It involves sending magnetically levitated pods through low-pressure tubes at very high speeds, carrying goods or people.

Hyperloop One, which builds high-speed transportation between cities, has opened a vote on five potential routes in India. The five routes have been planned by teams from India who participated in the Hyperloop One Global Challenge, which invited teams from across the world to submit viable transport plans for their regions that would benefit millions.

Hyperloop is a technology that was proposed by inventor and businessman Elon Musk, who is behind the electric car company Tesla and the commercial space transport company SpaceX. It involves sending magnetically levitated pods through low-pressure tubes at very high speeds, carrying goods or people. Hyperloop One is currently developing such a system between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Also Read 'We are ready to build hyperloop transportation system in India'

In the Hyperloop One Global Challenge, the company had invited people to submit viable transport plans for their respective countries. According to the company it received 2,600 registrants from 90 countries, from which it selected 35 semi-finalists across all continents. India sent in the highest number of registrants.

The five semi-finalists from India and their proposed routes are:

AECOM - Bengaluru-to-Chennai: 334 km in 20 minutes. Meeting the demand of a passenger and freight super-corridor growing at 15% a year.

LUX Hyperloop Network - Bengaluru-to-Thiruvananthapuram: 736 km in 41 minutes. Connects two major ports in southern India with population centres of Coimbatore and Kochi.

Dinclix GroundWorks - Delhi-to-Mumbai via Jaipur and Indore: 1,317 km in 55 minutes. Freight and passengers. Connects two megacities and creates seaport access for landlocked intermediary cities in the interior.

Hyperloop India - Mumbai-to-Chennai via Bengaluru: 1,102 km. 50 minutes. Phased development for freight and passengers. Boosts capacity at ports of Mumbai and Chennai, creates a Suez Canal-like link between India’s coasts.

Infi-Alpha - Bengaluru to Chennai: 334 km in 20 minutes. Meeting the demand of a passenger and freight super-corridor growing at 15% a year. Connects with major airports.

The company had hosted a Hyperloop One Vision For India summit in New Delhi on February 28 which was attended by Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu and NITI Ayog CEO Amitabh Kant. According to a Bloomberg report, Hyperloop One CEO Rob Lloyd said the company is in early talks with the Indian government on the how to make some of these proposals come true, including sourcing materials locally.

To vote click here


Q:

Let $G$ be a group and we suppose that the commutator of $G$ has order $m$

Let $G$ be a group and we suppose that the commutator of $G$ has order $m$. I want to show that each element of $G$ has at most $m$ different conjugates. That means that $\left|x^G\right|\leq m$ for all $x\in G$ where x^G={z ∈ G : z ∼ x} = {z ∈ G : z = gxg−1 for some g ∈ G}. I have no idea to prove this, I do not know how can I start.

A:

Hint:
$$gxg^{-1}=[g,x]x\ \in [G,G]x\,.$$


The Chin to appear in Sam Raimi's Oz: The Great and Powerful!

Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. The great Bruce Campbell recently revealed on his Twitter page that he'll be reteaming once again with Mr. Sam Raimi in his next picture, Oz: The Great and Powerful. Along with a Behind the Scenes Picture from Evil Dead 2 (Hey, that's my job, Bub!) he put this statement out there:

"I. Am. In. Oz. Sam Raimi refuses to tell me what character I will portray. Just know that the role is PIVOTAL."

Tiny role or starring, it's always great to see those two team up, especially with such a good cast Raimi already has in his Wizard of Oz prequel... Mila Kunis, James Franco, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz et al.

Sounds like such a blatant prequel/franchise starter, and really, is the world that curious about the origins of the wizard in Oz?
Damn you Tim Burton, and your financially successful Alice In Wonderland movie!

He would be perfect casting. A stranger in a strange land, just like in Army of Darkness. It would be awesome to see Dorothy with a chainsaw as lower arm. "Hail to the Queen, Toto." (Hell, if they're going to remake Evil Dead, they might as well do this one).

But yes, even you noble director can be redeemed. Ever since Spider-Man 3 your stance as a director has crumbled. Don't care what the critics told you about Drag Me To Hell but that movie sucked worse than CABIN BOY! Please do us all a favor and reclaim your glory and just make another fucking EVIL DEAD movie already! That is what the fans want, not a FUCKING remake! You do a remake your going to add another movie to your list of I'm not creditable as a director list! Now OZ, WTF happened to you man! You have the power to at least get a 40 million production for a movie and you make Drag Me To Hell! This might be a FUCK YOU, but I think it is a GOOD FUCK YOU! Come back to you core audience and make a film worthy of your talent, fuck OZ!

Maybe they both enjoy the quirky cameo thing, but I would really like to see Campbell get a simple, decent, substantive role in a high-visibility film, even if it's a supporting role. It would be fun to see that at this stage.
Judging by the approach he describes in his original auto-bio book (which I own), he's probably getting the exact amount and type of work he wants in life. But he's a cool enough guy and does entertaining enough work that more is always better to me.

Make it so.
I agree with the comments below, IT HAS TO BE SUBSTANTIAL.
Oh and if you mention BC's (JC's) book, it can only be under its proper given title,
If Chins could Kill, Confessions of a B-Movie actor.
thehandthatbites out

Campbell is playing Ash again, and this time he gets to fight Deadite flying monkeys. He also has to wear the ruby slippers, and in trying to get home he loses count and clicks them together four times instead of 3 times.

W.W. Denslow illustrated the first Oz book, and his art heavily influenced the MGM Oz movie. The later Oz books were illustrated by John R. Neill, and he wasn't nearly the artist Denslow was.
Here is an example, for all who are curious, as to what Denslow's wonderful art looked like:
http://www.booksofwonder.com/prodinfo.asp?number=101130
In any case, I hope to hell the characters in Disney's Oz won't look like they were designed by Tim Burton. That's totally the wrong aesthetic for the Oz stories.


1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to toothpaste dispensing apparatus, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved toothpaste dispenser apparatus wherein the same is arranged to accommodate various components in an oral hygiene procedure including application of a toothpaste to an associated toothbrush.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various toothbrush and toothpaste dispenser structure has been available in the prior art for the positioning and mounting of a toothpaste tube relative to assorted structure such as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,586,212 to Tzouras providing for a toothpaste cap arranged for positioning a toothbrush relative to the cap in a dispensing of toothpaste relative to the toothbrush.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,396,238 to Torruella sets forth a toothbrush holder utilizing a box fastener structure to surroundingly enclose a toothbrush head therewithin.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,325,485 to Pina, et al. sets forth a rack member arranged to hold an array of toothbrushes thereto.
As such, it may be appreciated that there continues to be a need for a new and improved toothpaste dispenser apparatus as set forth by the instant invention which addresses both the problems of ease of use as well as effectiveness in construction and in this respect, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


Baking with MELT® Organic, The Perfect Baking Butter Substitute

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America Hurrah

America Hurrah is a satirical play by Jean-Claude van Itallie, which premiered at the Pocket Theatre in New York City on November 7, 1966. Directed by Jacques Levy and Joseph Chaikin, the play was an early expression of the burgeoning 1960s counterculture, expressing discontent with American consumerism and involvement in the Vietnam War. America Hurrah consists of three one-act plays: "Interview"; "TV"; and "Motel".

Production history

New York City
Two of the one-acts were first presented at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in 1964 and 1965. Interview was directed by Peter Feldman, and Motel was directed by Michael Kahn. Interview had begun as an exercise at Chaikin's Open Theater.

When the trilogy premiered in 1966, Interview was directed by Chaikin, and TV and Motel were directed by Levy. Stephanie Sills produced the trilogy, and incidental music was composed by Marianne de Pury and Fred Cantor. Ken Glickfeld was the stage manager, technical director, and lighting designer, and Tania Leontov designed the costumes with assistance from Beckie Cunningham.

The cast included Cynthia Harris, Conard Fowkes, James Barbosa, Ronnie Gilbert, Brenda Smiley, Henry Calvert, Bill Macy, and Joyce Aaron. Motel featured actors wearing large doll heads constructed by Robert Wilson. The Pocket Theatre production closed on May 5, 1968, after 634 performances.

Australia

The show was performed in Australia by the New Theatre in Sydney in 1968, causing police action to be taken against the acting company. After 13 performances, Motel, in which two big dolls scrawl obscenities on the walls of a motel room, was banned on moral grounds by the New South Wales Chief Secretary. While the production continued, with the banned segment replaced by a satire about the ban, a committee called ‘Friends of America Hurrah’ prepared plans for a one-night performance of the original version. This played to a full house in the Teachers Federation auditorium while thousands of people waited outside on Sussex Street, hoping to get in.

Audience excitement was high at the end of Motel, when police attempted to arrest the two heavily disguised dolls in the cast as they ran for the auditorium door. The actors appeared to vanish, but protected by fellow cast members, they actually shed their costumes and  returned to mingle with other cast members who were trying to stop the police from tearing apart the set to take as evidence. There were no prosecutions, and the confiscated pieces of the set were eventually returned.

The cast at the New Theatre in Sydney included Maggie Kirkpatrick, John Hargreaves, and Carole Skinner.

Publication
America Hurrah was first published by Coward-McCann in the United States and by Penguin Books in Great Britain. It was subsequently published in mass market paperback by Bantam Books, then by Grove Press.

In popular culture
In season 5, episode 9 of Mad Men, Don Draper's wife Megan takes him to the play. The episode is set in December 1966.

Awards
 1966-1967 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Production
 1966-1967 Drama Desk Award

References

External links

Category:1966 plays
Category:American plays
Category:Off-Broadway plays


Manuel F. Alsina Capo

Dr. Manuel Fernando Alsina Capó was a prominent Spanish-Puerto Rican urologist/surgeon who was one of the founders of the Partido Nuevo Progresista (New Progressive Party) in 1967 and performed the first kidney transplant in Puerto Rico in the 1968.

