in Port-au-Prince \" : These are some details of the damage in Jacmel , which is a city of 34,000 : \u00b7 1,785 homes completely destroyed \u00b7 4410 homes partially destroyed \u00b7 87 commercial businesses destroyed \u00b7 54 schools destroyed \u00b7 24 hotels destroyed \u00b7 26 churches destroyed \u00b7 5730 families displaced \u00b7 Death count approaching 3,000 , nearly 10 % of the population ( Reported by Gwenn Mangine , www . mangine . org ) Mangine also posts images from the ( severely damaged ) general hospital , with a further update on Sunday 16 : ... we noticed that the main pharmacy in town was open . And so we went in and bought them out of everything they had from the list \u2013 alcohol , hand sanitizer , peroxide , wound care items , meds ... ( another truckload . ) Yesterday we were expecting a big shipment of supplies , but we got one box . Still \u2013 we rushed over to the hospital with it . Mostly antibiotics and trauma care supplies \u2013 both were desperately needed . The doctors were thrilled . Pye's in Haiti discusses the \" crazy busy \" situation at the local airstrip : We had a plane full of supplies ready to come , however the San Juan airport would not let the plane leave with the medical supplies .... We are hoping that flights start today of supplies and medicine . And Darren Tyler of Conduit Mission , who has been trying to send emergency supplies to Jacmel by boat , shares an update from a member of his organisation on the ground : The port can be used , cruise ships can come in there . We need help bad here is the city . What kind of supplies are on the boat ? How fast can they get here ? We are starting to feel people get frustrated and scared .... Updates are being posted regularly on Twitter . @ melindayiti noted ( 15 January ) that \" Jacmel is a mess - we have planes and boats but US coordinators wo n ' t give us clearance to get in ! \" And a few hours later added : \" 2 boats on the way , still no clearance to land plane w \/ critical medical teams \" . Meanwhile , @ RescueJacmel , a new Twitter account , is attempting to ensure that international rescue efforts do not overlook the small city . Video bloggers are also chronicling their experiences , with clips from Les Cayes and Jacmel getting lots of attention on YouTube and other video sharing websites . The Cine Institute in Jacmel also posted eyewitness accounts of the earthquake . Lougou Corner is one of the blogs eager to supply information from their community : # We last communicated with Ginette last Thursday evening and she said that an exodus of people left Port-au-Prince already and came back to the provinces and rural areas . # We communicated via email with some ministries in Cayes and they reported that hospitals in Cayes are flooded with patients returning from Port and other areas affected in the provinces . We have seen firsthand in Lougou how an entire community has changed when residents have a say on the issues that affect their own lives . They have the best knowledge on what can and should be done to meet their pressing needs and bring lasting change in their community . And finally , from a U. S. - based Caribbean diaspora blogger , comes a stirring account of her friend's quest to find his mother , most likely in a neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince : ' As we came up on the block , I first walked right by the house because a good portion of it was totally demolished . The fitness center across the street was also completely demolished with a really strong smell coming from in between the bricks . When I asked people if they knew my mom , they shook their heads until I mentioned her by her nickname , Tita . And they were like , \" Oh , yeah , \" with joy in their eyes . \" She 's right there in the house next door . \" ' I opened the door . Her back was to me . I tapped her on the shoulder . The surprise , the tears , the hug so hard to explain . It was an unbelievable moment . She squeezed me so hard , crazy with joy . She paraded me down the street . \" Meet my fourth son . He came for me , \" she said . \" He came for me . \" ' We can only hope for similar stories coming out of other affected areas . For more on the earthquake in Haiti , visit our Special Coverage page .","labels":"News","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"My client , a leading player in the Financial Services sector , are currently seeking a German speaking Research Analyst for their Mergers & Aquistitions desk . Responsibilities Monitor M & A activity on a daily basis Identify M & A transactions through daily searches to ensure full market coverage Managing the input and updating of transactions Creating and updating company records and maintaining accurate information on database Providing weekly reports \/ monthly reports . Key requirements Excellent communication skills Excellent PC Skills Excellent problem solving skills and time management skills Flexibility Fluency in English and German essential A good understanding of Financial Markets and Customer Service skills are also desireable for this role . Excellent salary and bonus package . To apply for this excellent opportunity send a CV to Tommy McCool for immediate consideration .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"The amount of rain , snow , or other precipitation falling on a given spot on Earth's surface during the year depends a lot on where that spot is . Is it in a desert ( which receives little rain ) ? Is it in a rainforest ( which receives vast amounts of rain ) ? Or is it located somewhere between these two extremes ? Often precipitation runs off along the surface back to the ocean , but it can be held for a time in lakes . Lakes in wetter regions are relatively permanent features , but those in drier regions may be less stable and thus more sensitive to changes in precipitation from season to season and water withdrawals from human activities . The list below discusses some of Earth's lakes that belong to the second category . This lake in west-central Bolivia occupies a shallow depression in the Altiplano , or high plateau , at 12,090 feet ( 3 , 686 meters ) above sea level . Historically the country's second largest lake , it covered 977 square miles ( 2 , 530 square km ) at low stage and was about 56 miles ( 90 km ) long and 20 miles ( 32 km ) wide though only 8 to 10 feet ( 2 . 4 to 3 meters ) deep . By December 2015 , however , the lake had completely dried up as a result of the combined effects of climate change-exacerbated drought and sediment buildup caused by the local mining industry . Since the 1990s , as the process of global warming brought increased temperatures to the region , the evaporation rate for the lake tripled . Lacking a sufficient interval of normal rainfall to replenish its waters , the lake became desiccated , resulting in catastrophic consequences for the region's flora and fauna as well as for the people who had made a living fishing in the lake . Settlement on Lake Poop\u00f3's shores \u2013 previously made marshy by filtration of water into the lake bed \u2013 had long been sparse , but the disappearance of the lake forced many people to relocate . Also called Kati Thanda \u2013 Lake Eyre , this great salt lake in central South Australia has a total area of 4,281 square miles ( 11 , 088 square km ) . It lies in the southwestern corner of the Great Artesian Basin , a closed inland basin about 440,150 square miles ( 1 , 140 , 000 square km ) in area that is drained only by intermittent streams . Normally dry but susceptible to occasional flooding , the lake constitutes the lowest point on the Australian continent . In fact the lake's lowest point lies about 50 feet ( 15 meters ) below sea level and consists of two sections , Lake Eyre North and Lake Eyre South . The sections , which together span an area 89.5 miles ( 144 km ) long and 47.8 miles ( 77 km ) wide , are joined by the narrow Goyder Channel . Water reaching the lake evaporates very rapidly , and the surface of the lake bed has a thin crust of salt deposited by water that has evaporated . Lake Eyre's typical state is dry . It fills completely only an average of twice in a century , but partial , minor fillings happen much more often . After being completely filled ( as in 1950 , 1974 , and 1984 ) , the lake takes about two years to dry up again . Lake Eyre is in a region of very low and intermittent rainfall amounting to less than 5 inches ( 125 mm ) annually . The lake is fed by a vast internal continental drainage basin , but evaporation rates in the region are so high that most of the rivers in the basin dry up before reaching the lake . Thus , the waters of the Diamantina and other rivers can feed the lake only when they are in flood after heavy rains . Adapted from Philip Micklin , Western Michigan University Once the world's fourth largest body of inland water , this lake is an inland sea that is also called the Orol Sea , Aral Tengizi , or Orol Dengizi . The lake's remnants nestle in the climatically inhospitable heart of Central Asia , to the east of the Caspian Sea . The Aral Sea and its demise are of great interest and increasing concern to scientists because of the remarkable shrinkage of its area and volume that began in the second half of the 20th century \u2013 when the region was part of the Soviet Union \u2013 and continued into the 21st century . That change resulted primarily from the diversion ( for purposes of irrigation ) of the riverine waters of the Syr Darya ( ancient Jaxartes River ) in the north and the Amu Darya ( ancient Oxus River ) in the south , which discharged into the Aral Sea and were its main sources of inflowing water . The rapid shrinkage of the Aral Sea led to numerous environmental problems in the region . By the late 1980s the lake had lost more than half the volume of its pre-1960 water . Because of that , the salt and mineral content of the lake rose drastically , which made the water unfit for drinking and killed off the once-abundant fish populations \u2013 sturgeon , carp , barbel , roach , and others . The fishing industry along the Aral Sea was thus virtually destroyed . Until the 1960s the most significant factors affecting the water balance of the Aral Sea were the rates of river inflow and water loss through evaporation , which formerly took out each year about the same amount of water that the rivers brought in . In 1960 the surface of the Aral Sea lay 175 feet ( 53 meters ) above sea level and covered an area of some 26,300 square miles ( 68 , 000 square km ) . The Aral Sea's greatest extent from north to south was almost 270 miles ( 435 km ) , while from east to west it was just over 180 miles ( 290 km ) . Although the average depth was a relatively shallow 53 feet ( 16 meters ) or so , it descended to a maximum of 226 feet ( 69 meters ) off the western shore . Lake Chad is a freshwater lake in the Sahelian zone of west-central Africa at the conjunction of Chad , Cameroon , Nigeria , and Niger . It is located in an interior basin that was once occupied by a much larger ancient sea . Historically , the lake ranked among the largest lakes in Africa , though its surface area varies greatly by season as well as from year to year . When the surface of the lake is approximately 920 feet ( 280 meters ) above sea level , the area is about 6,875 square miles ( 17 , 800 square km ) . In the early 21st century , however , the area was typically about 580 square miles ( 1 , 500 square km ) . Lake Chad is a variable body of water , and its surface area typically reaches its maximum in late October or early November , before shrinking by more than half by late April or early May . The volume of the lake reflects local precipitation and the discharge of its catchment area , balanced against losses through evaporation , transpiration , and seepage . The lake is fed chiefly by the Chari ( Shari ) - Logone river system , which accounts for about four-fifths of the inflow . Most of the remaining inflow is contributed by the Ebeji ( El-B\u00e9id ) and Yedseram rivers . At times when the lake has a greater surface area , it can be divided into two pools partially separated by a low ridge extending roughly northeast-southwest across the center of the lake . The ridge was formed during a drought at the beginning of the 20th century , and at times it has completely divided the basins . Ehsan Mahdiyan Iran's Lake Urmia , or Dary\u0101cheh-ye Or\u016bm\u012byeh , is located in the northwestern corner of the country . It is the largest lake in the Middle East , and it has historically covered an area that varied from 2,000 to 2,300 square miles ( 5 , 200 to 6,000 square km ) . The lake lies in the bottom of the large central depression of the Azerbaijan region in northwestern Iran , at an elevation of 4,183 feet ( 1 , 275 meters ) above sea level . The basin is surrounded by mountains in the west and north , by plateaus in the south , and by plateaus and volcanic cones in the east . At its fullest volume , in the 1970s , the lake was about 87 miles ( 140 km ) long and 25 to 35 miles ( 40 to 55 km ) wide , with a maximum depth of 53 feet ( 16 meters ) . Because Lake Urmia's waters have no outlet , they are highly saline . The lake is one-fourth as salty as the Dead Sea , with a salt content ranging from 8 to 11 percent in the spring to 26 to 28 percent in the late autumn . The main salts are chlorine , sodium , and sulfates . Since 1967 it has enjoyed the status of a wetland protected region , and efforts have been made by the Iranian government to increase its wildlife . However , Lake Urmia's surface area has declined by some 90 percent since the 1970s , to roughly 230 square miles ( 600 square km ) , from the damming of the rivers that flow into the lake . The Dead Sea has the lowest elevation and is the lowest body of water on the surface of Earth . For several decades in the mid-20th century , the standard value given for the surface level of the lake was some 1,300 feet ( 400 meters ) below sea level . Beginning in the 1960s , however , Israel and Jordan began diverting much of the Jordan River's flow and increased the use of the lake's water itself for commercial purposes . The result of those activities was a precipitous drop in the Dead Sea's water level . By the mid-2010s the lake level was more than 100 feet ( some 30 meters ) below the mid-20th-century figure \u2013 i.e. , about 1,410 feet ( 430 meters ) below sea level \u2013 but the lake continued to drop by about 3 feet ( 1 meter ) annually . Concern mounted quickly over the continued drop in the Dead Sea's water level , prompting studies and calls for greater conservation of the Jordan River's water resources . In addition to proposals for reducing the amount of river water diverted by Israel and Jordan , those two countries discussed proposals for canals that would bring additional water to the Dead Sea . One such project , which received approval from both sides in 2015 , would involve constructing a canal northward from the Red Sea . The plan , which would include desalinization and hydroelectric plants along the course of the canal , would deliver large quantities of brine ( a by-product of the desalinization process ) to the lake . However , the project met with skepticism and opposition from environmentalists and others who questioned the potentially harmful effects of mixing water from the two sources .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"1 . - ( 1 ) The corporation sole by the name of the Data Protection Registrar established by the Data Protection Act 1984 shall continue in existence by the name of the Data Protection Commissioner . ( 2 ) The Commissioner and his officers and staff are not to be regarded as servants or agents of the Crown . Tenure of office 2 . - ( 1 ) Subject to the provisions of this paragraph , the Commissioner shall hold office for such term not exceeding five years as may be determined at the time of his appointment . ( 2 ) The Commissioner may be relieved of his office by Her Majesty at his own request . ( 3 ) The Commissioner may be removed from office by Her Majesty in pursuance of an Address from both Houses of Parliament . ( 4 ) The Commissioner shall in any case vacate his office - ( a ) on completing the year of service in which he attains the age of sixty-five years , or ( b ) if earlier , on completing his fifteenth year of service . ( 5 ) Subject to sub-paragraph ( 4 ) , a person who ceases to be Commissioner on the expiration of his term of office shall be eligible for re-appointment , but a person may not be re-appointed for a third or subsequent term as Commissioner unless , by reason of special circumstances , the person's re-appointment for such a term is desirable in the public interest . Salary etc. 3 . - ( 1 ) There shall be paid - ( a ) to the Commissioner such salary , and ( b ) to or in respect of the Commissioner such pension , as may be specified by a resolution of the House of Commons . ( 2 ) A resolution for the purposes of this paragraph may - ( a ) specify the salary or pension , ( b ) provide that the salary or pension is to be the same as , or calculated on the same basis as , that payable to , or to or in respect of , a person employed in a specified office under , or in a specified capacity in the service of , the Crown , or ( c ) specify the salary or pension and provide for it to be increased by reference to such variables as may be specified in the resolution . ( 3 ) A resolution for the purposes of this paragraph may take effect from the date on which it is passed or from any earlier or later date specified in the resolution . ( 4 ) A resolution for the purposes of this paragraph may make different provision in relation to the pension payable to or in respect of different holders of the office of Commissioner . ( 5 ) Any salary or pension payable under this paragraph shall be charged on and issued out of the Consolidated Fund . ( 6 ) In this paragraph \" pension \" includes an allowance or gratuity and any reference to the payment of a pension includes a reference to the making of payments towards the provision of a pension . Officers and staff 4 . - ( 1 ) The Commissioner - ( a ) shall appoint a deputy commissioner , and ( b ) may appoint such number of other officers and staff as he may determine . ( 2 ) The remuneration and other conditions of service of the persons appointed under this paragraph shall be determined by the Commissioner . ( 3 ) The Commissioner may pay such pensions , allowances or gratuities to or in respect of the persons appointed under this paragraph , or make such payments towards the provision of such pensions , allowances or gratuities , as he may determine . ( 4 ) The references in sub-paragraph ( 3 ) to pensions , allowances or gratuities to or in respect of the persons appointed under this paragraph include references to pensions , allowances or gratuities by way of compensation to or in respect of any of those persons who suffer loss of office or employment . ( 5 ) Any determination under sub-paragraph ( 1 ) ( b ) , ( 2 ) or ( 3 ) shall require the approval of the Secretary of State . ( 6 ) The Employers' Liability ( Compulsory Insurance ) Act 1969 shall not require insurance to be effected by the Commissioner . 5 . - ( 1 ) The deputy commissioner shall perform the functions conferred by this Act on the Commissioner during any vacancy in that office or at any time when the Commissioner is for any reason unable to act . ( 2 ) Without prejudice to sub-paragraph ( 1 ) , any functions of the Commissioner under this Act may , to the extent authorised by him , be performed by any of his officers or staff . Authentication of seal of the Commissioner 6 . The application of the seal of the Commissioner shall be authenticated by his signature or by the signature of some other person authorised for the purpose . Presumption of authenticity of documents issued by the Commissioner 7 . Any document purporting to be an instrument issued by the Commissioner and to be duly executed under the Commissioner's seal or to be signed by or on behalf of the Commissioner shall be received in evidence and shall be deemed to be such an instrument unless the contrary is shown . Money 8 . The Secretary of State may make payments to the Commissioner out of money provided by Parliament . 9 . - ( 1 ) All fees and other sums received by the Commissioner in the exercise of his functions under this Act or section 159 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 shall be paid by him to the Secretary of State . ( 2 ) Sub-paragraph ( 1 ) shall not apply where the Secretary of State , with the consent of the Treasury , otherwise directs . ( 3 ) Any sums received by the Secretary of State under sub-paragraph ( 1 ) shall be paid into the Consolidated Fund . Accounts 10 . - ( 1 ) It shall be the duty of the Commissioner - ( a ) to keep proper accounts and other records in relation to the accounts , ( b ) to prepare in respect of each financial year a statement of account in such form as the Secretary of State may direct , and ( c ) to send copies of that statement to the Comptroller and Auditor General on or before 31st August next following the end of the year to which the statement relates or on or before such earlier date after the end of that year as the Treasury may direct . ( 2 ) The Comptroller and Auditor General shall examine and certify any statement sent to him under this paragraph and lay copies of it together with his report thereon before each House of Parliament . ( 3 ) In this paragraph \" financial year \" means a period of twelve months beginning with 1st April .","labels":"Legal","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"I 'm just going to play a brief video clip . Video : 50,000 pounds . On the fifth of December 1985 , a bottle of 1787 Lafitte was sold for 105,000 pounds -- nine times the previous world record . Mr. Forbes . The buyer was Kip Forbes , son of one of the most flamboyant millionaires of the 20th century . The original owner of the bottle turned out to be one of the most enthusiastic wine buffs of the 18th century . Ch\u00e2teau Lafitte is one of the greatest wines in the world , the prince of any wine cellar . Benjamin Wallace : Now , that 's about all the videotape that remains of an event that set off the longest-running mystery in the modern wine world . And the mystery existed because of a gentleman named Hardy Rodenstock . In 1985 , he announced to his friends in the wine world that he had made this incredible discovery . Some workmen in Paris had broken through a brick wall , and happened upon this hidden cache of wines -- apparently the property of Thomas Jefferson . 1787 , 1784 . He would n ' t reveal the exact number of bottles , he would not reveal exactly where the building was and he would not reveal exactly who owned the building . The mystery persisted for about 20 years . It finally began to get resolved in 2005 because of this guy . Bill Koch is a Florida billionaire who owns four of the Jefferson bottles , and he became suspicious . And he ended up spending over a million dollars and hiring ex-FBI and ex-Scotland Yard agents to try to get to the bottom of this . There 's now ample evidence that Hardy Rodenstock is a con man , and that the Jefferson bottles were fakes . But for those 20 years , an unbelievable number of really eminent and accomplished figures in the wine world were sort of drawn into the orbit of these bottles . I think they wanted to believe that the most expensive bottle of wine in the world must be the best bottle of wine in the world , must be the rarest bottle of wine in the world . I became increasingly , kind of voyeuristically interested in the question of you know , why do people spend these crazy amounts of money , not only on wine but on lots of things , and are they living a better life than me ? So , I decided to embark on a quest . With the generous backing of a magazine I write for sometimes , I decided to sample the very best , or most expensive , or most coveted item in about a dozen categories , which was a very grueling quest , as you can imagine . ( Laughter ) This was the first one . A lot of the Kobe beef that you see in the U. S. is not the real thing . It may come from Wagyu cattle , but it 's not from the original , Appalachian Hyogo Prefecture in Japan . There are very few places in the U. S. where you can try real Kobe , and one of them is Wolfgang Puck's restaurant , CUT , in Los Angeles . I went there , and I ordered the eight-ounce rib eye for 160 dollars . And it arrived , and it was tiny . And I was outraged . It was like , 160 dollars for this ? And then I took a bite , and I wished that it was tinier , because Kobe beef is so rich . It 's like foie gras -- it 's not even like steak . I almost could n ' t finish it . I was really happy when I was done . ( Laughter ) Now , the photographer who took the pictures for this project for some reason posed his dog in a lot of them , so that 's why you 're going to see this recurring character . Which , I guess , you know , communicates to you that I did not think that one was really worth the price . White truffles . One of the most expensive luxury foods by weight in the world . To try this , I went to a Mario Batali restaurant in Manhattan -- Del Posto . The waiter , you know , came out with the white truffle knob and his shaver , and he shaved it onto my pasta and he said , you know , \" Would Signore like the truffles ? \" And the charm of white truffles is in their aroma . It 's not in their taste , really . It 's not in their texture . It 's in the smell . These white pearlescent flakes hit the noodles , this haunting , wonderful , nutty , mushroomy smell wafted up . 10 seconds passed and it was gone . And then I was left with these little ugly flakes on my pasta that , you know , their purpose had been served , and so I 'm afraid to say that this was also a disappointment to me . There were several -- several of these items were disappointments . ( Laughter ) Yeah . The magazine would n ' t pay for me to go there . ( Laughter ) They did give me a tour , though . And this hotel suite is 4,300 square feet . It has 360-degree views . It has four balconies . It was designed by the architect I. M. Pei . It comes with its own Rolls Royce and driver . It comes with its own wine cellar that you can draw freely from . When I took the tour , it actually included some Opus One , I was glad to see . 30,000 dollars for a night in a hotel . This is soap that 's made from silver nanoparticles , which have antibacterial properties . I washed my face with this this morning in preparation for this . And it , you know , tickled a little bit and it smelled good , but I have to say that nobody here has complimented me on the cleanliness of my face today . ( Laughter ) But then again , nobody has complimented me on the jeans I 'm wearing . These ones GQ did spring for -- I own these -- but I will tell you , not only did I not get a compliment from any of you , I have not gotten a compliment from anybody in the months that I have owned and worn these . I do n't think that whether or not you 're getting a compliment should be the test of something's value , but I think in the case of a fashion item , an article of clothing , that 's a reasonable benchmark . That said , a lot of work goes into these . They are made from handpicked organic Zimbabwean cotton that has been shuttle loomed and then hand-dipped in natural indigo 24 times . But no compliments . ( Laughter ) Thank you . Armando Manni is a former filmmaker who makes this olive oil from an olive that grows on a single slope in Tuscany . And he goes to great lengths to protect the olive oil from oxygen and light . He uses tiny bottles , the glass is tinted , he tops the olive oil off with an inert gas . And he actually -- once he releases a batch of it , he regularly conducts molecular analyses and posts the results online , so you can go online and look at your batch number and see how the phenolics are developing , and , you know , gauge its freshness . I did a blind taste test of this with 20 people and five other olive oils . It tasted fine . It tasted interesting . It was very green , it was very peppery . But in the blind taste test , it came in last . The olive oil that came in first was actually a bottle of Whole Foods 365 olive oil which had been oxidizing next to my stove for six months . ( Laughter ) A recurring theme is that a lot of these things are from Japan -- you 'll start to notice . I do n't play golf , so I could n ' t actually road test these , but I did interview a guy who owns them . Even the people who market these clubs -- I mean , they 'll say these have four axis shafts which minimize loss of club speed and thereby drive the ball farther -- but they 'll say , look , you know , you 're not getting 57,000 dollars worth of performance from these clubs . You 're paying for the bling , that they 're encrusted with gold and platinum . The guy who I interviewed who owns them did say that he 's gotten a lot of pleasure out of them , so ... Oh , yeah , you know this one ? This is a coffee made from a very unusual process . The luwak is an Asian Palm Civet . It 's a cat that lives in trees , and at night it comes down and it prowls the coffee plantations . And apparently it 's a very picky eater and it , you know , homes in on only the ripest coffee cherries . And then an enzyme in its digestive tract leeches into the beans , and people with the unenviable job of collecting these cats' leavings then go through the forest collecting the , you know , results and processing it into coffee -- although you actually can buy it in the unprocessed form . That 's right . Unrelatedly -- ( Laughter ) Japan is doing crazy things with toilets . ( Laughter ) There is now a toilet that has an MP3 player in it . There 's one with a fragrance dispenser . There 's one that actually analyzes the contents of the bowl and transmits the results via email to your doctor . It 's almost like a home medical center -- and that is the direction that Japanese toilet technology is heading in . This one does not have those bells and whistles , but for pure functionality it 's pretty much the best -- the Neorest 600 . And to try this -- I could n ' t get a loaner , but I did go into the Manhattan showroom of the manufacturer , Toto , and they have a bathroom off of the showroom that you can use , which I used . It 's fully automated -- you walk towards it , and the seat lifts . The seat is preheated . There 's a water jet that cleans you . There 's an air jet that dries you . You get up , it flushes by itself . The lid closes , it self-cleans . Not only is it a technological leap forward , but I really do believe it 's a bit of a cultural leap forward . I mean , a no hands , no toilet paper toilet . And I want to get one of these . ( Laughter ) This was another one I could not get a loaner of . Tom Cruise supposedly owns this bed . There 's a little plaque on the end that , you know , each buyer gets their name engraved on it . ( Laughter ) To try this one , the maker of it let me and my wife spend the night in the Manhattan showroom . Lights glaring in off the street , and we had to hire a security guard and all these things . But anyway , we had a great night's sleep . And you spend a third of your life in bed . I do n't think it 's that bad of a deal . ( Laughter ) This was a fun one . This is the fastest street-legal car in the world and the most expensive production car . I got to drive this with a chaperone from the company , a professional race car driver , and we drove around the canyons outside of Los Angeles and down on the Pacific Coast Highway . And , you know , when we pulled up to a stoplight the people in the adjacent cars kind of gave us respectful nods . And it was really amazing . It was such a smooth ride . Most of the cars that I drive , if I get up to 80 they start to rattle . I switched lanes on the highway and the driver , this chaperone , said , \" You know , you were just going 110 miles an hour . \" And I had no idea that I was one of those obnoxious people you occasionally see weaving in and out of traffic , because it was just that smooth . And if I was a billionaire , I would get one . ( Laughter ) This is a completely gratuitous video I 'm just going to show of one of the pitfalls of advanced technology . This is Tom Cruise arriving at the \" Mission : Impossible III \" premiere . When he tries to open the door , you could call it \" Mission : Impossible IV . \" There was one object that I could not get my hands on , and that was the 1947 Cheval Blanc . The ' 47 Cheval Blanc is probably the most mythologized wine of the 20th century . And Cheval Blanc is kind of an unusual wine for Bordeaux in having a significant percentage of the Cabernet Franc grape . And 1947 was a legendary vintage , especially in the right bank of Bordeaux . And just together , that vintage and that chateau took on this aura that eventually kind of gave it this cultish following . But it 's 60 years old . There 's not much of it left . What there is of it left you do n't know if it 's real -- it 's considered to be the most faked wine in the world . Not that many people are looking to pop open their one remaining bottle for a journalist . So , I 'd about given up trying to get my hands on one of these . I 'd put out feelers to retailers , to auctioneers , and it was coming up empty . And then I got an email from a guy named Bipin Desai . Bipin Desai is a UC Riverside theoretical physicist who also happens to be the preeminent organizer of rare wine tastings , and he said , \" I 've got a tasting coming up where we 're going to serve the ' 47 Cheval Blanc . \" And it was going to be a double vertical -- it was going to be 30 vintages of Cheval Blanc , and 30 vintages of Yquem . And it was an invitation you do not refuse . I went . It was three days , four meals . And at lunch on Saturday , we opened the ' 47 . And you know , it had this fragrant softness , and it smelled a little bit of linseed oil . And then I tasted it , and it , you know , had this kind of unctuous , porty richness , which is characteristic of that wine -- that it sort of resembles port in a lot of ways . There were people at my table who thought it was , you know , fantastic . There were some people who were a little less impressed . And I was n ' t that impressed . And I do n't -- call my palate a philistine palate -- so it does n ' t necessarily mean something that I was n ' t impressed , but I was not the only one there who had that reaction . And it was n ' t just to that wine . Any one of the wines served at this tasting , if I 'd been served it at a dinner party , it would have been , you know , the wine experience of my lifetime , and incredibly memorable . But drinking 60 great wines over three days , they all just blurred together , and it became almost a grueling experience . And I just wanted to finish by mentioning a very interesting study which came out earlier this year from some researchers at Stanford and Caltech . And they gave subjects the same wine , labeled with different price tags . A lot of people , you know , said that they liked the more expensive wine more -- it was the same wine , but they thought it was a different one that was more expensive . But what was unexpected was that these researchers did MRI brain imaging while the people were drinking the wine , and not only did they say they enjoyed the more expensively labeled wine more -- their brain actually registered as experiencing more pleasure from the same wine when it was labeled with a higher price tag . Thank you . <\/content","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Synopsis for \" Enemy Within , Enemy Without \" James Rhodes and Wanda Maximoff ride in Stark Industries' new water strider . They encounter unidentified enemy warcraft ahead . James evades the warcraft's torpedoes and destroys all enemies . Tony calls them and congratulates James on completing the first part of the mission and heads to Emerald Cove , Sardinia to finish the second part . At Emerald Cove , a photographer takes pictures of international supermodel Alana Ulanova in her bathing suit . A drill tank suddenly pops out of the ground and the Mandarin's warriors climb out and takes over the sea cove . When Whirlwind calls the Mandarin , Modok warns him against harming the world famous celebrities on the island to attract attention . The Mandarin decides to keep an eye on Modok to see where this sudden sympathy comes from . Tony Stark and his team of super-heroes receive an alarm telling them that an intruder has entered the ammo dump in the arsenal compound . Iron Man and his team to find that the intruder is Modok , who claims sanctuary and offers to join them . Modok say he can provide important information , but Iron Man's team still does not trust him . Modok becomes enraged and wires himself to the system , and threatens to blow up the facility if they do not agree to his exchange . Back at the Emerald Cove , Alana sneaks away from her kidnappers . Modok's threats to destroy the facility prove unyielding , as Iron Man had control of the fail-safe override the whole time . Iron Man explains that he had been testing Modok to see if he was serious , and decides to hear Modok out . Modok warns Iron Man that Emerald Cove is taken over and prepared to ambush James and Wanda . At Emerald Cove , Dreadknight recaptures Alana . Modok tells Iron Man that he wants them to save the captives because Alana is his wife . Alana escapes her captors once again before James and Wanda approach sea cove . Blacklash tests the molecular compression force fields on a tank , which shrinks and retains its original mass . The Water Strider rides up on the beach and James Rhodes armors up in his War Machine suit . Blacklash uses the molecular compression force field on the Water Strider and the ship shrinks and grows to normal size . The Mandarin's warriors notice Ulana has disconnected the force field and they try to recapture her . Scarlet Witch fights to protect the supermodel by stopping Whirlwind . Iron Man sends the Grey Gargoyle down a pit and Hawkeye deals with the rest . The Mandarin uses his rings to send Iron Man crashing onto the Water Strider and prepares to finish off Iron Man . However , Iron Man uses two panels from the boat to reflect the Mandarin's attack . The Mandarin and his forces retreat .","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Our cheese is smoked to produce a delicate , subtle , smoked flavour which enhances the mild milkiness of the Wensleydale . The rind adopts the attractive colour of beech wood , whilst the body of the cheese retains the fresh brightness characterising a Traditional Wensleydale . All cheeses are vacuum packed and are available in the following sizes : 2kg Round ; 1kg Round ; 454g Truckle ; 25Og Mini Waxed Truckle . Smoked Blue Wensleydale Blue Wensleydale is one of England's finest Blue cheeses . It is an exquisite , close-textured , blue veined cheese which , when smoked , produces a visually stunning cheese , with a flavour characterised by the mellow creaminess of a Blue Wensleydale combined with the rich blend of hardwood smoke aromas . The cheese is available as 2 . 7kg Rings or 1.35 kg Half-rings . All are vacuum packed . Smoked Lancashire This cheese is cut from a Traditional \" Fatty \" Lancashire Truckle . The creamy , moist texture of the cheese is perfectly complemented by the gentle smoky flavour given by the smoking process . As with the Traditional Wensleydale , the colour is attractively pale . The cheese is available as 2kg Rings or 1kg Half-rings . All are vacuum packed . Smoked Mature Cheddar This is cut from a Classic Farmhouse Cheddar when it is 9-12 months old . The open texture and full \" mature cheese \" flavour present ideal qualities for smoking . The resulting cheese has a superb , rich mahogany colour with a smoky taste enhancement to an excellent Cheddar Cheese . The cheese is available in 7kg Rings or 1 . 75kg Quarters . All are vacuum packed .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Baby Alligators Young alligators are displayed year ' round and are released each fall and replaced by new hatchlings . The young are either carefully collected from a pod of hatchlings or hatched from collected eggs . A few of the babies are placed on display in the Nature Center . Some are also kept behind the scenes to be used for educational outreach events . The rest will be placed back with the mother alligator or if need be a different mother . Mother alligators will adopt and protect other babies . If it looks and sounds like a baby alligator she 'll accept it , no questions asked . The animals are kept in the nature center no longer than one year as they will become habituated to human contact if kept longer . At one year they are still young enough to revert back to their natural instincts that include a fear of humans . Alligator mating season takes place in the spring and nest building starts around the month of June . The mother alligator protects her nest from would-be predators such as raccoons and opossums . Any infestation of fire ants spells imminent disaster for the young . The eggs will be fine until hatching . Not only is the mother keeping an eye out for predators , she is also listening for chirping calls from the nest which is her signal the babies are ready to hatch . ( The babies will later use this chirping call as a distress call to the mother . ) The mother alligator will carefully dig through the nest helping the babies free themselves from the debris . With the use of an egg tooth , most of the babies are capable of hatching on their own . Others will receive help from Mom . Hatching takes place in a matter of hours , often under the cover of night . Nests are not always visible from park trails . They are usually well hidden away from human activity among the islands in Elm and 40-Acre Lakes . Alligators lay an average of 45 eggs . About 2 \/ 3 of those hatch , and approximately one alligator from each nest will grow to adulthood . Although the mother will keep a close eye on her young most will get eaten by bullfrogs , fish and wading birds , just to name a few . Imagine if all the eggs hatched successfully and grew to adults . We 'd be up to our knees in alligators ! But with nature's system , we have perfect balance . One could fairly say that alligators start their lives at the bottom of the chain and those lucky enough to survive to adulthood will take their rightful place at the top . Like all reptiles , baby alligators are hatched fully developed and ready to face the world . With a full set of teeth they are equipped to hunt for their own food which consists mainly of aquatic insects and minnows . As the alligator grows in size , so will its prey . However , alligators , no matter what size , are known to mostly hunt food that they can swallow whole though large animals may take deer , feral pigs or even smaller alligators ! All alligators start out fairly even in length at 7 to 9 inches long at hatching and grow about 1 foot per year for the first 5 years of their lives , reaching maturity at around 5 or 6 years of age . Alligators never stop growing . However , growth-rates slow dramatically in females which usually reach lengths of only about 6 or 7 feet . Males may grow to be as long as 10 or maybe even 12 feet . ( Despite popular rumors , the largest alligator ever recorded at the park was a little over 13 & 1 \u2044 2 feet long and no large adult male alligators are relocated to the park from surrounding areas , this would upset the balance . ) Live animals are used by park staff as teaching tools . Whether in the Nature Center , at an outreach event or interpretive program , visitors have ample opportunities to touch these delicate creatures and learn about their importance in the health and survival of wetland areas in the Southeastern United States . It is important to note that it is illegal to posses any alligator of any size without proper permits . Although baby alligators enter this world cute and harmless , they quickly develop their natural predatory instincts and become dangerous \" pets \" . Always remember that wild animals do not make good pets . All wildlife within state parks is protected and may not be harmed , fed , or removed . Alligator viewing is best during the milder months of the year . Reptiles prefer days that are also comfortable for most humans . They avoid activity during the heat of the summer months and rainy days . They do not hibernate but instead are torpid during cold or hot spells . Mating activity can be seen or heard from April to late May . When hiking the trails in the wetland areas it is important to be familiar with the park's alligator etiquette rules which are found on park maps and posted throughout the park . Remember that nature rules the park and you are a guest in her home .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"William Howard Taft ( September 15 , 1857 \u2013 March 8 , 1930 ) was an American politician who served as the 27th President of the United States ( 1909 \u2013 1913 ) and as the 10th Chief Justice of the United States ( 1921 \u2013 1930 ) , the only person to have held both offices . Taft was elected president in 1908 , the chosen successor of Theodore Roosevelt , but was defeated for re-election by Woodrow Wilson in 1912 after Roosevelt split the Republican vote by running as a third-party candidate . In 1921 , President Warren G. Harding appointed Taft Chief Justice , a position in which he served until a month before his death . With Roosevelt's help , Taft had little opposition for the Republican nomination for president in 1908 , and easily defeated William Jennings Bryan for the presidency that November . In the White House , he focused on the Far East more than European affairs , and repeatedly intervened to prop up or remove Latin American governments . Taft sought reductions to trade tariffs , then a major source of governmental income , but the resulting bill was heavily influenced by special interests . His administration was filled with conflict between the conservative wing of the Republican Party , with which Taft often sympathized , and the progressive wing , toward which Roosevelt moved more and more . Controversies over conservation and over antitrust cases filed by the Taft administration served to further separate the two men . Roosevelt challenged Taft for renomination in 1912 . Taft used his control of the party machinery to gain a bare majority of delegates , and Roosevelt bolted the party . The split left Taft with little chance of re-election , and in Wilson's victory won only Utah and Vermont . After leaving office , Taft returned to Yale as a professor , continuing his political activity and working against war through the League to Enforce Peace . In 1921 , President Harding appointed Taft chief justice , an office he had long sought . Chief Justice Taft was a conservative on business issues , but under him , there were advances in individual rights . In poor health , he resigned in February 1930 . After his death the next month , he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery , the first president and first Supreme Court justice to be interred there . Taft is generally listed near the middle in historians' rankings of U.S. presidents . William Taft was not seen as brilliant as a child , but was a hard worker ; the demanding parents pushed their five boys [ a ] toward success , tolerating nothing less . He attended Woodward High School in Cincinnati . At Yale College , which he entered in 1874 , the heavyset , jovial Taft was popular . One classmate described him succeeding through hard work rather than being the smartest , with sterling integrity . [ 3 ] In 1878 , Taft graduated , second in his class out of 121 . [ 4 ] He attended Cincinnati Law School , [ 5 ] and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws in 1880 . While in law school , he worked on The Cincinnati Commercial newspaper , [ 4 ] edited by Murat Halstead . Taft was assigned to cover the local courts , and also spent time reading law in his father's office ; both activities gave him practical knowledge of the law that was taught in no class . Shortly before graduating from law school , Taft went to the state capital of Columbus to take the bar examination and easily passed . [ 6 ] After admission to the Ohio bar , Taft devoted himself to his job at the Commercial full-time . Halstead was willing to take him on permanently at an increase in salary if he would give up the law , but Taft declined . In October 1880 , Taft was appointed assistant prosecutor for Hamilton County ( where Cincinnati is located ) , and took office the following January . Taft served for a year as assistant prosecutor , trying his share of routine cases . [ 7 ] He resigned in January 1882 after President Chester A. Arthur appointed him Collector of Internal Revenue for Ohio's First District , an area centered on Cincinnati . [ 8 ] Taft refused to dismiss competent employees who were politically out of favor , and resigned effective in March 1883 , writing to Arthur that he wished to begin private practice in Cincinnati . [ 9 ] In 1884 , Taft campaigned for the Republican candidate for president , Maine Senator James G. Blaine , who lost to New York Governor Grover Cleveland . [ 10 ] In 1887 , Taft , then aged 29 , was appointed to a vacancy on the Superior Court of Cincinnati by Governor Joseph B. Foraker . The appointment was good for just over a year , after which he would have to face the voters , and in April 1888 , he sought election for the first of three times in his lifetime , the other two being for the presidency . He was elected to a full five-year term . Some two dozen of Taft's opinions as a state judge survive , the most significant being Moores & Co. v. Bricklayers' Union No. 1 [ b ] ( 1889 ) if only because it was used against him when he ran for president in 1908 . The case involved bricklayers who refused to work for any firm that dealt with a company called Parker Brothers , with which they were in dispute . Taft ruled that the union's action amounted to a secondary boycott , which was illegal . [ 11 ] It is not clear when Taft met Helen Herron ( often called Nellie ) , but it was no later than 1880 , when she mentioned in her diary receiving an invitation to a party from him . By 1884 , they were meeting regularly , and in 1885 , after an initial rejection , she agreed to marry him . The wedding took place at the Herron home on June 19 , 1886 . William Taft remained devoted to his wife throughout their almost 44 years of marriage . Nellie Taft pushed her husband much as his parents had , and she could be very frank with her criticisms . [ 12 ] [ 13 ] The couple had three children , of which the eldest , Robert , became a U.S. senator . [ 1 ] There was a seat vacant on the U.S. Supreme Court in 1889 , and Governor Foraker suggested President Harrison appoint Taft to fill it . Taft was 32 and his professional goal was always a seat on the high court . He actively sought the appointment , writing to Foraker to urge the governor to press his case , while stating to others it was unlikely he would get it . Instead , in 1890 , Harrison appointed him Solicitor General of the United States . When Taft arrived in Washington in February 1890 , the office had been vacant two months , with the work piling up . He worked to eliminate the backlog , while simultaneously educating himself on federal law and procedure he had not needed as an Ohio state judge . [ 14 ] New York Senator William M. Evarts , a former Secretary of State , had been a classmate of Alphonso Taft at Yale . [ c ] Evarts called to see his friend's son as soon as Taft took office , and William and Nellie Taft were launched into Washington society . Nellie Taft was ambitious for herself and her husband , and was annoyed when the people he socialized with most were mainly Supreme Court justices , rather than the arbiters of Washington society such as Theodore Roosevelt , John Hay , Henry Cabot Lodge and their wives . [ 15 ] Although Taft was successful as Solicitor General , winning 15 of the 18 cases he argued before the Supreme Court , [ 1 ] he was glad when in March 1891 , Congress created a new judgeship for each of the United States Courts of Appeal and Harrison appointed him to the Sixth Circuit , based in Cincinnati . In March 1892 , Taft resigned as Solicitor General to resume his judicial career . [ 16 ] Taft's federal judgeship was a lifetime appointment , and one from which promotion to the Supreme Court might come . Taft's older half-brother Charles , successful in business , supplemented Taft's government salary , allowing William and Nellie Taft and their family to live in comfort . Taft's duties involved hearing trials in the circuit , which included Ohio , Michigan , Kentucky , and Tennessee , and participating with Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan , the circuit justice , and judges of the Sixth Circuit in hearing appeals . Taft spent eight years of his life , from 1892 to 1900 , in personal and professional contentment . [ 17 ] According to historian Louis L. Gould , \" while Taft shared the fears about social unrest that dominated the middle classes during the 1890s , he was not as conservative as his critics believed . He supported the right of labor to organize and strike , and he ruled against employers in several negligence cases . \" [ 1 ] Among these was Voight v. Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern Railway Co. [ d ] Taft's decision for a worker injured in a railway accident violated the contemporary doctrine of liberty of contract , and he was reversed by the Supreme Court . [ e ] On the other hand , Taft's opinion in United States v. Addyston Pipe and Steel Co. [ f ] was upheld unanimously by the high court . [ g ] Taft's opinion , in which he held that a pipe manufacturers' association had violated the Sherman Antitrust Act , [ 18 ] was described by Henry Pringle , his biographer , as having \" definitely and specifically revived \" that legislation . [ 19 ] In 1896 , Taft became dean and Professor of Property at his alma mater , the Cincinnati Law School , a post that required him to prepare and give two hour-long lectures each week . [ 20 ] He was devoted to his law school , and was deeply committed to legal education , introducing the case system to the curriculum . [ 21 ] As a federal judge , Taft could not involve himself with politics , but followed it closely , remaining a Republican supporter . He watched with some disbelief as the campaign of Ohio Governor William McKinley developed in 1894 and 1895 , writing \" I can not find anybody in Washington who wants him \" . [ 21 ] By March 1896 , Taft realized that McKinley would likely be nominated , and was lukewarm in his support . He landed solidly in McKinley's camp after former Nebraska representative William Jennings Bryan in July stampeded the 1896 Democratic National Convention with his Cross of Gold speech . Bryan , both in that address and in his campaign , strongly advocated free silver , a policy that Taft saw as economic radicalism . Taft feared that people would hoard gold in anticipation of a Bryan victory , but he could do nothing but worry . McKinley was elected ; when a place on the Supreme Court opened in 1898 , the only one under McKinley , the president named Joseph McKenna . [ 22 ] In January 1900 , Taft was called to Washington to meet with McKinley . Taft hoped a Supreme Court appointment was in the works , but instead McKinley wanted to place Taft on the commission to organize a civilian government in the Philippines . The appointment would require Taft's resignation from the bench ; the president assured him that if he fulfilled this task , McKinley would appoint him to the next vacancy on the high court . Taft accepted on condition he was made head of the commission , with responsibility for success or failure ; McKinley agreed , and Taft sailed for the islands in April 1900 . [ 23 ] Many Filipinos had responded to the American takeover with a fierce resistance , seeking independence for the islands , but U.S. forces , led by military governor General Arthur MacArthur , Jr. [ h ] had the upper hand by 1900 . MacArthur felt the commission was a nuisance , and their mission a quixotic attempt to impose self-government on a people unready for it . The general was forced to co-operate with Taft , as McKinley had given the commission control over the islands' military budget . [ 24 ] The commission took executive power in the Philippines on September 1 , 1900 ; on July 4 , 1901 , Taft became civilian governor . MacArthur , until then the military governor , was relieved by General Adna Chaffee , who was designated only as commander of American forces . [ 25 ] Taft sought to make the Filipinos partners in a venture that would lead to their self-government ; he saw independence as something far off . Many Americans in the Philippines viewed the locals as racial inferiors , but Taft wrote soon before his arrival , \" we propose to banish this idea from their minds \" . [ 26 ] Taft did not impose segregation at official events , and treated the Filipinos as social equals . [ 27 ] Nellie Taft recalled that \" neither politics nor race should influence our hospitality in any way \" . [ 28 ] McKinley was assassinated in September 1901 , and was succeeded by Theodore Roosevelt . Taft and Roosevelt had first become friends around 1890 while Taft was Solicitor General and Roosevelt a member of the Civil Service Commission . Taft had , after McKinley's election , urged the appointment of Roosevelt as Assistant Secretary of the Navy , and watched as Roosevelt became a war hero , Governor of New York , and Vice President of the United States . They met again when Taft went to Washington in January 1902 to recuperate after two operations caused by an infection . [ 29 ] There , Taft testified before the Senate Committee on the Philippines . Taft wanted to have Filipino farmers to have a stake in the new government through land ownership , but much of the arable land was held by Catholic religious orders , priests who were mostly Spanish , and were often resented by the Filipinos . Roosevelt had Taft go to Rome to negotiate with Pope Leo XIII , to purchase the lands and to arrange the withdrawal of the Spanish priests , with Americans replacing them and training locals as clergy . Taft did not succeed in resolving these issues on his visit to Rome , but an agreement on both points was made in 1903 . [ 30 ] In late 1902 , Taft had heard from Roosevelt that a seat on the Supreme Court would soon fall vacant on the resignation of Justice George Shiras , and Roosevelt desired that Taft fill it . Although this was Taft's professional goal , he refused as he felt his work as governor was not yet done . [ 31 ] One reason for Roosevelt's action was his desire to neutralize a potential rival for the presidency : Taft's success in the Philippines had not gone unnoticed in the American press . [ 32 ] The following year , Roosevelt asked Taft to become Secretary of War . As the War Department was responsible for the Philippines , Taft would remain responsible for the islands , and Root was willing to postpone his departure until 1904 , allowing Taft time to wrap up his work in Manila . After consulting with his family , Taft agreed , and sailed for the United States in December 1903 . [ 33 ] Roosevelt introduces Taft as his crown prince : Puck magazine cover , 1906 . When Taft took office as Secretary of War in January 1904 , he was not called upon to spend much time administering the army , which the president was content to do himself \u2013 Roosevelt wanted him as a troubleshooter in difficult situations , as a legal adviser , and to be able to give campaign speeches as he sought election in his own right . Taft strongly defended Roosevelt's record in his addresses , and wrote of the president's successful but strenuous efforts to gain election , \" I would not run for president if you guaranteed the office . It is awful to be afraid of one's shadow . \" [ 34 ] [ 35 ] Between 1905 and 1907 , Taft came to terms with the likelihood he would be the next Republican nominee for president , though he did not plan to actively campaign for it . When Justice Henry B. Brown resigned in 1905 , Taft would not accept the seat although Roosevelt offered it , a position Taft held to when another seat opened in 1906 . [ 36 ] Edith Roosevelt , the First Lady , disliked the growing closeness between the two men , feeling they were too much alike , and that the president did not gain much from the advice of someone who rarely contradicted him . [ 37 ] Alternatively , Taft wanted to be chief justice , and kept a close eye on the health of the aging incumbent , Melville Fuller , who turned 75 in 1908 . Taft believed Fuller likely to live many years . Roosevelt had indicated he was likely to appoint Taft if the opportunity came to fill the court's center seat , but some considered Attorney General Philander Knox a better candidate . In any event , Fuller remained chief justice throughout Roosevelt's presidency . [ i ] [ 38 ] Through the 1903 Panamanian Revolution and the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty , the United States had secured rights to build a canal in the Isthmus of Panama . Legislation authorizing construction did not specify which government department would be responsible , and Roosevelt designated the Department of War . Taft journeyed to Panama in 1904 , viewing the canal site and meeting with Panamanian officials . The Isthmian Canal Commission had trouble keeping a chief engineer , and when in February 1907 John D. Stevens submitted his resignation , Taft recommended an army engineer , George W. Goethals . Under Goethals , the project moved ahead smoothly . [ 39 ] Another colony lost by Spain in 1898 was Cuba , but as freedom for Cuba had been a major purpose of the war , it was not annexed by the U.S. , but was , after a period of occupation , given independence in 1902 . Election fraud and corruption followed , as did factional conflict . In September 1906 , President Tom\u00e1s Estrada Palma asked for U.S. intervention . Taft traveled to Cuba with a small American force , and on September 29 , 1906 , under the terms of the Cuban \u2013 American Treaty of Relations of 1903 , declared himself Provisional Governor of Cuba , a post he held for two weeks before being succeeded by Charles Edward Magoon . In his time in Cuba , Taft worked to persuade Cubans that the U.S. intended stability , not occupation . [ 40 ] Taft remained involved in Philippine affairs . During Roosevelt's election campaign in 1904 , he urged that Philippine agricultural products be admitted to the U.S. without duty . This caused growers of U.S. sugar and tobacco to complain to Roosevelt , who remonstrated with his Secretary of War . Taft expressed unwillingness to change his position , and threatened to resign ; [ 41 ] Roosevelt hastily dropped the matter . [ 42 ] Taft returned to the islands in 1905 , leading a delegation of congressmen , and again in 1907 , to open the first Philippine Assembly . [ 43 ] On both of his Philippine trips as Secretary of War , Taft went to Japan , and met with officials there . [ 44 ] The meeting in July 1905 came a month before the conference which would end the Russo-Japanese War with the Treaty of Portsmouth . Taft met with Japanese Prime Minister Katsura Tar\u014d . After that meeting , the two signed a memorandum , with Japan indicating it had no desire to invade the Philippines , and the U.S. that it did not object to Japanese control of Korea . [ 45 ] There were U.S. concerns about the number of Japanese laborers coming to the West Coast , and during Taft's second visit , in September 1907 , Tadasu Hayashi , the foreign minister , informally agreed to issue fewer passports to them . [ 46 ] Roosevelt had served almost three and a half years of McKinley's term . On the night of his own election in 1904 , Roosevelt publicly declared he would not run for re-election in 1908 , a pledge he quickly regretted . But he felt bound by his word . Roosevelt believed Taft was his logical successor , although the War Secretary was initially reluctant to run . [ 47 ] Roosevelt used his control of the party machinery to aid his heir apparent . [ 47 ] On pain of loss of their jobs , political appointees were required to support Taft or remain silent . [ 48 ] One of a series of candid photographs known as the Evolution of a Smile , taken just after a formal portrait session , as Taft learns by telephone from Roosevelt of his nomination for president . A number of Republican politicians , such as Treasury Secretary George Cortelyou tested the waters for a run , but chose to stay out . New York Governor Charles Evans Hughes ran , but when he made a major policy speech , Roosevelt the same day sent a special message to Congress warning in strong terms against corporate corruption . The resulting coverage of the presidential message relegated Hughes to the back pages . [ 49 ] Roosevelt reluctantly deterred repeated attempts to draft him for another term . [ 50 ] Assistant Postmaster General Frank H. Hitchcock resigned from his office in February 1908 to lead the Taft effort . [ 51 ] In April , Taft made a speaking tour , traveling as far west as Omaha before being recalled to go to Panama and straighten out another contested election . At the 1908 Republican National Convention in Chicago in June , there was no serious opposition to him , and he gained a first-ballot victory . Yet , Taft did not have things his own way : he had hoped his running mate would be a midwestern progressive like Iowa Senator Jonathan Dolliver , but instead the convention named Congressman James S. Sherman of New York , a conservative . Taft resigned as Secretary of War on June 30 to devote his full-time to the campaign . [ 52 ] [ 53 ] Taft's opponent in the general election was Bryan , the Democratic nominee for the third time in four presidential elections . As many of Roosevelt's reforms stemmed from proposals by Bryan , the Democrat argued that he was the heir to Roosevelt's mantle and that Taft was not . Corporate contributions to federal political campaigns had been outlawed by the 1907 Tillman Act , and Bryan proposed that contributions by officers and directors of corporations be similarly banned , or at least disclosed when made . Taft was only willing to see the contributions disclosed after the election , and tried to ensure that officers and directors of corporations litigating with the government were not among his contributors . [ 54 ] 1908 Taft \/ Sherman poster Taft began the campaign on the wrong foot , fueling the arguments of those who said he was not his own man by traveling to Roosevelt's home at Sagamore Hill for advice on his acceptance speech , saying that he needed \" the President's judgment and criticism \" . [ 55 ] He for the most part supported Roosevelt's policies . The candidate argued that labor had a right to organize , but not to boycott . Moneyed interests , that is , capital , must also obey the law . Bryan wanted the railroads to be owned by the government , but Taft preferred that they remain in the private sector , with their maximum rates set by the Interstate Commerce Commission , subject to judicial review . Taft attributed blame for the recent recession , the Panic of 1907 , to stock speculation and other abuses , and felt some reform of the currency ( the U.S. was on the gold standard ) was needed to allow flexibility in the government's response to poor economic times . Specific legislation on trusts was needed to supplement the Sherman Antitrust Act . The constitution should be amended to allow for an income tax , thus overruling decisions of the Supreme Court striking such a tax down . Roosevelt's expansive use of executive power had been controversial ; Taft proposed to continue his policies , but place them on more solid legal underpinnings through the passage of legislation . [ 56 ] Taft upset some progressives by choosing Hitchcock as Chairman of the Republican National Committee ( RNC ) , placing him in charge of the presidential campaign . Hitchcock was quick to bring in men closely allied with big business . [ 57 ] Taft took an August vacation in Hot Springs , Virginia , where he irritated political advisors by spending more time on golf than strategy . After seeing a newspaper photo of Taft taking a large swing at a golf ball , Roosevelt warned him against candid shots . [ 58 ] Electoral vote by state , 1908 . States won by Taft are in red . Roosevelt , frustrated by his own relative inaction , showered Taft with advice , fearing that the electorate would not appreciate Taft's qualities , and that Bryan would win . Roosevelt's supporters spread rumors that the president was in effect running Taft's campaign . This annoyed Nellie Taft , who never trusted the Roosevelts . [ 59 ] Nevertheless , Roosevelt supported the Republican nominee with such enthusiasm that humorists suggested \" TAFT \" stood for \" Take advice from Theodore \" . [ 60 ] Bryan urged a system of bank guarantees , so that depositors could be repaid if banks failed , but Taft opposed this , offering a postal savings system instead . [ 54 ] The issue of prohibition of alcohol entered the campaign when in mid-September , Carrie Nation called on Taft and demanded to know his views . Taft and Roosevelt had agreed the party platform would take no position on the matter , and Nation left indignant , to allege that Taft was irreligious and against temperance . Taft , at Roosevelt's advice , ignored the issue . [ 61 ] In the end , Taft won by a comfortable margin . Taft defeated Bryan by 321 electoral votes to 162 ; however , he garnered just 51.6 percent of the popular vote . [ 62 ] Nellie Taft said regarding the campaign , \" There was nothing to criticize , except his not knowing or caring about the way the game of politics is played . \" [ 63 ] Longtime White House usher Ike Hoover recalled that Taft came often to see Roosevelt during the campaign , but seldom between the election and Inauguration Day , March 4 , 1909 . [ 64 ] William Howard Taft was sworn in as president on March 4 , 1909 . Due to a winter storm that coated Washington with ice , Taft was inaugurated within the Senate Chamber rather than outside the Capitol as is customary . The new president stated in his inaugural address that he had been honored to have been \" one of the advisers of my distinguished predecessor \" and to have had a part \" in the reforms he has initiated . I should be untrue to myself , to my promises , and to the declarations of the party platform on which I was elected if I did not make the maintenance and enforcement of those reforms a most important feature of my administration \" . [ 65 ] He pledged to make those reforms long-lasting , ensuring that honest businessmen did not suffer uncertainty through change of policy . He spoke of the need for reduction of the 1897 Dingley Tariff , for antitrust reform , and for continued advancement of the Philippines toward full self-government . [ 66 ] Roosevelt left office with regret that his tenure in the position he enjoyed so much was over and , to keep out of Taft's way , arranged for a year-long hunting trip to Africa . [ 67 ] Taft did not enjoy the easy relationship with the press that Roosevelt had , choosing not to offer himself for interviews or photo opportunities as often as his predecessor had . [ 70 ] His administration marked a change in style from the charismatic leadership of Roosevelt to Taft's quieter passion for the rule of law . [ 71 ] Taft made it a priority to restructure the State Department , noting , \" it is organized on the basis of the needs of the government in 1800 instead of 1900 . \" [ 72 ] The Department was for the first time organized into geographical divisions , including desks for the Far East , Latin America and Western Europe . [ 73 ] The department's first in-service training program was established , and appointees spent a month in Washington before going to their posts . [ 74 ] Taft and Secretary of State Knox had a strong relationship , and the president listened to his counsel on matters foreign and domestic . According to Coletta , however , Knox was not a good diplomat , and had poor relations with the Senate , press , and many foreign leaders , especially those from Latin America . [ 75 ] There was broad agreement between Taft and Knox on major foreign policy goals . The U.S. would not interfere in European affairs . The U.S. would use force if necessary to enforce the Monroe Doctrine in the Americas . The defense of the Panama Canal , which was under construction throughout Taft's term ( it opened in 1914 ) , guided U.S. policy in the Caribbean and in Central America . Previous administration had tried to defend American business interests overseas , but Taft went a step further and used the web of American diplomats and consuls abroad to promote trade . Such ties , Taft hoped , would promote world peace . [ 75 ] Taft promoted arbitration treaties with Great Britain and France , but the Senate was not willing to yield to arbitrators its constitutional prerogative to approve treaties . [ 76 ] At the time of Taft's presidency , protectionism through the use of tariffs was a fundamental position of the Republican Party . [ 77 ] The Dingley Tariff had been enacted to protect American industry from foreign competition . The 1908 party platform had supported unspecified revisions to the Dingley Act , and Taft interpreted this to mean reductions . Taft called a special session of Congress to convene on March 15 , 1909 to deal with the tariff question . [ 78 ] Sereno E. Payne , chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee , had held hearings in late 1908 , and sponsored the resulting draft legislation . On balance , the bill reduced tariffs slightly , but when it passed the House in April 1909 and reached the Senate , the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee , Rhode Island Senator Nelson W. Aldrich , attached many amendments raising rates . This outraged progressives such as Wisconsin's Robert M. La Follette , who urged Taft to say that the bill was not in accord with the party platform . Taft refused , angering them . [ 79 ] Taft insisted that most imports from the Philippines be free of duty , and according to Anderson , showed effective leadership on a subject he was knowledgeable on and really cared about . [ 80 ] When opponents sought to modify the tariff bill to allow for an income tax , Taft opposed it on the ground that the Supreme Court would likely strike it down as unconstitutional , as it had before . Instead , they proposed a constitutional amendment , which passed both houses in early July , was sent to the states , and by 1913 was ratified as the Sixteenth Amendment . In the conference committee , Taft won some victories , such as limiting the tax on lumber . The conference report passed both houses , and Taft signed it on August 6 , 1909 . The Payne-Aldrich tariff was immediately controversial . According to Coletta , \" Taft had lost