Layoffs cost £28.6bn in Britain

Almost 2.7m people have been made redundant in Britain over the last four years, according to research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. The layoffs have cost employers a total of £28.6bn, the report estimates, while the loss of output to the economy amounts to between £87bn and £135bn.


Moving to SAP SuccessFactors… it’s all about the process, right?

  • September 26, 2016

HR technology systems are designed to enable your HR and people-related business processes. However, when implementing SAP SuccessFactors HCM suite just how important is process knowledge versus experience in the technology?

SAP SuccessFactors - SFSF

Experience != Experience
Understanding business process is important, but experience in technology is equally important and just having 20 years’ experience in SAP HCM doesn’t mean that someone can be a good SAP SuccessFactors consultant straight off. Without a deep understanding of the technology, how can a consultant design a process? And when you consider that business processes have changed and SAP SuccessFactors is designed to support modern processes, is that SAP HCM process experience really an advantage or could it be a hindrance? Just because a consultant has 20 years process experience doesn’t mean that they can instantly understand how the technology can support modern HR processes without experience of that technology. There’s no bigger waste of your HR technology budget than re-building your on-premise processes and design into a next generation HR system.

Now, that’s not to say that 20 years of experience would be a waste. There are some things only experience can teach. But for those things to be effective, there has to be the modern cloud mindset and understanding of the technological changes that have taken place in the HR world.

Business transformation and skills transformation
Much of the move to a cloud HR system is a move to business transformation and often a larger digital transformation program. Getting the process design right is critical, and design is a lot more than just filling out the configuration workbooks that SAP SuccessFactors provide for their software. Consultants should be guiding customers and documenting requirements; understanding processes and the underlying technology – as well as knowing common practices and having experience from numerous customers – are essential for being able to build out a robust design.

Head in the clouds
Legacy thinkers can be dangerous. Consultants need to think with a new cloud mindset. But it’s not just consultants: customers also need to think with a new mindset and understand how cloud works and what it can offer. The best path to success on your project is for both the consultants and the project team to be thinking about the new possibilities that the cloud brings, the way in which processes can be simplified, and how multi-national and fragmented businesses can standardize.

This new mindset is where much of the value is. Re-thinking processes, understanding how to best design a solution using highly configurable software, and understanding integration scenarios just touch on the iceberg of this mindset. But you as a customer must also be ready to think this way. How can you standardize? How can you simplify? How can you manage a self-services roll out? How can you best take advantage of the latest and greatest, now and in the future?

You should have your cake and eat it
Ultimately, for a SAP SuccessFactors implementation to not only be successful but also optimal and high value, the consultants implementing the solution need to be well versed in business process and the SAP SuccessFactors technology they are implementing. These go hand-in-hand and a consultant simply cannot be qualified to create a winning HR solution without having both. How can a consultant talk about common practices if they’ve only done 1 or 2 projects?

And then there are the quarterly releases. Consultants need to stay up-to-date, period. In the on-premise world, there was an enhancement package release roughly every 12 to 18 months. Even then, many customers wouldn’t implement the new enhancement package for several months or would wait for the next enhancement package to be released. But with the SAP SuccessFactors, there’s a new release every 3 months. Every new release adds new capabilities and features that make a difference to what you’re doing. If a consultant isn’t tracking these, how can they offer optimal value? It’s the deep expertise that sets the best consultants apart from the rest.

Taking ownership for your success
As discussed by Jarret Pazahanick and myself in this episode of Firing Line with Bill Kutik before, it’s up to customers to do their homework and due diligence on consultants. Your consulting partner might not be so honest about how experienced their consultants really are when their core focus is to win your business. Sadly, many consulting partners who aren’t trying to pull the wool over your eyes might just have no idea about how capable consultants in the marketplace can be. No matter you might be told, there are plenty of experienced consultants available to help your implementation be a success.

Author: Luke Marson, CEO Americas and Principal Architect, iXerv

If you would like to hear about SAP SuccessFactors work opportunities in Europe and further your SAP career, please take a moment to register your CV with Eursap.


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iSALUS Healthcare Blog

Renae Rossow
Renae Rossow
Telemedicine Statistics That Will get the Attention of Your Practice

Telemedicine Statistics That Will get the Attention of Your Practice

Telemedicine Statistics That Will get the Attention of Your Practice

Telemedicine enables providers to extend their reach, and improve their efficiency and effectiveness, while still maintaining high quality care and attention to patient safety. While it’s been around for longer than you may think, telemedicine is impacting today’s healthcare scene more than ever before. On October 11th, 2016, Kaiser Permanente, one of the largest integrated health systems in the United States, announced that 52% of the California-based health system’s patient visits occurred through online portals, virtual visits or the health system’s apps. That number speaks for approximately 59 million of their 110 million encounters in 2015. This announcement serves as the first time a large health system has reported more virtual encounters than in-person encounters. Impressive.

Not only does this indicate a major turnaround for the way we deliver and receive healthcare, but evidence shows it may actually become the preferred method of care – especially for those patients located in remote areas where access to timely healthcare can be a challenge. In a recent study by the University of Missouri School of Medicine, they specifically wanted to understand the satisfaction level of all telehealth users, including the providers, based on the idea that for telemedicine to be truly effective, it also must be beneficial to those who provide care.

The survey featured three questionnaires, designed for patients, physicians and on-site coordinators involved with the Missouri Telehealth Network, which serves 29 clinical specialties at 202 sites around the state. Here are some of the more notable statistics:

  • 86% of physicians said they were satisfied with the quality of care provided
  • 83% of patients felt they’d received quality care
  • 78% said they’d use the platform again.
  • Approximately 2/3 of on-site coordinators stated the system was easy to set up.

Researchers involved in the study stated that it both confirmed and validated the use of telehealth for rural patients. In a separate study performed by the Richard A. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis, they found that the veteran population would also benefit from using a telehealth platform. It’s no secret that traveling to and from the nearest VA hospital can create an incredible hardship for veterans. In their 2014 study that spanned over 2 years, they found, again, that it was beneficial to both the provider and the patient. In fact, the center’s telemedicine platform saved the hospital more than $330,000 in reimbursements by cutting more than 770,000 travel miles by veterans. Even more incredible was the fact that the overall satisfaction rate was at 96% for the veterans.

With such overwhelming data, many providers have looked into adding a telehealth platform to their practices. However there are a few things you need to consider before taking the dive.

Consider Geographic Location:

Some concern has been expressed over regulatory and licensure requirements. At this point in time, providers must follow federal, state and local regulatory and licensure requirements related to the scope of their practice. Additionally, providers must ensure that the patient is physically located in a jurisdiction in which the provider is duly licensed and credentialed. Finally, providers must practice within the scope of their licensure and observe all applicable state and federal legal and regulatory requirements. This could present a problem for providers who are located in an area that is near state lines and have patients who visit their office but live in a different state. Presently, the patient must be located in the state in which the physician or provider is licensed. If they are at home, in a state where you are not credentialed, you cannot provide a telehealth consultation to them.

Consider Patient Education, Consent and Documentation:

Once you’ve researched your state’s requirements, you’ll need to initiate the telehealth encounter with the patient. This not only requires notifying and educating the patient with regards to a variety of measures related to telemedicine that include setting the appropriate expectations regarding the telemedicine encounter, including prescription policies, communication, follow-up, etc. Most states also require written consent. The consent form you would use varies by state but should contain information such as the patient name and medical record number. It will affirm that the patient understands you are going to engage in a telemedicine consultation and that the provider has explained the process and technology necessary to complete such a consultation. It will also affirm that the patient understands risks associated with technology and security. Additionally, the form should put forth that the patient has received alternatives to the telemedicine consultation and is choosing to participate in the telemedicine consultation. It will affirm that the patient has received an explanation of who has access to this record for the purposes of billing, etc., and that they’ve had the opportunity to ask questions if they have any. So that covers the education and consent but then you must consider the documentation. You will absolutely need to document a telehealth visit with the same detail you document an in-person encounter. In some cases, you may need to provide better documentation to explain rationale, etc. The bare minimum will include the identifying information, source of history, chief complaints, history of present illness, associated signs and symptoms, past medical history, family history, and all the other usual pieces of information.

Ethical Considerations:

There are also some ethical considerations to be made when it comes to adding telehealth to your practice. Though you are technically practicing at a distance, you are still required to provide the same attention and adherence to professional ethical principles as you would at an in-person encounter. Basically, you are expected to uphold the same code of ethics, continue to abide by all federal, state and jurisdictional laws and regulations and institutional policies. Additionally, you are expected to not use telemedicine as a way to provide preferential treatment. In other words, don’t avoid certain patients by only offering telemedicine consultations to them based on their location, economic status, disease or disability, gender or sexual orientation, behavioral factors, ethnicity, religion, etc. The only exception would be in the case of pandemics.

While there are a lot of considerations and steps to implementing a telehealth platform into your practice, the statistics described above make it more than obvious that it could contribute to increased efficiency, increased patient engagement and even an increase in overall patient satisfaction. Keep your eyes peeled and your ears open for an announcement from iSALUS Healthcare relating to telehealth before the end of the year!

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Life Lessons To Live a Better Life

As we go through life, we’re going to experience things that change us and teach us lessons about life. I wish I would have learned these life lessons earlier on so I could prepare myself better and healthier. Had I known what I know now when I was a teenager or young adult, I would have saved a lot of time that I could have used for memories and moments with people I cherish.

1. Change is always possible

As long as you’re alive, the ability to change is always an option. If you don’t like something, change it.

2. Don’t let emotions dictate your daily actions

Make decisions rationally and logically. Don’t base everything off of emotion. If you do, you’ll find yourself isolated and feeling quite alone.

3. Your mindset affects your mood

If you’re constantly in a state of mind that’s negative, you’ll find yourself having more bad days. People can feel your vibe and energy so make sure to approach each day with a positive mindset.

