Robert, King of Naples

Robert of Anjou (), known as Robert the Wise (; 1276 – 20 January 1343), was King of Naples, titular King of Jerusalem and Count of Provence and Forcalquier from 1309 to 1343, the central figure of Italian politics of his time. He was the third son of King Charles II of Naples and Maria of Hungary, and during his father's lifetime he was styled Duke of Calabria (1296–1309).

Biography
Robert was born around 1276, the third son of the future Charles II of Naples (then heir apparent) and his wife Mary of Hungary. His father was the son of the incumbent King of Naples, Charles of Anjou, who had established an Italian realm a decade earlier in 1266. During the Sicilian Vespers directed against his grandfather Charles, Robert was the hostage of Peter III of Aragon, his grandfather's enemy. In 1285, Robert’s grandfather died at Foggia in Italy, leading to his father (then a hostage) becoming King of Naples as Charles II, with Robert's elder brother, Charles Martel of Anjou as heir apparent.

After the death of his elder brother, Charles Martel of Anjou in 1295, Robert, became heir to the crown of Naples, passing over his child-nephew Charles; to obtain the crown of neighbouring Sicily, he married King James of Sicily's sister Yolanda, in exchange for James's renunciation of Sicily. However, the Sicilian barons refused him and elected James' brother, Frederick II. The war continued, and with the Peace of Caltabellotta (1302) Robert and the Angevin dynasty lost Sicily forever, their rule limited to the south of peninsular Italy.

Robert inherited the position of papal champion in Italy; his reign being blessed from the papal enclave within Robert's Provence, by the French Pope Clement V, who made him papal vicar in Romagna and Tuscany, where Robert intervened in the war of factions in Florence, accepted the offered signiory of that city, but had to abandon it due to Clement's opposition.

The leader of the Guelph party in Italy, Robert opposed the sojourn of Emperor Henry VII in Italy (1311–13) and his occupation of Rome in 1312. After Henry's death, the Guelph reaction  against the Ghibelline leaders in northern Italy, Matteo Visconti and Cangrande della Scala, made it seem for a time that Robert would become the arbiter of Italy. Already ruler of wide possessions in Piedmont, Robert's prestige increased further when in 1313 the pope named him Senator of Rome, and when he became Lord of Genoa (1318–34) and Brescia (1319) and from 1314 onwards held the resounding papal title of imperial vicar of all Italy, during the absence in Italy of the Holy Roman Emperor, vacante imperio.

In 1328 he fought another emperor who had ventured into Italy, Louis IV of Bavaria, and in 1330 forced John of Bohemia to quit northern Italy. Robert's hegemony in Italy was diminished only by the constant menace of Aragonese Sicily.

When the succession to the margraviate of Saluzzo was disputed between Manfred V and his nephew Thomas II in 1336, Robert intervened on behalf of Manfred, for Thomas had married into the Ghibelline Visconti family. Robert advanced on Saluzzo and besieged it. He succeeded in taking it and sacking it, setting the city on fire and imprisoning Thomas, who had to pay a ransom. The whole dramatic incident is recorded by Silvio Pellico. However, when his viceroy Reforza d'Angoult was defeated in the Battle of Gamenario (22 April 1345), Angevin power in Piedmont began to crumble. With his second wife Sancha of Majorca, Robert established the kingdom of Naples as a center of early Renaissance culture and of religious dissent, supporting the Joachimite prophesies of the Spiritual Franciscans.

At Robert's death in 1343, he was succeeded by his 16-year-old granddaughter, Joanna I of Naples, his son Charles having predeceased him in 1328. Joanna was already betrothed to her cousin, the 15-year-old Andrew of Hungary, son of the Angevin king of Hungary, Charles Robert. In his last will and testament Robert explicitly excluded the claims of Andrew of Hungary, clearly mandated that he become prince of Salerno and specified that Joanna alone assume the crown in her own right, to be succeeded by her legitimate offspring. If she were to die without heir, her younger sister Maria, newly named the duchess of Calabria, and her legitimate offspring would inherit the throne. There is no mention in the will that Andrew be crowned king; and this historiographical tradition is largely the result of later historians' accepting without examination the assertions of Hungarian royal propaganda following Andrew's murder at Aversa in 1345. This propaganda, the Hungarian assault on Joanna following the murder of Andrew, and the invasion of the Regno by Louis I of Hungary eventually led to the end of Angevin rule in Naples.

Legacy
King Robert was nicknamed "the peace-maker of Italy" due to the years of significant changes he made to Naples. The city and nation's economy lay in the hands of Tuscan merchants, who erected superb buildings, monuments and statues that drastically changed King Robert's capital from a dirty seaport to a city of elegance and medieval splendor. Robert commissioned Tino di Camaino to produce a tomb for his son, who should have been his heir, and Giotto painted several works for him. The University of Naples flourished under the patronage of the king dismissed by Dante as a re di sermone, "king of words", attracting students from all parts of Italy. There was virtually no middle class in the South to balance the local interests and centripetal power of the entrenched aristocracy, who retained the feudal independence that had been their bargain with the Angevins' Norman predecessors.

He was remembered by Petrarch and Boccaccio as a cultured man and a generous patron of the arts, "unique among the kings of our day," Boccaccio claimed after Robert's death, "a friend of knowledge and virtue." Petrarch asked to be examined by Robert before being crowned as poet in the Campidoglio in Rome (1341); his Latin epic Africa is dedicated to Robert, though it was not made available to readers until 1397, long after both Petrarch and Robert were dead.

Family
By his first wife, Yolanda, daughter of King Peter III of Aragon, Robert had two sons:
 Charles (1298–1328), Duke of Calabria (1309), Viceroy of Naples (1318), who was the father of Queen Joanna I
 Louis (1301–10)
Robert's second marriage, to Sancia, daughter of King James II of Majorca, was childless. He had the following extramarital children:
 Charles d'Artois, member of the regency council and grand chamberlain for Queen Joanna I, executed for murder of King Andrew
 Maria d'Aquino (Boccaccio's Fiammetta)
 Helene, who fell in love with and married Andrea Thopia, Lord of Matija, without father's consent. Helene was due to marry (possibly) Philip, son of Baldwin II, when this happened. Thopia's emblem contains three lilies separated by a dotted line, indicating an illegitimate child. Andrea and Helene had Charles (named after his famous grand grandparent), Georges and Helena together.

King Robert's last descendant through a legitimate line was Queen Joanna II of Naples.

Ancestry

Other sources
 Coat of arms of the House of Anjou-Sicily

References

Sources

Category:Roman Catholic monarchs
Category:1276 births
Category:1343 deaths
Category:Capetian House of Anjou
Category:Monarchs of Naples
Category:Claimant Kings of Jerusalem
Category:Dukes of Calabria
Category:Princes of Salerno
Category:Counts of Provence


Properties

Detailed Description

Animator types are different from normal Animation types. When using an Animator, the animation can be run in the render thread and the property value will jump to the end when the animation is complete.

The value of Item::rotation is updated after the animation has finished.

The following snippet shows how to use a RotationAnimator together with a Rectangle item.


Epidemiology

The prevalence and annual incidence of ND are not known but more than 400 cases have been described. No ethnic predilection has been found. Affected patients are almost always male, while females are carriers.

Clinical description

The ocular findings in affected males are usually bilateral and symmetrical. The iris, anterior chamber, and cornea may be normal at birth but greyish-yellow elevated masses, or "pseudogliomas", are often observed behind the lens along with retinal vascular dysgenesis and leukocoria. Partial or complete retinal detachment develops within the first few weeks or months of life. In infancy and childhood, patients may develop cataracts, nystagmus, anterior/ posterior synechiae, band keratopathy, and a shallow anterior chamber with increased intraocular pressure. Phthisis bulbi (shrinking of the globe) is found later on, along with opacified corneas and sunken orbits. Vision varies from light perception to congenital complete blindness. Most affected males develop progressive asymmetrical sensorineural hearing loss starting in childhood (median age of onset is 12 years). Hearing loss may be severe and bilateral by mid-adulthood. Developmental delay and intellectual disability are found in about 20-30% of patients. Some have cognitive and psychosocial behavioral disorders, including psychosis. Other associated manifestations are highly variable and include growth failure, microphthalmia, a chronic seizure disorder (10% of cases), peripheral vascular disease (peripheral ulcers) and erectile dysfunction, Very rare cases of carrier females with retinal findings, such as retinal detachment, abnormal retinal vasculature with associated vision loss or mild sensorineural hearing loss, have been reported.

Etiology

Norrie disease is caused by mutations in the Norrie disease (pseudoglioma) NDP gene (Xp11.4-p11.3). A large number of disease-causing mutations have been identified. NDP encodes the norrin protein, involved in the vascular development of the eye and ear.

Diagnostic methods

Diagnosis is based on the characteristic clinical ocular findings and can be confirmed by molecular genetic testing of NDP. No biochemical or functional assays are available.