the initiative , and the wounds inflicted in the acrid tariff debate never healed \" . [ 81 ] Newton McConnell cartoon showing Canadian suspicions that Taft and others were only interested in Canada when prosperous . In Taft's annual message sent to Congress in December 1910 , he urged a free trade accord for Canada . Britain at that time still handled Canada's foreign relations , and Taft found the British and Canadian governments willing . Many in Canada opposed an accord , fearing the U.S. would dump it when convenient as it had the 1854 Elgin-Marcy Treaty in 1866 , and American farm and fisheries interests were also opposed . After January 1911 talks with Canadian officials , Taft had the agreement , which was not a treaty , introduced into Congress and it passed in late July . The Canadian Parliament , led by Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier , had deadlocked over the issue . Canadians turned Laurier out of office in the September 1911 election . No cross-border agreement was concluded , and the debate deepened divisions in the Republican Party . [ 82 ] [ 83 ] Taft and Porfirio D\u00edaz , Ciudad Ju\u00e1rez , Mexico , 1909 Taft and his Secretary of State , Philander Knox , instituted a policy of Dollar Diplomacy towards Latin America , believing U.S. investment would benefit all involved , while keeping European influence away from areas subject to the Monroe Doctrine . Although exports rose sharply during Taft's administration , the policy was unpopular among Latin American states that did not wish to become financial protectorates of the United States , as well as in the U.S. Senate , many of whose members believed the U.S. should not interfere abroad . [ 84 ] No foreign affairs controversy tested Taft's statesmanship and commitment to peace more than the collapse of the Mexican regime and subsequent turmoil of the Mexican Revolution . [ 85 ] When Taft entered office , Mexico was increasingly restless under the grip of longtime dictator Porfirio D\u00edaz and many Mexicans backed his opponent , Francisco Madero . [ 86 ] There were a number of incidents in which Mexican rebels crossed the U.S. border to obtain horses and weapons ; Taft sought to prevent this by ordering the army to the border areas for maneuvers . Taft told his military aide , Archibald Butt , that \" I am going to sit on the lid and it will take a great deal to pry me off \" . [ 87 ] He showed his support for D\u00edaz by meeting with him at El Paso , Texas , and Ciudad Ju\u00e1rez , Mexico , the first meeting between a U.S. and a Mexican president and also the first time an American president visited Mexico . [ 88 ] The day of the summit , Frederick Russell Burnham and a Texas Ranger captured and disarmed an assassin holding a palm pistol only a few feet of the two presidents . [ 88 ] Before the election in Mexico , D\u00edaz jailed opposition candidate Madero , whose supporters took up arms resulting in both the ousting of D\u00edaz and a revolution that would continue for another ten years . In the U.S. ' s Arizona Territory , two citizens were killed and almost a dozen injured , some as a result of gunfire across the border . Taft would not be goaded into fighting and so instructed the territorial governor . [ 85 ] Nicaragua's president , Jos\u00e9 Santos Zelaya , wanted to revoke commercial concessions granted to American companies , [ j ] and American diplomats quietly favored rebel forces under Juan Estrada . [ 89 ] Nicaragua was in debt to foreign powers , and the U.S. was unwilling that an alternate canal route fall into the hands of Europeans . Zelaya's elected successor , Jos\u00e9 Madriz , could not put down the rebellion as U.S. forces interfered , and in August 1910 , the Estrada forces took Managua , the capital . The U.S. had Nicaragua accept a loan , and sent officials to ensure it was repaid from government revenues . The country remained unstable , and after another coup in 1911 and more disturbances in 1912 , Taft sent troops ; though most were soon withdrawn , some remained as late as 1933 . [ 90 ] [ 91 ] Treaties among Panama , Colombia , and the United States to resolve disputes arising from the Panamanian Revolution of 1903 had been signed by the lame-duck Roosevelt administration in early 1909 , and were approved by the Senate and also ratified by Panama . Colombia , however , declined to ratify the treaties , and after the 1912 elections , Knox offered $ 10 million to the Colombians ( later raised to $ 25 million ) . The Colombians felt the amount inadequate , and requested arbitration ; the matter was not settled under the Taft administration . [ 92 ] Due to his years in the Philippines , Taft was keenly interested as president in Far Eastern affairs . [ 93 ] Taft considered relations with Europe relatively unimportant , but because of the potential for trade and investment , Taft ranked the post of minister to China as most important in the Foreign Service . Knox did not agree , and declined a suggestion that he go to Peking to view the facts on the ground . Taft replaced Roosevelt's minister there , William W. Rockhill , as uninterested in the China trade , with William J. Calhoun , whom McKinley and Roosevelt had sent on several foreign missions . Knox did not listen to Calhoun on policy , and there were often conflicts . [ 94 ] Taft and Knox tried unsuccessfully to extend John Hay's Open Door Policy to Manchuria . [ 95 ] In 1898 , an American company had gained a concession for a railroad between Hankow and Szechuan , but the Chinese revoked the agreement in 1904 after the company ( which was indemnified for the revocation ) breached the agreement by selling a majority stake outside the United States . The Chinese imperial government got the money for the indemnity from the British Hong Kong government , on condition British subjects would be favored if foreign capital was needed to build the railroad line , and in 1909 , a British-led consortium began negotiations . [ 96 ] This came to Knox's attention in May of that year , and he demanded that U.S. banks be allowed to participate . Taft appealed personally to the Prince Regent , Zaifeng , Prince Chun , and was successful in gaining U.S. participation , though agreements were not signed until May 1911 . [ 97 ] However , the Chinese decree authorizing the agreement also required the nationalization of local railroad companies in the affected provinces . Inadequate compensation was paid to the shareholders , and these grievances were among those which touched off the Chinese Revolution of 1911 . [ 98 ] [ 99 ] After the revolution broke out , the revolt's leaders chose Sun Yat Sen as provisional president of what became the Republic of China , overthrowing the Manchu Dynasty , Taft was reluctant to recognize the new government , although American public opinion was in favor of it . The U.S. House of Representatives in February 1912 passed a resolution supporting a Chinese republic , but Taft and Knox felt recognition should come as a concerted action by Western powers . Taft in his final annual message to Congress in December 1912 indicated that he was moving towards recognition once the republic was fully established , but by then he had been defeated for re-election and he did not follow through . [ 100 ] Taft continued the policy against immigration from China and Japan as under Roosevelt . A revised treaty of friendship and navigation entered into by the U.S. and Japan in 1911 granted broad reciprocal rights to Japanese in America and Americans in Japan , but were premised on the continuation of the Gentlemen's Agreement . There was objection on the West Coast when the treaty was submitted to the Senate , but Taft informed politicians that there was no change in immigration policy . [ 101 ] Taft was opposed to the traditional practice of rewarding wealthy supporters with key ambassadorial posts , preferring that diplomats not live in a lavish lifestyle and selecting men who , as Taft put it , would recognize an American when they saw one . High on his list for dismissal was the ambassador to France , Henry White , whom Taft knew and disliked from his visits to Europe . White 's ousting caused other career State Department employees to fear that their jobs might be lost to politics . Taft also wanted to replace the Roosevelt-appointed ambassador in London , Whitelaw Reid , but Reid , owner of the New-York Tribune , had backed Taft during the campaign , and both William and Nellie Taft enjoyed his gossipy reports . Reid remained in place until his 1912 death . [ 102 ] Taft was a supporter of settling international disputes by arbitration , and he negotiated treaties with Great Britain and with France providing that differences be arbitrated . These were signed in August 1911 . Neither Taft nor Knox ( a former senator ) consulted with members of the Senate during the negotiating process . By then many Republicans were opposed to Taft and the president felt that lobbying too hard for the treaties might cause their defeat . He made some speeches supporting the treaties in October , but the Senate added amendments Taft could not accept , killing the agreements . [ 103 ] Although no general arbitration treaty was entered into , Taft's administration settled several disputes with Great Britain by peaceful means , often involving arbitration . These included a settlement of the boundary between Maine and New Brunswick , a long-running dispute over seal hunting in the Bering Sea that also involved Japan , and a similar disagreement regarding fishing off Newfoundland . The sealing convention remained in force until abrogated by Japan in 1940 . [ 104 ] Taft continued and expanded Roosevelt's efforts to break up business combinations through lawsuits brought under the Sherman Antitrust Act , bringing 70 cases in four years ( Roosevelt had brought 40 in seven years ) . Suits brought against the Standard Oil Company and the American Tobacco Company , initiated under Roosevelt , were decided in favor of the government by the Supreme Court in 1911 . [ 105 ] In June 1911 , the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives began hearings into United States Steel ( U.S. Steel ) . That company had been expanded under Roosevelt , who had supported its acquisition of the Tennessee Coal , Iron , and Railroad Company as a means of preventing the deepening of the Panic of 1907 , a decision the former president defended when testifying at the hearings . Taft , as Secretary of War , had praised the acquisitions . [ 106 ] Historian Louis L. Gould suggested that Roosevelt was likely deceived into believing that U.S. Steel did not want to purchase the Tennessee company , but it was in fact a bargain . For Roosevelt , questioning the matter went to his personal honesty . [ 107 ] In October 1911 , Taft's Justice Department brought suit against U.S. Steel , demanding that over a hundred of its subsidiaries be granted corporate independence , and naming as defendants many prominent business executives and financiers . The pleadings in the case had not been reviewed by Taft , and alleged that Roosevelt \" had fostered monopoly , and had been duped by clever industrialists \" . [ 106 ] Roosevelt was offended by the references to him and his administration in the pleadings , and felt that Taft could not evade command responsibility by saying he did not know of them . [ 108 ] Taft sent a special message to Congress on the need for a revamped antitrust statute when it convened its regular session in December 1911 , but it took no action . Another antitrust case that had political repercussions for Taft was that brought against the International Harvester Company , the large manufacturer of farm equipment , in early 1912 . As Roosevelt's administration had investigated International Harvester , but had taken no action ( a decision Taft had supported ) , the suit became caught up in Roosevelt's challenge for the Republican presidential nomination . Supporters of Taft alleged that Roosevelt had acted improperly ; the former president blasted Taft for waiting three and a half years , and until he was under challenge , to reverse a decision he had supported . [ 109 ] Roosevelt was an ardent conservationist , assisted in this by like-minded appointees , including Interior Secretary James R. Garfield [ k ] and Chief Forester Gifford Pinchot . Taft agreed with the need for conservation , but felt it should be accomplished by legislation rather than executive order . He did not retain Garfield , an Ohioan , as secretary , choosing instead a westerner , former Seattle mayor Richard A. Ballinger . Roosevelt was surprised at the replacement , believing that Taft had promised to keep Garfield , and this change was one of the events that caused Roosevelt to realize that Taft would choose different policies . [ 110 ] Roosevelt had withdrawn much land from the public domain , including some in Alaska thought rich in coal . In 1902 , Clarence Cunningham , an Idaho entrepreneur , had found coal deposits in Alaska , and made mining claims , and the government investigated their legality . This dragged on for the remainder of the Roosevelt administration , including during the year ( 1907 \u2013 1908 ) when Ballinger served as head of the General Land Office . [ 111 ] A special agent for the Land Office , Louis Glavis , investigated the Cunningham claims , and when Secretary Ballinger in 1909 approved them , Glavis broke governmental protocol by going outside the Interior Department to seek help from Pinchot . [ 112 ] In September 1909 , Glavis made his allegations public in a magazine article , disclosing that Ballinger had acted as an attorney for Cunningham between his two periods of government service . This violated conflict of interest rules forbidding a former government official from advocacy on a matter he had been responsible for . [ 113 ] On September 13 , 1909 Taft dismissed Glavis from government service , relying on a report from Attorney General George W. Wickersham dated two days previously . [ 114 ] Pinchot was determined to dramatize the issue by forcing his own dismissal , which Taft tried to avoid , fearing that it might cause a break with Roosevelt ( still overseas ) . Taft asked Elihu Root ( by then a senator ) to look into the matter , and Root urged the firing of Pinchot . [ 113 ] Taft had ordered government officials not to comment on the fracas . [ 115 ] In January 1910 , Pinchot forced the issue by sending a letter to Iowa Senator Dolliver alleging that but for the actions of the Forestry Service , Taft would have approved a fraudulent claim on public lands . According to Pringle , this \" was an utterly improper appeal from an executive subordinate to the legislative branch of the government and an unhappy president prepared to separate Pinchot from public office \" . [ 116 ] Pinchot was dismissed , much to his delight , and he sailed for Europe to lay his case before Roosevelt . [ 117 ] A congressional investigation followed , which cleared Ballinger by majority vote , but the administration was embarrassed when Glavis' attorney , Louis D. Brandeis , proved that the Wickersham report had been backdated , which Taft belatedly admitted . The Ballinger-Pinchot affair caused progressives and Roosevelt loyalists to feel that Taft had turned his back on Roosevelt's agenda . [ 118 ] Taft announced in his inaugural address that he would not appoint African Americans to federal jobs , such as postmaster , where this would cause racial friction . This differed from Roosevelt , who would not remove or replace black officeholders with whom local whites would not deal . Termed Taft's \" Southern Policy \" , this stance effectively invited white protests against black appointees . Taft followed through , removing most black office holders in the South , and made few appointments from that race in the North . [ 119 ] At the time Taft was inaugurated , the way forward for African Americans was debated by their leaders . Booker T. Washington felt that most blacks should be trained for industrial work , with only a few seeking higher education ; W.E.B. DuBois took a more militant stand for equality . Taft tended towards Washington's approach . According to Coletta , Taft let the African-American \" be ' kept in his place ' ... He thus failed to see or follow the humanitarian mission historically associated with the Republican party , with the result that Negroes both North and South began to drift toward the Democratic party . \" [ 120 ] A supporter of free immigration , Taft vetoed a bill passed by Congress and supported by labor unions that would have restricted unskilled laborers by imposing a literacy test . [ 121 ] Taft made six appointments to the Supreme Court , the most of any president except George Washington and Franklin D. Roosevelt . [ 122 ] The death of Justice Rufus Peckham in October 1909 gave Taft his first opportunity . He chose an old friend and colleague from the Sixth Circuit , Horace H. Lurton of Georgia ; he had in vain urged Theodore Roosevelt to appoint Lurton to the high court . Attorney General Wickersham objected that Lurton , a former Confederate soldier and a Democrat , was aged 65 . Taft named Lurton anyway on December 13 , 1909 , and the Senate confirmed him by voice vote a week later . Lurton is still the oldest man to be made an associate justice . [ l ] Lurie suggested that Taft , already beset by the tariff and conservation controversies , desired to perform an official act which gave him pleasure , especially since he thought Lurton deserved it . [ 123 ] Justice David Josiah Brewer ' s death on March 28 , 1910 gave Taft a second opportunity to fill a seat on the high court ; he chose New York Governor Charles Evans Hughes . Taft told Hughes that should the chief justiceship fall vacant during his term , Hughes would be his likely choice for the center seat . The Senate quickly confirmed Hughes , but then Chief Justice Fuller died on July 4 , 1910 . Taft took five months to replace Fuller , and when he did , it was with Justice Edward Douglass White , who became the first associate justice to be promoted to chief justice . [ m ] According to Lurie , Taft , who still had hopes of being chief justice , may have been more willing to appoint an older man than he ( White ) than a younger one ( Hughes ) , who might outlive him , as indeed Hughes did . To fill White's seat as associate justice , Taft appointed Willis Van Devanter of Wyoming , a federal appeals judge . By the time Taft nominated White and Van Devanter in December 1910 , he had another seat to fill due to William Henry Moody ' s retirement because of illness ; he named a Louisiana Democrat , Joseph R. Lamar , whom he had met while playing golf , and had subsequently learned had a good reputation as a judge . [ 124 ] With the death of Justice Harlan in October 1911 , Taft got to fill a sixth seat on the Supreme Court . After Secretary Knox declined appointment , Taft named Chancellor of New Jersey Mahlon Pitney , the last person appointed to the Supreme Court who did not attend law school . [ 125 ] Pitney had a stronger anti-labor record than Taft's other appointments , and was the only one to meet opposition , winning confirmation by a Senate vote of 50 \u2013 26 . [ 126 ] Taft appointed 13 judges to the federal courts of appeal and 38 to the United States district courts . Taft also appointed judges to various specialized courts , including the first five appointees each to the United States Commerce Court and the United States Court of Customs Appeals . [ 127 ] The Commerce Court , created in 1910 , stemmed from a Taft proposal for a specialized court to hear appeals from the Interstate Commerce Commission . There was considerable opposition to its establishment , which only grew when one of its judges , Robert W. Archbald , was in 1912 impeached for corruption and removed by the Senate the following January . Taft vetoed a bill to abolish the court , but the respite was short-lived as Wilson signed similar legislation in October 1913 . [ 128 ] 1909 Puck magazine cover : Roosevelt departs , entrusting his policies to Taft During Roosevelt's fifteen months beyond the Atlantic , from March 1909 to June 1910 , neither man wrote much to the other . Taft biographer Lurie suggested that each expected the other to make the first move to re-establish their relationship on a new footing . Upon Roosevelt's triumphant return , Taft invited him to stay at the White House . The former president declined , and in private letters to friends expressed dissatisfaction at Taft's performance . Nevertheless , he wrote that he expected Taft to be renominated by the Republicans in 1912 , and did not speak of himself as a candidate . [ 129 ] Taft and Roosevelt met twice in 1910 ; the meetings , though outwardly cordial , did not display their former closeness . [ 130 ] Roosevelt gave a series of speeches in the West in the late summer and early fall of 1910 . Roosevelt not only attacked the Supreme Court's 1905 decision in Lochner v. New York , [ n ] he accused the federal courts of undermining democracy , and called for them to be deprived of the power to rule legislation unconstitutional . This attack horrified Taft , who privately agreed that Lochner had been wrongly decided . Roosevelt called for \" elimination of corporate expenditures for political purposes , physical valuation of railroad properties , regulation of industrial combinations , establishment of an export tariff commission , a graduated income tax \" as well as \" workmen's compensation laws , state and national legislation to regulate the [ labor ] of women and children , and complete publicity of campaign expenditure \" . [ 131 ] According to John Murphy in his journal article on the breach between the two presidents , \" As Roosevelt began to move to the left , Taft veered to the right . \" [ 131 ] During the 1910 midterm election campaign , Roosevelt involved himself in New York politics , while Taft with donations and influence tried to secure the election of the Republican gubernatorial candidate in Ohio , former lieutenant governor Warren G. Harding . The Republicans suffered losses in the 1910 elections as the Democrats took control of the House and slashed the Republican majority in the Senate . In New Jersey , Democrat Woodrow Wilson was elected governor , and Harding lost his race in Ohio . [ 130 ] After the election , Roosevelt continued to promote progressive ideals , a New Nationalism , much to Taft's dismay . Roosevelt attacked his successor's administration , arguing that its guiding principles were not that of the party of Lincoln , but those of the Gilded Age . [ 132 ] The feud continued on and off through 1911 , a year in which there were few elections of significance . Wisconsin Senator La Follette announced a presidential run as a Republican , and was backed by a convention of progressives . Roosevelt began to move into a position for a run in late 1911 , writing that the tradition that presidents not run for a third term only applied to consecutive terms . [ 133 ] Roosevelt was receiving many letters from supporters urging him to run , and Republican office-holders were organizing on his behalf . Balked on many policies by an unwilling Congress and courts in his full term in the White House , he saw manifestations of public support he believed would sweep him to the White House with a mandate for progressive policies that would brook no opposition . [ 134 ] In February , Roosevelt announced he would accept the Republican nomination if it was offered to him . Taft felt that if he lost in November , it would be a repudiation of the party , but if he lost renomination , it would be a rejection of himself . [ 135 ] He was reluctant to oppose Roosevelt , who helped make him president , but having become president , he was determined to be president , and that meant not standing aside to allow Roosevelt to gain another term . [ 136 ] As Roosevelt became more radical in his progressivism , Taft was hardened in his resolve to achieve re-nomination , as he was convinced that the progressives threatened the very foundation of the government . [ 137 ] One blow to Taft was the loss of Archibald Butt , one of the last links between the previous and present presidents , as Butt had formerly served Roosevelt . Ambivalent between his loyalties , Butt went to Europe on vacation in early 1912 . He sailed for home in April on the Titanic and died in its sinking , a death Taft found hard to accept as his body was not recovered . [ 138 ] Taft and Roosevelt \u2013 political enemies in 1912 Roosevelt dominated the primaries , winning 278 of the 362 delegates to the Republican National Convention in Chicago decided in that manner . Taft had control of the party machinery , and it came as no surprise that he gained the bulk of the delegates decided at district or state conventions . [ 139 ] Taft did not have a majority , but was likely to have one once southern delegations committed to him . Roosevelt challenged the election of these delegates , but the RNC overruled most objections . Roosevelt's sole remaining chance was with a friendly convention chairman , who might make rulings on the seating of delegates that favored his side . Taft followed custom and remained in Washington , but Roosevelt went to Chicago to run his campaign [ 140 ] and told his supporters in a speech , \" we stand at Armageddon , and we battle for the Lord \" . [ 141 ] Taft had won over Root , who agreed to run for temporary chairman of the convention , and the delegates elected Root over Roosevelt's candidate . [ 141 ] The Roosevelt forces moved to substitute the delegates they supported for the ones they argued should not be seated . Root made a crucial ruling , that although the contested delegates could not vote on their own seating , they could vote on the other contested delegates , a ruling that assured Taft's nomination , as the motion offered by the Roosevelt forces failed , 567 \u2013 507 . [ 142 ] As it became clear Roosevelt would bolt the party if not nominated , some Republicans sought a compromise candidate to avert the electoral disaster to come ; they were unsuccessful . [ 143 ] Taft's name was placed in nomination by Warren Harding , whose attempts to praise Taft and unify the party were met with angry interruptions from progressives . [ 144 ] Taft was nominated on the first ballot , though most Roosevelt delegates refused to vote . [ 142 ] Campaign advertisement arguing Taft should be allowed a second term Alleging Taft had stolen the nomination , Roosevelt and his followers formed the Progressive Party . [ o ] [ 145 ] Taft knew he would almost certainly be defeated , but concluded that through Roosevelt's loss at Chicago the party had been preserved as \" the defender of conservative government and conservative institutions . \" [ 146 ] He made his doomed run to preserve the Republican Party . [ 147 ] Governor Woodrow Wilson was the Democratic nominee . Seeing Roosevelt as the greater electoral threat , Wilson spent little time attacking Taft , arguing that Roosevelt had been lukewarm in opposing the trusts during his presidency , and that Wilson was the true reformer . [ 148 ] Opposing Roosevelt , Taft contrasted what he called his \" progressive conservatism \" with Roosevelt's Progressive democracy , which to Taft represented \" the establishment of a benevolent despotism . \" http:\/\/www.heritage.org\/research\/reports\/2012\/06\/the-transformation-of-american-democracy-teddy-roosevelt-the-1912-election-and-the-progressive-party Reverting to the pre-Roosevelt custom that presidents seeking re-election did not campaign , Taft spoke publicly only once , making his nomination acceptance speech on August 1 . He had difficulty in financing the campaign , as many industrialists had concluded he could not win , and would support Wilson to block Roosevelt . The president issued a confident statement in September after the Republicans narrowly won Vermont's state elections in a three-way fight , but had no illusions he would win his race . [ 149 ] He had hoped to send his cabinet officers out on the campaign trail , but found them reluctant to go . Senator Root agreed to give a single speech for him . [ 150 ] Electoral vote by state , 1912 . States won by Taft are in red . Vice President Sherman had been renominated at Chicago ; seriously ill during the campaign , he died six days before the election , [ p ] and was replaced on the ticket by the president of Columbia University , Nicholas Murray Butler . But few electors chose Taft and Butler , who won only Utah and Vermont , for a total of eight electoral votes . [ q ] Roosevelt won 88 , and Wilson 435 . Wilson won though he had only a plurality of the popular vote and less of it than Taft and Roosevelt combined . Taft had hoped to better Roosevelt in the popular vote , but finished with just under 3.5 million , over 600,000 less than the former president . [ 151 ] Taft was not on the ballot in California , due to the actions of local Progressives , nor in South Dakota . [ 152 ] With no pension or other compensation to expect from the government after leaving the White House , Taft contemplated a return to the practice of law , from which he had long been absent . Given that Taft had appointed many federal judges , including a majority of the Supreme Court , this would raise questions of conflict of interest at every federal court appearance and he was saved from this by an offer for him to become Kent Professor of Law and Legal History at Yale Law School . He accepted , and after a month's vacation in Georgia , arrived in New Haven on April 1 , 1913 to a rapturous reception . As it was too late in the semester for him to give an academic course , he instead prepared eight lectures on \" Questions of Modern Government \" , which he delivered in May . [ 153 ] He earned money with paid speeches and with articles for magazines , and would end his eight years out of office having increased his savings . [ 154 ] While at Yale , he wrote the treatise , Our Chief Magistrate and His Powers ( 1916 ) . [ 155 ] Taft had been made president of the Lincoln Memorial Commission while still in office ; when Democrats proposed removing him for one of their party , he quipped that unlike losing the presidency , such a removal would hurt . The architect , Henry Bacon , wanted to use Colorado-Yule marble , while southern Democrats urged using Georgia marble . Taft lobbied for the western stone , and the matter was submitted to the Commission of Fine Arts , which supported Taft and Bacon . The project went forward ; Taft would dedicate the Lincoln Memorial as chief justice in 1922 . [ 156 ] In 1913 , Taft was elected to a one-year term as president of the American Bar Association ( ABA ) , a trade group of lawyers . He removed opponents , such as Louis Brandeis and University of Pennsylvania Law School dean William Draper Lewis ( a supporter of the Progressive Party ) from committees . [ 157 ] Taft maintained a cordial relationship with Wilson . The former president privately criticized his successor on a number of issues , but made his views known publicly only on Philippine policy . Taft was appalled when , after Justice Lamar's death in January 1916 , Wilson nominated Brandeis , whom the former president had never forgiven for his role in the Ballinger-Pinchot affair . When hearings led to nothing discreditable about Brandeis , Taft intervened with a letter signed by himself and other former ABA presidents , stating that Brandeis was not fit to serve on the Supreme Court . Nevertheless , the Democratic-controlled Senate confirmed Brandeis . [ 158 ] Taft and Roosevelt remained embittered ; they met only once in the first three years of the Wilson presidency , at a funeral at Yale . They spoke only for a moment , politely but formally . [ 159 ] As president of the League to Enforce Peace , Taft hoped to prevent war through an international association of nations . With World War I raging in Europe , Taft sent Wilson a note of support for his foreign policy in 1915 . [ 160 ] President Wilson accepted Taft's invitation to address the league , and spoke in May 1916 of a postwar international organization that could prevent a repetition . [ 161 ] Taft supported the effort to get Justice Hughes to resign from the bench and accept the Republican presidential nomination . Once this was done , Hughes tried to get Roosevelt and Taft to reconcile , as a united effort was needed to defeat Wilson . This occurred on October 3 in New York , but Roosevelt allowed only a handshake , and no words were exchanged . This was one of many difficulties for the Republicans in the campaign , and Wilson narrowly won re-election . [ 162 ] When Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany in April 1917 , Taft was an enthusiastic supporter . Taft was chairman of the American Red Cross ' executive committee , occupying much of the former president's time . [ 163 ] He took leave from Yale to be co-chairman of the National War Labor Board , tasked with assuring industrial peace . [ 164 ] In February 1918 , the new RNC chairman , Will H. Hays , approached Taft seeking his reconciliation with Roosevelt . In May , Taft was in Chicago at the Blackstone Hotel , and when he heard that Roosevelt and his party were dining there , walked in on them . The two men embraced to the applause of the room , but the renewed relationship did not progress past outward friendliness before Roosevelt's death in January 1919 . [ 165 ] Taft later wrote , \" Had he died in a hostile state of mind toward me , I would have mourned the fact all my life . I loved him always and cherish his memory . \" [ 166 ] When Wilson proposed establishment of a League of Nations , with the League's charter part of the Treaty of Versailles , Taft expressed public support . He was out of step with his party , whose senators were not inclined to confirm the treaty . Taft's subsequent flip-flop on the issue of whether reservations to the treaty were necessary angered both sides , destroying any remaining influence he had with the Wilson administration , and causing some Republicans to call him a Wilson supporter and a traitor to his party . The Senate refused to ratify the Versailles pact . [ 167 ] During the 1920 election campaign , Taft supported the Republican ticket , Harding ( by then a senator ) and Massachusetts Governor Calvin Coolidge ; they were elected . [ 168 ] Taft was among those asked to come to the president-elect's home in Marion , Ohio to advise him on appointments , and the two men conferred there on December 24 , 1920 . By Taft's later account , after some conversation , Harding casually asked if Taft would accept appointment to the Supreme Court , for if Taft would , Harding would put him there . Taft had a condition for Harding : that having been president , and having appointed two of the present associate justices and opposed Brandeis , he could only accept the chief justiceship . Harding made no response , and Taft in a thank-you note reiterated the condition and stated that Chief Justice White had often told him he was keeping the position for Taft until a Republican held the White House . In January 1921 , Taft heard through intermediaries that Harding planned to appoint him , if given the chance . [ 169 ] White by then was in failing health , but made no move to resign when Harding was sworn in on March 4 , 1921 . [ 170 ] Taft called on the chief justice on March 26 , and found White ill , but still carrying on his work and not talking of retiring . [ 171 ] White did not retire , dying in office on May 19 , 1921 . Taft issued a tribute to the man he had appointed to the center seat , and waited and worried if he would be White's successor . Despite widespread speculation Taft would be the pick , Harding made no quick announcement . [ 172 ] Taft was lobbying for himself behind the scenes , especially with the Ohio politicians who formed Harding's inner circle . [ 173 ] It later emerged that Harding had also promised former Utah senator George Sutherland a seat on the Supreme Court , and was waiting in the expectation that another place would become vacant . [ r ] [ 174 ] Harding was also considering a proposal by Justice William R. Day to crown his career by being chief justice for six months before retiring . Taft felt , when he learned of this plan , that a short-term appointment would not serve the office well , and that once confirmed by the Senate , the memory of Day would grow dim . After Harding rejected Day's plan , Attorney General Harry Daugherty , who supported Taft's candidacy , urged him to fill the vacancy , and he named Taft on June 30 , 1921 . [ 172 ] The Senate confirmed Taft the same day , 61 \u2013 4 , without any committee hearings and after a brief debate in executive session . Taft drew the objections of three progressive Republicans and one southern Democrat . [ s ] [ 175 ] When he was sworn in on July 11 , he became the first and to date only person to serve both as president and chief justice . [ 1 ] The Supreme Court , under Taft , posted a conservative record in Commerce Clause jurisprudence . This had the practical effect of making it difficult for the federal government to regulate industry , and the Taft Court also scuttled many state laws . The few liberals on the court \u2013 Brandeis , Holmes , and ( from 1925 ) Harlan Fiske Stone \u2013 sometimes protested , believing orderly progress essential , but often joined in the majority opinion . [ 176 ] The White Court had , in 1918 , struck down an attempt by Congress to regulate child labor in Hammer v. Dagenhart . [ t ] [ 177 ] Congress thereafter attempted to end child labor by imposing a tax on certain corporations making use of it . That law was overturned by the Supreme Court in 1922 in Bailey v. Drexel Furniture Co. , with Taft writing the court's opinion for an 8 \u2013 1 majority . [ u ] He held that the tax was not intended to raise revenue , but rather was an attempt to regulate matters reserved to the states under the Tenth Amendment , [ 178 ] and that allowing such taxation would eliminate the power of the states . [ 1 ] One case in which Taft and his court upheld federal regulation was Stafford v. Wallace . Taft ruled for a 7 \u2013 1 majority [ v ] that the processing of animals in stockyards was so closely tied to interstate commerce as to bring it within the ambit of Congress's power to regulate . [ 179 ] A case in which the Taft Court struck down regulation that generated a dissent from the chief justice was Adkins v. Children's Hospital . [ w ] Congress had decreed a minimum wage for women in the District of Columbia . A 5 \u2013 3 majority of the Supreme Court struck it down . Justice Sutherland wrote for the majority that the recently ratified Nineteenth Amendment , guaranteeing women the vote , meant that the sexes were equal when it came to bargaining power over working conditions ; Taft , in dissent , deemed this unrealistic . [ 180 ] Taft's dissent in Adkins was rare both because he authored few dissents , and because it was one of the few times he took an expansive view of the police power of the government . [ 181 ] Taft in 1922 ruled for a unanimous court in Balzac v. Porto Rico . [ x ] One of the Insular Cases , Balzac involved a Puerto Rico newspaper publisher who was prosecuted for libel but denied a jury trial , a Sixth Amendment protection under the constitution . Taft held that as Puerto Rico was not a territory designated for statehood , only such constitutional protections as Congress decreed would apply to its residents . [ 182 ] The U.S. Supreme Court in 1925 . Taft is seated in the bottom row , middle . In 1926 , Taft wrote for a 6 \u2013 3 majority in Myers v. United States [ y ] that Congress could not require the president to get Senate approval before removing an appointee . Taft noted that there is no restriction of the president's power to remove officials in the constitution . Although Myers involved the removal of a postmaster , [ 183 ] Taft in his opinion found invalid the repealed Tenure of Office Act , for violation of which his presidential predecessor , Andrew Johnson , had been impeached , though acquitted by the Senate . [ 184 ] Taft valued Myers as his most important opinion . [ 185 ] The following year , the court decided McGrain v. Daugherty . [ z ] A congressional committee investigating possible complicity of former Attorney General Daugherty in the Teapot Dome scandal subpoenaed records from his brother , Mally , who refused to provide them , alleging Congress had no power to obtain documents from him . Van Devanter ruled for a unanimous court against him , finding that Congress had the authority to conduct investigations as an auxiliary to its legislative function . [ 186 ] In 1925 , the Taft Court laid the groundwork for the incorporation of many of the guarantees of the Bill of Rights to be applied against the states through the Fourteenth Amendment . In Gitlow v. New York , [ aa ] the court by a 6 \u2013 2 vote with Taft in the majority , upheld Gitlow's conviction on criminal anarchy charges for advocating the overthrow of the government ; his defense was freedom of speech . Justice Edward T. Sanford wrote the court's opinion , and both majority and minority ( Holmes , joined by Brandeis ) assumed that the First Amendment's Free Speech and Free Press clauses were protected against infringement by the states . [ 187 ] Pierce v. Society of Sisters [ ab ] was a 1925 decision by the Taft Court striking down an Oregon law banning private schools . In a decision written by Justice James C. McReynolds , a unanimous court held that Oregon could regulate private schools , but could not eliminate them . The outcome supported the right of parents to control the education of their children , but also , since the lead plaintiff ( the society ) ran Catholic schools , struck a blow for religious freedom . [ 187 ] United States v. Lanza [ ac ] was one of a series of cases involving Prohibition . Lanza committed acts allegedly in violation of both state and federal law , and was first convicted in Washington state court , then prosecuted in federal district court . He alleged the second prosecution in violation of the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment . Taft , for a unanimous court , allowed the second prosecution , holding that the state and federal governments were dual sovereigns , each empowered to prosecute the conduct in question . [ 188 ] Taft exercised the power of his position to influence the decisions of his colleagues , urging unanimity and discouraging dissents . Alpheus Mason , in his article on Chief Justice Taft for the American Bar Association Journal , contrasted Taft's expansive view of the role of the chief justice with the narrow view of presidential power he took while in that office . [ 189 ] Taft saw nothing wrong with making his views on possible appointments to the court known to the White House , and was annoyed to be criticized in the press . He was initially a firm supporter of President Coolidge after Harding's death in 1923 , but became disillusioned with Coolidge's appointments to office and to the bench ; he had similar misgivings about Coolidge's successor , Herbert Hoover . [ 190 ] Taft advised the Republican presidents in office while he was chief justice to avoid \" offside \" appointments like Brandeis and Holmes . [ 176 ] Nevertheless , by 1923 , Taft was writing of his liking for Brandeis , whom he deemed a hard worker , and Holmes walked to work with him until age and infirmity required an automobile . [ 191 ] Believing that the chief justice should be responsible for the federal courts , Taft felt that he should have an administrative staff to assist him , and the chief justice should be empowered to temporarily reassign judges . [ 192 ] He also believed the federal courts had been ill-run . Many of the lower courts had lengthy backlogs , as did the Supreme Court . [ 193 ] Immediately on taking office , Taft made it a priority to confer with Attorney General Daugherty as to new legislation , [ 194 ] and made his case before congressional hearings , in legal periodicals and in speeches across the country . [ 195 ] When Congress convened in December 1921 , a bill was introduced for 24 new judges , to empower the chief justice to move judges temporarily to eliminate the delays , and to have him chair a body consisting of the senior appellate judge of each circuit . Congress objected to some aspects , requiring Taft to get the agreement of the senior judge of each involved circuit before assigning a judge , but it in September 1922 passed the bill , and the Judicial Conference of Senior Circuit Judges held its first meeting that December . [ 196 ] The Supreme Court's docket was congested , swelled by war litigation and laws that allowed a party defeated in the circuit court of appeals to have the case decided by the Supreme Court if a constitutional question was involved . Taft believed an appeal should be usually be settled by the circuit court , with only cases of major import decided by the justices . He and other Supreme Court members proposed legislation to make most of the court's docket discretionary , with a case getting full consideration by the justices only if they granted a writ of certiorari . To Taft's frustration , Congress took three years to consider the matter . Taft and other members of the court lobbied for the bill in Congress , and the Judges' Bill became law in February 1925 . By late the following year , Taft was able to show that the backlog was shrinking . [ 197 ] When Taft became chief justice , the court did not have its own building and met in the Capitol . Its offices were cluttered and overcrowded , but Fuller and White had been opposed to proposals to move the court to its own building . In 1925 , Taft began a fight to get the court a building , and two years later Congress appropriated money to purchase the land , on the south side of the Capitol . Cass Gilbert had prepared plans for the building , and was hired by the government as architect . Taft had hoped to live to see the court move into the new building , but it did not do so until 1935 , after Taft's death . [ 198 ] Taft is remembered as the heaviest president ; he was 5 feet 11 inches ( 1 . 80 m ) tall and his weight peaked at 335 \u2013 340 pounds ( 152 \u2013 154 kg ) toward the end of his presidency , [ 199 ] though this later decreased , and he weighed by 1929 just 244 pounds ( 111 kg ) . By the time Taft became chief justice , his health was starting to decline , and he carefully planned a fitness regimen , walking 3 miles ( 4 . 8 km ) from his home to the Capitol each day . When he walked after work as well , he would usually go by way of Connecticut Avenue ; the crossing over Rock Creek he would often take was after his death named the Taft Bridge . [ 200 ] At Hoover's inauguration on March 4 , 1929 , Taft recited part of the oath incorrectly , later writing , \" my memory is not always accurate and one sometimes becomes a little uncertain \" , misquoting again in that letter , differently . [ 201 ] His health gradually declined over the near-decade of his chief justiceship , and he wrote in 1929 , \" I am older and slower and less acute and more confused . However , as long as things continue as they are , and I am able to answer to my place , I must stay on the court in order to prevent the Bolsheviki from getting control \" . [ 202 ] Taft insisted on going to Cincinnati to attend the funeral of his brother Charles , who died on December 31 , 1929 ; the strain did not improve his own health . When the court reconvened on January 6 , 1930 , Taft had not returned to Washington , and two opinions were delivered by Van Devanter that Taft had drafted but had been unable to complete because of his illness . Taft went to Asheville , North Carolina for a rest , but by the end of January , he could barely speak and was suffering from hallucinations . [ 203 ] Taft was afraid that Stone would be made chief justice ; he did not resign until he had secured assurances from Hoover that Hughes would be the choice . [ ad ] [ 204 ] Returning to Washington after his resignation on February 3 , Taft had barely enough strength to sign a reply to a letter of tribute from the eight associate justices . He died at his home in Washington on March 8 , 1930 . [ 203 ] Lurie argued that Taft did not receive the public credit for his policies that he should have . Few trusts had been broken up under Roosevelt ( although the lawsuits received much publicity ) . Taft , more quietly than his predecessor , filed many more cases than did Roosevelt , and rejected his predecessor's contention that there was such a thing as a \" good \" trust . This lack of flair marred Taft's presidency ; according to Lurie , Taft \" was boring \u2013 honest , likable , but boring \" . [ 207 ] Scott Bomboy for the National Constitution Center wrote that despite being \" one of the most interesting , intellectual , and versatile presidents ... a chief justice of the United States , a wrestler at Yale , a reformer , a peace activist , and a baseball fan ... today , Taft is best remembered as the president who was so large that he got stuck in the White House bathtub , \" a story that is not true . [ 147 ] Mason called Taft's years in the White House \" undistinguished \" . [ 192 ] Coletta deemed Taft to have had a solid record of bills passed by Congress , but felt he could have accomplished more with political skill . [ 208 ] Anderson noted that Taft's prepresidential federal service was entirely in appointed posts , and that he had never run for an important executive or legislative position , which would have allowed him to develop the skills to manipulate public opinion , \" the presidency is no place for on-the-job training \" . [ 155 ] According to Coletta , \" in troubled times in which the people demanded progressive change , he saw the existing order as good . \" [ 209 ] Inevitably linked with Roosevelt , Taft generally falls in the shadow of the flamboyant Rough Rider , who chose him to be president , and who took it away . [ 210 ] Yet , a portrait of Taft as a victim of betrayal by his best friend is incomplete : as Coletta put it , \" Was he a poor politician because he was victimized or because he lacked the foresight and imagination to notice the storm brewing in the political sky until it broke and swamped him ? \" [ 211 ] Adept at using the levers of power in a way his successor could not , Roosevelt generally got what was politically possible out of a situation . Taft was generally slow to act , and when he did , his actions often generated enemies , as in the Ballinger-Pinchot affair . Roosevelt was able to secure positive coverage in the newspapers ; Taft had a judge's reticence in talking to reporters , and , with no comment from the White House , hostile journalists would supply the want with a quote from a Taft opponent . [ 212 ] And it was Roosevelt who engraved in public memory the image of Taft as a Buchanan - like figure , with a narrow view of the presidency which made him unwilling to act for the public good . Anderson pointed out that Roosevelt's Autobiography ( which placed this view in enduring form ) was published after both men had left the presidency ( in 1913 ) , was intended in part to justify Roosevelt's splitting of the Republican Party , and contains not a single positive reference to the man Roosevelt had admired and hand-picked as his successor . While Roosevelt was biased , [ 213 ] he was not alone : every major newspaper reporter of that time who left reminiscences of Taft's presidency was critical of him . [ 214 ] Taft replied to his predecessor's criticism with his constitutional treatise on the powers of the presidency . [ 213 ] Four-cent stamp issued for Taft ( 1930 ) Taft was convinced he would be vindicated by history . After he left office , he was estimated to be about in the middle of U.S. presidents by greatness , and subsequent rankings by historians have by and large sustained that verdict . Coletta noted that this places Taft in good company , with James Madison , John Quincy Adams and McKinley . [ 215 ] Lurie catalogued progressive innovations that took place under Taft , and argued that historians have overlooked them because Taft was not an effective political writer or speaker . [ 216 ] According to Gould , \" the clich\u00e9s about Taft's weight , his maladroitness in the White House , and his conservatism of thought and doctrine have an element of truth , but they fail to do justice to a shrewd commentator on the political scene , a man of consummate ambition , and a resourceful practitioner of the internal politics of his party . \" [ 217 ] Anderson deemed Taft's success in becoming both president and chief justice \" an astounding feat of inside judicial and Republican party politics , played out over years , the likes of which we are not likely to see again in American history \" . [ 173 ] Taft has been rated among the greatest of the chief justices ; [ 218 ] later Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia noted that this was \" not so much on the basis of his opinions , perhaps because many of them ran counter to the ultimate sweep of history \" . [ 219 ] A successor as chief justice , Earl Warren , concurred : \" In Taft's case , the symbol , the tag , the label usually attached to him is ' conservative . ' It is certainly not of itself a term of opprobrium even when bandied by the critics , but its use is too often confused with ' reactionary . ' \" [ 166 ] Most commentators agree that as chief justice , Taft's most significant contribution was his advocacy for reform of the high court , urging and ultimately gaining improvement in the court's procedures and facilities . [ 166 ] [ 177 ] [ 220 ] Mason cited enactment of the Judges' Bill of 1925 as Taft's major achievement on the court . [ 177 ] According to Anderson , Taft as chief justice \" was as aggressive in the pursuit of his agenda in the judicial realm as Theodore Roosevelt was in the presidential \" . [ 221 ] The house in Cincinnati where Taft was born and lived as a boy is now the William Howard Taft National Historic Site . [ 222 ] Taft's son Robert was a significant political figure , becoming Senate Majority Leader and three times a major contender for the Republican nomination for president . A conservative , each time he was defeated by a candidate backed by the more liberal Eastern Establishment wing of the party . [ ae ] [ 223 ] Lurie concluded his account of William Taft's career , While the fabled cherry trees in Washington represent a suitable monument for Nellie Taft , there is no memorial to her husband , except perhaps the magnificent home for his Court \u2013 one for which he eagerly planned . But he died even before ground was broken for the structure . As he reacted to his overwhelming defeat for reelection in 1912 , Taft had written that \" I must wait for years if I would be vindicated by the people ... I am content to wait . \" Perhaps he has waited long enough . [ 224 ] ^ There were two sons from Alphonso's first marriage and three , including William , by the second . ^ Alphonso Taft died in 1891 in California , retired because of illness contracted during his diplomatic postings . See Pringle vol 1 , p. 119 . ^ Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern Railway Co. v. Voight , 176 U.S. 498 ( 1900 ) . Only Justice Harlan dissented from the opinion for the Court written by Justice George Shiras . See Lurie , pp. 33 \u2013 34 . ^ His son , Douglas MacArthur , would also become a general and famously fight in the Philippines . ^ Fuller's longevity was a source of frustration and some humor in the Roosevelt White House . Secretary Root originated a running joke that Fuller would be found alive and clinging to his seat on the Day of Judgment , and would then have to be shot . See Anderson 2000 , p. 328 . ^ In one of which Secretary Knox was said to be a major stockholder . See Coletta 1973 , p. 188 . ^ Hughes was 67 when he began his second period on the court , as chief justice succeeding Taft . ^ The \" Bull Moose Party \" , named by Roosevelt's comment he felt as strong as a young bull moose ^ Sherman was the last American vice president to die in office . ^ Taft's eight electoral votes set a record for futility by a Republican candidate matched by Alf Landon in 1936 . ^ Sutherland was appointed to the high court in 1922 . ^ 259 U.S. 20 ( 1922 ) . Justice John H. Clarke dissented without opinion . ^ 258 U.S. 495 ( 1922 ) Justice Day did not participate and Justice James C. McReynolds dissented without opinion . ^ a b c d e f Gould , Louis L. ( February 2000 ) . \" Taft , William Howard \" . American National Biography Online . ISBN 0-679-80358-0 . Retrieved February 14 , 2016 . ( subscription required ( help )) . ^ Rouse , Robert ( March 15 , 2006 ) . \" Happy Anniversary to the first scheduled presidential press conference \u2013 93 years young ! \" . American Chronicle . ^ \" Biographical Dictionary of the Federal Judiciary \" . Federal Judicial Center . Retrieved February 13 , 2016 . searches run from page , \" select research categories \" then check \" court type \" and \" nominating president \" , then select the court type and also William H. Taft . ^ Torruella , Juan ( 1988 ) . The Supreme Court and Puerto Rico : The Doctrine of Separate and Unequal . San Juan : Editorial de la Universidad de Puerto Rico . pp. 96 \u2013 98 . ISBN 0-8477-3019-0 . ^ Rae , Nicol C. ( February 2000 ) . \" Taft , Robert Alphonso \" . American National Biography Online . ISBN 0-679-80358-0 . Retrieved February 26 , 2016 . ( subscription required ( help )) . Anderson , Donald F. ( 1973 ) . William Howard Taft : A Conservative's Conception of the Presidency . Ithaca , NY : Cornell University Press . ISBN 978-0-8014-0786-4 . Anderson , Donald F. ( Winter 1982 ) . \" The Legacy of William Howard Taft \" . Presidential Studies Quarterly . 12 : 26 \u2013 33 . JSTOR 27547774 . Anderson , Donald F. ( Winter 2000 ) . \" Building National Consensus : The Career of William Howard Taft \" . University of Cincinnati Law Review . 68 : 323 \u2013 356 . Burton , David H. ( 2004 ) . William Howard Taft , Confident Peacemaker . Philadelphia : Saint Joseph's University Press . ISBN 0-916101-51-7 . Coletta , Paolo Enrico ( 1989 ) . William Howard Taft : A Bibliography . Westport , CT : Meckler Corporation . Coletta , Paolo Enrico ( 1973 ) . The Presidency of William Howard Taft . Lawrence , KS : University Press of Kansas . Gould , Lewis L. ( 2014 ) . Chief Executive to Chief Justice : Taft Betwixt the White House and Supreme Court . Lawrence , KS : University Press of Kansas . ISBN 978-0-7006-2001-2 . Gould , Lewis L. ( 2008 ) . Four Hats in the Ring : The 1912 Election and the Birth of Modern American Politics . Lawrence , KS : University Press of Kansas . ISBN 978-0-7006-1564-3 . Harris , Charles H. III ; Sadler , Louis R. ( 2009 ) . The Secret War in El Paso : Mexican Revolutionary Intrigue , 1906 \u2013 1920 . Albuquerque , New Mexico : University of New Mexico Press . ISBN 978-0-8263-4652-0 . Hawley , Joshua David ( 2008 ) . Theodore Roosevelt : Preacher of Righteousness . New Haven , CT : Yale University Press . ISBN 978-0-300-14514-4 . Lurie , Jonathan ( 2011 ) . William Howard Taft : Progressive Conservative . Cambridge : Cambridge University Press . ISBN 978-0-521-51421-7 . Mason , Alpheus Thomas ( January 1969 ) . \" President by Chance , Chief Justice by Choice \" . American Bar Association Journal . 55 ( 1 ) : 35 \u2013 39 . JSTOR 25724643 . Minger , Ralph Eldin ( August 1961 ) . \" Taft's Missions to Japan : A Study in Personal Diplomacy \" . Pacific Historical Review . 30 ( 3 ) : 279 \u2013 294 . JSTOR 3636924 . Murphy , John ( 1995 ) . \" ' Back to the Constitution ' : Theodore Roosevelt , William Howard Taft and Republican Party Division 1910 \u2013 1912 \" . Irish Journal of American Studies . 4 : 109 \u2013 126 . JSTOR 30003333 . Pavord , Andrew C. ( Summer 1996 ) . \" The Gamble for Power : Theodore Roosevelt's Decision to Run for the Presidency in 1912 \" . Presidential Studies Quarterly . 26 ( 3 ) : 633 \u2013 647 . JSTOR 27551622 . Pringle , Henry F. ( 1939 ) . The Life and Times of William Howard Taft : A Biography . 1 ( 2008 reprint ed . ) . Newtown , CT : American Political Biography Press . ISBN 978-0-945707-20-2 . Pringle , Henry F. ( 1939 ) . The Life and Times of William Howard Taft : A Biography . 2 ( 2008 reprint ed . ) . Newtown , CT : American Political Biography Press . ISBN 978-0-945707-19-6 . Regan , Richard J. ( 2015 ) . A Constitutional History of the U.S. Supreme Court . Washington , D.C. : Catholic University of America Press . ISBN 978-0-8132-2721-4 . Scalia , Antonin ( 1989 ) . \" Originalism : The Lesser Evil \" . University of Cincinnati Law Review . 57 : 849 \u2013 864 . Scholes , Walter V ; Scholes , Marie V. ( 1970 ) . The Foreign Policies of the Taft Administration . Columbia , MO : University of Missouri Press . ISBN 0-8262-0094 - X. Trani , Eugene P. ; Wilson , David L. ( 1977 ) . The Presidency of Warren G. Harding . American Presidency . The Regents Press of Kansas . ISBN 978-0-7006-0152-3 .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"The primary characteristic of Compulsive Skin Picking ( CSP ) is the repetitive picking at one's own skin to the extent of causing bleeding or damage to the skin to relieve anxiety or urges . Skin-picking is often preceded by a strong itch or urge , which the sufferer believes can only be relieved by picking . Then , of course , a feeling of depression or hopelessness follows when the damage caused by the picking is realised . Paradoxically a kind of compulsive perfectionism may convince the sufferer at the time that picking is a necessary means to achieving a clear complexion . In this way a vicious circle arises that is hard to break . Thus CSP may be seen to have obsessive-compulsive aspects that are similar to OCD , Body Dysmorphic Disorder ( BDD ) and trichotillomania . In fact research has shown that around a quarter of those diagnosed with OCD or BDD also have CSP . CSP is thus sometimes described as an Obsessive Compulsive Spectrum Disorder , along with , for example , BDD , eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa , and movement disorders such as Tourette's Syndrome ( TS ) . Skin-pickers often feel the need to camouflage their blemishes with make-up or cover bad areas with clothing . Social embarrassment can lead the sufferer to stay indoors , avoid friends , be late for work as their picking and make-up routine takes so long , or even to take sickness leave from work when their skin is in a very bad state . What treatment is available ? The best advice initially is to consult your GP . Many sufferers are very embarrassed by their symptoms and not all doctors are well-informed , so one idea would be to write down your problem , without minimising it , or print out this webpage for your doctor to read . Very often patients are referred first of all to a dermatologist , which may be appropriate if there is a skin disorder that needs treating but may also delay treatment of the compulsive psychological element . There is evidence that skin-picking may be caused by biological factors such as brain structure and you may be prescribed serotonin enhancing drugs such as Prozac or one of the other SSRIs . This may be augmented with one of the neuroleptics , for example Risperdal , as these often suppress the tic-like behaviour that may be involved in picking . The second and very important treatment for Compulsive Skin-Picking is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy ( CBT ) . If your case is severe you may be referred to a trained therapist who will teach you a technique of CBT called Habit Reversal . Habit Reversal was developed in the 1970s by psychologists Nathan Azrin and Gregory Nunn for treating nervous habits such as tics , stammering and skin-picking which are done automatically . Therapy should focus initially on developing Habit Awareness and patients may be asked to keep records of when , where and under what circumstances they normally pick . Many people believe that if they stop one bad habit it will be replaced with another bad habit . However , one of the key ideas of habit reversal is to replace the harmful habit with another harmless habit that makes the bad habit impossible . This new behaviour is known as a competing response . A suitable competing response for skin-picking might be clenching one's fist , as this is incompatible with skin-picking . Another important part of habit reversal training is practising a suitable method of relaxation such as meditation , abdominal breathing or progressive muscle relaxation . Successful CBT will also involve stimulus control . Once the sufferer has identified the particular environmental factors or mood states that lead to picking , steps can be taken to deal with such triggers . For instance this might mean avoiding or covering mirrors or challenging automatic thoughts and emotions connected with picking and replacing them with less negative responses . Further ideas on breaking the habit of skin-picking : - Get advice on skin care . If you have a skin complaint see a dermatologist . - When tempted to pick , care for your skin by applying a moisturising lotion instead - Stimulus control : cover or remove mirrors if they act as a trigger and get rid of all implements such as tweezers and pins used for picking . - Consider the use of artificial nails to make picking more difficult - it may work for some . - Wear rubber fingertips or cotton gloves whenever possible if you feel the urge to pick . - Try replacing some of the sensory aspects of skin-picking with a more desirable alternative . For example , keep an object by you that you can manipulate ( squeeze or pull ) such as a soft rubber ball or some Blu Tak . - Keep your hands busy with something else such as a puzzle or knitting . - If you bite the inside of your cheeks try eating crunchy snacks when you feel the urge to bite . - Reward yourself for making progress with some kind of treat . - As you gain more confidence gradually begin to expose your hands , arms , face or legs to others starting with family and friends . You will no doubt benefit from their support but at the same time the negative consequences of engaging in your habit will be increased . Source : This article was written for OCD Action by Louise with the assistance of Dr James Claiborn co-author of The Habit Change Workbook","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Show some respect Too many have stumbled into brand-killing faux pas when it comes to the way they portray seniors in their marketing . Take Taco Bell , for instance . Its meant-too-be-funny-but-was n't - well-received Super Bowl commercial blew up the blogosphere with people claiming the company hates old people . That likely is n't what they intended to do . Sure they 're engaging with family and friends ( new and old ) , but they 're sharing photos , playing social games and taking part in contests and promotions . Show them the facts Bring it to them You may have all manner of interesting stuff on other platforms , but those older customers likely wo n't ever see it . They 're not likely to chase after the latest app or social networking site , but that does n't mean they wo n't find the content on those sites interesting . The power of the referral If there ever was a time to have others sing your praises , this is it . The 50 and older crowd put a lot of weight into referrals . They 've heard all the claims advertising makes for too long and now just want to know what experiences others have had . Make yourself available Back in their day , not having great customer service was n't an option . Customer service used to be the rule , not the exception to it . Here 's your chance to be that for this generation . Incorporate live chat options for customers on your website , be responsive to customer questions and concerns on your Facebook wall , etc. A final wor","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"A POP3 mailbox is essentially a password protected area on our server in which you store your mail . POP3 mailboxes can be created and configured using the Mailboxes page . The number of mailboxes you can create depends on your hosting plan . Creating A Mailbox To create a mailbox click ' Create Mailbox ' on the Mailboxes page . On the following screen enter the name for the mailbox , this is the part of the email address before the @ sign which should be no more than 20 characters long and may consist of lower case letters , numbers and ' . ' only . Enter a password to be used to access this mailbox which should be between 5 and 20 characters long and may consist of letters and numbers only . Click ' Create Mailbox ' to create this mailbox on the system . Changing A Mailbox Password To change the password that is used to access a mailbox , click the ' Change Password ' link corresponding to the mailbox in the listing on the Mailboxes page . Enter a new password which should be between 5 and 20 characters long and may consist of letters and numbers only . Click ' Change Password ' to update the mailbox password . Deleting A Mailbox To delete a mailbox , click the ' Delete ' link corresponding to the mailbox in the listing on the Mailboxes page . You will be asked to confirm this action before the mailbox is actually deleted . On confirmation the mailbox including its contents will be erased from the system . Accessing A Mailbox To collect email from a POP3 account you need to configure your email program correctly . The settings you need to configure are as follows . Incoming ( POP ) Server pop . d onhost . c o . u k Outgoing ( SMTP ) Server If you use our dialup service to connect to the internet , use : smtp . d onhost . c o . u k Otherwise use the SMTP mail server of the Internet Service Provider ( ISP ) that you use to connect to the Internet . This information can usually be found on your ISP's web site or by contacting their support department . If your Internet access provider does not have an SMTP mail server for you to use , you can send mail through our SMTP server shown above provided your mail client supports SMTP authentication , authenticate with your mailbox username and password . Username The username for a mailbox can be obtained from the Mailboxes page Password The password you specified when creating the mailbox From Address This is the address shown in the ' from ' field of messages that you send . You should specify your new email address at your domain ( i . e . yourname @ domain . c o . u k ) here in order to present the most professional image . How you configure these settings in your mail client will vary slightly depending upon which program you are using . Consult the documentation for your email software for more information . In circumstances where you do not have access to your mail client , you can use our web based email service at http:\/\/webmail.donhost.co.uk . Login with your mailbox username and password . See the webmail documentation for more information . Notes On Mailboxes Please be aware that as part of our system maintenance procedures , designed to ensure continuous provision of high quality service , we may delete read messages that are in excess of 1 month old and unread messages that are in excess of 3 months old from your mailbox .","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Noise figure ( NF ) and noise factor ( F ) are measures of degradation of the signal-to-noise ratio ( SNR ) , caused by components in a radio-frequency ( RF ) signal chain . It is a number by which the performance of an amplifier or a radio receiver can be specified , with lower values indicating better performance . The noise factor is defined as the ratio of the output noise power of a device to the portion thereof attributable to thermal noise in the input termination at standard noise temperature T 0 ( usually 290 K ) . The noise factor is thus the ratio of actual output noise to that which would remain if the device itself did not introduce noise , or the ratio of input SNR to output SNR . The noise figure is simply the noise factor expressed in decibels ( dB ) . The noise figure is the difference in decibels ( dB ) between the noise output of the actual receiver to the noise output of an \" ideal \" receiver with the same overall gain and bandwidth when the receivers are connected to matched sources at the standard noise temperature T 0 ( usually 290 K ) . The noise power from a simple load is equal to kTB , where k is Boltzmann's constant , T is the absolute temperature of the load ( for example a resistor ) , and B is the measurement bandwidth . This makes the noise figure a useful figure of merit for terrestrial systems , where the antenna effective temperature is usually near the standard 290 K. In this case , one receiver with a noise figure , say 2 dB better than another , will have an output signal to noise ratio that is about 2 dB better than the other . However , in the case of satellite communications systems , where the receiver antenna is pointed out into cold space , the antenna effective temperature is often colder than 290 K. In these cases a 2 dB improvement in receiver noise figure will result in more than a 2 dB improvement in the output signal to noise ratio . For this reason , the related figure of effective noise temperature is therefore often used instead of the noise figure for characterizing satellite-communication receivers and low-noise amplifiers . In heterodyne systems , output noise power includes spurious contributions from image - frequency transformation , but the portion attributable to thermal noise in the input termination at standard noise temperature includes only that which appears in the output via the principal frequency transformation of the system and excludes that which appears via the image frequency transformation . F = S N R in S N R out , { \\ displaystyle F = { \\ frac { \\ mathrm { SNR } _ { \\ text { in }}} { \\ mathrm { SNR } _ { \\ text { out }}}} , } where SNR in and SNR out are the input and output signal-to-noise ratios respectively . The SNR quantities are power ratios . The noise figure NF is defined as the noise factor in dB : where SNR in , dB and SNR out , dB are in decibels ( dB ) . These formulae are only valid when the input termination is at standard noise temperature T 0 = 290 K , although in practice small differences in temperature do not significantly affect the values . Attenuators have a noise factor F equal to their attenuation ratio L when their physical temperature equals T 0 . More generally , for an attenuator at a physical temperature T , the noise temperature is T e = ( L \u2212 1 ) T { \\ displaystyle T_ { \\ text { e }} = ( L-1 ) T } , giving a noise factor of : If several devices are cascaded , the total noise factor can be found with Friis' Formula : where F n is the noise factor for the n - th device , and G n is the power gain ( linear , not in dB ) of the n - th device . The first amplifier in a chain usually has the most significant effect on the total noise figure because the noise figures of the following stages are reduced by stage gains . Consequently , the first amplifier usually has a low noise figure , and the noise figure requirements of subsequent stages is usually more relaxed .