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USA Table Tennis Coaching
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Modified on: Sun, 24 Aug, 2014 at 5:33 PM
USA Table Tennis coaches and administrators who will come into contact with minors (any individual under 18) are required to undergo a confidential background check every two years. It is the express policy of USA Table Tennis to exclude, or potentially remove, any member, coach or employee who has a red light applied to their background check for a Crime of Moral Turpitude or for any crime involving illegal drugs, as defined by the Federal Government from situations which involve interactions with minors. USA Table Tennis may also permanently expel any members who have any Felony convictions. USATT may also permanently expel or suspend members, employees, contractors, or, volunteers who have been adjudged as liable in a civil case involving harm to minors of any sort. Additionally, any person(s) who has had their parental rights terminated, has a reference or history of complaints of sexual, physical or emotional abuse with any other organization (regardless of position), or who has resigned or been terminated from a position in another organization (regardless of volunteer, coach, member or employee) for reasons of behavior towards minors may also be expelled or suspended by the organization.
The balance of any membership fees for a remaining term will not be refunded. For the avoidance of doubt, any person listed in the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website will be automatically and permanently excluded from USA Table Tennis.
All Directors and Employees of USA Table Tennis shall also go under screening every two years, with the very same restrictions imposed upon them. All USA Table Tennis sanctioned event volunteers and coaches that will have significant exposure to minors will also be required to pass a background check. USA Table Tennis will deem non-consent to a background check as a FAILURE of the background check, and such individuals may be permanently expelled from USA Table Tennis or prohibited from participating in any activities involving significant contact with minors related to USATT programs, teams, and activities.
USA Table Tennis requests that Clubs also take on this responsibility for club coaches and volunteers and ensure that they report any failures to USA Table Tennis to ensure nationwide protection in the sport of Table Tennis. Member clubs are responsible for supervising the program for events sanctioned in their area.
USA Table Tennis does this for the following reasons;
- To deter offenders from interest in USA Table Tennis to the extent where known offenders do not have access to offend through the medium of USA Table Tennis
- To deter offenders not yet caught from interest in USA Table Tennis to facilitate their offending because USA Table Tennis is taking steps to protect its members. The existence of a red light must be kept confidential between USA Table Tennis, the member club and the individual.
For employees of USA Table Tennis, the CEO shall hear the appeal and his decision will be final with
no right of further appeal. For all others, a Special Hearing Panel will hear the appeal and their decision will be final with no further right of administrative appeal.
The Hearing Panel shall consist of the following individuals: the Chairman of the USATT AAC, the General Counsel of USATT, and the CEO of USATT. On notification of a red light, the individual has five days to submit an appeal to the Chief Executive Officer (or in the case of the Chief Executive, the Chairman of the Board). USA Table Tennis will reply within 28- calendar days of a finding of the hearing panel or, for a case regarding Employees, within 28-calendar days of the date of filing the appeal.


6th March 2018, New Delhi: The IIIT Delhi is coming up with 'Research Showcase', the annual event to exhibit the prominent research and development work being carried out at IIIT-D and other premier institutions in Delhi NCR. This year's theme of IIIT-Delhi Research Showcase is 'Imagine – Innovate – Inspire' and it is scheduled to take place on 07 April at the college campus in Okhla Industrial Estate, Phase III, New Delhi.
The research showcase is aimed at industry professionals and academic fraternity so that they can discover research and development work at IIIT-D and identify potential areas of collaboration. It brings the most knowledgeable researchers from both academia and industry such as IITs, Microsoft, Google, IBM, and TCS.
Mr. Niloy Ganguly, Professor of computer science in IIT Kharagpur will be the keynote speaker at Research Showcase. Mr. Ganguly has been collaborating with various national and international universities and research lab including UIUC, TU Dresden, Germany, MPI PKS and MPI SWS, Germany, Microsoft Lab, Adobe Labs, HP Labs, NetApp Labs, etc. He currently publishes in various top ranking international journals and conferences including ICDM, ACL, WWW, INFOCOM, SIGIR, SIGKDD, SIGCHI, ICWSM, CSCW, NIPS CCS, PODC, Euro Physics Letters, Physical Review E, ACM and IEEE Transactions, etc.
The institute provides comprehensive support and guidance to the students of various branches of engineering that boost the morale of young engineers and help them to develop innovative ideas as well as technological solutions. At Research Showcase'18, IIIT-Delhi invites students and faculty members from various technical institutes of India. Several activities such as Research & Innovation Talks, Student Breakthroughs, Tech Quiz, Start-up Interaction, Innovate Challenge, IBM Challenge, Project Demonstrations and Quiz Contests are designed to keep the event engaging as well as entertaining from beginning to conclusion.
IIIT-Delhi Research Showcase also proved successful in bringing closer the prospective post-graduate students to the industry professionals for collaborative research projects. Last year, Research Showcase had approximately 500 attendees from schools and institutions in Delhi-NCR.
I gave IIT-JEE MAINS exam.I scored 148 marks in it along with board percentage 95.8%My rank was 11665..I had to choose from nsit,dtu,iiit.All the three colleges were offering ece branch. But I opted it because of the quality of education in IIITD. The course curriculum is very cool and I have learnt many new things here.
Jee Main, I got 223 in mains and 92% in CBSE Boards Rank - 8760, Branch - ECE. I opted for IIITD, because it has a wonderful infrastructure and have interesting course structure and helps to curate a better person out of everyone.
"Awesome life time experience at IIITD"
I have given the M. Tech Entrance Exam for the IIIT Delhi, As I were the experience candidate from the industry so that for admission my industry experience has been given a count.


