redmoddata/lines_train_2M · Datasets at Hugging Face

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In a section titled "Addressing isolation and marginalisation", the group says society must be more inclusive to keep young Muslims away from radicalism.
"A more inclusive Australian society is a key issue in making rigid thinking and possible involvement in terrorism less attractive to those at risk," the 26-page report says.
A more inclusive society? Do tell.
Australian society is government by a secular rule of law which does not distinguish between race, creed or colour. Obey the laws and you can practice your religion without sanction, go about your daily lives without government interference - in short have the life you choose.
And the laws are quite simple - don't put people in harms way, everyone contributes their fair share for common amenities.
The dirty little secret is Muslims don't want a more inclusive society, they want the rest of the world to bend to their dictates.
They want what was promised them in the Koran - great riches, rule over the infidel, Sharia Law to reign supreme.
The 'radicalisation' of young Muslims comes from the fact that they want to claim their birthright and they will kill to get it.
Dr Santy, a pyschiatrist, has an excellent primer on Shame, the Arab Psyche and Islam:
This also goes a long way to explain why the general Muslim community remains either silent whenever terrorism is uncovered or plays the victim card.
The truth of the matter is even 'moderate' Muslims read the same Koran and see the same promises. While they say they abhor the violence, they do laud the goals.
Columnist Michael Medved hits the nail on the head:
Next time it might be worth asking five simple questions.
-- Nora
UPDATE 2: 'Back off Johnnie or we'll riot'
UPDATE 3: This comment from Chom Fa on's discussion of the issue says it all really (so there's no permalink available):
Ms Iktimal Hage-Ali, the "youth" member of the Prime Minister's advisory group, said there were not enough free classes teaching new migrants English. She states,"There are resources but they cost money. How can they afford the fees?" she said. "I can't imagine an 80-year-old grandmother running out to learn English." Ms Hage-Ali is relying on ignorance to make her fallacious claims; claims which look more like agit-prop than anything aimed at amicable solution-finding. She shows a maturing in the art of 'taqiya', but would be best served by sticking to facts. The AMES (Adult Migrant Education Services) offers free English classes to migrants,in every state, city and regions, and has done so since 1951. Its website says that,"in 2004, AMES helped more than 49,000 people with their English". Over 500,000 people have used AMES and related programs since their inception. I am not up to speed with the current set-up, having last worked for AMES in 2000, but during the Afghan/Iraqi refugee influx, the Government provided additional funding for "special" classes; 200 hours of "private" tuition - necessary because dominant Muslim (male) leadership would not allow their families to mix with "non-believers". These programs died stillborn. I, personally, was involved in setting up "special classes" for 14 refugee families who were "settled" in Canberra, after a period in Baxter Detention Centre. None ever attended. None. Male, female, parent, child, aged or young. Not one. But the demands for material benefit were incessant... and met. Not all Muslims, of course, are this recalcitrant and unbending; I've had many positive experiences with Muslim students, and have formed lasting relationships, but it is well known amongst ESL teachers that a majority of Muslims are problematic, even when conditions of exclusivity are arranged. Certain attitudes are not conducive to language acquisition - apartheid being one of them. Ms Hage-Ali has made demonstrably false claims. She is engaging in a propaganda exercise which, under examination, can only hinder satisfactory outcomes for, and damage the reputation of, the people she purports to represent. (I have been married to an Asian woman for 15 years, and lived in Asia for ten. I support Multi-culturalism. Multi does not mean all.)
Posted by: Chom Fa of Churchill 9:16am today
No comments:
How to harden fabric without using comercial products?
I need to harden fabric for a costume. Do you know any common or at least natural things I could achieve that with?
Kiteman8 years ago
How hard do you want it? You could soak it in PVA glue or wallpaper adhesive, or even the same resins they use to make fibreglass.
Besides starch, there's sugar.
We used to harden crocheted items in crafts using that. We'd boil a pot of water and keep stirring white sugar into it until it wouldn't disolve anymore. Then we'd start dunking our crocheted parts into it, painting it on, etc..
More details can be found here:
lemonie8 years ago
Good old-fashioned starch?
Monday, June 14, 2010
A Flock of Flying Turtles
A flock of turtles! A flock of turtles!
They might say to you
When they are trying to distract you
From what is really true
You turn around in amazement,
Expecting to actually find
The flock of turtles! The flock of turtles!
It's hanging in your mind
But when you turn around
In complete shock you find
There are no turtles, there are no turtles
It was just a lie
They say that you are gullible
Your friends, they say to you,
Turtles can't fly, you know it's a lie
It's sad, but maybe true
They said that turtles were there!
Even though turtles can't fly-
They dissapeared! They dissapeared!
These turtles magically go "bye".
Turtles in the air!
You know it cannot be
This make-believe tale, it's a very fun sale-
Turtles in the air isn't make-believe
Even though the turtles
Might not have been there
You still will believe, turtles could be
Flying through the air
"Turtles in the air!"
They'll always say to you
Though turtles can't fly, you will always try
To see them, say they flew
For turtles might be slow,
And maybe so are you-
But flying through air, a miracle to spare!
They're fast, flying true
You know this little story
Might not really be true
But isn't it fun, what we've begun
With turtles flying behind you?
Background Story:
My friend Emily is a very random creature. She and a couple other friends came up with this joke about a flock of flying turtles. I didn't know about the beginning of this joke, however I saw the effects when, in lunch, someone would tell Emily, "Look! A flock of flying turtles!". She would invariably go look for the turtles. It was the funniest joke ever. Usually, someone would also take this opportunity to take something out of her lunch. I loved the joke about the flock of flying turtles, and thought long and hard about it, then wrote this poem on that joke.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Enterprise Services Outlook Logo
From Collecting to Connecting: The Role of Business Analytics in Delivering Operational Performance and Customer Satisfaction
By Johnny Ghibril, VP-Software Solutions & Strategy, Nexius