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"STYLE OF DANCE : African Description of Dance Traditional West African Folklore Classes : Yes Class Schedule & Fees : Sundays ( donations accepted ) Resum\u00e9 of teacher : Njeri Plato-Dioubate is an African dance Instructor and Performer . Njeri began studying West African Dance in 1977 . In 1981 she moved to Miami Florida and started teaching children and adults at various community sites .. Exposing her art technique to the community , she quickly gained support and respect . Njeri has traveled to Senegal , Gambia and Guinea to further enhance her development in Dance and Culture . In 1987 Njeri started her dance company , Delou Africa Dance Ensemble . She choreographed company dances , designed costumes and organized engagements . Njeri has been a pioneering force for the preservation of African dance and culture in South Florida . She would like to bridge the gaps between America and other countries through International cultural exchanges . Chipo Chemoyo Hollywood Florida , PHONE ( 954 ) - 923-1950 EMAIL Class Schedule & Fees : Venue specific Teachers Country of origin : Africa STYLE OF DANCE : African traditional \/ Caribbean Description of Dance Classes : Classes are designed to allow the participant to experience the social and historical context the traditional art form . The variety of traditional pieces presented captures the diversity and connectivity of African dance . The inclusion of song , drums \/ percussion , & Dance set the stage for the attendees to enjoy the richness of culture . Resum\u00e9 of teacher Chipo Chemoyo ( aka Jennifer ) is an educator & choreographer in various African dance styles . Her background is firmly rooted in traditional dance of which she highlights the social & anthropological aspects of the culture as it relates to song , drum , and culture . She holds a BS degree in Science and postgraduate studies in Global Management . Since then , Chipo has been a performing member of Hedzole \u2013 Ghanaian Dance Ensemble , Re-Create & Move Dance Ensemble , Kazak , Haizian Creole , and currently she holds the role of Administrative Director with Delou Africa Dance Ensemble and Assistant Director of Re-Create & Move Children's dance Company . She has been a long-standing member of the Academy of Arts Family in Hollywood . Webmaster's note as of 01-18-04 : If anyone hears of more West African dance classes in Florida , please email webmaster","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"An approved supplier on NHScat-IT framework contracts . These include IT products and services and voice , video and data products and services . As a one-source provider , Computacenter can give you access to a full range of end-to-end IT solutions \u2013 from the planning and design stage , through to streamlined procurement and implementation services , to ongoing support and management . There is a dedicated healthcare account team and technical \/ support specialists in place to support requirements nationwide . To find out how Computacenter can help you fulfil your IT product and services requirements via a fast , value for money and compliant process please visit our stand at HC2003 .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Silas drew near the man on tiptoe . He lay partly on his back , partly on his side , and his right forearm concealed his face from recognition . Suddenly , while the American was still bending over him , the sleeper removed his arm and opened his eyes , and Silas found himself once more face to face with the loiterer of Box Court . \" Good-night , sir , \" said the man , pleasantly . But Silas was too profoundly moved to find an answer , and regained his room in silence . Towards morning , worn out by apprehension , he fell asleep on his chair , with his head forward on the trunk . In spite of so constrained an attitude and such a grisly pillow , his slumber was sound and prolonged , and he was only awakened at a late hour and by a sharp tapping at the door . He hurried to open , and found the boots without . \" You are the gentleman who called yesterday at Box Court ? \" he asked . Silas , with a quaver , admitted that he had done so . \" Then this note is for you , \" added the servant , proffering a sealed envelope . Silas tore it open , and found inside the words : \" Twelve o ' clock . \" He was punctual to the hour ; the trunk was carried before him by several stout servants ; and he was himself ushered into a room , where a man sat warming himself before the fire with his back towards the door . The sound of so many persons entering and leaving , and the scraping of the trunk as it was deposited upon the bare boards , were alike unable to attract the notice of the occupant ; and Silas stood waiting , in an agony of fear , until he should deign to recognise his presence . Perhaps five minutes had elapsed before the man turned leisurely about , and disclosed the features of Prince Florizel of Bohemia . \" So , sir , \" he said , with great severity , \" this is the manner in which you abuse my politeness . You join yourselves to persons of condition , I perceive , for no other purpose than to escape the consequences of your crimes ; and I can readily understand your embarrassment when I addressed myself to you yesterday . \" \" Indeed , \" cried Silas , \" I am innocent of everything except misfortune . \" And in a hurried voice , and with the greatest ingenuousness , he recounted to the Prince the whole history of his calamity . \" I see I have been mistaken , \" said his Highness , when he had heard him to an end . \" You are no other than a victim , and since I am not to punish you may be sure I shall do my utmost to help . And now , \" he continued , \" to business . Open your box at once , and let me see what it contains . \" Silas changed colour . \" I almost fear to look upon it , \" he exclaimed . \" Nay , \" replied the Prince , \" have you not looked at it already ? This is a form of sentimentality to be resisted . The sight of a sick man , whom we can still help , should appeal more directly to the feelings than that of a dead man who is equally beyond help or harm , love or hatred . Nerve yourself , Mr. Scuddamore , \" and then , seeing that Silas still hesitated , \" I do not desire to give another name to my request , \" he added . The young American awoke as if out of a dream , and with a shiver of repugnance addressed himself to loose the straps and open the lock of the Saratoga trunk . The Prince stood by , watching with a composed countenance and his hands behind his back . The body was quite stiff , and it cost Silas a great effort , both moral and physical , to dislodge it from its position , and discover the face . Prince Florizel started back with an exclamation of painful surprise . \" Alas ! \" he cried , \" you little know , Mr. Scuddamore , what a cruel gift you have brought me . This is a young man of my own suite , the brother of my trusted friend ; and it was upon matters of my own service that he has thus perished at the hands of violent and treacherous men . Poor Geraldine , \" he went on , as if to himself , \" in what words am I to tell you of your brother's fate ? How can I excuse myself in your eyes , or in the eyes of God , for the presumptuous schemes that led him to this bloody and unnatural death ? Ah , Florizel ! Florizel ! when will you learn the discretion that suits mortal life , and be no longer dazzled with the image of power at your disposal ? Power ! \" he cried ; \" who is more powerless ? I look upon this young man whom I have sacrificed , Mr.","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Horticultural Produce ( Sales on Commission ) Act ( Northern Ireland ) 1927 1927 Chapter 6 An Act to regulate the sale on commission of horticultural produce . [ 31st May 1927 ] Duty of salesman to record and deliver particulars of sales . 1 . -- ( 1 ) Where in the case of any horticultural produce consigned for sale on commission the salesman makes a charge by way of commission or otherwise , he shall enter in a book kept by him for the purpose the names of the owner or consignor of the produce and of every purchaser , and the price paid or agreed to be paid by each purchaser , and shall as soon as practicable after the sale send by post or deliver to the owner or consignor an account containing the following particulars : -- ( a ) the actual price paid or agreed to be paid for the produce , and where there is any variation in price , the number , weight or quantity sold , or agreed to be sold , at each price ; and ( b ) the commission or other charge made by the salesman for selling the produce , together with details of any charges made for services in connection with the sale ; and ( c ) the amounts , if any , paid or payable by the salesman on behalf of the owner or consignor in connection with the sale , with details thereof . ( 2 ) If on any such sale as aforesaid any produce is bought by the salesman or by any person on his behalf , the fact shall be stated in the account ; but nothing in this provision shall be construed as rendering any such transaction , if otherwise illegal , legal . ( 3 ) If any person fails to make any entry , or send or deliver any account , or sends an account not containing the particulars required by this section , or makes an entry or sends or delivers an account which is false in any material particular , he shall be liable on summary conviction [ ... ] F001 to a fine not exceeding [ F001 level 3 on the standard scale ] : Provided that in any proceedings under this section if the defendant proves to the satisfaction of the court that the offence was due to a bona fide mistake or accident , in spite of all reasonable precautions being taken and all due diligence exercised by the defendant to prevent the occurrence of such offence , or the offence was due to the action of some person over whom the defendant had no control , the defendant shall be discharged from the prosecution . ( 4 ) The provisions of this Act shall not apply to the sale of horticultural produce unless the owner or consignor sends to the salesman , before the sale , an advice note specifying the nature and description of the packages consigned and the contents thereof . Inspection of books , etc. 2 . The owner or consignor of any such produce may within ten days of the delivery to him of an account in pursuance of this Act , by notice in writing , require the salesman to produce any records , books , or documents in his possession , so far as they relate to the sale of such produce , for inspection by an accountant nominated by the owner or consignor , being an accountant possessing such qualifications as may be prescribed by the Ministry of Agriculture , and if the salesman refuses or fails to produce for inspection , or destroys or obliterates , any such records , books or documents , or obstructs the accountant in any such inspection , he shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding [ F001 level 2 on the standard scale ] . Interpretation . 3 . -- ( 1 ) In this Act the expression \" horticultural produce \" means vegetables , fruit , flowers and plants . ( 2 ) For the purposes of this Act , produce consigned for sale shall be deemed to have been consigned for sale on commission unless at or before the sale of the produce -- ( a ) the salesman has received from the owner or consignor a direction in writing to the contrary ; or ( b ) the owner or consignor and the salesman have entered into an agreement in writing to the contrary ; and any such agreement may apply either to a particular consignment or generally to all such consignments as may be specified in the agreement . ( 3 ) Where the owner or consignor of any horticultural produce has appointed a person to act as his agent for the purposes of this Act , anything by this Act authorised or required to be done to or by the owner or consignor may be done to or by such agent . Short title . 4 . This Act may be cited as the Horticultural Produce ( Sales on Commission ) Act ( Northern Ireland ) , 1927 .","labels":"Legal","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Work Opportunities - Ajay My name is Ajay and I have tried lots of jobs . I have done hairdressing for my school work experience . I really enjoyed it . I washed hair and swept the floor and made teas and coffees . I would also take appointments and payment from customers with some help from the staff . After college , I went to the job centre to see a Disability Employment Adviser ( DEA ) . The DEA told me about work and benefits . Some of it was really hard to understand . We talked about work-based training and she said she would look for a job for me . She told me it might take some time . I was out of work , so I had to go on a benefit called Job Seekers Allowance . I had to go to the job centre every 2 weeks to say that I was still looking for work . Then I went to a supported employment agency . The people at the supported employment agency were very nice to me , they asked me lots of questions about jobs I might like to do . They also gave me English and maths tests . They also wanted to know if I could count money and give out the correct change . I worked at Newco Products for 6 months . This work was similar to being in a factory . I learned new skills that could help me find a job at the end of training . I had to manufacture and assemble kitchen units . The placement was for 23 hours per week . On my first day I had to take along my bank details so that they could pay my wages straight into my bank account . I got paid every 2 weeks . They also explained what I should do if I was late for work or off sick . I had to ring the supervisor . I also had to book my holidays in advance so that they could make sure that everyone did n't take the same time off . When I had finished my training at Newco Products I went to do some more work experience at Matalan . I worked on different sections throughout the store . I helped with deliveries ; unpacking and putting out items . I also helped out in the fitting room and customer services . I worked every Monday and Tuesday . I started work at 10 . 00a . m . and I finished at 3 . 00p . m . I had a half-hour lunch break at 1 . 00p . m . I would take sandwiches and eat them in the staff room and play pool with other members of staff . When my work experience ended I asked the manager if I could work weekends but he said that they only had evening work available and I did n't want that . Then I started work for MacIntyre . I work for the Transition project and I am an illustrator . I am creating all the images to be used in the resource pack . I work for 14 hours a week in the office and at home . I get paid for this work so I had to have a meeting to stop all my benefits . I get paid monthly like everyone else . I really enjoy this work and I hope to continue with my illustration work when the project ends .","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"This paper looks at conservation policy responses to the potential loss of biodiversity benefits in Kenya from the conversion of essentially wild and undeveloped land to developed agriculture . One fundamental issue is the extent to which traditional owners and users of land have the right to benefit from the development potential of their land to further their economic and social progress , even if by so doing they create domestic and global externalities through the loss of biodiversity . Property rights are central to the debate , and we discuss here the interaction between three completely different property rights : the state over its own land , private land owners over their land , and the state over individual wild animals which migrate between state and privately owned lan","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Nonverbal Communication Help for Salespeople Dear Sue : I am fairly new to an outside sales position and am looking for information about non-verbal communication . I am interested in learning about office settings . Any other information that can help me to ' read ' a situation better would be appreciated . - Amy Sue Says : During the average 30-minute sales call , a buyer and seller exchange approximately 800 different nonverbal messages , yet most salespeople focus on the verbal part of the sale , according to Jan Hargrave , a body language consultant and author of the book , Strictly Business Body Language . Salespeople who pay attention to body language typically focus almost exclusively on facial expressions . However , the way words are spoken and the speakers face all provide information about how the sales call is going . The voice and face are only part of the picture . The body is the communication channel over which we have the least control and understand the least , but has the most impact . Where you sit and how the furniture is arranged can either encourage friendliness and cooperation or confrontation . Hargrave says that sitting across the table from a person during a negotiation creates a defensive , competitive atmosphere and can lead to each party taking a firm stand on his or her point of view . The table becomes a solid barrier between both parties and allows for a distinct division of ideas . Massive desks create a physical barrier , and serve as a visual barrier as well . If you ca n't see someone from the chest down , you do n't know if the buyer's legs are crossed , if he 's tapping his foot or cleaning his nails . Office furniture can be arranged in a way to give a person as much power , status or control over others as they wish . Just sitting behind a desk conveys a sense of power and positioning because all who enter must look across it , which gives the person behind it control . Increased status and power can be achieved with : Low sofas for visitors to sit on . A wall covered with photos , awards or qualifications that the occupant has received . A slim briefcase ; those who do all the work carry large , bulky briefcases . Red folders on a desk marked \" Strictly Confidential . \" An expensive ashtray placed out of reach of the visitor causing him inconvenience when ashing a cigarette . ( I do not recommend smoking on a sales call , however . ) You are wise to take in a person's environment to learn more about that person . If you are having trouble communicating with someone , moving to a new location , changing positions or getting him or her to come out from behind a desk can change the dynamics of the interaction .","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"RESEARCH REPORT 1992 Theatre Museum National Museum of the Performing Arts James Fowler Deputy Head Dr Fowler specialises in all aspects of the performing arts before 1830 , with particular interest in Shakespeare , stage technology and architectural drawings . In 1992 he contributed an entry on ' British Theatre Architecture 1650-1800 ' to the Dictionary of Art ( forthcoming ) . 1992 Publications : [ Editor ] . Catalogue of paintings at the Theatre Museum , London , by Geoffrey Ashton . London : Victoria and Albert Museum in association with The Society for Theatre Research , 211 pp. , ill . Claire Hudson Head of Library & Information Services , Theatre Museum Mrs Hudson is actively involved in exploring systems which will best document and exploit the Theatre Museum's extensive library and archive collections . In particular , this focuses on the potential for using automated systems for indexing a very wide range of media . As chair of the Theatre Information Group ( the UK branch of SIBMAS - La Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 Internationale des Biblioth\u00e8ques et Mus\u00e9es des Arts du Spectacle ) she is frequently called upon to provide information on performing arts library and archive collections in Britain . She is regularly asked to review new theatre reference works , and to report on publishing proposals . Her special interest is that of the social history of the actor - training , employment and working conditions . Catherine Haill Subject Specialist Ms Haill specialises in the history of popular entertainment including circus , pantomime , puppets , magic , music hall , variety , pleasure ground and fairground entertainment , and musical theatre . She has worked on the development of theatrical ephemera and is producing a major catalogue of the D ' Oyly Carte Opera collection , another area in which she specialises . In accordance with Museum policy , she aims to promote links with the theatre profession by collecting pro-actively around current productions , producing taped interviews and gathering related documentation and designs . Leela Meinertas Registrar Leela Meinertas is responsible for the Theatre Museum Collections of Set and Costume Designs ( including Set models and backcloths ) , and the Rock and Pop Collection . Work in progress includes research for an article on theatre designs by members of the Omega Workshop and a lecture on actresses who married into the aristocracy ( 17th-19th centuries ) . She is currently engaged on research into costuming for the nude showgirl \/ dancer . Sarah Woodcock Subject Specialist Sarah Woodcock specialises in dance and opera , with particular interest in the Diaghilev Ballets Russes and the development of dance in England . She has been working on a catalogue of the Diaghilev Ballets Russes costumes in the Museum , on the dance photograph collections , especially the Anthony Crickmay archives and on the archive of the dance publisher and historian , Cyril Beaumont . She is interested in extending the Museum's links with contemporary dance and opera companies and building up the costume collection to include a greater range of opera and ' period ' theatrical costumes . Janet Birkett Curatorial Assistant Dr Birkett is interested in the stage history of Shakespeare's plays , particularly the production of the plays in the twentieth century . She is also interested in the work of Shakespeare's contemporary dramatists , and in the twentieth-century British and American theatre . Melanie Trifona Christoudia Curatorial Assistant Melanie Trifona Christoudia pursued a BA ( Hons ) in the Performing Arts and MA Dance Studios at the University of Surrey , developing research interests in dance in musicals and the choreography of Twyla Tharp . A member of the events committee of the Society for Dance Research , she has written a number of essays for a dance dictionary to be published by St James's Press in 1993 . Andrew Kirk Curatorial Assistant Mr Kirk's main interests are music-hall and variety . He is also interested in the work of post-war British playwrights , especially David Hare , David Edgar and John Osborne . Barry Norman Curatorial Assistant Mr Norman is interested in the history of both the British and American musical and revue , and has an extensive collection of recordings and literature on the subject . Helen Smith Library Cataloguer Helen Smith's current main interest is dramatic publication in the 18th and 19th centuries .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"During July the most popular areas of training that we have received additional enquiries have been : Speedwriting Word \/ Excel \/ Access \/ PowerPoint Finance for Non-Financial Managers Redundancy Emotional Intelligence The popular ares of consultancy that we list are those areas that members have enquired about in particular , and it is always interesting , because each month the areas change . CIPD ANNUAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION October 27th - 29th , Harrogate - For all people management and development specialists - the latest thinking and business strategies , debate topical issues , explore new ideas , and network with your fellow professionals . For further information : training . h otline @ cipd . c o . u k TRAINING SERVICES INDEX - PUBLICATION - Latest issue Work is well under way for the new edition of the Index , which will be published in early October . SNIPPETS - from providers : CAPITA : Bite-sized Learning Would Attract ' Switched Off ' People , Study Disadvantaged individuals from 19-24 years old are often \" switched off \" when it comes to learning , and thus ill equipped for the modern workforce . But they would be receptive to learning offered in bite-sized chunks in an informal environment and a short-term commitment , concludes a new study from the Campaign for Learning and Ufi . This so-called \" rejector \" group represents 16 percent of the population and is largely untouched by government learning campaigns , it claims . The research , entitled First Steps into Learning , recommends that the government speed up the creation of a credit framework which incorporates bite-sized learning , enabling the accumulation of credits towards recognised qualifications from a wider range of courses . It also recommends that a variety of learning styles be offered to the group . Increase in Stress-Related Absences is Cited by CIPD . Stress-related absences are on the rise within UK workplaces , but many employers are addressing the problem with training and other initiatives , according to the latest survey on employee absence from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development ( CIPD ) . The organisation's fifth annual report on employee absence found that 52 % of surveyed employers reported an increase of stress-related absences due to workload , management , organisational change and other reasons . Efforts in response include management training , improvement of work-life balance , stress audits , and employee assistance programs . \" A large part of managing stress is about good people management \" says report author Ben Willmott \" It is about providing employees with well-defined job roles , challenging , but realistic targets and the support , training and recognition to help them achieve these targets \" he says . Legislation Employers face hefty fines or even imprisonment if they fail to comply with the new duty to manage asbestos . What 's more , staff , former staff and even contractors could bring compensation claims for personal injury caused by exposure to asbestos . Company directors run the risk of being prosecuted if an offence has been committed with their consent , connivance or neglect ( pleading ignorance will be no defence ) . If the employer is the person responsible for the maintenance or repair of non-domestic property ( the ' relevant duty holder ' ) it must take active steps to identify , record and manage any asbestos that is or may be p resent . This duty will be enforced by HSE inspectors and any breach is likely to be treated very seriously - premises may even be shut down if an asbestos hazard is identified . Under the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 ( which should have been complied with by 21 May 2004 ) this ' duty to manage ' requires duty-holders to pay for making safe or removing any asbestos that is in a poor condition or is likely to be disturbed by planned building work or routine maintenance . If it can be established that the asbestos is in a sound state and not likely to be disturbed , then it can be left there , although its location must be recorded and the record retained on site for the lifetime of the building . From 1 October 2004 new forms will have to be used where the questionnaire procedure is used in cases of disability discrimination . These can be found in the Disability Discrimination ( Questions and Replies ) Order 2004 . Currently employers have to respond to such questionnaires ' within a reasonable period ' ( unless they have a good excuse ) to avoid a tribunal drawing an adverse inference from the failure to reply . As of 1 October employers will have to respond within 28 days of receiving such a questionnaire ( unless they have a reasonable excuse ) to avoid any such inferences being drawn . Holiday pay Is a worker who has n ' t taken all the holiday to which he is entitled during a year entitled to pay in lieu of the untaken holiday ? The answer under the Working Time Regulations 1998 ( WTR ) is generally ' No ' . But , in Canada Life v Gray and Farrar , the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruled that , on termination , workers are entitled to backdate their claims for holiday pay to when the WTR were introduced ( 1 October 1998 ) . Whilst under the WTR no entitlement to holiday can be carried forward from one year to the next , post termination the position is different . The WTR specifically provide , on termination , for a payment to be made in lieu of leave to which a worker was entitled , but had not taken . Provided the claim is made within 3 months of termination , this can include unpaid holiday dating back to October 1998 ( regardless of whether the worker actually took holiday or not ) . Training Challenge - Speedwriting This is a topic that we have had before , but our top enquiry this month was on the subject of speed writing , so worth looking at the subject again . Speedwriting is an area that there should be a lot more choices available . The leading secretarial college that used to bombard the London Underground tubes with posters , which enabled you to try your hand at reading and translating Speed Writing messages has long disappeared . A shame it passed the time on the tube ! Now a thing of the past , yet we get a lot of enquiries about the subject . I have tracked down a distance-learning course on the subject . Distance Learning Foundation PO Box 2874 , Brighton BN1 2NX info @ speedwriting . c o . u k Tel : 01273-773233 SAMPLE PAGE OF COURSE ( See for yourself ) http:\/\/www.speedwriting.co.uk\/sample.htm Speedwriting Shorthand for Business and Notetaking . Correspondence course . You work at your own speed , in the time that you have available . Duration - participants will take between 8 and 12 weeks to learn the complete system . You are assigned your own personal tutor . Your tutor will work with you to make certain that you learn Speedwriting Shorthand . Your tutor will check your exercises , answer your questions , and show you in a practical way , stage by stage , how easy it is to learn speedwriting . However , most people are far too busy to cope with the discipline of a correspondence course . The other alternative is to undertake a short course on Teeline Shorthand , which uses the alphabet as its base , and is therefore fairly quick to learn . With centres all over the country try Pitman Training - covering flexible training to fit in with office or leisure hours . Good reputation or call \/ write to the following for your nearest centre : Pitman Training Group plc Sandown House Sandbeck Way Wetherby LS22 7DN Tel : 01937 548500 Fax : 01937 585 118 Website : www . p itman-training . c om July 2004 - TRAINING HIGH SPOT SCOTWORK LTD - Negotiating Skills Tel : 01252-862400 Website : www . g bscorporate . c om Email : theteam @ gbscorporate . c om The Index has comprehensive information on this four day course , derived from appraisals submitted by an operations and business project manager , a commercial executive , a buyer , an operations manager , a UK amusement business manager , sales managers , a commercial team leader , a gas installation manager , an oil terminal supervisor , and a business development executive , in the wide age range 25 - 51 . The course aimed to improve participants' negotiating skills , to establish a framework for understanding the negotiating process , to identify negotiating skills , and to provide an opportunity for delegates to practice negotiating in a non-risk environment . Objective achievement was considered good or very good . Two tutors appear on each holding of this course , names have included John McMillan , Richard Rowland , Chris Mitchell , Sue Paradise , Stephen White , Mike Roberts , Mike Hatton , Keith Risk , David Perry , Robin Copland , Mike Barrier , and David Durrant . Their standard was high , and each was well received . Delegates found most useful the coverage on learning the structured ( 8-step ) approach to negotiating , the different negotiating styles and their pitfalls , the video-taped role-playing of negotiations in areas ranging from prices to wage disputes , recognising the need to \" trade \" in any negotiation , the coverage on the way out of an argument , the vital importance of thorough preparation for negotiations , case participation and team evaluation ; and the abundance of practical advice . One delegate stated , \" This is a very well-developed course , and the standard consistently good . \" The only criticism was that they would have liked more time in which to practise negotiating . Those who have to undertake negotiating at work were thought to be the most suitable delegates , especially those involved in buying or selling . Course administration was very good , 10 - 12 delegates attending . Delegates comments : \" Educational , relative to role and inspiring ! \" \" The long term benefits to the company - make this a very cost effective course \" \" Essential to all people who negotiate for the company or with employees of the company \" \" Both tutors fully in tune and very experienced in all aspects of negotiating . \"","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Energy is a fact of life . How many times have you heard someone say ' Oh dear , I 've just no energy left ' , or ' This chocolate bar will give you lots of energy ' . But what exactly IS energy ? There are lots of different kinds of energy depending on the situation or system you are looking at . Of course , doing different things requires different amounts of energy . Well , there 's kinetic , potential , electric , heat ( thermal ) , sound , nuclear , light , chemical , strain and gravitational ... The Sun is the most energetic body in the solar system and has lots of different types of energy associated with it , from the energy that is released in hydrogen bombs to the electrical energy that powers your computer . Click on the Sun's Core to find out more about energy in the Sun .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Free Nazanin Ratcliffe My wife Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe , 37 year old charity worker , was on holiday visiting her family in Iran . She was at the airport returning to the UK on the 3rd April when she was detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard . She has been transferred to an unknown location in Kerman Province , 1,000 kilometres south of Tehran , and is being held in solitary confinement . Gabriella Ratcliffe our 22 month old daughter ( who has British citizenship only ) has had her British passport confiscated , and is stranded in Iran with her grandparents . Nazanin has not been allowed to access a lawyer or her daughter . She has not been able to call out of the country to speak to me , her British husband , and the Red Cross have not been able to make contact . There have been no charges . Nazanin has informed her family that she has been required to sign a confession under duress , its content unknown . Her family have been informed that the investigation relates to an issue of ' national security ' . It is hard to understand how a young mother and her small child on holiday could be considered an issue of national security . She has been to Iran to visit her family regularly since making Britain her home . Nazanin currently works as a project manager for the Thomson-Reuters Foundation ; which delivers charitable projects around the world . It does not work in Iran . Nazanin has now been in solitary confinement for over 30 days . Please help bring my wife and daughter home by signing my petition calling on our Prime Minister Theresa May to use her power and intervene .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Welcome to the members section of our website . This is a resource area for existing members , so if you are not already a member , you can join online today - visit our Join page for all the details . Within this section Members can : Renew your Membership Notify us of your new details Upgrade your Membership Email our Membership Department Donate to one of our campaigns Subscribe to our online network and receive updates on the latest developments in the world of UK human rights and civil liberties - members only !","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Learning First APL can be used by anyone with formal qualifications , irrespective of when , where or why they were taken . APEL is often used by a wide range of adult learners , particularly those who have little or no formal education . AP ( E ) L is often used by the following groups of learners to help them to regain entry to formal learning or as a contribution towards a programme of study : undergraduate and postgraduate students people wanting to improve upon existing qualifications people who left courses before achieving the formal qualifications people who have been out of the education system for a long time and who may lack formal qualifications those wanting to re-train or change careers women returning to education unemployed people seeking accreditation for past skills or informal learning people who have disabilities of some kind minority ethnic groups and asylum seekers AP ( E ) L can be used in two ways . Provided that an applicant's learning claim is formally recognised by an educational institution or employer , it can be used : To gain entry to a programme of study offered by the educational institution or to the employer's training programme To gain credit towards the completion of a programme of study or training The concept of AP ( E ) L and who stands to benefit from it are hopefully now clear . The next two sections explain the practical considerations of AP ( E ) L , both for students \/ applicants and for tutors \/ employers . \u00a9 Copyright Learning from Experience Trust , 2005","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"CHAPTER III . _IMMANIS PECORIS CUSTOS , IMMANIOR IPSE_ . Now , in 1482 , Quasimodo had grown up . He had become a few years previously the bellringer of Notre-Dame , thanks to his father by adoption , Claude Frollo , -- who had become archdeacon of Josas , thanks to his suzerain , Messire Louis de Beaumont , -- who had become Bishop of Paris , at the death of Guillaume Chartier in 1472 , thanks to his patron , Olivier Le Daim , barber to Louis XI . , king by the grace of God . So Quasimodo was the ringer of the chimes of Notre-Dame . In the course of time there had been formed a certain peculiarly intimate bond which united the ringer to the church . Separated forever from the world , by the double fatality of his unknown birth and his natural deformity , imprisoned from his infancy in that impassable double circle , the poor wretch had grown used to seeing nothing in this world beyond the religious walls which had received him under their shadow . Notre-Dame had been to him successively , as he grew up and developed , the egg , the nest , the house , the country , the universe . There was certainly a sort of mysterious and pre-existing harmony between this creature and this church . When , still a little fellow , he had dragged himself tortuously and by jerks beneath the shadows of its vaults , he seemed , with his human face and his bestial limbs , the natural reptile of that humid and sombre pavement , upon which the shadow of the Romanesque capitals cast so many strange forms . Later on , the first time that he caught hold , mechanically , of the ropes to the towers , and hung suspended from them , and set the bell to clanging , it produced upon his adopted father , Claude , the effect of a child whose tongue is unloosed and who begins to speak . It is thus that , little by little , developing always in sympathy with the cathedral , living there , sleeping there , hardly ever leaving it , subject every hour to the mysterious impress , he came to resemble it , he incrusted himself in it , so to speak , and became an integral part of it . His salient angles fitted into the retreating angles of the cathedral ( if we may be allowed this figure of speech ) , and he seemed not only its inhabitant but more than that , its natural tenant . One might almost say that he had assumed its form , as the snail takes on the form of its shell . It was his dwelling , his hole , his envelope . There existed between him and the old church so profound an instinctive sympathy , so many magnetic affinities , so many material affinities , that he adhered to it somewhat as a tortoise adheres to its shell . The rough and wrinkled cathedral was his shell . It is useless to warn the reader not to take literally all the similes which we are obliged to employ here to express the singular , symmetrical , direct , almost consubstantial union of a man and an edifice . It is equally unnecessary to state to what a degree that whole cathedral was familiar to him , after so long and so intimate a cohabitation . That dwelling was peculiar to him . It had no depths to which Quasimodo had not penetrated , no height which he had not scaled . He often climbed many stones up the front , aided solely by the uneven points of the carving . The towers , on whose exterior surface he was frequently seen clambering , like a lizard gliding along a perpendicular wall , those two gigantic twins , so lofty , so menacing , so formidable , possessed for him neither vertigo , nor terror , nor shocks of amazement . To see them so gentle under his hand , so easy to scale , one would have said that he had tamed them . By dint of leaping , climbing , gambolling amid the abysses of the gigantic cathedral he had become , in some sort , a monkey and a goat , like the Calabrian child who swims before he walks , and plays with the sea while still a babe . Moreover , it was not his body alone which seemed fashioned after the Cathedral , but his mind also . In what condition was that mind ? What bent had it contracted , what form had it assumed beneath that knotted envelope , in that savage life ? This it would be hard to determine . Quasimodo had been born one-eyed , hunchbacked , lame . It was with great difficulty , and by dint of great patience that Claude Frollo had succeeded in teaching him to talk . But a fatality was attached to the poor foundling . Bellringer of Notre-Dame at the age of fourteen , a new infirmity had come to complete his misfortunes : the bells had broken the drums of his ears ; he had become deaf . The only gate which nature had left wide open for him had been abruptly closed , and forever . In closing , it had cut off the only ray of joy and of light which still made its way into the soul of Quasimodo . His soul fell into profound night . The wretched being's misery became as incurable and as complete as his deformity . Let us add that his deafness rendered him to some extent dumb . For , in order not to make others laugh , the very moment that he found himself to be deaf , he resolved upon a silence which he only broke when he was alone . He voluntarily tied that tongue which Claude Frollo had taken so much pains to unloose . Hence , it came about , that when necessity constrained him to speak , his tongue was torpid , awkward , and like a door whose hinges have grown rusty . If now we were to try to penetrate to the soul of Quasimodo through that thick , hard rind ; if we could sound the depths of that badly constructed organism ; if it were granted to us to look with a torch behind those non-transparent organs to explore the shadowy interior of that opaque creature , to elucidate his obscure corners , his absurd no-thoroughfares , and suddenly to cast a vivid light upon the soul enchained at the extremity of that cave , we should , no doubt , find the unhappy Psyche in some poor , cramped , and ricketty attitude , like those prisoners beneath the Leads of Venice , who grew old bent double in a stone box which was both too low and too short for them . It is certain that the mind becomes atrophied in a defective body . Quasimodo was barely conscious of a soul cast in his own image , moving blindly within him . The impressions of objects underwent a considerable refraction before reaching his mind . His brain was a peculiar medium ; the ideas which passed through it issued forth completely distorted . The reflection which resulted from this refraction was , necessarily , divergent and perverted . Hence a thousand optical illusions , a thousand aberrations of judgment , a thousand deviations , in which his thought strayed , now mad , now idiotic . The first effect of this fatal organization was to trouble the glance which he cast upon things . He received hardly any immediate perception of them . The external world seemed much farther away to him than it does to us . The second effect of his misfortune was to render him malicious . He was malicious , in fact , because he was savage ; he was savage because he was ugly . There was logic in his nature , as there is in ours . His strength , so extraordinarily developed , was a cause of still greater malevolence : \" _Malus puer robustus_ , \" says Hobbes . This justice must , however be rendered to him . Malevolence was not , perhaps , innate in him . From his very first steps among men , he had felt himself , later on he had seen himself , spewed out , blasted , rejected . Human words were , for him , always a raillery or a malediction . As he grew up , he had found nothing but hatred around him . He had caught the general malevolence . He had picked up the weapon with which he had been wounded . After all , he turned his face towards men only with reluctance ; his cathedral was sufficient for him . It was peopled with marble figures , -- kings , saints , bishops , -- who at least did not burst out laughing in his face , and who gazed upon him only with tranquillity and kindliness . The other statues , those of the monsters and demons , cherished no hatred for him , Quasimodo . He resembled them too much for that . They seemed rather , to be scoffing at other men . The saints were his friends , and blessed him ; the monsters were his friends and guarded him . So he held long communion with them . He sometimes passed whole hours crouching before one of these statues , in solitary conversation with it . If any one came , he fled like a lover surprised in his serenade . And the cathedral was not only society for him , but the universe , and all nature beside . He dreamed of no other hedgerows than the painted windows , always in flower ; no other shade than that of the foliage of stone which spread out , loaded with birds , in the tufts of the Saxon capitals ; of no other mountains than the colossal towers of the church ; of no other ocean than Paris , roaring at their bases . What he loved above all else in the maternal edifice , that which aroused his soul , and made it open its poor wings , which it kept so miserably folded in its cavern , that which sometimes rendered him even happy , was the bells . He loved them , fondled them , talked to them , understood them . From the chime in the spire , over the intersection of the aisles and nave , to the great bell of the front , he cherished a tenderness for them all . The central spire and the two towers were to him as three great cages , whose birds , reared by himself , sang for him alone . Yet it was these very bells which had made him deaf ; but mothers often love best that child which has caused them the most suffering . It is true that their voice was the only one which he could still hear . On this score , the big bell was his beloved . It was she whom he preferred out of all that family of noisy girls which bustled above him , on festival days . This bell was named Marie . She was alone in the southern tower , with her sister Jacqueline , a bell of lesser size , shut up in a smaller cage beside hers . This Jacqueline was so called from the name of the wife of Jean Montagu , who had given it to the church , which had not prevented his going and figuring without his head at Montfau\u00e7on . In the second tower there were six other bells , and , finally , six smaller ones inhabited the belfry over the crossing , with the wooden bell , which rang only between after dinner on Good Friday and the morning of the day before Easter . So Quasimodo had fifteen bells in his seraglio ; but big Marie was his favorite . No idea can be formed of his delight on days when the grand peal was sounded . At the moment when the archdeacon dismissed him , and said , \" Go ! \" he mounted the spiral staircase of the clock tower faster than any one else could have descended it . He entered perfectly breathless into the aerial chamber of the great bell ; he gazed at her a moment , devoutly and lovingly ; then he gently addressed her and patted her with his hand , like a good horse , which is about to set out on a long journey . He pitied her for the trouble that she was about to suffer . After these first caresses , he shouted to his assistants , placed in the lower story of the tower , to begin . They grasped the ropes , the wheel creaked , the enormous capsule of metal started slowly into motion . Quasimodo followed it with his glance and trembled . The first shock of the clapper and the brazen wall made the framework upon which it was mounted quiver . Quasimodo vibrated with the bell . \" Vah ! \" he cried , with a senseless burst of laughter . However , the movement of the bass was accelerated , and , in proportion as it described a wider angle , Quasimodo's eye opened also more and more widely , phosphoric and flaming . At length the grand peal began ; the whole tower trembled ; woodwork , leads , cut stones , all groaned at once , from the piles of the foundation to the trefoils of its summit . Then Quasimodo boiled and frothed ; he went and came ; he trembled from head to foot with the tower . The bell , furious , running riot , presented to the two walls of the tower alternately its brazen throat , whence escaped that tempestuous breath , which is audible leagues away . Quasimodo stationed himself in front of this open throat ; he crouched and rose with the oscillations of the bell , breathed in this overwhelming breath , gazed by turns at the deep place , which swarmed with people , two hundred feet below him , and at that enormous , brazen tongue which came , second after second , to howl in his ear . It was the only speech which he understood , the only sound which broke for him the universal silence . He swelled out in it as a bird does in the sun . All of a sudden , the frenzy of the bell seized upon him ; his look became extraordinary ; he lay in wait for the great bell as it passed , as a spider lies in wait for a fly , and flung himself abruptly upon it , with might and main . Then , suspended above the abyss , borne to and fro by the formidable swinging of the bell , he seized the brazen monster by the ear-laps , pressed it between both knees , spurred it on with his heels , and redoubled the fury of the peal with the whole shock and weight of his body . Meanwhile , the tower trembled ; he shrieked and gnashed his teeth , his red hair rose erect , his breast heaving like a bellows , his eye flashed flames , the monstrous bell neighed , panting , beneath him ; and then it was no longer the great bell of Notre-Dame nor Quasimodo : it was a dream , a whirlwind , a tempest , dizziness mounted astride of noise ; a spirit clinging to a flying crupper , a strange centaur , half man , half bell ; a sort of horrible Astolphus , borne away upon a prodigious hippogriff of living bronze . The presence of this extraordinary being caused , as it were , a breath of life to circulate throughout the entire cathedral . It seemed as though there escaped from him , at least according to the growing superstitions of the crowd , a mysterious emanation which animated all the stones of Notre-Dame , and made the deep bowels of the ancient church to palpitate . It sufficed for people to know that he was there , to make them believe that they beheld the thousand statues of the galleries and the fronts in motion . And the cathedral did indeed seem a docile and obedient creature beneath his hand ; it waited on his will to raise its great voice ; it was possessed and filled with Quasimodo , as with a familiar spirit . One would have said that he made the immense edifice breathe . He was everywhere about it ; in fact , he multiplied himself on all points of the structure . Now one perceived with affright at the very top of one of the towers , a fantastic dwarf climbing , writhing , crawling on all fours , descending outside above the abyss , leaping from projection to projection , and going to ransack the belly of some sculptured gorgon ; it was Quasimodo dislodging the crows . Again , in some obscure corner of the church one came in contact with a sort of living chimera , crouching and scowling ; it was Quasimodo engaged in thought . Sometimes one caught sight , upon a bell tower , of an enormous head and a bundle of disordered limbs swinging furiously at the end of a rope ; it was Quasimodo ringing vespers or the Angelus . Often at night a hideous form was seen wandering along the frail balustrade of carved lacework , which crowns the towers and borders the circumference of the apse ; again it was the hunchback of Notre-Dame . Then , said the women of the neighborhood , the whole church took on something fantastic , supernatural , horrible ; eyes and mouths were opened , here and there ; one heard the dogs , the monsters , and the gargoyles of stone , which keep watch night and day , with outstretched neck and open jaws , around the monstrous cathedral , barking . And , if it was a Christmas Eve , while the great bell , which seemed to emit the death rattle , summoned the faithful to the midnight mass , such an air was spread over the sombre fa\u00e7ade that one would have declared that the grand portal was devouring the throng , and that the rose window was watching it . And all this came from Quasimodo . Egypt would have taken him for the god of this temple ; the Middle Ages believed him to be its demon : he was in fact its soul . To such an extent was this disease that for those who know that Quasimodo has existed , Notre-Dame is to-day deserted , inanimate , dead . One feels that something has disappeared from it . That immense body is empty ; it is a skeleton ; the spirit has quitted it , one sees its place and that is all . It is like a skull which still has holes for the eyes , but no longer sight .","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Well back to work I went , on a part-time basis , I have to confess my employers Iceland were very understanding and accommodating which made things a lot easier . I do n't know why I went back to work because to this day I know I went back too soon . I do think that I went back to work because of my financial situation , since coming out of hospital my bills were getting out of control and I was finding it hard to keep my head above water . I just could n't keep my bank balance in the black and my sick pay was running out - the wrong reason to go back to work , I know but the honest reason all the same . Some people say your health comes first , not me , not when you 've got bills to pay - the philosophy according to a dafty like me !! On returning to work I decided to try for Disability Living allowance , elementary I thought , but as a lot of you will know it 's not so easy . Meanwhile back at the shop it was proving very difficult , but the bonus was I was meeting people and talking to people again , not just sitting behind my four walls alone getting depressed . That is one thing that has changed with me for those who have known me for years , I always loved my own company , but now I am pining for company . I 'm a bit confused about my sudden change . I wanted to go out but I was always so conscious of my tremor and people watching me I would n't go out . I got knocked back for DLA but reapplied after a lot of hassle from family and friends , so reapply I did . I was still going through severe mood swings , work was n't helping me much either , the shop I am manager of is a very fast moving store with things happening all the time , your always on the go working from 7 am to 7 pm - it was proving too much for me . There were times I locked myself in the office and just cried , yes I was still at it . You 'd think they would have dried up by now . Work in Galashiels was proving very difficult , I had a major problem to face , after 13 years working what could I do ..... It was a problem that did n't help my sleep pattern much , whatever that was ? It also did n't help my walking much as I found my left leg dragging severely . I was having great difficulty in walking . In October I had a week's holiday and discovered I hated holidays from work . I just got depressed and lonely , but I had a visit from a doctor through my holiday to see if I was entitled to DLA . I went through hell on that visit , bet you cannae guess what I did , yes my trear ducts started again , especially when I spoke about what I could do before but could n't do anymore . I never realised my life had changed as much in such a short time , but bloody change it did . Also during my holiday I attended my first YAPP & R's meeting in Edinburgh , brilliant I was finally meeting folk with the same problem as myself . Helen asked if I minded talking to the group about my operation - no problem . I must admit I think I used a few too many swear words in my talk , for that I b ......... y apologise . But yes I had a great day . I even won a motorbike in the raffle - what a day . Yes , I was on a high , but I forgot what they say about what goes up ............ Yes soon I plumetted again , but I had made contact with folk frae the Glesga area , Robert , Louise and Ann . They stay not far from Jeff and Karen so on my next visit there we met in the pub for a bit of lubrication . It was a great night . Jeff thoroughly enjoyed meeting folk with a similar problem to me . Jeff is the opposite of me he wants to learn as much as possible - me I do n't want to know ......... I do n't know why ......... but I do n't . On return to work after my holidays I made a decision to meet my boss . I arranged to meet Stewart Dyson , my Area Manager , in the pub after work . I confessed my concern about not being able to do the job anymore - you know what comes next , crying in the pub . I was worried my employers would drop me like a hot potato after my confession but I could n't be further from the truth . Stewart said he would help me as much as possible but he could n't do anything before Christmas . Roll on the New Year !!! After my talk with my boss we had our Annual Managers' Conference in Birmingham . In the afternoon I was presented with a holiday for two in Florida - Florida by golly !!! For what I had gone through . I felt really guilty taking the holiday , especially after my confession that I could n't do the job anymore but I kept getting told it was for what I had gone through not what I 'm doing now . What a Brucie Bonus ....... I was starting to get more bad days than good days .......... I put this down to my working environment and the stress I was putting myself under . I was finding it hard to walk , my tremor was coming back more often and I was depressed . I honestly believe I was near to a nervous breakdown , but battle on I would , why ? because it paid the bills . I was now starting to clear my debts 8 months on and was finally beginning to get my head above water , so what does the future hold ........... Contents Back : 3 . The recoop , recoup , getting better .......................... Next : 5 . The Future ............ This site is \u00a9 Copyright The Adrienne Coles Memorial Trust 2000 , 2001 , 2002 . The Adrienne Coles Memorial Trust is a Registered Charity with Charity Commission for England & Wales , registration number 1084973 . For more information and suggestions email the webmaster .","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Corporate Objectives \" It is necessary that people work together in unison toward common objectives and avoid working at cross purposes at all levels if the ultimate in efficiency and achievement is to be obtained . \" \u2013 Dave Packard HP's Corporate Objectives have guided the company in the conduct of its business since 1957 , when first written by co-founders Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard . Customer loyalty To provide products , services and solutions of the highest quality and deliver more value to our customers that earns their respect and loyalty . Underlying beliefs supporting this objective : * Our continued success is dependent on increasing the loyalty of our customers . * Listening attentively to customers to truly understands their needs , then delivering solutions that translate into customer success is essential to earn customer loyalty . * Competitive total cost of ownership , quality , inventiveness , and the way we do business drives customer loyalty . Profit To achieve sufficient profit to finance our company growth , create value for our shareholders and provide the resources we need to achieve our other corporate objectives . Underlying beliefs supporting this objective : * Profit is the responsibility of all . * Balance of long-term and short-term objectives is key to profitability . * Profit allows us to reinvest in new and emerging business opportunities . * Profit is highly correlated to generating cash , which brings more flexibility to the business at a lower cost . * Profit enables the achievement of our corporate objectives . Market leadership To grow by continually providing useful and significant products , services and solutions to markets we already serve \u2013 and to expand into new areas that build on our technologies , competencies and customer interests . Underlying beliefs supporting this objective : * There are more places we can contribute than we will be capable of contributing : We must focus . * To be average in the marketplace is not good enough , we play to win . * We must be No. 1 or No. 2 in our chosen fields . Growth To view change in the market as an opportunity to grow ; to use our profits and our ability to develop and produce innovative products , services and solutions that satisfy emerging customer needs . Underlying beliefs supporting this objective : * Growth comes from taking smart risks , based on the state of the industry \u2013 that requires both a conviction in studying the trends , but also in inducing change in our industry . * Our size ( and diversity of businesses ) gives us an ability to weather economic cycles and turn them to our favor . Employee commitment To help HP employees share in the company's success that they make possible ; to provide people with employment opportunities based on performance ; to create with them a safe , exciting and inclusive work environment that values their diversity and recognizes individual contributions ; and to help them gain a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment from their work . Underlying beliefs supporting this objective : * HP's performance starts with motivated employees ; their loyalty is key . * We trust our employees to do the right thing and to make a difference . * Everyone has something to contribute : It 's not about title , level or tenure . * An exciting , stimulating work environment is critical to invention . * A diverse workforce gives us a competitive advantage . * Employees are responsible for lifelong learning . Leadership capability To develop leaders at every level who are accountable for achieving business results and exemplifying our values . Underlying beliefs supporting this objective : * Leaders inspire , foster collaboration and turn vision and strategies into action \u2013 with focused , clear goals . * Effective leaders coach , relay good news and bad , and give feedback that works . * Leaders demonstrate self-awareness and a willingness to accept feedback and continuously develop . * Leaders speak with one voice and act to eliminate busy work . * It is important to measure people on the results they achieve against goals they helped to create . Global citizenship Good citizenship is good business . We live up to our responsibility to society by being an economic , intellectual and social asset to each country and community in which we do business . Underlying beliefs supporting this objective : * The highest standards of honesty and integrity are critical to developing customer and stakeholder loyalty . * The betterment of our society is not a job to be left to a few ; it is the responsibility to be shared by all . * This objective is essential to delivering on the brand promise .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Mark 1 John the Baptist Prepares the Way 1 The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ , the Son of God . [ a ] 2 It is written in Isaiah the prophet : \" I will send my messenger ahead of you , who will prepare your way \" [ b ] \u2013 3 \" a voice of one calling in the desert , ' Prepare the way for the Lord , make straight paths for him . ' \" [ c ] 4 And so John came , baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins . 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him . Confessing their sins , they were baptized by him in the Jordan River . 6 John wore clothing made of camel's hair , with a leather belt around his waist , and he ate locusts and wild honey . 7 And this was his message : \" After me will come one more powerful than I , the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie . 8 I baptize you with [ d ] water , but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit . \" The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus 9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan . 10 As Jesus was coming up out of the water , he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove . 11 And a voice came from heaven : \" You are my Son , whom I love ; with you I am well pleased . \" 12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert , 13 and he was in the desert forty days , being tempted by Satan . He was with the wild animals , and angels attended him . The Calling of the First Disciples 14 After John was put in prison , Jesus went into Galilee , proclaiming the good news of God . 15 \" The time has come , \" he said . \" The kingdom of God is near . Repent and believe the good news ! \" 16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee , he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake , for they were fishermen . 17 \" Come , follow me , \" Jesus said , \" and I will make you fishers of men . \" 18 At once they left their nets and followed him . 19 When he had gone a little farther , he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat , preparing their nets . 20 Without delay he called them , and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him . Jesus Drives Out an Evil Spirit 21 They went to Capernaum , and when the Sabbath came , Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach . 22 The people were amazed at his teaching , because he taught them as one who had authority , not as the teachers of the law . 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil [ e ] spirit cried out , 24 \" What do you want with us , Jesus of Nazareth ? Have you come to destroy us ? I know who you are \u2013 the Holy One of God ! \" 25 \" Be quiet ! \" said Jesus sternly . \" Come out of him ! \" 26 The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek . 27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other , \" What is this ? A new teaching \u2013 and with authority ! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him . \" 28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee . Jesus Heals Many 29 As soon as they left the synagogue , they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew . 30 Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever , and they told Jesus about her . 31 So he went to her , took her hand and helped her up . The fever left her and she began to wait on them . 32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed . 33 The whole town gathered at the door , 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases . He also drove out many demons , but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was . Jesus Prays in a Solitary Place 35 Very early in the morning , while it was still dark , Jesus got up , left the house and went off to a solitary place , where he prayed . 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him , 37 and when they found him , they exclaimed : \" Everyone is looking for you ! \" 38 Jesus replied , \" Let us go somewhere else \u2013 to the nearby villages \u2013 so I can preach there also . That is why I have come . \" 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee , preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons . A Man With Leprosy 40 A man with leprosy [ f ] came to him and begged him on his knees , \" If you are willing , you can make me clean . \" 41 Filled with compassion , Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man . \" I am willing , \" he said . \" Be clean ! \" 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured . 43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning : 44 \" See that you do n't tell this to anyone . But go , show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing , as a testimony to them . \" 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely , spreading the news . As a result , Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places . Yet the people still came to him from everywhere . Mark 2 Jesus Heals a Paralytic 1 A few days later , when Jesus again entered Capernaum , the people heard that he had come home . 2 So many gathered that there was no room left , not even outside the door , and he preached the word to them . 3 Some men came , bringing to him a paralytic , carried by four of them . 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd , they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and , after digging through it , lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on . 5 When Jesus saw their faith , he said to the paralytic , \" Son , your sins are forgiven . \" 6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there , thinking to themselves , 7 \" Why does this fellow talk like that ? He 's blaspheming ! Who can forgive sins but God alone ? \" 8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts , and he said to them , \" Why are you thinking these things ? 9 Which is easier : to say to the paralytic , ' Your sins are forgiven , ' or to say , ' Get up , take your mat and walk ' ? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins ... \" He said to the paralytic , 11 \" I tell you , get up , take your mat and go home . \" 12 He got up , took his mat and walked out in full view of them all . This amazed everyone and they praised God , saying , \" We have never seen anything like this ! \" The Calling of Levi 13 Once again Jesus went out beside the lake . A large crowd came to him , and he began to teach them . 14 As he walked along , he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth . \" Follow me , \" Jesus told him , and Levi got up and followed him . 15 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house , many tax collectors and \" sinners \" were eating with him and his disciples , for there were many who followed him . 16 When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the \" sinners \" and tax collectors , they asked his disciples : \" Why does he eat with tax collectors and ' sinners ' ? \" 17 On hearing this , Jesus said to them , \" It is not the healthy who need a doctor , but the sick . I have not come to call the righteous , but sinners . \" Jesus Questioned About Fasting 18 Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting . Some people came and asked Jesus , \" How is it that John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting , but yours are not ? \" 19 Jesus answered , \" How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them ? They can not , so long as they have him with them . 20 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them , and on that day they will fast . 21 \" No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment . If he does , the new piece will pull away from the old , making the tear worse . 22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins . If he does , the wine will burst the skins , and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined . No , he pours new wine into new wineskins . \" Lord of the Sabbath 23 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields , and as his disciples walked along , they began to pick some heads of grain . 24 The Pharisees said to him , \" Look , why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath ? \" 25 He answered , \" Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need ? 26 In the days of Abiathar the high priest , he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread , which is lawful only for priests to eat . And he also gave some to his companions . \" 27 Then he said to them , \" The Sabbath was made for man , not man for the Sabbath . 