Early years
Born on February 11, 1909 in Barcelona, Spain (other sources claim 1914 in Venezuela and 1919 in Puerto Rico), young Manuel Fernando traveled extensively with his progenitors Manuel Alsina Montes and Rafaela Capó, accompanied by his aunt Mercedes Alsina and uncle José "Pepe" Girones, all of whom came from Barcelona to the New World at some point in the early 1900s, subsequently settling in Maracaibo, Venezuela where Manuel Fernando, if not born there, did attend a German military academy from kindergarten until his graduation with high honors at age 17. His father also had established a shoe factory and related leather goods manufacturing and export venues in this city.

Upon realising that his son was fit to study medicine, and being that he was the only offspring he had, Manuel Fernando Alsina, Sr. and the family decided to sell their booming businesses in Venezuela and once again migrated, this time to the United States where, as hoped, Manuel Fernando was promptly welcomed and admitted to the Villanova School of Medicine.

Personal life
After graduation with Magna Cum Laude honors, Dr. Manuel Fernando Alsina Capó married Rosa Látimer, a woman of Corsican descent. The couple settled in Puerto Rico immediately following World War II. The entire family, along with parents and uncles and other relatives, quickly established themselves there and it was not long before they once again became well known in business, social, and political circles. The marriage of young Manuel and Rosa did not last, however, and not long after their fourth child, Maria Celeste Alsina Látimer, was born the couple divorced following a bitter separation. The other older children were Manuel Fernando, José Antonio, and Rosa Gemma.

Manolín, as Dr. Manuel Fernando Alsina Capó was affectionately known to his family and friends, served shortly after in the US Navy Medical Branch as surgeon and for a time was stationed in the Pacific during the Korean War.

Upon his return to civilian life, Dr. Alsina Capó met and married Norma Mercedes González Sapia, daughter of Spanish and Italian immigrants Antonio González and Francesca Sapia Bosch. Antonio González, head of the accounting department of one of Puerto Rico's main sugar mills at the time, was brother of Avelino González, a well-known and beloved local inventor and founder of the highly successful Puerto Rican socialite retreat, the Ponce Yacht and Fishing Club.

Norma's mother, Francesca, was a well-known, cherished, and highly-spirited lady who widowed at an early age but with financial support from her brothers (Washington D.C.-resident U.S. Army General Timothy Sapia Bosch, Banco de Ponce Vice-President Salvatore (a.k.a. Salvador) Sapia Bosch) and a younger sister (Esther Armstrong Sapia) plus her lifelong friends Rosa Serrallés, Ada Valdivieso, and Joaquín Villafañe, as well as the Cortada, Covas, and Vendrell families among others, Francesca, who had become locally known as Francisca and then as Paquita, was able to raise her children (William, Edmée, Norma Mercedes and Jorge Antonio) comfortably amid the difficult and perilous World War II years.

Indeed, Paquita was very glad to have her youngest daughter Norma Mercedes marry Manuel Fernando, despite his being divorced. Elder daughter Edmée had previously married Jaime Vicens, a very successful businessman and brother of the well-known sports figure and idol Pachín Vicens, and of Enrique "Coco" Vicens, well-known doctor and ex-Senator of Puerto Rico. William González Sapia, to his credit, was well respected locally for having been Puerto Rico's top swimmer at one point, having been able in his twenties to swim from one island to another without tiring. He married the beautiful Mercedes Frau, a charming lady from one of Puerto Rico's most prestigious families at the time. Finally, Jorge Antonio, the youngest of the four, graduated from college after serving in the US Army in Washington, D.C., subsequently marrying sweetheart Mercedes Clavell Arias and eventually being named Upjohn Pharmaceutical's European General Manager.

From Dr. Alsina Capó's marriage to Norma Mercedes were born, in this order, Manuel Antonio (a.k.a. Monty, deceased 1986), Fernando Rafael, Elizabeth-Ann and Lee-Ann (twins, the latter of whom died as an infant while still in the hospital), Lila Mercedes and Ángel Eduardo.

Medical profession
Manuel Fernando Alsina Capó co-founded and was President of the Asociación de Urólogos de Puerto Rico in 1957.

Dr. Alsina Capó loved his involvement with social, political and sports causes/ventures and throughout his life dedicated himself to serving and promoting everything from boxing, track and field, swimming, baseball, basketball, sports clubs and national and international sports competitions. Also, as an avid Republican and personal friend of Luis Alberto Ferré Aguayo, Alsina Capó, along with Nelson Escalona and Ferré Aguayo, founded the Partido Nuevo Progresista in 1967, a statehood-oriented political party which in less than a year won the general elections and put its president, Luis Alberto Ferré Aguayo, in the governor's seat for the next four years.

Civil service
Manuel Fernando Alsina Capó also served as President of the Ponce, Puerto Rico, Municipal Assembly for four years while maintaining his medical practice. Some of his house guests included George H. W. Bush.

Final years
Dr. Manuel Fernando Alsina Capó's final years were spent in a nursing home where few people could visit him, eventually dying on February 9, 2008, two days before his next birthday.

Category:1909 births
Category:2008 deaths
Category:People from Barcelona
Category:Puerto Rican people of Catalan descent
Category:New Progressive Party (Puerto Rico) politicians


Did you drive or fly to one of the cities along the route for observing total solar eclipse? Did you avoid the crowd by watching live stream for the event, or were you simply oblivious of the Total Solar Eclipse event today? There were so many people trying to reserve for flights to one of the cities along the route of total solar eclipse above that a coach plane ticket between DFW (Dallas Fort Worth) to Nashville costed $6000 last week. Hotel rooms were quickly running out that all of the hotel rooms along this route were fully booked last week that the last single room was going for $6000 for 4 nights at Oregon State University area. This is the only reason that I am reporting the event from Florida rather than Oregon State University today. The next total solar eclipse in the USA will be on April 8, 2024, only 2422 days away. The next total solar eclipse outside of the USA will be on July 2, 2019, with the path of totality running through South American countries such as Chile and Argentina, according to NASA. If you missed today’s event, perhaps you’ll be interested in one of these two future events.

Historically, some of the total solar eclipses at:

October 22, 2134 B.C.: one of the earliest recorded solar eclipse appeared in Shu Ching, an ancient Chinese book of documents. The ancient Chinese believed that a solar eclipse was the result of a large dragon eating the Sun. It was the job of two royal astronomers Hsi and Ho to predict such events so that people could prepare bows and arrows to fend off the dragon. But Hsi and Ho shirked their duties and got drunk, so they were beheaded by the emperor.

May 28, 585 B.C.: A total solar eclipse brought about an unexpected ceasefire between two warring nations, the Lydians and the Medes, fighting for control of Anatolia (modern day Turkey) for five years, according to ancient Greek historian Herodotus. During the Battle of Halys, aka Battle of the Eclipse, the sky suddenly turned dark as the sun disappeared behind the moon. Interpreting this inexplicable phenomenon as a sign that the gods wanted the conflict to end, the soldiers put down their weapon and negotiated for a truce.

29-32 A.D.: Christian gospels say the sky darkened after the crucifixion of Jesus. It is possible that the event may have coincided with a solar eclipse. Historians have tried to pinpoint the death of Jesus, using astronomical records of solar eclipse in the years 29 C.E. or 32 C.E.

May 5, 840: Louis the Pious, the third son of Charlemagne, inherited a vast empire in what is modern day France after his father died in 814. His reign was marked by dynastic crisis and rivalry between his sons. Being a deeply religious man, Louis became terrified of punishment from God after witnessing a solar eclipse. According to the legend, he died of fright shortly afterward.

May 29, 1919: Sir Arthur Eddington tested Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity during a total solar eclipse. Einstein had theorized that massive objects caused distortions in space and time. Eddington confirmed that starlight bent around the sun by measuring the position of certain stars relative to the eclipse.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon completely covers the Sun’s disk, as seen in this 1999 solar eclipse. Solar prominences can be seen along the limb (in red) as well as extensive coronal filaments.(Photo Attribution: I, Luc Viatour, Presented at: WindermereSun.com)

(Please click on red links & note magenta)

How many of you had “observing a Total Solar Eclipse” on your bucket list? It was in totality only within a band across the entire contiguous United States ( covering: Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina). The last time a total solar eclipse was visible across the entire contiguous United States was during the June 8, 1918 eclipse.

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon’s apparent diameter is larger than the Sun’s, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth’s surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometers wide. This eclipse is the 22nd of the 77 members of Saros series 145, which also produced thesolar eclipse of August 11, 1999. Members of this series are increasing in duration. The longest eclipse in this series will occur on June 25, 2522 and last for 7 minutes and 12 seconds.

The total eclipse will have a magnitude of 1.0306 and will be visible from a narrow corridor through the United States. It will be first seen from land in the US shortly after 10:15 a.m. PDT at Oregon’s Pacific coast, and then it will progress eastward through Salem, OR, Casper, WY, Lincoln, NE, Kansas City, Nashville, TN, Columbia, SC, and finally Charleston, SC. Total Solar Eclipse will darken skies all the way from Oregon to South Carolina, along a stretch of land about 70 miles (113 kilometers) wide. People who descend upon this “path of totality” for the big event are in for an unforgettable experience. A partial eclipse will be seen for a greater time period, beginning shortly after 9:00 a.m. PDT along the Pacific Coast of Oregon.

The August 2017 eclipse will be the first with a path of totality crossing the US’s Pacific coast and Atlantic coast since 1918. Also, its path of totality makes landfall exclusively within the United States, making it the first such eclipse since the country’s independence in 1776. (The path of totality of the eclipse of June 13, 1257, was the last to make landfall exclusively on lands currently part of the US.