The United Kingdom Roller Derby Association (UKRDA) has today announced the appointment of their new Transgender Liaison and the ratification of their Transgender Policy.
The policy creates a uniform standard of treatment of transgender skaters, and ensures the protection and safety of transgender skaters throughout the UK, with UKRDA member leagues committing to adhere to the policy. This includes safeguarding the confidentiality of trans* skaters, and ensuring that they are supported not just by the law, but by UKRDA policies.
Mistress Malicious, chairwoman of the UKRDA, welcomed the announcement. She said: "This policy makes the UKRDA one of the most forward-thinking and inclusive sports organisations in the country.
To oversee the integration of the Transgender Policy, the UKRDA has appointed Glasgow Roller Derby skater Jodie Stanley as the organisation's Transgender Liaison. Jodie is a policy manager within a national LGBT organisation.
The full UKRDA Transgender Policy is available here.
The recently appointed Team Wales Coaching Committee has proposed the following selection criteria for Team Wales Squad members. UKRDA has ratified these criteria and outline selection process and will assure it is adhered to throughout trials to the best of their ability.
This document outlines the selection criteria for skaters and outlines the selection process associated with selecting the Wales National Squad. It is intended to provide guidance to applicants as well as being a formal record of UKRDA's recruitment policy for National Squad Skaters.
A skater's inability to meet these expectations for any reason will result in the Coaching Committee's review of their place on the Wales National Squad.
Applicants must submit the application form: Team Wales Skater Application Form.
A fee of £20 must be submitted with the application form in order to secure a spot at a tryout day.
Video applications will be subject to the same application requirements along with an application fee of £20.
If there are less than 30 applicants in total, the final squad selection will be made from the top 20 applicants from Round 1 tryouts only (see 3. Final Squad Selection below) and Round 2 tryouts will not be held.
The final Team Wales National Squad will be selected from the top 20 applicants.
The Round 1 and Round 2 Tryouts will consist of drills and a scrimmage at the end of the session to assess the strengths and weaknesses of each applicant.
Ability to work with team mates on the track.
This list of criteria is for self-evaluation. It will not be assessed on the tryout day.
Cones on inside and outside line cones measuring a foot apart 10 feet in total 2 inches approximately from the line. Skater skates forward at full speed towards the cones comes to a stop using a preferred stop and toe stop run/hop/ sideways between the cones. The cones are acting as skaters being close to the inside line which the participant are wishing to avoid.
Pack of equal amount of team players, black and white; two jammers being sent in at different times to see show the pack adapt from offensive and defensive play.
Scrimmage, mix people from different leagues, both sides have two managers, to assess how they communicate with coaching staff. assess A1, A2, B3, B4,B5, C6, C7.
In the event of vacancies on the skating squad, the coaching committee may choose to either carry the vacancy, or fill the spot/s by holding open tryouts. No skaters will be appointed without going through this selection procedure. All vacancies which the coaching committee seek to fill must be advertised widely through the UKRDA and open to all interested parties to apply. Potential applicants will be given as much notice as possible, ideally at least one month. This may be activated should the coaches deem the size of the squad has dropped below a critical number. The above process is then designed to ensure that the Team Wales squad remains strong, both in numbers and ability.
These FAQs have been compiled to answer the most common queries the UKRDA has received since the publication of their intent to formalise the structure of National Teams and Support staff in then UK. This list is not exhaustive and should your question not be answered here please contact the UKRDA at directors@ukrda.org.uk who will reply to your query.
For the purpose of this document, the word "team" refers to any national team including, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and any GB team that may be formed from members of the other national teams put together.
Will the UKRDA be opening up membership to individual skaters?
This is currently being discussed by the UKRDA. Prior to any decisions being made there will be a period of consultation with member leagues. As you can imagine this is a huge decision for the UKRDA and one that cannot be rushed. As with all decisions that will affect current and future member leagues the final decision will be made by member vote.
Can an individual skater who is an official for a UKRDA league apply to be a skater for a national team?
Yes if you are a member of a UKRDA league then you are eligible to apply to skate for a national team. As with all applicants, you must meet the membership requirements for your individual league (officials does not include volunteers).
Can individuals apply to be both a skater and coach for a National Team?
Individuals can either apply to skate or coach/bench for a national team and can not do both with one exception. A male applicant may apply to skate for a male team and coach a female team and a female applicant can apply to skate for a female team and coach a men's.
I am not a member of a UKRDA league but a member of a MRDA/WFTDA league. Can I still apply?
Whilst the UKRDA are keen to continue our positive relationship with WFTDA and MRDA we can only endorse a UK league that is a member of the UKRDA. International applicants who hold a UK passport may apply in writing and must be willing to attend UK try outs.
Why you can't endorse a non-UKRDA league or skater?
In order for the UKRDA to endorse a league or individual member we need to ensure that they hold themselves to the same standards of practice and policy as the UKRDA. We are unable to verify whether those practices are in line with the UKRDA Code of Conduct unless they are a member league. The BRSF have given instruction as the governing body for roller sports in Britain that only members of UKRDA, a member of BRSF, can be selected to represent the UK in any International Competitions.
What is to prevent me forming my own version of Team England/Northern Ireland /Scotland/ Wales from leagues who are not members of UKRDA?
There is nothing to stop you from forming a unit of skaters, which can be attributed the name 'Team Nationality' of non-UKRDA members. However, these teams will not be recognised by the national governing body of roller sports, the BRSF. This in turn means they will not be recognised by international governing bodies and may be restricted in participating in future events as a result. The UKRDA aims to make this process as fair as possible by guiding the national selection process via our regulations, which are also monitored by the BRSF.
Could a group of skaters form a national team and then go to the UKRDA for affiliation?
No. As part of the verification that we place on member leagues we also need to place this onto national teams. Therefore we need to ensure that the process of assembling a national team is in line with our Code of Conduct and coaching practices.
Can you explain how the decision to formalise National Teams reached and by what process?
The UKRDA is recognised as the governing body of roller derby in the UK by BRSF who in turn are recognised as the governing body for roller sport disciplines in Britain by FIRS (Federation Internationale De Roller Sports). FIRS are recognised as the governing body of all roller sports by the International Olympic Committee. It was brought to the directors by a member, that the UKRDA would be best placed to take steps to compile a national team selection process so that the national teams would then be recognised by the international sporting world. National teams in the past (e.g. Blood & Thunder World Cup) had no official recognition, so in anticipation of more international tournaments, the UKRDA wanted to make sure roller derby would be recognised and the teams legitimised by the sporting community. This is a step towards roller derby being involved in competing at sporting events such as the Commonwealth Games and Olympics in the future. UKRDA member leagues are all grassroots run and all UKRDA directors and representatives are democratically voted by the skaters. UKRDA follow the ethos of by the skaters for the skaters but ultimately strive to further promote the sport of roller derby and have it recognised and taken seriously outside the derby community. The suggestion of formalising the structure for international teams was brought to all member leagues who voted in favour of it. It is important to remember that in order for a national team to compete at an international level they must be recognised by their governing body.
What will the process for team selections be and who will run them?
The support staff, coaches and bench staff will be selected by the UKRDA in line with Rules, Regulations, policies and procedures that are transparent and fair. UKRDA member leagues will be involved in the selection process, voting on the coaches and supporting staff. The coaches and bench staff, while maintaining these procedures will ensure a team is fairly picked and a representative from the UKRDA may also be present. At this time we are awaiting further clarification from the BRSF as to the details of how this process will run so that we ensure that it is in line with BRSF procedures. More information will be released as soon as we have received that clarification.
Will the coaches have to have the BRSF coaching qualification?
Having the BRSF coaching qualification is not compulsory but evidence of suitable coaching experience and qualifications will be taken in to account. The UKRDA would recommend completing the qualification should individuals be able to but do not consider this a necessity to be a national coach.
Will those running the try outs also be able to apply to skate for a national team?
Those running the try outs will not be able to apply to skate. This is to ensure that the process is impartial and fair. As previously stated, further information on the try outs for skaters will be released once the coaching staff have been decided on.
If I have previously tried out for team England does that mean that now I am unable to try out for team Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland?
As this is the first time that the UKRDA has run applications, having tried out for a team previously will not effect your ability to try out for a national team through the UKRDA process. However should you be picked for a national team you will then be unable to try out for a different team as a skater in the future.
Will there be a fast tracking of applications for UKRDA membership to allow teams to become eligible?
There will be no fast tracking of applicants at this stage, the UKRDA does not anticipate any delays with processing new applications. Please remember that national team selection may take some time. If the UKRDA has received your references and your application is being processed you will be considered suitable for try outs pending your league's acceptance into the UKRDA.
What will the UKRDA will do to support the National Teams?
By being endorsed by the UKRDA all the National Teams will be recognised by the British Roller Sports Federation (BRSF). This will give the teams access to funding, support and advice that will aid team development and growth. The relationship between the UKRDA and the National Teams is in its infancy. This will grow as we learn what we can give to each other and how we can work in partnership to further the sport of Roller Derby.
What has UKRDA done for the sport so far?
• The UKRDA enabled Roller Derby to be recognised as a sport and gained membership to the BRSF.
• The UKRDA has hosted three successful annual UK roller derby tournaments and aim to continue these into the future.
• Currently the UKRDA is working towards a UK rankings system for member leagues and more tournaments and events to promote the sport in the future.
• The UKRDA is motivated to supporting the sport of roller derby and all member leagues are encouraged to approach the directors with suggestions for how we can further help our members.
• The UKRDA is currently researching insurance solutions for member leagues.
• The UKRDA are currently working with the BRSF to create a roller derby specific coaching qualification, which will allow for consistent and high quality coaching across the UK that is endorsed by a national governing body.
• The UKRDA supports and encourages discussion and exchange of information between member leagues.
• The UKRDA continues to work to increase the profile of the sport of roller derby in the UK and to enable it to gain legitimacy as a competitive, athletic sport.
This announcement marks exciting times for both UK and international roller derby. Any roller derby league in the UK is able to join the UKRDA if they match the membership criteria. The UKRDA are happy to offer advice and answer the questions of any league considering joining and have financial strategies in place to help leagues pay their membership fee if required. We are also looking into Individual UKRDA membership for skaters who come from leagues who may not wish to join UKRDA. The UKRDA is a not for profit organisation run by the skaters for the skaters and this marks another step towards further promoting the sport of roller derby, the sport we love.
The United Kingdom Roller Derby Association is delighted to announce that it has now formalised the selection process for national team selection for both skaters and coaches and is beginning the process to select UKRDA endorsed mens and women's teams for all GB countries, ready for action later this year.
As a result of guidelines set out by Sport England, Sport Scotland and the BRSF the UKRDA is now responsible for designing and implementing the criteria and process involved with creation of GB national teams. We do this under strict guidance and with a view to ensuring that the most fair and transparent process for selection is being applied.
We are hugely excited to begin this process of team selection and in the next two weeks we will be opening up applications for the roles of Head Coach, Assistant Coach and Line Up Manager for Team England, Scotland and Wales.
We will also be looking for support staff for the teams, which will include vital roles such as Sponsorship and Team Manager.
We are aware that for non-UKRDA leagues our criteria for skater and coach selection may cause application problems and we are writing to them all to discuss how they can continue to be a part of this very exciting time.
We are proud to have reached this historic moment in UK Roller Derby history and look forward to celebrating the success of our undoubtedly excellent national teams.
We have agreed that the UKRDA will ensure that Team GB (which can be further broken down as separate Teams England, N Ireland, Scotland, and Wales) are overseen by coaches who have been selected using a fair application process run by the UKRDA.
In adherence to UK Guidelines, skaters and coaches must be members of the BRSF (via the UKRDA) in order to qualify for National Team selection.
The UKRDA will oversee and facilitate try-outs or league visits for skater selection to ensure this is run fairly.
The UKRDA will set and regularly review the criteria for skater selection to ensure a fair and balanced process available to members anywhere in the United Kingdom and in line with UK sporting guidelines and any relevant sports legislation.
Skaters must hold a full UK passport, or have parents or Grandparents who were born in the UK.
UK based skaters must be members of UKRDA leagues. The UKRDA can only endorse skaters from UKRDA leagues as those leagues have been assessed for the correct policies, procedures and training, have references and have been inspected. The UKRDA cannot endorse skaters from non-UKRDA leagues and therefore could not endorse a team containing those skaters. It is also essential that the UK has only one sanctioned representative team (per individual country).
Internationally based UK skaters may try-out for GB teams and this will be considered on a case by case basis.
We will continue to allow skaters to select their country of origin within the UK. Skaters will need to show evidence of their choice, based on location, birth, birth heritage or previous residence.
Coaches must belong to a UKRDA member league and be able to complete the application form in full. Coaches do not have to be UK passport holders.
UKRDA Mission statement now added – you can find it here.