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath . \"","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Graduate Sales Executive - FTSE 250 Graduate Development Programme \u00a3 21 , 000 + Bonus + Uncapped Commission 1st year OTE \u00a3 35K This is an exciting opportunity for 4 graduates to join an award-winning FTSE 250 Multi-level Platform . As a media channel they specialise in market news , content and information across 6 core industries ; Legal , Software , E-gaming , Trading , Property and HR . This content is distributed though social media , magazine publications and through their online portal . As a FTSE 250 company they have been market leaders in their industries and with this comes a huge amount of brand recognition . Following a hugely successful first quarter they are looking to take on 4 graduates to join their sales team with a view to training and progressing these individuals in to their next generation of account managers . Throughout your training you will follow your own personal development plan which will allow you to map your success , strengths and weaknesses . A mixture of internal and external one to one and team training will help you achieve your targets . Your role as an advertising sales executive will involve a mixture of following up on warm and cold leads both to prospective and pre-existing clients . You will be selling content across all channels as well as promoting and pushing corporate subscription sales . You will set up meetings where needed for senior members of the team , with the aim to progress to handling and pitching these meetings yourself . A successful advertising sales executive will be : Incredibly confident with an innate drive for success Articulate with the ability to think on your feet Resilient , you will handle a huge amount of knock back 's in any B2B sales role A hard worker as your earning potential and progression depends on your results High achievers with a history of sporting achievements or extracurricular activity Perks & Incentives : An uncapped commission scheme with an attainable OTE 2 paid charity days per year 29 days holiday Gym membership + two long lunch breaks per week Holiday targets Seasonal company-wide blow outs Graduate Fasttrack specialise in B2B Sales and Recruitment positions across Media , Finance , Business Intelligence and IT . For any further information contact Beth on beth.worton@graduate-fasttrack.co.uk","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Dr Hamid Dehghani \" Dr Julian Moger \" \" Full table of contents Biophysics of the Extracellular Matrix The extracellular matrix is a component of all mammalian tissues and consists of a network of fibrous proteins , elastin and collagens , embedded in a viscoelastic gel rich in high molecular weight anionic polymers known as proteoglycans . This structure , which is quantitatively a major component in tissues such as cartilage , intervertebral disc and blood vessels , endows tissues with the requisite mechanical properties and regulates the movement of water , nutrients and other solutes . There is strong evidence that changes in these functions are associated with diseases as apparently diverse as arthritis , atherosclerosis and cancer . There is a delicate symbiosis between the behaviour of the cells , whose functions include the repair and remodelling of the extracellular matrix , and the composition of the matrix itself . This interaction , which is mediated by a wide variety of electrical , mechanical and chemical signals , is only slowly becoming understood but it underlies the normal processes of development and growth and may be impaired in disease . Our research has the long-term aim of unravelling the relationships between the physical properties of the macromolecular constituents of the extracellular matrix and their supramolecular assemblies and the physiological functions of the tissue . This information is , we believe , important in relating the wealth of descriptive data that has accumulated on changes in extracellular matrix biochemistry that occur in disease to the actual disease process . Current projects include : Analysis of the molecular mechanisms of elasticity in elastic proteins . Characterisation of the organisation of Type IV collagen in the basement membrane and the changes that occur in diabetes . Investigation of the structure and permeability to nutrients of the bone-cartilage interface in normal tissues , osteoporosis and arthritis . Ultrastructural analysis of the stress and strain distribution in bone and cartilage under mechanical loads . Investigation of the effects of ionising radiation on the physical properties of extracellular matrix macromolecules . In this work we employ techniques such as Raman microspectrometry to characterise molecular composition and conformation , small and large angle X-ray diffraction , utilising synchrotron sources , to characterise intra - and supra-molecular organisation and X-ray fluorescence for material characterisation , as well as a number of more specialised techniques , some of which are described in the Biomedical Optics","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Apple and the Environment Frequently Asked Questions Q : How does Apple review the company's progress and status regarding its environmental impact ? A : Apple's Executive Team is responsible for setting and implementing environmental policies . This group of the company's most senior executives is advised by teams from across Apple , including environmental engineering , product development , operations , facilities , and supplier responsibility . Apple's climate change strategy is built into all facilities development plans and plays an important role in the product development process . In 2009 , at the direction of the Executive Team , Apple became the first company in the electronics industry to report its entire carbon footprint including the impact of its products on the environment through consumer use . In addition to providing consumers with an unprecedented level of detail and transparency on which to base their purchasing decisions , measuring the company's carbon footprint helps the company identify areas where it can make the most significant reductions . We understand that the vast majority of greenhouse gas emissions ( up to 98 percent ) come from the product life cycle , which is why decisions about the environmental attributes of our products are an integral aspect of all decisions related to the design and manufacture of those products . The same is true of all the environmental decisions for our facilities . Our integrated approach means that decisions about environmental issues are reviewed at the highest levels of the company . This structure has been an important factor in Apple's success , particularly in the area of environmental responsibility . Executive Team members regularly review each new product during its development , focusing on material and design choices , the supply chain , packaging , and product energy efficiency . Each of these areas has a direct impact on our environmental footprint . This strategy , which we 've been using for well over two decades , has yielded the most environmentally forward-looking product designs in our industry . Every product we offer meets the ENERGY STAR guidelines for energy efficiency , is free of harmful toxins , and is made of highly recyclable materials . Our facilities and operations teams also regularly review our programs and investments to reduce carbon emissions with Executive Team members . The results of these reviews include increased use of green power , new technology investments , commute programs , and conservation . The efforts of this team have produced the highest product recycling rate in our industry . Apple delivers important environmental attributes across all the company's products and product families . Not only does Apple deliver where others have only promised to do so in the future , Apple has delivered where it 's most meaningful . The Apple Executive Team is committed to our environmental strategy : to reduce our carbon footprint , to remove toxins , and to report on the environmental impact of every product we make so that our customers can measure our progress . We are also committed to reporting our global corporate emissions annually and to reporting at the product level with each new product introduction . Q : What is Life Cycle Assessment ( LCA ) ? A : LCA is a process of evaluating the effects that a product has on the environment throughout its life cycle . The objective of completing a full life cycle analysis is to improve resource efficiency while reducing the environmental impact of all activities required to manufacture , distribute , use , and dispose of a product . Cradle-to-grave life cycle assessments , for instance , begin with the extraction of raw materials from the earth , their transformation into finished materials , the manufacturing of materials into parts and products , transportation to end users , the energy consumed during use , and ultimately recycling . During each of these phases , activities occur that use materials and energy , generating waste and emissions . Life cycle assessment is the process used to accurately measure the emissions associated with each phase of these activities . LCA results are often categorized in several ways , including global warming potential , acidification , eutrophication , tropospheric ozone creation , and stratospheric ozone depletion . The procedures followed for life cycle assessment are defined as part of the internationally recognized ISO 14000 environmental management standards : in ISO 14040 : 2006 and 14044 : 2006 . Successful implementations of LCAs have been achieved in many industries , including automobile , airline , and consumer goods companies . For complex products and processes composed of several thousand materials , the analysis requires dedicated software applications designed to accurately capture the environmental impact of very specific processes . Software tools provide an efficient and objective assessment of the environmental impacts a company measures by using third-party databases created and updated by independent industrial engineers who are experts in specific manufacturing processes . Apple has found that a combination of data collected directly from our internal and supplier processes as well as independent third-party data sets achieves the most accurate results . Q : How does Apple use LCA ? A : Apple uses five steps when conducting a product LCA : 1 . Data collection starts with measuring the power consumed by a product while it is running under a simulated use scenario . Different scenarios are used for different product lines . For example , we assume a four-year average use period for Mac computers . To be conservative , we also assume an office scenario use pattern for every computer shipped and apply that use pattern to 365 days of use per year . For handheld products , such as iPod and iPhone , we assume a three-year use period . For these products , charging patterns are defined according to a \" power user , \" which we define as intense daily use over the three-year period . More information on our product power modes is provided in our Product Environmental Reports . 2 . The second step is a part-by-part measurement of the entire product . This helps us accurately measure the size and weight of the components and materials in the product . Since a single product can contain several hundred parts , this step is supported by double-checking individual part details with the product's bill of materials . We include material and component yield loss during production as part of this process . We also account for the transportation of materials between manufacturing sites . Production emissions for external accessories , such as keyboards and mice , and packaging are also included in this step . 3 . The third step assesses emissions from transportation of finished products to sales regions . Data is collected on single units and multipack units of product shipments as they are transported over land , by sea , and by air . The majority of the product transportation emissions are associated with getting the products from Asia to sales distribution hubs in Europe , Asia , and the Americas . The final leg of transport between regional hubs and individual customers is accounted for using an overall adjustment factor . 4 . The last step of the product life cycle measurement is the collection and recycling of the product when it reaches the end of its useful life . Transportation between customers and recycling plants along with the treatment steps carried out by the recycler to obtain metal , plastic , and glass material streams are all accounted for in this calculation . Subsequent processing and smelting steps are not included as these are considered stages of production and not end-of-life processing . 5 . After we collect all the data , the final step is to run the product data model in our LCA tool and compile detailed results for GHG emissions as they relate to the product . The data and life cycle model used in the tool are checked for quality and accuracy by the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany . Q : Does Apple index its environmental performance data using Global Reporting Initiative ( GRI ) Sustainability Reporting Guidelines ( G3 ) ? A : Yes . Environmental performance data covering energy and water consumption , greenhouse gas emissions , and waste production is provided in the 2009 Facilities Report ( PDF ) . Q : What is ISO 14001 , and is Apple ISO 14001 certified ? A : ISO 14001 is a voluntary international standard that establishes the requirements for an organization's environmental management system ( EMS ) . The ISO 14001 standard helps a company manage the environmental impact of its operations in a systematic way that is integrated with overall business management processes . Apple first achieved ISO 14001 certification for a manufacturing site in 1996 . Q : Does Apple ban environmentally sensitive substances ? A : Yes . Apple's Regulated Substances Specification details a broad range of substances that are restricted or banned from use in Apple products , packaging , and manufacturing . Q : Do Apple products contain lead ? A : Apple is in compliance with the European RoHS Directive , which restricts the use of lead and other substances . As a result of our precautionary approach to substances , Apple phased out lead in plastic parts , paint , and packaging material long before the RoHS Directive came into effect . Q : What are Apple's restrictions on brominated flame retardant-free ( BFR-free ) and polyvinyl chloride-free ( PVC-free ) products ? A : Apple defines a material as BFR-free and PVC-free if it contains less than 900 parts per million ( ppm ) of bromine and chlorine . The 900-ppm limit is one of the strictest in the electronics industry and a concentration lower than the ban on lead in the European RoHS Directive . Since BFRs and PVC need to be present in much higher quantities to be effective , most materials that contain less than 900-ppm bromine and chlorine do not have any detectable levels of bromine or chlorine present . Q : Which products are covered by Apple's BFR-free and PVC-free transition ? A : Apple's phaseout of BFRs and PVC covers all parts of new Apple product designs manufactured after December 31 , 2008 . The iPod nano , iPod classic , and iPod touch are examples of products that are BFR-free and PVC-free . While Apple's phaseout will cover the vast majority of products and components , older product designs , replacement parts , and accessories for older product designs may not be fully BFR-free and PVC-free . Q : What is REACH , and how is Apple complying with the REACH regulation ? A : The Registration , Evaluation , Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals Regulation EC 1907 \/ 2007 , commonly referred to as REACH , is a European regulation on chemicals and their safe use . With the publication of the candidate list for authorization on October 28 , 2008 , the European Chemicals Agency identified a set of substances of very high concern ( SVHC ) that manufacturers must disclose to customers if used in their products above 0.1 percent . Based on the current version of the candidate list for authorization , Apple products do not contain SVHC above 0.1 percent , with the exception of AC power cords . AC power cords used in Apple notebooks , desktops , servers , displays , Apple TV , AirPort Extreme , Time Capsule , and power adapters are made of polyvinyl chloride ( PVC ) that contains the SVHC bis 2-ethyl ( hexyl ) phthalate , also known as DEHP . Apple is in the final stages of developing and certifying PVC-free AC power cords that will also be free of DEHP . Q : Does Apple use ozone-depleting substances ? A : No ozone-depleting substances ( ODCs ) are used in any processes to manufacture components , materials , or product packaging materials used by Apple , as stipulated by the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer . Q : Does Apple have an Environmental Health and Safety Policy ? A : Apple is committed to protecting the environment , health , and safety of our employees , customers , and the global communities in which we operate . For more information , read our Environmental Health and Safety Policy statement ( PDF ) . Q : What happens to computers when they are recycled ? A : When you recycle with Apple , your used equipment is disassembled , and key components that can be reused are removed . Glass and metal can be reprocessed for use in new products . A majority of the plastics can be pelletized into a raw secondary material . With materials reprocessing and component reuse , Apple often achieves a 90 percent recovery rate by weight of the original product . Learn more about the Apple Recycling Program","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"- Tom Presland to send Leonard Cheshire policy re . sex to Tuppy - Discuss ways of targeting ' tops ' of organisations ( professional bodies , trusts \/ organisations ) to give permission for sex to be included on the disability agenda . Lorna and Tuppy to draft document for this . - Lorna has not contacted RNIB as yet . She will contact Wayne to find out who has replaced Christine Thomas and find out any progress that has been made in adding sex to the daily living section of the RNIB website . - Katie was unable to approach Peter White at the College of Occupational Therapists Conference in June . She will try and contact him via the BBC . - Victoria has circulated background information to SHADA members regarding policies around mental capacity \/ consent from her work in NYC . If anyone would like a copy , please contact Katie or Victoria ( tormc3@yahoo.com ) . Victoria will ask for permission for a summary of this policy to be posted on the Outsiders website . - Helena will arrange to meet John Blandford , who presented at this meeting for further discussion - Tuppy sent the number of a stripper \u2013 Solitaire - to Helena , following which Kate organised an event for 2 strippers to entertain residents ( who had chosen to attend ) at Chaseley Trust . The event went very well and Helena recommended Solitaire for anyone considering booking a stripper for their disabled clients . Although Chaseley Trust solicitors had suggested a music and dance license may have been required for this event , John Blandford disagreed and said a license was not necessary for such a one-off event . - Tuppy does not have a copy of Davina McColl's sex education in schools program \u2013 Lorna will try and get hold of a copy and circulate it . Background : Treloar College ( www.treloar.org.uk ) is a residential specialist college for physically and \/ or learning disabled young people , aged between 17 and 22 years old . Given this age range , the focus of the college is transition to adulthood . There are 175 students at the college , mostly residential . The College is funded by the Learning and Skills Council . Graham reported that the students enrolling at the College are presenting with increasingly complex needs . For example around 20 % have life-limiting conditions , and there are an increasing number of technologically-dependent students . Around 80 % are wheelchair users . In addition to physical disabilities , the young people at Treloar can also present with additional sensory impairments , epilepsy and overt mental health issues . Graham reported difficulties in accessing CAMHS services for students who had physical disabilities in addition to their mental health needs . There are 370 staff at the College including teams of therapists ( occupational therapists , physiotherapists and speech and language therapists ) as well as a health centre and links with local hospices . Many of the students at Treloar have been in mainstream education previously , and make a positive choice to come to Treloar as the College is able to take care of their disability needs , freeing them to focus on other things . Graham started working at Treloar in 1995 , with a background as a mental health social worker . At that time , there were two issues at the College \u2013 sexuality was not discussed , and there was a policy in place prohibiting intimate sexual contact within the grounds as well as a policy that students had to dress formally . As principal of the College at that time , Graham was approached by both students ( regarding lack of privacy ) and staff ( who felt exposed and unsure of their boundaries regarding student needs to express their sexuality ) . However as sexual expression and exploration were recognised as a key part of adolescence , Graham gathered a group of staff , students and parents , giving them the task of coming up with policies and procedures for students to express their sexuality . The policy was to be inclusive , covering gay , lesbian , bisexual and transgender . The policy took a year to develop \u2013 it was called the SAFE policy . A barrister was then consulted regarding the issue of informed consent . The guidelines regarding implementation of the policy were very specific . Staff were able to opt out , but had to be neutral in doing so . Posters are placed around the College to promote the SAFE policy and student rights regarding sexual expression , and there is a supportive team in place . The SAFE policy is also in the student handbook and all parents \/ guardians are made aware of its existence when sending a child to the College . In a nutshell , if students are over 16 and are able to consent , they can engage in whatever they want to , as long as it is legal . Choices and risks are discussed with students , and teaching given on safe sex , but the final choice is left up to individual students . Students are encouraged to organise their own activities to develop their independence , including planning trips out of College . For example , one student organised his own visit to a massage parlour in Oxford . Graham has had no negative attitudes towards the SAFE policy recently , though some staff left when the policy was first introduced 8 years ago . Regarding issues of power between service users and staff , College staff can facilitate , support and enable but staff will not be involved in actually stimulating someone . Staff can position a person and support someone to get pornographic material or sex aids ( if they are over 18 ) , but have to make it clear to the individual that this material is strictly not to be seen by anyone under 18 years old . Staff also have to be very clear about boundaries . As yet , the College have not had any sex workers on site , due to legal concerns and concerns about repercussions . Graham sees having the chance to experiment with sex as part of the transition to adulthood . However the situation for young people with disabilities is different to those without disabilities . The relationship between parent and child is often skewed , with no secrecy allowed for the young person . Paradoxically , many young people may have had to make big decisions about their life such as operations , at a young age though are excluded from some roles such as having a Saturday job . At some point , parents have to address their child's emerging sexuality though many do not know how to approach this , and are grateful to the College for addressing the subject . In order to protect students , there are also guidelines for recognising when someone is being manipulated or harassed by other students . In addition , there are legislative safeguards including Protection of Children and Protection of Vulnerable Adults . In general , the SAFE policy has been a success and is a positive example of what can be done to enable sexual expression for young people with disabilities . - Contrary to Graham's positive comments from parents , others have experienced complaints from family members regarding enabling sex for older adults . Many disabled people had not been offered a chance for sexual expression before and relatives are reluctant to change the status quo . - Tuppy said most people join Outsiders when they are 30 years plus . This is perhaps because teenagers have other mainstream avenues to meet friends \/ partners . However Simone reported that Stars in the Sky have many young members who have not been successful in mainstream venues . - Consensus of opinion that permission to discuss sex needs to come from the ' top ' for this topic to be successfully embraced and addressed by staff , such as Graham as principal of Treloar College . For example , healthcare professionals need permission to discuss sex-related issues with clients , as this often has not been covered on their training . These professionals need the support of their governing body such as the Health Professions Council , etc. - Criminal law is much less of a threat to health care professionals than their governing body ... - No particular health professional who is responsible for addressing sex \u2013 usually relies on one person who is interested in this area to push the agenda , but no lasting effect . - Problem is that many health professionals do n't want to address sex ... Helena got a poor reception when she mentioned sex as part of recreation at the recent European Platform of Rehabilitation Services . - Possibly difficult for a non-disabled person to run training on sex and disability , as all disabled people have individual needs , and different areas of disability need different approaches . You ca n't necessarily clump together people with one disability and list the sexual problems that they all share , because they may not share the same problems . - George has set up an interest group re . sex and learning disabilities over the internet and has got a good response . - Can use sex workers to enable couples to have sex . Disabled people used to having someone else around so not as intrusive as it might seem . - Leonard Cheshire have policies regarding sex but they do n't seem to be used in practice . - We need a set of core values so people can use these to base their work around . ACTION Presentation : Ariana Chevalier \u2013 ' Sex Worker of the Year ' Ariana gave a very interesting presentation covering : Health benefits of a sexual outlet Ariana also spoke about her work generally including some of the more specialist areas she have developed , including Sensual Awakening \/ Tantra sessions , Holistic Sex Coaching ( sexual confidence and skill building ) and Practice Partner ( Relationship Development Skills ) . Please see handouts for further information . Discussion arising from presentation : - How to find a male sex worker : more difficult to find a straight male sex worker as most work with men . Regular search engines are not reliable \u2013 best to use TLC website \u2013 www.tlc-trust.org.uk The contents of this informative talk are covered in a paper , prepared by John that will accompany these minutes . However , there was one point that came up several times that is worth highlighting : It is NOT and NEVER HAS BEEN an offence ( under English law ) to call a sex worker either for yourself OR ON BEHALF OF SOMEONE ELSE as long as the person consents . Discussion point from presentation : - Even though it is legal to call a sex worker , the popular belief is that it is illegal and this will be difficult to challenge . Need to find a way around this . - Tuppy suggested that we compile a short hand-out which John Blandford endorses , to give out to people who do n't believe the above . Any Other Business - We need to prepare a mission statement for SHADA , to send with a press release to professional bodies , etc. - The highly commended book - ' Sex at the Margins \u2013 Migration , Labour Markets and the Rescue Industry ' by Laura Maria Agustin ( Zed Books 1988 ) demonstrates how many migrants are happy working in the sex industry and the real problem are the ' do-gooders ' who try to rescue them . - Ideas for new books : \u00d8 One with different chapters for each talk at SHADA . It could cover visual impairment , sex workers , the law , Treloar College as an example of good practice , and Pru's experience as a sex worker with a learning disabled client . \u00d8 A guide for sex workers who see disabled clients \u2013 could cover general information that would be useful , as long as it is clear that disabled people have very individual needs ( like all of us ) . - Training and supervision for sex workers : Ariana suggested the following could be implemented in the sex industry , as part of her vision for the future ~ \u00d8 First aid as part of training for sex workers \u00d8 Code of Conduct for Sex Workers including health and safety , boundaries \u00d8 Network of sex workers to support each other and offer supervision - Idea of topic for Autumn meeting is ' Sex and Spina Bifida ' Venue , Time , Focus and Date of Next Meeting \u00d8 Developing a mission statement for SHADA \u00d8 Discussion of how to persuade people at ' the top ' to take sex seriously and allow us to do as we wish . This is the Home Secretary downwards and includes funders and professional bodies .","labels":"News","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"This volume is a complete and systematic guide to physical examination of neonates , interpretation of physical findings in neonates , and identification of clinical syndromes as they appear at this stage . The first section reviews the fetal and postnatal development of the various organ systems , describes techniques of physical examination , and thoroughly discusses the significance of physical findings in each body area . Coverage includes detailed information on normal findings and variations of normal , as well as abnormal findings . The second section lists the critical signs , symptoms , and physical findings that are diagnostic or suggestive of specific syndromes . Full-color photographs depict the presentation of specific syndromes in neonates .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"The Science Park has announced that it will start construction early next spring on a new facility at its Queen's Island headquarters , Belfast . The four-story , 40,000 sq ft building will join the Innovation Centre , ECIT and a 20,000 sq ft building due to open in summer 2005 . The new facility will be known as White Star House in recognition of the shipping line which commissioned Harland & Wolff to build the Titanic at Queen's Island over 90 years ago . Project architects on the scheme are Ferguson McIlveen . Commenting on the announcement , Norman Apsley , CEO of the Science Park said : ' This is another landmark stage in the Science Park's development . With 75 % of the Innovation Centre already let or committed , White Star House is a logical progression in the workspace package we can offer . ' While the Innovation Centre has units available in multiples of 2,000 sq ft , White Star House will provide larger units - from c . 5,000 sq ft up to a maximum 35,000 sq ft - providing space for ventures which outgrow the Innovation Centre as well as larger businesses . ' As with all the facilities being developed by the Science Park , the emphasis is upon providing flexible and sustainable space that adapts easily to occupants' changing needs . According to John Beattie , the Science Park's Operations Manager and concept designer of the facility , White Star House represents advanced building design thinking . ' This is an intelligent building with several innovative features that will help White Star House meet the requirements of the Carbon Trust's ' Low Carbon Design ' initiative and make it one of the Province's most environmentally friendly facilities . ' We 're planning to make use of ground water with a constant temperature of around 12 \u00b0 C to cool the building in summer and pre-heat the air for ventilation during the winter . ' Raised floors will provide a generous service void and a flexible method of providing heating and ventilation throughout the work areas . The intentionally exposed underside of the floor slabs will enable occupants to customise their space with the minimum of disruption . ' John Beattie also believes that White Star House will give occupants and the wider Science Park an exciting built environment : ' Although this is very much a working building , extensive use of glass will make it an interesting experience for both those within and without . Apart from stunning views of the Thompson Graving Dock and Belfast Lough , the building's occupants will also appreciate internal reflections of changing weather conditions outside . ' It 's also anticipated that the external appearance of White Star will change throughout the day as the glass reacts to different light conditions . The external view will be further enhanced by the building's translucent design which will provide emerging views of the interior as night falls . ' Heritage Michael Graham , Director of Real Estate , emphasised that sustainability and heritage considerations also helped shape the plans : ' Although White Star House is n't going to save the planet , it does represent an environmentally friendly approach to building design which will hopefully become the norm rather than the exception . ' Despite this very modern approach , we 're also conscious of the site's historical legacy . To reinforce the Titanic memory , its entrance will be flanked by three exposed bow-shaped support pillars housing the building's elevators - each the same height as the bows of the Titanic and her sister ships , Britannic and Olympic . ' White Star Line will forever be associated with Belfast and the Olympic class ships built here . The building will be a permanent reminder of the technological excellence associated with Queen's Island and I 'm looking forward to it hosting a new generation of innovators when it opens in 2006 . '","labels":"News","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"The Birmingham Law Society will be holding a series of meetings for members who practise outside of the city centre . The meetings , which will take place in Walsall , Wolverhampton and Worcester , will be an opportunity for Law Society officers to meet practitioners from the region during an informal discussion . The aim of the events is to exchange ideas and initiatives , which will help form the Law Society's business plan for the forthcoming years . The first meeting took place on Tuesday 11 November at the Lindon House Hotel , Upper Rushall , Walsall . The second will be held at the Clarendon Hotel , Chapel Ash , Wolverhampton , on Tuesday 18 November and the third meeting will take place on Tuesday 25 November at the Great Western Hotel , Shrub Hill Road , Worcester . All of the meetings will take place between 6.30 and 8pm . Non-members are also being welcomed along to share in the discussions .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"16 October 2005 PEOPLE . CO. UK COMPETITION RULES These rules apply to all competitions run in the online editions of the Daily Mirror , Sunday Mirror , The People and Racing Post newspapers and any other online publications produced by MGN Limited ( \" MGN \" ) , a subsidiary of Trinity Mirror Plc , from time to time . They are the basis of entry to such competitions , together with any additional rules published in connection with any one competition . In these rules , the term \" competition ( s ) \" includes games , promotions and the like and \" Editor \" or \" Editors \" means the editor ( s ) from time to time of the online editions of the newspapers and other online publications published by MGN . 1 . To enter the competition , simply answer the question or complete the entry form published on the web site . By entering into the competition you agree to the terms and conditions stated herein and acknowledge that failure to comply with the rules may result in disqualification . 2 . Only one entry per person is permitted . Multiple or incomplete entries will be deemed to be invalid . 3 . Unless otherwise stated , entries must arrive no later than the published closing date for the competition . Entries received after this time will be allowed only at the discretion of Editors who may extend the closing date without prior notice . 4 . Proof of emailing will not be accepted as proof of delivery and no responsibility can be accepted for entries lost , delayed , mislaid or for any technical failure or for any event which may cause the competition to be disrupted or corrupted . Advertisement 5 . Employees of Trinity Mirror Plc or its associated companies , their agents or members of their families are not allowed to enter any competition . Subject to that rule the Editors' decision as to eligibility will be final . 6 . In pay-to-enter competitions each entry must be accompanied by the appropriate entry fee . 7 . All entries , photographs , and other material submitted as part of a competition entry shall become the property and the copyright of MGN . Editors reserve the right to publish them in whole or in part or use them in any way they think fit without the permission of the entrant or payment for such use but subject always to the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1988 . 8 . Unless otherwise stated , MGN accepts no responsibility for the return of entries , photographs or other personal effects or for loss or damage to such items . Under no circumstances does MGN accept responsibility for the safe return of any material or its return in an undamaged condition or any liability for loss of or damage to such material . 9 . Except where it is expressly stated that the winner will be the first correct entry drawn from the total entries submitted , or that some other mechanism will be applied , all competition entries will be examined and the prize or prizes will be awarded to the entry \/ entries the judges consider to be the best . Other prizes will be awarded in accordance with the order of priority stated in the rules of the competition . 10 . The Editors reserve the right to change the rules applicable to any competition or to void any competition at any time and for any reason . In the event that any competition is so voided , all entry fees will be returned . 11 . In the event of an error , howsoever caused , whether a printing error or otherwise and whether obvious or otherwise , which affects the competition in any way , the Editors reserve the right to administer the game as though the error had not occurred . Where the Editors deem it appropriate and \/ or feasible MGN will notify entrants of the error and correct it either through the relevant online newspapers or through any other suitable medium . 12 . Where necessary in order to determine an outright winner or winners to a competition , Editors reserve the right to request entrants to take part in an eliminating contest ( or ' tie breaker ' ) . Where for any reason there are more winners than prizes on offer the Editors reserve the right to conduct a simple draw to determine the winner or winners of the prizes . 13 . Unless otherwise stated , entry to all competitions is restricted to entrants of 18 years of age or over . 14 . Where competitors are required to enter in one of several age categories , their category shall be that appropriate to their age on the closing date of the competition . An entrant is assumed to be of a certain age up to and including the day prior to his or her next birthday . 15 . No correspondence can be entered into or interviews given on any matters arising from any MGN competition . 16 . Names of winners and results of MGN competitions will be available on receipt of a request enclosing a stamped self-addressed envelope to : MGN Limited , One Canada Square , Canary Wharf , London E14 5AP and may be published in the relevant online editions of the newspapers as circumstances permit . 17 . Unless specifically stated otherwise , there is no cash alternative to the prizes offered . 18 . If the winner of a competition is unable to take up a prize for any reason MGN reserves the right to award it to an alternative winner , in which case the first winner chosen will not be eligible for any share of the prize whatsoever . 19 . All winners are required to co-operate with the online editions of the newspapers ' photographers or reporters to publicise their win as MGN deems appropriate . 20 . Failure to comply with any of these rules may result in the disqualification of the entry . Editors reserve the right to disqualify any entry at their absolute discretion . 21 . Editors' decisions are final in all matters concerning a competition . It is a condition of entry to any competition that the entrant agrees to be bound by these rules whether they be published in the relevant online editions of the newspaper or not , and that the decisions of Editors and judges on any matter whatsoever arising out of or connected with the competition are final .","labels":"Legal","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Los Angeles TMJ pain relief a joint effort The joints at the back of the jaw are used in every oral activity . These joints slide from side to side to facilitate chewing and speaking . They open and close , and move forward and back to facilitate breathing as well . Under certain circumstances , such as tooth grinding or clenching , the temporomandibular joints , and the muscles that surround them , can become dysfunctional . For some , the symptoms of TMJ disorder are mild , and disappear within a few weeks . However , there are people for whom TMJ becomes chronic , often gradually worsening . We encourage our Los Angeles area patients to seek TMJ pain relief with a combination of self-care and professional treatment with a customized oral appliance . Steps that can be taken at home include : Applying both heat and ice , alternating between the two . Moist heat can alleviate pain and increase function of irritated joints and muscles . Periodic application of ice packs promotes decrease inflammation and slightly numbing sore muscles , while heat packs increase circulation and promotes healing . Neither heat nor ice should be applied directly to skin . Instead , wrap in a thin towel and keep it on for no more than 15 minutes at a time . Discomfort from TMJ disorder can be reduced with over the counter anti-inflammatory medication . These should not take the place of other remedies , which are aimed at relieving pressure and undue stress on affected joints . If symptoms do not improve with over the counter medication , it is best to contact our office for professional treatment . Learning to relax specific muscles . Part of the issue with TMJ disorder is tension . You can learn to relax the muscles of the face , neck , and shoulders to decrease symptoms and provide rest for the jaw . Specifically , train yourself to fall into a relaxed state where teeth are apart and lips are loose . Downtown Dental has the expertise and technology to treat TMJ disorder in a non-invasive manner . With a customized oral appliance prescribed for wear at night , we encourage the proper positioning of the jaw and bring end to uncomfortable symptoms .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Article III of the United States Constitution extends federal judicial power to all cases arising under admiralty and maritime jurisdiction . The Death on the High Seas Act ( DOHSA ) in turn provides the exclusive , albeit monetarily limited , maritime remedy for wrongful deaths that take place on the \" high seas beyond 3 nautical miles from the shore of the United States . \" In Helman v. Alcoa Global Fasteners , Inc. , the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit considered , as a matter of first impression , whether DOHSA applied to , and thus preempted other available claims arising from , a fatal helicopter accident that occurred approximately nine and a half nautical miles off the California coastline . Finding little interpretive significance in the term \" high seas , \" the Ninth Circuit held that DOHSA becomes unconditionally operative seaward of three nautical miles from U.S. shores . . .","labels":"Legal","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Oscar De La Hoya vs. Manny Pacquiao , also billed as The Dream Match , was a professional boxing welterweight superfight . The bout took place on December 6 , 2008 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena , Las Vegas , Nevada , United States . Pacquiao defeated De La Hoya via technical knockout when De La Hoya decided not to continue with the fight before the start of the ninth round . The card was a co-production of Bob Arum ' s Top Rank Boxing and De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions and was aired live on pay-per-view ( PPV ) on HBO PPV . The fight is notable for propelling Manny Pacquiao to full-blown superstar status in much of the western world ( mostly in The United States ) , as Oscar De La Hoya symbolically \" passed the torch \" , so to speak , to Pacquiao . Despite no title belts being disputed , the bout received a lot of publicity since the two boxers were decorated , with Pacquiao being the current number one pound for pound boxer in the world as judged by The Ring , and a five-time world champion in five different weight divisions ( Pacquiao was the reigning WBC lightweight champion at the time of the bout ) . Meanwhile , De La Hoya was an Olympic gold medalist and past holder of 10 world titles in six weight divisions . Pacquiao had to step up two weight divisions ( from lightweight ) , and De La Hoya had to go down one weight division ( from light middleweight ) , to be eligible for the bout's welterweight division . The ideas of having De La Hoya and Pacquiao fight came from HBO boxing analyst Larry Merchant talking with ESPN boxing analyst Dan Rafael . Larry then presented the idea to Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer and Top Rank CEO Bob Arum . Bob presented the idea to Manny Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach . It was even mentioned on the PPV broadcast that it was Larry's idea , even mentioning Dan Rafael by name . Freddie Roach since the De La Hoya - Mayweather fight has said in the media and in the De La Hoya \/ Pacquiao 24 \/ 7 series , press conferences , promos leading to the Dream Match that Oscar \" ca n't pull the trigger anymore . \" After De La Hoya's May 5 loss to Floyd Mayweather , Jr. in 2007 ( see De La Hoya-Mayweather boxing match ) , De La Hoya decided to close out his career with three fights in 2008 . The first would be a tune-up bout in May before finishing with two mega bouts in September and December respectively . De La Hoya defeated Stevie Forbes in the May tune-up bout in preparation for Mayweather . Due to Mayweather's unexpected retirement however , Ricky Hatton was the new potential candidate to fight De La Hoya on September 20 . However , Hatton rejected the offer because he felt the scheduled date was too close to his last bout . De La Hoya then decided to pass on a fight in September to set the stage for a showdown against either Manny Pacquiao or Miguel Cotto , should Cotto win his fight against Antonio Margarito in July . After Cotto was defeated by Margarito , it was announced that De La Hoya and Pound For Pound superstar Manny Pacquiao had agreed to fight December 6 , 2008 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas at the welterweight limit of 147 lbs. On August 28 , 2008 , a teleconference was held by Golden Boy Promotions to officially announce the fight . Presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank , Inc. , the bout was scheduled as a 12-round , non-title fight contested at the 147-pound welterweight limit . Although Pacquiao went into the fight recognized as the leading pound-for-pound boxer in the world , some boxing pundits speculated that 147 pounds could be too far above his natural weight against the larger De La Hoya . Many boxing analysts believed the fight would favor Oscar . Boxing analysts stated that Oscar's size , reach , experience , and good chin made Manny the underdog in this mega fight . Training for the fight Oscar hired trainers Angelo Dundee , Ignacio \" Nacho \" Beristain , and young boxing talent Edwin Valero . Oscar told the news that his team is unbeatable , while Freddie Roach said , \" No one is going to be able to help Oscar pull the trigger when he faces Manny Pacquiao on Dec. 6 \" . Tickets reportedly sold out just hours after they went on sale . The total gate revenues were said to be nearly $ 17 million . That amount apparently gave the bout the second-largest gate revenue in boxing history ( after the De La Hoya-Mayweather Jr. fight on May 5 , 2007 which generated $ 18 . 4 million in gate revenue ) . Manny Pacquiao soundly defeated Oscar De La Hoya , surprising many pre-fight analysts who had predicted a victory by De La Hoya . The fight ended at the beginning of the 9th round after Oscar and his corner threw in the towel . On round 1 , De La Hoya's opening punches miss Pacquiao ; Pacquiao's own straight left followed by a combination connects . The boxers exchange punches , with another Pacquiao straight left to end the round . At the start of the second round , a double jab by De La Hoya persuades Pacquiao to retreat . Only the second of De La Hoya's two combinations hits Pacquiao . A combo from Pacquiao leaves De La Hoya's face reddened . A flurry of punches from Pacquiao ends the round . The third round is more of the same as De La Hoya becomes increasingly unable to answer Pacquiao's combos . Pacquiao unleashes a flurry of punches in round 5 ; De La Hoya saw it coming but was n't able to react fast enough . De La Hoya himself lands a body shot and a couple of hooks , but the two boxers exchange punches at the end of the round . The next round begins as the last ended , with the men exchanging jabs . Pacquiao appears winded as he misses a left hook , but the follow-up lands on target . Pacquiao lands a right , and a four-punch combo to end the round . In Round 7 , Pacquiao lands a jab as De La Hoya misses his ; Pacquiao unleashes another flurry of punches as De La Hoya's legs almost gave out , just as he ceased punching back . His uppercut misses Pacquiao as his opponent releases more jabs to end round 7 . Pacquiao pursues De La Hoya's body but is warned by referee Tony Weeks to \" keep them up \" ( keep punches above the belt ) . De La Hoya's right connects , but Pacquiao's combo pins De La Hoya in the corner . Another left by Pacquiao dazes the Mexican-American , as the Filipino follows up with another combination which wobbles De La Hoya . Pacquiao throws another combo as De La Hoya goes for the body . The Filipino unleashes a four-punch combo to end the round . The fight is stopped before the start of the ninth round and Pacquiao is awarded the victory . Pacquiao was ahead on all three judges' scorecards before the stoppage , with two judges scoring the fight at 80-71 ( Pacquiao won all rounds ) and one scoring it at 79 \u2013 72 ( Pacquiao won 7 rounds and lost 1 ) . After the bout trainer Freddie Roach stated , \" We knew we had him after the first round . He had no legs , he was hesitant and he was shot . \" Confirming Roach's pre-fight predictions that he 'd grown too old , De La Hoya crossed the ring to Pacquiao's corner after the bout was stopped and told Roach , \" You 're right Freddie . I do n't have it anymore . \" When asked by reporters whether he would continue fighting , De La Hoya responded , \" My heart still wants to fight , that 's for sure . But when your physical does n't respond , what can you do ? I have to be smart and make sure I think about my future plans . \" On December 10 , 2008 , HBO announced that the fight generated 1.25 million PPV buys totalling more than $ 70 million in PPV revenue . This fight was only the fourth non-heavyweight bout to have more than one million buys at that time , along with De La Hoya \u2013 Mayweather Jr. ( 2 . 4 million buys ) in May 2007 , De La Hoya \u2013 Hopkins ( 1 million buys ) in 2004 , and De La Hoya \u2013 Trinidad ( 1 . 4 million buys ) in 1999 . Juan Manuel Lopez KOs Sergio Medina in the first round to retain the junior featherweight title .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
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{"text":"Sir Isaac Newton , ( born December 25 , 1642 , Woolsthorpe , Lincolnshire , England \u2013 died March 20 , 1727 , London ) , English physicist and mathematician , who was the culminating figure of the scientific revolution of the 17th century . In optics , his discovery of the composition of white light integrated the phenomena of colours into the science of light and laid the foundation for modern physical optics . In mechanics , his three laws of motion , the basic principles of modern physics , resulted in the formulation of the law of universal gravitation . In mathematics , he was the original discoverer of the infinitesimal calculus . Newton's Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica ( Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy , 1687 ) was one of the most important single works in the history of modern science . Sir Isaac Newton's formulation of the law of universal gravitation . Isaac Newton , portrait by Sir Godfrey Kneller , 1689 . Formative influences Born in the hamlet of Woolsthorpe , Newton was the only son of a local yeoman , also Isaac Newton , who had died three months before , and of Hannah Ayscough . That same year , at Arcetri near Florence , Galileo Galilei had died ; Newton would eventually pick up his idea of a mathematical science of motion and bring his work to full fruition . A tiny and weak baby , Newton was not expected to survive his first day of life , much less 84 years . Deprived of a father before birth , he soon lost his mother as well , for within two years she married a second time ; her husband , the well-to-do minister Barnabas Smith , left young Isaac with his grandmother and moved to a neighbouring village to raise a son and two daughters . For nine years , until the death of Barnabas Smith in 1653 , Isaac was effectively separated from his mother , and his pronounced psychotic tendencies have been ascribed to this traumatic event . That he hated his stepfather we may be sure . When he examined the state of his soul in 1662 and compiled a catalog of sins in shorthand , he remembered \" Threatning my father and mother Smith to burne them and the house over them . \" The acute sense of insecurity that rendered him obsessively anxious when his work was published and irrationally violent when he defended it accompanied Newton throughout his life and can plausibly be traced to his early years . After his mother was widowed a second time , she determined that her first-born son should manage her now considerable property . It quickly became apparent , however , that this would be a disaster , both for the estate and for Newton . He could not bring himself to concentrate on rural affairs \u2013 set to watch the cattle , he would curl up under a tree with a book . Fortunately , the mistake was recognized , and Newton was sent back to the grammar school in Grantham , where he had already studied , to prepare for the university . As with many of the leading scientists of the age , he left behind in Grantham anecdotes about his mechanical ability and his skill in building models of machines , such as clocks and windmills . At the school he apparently gained a firm command of Latin but probably received no more than a smattering of arithmetic . By June 1661 , he was ready to matriculate at Trinity College , Cambridge , somewhat older than the other undergraduates because of his interrupted education . Influence of the scientific revolution When Newton arrived in Cambridge in 1661 , the movement now known as the scientific revolution was well advanced , and many of the works basic to modern science had appeared . Astronomers from Copernicus to Kepler had elaborated the heliocentric system of the universe . Galileo had proposed the foundations of a new mechanics built on the principle of inertia . Led by Descartes , philosophers had begun to formulate a new conception of nature as an intricate , impersonal , and inert machine . Yet as far as the universities of Europe , including Cambridge , were concerned , all this might well have never happened . They continued to be the strongholds of outmoded Aristotelianism , which rested on a geocentric view of the universe and dealt with nature in qualitative rather than quantitative terms . Like thousands of other undergraduates , Newton began his higher education by immersing himself in Aristotle's work . Even though the new philosophy was not in the curriculum , it was in the air . Some time during his undergraduate career , Newton discovered the works of the French natural philosopher Ren\u00e9 Descartes and the other mechanical philosophers , who , in contrast to Aristotle , viewed physical reality as composed entirely of particles of matter in motion and who held that all the phenomena of nature result from their mechanical interaction . A new set of notes , which he entitled \" Quaestiones Quaedam Philosophicae \" ( \" Certain Philosophical Questions \" ) , begun sometime in 1664 , usurped the unused pages of a notebook intended for traditional scholastic exercises ; under the title he entered the slogan \" Amicus Plato amicus Aristoteles magis amica veritas \" ( \" Plato is my friend , Aristotle is my friend , but my best friend is truth \" ) . Newton's scientific career had begun . The \" Quaestiones \" reveal that Newton had discovered the new conception of nature that provided the framework of the scientific revolution . He had thoroughly mastered the works of Descartes and had also discovered that the French philosopher Pierre Gassendi had revived atomism , an alternative mechanical system to explain nature . The \" Quaestiones \" also reveal that Newton already was inclined to find the latter a more attractive philosophy than Cartesian natural philosophy , which rejected the existence of ultimate indivisible particles . The works of the 17th-century chemist Robert Boyle provided the foundation for Newton's considerable work in chemistry . Significantly , he had read Henry More , the Cambridge Platonist , and was thereby introduced to another intellectual world , the magical Hermetic tradition , which sought to explain natural phenomena in terms of alchemical and magical concepts . The two traditions of natural philosophy , the mechanical and the Hermetic , antithetical though they appear , continued to influence his thought and in their tension supplied the fundamental theme of his scientific career . Although he did not record it in the \" Quaestiones , \" Newton had also begun his mathematical studies . He again started with Descartes , from whose La G\u00e9ometrie he branched out into the other literature of modern analysis with its application of algebraic techniques to problems of geometry . He then reached back for the support of classical geometry . Within little more than a year , he had mastered the literature ; and , pursuing his own line of analysis , he began to move into new territory . He discovered the binomial theorem , and he developed the calculus , a more powerful form of analysis that employs infinitesimal considerations in finding the slopes of curves and areas under curves . By 1669 Newton was ready to write a tract summarizing his progress , De Analysi per Aequationes Numeri Terminorum Infinitas ( \" On Analysis by Infinite Series \" ) , which circulated in manuscript through a limited circle and made his name known . During the next two years he revised it as De methodis serierum et fluxionum ( \" On the Methods of Series and Fluxions \" ) . The word fluxions , Newton's private rubric , indicates that the calculus had been born . Despite the fact that only a handful of savants were even aware of Newton's existence , he had arrived at the point where he had become the leading mathematician in Europe . Work during the plague years When Newton received the bachelor's degree in April 1665 , the most remarkable undergraduate career in the history of university education had passed unrecognized . On his own , without formal guidance , he had sought out the new philosophy and the new mathematics and made them his own , but he had confined the progress of his studies to his notebooks . Then , in 1665 , the plague closed the university , and for most of the following two years he was forced to stay at his home , contemplating at leisure what he had learned . During the plague years Newton laid the foundations of the calculus and extended an earlier insight into an essay , \" Of Colours , \" which contains most of the ideas elaborated in his Opticks . It was during this time that he examined the elements of circular motion and , applying his analysis to the Moon and the planets , derived the inverse square relation that the radially directed force acting on a planet decreases with the square of its distance from the Sun \u2013 which was later crucial to the law of universal gravitation . The world heard nothing of these discoveries . Career The optics Inaugural lectures at Trinity Newton was elected to a fellowship in Trinity College in 1667 , after the university reopened . Two years later , Isaac Barrow , Lucasian professor of mathematics , who had transmitted Newton's De Analysi to John Collins in London , resigned the chair to devote himself to divinity and recommended Newton to succeed him . The professorship exempted Newton from the necessity of tutoring but imposed the duty of delivering an annual course of lectures . He chose the work he had done in optics as the initial topic ; during the following three years ( 1670 \u2013 72 ) , his lectures developed the essay \" Of Colours \" into a form which was later revised to become Book One of his Opticks . Title page from an edition of Sir Isaac Newton's Opticks . Beginning with Kepler's Paralipomena in 1604 , the study of optics had been a central activity of the scientific revolution . Descartes's statement of the sine law of refraction , relating the angles of incidence and emergence at interfaces of the media through which light passes , had added a new mathematical regularity to the science of light , supporting the conviction that the universe is constructed according to mathematical regularities . Descartes had also made light central to the mechanical philosophy of nature ; the reality of light , he argued , consists of motion transmitted through a material medium . Newton fully accepted the mechanical nature of light , although he chose the atomistic alternative and held that light consists of material corpuscles in motion . The corpuscular conception of light was always a speculative theory on the periphery of his optics , however . The core of Newton's contribution had to do with colours . An ancient theory extending back at least to Aristotle held that a certain class of colour phenomena , such as the rainbow , arises from the modification of light , which appears white in its pristine form . Descartes had generalized this theory for all colours and translated it into mechanical imagery . Through a series of experiments performed in 1665 and 1666 , in which the spectrum of a narrow beam was projected onto the wall of a darkened chamber , Newton denied the concept of modification and replaced it with that of analysis . Basically , he denied that light is simple and homogeneous \u2013 stating instead that it is complex and heterogeneous and that the phenomena of colours arise from the analysis of the heterogeneous mixture into its simple components . The ultimate source of Newton's conviction that light is corpuscular was his recognition that individual rays of light have immutable properties ; in his view , such properties imply immutable particles of matter . He held that individual rays ( that is , particles of given size ) excite sensations of individual colours when they strike the retina of the eye . He also concluded that rays refract at distinct angles \u2013 hence , the prismatic spectrum , a beam of heterogeneous rays , i.e. , alike incident on one face of a prism , separated or analyzed by the refraction into its component parts \u2013 and that phenomena such as the rainbow are produced by refractive analysis . Because he believed that chromatic aberration could never be eliminated from lenses , Newton turned to reflecting telescopes ; he constructed the first ever built . The heterogeneity of light has been the foundation of physical optics since his time . Sir Isaac Newton dispersing sunlight through a prism for a study of optics , engraving after a ... There is no evidence that the theory of colours , fully described by Newton in his inaugural lectures at Cambridge , made any impression , just as there is no evidence that aspects of his mathematics and the content of the Principia , also pronounced from the podium , made any impression . Rather , the theory of colours , like his later work , was transmitted to the world through the Royal Society of London , which had been organized in 1660 . When Newton was appointed Lucasian professor , his name was probably unknown in the Royal Society ; in 1671 , however , they heard of his reflecting telescope and asked to see it . Pleased by their enthusiastic reception of the telescope and by his election to the society , Newton volunteered a paper on light and colours early in 1672 . On the whole , the paper was also well received , although a few questions and some dissent were heard . Controversy Among the most important dissenters to Newton's paper was Robert Hooke , one of the leaders of the Royal Society who considered himself the master in optics and hence he wrote a condescending critique of the unknown parvenu . One can understand how the critique would have annoyed a normal man . The flaming rage it provoked , with the desire publicly to humiliate Hooke , however , bespoke the abnormal . Newton was unable rationally to confront criticism . Less than a year after submitting the paper , he was so unsettled by the give and take of honest discussion that he began to cut his ties , and he withdrew into virtual isolation . In 1675 , during a visit to London , Newton thought he heard Hooke accept his theory of colours . He was emboldened to bring forth a second paper , an examination of the colour phenomena in thin films , which was identical to most of Book Two as it later appeared in the Opticks . The purpose of the paper was to explain the colours of solid bodies by showing how light can be analyzed into its components by reflection as well as refraction . His explanation of the colours of bodies has not survived , but the paper was significant in demonstrating for the first time the existence of periodic optical phenomena . He discovered the concentric coloured rings in the thin film of air between a lens and a flat sheet of glass ; the distance between these concentric rings ( Newton's rings ) depends on the increasing thickness of the film of air . In 1704 Newton combined a revision of his optical lectures with the paper of 1675 and a small amount of additional material in his Opticks . A second piece which Newton had sent with the paper of 1675 provoked new controversy . Entitled \" An Hypothesis Explaining the Properties of Light , \" it was in fact a general system of nature . Hooke apparently claimed that Newton had stolen its content from him , and Newton boiled over again . The issue was quickly controlled , however , by an exchange of formal , excessively polite letters that fail to conceal the complete lack of warmth between the men . Newton was also engaged in another exchange on his theory of colours with a circle of English Jesuits in Li\u00e8ge , perhaps the most revealing exchange of all . Although their objections were shallow , their contention that his experiments were mistaken lashed him into a fury . The correspondence dragged on until 1678 , when a final shriek of rage from Newton , apparently accompanied by a complete nervous breakdown , was followed by silence . The death of his mother the following year completed his isolation . For six years he withdrew from intellectual commerce except when others initiated a correspondence , which he always broke off as quickly as possible . Influence of the Hermetic tradition During his time of isolation , Newton was greatly influenced by the Hermetic tradition with which he had been familiar since his undergraduate days . Newton , always somewhat interested in alchemy , now immersed himself in it , copying by hand treatise after treatise and collating them to interpret their arcane imagery . Under the influence of the Hermetic tradition , his conception of nature underwent a decisive change . Until that time , Newton had been a mechanical philosopher in the standard 17th-century style , explaining natural phenomena by the motions of particles of matter . Thus , he held that the physical reality of light is a stream of tiny corpuscles diverted from its course by the presence of denser or rarer media . He felt that the apparent attraction of tiny bits of paper to a piece of glass that has been rubbed with cloth results from an ethereal effluvium that streams out of the glass and carries the bits of paper back with it . This mechanical philosophy denied the possibility of action at a distance ; as with static electricity , it explained apparent attractions away by means of invisible ethereal mechanisms . Newton's \" Hypothesis of Light \" of 1675 , with its universal ether , was a standard mechanical system of nature . Some phenomena , such as the capacity of chemicals to react only with certain others , puzzled him , however , and he spoke of a \" secret principle \" by which substances are \" sociable \" or \" unsociable \" with others . About 1679 , Newton abandoned the ether and its invisible mechanisms and began to ascribe the puzzling phenomena \u2013 chemical affinities , the generation of heat in chemical reactions , surface tension in fluids , capillary action , the cohesion of bodies , and the like \u2013 to attractions and repulsions between particles of matter . More than 35 years later , in the second English edition of the Opticks , Newton accepted an ether again , although it was an ether that embodied the concept of action at a distance by positing a repulsion between its particles . The attractions and repulsions of Newton's speculations were direct transpositions of the occult sympathies and antipathies of Hermetic philosophy \u2013 as mechanical philosophers never ceased to protest . Newton , however , regarded them as a modification of the mechanical philosophy that rendered it subject to exact mathematical treatment . As he conceived of them , attractions were quantitatively defined , and they offered a bridge to unite the two basic themes of 17th-century science \u2013 the mechanical tradition , which had dealt primarily with verbal mechanical imagery , and the Pythagorean tradition , which insisted on the mathematical nature of reality . Newton's reconciliation through the concept of force was his ultimate contribution to science . The Principia Planetary motion Newton originally applied the idea of attractions and repulsions solely to the range of terrestrial phenomena mentioned in the preceding paragraph . But late in 1679 , not long after he had embraced the concept , another application was suggested in a letter from Hooke , who was seeking to renew correspondence . Hooke mentioned his analysis of planetary motion \u2013 in effect , the continuous diversion of a rectilinear motion by a central attraction . Newton bluntly refused to correspond but , nevertheless , went on to mention an experiment to demonstrate the rotation of Earth : let a body be dropped from a tower ; because the tangential velocity at the top of the tower is greater than that at the foot , the body should fall slightly to the east . He sketched the path of fall as part of a spiral ending at the centre of Earth . This was a mistake , as Hooke pointed out ; according to Hooke's theory of planetary motion , the path should be elliptical , so that if Earth were split and separated to allow the body to fall , it would rise again to its original location . Newton did not like being corrected , least of all by Hooke , but he had to accept the basic point ; he corrected Hooke's figure , however , using the assumption that gravity is constant . Hooke then countered by replying that , although Newton's figure was correct for constant gravity , his own assumption was that gravity decreases as the square of the distance . Several years later , this letter became the basis for Hooke's charge of plagiarism . He was mistaken in the charge . His knowledge of the inverse square relation rested only on intuitive grounds ; he did not derive it properly from the quantitative statement of centripetal force and Kepler's third law , which relates the periods of planets to the radii of their orbits . Moreover , unknown to him , Newton had so derived the relation more than 10 years earlier . Nevertheless , Newton later confessed that the correspondence with Hooke led him to demonstrate that an elliptical orbit entails an inverse square attraction to one focus \u2013 one of the two crucial propositions on which the law of universal gravitation would ultimately rest . What is more , Hooke's definition of orbital motion \u2013 in which the constant action of an attracting body continuously pulls a planet away from its inertial path \u2013 suggested a cosmic application for Newton's concept of force and an explanation of planetary paths employing it . In 1679 and 1680 , Newton dealt only with orbital dynamics ; he had not yet arrived at the concept of universal gravitation . Title page from Isaac Newton's De Philosophiae Naturalis Principia ... Courtesy of the Joseph Regenstein Library , The University of Chicago Universal gravitation Nearly five years later , in August 1684 , Newton was visited by the British astronomer Edmond Halley , who was also troubled by the problem of orbital dynamics . Upon learning that Newton had solved the problem , he extracted Newton's promise to send the demonstration . Three months later he received a short tract entitled De Motu ( \" On Motion \" ) . Already Newton was at work improving and expanding it . In two and a half years , the tract De Motu grew into Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica , which is not only Newton's masterpiece but also the fundamental work for the whole of modern science . Significantly , De Motu did not state the law of universal gravitation . For that matter , even though it was a treatise on planetary dynamics , it did not contain any of the three Newtonian laws of motion . Only when revising De Motu did Newton embrace the principle of inertia ( the first law ) and arrive at the second law of motion . The second law , the force law , proved to be a precise quantitative statement of the action of the forces between bodies that had become the central members of his system of nature . By quantifying the concept of force , the second law completed the exact quantitative mechanics that has been the paradigm of natural science ever since . The quantitative mechanics of the Principia is not to be confused with the mechanical philosophy . The latter was a philosophy of nature that attempted to explain natural phenomena by means of imagined mechanisms among invisible particles of matter . The mechanics of the Principia was an exact quantitative description of the motions of visible bodies . It rested on Newton's three laws of motion : ( 1 ) that a body remains in its state of rest unless it is compelled to change that state by a force impressed on it ; ( 2 ) that the change of motion ( the change of velocity times the mass of the body ) is proportional to the force impressed ; ( 3 ) that to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction . The analysis of circular motion in terms of these laws yielded a formula of the quantitative measure , in terms of a body's velocity