4. You cannot change others

You can’t and you never will. At times it may seem like you can, but people have to want to change and believe they can.

5. Daily gratitude helps you stay balanced

Daily gratitude lists can help bring you to acceptance and appreciation for the little things in life.

6. You cannot control how other people feel

People are going to judge you. There will be people that like you and do not like you for whatever reason. You can’t change the way they feel so focus on the things you can control.

7. Enjoy life

Life is hard. Life gets harder. There will be instances where you don’t think you can go on living a certain way. We often forget to just stop and do something fun and something we enjoy. Don’t get too caught up in the petty things in life and don’t forget to set time aside to have fun and enjoy your life. You only get one.

8. Share your story no matter how scary it is or your fear of judgment

Your story needs to be heard. There is someone in the world who has felt a certain way or had something similar happen to them. Don’t be ashamed because you are helping someone by sharing.

9. Accept that you’re going to make mistakes

You’ll make mistakes. You may even make the same mistake twice. As long as you are able to come to this realization, you’ll be able to cope with making mistakes and move on.

10. Love deeply

Just like someone who hurts you is a lesson, you will be someone’s lesson. But just because you experience pain doesn’t mean you shouldn’t love. Love fearlessly.

11. Learn from your mistakes

What’s the point in going through experiences if we never learn from them? There would be no purpose. Make sure you find your part in the situation and identify things you would change and things you wouldn’t change. Remember, you are the only person you can change.

12. You’re going to get hurt and you’re going to hurt people

It’s inevitable and it’s a part of life. You’ll be able to cope with the pain of hurting someone and someone hurting you better once you come to the realization that this is just a part of life and it happens to teach you something.

13. You attract what we believe and value

We tend to attract people who share similar beliefs and values. Make sure you have evaluated what you believe in and value so you attract good people in your life.

14. Do not compare yourself to others

We all do it. It’s not worth it. What is the point in comparing yourself to someone else when it won’t change a thing? It’s not worth it, so don’t waste precious time on something or someone out of your control.

15. Define your worth

This is critical if you want to live a happy and healthy life. You are worth more than you give yourself credit for. Define that worth. Do not settle for anything less than what you deserve.

These are a handful of lessons that I’ve learned over the years. These are things I wish I had known when I was younger because I think I would have been better equipped to deal with life and all it brings. I also don’t think I would have spent so much time on things that were out of my control.

Focus on what you can control and get rid of anything toxic standing in your way. You get one life…now is your one and only chance to live it. You never know what may happen tomorrow so live life for today.


Watch the I bVII IV I Progression in C online guitar lesson by Brad Carlton from Guitar Lab: Vertical Soloing

This progression is an example of how your street key can be different than the theoretical key. The chords are C Bb F C, so the C is home base (the street key) but the chord progression is a V IV I V in F major. I'll also show you how to blend a blues approach with the diatonic arp, pentatonic and mode approach.


Creating Projects in Adobe Dimension CC 1.0

Creating Projects in Adobe Dimension CC 1.0

Lesson Info

Matching Scenes with Perspective, Lighting, and Reflections

Now let's dive into some more complex situations. We're matching the perspective, as well as adding reflections, and even depth of field. How can you match that content to come up with something interesting? In fact, if I take a look, I will actually open up Photoshop because I happen to have a couple images. This obviously has shallow depth of field. So, in my project, you can see it's just this background. If I take a look at even this one right here, this table, look at this, look at this reflection. Let's take a look at those scenarios and tackle them right now. In fact, you can see them right over here in my project. Starting with the reflection. Grab this background, let's drop it right in there, saying hey, you know what, I'll try to match the perspective. It might not, 'cause it might not be a solid line there. It's gonna try to, ready? Click okay. Great with the light. Hey, that actually worked out pretty, pretty well. I'm gonna adjust this. Panning down, but really, the big i...

ssue here, as I move this, I wanna actually put this right on the table. And this is the situation I'm dealing with. And I can kind of angle it, tweak it a little bit because you are tricking the eye, ultimately. So, it might not be truly in perspective, but you might need to exaggerate that a little bit, which is why I adjusted the perspective. So, the big issue is the reflection right down here. I can select Environment, and off to the side, I can see the Environment Light and some of those other things that have been added. But let's take a look at the Ground Plane right in here. Sure enough, there is the shadow being cast, so that's what the Ground Plane is. If I turn that off, I eliminate the shadow. I wanna increase the reflection, so I'll crank that up, and you'll notice nothing is really happening at this point, but my goal is to make it match this vase right here. So, I'm not gonna worry about the roughness, but I'm gonna increase the opacity up about three quarters of the way. You're not necessarily seeing this, but I will when I render it. In fact, I'll even just do a render preview right now. And that might happen sometimes. When it's coming to 3D, it's trying to simulate everything happening, but it doesn't wanna slow up your workflow, so when it comes to these reflections, you will have to render it. So, as that comes through, the lighting is matched, perspective looks pretty good, and we'll start to see those reflections as well. So you can see, in just this render preview alone, you can already see the reflection. And this is what you'd wanna do is do your render previews, adjust any of the setting that you need to. In fact, I can increase the opacity of this 'cause this actually looks more like 100% opaque, so I could always minimize that. That will render. Coming back down here, I can increase that accordingly, and always preview that as well. But I'm gonna go beyond that. I like how you're able to add reflections. Obviously, I can add more light to this. Let's take another scenario into account. Even if I wanted to add a different background, dropping in that different background. You'll have these backgrounds that might be offset. Notice how this is kind of a little wonky, right? It's kind of shifted a little bit. I'd wanna make sure that matches as well, so with that done, clicking okay, it's gonna match it. And the angle of that table is really the big thing that needs help. So, that being said, right up here, selecting this, you guessed it, this horizon line, as soon as I actually, let me actually adjust this a little more. Move this up. And make it a little larger, like that. Selecting the horizon line, I can match that angle like so if I happen to have a tilted case right here. Going beyond that, right down here, this tabletop counter, I'm gonna drop this in now, and this is dealing with depth of field. Of course, it's gonna be really blurry in the background. There's still a little bit of blur on the table as well. So, I'm gonna match the perspective and everything. It's gonna adjust accordingly, and now I'm gonna take a look at what we have going on here, which again, this scenario, even if this bag is technically, it might be back a little bit further, and this bag right here might be up a little bit closer to the camera. And notice how it starts to get blurry right down here. Well, I want to account for that, and let's just tilt this. So we have this scenario where we really wanna just focus on this coffee cup, okay, and simulate this situation where we have this depth of field. So, selecting Environment, just kind of closing Canvas, Environment Light, and Ground Plane, which I've already talked about, right down here is Depth of Field. So, we can actually turn this on. This gives me a focus range and then a blur amount. And honestly, I have no idea what 40 is. What is 40? I have no idea. Guess what, I don't need to worry about that because I can literally just set the focus point. As I click on that, let's focus right here on this coffee cup, and now that focus range is 53.2. In fact, as I roll over that, you can see it's telling me what I can do. I can increase this blurriness a little bit more just to make it a little bit more drastic for our preview as we take a look. And all I need in this case is a render preview. It's not the full render, so it might be a little pixelated, but this is the idea I'm going for, simulating that depth. 'Cause otherwise, what I'd have to do is, you know, simulate this in Photoshop by adding my own blurs. So here it is, this is the render preview. You can see it looks pretty good. You can already see that depth right here. See how it's sharp on this side and then blurs out definitely that background right there? Might have it a little high, but that's the whole idea with the render previews. I can adjust that accordingly. Same thing with the reflection. I have that cranked way up. But that gives me all the information I need, which is fantastic, taking this blur down, going into the ground plane, and just lowering that reflection opacity. I'll get that little preview right there. You can already tell that it's looking much cleaner in terms of that depth of field. With that said, I'll just go over to Render, and it's gonna render out this particular scene, and we'll see it with that depth of field and the reflections matching that environment. All right, looks like the render is done. It's actually saved to my desktop. You can see it there. In fact, here it is. You can open this up. You can see that depth of field. Again, I can always check that out on its own layer and then see the additional layers, which are really for selection purposes only. That's really the short of how to basically match perspectives, as well as lighting, add reflections, and even deal with depth of field to really match any scenario you're dealing with. And really, next up is to kinda tackle some more creative use of Adobe Dimension.

Class Description

In this course, Paul Trani, Adobe Senior Evangelist, will share how to design 3D and 2D assets without a steep learning curve or complex workflow in Adobe’s newest application, Adobe Dimension. You’ll learn the fundamentals of Adobe Dimension CC 1.0 in the context of two projects.

The first project centers around package design where you’ll learn how to use models and composite with a background, then apply your own package design to your product and render as a PSD for further touch-ups.

The second project pushes the boundaries of Dimension focusing on the creative use of compositing multiple 3D models together, complete with lights and materials for fun effects and designs that really stand out.

This course is for any creative or designer needing to learn the basics of 3D design.


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Latinas' Health: Stroke

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Stroke is a major cause of death and disability. A stroke occurs when part of your brain doesn't get the blood that it needs. Depending on the parts of the brain damaged by a stroke, people who survive a stroke can have problems with:

- Movement

- Sensations

- Language

- Thinking and memory

- Emotions

A stroke happens fast. The most common signs of stroke are sudden:

- Numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg (mainly on one side of the body)

- Trouble seeing in one or both eyes

- Trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance

- Confusion or trouble talking or understanding speech

- Very bad headache with no known cause

Women may also have other sudden symptoms, such as feeling sick to your stomach, face and arm or leg pain, hiccups, feeling very tired, chest pain, shortness of breath, or a racing heartbeat.

If you have any of these symptoms, call 911. Getting treatment within three hours from the start of symptoms increases your chances of walking away from a stroke with few or no disabilities.

Stroke kills 1 in 3 Latinas. Many factors contribute to Latinas' high stroke risk, as well as high risk of death from stroke. Latinas may not know the signs of stroke or the importance of seeking treatment right away.