If you are interested in observing this event (total Solar Eclipse), below, in italics, is excerpt from “Eye Safety During Solar Eclipses” from NASA:

The Sun can be viewed safely with the naked eye only during the few brief seconds or minutes of a total solar eclipse. Partial eclipses, annular eclipses, and the partial phases of total eclipses are never safe to watch without taking special precautions. Even when 99% of the Sun’s surface is obscured during the partial phases of a total eclipse, the remaining photospheric crescent is intensely bright and cannot be viewed safely without eye protection [Chou, 1981; Marsh, 1982]. Do not attempt to observe the partial or annular phases of any eclipse with the naked eye. Failure to use appropriate filtration may result in permanent eye damage or blindness!

Generally, the same equipment, techniques and precautions used to observe the Sun outside of eclipse are required for annular eclipses and the partial phases of total eclipses [Reynolds & Sweetsir, 1995; Pasachoff & Covington, 1993; Pasachoff & Menzel, 1992; Sherrod, 1981]. The safest and most inexpensive of these methods is by projection, in which a pinhole or small opening is used to cast the image of the Sun on a screen placed a half-meter or more beyond the opening. Projected images of the Sun may even be seen on the ground in the small openings created by interlacing fingers, or in the dappled sunlight beneath a leafy tree. Binoculars can also be used to project a magnified image of the Sun on a white card, but you must avoid the temptation of using these instruments for direct viewing.

The Sun can be viewed directly only when using filters specifically designed for this purpose. Such filters usually have a thin layer of aluminum, chromium or silver deposited on their surfaces that attenuates ultraviolet, visible, and infrared energy. One of the most widely available filters for safe solar viewing is a number 14 welder’s glass, available through welding supply outlets. More recently, aluminized mylar has become a popular, inexpensive alternative. Mylar can easily be cut with scissors and adapted to any kind of box or viewing device. A number of sources for solar filters are listed below. No filter is safe to use with any optical device (i.e. – telescope, binoculars, etc.) unless it has been specifically designed for that purpose. Experienced amateur and professional astronomers may also use one or two layers of completely exposed and fully developed black-and-white film, provided the film contains a silver emulsion. Since all developed color films lack silver, they are always unsafe for use in solar viewing.

Unsafe filters include color film, some non-silver black and white film, medical x-ray films with images on them, smoked glass, photographic neutral density filters and polarizing filters. Solar filters designed to thread into eyepieces which are often sold with inexpensive telescopes are also dangerous. They should not be used for viewing the Sun at any time since they often crack from overheating. Do not experiment with other filters unless you are certain that they are safe. Damage to the eyes comes predominantly from invisible infrared wavelengths. The fact that the Sun appears dark in a filter or that you feel no discomfort does not guarantee that your eyes are safe. Avoid all unnecessary risks. Your local planetarium or amateur astronomy club is a good source for additional information.

In spite of these precautions, the total phase (and only the total phase) of an eclipse can and should be viewed without filters. It is crucial that you know when to take off and put back on your glasses; see Eye safety during a total solar eclipse

Two spectacular events signal the boundaries of totality: appearance of the diamond effect and Baily’s beads.

Diamond Ring of the Total Solar Eclipse, last bit of corona ring and last flash of the sun give us the “diamond ring” effect (presented at WindermereSun.com , with the help of NASA)

Diamond Ring: it is a product of the final moments of the pre-totality partial phases and their post-totality resurgence.

Baily’s Beads: Sir Edmund Halley is credited with observing the first Baily’s beads during the eclipse of April 22, 1715. They were also observed by Maclaurin from Edinburgh during the annular eclipse of March 1, 1737 and by Williams from Revolutionary War America on October 27, 1780 from just outside of the totality. But it was Francis Baily’s widely disseminated description of the phenomenon during the annular eclipse of May 15, 1836, that led to their bearing his name thereafter. It was explained by Baily that shortly before second contact of a total eclipse, the opposing horns of the slender crescent sun begin to converge on one another. At the same time, the tenuous solar atmosphere becomes visible against the darkening sky, shining out around the edge of the moon where the sun has already been covered. The combination of this “ring” of light and the single brilliant “diamond” of sunlight where the horns are converging creates a most striking appearance, the diamond ring. The effect lasts for a very short time. Soon the horns of the solar crescent close completely, and the diamond ring begins to break up, to be replaced by an array of brilliant beads of sunlight caused by the sun shining through valleys and depressions on the moon’s leading limb.

Idaho

Wyoming

Casper, Wyoming – The Astronomical League, an alliance of amateur astronomy clubs, will hold its annual Astrocon conference, and there will be other public events, called Wyoming Eclipse Festival 2017.

Georgia

Rabun County, Georgia – Multiple events occur across Rabun County, including the OutASight Total Solar Eclipse Viewing Party with astronomers from Georgia State University. Other events will be held at Tallulah Gorge State Park, Black Rock Mountain State Park, and other locations in the county.

Europe

In northwestern Europe, the eclipse will only be visible as a partial eclipse, in the evening or at sunset. Only Iceland, Ireland and Scotland will see the eclipse from beginning to end; in the rest of the UK, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain and Portugal, sunset will occur before the end of the eclipse. In Germany, the beginning of the eclipse will be potentially visible just at sunset only in the extreme northwest of the country. In all regions east of the orange line in the map, the eclipse will be invisible.

Dear Friends, Visitors/Viewers/Readers,

(Please click on red links & note magenta)

A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon completely covers the Sun’s disk, as seen in this 1999 solar eclipse. Solar prominences can be seen along the limb (in red) as well as extensive coronal filaments.(Photo Attribution: I, Luc Viatour, Presented at: WindermereSun.com)

(Please click on red links & note magenta)

How many of you have “observing a Total Solar Eclipse” on your bucket list? Did you know that a total solar eclipse will occur on Monday, August 21, 2017? It will be visible in totality only within a band across the entire contiguous United States ( covering: Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina). The last time a total solar eclipse was visible across the entire contiguous United States was during the June 8, 1918 eclipse.

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon’s apparent diameter is larger than the Sun’s, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth’s surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometers wide. This eclipse is the 22nd of the 77 members of Saros series 145, which also produced thesolar eclipse of August 11, 1999. Members of this series are increasing in duration. The longest eclipse in this series will occur on June 25, 2522 and last for 7 minutes and 12 seconds.

The total eclipse will have a magnitude of 1.0306 and will be visible from a narrow corridor through the United States. It will be first seen from land in the US shortly after 10:15 a.m. PDT at Oregon’s Pacific coast, and then it will progress eastward through Salem, OR, Casper, WY, Lincoln, NE, Kansas City, Nashville, TN, Columbia, SC, and finally Charleston, SC. Total Solar Eclipse will darken skies all the way from Oregon to South Carolina, along a stretch of land about 70 miles (113 kilometers) wide. People who descend upon this “path of totality” for the big event are in for an unforgettable experience. A partial eclipse will be seen for a greater time period, beginning shortly after 9:00 a.m. PDT along the Pacific Coast of Oregon.

The August 2017 eclipse will be the first with a path of totality crossing the US’s Pacific coast and Atlantic coast since 1918. Also, its path of totality makes landfall exclusively within the United States, making it the first such eclipse since the country’s independence in 1776. (The path of totality of the eclipse of June 13, 1257, was the last to make landfall exclusively on lands currently part of the US.

If you are interested in observing this event (total Solar Eclipse), below, in italics, is excerpt from “Eye Safety During Solar Eclipses” from NASA:

The Sun can be viewed safely with the naked eye only during the few brief seconds or minutes of a total solar eclipse. Partial eclipses, annular eclipses, and the partial phases of total eclipses are never safe to watch without taking special precautions. Even when 99% of the Sun’s surface is obscured during the partial phases of a total eclipse, the remaining photospheric crescent is intensely bright and cannot be viewed safely without eye protection [Chou, 1981; Marsh, 1982]. Do not attempt to observe the partial or annular phases of any eclipse with the naked eye. Failure to use appropriate filtration may result in permanent eye damage or blindness!

Generally, the same equipment, techniques and precautions used to observe the Sun outside of eclipse are required for annular eclipses and the partial phases of total eclipses [Reynolds & Sweetsir, 1995; Pasachoff & Covington, 1993; Pasachoff & Menzel, 1992; Sherrod, 1981]. The safest and most inexpensive of these methods is by projection, in which a pinhole or small opening is used to cast the image of the Sun on a screen placed a half-meter or more beyond the opening. Projected images of the Sun may even be seen on the ground in the small openings created by interlacing fingers, or in the dappled sunlight beneath a leafy tree. Binoculars can also be used to project a magnified image of the Sun on a white card, but you must avoid the temptation of using these instruments for direct viewing.

The Sun can be viewed directly only when using filters specifically designed for this purpose. Such filters usually have a thin layer of aluminum, chromium or silver deposited on their surfaces that attenuates ultraviolet, visible, and infrared energy. One of the most widely available filters for safe solar viewing is a number 14 welder’s glass, available through welding supply outlets. More recently, aluminized mylar has become a popular, inexpensive alternative. Mylar can easily be cut with scissors and adapted to any kind of box or viewing device. A number of sources for solar filters are listed below. No filter is safe to use with any optical device (i.e. – telescope, binoculars, etc.) unless it has been specifically designed for that purpose. Experienced amateur and professional astronomers may also use one or two layers of completely exposed and fully developed black-and-white film, provided the film contains a silver emulsion. Since all developed color films lack silver, they are always unsafe for use in solar viewing.

Unsafe filters include color film, some non-silver black and white film, medical x-ray films with images on them, smoked glass, photographic neutral density filters and polarizing filters. Solar filters designed to thread into eyepieces which are often sold with inexpensive telescopes are also dangerous. They should not be used for viewing the Sun at any time since they often crack from overheating. Do not experiment with other filters unless you are certain that they are safe. Damage to the eyes comes predominantly from invisible infrared wavelengths. The fact that the Sun appears dark in a filter or that you feel no discomfort does not guarantee that your eyes are safe. Avoid all unnecessary risks. Your local planetarium or amateur astronomy club is a good source for additional information.