Differential diagnosis

Differential diagnosis includes retinoblastoma in cases with unilateral pseudoglioma, and other disorders related to NDP mutations such as retinopathy of prematurity, persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous, and familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (see these terms).

Antenatal diagnosis

Prenatal testing for at-risk pregnancies is possible if the disease-causing mutation has been identified in the family.

Genetic counseling

Norrie disease is inherited in an X-linked manner. Rare de novo mutations have been reported. Genetic counseling should be offered to affected families.

Management and treatment

Many patients have complete retinal detachment at birth making treatment for preservation of sight difficult. Those that do not have complete retinal detachment may benefit from surgery or laser therapy. Enucleation of the eye may be required in rare cases. Hearing aids should be provided to correct hearing loss and cochlear implantation can be considered. Supportive therapy should be provided for behavioral disorders.

Prognosis

Overall health is generally good in patients with ND. Life expectancy may however be reduced due to general risks associated with the disabling manifestations of the disease.

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A B&W Photo Challenge – Day #1 – My Relationship with Coffee

Several people have tagged me to post a black and white photo for seven days on Facebook describing some aspect of my life. While I typically pass on these things, this one does not sound to bad. Since I am going to write a small blurb to go along with the photo, I thought I go ahead and share these on the Preacher’s Pen website as well.

Day #1 – My Relationship with Coffee

Coffee is in my blood.

Several of my first memories involve my family sitting around and drinking a cup of coffee. It didn’t matter if it was a snowy West Virginia morning or if it was a blistering August day, there was always a cup of coffee to drink.

When I was younger, the thought of drinking coffee was pretty disgusting. I didn’t like the flavor, I didn’t like the taste; then in my college years I discovered the wonderful taste of coffee.

As a student at West Virginia University, I was walking about a mile and a half to campus everyday. During those times I would drink a cup of coffee on the way to class, then after class, make my way to the Student Center for another large cup of coffee. Those days began a habit which would last me for years. Even when I wasn’t drinking a cup of coffee, I still wanted one.

When I wasn’t living near campus, I was driving everyday from Bridgeport, WV and I would have a nice steaming cup of coffee along the way. After class, once again I found my way to the student center for another cup of coffee.

This continued to my travels at Freed-Hardeman University, where I actually burned out a Mr. Coffee 4 cup coffee maker. I called home one day and my mom asked me what I needed. I mentioned that I would really like a new coffee pot. A few days later, a new coffee pot arrived. This only made the matter worse because the next coffee pot was a 12-cup coffee maker.

Hence the relationship still continues.

Every morning I get up there’s a cup of coffee fixed by my beautiful wife.

I drink more coffee than most things these days. It may be a sign of getting older, but I happen to enjoy it.

There is more to coffee than caffeine and the aroma, there is an atmosphere about coffee. The atmosphere is a relaxed time with friends, family, co-workers or someone you want to get to know better. Hearing the words, “Want to grab a cup of coffee?” can take any stressful day and begin to make it better.


Q:

How to use HttpWebRequest to download file

Trying to download file in code.
Current code:
  Dim uri As New UriBuilder
    uri.UserName = "xxx"
    uri.Password = "xxx"
    uri.Host = "xxx"
    uri.Path = "xxx.aspx?q=65"

   Dim request As HttpWebRequest = DirectCast(WebRequest.Create(uri.Uri), HttpWebRequest)

    request.AllowAutoRedirect = True

    request = DirectCast(WebRequest.Create(DownloadUrlIn), HttpWebRequest)
    request.Timeout = 10000
    'request.AllowWriteStreamBuffering = True

    Dim response As HttpWebResponse = Nothing
    response = DirectCast(request.GetResponse(), HttpWebResponse)
    Dim s As Stream = response.GetResponseStream()

    'Write to disk
    Dim fs As New FileStream("c:\xxx.pdf", FileMode.Create)

    Dim read As Byte() = New Byte(255) {}
    Dim count As Integer = s.Read(read, 0, read.Length)
    While count > 0
        fs.Write(read, 0, count)
        count = s.Read(read, 0, read.Length)
    End While

    'Close everything
    fs.Close()
    s.Close()
    response.Close()

Running this code and checking the response.ResponseUri indicates im being redirected back to the login page and not to the pdf file.
For some reason its not authorising access what could I be missing as Im sending the user name and password in the uri? Thanks for your help

A:

You don't need all of that code to download a file from the net
just use the WebClient class and its DownloadFile method