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'Loud sound' preceded US police shooting Australian woman
'Loud sound' prior to US police shooting Australian woman
Mohamed Noor
by Nova SAFO
Professor at Duke University
Chicago (AFP) - Police in the US state of Minnesota were startled by a loud sound prior to shooting an Australian woman who had called them to report a possible assault, investigators revealed on Tuesday.
The state agency probing the fatal police shooting of Justine Damond, also known by her maiden name Justine Ruszczyk, interviewed one of the two officers who responded to her emergency call on Saturday night in Minneapolis.
It was the first time since the shooting that authorities offered more information about the circumstances, as community leaders and Damond's family complained they had received few details.
Officer Matthew Harrity told investigators Tuesday that he had been "startled by a loud sound" near the squad car while responding to the call, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said in a statement.
His partner, Officer Mohamed Noor, was in the passenger seat.
"Immediately afterward Ruszczyk approached the driver's side window of the squad (car). Harrity indicated that Officer Noor discharged his weapon, striking Ruszczyk through the open driver's side window," the agency said.
BCA did not identify the sound, but an unidentified officer recorded on a police radio conversation published by Minnesota PoliceClips speculated it may have been fireworks that sounded like gun shots.
The officers' body-worn cameras were not on during the incident. After the shooting, they provided medical aid until paramedics arrived, the BCA said.
The medical examiner's office said Damond died of a gunshot wound to the abdomen. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the BCA.
Investigators appealed for witnesses to come forward.
- Family speaks out -
Damond, a 40-year-old meditation instructor and life coach, was an Australian national who had moved to the US to marry her fiance Don Damond, and had changed her name ahead of the marriage.
She had called Minneapolis police Saturday around 11:30 pm to report "what she believed was an active sexual assault occurring nearby," Don Damond said on Monday.
"Sadly, her family and I have been provided with almost no additional information from law enforcement regarding what happened after police arrived."
Speaking in Australia, her father John Ruszczyk on Tuesday called for justice.
"Justine was a beacon to all of us. We only ask that the light of justice shine down on the circumstances of her death," he said.
Authorities found no weapons at the scene, though they recovered Damond's cell phone.
"I understand why so many people have so many questions at this point," Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau said late Monday.
"I have many of the same questions and it is why we immediately asked for an external and independent investigation."
- Officer 'a caring person' -
Noor, who has been with the Minneapolis police force for 21 months, declined investigators' requests for an interview, the BCA said. Officers are not required to participate in a BCA investigation.
In a statement, Noor's attorney Tom Plunkett called the officer "a caring person with a family he loves and he empathizes with the loss others are experiencing."
Plunkett added that the ongoing investigation prevented the officer from saying any more about the incident.
The shooting was the latest high-profile case in which police fired fatal shots.
Most of those cases involve white police officers and African American victims. In this case, Noor is Somali American, while Damond was white.
Congressman Keith Ellison, who represents Damond's district in the US House of Representatives, tied her case with others such as that of black motorist Philando Castile, killed last year near Minneapolis during a traffic stop.
"We need to confront the reality of so many unarmed people killed by the same officers who swear an oath to protect us," Ellison said in a statement.
"Justine's death shows no one should assume 'officer-involved shootings' only happen in a certain part of town or to certain kinds of people."
Woman takes a 'SELFIE' as people try to rescue her from sinking car
Vic Aboriginal suicides up by 75 per cent
Awaiting rescue, the woman appeared to snap photos seconds before her car went under. See how close she came to a tragic incident.
Suicides by Victorian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people rose by 75 per cent in 2021.In a new report released on Thursday, the Coroners Court of Victoria revealed 35 deaths by suicide in 2021, compared to 20 the year before.
ACT reports 1860 COVID-19 cases, one death
A woman in her 80s has died from COVID-19 in the ACT, as the national capital reported a one-day record for cases.The woman died at a residential aged care facility in Canberra, bringing the ACT's pandemic death toll to 20.
Man bailed over theft of 42k rapid tests
A man accused of stealing 42,000 rapid antigen tests and boxes of face masks has received bail in Sydney after turning himself in following a police raid on storage units in the city's south.The supplies, worth at least $500,000, were uncovered in two Rosebery storage units on Wednesday afternoon about 24 hours after going missing from a Botany freight depot.
Man charged after 42,000 rapid Covid tests stolen: 'Disgusting'
A man will front court on Thursday over the allegedly stolen batch. Find out more.
Salmon hatchery upgrade approved by EPA
Proposed upgrades to a salmon and trout hatchery in northeast Tasmania, designed to improve fish health and wastewater treatment, have been approved by the environmental regulator.Petuna's hatchery in Cressy can be upgraded in an environmentally sustainable and acceptable manner, Environment Protection Authority chair Andrew Paul announced on Wednesday.
SA woman 'still a risk' of terror offence
A South Australian woman jailed for taking steps to join the terror group Islamic State has not fully acknowledged her offending and remains a "vulnerable person, susceptible to adverse and destructive influences", a court has ruled.In December, the Federal Court confirmed a control order on Zainab Abdirahman-Khalif which limits her movements and activities.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Tibetan Travelling Altar includes 7 butter lamps with hidden pull out stand, hidden drawer for stori..
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Temple Rare Books is a division of Temple Bookbinders, which has been established for nearly twenty years. The bookshop is based within the bindery building and is open between 10am and 4pm weekdays, any other times by appointment. Any book listed on the website can be examined here, but please let us know first if you are travelling, so that we can make sure it is still available.
Not all of the books in the shop are listed on the website. We now have limited on-site parking available again.
We are members of the ABA and the PBFA and exhibit at several of their book fairs, please see our fairs / events page. We attend many auctions and are happy to execute commission bids on your behalf.
We will issue printed catalogues sporadically, if you would like to receive these, please contact us at books@templerarebooks.com A monthly email list is now sent out, please email us to join the mailing list.


Ronald Miscavige, the estranged father of Church of Scientology leader David Miscavige and himself a former Scientologist, appeared on an ABC 20/20 special to promote his memoir, Ruthless: Scientology, My Son David Miscavige, and Me, which publishes on May 3. This was the first real sense of the book's contents, since it is heavily embargoed until its release next week.
Ron talked about how his son went from what he described as "a lovable kid" to the ruthless leader of the church. Ron added, "To come to this is nuts." Ron's view of his son is a devastating portrait. "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely," he said, paraphrasing the famous quote by Lord Acton.
In the special, Ron went back to the beginning of his and David's story to describe how he introduced 9-year-old David to Scientology in 1969 (soon after Ron himself first encountered the church) and how the church's auditing routines helped David with his asthma attacks. Ron described that as the key turning point in David's life, the moment he decided he would dedicate his life to the church.
Ron recounted how David joined the Sea Org, the Church's elite leadership group that requires members to sign a billion-year contract, in the mid-1970s. Fellow Sea Org members at the time described David as "gung ho" and very ambitious (he was nicknamed "the kid" by founder L. Ron Hubbard).
In dispute is whether Hubbard wanted David Miscavige to succeed him as the leader of the Church of Scientology. During the early 1980s, Miscavige became the gatekeeper to Hubbard. His father, Ron, said he developed a taste for power, though he admitted he doesn't have firsthand knowledge of what happened during those years or how David became the church's leader after Hubbard's death in 1986.
In 1985, Ron himself joined the Sea Org (after David helped him fight a sexual-assault charge). Ron recounted how David then treated him as an underling, not as his father, often yelling at him in public.
Ron also touched on David's relationship with Tom Cruise, probably the highest-profile Scientologist in the world. Ron said Cruise and his son were "the best of buddies" and that Cruise thinks David is "the top spiritual being" on Earth.
Ron painted a devastating picture of life at Scientology's 500-acre "Gold Base" compound in Hemet, Calif., claiming it's a place where incoming and outgoing mail is read and phone calls are monitored. Ron hated it so much that he left both Gold Base and Scientology in 2012. Ron called it an "escape," a term the church disputes.
The church tried to undermine Ron's credibility by telling ABC that he hit David's mother. (Ron did not dispute the domestic-abuse claims, but disputed the church's allegation of the frequency of these instances.) The church also provided ABC access to members of the Scientology band Ron played in, who called him an "embarrassment," "lazy" and a user of racial slurs.
The 20/20 special also delved into the Miscavige family feud. Ron's two daughters side with their brother David. Ron, who has never met his great-grandchildren, said David ordered his sisters to disconnect from their father ("disconnect" is a Scientology term for cutting off contact with former members). Statements from the two daughters read on the air (they declined on-camera interviews) denied the disconnection allegations and said they cut off contact with their father because he was much more abusive than he admits.
David Miscavige did not appear on the program. ABC's interview attempts at a church event were rebuffed by Scientology workers.
A statement from the Church of Scientology to The Hollywood Reporter vigorously denied Ron Miscavige's account and praised the leadership of his son David as the head of Scientology.
"Ronald Miscavige is seeking to make money on the name of his famous son. David Miscavige has taken care of his father throughout his life, both financially and by helping him in even the most dire circumstances.
"Ronald Miscavige was nowhere around when David Miscavige ascended to the leadership of the Church of Scientology, mentored by and working directly with the religion's founder L. Ron Hubbard, and entrusted by him with the future of the Church. Any father exploiting his son in this manner is a sad exercise in betrayal.
"Mr. David Miscavige's far-reaching vision and unrelenting dedication has brought the Church of Scientology to where it is today, guaranteeing its future for generations to come. Scientologists worldwide love and respect Mr. David Miscavige for his tireless work on behalf of their religion."
Earlier this week, the church threatened to sue Ron in the United Kingdom for defamation if the British publisher Silvertail Books went ahead with plans to release the book there on May 3. American publisher St. Martin's Press received a similar letter, but the more plaintiff-friendly libel laws in the United Kingdom would make it a more favorable location for a lawsuit.
Silvertail publisher Humfrey Hunter told The Hollywood Reporter he wasn't worried. "My plans for the book haven't changed at all since I received the letter. Full legal due diligence has been carried out on the manuscript, and I am both confident in its integrity and very proud that Silvertail is publishing it. Ron's story is an important one, and he is a brave man to be telling it."