In spite of these precautions, the total phase (and only the total phase) of an eclipse can and should be viewed without filters. It is crucial that you know when to take off and put back on your glasses; see Eye safety during a total solar eclipse

Idaho

Wyoming

Casper, Wyoming – The Astronomical League, an alliance of amateur astronomy clubs, will hold its annual Astrocon conference, and there will be other public events, called Wyoming Eclipse Festival 2017.

Georgia

Rabun County, Georgia – Multiple events occur across Rabun County, including the OutASight Total Solar Eclipse Viewing Party with astronomers from Georgia State University. Other events will be held at Tallulah Gorge State Park, Black Rock Mountain State Park, and other locations in the county.

Europe

In northwestern Europe, the eclipse will only be visible as a partial eclipse, in the evening or at sunset. Only Iceland, Ireland and Scotland will see the eclipse from beginning to end; in the rest of the UK, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain and Portugal, sunset will occur before the end of the eclipse. In Germany, the beginning of the eclipse will be potentially visible just at sunset only in the extreme northwest of the country. In all regions east of the orange line in the map, the eclipse will be invisible.

Today I came across the wikipedia site for President Obama’s “We Can’t Wait” Initiative and found no mention of any solar energy projects…but remembering reading about various solar projects in early part of August this year under this initiative. Definitely, a point that needs to be corrected/updated. So, here is my contribution for the humanity in wikipedia world, the 11th item under Executive actions of “We Can’t Wait”, under Wikipedia:

11. President Obama has expedited seven solar and wind energy projects (August 7, 2012) in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Wyoming. Together, these infrastructure projects will produce nearly 5,000 MW of clean energy, according to the White House. The five solar projects include the following installations:

*Quartzsite Solar Energy, a 100 MW concentrating solar power (CSP) plant under development in Arizona by Solar Reserve.

*Desert Harvest Solar Energy, a 150 MW PV plant under development by enXco in California.

*McCoy Solar Energy, a 750 MW PV plant under development by NextEra in California.

*Moapa Solar Energy Center, a multiple-technology solar plant under development by RES Americas and the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians in Nevada. The 200 MW project would employ 100 MW of PV technology and 100 MW of CSP technology.

*Silver State South, a 350 MW PV plant under development in Nevada by First Solar.[14]

Below, you will find a vido clip summarizing the spirit of “We Can’t Wait” Initiative:

President Obama, might you also consider helping us with implementation of effective Feed-In-Tariff for Renewable Energy ? It will do much in job creations, bring forth communities’ economic prosperity, reduction in pollution, decrease chance of warfare among nations, and solution for our energy problems.


Q:

Scala Optional best practices

def canAppendOffset(offset: Long): Boolean = {
  toRelative(offset).isDefined
}

private def toRelative(offset: Long): Option[Int] = {
  val relativeOffset = offset - baseOffset
  if (relativeOffset < 0 || relativeOffset > Int.MaxValue) None
  else Some(relativeOffset.toInt)
}

I get confused when running into the aforementioned code. The code if from Kafka LogSegment. I am wondering why we need a Optional here rather than simply return a  boolean in canAppendOffset(). It looks unnecessary to me why we need to create an Optional and access an field which records the boolean value I need.
I think there must be some logic in software design aspects. Could anyone give any suggestions on where and why to use Optional in Scala?

A:

There appears to be a couple of misconceptions here.

...create an Optional and access a field which records the boolean value...

There is no field here. isDefined is a method in the Option class that tests whether this instance is Some() or None.

...why we need an Optional here rather than simply return a boolean in canAppendOffset().

But canAppendOffset() does "simply return a Boolean". It's toRelative() that "creates" the Option and it does that because, while it is supposed to return a "relative" from the given offset, it might actually fail to do so if a valid result is impossible.
So it returns an Option[Int], thus telling the caller, "Here's Some(relative) if it can be calculated from the given offset, but it's None if I can't calculate a good result for you."


The biggest question in Supercars looks set to be answered ahead of next week’s season-opening Superloop Adelaide 500.

Jamie Whincup has flagged his intention to clarify his future plans next week, confirming whether or not 2020 will be his final full-time season.

The 36-year-old is already an all-time Supercars great, with his seven championship titles and 117 race wins both records.

“There’s plenty going on behind the scenes at the moment,” Whincup said during a pre-event promotional visit to Adelaide.

“I’m hoping to make an announcement next week on where my future sits.”

Whincup stressed he’s as “hungry as ever” for results ahead of the new season, showing no signs of losing his desire to compete.

His recent moves to plan for a future beyond driving have however invited speculation about when he’ll make the step back.

That included taking a 15 percent stake in Triple Eight in 2018 and assuming a role on Supercars’ rule-making Commission late last year.

Whincup remains hugely competitive on track, finishing in the championship’s top three every year bar one (2015) since ’07.

He won four of the final six races last year and will again suit-up as a red hot title contender this season..

Speaking to Supercars.com at the recent 2020 season launch, Whincup said racing on will be a “no-brainer” if he’s convinced he’ll still be competitive.

“I’m under no pressure at all. I want the best for the team first and foremost," he added.

“For 2020 I believe I’m the best person for the job, and we’ve got to decide if I’m the best for the job in 2021.”

Late last year, Triple Eight quietly extended Shane van Gisbergen’s contract through until the end of 2021.

That coincides with the team’s deals with sponsors Holden and Red Bull, which were announced midway through 2019.

Team boss Roland Dane has recently mooted the potential to recruit an international driver whenever Whincup does decide to retire.

The hottest young prospect in Supercars, Anton De Pasquale, drove for Triple Eight at the recent Bathurst 12 Hour, where both parties downplayed the connection.

Whincup has previously floated a desire to become a Supercars co-driver whenever he does retire from full-time driving, as well as explore more GT racing opportunities.

He plans to eventually take over the running of Triple Eight and contribute to the growth of the sport itself, noting his enjoyment of early work with the Commission.

“It’s been great,” he said of the Commission role, which he was voted into by his fellow team owners last October.

“There are some unbelievably good operators there already, so it’s going to be really tough for me to contribute and make a difference and improve it.

“There’s such quality expertise there, but I’m putting the challenge to myself to make sure I can contribute and do a good job.

“But still my focus is on driving. 100 percent my focus is on driving to make sure I’m as good as anyone to steer the #88.”


Suspect who allegedly took 2 women hostage at UPS facility in New Jersey died on the scene: Officials The two women taken hostage, both UPS employees, were not seriously injured.

The suspect who allegedly took two women hostage at a UPS facility in southern New Jersey Monday morning died on the scene, according to officials.

A shooting occurred outside the UPS facility in Logan Township Monday around 8:45 a.m., after authorities received reports of a man with a gun that had taken the two women hostage inside, according to a press release from the New Jersey attorney general's office.

As the hostage situation unfolded, the other employees were evacuated from the facility, leaving only the suspect and victims inside, Gloucester County Prosecutor Charles Fiore said at a news conference Monday.

The shooting occurred after the gunman and hostages had exited the building, according to the attorney general's office.

The women, both UPS employees, were not seriously injured during the hours-long standoff and were later rescued, the prosecutor said.

Multiple law enforcement officers fired at the man, identified as 39-year-old William Owens of Sicklerville, New Jersey, and he was pronounced dead on the scene, according to the attorney general's office.

One of the hostages had a prior relationship with the suspect, the prosecutor said.

UPS said in a statement Monday morning, "We cannot provide information about the identity of people involved at this time."


Metabolic changes during serial squash matches in older men.
We have previously reported dramatic changes in heart rate and blood biochemistry in older men during and shortly after competitive squash. In this study we sought to determine whether these changes are attenuated or exaggerated during tournament matches played in rapid succession. Ten veteran (greater than 45 yrs) players were studied during three competitive matches played over a 36-hr period. Squash was associated with significant changes in heart rate and circulating concentrations of catecholamines, lactate, free fatty acids, and potassium. These changes were of equal magnitude and in some cases tended to be exaggerated during the second and third matches. These data confirm the acute changes in cardiac function and metabolism that occur during competitive squash and suggest that these responses are not down-regulated but may in fact be accentuated during sequential tournament matches.


Official Statement from the family and partner of Aaron Swartz - mxfh
http://rememberaaronsw.tumblr.com/post/40372208044/official-statement-from-the-family-and-partner-of-aaron
======
shawn-butler
I am removing MIT as a benefactor from my will and ceasing donations to the
alumni association. I will not reconsider until the institution provides a
full accounting and takes responsibility for the actions of its legal counsel
in deciding to refer the matter to federal authorities.

If you are a current member of the student body or faculty you have a lot more
power than me. Please read about this matter and learn what your institution
chose to do on your behalf and take some action fully in the spirit of MIT to
reclaim what it has lost.

~~~
seiji
This is clearly out of my purview, but why in the world would you have an
institution as a beneficiary unless it's one you control? Are they really that
accomplished at brainwashing people?

~~~
shawn-butler
Not that it is any of your business but because I have no children and the
education of future generations is about the most important thing there is to
me. What is important to you?

Thanks for trolling me. I will try and make your contribution positive by
reminding readers that if they lack a will with benefactors or executors with
real world power, the state generally takes everything often ignoring legal
documents you leave behind.

~~~
randallsquared
"Not that it is any of your business"

If you don't want people to read and comment on something, maybe don't bring
it up to them, hm? It's not trolling to continue a conversation about your
will that you began.

Also, shaming someone for asking a reasonable question with "I will try and
make your contribution positive" seemed deliberately offensive. It's not clear
to me why you lashed out at that person as though they were prying into a
private matter, when you opened the discussion on it.