h) = h**2 + 15*h + 16. Let v be b(-15). Solve 5*t = 2*f - 19, f + v = -f - 2*t for f.
-3
Let s(k) = k**2 - 4*k + 3. Let q be s(6). Let g = q + -9. Solve 0 = l - 3*y + g*y + 11, -2*y - 6 = 0 for l.
-2
Suppose 4*f + r + 2 = 12, r = 2. Solve x - 2 = 4*x + 2*p, f*p = -2*x - 2 for x.
0
Let f be (-1 + 1)/(3 + -2). Let o = 2 - f. Solve -o*d - 16 = 2*b, -3*b + 3*d - 4*d - 14 = 0 for b.
-3
Suppose -3*n - n + 20 = 0. Suppose 0 = -n*a + 15 - 0. Solve -r + 4*r = -a*o - 6, 0 = 5*r - 4*o - 26 for r.
2
Let c = -10 - -5. Let s = c - -19. Suppose -5*x + 36 = -s. Solve i + 2*k + x = 2*i, 2*i - 8 = k for i.
2
Let z = -1 - -6. Solve -4*f - 4*i = 4, -z*f - 17 = -3*i + 4*i for f.
-4
Suppose 5*c - 16 = 4. Suppose 10 + 14 = 3*n. Suppose -2*d - n = -4*d. Solve 0 = -c*u + 3*m - 4 + 17, -2*u = -d*m - 14 for u.
1
Let i(g) = g**3 - 7*g**2 - 8*g + 1. Let a be i(8). Let s = -5 + 8. Suppose 117 = 5*n + 17. Solve -a = s*p + x + 4, 0 = -4*p + 2*x - n for p.
-3
Suppose -13 = 3*m - 4. Let y be -2*(-2)/(-3)*m. Solve 4 = s + 4*c, 0 = y*s - c + 4 - 3 for s.
0
Let i be 1/(2/6)*8/12. Solve 0 = -4*r - 3*m - 8, -2*m + 0 = r + i for r.
-2
Let b(h) = -3*h + 32. Let u be b(6). Solve 2*g - c - u = -3*c, -5*c = -2*g for g.
5
Let l(p) = 2*p - 15. Let h(s) = -s + 8. Let u(n) = 5*h(n) + 3*l(n). Let w be u(7). Solve f + 20 = -4*g, 3*g - 7*g - 20 = w*f for f.
0
Let i be (-42)/28*10/(-3). Solve -i*k - 5 = 5*q, 4*q = -6*k + 3*k - 1 for k.
-3
Let o = 94 - 90. Solve -m = g - 4, -o*m = -m - 9 for g.
1
Let f = 18 - -3. Let z be 561/f + (-4)/(-14). Suppose -4*x + 3*d + z = 0, 0*x - d + 5 = x. Solve -2*n = -4*s - 18, -3*s = -0*s + 5*n - x for s.
-3
Let l = 83 + -81. Solve 3*f = l*a + 3, -2 = f - 2*a - 3 for f.
1
Suppose 2*c = 3*c - 9. Solve -5*h = 3*q - 17, 5*h - 2*h - c = -3*q for h.
4
Suppose 4*y = -27 + 183. Suppose -5*j - 2*v = -13 - 33, 3*j - y = -5*v. Solve 2*l = 2*q + j, -2*q - 4*l = -q - 6 for q.
-2
Let k be (2/6)/(3/171). Suppose 3*d + k = 88. Solve w + d + 6 = -5*z, -w - 14 = 2*z for z.
-5
Suppose 0*n - 2*m + 14 = n, 5*n - 35 = -3*m. Solve -3*d + 7*d = 5*q + 18, n*q = 5*d - 18 for d.
2
Suppose 4*d + d = s - 31, 2*d = 2*s - 22. Let i be (2/4)/(s/60). Solve 4*x - 28 - 12 = 4*u, 3*u = i*x - 40 for x.
5
Let b = -8 - -15. Solve 0 = -5*u + f - 0*f - 15, -2*u = -3*f - b for u.
-4
Suppose 5*o - 17 - 8 = 0. Suppose 2*p + 4*d - 1 = -d, p = -4*d - 7. Solve -o*k + 5 = 0, 3*y + p = 5*k + 2 for y.
-2
Let k(s) = s**3 + 3*s**2 - 5*s - 4. Let i be k(-4). Solve 3*a + 2*m = a - 10, a - 2*m + 5 = i for a.
-5
Suppose -v = -0*v - 2. Suppose -a - 2 = i, -i - 13 = -v*a - 5. Solve 0 = 5*u - a*o + 2 - 23, -4*u + o = -18 for u.
5
Let w be 2 + -2 - (-11 + 4). Suppose 0 = -3*z - w + 4. Let t(k) = -4*k**3 + k. Let x be t(z). Solve x*s + 2 + 5 = -5*b, -3*s + 7 = -2*b for b.
-2
Let f(z) = z**2 + 11*z + 6. Let o be f(-7). Let q be (-1)/(-4) + o/(-8). Solve 5*y = 2*h + 3, 2*h - 4 = h - q*y for h.
1
Let x be 3/(-2)*32/(-3). Let j = -11 + x. Let v = -21 - -42. Solve 2*f + 0*h + 4 = 5*h, -j*f - 3*h + v = 0 for f.
3
Suppose 0 = q - 5*y - 9, 3*q + y - 84 = -25. Solve -16 = -w + 5*w - 4*g, 0 = 3*w + 4*g + q for w.
-5
Let r be (-2)/((-3)/1 + 35/15). Solve 0 = r*v + 5*u - 9 + 40, -4*u = -v + 18 for v.
-2
Suppose 6*t = t - 20, -3*f + 45 = -3*t. Let h = 2 + f. Solve -2*m - 4*d - 7 = -d, -5*m - 3*d - h = 0 for m.
-2
Suppose -l - 2*k + 160 + 31 = 0, -4*k - 161 = -l. Suppose 5*c - l = -61. Solve -3*z = 3*y - 9, 4*y - c = -5*z - 9 for z.
3
Suppose 0 = -0*y - y + 7. Solve 3*s + 2*s - y = -3*p, -s - p = -3 for s.
-1
Let c = -43 - -54. Solve -3*v - 5*f + c + 11 = 0, -5*v + 10 = 3*f for v.
-1
Let j = 27 + -22. Solve 5*v - j = 0, v + 0*v + 15 = 4*w for w.
4
Suppose 1 = -2*m + 11. Solve -3*i - 5*y + 5 = 0, -64 = m*i - 5*y - 19 for i.
-5
Let w be (-1 - (0 - 4)) + 1. Solve r - 4 = w*r + 5*g, -r - 5*g = -2 for r.
-3
Suppose 2*g + 3 = 41. Solve 2*i - g = -3*x, -2*x + 6*i - i - 19 = 0 for x.
3
Let f be (2/8)/(2/40). Suppose -6*v = -f*v. Solve 3*a + 3*h + 6 = v, 4*h = h - 6 for a.
0
Suppose -t = 4*t + 5*w, -2*w - 8 = -2*t. Suppose -5*y - 8 = -3*y, 0 = -2*d + t*y + 16. Solve -2*z - 3 = d*h - 7, -3*z + 3 = 5*h for h.
3
Suppose -4*h + 66 = -10. Suppose -3*k = -x + h, x - 3*k = -6*k - 11. Solve 2*j = -x*b, 2 = -5*j - 2*b - 6 for j.
-2
Suppose -2*s + 4*s = 10. Suppose -5*d - 7 = -3*c, -6*d + d = -5*c + 15. Let a be 2 + d*(0 + 3). Solve -3*r - 22 = -5*y, -s*r + 40 = a*y + 10 for y.
5
Suppose -3*r = -u - 2*u + 6, -16 = -5*u - r. Solve 0 = 5*n - d - 22, -n + u*n + d = 13 for n.
5
Let l be (5 - ((4 - 3) + 1))/1. Solve -4*h = -l*n - 15, 2*n = -0*h - 4*h + 10 for h.
3
Let r be (2*-1 + 1)*-19. Let i = r - -7. Solve 0 = 5*v + 2*d + i, 0 = -v - 0*v + 4*d + 8 for v.
-4
Let u(j) = -j + 4. Let v be u(-3). Let l = 11 - v. Let s = 5 - l. Solve -2*b + s = -3*n, 2*n = 3*n - 4*b - 13 for n.
-3
Suppose 6 = 6*l - 12. Solve -z - l = 2*v + 6, 5*z = -5 for v.
-4
Suppose -3 = -3*k + 9. Suppose -f + 15 = k*f. Let n = -3 + f. Solve -3*p - 4*r - 7 = n, 2*p - r = r for p.
-1
Suppose -4*p = -n - 7, 3*n - 11 = -3*p - 2*n. Suppose -r + 33 = p*r. Solve 3*t - 11 = 2*u, -3*u - t = -0*t + r for u.
-4
Suppose -16 = -5*d - 1. Solve -j - 5 = 2*n, 0 = -3*j - d*n + 2*n for j.
1
Let s be ((-3)/6)/(1/(-4)). Let n = -91 - -94. Solve n*h + 1 = -s*f, h - 12 = 5*h for f.
4
Suppose -v - 132 = v. Let x be 4/(-22) + (-144)/v. Suppose 0*g + 20 = x*g. Solve -i - 3*i = 2*m - g, -m = i - 3 for i.
2
Let y be -10*(0 + -1 + (-5)/10). Suppose -4*l + 2*o = 4*o - 16, 4*o - 16 = 0. Solve 4*v = -3*j - 21, -l*j - y = 4*v - j for v.
-3
Let z be (3 + 3 + -8)/(2/(-4)). Solve 2*i - 3*c + 2 = -z*c, -4*i - 2 = c for i.
0
Let g = 2 - -1. Suppose 3*o + 2*o + 5*i = 0, 4*i = g*o - 35. Suppose 3*x = -5*k - 2, o*x = -3*k + 2*x - 6. Solve -2*q = -5*y + 30, -2*q - 2*y = k*q + 12 for q.
-5
Let l = 54 - 51. Solve 4*q - 2*o = 5 + 15, q - 10 = l*o for q.
4
Let s(i) = 10*i**2 + 2*i. Let c be s(-1). Solve -2*d - 3*g = -3, 3*d - 3*g = -4*g + c for d.
3
Let y = -12 + 21. Suppose y = t + 2*t. Let l = 2 + t. Solve 4*c = 3*q - 5, 13 = -4*c - 0*c - l*q for c.
-2
Suppose 4*b - 9 + 1 = 0. Suppose -p - b*n - 2*n = 16, 4*p - n - 21 = 0. Solve -4*h = -2*x + 26, -3*h + 5 = p*x - 3 for x.
5
Let s = 3 - 3. Suppose s = -z + 3*z - 4. Let k be (1 - -14)*(-6 - (-19)/3). Solve -2*c = -n + k*n - z, -c = 4*n - 3 for n.
1
Let u = 413 - 403. Let y(c) = c**3 - 4*c**2 - 4*c + 3. Let g be y(5). Solve n + u = 4*f, g*f - 4*f - 14 = -n for n.
2
Let g be -1*9/(-3) - 4. Let u(b) = b**2 + 1. Let q be u(g). Suppose q*a = -0*a + 56. Solve a = 5*h - 2*p, -4*h - p = -4*p - 28 for h.
4
Suppose k - 2*b + 10 - 1 = 0, 4*k = -2*b - 6. Let u = -1 - k. Solve u*o - 4*g - 20 = -0*g, 4*o + 3*g + 4 = 0 for o.
2
Suppose 0 = 5*g - 2*g - 117. Solve 5*j - 9 = -5*w - g, 3*j = 3*w - 6 for w.
-2
Let q(g) = -4*g**3 + g. Let c be q(-1). Solve 2*x - 5*i - 10 = -c*x, 0 = -2*x + 5*i + 13 for x.
-1
Suppose 3*h = 4*l - 1, -2*h - 2 = -3*l - 0. Solve 3 = -y + 3*j, 4*y + j = -l*j + 5 for y.
0
Suppose 0 = -3*o - 2*o + 30. Suppose -10 = -3*i + q + o, -2*i + 2*q + 16 = 0. Solve 5*d + 6 = 2*n + 3*d, i*n + d = 12 for n.
3
Suppose 0 = -s + 3*j + 19, 3*s + 0*s + 3*j = -3. Let z(a) = a + 4. Let o be z(-4). Solve o = -2*q + 5*t + 20, -3*q - q + s*t + 28 = 0 for q.
5
Suppose -6 = -2*r - 2. Suppose j + 4*j = 135. Solve -3*p - 17 = r*m, -4 + j = -p - 5*m for p.
-3
Let l be 6/4 + 9/6. Solve 4*t + 7 = f - 0, -l*f + 8 = t for t.
-1
Let y = 5 + 0. Suppose -2*n = v - 2, -v = n - 1 - 4. Let a = v - y. Solve -10 = b - 2*d, a*b = 3*d - 15 - 3 for b.
-2
Suppose -y = -2, 4*q - y - 15 - 15 = 0. Let i = -4 + q. Solve -7 - 8 = -5*o + l, -i*l + 24 = o for o.
4
Suppose 2*u - 6 = -2*i - 2, 5*u - i = 4. Let m be (1/(-2))/(u/(-6)). Solve 0 = -3*h + 4*d + 16, 2*h + m*d - 7 = -19 for h.
0
Let f(g) = 9 + g + 2*g - 15 - g. Let m be f(11). Solve -r + 2*r = t + 3, -4*r + m = -5*t for t.
-4
Let p be 2 + (1 - 5) + 5. Let r(z) = z - 1. Let x be r(p). Let n = 16 + 7. Solve 5*m = 2*g - 35, -3*m - 2 - n = -x*g for g.
5
Let s be -1*(6 + -4)*-2. Solve 5*j - 4*b = -0*j - 15, -s*j + 2*b = 12 for j.
-3
Let w = -3 - -3. Let q(o) = -3 - 2*o + 0*o + 0*o. Let d be q(-7). Solve 2*z + 4*k - 1 + 19 = w, -2*k - d = -z for z.
1
Let t = -73 - -77. Solve 3*u - t*s - 3 = 2, 4*u - 5*s = 5 for u.
-5
Suppose 3*n = 3*l - 3, -2*l + 7 = -3*n + 2*l. Suppose 0