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  BOOKMARK_BAR_HEIGHT,

  // The height of a button within the Bookmarks Bar.
  BOOKMARK_BAR_BUTTON_HEIGHT,

#if defined(OS_MACOSX)
  // This is a little smaller than the bookmarkbar height because of the visual
  // overlap with the main toolbar. This height should not be used when
  // computing the height of the toolbar.
  BOOKMARK_BAR_HEIGHT_NO_OVERLAP,
#endif

  // The height of Bookmarks Bar, when visible in "New Tab Page" mode.
  BOOKMARK_BAR_NTP_HEIGHT,

#if defined(OS_MACOSX)
  // The amount of space between the inner bookmark bar and the outer toolbar on
  // new tab pages.
  BOOKMARK_BAR_NTP_PADDING,
#endif

  // The size of the app menu button in a web app browser window.
  WEB_APP_MENU_BUTTON_SIZE,

  // The size of page action icons in a web app title bar.
  WEB_APP_PAGE_ACTION_ICON_SIZE,

  // The vertical padding between the edge of a location bar bubble and its
  // contained text.
  LOCATION_BAR_BUBBLE_FONT_VERTICAL_PADDING,

  // The vertical inset to apply to the bounds of a location bar bubble's anchor
  // view, to bring the bubble closer to the anchor.  This compensates for the
  // space between the bottoms of most such views and the visible bottoms of the
  // images inside.
  LOCATION_BAR_BUBBLE_ANCHOR_VERTICAL_INSET,

  // The internal padding to use inside children of the location bar.
  LOCATION_BAR_CHILD_INTERIOR_PADDING,

  // The vertical and horizontal padding inside the border.
  LOCATION_BAR_ELEMENT_PADDING,

  // The height to be occupied by the LocationBar.
  LOCATION_BAR_HEIGHT,

  // The size of the icons used inside the LocationBar.
  LOCATION_BAR_ICON_SIZE,

  // Padding after the tab title.
  TAB_AFTER_TITLE_PADDING,

  // Width of the alert indicator shown for a tab using media capture.
  TAB_ALERT_INDICATOR_CAPTURE_ICON_WIDTH,

  // Width of the alert indicator icon displayed in the tab. The same width is
  // used for all 3 states of normal, hovered and pressed.
  TAB_ALERT_INDICATOR_ICON_WIDTH,

  // The height of a tab, including outer strokes.  In non-100% scales this is
  // slightly larger than the apparent height of the tab, as the top stroke is
  // drawn as a 1-px line flush with the bottom of the tab's topmost DIP.
  TAB_HEIGHT,

  // Padding before the tab title.
  TAB_PRE_TITLE_PADDING,

  // The distance between the edge of one tab to the corresponding edge or the
  // subsequent tab when tabs are stacked.
  TAB_STACK_DISTANCE,

  // In refresh, tabs are drawn with an extension into the toolbar's
  // space to prevent a gap from appearing between the toolbar and the
  // bottom of tabs on some non-integral scales.
  // TODO(tbergquist): Remove this after pixel canvas or any deeper fix to
  // non-pixel-aligned drawing goes in.  See https://crbug.com/765723.
  TABSTRIP_TOOLBAR_OVERLAP,

  // The total height, including icons and insets, of buttons in the toolbar.
  TOOLBAR_BUTTON_HEIGHT,

  // Additional horizontal padding between the elements in the toolbar.
  TOOLBAR_ELEMENT_PADDING,

  // The horizontal space between most items in the toolbar.
  TOOLBAR_STANDARD_SPACING,
};

enum LayoutInset {
  // The padding used around the icon inside the LocationBar. The full width of
  // the icon would be LOCATION_BAR_ICON_SIZE + 2 * inset.width(). The full
  // height of the icon would be LOCATION_BAR_ICON_SIZE + 2 * inset.height().
  // Icons may additionally be spaced horizontally by
  // LOCATION_BAR_ELEMENT_PADDING, but this region is not part of the icon view
  // (e.g. does not highlight on hover).
  LOCATION_BAR_ICON_INTERIOR_PADDING,

  // The padding inside the border of a toolbar button (around the image).
  TOOLBAR_BUTTON,

  // The padding inside the border of a toolbar action view button.
  TOOLBAR_ACTION_VIEW,

  // The padding between the edges of the toolbar and its content.
  TOOLBAR_INTERIOR_MARGIN,
};

int GetLayoutConstant(LayoutConstant constant);
#if defined(OS_MACOSX)
// Use this function instead of GetLayoutConstant() for Cocoa browser.
// This will handle Cocoa specific layout constants. For non Cocoa specific
// constants, it will call GetLayoutConstant() anyway.
int GetCocoaLayoutConstant(LayoutConstant constant);
#endif

gfx::Insets GetLayoutInsets(LayoutInset inset);

#endif  // CHROME_BROWSER_UI_LAYOUT_CONSTANTS_H_

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
IDC event gives glimpses of the post-2020 workplace
Brian Jackson
@brianjjackson
Published: January 30th, 2019
Want to stay relevant in your office? Get ready to wear an exoskeleton, participate in a gamified micro-education platform, and have your behaviours and emotions judged by employers for "cultural fit." At least, that's if presenters at the IDC Canada Future of Work event hosted in Toronto are right about what to expect from the work experience in the years after 2020.
In survey data shared with the audience from IDC's Future of Work survey released November 2018, workplaces around the globe are focused on the employee experience of the future. As more automation takes hold and more tasks are offloaded from human hands and into that of an artificial intelligence algorithm, almost half of employers are looking at ways they can address reskilling and training employees, as well as fostering more employee collaboration.
"If automation is replacing some people, how can I take them and help them do something else?" said Roberta Bigliani, vice-president of IDC Insights in the EMEA region. "It's important to help people… happy employees will lead to a happy customer."
Much like companies are obsessing over "the customer journey" these days, they are also turning their attention to "the employee journey." The whole cycle of the experience is being reexamined, from hiring, to training, to ongoing reskilling, and maintaining long-term satisfaction.
Hiring in 2023: gig-based marketplaces and emotion-detecting AI
One aspect of finding the right talent to propel business will be new HR policies, processes and tools that emulate gig-economy marketplaces, Bigliani says. By 2023, 40 per cent of workers will be using such marketplaces to offer their digital skills – whether it's as a freelancer to a market of many businesses, or even within a large enterprise to a variety of teams.
"This is helping in many industries, with some sort of crowd-sourcing way of solving the problem," she says.
Enterprises looking to stock those talent markets will use technology to help sort through a mass amount of candidates. Bigliani points to consumer packaged goods firm Unilever as an example, which has been using a streamlined process for entry-level employees since 2017. Applicants simply use their LinkedIn profile as their resume, answer some neuroscience quiz questions to determine qualities of their personality, then use a tablet or computer to answer a pre-set list of questions via video interview. AI measures their facial expressions to capture their mood. The technology vendor, HireVue, determines candidates that are the best match for available opportunities and recommends them to a human recruiter.
"They want to have some element of personality and understand the traits of the people they are employing," Bigliani says.
Multi-disciplinary skillsets become the norm
Once employees are hired, their performance has to be evaluated. While many analyst firms have long touted the power of key performance indicators (KPIs), IDC now predicts that by 2022, 35 per cent of businesses will replace those with key behavioural indicators (KBIs). These measure an employee's collaboration, communication, problem-solving skills, and objectives.
Presenting by video conference, Ashok Krish, global head of digital workplace practice at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) said that job functions are transforming to be "at the intersection of art and science."
Having a depth of knowledge in one skillset is no longer enough, employees must have some generalized knowledge across a variety of skills as well. TCS created a T-factor metric to represent what its employees know outside of their main competency.
As described by TCS employees on Quora, the T-factor is literally represented by the letter T. The horizontal bar represents a broader understanding of a set of technologies. The vertical bar represents the depth of knowledge in one skill set.
TCS followed a five-step process to introduce the T-factor metric to employees:
Awareness. The CEO spoke about the T-factor and mentioned it in a quarterly update.
Importance. Relate it to employees' specific roles.
Ability. Have employees master new abilities in ways they can contribute.
Motivation. Show employees where they stand compared to peers.
Triggers. Place calls for action that remind employees about the new required action.
"The employees of today have to reimagine their skills, they simply can't be in the same roles forever," Krish says. "Organizations have to rethink what learning itself is."
Trade in that office chair for an exoskeleton
While retraining will be a new part of work life for most, and automation will mean the end of it for others, many will have their capabilities augmented by technology.
IDC predicts that by 2024, half of structured and repeatable tasks will be automated in workplaces, and 20 per cent of knowledge workers will have AI-infused software or a digitally connected technology as a co-worker. Bigliani pointed to smart virtual customer service agents as one example, which 43 per cent are using today. Assistants for knowledge management are already used by 41 per cent of organizations.
That's akin to what Toronto-based startup Zoom.ai provides its firms, explained Roy Pereira, CEO and founder of the firm. Its chat-based interface is intuitive and similar to what people expect in the consumer space.
"We go in and try to say we're going to augment you and make you more productive," he says. "We find if we augment the employee and let them do their work, that's a much more successful path than automating."
In a more extreme example of literal human augmentation, Bigliani pointed to Airbus, which has been using exoskeletons to help its factory workers build the A350 aircraft in Toulouse. These wearable robotics help workers lift heavy weights, or comfortably work in an awkward space.
Airbus also envisions a future where robotic workmates can be trained by humans and work alongside them to complete certain tasks.
Sponsor: GoDaddy
The SMB IT Reseller Landscape in Canada: A Time of Transition
IT World Canada recently conducted a survey and interviews of Canadian resellers. The study, sponsored by GoDaddy, reveals that Canadian SMB resellers have taken great strides forward to adapt to the digital era.
Digital Transformation automation, future of work, IDC, metrics
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Hashtag Trending - Facebook pays teens for data; San Fran looks to ban facial recognition; Wanzhou in court
About Brian Jackson
Former editorial director of IT World Canada. Current research director at Info-Tech
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In short, refurbishment can extend your apparatus ten to fifteen years on a truck that is ten or fifteen years old. The motivation for many departments is to use a still functional and strong body and replace the chassis which typically saves a great deal of money for municipalities. The cost is a fraction of buying new, potentially as high as a 60% savings on a complete refurb compared to a new rig coming off the line.
According to NFPA 1912, Standard for Fire Apparatus Refurbishing, there are two different levels of refurbishing. Level 1 is more in-depth where the vehicle gets a new drive train and the entire truck and its components are brought up to current NFPA standards. Level 2 brings the vehicle up to standards when the truck was built. Often, departments chose to refurb a rig in compliance with Level 2 standards but also include technical upgrades, such as replacing halogen lighting with LED lighting, adding chevrons for safety as well as rebuilding shelves inside the compartments. Refurbs become more complex when referring to aerials which can include replacing all cabling and wear pad. Pumping systems can require values and gauges to be updated if not completely overhauled.
Most refurbishing centers give the department power to chose what your specific needs are regarding upgrades and repairs. The first step is obtaining a full assessment of the apparatus to determine what your needs and wants are, as well as the cost to achieve those goals. Another refurbishing option is to transform an apparatus to another type, for example, repurposing an older pumper to a hazmat unit or even a mobile command center.
To learn more about apparatus refurbishing or to request an assessment on your aging vehicle, contact Legacy Fire Apparatus at service@LegacyFireApparatus.com.