Lack of insurance or access to care keep many Latinas from seeking help for symptoms or getting care that can help to prevent stroke. Latinas also have high rates of some risk factors that make stroke more likely, such as:

- High blood pressure

- Diabetes

- Obesity

- Lack of physical activity

Latinos tend to have strokes at younger ages. Hemorrhagic (hem-ur-RAJ-ihk) stroke also appears to be more common among Latinos than non-Hispanic whites. This type of stroke happens when a blood vessel breaks and bleeds into the brain.

Together, all these factors put Latinos at high risk of stroke. The good news is that you can take steps to lower your risk of stroke:

- Keep a healthy weight.

-- 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity

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Going After Cacciato

Going After Cacciato is an anti-war novel written by Tim O'Brien and first published by Delacorte Press in 1978. It won the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction.[1] O'Brien himself says that "Going After Cacciato is called a war novel. It is not. It is a peace novel." [2]

This complex novel is set during the Vietnam War and is told from the third person limited point of view of the protagonist, Paul Berlin. The story traces the events that ensue after Cacciato, a member of Berlin's squad, decides to go AWOL by walking from Vietnam to France, through Asia. Cacciato means "hunted"/"caught" in Italian.


Tax on personal income

Tax on personal income is defined as the taxes levied on the net income (gross income minus allowable tax reliefs) and capital gains of individuals. This indicator relates to government as a whole (all government levels) and is measured in percentage both of GDP and of total taxation.

English French

Keywords: individual income taxes, tax on wage, personal income tax, net income tax, individual taxes


Puppet Soccer Champions

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Puppet Soccer Champions

Genres : Sports
Description: Lace up your cleats and step into the soccer stadium and try and become the next Messi or Ronaldo. Use your soccer skills to dribble past your opponent and try and score as many goals as you can.
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Возбудитель для женщин своими руками рецепт - Контроль Качества!

женщин своими руками Возбудитель рецепт для
Асель - Пекарь
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Салат из моркови свежей

Steve, I agree that NOT all games are winnable in principle. In the recreation of 649, considered as reduced amounts would range from 1-25 as well as the remaining quantities up to 49 are the half high. If you are tracing a domestic cell phone number then you will need to enter the full telephone number without the country code. You are mostly absorbed with managing your little vegetable business. As I struggled to chase away the cobwebs due to the early morning appointment time he gently plopped his wiry little body into the chair next to me.

I shared this hub with Oscar Mayer so time will tell if they'll appreciate the jingle news. It's a story that follows in the epic tradition of the Greek classics with the sheer cast of characters, plots and subplots, and time frame.

Streaming. site. CPL. T20. Live. IPL. CRICKET. South. Africa. England. Test.

However, since the product is banned in the US due to environmental concerns, all MTBE produced in this country is either directly exported or blended at a load port to achieve a specific grade of gasoline. Well that's a good start then, are you going to cash them in.

Therefore everyone secure a good jackpot reward it's break with most of participants within the syndicate, howeverit's mainly truthful given that lottery syndicates facilitates any competitors to use a substantially bigger prospect of outstanding revenue over the lottery.

Scatter symbols appear in most games. Some including Word Mojo and Hangmania are merely as popular as well.


July 31, 2015

Despite recent claims, the EmDrive remains long on speculation, short on proof

M31 Andromeda GalaxyA new report from German researchers has made waves by claiming to validate the performance of the controversial EmDrive, but many articles on the topic have vastly oversold the results. Let’s see if we can find some clarity here. To begin with, the EmDrive is what’s known as a resonant cavity thruster. It relies on a magnetron to produce microwaves and is designed to produce thrust towards the narrow end of the cavity.

The problem with the EmDrive (and with all reactionless drives) is that they seem to violate the law of conservation of momentum. That law says that the total linear momentum of a closed system remains constant, regardless of other changes within the system. This is the origin of the phrase “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” When you take the “reaction” out of one end of the system, it’s difficult to explain how an “opposite” reaction actually gets started.
In the case of the EmDrive, the inventor claims more microwaves push against one side of the resonant cavity than the other, thereby generating slightly (very slightly) more force in one particular direction. There is no known way for this to be true. All validated space engines, whether they are ion thrusters, nuclear thermal drives like NERVA, or conventional chemical rockets, fire a propellant in one direction in order to move the spacecraft along its desired trajectory. The total momentum of the rocket is balanced once factors like air density are accounted for. The EmDrive claims that microwaves can be used to “push” against one particular side of a spacecraft without exerting an identical force on the opposite side.
A few days ago, a pair of German scientists published a paper in which they claim to substantiate the EmDrive’s performance. The scientists claim to have measured thrusts of roughly 20 micro-Newtons, which is in line with what NASA measured last year. There are significant problems with this analysis, however. Eric W. Davis, a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Austin said to io9: “I noted in [the study’s] conclusion paragraphs that [Tajmar’s] apparatus was producing hundreds of micro-Newtons of thrust when it got very hot, and that his measuring instrumentation is not very accurate when the apparatus becomes hot,” Davis told io9. “He also stated that he was still recording thrust signals even after the electrical power was turned off, which is a huge key clue that his thrust measurements are all systematic artifact false positive thrust signals.”
If the EmDrive is still generating thrust even when the power is turned off, it strongly implies that the measured energy was thermal, and therefore indicative of a false positive reading. This latest project is just one of many that has attempted to determine whether EmDrives or the closely related Cannae Drive can actually function. None of the experiments yet performed have been subjected to rigorous peer review, and many of them were publicized and interpreted by the developers of the drives — not independent scientists.
Proponents of these drives and concepts have argued for various quantum mechanical phenomena that could explain the thrust, including the idea that the microwaves somehow produce thrust by interacting with virtual particles. Most of the proposed explanations have additional problems with the laws of physics, but conservation of momentum is the major sticking point. No theoretical explanation for how the drive works while still conserving momentum has been found to be satisfactory.
It’s easy to see why science journalists and the public want to believe in the possibility of an EmDrive. In theory, this type of engine could cut travel time to Pluto from nine years to 18 months, using an acceleration of 0.4N/kg. That same acceleration would allow us to travel to Mars in less than three months. Such speeds wouldn’t allow for interstellar travel — at 0.00034% of light speed, it would still take 12,852 years to reach Alpha Centauri (give or take), but it would make colonizing the planets in our system much, much easier.
Unfortunately for all involved, wishing really, really hard for a thing to be true doesn’t make it so. Until the EmDrive has undergone rigorous experimental validation from a neutral independent team of scientists with no ties to the inventors, it’s impossible to claim the drive works. The equipment needed to measure the amount of thrust and the experimental controls required to validate it are extensive enough as to be daunting to even well-funded labs. As great as the EmDrive looks on paper, we don’t recommend anyone start packing for their 12-hour Moon excursion anytime soon.

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The Future of European Political Integration

Since its formation, the European Union has undergone a substantial transformation into the supranational organization it is today. While enlargement, particularly over the past decade, has led many to speculate on when, not if, Europe will turn into a full-fledged political union, significant obstacles that must first be overcome prior to the completion of a union remain. These obstacles include cultural discrepancies among former Soviet-controlled regions as well as massive bureaucratic inefficiencies that have stymied democratic progress thus far.

The crux of the issue, however, is perhaps more philosophical than institutional—Europe must come to terms with its identity in a post-Cold War world. This reason alone may in fact be the reason why the EU will not become a true political union any time soon. However, it is highly plausible that it will continue to strengthen as an economic union due to the increasing competitiveness of the euro in global markets and institutional reforms triggered by accessions of sovereignty from its various member states.

To better understand the European Union in its current state, it is important to first consider how its founders initially envisaged its finality, as embodying both political and economic unity. According to scholar Gillian Wylie, the original model for the EU did not account for future potential developments; its design was restrained by the politics of the day. Wylie uses the acceptance of Gaullism during the 1960s as a case in point to illustrate how political integration was an arduous, if not downright impossible, endeavor given the prevailing philosophy of the time.

In this sense, it is wrong for us to project a modern definition of “political union” onto an era during which such a concept was unprecedented—at least in the matter of the European Union’s origination. The European Community, as it was then known under the 1957 Treaty of Rome, was formed as a means to establish a common market among its six original member states. Given that today’s EU is arguably the best example of an economic union to date, it seems egregious to claim that political integration—in the modern sense of the word—was the desired result of the Treaty of Rome. Wylie clarifies that upon the EU’s formation, integration was not the end itself, but rather the means to realize certain “transcendent ideals,” such as peace and prosperity.

Wylie also maintains that such beliefs provided a positive framework towards which all the EU’s member states could strive, a far cry from the ambiguity that incentivizes geographical expansion in modern times. Though it can be said that the EU has some founding ideals that still hold, they have been obfuscated more recently by the endemic cultural discrepancies among member-states, exacerbated by those recently admitted with Stalinist underpinnings. From this, it could be understood how a cultural component is just as important to political integration as any economic credential. It may be even said that cultural disparities must be ameliorated prior to transitioning from economic to political union; otherwise the latter cannot remain intact. Today, dramatic institutional overhauls are severely encumbered by a lack of societal legitimation, which is rooted in the historical disparity between elites and citizens upon the EU’s formation.

The idea of societal legitimation seems to support the related issue of “democratic deficit” within the EU. Democratic deficit is defined as: “the reduced public participation in and control over policymaking that resulted from moving political authority from the national to the supranational level.” Though the severity of its democratic deficit is disputable, the EU is in fact experiencing low voter turnout and declining civic knowledge by its citizens, both of which pose significant challenges for political integration going forward. Political theorist Matthew Gabel, who acknowledges the democratic deficit of the EU, writes that such must be remedied for risk of potentially catastrophic consequences if left unresolved. Still, he maintains that the EU has done remarkably well in terms of institutional stability, which leaves open the possibility for future political integration if the immediate problems are resolved.