External irradiation with or without long-term androgen suppression for prostate cancer with high metastatic risk: 10-year results of an EORTC randomised study.
We did a randomised phase 3 trial assessing the benefit of addition of long-term androgen suppression with a luteinising-hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist to external irradiation in patients with prostate cancer with high metastatic risk. In this report, we present the 10-year results. For this open-label randomised trial, eligible patients were younger than 80 years and had newly diagnosed histologically proven T1-2 prostatic adenocarcinoma with WHO histological grade 3 or T3-4 prostatic adenocarcinoma of any histological grade, and a WHO performance status of 0-2. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive radiotherapy alone or radiotherapy plus immediate androgen suppression. Treatment allocation was open label and used a minimisation algorithm with institution, clinical stage of the disease, results of pelvic-lymph-node dissection, and irradiation fields extension as minimisation factors. Patients were irradiated externally, once a day, 5 days a week, for 7 weeks to a total dose of 50 Gy to the whole pelvis, with an additional 20 Gy to the prostate and seminal vesicles. The LHRH agonist, goserelin acetate (3·6 mg subcutaneously every 4 weeks), was started on the first day of irradiation and continued for 3 years; cyproterone acetate (50 mg orally three times a day) was given for 1 month starting a week before the first goserelin injection. The primary endpoint was clinical disease-free survival. Analysis was by intention to treat. The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00849082. Between May 22, 1987, and Oct 31, 1995, 415 patients were randomly assigned to treatment groups and were included in the analysis (208 radiotherapy alone, 207 combined treatment). Median follow-up was 9·1 years (IQR 5·1-12·6). 10-year clinical disease-free survival was 22·7% (95% CI 16·3-29·7) in the radiotherapy-alone group and 47·7% (39·0-56·0) in the combined treatment group (hazard ratio [HR] 0·42, 95% CI 0·33-0·55, p<0·0001). 10-year overall survival was 39·8% (95% CI 31·9-47·5) in patients receiving radiotherapy alone and 58·1% (49·2-66·0) in those allocated combined treatment (HR 0·60, 95% CI 0·45-0·80, p=0·0004), and 10-year prostate-cancer mortality was 30·4% (95% CI 23·2-37·5) and 10·3% (5·1-15·4), respectively (HR 0·38, 95% CI 0·24-0·60, p<0·0001). No significant difference in cardiovascular mortality was noted between treatment groups both in patients who had cardiovascular problems at study entry (eight of 53 patients in the combined treatment group had a cardiovascular-related cause of death vs 11 of 63 in the radiotherapy group; p=0·60) and in those who did not (14 of 154 vs six of 145; p=0·25). Two fractures were reported in patients allocated combined treatment. In patients with prostate cancer with high metastatic risk, immediate androgen suppression with an LHRH agonist given during and for 3 years after external irradiation improves 10-year disease-free and overall survival without increasing late cardiovascular toxicity.


1. Field of the Invention
Whereas this invention is defined with respect to motorcycle passenger comfort and convenience, it will be apparent that the invention may be applied to numerous other similar vehicular and non-vehicular adaptations. It is primarily adapted to its adjustable position on the two-seated motorcycle, operationaly adjacent the passenger seat and it is designed to be secured in direct connection with the motorcycle frame elements as will be more apparent from reference to the ensuing description.
2. Prior Art
The following prior art patents best represent the known state of development.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,565,484--J. A. Gargelo--dated Feb. 23, 1971.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,829,159--Dennis F. Leffler--dated Aug. 13, 1974.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,879--Dennis H. Heling--dated June 3, 1980.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,277,102--Arne Aaras et. al.--dated July 7, 1981.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,975--Ralph J. Williams--dated Mar. 27, 1984.
In none of the aforesaid, taken singly or in combination does one find the coactive construction of the present invention, wherein means are provided for fingertip control of the swingable relation of the arm rest to the vehicular seat of the passenger. This control permits both portability and operational modes to be employed without knock down, and also insures accessibility of the passenger before and during vehicular operation.


By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher

Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio scored a career-high 33 points on Thursday night. The Wolves defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 119-104 at the Target Center.

He had 13 of his points in the second half. He had 20 first half points.

Any Corrections?. You can contact Anthony at publisher@thecapitalsportsreport.com.

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As far as draft busts go, Yi Jianlian is right up there. Prior to being selected in 2007, several reputable pundits were suggesting the big man was going to make a sizeable impact when he moved from China to the NBA.

But reality soon followed. Yi posted up chairs in his infamous draft workout video, initially refused to move to Wisconsin after being selected by the Milwaukee Bucks, and became dogged by allegations that he had lied about his age. Within five years, the man pegged as the Chinese Kevin Garnett was out of the NBA and back in his home country.

According to Wang Yiqiong of the People’s Daily, one of China’s best-selling newspapers, the Lakers reached out to Yi in the offseason only for the player to veto the move because the offer was too low.

Though the rumor seems unlikely from a western perspective, Wang has not retracted his claim and the rest of China’s media is treating it seriously. David Yang, editor of the respected China Sports Review website, certainly feels the story is true: “I wouldn't be surprised if there was an offer for Yi as he can help the Lakers both athletically and commercially.”

The move would’ve also made some sense from Yi’s perspective. This offseason, the player was the biggest free agent in China after his contract with the Guangdong Tigers expired. At the time, the Tigers—who had won eleven CBA titles in the previous fourteen years—appeared to be falling apart. The team, coached by legendary former Guangdong player and Yi’s one-time teammate, Du Feng, had lost in the playoff semi-finals for the second year in a row. This came despite finishing the regular season as the top overall seed and setting a record for most consecutive wins. Besides an aging roster, another big concern was Du’s tactical acumen and Guangdong’s elimination was certainly hastened by several odd decisions involving the team’s foreign players.

With many feeling that Yi’s window was starting to close, Chinese media spent the summer openly speculating that the player might leave the Tigers, either to another CBA team or even the NBA. But eventually, Yi re-signed in Guangdong on a three-year, $16.1 million deal; a contract that shattered the previous record salary in the CBA. The Tigers also brought in Brian Goorjian, a former Australian national team coach, as lead assistant coach and the presumed tactical safety blanket for Du.

However, the Lakers rumor continues a popular offseason tradition in the world’s largest and most basketball-crazed nation. Despite his embarrassing exit from the NBA, Yi is widely popular in China and remains one of the CBA’s best players. On top of this, the player has also carried his country’s flag in the Olympics opening ceremony, one of the biggest honors within the country’s sports program.

So it goes without saying that China wants to see their best active player back in the NBA. As recently as last week, one Chinese website published a purported list of requirements from Yi for a potential NBA return, namely a team with a good point guard, a suitable living environment, and a front office that was willing to believe in him.

But because this summer was also perhaps his best opportunity to leave China, Yi’s decision to stay has been met with anger from some fans. Some feel Yi ran from the challenge, whilst others called the player’s decision not to play for the Lakers—who themselves are hugely popular in China—a wasted opportunity. Yet Yang, who has covered Chinese sport for several years, is sympathetic to the player’s situation. “It's not hard to come to the conclusion that staying in China suits Yi best. The same can be said of soccer players like Chen Zhizhao and Zhang Xizhe [both of whom have resisted overtures to play overseas]. These players are already well-paid in domestic leagues so a move abroad would sometimes prove to be economically and athletically costly for Chinese athletes.”

By re-upping with Guangdong, Yi has likely killed off any talk of returning to America. By the next time he is a free agent, Yi will be almost 35 and would not have played in the NBA for six years. The sight of Kobe Bryant passing the ball to Yi would have generated unprecedented interest for the Lakers in China, but now the only way that is going to happen is on NBA 2K. Depending on your opinion of Yi Jianlian, that scenario is either the best or worst possible outcome from this piece of free agency drama.

Andrew Crawford can be found on Twitter (@shouldersgalore) and is the man behind the site sharkfinhoops.com, one of the few English language sites that specialize in covering Chinese basketball.