text:
Honor 9X Lite unveiled with dual rear camera setup
Today, Honor have launched Honor 9X Lite, which seems quite identical to the 9X series of Honor which was revealed last year. In terms of features the devices possesses s dual camera setup alongside a 6.5inch FHD+ display. So let's get started to know more about the specs, pricing and availability of Honor 9X Lite.
Honor 9X Lite have a 6.5-inch Full view FHD+ display with an aspect ratio of 19:5:9. The display supports FHD+ resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels. The display comes with a notch design alongside a 2.5D curved glass which can be spotted on top of the display to ensure the protection of the device. The device comes with a dimension of 160.4×76.6×7.8mm.
In terms of optics, Honor 9X Lite comes with a dual rear camera setup. The primary shooter of the rear camera is of 48MP which is coupled with a 2MP depth sensor. for taking selfies the device is equipped with 16MP shooter. The rear camera setup is aligned in a vertical form at the back of the device alongside a rear mounted finger print scanner which will be weighed around 175 grams.
Honor 9X Lite is powered by an Octa-core Kirin 710 Chipset along with a 3750mah battery which supports 10w fast charging. The device will be available in two colour variants Emerald Green and Midnight Black which will be made available with a 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The internal storage can be further expanded with the help of External MicroSD Card. The device will run on Android 9 OS which will be pie-based EMUI 9. The device is priced at $215.
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Cradled in the foothills of the Santa Lucia Mountains, the 400-acre Carmel Valley Ranch is the ideal golf environment. Having undergone a multi-million dollar enhancement, this chic Carmel golf resort boasts a refurbished Clubhouse and complete restoration of the original course design. Ideally located in a scenic valley – on the sunny side of the Monterey Peninsula – the rolling fairways now feature enlarged greens and augmented tee grounds. Test your skill on the Par 70 layout designed by the renowned Pete Dye. Enjoy the challenging terrain and beautiful scenery of this truly unique Monterey golf course. Marvel at the breathtaking views of the lush woods and expansive mountains. Experience championship-level play at a course rated among the "Best US Golf Resorts," by Travel and Leisure's "World's Best" readers' survey, while immersing yourself in the exceptional upgrades.
Carmel Valley Ranch is delighted to provide relaxing massage, skin, and nail treatments in the comfort and privacy of your very own suite. Select from an array of therapies available from the Carmel spa treatment menu. Warm and sunny California days make the balcony a perfect location for an outdoor deep-tissue massage. Treat yourself to a French Pedicure. Relax with a head to toe Facial & Reflexology Combo, while a wood-burning fireplace creates a warm and comfortable environment. With cathedral ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, and stunning views of the surrounding forest, mountains, and fairways, your suite becomes the site for your very own plush Monterey spa.


text:
Simultaneous Taliban attacks kill at least 16 in Kabul
duration 1 March 2017
image copyrightAFP
image captionTwo attacks struck the Afghan capital at almost the same time on Wednesday
Almost simultaneous attacks in Kabul have left at least 16 people dead and 44 injured, the health ministry says.
The two suicide attacks took place at about midday local time (07:30 GMT) on Wednesday, targeting a police station and intelligence agency offices.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attacks.
It is the latest in a string of attacks to challenge the Afghan authorities after the resurgent militant group started its spring offensive early.
Condemning the bombings, President Ashraf Ghani said: "After the killing of [prominent commander] Mullah Salam and the Taliban's defeat on many other fronts, the terrorists are launching such attacks to raise the moral of their fighters."
Salam was killed in a US air strike on Sunday.
The first of Wednesday's attacks began when a suicide car bomber detonated his explosives outside a police station - which is next door to a military training facility - in the west of the city. This was followed by a five-hour gun battle between officers and another attacker.
Most of the fatalities reportedly occurred in this attack.
Soon afterwards a suicide bomber blew himself up outside Afghanistan's intelligence agency, in eastern Kabul.
image captionSixteen people have been confirmed dead after the midday attacks
Officials originally said just three people had died in the attack, but revised the number up later in the day.
The attacks came a day after the Taliban killed 12 policemen in an "insider attack" in the southern Afghan province of Helmand.