Johnny Ghibril, VP-Software Solutions & Strategy, Nexius
Companies have been collecting data since businesses were first formed hundreds of years ago. Dry-goods stores collected information about their customers’ preferences so they could stock the right merchandise, and manufacturers took note of product sales so they could produce items that consumers would buy.
"Businesses may vary in their business analytics goals, but every company needs a strong technical foundation to ensure func¬tionality, scalability, agility and longevity"
But it wasn’t until the connected era that the volume of data began its rapid escalation. New methods of aggregating data, combined with lower costs of automation and storage, prompted companies to embark on massive data collection efforts. Now, companies are turning from collecting to connecting – extracting insights from data that enable operational teams to develop strategies for improved company performance and increased customer satisfaction.
The upfront costs associated with creating an infrastructure to support analytics and intelligence can be challenging for a business, but estimating the total cost of ownership over an extended period is an unquestionably daunting task. Unfortunately, many companies start developing data analytics projects without the proper planning, knowledge, resources, and labor, and then find themselves over-budget, under-provisioned, and in need of help.
How can companies approach data analytics projects to ensure they deliver a tactical advantage? There are five primary considerations that have the greatest impact on the success of this type of project: analytical readiness, scalability, agility, optimization, and expertise.
Analytical Readiness
Business owners and delivery teams are often at odds about the feasibility and cost of developing a business analytics platform. Both the business and delivery teams need to be in alignment regarding what the underlying data is expected to provide, and the resources and timing necessary to create the analytical platform.
To achieve analytical readiness, teams should focus on best practices when it comes to data preparation, ensuring that the skills are available to evaluate and understand the raw data. Departmental siloes should be eliminated, with all teams engaged early and frequently in the planning stage to achieve logistical and realistic goals.
The number of mobile-connected devices now exceeds the world population, generating more data volume with potential value for a business. As a result, companies are faced with the need for additional infrastructure to handle the large datasets. Revisiting the architecture, planning and design is a costly endeavor, so scalability must be a factor at the outset.
When evaluating infrastructure options, it’s tempting to attempt to fully understand the volume of data to be handled, as well as the need for real-time results. However, the focus should be on defining an architecture that scales out rather than scales up. Also, consider the fact that different infrastructure environments have different programming requirements, and the type of user might suggest either a simple or complex interface. Some companies might find that intelligent data storage strategies create greater efficiencies and value, enabling them to compartmentalize data based on short and long-term needs.
Agility is not just about being able to handle more data points; it’s about preempting potential issues that can impact customers. This can only be achieved in a flexible environment where users can interact with the data and implement changes. This kind of ‘intelligently experimental’ approach is characteristic of a truly data-driven company.
When planning an analytics solution, consider leveraging advances in data visualization tools, allowing users to interact with data without having to write a line of code or even an SQL query. And plan for extensibility, with an ability to modularly add more analytics, create new associations and specify additional service mod-els in a timely fashion.
A company needs tremendous power to process, store, and read/ write the volume of data generated in the regular course of business. System requirements seem to ramp up daily as datasets continue to expand. Companies that do not continuously monitor a wide range of performance metrics can run into response delays, which can discourage widespread usage.
Virtualized solutions are one answer for providing dynamic scalability and elasticity. They also offer high availability for critical applications, and streamline the process associated with deploying and migrating new analytical applications. In addition, some out-of-the-box options offer comprehensive functionality in a single platform, providing quick results and ROI. The key to effective and sustained optimization is a strong architectural foundation; investing the time early on to implement best practices will yield substantial benefits down the line.
Companies need both industry-specific experts and data scientists with intimate understanding of the data being analyzed to draw true insights. Yet skilled data scientists are a hot commodity, and managing the subject matter expertise requirements means a heavy investment in training. In fact, the 2016 Gartner CIO Agenda reveals that while business intelligence and analytics are the No. 1 priority for CIOs for the third year running, 40 percent of CIOS also believe there is a large talent gap in analytics.
It’s important for a company to attract domain-specific data scientists. There is no substitute for industry-specific knowledge when it comes to building your knowledge base. An experienced data scientist with extensive knowledge and expertise on the subject matter is vital to yielding true insight. At the same time, companies should develop a creative, diverse team, and provide the smartest, most creative people from each department with access to data on a regular basis to ensure that analytics empower more intelligent decision-making.
Regardless of the cost, nearly any enterprise stands to gain value from sophisticated data analytics. Businesses may vary in their business analytics goals, but every company needs a strong technical foundation to ensure functionality, scalability, agility and longevity. Proper planning and strategy is a critical first step in developing a successful business analytics solution that delivers a measurable return on investment in operational performance and customer satisfaction.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Long Run Inflation Forecasts
A reader left a comment asking for helping in finding a 25 year inflation forecast. If anyone knows of anything I would be interested to know about it - I couldn't find anything. Given the limitations in providing 3 year inflation forecasts, I would have thought there are few economists willing to stick their neck out and start predicting inflation for 20 years hence.
I noted here, some of the factors that may affect future inflation, and explained why inflation is difficult to predict.
See also:

In a section titled "Addressing isolation and marginalisation", the group says society must be more inclusive to keep young Muslims away from radicalism.

"A more inclusive Australian society is a key issue in making rigid thinking and possible involvement in terrorism less attractive to those at risk," the 26-page report says.

A more inclusive society? Do tell.

Australian society is government by a secular rule of law which does not distinguish between race, creed or colour. Obey the laws and you can practice your religion without sanction, go about your daily lives without government interference - in short have the life you choose.

And the laws are quite simple - don't put people in harms way, everyone contributes their fair share for common amenities.

The dirty little secret is Muslims don't want a more inclusive society, they want the rest of the world to bend to their dictates.

They want what was promised them in the Koran - great riches, rule over the infidel, Sharia Law to reign supreme.

The 'radicalisation' of young Muslims comes from the fact that they want to claim their birthright and they will kill to get it.

Dr Santy, a pyschiatrist, has an excellent primer on Shame, the Arab Psyche and Islam:

This also goes a long way to explain why the general Muslim community remains either silent whenever terrorism is uncovered or plays the victim card.

The truth of the matter is even 'moderate' Muslims read the same Koran and see the same promises. While they say they abhor the violence, they do laud the goals.

Columnist Michael Medved hits the nail on the head:

Next time it might be worth asking five simple questions.

-- Nora

UPDATE 2: 'Back off Johnnie or we'll riot'

UPDATE 3: This comment from Chom Fa on's discussion of the issue says it all really (so there's no permalink available):