~~~
BrandonM
I would agree with your comment except that seiji used the derogatory term,
"brainwash," to refer to an activity that shawn-butler clearly chose to
participate in. This frames the conversation in a very negative light (it was
quite unnecessary), and it's not surprising that shawn-butler's response was
not entirely positive. I thought the reply showed appropriate restraint.

~~~
randallsquared
I agree that that seemed a poor choice of word, but the term doesn't seem
deliberately pejorative to me.

------
ghshephard
I've been thinking about the family today, and what might have caused Aaron to
make such a terrible decision. One thing that caught my attention, was
Lessig's comment in his post:

" _... Aaron Swartz be labeled a “felon.” For in the 18 months of
negotiations, that was what he was not willing to accept, and so that was the
reason he was facing a million dollar trial in April — his wealth bled dry,
yet unable to appeal openly to us for the financial help he needed to fund his
defense, at least without risking the ire of a district court judge._ "

So - MIT brings in the Feds, the Government threaten him with 30+ years of
Prison, somehow there is no way for him to appeal to the public for support
for his lawsuit (which would have been very popular, I'm certain).

Does he try and look to his family to liquidate everything they have to help
support his defense? Does he plead out to something that _he truly believed
was not wrong_?

I can't even imagine how horrible this situation must have been for him, and
why he couldn't see how he was going to get out of it...

~~~
rdl
I want to know who specifically at MIT was involved in this. It seems
antithetical to the MIT IT people I know (Jeff Schiller, etc.).

There's no hope, really, of replacing the US Attorney Ortiz. MIT, however,
actually has some indirect accountability to the tech community.

~~~
ghshephard
What would cause an MIT IT executive (and this would have to be an executive
decision) to bring in the Secret Service for someone running curl against
academic journal website.

I have done _precisely_ that type of thing dozens of times in the last 10
years, and it would have never occurred to me that I was doing anything wrong.
And yes, I always had to login first through a browser, figure out how the
hell the cookie was stored, export it into a format that curl liked, figure
out the URLs for all the docs, etc, etc...

And yes - when I was younger and more energetic, sticking my laptop in
unlocked cabinet with an open ethernet port is _exactly_ the sort of thing I
would have done, without for a second believing I was doing anything
"criminal".

I have to believe that MIT has hundreds (thousands?) of these types of
webscraping events occurring all the time.

What made this one different from their perspective?

~~~
rdl
He wasn't a member of the MIT Community, and was in a wiring closet.

If they'd charged him with trespassing, I would have contributed to his legal
defense fund and bought him a drink when he finished his ~30 days of community
service or whatever. Minimal harm, minimal foul.

I did way worse stuff from my machines at MIT when I was an undergrad. I
actually was called to testify in a federal case over it, but told them to eat
a bowl of dicks (well, more politely, and through the awesome attorney
Jennifer Granick -- I was out of the country and didn't return until the trial
was over, because you NEVER win if you set foot in a federal court, even as a
witness).

MIT sold out Drink or Die, too, so fuck them in general.

~~~
ghshephard
Secret Service was involved prior to MIT knowing who was web-scraping JSTOR.
Does MIT normally call the Secret Service when they find Laptops w/Hard Drives
in wiring closets, particularly unlocked wiring closets that Homeless people
were known to store their stuff in? This is all very strange.

From: [http://chronicle.com/article/Rogue-Downloaders-
Arrest/128439...](http://chronicle.com/article/Rogue-Downloaders-
Arrest/128439/)

"On January 4, MIT police officers were notified that a member of the
university's technical-security staff had discovered a laptop in the wiring
closet. That morning, a team including a Secret Service agent and police
officers from Cambridge and Boston visited the site and installed a
Webcam....JSTOR never contacted any law-enforcement authorities about the
matter. The decision to pursue criminal charges, she says, was not JSTOR's."

~~~
waterlesscloud
That morning? Wow, that seems incredibly fast action.

------
toyg
Fuck yes, make them bleed.

I can understand a US Attorney being reckless, but I cannot believe MIT would
act so cowardly. If not even hacker-friendly institutions like MIT will side
with people like Aaron, it's a sad state of affairs.

~~~
jhuni
> _If not even hacker-friendly institutions like MIT will side with people
> like Aaron, it's a sad state of affairs._

MIT hasn't been a hacker-friendly institution since the early 1980s which is
why Richard Stallman left MIT to found the free software movement.

~~~
wololo
What changed?

~~~
duaneb
He's being hyperbolic; MIT is still a very friendly hacker school. Aaron DID
break the law, and I would not expect ANY school to stand behind him when he
blatantly violated the law. It's pretty simple: don't break the law, much less
using MIT resources to do so.

That said, they could have handled it with a lot more finesse, especially when
it is such horrible publicity for them. I suspect this has more to do with
eager lawyers than it does MIT's culture.

Keep in mind that MIT is an academic organization and is committed to, well,
academics, not politics; e.g. Stallman did not belong there anyway.

~~~
Evbn
Yeah, what do academics have to say about law, government, management, or
medicine, anyway? These important fields should be left to professionals, why
are schools sticking their noses in?

~~~
duaneb
> Yeah, what do academics have to say about law, government, management, or
> medicine, anyway? These important fields should be left to professionals,
> why are schools sticking their noses in?

You misunderstand me. Of course, you are correct, but it's not the role of the
school to be political, but instead to inform their students on how to be
political. When people choose a school to go to, it should be about their
academics and should not be swayed by politics. (Of course, politics always
creeps in, which is why I'm never going to give one of my alma maters and
money.)

------
igravious
I don't think that I've ever seen anything like this (the sheer number of
submissions related to one event) on HN before. I, like most others, follow
the tussle between those who desire a world where the barrier to access
information is lower and those who want to copyright, lock up and monetize all
the information that we generate.

Most of the time I feel that it is like a high tech soap opera but this events
brings it home to me that alarmingly the stakes can be very high and that the
weight of the collective system can crush any one individual. Is this naive of
me but would it be possible to set up some kind of fund or foundation that
could provide real monetary support to help those that are a braver than the
rest of us when they confront the system and as a result get overwhelmed.

Apologies if this is inappropriate in any way.

~~~
biot
I am only vaguely familiar with Aaron Swartz, so the magnitude of the response
on this site surprised me and reminds me of the HN front page when Steve Jobs
died: <http://www.waybackletter.com/archive/20111005.html>

~~~
jlgreco
Unlike Jobs, Aaron was actually one of us.

~~~
biot
It's rather presumptuous for you to speak on behalf of everybody. I would
consider them both "one of us", though I prefer to leave "us" vs. "them"
labels to religious, political, and sports nuts.

~~~
jlgreco
By "one of us" I mean a part of our community (Hacker news in particular, and
the internet hacker/programmer community at large), and I am referring to his
involvement in Y Combinator.

~~~
biot
Thanks for clarifying; that makes sense now.

------
unimpressive

      Beware would be activists of the forces you put to your axe.
      Like the tip of an iceberg, their great heft can remain unseen.
      These machinations have no appreciation for hacks.
      Even lawful men have much to fear from their vision keen.
      The unlucky must contend with a 13 stringed marionette.
      Whose deadly snare targets all free men.
      Probing at the six lines in every hearts quartet.
      The song it plays is fell indeed.

      Moments of silence won't bring this man back.
      But we can rally as our thoughts are often not thought alone. [0]
      We can repel the forces who's wishes for the public domain is to sack.
      We can refuse to reap for us what others have sewn.
      Don't falter at the sight of a martyers fall.
      There is always work to be done with one less hand at the helm.
      Stand up and shout, silence strangles us all!
      Strangled, by this intellectual miasma that seeks to  consume our world with hell.

      And though this life has been bought,
      full speed ahead! Eight knots!

[0]: In the interest of honesty, I don't feel like I'm doing enough.

------
andrewpbrett
> Decisions made by officials in the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s office and
> at MIT contributed to his death.

Damning

~~~
sonabinu
Is anyone reminded of Alan Turing?

~~~
Gorbzel
Without any disrepect to Aaron's memory (very sad news), no.

Interested to hear what reminded you, but Turing committed suicide based on an
unjust persecution of a minority by society as a whole. While Aaron's
situation also involved injustice, I hadn't (and probably wouldn't) link the
two.

~~~
sonabinu
Did you not feel like his death was the result of authority pushing a him into
a corner? Wasn't Turing persecuted by authority as well? Two brilliant tech
minds lost before their time.

~~~
colechristensen
Aaron was accomplished, but Turing far overshadowed. Turing was forced or
compelled to take synthetic estrogen because he was gay as well as being
convicted and stripped of his security clearance. The hormone replacement
could be seen as rather more directly responsible for his suicide than the
still relevant stresses of overzealous prosecution.

------
zepolud
Extremely happy to see so strong and direct words. We owe him that much.

------
sadfasdf
This is the state of America, a kid with a laptop will go to jail for 30 +
years and a banker cunt that stole billions or laundered billions for drug
cartels gets nothing.

How sad it all is.

~~~
Evbn
They don't get nothing; they get millions of dollars.

------
sonabinu
It is good to see that those who loved him the most are direct without
euphemism.

~~~
jacquesm
The apple apparently did not fall very far from the tree.

------
lemming
_He used his prodigious skills as a programmer and technologist not to enrich
himself but to make the Internet and the world a fairer, better place._

Here's hoping his memory inspires more folk both here and elsewhere in the
world to do the same.

------
rogerthis
Being a chronic depressed and chronic pain sufferer, I wonder how much
problems like these contributed to him killing himself. I think about killing
myself everyday. I haven't done it yet because I am a devout Catholic and I
believe I can be in a worst place (or better) after death.

~~~
colechristensen
By all means let us know what we can do to keep life interesting!

~~~
rogerthis
Don't worry. I have the support from doctors, family, friends. And the
afterlife keeps this life interesting.