The inclusion of economically inefficient nations can stagnate the political process due to their lacking “societal legitimation.” Gabel argues while the EU does well in maintaining governmental stability in its current state, rapid enlargement severely undermines the stability of its consociational political structure. Consociational democracies are those that devolve large amounts of powers to their member states, establishing a culture of collectivism and proportionality that is designed to favor “representation,” perhaps as a short-term tradeoff for governability. Both Wylie and Gabel’s ideas seem to hinge on the general premise that when considering enlargement, the advantages of economic growth override any short-term political instability that may accompany such developments. It is also important to consider how Gabel sought to resolve underlying consociational debasement brought on by massive geographical expansion.

To reduce perceived democratic deficit within the EU, Gabel maintains that the EU should actively seek out already established consociational systems, as they engender long-term stability for the European Union. However, one must be aware of potentially devastating ramifications that policies such as grand coalition could have on the EU’s long-term sustainability. It would be better off if such powers were in the hands of the European Commission, which initiates the European Parliament’s (EP) policies. Better, the EP can be given greater agenda setting power and develop a symbiotic coalition with transnational interest groups. This would establish a policymaking procedure similar to the tripartite system that political scientist Arnold Lijphart champions.

Political integration, particularly for a system encompassing as many independent nations as the EU, is lethargic. When the EP instates artificial policies intended to combat present glitches in its development, it actually has the opposite effect of belaboring the process further. From a theoretical standpoint, this should be expected from any consociational system, regardless of whether or not policies are implemented that compromise its growth. According to Lijphart’s thesis, consociational democracies trade short-term efficiency for long-term equity in the system as a whole. Unlike their majoritarian counterparts, consensus systems hinge on coalition building, which can negatively affect governability. The result of this concession, however, is a generally fairer system that can have important effects on conflict mediation among a supranational organization as culturally diverse as the EU.

Current admonitions may be offset by the prevailing view of most economists, who contend free trade betters all parties involved. Since these new countries were not able to fully adopt the euro until 2007, any benefits from integration are still not understood fully. The euro’s increasing competitiveness in global markets, especially following its rocky start by the “post-socialist” countries, have led many countries outside the EU to adopt it as a reserve currency, second only to the US dollar in global markets. Though recent economic recessions such as the Greek government-debt crisis have led some to second guess the long-term economic stability of the EU, the general wellbeing of the EU as anchored by German and French economies has erased some doubt in cynics.

Though it may be difficult to assess the immediate economic benefits of newly integrated nations at this early stage, political scientist Joni Virkkunen takes a decidedly long-term stance that these nations will fully assimilate culturally, in addition to boosting the all-around economic performance of the EU in the years to come. Some might contend that current obstacles, such as widespread economic inequalities and the resistance of some notable nations (the UK, Denmark, and Poland) to adopt the euro, will only exacerbate the progression; Virkkunen believes these current hindrances will correct themselves. He references Portugal, Spain, and Greece as less prosperous countries that have aptly rebounded due to European cohesion policies (it should be noted that these countries’ democratic transitions were well-documented because of their autocratic histories). Turkey, and similar culturally incongruent nations, may follow their lead in due time.

Because of enlargement over the past decade, as well as promising economic developments made in response to the global financial crisis, it seems that the health of the EU as an economic union is quite strong. However, it will not become a political union within the foreseeable future due to massive bureaucratic insufficiencies, enabled by flawed policies that result in greater stagnation. In order to best overcome present difficulties, political elites should not intervene by artificially increasing the EP’s powers. In doing so, currently prevalent issues such as isolated nationalism—nationalism that is exacerbated by cultural differences—among the European Union’s member states will assuage in the long-term, thus enabling further political integration.

Related posts


How a Differential works ? -

Working of a differential is explained in a logical and illustrative manner in this animated video. Differential helps in turning the drive wheels at different rpm while the vehicle takes a turn. The basic parts of a differential is introduced first. After that working of differential at various driving condition is demonstrated.

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Saturday, April 14, 2018

Infiltrating through the Iron Volley

After their backstabbing raid into the Uthuk Y’llan homeland to desecrate the sacred groves, the cowardly Daqan withdrew back to their own lands leaving their peasant archers to defend the border. The Uthuk Y’llan, however, were not about to let this insult go unpunished and mounted a raid of their own to infiltrate the enemy territory and exact revenge.

[Rule note: For the campaign we decided that we would follow the normal scenario set up rules and select one scenario each from a random draw of 3 cards. However, once that scenario card is used, it is removed from the deck thus reducing the future choices and ensuring that each battle is different. In this game, the Uthuk selected "Power of Infiltration" (C3) and the Daqan selected "Iron Volley" (A2). The choice was interesting as both scenarios required the players to score victory points by killing enemy units.]

The Daqan forces deployed 5 units of Yeoman Archers, supported by 2 units of Greyhaven Mages and a Siege Golem. Their plan was to hold back and defeat the Uthuk through sheer firepower. The Uthuk deployed a mixed force comprising Viper Legion archers, infantry in the form of Berserkers and Blood Harvesters, 3 units of Flesh Rippers, and a Chaos Lord.

The Daqan scouts must have detected the Uthuk Y’llan preparing to invade, as they reacted quickly and began a Line Advance, moving some archers forward to secure a victory banner and occupying the nearby crystal spire with the siege golem (This allowed any unit that started its move on this hex to use an extra die in combat). Their long range fire killed two of the Uthuk flesh rippers, but was otherwise ineffective. 1VP
Turn 1 Daqan plan

Turn 1 Daqan result
The Uthuk began a battle march. The Chaos Lord moved forward to capture a victory banner and one unit of archers moved forward into the ford. Both left flank archer units then took shots at the forward unit of Daqan archers, killing 2 and forcing them to withdraw. 1VP.
Turn 1 Uthuk plan

Turn 1 Uthuk result
The Daqan responded with an attack from the centre. The mages on the right moved in front of the weakened archers and cast an ineffective spell at the injured unit of Fleshrippers. The magical energy did succeed in conjuring a magical shield on the nearby archers to help them in the future. Meanwhile the Siege Golem, infused with magical energy from the crystal spire, fired at the Chaos Lord with no result. The Mages on the left flank, moved forward into some trees and cast a spell at the Fleshrippers in front of them, only forcing them to withdraw. 1VP for a total of 2.

Turn 2 Daqan plan

Turn 2 Daqan result
The Uthuk commander gave the order to "darken the skies" and all three Viper Legion Archer units fired. Despite launching a total of 6 volleys, they only result was that the leading unit of Mages and Archers were poisoned.1 VP for a total of 2.
Turn 2 Uthuk plan

Turn 2 Uthuk result
The Daqan forces executed a left echelon manouevre. Two units of archers plus the golem fired at the Uthuk unit of Blood Harvesters in the centre. Only one was injured. 1VP for a total of 3.
Turn 3 Daqan plan
Turn 3 Daqan result
The Uthuk retaliated with an atack on their left flank. Both units of Fleshrippers advanced with the weakened one moving behind the buildings to use them as cover. One of the archer units supported the advance and fired at the Mages, scoring 1 hit. 1 VP for a total of 3.
Turn 3 Uthuk plan
Turn 3 Uthuk result
The Daqan, facing an imminent attack on their right by the Uthuk Fleshrippers, called for a "desperate ploy" The Mages and the larger unit of archers both fired on the Fleshrippers that had moved into the buildings. However, the buildings shielded the enemy and the only outcome was another magic shield for the archers. 1VP for a total of 4.
Turn 4 Daqan plan
Turn 4 Daqan result
The Uthuk then launched a cavalry charge. The two units of Fleshrippers on the left surrounded the Daqan Mages and ran them down. The smaller unit then turned on the archers and killed two more of them before forcing them backwards. On the right, the third unit of Fleshrippers advanced ready to support further attacks. 2VP for a total of 5.
Turn 4 Uthuk plan
Turn 4 Uthuk result

Fearing their right flank was about to be overrun, the Daqan committed the forces in their centre to an attack. The Mages in the woods pulled back to take aim at the Fleshrippers in the town and the Golem backed them up with heavy fire. The lone archer on the hill also fired at the weakened unit of Fleshrippers. The combined firepower drove the enemy away, but did no actual damage. 1VP for a total of 5.

Turn 5 Daqan plan

Turn 5 Daqan result

 The Uthuk continued the pressure on their left and ordered the two Fleshripper units to patrol and clean up the remaining Daqan light troops. However, they were obviously exhausted after their earlier charge and rapid retreat and they had no effect on the defending archers and Mages. 1 VP for a total of 6.

Turn 5 Uthuk plan

Turn 5 Uthuk result

The Daqan commander urged her remaining men on the right flank to use the "clash of steel" to repel the Fleshrippers. There must have been some whisky in their porridge that morning because the defenders not only held their ground, but managed to kill two of the fleshrippers and drive another one away. 1 VP for a total of 6.
Turn 6 Daqan plan

Turn 6 Daqan result
The Uthuk then began to switch their effort from left to right, using the centre as a wedge. One unit of Fleshrippers was ordered to continue cleaning up the Daqan light infantry, which they did by overrunning the Mages and then charging into the remaining archer. Meanwhile the Chaos Lord moved away from the victory banner freeing it up for a unit of archers to secure it and take a shot at the Golem to poison it as they did so. On the far right the Berserkers were ordered forward ready to charge. 3 VP for a total of 9.
Turn 6 Uthuk plan

Turn 6 Uthuk result

The Daqan were quick to counterattack, albeit they no longer had any troops on their right flank. The Golem used its lore to treat the poison and fired at the Fleshrippers, missing them. The Mages also attacked the Fleshrippers and did succeed in killing the one on the hill and using their magic to shield some nearby units. The archers straddling the centre and left flanks fired at the Uthuk archers forcing them to withdraw. 2VP for a total of 8.