text:
Interview With Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger; Florida Mass Shooting Investigation; Trump's Cash Troubles; Trump Lags Clinton by Millions in Fundraising. Aired 4-4:30 ET
Aired June 21, 2016 - 16:00 ET
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Would what boardroom Donald say about his campaign cash flow issues?
Hillary Clinton calling Donald Trump dangerous again, attempting to clobber him on the economy, as Trump, a man whose name is nearly synonymous with cash, answers questions about why his campaign seems relatively broke.
Breaking news, new details in the Orlando terror investigation. Where the killer went in the hours before the shooting, and what was he doing with three plane tickets?
Plus, Democrats accusing Republicans of selling guns to ISIS? This after a series of gun control measures die in the Senate, and today the White House frankly may have added more ammo to the clip.
Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper.
Hillary Clinton this afternoon tried to eviscerate Donald Trump's greatest campaign strength, his perceived business acumen.
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We cannot put a person like this, with all his empty promises, in a position of power over our lives. We can't let him bankrupt America like we are one of his failed casinos.
TAPPER: Clinton is hoping to exploit any potential weaknesses in her rival after an unsteady few weeks in his campaign. And now the businessman finds himself lagging behind Hillary Clinton in how much money their campaigns have in the bank, what's called cash on hand.
He's behind her to the tune of $40 million.
We have got reporters covering both presidential campaigns this afternoon. We're going to begin with CNN's senior White House correspondent, Jim Acosta. He's live outside Trump Tower. Jim, Mr. Trump trying to regain the offensive this week, turning the
focus back on his Democratic opponent.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Jake.
And Donald Trump is working in overdrive, trying to reassure Republicans that he is running a credible campaign after some downright awful fund-raising numbers, but there is one sign of life for his campaign, in that is it hitting back at Hillary Clinton in ways it hasn't before.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Despite a lifetime of cutting deals that made him billions of dollars, Donald Trump is so short of campaign cash, GOP jaws are dropping. But don't worry, says Trump.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This weekend, we had a very big fund-raising weekend. It's not revealed yet, but we raised a lot of money.
ACOSTA: Still, consider the numbers. According to federal campaign filings, Hillary Clinton finished the month of May with $42 million in the bank. Trump ended up with a tiny fraction of that haul, just $1.3 million. Other glaring findings this month, 17 percent of the campaign spending was dished out to Trump-related entities, like when the campaign rents space from a Trump property for an event and $35,000 went to somebody called Draper Sterling.
JON HAMM, ACTOR: It's right on strategy.
ACOSTA: An expenditure with a name reminiscent of the advertising agency in the hit show "Mad Men."
Trump released a statement on his fund-raising, noting his appeals to donors are just beginning, adding, "If need be, there could be unlimited cash on hand, as I would put up my own money." Earlier in the day, he blamed Republicans who haven't rallied behind his campaign.
TRUMP: They don't want to come on. They will probably eventually come on. Honestly, if they don't, it's just fine. I can win it either way.
ACOSTA: Nothing to see here, added the RNC.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I appreciate everyone's concern over the state of our party. We're doing just great.
ACOSTA: Still, there are other worrying numbers for Trump. He trails Hillary Clinton by five points in a new CNN/ORC poll. And a new Quinnipiac swing state poll shows Trump down eight points in Florida while running neck and neck in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
But Trump is signaling a more aggressive stage of the campaign is just ahead. His campaign is blasting out e-mails and hitting social media to counter Clinton's latest attacks, responding faster than it has before.
TRUMP: And she's been there watching.
ACOSTA: Trump advisers are hopeful it's a change for the better after the firing of campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. The candidate was also out shoring up support among evangelical leaders gathered in New York.
TRUMP: Christianity, I owe so much to it in so many ways, through life, through having incredible children, through so many other things, but I also owe it from frankly standing here, because I -- the evangelical vote was mostly gotten by me.
ACOSTA: And Trump has a speech aimed at attacking Clinton set for tomorrow. Of course, she was doing the same to him earlier today, but a big difference, Jake. Unlike past speeches from Hillary Clinton attacking Donald Trump, today, the Trump campaign was offering sort of a prebuttal to that speech, something it hasn't done before.
Asked whether the campaign has hired a slew of new communication staffers, one Trump adviser told me, Jake, "God, I hope so" -- Jake.
ACOSTA: All right, Jim Acosta, thanks so much.
Hillary Clinton finds herself out ahead of Trump in fund-raising and campaign organization, but, as Jim noted, fresh polls from battleground states, Pennsylvania and Ohio, show that regardless of her few good weeks and a rough few more Mr. Trump, the two candidates remain neck and neck in two very valuable pieces of electoral wealth.
CNN senior political correspondent Brianna Keilar covered Clinton's speech in Columbus, Ohio, earlier today.
Brianna, Hillary Clinton might be ahead in our latest national head- to-head poll, but voters are still giving Trump higher marks on the economy and creating jobs.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, significantly higher marks, and this is something, of course, the Clinton campaign is taking note of.
The economy, Jake, is the issue that voters say is what matters to them most, and so Hillary Clinton has a lot of work to do.
KEILAR (voice-over): Hillary Clinton hitting Donald Trump on his experience as a businessman.
CLINTON: He's written a lot of books about business. They all seem to end at chapter 11.
KEILAR: Taking aim at him for going into bankruptcy with four of his corporations and for once calling himself the king of debt.
CLINTON: The king of debt has no real for making college debt payable back or making college debt-free. This is a crisis that affects so many of our people. He has no credible plan for rebuilding our infrastructure, apart from the wall that he wants to build.
KEILAR: But Trump is embracing the moniker, tweeting, "I am the king of debt. That has been great for me as a businessman, but is bad for the country. I made a fortune off of debt, will fix U.S."
Many voters agree. In a new CNN/ORC poll, when asked who would better handle the economy, 51 percent of those polled said Trump, Clinton trailing him by eight points. Her campaign is trying to change that, putting up a new Web site in conjunction with her economic speech, theartofthesteal.biz, a play on his bestselling book "The Art of the Deal," and releasing a video about Trump's unsuccessful business ventures.
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), FLORIDA: Have you ever heard of Trump steaks? Have you ever heard of...
TRUMP: You know what?
RUBIO: All of these companies that he's ruined.
MITT ROMNEY (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Whatever happened to Trump Airlines?
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Trump Games, Trump Travel, Trump Ice.
JOHN OLIVER, HOST, "LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER": "Trump" magazine, which folded, "Trump World" magazine, which also folded.
ROMNEY: And Trump mortgage.
KEILAR: But as Clinton trails Trump on handling of the economy in the polls, she's crushing him on fund-raising, with $42 million in the bank to Trump's $1.3 million.
That's not her only advantage over the presumptive GOP nominee. The latest CNN poll also shows voters see Clinton as having the better temperament to serve as president by a 24-point margin. Clinton today seeking to connect those doubts with putting Trump in charge of the U.S. economy.
CLINTON: Just like he shouldn't have his finger on the button, he shouldn't have his hands on our economy.
KEILAR: And as Hillary Clinton's anti-Trump rhetoric heats up, so does the speculation about who her running mate is going to be.
The names in close consideration, CNN has learned, include Tim Kaine and Elizabeth Warren, as well as Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro and Labor Secretary Tom Perez.
And also, Jake, kind of interesting, one Ohio senator, Sherrod Brown, who has a very good rapport with Hillary Clinton. When are we going to find out? It might not be until around the Republican Convention here in about a month.
TAPPER: All right, Brianna Keilar, thanks so much.
Let's bring in Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger of Illinois.
Congressman, first of all, let me just get your reaction to the fact that, according to these FEC reports, Hillary Clinton has $42 million cash on hand. Donald Trump has $1.3 million. You want Republicans to win the White House, although I know you're unsure about Mr. Trump himself.
REP. ADAM KINZINGER (R), ILLINOIS: Yes.
TAPPER: But that's got to be alarming in terms of fund-raising.
KINZINGER: Yes, it's hugely alarming.
And I think this goes to show Donald Trump has tried to make it a point that he doesn't need to run a traditional campaign. Well, you really do. You need fund-raisers. You need people that can work and organize on the ground.
One of the more astonishing is, Donald Trump has 70 employees and Hillary Clinton has something like 700 working to organize in the field. That's worth a lot of percent at the end.
I think part of the problem you run into is -- and it happens with any so-called self-funding candidate -- is, if the say, well, I can just write a check myself, you have a lot of small donors that go, well, then he doesn't need my $100 or $50 if I'm just basically displacing what he's going to write anyway. And, so, yes, I think it's very concerning.
TAPPER: I think big donors have been saying that too.
Have you heard from -- look, you have to fund-raise like every other public official in this country. Have you heard from donors saying that they're not going to give money from Trump and, if so, why?
KINZINGER: Yes, I talked to -- I was talking with a big donor, e- mailing with one today, who basically said he's staying out of the presidential race. He's going to help House and Senate Republicans to hold the House and Senate.
Look, they're concerned the same reason I am, the same reason I'm not supporting Donald Trump, is because I think temperament. I think spending more time attacking fellow Republicans, not doing what's necessary to unite. And we have seen his comments.
A lot of these donors are really concerned with foreign policy, the role of America in the world. And we have seen a front-runner that basically praises Vladimir Putin and condemns David Cameron because he calls him a meanie.
TAPPER: Now, you say not supporting Donald Trump. Is that forever or that's just right now?
KINZINGER: Well, no, I'm not a never Trump guy, because, in my mind, to say never, then you're basically saying, doesn't matter what you do, doesn't matter if you come and start showing that you're a Republican or whatever. I'm a not there yet guy.
And each day that goes by, it's becoming harder and harder to see how I get there, but I really want to. I would love to support the Republican nominee, but as I have said, I'm an American before I'm a Republican, and I have to put it through that filter first.
TAPPER: Do you not worry that your position really helps hand the election over to Hillary Clinton?
KINZINGER: Well, sure, it's a concern. Look, I'm not going to be the defining vote in Illinois. Illinois is a pretty Democratic state.
TAPPER: Right. But there's an aggregate of all of you saying these things that might help tip the election towards...
KINZINGER: Well, it's a concern, but, look, as a -- I have a lot of serious concerns with Donald Trump.
And I take my position -- you know, I'm a private citizen. I hold nothing against people who supported Donald Trump. I understand it. But as a citizen who happens to be a member of Congress, people ask my opinion, and my opinion is, I have a hard time getting to yes on Donald Trump.
And I definitely don't want Hillary Clinton to win, you know, but at the end of the day, the uniting of the party is on Donald Trump. It's not on people like me. It's not on members of Congress. It's on the front-runner. You see that in the Democratic Party as Hillary Clinton tries to bring some of the Bernie Sanders folks on board.
TAPPER: So if the election were today, what would you do?
KINZINGER: I would probably write in a Republican's name and I'm not sure who yet.
TAPPER: Interesting.
Let me ask you a question. You're not just a member of Congress and a private citizen. You're also a veteran who must have opinions about who would be a better commander in chief.
KINZINGER: Yes.
TAPPER: Would you be more comfortable with Hillary Clinton as commander in chief than you would Donald Trump? And the reason I ask is because I think your foreign policy is closer to hers.
KINZINGER: Well, I'm not going to say I would be more comfortable with one or the other.
I have concerns with both of them. And I have real deep concerns with Donald Trump. You know, at the end of the day, I hope that over the next five months Donald Trump can begin to articulate a foreign policy that I agree with, at least in some level. I don't have to agree with him on 100 percent, but appears Republican and Reaganesque. He's just not there yet.
TAPPER: But can I just translate?
TAPPER: You just said you have concerns about both of them, but then you said you have real deep concerns about Donald Trump.
KINZINGER: Yes. And I...
TAPPER: That suggests that you have more concerns about him than you do about her.
KINZINGER: Well, and I have real concerns about Hillary Clinton too. You look at the postgame in Libya. And I supported intervention in Libya, but we turned our back in the postgame, and the lack of action in Syria has been a big problem too.
TAPPER: All right, Congressman, good to see you. Thanks so much for being here.
Why is Donald Trump struggling to fund-raise and should the campaign be concerned about it? That's next.
Plus, new information about what the Orlando terrorist was doing the night of the shooting, including a visit to the Pulse nightclub just hours before the attack. Stay with us.
[16:17:21] TAPPER: Welcome back to THE LEAD.
As Donald Trump looks to right his campaign, Hillary Clinton is hoping to take advantage of her seeming organizational edge.
Let's talk about this with our panel: Republican strategist Ana Navarro, Democratic strategist and Hillary Clinton supporter Paul Begala, and Donald Trump supporter, Kayleigh McEnany.
Kayleigh, let me start with you. Why is Mr. Trump having trouble bringing in fund-raising dollars and can this be fixed?
KAYLEIGH MCENANY, DONALD TRUMP SUPPORTER: It can be fixed, because let's be real. Donald Trump just started fundraising. He hasn't been out there trying to get money. He hasn't been sending the e-mails. He hasn't been promising to match it.
So, this is all just starting. Should it have started earlier? Perhaps. But it's worth mentioning that Donald Trump has defied conventional wisdom every step of the way. Three opposing candidates in the primary, Rubio, Cruz, and Bush, all spent upwards of $100 million. He spent just half that and won.
This is a general election. You need cash but the RNC has cash. He's going to bring in cash. He's going to change. It's going to change now and I think that he will defy conventional wisdom again.
TAPPER: Kayleigh as always comes better prepared to these things than I do and she just basically said my second question, which is to you Ana.
Donald Trump has defied conventional wisdom before. He was outspent during the primaries. Is it possible it doesn't matter as much as we think it does?
ANA NAVARRO, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I guess at this stage of the game, it does matter because infrastructure starts to matter. You have got to pay payroll. You've got to make payroll. The expenses start mounting up. There are some expenses that can only be paid by the hard money of a campaign.
I think what you're seeing is that I don't care how rich you are and donors today can be very, very wealthy, no matter how rich you are, nobody likes to throw money away. They need to feel confidence that he is running a well-run campaign, that he's got the staff, that he's got the messaging, he's got a plan, and he's not showing that. And that's what you're seeing in those number, it's lack of confidence.
TAPPER: And, Paul, let's be frank. Donald Trump had a few rough weeks, not good for his campaign. And yet the polls don't really seem to reflect that in every place. Look at the polls we have here. In Ohio, Trump and Clinton are basically tied. Pennsylvania, which nearly always goes Democratic, Clinton is up by only 1 percent.
She should be doing much, much better one would think after these last few weeks.
PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, short answer, but she is doing better than she was a few weeks ago. Don't forget, she's -- her primaries ended later.
TAPPER: Not in those states though.
BEGALA: Yes, in those states. The Quinnipiac poll a few weeks ago was better for Trump than they are today. That's Quinnipiac. I generally don't do this in public. They did survey these over 11 days, and so, it makes it a little suspect. That's too long. You know, polls are snapshot in time. If you're moving that camera that much, it's going to be blurry.
[16:20:00] By the way, the same series of Quinnipiac polls released today has Hillary up eight in Florida.
TAPPER: Yes, Florida. I didn't put that up in my banner.
BEGALA: Right, but the president won that by less than one point.
TAPPER: But shouldn't she be cleaning his clock is my point?
BEGALA: And she will, but it will not be easy. I do not want Democrats to give in to this irrational exuberance. I'm with Kayleigh, I think is all is well in Trump land. He doesn't need money, organization or campaign.
TAPPER: Oh, cut it out.
BEGALA: But Hillary does. And she has got to fight if she wants to win this thing. It's not going to be easy. So, I don't think Democrats are going to be counting their eggs or chickens or whatever.
NAVARRO: He's such a veteran sarcastic humor.
TAPPER: I know. So smart and once again, so here we have stepping on my question to you, Kayleigh.
Let's look at the numbers out of Florida. Clinton leads Trump by eight percent. Quite a bit of that is because of how strong she is and how weak he is with nonwhite voters. If he does not win Florida, that could make his election effort much more difficult. Can he improve his standing in Florida especially with minority voters?
MCENANY: I think he can and you're exactly right. He needs to win Florida. The map becomes imminently easier to dominate and to win with Florida.
I think the key for him there is to emphasize how the Obama economy has hurt minorities. They're still facing double digit real unemployment. Wages are stagnant. He needs to reach out to millennials and minorities in that regard and focus on the economy.
And every time he's asked about the judge or something else, hammer back the economy because that is what people care about and that is his way to resonate with minority voters.
TAPPER: But that's not very Trumpian.
Ana, here is how Mr. Trump responded to Hillary Clinton's speech on the economy today. He wrote, "I am the king of debt." That was something he had said that she hammered him for. "I am the king of debt. That has been great for me as a businessman but it's bad for the country. I made a fortune off of debt, will fix U.S."
Is that Trump taking Kayleigh's advice and staying on message?
NAVARRO: I think it's Trump doing what he does, which is answering through 140 character tweets. At some point, he's going to need to answer with a lot more detail. At some point, he's going to need to release tax returns.
I think Hillary Clinton is, you know, taking him apart piece by piece. First, foreign policy, now on what he supposedly brings to the table, economic forte, knowledge of business, executive experience.
If he can't even run his own campaign, if he can't en fund his own campaign, you begin to question, does the emperor have no clothes on? This is what his forte is. This is what he's bringing to the table.
So, she's smart to be trying to define him this early on. I think it's something that a lot of his opponents in the primary missed the chance to do.
TAPPER: Well, his opponents, yes, they missed many opportunities.
Paul, I need to ask you this because our Jeff Zeleny is reporting these are the names that team Clinton is looking at for their V.P. pick: Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, HUD Secretary Julian Castro, Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, and California Congressman Javier Becerra.
If you were advising here and don't all be politic now, if you were advising her, who would tell her to pick?
BEGALA: Honestly, what I would say, I learned from her husband and I watched President Obama do it, frankly, President Bush, too -- if you only pick someone for the campaign, you will make a bad pick. It will, first of all, be politically bad. It seems odd but if you try to be too political it will blow up. There are two qualifications.
TAPPER: But you're saying Clinton and Bush did not do that.
BEGALA: Correct.
TAPPER: Governing picks.
BEGALA: Clinton, Bush, and Obama, all three of our last three presidents I believe picked one for the right reason. In Bush's case, if something happened to me, God forbid, who could rule the country in my place, it's Cheney. He shot a man in the face.
TAPPER: I don't think that's --
BEGALA: No, but honestly, I do admire the thought process. Bush didn't need Cheney's animal magnetism or Wyoming's three electoral votes. He made a governing pick. I don't agree with their governing policy, but he made a governing pick.
Hillary needs to do the same thing.
NAVARRO: You know, he asked you one question. Pick one person out of --
BEGALA: I will not.
TAPPER: I get the explanation. You're not going to give me a name?
BEGALA: No way. Who can run the country, God forbid if something happens to the president, and who can be a good governing partner if nothing bad happens to the president.
TAPPER: Ana, thoughts? Who would you thought that Hillary pick?
NAVARRO: I wouldn't pick Elizabeth Warren because I think she's got a chance to pick off some moderate Republicans who are going to have the bejesus scared out of them if it's Elizabeth Warren.
TAPPER: So, what, Tim Kaine?
NAVARRO: I think Tim Kaine is a smart pick. He also knows how to speak Spanish. Spent time in Honduras. So he will bring -- he's not a Hispanic, but he will bring appeal towards Hispanics.
TAPPER: Ten seconds, Kayleigh. Who would you pick if you were advising Hillary Clinton which I know you would never do?
MCENANY: I would pick Castro. She has a millennial problem. She needs some youth and vitality and that would do that.
TAPPER: All right. Great job. Kayleigh McEnany, Paul Begala, Ana Navarro, thank you so much.
Coming up later, meet the libertarian presidential candidate, presidential ticket at the CNN libertarian town hall with Gary Johnson and William Weld. That will be moderated by Chris Cuomo. That will be live Wednesday night at 9:00 p.m.
Three plane tickets to California for a trip in July. That's what law enforcement now says the Orlando terrorist purchased the day before he carried out the worst terror attack since 9/11.
[16:29:22] TAPPER: Welcome back.
We're back with the national lead now and major developments today in the Orlando terror investigation as investigators try to retrace the steps of the killer. They're learning that he visited Pulse nightclub hours before shooting up the place. Investigators say he came to the club, left, then came back and killed 49 people in cold blood.
Investigators also say that before the shooting, the Orlando terrorist bought three plane tickets which raises even more questions about his larger plan.
CNN justice correspondent Pamela Brown has been working her sources and joins me now.
Pamela, the terrorist had an argument with his wife before the rampage as you tell me.
PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: That's right.
TAPPER: What was it about?
BROWN: So, we're learning from officials that he left the house angry that day, and he left with a bag of guns. That is what the wife is telling investigators.