Become a Fan

July 31, 2012

This is a fairly new study published again by the folks at the ASPCAPro. The topic of this one is Why do adopters choose the particular animal they choose at a shelter?

The study asked 1,491 adopters seven questions to determine what it was about a particular pet that led them to choose that particular pet for adoption.

The most important factor for cat adoptions was "behavior with people"(27%). For dogs, Appearance was most important -- also at 27%. I would suspect this difference would be primarily because of the more variance in appearance among dogs than cats. Interestingly, kittens were more likely to be chosen based on their appearance than adult cats and more so than because of their behavior. There was less difference between puppies and dogs.

Another question was asked: "What did this pet do when you first met him or her?" In otherwords, what type of first impression did the pet make.

For Kittens, they were more likely to vocalize, and play, than approach or rub on. Again, the difference between dogs and puppies was not as major.

When listing what elements were important in determining adopt an animal the results were very interesting:

Kitten Adult Cat Puppy Adult Dog

Physical Appearance 63% 66% 77% 75%

Age 78% 64% 75% 66%

Behavior w/ People 69% 78% 74% 78%

Playfulness 67% 54% 64% 58%

Sex 44% 35% 45% 35%

Health 50% 51% 45% 49%

Energy Level 45% 44% 56% 56%

Behavior when by himself 26% 26% 34% 29%

Behavior toward other animals 19% 25% 27% 32%

Reco from staff or volunteer 13% 22% 16% 24%

Special adoption offer 2.2% 5.9% 2.9% 7%

Wanted to help animal 13% 21% 23% 24%

Adopters for cats and dogs note that more than 75% of the time the most important source of information about that animal came from a staff or volunteer, around 45% said from their cage card and 30-35% said from the internet. Information received was about health, behavior and prior life experiences (in that order).

Discussion thoughts:

- While adoptions specials may encourage adoption in general, they don't appear to have a huge influence on individual choice of animals.

- Dogs and cats approaching adopters was an important factor for adopters which suggests the importance of social greeting behavior in shelters. Teaching approach behaviors may help animals to become adopted.

-- Staff and volunteers are an extremely important source of information about animals -- way moreso than the internet -- proving the importance of customer service in shelters.

-- Interacting directly with a dog or cat is more important than seeing the pet behind a cage door. Providing areas and opportunities for adopters to spend time with pets outside of the kennel can be valuable.

-- Because appearance was so important in the adoption of puppies/kittens, shelter staff could benefit by providing potential adopters more emphasis on behaviors and personality to create a better match.

-- On a personal note, I was surprised at how low energy level scored in importance -- when it may very well be the most important factor in a good match for adopters -- particularly for dogs.

July 28, 2012

A couple of weeks ago, at a mayoral breakfast, a Sioux City, IA couple brought up the conversation of repealing the city's 4 year old breed ban. The Sioux City Journal published an editorial encouraging the council to no "go there". While the Journal opposed the ban back in 2008, and then again when it was discussed in 2010, but now says there has already been too much discussion over the subject and they should just move on.

And to no surprise of anyone, the distraction of limited resources has had a negative affect on public safety as well. The city passed the ban in late 2008 (late October/early November) and began enforcing the law in March of 2009. 2006 and 2007 numbers come from this article, 2008-2011 numbers I obtained via FOI request this week (thanks to the helpful folks in Sioux City who were very nice in pulling the data together for me). I have no explanation for why the 2008, 2009 and 2010 data is different in the numbers I got from the city vs what is in the article.

Dog bites by year (numbers in parenths are those by "pit bulls" -- second parenths is "all other" dogs).

2006 - 88

2007 - 115

2008 - 102 (20) (82)

2009 - 107 (13) (94)

2010 - 134 (13) (121)

2011 - 117 (5) (112)

While it appears that 'pit bull' bites have gone down some since they enacted the ban (culling a huge amount of the population of one type of dog will do that). However, the bites by all other breeds of dogs have increased pretty dramatically -- and some of the other breeds that have increased over that time are Boxers, American Bulldogs, German Shepherds and Labrador Retrievers -- all bigger dogs that "pit bulls' typically are.

So in other words, the Sioux City Journal is wrong. The city council SHOULD revisit the breed ban, and repeal it; because they have an obligation to fixt the failures of the prior administration in the name of public safety. The law has failed. Fix it.

Meanwhile, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that while the law has been failing, there are a couple of folks who are celebrating the Sioux City Journal Editorial.

Pictured, to the left (you can click on it for a larger view) is the thread from dogsbite.org celebrating the Sioux City Journal Editorial. Dogsbite.org celebrating the "victory" should come as no surprise as public safety has never been their goal -- having once named now fired Dog Warden Tom Skeldon "Dog Warden of the Year" in 2008 after his jurisdiction had a 23% increase in dog bites. At this point, I think most people are catching onto the truth about dogsbite.org -- they are a hate group (and by group, I mean essentially one person), not a group promoting public safety.

But maybe even more telling are the comments by Council Bluffs Assistant City Attorney Don Bauermeiester who is taking credit for having talked to an Assistant City Attorney in Sioux City. According to Don:

"When contacted recently by former intern, now assistant city attorney, I directed him to dogsbite.org. Beleive me when I say that the asst city attorney in Sioux City understands pit bulls must be treated differently. lol".

Yes, I'm sure all of the the residents in Sioux City who are paying for the enforcement of the law while it decreases their public safety are laughing hysterically.

I should also note, the Bauermeister should be very familiar with the results of breed bans -- as the number of bites in his own city went up dramatically after enacting their breed ban in 2004.

So add Bauermeister to the small list of bozos who have no interest in promoting public safety - only in using his position to promote the slaughter of dogs that look like 'pit bulls' - and lol-ing while the animals die and public safety is compromised.

July 25, 2012

Below is the new volunteer video was put together to promote our volunteer program at KC Pet Project.

The video was actually put together by a Kansas City group Agenda BE -- a KC area organization that is out encouraging Kansas Citians to be more active in local charities. I think their program is a great idea and I'm glad they chose us to be a part of it.

The video is a short 2 1/2 minute look at what it's like to be a volunteer at KC Pet Project. Would love to get your thoughts on the new video. I think we're going to get a lot of use out of it.

July 24, 2012

last week, the community of North Beach, MD repealed its ban on pit bulls. The new ordinance prohibits "dangerous animals" but does not name 'pit bulls' among them.

Apparently the Calver County Animal Control -- which provides services to North Beach (a community of about 1800 people) -- refused to enforce the town's ban on pit bulls though pledges to cooperate in enforcing the revised ordinance.

July 22, 2012

Been really busy on a lot of things the past few weeks, and I had a computer meltdown, and so I've been HORRIBLE about the weekly roundups. So this week's is going to work a little different. I'm cleaning out my saved links this week and anything that seems interesting and still relevant from the past month or so I'm posting (there are a couple of recent items I'm saving for posts this coming week). Trying to get back on schedule...

Hobart, IN has decided against breed specific legislation in favor of legislation that puts responsibility on owners to properly care for and manage their dogs.

An Aurelia, IA couple finally reached a settlement with their community to allow them to keep their pit bull service dog. While the terms of the agreement are not announced, the couple's legal fees were over $25,000 -- a substantial amount for the couple or a small community like Aurelia.

Dangerous dog reports are up significantly in Leicestershire, UK. The UK has had a ban on four breeds of dogs since 1991....but public safety continues to not be improved.

Abuse Cases

Authorities have seized nearly 300 dogs, mostly pit bulls, from a hoarding situation in Montgomery County, TX that was acting as if it was a "no kill" shelter. Hoarding is not No Kill. No Kill is finding homes for them. Not hoarding and neglecting them. An ex employee called it "a living hell".

Cumberland County Animal Shelter went from killing 89% of all animals that came in to not euthanizing a single adoptable dog since November. I'm not sure how they're defining "adoptable", but even with a lax definition it is still a huge improvement.

West Valley, UT has formed an agreement with Best Friends Animal Society in hopes of moving that community closer to No Kill.

This is a great story about a group I think is really cool -- but Gretchen Meyer has formed a group called "Firecracker Dogs" to help high energy, mischievous dogs that find their way into shelters and often are the hardest to adopt out for shelters.

Baking cookies in your car -- this video made the rounds on the internet earlier this summer as a "heads up" to not leave your dogs in your car on hot days -- it's a very telling video, and I saw it first on Pound Dogs

- 14% of dogs had been lost in the past 5 years, (of which, 95% were recovered) and 15% of cats were lost (of which, 75% were recovered).

-- 50% of dogs and 33% of cats had been lost multiple times

-- 80% of dogs and 88% of cats were spayed or neutered (male dogs were less likely to be altered than female dogs). This would seem to be counter to common thinking that unaltered animals are more likely to run off than altered ones.

-- Not surprisingly, people with higher incomes and more education were MORE likely to alter their pets than people with lower incomes and less education -- further highlighting the need for targeted low-cost spay/neuter services.