Ms Iktimal Hage-Ali, the "youth" member of the Prime Minister's advisory group, said there were not enough free classes teaching new migrants English. She states,"There are resources but they cost money. How can they afford the fees?" she said. "I can't imagine an 80-year-old grandmother running out to learn English." Ms Hage-Ali is relying on ignorance to make her fallacious claims; claims which look more like agit-prop than anything aimed at amicable solution-finding. She shows a maturing in the art of 'taqiya', but would be best served by sticking to facts. The AMES (Adult Migrant Education Services) offers free English classes to migrants,in every state, city and regions, and has done so since 1951. Its website says that,"in 2004, AMES helped more than 49,000 people with their English". Over 500,000 people have used AMES and related programs since their inception. I am not up to speed with the current set-up, having last worked for AMES in 2000, but during the Afghan/Iraqi refugee influx, the Government provided additional funding for "special" classes; 200 hours of "private" tuition - necessary because dominant Muslim (male) leadership would not allow their families to mix with "non-believers". These programs died stillborn. I, personally, was involved in setting up "special classes" for 14 refugee families who were "settled" in Canberra, after a period in Baxter Detention Centre. None ever attended. None. Male, female, parent, child, aged or young. Not one. But the demands for material benefit were incessant... and met. Not all Muslims, of course, are this recalcitrant and unbending; I've had many positive experiences with Muslim students, and have formed lasting relationships, but it is well known amongst ESL teachers that a majority of Muslims are problematic, even when conditions of exclusivity are arranged. Certain attitudes are not conducive to language acquisition - apartheid being one of them. Ms Hage-Ali has made demonstrably false claims. She is engaging in a propaganda exercise which, under examination, can only hinder satisfactory outcomes for, and damage the reputation of, the people she purports to represent. (I have been married to an Asian woman for 15 years, and lived in Asia for ten. I support Multi-culturalism. Multi does not mean all.)

Posted by: Chom Fa of Churchill 9:16am today

No comments:

How to harden fabric without using comercial products?

I need to harden fabric for a costume. Do you know any common or at least natural things I could achieve that with?

Kiteman8 years ago

How hard do you want it? You could soak it in PVA glue or wallpaper adhesive, or even the same resins they use to make fibreglass.

Besides starch, there's sugar.

We used to harden crocheted items in crafts using that. We'd boil a pot of water and keep stirring white sugar into it until it wouldn't disolve anymore. Then we'd start dunking our crocheted parts into it, painting it on, etc..

More details can be found here:

lemonie8 years ago

Good old-fashioned starch?

Monday, June 14, 2010

A Flock of Flying Turtles

A flock of turtles! A flock of turtles!

They might say to you

When they are trying to distract you

From what is really true

You turn around in amazement,

Expecting to actually find

The flock of turtles! The flock of turtles!

It's hanging in your mind

But when you turn around

In complete shock you find

There are no turtles, there are no turtles

It was just a lie

They say that you are gullible

Your friends, they say to you,

Turtles can't fly, you know it's a lie

It's sad, but maybe true

They said that turtles were there!

Even though turtles can't fly-

They dissapeared! They dissapeared!

These turtles magically go "bye".

Turtles in the air!

You know it cannot be

This make-believe tale, it's a very fun sale-

Turtles in the air isn't make-believe

Even though the turtles

Might not have been there

You still will believe, turtles could be

Flying through the air

"Turtles in the air!"

They'll always say to you

Though turtles can't fly, you will always try

To see them, say they flew

For turtles might be slow,

And maybe so are you-

But flying through air, a miracle to spare!

They're fast, flying true

You know this little story

Might not really be true

But isn't it fun, what we've begun

With turtles flying behind you?

Background Story:

My friend Emily is a very random creature. She and a couple other friends came up with this joke about a flock of flying turtles. I didn't know about the beginning of this joke, however I saw the effects when, in lunch, someone would tell Emily, "Look! A flock of flying turtles!". She would invariably go look for the turtles. It was the funniest joke ever. Usually, someone would also take this opportunity to take something out of her lunch. I loved the joke about the flock of flying turtles, and thought long and hard about it, then wrote this poem on that joke.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Enterprise Services Outlook Logo

From Collecting to Connecting: The Role of Business Analytics in Delivering Operational Performance and Customer Satisfaction

By Johnny Ghibril, VP-Software Solutions & Strategy, Nexius

Johnny Ghibril, VP-Software Solutions & Strategy, Nexius

Companies have been collecting data since businesses were first formed hundreds of years ago. Dry-goods stores collected information about their customers’ preferences so they could stock the right merchandise, and manufacturers took note of product sales so they could produce items that consumers would buy.

"Businesses may vary in their business analytics goals, but every company needs a strong technical foundation to ensure func¬tionality, scalability, agility and longevity"

But it wasn’t until the connected era that the volume of data began its rapid escalation. New methods of aggregating data, combined with lower costs of automation and storage, prompted companies to embark on massive data collection efforts. Now, companies are turning from collecting to connecting – extracting insights from data that enable operational teams to develop strategies for improved company performance and increased customer satisfaction.