text:
Q: Empty resultsset returned when using mysqli::bindParams() for my current project I'm building a simple QueryBuilder class. Everything works fine, except the parameter binding with mysqli's bindParam() method and I just can't find the error.
Code and procedure:

*

*The request handler invokes following method from my User model:
public function getPasshashByUsername($username) {
  $qb = new SelectQuery();
  $qb->select(['passhash'])
     ->from($this->sourceName)
     ->where('nickname', $username);
  $stmt = $qb->build();
  $resultset = $qb->execute($stmt);
  return $resultset->fetch_assoc()['passhash'] ?? null;
}

*For parts with potential parameters, the SelectQuery class works like this:
public function where($col, $val) {
  $this->aQueryParts['where'] = $this->addCondition('WHERE',$col, $val);
  return $this;
}

private function addCondition($type, $col, $val) {
  $sExpr = $type . ' ';
  $sType = '';
  if ( is_int($val) || is_bool($val) ) {
    $sExpr .= '? = ' . $val;
    $sType .= 'i';
  } elseif ( is_double($val) ) {
    $sExpr .= '? = ' . $val;
    $sType .= 'd';
  } else {
    $sExpr .= '? LIKE \'' . $val . '\'';
    $sType .= 's';
  }
  $this->sTypes .= $sType;
  $this->aParams[] = $col;
  return $sExpr;
}

*Now the build() method comes in action, where the params will be bound:
public function build() {
  if ( isset($this->aQueryParts['from']) ) {
  $sQuery = '';
  foreach ( $this->aQueryParts as $part ) {
    if ( is_string($part) ) {
      if ( !empty($part) ) {
        $sQuery .= $part . ' ';
      }
      continue;
    }
    if ( is_array($part) ) {
      foreach ( $part as $entry ) {
        if ( !empty($entry) ) {
          $sQuery .= $entry . ' ';
        }
      }
    }
  }
  $this->sQuery = $sQuery;
  // Marker 1
  //$this->sQuery = 'SELECT * FROM vwuser WHERE nickname LIKE \'TestUser\'';
  } else {
    Logger::send('You must at least call from() to get a valid query.');
    die();
  }
  $this->con = (new DatabaseAdapter())->connect();
  if ( !$stmt = $this->con->prepare($this->sQuery) ) {
    $msg = 'Error while preparing statement: "' . $this->sQuery . '"';
    Logger::send($msg);
    die();
  }
  // make params by-ref
  $params = [];
  foreach ( $this->aParams as $param ) {
    $params[] = &$param;
  }
  // Start Marker 2
  if ( !empty($this->sTypes) ) {
    if ( !$stmt->bind_param($this->sTypes, ...$params) ) {
      $msg = 'Failed to bind parameters to Query: "' . $this->sQuery . '"';
      Logger::send($msg);
      die();
    }
  }
  // End Marker 2
  return $stmt;
}

The execute() method just wraps the mysqli execute() in the usual way. No Error/Exception is thrown, it just returns an result set with no matches. Regarding to XDebug, these are the relevant values when calling bind_params():
$this->sQuery = "SELECT passhash FROM vwuser WHERE ? LIKE 'TestUser'";
$this->sParams = "s";
$this->aParams = [ "nickname" ];

If i uncomment hardcoded assignment of the query string in the line below "Marker 1" and comment out the block of Marker 2 (call of bind_params), everything works fine, so it seems like the connection itself is valid.
I've inserted the "make by-ref" block after reading at php.net that bind_params requires references, but it didn't change anything.