and mass , of the centripetal force necessary to divert a body from its rectilinear path into a given circle . When Newton substituted this formula into Kepler's third law , he found that the centripetal force holding the planets in their given orbits about the Sun must decrease with the square of the planets' distances from the Sun . Because the satellites of Jupiter also obey Kepler's third law , an inverse square centripetal force must also attract them to the centre of their orbits . Newton was able to show that a similar relation holds between Earth and its Moon . The distance of the Moon is approximately 60 times the radius of Earth . Newton compared the distance by which the Moon , in its orbit of known size , is diverted from a tangential path in one second with the distance that a body at the surface of Earth falls from rest in one second . When the latter distance proved to be 3,600 ( 60 \u00d7 60 ) times as great as the former , he concluded that one and the same force , governed by a single quantitative law , is operative in all three cases , and from the correlation of the Moon's orbit with the measured acceleration of gravity on the surface of Earth , he applied the ancient Latin word gravitas ( literally , \" heaviness \" or \" weight \" ) to it . The law of universal gravitation , which he also confirmed from such further phenomena as the tides and the orbits of comets , states that every particle of matter in the universe attracts every other particle with a force that is proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centres . When the Royal Society received the completed manuscript of Book I in 1686 , Hooke raised the cry of plagiarism , a charge that can not be sustained in any meaningful sense . On the other hand , Newton's response to it reveals much about him . Hooke would have been satisfied with a generous acknowledgment ; it would have been a graceful gesture to a sick man already well into his decline , and it would have cost Newton nothing . Newton , instead , went through his manuscript and eliminated nearly every reference to Hooke . Such was his fury that he refused either to publish his Opticks or to accept the presidency of the Royal Society until Hooke was dead . International prominence The Principia immediately raised Newton to international prominence . In their continuing loyalty to the mechanical ideal , Continental scientists rejected the idea of action at a distance for a generation , but even in their rejection they could not withhold their admiration for the technical expertise revealed by the work . Young British scientists spontaneously recognized him as their model . Within a generation the limited number of salaried positions for scientists in England , such as the chairs at Oxford , Cambridge , and Gresham College , were monopolized by the young Newtonians of the next generation . Newton , whose only close contacts with women were his unfulfilled relationship with his mother , who had seemed to abandon him , and his later guardianship of a niece , found satisfaction in the role of patron to the circle of young scientists . His friendship with Fatio de Duillier , a Swiss-born mathematician resident in London who shared Newton's interests , was the most profound experience of his adult life . Warden of the mint Almost immediately following the Principia ' s publication , Newton , a fervent if unorthodox Protestant , helped to lead the resistance of Cambridge to James II ' s attempt to Catholicize it . As a consequence , he was elected to represent the university in the convention that arranged the revolutionary settlement . In this capacity , he made the acquaintance of a broader group , including the philosopher John Locke . Newton tasted the excitement of London life in the aftermath of the Principia . The great bulk of his creative work had been completed . He was never again satisfied with the academic cloister , and his desire to change was whetted by Fatio's suggestion that he find a position in London . Seek a place he did , especially through the agency of his friend , the rising politician Charles Montague , later Lord Halifax . Finally , in 1696 , he was appointed warden of the mint . Although he did not resign his Cambridge appointments until 1701 , he moved to London and henceforth centred his life there . In the meantime , Newton's relations with Fatio had undergone a crisis . Fatio was taken seriously ill ; then family and financial problems threatened to call him home to Switzerland . Newton's distress knew no limits . In 1693 he suggested that Fatio move to Cambridge , where Newton would support him , but nothing came of the proposal . Through early 1693 the intensity of Newton's letters built almost palpably , and then , without surviving explanation , both the close relationship and the correspondence broke off . Four months later , without prior notice , Samuel Pepys and John Locke , both personal friends of Newton , received wild , accusatory letters . Pepys was informed that Newton would see him no more ; Locke was charged with trying to entangle him with women . Both men were alarmed for Newton's sanity ; and , in fact , Newton had suffered at least his second nervous breakdown . The crisis passed , and Newton recovered his stability . Only briefly did he ever return to sustained scientific work , however , and the move to London was the effective conclusion of his creative activity . As warden and then master of the mint , Newton drew a large income , as much as \u00a3 2 , 000 per annum . Added to his personal estate , the income left him a rich man at his death . The position , regarded as a sinecure , was treated otherwise by Newton . During the great recoinage , there was need for him to be actively in command ; even afterward , however , he chose to exercise himself in the office . Above all , he was interested in counterfeiting . He became the terror of London counterfeiters , sending a goodly number to the gallows and finding in them a socially acceptable target on which to vent the rage that continued to well up within him . Interest in religion and theology Newton found time now to explore other interests , such as religion and theology . In the early 1690s he had sent Locke a copy of a manuscript attempting to prove that Trinitarian passages in the Bible were latter-day corruptions of the original text . When Locke made moves to publish it , Newton withdrew in fear that his anti-Trinitarian views would become known . In his later years , he devoted much time to the interpretation of the prophecies of Daniel and St. John , and to a closely related study of ancient chronology . Both works were published after his death . Leader of English science In London , Newton assumed the role of patriarch of English science . In 1703 he was elected President of the Royal Society . Four years earlier , the French Acad\u00e9mie des Sciences ( Academy of Sciences ) had named him one of eight foreign associates . In 1705 Queen Anne knighted him , the first occasion on which a scientist was so honoured . Newton ruled the Royal Society magisterially . John Flamsteed , the Astronomer Royal , had occasion to feel that he ruled it tyrannically . In his years at the Royal Observatory at Greenwich , Flamsteed , who was a difficult man in his own right , had collected an unrivalled body of data . Newton had received needed information from him for the Principia , and in the 1690s , as he worked on the lunar theory , he again required Flamsteed's data . Annoyed when he could not get all the information he wanted as quickly as he wanted it , Newton assumed a domineering and condescending attitude toward Flamsteed . As president of the Royal Society , he used his influence with the government to be named as chairman of a body of \" visitors \" responsible for the Royal Observatory ; then he tried to force the immediate publication of Flamsteed's catalog of stars . The disgraceful episode continued for nearly 10 years . Newton would brook no objections . He broke agreements that he had made with Flamsteed . Flamsteed's observations , the fruit of a lifetime of work , were , in effect , seized despite his protests and prepared for the press by his mortal enemy , Edmond Halley . Flamsteed finally won his point and by court order had the printed catalog returned to him before it was generally distributed . He burned the printed sheets , and his assistants brought out an authorized version after his death . In this respect , and at considerable cost to himself , Flamsteed was one of the few men to best Newton . Newton sought his revenge by systematically eliminating references to Flamsteed's help in later editions of the Principia . Sir Isaac Newton in an engraving by Jacobus Houbraken , after an oil portrait by Sir Godfrey ... In Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz , the German philosopher and mathematician , Newton met a contestant more of his own calibre . It is now well established that Newton developed the calculus before Leibniz seriously pursued mathematics . It is almost universally agreed that Leibniz later arrived at the calculus independently . There has never been any question that Newton did not publish his method of fluxions ; thus , it was Leibniz's paper in 1684 that first made the calculus a matter of public knowledge . In the Principia Newton hinted at his method , but he did not really publish it until he appended two papers to the Opticks in 1704 . By then the priority controversy was already smouldering . If , indeed , it mattered , it would be impossible finally to assess responsibility for the ensuing fracas . What began as mild innuendoes rapidly escalated into blunt charges of plagiarism on both sides . Egged on by followers anxious to win a reputation under his auspices , Newton allowed himself to be drawn into the centre of the fray ; and , once his temper was aroused by accusations of dishonesty , his anger was beyond constraint . Leibniz's conduct of the controversy was not pleasant , and yet it paled beside that of Newton . Although he never appeared in public , Newton wrote most of the pieces that appeared in his defense , publishing them under the names of his young men , who never demurred . As president of the Royal Society , he appointed an \" impartial \" committee to investigate the issue , secretly wrote the report officially published by the society , and reviewed it anonymously in the Philosophical Transactions . Even Leibniz's death could not allay Newton's wrath , and he continued to pursue the enemy beyond the grave . The battle with Leibniz , the irrepressible need to efface the charge of dishonesty , dominated the final 25 years of Newton's life . It obtruded itself continually upon his consciousness . Almost any paper on any subject from those years is apt to be interrupted by a furious paragraph against the German philosopher , as he honed the instruments of his fury ever more keenly . In the end , only Newton's death ended his wrath . Sir Isaac Newton , a portrait by John Vanderbank ; in the collection of the Royal Astronomical ... Final years During his final years Newton brought out further editions of his central works . After the first edition of the Opticks in 1704 , which merely published work done 30 years before , he published a Latin edition in 1706 and a second English edition in 1717 \u2013 18 . In both , the central text was scarcely touched , but he did expand the \" Queries \" at the end into the final statement of his speculations on the nature of the universe . The second edition of the Principia , edited by Roger Cotes in 1713 , introduced extensive alterations . A third edition , edited by Henry Pemberton in 1726 , added little more . Until nearly the end , Newton presided at the Royal Society ( frequently dozing through the meetings ) and supervised the mint . During his last years , his niece , Catherine Barton Conduitt , and her husband lived with him . Sir Isaac Newton , portrait by John Vanderbank , c . 1725 ; in the collection of the Royal ... Britannica Web sites Isaac Newton was one of the great figures in the history of science . His ideas about motion and gravity are very important to the science of physics . ( 1642-1727 ) . The chief figure of the scientific revolution of the 17th century was Sir Isaac Newton . He was a physicist and mathematician who laid the foundations of calculus and extended the understanding of color and light . He also studied the mechanics of planetary orbits , formulated three fundamental laws of motion , and developed the law of gravitation , thus founding what is now known as classical mechanics . His work established the commonly held scientific view of the world until Albert Einstein published his theories of relativity in the early 20th century .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Only an authorised person or an exempt person may carry on a regulated activity in the United Kingdom . Under section 31 ( 1 ) an authorised person is described as : \u00b7 a person who has permission under Part IV of the Act to carry on one or more regulated activities ; \u00b7 an EEA firm qualifying for authorisation under Schedule 3 ( EEA Passport Rights ) ; \u00b7 a Treaty firm qualifying for authorisation under Schedule 4 ( Treaty Rights ) ; \u00b7 a person who is otherwise authorised by a provision of , or made under the Act . A limited company can be an authorised person . An exempt person may be exempt because of who he \/ she is , e.g. the European Community or the Act specifies him \/ her as being exempt . The official receiver is an exempt person . Any person who carries on , or purports to carry on , a regulated activity who is not an authorised person or an exempt person is guilty of an offence punishable by imprisonment or a fine or both . In addition , agreements entered into by them in the course of or in consequence of the illegal activity will be unenforceable against the other party , subject to the court's discretion to permit enforcement . In addition , the other party is entitled to recover any money or other property paid or transferred by him \/ her under the agreement and compensation for any loss sustained by him \/ her as a result of having parted with it . Also any person who in the course of business communicates an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity and is not an authorised person is guilty of an offence punishable by imprisonment or a fine , or both . Where the official receiver considers that an offence has been committed , he \/ she should report it to Prosecution Section and should also advise the FSA direct ( see paragraph 80.31 ) .","labels":"Legal","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Luke 1 Introduction 1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled [ a ] among us , 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word . 3 Therefore , since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning , it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you , most excellent Theophilus , 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught . The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold 5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah , who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah ; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron . 6 Both of them were upright in the sight of God , observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly . 7 But they had no children , because Elizabeth was barren ; and they were both well along in years . 8 Once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God , 9 he was chosen by lot , according to the custom of the priesthood , to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense . 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came , all the assembled worshipers were praying outside . 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him , standing at the right side of the altar of incense . 12 When Zechariah saw him , he was startled and was gripped with fear . 13 But the angel said to him : \" Do not be afraid , Zechariah ; your prayer has been heard . Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son , and you are to give him the name John . 14 He will be a joy and delight to you , and many will rejoice because of his birth , 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord . He is never to take wine or other fermented drink , and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth . [ b ] 16 Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God . 17 And he will go on before the Lord , in the spirit and power of Elijah , to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous \u2013 to make ready a people prepared for the Lord . \" 18 Zechariah asked the angel , \" How can I be sure of this ? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years . \" 19 The angel answered , \" I am Gabriel . I stand in the presence of God , and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news . 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens , because you did not believe my words , which will come true at their proper time . \" 21 Meanwhile , the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple . 22 When he came out , he could not speak to them . They realized he had seen a vision in the temple , for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak . 23 When his time of service was completed , he returned home . 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion . 25 \" The Lord has done this for me , \" she said . \" In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people . \" The Birth of Jesus Foretold 26 In the sixth month , God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth , a town in Galilee , 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph , a descendant of David . The virgin's name was Mary . 28 The angel went to her and said , \" Greetings , you who are highly favored ! The Lord is with you . \" 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be . 30 But the angel said to her , \" Do not be afraid , Mary , you have found favor with God . 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son , and you are to give him the name Jesus . 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High . The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David , 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever ; his kingdom will never end . \" 34 \" How will this be , \" Mary asked the angel , \" since I am a virgin ? \" 35 The angel answered , \" The Holy Spirit will come upon you , and the power of the Most High will overshadow you . So the holy one to be born will be called [ c ] the Son of God . 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age , and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month . 37 For nothing is impossible with God . \" 38 \" I am the Lord's servant , \" Mary answered . \" May it be to me as you have said . \" Then the angel left her . Mary Visits Elizabeth 39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea , 40 where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth . 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting , the baby leaped in her womb , and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit . 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed : \" Blessed are you among women , and blessed is the child you will bear ! 43 But why am I so favored , that the mother of my Lord should come to me ? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears , the baby in my womb leaped for joy . 45 Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished ! \" Mary's Song 46 And Mary said : \" My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior , 48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant . From now on all generations will call me blessed , 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me \u2013 holy is his name . 50 His mercy extends to those who fear him , from generation to generation . 51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm ; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts . 52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble . 53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty . 54 He has helped his servant Israel , remembering to be merciful 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever , even as he said to our fathers . \" 56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home . The Birth of John the Baptist 57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby , she gave birth to a son . 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy , and they shared her joy . 59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child , and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah , 60 but his mother spoke up and said , \" No ! He is to be called John . \" 61 They said to her , \" There is no one among your relatives who has that name . \" 62 Then they made signs to his father , to find out what he would like to name the child . 63 He asked for a writing tablet , and to everyone's astonishment he wrote , \" His name is John . \" 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed , and he began to speak , praising God . 65 The neighbors were all filled with awe , and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things . 66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it , asking , \" What then is this child going to be ? \" For the Lord's hand was with him . Zechariah's Song 67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied : 68 \" Praise be to the Lord , the God of Israel , because he has come and has redeemed his people . 69 He has raised up a horn [ d ] of salvation for us in the house of his servant David 70 ( as he said through his holy prophets of long ago ) , 71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us \u2013 72 to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant , 73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham : 74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies , and to enable us to serve him without fear 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days . 76 And you , my child , will be called a prophet of the Most High ; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him , 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins , 78 because of the tender mercy of our God , by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 79 to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death , to guide our feet into the path of peace . \" 80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit ; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel . Luke 2 The Birth of Jesus 1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world . 2 ( This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria . ) 3 And everyone went to his own town to register . 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea , to Bethlehem the town of David , because he belonged to the house and line of David . 5 He went there to register with Mary , who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child . 6 While they were there , the time came for the baby to be born , 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn , a son . She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger , because there was no room for them in the inn . The Shepherds and the Angels 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby , keeping watch over their flocks at night . 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them , and the glory of the Lord shone around them , and they were terrified . 10 But the angel said to them , \" Do not be afraid . I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people . 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you ; he is Christ [ a ] the Lord . 12 This will be a sign to you : You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger . \" 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel , praising God and saying , 14 \" Glory to God in the highest , and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests . \" 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven , the shepherds said to one another , \" Let 's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened , which the Lord has told us about . \" 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph , and the baby , who was lying in the manger . 17 When they had seen him , they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child , 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them . 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart . 20 The shepherds returned , glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen , which were just as they had been told . Jesus Presented in the Temple 21 On the eighth day , when it was time to circumcise him , he was named Jesus , the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived . 22 When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed , Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 ( as it is written in the Law of the Lord , \" Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord \" [ b ] ) , 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord : \" a pair of doves or two young pigeons . \" [ c ] 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon , who was righteous and devout . He was waiting for the consolation of Israel , and the Holy Spirit was upon him . 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ . 27 Moved by the Spirit , he went into the temple courts . When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required , 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God , saying : 29 \" Sovereign Lord , as you have promised , you now dismiss [ d ] your servant in peace . 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation , 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all people , 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel . \" 33 The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him . 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary , his mother : \" This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel , and to be a sign that will be spoken against , 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed . And a sword will pierce your own soul too . \" 36 There was also a prophetess , Anna , the daughter of Phanuel , of the tribe of Asher . She was very old ; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage , 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four . [ e ] She never left the temple but worshiped night and day , fasting and praying . 38 Coming up to them at that very moment , she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem . 39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord , they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth . 40 And the child grew and became strong ; he was filled with wisdom , and the grace of God was upon him . The Boy Jesus at the Temple 41 Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover . 42 When he was twelve years old , they went up to the Feast , according to the custom . 43 After the Feast was over , while his parents were returning home , the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem , but they were unaware of it . 44 Thinking he was in their company , they traveled on for a day . Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends . 45 When they did not find him , they went back to Jerusalem to look for him . 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts , sitting among the teachers , listening to them and asking them questions . 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers . 48 When his parents saw him , they were astonished . His mother said to him , \" Son , why have you treated us like this ? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you . \" 49 \" Why were you searching for me ? \" he asked . \" Did n't you know I had to be in my Father's house ? \" 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them . 51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them . But his mother treasured all these things in her heart . 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature , and in favor with God and men .","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"What 's in a name ? At MedShape , our name conveys our very essence : science driven medical devices that utilize the unique transformational capabilities of a new generation of biomaterials . These shape-changing devices are the perfect fit for the increasing number of minimally invasive procedures performed worldwide each year . Our vision , expertise and passion will continue the evolution of orthopedic surgery . Are you ready to evolve with us ? Interesting Fact Shape memory polymers are finding their way into everyday life . Potential new applications of SMPs in the automotive industry include self-repairing fenders that use heat from a household hairdryer to remove dents . Interesting Fact Nitinol was discovered by accident in 1961 at the Naval Ordnance Laboratory , hence the name Nitinol ( Nickel Titanium Naval Ordnance Laboratory ) . Nitinol has been used extensively in pipe couplers on F-14 fighter jets since the mid-1960s . SHAPE MEMORY POLYMERS ( SMPs ) Shape memory polymers ( SMPs ) are a relatively new class of \" smart \" materials . Shape memory polymers can \" remember \" multiple shapes and transition easily between those shapes when triggered to do so . SMPs can deform up to 400 % and still recover their original shape without a loss of mechanical integrity . Appropriate triggers for shape change include : heat ; light and mechanical force . Though researchers have developed numerous formulations of SMPs , MedShape is the only company to have developed and introduced FDA cleared devices manufactured from shape memory polymers based on PEEK ( polyetheretherketone ) and PMMA ( polymethylmethacrylate ) chemistries . Our proprietary PEEK Altera \u00ae biomedical polymer allows devices to enter the target surgical site in a compact geometry and then be triggered to deploy , with minimal mechanical force , into the optimal geometry for fixation . Devices manufactured from PEEK Altera are biocompatible , biostable , radiolucent and MRI safe . SHAPE MEMORY ALLOYS ( SMAs ) Shape memory alloys ( SMAs ) have a history of successful human implantation in biomedical devices such as self-expanding cardiac stents , guide wires and orthopedic staples . Nickel-titanium ( NiTi , Nitinol ) is the most commonly used SMA and is capable of recovering strains up to 10 times more than traditional metals and alloys . SMAs have the ability to change their shape up to 8 % and still fully recover their original geometry . Fixation devices incorporating shape memory alloys can respond to local changes in the site of implantation , such as bone resorption , maintaining apposition of bony fragments and sustaining compression across fractures or fusion zones . We are the first company to clear through the FDA a bone fusion device comprised of both titanium and nickel-titanium , paving the way for a range of devices that are both strong and dynamic .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"HELM is an easy to use tool , which may possibly seem quite confusing at first . The purpose of this tutorial is to get you going with your Windows reseller account as quickly as possible . To start with you must log into your reseller account ( see your setup email for username and password ) . Your login will bring you to the Reseller home page in HELM and we advise that you click around to get used to the interface . In order to set up domains in your new reseller package you should first configure your account . You will need to create your hosting plans first . You can then create user accounts and assign a plan to a user . A plan governs the amount of features and resources you will allow a user to utilise . When you create a user , you will assign one of the plans you have created as a package for that user . This package can then be left as it is , or it can be modified to an exact requirement . Once you have created a package for that user , you can then add a domain under that users account . A user can have more than one domain if you allow them . Lets jump right in with a video tutorial , showing you how to create your first hosting plan in your new reseller account . Creating your plans ( 443KB ) It is important to note here that you do not have to set up a hosting plan every time you need to create a website . Now you should have at least one plan created in your reseller package you can go ahead and create a new user . At least one user is required before you are able to add a domain to your account . The user is assigned a username and password which is required for access to the domain control panel . If you are giving your customers access to the control panel then you will need to create a user for each client you have . Otherwise , if you are looking after all the websites in your account yourself then you can create just one user with as many websites as your account allows . This will allow you to manage all your sites from the same login . Creating a new user is real simple , so let 's get started . Click the link below to launch the video tutorial on how to do this . Creating a New User ( 303KB ) Now you are ready to add a domain to your account . You have created a new user and assigned a package to that user account . So now you can simply go ahead and start adding domains for that user . See how this is done with our final video tutorial by clicking the link below . Adding a Domain ( 209KB ) And that 's it ! You have now created your first domain in Helm . It is very rewarding to have full control over your domains at any time day or night . And this is very possible with your Helm account . If you are unsure of any part of this tutorial please let us know . Thanks for reading .","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"West Brom is committed to dealing fairly with all our suppliers . Please ensure you read our full terms and conditions for suppliers which are listed below . Particular points to note are : - Our payment terms are within 30 days of receipt of goods or services or the date of invoice ( whichever is later ) We use a purchase order system for payment of all invoices We pay direct to your bank account These conditions will apply to the supply of any goods or services unless the Society expressly agrees alternative terms and conditions in writing . Any other terms and conditions are excluded . CONDITIONS OF PURCHASE OF GOODS OR SERVICES General Any order placed by West Bromwich Building Society or any of its subsidiary companies ( ' the Society ' ) for the purchase of goods or services is subject to these conditions . No other terms or conditions ( including any terms or conditions written on or attached to any sales invoice , delivery note , form , document or correspondence ) sought to be imposed by the Supplier shall be included or implied unless agreed upon in writing and signed by authorised representatives of the Society and of the Supplier . Variations Any variation in price quantity delivery or other terms or conditions agreed orally shall be confirmed in writing or by fax by the Society and the Supplier within 7 days from the date of such agreement otherwise such variation shall not be binding on either party . Acceptance The Supplier shall be deemed to have accepted the order and these terms and conditions either by supplying the goods , acknowledging the order in writing or after 14 ( overseas orders 21 ) days from the date of the order , whichever is the earlier . Documentation All invoices ( which shall be valid for VAT purposes ) , advice notes , delivery notes , packing notes , bills of lading , certificates of insurance and other documents shall quote the Society's official Purchase Order Number and the Society's Bulk Purchase Order Release Number when appropriate , and be cross referenced to each other . Title and Risk Title to and risk in the goods shall pass to the Society when delivery is made to the Society's premises specified in the Order , unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Society . Prices Prices shall be net of carriage paid to the Society's premises and packaged to the Society's specification unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Society . No change from the quoted price will have effect unless agreed in writing by the Society . Payment The Society shall pay the net price in sterling within 30 days of the delivery of the goods or the date the invoice is received whichever is later . The Society reserves the right to deduct from any monies due to the Supplier under this order the value of any monies owing to it by the Supplier . Interest in the event of the late payment of any invoice shall be at the rate of 4 % per annum above the bank of England Base Rate unless otherwise agreed between the parties . In performing this agreement the parties agree that this rate provides sufficient remedy for the late payment of invoices . Rejection Clause If any of the goods or packages containing the same do not comply with the order or with any terms and conditions including quality , quantity or description , the Society shall be entitled to reject those goods or any part of them within a reasonable time after delivery , irrespective of whether the Society has acknowledged receipt of them . In the case of latent defects the Society will be entitled to reject the goods within a reasonable time after becoming aware of the defect . Any acceptance of such goods shall be without prejudice to any rights that the Society may have against the supplier . The Society shall be entitled to return any rejected goods at the risk of the supplier and the supplier agrees to pay the costs of carriage . Unless otherwise agreed in writing any acceptance by the Society of delivery of part only of the goods or services is contingent on the full delivery being made in due course according to the order and these terms and conditions . If it is not then the Society may reject the partial delivery and rescind the contract at a later date . Quality The goods supplied or services rendered shall comply in every respect with the terms of any specification supplied , conform to any sample submitted , be free from defects in design material and workmanship and be fit for the purposes for which they are required . In providing any service the Supplier warrants that those performing the service are appropriately qualified , trained and will take all reasonable care and skill in performing those services . When any conditions or standards imposed by Statute or Regulation or otherwise by Government , Local Government or any other official body or person apply to the goods or services , the goods or services shall comply in every respect with such conditions or standards . If there is any fault in the goods or services the Supplier shall ( at the Society's option ) either , at its cost remedy the fault , replace the faulty goods or perform the services afresh or repay any sums paid under the agreement and accept notice from the Society of repudiation . Delivery Any time or date specified for delivery of goods or performance of services shall be of the essence of the contract . If there is any delay in delivery ( even if caused by any occurrence outside the Supplier's control ) the Society shall be entitled to cancel the contract in whole or part without being liable to compensate the Supplier for any losses arising as a result of such cancellation or to make any payment to the Supplier other than in respect of goods actually delivered or services actually rendered to the Society prior to the date of such cancellation . Servicing Unless otherwise agreed the Supplier shall in all cases where machinery or equipment is supplied maintain for at least the normal life of the machinery or equipment an adequate stock of spare and replacement parts and components and an adequate number of trained and expert service personnel so as to ensure that all necessary maintenance , adjustments or repairs to the machinery or equipment shall be carried out at reasonable expense to the Society with minimum delay . Custody If the order relates to the application by the Supplier of services ( including any process ) to goods supplied by the Society to the Supplier for that purpose the following additional conditions shall apply to the contract whether the goods supplied belong to the Society or to any third party . ( a ) The Supplier shall be a bailee of the goods and shall only hold them for the purpose of applying the services thereto . ( b ) The Supplier shall at all times while the goods are in its care and control ( or the care and control of any agent or contractor to the Supplier ) insure the same with a reputable company for the full replacement value thereof against loss , damage or destruction and shall inform the Society forthwith if the goods are lost , damaged or destroyed and pay to the Society the full replacement value of such goods and shall indemnify the Society against any expenses , liability , loss , claim of proceedings by reason of , or in consequence of , such loss , damage or destruction . Breach and Liquidation The Society shall have the right to terminate the contract with the Supplier immediately if : The Supplier shall have failed to remedy any minor breach of the terms of any order within 30 days of a written request from the Society specifying the nature of the breach and requiring its remedy , or The Supplier is in material breach of a fundamental condition of the order as determined by the Society The Supplier shall go into liquidation whether voluntary or compulsory ( save for the purposes of amalgamation or reconstruction ) or have a receiver of its assets appointed or in any other way cease to carry on business . Any such termination shall be without prejudice to the rights of the Society subsisting at the date of such termination and any goods or information belonging to the Society shall be returned promptly . Intellectual Property The Supplier warrants that the provision of the goods and \/ or services will not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third party . The Supplier shall indemnify the Society against any contractual or tortuous liability which it may incur by reason of the sale or use of any goods supplied or services rendered infringing the claims of any patent or other intellectual property right of any other party . All tools , patterns , blocks , drawings and similar information which is the property of the Society or for which any payment is received from the Society must not be used , destroyed or otherwise disposed of without the Society's written authority . Any Intellectual Property Rights generated in the performance of services to the Society shall belong solely to the Society . Work on the Company's Premises The Supplier and its employees agents and subcontractors shall at all times whilst on the Society's premises : ( a ) comply with any rules or regulations issued by the Society and obey any reasonable instructions of the Society and ( b ) shall in any event at all times comply with the provisions of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 , any regulations made under it or any amendment to or re-enactment of that act . Indemnity The Supplier shall indemnify the Society against any liability claims proceedings costs expenses or damages : in respect of personal injury to , or death of any person whomsoever , in respect of any injury or damage whatsoever to any property real or personal , in respect of any loss of any other nature suffered by the society whether direct or indirect , caused by or arising from any defect in any goods supplied or services performed by the supplier and whether arising as a result of any act or omission of the Supplier or as a result of the negligence of the Supplier . The supplier shall adequately insure against its liability arising out of the provisions of this condition . Confidentiality The Supplier will keep confidential and not disclose to any other person any information relating to the Society , its affairs or its customers which the Supplier receives or acquires as a direct result of the Society placing the order . The Supplier will comply with any and all relevant obligations imposed by the Data Protection Act 1998 and other subordinate legislation or regulations . On request the Supplier will enter into the Society's standard form confidentiality agreement and \/ or its standard form data processor agreement . Arbitration The Society and the Supplier will use their endeavours to negotiate in good faith and settle amicably any dispute arising from placement of the Order . If any dispute can not be settled amicably through ordinary negotiations within 30 days the matter shall be referred to an arbitrator nominated by the President of the Law Society . The decision of the arbitrator shall be final and binding on the Society and the Supplier . Each party shall bare its own costs and the cost of the arbitrator is to be shared equally . Notices Any notice to be given under the agreement to the Society must be in writing and sent to its Principal office at 374 High Street West Bromwich B70 8LR . Any notice sent to the Supplier shall be deemed effective two days after being sent to its registered office or last known business address . Assignment The Supplier shall not assign , delegate or subcontract an order or any part of it without prior written consent from the Society . The Society may assign the benefit and \/ or its obligations under the agreement without notice in advance but shall notify the Supplier where necessary after the event Waiver Waiver by the Society of any of these conditions of purchase shall not in any way affect the validity of the other conditions or future enforcement of that condition . Applicable Law These conditions shall be subject to and construed in accordance with English Law and the parties submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts . In the event that any provision of this agreement is held to be invalid or void it shall be deleted and will not affect the validity of the remaining terms and conditions .","labels":"Legal","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Booth's poverty notebooks For each of London's streets , Booth extracted information from the detailed record sheets kept by the small army of attendance officers employed by the London School Board . He and eight collaborators entered this information by hand ( mostly using pencil ) , in a total of 65 notebooks . The first 55 notebooks contain highly detailed family data , the remaining 10 notebooks contain less detailed street information . The family notebooks Early in the poverty survey , Booth began to collect information for every family in each street of London that had children . He and his collaborators entered this information into notebooks that Booth had specially printed for his inquiry . During the early part of the family survey , Booth actually had three different notebook layouts printed . As the example illustrated below reveals , the notebook entries include the street number , occupation of the head of household ( usually highly abbreviated ) , an indication of the wife's occupation ( especially if they were the household head ) , the number of childen in various age groups , the number of rooms occupied and rent paid ( often a single summary for an entire street ) , and notes on the social position of the household . Here is part of a page of the notebook recording informaiton for families in a street in Poplar : When the original information had been gathered from the attendance officers , Booth and his co-workers converted the head of household occupations into a ' section ' number , and gave each family that had children a letter ( A to H ) that indicated to which of seven social classes they belonged . Finally , each street was given a colour which indicated its general social condition . ( Booth devised a set of eight colours based largely on the social mix of street residents . ) These additional items of information can all be seen on the example notebook page above . Note how the employment section number is entered in the ' Rent ' column , and the family social class letter is written in the ' Wages' column . The street colour ( ' l bl ' for light blue ) is written alongside the street name . The street notebooks As the poverty survey progressed , Booth began to record information for entire streets ( or parts of streets ) , rather than for individual families . Again , he had notebooks specially designed and printed to record the information gathered from the School Board attendance officers . As the example illustrated below reveals , the notebook entry for individual streets includes comments on the character of the housing , the number of children of school-going age , general comments on the social character of the street , and the number of families in each social class . Because the street entries occupy a two-page spread of the notebook , the extract below is split into two sections . This is the left-hand side of the entry for five streets in Lambeth : Here is the right-hand side of the entry for the same five streets : Again , Booth assigned a colour to each street according to the social mix of its residents and its general condition . It is not entirely clear whether the street colour was assigned during discussions with the attendance officers , or following subsequent analysis of the summary data .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Indications for use : Wiron \u00ae 99 is a nickel chromium based alloy for dental casting and suitable porcelain-fused-to-metal ( PFM ) crown and bridges . For professional use only Rx only Contraindications : No contraindications are known . However , unwanted biological reactions such as allergies to contents of the alloy or electrochemically based reactions may very rarely occur . In case of known incompatibilities and allergies to contents of the metallic material it should not be used . Warnings : Metal dust is harmful to your health . When grinding and blasting use suitable air extraction system \/ ventilation at the workplace and breathing mask type FFP3-EN149 ! Precautions : In case of occlusal or approximal contact with a different alloy electrochemically based reactions may very rarely occur . Safety and effectiveness in treatment of children or treatment of pregnant or nursing woman have not been established . Wiron \u00ae 99 may influence negatively the interpretation of MRI investigations . Adverse reactions : No adverse reactions are known . Nevertheless , the rare case of occurrence of individual reactions against single components of Wiron \u00ae 99 can never be excluded completely . In this case , the application of Wiron \u00ae 99 should not be continued . Prescription device : Caution : US Federal law restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a licensed dentist . Wax up : Minimum metal thickness ( after grinding ) 0.3 mm . Avoid sharp edges and corners . Framework should be anatomic reduced . Connectors should be modeled as strong and high as possible ( height : min . 3.5 mm , width : min . 2.5 mm ) . In case of bruxismn stronger modellation is required . Use wax or plastic hollow sticks . Do not taper the spruing . Investing : Use only phosphate bonded investment material . Casting : Do not overheat alloy . Use only pure alloy in own crucibles . For an explicit batch tracing the use of only fresh alloy is recommended . In case of re-casting use only identical alloys . Re-casted material must be blasted thoroughly . Use min . 50 % fresh alloy . If applicable use melting powder ( REF 52525 ) . Follow the instructions of the manufacturers of the casting devices for parameters and casting procedures . After casting the mould should cool down slowly . Grinding : use tungsten carbid burs Polishing : To ease polishing blasting with Perlablast \u00ae micro ( REF 46092 , lead free soda glas ) may be suitable . Afterwards polish with rubber polisher and brushes with suitable polishing paste . Ceramic veneering : Use veneering ceramics with suitable CTE ( ISO 9693-1 ) . Follow instructions of use of ceramic manufacturers . The oxides must be blasted ( 250 \u03bcm \/ 3 \u2013 4 bar ; e . g . with Korox 250 , REF 46014 ) . Clean surface thoroughly by steam cleaning or boiling in aqua dest . Do not touch surfaces afterwards with hands . Use artery clamps or similar devices . Support the frameworks adequately during firing cycles . Acrylic veneering : For veneering with acrylic material follow the recommendations of the manufacturers Soldering \/ brazing : Fixate the parts with soldering investment material ( e . g . Bellatherm \u00ae REF 51105 ) . The prepared gab shall not exceed 0.2 mm with parallel walls . Use a suitable BEGO flux . The flux residues and oxides must etched off . Clean surface thoroughly by steam cleaning or boiling in aqua dest . Laser welding : If applicable use V-seam and filler material . Follow manufacturer's instructions for use and hazard notes of the laser welding devices . Limit of Liability : Except where prohibited by law , BEGO Bremer Goldschl\u00e4gerei Wilh . Herbst GmbH & Co. KG will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from this product , whether direct , indirect , special , incidental or consequential , regardless of the theory asserted , including warranty , contract , negligence or strict liability . Storage conditions : none Warranty : Whether given verbally , in writing or by practical instructions , our recommendations for use are based upon our own experience and trials and can be considered as standard values . Our products are subject to a constant further development . Therefore alterations in construction and composition are reserved . US Labeling requirements : The device labeling meets the recommendations of FDA applicable guidence documents . Any serious incident that has occurred in relation to Wiron \u00ae 99 should be reported to BEGO Bremer Goldschl\u00e4gerei Wilh . Herbst GmbH & Co. KG and the competent authority .","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Stylized Facts and Experimentation Charles Crabtree , Christopher J. Fariss University of Michigan Abstract : In this comment , we clarify and extend Hirschman's ( 2016 ) discussion of \" stylized facts . \" Our focus is on the relationship between stylized facts and experimentation . Given the continued increase in experimentation across the social sciences , we think that it is important to consider the exact role that experiments play in the production and testing of stylized facts . We make three related contributions here . First , we describe how experiments can both provide new evidence to support existing stylized facts as well as produce new stylized facts . Second , we argue that the stylized facts produced through experimentation differ from other stylized facts . Third , we extend Hirschman's ( 2016 ) definition of \" stylized facts \" so that it distinguishes between those that describe correlation relationships and those that describe causal relationships . Keywords : stylized facts ; experimentation ; philosophy of science ; validity ; causation ; mechanisms In this comment , we clarify and extend Hirschman's ( 2016 ) discussion on \" stylized facts . \" Our focus is on the relationship between stylized facts and experimentation . Given the continued increase in experimentation across the social sciences ( Jackson and Cox 2013 ) , we think that it is important to consider the exact role that experiments play in the production and testing of stylized facts . We make three related contributions here . First , we describe how experiments can both provide new evidence to support existing stylized facts as well as produce new stylized facts . Second , we argue that the stylized facts produced through experimentation differ from other stylized facts . Third , we extend Hirschman's ( 2016 ) definition of \" stylized facts \" so that it distinguishes between those that describe correlation relationships and those that describe causal relationships . Citation : Crabtree , Charles , and Christopher J. Fariss . 2016 . \" Stylized Facts and Experimentation . \" Sociological Science 3 : 910914 . Received : August 12 , 2016 Accepted : August 28 , 2016 Published : October 12 , 2016 Editor ( s ) : Jesper S\u00f8rensen , Sarah Soule DOI : 10.15195 \/ v3 . a39 c 2016 The AuCopyright : thor ( s ) . This open-access article has been published under a Creative Commons Attribution License , which allows unrestricted use , distribution and reproduction , in any form , as long as the original author and source have been credited . c b Creating Stylized Facts with Experiments Hirschman ( 2016 ) defines \" stylized facts \" as \" simple empirical regularities in need of explanation \" ( p. 606 ) . Although they might imply causal relationships , they are not \" causal claims [ but ] typically simple associations that have yet to be ' explained , ' either through more complicated analysis ... or through some appeal to underlying mechanisms , or through some inferential technique relying on experimental or quasi-experimental manipulations \" ( Hirschman 2016 : 607 ) . This suggests that the relationship between stylized facts and experimentation is unidirectional . In this conceptualization , scholars first produce stylized facts . They then conduct experiments to test whether the relationship described in the stylized fact is causal . For example , scholars might first note that voters tend to evaluate incumbent candidates based on economic conditions . They then might conduct experiments to test the causal claim implied in this stylized fact . 910 Crabtree and Fariss Robust Stylized Facts We argue , however , that the relationship between stylized facts and experimentation is frequently circular . In our conceptualization , scholars conducting experiments to test stylized facts can also contribute to the creation of new stylized facts . Continuing with the example above , this would mean that scholars conducting experiments to test whether changes in economic conditions cause changes in incumbent evaluations might also help produce new stylized facts about voting behavior . To further illustrate our point , we briefly discuss the growing experimental research program on racial bias in the United States . 1 Nearly all the studies in this program are ( implicitly or explicitly ) motivated by the stylized fact that racial minorities experience discrimination . This is a widely known empirical regularity based on decades of lived experiences , case studies , and correlational research . Until recently however , the causal effect of race on discrimination was largely unknown . In the last decade , researchers have tested this potential causal relationship with a staggering number of experiments across a dizzying range of contexts ( Butler and Crabtree 2015 ; Butler 2014 ; Bertrand and Mullainathan 2004 ; Broockman 2014 ; Grose 2011 ; Gaddis and Ghoshal 2015 ; Pager and Western 2012 ; Pager , Western , and Bonikowski 2009 ; Yinger 1995 ) . The results from each experiment , in isolation , provide additional empirical support for the stylized fact that originally motivated them \u2013 racial minorities in America are discriminated against . Taken together , the results from this experimental research program also create an additional empirical regularity . The content of this new stylized fact is being a racial minority causes discrimination . This discussion suggests that stylized facts produced by experimentation differ from other stylized facts . The key difference is in regards to their limitations . Hirschman ( 2016 ) describes two limitations of stylized facts . One is that we rarely know whether the described relationship is causal . This is why Hirschman ( 2016 ) refers to stylized facts as \" claims of non-robust dependence \" ( Hirschman 2016 : 607 ) . A second is that we rarely know why the relationship described exists . Stylized facts are often \" explicitly agnostic as to why X is associated with Y \" ( Hirschman 2016 : 607 ) . Stylized facts then are associations that invite additional empirical examination as well as theoretical explanation . Both limitations , however , do not apply to stylized facts produced by experimentation . For that subset of facts , the question of causation is settled . Questions about theoretical mechanisms , however , often still remain ( Clark and Golder 2015 ) . In other words , stylized facts produced by experiments can tell us whether X causes Y but not why it does . An Expanded Conceptualization of Stylized Facts To account for this and other differences , we propose a new conceptualization of stylized facts . In this conceptualization , \" stylized facts \" are \" empirical regularities in search of theoretical , causal explanations \" ( Hirschman 2016 : 604 ) . These facts , as discussed above , do not make causal claims and are typically produced by correlational studies . As we discuss below , these facts are not necessarily supported by internally valid findings . \" Robust stylized facts , \" on the other hand , are empirical sociological science | www.sociologicalscience.com 911 October 2016 | Volume 3 Crabtree and Fariss Robust Stylized Facts Table 1 : Conceptualization of stylized facts . Definition Stylized Facts Empirical regularities in search of theoretical , causal explanations Robust Stylized Facts Empirical regularities in search of theoretical explanations No No No Yes Yes Yes Makes causal claims Produced by experimentation Based on internally valid findings regularities in search of theoretical explanations . These facts make causal claims , are produced by experimentation , and are supported by internally valid findings . Table 1 compares these two types of facts to each other . 2 One additional way of thinking about these two types of stylized facts is in terms of validity . When we call something a \" stylized fact , \" we assume that it has external validity . We believe this because we can generalize this relationship to other persons , settings , and times ( Trochim and Donnelly 2008 : 22 ) . As Hirschman ( 2016 ) points out , we usually do not know , however , if stylized facts possess internal validity . That is , we might have expectations that X causes Y , but we do not have robust evidence that this is so . The lack of evidence for one type of validity or another can be a problem because the \" validity types build on one another \" ( Trochim and Donnelly 2008 : 22 ) . If we do not know that the relationship between X and Y is causal , as is usually the case with \" stylized facts , \" then we might gain very little by knowing that the perceived relationship generalizes across different contexts . The fact that the relationship generalizes could suggest that it is a good candidate for additional investigation , but it does not increase our confidence that the relationship is not spurious . In the case of \" robust stylized facts , \" however , we have strong evidence that the relationship is not spurious . This means that the generalization tells us more about the real world . Why Does This Matter ? We consider it very important to distinguish between these two types of facts . When developing theory , researchers often treat stylized facts as either explanada or empirical inputs ( Most and Starr 1989 ) . This means that in many cases , theories are either motivated by or based on claims that \" are taken as empiricial truths without real demonstration \" ( Snidal 2008 : 330 ) . While this might be acceptable in the early stages of theory development , researchers should eventually pursue \" stylized facts that have more accurate empirical content \" ( Snidal 2008 : 331 ) . Robust stylized facts can provide this internally valid content . In this brief comment , we have clarified and extended Hirschman ( 2016 ) ' s discussion of stylized facts . We have shown how experiments can be used to produce stylized facts , highlighted the particular characteristics of these facts , and proposed a new conceptualization that distinguishes between stylized facts based sociological science | www.sociologicalscience.com 912 October 2016 | Volume 3 Crabtree and Fariss Robust Stylized Facts on correlational research and stylized facts produced by experimentation . This distinction matters : stylized facts provide evidence of external validity but not the internal validity obtained from an experiment or the deductive validity obtained from a logically rigorous theory . Robust stylized facts , however , provide additional evidence that the empirical relationship is an internally valid one . Overall the validity of any inference ( conclusion validity ) is enhanced when evidence for each of these types of validity ( external , internal , construct , and deductive ) is obtained . 3 We hope that our remarks provide a useful complement to Hirschman ( 2016 ) and encourage others to produce robust stylized facts . Notes 1 We focus on this experimental research program only because we have both contributed to it . Our general claims apply to a broad swath of experimental research programs . 2 See Houy , Fettke , and Loos ( 2015 ) for a detailed comparison of stylized facts to scientific laws . 3 For a discussion of enhancing the validity of observational studies , see Fariss and Jones ( 2015 ) . References Bertrand , Marianne , and Sendhil Mullainathan . 2004 . \" Are Emily and Greg More Employable Than Lakisha and Jamal ? A Field Experiment on Labor Market Discrimination . \" American Economic Review 94 ( 4 ) : 991-1013 . http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1257\/0002828042002561 Broockman , David E. 2014 . \" Distorted communication , unequal representation : constituents communicate less to representatives not of their race . \" American Journal of Political Science 58 ( 2 ) : 307-321 . http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1111\/ajps.12068 Butler , Daniel M. 2014 . Representing the Advantaged : How Politicians Reinforce Inequality . Cambridge University Press . http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1017\/CBO9781139871969 Butler , Daniel M. , and Charles Crabtree . 2015 . Moving Beyond Measurement : Adapting Audit Studies to Test Bias-Reducing Interventions . Working Paper . Clark , William Roberts , and Matt Golder . 2015 . \" Big Data , Causal Inference , and Formal Theory : Contradictory Trends in Political Science ? \" PS : Political Science & Politics 48 ( 01 ) : 6570 . http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1017\/S1049096514001759 Fariss , Christopher J. , and Zachary M. Jones . 2015 . \" Enhancing Validity in Observational Settings When Replication is Not Possible . \" Political Science Research and Methods . Forthcoming . Gaddis , S Michael , and Raj Ghoshal . 2015 . \" Arab American Housing Discrimination , Ethnic Competition , and the Contact Hypothesis . \" The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 660 ( 1 ) : 282-299 . http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1177\/0002716215580095 Grose , Christian R. 2011 . Congress in black and white : Race and representation in Washington and at home . Cambridge University Press . http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1017\/CBO9780511976827 Hirschman , Daniel . 2016 . \" Stylized Facts in the Social Sciences . \" Sociological Science 3 : 604626 . http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.15195\/v3.a26 sociological science | www.sociologicalscience.com 913 October 2016 | Volume 3 Crabtree and Fariss Robust Stylized Facts Houy , Constantin , Peter Fettke , and Peter Loos . 2015 . \" Stylized Facts as an Instrument for Literature Review and Cumulative Information Systems Research . \" Information Systems Research 37 : 10 . Jackson , Michelle , and David R Cox . 2013 . \" The principles of experimental design and their application in sociology . \" Annual Review of Sociology 39 : 27-49 . http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10. 1146 \/ annurev-soc-071811-145443 Most , Benjamin A. , and Harvey Starr . 1989 . Inquiry , Logic , and International Politics . Columbia , SC : University of South Carolina Press . Pager , Devah , and Bruce Western . 2012 . \" Identifying discrimination at work : The use of field experiments . \" Journal of Social Issues 68 ( 2 ) : 221-237 . http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1111\/j. 1540-4560 . 2012 . 01746 . x Pager , Devah , Bruce Western , and Bart Bonikowski . 2009 . \" Discrimination in a low-wage labor market a field experiment . \" American sociological review 74 ( 5 ) : 777-799 . http : \/\/ dx . doi.org \/ 10 . 1177 \/ 000312240907400505 Snidal , Duncan . 2008 . \" Commentary on the special issue . \" The Journal of Conflict Resolution 52 ( 2 ) : 326-333 . http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1177\/0022002707313694 Trochim , William M.K. , and James P. Donnelly . 2008 . Research Methods Knowledge Base . 3rd ed . Mason , OH : Atomic Dog . Yinger , John . 1995 . Closed doors , opportunities lost : The continuing costs of housing discrimination . Russell Sage Foundation . Acknowledgements : We thank Volha Chykina and Rose McDermott for their helpful comments . Charles Crabtree : Department of Political Science , University of Michigan . E-mail : ccrabtr@umich.edu . Christopher J. Fariss : Department of Political Science , University of Michigan . E-mail : cjf0006@gmail.com . sociological science | www.sociologicalscience.com 914 October 2016 | Volume 3","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"ISSUE # 1 AUGUST 2002 Welcome to the Business Express brought to you by the Daventry Express Online . Click on the links below for all our business stories and please visit our featured businesses also listed for some great promotions . Index of Stories CUMMINS GETS QUEEN'S AWARD FOR THE FIFTH TIME DAVENTRY 'S A FINE CATCH HOTEL'S \u00a3 7M FOUR STAR LUXURY REFIT NEW ERA FOR BABY SHOES STAFF SAY FAREWELL TO LONG SERVING ROSALIE GETTING IN A SPIN AT WHILTON MILL BREAKFAST HEROES - ALL OTHER STORIES - Local Business Index Please note that some of these need the free Acrobat Viewer to see them . COMMERCIAL RECRUITING CONSULTANCY LAMBERT SMITH HAMPTON HELLIDON LAKES HOTEL JR PRESS FASTWAY COURIERS STAVERTON PARK GUGLIELMI MOTORSPORT DAVENTRY DISTRICT COUNCIL IMAGE IT DAVENTRY DRY CLEANERS JONES VEHICLE SERVICES GLOBAL MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS GLASS D SIGN SUBURBAN ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES LTD THE CLAYDON FOX COACHES STEERS PRINTING DRAKE & PARTNERS G-STAFF PREMIERE PEOPLE FIRST CHOICE PERSONNEL Submit Business News If you 've got any business related news you feel would belong suitably in Daventry's Business Express , please do n't hesitate to email us . Request for Advertising For advertising information regarding the Business Express Online and in-paper , please email our team here . Local Business Listings Visit our Business Directory Online for hundreds of businesses locally and thousands throughout the country .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Olate runs a partner scheme for any individuals or companies interested in adding value to their existing products and services . We operate several structures to our partner scheme : Partner Structure Bundle Partners If you develop and sell your own software products that you think will compliment our own product range , we would be interested to hear from you . By selling related applications at the same time , you can capture potential customers that might not otherwise discover your software . Find out more . Resellers Offer our products to your own customers with the option to rebrand under your own name and company . Find out more . Affiliates Let us handle everything but still recommend our products and earn 15 % on every sale referred . Find out more . Development Outsource your development to Olate to take advantage of our experience in web application design and development . Find out more","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE Version 3 , 29 June 2007 Copyright \u00a9 2007 Free Software Foundation , Inc. < http:\/\/fsf.org\/ > Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this license document , but changing it is not allowed . Preamble The GNU General Public License is a free , copyleft license for software and other kinds of works . The licenses for most software and other practical works are designed to take away your freedom to share and change the works . By contrast , the GNU General Public License is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change all versions of a program--to make sure it remains free software for all its users . We , the Free Software Foundation , use the GNU General Public License for most of our software ; it applies also to any other work released this way by its authors . You can apply it to your programs , too . When we speak of free software , we are referring to freedom , not price . Our General Public Licenses are designed to make sure that you have the freedom to distribute copies of free software ( and charge for them if you wish ) , that you receive source code or can get it if you want it , that you can change the software or use pieces of it in new free programs , and that you know you can do these things . To protect your rights , we need to prevent others from denying you these rights or asking you to surrender the rights . Therefore , you have certain responsibilities if you distribute copies of the software , or if you modify it : responsibilities to respect the freedom of others . For example , if you distribute copies of such a program , whether gratis or for a fee , you must pass on to the recipients the same freedoms that you received . You must make sure that they , too , receive or can get the source code . And you must show them these terms so they know their rights . Developers that use the GNU GPL protect your rights with two steps : ( 1 ) assert copyright on the software , and ( 2 ) offer you this License giving you legal permission to copy , distribute and \/ or modify it . For the developers ' and authors' protection , the GPL clearly explains that there is no warranty for this free software . For both users ' and authors' sake , the GPL requires that modified versions be marked as changed , so that their problems will not be attributed erroneously to authors of previous versions . Some devices are designed to deny users access to install or run modified versions of the software inside them , although the manufacturer can do so . This is fundamentally incompatible with the aim of protecting users' freedom to change the software . The systematic pattern of such abuse occurs in the area of products for individuals to use , which is precisely where it is most unacceptable . 