------
larrys
Perhaps someone could explain or confirm how anyone really knows that this is
actually the "official" statement of the family and partners of Aaron. I
understand that this was linked to in some major media, but I can find any way
of determining that by the page itself or in any of the stories linking to it.
There isn't any contact info and the domain name (which redirects there) was
registered by this person:

Domain name: rememberaaronsw.com

Registrant Contact:

       Brian Guthrie ()

       179 Stockwell Dr
       Mountain View, CA 94043
       US

As I've mentioned in a comment elsewhere it seems odd to me that all these
people got together and got this up so quickly after such a shocking event.

Here is one of the stories linked to it that doesn't verify the source:

[http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2013/01/online-
activi...](http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2013/01/online-activist-
aaron-swartz-26-found-dead/)

~~~
bguthrie
I was a colleague of Aaron's at ThoughtWorks (he joined early last year), and,
I hope, a friend. We're devastated by his loss. For a history of the work he
was doing over the last year, check
<https://github.com/victorykit/victorykit>.

We're in close contact with Aaron's family and partner Taren. You can take my
word for it or not, I guess, but the site and the statement are official.

~~~
jacquesm
Thank you Brian, for all you're doing in what must be incredibly hard times. I
can't begin to express how this all makes me feel, it will take weeks to sort
it all out I'm still too stunned to properly react. What a terrible loss. I
have a short list of people that I think I've identified that will change the
world in a material way, Aaron was at the top of that list. The fact that we
persecute such people rather than give them the benefit of the doubt and
encourage them to right what is obviously wrong is what bothers me most, the
one thing that stands out for me about Aaron at the moment is that he
consistently came down on the right side of any argument.

------
sonabinu
The Washington Post calls him an American Hero ... he was one, wasn't he?
[http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/01/12/a...](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/01/12/aaron-
swartz-american-hero/)

~~~
FireBeyond
At the risk of antagonizing an upset crowd - to me, no, he wasn't.

A hero is someone admired for courage and/or other noble qualities.

It's also a word greatly overused in culture today.

Swartz was accomplished, certainly. Though to me "co-founded the website
reddit.com, co-wrote one of many specifications for syndicating content and
repeatedly hacked and trespassed to download content to which he was not
authorized" does not a hero make.

~~~
jacquesm
Before you make a bigger fool of yourself why don't you go and read up on what
Aaron did besides the things you know about:

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Swartz>

~~~
lawnchair_larry
I agree with GP, even after having read that. It is okay for people to have
different definitions of "hero", without one of them having to be a fool.

In a way it hits home even more, because it shows how any poor sap not unlike
myself can be steamrolled by the justice system. I've probably done "worse",
or at least comparable things.

Weev is about to go to jail for something equally preposterous.

------
xijuan
I don't know what to say anymore. It really saddens me to see such a great
person ending his life. I can imagine the amount of stress he was going
through..RIP..

------
dinkumthinkum
One sort of reform many have not discussed, or I have not seen, is in changing
the way federal prosecutors pursue cases and sentencing. Very, very few
federal cases ever go to trial because of obscenely long prison sentences. The
defendant in federal cases is at such a disadvantage.

------
so898
If we use the death of this great person to do what we want, there is no
different between we and the BAD people. Justice will be served. At this
moment, I think we should just wish Aaron Swartz R.I.P..

------
stesch
tumblr.com gets autobanned on reddit. _sigh_

~~~
worldsayshi
Huh? You mean by vote?

~~~
stesch
No. Every post with a tumblr.com link gets automatically banned.

A week ago I posted something to a subreddit I've founded and it got banned.
This spam filter isn't even allowing moderators to post these links. But I was
allowed to unban it.

So, I wrote to the moderators of /r/technology a few minutes ago and instead
of unbanning it they said that tumblr.com is banned reddit wide. No, he hasn't
unbanned the link. :-(

~~~
colechristensen
Despite the occasional high value link, the reddit ban on tumblr makes reddit
better.

~~~
colmvp
Whereas quickmeme.com is edifying?

~~~
colechristensen
Fortunately or not, there are whole sections of Reddit devoted more or less to
quickmeme.com. Some subreddits auto-ban quickmeme which I highly encourage,
but a sitewide ban is unreasonable because of how engrained it is in the
culture.

Image captioning is, in our opinion, a bit worthless, but this is what we
actually find objectionable not just one site of many which provides this.

Blogging itself is not what is objectionable just the general quality of the
content from Tumblr, so comparing quickmeme to tumblr is unfair.

~~~
stesch
Where is the option to auto-ban certain domains? I've never seen it.

~~~
skeletonjelly
Doesn't exist. Spam filter learns.