-- There was no significant difference in likelihood of a pet being lost based on income or education

-- 49% of found dogs were found by searching their neighborhood, 20% came home on their own, 15% were contacted because they were wearing a tag or had a microchip, 7% were brought home by a neighbor and 6% by contacting animal control

-- 59% of cats were found because they returned home on their own, 30% were found by searching the neighborhood. Only 2% were returned home because they were wearing a tag or mcircochipped, and another 2% via contacting animal control.

-- For people who never found their lost dogs, 75% of searched their neighborhood, 75% visited the shelter, 50% hung posters, 50% put an ad in their paper, 50% posted online and 38% called their veterinarian (I will note that the sample size is very low for this since most people found their pets).

-- For people who never found their cats, 67% searched the neighborhood, 22% visited a shelter, 17% hung posters , 11% put an ad in the paper, 6% posted online and 11% called veterinarians (again, a fairly low sample size). The number of lost cat owners that never visited the shelter to look for the cat (and a verys small percent have any form of identification) is likely a reason that most shelters have strikingly low return-to-owner rates for cats.

-- People who made less than $50,000 a year were less likely to be reunited with their dogs than people in higher income brackets. For cats, low income (less than $30,000 and high income ($100,000+) were more likely to be reunited, where people between $30,000-100,000 were less likely to find them.

-- Women were more likely than men to be reunited with their dogs, but the opposite was true for cats.

-- While the numbers of unfound pets seem fairly low by these numbers, when you compare to the large numbers of owned pets in this country (86 million cats, 78 million dogs), this still means that roughly 2.2 million dogs are lost each year, and 2.6 million cats. Based on this, a large number of the animals that find their way into shelters across the nation are actually owned animals, not strays. And based on numbers of animals that are never found, this accounts for 110,000 dogs and 645,000 cats annually that are owned, but unable to be reunited with their owners.

I think the results of the study are interesting on a lot of levels. They support a lot of reasons for targeted low cost spay/neuter programs and the need for aggressive programs to encourage pet owners to put identifying tags and microchips on their pets (particularly for indoor cats, who do get lost). It also poses a pretty hefty task on shelters to try to be creative to create programs to help reunited cats to cat owners (which includes encouraging cat owners to come to the shelter to look for their lost cats.

There may be some sample bias in this survey, but I thik it does provide some good first data on the frequency of pets becoming lost, and then found again.

July 14, 2012

Earlier this week, a 40 year old man was killed by his own dog in the neighborhood of Avondale in Cincinnati.

Because the man was alone, there is little knowledge of what happened to lead up to the attack, but the man was apparently on a dialysis and had a device in his forearm that was ripped out causing a huge wound in his arm. The man, Ronald Brown, called 911 and said he was bitten and thought he was going to pass out -- but he bled to death by the time authorities arrived.

Authorities found "bags" of marajuana in the victim's home and the dog was shot by police as it was acting very aggressively toward them when they arrived.

The dog is being called an Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog -- a rare breed of dog that looks a lot like an American Bulldog/Mastiff mix that is often described as tenacious and aloof (aloof is a trait often sought in guarding breeds).

The story is tragic, as all fatal dog bite incidents are (although I note that dog bite-related fatalities are exceedingly rare -- with only 30 or so happening per year in a dog population that exceeds 70 million dogs -- so when someone says dog attack fatalities are one in a million, they're wrong, it's actually 1 in 2 million), but is interesting or a variety of reasons.

First, only a couple of months ago, the city of Cincinnati repealed its ban on 'pit bulls'. The dog in this story would not have been illegal under the city's ban -- which further indicates that if someone wants an aggressive dog, there are ALWAYS other breeds of dogs they can turn to to make aggressive if that is their desired intent.

Second, the neighborhood of Avondale is a rough neighborhood in Cincinnati. It was the area that had the race riots in the late 60s and like these areas in similar cities, have yet to recover from the violence during that period. In Avondale, 41% of residents live below the poverty line (nearly 3x the national average). Brown appears to have had enough Marajuana to have been selling it out of his home ("bags" would indicate more than what someone would have for personal use) and likely had the dog as a guard dog in his tough neighborhood and to protect his stash. Function of a dog is extremely important in analyzing dog bites because dogs that are owned for an aggressive function (like guarding) are more likely to inflict injuries than ones that are pets. '

Third, many of the breed haters out there are still insisting on calling the dog a "pit bull type" dog -- because noting factual information about dog breeds, and attacks, isn't their motivation. They seem more content to just skew their year-end data to try to convince people that different types of dogs are more aggressive than others so they can push their dog-killing agendas while ignoring the circumstances surrounding these rare attacks.

July 11, 2012

Lennox was taken from his home because he was declared to be illegal under the UK's ban on four breeds of dogs, including American Pit Bull Terriers.

Lennox's ownes fought for two years to save him -- saying that he was not a banned breed but an American Bulldog/Lab mix. But in the end, the government in Ireland sided with him being illegal, and we was killed, after 2 years alone in his holding cell.

Lennox's deathwas the worst kind of death. He wasn't in need of a home. In fact, he had loving, caring owners who fought for two years for him (after most would have given up hope). In addition to this, there were hundreds of people who stepped up to help, and even pay to tranport him to the United States to live out his years. There is no indication that he had behavioral issues that made him a threat to anyone. He wasn't guilty of even running loose.

At the end of the day, he was killed because of how he looked, and nothing more.

The world is angry at the Belfast government now, and justifiably so. The story has made international headlines. And people are angry that a loved and loving dog could be killed for no reason at all. I understand the anger. It is more than justified.

But once the shock of the government in Belfast ignoring pleas to spare Lennox's life have passed, I want people to understand something important in this case:

Lennox's story is not unique.

While Lennox's story has made the national headlines, and his owners waged a huge campaign to save him, Lennox's story plays out in communities throughout the United States daily. Daily in this country, because of a city's breed ban, a perfectly good, loving dog is taken from a home and killed for no reason at all: not to improve public safety, not because they don't have a home, dogs are killed simply because of the way they look; just like Lennox.

For all the passion that went behind Lennox, all of these other dogs deserve it too. The governments that continue to round them up and kill them needlessly -- like in Denver, Ontario, Miami, Overland Park, KS; Independence, MO; Springfield, MO; Council Bluffs, IA; Winnipeg and other communities throughout the country deserve the same passion against their breed-specific ordinances as the folks in Belfast. These dogs need our support too.

The channeled passion against Belfast made Lennox's story an international story -- and an embarrassment to many in Northern Ireland. If we harness the passion for dogs like Lennox, we do have the power to enact changes in ordinances like this throughout the country by making the stories of these dogs, the injustices against them, more public.

Lennox is one dog. A loved dog. A critical life like many others. But let's not let his death be in vain and let his story and face be the face of this same injustice elsewhere.

July 08, 2012

Last week, a new study was published out of Manitoba, Canada, about the effectiveness of breed-specific laws (BSL). And contrary to all of the other studies on the subject (which they acknowledge), this study says that BSL MAY work. Here is their conclusion:

“BSL may have resulted in a reduction of Dog Bite Injury Hospitalizations in Winnipeg, and appeared more effective in protecting those aged <20 years.”

So with great interest, I read the article. You can read the article here, in its entirety (it’s only about 7 pages) for yourself.

The study is a fairly detailed study of 16 jurisdictions with pit bull bans in Manitoba that covers the Dog Bite Injury Hospitalization (DBIH) rates before and after they enacted their pit bull bans. The study did take into account population changes and rated the injuries on a per 100,000 person basis. The study focused on DBIH because their premise was that ‘pit bulls’ cause more injury when they bite and this would be a better measure of public safety than just bites.

They did also measure for Rabies exposure tests to see if bites that broke the skin increased or decreased (although this included all potential rabies exposures, and not just dog bites). This information proves to be pretty useless however as they later note that only about 30% of all potential rabies exposures come from dogs while skunks are the primary carrier.

The test included mostly rural communities, but did also include the Provence’s 2 largest cities: Winnipeg (which has a breed ban that it enacted in 1990) and Brandon, which has no ban. Brandon was one of 15 communities without breed-specific laws that were used as a control group. All of the other communities were labeled as rural communities. The study covered the years 1984-2006.

Unfortunately, the way the results were published, was a bit, ahem, misleading.

For the most part, they grouped all of the cities with BSL and those without together to show results – the lone exceptions were the two urban communities (Brandon and Winnepeg) and two small northern cities: The Pas (which enacted a ban in 2005, the last year of the study) and the town of Flin Flon (which has no ban). The rest were all grouped together.

During the years studied, there were 838 total DBIH in Manitoba – a total of 36 per year – and a total of 3.19 per 100,000 people. Of those, 363 (43%) occurred in cities without breed bans, 417 (57%) occurred in cities that enacted breed bans during this time.

Now here is where the numbers start breaking down for the study.