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IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR AGREED TO IN WRITING WILL ANY COPYRIGHT HOLDER , OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO MODIFIES AND \/ OR CONVEYS THE PROGRAM AS PERMITTED ABOVE , BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR DAMAGES , INCLUDING ANY GENERAL , SPECIAL , INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE PROGRAM ( INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF DATA OR DATA BEING RENDERED INACCURATE OR LOSSES SUSTAINED BY YOU OR THIRD PARTIES OR A FAILURE OF THE PROGRAM TO OPERATE WITH ANY OTHER PROGRAMS ) , EVEN IF SUCH HOLDER OR OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES . 17 . Interpretation of Sections 15 and 16 . If the disclaimer of warranty and limitation of liability provided above can not be given local legal effect according to their terms , reviewing courts shall apply local law that most closely approximates an absolute waiver of all civil liability in connection with the Program , unless a warranty or assumption of liability accompanies a copy of the Program in return for a fee . END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS","labels":"Legal","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Wind energy is abundant , inexhaustible , widely distributed , clean , and mitigates the greenhouse effect . It is estimated that 3 % of the energy from the Sun that hits the earth is converted into wind energy . This is about 50 to 100 times more energy than is converted into biomass by all the plants on Earth through photosynthesis . Most of this wind energy can be found at high altitudes , however there is still sufficiently high energy at ground levels to be useful . In 2005 , worldwide capacity of wind-powered generators was 58,982 MW , their production making up less than 1 % of worldwide electricity use . Although still a relatively minor source of electricity , wind power generation has more than quadrupled between 1999 and 2005 . Most modern wind power is generated in the form of electricity by converting the rotation of turbine blades into electrical current by means of an electrical generator . In more traditional windmills wind energy is used to turn mechanical machinery to do physical work , such as crushing grain or pumping water . Wind power is used in large-scale wind farms for national electrical grids as well as in small individual turbines for providing electricity in isolated locations . It is helpful to understand some background information about wind power as a renewable energy resource .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Britain to suspend Kenya flights due to \" imminent threat \" : travel industry Britain is suspending all of its flights to and from Kenya from 10 : 00 pm ( 2100 GMT ) because of an \" imminent \" threat , the Association of British Travel Agents said . Blair sets June 9 for euro verdict London launches multi-billion dollar Olympics dream All UK news >> International News US chides Riyadh over bombings , as foreign investigators join probe Israeli kills three in new Gaza raid as US insists peace hopes still alive Four dead after rampage on doctors' offices in Germany All International news >> Chechnya View Animations >> \" Matrix \" sequel wows Cannes with eye-popping special effects \" The Matrix Reloaded \" , the sequel to the smash-hit sci-fi film that added a new dimension to action films , generated an enthusiastic buzz when it premiered at the Cannes film festival in the presence of Keanu Reeves and its other stars . New prize for \" The Magdalene Sisters \" -- this time from EU ! Pope marks 83rd birthday on Sunday All People news >> Clijsters and Capriati into last eight at Rome Masters Brazilian Kuerten knocked out of Hamburg Harrington tops Woods in Deutsche Bank opener All Sport news >> London launches multi-billion dollar Olympics dream British premier Tony Blair finally gave the go-ahead to a 3.85 billion dollar bid to bring the 2012 Olympics to London .","labels":"News","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"You gotta love the babies ! But milk supply is crucial to their survival . As if the anticipation of a newborn foal and a healthy delivery were n't stress enough , there is nothing scarier than questioning whether or not a foal has had enough colostrum within 12-24 hours of birth . And believe me , a mare that does n't seem to be producing sufficient milk afterwards , will make you question that very fact . First and Foremost : Colostrum is the life-giving substance which prepares a newborn foal for life . Since a brand new baby horse is totally and immunologically , vulnerable to the challenges of the outside world , colostrum deriving from the mare's teat immediately after birth is Mother Nature's way of delivering precious antibodies into a foal's system . A new foal must get enough colostrum through passive transfer , within 12-24 hours of birth . Therefore , if you find yourself in a situation where a mare is not producing enough milk several hours later , or the next morning , you must ascertain whether or not the foal received adequate colostrum . I can not stress this aspect enough . A mare without milk is almost the same situation as an orphan foal . You have to make wise decisions and fast . Determining colostrum intake is often done via a SNAP test or serum chemistry , to ensure antibody levels are adequate . Of Second Importance : The results of a SNAP test are obtained very quickly \u2013 in something like 7 minutes . If it is determined that plasma or frozen colostrum is necessary , it is still important to remember that the foal also needs nutrition for energy . There are a few equine replacement supplements on the market that can help to feed the foal . These include ; Equilac , Foalac or Kid Milk ( the latter primarily being used for cattle ) . But it 's important to note that milk replacers DO NOT substitute colostrum . Once a foal is is verified to have sufficient colostrum levels , providing adequate nutrition is the next big hurdle . Dr. Dennis Rach of Moore & Co. in Calgary , Alberta , gave me this helpful tip recently : Dextrose is used as an aid in the treatment of glucose deficiencies in cattle . When added to 2 % milk , it provides the nutrients a foal requires , plus , it helps to \" sweeten \" the milk slightly , to better simulate the taste of a mare's milk . If milk replacer is necessary , a foal needs to consume milk replacer every 2-4 hours . ( This makes life very difficult , but it needs to be done . ) And a foal must consume 16-18 % of its body weight in milk per day . For example , a 60 pound foal must consume 6 pounds of milk per day . It also possible to induce lactation . Certain treatment protocols have resulted in milk production ranging from 25 % to 82 % in success rates . However , induced lactation does not begin with a production of colostrum . Domperidone ( check it out at equitoxpharma.com ) has been used in recent years with good success , to increase endogenous prolactin secretion in mares ( either in advancing the onset of reproductive activity in early spring or to counter the ill effects of fescue toxicosis in pregnant mares at term . ) And of course , check out www.cyberfoal.com in you have an orphan foal , or have a mare suffering from agalactia ( non-production of milk ) . This website works !! It has proven to be a valuable tool for matching orphan foals with nurse mares . At CyberFoal.com , you can apply for a nurse mare or post your own mare up for a newborn foal adoption ( if she has lost her foal ) and help to benefit someone else who may have an orphan . You can also apply for colostrum or read listings as to where colostrum banks may be located . Altogether , CyberFoal.com is a brilliant , valuable website for owners in dire need of colostrum or nurse mare matches . Share this : Alright , I know Mother's day was this past weekend . And it 's not that I 'm trying to make up for not calling and visiting with my beloved Mother ( s ) and Grandmothers . ' Cause I did . My Mom has a very special place in my heart . She was a single mother who struggled , but somehow managed to raise two healthy , vibrant daughters . So although it 's belated , I thought I 'd share a couple of \" Mother Scenes \" out in our front pasture right now . Since I do n't yet have kids of my own , these are what my Mom proudly refers to as her \" Grand-fillies and colts . \" And on that note \u2013 why do we need one day to celebrate our Moms anyways ? They have been there for us 365 days a year since our lives began . We should be thanking God and commemorating everything they have done for us \u2013 every day . Our mothers have taken care of us . Nurtured and fed us , without question . They have stood by our sides , even when we may have been a little \" nerdy \" at times . Moms are always proud , no matter what we do . They protected us from danger . They taught us how to run and play . And how to survive . Share this : Okay , since this colt starting entry has spanned over several days , let 's go back to the beginning of Clay's first saddling concept . Yesterday , my husband desensitized Mercedes to the saddle pad . Now , he 's going to throw his colt starting saddle ( one that he does n't mind if it gets beat up a little bit ) , directly onto Mercedes' back . He does n't pause or creep up to her with the saddle \u2013 Clay simply throws it over like it 's no big deal . Of course , Mercedes is not sure what to make of the object but just the same , she allows it to remain on her back . Note the cinch is not done up at this point . Clay moves Mercedes around , so she feels the weight of the pad and the saddle on her back . Next , Clay drops the cinches on the near side and walks around to the horse's left side to do them up . Very carefully , Clay begins doing up the front cinch . Notice , he has moved Mercedes closer to the fence in case Clay needs to jump up on it quickly to get out of harm's way ... Then Clay slips the rope halter off Mercedes' head and places it around her neck instead . This is because Clay will now \u2013 carefully \u2013 do up the back cinch . And it 's likely that once the filly feels the back cinch for the first time she will be outta there ... Whew ! The lesson is n't done for today , Clay will continue to do some roundpen reasoning with Mercedes until she responds correctly to him , while still wearing the saddle . Then , he find a good note to end the lesson on . Clay will halter Mercedes and safely remove the saddle ( by undoing the back cinch first ) . And the filly will be allowed an extensive cool-down period , followed by a good grooming session . Finally , she is returned to her stall . In all , Mercedes has handled Clay's first saddling lessons extremely well . There was a little excitement , but nothing out of the ordinary . Neither Clay , nor Mercedes was hurt and a lot was accomplished in terms of the filly's training in a very short time . Please let me reiterate \u2013 Clay is a professional horse trainer . Therefore , he has a tonne of experience in the colt starting department . He also has specific roundpen equipment that he uses . The blog entries appearing in My Stable Life are by no means , a recipe for DIYers ... They are merely an inside view into the art of training young horses . I hope you enjoyed these sessions and we will be back with more \" Insider Training \" very soon . Cheers ! Share this : Clay intends to saddle Mercedes today , for the first time in her life . But for the purposes of breaking the concept up into easy-to understand portions , I will separate the steps into two more blog entries ( today and tomorrow ) . To get Mercedes used to the sensation of a front or back cinch ( since she has never worn one before ) , Clay tosses a lead rope around her barrel . Mercedes is not tied , she is allowed to move around the roundpen as she pleases . However , the goal is for Clay to apply light pressure to her barrel with the rope and when she yields , Clay releases the pressure . If at any time , Mercedes decides to run off , Clay releases his grip on the lead rope and lets her go . There 's no sense in either of them getting hurt or Mercedes becoming scared . In this case , Clay would simply re-catch Mercedes and try again . Today , Mercedes stays put and really puts a lot of effort into trying to comprehend what Clay is asking . Here , she investigates the rope and even tries relieving the pressure by biting it . Although biting is never desirable , Mercedes is clearly curious . Mercedes yields to the pressure and Clay releases the pressure by putting slack in the rope . Next , Clay will introduce the saddle pad to our filly . Note he has now put a rope halter on Mercedes . Clay presses the blanket to Mercedes' sides , an attempt to desensitize her to it . Then he quickly and assertively throws the blanket on her back . At this point , Clay always says \" Do n't mess around here . Just throw the blanket up there like she 's had it done numerous times . \" Otherwise , if Clay had tried throwing the pad on Mercedes in a fashion that implied she should be afraid of it , she probably would spook away . He lets the pad rest on Mercedes' back . Clay moves the pad all over Mercedes' body and desensitizes her to it . He wants her to realize she has nothing to fear in the saddle pad . Repeating the process over and over , Clay throws the pad over Mercedes' back until she is comfortable and relaxes with the concept . He will even move her around a bit and let Mercedes feel the pad on her back in motion . If it falls off , that 's okay . It simply gives Clay another chance to throw the pad on her again . When Mercedes relaxes her body and displays such body language as lowering her head , licking her lips and relaxing her tail , he is confident with her progress . This concludes the first portion of the first saddling lesson . Share this : In Mercedes' first roundpen lesson ( posted April 4 , 2010 ) , the young yearling filly was brought into our arena roundpen and taught the basics of human handling . While this filly is already halter broke , Clay basically wanted to teach her to have her attention on him at all times . The first session took approximately 25 minutes and when it was done , Mercedes willingly allowed Clay to approach her and touch her shoulders with his lariat . He did this using an \" Approach and Retreat \" philosophy . In this next lesson , Clay will put Mercedes through the same paces as in the first session , but the goal this time is to be able to touch her in several areas of the body without Mercedes retreating . Clay tests out what was learned in the first lesson . Mercedes is definitely unsure but she has not moved away from Clay's lariat yet . Clay was unable to really \" touch \" Mercedes , so he sends her around the roundpen to work . He wants the filly's heart , lungs and muscles to help explain to Mercedes that it would be a lot easier to just stand and allow Clay to touch her body . Still , Mercedes declines Clay's invitation to stand , so he sends her around to work again , taking great care to stand back from her hindquarters . Finally the filly thinks about it a little bit and turns to face Clay . He approaches her . Clay wants to be able to rub her all over , with the lariat . Share this : # 10 \u2013 You cheer for yourself after every maneuver you perform in a reining pattern . # 9 \u2013 You ask the judges if they can hold your coffee for you until you finish your run . # 8 - You stop \u2013 mid rundown \u2013 and position your horse so the photographer can get your \" good \" side . # 7 \u2013 You wear a red shirt , with a blue saddle pad , no chaps , dusty hat and a pair of gloves in your back pocket . # 6 \u2013 You spend the night before your early morning class , at a hockey game . # 5 - You ride your reiner into the ring without sliding plates . # 4 \u2013 You refrain from checking your cinch , thinking , \" Cinches are for wussies anyways . \" # 3 \u2013 You walk into the show ring chewing tobacco . # 2 \u2013 You walk into the show ring talking on your cell phone . # 1 \u2013 You arrive in the warm-up ring , cock your hat back on your head and announce , \" You can all go home now , the winner just walked in the pen . \" Share this : Our mare is a 2007 model which we purchased from a reputable breeder . Upon picking her up , we discovered a fungus-like patch extending from her right wither down to her right gaskin . The condition did not seem to be bothering her ( it was n't itchy ) , however if it was a fungus that could be transferred to another animal , this was a concern to us . Therefore , following several veterinarian examinations and various topical anti-fungal preparations , one of our vets suggested that we do a skin biopsy . This test produced accurate results . And while knowing what we were dealing with was a huge relief , we could n't help but feel slightly forlorn when we finally did get a proper diagnosis . Equine Linear Keratosis occurs as vertical linear areas of alopecia ( or near alopecia ) , scaling and crust formation on the sides of the horse's neck , or shoulder or chest . The condition is characterized by the gradual development of annular areas of alopecia , usually in a linear , vertically oriented configuration . In our mare's case , her shoulder looked as though someone had spilled a chemical down her body \u2013 a scenario we even considered for a while . The lesions are usually 2 to 10mm wide by a few cm to more than 1m in length . The lesions are neither painful nor pruritic . Our horse is n't itchy and the skin seems healthy otherwise . Linear keratosis accounts for 0.67 per cent of the equine dermatology cases seen at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine . Meaning , the condition is very rare . At the blue arrow , you can faintly see the change of coat color that occurs due to the linear keratosis . Since the diagnosis , we have learned that it is possibly a hereditary condition and it may never disappear . However , linear keratosis is not contagious and luckily , it can not pass from our mare to her stable mate or any other horses she may come into contact with . And aside from its blemish appearance , our mare's skin disorder really does n't affect her . She is not sore in that area and it had never affected her training . Share this : This is Mike Oden of Oden Cattle Company . You can probably tell , Mike is quite a character . Here he offered to \" pose \" for me . Oden cattle company is a unique operation in that it is one of the remaining ranches that still relies heavily on horses to get the work done each day . With ranches in Northern Arizona and North Eastern New Mexico , Oden Cattle Company has the capacity to run 1,400 to 1,500 mama cows : therefore , the proper term in the industry for what Oden Cattle Co. does is \" Cow Calf Operator . \" Here 's a close-up of Mike's Arizona boots . In order to graze this many cows , Mike needs a lot of land . At Oden Cattle Co. there are about 100,000 acres or 156 square miles of land . They gather cows two-three times per year for branding , weaning , and shipping , or just to move them from one pasture to another . That 's why they have such a big need for horses . Horses at Oden Cattle Co. all wear the 7Up brand . Mike , along with his wife and head book keeper , Jamie , are crucial elements to the operation . They also have two children \u2013 Abigail is now 6 and Sam is 12 . Sam won 10th place in the 2009 AQHYA in Oklahoma City in heading , aboard Topless Valentine . Last year was Sam's first world show and he continues to do well with his horses . Sam loves to play all sports but roping is his passion and he has even started to win some money doing it ! The other cool aspect about Oden Cattle Co. is their chuckwagon - they honestly have an ol ' time wagon that can be rented for parties , weddings or reunions . However , you will have to do the cooking and hosting yourself ! Photo courtesy of Oden Cattle Co. The Odens are neat people . They have an impressive herd of horses and place a big emphasis on their mares . For that matter , they place a lot of emphasis on their heifers as well . \" In order to raise good calves you need a good bull , but most important is the cow . Same goes for horses , \" Mike says . Share this :","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Schools are able to screen pupils for weapons using \" arch \" and \" wand \" metal detectors , the government has said , after a quick check of what the law actually says on such issues . Education Secretary Alan Johnson is also giving headteachers and school staff new powers to search pupils for weapons as part of his policy to ensure schools are \" knife and weapon free \" zones and safe and secure places to learn . Staff will be able to use blanket non-contact or minimal contact screening for weapons without needing consent or grounds of suspicion to do so . Random checks could be used to catch offenders unawares . If screening arouses suspicion that a pupil is carrying a weapon , school staff will then be able to use the new powers in the Violent Crime Reduction Bill to carry out a hands-on search . Screening involves pupils walking through a \" bleeping \" arch or being checked with a metal detector wand . Heads will still be able to call in the police if they need to in order to deal with incidents .","labels":"Legal","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"World Usability Day at User Vision User Vision , November 2005 The User Vision office was a hive of activity on November 3rd as over 50 visitors tried to meet the challenges of User Vision's ' Usability Obstacle Course ' . Visitors from a wide variety of companies came to User Vision to learn about usability first hand by trying to meet some of the common usability challenges we face in our modern world . User Vision prepared a series of ' obstacles ' to reveal the design features that can make or break the user experience , and everyone had a chance to see if they could succeed in the tasks such as : Setting the VCR to record a TV programme Buying a product online from a website Changing the ring tone on a mobile phone Transferring a song to an MP3 player - and then playing it Guessing the icon functions on a printer Opening the plastic packaging on a product - without using their teeth ! The epic battle : Man vs. VCR Some of the results are worth noting : Only half the vistors could change the ringtone on a Nokia 6630 mobile phone and most gave it a rating of ' very difficult ' , whilst 92 % could perform the task on a Samsung D500 It took an average of 3.12 minutes to set the VCR ( the slowest was over 6 minutes , and there was notable ( and audible ) exasperation in front of the telly ! Opening the packaging of a plastic wrapped CD took nearly 1 minute on average with the record being set at 9 seconds ( and a few broken nails in the process ! ) In the battle of the MP3 Players , the iPOD won handily over Creative's Zen Micro , although previous familiarity with the popular pod no doubt helped some 9 % were unable to make an e-commerce purchase due to difficulties in using the site - something that many e-retailers should note Less than 60 % of people could figure out what the icons on our printer mean ( that 's why we 've had to stick little labels on them ! ) Printer icons - are these symbols supposed to MEAN something ? Now , there must be ringtones in here somewhere .. Many Eyes on Usability Testing - and Ears on Accessibility The other main event of the afternoon was a rolling programme of usability tests on a variety of sites , including e-government , finance , online travel and e-commerce . On one side of a one-way mirror in User Vision's Usability test lab a test subject worked through tasks and described their impressions to a User Vision consultant , whilst on the other side up to a dozen observers were riveted on their every move and comment . There were some moments of teeth-gnashing frustration from the observers , who thought they could see what would be the most logical next step , which often was not seen by the test subject . The value of usability testing was clearly demonstrated , and the subject's comments and actions clearly showed up some issues in the sites tested . In User Vision's focus group room a demonstration of screen readers used by blind and partially sighted web users was a compelling introduction to web accessibility . Many visitors took the opportunity to ' hear ' their sites as a blind user would , whilst User Vision consultants explained the accessibility features or shortcomings . Certainly the importance of creating accessible sites was highlighted after getting an insight to how many disabled people use the web . Overall , World Usability Day at User Vision proved to be very successful and enjoyable for everyone taking part in the event . Not only did it help to raise awareness of usability but it allowed people to have an understanding of some of the obstacles that consumers and end users have when faced with the task of using an everyday product , software or website . More photos from the day A room with a view . Observers in User Vision's usability test lab Viewers watching a compelling usability test from the observation room If you think its so funny , just wait until you try it ! Serious concentration from web and MP3 users Press enquiries : For further information on User Vision members of the media should contact Richard Leonard at Brazil PR on Tel : 01865 725 269 or email :","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Editor Picks is a list series for Britannica editors to provide opinions and commentary on topics of personal interest . With over 4,000 species of parasitic flowering plants in the world , there are a lot of incredible species out there . This list represents my picks as Britannica's plant editor for the five most-impressive parasitic plants . What do you think ? Frans Lanting \/ Corbis Rafflesia arnoldii , the world's largest individual flower , is kind of nasty . Found in the forests of Malaysia and Indonesia , its giant red-brown blossom is nearly 1 meter ( 3 . 3 feet ) in diameter and weighs up to 11 kg ( 24 pounds ) . It smells like rotting flesh to attract carrion-feeding flies as pollinators and its sticky fruit is spread by rodents . If you 've ever seen a picture of this \" corpse flower , \" you may have noticed its lack of leaves . This delightful organism is actually an obligate parasite and can not photosynthesize on its own . In fact , 100 % of its unpleasantness is fueled with nutrients it steals from the roots of neighboring Tetrastigma vines ! Rafflesia makes parasitism pay off in a big smelly way . On the opposite end of the size spectrum is the minute Pilostyles thurberi , or Thurber's stemsucker . Native to the deserts of southwestern North America , P. thurberi is an obligate parasite on the stems of shrubs in the pea family ( Fabaceae ) . Measuring only about 6 mm ( 0 . 25 inch ) long , the tiny plant lives entirely within the stem tissues of its hosts and lacks roots , leaves , or chlorophyll . Its presence is only made known when it breaks through the bark of its host to flower . Each individual plant produces only male or female flowers and scientists are still unsure what exactly pollinates these teeny-tiny flowers or how populations coordinate their flowering . Mysterious and adorable ? It gets a spot on my favorites list for sure . E.R. Degginger Dodder ( Cuscuta sp . ) is a fairly well known group of parasitic plants that form iconic masses of yellow , leafless vines over their hosts . Dodder plants are aggressive and use root-like organs called haustoria to penetrate the stems of their hosts and siphon off their water and nutrients , often to the point of host-death . Given that dodder species have little to no chlorophyll with which to make their own nutrients , it is crucial for young seedlings to find a host before they run out of the energy supplied by their seeds ( usually about 5-10 days ) . Studies have shown that these seedlings can use airborne volatile organic compounds to locate their host plants , almost like a plant-y sense of smell ! Cuscuta seedlings can even detect which of their neighboring plants are more suitable hosts and will actively grow towards them . Once a young plant successfully reaches a host , its embryonic root rots away and it becomes wholly dependent on its parasitism . The fact that this plant can sense its hosts makes it a candidate for a creepy plant-horror film and earns it a place amongst its esteemed parasitic brethren . S. Kenaley Not to be confused with their Christmas-y namesake ( which , incidentally , is also a parasite ) , dwarf mistletoe ( Arceuthobium ) species are found throughout the world and primarily parasitize conifer trees . Like dodder , dwarf mistletoes employ haustoria to exploit their hosts' vascular tissues and do little to no photosynthesis of their own . While many parasitic plants spread to new hosts with the help of animals or the wind , dwarf mistletoe spreads from treetop to treetop using high-velocity projectile seeds ! Yes , this plant actually explodes bullet-shaped seeds onto new hosts . Dwarf mistletoe fruits each house a single seed covered in a sticky substance . As the fruit matures , pressure builds up inside and causes the thick skin to rupture , shooting the seed away from the plant at speeds of up to 90 km \/ hr ( 56 mph ) ! The sticky covering helps the seed attach to the surface on which it landed , ideally the branch of a nearby conifer . Ballistic parasitic embryos . Enough said . W.H. Hodge A tall and beautiful flowering tree , the Australian Christmas tree ( Nuytsia floribunda ) is an elegant parasitic plant . Native to dry regions in southwest Australia , N. floribunda towers over the other plants in the landscape and flowers when many other species are dormant . Equipped with green leaves , the plant is able to photosynthesize and provide its own nutrition , but acts as facultative parasite and steals water from its neighbors as necessary ( which enables both its size and dry-season flowering ) . In fact , the tree maintains an extensive network of parasitic root connections with numerous other plants to exploit their various water supplies . Incredibly , the plant establishes these connections by severing the hosts' xylem vessels with haustoria equipped with a guillotine-like structure ! This mini-guillotine is so strong that it has mistakenly chopped through numerous underground power and fiber optic cables . Any plant with a guillotine gets brownie points in my book .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Duuuuh . Bloggers' block . This is worrying : \" A controversial chain of schools teaching Biblical \" creationism \" has been given Tony Blair's personal support despite serious doubts raised by parents and teachers , The Independent on Sunday can reveal . Mr Blair , said to be the most religious Prime Minister since Gladstone , has backed the millionaire car dealer Sir Peter Vardy in his attempt to take over seven comprehensives and turn them into Christian Academies promoting Old Testament views of the world's creation . This includes the claim that it was made in six days , 10,000 years ago . \" ( more ) The man is mad , is n't he ? Right , off to the pub . Fingers crossed for tonight ... - posted by Inspector Sands @ 4 : 30 PM","labels":"News","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"FATHER GORIOT To the great and illustrious Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire , a token of admiration for his works and genius . DE BALZAC . FATHER GORIOT Mme . Vauquer ( _nee_ de Conflans ) is an elderly person , who for the past forty years has kept a lodging-house in the Rue Nueve-Sainte-Genevieve , in the district that lies between the Latin Quarter and the Faubourg Saint-Marcel . Her house ( known in the neighborhood as the _Maison Vauquer_ ) receives men and women , old and young , and no word has ever been breathed against her respectable establishment ; but , at the same time , it must be said that as a matter of fact no young woman has been under her roof for thirty years , and that if a young man stays there for any length of time it is a sure sign that his allowance must be of the slenderest . In 1819 , however , the time when this drama opens , there was an almost penniless young girl among Mme . Vauquer's boarders . That word drama has been somewhat discredited of late ; it has been overworked and twisted to strange uses in these days of dolorous literature ; but it must do service again here , not because this story is dramatic in the restricted sense of the word , but because some tears may perhaps be shed _intra et extra muros_ before it is over . Will any one without the walls of Paris understand it ? It is open to doubt . The only audience who could appreciate the results of close observation , the careful reproduction of minute detail and local color , are dwellers between the heights of Montrouge and Montmartre , in a vale of crumbling stucco watered by streams of black mud , a vale of sorrows which are real and joys too often hollow ; but this audience is so accustomed to terrible sensations , that only some unimaginable and well-neigh impossible woe could produce any lasting impression there . Now and again there are tragedies so awful and so grand by reason of the complication of virtues and vices that bring them about , that egotism and selfishness are forced to pause and are moved to pity ; but the impression that they receive is like a luscious fruit , soon consumed . Civilization , like the car of Juggernaut , is scarcely stayed perceptibly in its progress by a heart less easy to break than the others that lie in its course ; this also is broken , and Civilization continues on her course triumphant . And you , too , will do the like ; you who with this book in your white hand will sink back among the cushions of your armchair , and say to yourself , \" Perhaps this may amuse me . \" You will read the story of Father Goriot's secret woes , and , dining thereafter with an unspoiled appetite , will lay the blame of your insensibility upon the writer , and accuse him of exaggeration , of writing romances . Ah ! once for all , this drama is neither a fiction nor a romance ! _All is true_ , -- so true , that every one can discern the elements of the tragedy in his own house , perhaps in his own heart . The lodging-house is Mme . Vauquer's own property . It is still standing in the lower end of the Rue Nueve-Sainte-Genevieve , just where the road slopes so sharply down to the Rue de l ' Arbalete , that wheeled traffic seldom passes that way , because it is so stony and steep . This position is sufficient to account for the silence prevalent in the streets shut in between the dome of the Pantheon and the dome of the Val-de-Grace , two conspicuous public buildings which give a yellowish tone to the landscape and darken the whole district that lies beneath the shadow of their leaden-hued cupolas . In that district the pavements are clean and dry , there is neither mud nor water in the gutters , grass grows in the chinks of the walls . The most heedless passer-by feels the depressing influences of a place where the sound of wheels creates a sensation ; there is a grim look about the houses , a suggestion of a jail about those high garden walls . A Parisian straying into a suburb apparently composed of lodging-houses and public institutions would see poverty and dullness , old age lying down to die , and joyous youth condemned to drudgery . It is the ugliest quarter of Paris , and , it may be added , the least known . But , before all things , the Rue Nueve-Sainte-Genevieve is like a bronze frame for a picture for which the mind can not be too well prepared by the contemplation of sad hues and sober images . Even so , step by step the daylight decreases , and the cicerone's droning voice grows hollower as the traveler descends into the Catacombs . The comparison holds good ! Who shall say which is more ghastly , the sight of the bleached skulls or of dried-up human hearts ? The front of the lodging-house is at right angles to the road , and looks out upon a little garden , so that you see the side of the house in section , as it were , from the Rue Nueve-Sainte-Genevieve . Beneath the wall of the house front there lies a channel , a fathom wide , paved with cobble-stones , and beside it runs a graveled walk bordered by geraniums and oleanders and pomegranates set in great blue and white glazed earthenware pots . Access into the graveled walk is afforded by a door , above which the words MAISON VAUQUER may be read , and beneath , in rather smaller letters , \" _Lodgings for both sexes , etc. _ \" During the day a glimpse into the garden is easily obtained through a wicket to which a bell is attached . On the opposite wall , at the further end of the graveled walk , a green marble arch was painted once upon a time by a local artist , and in this semblance of a shrine a statue representing Cupid is installed ; a Parisian Cupid , so blistered and disfigured that he looks like a candidate for one of the adjacent hospitals , and might suggest an allegory to lovers of symbolism . The half-obliterated inscription on the pedestal beneath determines the date of this work of art , for it bears witness to the widespread enthusiasm felt for Voltaire on his return to Paris in 1777 : \" Whoe ' er thou art , thy master see ; He is , or was , or ought to be . \" At night the wicket gate is replaced by a solid door . The little garden is no wider than the front of the house ; it is shut in between the wall of the street and the partition wall of the neighboring house . A mantle of ivy conceals the bricks and attracts the eyes of passers-by to an effect which is picturesque in Paris , for each of the walls is covered with trellised vines that yield a scanty dusty crop of fruit , and furnish besides a subject of conversation for Mme . Vauquer and her lodgers ; every year the widow trembles for her vintage . A straight path beneath the walls on either side of the garden leads to a clump of lime-trees at the further end of it ; _line_-trees , as Mme . Vauquer persists in calling them , in spite of the fact that she was a de Conflans , and regardless of repeated corrections from her lodgers . The central space between the walls is filled with artichokes and rows of pyramid fruit-trees , and surrounded by a border of lettuce , pot-herbs , and parsley . Under the lime-trees there are a few green-painted garden seats and a wooden table , and hither , during the dog-days , such of the lodgers as are rich enough to indulge in a cup of coffee come to take their pleasure , though it is hot enough to roast eggs even in the shade . The house itself is three stories high , without counting the attics under the roof . It is built of rough stone , and covered with the yellowish stucco that gives a mean appearance to almost every house in Paris . There are five windows in each story in the front of the house ; all the blinds visible through the small square panes are drawn up awry , so that the lines are all at cross purposes . At the side of the house there are but two windows on each floor , and the lowest of all are adorned with a heavy iron grating . Behind the house a yard extends for some twenty feet , a space inhabited by a happy family of pigs , poultry , and rabbits ; the wood-shed is situated on the further side , and on the wall between the wood-shed and the kitchen window hangs the meat-safe , just above the place where the sink discharges its greasy streams . The cook sweeps all the refuse out through a little door into the Rue Nueve-Sainte-Genevieve , and frequently cleanses the yard with copious supplies of water , under pain of pestilence . The house might have been built on purpose for its present uses . Access is given by a French window to the first room on the ground floor , a sitting-room which looks out upon the street through the two barred windows already mentioned . Another door opens out of it into the dining-room , which is separated from the kitchen by the well of the staircase , the steps being constructed partly of wood , partly of tiles , which are colored and beeswaxed . Nothing can be more depressing than the sight of that sitting-room . The furniture is covered with horse hair woven in alternate dull and glossy stripes . There is a round table in the middle , with a purplish-red marble top , on which there stands , by way of ornament , the inevitable white china tea-service , covered with a half-effaced gilt network . The floor is sufficiently uneven , the wainscot rises to elbow height , and the rest of the wall space is decorated with a varnished paper , on which the principal scenes from _Telemaque_ are depicted , the various classical personages being colored . The subject between the two windows is the banquet given by Calypso to the son of Ulysses , displayed thereon for the admiration of the boarders , and has furnished jokes these forty years to the young men who show themselves superior to their position by making fun of the dinners to which poverty condemns them . The hearth is always so clean and neat that it is evident that a fire is only kindled there on great occasions ; the stone chimney-piece is adorned by a couple of vases filled with faded artificial flowers imprisoned under glass shades , on either side of a bluish marble clock in the very worst taste . The first room exhales an odor for which there is no name in the language , and which should be called the _odeur de pension_ . The damp atmosphere sends a chill through you as you breathe it ; it has a stuffy , musty , and rancid quality ; it permeates your clothing ; after-dinner scents seem to be mingled in it with smells from the kitchen and scullery and the reek of a hospital . It might be possible to describe it if some one should discover a process by which to distil from the atmosphere all the nauseating elements with which it is charged by the catarrhal exhalations of every individual lodger , young or old . Yet , in spite of these stale horrors , the sitting-room is as charming and as delicately perfumed as a boudoir , when compared with the adjoining dining-room . The paneled walls of that apartment were once painted some color , now a matter of conjecture , for the surface is incrusted with accumulated layers of grimy deposit , which cover it with fantastic outlines . A collection of dim-ribbed glass decanters , metal discs with a satin sheen on them , and piles of blue-edged earthenware plates of Touraine ware cover the sticky surfaces of the sideboards that line the room . In a corner stands a box containing a set of numbered pigeon-holes , in which the lodgers' table napkins , more or less soiled and stained with wine , are kept . Here you see that indestructible furniture never met with elsewhere , which finds its way into lodging-houses much as the wrecks of our civilization drift into hospitals for incurables . You expect in such places as these to find the weather-house whence a Capuchin issues on wet days ; you look to find the execrable engravings which spoil your appetite , framed every one in a black varnished frame , with a gilt beading round it ; you know the sort of tortoise-shell clock-case , inlaid with brass ; the green stove , the Argand lamps , covered with oil and dust , have met your eyes before . The oilcloth which covers the long table is so greasy that a waggish _externe_ will write his name on the surface , using his thumb-nail as a style . The chairs are broken-down invalids ; the wretched little hempen mats slip away from under your feet without slipping away for good ; and finally , the foot-warmers are miserable wrecks , hingeless , charred , broken away about the holes . It would be impossible to give an idea of the old , rotten , shaky , cranky , worm-eaten , halt , maimed , one-eyed , rickety , and ramshackle condition of the furniture without an exhaustive description , which would delay the progress of the story to an extent that impatient people would not pardon . The red tiles of the floor are full of depressions brought about by scouring and periodical renewings of color . In short , there is no illusory grace left to the poverty that reigns here ; it is dire , parsimonious , concentrated , threadbare poverty ; as yet it has not sunk into the mire , it is only splashed by it , and though not in rags as yet , its clothing is ready to drop to pieces . This apartment is in all its glory at seven o ' clock in the morning , when Mme . Vauquer's cat appears , announcing the near approach of his mistress , and jumps upon the sideboards to sniff at the milk in the bowls , each protected by a plate , while he purrs his morning greeting to the world . A moment later the widow shows her face ; she is tricked out in a net cap attached to a false front set on awry , and shuffles into the room in her slipshod fashion . She is an oldish woman , with a bloated countenance , and a nose like a parrot's beak set in the middle of it ; her fat little hands ( she is as sleek as a church rat ) and her shapeless , slouching figure are in keeping with the room that reeks of misfortune , where hope is reduced to speculate for the meanest stakes . Mme . Vauquer alone can breathe that tainted air without being disheartened by it . Her face is as fresh as a frosty morning in autumn ; there are wrinkles about the eyes that vary in their expression from the set smile of a ballet-dancer to the dark , suspicious scowl of a discounter of bills ; in short , she is at once the embodiment and interpretation of her lodging-house , as surely as her lodging-house implies the existence of its mistress . You can no more imagine the one without the other , than you can think of a jail without a turnkey . The unwholesome corpulence of the little woman is produced by the life she leads , just as typhus fever is bred in the tainted air of a hospital . The very knitted woolen petticoat that she wears beneath a skirt made of an old gown , with the wadding protruding through the rents in the material , is a sort of epitome of the sitting-room , the dining-room , and the little garden ; it discovers the cook , it foreshadows the lodgers--the picture of the house is completed by the portrait of its mistress . Mme . Vauquer at the age of fifty is like all women who \" have seen a deal of trouble . \" She has the glassy eyes and innocent air of a trafficker in flesh and blood , who will wax virtuously indignant to obtain a higher price for her services , but who is quite ready to betray a Georges or a Pichegru , if a Georges or a Pichegru were in hiding and still to be betrayed , or for any other expedient that may alleviate her lot . Still , \" she is a good woman at bottom , \" said the lodgers who believed that the widow was wholly dependent upon the money that they paid her , and sympathized when they heard her cough and groan like one of themselves . What had M. Vauquer been ? The lady was never very explicit on this head . How had she lost her money ? \" Through trouble , \" was her answer . He had treated her badly , had left her nothing but her eyes to cry over his cruelty , the house she lived in , and the privilege of pitying nobody , because , so she was wont to say , she herself had been through every possible misfortune . Sylvie , the stout cook , hearing her mistress' shuffling footsteps , hastened to serve the lodgers' breakfasts . Beside those who lived in the house , Mme . Vauquer took boarders who came for their meals ; but these _externes_ usually only came to dinner , for which they paid thirty francs a month . At the time when this story begins , the lodging-house contained seven inmates . The best rooms in the house were on the first story , Mme . Vauquer herself occupying the least important , while the rest were let to a Mme . Couture , the widow of a commissary-general in the service of the Republic . With her lived Victorine Taillefer , a schoolgirl , to whom she filled the place of mother . These two ladies paid eighteen hundred francs a year . The two sets of rooms on the second floor were respectively occupied by an old man named Poiret and a man of forty or thereabouts , the wearer of a black wig and dyed whiskers , who gave out that he was a retired merchant , and was addressed as M. Vautrin . Two of the four rooms on the third floor were also let--one to an elderly spinster , a Mlle . Michonneau , and the other to a retired manufacturer of vermicelli , Italian paste and starch , who allowed the others to address him as \" Father Goriot . \" The remaining rooms were allotted to various birds of passage , to impecunious students , who like \" Father Goriot \" and Mlle . Michonneau , could only muster forty-five francs a month to pay for their board and lodging . Mme . Vauquer had little desire for lodgers of this sort ; they ate too much bread , and she only took them in default of better . At that time one of the rooms was tenanted by a law student , a young man from the neighborhood of Angouleme , one of a large family who pinched and starved themselves to spare twelve hundred francs a year for him . Misfortune had accustomed Eugene de Rastignac , for that was his name , to work . He belonged to the number of young men who know as children that their parents' hopes are centered on them , and deliberately prepare themselves for a great career , subordinating their studies from the first to this end , carefully watching the indications of the course of events , calculating the probable turn that affairs will take , that they may be the first to profit by them . But for his observant curiosity , and the skill with which he managed to introduce himself into the salons of Paris , this story would not have been colored by the tones of truth which it certainly owes to him , for they are entirely due to his penetrating sagacity and desire to fathom the mysteries of an appalling condition of things , which was concealed as carefully by the victim as by those who had brought it to pass . Above the third story there was a garret where the linen was hung to dry , and a couple of attics . Christophe , the man-of-all-work , slept in one , and Sylvie , the stout cook , in the other . Beside the seven inmates thus enumerated , taking one year with another , some eight law or medical students dined in the house , as well as two or three regular comers who lived in the neighborhood . There were usually eighteen people at dinner , and there was room , if need be , for twenty at Mme . Vauquer's table ; at breakfast , however , only the seven lodgers appeared . It was almost like a family party . Every one came down in dressing-gown and slippers , and the conversation usually turned on anything that had happened the evening before ; comments on the dress or appearance of the dinner contingent were exchanged in friendly confidence . These seven lodgers were Mme . Vauquer's spoiled children . Among them she distributed , with astronomical precision , the exact proportion of respect and attention due to the varying amounts they paid for their board . One single consideration influenced all these human beings thrown together by chance . The two second-floor lodgers only paid seventy-two francs a month . Such prices as these are confined to the Faubourg Saint-Marcel and the district between La Bourbe and the Salpetriere ; and , as might be expected , poverty , more or less apparent , weighed upon them all , Mme . Couture being the sole exception to the rule . The dreary surroundings were reflected in the costumes of the inmates of the house ; all were alike threadbare . The color of the men's coats were problematical ; such shoes , in more fashionable quarters , are only to be seen lying in the gutter ; the cuffs and collars were worn and frayed at the edges ; every limp article of clothing looked like the ghost of its former self . The women's dresses were faded , old-fashioned , dyed and re-dyed ; they wore gloves that were glazed with hard wear , much-mended lace , dingy ruffles , crumpled muslin fichus . So much for their clothing ; but , for the most part , their frames were solid enough ; their constitutions had weathered the storms of life ; their cold , hard faces were worn like coins that have been withdrawn from circulation , but there were greedy teeth behind the withered lips . Dramas brought to a close or still in progress are foreshadowed by the sight of such actors as these , not the dramas that are played before the footlights and against a background of painted canvas , but dumb dramas of life , frost-bound dramas that sere hearts like fire , dramas that do not end with the actors' lives . Mlle . Michonneau , that elderly young lady , screened her weak eyes from the daylight by a soiled green silk shade with a rim of brass , an object fit to scare away the Angel of Pity himself . Her shawl , with its scanty , draggled fringe , might have covered a skeleton , so meagre and angular was the form beneath it . Yet she must have been pretty and shapely once . What corrosive had destroyed the feminine outlines ? Was it trouble , or vice , or greed ? Had she loved too well ? Had she been a second-hand clothes dealer , a frequenter of the backstairs of great houses , or had she been merely a courtesan ? Was she expiating the flaunting triumphs of a youth overcrowded with pleasures by an old age in which she was shunned by every passer-by ? Her vacant gaze sent a chill through you ; her shriveled face seemed like a menace . Her voice was like the shrill , thin note of the grasshopper sounding from the thicket when winter is at hand . She said that she had nursed an old gentleman , ill of catarrh of the bladder , and left to die by his children , who thought that he had nothing left . His bequest to her , a life annuity of a thousand francs , was periodically disputed by his heirs , who mingled slander with their persecutions . In spite of the ravages of conflicting passions , her face retained some traces of its former fairness and fineness of tissue , some vestiges of the physical charms of her youth still survived . M. Poiret was a sort of automaton . He might be seen any day sailing like a gray shadow along the walks of the Jardin des Plantes , on his head a shabby cap , a cane with an old yellow ivory handle in the tips of his thin fingers ; the outspread skirts of his threadbare overcoat failed to conceal his meagre figure ; his breeches hung loosely on his shrunken limbs ; the thin , blue-stockinged legs trembled like those of a drunken man ; there was a notable breach of continuity between the dingy white waistcoat and crumpled shirt frills and the cravat twisted about a throat like a turkey gobbler 's ; altogether , his appearance set people wondering whether this outlandish ghost belonged to the audacious race of the sons of Japhet who flutter about on the Boulevard Italien . What devouring kind of toil could have so shriveled him ? What devouring passions had darkened that bulbous countenance , which would have seemed outrageous as a caricature ? What had he been ? Well , perhaps he had been part of the machinery of justice , a clerk in the office to which the executioner sends in his accounts , -- so much for providing black veils for parricides , so much for sawdust , so much for pulleys and cord for the knife . Or he might have been a receiver at the door of a public slaughter-house , or a sub-inspector of nuisances . Indeed , the man appeared to have been one of the beasts of burden in our great social mill ; one of those Parisian Ratons whom their Bertrands do not even know by sight ; a pivot in the obscure machinery that disposes of misery and things unclean ; one of those men , in short , at sight of whom we are prompted to remark that , \" After all , we can not do without them . \" Stately Paris ignores the existence of these faces bleached by moral or physical suffering ; but , then , Paris is in truth an ocean that no line can plumb . You may survey its surface and describe it ; but no matter how numerous and painstaking the toilers in this sea , there will always be lonely and unexplored regions in its depths , caverns unknown , flowers and pearls and monsters of the deep overlooked or forgotten by the divers of literature . The Maison Vauquer is one of these curious monstrosities . Two , however , of Mme . Vauquer's boarders formed a striking contrast to the rest . There was a sickly pallor , such as is often seen in anaemic girls , in Mlle . Victorine Taillefer's face ; and her unvarying expression of sadness , like her embarrassed manner and pinched look , was in keeping with the general wretchedness of the establishment in the Rue Nueve-Saint-Genevieve , which forms a background to this picture ; but her face was young , there was youthfulness in her voice and elasticity in her movements . This young misfortune was not unlike a shrub , newly planted in an uncongenial soil , where its leaves have already begun to wither . The outlines of her figure , revealed by her dress of the simplest and cheapest materials , were also youthful . There was the same kind of charm about her too slender form , her faintly colored face and light-brown hair , that modern poets find in mediaeval statuettes ; and a sweet expression , a look of Christian resignation in the dark gray eyes . She was pretty by force of contrast ; if she had been happy , she would have been charming . Happiness is the poetry of woman , as the toilette is her tinsel . If the delightful excitement of a ball had made the pale face glow with color ; if the delights of a luxurious life had brought the color to the wan cheeks that were slightly hollowed already ; if love had put light into the sad eyes , then Victorine might have ranked among the fairest ; but she lacked the two things which create woman a second time--pretty dresses and love-letters . A book might have been made of her story . Her father was persuaded that he had sufficient reason for declining to acknowledge her , and allowed her a bare six hundred francs a year ; he had further taken measures to disinherit his daughter , and had converted all his real estate into personalty , that he might leave it undivided to his son . Victorine's mother had died broken-hearted in Mme . Couture's house ; and the latter , who was a near relation , had taken charge of the little orphan . Unluckily , the widow of the commissary-general to the armies of the Republic had nothing in the world but her jointure and her widow's pension , and some day she might be obliged to leave the helpless , inexperienced girl to the mercy of the world . The good soul , therefore , took Victorine to mass every Sunday , and to confession once a fortnight , thinking that , in any case , she would bring up her ward to be devout . She was right ; religion offered a solution of the problem of the young girl's future . The poor child loved the father who refused to acknowledge her . Once every year she tried to see him to deliver her mother's message of forgiveness , but every year hitherto she had knocked at that door in vain ; her father was inexorable . Her brother , her only means of communication , had not come to see her for four years , and had sent her no assistance ; yet she prayed to God to unseal her father's eyes and to soften her brother's heart , and no accusations mingled with her prayers . Mme . Couture and Mme . Vauquer exhausted the vocabulary of abuse , and failed to find words that did justice to the banker's iniquitous conduct ; but while they heaped execrations on the millionaire , Victorine's words were as gentle as the moan of the wounded dove , and affection found expression even in the cry drawn from her by pain . Eugene de Rastignac was a thoroughly southern type ; he had a fair complexion , blue eyes , black hair . In his figure , manner , and his whole bearing it was easy to see that he had either come of a noble family , or that , from his earliest childhood , he had been gently bred . If he was careful of his wardrobe , only taking last year's clothes into daily wear , still upon occasion he could issue forth as a young man of fashion . Ordinarily he wore a shabby coat and waistcoat , the limp black cravat , untidily knotted , that students affect , trousers that matched the rest of his costume , and boots that had been resoled . Vautrin ( the man of forty with the dyed whiskers ) marked a transition stage between these two young people and the others . He was the kind of man that calls forth the remark : \" He looks a jovial sort ! \" He had broad shoulders , a well-developed chest , muscular arms , and strong square-fisted hands ; the joints of his fingers were covered with tufts of fiery red hair . His face was furrowed by premature wrinkles ; there was a certain hardness about it in spite of his bland and insinuating manner . His bass voice was by no means unpleasant , and was in keeping with his boisterous laughter . He was always obliging , always in good spirits ; if anything went wrong with one of the locks , he would soon unscrew it , take it to pieces , file it , oil and clean and set it in order , and put it back in its place again ; \" I am an old hand at it , \" he used to say . Not only so , he knew all about ships , the sea , France , foreign countries , men , business , law , great houses and prisons , -- there was nothing that he did not know . If any one complained rather more than usual , he would offer his services at once . He had several times lent money to Mme . Vauquer , or to the boarders ; but , somehow , those whom he obliged felt that they would sooner face death than fail to repay him ; a certain resolute look , sometimes seen on his face , inspired fear of him , for all his appearance of easy good-nature . In the way he spat there was an imperturbable coolness which seemed to indicate that this was a man who would not stick at a crime to extricate himself from a false position . His eyes , like those of a pitiless judge , seemed to go to the very bottom of all questions , to read all natures , all feelings and thoughts . His habit of life was very regular ; he usually went out after breakfast , returning in time for dinner , and disappeared for the rest of the evening , letting himself in about midnight with a latch key , a privilege that Mme . Vauquer accorded to no other boarder . But then he was on very good terms with the widow ; he used to call her \" mamma , \" and put his arm round her waist , a piece of flattery perhaps not appreciated to the full ! The worthy woman might imagine this to be an easy feat ; but , as a matter of fact , no arm but Vautrin's was long enough to encircle her . It was a characteristic trait of his generously to pay fifteen francs a month for the cup of coffee with a dash of brandy in it , which he took after dinner . Less superficial observers than young men engulfed by the whirlpool of Parisian life , or old men , who took no interest in anything that did not directly concern them , would not have stopped short at the vaguely unsatisfactory impression that Vautrin made upon them . He knew or guessed the concerns of every one about him ; but none of them had been able to penetrate his thoughts , or to discover his occupation . He had deliberately made his apparent good-nature , his unfailing readiness to oblige , and his high spirits into a barrier between himself and the rest of them , but not seldom he gave glimpses of appalling depths of character . He seemed to delight in scourging the upper classes of society with the lash of his tongue , to take pleasure in convicting it of inconsistency , in mocking at law and order with some grim jest worthy of Juvenal , as if some grudge against the social system rankled in him , as if there were some mystery carefully hidden away in his life . Mlle . Taillefer felt attracted , perhaps unconsciously , by the strength of the one man , and the good looks of the other ; her stolen glances and secret thoughts were divided between them ; but neither of them seemed to take any notice of her , although some day a chance might alter her position , and she would be a wealthy heiress . For that matter , there was not a soul in the house who took any trouble to investigate the various chronicles of misfortunes , real or imaginary , related by the rest . Each one regarded the others with indifference , tempered by suspicion ; it was a natural result of their relative positions . Practical assistance not one could give , this they all knew , and they had long since exhausted their stock of condolence over previous discussions of their grievances . They were in something the same position as an elderly couple who have nothing left to say to each other . The routine of existence kept them in contact , but they were parts of a mechanism which wanted oil . There was not one of them but would have passed a blind man begging in the street , not one that felt moved to pity by a tale of misfortune , not one who did not see in death the solution of the all-absorbing problem of misery which left them cold to the most terrible anguish in others . The happiest of these hapless beings was certainly Mme . Vauquer , who reigned supreme over this hospital supported by voluntary contributions . For her , the little garden , which silence , and cold , and rain , and drought combined to make as dreary as an Asian _steppe_ , was a pleasant shaded nook ; the gaunt yellow house , the musty odors of a back shop had charms for her , and for her alone . Those cells belonged to her . She fed those convicts condemned to penal servitude for life , and her authority was recognized among them . Where else in Paris would they have found wholesome food in sufficient quantity at the prices she charged them , and rooms which they were at liberty to make , if not exactly elegant or comfortable , at any rate clean and healthy ? If she had committed some flagrant act of injustice , the victim would have borne it in silence . Such a gathering contained , as might have been expected , the elements out of which a complete society might be constructed . And , as in a school , as in the world itself , there was among the eighteen men and women who met round the dinner table a poor creature , despised by all the others , condemned to be the butt of all their jokes . At the beginning of Eugene de Rastignac's second twelvemonth , this figure suddenly started out into bold relief against the background of human forms and faces among which the law student was yet to live for another two years to come . This laughing-stock was the retired vermicelli-merchant , Father Goriot , upon whose face a painter , like the historian , would have concentrated all the light in his picture . How had it come about that the boarders regarded him with a half-malignant contempt ? Why did they subject the oldest among their number to a kind of persecution , in which there was mingled some pity , but no respect for his misfortunes ? Had he brought it on himself by some eccentricity or absurdity , which is less easily forgiven or forgotten than more serious defects ? The question strikes at the root of many a social injustice . Perhaps it is only human nature to inflict suffering on anything that will endure suffering , whether by reason of its genuine humility , or indifference , or sheer helplessness . Do we not , one and all , like to feel our strength even at the expense of some one or of something ? The poorest sample of humanity , the street arab , will pull the bell handle at every street door in bitter weather , and scramble up to write his name on the unsullied marble of a monument . In the year 1813 , at the age of sixty-nine or thereabouts , \" Father Goriot \" had sold his business and retired--to Mme . Vauquer's boarding house . When he first came there he had taken the rooms now occupied by Mme . Couture ; he had paid twelve hundred francs a year like a man to whom five louis more or less was a mere trifle . For him Mme . Vauquer had made various improvements in the three rooms destined for his use , in consideration of a certain sum paid in advance , so it was said , for the miserable furniture , that is to say , for some yellow cotton curtains , a few chairs of stained wood covered with Utrecht velvet , several wretched colored prints in frames , and wall papers that a little suburban tavern would have disdained . Possibly it was the careless generosity with which Father Goriot allowed himself to be overreached at this period of his life ( they called him Monsieur Goriot very respectfully then ) that gave Mme . Vauquer the meanest opinion of his business abilities ; she looked on him as an imbecile where money was concerned . Goriot had brought with him a considerable wardrobe , the gorgeous outfit of a retired tradesman who denies himself nothing . Mme . Vauquer's astonished eyes beheld no less than eighteen cambric-fronted shirts , the splendor of their fineness being enhanced by a pair of pins each bearing a large diamond , and connected by a short chain , an ornament which adorned the vermicelli-maker's shirt front . He usually wore a coat of corn-flower blue ; his rotund and portly person was still further set off by a clean white waistcoat , and a gold chain and seals which dangled over that broad expanse . When his hostess accused him of being \" a bit of a beau , \" he smiled with the vanity of a citizen whose foible is gratified . His cupboards ( _ormoires_ , as he called them in the popular dialect ) were filled with a quantity of plate that he brought with him . The widow's eyes gleamed as she obligingly helped him to unpack the soup ladles , table-spoons , forks , cruet-stands , tureens , dishes , and breakfast services--all of silver , which were duly arranged upon shelves , besides a few more or less handsome pieces of plate , all weighing no inconsiderable number of ounces ; he could not bring himself to part with these gifts that reminded him of past domestic festivals . \" This was my wife 's present to me on the first anniversary of our wedding day , \" he said to Mme . Vauquer , as he put away a little silver posset dish , with two turtle-doves billing on the cover . \" Poor dear ! she spent on it all the money she had saved before we were married . Do you know , I would sooner scratch the earth with my nails for a living , madame , than part with that . But I shall be able to take my coffee out of it every morning for the rest of my days , thank the Lord ! I am not to be pitied . There 's not much fear of my starving for some time to come . \" Finally , Mme . Vauquer's magpie's eye had discovered and read certain entries in the list of shareholders in the funds , and , after a rough calculation , was disposed to credit Goriot ( worthy man ) with something like ten thousand francs a year . From that day forward Mme . Vauquer ( _nee_ de Conflans ) , who , as a matter of fact , had seen forty-eight summers , though she would only own to thirty-nine of them--Mme . Vauquer had her own ideas . Though Goriot's eyes seemed to have shrunk in their sockets , though they were weak and watery , owing to some glandular affection which compelled him to wipe them continually , she considered him to be a very gentlemanly and pleasant-looking man . Moreover , the widow saw favorable indications of character in the well-developed calves of his legs and in his square-shaped nose , indications still further borne out by the worthy man's full-moon countenance and look of stupid good-nature . This , in all probability , was a strongly-build animal , whose brains mostly consisted in a capacity for affection . His hair , worn in _ailes de pigeon_ , and duly powdered every morning by the barber from the Ecole Polytechnique , described five points on his low forehead , and made an elegant setting to his face . Though his manners were somewhat boorish , he was always as neat as a new pin and he took his snuff in a lordly way , like a man who knows that his snuff-box is always likely to be filled with maccaboy , so that when Mme . Vauquer lay down to rest on the day of M. Goriot's installation , her heart , like a larded partridge , sweltered before the fire of a burning desire to shake off the shroud of Vauquer and rise again as Goriot . She would marry again , sell her boarding-house , give her hand to this fine flower of citizenship , become a lady of consequence in the quarter , and ask for subscriptions for charitable purposes ; she would make little Sunday excursions to Choisy , Soissy , Gentilly ; she would have a box at the theatre when she liked , instead of waiting for the author's tickets that one of her boarders sometimes gave her , in July ; the whole Eldorado of a little Parisian household rose up before Mme . Vauquer in her dreams . Nobody knew that she herself possessed forty thousand francs , accumulated _sou by sou_ , that was her secret ; surely as far as money was concerned she was a very tolerable match . \" And in other respects , I am quite his equal , \" she said to herself , turning as if to assure herself of the charms of a form that the portly Sylvie found moulded in down feathers every morning . For three months from that day Mme . Veuve Vauquer availed herself of the services of M. Goriot's coiffeur , and went to some expense over her toilette , expense justifiable on the ground that she owed it to herself and her establishment to pay some attention to appearances when such highly-respectable persons honored her house with their presence . She expended no small amount of ingenuity in a sort of weeding process of her lodgers , announcing her intention of receiving henceforward none but people who were in every way select . If a stranger presented himself , she let him know that M. Goriot , one of the best known and most highly-respected merchants in Paris , had singled out her boarding-house for a residence . She drew up a prospectus headed MAISON VAUQUER , in which it was asserted that hers was \" _one of the oldest and most highly recommended boarding-houses in the Latin Quarter_ . \" \" From the windows of the house , \" thus ran the prospectus , \" there is a charming view of the Vallee des Gobelins ( so there is--from the third floor ) , and a _beautiful_ garden , _extending_ down to _an avenue of lindens_ at the further end . \" Mention was made of the bracing air of the place and its quiet situation . It was this prospectus that attracted Mme . la Comtesse de l ' Ambermesnil , a widow of six and thirty , who was awaiting the final settlement of her husband's affairs , and of another matter regarding a pension due to her as the wife of a general who had died \" on the field of battle . \" On this Mme . Vauquer saw to her table , lighted a fire daily in the sitting-room for nearly six months , and kept the promise of her prospectus , even going to some expense to do so . And the Countess , on her side , addressed Mme . Vauquer as \" my dear , \" and promised her two more boarders , the Baronne de Vaumerland and the widow of a colonel , the late Comte de Picquoisie , who were about to leave a boarding-house in the Marais , where the terms were higher than at the Maison Vauquer . Both these ladies , moreover , would be very well to do when the people at the War Office had come to an end of their formalities . \" But Government departments are always so dilatory , \" the lady added . After dinner the two widows went together up to Mme . Vauquer's room , and had a snug little chat over some