------
skorgu
Assuming the address is findable would it be weird to leave flowers? I feel
like this shouldn't stay bits on wires.

~~~
Evbn
Seems he would have preferred you give to givewell or an endorsed
organization.

Cut flowers just die in a week.

------
jbrooksuk
Damn, I just had to zoom to 150% to read this.

------
OGinparadise
" _Decisions made by officials in the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s office and
at MIT contributed to his death...The US Attorney’s office pursued an
exceptionally harsh array of charges, carrying potentially over 30 years in
prison, to punish an alleged crime that had no victims."_

It's nothing personal, just business. They use these cases to run for higher
office by "being tough on crime" and other nauseating BS.


An Imperial County water agency director was arrested as police investigate a video posted online that appears to show him hitting his stepson.

The video shows a man playing a game of catch with a boy. The boy drops the ball, and that's when the man, identified by authorities as Anthony Sanchez, begins whipping him with a belt.

Neighbor Oscar Lopez shot the video Wednesday morning from inside his home. After a minute, Lopez can be heard on the recording telling Sanchez to stop.


The Hollywood sign, a world famous landmark, which is perched on top of Mount Lee in Hollywood Hills, is where former Broadway star Peg Entwistle jumped to her death.

The Hollywood sign was built in 1923 to advertise a real estate development site in Beachwood Canyon. The sign cost $21,000 to build and each of the letters was 50 feet high and 30 feet wide plus illuminated with thousands of light bulbs. The wooden sign read “Hollywoodland” and was only meant to be temporary in order to promote business.

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Maintenance of the sign discontinued in 1939 and over time, the sign fell into a state of disrepair. In 1944, the developers of Hollywoodland released 455 acres of land to the city of Los Angeles and this parcel included the Hollywood sign.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce rebuilt the sign but did not replace the light bulbs. They removed the last four letters because Hollywood was permanently established as the movie capital of the world.

The sign was untouched and went into disrepair until the 1970s when there was a fund-raising event where donors were asked to buy replacement letters. In 1978, the original sign was demolished and replaced with new steel letters.

Biography of Peg Entwistle

Successful Broadway actress Millicent Lilian Entwistle married Rolland Keith Richey, who was 10 years older and she didn’t know he had a son from his second marriage. In fact, her stepson was actor Brian Keith who was best known in his role on the TV show Family Affair. She divorced Rolland in 1929.

Peg enjoyed a great Broadway career and made tours around the country. In 1932, she was offered a role in the production of The Mad Hopes in Los Angeles. The play and Peg received rave reviews. In fact, Peg was given as much ink as Billie Burke and even more attention than Humphrey Bogart who also starred in the play!

In 1932, Peg permanently settled in Los Angeles and moved into her Uncle Harold’s bungalow in Beachwood Canyon.

The Demise of Peg Entwistle

Peg found work in the theater circuit but the productions were short-lived. She landed a contract at RKO Studios but the movie was panned by critics. When the movie was re-edited, Peg’s appearance was only brief. Her contract was not renewed by RKO. With the recent bad luck in switching to movies from plays, it was believed Peg considered herself a failure.

On Friday evening September 16th, 1932, Peg told her Uncle that was she was going to take a walk. She headed toward Mount Lee and that was the last time she was seen alive. Peg removed her coat and placed it with her purse at the base of the maintenance ladder which was leaning against the letter “H” on the Hollywood sign. She climbed up the ladder and jumped.

Peg Entwistle

Two days later on Sunday, September 18th Peg’s purse and coat were found near the ladder and her body was spotted by a hiker in Beachwood Canyon. The hiker put the coat and purse on the doorstep of the local police station and the police recovered Peg’s body at the bottom of Mount Lee the same day.

On Monday, September 19th , an inquest was held. City newswires, newspapers and radio stations made an announcement that an unidentified body of a woman was found at the Hollywood sign. The media gave a description of the body and read the contents of a suicide note that Peg had written. Uncle Harold claimed Peg’s body on Monday and she was cremated the same day.

On Tuesday, September 20th, Peg Entwistle’s suicide made the national news.

The Ghost of Peg Entwistle at the Hollywood Sign

There have been many sightings by park rangers and hikers in Griffith Park of the ghost of a woman who is dressed in 1930-style clothing. The ghost is described as a blonde woman who appears to be sad. One evening a man and his girlfriend were walking their dog on a trail in the area. Their dog started to act strangely.

They soon saw a lady appear in front of them and she was dressed in 1930s clothing. The lady seemed to be despondent and quickly vanished. The description of the female ghost is always the same; a blonde dressed in clothing from the 1930s and she is sad or in a daze.

A park ranger at Griffith Park has seen the female ghost several times and always detects the smell of gardenias. He has stood at the sign and seen the motion detectors trigger when nobody else has been present

Peg was only 24 years old when she jumped to her death. Sadly, a letter arrived at her uncle’s house a few days later from the Beverly Hills Community Players to offer Peg a substantial role in a production at the Hollywood Playhouse.

The Hollywood tabloids nicknamed Peg Entwistle “the Hollywood sign girl”.


Decline in PCB levels in otters (Lutra lutra).
A decline in total PCB levels in tissues of otters (Lutra lutra) from England and Wales, averaging 8% per year over the period 1983-1992, is reported. Mean PCB levels are now unlikely to pose a threat to otter populations.


using System;
using Android.Views;

namespace Xamarin.Forms.Platform.Android
{
	internal class DescendantFocusToggler : IDescendantFocusToggler
	{
		public bool RequestFocus(global::Android.Views.View control, Func<bool> baseRequestFocus)
		{
			IViewParent ancestor = control.Parent;
			var previousFocusability = DescendantFocusability.BlockDescendants;
			ConditionalFocusLayout cfl = null;

			// Work our way up through the tree until we find a ConditionalFocusLayout
			while (ancestor is ViewGroup)
			{
				cfl = ancestor as ConditionalFocusLayout;

				if (cfl != null)
				{
					previousFocusability = cfl.DescendantFocusability;
					// Toggle DescendantFocusability to allow this control to get focus
					cfl.DescendantFocusability = DescendantFocusability.AfterDescendants;
					break;
				}

				ancestor = ancestor.Parent;
			}

			// Call the original RequestFocus implementation for the View
			bool result = baseRequestFocus();

			if (cfl != null)
			{
				// Toggle descendantfocusability back to whatever it was
				cfl.DescendantFocusability = previousFocusability;
			}

			return result;
		}
	}
}


Halogenated indigo dyes: a likely source of 1,3,6,8-tetrabromocarbazole and some other halogenated carbazoles in the environment.
In recent years, a number of halogenated carbazoles have been detected in environmental samples. These emerging contaminants have been shown to be persistent and possess dioxin-like toxicological potential. The goal of this research was to examine the literature to determine likely anthropogenic origin(s) of halogenated carbazoles in the environment. The scientific literature indicated a number of pathways by which 1,3,6,8-tetrabromocarbazole could form in the manufacture of 5,5',7,7'-tetrabromoindigo. The U.S. production history of 5,5',7,7'-tetrabromoindigo correlates well with the concentration rise, decline, and disappearance of 1,3,6,8-tetrabromocarbazole in dated Lake Michigan sediments. Additionally, other halogenated carbazoles that have been found in environmental sediments can be explained by the production of other halogenated indigo dyes. 1,8-dibromo-3,6-dichlorocarbazole can be accounted for by the manufacture of 7,7'-dibromo-5,5'-dichloroindigo, while 1,3,6,8-tetrachlorocarbazole was found at relatively high concentration near the outfall of a U.S. manufacturer of 5,5',7,7'-tetrachloroindigo. Carbazoles containing an iodo-substituent can be explained by the use of iodine as a catalyst in the manufacture of halogenated indigo dyes. 3,6-Dichlorocarbazole measured in soils and dibromocarbazoles measured in more recently deposited sediments are not easily rationalized on the basis of an indigo related source and may be related to other anthropogenic sources or natural origins.


At least four murder cases — including that of convicted Eaton Centre shooter Christopher Husbands — could be heading for long and costly new trials due to what lawyers say was a "reversible error" committed by the same judge during jury selection.

Last year, the Court of Appeal ordered a new trial for Chad Noureddine and Richard Sheridan, convicted of second-degree murder by a jury in the brutal beating death of Andre "Red" Pelliccione. The court agreed with the accused men's lawyers that there was a "fatal flaw" in the composition of the jury.

"I would hold that this court (the jury) was improperly constituted to try the appellants," wrote Justice David Doherty, regarded as the court's top criminal law jurist, on behalf of a unanimous three-judge panel. "The verdicts must be quashed for that reason alone."

The decision could impact the ultimate outcome of the Husbands case — to be heard by the appeal court at a later date — and two others, potentially leading to new trials. Lawyers estimate that a typical murder trial can last four to six weeks or more, and cost well over $100,000.

Retired Superior Court Justice Eugene Ewaschuk, who declined to comment for this story, presided over the four trials.

At issue is the centuries-old method used in Canadian courtrooms to select a jury when the Crown or defence makes a "challenge for cause," which often means determining whether the jurors are able to judge the accused without bias.

Prior to 2008, the only way to do that was to select two names from the jury pool, who become known as the "triers." They then listen to a prospective juror being asked whether they can decide the case without bias and then approve them to sit on the jury based on the response.

Once the two triers have found a prospective juror to be impartial, and as long as the Crown and defence take no issue with that person, he or she becomes a sworn member of the jury and takes the place of one of the two triers.

The process of questioning the next potential juror is repeated using the remaining trier and juror No. 1 as triers. Once approved, the second juror takes the place of the remaining trier. There are now two sworn members of the jury and the two original triers are dismissed.

Those two jurors decide on the impartiality of juror No. 3. After that person is selected, jurors No. 2 and No. 3 decide on juror No. 4, and then 3 and 4 decide on 5, and so on until 12 jurors are selected, hence the term "rotating triers."

Parliament amended the Criminal Code in 2008 to allow for "static triers" — meaning the same two people pick the entire jury — but only if the defence asks for it.

Sheridan's trial lawyer requested rotating triers, but Ewaschuk denied that application, which led to the Court of Appeal overturning the convictions and ordering a new trial.

Doherty, the appeal court judge, explained in his ruling that using "rotating triers avoids the risk that the entire jury selection process could be tainted by a single static trier who is unable or unwilling to properly assess the partiality of prospective jurors."

Sheridan's appeal lawyer, Michael Lacy, said he doesn't believe Ewaschuk's error was due to a lack of understanding of the law.

"This was not a judge presiding over his first jury trial," said Lacy. "I wouldn't suggest he didn't understand what the Criminal Code said. Justice Ewaschuk is a very bright man, very thoughtful. I think notwithstanding what it said, he was of the view that he could create his own modified procedure."

The lawyer for Christopher Husbands, the Eaton Centre shooter convicted of murdering two men in 2012, told the Star he made it clear to Ewaschuk during jury selection that he did not want static triers, but the judge imposed that method anyway. That decision is one of the case's grounds of appeal.

"He said during the course of his discussion, he seems to really like the idea of static triers," said Dirk Derstine. "I think he thought that static triers were very efficient and saved time."

Lawyers have pointed out that when rotating triers are used, the entire jury pool is often asked to leave the courtroom, so they don't hear the challenge for cause question ahead of time.

That means that every time a new juror is sworn in, they must be instructed by the judge on their role as a trier, which makes the selection process a bit lengthier — an extra day at the most, say lawyers.

"At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter, the Criminal Code says you can only have static triers if the defence applies (for it)," said Derstine.

He said he even raised a recent British Columbia Court of Appeal decision highlighting that fact, but said Ewaschuk was "unimpressed."

Ewaschuk also imposed static triers over the protests of defence counsel in at least two other murder trials: that of Devon Vivian and Anthony Grant, convicted in a drive-by shooting, and Emmanuel Owusu-Ansah, convicted of killing the mother of his two children.

Vivian and Grant's case was heard by the Court of Appeal earlier this month, while Owusu-Ansah has filed a notice of appeal.