A: Here is the corrected version.
Thanks @Dharman to give me the hint.
The mistake was some confusion about the placement of the question mark in the line:
$sExpr .= '? LIKE \'' . $val . '\'';

which should be of course:
$sExpr .= $col . ' LIKE ?';

so the correction version of addCondition() is:
  private function addCondition($type, $col, $val) {
    $sExpr = $type . ' ';
    $sType = '';
    if ( is_int($val) || is_bool($val) ) {
      $sExpr .=  $col . ' = ?';
      $sType .= 'i';
    } elseif ( is_double($val) ) {
      $sExpr .=  $col . ' = ?';
      $sType .= 'd';
    } else {
      $sExpr .= $col . ' LIKE ?';
      $sType .= 's';
    }
    $this->sTypes .= $sType;
    $this->aParams[] = $val;
    return $sExpr;
  }

A: You really should consider learning PDO instead of mysqli or using some existing database access library.
You can't bind column names. The whole point is that you bind the data. You are doing it the other way around. I would recommend to get rid of the method addCondition as it doesn't really make any sense and will be the cause of many bugs in your code. Instead just pass the arguments straight into bind_param and use str_repeat() for the types.
Here is how you could do it:
public function where($col, $val)
{
    $this->aQueryParts['where'] = 'WHERE '.$col. '=?';
    $this->aParams[] = $val;
    return $this;
}

public function build()
{
    if (isset($this->aQueryParts['from'])) {
        $sQuery = '';
        foreach ($this->aQueryParts as $part) {
            if (is_string($part)) {
                if (!empty($part)) {
                    $sQuery .= $part . ' ';
                }
                continue;
            }
            if (is_array($part)) {
                foreach ($part as $entry) {
                    if (!empty($entry)) {
                        $sQuery .= $entry . ' ';
                    }
                }
            }
        }
        $this->sQuery = $sQuery;
    // Marker 1
    //$this->sQuery = 'SELECT * FROM vwuser WHERE nickname LIKE \'TestUser\'';
    } else {
        Logger::send('You must at least call from() to get a valid query.');
        die();
    }

    $this->con = (new DatabaseAdapter())->connect();
    $stmt = $this->con->prepare($this->sQuery);
    // Start Marker 2
    if ($this->aParams) {
        $stmt->bind_param(str_repeat('s', count($this->aParams)), ...$this->aParams);
    }

    // End Marker 2
    return $stmt;
}

As you can see, I also removed the if statements. You really should consider enabling mysqli error reporting instead of manually checking for errors.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


When all the fields are lying brown and hare.
The grey barns, looking from their hazy hills O'er the dim waters widening in the vales, Send down the air a greeting to the Or the dull thunder of alternate All sights were mellowed, and al sounds subdued, The hills seemed further, and the stream sang low, As in a dream the distant woodman hewed His winter log with many a mufillad blow."
The illustrations—nineteeen in number, besides two head-pieoes- have all the delicacy and effectiveness of the best engraving.


text:
Home Tags Rivian R1S
Tag: Rivian R1S
Rivian to Begin Full Production of the R1S SUV in May 2022
Matt St-Pierre - December 30, 2021
The Adventure trims goes first in May. The Explore version is expected to start in August of 2022. Rivian probably could not have ended the 2021 calendar year on a higher note. Its IPO took off like the James Webb Space Telescope a few...
Rivian Delivered the First Two Units of the R1S SUV This Week
Anthony Lemonde - December 17, 2021
The R1S is the second consumer vehicle from Rivian It is an SUV based very closely on the R1T pickup which began deliveries in September The goals for 2021 were only 25 Units made and 15 delivered Rivian delivered the first two production units...
Rivian Could Face Supply Issues in Ramping up Production
Rivian is currently trying to ramp up production of its R1T pickup truck to meet demand Supply issues to slow down these efforts The company's shares lost 10% value after this announcement The stock market is currently very volatile, especially when it comes to...
Rivian R1S Reservation Holders Told to Expect Delays
Matt St-Pierre - November 24, 2021
Initially, deliveries were planned for January 2022. Now they've been delayed to as far back as July 2022, or later. Delivery delays have become the norm in the automotive industry over the last 18 months. Supply-chain issues and parts shortages have plagued production all...
Rivian Plans to Deliver More Than 1,000 Vehicles by the End of the Year
Anthony Lemonde - November 2, 2021
Rivian has only started production of its R1T on September 14th Over 1,200 vehicles will be produced and 1,000 will be delivered before January Rumours that Rivian is prioritising Amazon vans seem to be false Rivian released more documents ahead of its expected...
Rivian Suffered a "Small" Battery Fire in its Assembly Plant
Anthony Lemonde - October 28, 2021
A "small" fire broke out in the automated battery assembly area No injuries were reported and property damages are minimal Rivian is trying to ramp up production of the R1T pickup The fire department was dispatched to the Rivian automotive assembly plant in Normal,...
Amazon Will Help Rivian Grow
Amazon owns a 5% stake in Rivian Rivian is making electric delivery vans for Amazon The van order from Amazon is worth $4.5 billion USD Rivian is still a small automaker, its first production vehicle has just been introduced, but its partnership with Amazon...
Rivian is Working on Many Upcoming Vehicles
Anthony Lemonde - September 28, 2021
Rivian's CEO has promised six new vehicles from the brand by 2025, and it looks like the company will reach this goal Vehicles under development allegedly include a 4x4 that could compete with the Jeep Wrangler, a heavy-duty pickup, bigger that the R1T...
Rivian to launch membership plan for owners
Membership will grant free charging in Rivian's own charging network Other perks will include off-road assistance, 4G LTE connectivity and additional extras Membership will be free for the first year of ownership, prices to continue the service have yet to be disclosed. A growing...
The First Production Rivian R1T is Ready to Roll
Matt St-Pierre - September 14, 2021
After months of delay, production of the Rivian R1T is officially underway. Rivian's CEO, RJ Scaringe, drove off with it and lived to tell the story. The first R1T is fittingly painted Rivian Blue. We can only imagine the elation felt by Rivian employees...


text:
Q: Progress bar for unknown Rally query size I'm using Rally (currently SDK 1.32, but I'm in the process of migrating to 2.0) to query for projects within a given workspace, which are then loaded into an HTML dropdown bar, and I'm trying to have a progress bar display the progress of the query via javascript.
Because the Rally query simply returns a single JSON data packet, I'm not sure what I'd use to measure the progress that's being made. I'm using a progress bar as opposed to a spinner because I'm leveraging responsive Twitter/Bootstrap. I know that bootstrap has the striped progress bar, but that isn't compatible with certain versions of IE, so I was trying to avoid using that as well. If there isn't a good option other than the spinner or the striped progress bar, I guess I'll just have to deal.
Does anybody know of a way to have the progress bar meaningfully display the progress?

A: The best way to determine if a Rally App is partially complete would be to determine what percentage of pages Rally had returned. Since we limit the size to 200 objects per page you can get a decent estimate of your progress for long running queries based upon those pages.


text:
MSMEs want GST and compliance woes addressed in Budget 2022-23
GST rate rationalization and ease of doing business still causes for concern
News | MSME News
Even as a continuous overhaul marked the fourth year of GST in India's regulatory landscape, MSMEs still see scope for improvement in the way the tax regime affects the sector.
With the Finance Ministry seeking out suggestions about taxation as a prelude to industry consultations for Budget 2022-23, MSME associations feel that rate rationalisation is a concern the government must seriously look into, says this report in MoneyControl.com.
Advocating for a separate rate structure for MSMEs, a member of the All India Council of Association of MSMEs pointed out in an interview with MoneyControl that for certain products, the GST rate applicable was the same for a small business as for a company with a turnover of INR 500 Crore. This drastically affects the competitiveness of MSMEs, he said. Further, considering the high rate of input cost, GST for manufacturing should be brought down from 18% to 12%, the member said.
In the wake of the two waves of the pandemic and resultant supply chain bottlenecks, MSMEs are already feeling the pinch of the high price of raw materials. The government, however, is caught between managing the burden on the consumer versus addressing the concerns of the MSME manufacturers.
Take, for instance, the announcement by the GST Council in September that from January 1, 2022, the GST rate on all final garments and footwear under INR 1000 will increase from 5% to 12% in order to correct the anomalies in the inverted duty tax structure.
The government's reasoning is that the present inverted tax structure, where there is a higher duty on raw materials as compared to the final product, was making it difficult for manufacturers to claim Input Tax Credit (ITC).
Under ITC, a GST registered business can claim levies already paid to manufacture a product or supply a service or both, before making a final sale to prevent the passing of the tax burden to the consumer, explains this Mint report.
With the proposed correction, manufacturers can reduce the impact of taxation on their working capital by receiving a full refund for higher input cost and will ultimately pass on the benefit to the consumer, the report explains, outlining the GST Council's rationale.
The textile industry, on the other hand, feels that only 15% of the industry is impacted by the inverted duty structure, but the new rates will affect 85% of the market, as 80% of the products will prove to be more expensive.
Media reports quoting sources close to the GST Council say that a slew of reforms is awaiting the GST regime in the next fiscal. While two Group of Ministers (GoMs) have been set up to look at rate rationalisations and systems reforms to curb leakages in tax revenue, the government is proposing to establish a three-tier tax slab at 5%, 18% and 28% as opposed to the current four-tier one, with 12% and 18% slab rates merged.
Another area that MSMEs want to be addressed is compliance. Mired in the complexity of a series of regulatory requirements at every stage of functioning, MSMEs are ill at ease with doing business, it would seem. Vinod Kumar, President of the India SME Forum stressed the 'tapering off of compliance for small businesses with a turnover of less than INR 5 crore, in line with global best practices.
Outlining the compliance burden faced by MSMEs, a report in The Financial Express said that despite the government's measures to make incorporation easy and paperless, MSMEs are hassled at the stage of incorporation itself - opening a bank account still requires a physical letterhead with a rubber stamp, and subsequently deal with paperless transactions with the same bank. Additionally, the MSMEs have to register under various Acts of the state government agencies, the report said. A poor compliance framework is the main reason why only under 34 lakh MSMEs registered on the government's MSME registration portal Udyam in 11 months.
In March this year, the Prime Minister had said that efforts were on to reduce the compliance requirements by several state and central agencies to boost domestic manufacturing.
The government had engaged human resources major Teamlease to study the compliance burden in the country. The Indian regulatory landscape has 1,536 Acts, more than 69,233 compliances and 6,618 regulatory filings across the Centre and states, TeamLease has identified, although not all are applicable to a particular business operating in a particular geography.