Turn 7 Daqan plan

Turn 7 Daqan result

The Uthuk pursued their attack on their right flank. The Fleshrippers swung around the woods and charged a unit of archers, with the aid of the "fury of Y’llan" (rolling 5 dice). However, even calling on their chaos magic they did no damage and the archers fought back killing two of the Fleshrippers. The other Uthuk attacks faired no better and the Berserkers were pushed back. 1VP for a total of 10.
Turn 7 Uthuk plan

Turn 7 Uthuk result

The Daqan responded my ordering a "battlemarch" and activating 3 units: the siege golem, the mages and a unit of archers. The mages and archers failed to do any damage to the depleted unit of Fleshrippers, but the siege golem managed to destroy them. 2VP for a total of 10.
Turn 8 Daqan plan

Turn 8 Daqan result

In response, the Uthuk could only muster enough units to patrol on the right flank. But it was enough to do the damage. The berserkers attacked one unit of Daqan archers and used their "thousand cuts" ability to wound the second unit, but were unable to capture the extra objective location. The Uthuk archers also fired on the mages, but merely succeeded in poisoning them. 3VP for a total of 13.

Turn 8 Uthuk plan

Turn 8 Uthuk result

The Daqan responded by patrolling their left flank, where the mages were the only unit available to attack. They used their magic to remove the poison, advanced to retake the objective and managed to injure one of the Uthuk berserkers. However, the berserkers fought back and also wounded a mage. 1VP for a total of 11.

Turn 9 Daqan plan

Turn 9 Daqan result
The Uthuk then launched an "onslaught", ordering 3 infantry units into the fray. The archers and berserkers used the fact they were flanking the mages to destroy them and capture the objective. 3Vp for a total of 16 and victory.
Turn 9 Uthuk plan

Turn 9 Uthuk result

Saturday, March 24, 2018

Who Will Win

I will be seeing my nephew in a few days, so I thought I would line up all my Tyranids for a photo to encourage him to get painting his Space Marines.

To be fair, not all of these are finished, so I need to get cracking on finishing them off.

The Battle Wing of 26 Space Marines consists of a Battle Sergeant, a tactical squad armed with stormbolters and power fists, a tactical squad armed with stormbolters and chain fists, a tactical squad armed with stormbolters and lightning claws, an assault squad armed with thunder hammers and storm shields, and a devastator squad (5 centurions) - 2 with lascannons, two with heavy bolters and 1 with grav cannons.

The tyranids include a hive tyrant, 5 carnifexes, 8 tyrant guard, 8 raveners, 6 lictors, a broodlord, 24 warriors, 128 genestealers, 112 hormagaunts, 144 termagants and various other bits and pieces. Hidden in amongst the horde is one of the original tyranid warriors from "advanced space crusade".(given the angle it is pretty hard to make out, but a hint is it is kind of in the middle)

Monday, March 12, 2018

Battlelore - The battle of the Crimson Roots

The conflict between the peace loving Uthuk Y’llan and the imperialist Daqan Lords has once again flared up after a surprise attack by the evil humans. While the Uthul Y’llan army was quietly resting, the Daqan cavalry, hidden by the "Barrow Mounds of the Gatesmen", launched a raid over the border in an attempt to desecrate the sacred "Crimson Roots".

(VP are awarded for occupying each of the two marked objective points. Additionally, the Daqan receive one VP if they have at least one unit of Golems on a hill at the end of their turn. The Uthuk receive one extra VP if both of the "Crimson Roots" locations are free of enemy.)

Initial Setup

The Daqan army began their attack on the left flank in an attempt to secure the vital ground between two woods.

In response, the Uthuk Y’llan troops on their own left flank, attacked with 3 units, including two units of archers that occupied the hills dominating that side of the battlefield. The right-most unit of archers fired an withering volley of arrows at the distant enemy archers, causing two hits and severely unsettling the overconfident Daqan princeling. Sadly, the other unit of archers was less accurate and did not complete the task.
(1 VP for Daqan, 2 for Uthuk)

Start of turn 2

The Daqan then formed a right echelon and moved their Rune Golems, supported by the cowardly Riverwatch Riders onto the high ground to their right. They attacked the Uthuk archers and wiped them out to occupy the vital ground (securing 3 VP for a total of 4).

The Uthuk initiated an infantry onslaught to deal with the enemy light cavalry before they could do further damage. However, the gods of lore were with the Daqan and the surprise of their otherwise pitiful battle-cry caused the two units of Uthuk Blood Harvesters to check their charge. Fortunately, the remaining unit of archers, who did not advance, were not phased and took careful aim to force the cavalry off the hill and re-occupy the crest.

End of Turn 2
The Daqan then launched their famous cavalry charge. The light cavalry on the right charged up the hill into the defending archers, while two units of cavalry on the left advanced to desecrate the sacred Crimson roots. (securing 3 more VP for a total of 7).
Turn 3 Daqan Plan

End of Daqan Turn 3
The Uthuk then pursued their attack on the left, launching the unit of Flesh Ripper to swing behind the Daqan cavalry, and advancing one of the units of Blood Harvesters.
Turn 3 Uthuk Plan
The combined assault destroyed the cavalry and the Flesh Rippers occupied the crest again. The archers weer ordered to fire at whatever targets of opportunity arose, and succeeded in clearing away the remaining human archer. (however, this still only achieved 1 VP for a total of 5).

End of Uthuk Turn 3
The Daqan took a pause and merely patrolled on their right flank.
Turn 4 Daqan Plan
Both units of Golems lobbed rocks at the Uthuk Flesh Rippers, killing one and stunning the unit. (However, they still scored 2 VP, totalling 9).
End of Daqan Turn 4
The Uthuk launched a brutal counter attack in the centre, combining infantry, Flesh Rippers and the Doombringer to surround the Daqan cavalry.
Turn 4 Uthuk Plan
Both units of Daqan cavalry were all but destroyed and one of the Crimson Root groves was recovered. The Doombringer attempted to force the mages from their key location, but failed to achieve any useful result.  (this therefore only netted 1 VP for a total of 6).

End of Uthuk Turn 4
The Daqan chose to go all out and battle marched the Golems, the cavalry and a unit of Mages.
Turn 5 Daqan Plan
The Golems again captured the high ground on their right, and the cavalry on the left tried to push the Doombringer away from their objective. However, they did no damage and it battled back to push them into the forest. (The Daqan again held 3 VP for a total of 12)

End of Daqan Turn 5
The Uthuk had one last chance to reverse their fortune. They counter-attacked battle marching three of their own units on their right and using their lore to order a unit of Flesh Rippers across the battlefield to try to dislodge the Golems with an "unrelenting" attack.
Turn 5 Uthuk Plan
Despite surrounding every enemy unit they attacked, they only killed one Mage on the right. The Flesh Rippers managed to kill 2 of the Golems, but it was not enough and they were repulsed. (scoring a mere 1 VP for a total of 7)

End of Uthuk Turn 5
The Daqan adopted an echelon left manoeuvre.
Turn 6 Daqan Plan
This forced the Uthuk Flesh Rippers to withdraw, but otherwise made no impact. (It didn’t matter as they still held 3 VP for a total of 15 with no way for the Uthuk to prevent them scoring the required last point in the next turn).

End of Daqan Turn 6
The Uthuk lacked the means to order any activity on their left flank, so opted to clean up the remaining Daqan troops on their right.
Turn 6 Uthuk Plan
Once again they used superior numbers to surround the enemy and overran the Mages. Too late to really affect the outcome, the Chaos Lord finally woke up and used some lore to move into combat. (they scored 2 VP for a total of 9).
End of Uthuk Turn 6
With nothing left to lose, the Daqan cavalry tried once more to secure the objective on their left flank.
Turn 7 Daqan Plan
However, they were unable to overcome the ferocity of the Flesh Rippers, but it didn't matter. The Golems still held the right flank. (2 more VP for a total of 17 and victory)

End of Daqan Turn 7

In a desperate attempt at gaining some honour, the Uthuk feasted on the remaining Daqan cavalry and sent a unit of Flesh Rippers towards the Golems on their left.
Turn 7 Uthuk Plan
It was too little too late. (2 final VP, for a woeful total of 11).

End of Uthuk Turn 7
The Daqan decision to advance the Golems and occupy the hill that also contained an objective marker rewarded them with a stream of VP almost every turn, and protected the rear unit of Golems from any threat. In contrast, the Uthuk continued to neglect to the option to use lore to move the Chaos Lord forward each turn, so the most powerful unit in the army played no part in the battle. Both sides had their share of good and bad luck with the inability of the Uthuk to cause any wounds (despite better than 50% odds on every attack) on turn 5 making the difference between 3VP that turn and only 1 (and the reverse applied to the Daqan).

Now that war has begun, it will continue until one side is wiped from the realm.


Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder | Starfinder

Weapons | Armor | Special Materials | Miscellaneous

Adventuring Gear | Alchemical Reagents | Alchemical Remedies | Alchemical Tools | Alchemical Weapons | Animal Gear | Black Market | Channel Foci | Clothing | Concoctions | Dragoncraft | Dungeon Guides | Entertainment | Food/Drink | Fungal Grafts | Herbs | Kits | Lodging/Services | Mounts/Pets | Pathfinder Chronicles | Poisons | Spellbooks | Tinctures | Tools | Torture Implements | Transport, Air | Transport, Land | Transport, Sea | Traps

Source Adventurer's Armory 2 pg. 20
Price 1 sp–200 gp; Weight 3 lbs.
Category Clothing

Sewn-in boning and laces allow this bodice to adjust your waist size in a way considered alluring by some cultures. The restrictive nature of this garment makes it a poor choice for combat or other athletic exertions, but you can easily conceal a thin knife in the corset’s boning. The price varies greatly depending on the corset’s quality; the cheapest corsets are made of simple cloth and cost mere silver pieces, while the most expensive feature silk brocade and are decorated with pearls or other costly adornments.