If you look at the communities that enacted breed bans during this time, of the 417 total DBIH, 144 of them occurred prior to the city implementing their breed ban. Of those, 122 were in the cities of Winnipeg and The Pas (the only cities with bans listed individually). So of the other 14 communities studied, there were only a total of 22 DBIH before they passed the bans – so about 1.5 per community over the course of 7-22 year time frame. So we’re talking, on average, about one incident every ten years here for all the communities that are not the Pas or Winnipeg.

After the bans were enacted, there were a total of 331 DBIH – of those, 307 were in Winnipeg alone (the Pas has zero in its one year after the ban). So post bans, there were only 24 total DBIHs for the other 14 cities combined – again, a very low number over a range of 2-15 years.

So the sample size of the number of incidents in surrounding communities is VERY small. All of which of the communities were very rural (and this study confirmed what other studies have reported that major injuries are more likely to occur per 100,000 people in rural areas than in urban ones). Also, based on the types of dogs owned in many of these areas for working purposes, and based on Canadian dog bite fatality studies, most of these incidents likely involved Huskies or other sled-type dogs.

So given all of this, almost the only conclusions that can be drawn from the study itself is based on what happened in Winnipeg and The Pas (the two communities broken out separately).

But even The Pas is impossible to study, because it instituted its ban in 2005 – right before the last year of the study. In the 22 years prior to passing the ban, they had a total of 12 DBIH – so essentially one every two years. Then, in the one year after passing the ban, they had zero – which statistically was just as likely to happen prior to the ban as it was after the ban - -so not much can be gleaned from that.

So let’s look at Winnipeg.

In the 6 years prior to them passing their ban in 1990, they had 110 total DBIH – an average of 2.93 per 100,000 persons-years. In the 16 years following the ban, they had 307 total incidents – an average of 2.81 incidents per 100,000 persons-year.

So, in other words, in the 16 years after the ban they lowered their DBIH numbers an average of .12 incidents per 100,000 people – or one incident per 800,000 people – or, based on Winnipeg’s population of 660,000 that is a drop of less than one incident per year during a 16 year stretch when dog bites throughout the US and Canada have been dropping. (Interestingly, there is no comparision in this study of whether or not bites dropped in cities without BSL during the same time period).

Meanwhile, in Brandon (the only other “urban” city studied), for the entire 24 year study, they had a total of 24 DBIH (1 per year) and a incident rate of 2.5 per 100,000 persons-years – so lower than either period for Winnipeg.

The researchers in this case seem to get that they were having a tough time proving their hypothesis. From the discussion:

“When jurisdictions were used as their own controls in a pre-BSL versus post-BSL comparison of incidence of DBIH, no significant reduction in the period after BSL implementation was observed.” (Emphasis mine)

The researchers also noted other reasons for changes in DBIH numbers that they didn’t not account for in their study – in part due to the long-amount of time (23 years) included in the study:

“Longer periods under observation have the potential to be influenced by period effects or confounding factors such as changes in the number of pet dog populations, changes in the popularity and ubiquity of breeds, changes in the number of dog-owning households, parallel and related ordinances, and public safety education campaigns.”

The study also notes that there was absolutely no inclusion of DBIH by breed of dog involved in the incident – either before, or after the bans. So while it measures the impact of DBIH before and after a ban, it does not indicate, at all, if ANY of the incidents involved pit bulls. Pit bulls have not been a major factor in Canadian fatality figures as from 1990-2007, only 1 of the 28 dog attack fatalities in Canada involved a pit bull-type dog. So it is likely that very few of the incidents either before or after the ban involved the type of dog that was banned.

The media, of course, has picked up on the story, bending whatever data they want to to prove whatever opinion they already have – like this author who compares the bites per 1000 people for two different data-sets of cities to 'prove' her point, the 'pre' number included all 31 cities studied and the "post" number just the cities that passed BSL.

So, in short, the study – which reports to show that BSL has been effective in Manitoba, doesn’t.

- It doesn’t show a significant decrease in dog bite hospitalizations after a ban has taken place

- It doesn’t even indicate what number of incidents before or after a breed ban involved the banned breed

- Because of the extreme length of time for the study, it was not able to isolate out cultural differences in dog ownership that would influence the data in the study.

- And based on the low incidences of bites per 100,000 people (less than 4 in all cases), there appears to be no evidence to support that any of these jurisdictions had any type of dog bite problem in the first place.

UPDATED:

The National Canine Research Council has offered up their view of the study -- and again noted that about 90% of the total person-years covered in the study -- which essentially means that the study is a study about the effectiveness of the law in Winnipeg -- which, as noted above, showed no measurable decrease in hospitalizations before and after the enacting their breed ban. Thanks JM for the link.

July 06, 2012

Per Jodie Pries at Bless the Bullis, Lebanon, Ohio has repealed their breed-specific law with a unanimous vote. Their new law takes a breed-neutral aproach to declaring dogs dangerous based on behavior that is modeled after the state law. Their old ordinance was enacted in 1986.

Meanwhile, Allen Park, MI has also repealed their breed ban. The cold city law, passed only a few years ago, declared that all 'pit bulls' had to be killed immediately by the shelter -- and breed ID was determined solely by the shelter staff.

However, Allen Park is now joining four other cities to form the Downriver Central Control Animal Shelter. In order to make things easier for Animal Control, they wanted the five cities to all have uniform animal control laws, so Allen Park had to repeal their law. Said City Attorney Crhis Forsyth:

"The reason for the repeal is to comply with other cities, but your vicious animal ordinance will still allow you to enforce anything needed with pit bulls."

Indeed.

Congrats to two more cities that are moving forward without their breed-specific laws.


U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison. | AP Photo/David Zalubowski Israel-Palestine tensions ripple through Democratic Party chair races

Top Jewish fundraisers and activists in Florida have a message for the politicians who want to lead the Democratic Party: Support for the Palestinian cause at the expense of Israel is politically toxic.

In the nation’s biggest swing state — home to a diverse electorate and large Jewish community — few issues have torn at the fabric of party unity recently like the past stances on Israel taken by Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota and former Miami state Sen. Dwight Bullard.

As Ellison pursues a bid for Democratic National Committee chair and Bullard seeks to lead Florida Democrats, state and local party leaders are getting increasingly nervous about tensions between two key Democratic constituencies — Jews and African-Americans. Already, the race for state party chairman is marked by behind-the-scenes threats and racially charged rhetoric; one backer of Bullard said his treatment by Jewish critics amounted to a virtual “modern-day lynching.”

Ellison, who would be the first Muslim Democratic National Committee chair if elected, has been so hamstrung by his past support for Palestinians that he began releasing statements of support from Israeli and Jewish supporters. And in a surprise move, Ellison last week endorsed Bullard’s Miami rival, Stephen Bittel, a DNC finance chair who is Jewish.

But it’s not enough to move critics who see him and Bullard as existential threats to the party and nation.

“If we elect the Dwight Bullards and we elect the Keith Ellisons to leadership rolls in our party, the Republicans are going to make significant inroads in the Jewish community,” said Michael Moskowitz, a staunch South Florida supporter of Israel who estimates he raises about $1 million every election cycle for Democrats.

“The Democratic Party will just be going in the wrong direction on this issue if we do this. And so will our nation,” Moskowitz said. “With all the turmoil in the Middle East, Israel is our only true democratic ally.”

Moskowitz and other donors say they’ll withhold support for the local, state and national parties if either man wins a leadership spot. And as Donald Trump tries to make inroads in the Jewish community by adopting a hawkish position on Israel, many Democrats say the twin candidacies of Bullard and Ellison aren’t something the party can afford.

Ellison has faced persistent criticism over controversial comments he made in the past — from once comparing former President George W. Bush to Adolf Hitler to long ago defending Nation of Islam Leader Louis Farrakhan. The 53-year-old Ellison, who was a law student when he spoke favorably of Farrakhan, said he didn’t “adequately scrutinize” the religious leader’s positions.

In early December, Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt released a statement saying his organization had "serious concerns" about the prospect of Ellison serving as DNC chair given his past statements. Democratic megadonor Haim Saban — owner of Spanish-language powerhouse Univision and Jewish — also called Ellison an "anti-Semitic and anti-Israel person."

In the face of the barrage against Ellison, Sen. Chuck Schumer, J-Street, MoveOn.org's Ilya Sheyman, and a member of Israel's Knesset released statements stressing Ellison’s support of Israel and a two-state solution.

Ellison’s backers say he’s the victim of a smear campaign and some privately say that, had he been a white Christian, he wouldn’t be so pilloried.

"There's not five votes to lose for having the position that Keith Ellison has had on issues related to Israel, Palestine, and the Middle East, et cetera," said James Zogby, president of the Arab-American Institute and a DNC member-at-large supporting Ellison. "There's just not any votes there to lose. What there is is noise to make and the perceived threat that this will cost the DNC money. But I've been down this road before. I remember when the party would not deal with Arab Americans at all."

The Democratic drama over the future DNC chair and that of the Florida Democratic Party only deepened last week when Labor Secretary Tom Perez jumped into the race last week, posing the strongest threat to Ellison’s position as the frontrunner.