The latter's lawyer, Scott Reid, described his reaction to Ewaschuk's decision in one word: Resignation.

"He was a judge who very much did things his own way," he said. "He's not afraid to let the Court of Appeal correct him."

Known among criminal defence lawyers as "Tex" — for "Texas Justice" as well as for his penchant for wearing cowboy boots to court — Ewaschuk left the bench last year after 32 years of service, having reached the mandatory retirement age of 75.

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Having earned a salary of $308,000 a year as a judge, Ewaschuk is now collecting an annual $205,000 pension.

A former Crown attorney, he presided over numerous murder trials in Toronto during a lengthy judicial career, developing a reputation for doing things his own way in his courtroom and for sometimes making off-the-cuff remarks that led to admonishments from the Court of Appeal.

The court found in 2007 that his exchanges with the parties in an extradition hearing over the definition and origin of the term Roma were "unfortunate and not pertinent."

"It doesn't appear that he belongs to a band of Gypsies who live in — and this may be a bad stereotype — who go from town to town in wagons and such, or even caravans of cars," Ewaschuk was quoted in The Globe and Mail as saying of a Hungarian man fighting extradition.

A defence lawyer even tried unsuccessfully to have Ewaschuk remove himself from a murder trial in a famous courtroom showdown in 2005, arguing the judge was biased against defendants.

Even in retirement, Tex is still getting plenty of attention.

Four murder verdicts under microscope

Eugene Ewaschuk has presided over at least four murder trials where lawyers said he imposed static triers during jury selection.

Chad Noureddine and Richard Sheridan

"More mercy has been shown to dying animals," Ewaschuk said of the fatal attack for which the accused were sentenced to life in prison, after being convicted of second-degree murder. The pair allegedly beat the victim, Andre "Red" Pelliccione, an armoured car robber, with fists, kicks, rocks and a cement block, smashing his head to a pulp. Three other accused pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Christopher Husbands

Found guilty of second-degree murder, he was sentenced in 2015 to life in prison with a parole ineligibility period of 30 years for shooting up the Eaton Centre food court in 2012, killing Ahmed Hassan, 24, and Nixon Nirmalendran, 22, as panicked crowds fled. Among the injured was 13-year-old Connor Stevenson. Husbands testified in his own defence, saying he had no recollection of the shooting.

Devon Vivian and Anthony Grant

The two were convicted for a second time in 2013 of second-degree murder in the death of 19-year-old Jose Hierro-Saez in a drive-by shooting. Their original convictions were overturned by the Court of Appeal due to some of the jury instructions from the first trial's judge.

Emmanuel Owusu-Ansah

He was convicted of second-degree murder in the brutal stabbing death of Bridget Takyi, the mother of his two children, who had previously told police that Owusu-Ansah had threatened to kill her. Her body was burned beyond recognition. Ewaschuk described Owusu-Ansah as "depraved" when he sentenced him to life with a parole ineligibility period of 22 years.


The Asia Cup is set to undergo a radical change and will be a Twenty20 competition in 2016 for the first time, outgoing Asian Cricket Council chief executive Syed Ashraful Haq has revealed.

The ACC is to be wound down by June 30 and its operations absorbed by the International Cricket Council, prompting fears the Asia Cup tournament could be disbanded. However, Haq confirmed to cricket.com.au that not only would the tournament continue every two years, it would be revamped to include more Associate nations and mirror the format of the World Cup event to follow.

Haq confirmed reports the ACC's headquarters in Kuala Lumpur would close on June 30 and the development work currently done by the organisation would be taken over by the ICC.

He said the 2016 Asia Cup would be held early next year as a prelude to the ICC World Twenty20, with the latter to be hosted by India from March 11 to April 3.

It would then revert to a 50-over tournament in 2018 ahead of the 2019 World Cup in England and be played as a Twenty20 competition again in 2020.

Asian Cricket Council chief executive Syed Ashraful Haq // Getty Images

Haq suggested the change in format could also see two Associate nations join India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the tournament.

Afghanistan, Nepal, Hong Kong and United Arab Emirates have Twenty20 status.

"As there is a World Twenty20 tournament in 2016, the Asia Cup next year will also be of Twenty20 Internationals in February or March," Haq told cricket.com.au.

"The host country has not been decided yet." Bangladesh hosted the previous two Asia Cups in 2014 and 2012.

"There may be one or two teams from Associate nations as well," Haq added. "They could join India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the main tournament after playing a qualifying round."

The Asia Cup will return to an ODI format in 2018 with the biennial event set to mirror the format of the major ICC event that follows. It's a change that will allow Asia Cup contestants to fine-tune for World Cups with in a major regional competition.

"The year 2020 will again see the tournament in Twenty20 format and there will be another ODI (50-over) Asia Cup in 2022," Haq said.

Sri Lanka won the last Asia Cup, held in Bangladesh in 2014, and has won the competition five times since its inception in 1984. Pakistan have won twice – in 2012 and 2000 – while India are also five time winners.

Sri Lanka's Lahiru Thirimanne celebrates a century in the 2014 Asia Cup final // Getty Images

If two teams are included from the Associate nations, the 2016 Asia Cup could see six teams competing in the tournament for only the third time.

Afghanistan took part in the 2014 tournament, which featured five teams, while UAE and Hong Kong were part the 2004 and 2008 Cups, which both featured six teams.

The changes mean the 2016 Asia Cup will be the biggest Twenty20 tournament outside of the ICC World Twenty20.

The revamp of the ACC will also see Haq's 32-year association with the organisation – which began on its first day of operation in 1983 – finish at the end of the financial year.

There will be no chief executive position in the new ACC and the current headquarters in Kuala Lumpur will close, with the two remaining ACC employees to work from Singapore.

Some other staff members including ACC coaches Aminul Islam and Venkatapathy Raju will work for the ICC from July 1.

But Haq shrugged off suggestions the changes to the ACC meant the Asia Cup's future was in doubt.

"It is correct that Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is being dwindled down to only two employees who will work from Singapore," he said.

"Whatever the development work ACC used to do will now be done by the International Cricket Council.

"However, the Asia Cup will continue to take place after every two years.

"The Asia Cup events have been slotted in for next eight years in the Future Tours Programme."

The Asia Cup was first held in 1984, with 12 tournaments held in the ODI format and two Test Championships in 1999 and 2001-02.

India and Sri Lanka winning five titles each, while Pakistan has won the event twice.

Sri Lanka won the 2014 edition, defeating Pakistan by five wickets in the final.

Additional reporting by Laura Jolly


Q:

Recurrence equation solution using reverse substitution method

Given
$$y(0)=7$$
$$y(n)=2y(n-1)+7^14^n$$
My attempt so far:
$$y(n)=2y(n-1)+7^14^n$$
$$=2^2y(n-2)+2^17^14^{n-1}+7^14^n$$
$$=2^3y(n-3)+2^27^14^{n-2}+2^17^14^{n-1}+7^14^n$$
$$=2^3y(n-3)+2^27^14^{n-2}+2^17^14^{n-1}+2^07^14^n$$
$$=2^iy(i)+2^{i-1}7^14^{n-i}+\dots$$
$$=2^ny(0)+2^{n-1}7^14^{n-n}+\dots$$
$$=7*2^n+n(2^{n-1}7)$$
However, if I calculate y(1) using the given y(n), I get 42 while I get 84 using the general term I found.
Wolframalpha suggest that the answer is
$$y(n) = 2^{n - 1} (c_1 + 24 (2^n - 1))$$
Which step of my attempt is wrong ?

A:

You seem to have taken the last "dots" expression to be
$$2^{n-1}7^14^{n-n}+2^{n-1}7^14^{n-n}+\cdots+2^{n-1}7^14^{n-n}\ ,$$
that is, the same term $n$ times.  But it is actually
$$2^{n-1}7^14^{n-n}+2^{n-2}7^14^{n-(n-1)}+2^{n-3}7^14^{n-(n-2)}+\cdots\ ,$$
which can be added up using the formula for the sum of a geometric progression.
In fact there is also an error in the previous line, $2^{i-1}7^14^{n-i}$ should be $2^{i-1}7^14^{n-(i-1)}$.  If you make this correction and add up the new GP then you should get the right answer.


A mouse model for studying cone photoreceptor pathologies.
Due to the low abundance of cone photoreceptors in the mouse retina and the scarcity of alternative animal models, little is known about mechanisms of cone degeneration. Nrl knockout mice develop exclusively the cone-type of photoreceptors. However, the cone photoreceptor layer in Nrl(-/-) mice displays an irregular morphology with severe rosette formation. Retinas of Rpe65(-/-);Nrl(-/-) mice have no rosettes due to the lack of 11-cis-retinal, but also are not functional. To develop a model with a functional all-cone retina that is morphologically well structured, we generated R91W;Nrl(-/-) double-mutant mice, which express a hypomorphic Rpe65 allele (R91W). The following analyses were used to characterize the R91W;Nrl(-/-)mice: morphology by light and electron microscopy, protein distribution by immunofluorescence, cone function by electroretinography and optomotor response, RNA levels by RT-PCR, and chromophore levels by HPLC. Cone degeneration was assessed in R91W;Nrl(-/-) mice treated with MNU, and in triple R91W;Nrl(-/-);Cpfl1 and quadruple R91W;Nrl(-/-);Cpfl1;rd10 mutant mice. The all-cone retina of R91W;Nrl(-/-) mice is functional and relatively stable with only very slow age-related degeneration. Using triple and quadruple mutant mice, or a chemical treatment, we demonstrated that cone degeneration could be induced and analyzed in these mice. The reduced levels of visual chromophore prevented rosette formation and sustained function in the R91W;Nrl(-/-) retina. Thus, the R91W;Nrl(-/-) mouse allows study of the etiology of diseases related to cone degeneration in a "morphologically intact" and functional all-cone photoreceptor retina.


FitzGerald: Tie performance of sports teams to sin tax money

CLEVELAND — To downtrodden fans accustomed to heartbreak, it might seem an exercise in futility: A top county official and gubernatorial candidate has suggested divvying up maintenance money for Cleveland’s three professional sports venues based on the teams’ performance.

Ed FitzGerald said Thursday that the idea hasn’t been tried elsewhere. But how do you decide who performs best when these teams typically wallow in mediocrity — or worse?

Cuyahoga County voters in May approved a 20-year extension of a sin tax on alcohol and cigarettes that’s projected to raise $26 million annually. FitzGerald wants the three teams to compete for

20 percent of that money based on how well they play. He would create a fan advisory committee to establish the criteria for judging performance and which team gets the biggest share of the cash, which like all sin tax money can only be spent on maintenance for the venues.

FitzGerald on Thursday called it a “win” tax. He noted that a Cleveland team hasn’t won a world championship in 50 years, something fans don’t needed to be reminded about.

Form a panel of dyed-in-the-wool Cleveland sports fans fed up with their teams’ losing ways and management’s questionable decisions, and they might be tempted to tell FitzGerald to keep the money.

Bob Paponetti, a 56-year-old lifelong fan of Cleveland sports teams who bought some Indians gear for a friend Thursday, said he didn’t like the idea of teams having to compete against each other for money.

“They should all be supportive of each other,” he said.

City of Cleveland spokeswoman Maureen Harper said the city thinks the money should be split evenly. Cleveland owns FirstEnergy Stadium, where the Browns try to play football. Progressive Field, where the Indians play, and Quicken Loans Arena, home of the Cavaliers, are owned by the quasi-governmental Gateway Corp.

A Republican candidate for county executive and a county councilman panned the idea. The Ohio Republican Party called it a publicity stunt.

Representatives from the three teams issued terse “no comments.”

Clevelanders haven’t had much to cheer about the last 50 years. No major Cleveland franchise has won a world championship since Blanton Collier’s Browns beat the Baltimore Colts, 27-0, in 1964.

The Indians made it to the World Series twice in the 1990s and were one out away from winning the title in 1997. Jose Mesa, the Indians’ closer who blew the most crucial of saves, remains both an expletive and Cleveland’s version of Bill Buckner.

Hope sprung eternal when the Cavaliers drafted local hero and current basketball legend LeBron James in 2003. But the Cavaliers’ single appearance in the NBA finals with James resulted in a merciless sweep by the San Antonio Spurs. He then took his considerable talent to Miami in 2010, and the Cavaliers have not made the playoffs since. James, meanwhile, has a chance to soon win his third NBA title.

The Browns? It’s arguable, perhaps likely, that the Browns are the most loved and most reviled of all the professional franchises in Cleveland. Love and hate. Hope and despair. If the Browns ever wanted to put something on the bare sides of their orange helmets, the Chinese symbol for yin and yang might get a few votes.

Edward Bass-Bey, a 65-year-old sports fan, remembers his father taking him to a 1964 game in which Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown slowly rose after being tackled only to bolt through another hole in the line on the next play.

“We’re pitting one against the other,” Bass-Bey said of FitzGerald’s plan. “Cleveland sports fans should be Cleveland sports fans.”