Assignment on Greenair Automobiles

Greenair Automobiles is an automobile company which is just like its name that through our work we want to spread green air to the polluted city. That mean by doing our work we want to take care of the nature, the environment and overall mass welfare of the society.


Teen Stylin' Fashion Show

Last weekend, I headed a few hours south to Richmond, Virginia for a fashion show.  It had been awhile since I'd made a visit, and I was happy to be back.  First, to see the wonderful family that I consider my "Richmond Family" or my "second family."  I lived with them over the summer when I was in college, traveled with them and babysat the kids, who were 8, 7 and 1 when I started... they are now 22, 21 and 16! And second, to watch the youngest showcase her creative chops.

Izabela, who is the youngest of the kids and 16, was in a Fashion Show held at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, where each participant had to apply and were selected to showcase their design skills.  After choosing a work of art from the museum, each contestant created a costume that best reflected their piece.  Some were wearable and some were completely editorial, but all were created using reusable materials (think dried out, tie-dyed Clorox wipes, chicken coop wire, coffee beans, shells and Q-tips.)

A great concept, highlighted by the creativity of the 60+ middle and high school aged kids who designed and modeled their one-of-a-kind piece of wearable art. High School aged winners in categories such as Most Wearable, Best Representation of their art piece and Best Use of Reusable Materials, won a trip to NYC and those in middle school won items such as markers and other high-end art supplies.

The innovation was incredible.  Each designer had to also write a statement, explaining how their look reflected the piece of art, and choose a song, to which they walked out on stage and down the red carpet runway.  (We had seats right at the end of the runway and could see first hand how some of the models struggled to walk up the slanted theater aisle. They had to walk down the stairs, from a stage, and up through the middle row of seats in the theater auditorium. Some had massive shoes [think Alexander McQueen armadillo shoes] and the way the runway was positioned, they had to take short, brisk steps to make it up the runway, which made it tough to do a fun, sassy catwalk.)

The venue was beautiful and the event well organized. The pieces that won awards were highly editorial, even the costume that won "Most Wearable" was a pant/skirt ensemble, that only the most progressive of fashionable girls would wear.

Check out the photos below, for more details on the pieces.


Custom Clipless Nazca Fountain Pen - in Tortoise Shell Acrylic.

(Click each photo for larger views)

bout the Nazca:
The Nazca is named after the flat-top mountains of the Nazca Valley in Peru. Although Nazca is actually the name of the VALLEY rather than the mountains, I thought it an appropriate name for this "Flat-Top" style pen. Historical buffs and Sci-Fi fans will know of the famous Nazca "Lines" found scattered across the tops of the flat mountains, as well as the many odd shaped skulls found in the regoin with the elongated craniums. So the exceptionally tall finial on this pen is a reference to the famous skulls, while the upgraded rings on the finial pays homage to the lines.

Nazca Dimensions:
The full size Nazca has an overall length of about 6", but it can be ordered in a smaller size I call the Nazca JR that can be ordered in lengths as short as 5", and fitted with a smaller #5 nib. The most prominent feature of the Nazca is the tall finial. As with most other JEB's PENs, the Nazca can be ordered in any of the materials shown or you can choose your own material to make the pen unique. The pen can be ordered clipless or with your choice of clip finishes (nickel, chrome, 24k gold, or gunmetal). The standard Nazca has a Cartridge/Converter (C/C) inking system, or upgrade it to a button or piston filler. If you prefer eyedroppers, it could be ordered with a special rubber o-ring that would seal the section to the barrel so it can be filled directly with ink. It can be ordered with either a #5 or #6 nib. Nib finishes are 2-tone, polished steel, Black Oxide (#6 only), or Ruthenium (#5 only). Current tip sizes are fine, medium, broad, and italic and 1.1 and 1.4 (#5 only) or 1.5 (#6 only).

Nazca Options and Upgrades:
The Nazca can be ordered with one of two different types of threads. The more typical 3-start threads, or a more coarse looking single start. Both types of threads have their advantages. The advantage of the 3-start threads is that they allow the pen to be capped with less turns, while the single-start threads allow more turns in a shorter length of the threads, so they threads can be much shorter and give the same amount of turns. Upgrades to the pen include metal accent bands at various location. You can add just one to the rear of the section for just a little touch of flash, or add at the end of the barrel (using a threaded blind-cap). The cap posting shown on some pens is also an upgrade, so if you prefer to post your cap, please let me know so this can be added to your pen. The ultimate upgrade is to add a group of three bands to the finial for a pen I call the Nazca LINES.

I also offer a variety of hand-made Pen Props and Pen Buttons. You can order a Pen Prop in a material to match your pen, or any one of the wooden styles made in a variety of stained and dyed colors. The Pen Buttons are available for any of the clipless pens.

About this Pen:
This pen is made as a CLIPLESS. Since the cap doesn't require a clip, it's made in one piece. It also has a different set of threads than is usually used on a pen. The threads are coarse, and single-start. The advantage of the single start threads is that it allow the pen to be capped with a lesser number of threads allowing the threads to be a shorter length. The pen has a straight style section instead of the standard collared, and uses a #6 nib. Inking system is cartridge/converter (C/C).

About this Material:
This material is an Acrylic Acetate in a crushed pattern called "Tortoise Shell". The Tortoise Shell acrylic is probably one of the most recognizable material used in many products in years past (pens, eye glasses were the most popular), and the pattern is still just as popular today as it in years past. If you haven't guessed already, the blend of black and honey gold chips in the material is made to mimic the shell of a tortoise. Tortoise shells were actually used prior to and in the very early days of acrylics, but the use of actual tortoise shells was eventually banned.

Tortoise Shell Clipless Nazca Specifications:
Color / Material: Tortoise Shell Acrylic Acetate.
Length - Capped = 6.0" / Uncapped = 5.125".
Diameter - Barrel = .56" / Cap = .63.
Nib - Two-tone Steel Meister.
Filling System: C/C.
It can also be ordered as a button or piston filler.


Expression of Interest

Data protection

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How to take list of databases in SQL Server

--Stored Procedure EXEC sp_databases

--SELECT Statement SELECT Name FROM master.dbo.sysdatabases

--Stored Procedure
Invoke-SQLCMD "EXEC sp_databases"

--SELECT Statement
Invoke-SQLCMD "SELECT Name FROM master.dbo.sysdatabases"

I want nice output from Mongo Shell

Who can read this??

Classic Cryptography

Secret Messages!!

I was always amazed by secret messages and Cryptography is the science applied for this. Modern cryptography has gone to a high standard as it’s bonded with mathematics, computer science and electrical engineering. I thought of giving a basic idea about classic cryptography for a change.
There are three methods in classic cryptography.

  • concealed messages (Steganography) – These hidden messages are written in invisible ink,microdots etc.
  • Codes – Here words or phrases are represented by predetermined words,numbers or symbols which were included in code books.
  • Ciphers – I feel this as the most challenging method in classic cryptography. In this context individual letters are disguised using various techniques.Basically this is divided in to 2.
    -> Substitution ciphers
    ->  Transposition ciphers
    I’ll give a brief idea about these 2 techniques.

 Substitution ciphers
Here letters in the message can be replaced with numbers,other letters,symbols or combinations of all these.Simple substitution cipher and multiple substitution cipher comes under this.

  • Simple substitution cipher –
    Can you understand the cipher text above?
    It’s basically the simplest substitution that can be used. Each number stands for the letters of English alphabet in alphabetical order. We can see that the deciphered text is “HELP“.
    And also we can have a special cipher alphabet corresponding to the letters in the normal alphabet and encode.
  • Multiple substitution cipher –
    Message has to encode using a key word in multiple substitution.
    If we want to encode the message “Send a rescue team soon” with the key word “five” following steps should be followed.
    First match up key words with the letters of the message.s-e-n-d-a-r-e-s-c-u-e-t-e-a-m-s-o-o-n
    f   i  v e  f  i  v e  f  i  v e f   i  v  e  f   i  v

    Then follow the steps below taking the corresponding letters.
    If we take the first corresponding pair, s-19th letter and f-6th letter ->  s+f=25 -> 25th letter-y
    When it comes to the 3rd pair it’s a bit different.
    n-14th letter and v-22nd letter -> n+v=36
    As 36>26, 36-26=10 take the 10th letter “j”
    Like that we have to encrypt all the letters in the message.Final cipherd text would be “ynjigaaxidaykjixuxj “

    Transposition ciphers
    In this method letters in a message are jumbled and arranged in a block according to a secret scheme.Mostly this is done in a geometric design.
    If we want to encode the message “Meet me in the usual place at 10 tonight” it can be done as below in the simplest way.
    Transposition cipher when arranged in a rectangle is called a columnar cipher.It can be encoded using a key word.
    If we want to cipher the message “I need help” following steps should be followed.
    First arrange the message in a rectangular block.

    Then a key word must be chosen to assign a number to each column in the rectangle.If we select the key word “CAT” each letter is assigned a column of letters as below.

    As  C-3rd letter,  A-1st letter, T-20th letter ,
    the alphabetical order of the key word will be A,C,T.
    So when encoding we have to take the column under A first, then the column under C,finally the column under T.
    It’ll give the final output,

    These techniques can be developed in more complex ways too though I gave simple examples. Hope you got a basic idea about the techniques that were used in classic cryptography.