The upfront costs associated with creating an infrastructure to support analytics and intelligence can be challenging for a business, but estimating the total cost of ownership over an extended period is an unquestionably daunting task. Unfortunately, many companies start developing data analytics projects without the proper planning, knowledge, resources, and labor, and then find themselves over-budget, under-provisioned, and in need of help.

How can companies approach data analytics projects to ensure they deliver a tactical advantage? There are five primary considerations that have the greatest impact on the success of this type of project: analytical readiness, scalability, agility, optimization, and expertise.

Analytical Readiness

Business owners and delivery teams are often at odds about the feasibility and cost of developing a business analytics platform. Both the business and delivery teams need to be in alignment regarding what the underlying data is expected to provide, and the resources and timing necessary to create the analytical platform.

To achieve analytical readiness, teams should focus on best practices when it comes to data preparation, ensuring that the skills are available to evaluate and understand the raw data. Departmental siloes should be eliminated, with all teams engaged early and frequently in the planning stage to achieve logistical and realistic goals.

The number of mobile-connected devices now exceeds the world population, generating more data volume with potential value for a business. As a result, companies are faced with the need for additional infrastructure to handle the large datasets. Revisiting the architecture, planning and design is a costly endeavor, so scalability must be a factor at the outset.

When evaluating infrastructure options, it’s tempting to attempt to fully understand the volume of data to be handled, as well as the need for real-time results. However, the focus should be on defining an architecture that scales out rather than scales up. Also, consider the fact that different infrastructure environments have different programming requirements, and the type of user might suggest either a simple or complex interface. Some companies might find that intelligent data storage strategies create greater efficiencies and value, enabling them to compartmentalize data based on short and long-term needs.

Agility is not just about being able to handle more data points; it’s about preempting potential issues that can impact customers. This can only be achieved in a flexible environment where users can interact with the data and implement changes. This kind of ‘intelligently experimental’ approach is characteristic of a truly data-driven company.

When planning an analytics solution, consider leveraging advances in data visualization tools, allowing users to interact with data without having to write a line of code or even an SQL query. And plan for extensibility, with an ability to modularly add more analytics, create new associations and specify additional service mod-els in a timely fashion.

A company needs tremendous power to process, store, and read/ write the volume of data generated in the regular course of business. System requirements seem to ramp up daily as datasets continue to expand. Companies that do not continuously monitor a wide range of performance metrics can run into response delays, which can discourage widespread usage.

Virtualized solutions are one answer for providing dynamic scalability and elasticity. They also offer high availability for critical applications, and streamline the process associated with deploying and migrating new analytical applications. In addition, some out-of-the-box options offer comprehensive functionality in a single platform, providing quick results and ROI. The key to effective and sustained optimization is a strong architectural foundation; investing the time early on to implement best practices will yield substantial benefits down the line.

Companies need both industry-specific experts and data scientists with intimate understanding of the data being analyzed to draw true insights. Yet skilled data scientists are a hot commodity, and managing the subject matter expertise requirements means a heavy investment in training. In fact, the 2016 Gartner CIO Agenda reveals that while business intelligence and analytics are the No. 1 priority for CIOs for the third year running, 40 percent of CIOS also believe there is a large talent gap in analytics.

It’s important for a company to attract domain-specific data scientists. There is no substitute for industry-specific knowledge when it comes to building your knowledge base. An experienced data scientist with extensive knowledge and expertise on the subject matter is vital to yielding true insight. At the same time, companies should develop a creative, diverse team, and provide the smartest, most creative people from each department with access to data on a regular basis to ensure that analytics empower more intelligent decision-making.

Regardless of the cost, nearly any enterprise stands to gain value from sophisticated data analytics. Businesses may vary in their business analytics goals, but every company needs a strong technical foundation to ensure functionality, scalability, agility and longevity. Proper planning and strategy is a critical first step in developing a successful business analytics solution that delivers a measurable return on investment in operational performance and customer satisfaction.

Friday, November 9, 2007

Long Run Inflation Forecasts

A reader left a comment asking for helping in finding a 25 year inflation forecast. If anyone knows of anything I would be interested to know about it - I couldn't find anything. Given the limitations in providing 3 year inflation forecasts, I would have thought there are few economists willing to stick their neck out and start predicting inflation for 20 years hence.

I noted here, some of the factors that may affect future inflation, and explained why inflation is difficult to predict.