cordial and various delicacies reserved for the mistress of the house . Mme . Vauquer's ideas as to Goriot were cordially approved by Mme . de l ' Ambermesnil ; it was a capital notion , which for that matter she had guessed from the very first ; in her opinion the vermicelli maker was an excellent man . \" Ah ! my dear lady , such a well-preserved man of his age , as sound as my eyesight--a man who might make a woman happy ! \" said the widow . The good-natured Countess turned to the subject of Mme . Vauquer's dress , which was not in harmony with her projects . \" You must put yourself on a war footing , \" said she . After much serious consideration the two widows went shopping together--they purchased a hat adorned with ostrich feathers and a cap at the Palais Royal , and the Countess took her friend to the Magasin de la Petite Jeannette , where they chose a dress and a scarf . Thus equipped for the campaign , the widow looked exactly like the prize animal hung out for a sign above an a la mode beef shop ; but she herself was so much pleased with the improvement , as she considered it , in her appearance , that she felt that she lay under some obligation to the Countess ; and , though by no means open-handed , she begged that lady to accept a hat that cost twenty francs . The fact was that she needed the Countess' services on the delicate mission of sounding Goriot ; the countess must sing her praises in his ears . Mme . de l ' Ambermesnil lent herself very good-naturedly to this manoeuvre , began her operations , and succeeded in obtaining a private interview ; but the overtures that she made , with a view to securing him for herself , were received with embarrassment , not to say a repulse . She left him , revolted by his coarseness . \" My angel , \" said she to her dear friend , \" you will make nothing of that man yonder . He is absurdly suspicious , and he is a mean curmudgeon , an idiot , a fool ; you would never be happy with him . \" After what had passed between M. Goriot and Mme . de l ' Ambermesnil , the Countess would no longer live under the same roof . She left the next day , forgot to pay for six months' board , and left behind her wardrobe , cast-off clothing to the value of five francs . Eagerly and persistently as Mme . Vauquer sought her quondam lodger , the Comtesse de l ' Ambermesnil was never heard of again in Paris . The widow often talked of this deplorable business , and regretted her own too confiding disposition . As a matter of fact , she was as suspicious as a cat ; but she was like many other people , who can not trust their own kin and put themselves at the mercy of the next chance comer--an odd but common phenomenon , whose causes may readily be traced to the depths of the human heart . Perhaps there are people who know that they have nothing more to look for from those with whom they live ; they have shown the emptiness of their hearts to their housemates , and in their secret selves they are conscious that they are severely judged , and that they deserve to be judged severely ; but still they feel an unconquerable craving for praises that they do not hear , or they are consumed by a desire to appear to possess , in the eyes of a new audience , the qualities which they have not , hoping to win the admiration or affection of strangers at the risk of forfeiting it again some day . Or , once more , there are other mercenary natures who never do a kindness to a friend or a relation simply because these have a claim upon them , while a service done to a stranger brings its reward to self-love . Such natures feel but little affection for those who are nearest to them ; they keep their kindness for remoter circles of acquaintance , and show most to those who dwell on its utmost limits . Mme . Vauquer belonged to both these essentially mean , false , and execrable classes . \" If I had been there at the time , \" Vautrin would say at the end of the story , \" I would have shown her up , and that misfortune would not have befallen you . I know that kind of phiz ! \" Like all narrow natures , Mme . Vauquer was wont to confine her attention to events , and did not go very deeply into the causes that brought them about ; she likewise preferred to throw the blame of her own mistakes on other people , so she chose to consider that the honest vermicelli maker was responsible for her misfortune . It had opened her eyes , so she said , with regard to him . As soon as she saw that her blandishments were in vain , and that her outlay on her toilette was money thrown away , she was not slow to discover the reason of his indifference . It became plain to her at once that there was _some other attraction_ , to use her own expression . In short , it was evident that the hope she had so fondly cherished was a baseless delusion , and that she would \" never make anything out of that man yonder , \" in the Countess' forcible phrase . The Countess seemed to have been a judge of character . Mme . Vauquer's aversion was naturally more energetic than her friendship , for her hatred was not in proportion to her love , but to her disappointed expectations . The human heart may find here and there a resting-place short of the highest height of affection , but we seldom stop in the steep , downward slope of hatred . Still , M. Goriot was a lodger , and the widow's wounded self-love could not vent itself in an explosion of wrath ; like a monk harassed by the prior of his convent , she was forced to stifle her sighs of disappointment , and to gulp down her craving for revenge . Little minds find gratification for their feelings , benevolent or otherwise , by a constant exercise of petty ingenuity . The widow employed her woman's malice to devise a system of covert persecution . She began by a course of retrenchment--various luxuries which had found their way to the table appeared there no more . \" No more gherkins , no more anchovies ; they have made a fool of me ! \" she said to Sylvie one morning , and they returned to the old bill of fare . The thrifty frugality necessary to those who mean to make their way in the world had become an inveterate habit of life with M. Goriot . Soup , boiled beef , and a dish of vegetables had been , and always would be , the dinner he liked best , so Mme . Vauquer found it very difficult to annoy a boarder whose tastes were so simple . He was proof against her malice , and in desperation she spoke to him and of him slightingly before the other lodgers , who began to amuse themselves at his expense , and so gratified her desire for revenge . Towards the end of the first year the widow's suspicions had reached such a pitch that she began to wonder how it was that a retired merchant with a secure income of seven or eight thousand livres , the owner of such magnificent plate and jewelry handsome enough for a kept mistress , should be living in her house . Why should he devote so small a proportion of his money to his expenses ? Until the first year was nearly at an end , Goriot had dined out once or twice every week , but these occasions came less frequently , and at last he was scarcely absent from the dinner-table twice a month . It was hardly expected that Mme . Vauquer should regard the increased regularity of her boarder's habits with complacency , when those little excursions of his had been so much to her interest . She attributed the change not so much to a gradual diminution of fortune as to a spiteful wish to annoy his hostess . It is one of the most detestable habits of a Liliputian mind to credit other people with its own malignant pettiness . Unluckily , towards the end of the second year , M. Goriot's conduct gave some color to the idle talk about him . He asked Mme . Vauquer to give him a room on the second floor , and to make a corresponding reduction in her charges . Apparently , such strict economy was called for , that he did without a fire all through the winter . Mme . Vauquer asked to be paid in advance , an arrangement to which M. Goriot consented , and thenceforward she spoke of him as \" Father Goriot . \" What had brought about this decline and fall ? Conjecture was keen , but investigation was difficult . Father Goriot was not communicative ; in the sham countess' phrase he was \" a curmudgeon . \" Empty-headed people who babble about their own affairs because they have nothing else to occupy them , naturally conclude that if people say nothing of their doings it is because their doings will not bear being talked about ; so the highly respectable merchant became a scoundrel , and the late beau was an old rogue . Opinion fluctuated . Sometimes , according to Vautrin , who came about this time to live in the Maison Vauquer , Father Goriot was a man who went on ' Change and _dabbled_ ( to use the sufficiently expressive language of the Stock Exchange ) in stocks and shares after he had ruined himself by heavy speculation . Sometimes it was held that he was one of those petty gamblers who nightly play for small stakes until they win a few francs . A theory that he was a detective in the employ of the Home Office found favor at one time , but Vautrin urged that \" Goriot was not sharp enough for one of that sort . \" There were yet other solutions ; Father Goriot was a skinflint , a shark of a money-lender , a man who lived by selling lottery tickets . He was by turns all the most mysterious brood of vice and shame and misery ; yet , however vile his life might be , the feeling of repulsion which he aroused in others was not so strong that he must be banished from their society--he paid his way . Besides , Goriot had his uses , every one vented his spleen or sharpened his wit on him ; he was pelted with jokes and belabored with hard words . The general consensus of opinion was in favor of a theory which seemed the most likely ; this was Mme . Vauquer's view . According to her , the man so well preserved at his time of life , as sound as her eyesight , with whom a woman might be very happy , was a libertine who had strange tastes . These are the facts upon which Mme . Vauquer's slanders were based . Early one morning , some few months after the departure of the unlucky Countess who had managed to live for six months at the widow's expense , Mme . Vauquer ( not yet dressed ) heard the rustle of a silk dress and a young woman's light footstep on the stair ; some one was going to Goriot's room . He seemed to expect the visit , for his door stood ajar . The portly Sylvie presently came up to tell her mistress that a girl too pretty to be honest , \" dressed like a goddess , \" and not a speck of mud on her laced cashmere boots , had glided in from the street like a snake , had found the kitchen , and asked for M. Goriot's room . Mme . Vauquer and the cook , listening , overheard several words affectionately spoken during the visit , which lasted for some time . When M. Goriot went downstairs with the lady , the stout Sylvie forthwith took her basket and followed the lover-like couple , under pretext of going to do her marketing . \" M. Goriot must be awfully rich , all the same , madame , \" she reported on her return , \" to keep her in such style . Just imagine it ! There was a splendid carriage waiting at the corner of the Place de l ' Estrapade , and _she_ got into it . \" While they were at dinner that evening , Mme . Vauquer went to the window and drew the curtain , as the sun was shining into Goriot's eyes . \" You are beloved of fair ladies , M. Goriot--the sun seeks you out , \" she said , alluding to his visitor . \" _Peste ! _ you have good taste ; she was very pretty . \" \" That was my daughter , \" he said , with a kind of pride in his voice , and the rest chose to consider this as the fatuity of an old man who wishes to save appearances . A month after this visit M. Goriot received another . The same daughter who had come to see him that morning came again after dinner , this time in evening dress . The boarders , in deep discussion in the dining-room , caught a glimpse of a lovely , fair-haired woman , slender , graceful , and much too distinguished-looking to be a daughter of Father Goriot's . \" Two of them ! \" cried the portly Sylvie , who did not recognize the lady of the first visit . A few days later , and another young lady--a tall , well-moulded brunette , with dark hair and bright eyes--came to ask for M. Goriot . \" Three of them ! \" said Sylvie . Then the second daughter , who had first come in the morning to see her father , came shortly afterwards in the evening . She wore a ball dress , and came in a carriage . \" Four of them ! \" commented Mme . Vauquer and her plump handmaid . Sylvie saw not a trace of resemblance between this great lady and the girl in her simple morning dress who had entered her kitchen on the occasion of her first visit . At that time Goriot was paying twelve hundred francs a year to his landlady , and Mme . Vauquer saw nothing out of the common in the fact that a rich man had four or five mistresses ; nay , she thought it very knowing of him to pass them off as his daughters . She was not at all inclined to draw a hard-and-fast line , or to take umbrage at his sending for them to the Maison Vauquer ; yet , inasmuch as these visits explained her boarder's indifference to her , she went so far ( at the end of the second year ) as to speak of him as an \" ugly old wretch . \" When at length her boarder declined to nine hundred francs a year , she asked him very insolently what he took her house to be , after meeting one of these ladies on the stairs . Father Goriot answered that the lady was his eldest daughter . \" So you have two or three dozen daughters , have you ? \" said Mme . Vauquer sharply . \" I have only two , \" her boarder answered meekly , like a ruined man who is broken in to all the cruel usage of misfortune . Towards the end of the third year Father Goriot reduced his expenses still further ; he went up to the third story , and now paid forty-five francs a month . He did without snuff , told his hairdresser that he no longer required his services , and gave up wearing powder . When Goriot appeared for the first time in this condition , an exclamation of astonishment broke from his hostess at the color of his hair--a dingy olive gray . He had grown sadder day by day under the influence of some hidden trouble ; among all the faces round the table , his was the most woe-begone . There was no longer any doubt . Goriot was an elderly libertine , whose eyes had only been preserved by the skill of the physician from the malign influence of the remedies necessitated by the state of his health . The disgusting color of his hair was a result of his excesses and of the drugs which he had taken that he might continue his career . The poor old man's mental and physical condition afforded some grounds for the absurd rubbish talked about him . When his outfit was worn out , he replaced the fine linen by calico at fourteen _sous_ the ell . His diamonds , his gold snuff-box , watch-chain and trinkets , disappeared one by one . He had left off wearing the corn-flower blue coat , and was sumptuously arrayed , summer as well as winter , in a coarse chestnut-brown coat , a plush waistcoat , and doeskin breeches . He grew thinner and thinner ; his legs were shrunken , his cheeks , once so puffed out by contented bourgeois prosperity , were covered with wrinkles , and the outlines of the jawbones were distinctly visible ; there were deep furrows in his forehead . In the fourth year of his residence in the Rue Neuve-Sainte-Genevieve he was no longer like his former self . The hale vermicelli manufacturer , sixty-two years of age , who had looked scarce forty , the stout , comfortable , prosperous tradesman , with an almost bucolic air , and such a brisk demeanor that it did you good to look at him ; the man with something boyish in his smile , had suddenly sunk into his dotage , and had become a feeble , vacillating septuagenarian . The keen , bright blue eyes had grown dull , and faded to a steel-gray color ; the red inflamed rims looked as though they had shed tears of blood . He excited feelings of repulsion in some , and of pity in others . The young medical students who came to the house noticed the drooping of his lower lip and the conformation of the facial angle ; and , after teasing him for some time to no purpose , they declared that cretinism was setting in . One evening after dinner Mme . Vauquer said half banteringly to him , \" So those daughters of yours do n't come to see you any more , eh ? \" meaning to imply her doubts as to his paternity ; but Father Goriot shrank as if his hostess had touched him with a sword-point . \" They come sometimes , \" he said in a tremulous voice . \" Aha ! you still see them sometimes ? \" cried the students . \" Bravo , Father Goriot ! \" The old man scarcely seemed to hear the witticisms at his expense that followed on the words ; he had relapsed into the dreamy state of mind that these superficial observers took for senile torpor , due to his lack of intelligence . If they had only known , they might have been deeply interested by the problem of his condition ; but few problems were more obscure . It was easy , of course , to find out whether Goriot had really been a vermicelli manufacturer ; the amount of his fortune was readily discoverable ; but the old people , who were most inquisitive as to his concerns , never went beyond the limits of the Quarter , and lived in the lodging-house much as oysters cling to a rock . As for the rest , the current of life in Paris daily awaited them , and swept them away with it ; so soon as they left the Rue Neuve-Sainte-Genevieve , they forgot the existence of the old man , their butt at dinner . For those narrow souls , or for careless youth , the misery in Father Goriot's withered face and its dull apathy were quite incompatible with wealth or any sort of intelligence . As for the creatures whom he called his daughters , all Mme . Vauquer's boarders were of her opinion . With the faculty for severe logic sedulously cultivated by elderly women during long evenings of gossip till they can always find an hypothesis to fit all circumstances , she was wont to reason thus : \" If Father Goriot had daughters of his own as rich as those ladies who came here seemed to be , he would not be lodging in my house , on the third floor , at forty-five francs a month ; and he would not go about dressed like a poor man . \" No objection could be raised to these inferences . So by the end of the month of November 1819 , at the time when the curtain rises on this drama , every one in the house had come to have a very decided opinion as to the poor old man . He had never had either wife or daughter ; excesses had reduced him to this sluggish condition ; he was a sort of human mollusk who should be classed among the capulidoe , so one of the dinner contingent , an _employe_ at the Museum , who had a pretty wit of his own . Poiret was an eagle , a gentleman , compared with Goriot . Poiret would join the talk , argue , answer when he was spoken to ; as a matter of fact , his talk , arguments , and responses contributed nothing to the conversation , for Poiret had a habit of repeating what the others said in different words ; still , he did join in the talk ; he was alive , and seemed capable of feeling ; while Father Goriot ( to quote the Museum official again ) was invariably at zero degrees--Reaumur . Eugene de Rastignac had just returned to Paris in a state of mind not unknown to young men who are conscious of unusual powers , and to those whose faculties are so stimulated by a difficult position , that for the time being they rise above the ordinary level . Rastignac's first year of study for the preliminary examinations in law had left him free to see the sights of Paris and to enjoy some of its amusements . A student has not much time on his hands if he sets himself to learn the repertory of every theatre , and to study the ins and outs of the labyrinth of Paris . To know its customs ; to learn the language , and become familiar with the amusements of the capital , he must explore its recesses , good and bad , follow the studies that please him best , and form some idea of the treasures contained in galleries and museums . At this stage of his career a student grows eager and excited about all sorts of follies that seem to him to be of immense importance . He has his hero , his great man , a professor at the College de France , paid to talk down to the level of his audience . He adjusts his cravat , and strikes various attitudes for the benefit of the women in the first galleries at the Opera-Comique . As he passes through all these successive initiations , and breaks out of his sheath , the horizons of life widen around him , and at length he grasps the plan of society with the different human strata of which it is composed . If he begins by admiring the procession of carriages on sunny afternoons in the Champs-Elysees , he soon reaches the further stage of envying their owners . Unconsciously , Eugene had served his apprenticeship before he went back to Angouleme for the long vacation after taking his degrees as bachelor of arts and bachelor of law . The illusions of childhood had vanished , so also had the ideas he brought with him from the provinces ; he had returned thither with an intelligence developed , with loftier ambitions , and saw things as they were at home in the old manor house . His father and mother , his two brothers and two sisters , with an aged aunt , whose whole fortune consisted in annuities , lived on the little estate of Rastignac . The whole property brought in about three thousand francs ; and though the amount varied with the season ( as must always be the case in a vine-growing district ) , they were obliged to spare an unvarying twelve hundred francs out of their income for him . He saw how constantly the poverty , which they had generously hidden from him , weighed upon them ; he could not help comparing the sisters , who had seemed so beautiful to his boyish eyes , with women in Paris , who had realized the beauty of his dreams . The uncertain future of the whole family depended upon him . It did not escape his eyes that not a crumb was wasted in the house , nor that the wine they drank was made from the second pressing ; a multitude of small things , which it is useless to speak of in detail here , made him burn to distinguish himself , and his ambition to succeed increased tenfold . He meant , like all great souls , that his success should be owing entirely to his merits ; but his was pre-eminently a southern temperament , the execution of his plans was sure to be marred by the vertigo that seizes on youth when youth sees itself alone in a wide sea , uncertain how to spend its energies , whither to steer its course , how to adapt its sails to the winds . At first he determined to fling himself heart and soul into his work , but he was diverted from this purpose by the need of society and connections ; then he saw how great an influence women exert in social life , and suddenly made up his mind to go out into this world to seek a protectress there . Surely a clever and high-spirited young man , whose wit and courage were set off to advantage by a graceful figure and the vigorous kind of beauty that readily strikes a woman's imagination , need not despair of finding a protectress . These ideas occurred to him in his country walks with his sisters , whom he had once joined so gaily . The girls thought him very much changed . His aunt , Mme . de Marcillac , had been presented at court , and had moved among the brightest heights of that lofty region . Suddenly the young man's ambition discerned in those recollections of hers , which had been like nursery fairy tales to her nephews and nieces , the elements of a social success at least as important as the success which he had achieved at the Ecole de Droit . He began to ask his aunt about those relations ; some of the old ties might still hold good . After much shaking of the branches of the family tree , the old lady came to the conclusion that of all persons who could be useful to her nephew among the selfish genus of rich relations , the Vicomtesse de Beauseant was the least likely to refuse . To this lady , therefore , she wrote in the old-fashioned style , recommending Eugene to her ; pointing out to her nephew that if he succeeded in pleasing Mme . de Beauseant , the Vicomtesse would introduce him to other relations . A few days after his return to Paris , therefore , Rastignac sent his aunt's letter to Mme . de Beauseant . The Vicomtesse replied by an invitation to a ball for the following evening . This was the position of affairs at the Maison Vauquer at the end of November 1819 . A few days later , after Mme . de Beauseant's ball , Eugene came in at two o ' clock in the morning . The persevering student meant to make up for the lost time by working until daylight . It was the first time that he had attempted to spend the night in this way in that silent quarter . The spell of a factitious energy was upon him ; he had beheld the pomp and splendor of the world . He had not dined at the Maison Vauquer ; the boarders probably would think that he would walk home at daybreak from the dance , as he had done sometimes on former occasions , after a fete at the Prado , or a ball at the Odeon , splashing his silk stockings thereby , and ruining his pumps . It so happened that Christophe took a look into the street before drawing the bolts of the door ; and Rastignac , coming in at that moment , could go up to his room without making any noise , followed by Christophe , who made a great deal . Eugene exchanged his dress suit for a shabby overcoat and slippers , kindled a fire with some blocks of patent fuel , and prepared for his night's work in such a sort that the faint sounds he made were drowned by Christophe's heavy tramp on the stairs . Eugene sat absorbed in thought for a few moments before plunging into his law books . He had just become aware of the fact that the Vicomtesse de Beauseant was one of the queens of fashion , that her house was thought to be the pleasantest in the Faubourg Saint-Germain . And not only so , she was , by right of her fortune , and the name she bore , one of the most conspicuous figures in that aristocratic world . Thanks to the aunt , thanks to Mme . de Marcillac's letter of introduction , the poor student had been kindly received in that house before he knew the extent of the favor thus shown to him . It was almost like a patent of nobility to be admitted to those gilded salons ; he had appeared in the most exclusive circle in Paris , and now all doors were open for him . Eugene had been dazzled at first by the brilliant assembly , and had scarcely exchanged a few words with the Vicomtesse ; he had been content to single out a goddess among this throng of Parisian divinities , one of those women who are sure to attract a young man's fancy . The Comtesse Anastasie de Restaud was tall and gracefully made ; she had one of the prettiest figures in Paris . Imagine a pair of great dark eyes , a magnificently moulded hand , a shapely foot . There was a fiery energy in her movements ; the Marquis de Ronquerolles had called her \" a thoroughbred , \" \" a pure pedigree , \" these figures of speech have replaced the \" heavenly angel \" and Ossianic nomenclature ; the old mythology of love is extinct , doomed to perish by modern dandyism . But for Rastignac , Mme . Anastasie de Restaud was the woman for whom he had sighed . He had contrived to write his name twice upon the list of partners upon her fan , and had snatched a few words with her during the first quadrille . \" Where shall I meet you again , Madame ? \" he asked abruptly , and the tones of his voice were full of the vehement energy that women like so well . \" Oh , everywhere ! \" said she , \" in the Bois , at the Bouffons , in my own house . \" With the impetuosity of his adventurous southern temper , he did all he could to cultivate an acquaintance with this lovely countess , making the best of his opportunities in the quadrille and during a waltz that she gave him . When he told her that he was a cousin of Mme . de Beauseant's , the Countess , whom he took for a great lady , asked him to call at her house , and after her parting smile , Rastignac felt convinced that he must make this visit . He was so lucky as to light upon some one who did not laugh at his ignorance , a fatal defect among the gilded and insolent youth of that period ; the coterie of Maulincourts , Maximes de Trailles , de Marsays , Ronquerolles , Ajuda-Pintos , and Vandenesses who shone there in all the glory of coxcombry among the best-dressed women of fashion in Paris--Lady Brandon , the Duchesse de Langeais , the Comtesse de Kergarouet , Mme . de Serizy , the Duchesse de Carigliano , the Comtesse Ferraud , Mme . de Lanty , the Marquise d ' Aiglemont , Mme . Firmiani , the Marquise de Listomere and the Marquise d ' Espard , the Duchesse de Maufrigneuse and the Grandlieus . Luckily , therefore , for him , the novice happened upon the Marquis de Montriveau , the lover of the Duchesse de Langeais , a general as simple as a child ; from him Rastignac learned that the Comtesse lived in the Rue du Helder . Ah , what it is to be young , eager to see the world , greedily on the watch for any chance that brings you nearer the woman of your dreams , and behold two houses open their doors to you ! To set foot in the Vicomtesse de Beauseant's house in the Faubourg Saint-Germain ; to fall on your knees before a Comtesse de Restaud in the Chaussee d ' Antin ; to look at one glance across a vista of Paris drawing-rooms , conscious that , possessing sufficient good looks , you may hope to find aid and protection there in a feminine heart ! To feel ambitious enough to spurn the tight-rope on which you must walk with the steady head of an acrobat for whom a fall is impossible , and to find in a charming woman the best of all balancing poles . He sat there with his thoughts for a while , Law on the one hand , and Poverty on the other , beholding a radiant vision of a woman rise above the dull , smouldering fire . Who would not have paused and questioned the future as Eugene was doing ? who would not have pictured it full of success ? His wondering thoughts took wings ; he was transported out of the present into that blissful future ; he was sitting by Mme . de Restaud's side , when a sort of sigh , like the grunt of an overburdened St. Joseph , broke the silence of the night . It vibrated through the student , who took the sound for a death groan . He opened his door noiselessly , went out upon the landing , and saw a thin streak of light under Father Goriot's door . Eugene feared that his neighbor had been taken ill ; he went over and looked through the keyhole ; the old man was busily engaged in an occupation so singular and so suspicious that Rastignac thought he was only doing a piece of necessary service to society to watch the self-styled vermicelli maker's nocturnal industries . The table was upturned , and Goriot had doubtless in some way secured a silver plate and cup to the bar before knotting a thick rope round them ; he was pulling at this rope with such enormous force that they were being crushed and twisted out of shape ; to all appearance he meant to convert the richly wrought metal into ingots . \" _Peste ! _ what a man ! \" said Rastignac , as he watched Goriot's muscular arms ; there was not a sound in the room while the old man , with the aid of the rope , was kneading the silver like dough . \" Was he then , indeed , a thief , or a receiver of stolen goods , who affected imbecility and decrepitude , and lived like a beggar that he might carry on his pursuits the more securely ? \" Eugene stood for a moment revolving these questions , then he looked again through the keyhole . Father Goriot had unwound his coil of rope ; he had covered the table with a blanket , and was now employed in rolling the flattened mass of silver into a bar , an operation which he performed with marvelous dexterity . \" Why , he must be as strong as Augustus , King of Poland ! \" said Eugene to himself when the bar was nearly finished . Father Goriot looked sadly at his handiwork , tears fell from his eyes , he blew out the dip which had served him for a light while he manipulated the silver , and Eugene heard him sigh as he lay down again . \" He is mad , \" thought the student . \" _Poor child ! _ \" Father Goriot said aloud . Rastignac , hearing those words , concluded to keep silence ; he would not hastily condemn his neighbor . He was just in the doorway of his room when a strange sound from the staircase below reached his ears ; it might have been made by two men coming up in list slippers . Eugene listened ; two men there certainly were , he could hear their breathing . Yet there had been no sound of opening the street door , no footsteps in the passage . Suddenly , too , he saw a faint gleam of light on the second story ; it came from M. Vautrin's room . \" There are a good many mysteries here for a lodging-house ! \" he said to himself . He went part of the way downstairs and listened again . The rattle of gold reached his ears . In another moment the light was put out , and again he distinctly heard the breathing of two men , but no sound of a door being opened or shut . The two men went downstairs , the faint sounds growing fainter as they went . \" Who is there ? \" cried Mme . Vauquer out of her bedroom window . \" I , Mme . Vauquer , \" answered Vautrin's deep bass voice . \" I am coming in . \" \" That is odd ! Christophe drew the bolts , \" said Eugene , going back to his room . \" You have to sit up at night , it seems , if you really mean to know all that is going on about you in Paris . \" These incidents turned his thought from his ambitious dreams ; he betook himself to his work , but his thought wandered back to Father Goriot's suspicious occupation ; Mme . de Restaud's face swam again and again before his eyes like a vision of a brilliant future ; and at last he lay down and slept with clenched fists . When a young man makes up his mind that he will work all night , the chances are that seven times out of ten he will sleep till morning . Such vigils do not begin before we are turned twenty . The next morning Paris was wrapped in one of the dense fogs that throw the most punctual people out in their calculations as to the time ; even the most business-like folk fail to keep their appointments in such weather , and ordinary mortals wake up at noon and fancy it is eight o ' clock . On this morning it was half-past nine , and Mme . Vauquer still lay abed . Christophe was late , Sylvie was late , but the two sat comfortably taking their coffee as usual . It was Sylvie's custom to take the cream off the milk destined for the boarders' breakfast for her own , and to boil the remainder for some time , so that madame should not discover this illegal exaction . \" Sylvie , \" said Christophe , as he dipped a piece of toast into the coffee , \" M. Vautrin , who is not such a bad sort , all the same , had two people come to see him again last night . If madame says anything , mind you say nothing about it . \" \" Has he given you something ? \" \" He gave me a five-franc piece this month , which is as good as saying , ' Hold your tongue . ' \" \" Except him and Mme . Couture , who does n ' t look twice at every penny , there 's no one in the house that does n ' t try to get back with the left hand all that they give with the right at New Year , \" said Sylvie . \" And , after all , \" said Christophe , \" what do they give you ? A miserable five-franc piece . There is Father Goriot , who has cleaned his shoes himself these two years past . There is that old beggar Poiret , who goes without blacking altogether ; he would sooner drink it than put it on his boots . Then there is that whipper-snapper of a student , who gives me a couple of francs . Two francs will not pay for my brushes , and he sells his old clothes , and gets more for them than they are worth . Oh ! they 're a shabby lot ! \" \" Pooh ! \" said Sylvie , sipping her coffee , \" our places are the best in the Quarter , that I know . But about that great big chap Vautrin , Christophe ; has any one told you anything about him ? \" \" Yes . I met a gentleman in the street a few days ago ; he said to me , ' There 's a gentleman in your place , is n't there ? a tall man that dyes his whiskers ? ' I told him , ' No , sir ; they are n ' t dyed . A gay fellow like him has n ' t the time to do it . ' And when I told M. Vautrin about it afterwards , he said , ' Quite right , my boy . That is the way to answer them . There is nothing more unpleasant than to have your little weaknesses known ; it might spoil many a match . ' \" \" Well , and for my part , \" said Sylvie , \" a man tried to humbug me at the market wanting to know if I had seen him put on his shirt . Such bosh ! There , \" she cried , interrupting herself , \" that 's a quarter to ten striking at the Val-de-Grace , and not a soul stirring ! \" \" Pooh ! they are all gone out . Mme . Couture and the girl went out at eight o ' clock to take the wafer at Saint-Etienne . Father Goriot started off somewhere with a parcel , and the student wo n ' t be back from his lecture till ten o ' clock . I saw them go while I was sweeping the stairs ; Father Goriot knocked up against me , and his parcel was as hard as iron . What is the old fellow up to , I wonder ? He is as good as a plaything for the rest of them ; they can never let him alone ; but he is a good man , all the same , and worth more than all of them put together . He does n ' t give you much himself , but he sometimes sends you with a message to ladies who fork out famous tips ; they are dressed grandly , too . \" \" His daughters , as he calls them , eh ? There are a dozen of them . \" \" I have never been to more than two--the two who came here . \" \" There is madame moving overhead ; I shall have to go , or she will raise a fine racket . Just keep an eye on the milk , Christophe ; do n't let the cat get at it . \" Sylvie went up to her mistress' room . \" Sylvie ! How is this ? It 's nearly ten o ' clock , and you let me sleep like a dormouse ! Such a thing has never happened before . \" \" It 's the fog ; it is that thick , you could cut it with a knife . \" \" But how about breakfast ? \" \" Bah ! the boarders are possessed , I 'm sure . They all cleared out before there was a wink of daylight . \" \" Do speak properly , Sylvie , \" Mme . Vauquer retorted ; \" say a blink of daylight . \" \" Ah , well , madame , whichever you please . Anyhow , you can have breakfast at ten o ' clock . La Michonnette and Poiret have neither of them stirred . There are only those two upstairs , and they are sleeping like the logs they are . \" \" But , Sylvie , you put their names together as if ---- \" \" As if what ? \" said Sylvie , bursting into a guffaw . \" The two of them make a pair . \" \" It is a strange thing , is n't it , Sylvie , how M. Vautrin got in last night after Christophe had bolted the door ? \" \" Not at all , madame . Christophe heard M. Vautrin , and went down and undid the door . And here are you imagining that ---- ? \" \" Give me my bodice , and be quick and get breakfast ready . Dish up the rest of the mutton with the potatoes , and you can put the stewed pears on the table , those at five a penny . \" A few moments later Mme . Vauquer came down , just in time to see the cat knock down a plate that covered a bowl of milk , and begin to lap in all haste . \" Mistigris ! \" she cried . The cat fled , but promptly returned to rub against her ankles . \" Oh ! yes , you can wheedle , you old hypocrite ! \" she said . \" Sylvie ! Sylvie ! \" \" Yes , madame ; what is it ? \" \" Just see what the cat has done ! \" \" It is all that stupid Christophe's fault . I told him to stop and lay the table . What has become of him ? Do n't you worry , madame ; Father Goriot shall have it . I will fill it up with water , and he wo n ' t know the difference ; he never notices anything , not even what he eats . \" \" I wonder where the old heathen can have gone ? \" said Mme . Vauquer , setting the plates round the table . \" Who knows ? He is up to all sorts of tricks . \" \" I have overslept myself , \" said Mme . Vauquer . \" But madame looks as fresh as a rose , all the same . \" The door bell rang at that moment , and Vautrin came through the sitting-room , singing loudly : \" ' Tis the same old story everywhere , A roving heart and a roving glance .. \" Oh ! Mamma Vauquer ! good-morning ! \" he cried at the sight of his hostess , and he put his arm gaily round her waist . \" There ! have done ---- \" \" ' Impertinence ! ' Say it ! \" he answered . \" Come , say it ! Now , is n't that what you really mean ? Stop a bit , I will help you to set the table . Ah ! I am a nice man , am I not ? \" For the locks of brown and the golden hair A sighing lover ... \" Oh ! I have just seen something so funny ---- .... led by chance . \" \" What ? \" asked the widow . \" Father Goriot in the goldsmith's shop in the Rue Dauphine at half-past eight this morning . They buy old spoons and forks and gold lace there , and Goriot sold a piece of silver plate for a good round sum . It had been twisted out of shape very neatly for a man that 's not used to the trade . \" \" Really ? You do n't say so ? \" \" Yes . One of my friends is expatriating himself ; I had been to see him off on board the Royal Mail steamer , and was coming back here . I waited after that to see what Father Goriot would do ; it is a comical affair . He came back to this quarter of the world , to the Rue des Gres , and went into a money-lender's house ; everybody knows him , Gobseck , a stuck-up rascal , that would make dominoes out of his father's bones , a Turk , a heathen , an old Jew , a Greek ; it would be a difficult matter to rob _him_ , for he puts all his coin into the Bank . \" \" Then what was Father Goriot doing there ? \" \" Doing ? \" said Vautrin . \" Nothing ; he was bent on his own undoing . He is a simpleton , stupid enough to ruin himself by running after ---- \" \" There he is ! \" cried Sylvie . \" Christophe , \" cried Father Goriot's voice , \" come upstairs with me . \" Christophe went up , and shortly afterwards came down again . \" Where are you going ? \" Mme . Vauquer asked of her servant . \" Out on an errand for M. Goriot . \" \" What may that be ? \" said Vautrin , pouncing on a letter in Christophe's hand . \" _Mme . la Comtesse Anastasie de Restaud_ , \" he read . \" Where are you going with it ? \" he added , as he gave the letter back to Christophe . \" To the Rue du Helder . I have orders to give this into her hands myself . \" \" What is there inside it ? \" said Vautrin , holding the letter up to the light . \" A banknote ? No. \" He peered into the envelope . \" A receipted account ! \" he cried . \" My word ! ' tis a gallant old dotard . Off with you , old chap , \" he said , bringing down a hand on Christophe's head , and spinning the man round like a thimble ; \" you will have a famous tip . \" By this time the table was set . Sylvie was boiling the milk , Mme . Vauquer was lighting a fire in the stove with some assistance from Vautrin , who kept humming to himself : \" The same old story everywhere , A roving heart and a roving glance . \" When everything was ready , Mme . Couture and Mlle . Taillefer came in . \" Where have you been this morning , fair lady ? \" said Mme . Vauquer , turning to Mme . Couture . \" We have just been to say our prayers at Saint-Etienne du Mont. To-day is the day when we must go to see M. Taillefer . Poor little thing ! She is trembling like a leaf , \" Mme . Couture went on , as she seated herself before the fire and held the steaming soles of her boots to the blaze . \" Warm yourself , Victorine , \" said Mme . Vauquer . \" It is quite right and proper , mademoiselle , to pray to Heaven to soften your father's heart , \" said Vautrin , as he drew a chair nearer to the orphan girl ; \" but that is not enough . What you want is a friend who will give the monster a piece of his mind ; a barbarian that has three millions ( so they say ) , and will not give you a dowry ; and a pretty girl needs a dowry nowadays . \" \" Poor child ! \" said Mme . Vauquer . \" Never mind , my pet , your wretch of a father is going just the way to bring trouble upon himself . \" Victorine's eyes filled with tears at the words , and the widow checked herself at a sign from Mme . Couture . \" If we could only see him ! \" said the Commissary-General's widow ; \" if I could speak to him myself and give him his wife's last letter ! I have never dared to run the risk of sending it by post ; he knew my handwriting ---- \" \" ' Oh woman , persecuted and injured innocent ! ' \" exclaimed Vautrin , breaking in upon her . \" So that is how you are , is it ? In a few days' time I will look into your affairs , and it will be all right , you shall see . \" \" Oh ! sir , \" said Victorine , with a tearful but eager glance at Vautrin , who showed no sign of being touched by it , \" if you know of any way of communicating with my father , please be sure and tell him that his affection and my mother's honor are more to me than all the money in the world . If you can induce him to relent a little towards me , I will pray to God for you . You may be sure of my gratitude ---- \" \" _The same old story everywhere_ , \" sang Vautrin , with a satirical intonation . At this juncture , Goriot , Mlle . Michonneau , and Poiret came downstairs together ; possibly the scent of the gravy which Sylvie was making to serve with the mutton had announced breakfast . The seven people thus assembled bade each other good-morning , and took their places at the table ; the clock struck ten , and the student's footstep was heard outside . \" Ah ! here you are , M. Eugene , \" said Sylvie ; \" every one is breakfasting at home to-day . \" The student exchanged greetings with the lodgers , and sat down beside Goriot . \" I have just met with a queer adventure , \" he said , as he helped himself abundantly to the mutton , and cut a slice of bread , which Mme . Vauquer's eyes gauged as usual . \" An adventure ? \" queried Poiret . \" Well , and what is there to astonish you in that , old boy ? \" Vautrin asked of Poiret . \" M. Eugene is cut out for that kind of thing . \" Mlle . Taillefer stole a timid glance at the young student . \" Tell us about your adventure ! \" demanded M. Vautrin . \" Yesterday evening I went to a ball given by a cousin of mine , the Vicomtesse de Beauseant . She has a magnificent house ; the rooms are hung with silk--in short , it was a splendid affair , and I was as happy as a king --- \" \" Fisher , \" put in Vautrin , interrupting . \" What do you mean , sir ? \" said Eugene sharply . \" I said ' fisher , ' because kingfishers see a good deal more fun than kings . \" \" Quite true ; I would much rather be the little careless bird than a king , \" said Poiret the ditto-ist , \" because ---- \" \" In fact \" -- the law-student cut him short -- \" I danced with one of the handsomest women in the room , a charming countess , the most exquisite creature I have ever seen . There was peach blossom in her hair , and she had the loveliest bouquet of flowers--real flowers , that scented the air----but there ! it is no use trying to describe a woman glowing with the dance . You ought to have seen her ! Well , and this morning I met this divine countess about nine o ' clock , on foot in the Rue de Gres . Oh ! how my heart beat ! I began to think ---- \" \" That she was coming here , \" said Vautrin , with a keen look at the student . \" I expect that she was going to call on old Gobseck , a money-lender . If ever you explore a Parisian woman's heart , you will find the money-lender first , and the lover afterwards . Your countess is called Anastasie de Restaud , and she lives in the Rue du Helder . \" The student stared hard at Vautrin . Father Goriot raised his head at the words , and gave the two speakers a glance so full of intelligence and uneasiness that the lodgers beheld him with astonishment . \" Then Christophe was too late , and she must have gone to him ! \" cried Goriot , with anguish in his voice . \" It is just as I guessed , \" said Vautrin , leaning over to whisper in Mme . Vauquer's ear . Goriot went on with his breakfast , but seemed unconscious of what he was doing . He had never looked more stupid nor more taken up with his own thoughts than he did at that moment . \" Who the devil could have told you her name , M. Vautrin ? \" asked Eugene . \" Aha ! there you are ! \" answered Vautrin . \" Old Father Goriot there knew it quite well ! and why should I not know it too ? \" \" M. Goriot ? \" the student cried . \" What is it ? \" asked the old man . \" So she was very beautiful , was she , yesterday night ? \" \" Who ? \" \" Mme . de Restaud . \" \" Look at the old wretch , \" said Mme . Vauquer , speaking to Vautrin ; \" how his eyes light up ! \" \" Then does he really keep her ? \" said Mlle . Michonneau , in a whisper to the student . \" Oh ! yes , she was tremendously pretty , \" Eugene answered . Father Goriot watched him with eager eyes . \" If Mme . de Beauseant had not been there , my divine countess would have been the queen of the ball ; none of the younger men had eyes for any one else . I was the twelfth on her list , and she danced every quadrille . The other women were furious . She must have enjoyed herself , if ever creature did ! It is a true saying that there is no more beautiful sight than a frigate in full sail , a galloping horse , or a woman dancing . \" \" So the wheel turns , \" said Vautrin ; \" yesterday night at a duchess' ball , this morning in a money-lender's office , on the lowest rung of the ladder--just like a Parisienne ! If their husbands can not afford to pay for their frantic extravagance , they will sell themselves . Or if they can not do that , they will tear out their mothers' hearts to find something to pay for their splendor . They will turn the world upside down . Just a Parisienne through and through ! \" Father Goriot's face , which had shone at the student's words like the sun on a bright day , clouded over all at once at this cruel speech of Vautrin's . \" Well , \" said Mme . Vauquer , \" but where is your adventure ? Did you speak to her ? Did you ask her if she wanted to study law ? \" \" She did not see me , \" said Eugene . \" But only think of meeting one of the prettiest women in Paris in the Rue des Gres at nine o ' clock ! She could not have reached home after the ball till two o ' clock this morning . Was n ' t it queer ? There is no place like Paris for this sort of adventures . \" \" Pshaw ! much funnier things than _that_ happen here ! \" exclaimed Vautrin . Mlle . Taillefer had scarcely heeded the talk , she was so absorbed by the thought of the new attempt that she was about to make . Mme . Couture made a sign that it was time to go upstairs and dress ; the two ladies went out , and Father Goriot followed their example . \" Well , did you see ? \" said Mme . Vauquer , addressing Vautrin and the rest of the circle . \" He is ruining himself for those women , that is plain . \" \" Nothing will ever make me believe that that beautiful Comtesse de Restaud is anything to Father Goriot , \" cried the student . \" Well , and if you do n't , \" broke in Vautrin , \" we are not set on convincing you . You are too young to know Paris thoroughly yet ; later on you will find out that there are what we call men with a passion ---- \" Mlle . Michonneau gave Vautrin a quick glance at these words . They seemed to be like the sound of a trumpet to a trooper's horse . \" Aha ! \" said Vautrin , stopping in his speech to give her a searching glance , \" so we have had our little experiences , have we ? \" The old maid lowered her eyes like a nun who sees a statue . \" Well , \" he went on , \" when folk of that kind get a notion into their heads , they can not drop it . They must drink the water from some particular spring--it is stagnant as often as not ; but they will sell their wives and families , they will sell their own souls to the devil to get it . For some this spring is play , or the stock-exchange , or music , or a collection of pictures or insects ; for others it is some woman who can give them the dainties they like . You might offer these last all the women on earth--they would turn up their noses ; they will have the only one who can gratify their passion . It often happens that the woman does not care for them at all , and treats them cruelly ; they buy their morsels of satisfaction very dear ; but no matter , the fools are never tired of it ; they will take their last blanket to the pawnbroker 's to give their last five-franc piece to her . Father Goriot here is one of that sort . He is discreet , so the Countess exploits him--just the way of the gay world . The poor old fellow thinks of her and of nothing else . In all other respects you see he is a stupid animal ; but get him on that subject , and his eyes sparkle like diamonds . That secret is not difficult to guess . He took some plate himself this morning to the melting-pot , and I saw him at Daddy Gobseck's in the Rue des Gres . And now , mark what follows--he came back here , and gave a letter for the Comtesse de Restaud to that noodle of a Christophe , who showed us the address ; there was a receipted bill inside it . It is clear that it was an urgent matter if the Countess also went herself to the old money lender . Father Goriot has financed her handsomely . There is no need to tack a tale together ; the thing is self-evident . So that shows you , sir student , that all the time your Countess was smiling , dancing , flirting , swaying her peach-flower crowned head , with her gown gathered into her hand , her slippers were pinching her , as they say ; she was thinking of her protested bills , or her lover's protested bills . \" \" You have made me wild to know the truth , \" cried Eugene ; \" I will go to call on Mme . de Restaud to-morrow . \" \" Yes , \" echoed Poiret ; \" you must go and call on Mme . de Restaud . \" \" And perhaps you will find Father Goriot there , who will take payment for the assistance he politely rendered . \" Eugene looked disgusted . \" Why , then , this Paris of yours is a slough . \" \" And an uncommonly queer slough , too , \" replied Vautrin . \" The mud splashes you as you drive through it in your carriage--you are a respectable person ; you go afoot and are splashed--you are a scoundrel . You are so unlucky as to walk off with something or other belonging to somebody else , and they exhibit you as a curiosity in the Place du Palais-de-Justice ; you steal a million , and you are pointed out in every salon as a model of virtue . And you pay thirty millions for the police and the courts of justice , for the maintenance of law and order ! A pretty slate of things it is ! \" \" What , \" cried Mme . Vauquer , \" has Father Goriot really melted down his silver posset-dish ? \" \" There were two turtle-doves on the lid , were there not ? \" asked Eugene . \" Yes , that there were . \" \" Then , was he fond of it ? \" said Eugene . \" He cried while he was breaking up the cup and plate . I happened to see him by accident . \" \" It was dear to him as his own life , \" answered the widow . \" There ! you see how infatuated the old fellow is ! \" cried Vautrin . \" The woman yonder can coax the soul out of him . \" The student went up to his room . Vautrin went out , and a few moments later Mme . Couture and Victorine drove away in a cab which Sylvie had called for them . Poiret gave his arm to Mlle . Michonneau , and they went together to spend the two sunniest hours of the day in the Jardin des Plantes . \" Well , those two are as good as married , \" was the portly Sylvie's comment . \" They are going out together to-day for the first time . They are such a couple of dry sticks that if they happen to strike against each other they will draw sparks like flint and steel . \" \" Keep clear of Mlle . Michonneau's shawl , then , \" said Mme . Vauquer , laughing ; \" it would flare up like tinder . \" At four o ' clock that evening , when Goriot came in , he saw , by the light of two smoky lamps , that Victorine's eyes were red . Mme . Vauquer was listening to the history of the visit made that morning to M. Taillefer ; it had been made in vain . Taillefer was tired of the annual application made by his daughter and her elderly friend ; he gave them a personal interview in order to arrive at an understanding with them . \" My dear lady , \" said Mme . Couture , addressing Mme . Vauquer , \" just imagine it ; he did not even ask Victorine to sit down , she was standing the whole time . He said to me quite coolly , without putting himself in a passion , that we might spare ourselves the trouble of going there ; that the young lady ( he would not call her his daughter ) was injuring her cause by importuning him ( _importuning ! _ once a year , the wretch ! ) ; that as Victorine's mother had nothing when he married her , Victorine ought not to expect anything from him ; in fact , he said the most cruel things , that made the poor child burst out crying . The little thing threw herself at her father's feet and spoke up bravely ; she said that she only persevered in her visits for her mother's sake ; that she would obey him without a murmur , but that she begged him to read her poor dead mother's farewell letter . She took it up and gave it to him , saying the most beautiful things in the world , most beautifully expressed ; I do not know where she learned them ; God must have put them into her head , for the poor child was inspired to speak so nicely that it made me cry like a fool to hear her talk . And what do you think the monster was doing all the time ? Cutting his nails ! He took the letter that poor Mme . Taillefer had soaked with tears , and flung it on to the chimney-piece . ' That is all right , ' he said . He held out his hands to raise his daughter , but she covered them with kisses , and he drew them away again . Scandalous , is n't it ? And his great booby of a son came in and took no notice of his sister . \" \" What inhuman wretches they must be ! \" said Father Goriot . \" And then they both went out of the room , \" Mme . Couture went on , without heeding the worthy vermicelli maker's exclamation ; \" father and son bowed to me , and asked me to excuse them on account of urgent business ! That is the history of our call . Well , he has seen his daughter at any rate . How he can refuse to acknowledge her I can not think , for they are as alike as two peas . \" The boarders dropped in one after another , interchanging greetings and empty jokes that certain classes of Parisians regard as humorous and witty . Dulness is their prevailing ingredient , and the whole point consists in mispronouncing a word or a gesture . This kind of argot is always changing . The essence of the jest consists in some catchword suggested by a political event , an incident in the police courts , a street song , or a bit of burlesque at some theatre , and forgotten in a month . Anything and everything serves to keep up a game of battledore and shuttlecock with words and ideas . The diorama , a recent invention , which carried an optical illusion a degree further than panoramas , had given rise to a mania among art students for ending every word with _rama_ . The Maison Vauquer had caught the infection from a young artist among the boarders . \" Well , Monsieur-r-r Poiret , \" said the _employe_ from the Museum , \" how is your health-orama ? \" Then , without waiting for an answer , he turned to Mme . Couture and Victorine with a \" Ladies , you seem melancholy . \" \" Is dinner ready ? \" cried Horace Bianchon , a medical student , and a friend of Rastignac's ; \" my stomach is sinking _usque ad talones_ . \" \" There is an uncommon _frozerama_ outside , \" said Vautrin . \" Make room there , Father Goriot ! Confound it , your foot covers the whole front of the stove . \" \" Illustrious M. Vautrin , \" put in Bianchon , \" why do you say _frozerama_ ? It is incorrect ; it should be _frozenrama_ . \" \" No , it should n ' t , \" said the official from the Museum ; \" _frozerama_ is right by the same rule that you say ' My feet are _froze_ . ' \" \" Ah ! ah ! \" \" Here is his Excellency the Marquis de Rastignac , Doctor of the Law of Contraries , \" cried Bianchon , seizing Eugene by the throat , and almost throttling him . \" Hallo there ! hallo ! \" Mlle . Michonneau came noiselessly in , bowed to the rest of the party , and took her place beside the three women without saying a word . \" That old bat always makes me shudder , \" said Bianchon in a low voice , indicating Mlle . Michonneau to Vautrin . \" I have studied Gall's system , and I am sure she has the bump of Judas . \" \" Then you have seen a case before ? \" said Vautrin . \" Who has not ? \" answered Bianchon . \" Upon my word , that ghastly old maid looks just like one of the long worms that will gnaw a beam through , give them time enough . \" \" That is the way , young man , \" returned he of the forty years and the dyed whiskers : \" The rose has lived the life of a rose -- A morning's space . \" \" Aha ! here is a magnificent _soupe-au-rama_ , \" cried Poiret as Christophe came in bearing the soup with cautious heed . \" I beg your pardon , sir , \" said Mme . Vauquer ; \" it is _soupe aux choux_ . \" All the young men roared with laughter . \" Had you there , Poiret ! \" \" Poir-r-r-rette ! she had you there ! \" \" Score two points to Mamma Vauquer , \" said Vautrin . \" Did any of you notice the fog this morning ? \" asked the official . \" It was a frantic fog , \" said Bianchon , \" a fog unparalleled , doleful , melancholy , sea-green , asthmatical--a Goriot of a fog ! \" \" A Goriorama , \" said the art student , \" because you could n ' t see a thing in it . \" \" Hey ! Milord Gaoriotte , they air talking about yoo-o-ou ! \" Father Goriot , seated at the lower end of the table , close to the door through which the servant entered , raised his face ; he had smelt at a scrap of bread that lay under his table napkin , an old trick acquired in his commercial capacity , that still showed itself at times . \" Well , \" Madame Vauquer cried in sharp tones , that rang above the rattle of spoons and plates and the sound of other voices , \" and is there anything the matter with the bread ? \" \" Nothing whatever , madame , \" he answered ; \" on the contrary , it is made of the best quality of corn ; flour from Etampes . \" \" How could you tell ? \" asked Eugene . \" By the color , by the flavor . \" \" You knew the flavor by the smell , I suppose , \" said Mme . Vauquer . \" You have grown so economical , you will find out how to live on the smell of cooking at last . \" \" Take out a patent for it , then , \" cried the Museum official ; \" you would make a handsome fortune . \" \" Never mind him , \" said the artist ; \" he does that sort of thing to delude us into thinking that he was a vermicelli maker . \" \" Your nose is a corn-sampler , it appears ? \" inquired the official . \" Corn _what_ ? \" asked Bianchon . \" Corn-el . \" \" Corn-et . \" \" Corn-elian . \" \" Corn-ice . \" \" Corn-ucopia . \" \" Corn-crake . \" \" Corn-cockle . \" \" Corn-orama . \" The eight responses came like a rolling fire from every part of the room , and the laughter that followed was the more uproarious because poor Father Goriot stared at the others with a puzzled look , like a foreigner trying to catch the meaning of words in a language which he does not understand . \" Corn ? ... \" he said , turning to Vautrin , his next neighbor . \" Corn on your foot , old man ! \" said Vautrin , and he drove Father Goriot's cap down over his eyes by a blow on the crown . The poor old man thus suddenly attacked was for a moment too bewildered to do anything . Christophe carried off his plate , thinking that he had finished his soup , so that when Goriot had pushed back his cap from his eyes his spoon encountered the table . Every one burst out laughing . \" You are a disagreeable joker , sir , \" said the old man , \" and if you take any further liberties with me ---- \" \" Well , what then , old boy ? \" Vautrin interrupted . \" Well , then , you shall pay dearly for it some day ---- \" \" Down below , eh ? \" said the artist , \" in the little dark corner where they put naughty boys . \" \" Well , mademoiselle , \" Vautrin said , turning to Victorine , \" you are eating nothing . So papa was refractory , was he ? \" \" A monster ! \" said Mme . Couture . \" Mademoiselle might make application for aliment pending her suit ; she is not eating anything . Eh ! eh ! just see how Father Goriot is staring at Mlle . Victorine . \" The old man had forgotten his dinner , he was so absorbed in gazing at the poor girl ; the sorrow in her face was unmistakable , -- the slighted love of a child whose father would not recognize her . \" We are mistaken about Father Goriot , my dear boy , \" said Eugene in a low voice . \" He is not an idiot , nor wanting in energy . Try your Gall system on him , and let me know what you think . I saw him crush a silver dish last night as if it had been made of wax ; there seems to be something extraordinary going on in his mind just now , to judge by his face . His life is so mysterious that it must be worth studying . Oh ! you may laugh , Bianchon ; I am not joking . \" \" The man is a subject , is he ? \" said Bianchon ; \" all right ! I will dissect him , if he will give me the chance . \" \" No ; feel his bumps . \" \" Hm ! -- his stupidity might perhaps be contagious . \"","labels":"Prose\/Lyrical","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"I do n't have much to add to the discussion of metal bending because I do n't do that ( yet ) , but I must say that this has been a VERY informative thread , especially with Dan and Craig's exchanges . Ever since I 've \" jumped \" onto the Mentalism bandwagon , I 've realised just how hard it is . FYI , I did not jump on any bandwagon . That was a just a joke . Mentalism is something I really enjoy and have a passion for . It is very tough to do it right and I know I have a long way to go , but I 'm trying my best to get there eventually . I 've already lost track of the number of times I 've take risks doing mentalism for people and screwing up the effect . Thankfully most of these are to fellow members of my local magic society , so I 'm using this experience to learn and prepare myself for actual public performances . There are so many aspects I still need work on that sometimes I do wish I have a mentor helping me out . Anyway , just wanted to say that this thread is great . _________________ \" Trust the tale , not the teller . \" - D.H. Lawrence","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"I 'm 11 years old and have Haemophilia A. My family did n't realise until I was 7 and a half when I lost my first baby tooth , although we were always wondering why I was black and blue with bruises . I decided that each year I would do one big event and raise what I could for the Society . That first year I did my first 100ft abseil . The next year I swam a mile ( that was really tough ) and then when I was 10 I did a 5-mile Triangle : I canoed 5 miles , cycled 5 miles and then walked 5 miles ! This year I fully organised a Book Sale . I collected books from everyone I knew , then made lots of posters and got some stickers from the Society . I got up at 4 . 30am and stayed until 2pm . We did n't do as well as I wished but I am quite happy with \u00a3 110 . I am now thinking about what I can do next year !","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Just my daily ramblings and personal experiences of running a busy business and surviving Monday , April 3rd , 2006 Stressed Out I did too much thinking last night and stressed myself out so much that I cracked about 1am . I currently have a lot of work on , I 'm slowly clearing my list of things to do but there 's still a lot there . I currently contract for a company in Cardiff and I feel really bad that I 've not been working my full hours for them . They provide and will continue to provide a lot of work to me whilst I develop web based systems for them and also one of my closest friends works there , who got me the job , and I really do n't want to cause her or anyone else issues . I also decided to redevelop a major site of a client 's , my exboss to be accurate , and I 'd hoped to get it all finished off in March , however due to other various work I 've not even started it which has really upset me . So I spent yesterday evening in Dave's arms upset and highly stressed not really knowing what to do . I know it 's just because I 've let it all get on top of me and get too much , right now there 's very little light at the end of the tunnel , but once this clears I definitely wo n't let it happen again . This year has flown by and it just seems that I 'm barely making any dent in my pile of work . \" Filed under Business by Sarah at 10 : 54 .","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"I 'm going to take you on a journey very quickly . To explain the wish , I 'm going to have to take you somewhere which many people have n ' t been , and that 's around the world . When I was about 24 years old , Kate Store and myself started an organization to get architects and designers involved in humanitarian work . Not only about responding to natural disasters , but involved in systemic issues . We believed that where the resources and expertise are scarce , innovative , sustainable design can really make a difference in people's lives . So this all began my -- I started my life as an architect , or training as an architect , and I was always interested in socially responsible design , and how you can really make an impact . But when I went to architectural school , it seemed that I was the black sheep in the family . Many architects seemed to think that when you design , you design a jewel , and it 's a jewel that you try and crave for . Whereas I felt that when you design , you either improve or you create a detriment to the community in which you 're designing in . So you 're not just doing a building for the residents or for the people who are going to use it , but for the community as a whole . And in 1999 , we started by responding to the issue of the housing crisis for returning refugees in Kosovo and I did n't know what I was doing , like I say , mid-20s , and I 'm the , I 'm the Internet generation , so we started a website . We put a call out there , and to my surprise in a couple of months we had hundreds of entries from around the world . That led to a number of prototypes being built and really experimenting with some ideas . Two years later we started doing a project on developing mobile health clinics in sub-Saharan Africa , responding to the HIV \/ AIDS pandemic . That -- that led to 550 entries from 53 countries . We also have designers from around the world that participate . And we had an exhibit of work that followed that . 2004 was the tipping point for us . We started responding to natural disasters and getting involved in Iran and Bam , also following up on our work in Africa . Working within the United States , most people look at poverty and they see the face of a foreigner , but go live -- I live in Bozeman , Montana -- go up to the north plains on the reservations , or go down to Alabama or Mississippi pre-Katrina , and I could have shown you places that have far worse conditions than many developing countries I 've been to . So we got involved in and worked in inner cities and elsewhere . And then also I will go into some more projects . 