Page 27

MICROCLIMATE CONTROLLED WITH SLIDING “ECO” PANELS These sliding facade shutters not only provide shade, but also create a microclimate inside the building, forming more pleasant living environment and saving energy. By taking principles, rules and algorithms from nature, and translating them to the design, facade panels are mimicking the leaf structure in order to achieve performance that it has in forming microclimate. Like a leaf, panels control fresh air flow into the building, adapt to the solar exposure thus reducing or maximising insolation if needed, and achieve sufficient structural stiffness with optimal opening ratio and lattice structure. The panels have a slight curvature, with two types: convex and concave, depending on the position and guiding rails. Convex panels are mounted on a rail toward exterior and concave on a rail closer to the windows. All of the panels have sliding mechanism which enables their overlapping, moving, opening and closing. The panel design is inspired by the properties of the leaf: 1. Regulating the airflow and optimising the amount of fresh air 2. Maintaining stiffness and shape 3. Controlling light and temperature by adapting to the environment 4. Changing the interior ambience with adjustable relation between light and shadow Structure of the panel is developed using parametric design, applying natural principles. The algorithm that generates panel’s geometry is a fractal Voronoi diagram which can be found in the structure of the leaf’s cells. Voronoi cells are formed with randomly generated points inside parent geometry. This process is applied in two generations (iterations) with the second one generating cells inside the first one.

Voronoi cells

Cell number and size

Second generation

Damir Alispahic Architecture Portfolio 2015
Damir Alispahic Architecture Portfolio 2015


Quick, violin-led jazz waltz. Violin leads with fast, intricate melody line soaring over a bed of laid-back jazz waltz rhythm on double bass, Spanish guitar and percussion. Spanish guitar takes a solo, over the soft, shuffle of acoustic guitar and percussion. Violin returns.Intriguing, mysterious and positive, European jazz for an advert traversing the cobbled streets of a French city in a new Renault, or for a bright-eyed, Woody Allen-style cinematic love letter to Europe.

Bed track has no violin or guitar solos, more prominent double bass.

Salutations Plains Wanderer

Dreamy multi-instrumental track. Gentle, swaying, looped piano motif, joined by bright, pealing keys, hypnotic and cyclical. Moves to a jazz keyboard sound, joined by violin and cello sharing fragments of melody. High register violin and ascending keys drive the melody to an anticipatory hight point. A new section: soft, tender Satie-like chordal piano, joined by breathy sustained strings. A soothing variation on the original motif to finish. Romantic, thoughtful and other-worldly,a sonic dream, astral wanderings with one foot in the 20th century. Would suit a reflective TV scene or a very beautiful documentary.

Multi-instrumental contemporary folk. Gentle marimba intro, joined by sustained violin and cello fragments. Tinkling piano mimics the strings, leading to a darkening of mood and intense, high register string-lead movement. Resolves to gently swaying, lingering light strings and piano. Next section feels like gentle rocking in an ocean trawler. Harp and strings duel steadily to a choppy finale. Intriguing, dynamic and searching, a curious, undulating, seafaring piece, perfect for mysterious TV/Doc scenes.

Once A Squirrel

Multi-instrumental contemporary jazz/folk. Light-footed marimba intro into a marimba riff with counter melody. Violin and cello join with a brief melody, continue over the marimba. Polyrhythms emerge from multiple layerings and harmonies. Quiet marimba break before a burst of vigorous strings. Dynamic new section with sparse piano, strange rhythms and freely soloing marimba. Slow down and fade to finish. Playful, folky and a bit magical, secret goings on, covert, playful encounters and mysterious but jolly woodland fun. Like the soundtrack to a jaunty but slight dark Enid Blyton tale.

Emotional slow-paced string track. Melancholy string solo for 1 min, higher violin line joins, sparse, sombre piano chords punctuate the melody. Slowly shifting, the melody is shared, moments of light and bliss emerging through chordal changes. Further string lines join and the piano rings out on the higher register, a walking accompaniment in reminiscent of stately Baroque style. Strings multiply and build, piano gains strength to a powerful emotional effect. Beautiful, lyrical and sad, a sense of deep yearning permeates the track, perfect film music, cutting through a beautiful imagery, lending an air of nostalgia, romance and longing.

Ground Zero

Epic other-worldly orchestral track. Sustained melancholy orchestral strings, a special FX blast then a searching ancient violin melody rings out, accompanied by intermittent drums beats and a chorus sample. Frantic, dramatic violin section, choppy and fierce with rumbling drums beneath. A key change heightens the anticipation before a dramatic stop and resurgence at the finish. Urgent, powerful and bombastic, a Prince of Persia-style romp over sacred lands in search of danger, passion and hidden treasures.

Pride and Joy

Violin and guitar led country instrumental. Electric guitar, drums and a country-style violin melody kick off, joined by slide guitar. Strong, rugged violin and effortless slide guitar mingle over the groove. Easy-going, upbeat and fun, with a slight emotional edge, would suit an American-style down-home food or drink advert, or an advert for a country-themed event promising a darn-tootin’ good time.

I Still Carry A Torch for You

Sentimental country slide guitar track. Emotional electric guitar, gentle slide guitar, easy-going piano and lyrical violin with soft drums. Nostalgic, warm and soothing, suitable for a comforting advert for wholesome American-style goods, or as background music evoking the good ol’ days when times were bad.

Dramatic orchestral track. A flighty melodic phrase on woodwind, mimicked by strings and punctuated by vigorous percussion, joined by countermelody on woodwind before fuller orchestral melody enters. Excited, suspenseful, tense and nervous. Reminiscent of the Animals of Farthing Wood theme, suitable for a dramatic, high stakes film/TV sequence or an advert for a disaster-averting product.


During the World War II the three bigs - Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin - used to meet for mutual consultation in neutral Switzerland. They stayed in the same building for security reasons. On one such occasion in order to stress a point pursuant to overnight discussion, Roosevelt without advance notice barged into the room of Churchill. Churchill was lying stark naked in his bed. Roosevelt shut the door and turned back.  Sir Winston called him in saying " Come on come on Britain has nothing to hide from her allies". Several self-contradictory unstatesman-like statements lavishly issued by Asif Ali Zardari showed that either he is confused or he is deviating from the candid course, hiding something unlike Sir Winston Churchill. PPP Co-Chairperson said the other day although PPP did not accept Pervez Musharraf as constitutional head of state yet indeed he was sitting in presidency as a reality. He does not differentiate between despotically deposed judges and those illegally appointed by Musharraf under personal constitutional order.  He said as per charter of democracy no pro-PCO judges could be accepted but the political parties would take decision according to the situation emerging in the country. Zardari said Z.A. Butto preferred to live in the anals of history as a hero rather than living in this world under the label of compromising principles on the pressure of a dictator. He espouses Bhuttoism but at the same time ignores that Z A Bhutto refused to accept Ziaul Haq as de facto ground reality. Had Z A Bhutto fearfully compromised, the history of PPP would have been different.  The electorate, the popular sovereign, had given a positive anti-Musharraf verdict on February 18. Instead of feeling strengthened by popular vote, Zardari harbours fears latently lurking in his mind. This was manifest in his statement that he and Nawaz Sharif would be in Landhi jail in case presidency was not got vacated by Musharraf. Not Zardari but Musharraf should have been afraid for having subverted the constitution more than once. For eight long years Musharraf and his coterie have been trumpeting that their policies had lent political stability to the country and put it on the road to progress. This has been belied by the World Bank. Its recent report has assigned the top position to Pakistan for misgovernance, instability and violence. Pakistan stands twenty-first with regard to corruption control. Beating Zardari and Musharraf a Churchill like candid course was shown by a young student Sammad Khurram. He the other day ignored the extended hand of US ambassador for shaking that of Sammad. On being called for receiving an award at a ceremony in Islamabad Sammad straight went to the mike to turn down the certificate in protest against US attacks on Pakistan territory. "My refusal to take award from Anne W Patterson was inspired by 'big no' of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chardhary to Pervez Musharraf", said Sammad in a press statement. He said he was living in USA to complete his studies at Harvard University. He decided to come back to the country when the legal fraternity came out on streets protesting, against Musharraf for freedom of judiciary and reinstatement of illegally deposed judges. The lawyers movement inspired him to stand against injustice. He said he had been arranging several protests against Musharraf imposing emergency on November 3. His university administration and other students encouraged him. With full support from his friends  he was able to constitute an organization namely Students Action Committee (SAC) in Harvard University USA and in other universities located in different areas of Pakistan. He said all of his friends on the platform of SAC have been participating in the judiciary independence movement of the lawyers. He was optimist that it would meet success soon. Candid enough was also the speech of Jan Muhammad Jamali, Deputy Chairman of the Senate on the floor of the Upper House during discussion on the Federal budget.  It is unfortunate that the emotive manner in which Jamali projected the political and economic deprivation of people of Balochistan and resultant frustration prevailing there has not sufficiently stunned the general public. This should have been taken as a wake-up call by the entire nation. Jamali belongs to the family that had most friendly relations with father of the nation. Hence his sense of patriotism and dedication to federalism is beyond question. This was in utter frustration that he referred to the threat to country's integration saying that if prompt and proper remedial measures were not taken, a time might come when Pakistan would need visa for Balochistan. Sometime back Asif Ali Zardari had tendered public apology to people of Balochistan for past negligence. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has sanctioned a grant of Rs three billion to help the province to prepare its budget. The Prime Minister has also set up a committee to look into the gas related issues like settling the royalty. The matter indeed needs to be tackled in its entirety. During Musharraf's misrule two committees had been set up on Balochistan. But none yielded any fruitful result. Chairman of one of the committees Syed Mushahid Hussain is on record to have stated that military hawks (who seek settling issues by use of force) succeeded in scuttling their findings. Mere candid utterances alone may not deliver. There is a need for removing stumbling blocks to pave the way for democracy and political, economic and social justice.


How to Lose Wars and Infuriate People

“Unless American leaders begin accepting limits on what pure military force can achieve (without becoming doves), and more fundamentally, inherent limitations on their power to conduct war, then a sound strategy will never be crafted in war. Rather, we will continue to “do stuff.” Action will be conflated with accomplishment. And, threats will never be mitigated. Instead, they will simply multiply–even as we increase our expenditures and commitments to the conflict.”

Was Afghanistan the “Good War”?