With Perez in, Ellison faced a fresh round of questions about where he is on Israel and Palestine that dogged his candidacy. Ellison then endorsed Bittel in the Florida race, but Bittel has yet to return the favor.

In Florida, Bullard for months has played defense over his position on the Middle East, which became a campaign issue in his Miami-area state Senate race — a race that he lost. After that defeat, he lost a local party contest two weeks ago. And, insiders say, he’s likely to lose another local party race Tuesday to Bittel. The winner can qualify to run for state party chairman.

Bullard’s trouble began this summer when activists pointed out to reporters that he traveled to Israel with a group called the Dream Defenders, which is allied with the Black Lives Matter movement and criticizes Israel on its website for “ethnically cleansing” Palestinians in 1948. They pointed out Bullard met with Haneen Zoabi, an Israeli Knesset Member and Palestinian activist who once called Israeli soldiers “murderers.” And he sat down with Omar Barghouti, co-founder of the “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” movement against Israel. Bullard, who is Christian, was one of the only state senators to vote against an anti-Boycott, Divest and Sanctions bill in the Florida Legislature before reversing his position early this year.

“A number of folks called me concerned over my committee vote,” Bullard told the Miami Herald. “For the sake of not being the thorn in anyone’s side I decided to vote for it on the floor.”

To a local TV station, NBC6-Miami, Bullard stressed that he’s “pro-Israel, but I'm also pro-Palestine in that people can co-exist. ... My position is co-existence."

Bullard won his Democratic primary, but he was quickly attacked for the trip by a political committee for Florida Senate Republicans. Fundraising was also difficult for him. And he lost his general election to Republican rival, state Sen. Frank Artiles.

A friend and ally of Bullard’s, Leslie Wimes, felt the party's treatment of Bullard was so shoddy that she penned a column last month in the conservative Sunshine State News with the title “The Lynching of Dwight Bullard.”

“OK, I get it. Some Jewish people are upset with Dwight Bullard,” wrote Wimes, who heads a group called the Democratic African American Women Caucus. “Exactly what is it that you want? Bullard hanging from a tree? Bullard tied up and whipped? What exactly will make you happy?”

When Ellison decided to endorse Bittel over Bullard, it amounted to a betrayal for Wimes and other supporters. Like both men, Wimes backed the presidential campaign of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is also Jewish. Ellison and Bullard are African-American as well.

Bittel, the establishment candidate allied with the Hillary Clinton wing of the party, is a top donor who has hosted President Barack Obama at his home and backed former DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who represents such a heavily Jewish district in South Florida that she nearly voted against the president’s Iran deal as party chair. Bullard, running as the grassroots pick, has received the backing from the political committee that grew out of Sanders’ campaign. Sanders also supports Ellison in the DNC race.

That made Ellison’s endorsement of Bittel so surprising to so many.

“I support Stephen Bittel’s campaign because I believe that the future of the Florida Democratic Party is built on effective field campaigning, raising the resources to win down ballot and statewide races, and recruiting top flight candidates who recognize the strength of the party apparatus,” Ellison said in a statement issued by Bittel’s camp. “We need to do deep organizing to win and Stephen gets that.”

Though the issue of Israel wasn’t mentioned at all in his statement, Democrats say Ellison’s endorsement had a lot to do with his views on the Middle East.

“It was a brilliant move,” said Mitch Ceasar, a South Florida Democrat who sits on the DNC’s executive board and is undecided in the race. “In reading the things I’ve read and in hearing people talk about Israel, this came as a complete surprise.”

Fueling the Democratic tensions surrounding the twin campaigns of Ellison and Bullard, Ceasar said, was a simple fact: “We’re still angry with what happened in the election. We don’t know what happened. Many of us are in the anger stage of grief. Democrats are still in mourning.”

“We’re still sitting shiva,” Ceasar said, referring to the Jewish custom of mourning a death of a loved one.

The internal party rage, though, is taxing. Miami-Dade’s Democratic chairman, Juan Cuba, took to Facebook last week and implored his members to be civil: “Democrats, we can debate about the future of our party without demonizing one another.”

Evan Ross, a Miami-Dade Democratic Party member and consultant, said he’s not angry and has no personal animus toward Ellison and Bullard.

“But when I hear their [Bullard and Ellison] position, it’s not going to get my support or the support of the Jewish community,” Ross said. “It’s toxic in the Jewish community, which has a long history of supporting the Democratic Party and Democratic candidates.”

As if the hangover of November’s loss wasn’t bad enough, bringing in the Middle East conflict is just too divisive for DNC members like Joyce Cusack. A former Florida state House member who served with Bullard’s parents in the Florida Legislature, Cusack worried that some of the opposition might be steeped in race.

“I don’t know what he has done as it relates to Jews,” said Cusack, who is African-American. “A lot of folks are bothered by an Afro-American running for chair.”


Q:

How to generate random numbers in C two colons?

I need in c code that generates two numbers in horizontally...so that i can get token numbers for my login system.
I need that i get this:
token=0.152644,0.429187

so in example i have token= and random generated numbers that have at beginning 0. and then 6 random generated numbers separated with , sign.
How to get get this in C?
I have try this code but it does not give me what i want_
#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>

typedef
union
{
    char tmp[sizeof(unsigned long long)];
    unsigned long long myll;
} ll_t;

unsigned long long llrand(void)
{
    FILE *in=fopen("/dev/urandom", "r");
    ll_t ll_u;
    fread(ll_u.tmp, sizeof(ll_u.tmp), 1, in);
    fclose(in);
    return ll_u.myll;
}

int main()
{
    char tmp1[64]={0x0};
    char working[64]={0x0};
    int i=0;

    for(i=0; i< 1; i++)
    {
        while(strlen(tmp1) < 6)
        {
            sprintf(working, "%lu", llrand() );
            strcat(tmp1, working);
        }
        tmp1[6]=0x0;

        printf("%s\n", tmp1);
        *tmp1=0x0;
     }
    return 0;
 }

From output i get this:
747563
102595

Can code be simple and short?

A:

You can use rand() function:
#include <stdio.h>      /* printf, scanf, puts, NULL */
#include <stdlib.h>     /* srand, rand */
#include <time.h>       /* time */

int randomNumber(int min, int max)
{
    /* generate secret number between min and max: */
    int res = rand() % (max-min+1) + min;
    return res;
}

int main()
{
    int i = 0;
    srand (time(NULL));
    for (i=0; i<100; i++)
        printf("%d ", randomNumber(10, 1000000));
    return 0;
}

That is full detail for rand():
http://www.cplusplus.com/reference/cstdlib/rand/


Determination of phosphorus, sulfur and the halogens using high-temperature molecular absorption spectrometry in flames and furnaces--A review.
The literature about the investigation of molecular spectra of phosphorus, sulfur and the halogens in flames and furnaces, and the use of these spectra for the determination of these non-metals has been reviewed. Most of the investigations were carried out using conventional atomic absorption spectrometers, and there were in essence two different approaches. In the first one, dual-channel spectrometers with a hydrogen or deuterium lamp were used, applying the two-line method for background correction; in the second one, a line source was used that emitted an atomic line, which overlapped with the molecular spectrum. The first approach had the advantage that any spectral interval could be accessed, but it was susceptible to spectral interference; the second one had the advantage that the conventional background correction systems could be used to minimize spectral interferences, but had the problem that an atomic line had to be found, which was overlapping sufficiently well with the maximum of the molecular absorption spectrum. More recently a variety of molecular absorption spectra were investigated using a low-resolution polychromator with a CCD array detector, but no attempt was made to use this approach for quantitative determination of non-metals. The recent introduction and commercial availability of high-resolution continuum source atomic absorption spectrometers is offering completely new possibilities for molecular absorption spectrometry and its use for the determination of non-metals. The use of a high-intensity continuum source together with a high-resolution spectrometer and a CCD array detector makes possible selecting the optimum wavelength for the determination and to exclude most spectral interferences.


Digital Signage: GP College Deploys Web-Based Communications System

Georgia Perimeter College in Atlanta has deployed a Web-based visual communications platform from Visix, AxisTV, to enhance messaging to students on four of its sites. The technology is being used to narrowcast messages to large-screen LCD displays in its Newton County, Clarkston, Decatur, and Dunwoody locations.

"AxisTV has helped us to cut printing costs and has increased efficiencies, since the built-in scheduling function automatically removes notices without further user intervention," said Glenn Sierko, assistant director of classroom and event technologies at GPC earlier this month.

AxisTV provides a Web interface for remote administration of content to be delivered, including scheduling and the creation of content to be delivered. GPC is using nine Visix Channel Players in thirteen buildings to deliver content, which can include everything from student schedules to weather alerts to emergency communications.

Georgia Perimeter College serves 21,000 students on four sites and is the third-largest institution in the University of Georgia system.

David Nagel is editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Technology Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal and STEAM Universe. A 25-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art and business publications.