2005 Mother Nature kicked our arse . I think we can pretty much assume that 2005 was a horrific year when it comes to natural disasters . And because of the Internet , and because of connections to blogs and so forth , within literally hours of the tsunami , we were already raising funds , getting involved , working with people on the ground . We run from a couple of laptops in the first couple of days , I had 4,000 emails from people needing help . So we began to get involved in projects there , and I 'll talk about some others . And then of course , this year we 've been responding to Katrina , as well as following up on our reconstruction works . This is a brief overview . In 2004 , I really could n ' t manage the number of people who wanted to help , or the number of requests that I was getting . It was all coming into my laptop and cell phone . So we decided to embrace an open -- basically an open source model of business , that anyone , anywhere in the world , could start a local chapter , and they can get involved in local problems . Because I believe there is no such thing as Utopia . All problems are local . All solutions are local . So , and that means , you know , somebody who is based in , in Mississippi , knows more about Mississippi than I do . So what happened is , we used MeetUp and all these other kind of Internet tools , and we ended up having 40 chapters starting up , thousands of architects in 104 countries . So the , the bullet point -- sorry , I never do a suit , so I knew that I was going to take this off . OK , because I 'm going to do it very quick . So in the past seven years , this is n't just about nonprofit . What it showed me is that there 's a grassroots movement going on of socially responsible designers who really believe that this world has got a lot smaller , and that we have the opportunity -- not the responsibility , but the opportunity -- to really get involved in making change . ( Laughter ) I 'm adding that to my time . So what you do n't know is , we 've got these thousands of designers working around the world , connected basically by a website , and we have a staff of three . By doing something , the fact that nobody told us we could n ' t do it , we did it . And so there 's something to be said about naivete . So seven years later , we 've developed so that we 've got advocacy , instigation and implementation . We advocate for good design , not only through student workshops and lectures and public forums , op-eds , we have a book on humanitarian work , but also disaster mitigation and dealing with public policy . We can talk about FEMA , but that 's another talk . Instigation , developing ideas with communities and NGOs doing open-source design competitions . Referring , matchmaking with communities and then implementing -- actually going out there and doing the work , because when you invent , it 's never a reality until it 's built . So it 's really important that if we 're designing and trying to create change , we build that change . So here 's a select number of projects . Kosovo . This is Kosovo in ' 99 . We did an open design competition , like I said . It led to a whole variety of ideas , and this was n ' t about emergency shelter , but transitional shelter that would last five to 10 years , that would be placed next to the land the resident lived in , and that they would rebuild their own home . This was n ' t imposing an architecture on a community , this was giving them the tools and , and the space to allow them to rebuild and regrow the way they want to . We have from the sublime to the ridiculous , but they worked . This is an inflatable hemp house . It was built ; it works . This is a shipping container . Built and works . And a whole variety of ideas that not only dealt with architectural building , but also the issues of governance and the idea of creating communities through complex networks . So we 've engaged not just designers , but also , you know , a whole variety of technology-based professionals . Using rubble from destroyed homes to create new homes . Using strawbale construction , creating heat walls . And then something remarkable happened in ' 99 . We went to Africa , originally to look at the housing issue . Within three days , we realized the problem was not housing ; it was the growing pandemic of HIV \/ AIDS . And it was n ' t doctors telling us this ; it was actual villagers that we were staying with . And so we came up with the bright idea that instead of getting people to walk 10 , 15 kilometers to see doctors , you get the doctors to the people . And we started engaging the the medical community . And I thought , you know , we thought we were real bright , you know , sparks -- we 've come up with this great idea , mobile health clinics that can -- widely distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa . And the community , the medical community there said , \" We 've said this for the last decade . We know this . We just do n't know how to show this . \" So in a way , we had taken a pre-existing need and shown solutions . And so again , we had a whole variety of ideas that came in . This one I personally love , because the idea that architecture is not just about solutions , but about raising awareness . This is a kenaf clinic . You get seed and you grow it in a plot of land , and then once -- and it grows 14 feet in a month . And on the fourth week , the doctors come and they mow out an area , put a tensile structure on the top and when the doctors have finished treating and seeing patients and villagers , you cut down the clinic and you eat it . It 's an Eat Your Own Clinic . ( Laughter ) So it 's dealing with the fact that if you have AIDS , you also need to have nutrition rates , and the idea that the idea of nutrition is as important as getting anti-retrovirals out there . So you know , this is a serious solution . This one I love . The idea is it 's not just a clinic -- it 's a community center . This looked at setting up trade routes and economic engines within the community , so it can be a self-sustaining project . Every one of these projects is sustainable . That 's not because I 'm a tree-hugging green person . It 's because when you live on four dollars a day , you 're living on survival and you have to be sustainable . You have to know where your energy is coming from . You have to know where your resource is coming from . And you have to keep the maintenance down . So this is about getting an economic engine , and then at night it turns into a movie theater . So it 's not an AIDS clinic . It 's a community center . So you can see ideas . And these ideas developed into prototypes , and they were eventually built . And currently as of this year , there are clinics rolling out in Nigeria and Kenya . From that we also developed Siyathemba , which was a project -- the community came to us and said , the problem is that the girls do n't have education . And we 're working in an area where young women between the ages of 16 and 24 have a 50 percent HIV \/ AIDS rate . And that 's not because they 're promiscuous , it 's because there 's no knowledge . And so we decided to look at the idea of sports and create a youth sports center that doubled as an HIV \/ AIDS outreach center , and the coaches of the girls' team were also trained doctors . So that there would be a very slow way of developing kind of confidence in health care . And we picked nine finalists , and then those nine finalists were distributed throughout the entire region , and then the community picked their design . They said , this is our design , because it 's not only about engaging a community , it 's about empowering a community and about getting them to be a part of the rebuilding process . So the winning design is here , and then of course , we actually go and work with the community and the clients . So this is the designer . He 's out there working with the first ever women's soccer team in Kwa-Zulu Natal , Siyathemba , and they can tell it better . Video : Well , my name is Sisi , because I work at the African center . I 'm a consultant and I 'm also the national football player for South Africa , Bafana Bafana , and I also play in the Vodacom League for the team called Tembisa , which has now changed to Siyathemba . This is our home ground . Cameron Sinclair : So I 'm going to show that later because I 'm running out of time . I can see Chris looking at me slyly . This was a connection , just a meeting with somebody who wanted to develop Africa's first telemedicine center , in Tanzania . And we met , literally , a couple of months ago . We 've already developed a design , and the team is over there , working in partnership . This was a matchmaking , thanks to a couple of TEDsters : [ unclear ] Cheryl Heller and Andrew Zolli , who connected me with this amazing African woman . And we start construction in June , and it will be opened by TEDGlobal . So when you come to TEDGlobal , you can check it out . But what we 're known probably most for is dealing with disasters and development , and we 've been involved in a lot of issues , such as the tsunami and also things like Hurricane Katrina . This is a 370 dollar shelter that can be easily assembled . This is a community design . A community-designed community center . And what that means is we actually live and work with the community , and they 're part of the design process . The kids actually get involved in mapping out where the the community center should be , and then eventually , the community is actually , through skills training , end up building the building with us . Here is another school . This is what the U. N. gave these guys for six months -- 12 plastic tarps . This was in August . This was the replacement , and it 's supposed to last for two years . When the rain comes down , you ca n ' t hear a thing , and in the summer it 's about 140 degrees inside . So we said , if the rain 's coming down , let 's get fresh water . So every one of our schools have rain water collection systems , very low cost . A class , three classrooms and rainwater collection is five thousand dollars . This was raised by hot chocolate sales in Atlanta . It 's built by the parents of the kids . The kids are out there on-site , building the buildings . And it opened a couple of weeks ago , and there 's 600 kids that are now using the schools . ( Applause ) So , disaster hits home . We 've see the bad stories on CNN and Fox and all that , but we do n't see the good stories . Here is a community that got together and they said no to wait , to waiting . They formed a partnership , a diverse partnership of players to actually map out East Biloxi , to figure out who is getting involved . We 've had 1,500 volunteers rebuilding , rehabbing homes . Figuring out what FEMA regulations are , not waiting for them to dictate to us how you should rebuild . Working with residents , getting out -- them out of their homes , so they do n't get ill . This is what they 're cleaning up on their own . Designing housing . This house is going to go in , in a couple of weeks . This is a rehabbed home , done in four days . This is a utility room for a woman who is on a walker . She 's 70 years old . This is what FEMA gave her . 600 bucks , happened two days ago . We put together very quickly a washroom . It 's built , it 's running and she just started a business today , where she 's washing other peoples clothes . This is Shandra and the Calhouns . They 're photographers who have documented the Lower Ninth for the last 40 years . That was their home , and these are the photographs they took . And we 're helping , working with them to create a new building . Projects we 've done . Projects we 've been a part of , support . Why do n't aid agencies do this ? This is the U. N. tent . This is the new U. N. tent , just introduced this year . Quick to assemble . It 's got a flap , that 's the invention . It took 20 years to design this and get it implemented in the field . I was 12 years old . There 's a problem here . Luckily , we 're not alone . There are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of architects and designers and inventors around the world that are getting involved in humanitarian work . More hemp houses -- it 's a theme in Japan apparently . I 'm not sure what they 're smoking . This is a grip clip designed by somebody who said , all you need is some way to attach membrane structures to physical support beams . This guy , designed for NASA -- is now doing housing . I 'm going to whip through this quickly , because I know I 've got only a couple of minutes . So this is all done in the last two years . I showed you something that took 20 years to do . And this is just a selection of things that got happened in -- that were built in the last couple of years . From Brazil to India , Mexico , Alabama , China , Israel , Palestine , Vietnam . The average age of a designer who gets involved in this project is 32 -- that 's how old I am . So it 's a young -- I just have to stop here , because Arup is in the room and this is the best-designed toilet in the world . If you 're ever , ever in India , go use this toilet . ( Laughter ) Chris Luebkeman will tell you why . I 'm sure that 's how he wanted to spend the party , but -- but the future is not going to be the sky-scraping cities of New York , but this . And when you look at this , you see crisis . What I see is many , many inventors . One billion people live in abject poverty . We hear about them all the time . Four billion live in growing but fragile economies . One in seven live in unplanned settlements . If we do nothing about the housing crisis that 's about to happen , in 20 years , one in three people will live in an unplanned settlement or a refugee camp . Look left , look right : one of you will be there . How do we improve the living standards of five billion people ? With 10 million solutions . So I wish to develop a community that actively embraces innovative and sustainable design to improve the living conditions for everyone . Chris Anderson : Wait a second . Wait a second . That 's your wish ? CS : That 's my wish . CA : That 's his wish ! ( Applause ) We started Architecture for Humanity with 700 dollars and a website . So Chris somehow decided to give me 100,000 dollars . So why not this many people ? Open-source architecture is the way to go . You have a diverse community of participants -- and we 're not just talking about inventors and designers , but we 're talking about the funding model . My role is not as a designer ; it 's a conduit between the design world and the humanitarian world . And what we need is something that replicates me globally , because I have n ' t slept in seven years . ( Laughter ) Secondly , what will this thing be ? Designers want to respond to issues of humanitarian crisis , but they do n't want some company in the West taking their idea and basically profiting from it . So Creative Commons has developed the developing nations license . And what that means that a designer can -- the Siyathemba project I showed was the first ever building to have a Creative Commons license on it . As soon as that is built , anyone in Africa or any developing nation can take the construction documents and replicate it for free . ( Applause ) So why not allow designers the opportunity to do this , but still protecting their rights , here ? We want to have a community where you can upload ideas , and those ideas can be tested in earthquake , in flood , in all sorts of austere environments . The reason that 's important is I do n't want to wait for the next Katrina to find out if my house works . That 's too late . We need to do it now . So doing that globally . And I want this whole thing to work multi-lingually . When you look at the face of an architect , most people think a gray-haired white guy . I do n't see that . I see the face of the world . So I want everyone from all over the planet , to be able to be a part of this design and development . The idea of needs-based competitions -- X-Prize for the other 98 percent , if you want to call it that . We also want to look at ways of matchmaking and putting funding partners together . And the idea of integrating manufacturers -- fab labs in every country . When I hear about the 100 dollar laptop and it 's going to educate every child , educate every designer in the world . Put one in every favela , every slum settlement , because you know what , innovation will happen . And I need to know that . It 's called the leap-back . We talk about leapfrog technologies . I write with Worldchanging , and the one thing we 've been talking about is , I learn more on the ground than I 've ever learned here . So let 's take those ideas , adapt them and we can use them . These ideas are supposed to have adaptable , they 're allowed to be -- they should have the potential for evolution , they should be developed by every nation on the world and useful for every nation on the world . What will it take ? There should be a sheet . I do n't have time to read this , because I 'm going to be yanked off . CA : Just leave it up there for a sec . CS : Well , what will it take ? You guys are smart . So it 's going to take a lot of computing power , because I want this to -- I want the idea that any laptop anywhere in the world can plug into the system and be able to not only participate in developing these designs , but utilize the designs . Also , a process of reviewing the designs . I want every Arup engineer in the world to check and make sure that we 're doing stuff that 's standing , because those guys are the best in the world . Plug . And so you know , I want these -- and I just should note , I have two laptops and one of them there , is there and that has 3000 designs on it . If I drop that laptop , what happens ? So it 's important to have these proven ideas put up there , easy to use , easy to get ahold of . My mom once said , there 's nothing worse than being all mouth and no trousers . ( Laughing ) I 'm fed up of talking about making change . You only make it by doing it . We 've changed FEMA guidelines . We 've changed public policy . We 've changed international response -- based on building things . So for me , it 's important that we create a real conduit for innovation , and that it 's free innovation . Think of free culture -- this is free innovation . Somebody said this a couple of years back . I will give points for those who know it , I think the man was maybe 25 years too early , so let 's do it . Thank you . ( Applause )","labels":"Opinion\/Argumentation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Distr . 19 September 2003 Original : ENGLISH Opening address Ms. Heli Jeskanen-Sundstr\u00f6m , Director General , Statistics Finland Construction of an information society is the strategic goal of many countries . The building of an information society is not a detached process , but is tied to other social policy . Social change - especially when it is rapid - presents constant new challenges to decision-makers . There is a need for knowledge about the present status quo and its background and for relevant , reliable facts about the development trends in society . Capacity for continuous renewal and ability to adapt to changing customer needs are the prerequisites for staying competitive in business . New capabilities and ways of acting are also demanded of members of society . It is no longer enough to view change from the national perspective ; the effects of globalisation extend to the public sector , business enterprises , non-governmental organisations and ordinary citizens in every country . Countries want to compare their own development with that of others and seek for best practices . In this work , official statistics play an important role . The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD ) started systematic development of statistics on the information society in the 1990s , although the first pilot statistics on the phenomenon were already produced in the 1980s , that is , two decades ago . The development of statistics on the information society has progressed in steps - initially through clarification of concepts and definitions , then by exploitation of existing statistical data and eventually by designing statistics requiring new data collections . The OECD's exhaustive publication Monitoring the Information Economy 2002 contains scores of quantitative indicators for the monitoring of the state of the information society in different countries . In Europe , the eEurope 2002 indicators of the Commission of the European Union are used to monitor the progress towards the information society in the Member States . Besides quantitative monitoring , qualitative measuring is also applied to the eEurope programme . Thus , examples of follow-up systems already exist for a world-wide monitoring mechanism . Many countries already produce regular statistics depicting the information society , but the capability to compile them varies considerably from country to country . Some international recommendations are already available on the instruments - framework , concepts , definitions and classifications - that are needed in the compilation of these statistics but work on then is not finalised . Experience has shown that the development of a new statistical system takes several years . As an example of this , the first draft of the Handbook of Environmental Accounting that has just been completed was produced as far back as the early 1990s . The Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics approved by the United Nation ( UN ) in 1994 offer a good foundation on which statistical organisations throughout the world can build their activity . These principles state as follows : \" Official statistics provide an indispensable element in the information system of a democratic society , serving the government , the economy and the public with data about the economic , demographic , social and environmental situation . To this end , official statistics that meet the test of practical utility are to be compiled and made available on an impartial basis by official statistical agencies to honour citizens' entitlement to public information . \" The UN's statement emphasises that official statistics must be compiled according to scientific methods and internationally recognised classifications and definitions . Protection of suppliers' data must be unconditional . The statement further stresses the importance of co-ordination and co-operation . These fundamental principles of the UN are the preconditions without which production and functioning of official statistics can not even be started . Statistics describing the information society must also be developed in compliance with these principles . In its Declaration of Principles document , the World Summit on the Information Society will most probably adopt the key principles relating to the establishment of a sustainable information society . These will form the cornerstones on which the Summit's action plan and monitoring system will be built . The Declaration ( Draft , July 2003 ) sets out targets on the following areas : Information and communication infrastructure Access to information and knowledge The role of governments , the business sector and civil society in the promotion of ICTs for development Capacity building : human resources development , education and training Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs Enabling environment Promotion of development-oriented ICT-applications for all Cultural identity and linguistic diversity , local content and media development Ethical dimensions of the Information Society International and regional co-operation The declaration emphasises the need of an adequate information and communication ( IC ) infrastructure and the necessity to raise people's skills and competence , opportunities for the exploitation of ICT applications in all areas of life , and support of cultural diversity and creativity . These goals also serve as pointers for the statistical system that is needed to monitor their achievement . The importance of education and competence can not be emphasised enough when we speak about the development of the information society . From the perspective of a producer of official statistics it is satisfying to note that a Plan of Action , putting emphasis on the role of statistics in the monitoring process is also being drafted in support of the goals set in the declaration . Realisation of the goals of the information society will almost certainly be chiefly measured with qualitative instruments . Achievement of the targets relating to the legal environment or removal of constraints will probably be easiest to monitor with country-specific status reports and lists of actions . Monitoring of the attainment of the set goals also needs quantitative measures . Fortunately these do not have to be produced from scratch . International organisations already today produce a host of statistical information that can also be exploited for the monitoring of this declaration . The declaration concerning the development of the information society is not the first or only programme targeted at globally equitable human development . The UN's Millennium Development Goals were adopted by the UN Millennium Summit held in 2000 . Monitoring of the attainment of these goals has already started and several indicators used in it are also relevant for the monitoring of the declaration on the information society . International organisations should ensure that the indicators and statistics used in the monitoring of the other global programmes can also be exploited in the monitoring process that is about to be initiated now . The workload of national statistical offices should be minimised by maximising co-ordination between the statistical systems of international organisations . Systematic statistical monitoring requires organisation , co-ordination and division of responsibilities among international bodies . The system has to be efficient , and overlapping should be avoided . It would be prudent to draw up an inventory of the information international organisations already possess and of the recommendations that have been issued . For instance , the International Telecommunication Union ( ITU ) , the United Nations Educational , Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO ) , and the UN already collect statistical data that can be utilised . Successful selection of the essential ones , or so-called core indicators , of all the possible available measures is a major challenge to the monitoring of information society development . International organisations must also make sure that national statistical offices have at their disposal uniform and relevant concept definitions and other standards that support the compilation of statistics . Several examples of this already exist . Literacy of citizens is the decisive condition to the development of the information society . UNESCO conducts extensive collections of data on people's educational levels and participation rates in education in different countries . The ITU , for its part , follows the development and penetration of the telecommunications infrastructure in many countries . Existing mass communication and cultural statistics can provide data on printed media , and on digital content production and use in different countries . Besides providing classifications and methodological recommendations , international organisations already also offer tangible data collection instruments for statistical offices . The UN and the OECD , for instance , have published recommendations on how the information sector should be defined . The OECD has also reached unanimity about the definition of electronic commerce . Model questionnaires have been developed and approved within the OECD for inquiry surveys measuring the use of information and communication technologies . The purpose of these recommendations is to support the work of national statistical offices and ensure the availability of internationally comparable data . Unfortunately , monitoring of the progress of the information society can not be based on mere average figures for different countries . Besides producing data on literacy , diffusion of equipment stock or spread of Internet use , we should also know to what extent disparities in these occur between regions , or by socio-economic group or gender . Diverse national and international digital divide index calculation exercises have already been made . It is also necessary to monitor the impact of the taken measures on bridging this divide . There is also much international interest in statistics that can be utilised to analyse the coping of women and girls as exploiters of information technology . Over the past few years , the UN's city group - the Voorburg Group - which focuses on the development of statistics on service industries has been giving consideration to the development of statistics depicting the information society . The members of the group , thus far mainly statistical offices of developed countries , have had the opportunity to exchange information about their experiences and about best practices . The UN's Statistics Commission has discussed the establishment of a new forum for less developed countries . It might be defensible to suggest that while a monitoring system is being devised for the WSIS process , such a contact group be established within the framework of some subdivision of the UN . It would also be important to include the future users of the data in the development process at the international level . It is equally justified to wonder how international organisations could give assistance to less advanced countries in the development and compilation of basic statistics and indicators describing the information society . If support is given to the projects that are launched to implement the declaration , it would also be logical to support the development of the statistics that are needed in its monitoring . Commercial research institutes and private consulting companies produce a great deal of information about the penetration and use of information technology in different countries . The data are collected at the commission of customers who also pay for them , so demand for this kind of information quite obviously exists , and some of it is even available free of charge on the Internet . Why could the World Summit monitoring system not be based on this ? Use of statistics produced by commercial research institutes and consulting companies , as well as country-specific comparisons must be approached with certain reservations . The main concern relates to transparency of the used methods , which are often not publicly disclosed . Present research extends to a limited number of countries , mostly only those with the greatest economic influence . Data on developing countries are rarely available . The examined branches of industry or levels of education may deviate from those of official classifications , so the basic information otherwise available on them can not be used . Commercial research institutes generally only produce information that sells , which is fairly understandable . However , there is no commercial demand for many measures , such as those concerning equality between regions and genders , that are vital in the monitoring of information society development . When the World Summit adopts the Plan of Action , it entails initiation of an implementation and monitoring activity that will span over several years at both national and international levels . The information society perspective will become integrated into national policies . It also implicates that statistical offices will become bound by and committed to the development of statistics that serve the monitoring . Official statistics are expected , first and foremost , to give an accurate account of what is going on in society . Statistical offices must be able to provide relevant , reliable and up-to-date numerical information and support to decision-makers . Fulfilling this task is a major challenge to statistical offices at a time when society keeps changing fast and their resources are quite limited . The best foundation for statistics on the information society is a good infrastructure of official statistics . New data can often be effectively produced by reclassifying the data from household inquiries or statistics on manufacturing or foreign trade , or by attaching supplementary questions to existing survey inquiries . The cost of developing a new statistical system can be minimised by the exploitation of existing systems . Statistical monitoring of the information society has to be adapted to the other work and operating frameworks of statistical offices . At its next meeting in two year's time , the World Summit on the Information Society expects a follow-up report on the principles adopted at this meeting . This means that we have to be able to describe the present status quo and the development over the coming years . When new statistics are being developed it is good to bear in mind that the targets of statistical monitoring can not change from one year to the next , but time series are needed . The development work takes several years and requires close co-operation with the suppliers and users of data . When national information society programmes are being drawn up it is good if statistical offices can contribute to the work right from the beginning . A programme for the monitoring of strategies and action plans is vital , how else could their compilers obtain follow-up data on the present development that are impartial and independent , and comply with the ethical rules of statistics and research . As an example from my own country , Finland , I can quote that , keen to monitor progress , the Finnish Government charged Statistics Finland , in its first national Information Society Strategy in 1995 , with the responsibility to provide reports at regular intervals and to conduct occasional studies on the programme's impacts in society . Giving out a strategy means that we should be able to measure the development towards the given targets . Ever since then , Statistics Finland has participated closely in the national work on the development of the information society , and this work has also borne good fruit . Kofi Annan , Secretary-General of the United Nations , writes in the foreword of the UNCTAD E-Commerce and Development Report 2002 : \" If the world is serious about achieving the Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of people living in extreme poverty by the year 2015 , ICT must figure prominently in the effort . Everyone - governments , civil society , private sector businesses - has a vital stake in fostering digital opportunity and putting ICT at the service of development . \" Extensive adoption of ICT and raising of skills levels are global challenges of the information society . There are intermediate steps and clear milestones in the achievement of these targets . The WSIS requires monitoring of the key principles of the declaration . How capable is the international statistical community of responding to the challenge thrown at it ? How the task should be organised and the work of international organisations co-ordinated is a major challenge . Successful and relevant outlining of the frame of reference into which the indicators derived from the declaration can be placed is crucially important . Naturally , concepts and definitions need universal approval and introduction . All this must be well on the way by the Summit in Tunis in two years' time . Producing globally exhaustive statistics on the development of society would be an ambitious goal even with a longer timetable than this . I believe , however , that national statistical offices are keen to take up the challenge , provided the procedures and guidelines are agreed upon .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"As you start to type your search terms , Google Instant automatically shows results for a popular search that begins with those letters . If you do n't see the results you want , just keep typing and the results will dynamically update . Connect to the information you need faster , even before you finish typing your search ! How it works The basics of Google search are the same , including how results are ranked and how Google determines relevant results . What has changed is the path you can take to get to relevant results . Here 's what happens when you search : Start to type . As you type a search on Google , the homepage automatically starts displaying your search results -- no need to press Enter . A list of predicted queries is generated using the autocomplete algorithm . These predictions are displayed in a drop-down menu below the search box . See results . The algorithm tries to predict what the rest of your query might be based on popular queries typed by other users . The first prediction is shown in light grey in the search box , and the search results you see instantly will be for that predicted search . If instead you want to see results for only the text you 've typed , just press Enter or click the Search button . Type more , see more . If you continue to type , Google dynamically updates the search results to match the first prediction for what you 've typed . Refine your search . Do n't find the information or website you want ? It 's easy to refine your search after seeing what results appear . Here are some options : If you see what you 're looking for in the list of predicted queries , click the query to see relevant results . Use your keyboard 's down arrow key to scroll through the list of predicted queries , and see results appear for each query you pause over . Continue typing your query until the results show what you 're looking for . As always , you 're still able to type your full query and press Enter or click the Search button . Why do n't I see results appear as I type ? You wo n ' t see results appear as you type if any of the following is true : you search from a page that 's not the Google homepage or a search results page you search from your iGoogle page rather than the classic homepage you search using Google SSL you use an Internet browser that 's not one of these supported browsers : Firefox 3 and later versions , Safari 5 for Mac and later versions , Internet Explorer 8 , and Google Chrome 5 and later versions you previously disabled autocomplete you previously opted out of Google Instant you use a Google domain or interface language that does not yet support Google Instant In addition , users on particularly slow Internet connections wo n ' t see dynamic results since we want to make sure that your search experience is as fast as possible . Learn more about this and similar issues . Lastly , certain types of search queries that may be inappropriate will not trigger results to appear automatically . In these situations , you 'll see a message asking you to click Enter to perform the search . The benefits Get all the benefits of autocomplete and more : Save time -- Get relevant search results while you type so you spend less time searching and can go right to the web content you want . Type less -- Dynamically generated results let you stop typing as soon as you see what you need . We estimate that this will reduce the average number of keystrokes by 9 per search . Search smarter -- Like a conversation with the search engine , get instant feedback on whether your search terms return the type of results you want . If not , just add another word or two to see if the results are closer to what you 're looking for . Learn how to get the most out of Google Instant Can I opt out ? If you do n't want to see results as you type , you can opt out by accessing your search settings under the gear icon on any search results page . When you opt out , we 'll save that preference on a cookie , so you 'll stayed opted out until the cookie is cleared . Note that the preference will only apply to that particular computer and Internet browser , and it is not tied to your Google Account . If you 're concerned about seeing inappropriate content , you can enable SafeSearch at the \" strict filtering \" level to help avoid sites that contain pornography , explicit sexual content , profanity , and types of hate content .","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"The meeting opened with Paul Davis ( PD ) outlining the structure of the agenda , stating that the evening would be segregated into defined sectors to address the following issues ; Andrew Hounsell : Pr\u00e9cis of the content of the recent meeting held between Bob Holt and recognised supporters' group Paul Davis : T he current situation and events leading up to it . Mike Wilks : T he way forward - what can we do ? Open Forum : T he fan 's opportunity to reflect on , and comment on the situation . Andrew Hounsell ( AH ) AH reported on the meeting of fans' groups ( TrustSTFC , Supporters' Club , Disabled Supporters' Group , Loud and Proud ) with the club on Monday 25th September 2006 called by STFC , who were represented by Bob Holt , Ben Lambert , Martin Starnes , Sandy Gray's husband and Sarah Mildenhall . It was agreed that Bill Power ( Bill Power ) had made capital outlay to the club to the tune of \u00a3 1,120,00.00 . The clubs view of this investment was that it fell into two categories : \u00a3 1,000,000 as a share issue \u00a3 120,000 as a loan Bill Power has disputed this and states that the full amount was made as a loan and is requiring repayment . BH stated as a separate issue that Mark Devlin ( Mark Devlin ) still had a role to fulfill within the club , and also assured those present that the door was left open for Bill Power to return to the club in the future . BH confirmed that , although a clause in the manager's contract exists that would enable him to speak to a higher level club , no approach has been made . It was also confirmed that Mike Diamandis ( Mike Diamandis ) had instigated the approach for the current management team and brought them in to the club . BH said that club accounts are prepared and are ready to issue to the shareholders . However he said a \u00a3 700,000 overspend had occurred , although it was then further clarified that that was an overspend even taking into account the improved gates , so against budget it would more likely be over \u00a3 1 million . BH said Linda Birrell ( LB Club Secretary ) had been made redundant as part of a cost cutting exercise , although she had not been required to work her month's notice . The board felt that LB's duties could be absorbed within the existing structure . This decision was taken without any consultation with the members of the existing structure that it affected , including Dennis Wise . Paul Davis ( PD ) PD gave a chronological summary of events that have developed with regard to Bill Power's involvement with the club dating back to late March \/ early April 2006 . In late March , the Trust were told in a meeting with Mark Devlin that Bill Power was going to be coming on board , and that he would put in an initial investment of c \u00a3 1million . He and Mark Devlin were going to effectively run the ' football ' side of the business , leaving Mike Diamandis free to withdraw from that area of the club and concentrate on the ground redevelopment and his other business interests . A few weeks later , after a meeting with Mike Diamandis , he himself restated that this was to be the way things would operate and expressed his considerable relief at being able to withdraw from the day-to-day running of the club . So there was a clear understanding that Bill Power and Mark Devlin would run the football side of the club . It may have been a surprise then when Mike Diamandis brought in Dennis Wise and Gus Poyet ( and negotiated their pay structure ) , as this would clearly indicate Mike Diamandis was still very active in the ' football ' side of the business . That said , there is no indication that Bill Power or Mark Devlin were anything other than delighted to have Dennis and Gus on board . PD then referred to the official club statement issued on Monday which confirmed that a spending structure had been agreed for this season , which included a budget for the playing side , in a meeting during the close season between Sir Seton and James Wills , Mark Devlin and Bill Power . The statement made specific reference to the fact that Mike Diamandis was not present at that meeting but it was this meeting at which the spending plans for this current season were established . This is the agreement which was then rejected ( again according to the club's own statement ) at the board meeting three days before the start of the season - as spending and commitments on the basis of that plan must already have been undertaken ( it is ludicrous to suggest that Dennis Wise would not have been allowed to bring in backroom staff , players etc until a spending plan had been formally ratified a few days before the start of the season ) , this in essence amounts to a fundamental breakdown in the agreement reached during the close season . It is believed that this was the culmination of a series of ongoing disagreements throughout the close season between Bill Power and Mark Devlin on the one hand and Sandy Gray and Mike Diamandis , regarding how much freedom Bill Power was to have in the running of the football side of the business . And that the rejection of this agreement essentially marked a fundamental breakdown in the relationship between the two parties . The meeting of the football club board then finished and immediately after the board of the holding company met and ( again as referred to in the club's official statement ) at the end of that meeting , Bill Power and his business partner Phil Emmel were offered the opportunity to buy the club outright if they did not like the way it was currently being run . Bill Power and Phil Emmel went away to consider their options . Sadly , shortly afterwards Bill and others were injured in the plane crash which obviously interrupted that consideration . In terms of there being a ' rift ' , it is significant that no member of the board visited the Bill Power or the club employees injured in the crash while they were in hospital , except Willie Carson , who visited Mark Devlin and Mike Sullivan to his credit . According to statements by Bob Holt at the meeting on Monday , this was because club officials were asked not to visit the injured parties . Both Bob Holt and Mike Diamandis have repeatedly stated that there was no rift between Mike Diamandis and Bill Power and asked ' How could there be when we 've not spoken to them since the accident ? ' . PD said that the fact that the man charged with securing inward investment in the club had not spoken to the club's first major external investor in 5 years , not even to pass on his best wishes , in itself spoke volumes . During this period of hospitalization the Paul Ince deal was being negotiated , if the board had misgivings about the deal then the signing should not have gone ahead . With regards to Linda Birrell it was widely recognized that she played a vital role within the club and that when she was made redundant she was given a month's pay in lieu of notice , which if the reason for her redundancy had genuinely been cost-cutting would have been vital to ensure a smooth transition . PD said that the departure of Linda is what effectively brought the whole situation to a head . The following Wednesday there was a meeting between the board of the club plus Mike Diamandis on the one hand ; and Bill Power's wife Terry and business partner Phil Emmel on the other . Bill Power had specifically requested that Mike Diamandis not attend , again further evidence of a fundamental breakdown in the relationship between the two , but he did so apparently at the insistence of the Wills family . That meeting was the one ( again referred to in the club statement ) which resulted in Bill Power and Phil Emmel requesting the return of the money they had invested in the club and the well-documented disagreement as to whether that money was a purchase of share capital or a loan . Although PD believed that both parties would have been happy with the ' polite fiction ' of a statement saying Bill Power was withdrawing due to ill-health - no-one likes to wash their dirty linen in public - in the event a joint statement could not be agreed ( as Bill Power's side would not agree to a joint statement without resolution of the disputed shares \/ loan issue ) and the club decided , quite properly , to issue their own statement . No direct statement has yet been forthcoming from Bill Power due to legal complexities surrounding the investment issue . Mike Wilks ( MW ) MW introduced himself as a lifelong fan , former chair of the Supporters' Club , and current executive member of the club , and as someone who certainly had no axe to grind . He confirmed that he had no issues with Sir Seton Wills ( SSW ) , in fact quite the opposite and publicly thanked him for his continued support over the years , a point continually reiterated by all speakers MW explained he was a successful senior business executive and based on his substantial business experience said that basically the club as a business was technically worth virtually nothing , with a CVA in place , a 700,000 overspend and no accounts being filed . MW stated that the annual spend was \u00a3 2.6 million and that was simply staggering for a league 2 club . MW would like to propose a consortium with the approval and support of the fans to replace the current ownership . The consortium primary role would be to secure financial investment to ensure the survival of the club . The investment would be conditional on the following points Linda Burrell be reinstated immediately Independent auditors to examine the affairs of the club over the previous 5 years All Dunwoody contracts to be immediately terminated and investigated A fans representative to be elected to the board . Mark Devlin to be retained as Chief Exec . MW stated that the level of finance required to undertake this action could be in the region of \u00a3 2 - 3 million , although that would depend on whether a complete buy-out was necessary . MW also stated that Bill Power was aware of the views of the fans The floor was then thrown open to a general question and answer session . Votes from the meeting : Following the Q & A several motions were tabled and voted on : 1 ) To instigate active protests ( ie demonstrations etc ) against the non-football management of the club DEFEATED UNANIMOUSLY It was widely felt that this would be counter-productive at this stage and that no action should be taken which may have a negative impact on the players \/ football management 2 ) That the fans have lost confidence in the non-football management of the club and that the non-football management team should be replaced , but that this was not a criticism of the Wills family who continue to retain the utmost respect of the fans . CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY It was suggested during discussion of this motion that the admittedly awkward phrase ' non-football management of the club ' be replaced with ' board of the club ' ; this was rejected as it was pointed out that James Wills was on the board and the motion did not reflect any criticism of the Wills family . A rider was added to the motion expressing the respect of the fans to the Wills family . 3 ) That Mark Devlin should be allowed to resume his position as Chief Executive as soon as he is well enough and should be retained in that post ; and that the board should resolve the uncertainty over his future as soon as possible CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY 4 ) That Mike Wilks and TrustSTFC have a mandate to actively seek out investment from third parties and \/ or explore alternative ownership models for the club in order to secure the club's future CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY 5 ) That fans were united in their desire to see Bill Power re-engage with the football club and that Mike Wilks and TrustSTFC should attempt to enter into discussions with him to achieve this","labels":"News","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"General Conditions of Contract 45 . Software Licences Either All software licences for software due for delivery under this Contract shall be made between the Secretary of State for Defence and the Contractor . The licences shall be negotiated by the Ministry of Defence . This entire contract is subject to the satisfactory negotiation \/ agreement of software licences for all deliverable software with the exception of bespoke software . In the event that licenses are not negotiated AWE plc reserves the right to determine this contract upon written notice . or In performing this contract the Contractor hereby warrants that he has AWE plc ( as owner or licensee ) , to provide software required under this contract in accordance with the following terms : - Notwithstanding any contractual or licence term to the contrary the provisions of this clause shall have precedence . Software provided under this contract shall be licensed in the name of the Secretary of State for Defence ( hereinafter referred to as \" The Secretary \" ) but may be used by the Contractors and Sub-Contractors of the Secretary solely for the purpose of fulfilling contracts placed by or on behalf of the secretary . All Contractors and Sub-Contractors will be required to abide by the terms of the relevant software licence . No charge shall be made by the Secretary or the Licensor for the use of the software by a Contractor or Sub-Contractor in fulfilling a contract placed by or on behalf of the Secretary . or The software under this order shall be deemed to have been licensed to the Secretary of State for Defence under the terms and condition of MOD agreement .............. The provision of this order shall take precedence over that of any other licence agreement in the event of any conflict .","labels":"Legal","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Customer Service - How can we help you ? Copy of your invoice , cancellation and customer profile - round the clock available for you . REQUEST A COPY OF YOUR INVOICE Get your copy online - no unnecessary paperwork involved . \" Get a copy ... CANCEL A RESERVATION Cancel your existing reservation and make a new booking . \" Cancel now ... CHANGE PERSONAL DATA Check and update easily the data of your customer profile . \" Customer profile ... Discount programs , currency converter and location finder - get useful information . EXECUTE A BONUS CHECK Please check the amount and the status of your rental claim . \" Check your status ... CONVERT IN OTHER CURRENCIES Calculate your rental costs also in other currencies . \" Convert a curreny FIND SIXT LOCATION Here , you ' ll find all Sixt locations worldwide .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"The following list are the keywords currently used in the Dorset Coast Digital Archive . Using a variety of these keywords may help you find the images or information that you are looking for . When you look at the detailed record for an image , the other keywords used may help you find other similar images . Scroll down the alphabetical list using your mouse or cursor , or click on a letter to take you straight there .","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Data and information is for information purposes only . INI will not be held responsible for any errors in the content or for any actions taken in reliance thereon . The accessible links on these pages are services of the listed independent companies and are shown for your convenience only . INI does not recommend the services of any particular company or product and will not be responsible for any damages or costs arising from the use of these services .","labels":"Legal","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Sound modelling is an important part of the analysis-synthesis process since it combines sound processing and algorithmic synthesis within the same formalism . Its aim is to make sound simulators by synthesis methods based on signal models or physical models , the parameters of which are directly extracted from the analysis of natural sounds . In this article the successive steps for making such systems are described . These are numerical synthesis and sound generation methods , analysis of natural sounds , particularly time-frequency and time-scale ( wavelet ) representations , extraction of pertinent parameters , and the determination of the correspondence between these parameters and those corresponding to the synthesis models . Additive synthesis , nonlinear synthesis , and waveguide synthesis are discussed .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Whether you 're an amateur fighter with your sights set on the professional world or simply someone who 'd like to prepare for the worst , there are training fundamentals that will help any fighter get in gear . You 'll need to learn everything from the best training workouts , to what kind of food you 'll need to eat , as well as different martial art forms . Commit to a rigorous workout regimen . Professional fighters train for months before so much as entering a ring ; amateur fighters should try to do the same to not only reach their peak physical condition , but also perfect basic techniques . Three critical areas in which to focus your training are cardiovascular fitness , core strength , and muscle mass : Do cardio . This is the lifeblood of fight conditioning : fighters need to not only have excellent endurance , but also be able to summon a quick burst of power at a key moment in a fight . Fatigued fighters , on the other hand , tend to drop their arms , leave their critical hit points exposed , and fail to maintain a strong attack during the later rounds of a fight . To simulate the physical demands of fighting , do interval training . Do core exercises . Try performing exercises that involve many muscle groups . Lift weights . Eat foods that develop muscle . In addition to watching your intake of vitamins , minerals , electrolytes , and water to combat workout fatigue and the buildup of metabolic waste , emphasize healthy proteins to build bulk . Learn how to throw a punch . Start with a basic punch , making sure to practice with both the dominant and weak hand . Once you master the basic punching technique , try more advanced methods .","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Both the Executive Branch and Congress play leadership roles in championing U.S. interests in Asia and in directing U.S. policy towards Taiwan . However , the two have distinct approaches , views , and priorities when it comes to Taiwan defense issues , differences that have led to some tension . This session will examine the two approaches as they currently stand , considering where they differ and where they coincide , and will also look at potential changes in the future and what impact such changes might have on U.S. - Taiwan defense relations . It will also examine the Taiwan Legislatures view on defense . This session will appraise the continuing development of Taiwans indigenous defense capabilities , and how U.S. industry can play a positive role in helping to expand and develop new and mutually beneficial business models . The session will discuss cooperation opportunities in simulation \/ training , upgrades , license production , co-development , technical assistance \/ transfers , and Industrial Cooperation , as well as prospects for expanded use of the Direct Commercial Sales ( DCS ) model . Chinas rise as a regional security power presents numerous challenges to the U.S. strategy for maintaining peace and security in the Asia Pacific . This session will examine the role that Taiwan can play in support of the U.S. security strategy in Asia , including taking a potential air & sea battle role , serving as a collaborator on U.S. ISR ( Intelligence , Surveillance , Reconnaissance ) efforts , acting as a partner for the U.S. in humanitarian aid and disaster relief , and the potential for Taiwan to become a trusted supplier to the U.S. military-industrial base . Air Force This session will discuss the changing balance of air power in the Taiwan Strait , the current threats faced by the Taiwan Air Force , and current and future requirements stemming from that threat . The session will also assess how existing systems can help address Taiwans needs , and how new systems and capabilities being developed by U.S. industry can assist the Taiwan Air Force in meeting their future requirements . The discussion will also cover the potential role that Taiwan can play in support of the U.S. in the region . This session will discuss the current threat scenario for the Taiwan Navy , along with associated current and future requirements . The discussion will include evaluating how various new systems and capabilities being developed by U.S. industry can assist the Taiwan Army in meeting those requirements , including for scenarios such as anti-blockade and anti-submarine warfare . The session will also assess realistic alternatives for Taiwan submarine acquisition .","labels":"News","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"This ingenious gadget takes three keys and offers an easier to use key keeper for greater leverage of the key turning in the lock . We 've all had instances where we 've found turning the key in our house lock difficult , even if it 's just because our figures are cold in the winter snow . A very popular and stylish gadget that just makes getting into your home that much simpler . Attractive blue durable plastic design Can take up to three keys","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"The Retro Spacehopper lets you bounce your way straight back through time to the seventies ! This orange space hopper is printed with the retro kangaroo face you remember from your childhood . As soon as you grab the brilliant ribbed ears you 'll have a flashback to bouncing down your old road . They give you great grip when you 're racing your friends too . Huge 61cm \/ 24 inch maximum diameter ergonomically designed for better bouncing for teenagers and adults ... read more at our site","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"The normal thing is for internet marketing specialists to take charge on their own on-page SEO and to outsource the link building aspect . This makes sense as they have specialist knowledge with conversion optimization and may constantly tweak landing pages . Having knowledge of both conversion optimization and SEO enables an internet marketer to build a high converting and well optimized landing page . The majority focus would be on the sales conversion aspect while good basic on-site SEO would enable each landing page to have a decent organic SEO ranking . Working with a company with specialist knowledge of internet marketing SEO can further improve potential returns . This is due to them having expert staff members able to deal with both aspects of performing SEO and optimizing landing pages for sales conversion . As more and more people turn to the internet to buy goods and services , it is becoming more important to rank highly on search engines to get found . Competition is fierce and will continue to grow in the next few years . This could mean a profitable internet marketer doing everything themselves quickly falls behind and struggles to survive . If they had outsourced the work beforehand when the times were good it would be easier for them to remain profitable as they would have a much more diverse product range to offer consumers .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"OFFSHORE CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION ' CHALLENGE AWARDS' LAUNCHED 28 \/ 07 \/ 2004 The search is on for this year's Offshore Contractors' Association ( OCA ) Challenge Awards winners . OCA - the lead representative body for the UK's oil and gas contracting and supply industry - is today ( 16th June 2004 ) calling for its members to enter the prestigious awards which have recently been re-branded . The awards acknowledge and reward the outstanding achievements and successes of associated members of all sizes across the UK . Now in its eighth year , the accolades will be presented at the flagship annual OCA dinner which takes place on October 28 at the Marcliffe at Pitfodels in Aberdeen . Entrants are being sought after for the three categories of \u00b7 Challenge Award for Health , Safety and the Environment \u00b7 Challenge Award for Training \u00b7 Challenge Award for Technology and Innovation Bill Murray , Chief Executive of the OCA said , \" Each year's applications highlight just how innovative and committed our members are . Last year more than 15 companies reached the shortlist for the awards and standards were , as always , incredibly high . I am sure this year will be as difficult a job for the judges as last . \" \" The winners are presented with their personalized trophies in front of an audience of their peers and influential industry figures . The Challenge Awards focus on the sheer hard work and determination of members , as well as the improvements of working practices and services they are making . These awards have gone from strength to strength in recent years , which confirm how much the industry is still achieving . \" More information on the awards and entry forms can be found online at www . o ca-online . c o . u k . The closing date for entries is 27th August 2004 . Applicants with queries regarding filling in entry forms should call Fiona Watson at the OCA on 01224 326070 .","labels":"News","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Southern claims 96 % of conductors ' signed up ' for new role Southern wants drivers , rather than conductors , to operate carriage doors at certain times Nearly all conductors have signed up for a controversial new on-board supervisor role on Southern trains from January , the rail company has said . The conductors had until last Friday to respond to Southern's deadline , and 215 - 96 % of those required - have done so . The change to the role has caused a bitter dispute with the unions and has led to a series of walkouts . Mick Cash , RMT general secretary , said nothing had changed , members remained \" rock solid \" and the \" fight goes on \" . The latest 48-hour strike ended at midnight on Saturday and further stoppages are planned . Angie Doll , Southern's passenger services director , said : \" We 've now got over 200 conductors signed up ... disproving the union's claims that support is rock solid . \" RMT general secretary Mick cash responded : \" Nothing has changed in terms of the core issues at the heart of this dispute . It 's about basic rail safety and access to transport services for all members of our community . \" That ground has not shifted an inch thanks to the sheer pig-headed attitude of Southern Rail and their government pay masters . \" Our members remain rock solid ... and will not be bribed , bullied or beaten . That fight goes on . \" ' Spiteful act ' The new on-board supervisor roles will focus on \" customer service \" and move the operation of closing doors to the driver . A further 222 people will remain in their existing roles as conductors on certain services , Southern said . It is also planning to recruit a further 100 on-board supervisors to work across Southern and Gatwick Express services . Southern said the union leadership had \" stooped to a new low \" by calling a strike over Christmas , calling it a \" selfish , shameful and spiteful act \" . GTR , Southern's parent company , said its offer to the RMT to settle the dispute had now been formally withdrawn . Meanwhile , Aslef , the UK's biggest rail union , has suspended a strike ballot among its Southern members , because of \" technical difficulties \" . The RMT union is also balloting its driver members for strikes , with voting closing on 18 November .","labels":"News","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Thursday , 8 August , 2002 , 15 : 53 GMT 16 : 53 UK Turkmen leader to rename calendar Niyazov spends lavishly on spectacular palaces Turkmenistan President Saparmurat Niyazov has announced his intention to officially rename all 12 months of the year in commemoration of the country's heroes and most potent national symbols . It seems like he lives on another planet Turkmen man Mr Niyazov proposes to rename January Turkmenbashi after his official name , which means Head of all the Turkmen . Other months will be renamed to honour famous Turkmen poets and writers . He also wants the seven days of the week to be renamed , with uplifting phrases such as Young Day for Tuesday and Spirituality Day for Saturday . Mr Niyazov , who was attending Turkmenistan's annual People's Council , also said he wants to call the month of April \" Mother \" . In response , a speaker at the council suggested calling the month by the full name of the president's deceased mother , Gurbansoltan , which the president said he would consider . Public opinion Mr Niyazov already has several schools , cities , airports and even a meteorite named after him . Niyazov has ruled Turkmenistan unchallenged since 1985 Many people on the streets of Turkmenistan seemed unperturbed , but others were bitter regarding their leader's latest plans . \" This is a joke , the entire civilized world lives by the same calendar but Niyazov decides to set us apart once again , \" one man told the AFP news agency . \" It seems like he lives on another planet . \" Cult of personality The People's Council also called on Thursday for the eccentric leader to remain in power until his death , rejecting Mr Niyazov's proposal to step down and hold elections in 2010 , Reuters news agency reported . He was made president for life in 1999 . Mr Niyazov has ruled the country since he was appointed Communist Party chief in 1985 when it was still part of the Soviet Union . He quickly developed a cult of personality surrounding himself , suppressing legitimate political opposition . He has spent vast sums of money on lavish palaces and statues of himself , despite the country's increasing poverty . Much of the cash for such grandiose projects is thought to stem from deals involving Turkmenistan's rich oil and gas reserves .","labels":"News","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"The Goldilocks Principle \u2013 Definition The Goldilocks Principle describes a situation that is \" just right \" rather than too much or not enough . This ideology is derived from the popular children's story and has been applied to many disciplines , including astronomy , biology , psychology , economics , and more . In astronomy , a Goldilocks Planet is one that is just the right distance from a star to be able to sustain life on the planet . In ecomonics , a Goldilocks Economy is one which sustains moderate growth and low inflation . In cognitive science or education , the Goldilocks Principle is observed when a task is neither too simple nor too complex for the learner to grasp . In medicine , The Goldilocks Principle is the ideal dosage of a drug for a particular patient based on their physiological needs . In each of these examples , optimal balance is reached within certain margins rather than reaching for extremes . In \" The Story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears \" each item in the cottage symbolizes a situation in Goldilocks's life that is out of balance . As she finds \" just right \" with the item , she discovers a state of \" just right \" within herself . Symbolically , the item serves as the medicine for a particular physical or energetic ailment in her life . The porridge provides physical nourishment . The chairs provide a sense of self as she \" takes her seat . \" The beds provide both physical rest and sleep as well as a sense of peace . Just as a doctor is considered on some levels a healer , the food , home , and energy of the bears in the cottage of this adaptation of the story is what heals Goldilocks of her ailments by bringing her to a state of equilibrium akin to The Goldilocks Principle . In this simple example , Goldilocks's encounter in the bears' cottage serves to bring \" just right \" to her root chakra ( food nourishment ) , her core chakra ( taking her seat in her Self ) , and her crown chakra ( sleep and dreaming in spirit world ) .","labels":"Information\/Explanation","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"The planar ferrite sheet-based antenna measures 35mm by 50mm with a minimum thickness of 0 . 30mm , including the ferrite \/ adhesive \/ antenna flex layers , and can be customized to meet handset makers' size requirements . \" The magnetic field strength can be optimised by the type and thickness of the ferrite material and the design of the radiator pattern , \" says Pulse .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"Skills for Working Life What is the course about ? These courses are all Work Related and are more hands on than the GCSE courses at school . The idea is to prepare students for the world of work and to give them a platform to further work related courses or training at 16 . The courses require students to attend North Area College for one full day a week and there is a requirement to catch up on any school work missed during that day . Good attendance , punctuality , motivation and the ability to work independently are all important for success these courses . What will students be studying ? The following courses are available for study : - Hairdressing - Beauty - Sport and Recreation - Health and Social care All these courses follow Skills for Working Life qualification in year 10 . In year 11 most students move onto an NVQ Level 1 ( National Vocational Qualification ) or a VRQ ( Vocational Related Qualification ) or equivalent . How will I be assessed ? Students are assessed by their tutor at college at regular intervals . Although most of the assessments are practical , there are some written tests . E. g . Health and Safety . Students build up a portfolio of work as they progress through the course . A teacher from school will come to college every week to help students and to look at their work .","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"News Item : 3 February , 2003 Citizenship to stay at Key Stage 4 Citizenship remains a statutory subject at Key Stage Four under the government 's recently published outline strategy for 14-19 education . The Citizenship Foundation welcomes Citizenship's inclusion alongside Maths , English , Science , Religious Education and PE in a slimmed down National Curriculum . The essential theme of the proposals is to establish a new coherence and more flexibility from 14 , an approach we hope will see statutory Citizenship provision extended to 19 . New compulsory ' work-related learning ' programmes for all will also be introduced as part of the proposed changes . The Citizenship Foundation's First Friday seminar on 7 February , hosted by the TUC , will focus on the links between work-related learning and citizenship , with speakers from Middlesex University , the Nuffield Foundation , Ealing LEA and Lambeth Education-Business Partnership .","labels":"Promotion","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"ho-me-refinancing.com How to Use a Mortgage Loan Calculator Part 1 When you negotiating a new loan with bank or lender having a mortgage loan calculator can give you a great help , if you refinance of course you want the best rates you can get . Now , how can you know which lenders are giving you the best rates . Yes , you will know that all only by compare the offers you will get from these different lenders . Basically , there are 3 common question that people always ask when they want to take a mortgage . In these cases using a mortgage loan calculator can help you make the decision 1 . Should I Refinance ? Before you answer that question yourself , you need to determine you goal first . Example determine which repayment term are you prefer . A short term , so you can pay off your loan sooner . Or a long term , so you can reduce your monthly payment . Case : If you had a 25 year mortgage loan at 5 % interest , and for the last 3 years you 'd been making monthly repayment for this mortgage . Now , you want to reduce your monthly repayment . You can do this by refinance to a new 25 years period and we assume that interest rate is 4.5 % . In this case , you did reduce your monthly repayment but in long run you could end up paying more , even if the interest rate is drop . But you never know that until all the closing fees are factored in . A mortgage loan calculator can give you a great help in this . There are places to input all the closing fees and expenses you will pay in a mortgage loan calculator ...","labels":"Instruction","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}
{"text":"The College of Behavioral and Social Science ( BSS ) recognizes the outstanding scholarship of Professor Eric Bartelink , Department of Anthropology , at its annual BSS Faculty Colloquium Thursday , Dec. 5 , in the Bell Memorial Union ( BMU ) Auditorium . Bartelink will give a presentation titled \" Are You What You Eat ? Anthropological Perspectives on Diet and Health in Human Prehistory . \" He will discuss the use of chemistry to analyze the interaction of diet and health among prehistoric California hunter-gatherers . The BSS Faculty Colloquium Series is an annual event recognizing faculty members who have received national and international accolades for their work . Recognized in 2008 by CSU , Chico's Faculty Recognition and Support Committee for significant professional achievement , Bartelink is actively involved in research using stable isotopes and paleopathology to analyze the diet and health of ancient cultures . He holds invited appointments in the American Board of Forensic Anthropology and the Scientific Working Group for Forensic Anthropology , where he is working to establish best practices in forensic anthropology . Bartelink serves as the director of the CSU , Chico Human Identification Laboratory and as the co-coordinator of the University's certificate in forensic identification . He is regularly consulted to assist in identifying remains and works extensively with law enforcement agencies across California , as well as with the Federal Bureau of Investigation .","labels":"News","dataset":"FTD","language":"English"}