Of Terror and Torture

“Fear drove American policymakers to abandon practices they deemed as too cumbersome for protecting Americans from terrorists. Their assumption was both right and wrong. I do believe that the CIA’s torture program helped to break otherwise implacable terrorists in time to save some American lives (and give other viable intelligence on terror operations and organization).”

Syria is a Successful and Sustainable Model? Don’t Make Me Laugh

“For the United States, it needs to not only temper its expectations (and therefore slow down the tempo of its intervention in the region generally, but specifically in Syria), and start focusing on larger geopolitical concerns. Obviously, the United States cannot (and should not) simply abandon the region, as many on the Far Right insist. But, we must be willing to give greater levels of support–and responsibility–to our local allies. That is our only hope for not breaking the American military in the quicksand of Mideast politics (which we presently are in danger of doing).”

The New-Old World Order is Here (Part VII)

The Port Authority Attack is a Snapshot of Our Future

“Clearly, the fight against ISIS has shifted away from the Mideast. President Trump’s forthcoming National Security Strategy memo rightly focuses on boosting homeland security. But the president’s national security team should also intensify its support of Asian governments where Islamic extremism is on the rise. Further, the United States should expand its special forces activities in Africa and Asia, in an effort to neutralize the Islamic State’s threat before it becomes a real problem, as it did in northern Iraq and Syria in 2014.”

The Next Almost War: Iran

“I’d say buy oil stocks now because in the next several months, things are likely to ratchet up in the Middle East. If the Qatari imbroglio is resolved in Saudi Arabia’s favor (it is likely to, especially now that Qatar is reaching out to Israel), then it is quite likely that the Trump Administration will abrogate the former Obama Administration’s nuclear agreement with Iran. Once that happens, it will only be a matter of time before there is greater regional conflict.”

What’s Going On? A New Balance of Power in the Mideast

A 15-minute analysis of how the Trump Administration, along with the Sunni Arab states and Israel is attempting to restore a balance of power in the Mideast aimed at 1) containing Iran, 2) countering Islamic extremism, 3) ensuring the flow of oil, and 4) protecting Israel.

Is the U.S.-Saudi Arms Deal the End of Syria As We Know It?

Erik Khzmalyan writes, “In the end, it is the proxy countries that pay the price for the mistakes made by external powers. In this case, we might see Syria disappear from the world map in a century that so hopelessly claimed that geopolitics is a thing of the past.”


Center for World Indigenous Studies
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Random Thoughts on Finding Balance in a Chaotic World

Published: September 7, 2014, Author: dinagw

One of the most difficult aspects of doing social justice work of any kind is maintaining a sense of optimism about the world we live in. I struggle with it all the time; as a person of Native descent I know all too much about my family’s history and the larger history of American and European colonization. I agonize about climate change, nuclear contamination, and the catastrophe that is neoliberal fundamentalism. I worry about the world my son is inheriting and wonder how long the earth’s environment will be fit for human habitation.

It sounds dramatic, I know, but these are dramatic times we live in. As a person of mixed heritage, far from the home of my Native ancestors (on the Colville reservation), my concerns are compounded by my absorption in the dominant culture, having grown up in an urban environment where there are scant traces of indigenous life. Indigeneity is always erased from the landscape in a settler society, save for a few place names or historical markers. This is especially true in densely populated areas. Unless you know the history of a region and you go out of your way to connect with the indigenous folks of the area (and they are always there whether you see them or not), you will be seduced into thinking there are no Indians left.

In a settler society questions of identity are inextricably bound to all other social justice issues. It always comes down to who was displaced in order for the town or city you live in to exist. What does it mean to be Colville and live in Southern California? How do I live with the cognitive dissonance that comes from driving a car while knowing that fossil fuels are the primary harbingers of global warming, and contributing to the destruction of other indigenous peoples in the world? These and a thousand other questions fog my mind daily in my quest to try to live a conscious, as balanced a life as possible.

As bleak as things may seem, I strive to bring light into my own little corner of the world. I try to create beauty in what small ways I can, and work to make a difference, to the degree that is possible. I pray in my own ways, giving thanks to the earth and the ocean for the life that sustains me. I remember that being indigenous is a frame of mind–a window onto the world–that honors life in all its forms, regardless of where I live or who my friends are. Because after all, we are all related.

Chief George Manuel Memorial Indigenous Library

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Congressman Ruben Gallego is the son of Hispanic immigrants, a veteran, and a community leader. He was the first in his family to attend college, graduating from Harvard University with a degree in International Relations. He later joined the Marine Corps, serving in Iraq with the well-known combat unit Lima 3/25.

Congressman Gallego was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2010, and served until 2014. He represented District 27, which covers much of Phoenix. He rose quickly in the state legislature, serving as Assistant Minority Leader. Congressman Gallego became known for his tough stand against extreme legislation pushed by Republicans in the state legislature. He led the opposition to the discriminatory SB 1062, which Governor Jan Brewer ultimately vetoed. As a state legislator, Congressman Gallego also led the push for Medicaid expansion and to secure in-state tuition for veterans.

During his first term, Congressman Gallego fought tirelessly on issues including education, job creation, access to higher education, veterans’ issues, and immigration reform. Making Arizona a better place to live, work and raise a family is his top priority.

In his first year in Congress, Congressman Gallego introduced the VETS Act, which would reduce the burden of student loan debt on veterans and has supported legislation to increase the hiring of veterans and provide additional benefits to wounded or deceased veterans and their families.

Congressman Gallego helped lead the effort to strengthen and restore the Voting Rights Act in order to ensure that all Americans have access to the ballot box. He also authored legislation to encourage gun dealers to be stronger community partners in the struggle against gun violence and to crack down on irresponsible gun dealers.

Congressman Gallego serves as a Senior Whip for the Democratic Caucus, the Second Vice Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Vice Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and Vice-Chair of the Equality Caucus.

Congressman Gallego currently serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the Natural Resources Committee.


Industrial robot ( Auto industry ) uses , advantages and disadvantages

Robots in the automotive industry

The industrial robot is the robot system used for manufacturing , The industrial robots are automated , programmable and capable of movement on two or more axes , They are cost efficient & they are safe , They can perform an increasing number of manufacturing tasks & they never feel sick .

The industrial robot can perform the tasks that the humans often found dangerous or boring , It can do them with consistent speed and precision , The top 5 applications that grabbed our attention such as Robotic Painting , Robotic Vision , Collaborative Robots , Robotic Hand and Collaborative Robotics .

The robot systems in the auto industry are cost effective because they can do the job quicker than their human counterpart , They are efficient in their jobs , They offer more speed and accuracy than the human workers , The artificial intelligence becomes the most important factor in the modern industrial robot .

The typical applications of the robots include welding , painting , assembly, pick and place for printed circuit boards , packaging and labeling , palletizing , product inspection and testing , The industrial robots offer high endurance , speed and precision , They can help in the material handing and provide interfaces.

Industrial robot

Industrial robot

The robot factory workers aren’t without their limitations , The industrial robots are mere automatons , The humans program them to perform the simple task , & they repeat that task over and over again , The tasks that require decision-making , creativity , adaptation and on-the-job learning tend to go to the humans .

But when the job is just right for the robot , The productivity tends to increase dramatically , The most obvious impact of the industrial mechanization is that it eliminates many unskilled job positions .

Industrial robots fill unwanted factory jobs and they create more technical positions dedicated to their upkeep , In the same way that the computerized office depends on various techies , so , The robotic workers require technical upkeep too , The human labor is simply cheaper .

Some robots are programmed to carry out the specific actions over and over again ( the repetitive actions ) without variation and with the high degree of accuracy , These actions are determined by programmed routines that specify the direction , the acceleration , the velocity , the deceleration , and the distance of the series of coordinated motions .

Some robots are more flexible to the object orientation on which they are operating or the task that have to be performed on the object which the robot may need to identify , The robots contain machine vision sub-systems acting as their visual sensors , linked to the powerful computers or the controllers ,

Advantages of Automating with Industrial Robots

The industrial automated robots can dramatically improve the product quality , The applications are performed with high precision and repeatability , This level of consistency can be hard to achieve any other way and the robots are being improved .

The industrial robots increase the production because the automated robot can work at the constant speed without taking the breaks , the vacations & they do not sleep , It has the potential to produce more than the human worker.

The industrial robots increase the workplace safety , The workers are moved to the supervisory roles where they do not have to perform dangerous applications in the hazardous settings , The light screens or the barriers are available to keep the operator out of harms way .

The industrial robots reduce savings , The improved worker safety leads to the financial savings with fewer healthcare and the insurance concerns for the employers , Also you can consider the quality and the customer satisfaction which means returning customers and more business .

The human workers are working alongside the robots now in handling and assembly the applications in the automotive industry , and the robots are performing the monotonous and sometimes dangerous tasks that the humans do not enjoy .

With the robots doing all the dirty work , They reduce the chance of worker injury or error , This saves the companies money on downtime and sick time , while the robots increase the productivity level overall .

The automotive industry is well known for its intensive use of the industrial robotics , The production lines need to be more flexible , efficient and precise , Many enhancements have been made on the production lines to help the workers in their daily tasks .

Disadvantages of Industrial Robots

The industrial robots has much expense as the initial investment to integrate the automated robotics into your business can be significant when the business owners limit their purchases to the new robotic equipment only , The robotic automation cost should be calculated in the business’ financial budget and the regular maintenance needs can increase the financial as well .

The industrial robots does not guarantee the results , You should devise specific production plan from the beginning to the end as it is absolutely crucial , If the company do not put the work plan to the Industrial robots  , The automation may not help achieve the goals needed .

The industrial robots need a lot of expertise , The employees will need to train for programming and interacting with the new robotic equipment , It takes the time and the financial output .

Automation in manufacturing uses , advantages and disadvantages

Robot welding advantages over manual welding

The advantages and disadvantages of robots in the factories

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