text:
What if your city files for bankruptcy?
Michael Estrin
July 19, 2013 in Personal Finance
Municipal bankruptcies are nothing new, but several filings over the past year — punctuated by the July 2013 bankruptcy in Detroit — have transformed Chapter 9 of the U.S. bankruptcy code for municipal reorganization from a relatively obscure body of law into a hot topic. Residents of struggling cities are wondering what the possibility of bankruptcy means for them.
"We've had cities go bankrupt in the past, but usually those are isolated events that occur because the city lost a big lawsuit or had a local catastrophe," says Franklin C. Adams, a bankruptcy lawyer in Riverside, Calif. "What's different and quite troubling is that larger economic conditions seem to be the cause, and we haven't seen that since the Great Depression."
Congress enacted federal bankruptcy legislation for municipalities in the 1930s. Between 1991 and 2012, there have been 217 muni bankruptcies, according to data from the U.S. court system. Of those, 20 were filed just last year. These are some of the more recent filings have been noteworthy:
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Detroit: The one-time auto capital of the world filed for bankruptcy protection in July 2013, citing more than $18 billion in debt. It marks the largest civic bankruptcy by amount of debt and by population. About 700,000 residents live in the Motor City.
Jefferson County, Ala.: The county filed in November 2011, citing more than $4 billion in debt. Before Detroit's filing this month, the filing was the largest civic bankruptcy in U.S. history in terms of dollar amount, according to Reuters.
Stockton, Calif.: The city filed for bankruptcy in June 2012. At the time, it was the largest American city, in terms of population, to seek protection from creditors under Chapter 9. City officials estimate that Stockton, which has just fewer than 300,000 residents, could owe creditors as much as $1 billion, according to CBSNews.com.
Harrisburg, Pa.: The city has more than $340 million in debt, but back in 2011 state Sen. Jeff Piccola banned "third-class cities" from filing bankruptcy, leading a judge to block the bankruptcy. According to Reuters, the ban was extended in 2012. Currently the city has been auctioning off Wild West artifacts in an effort to raise money.
What is Chapter 9?
In many ways, a Chapter 9 filing is akin to Chapters 11 and 13 of the bankruptcy code, which deal with business and personal reorganizations, respectively. Under all three scenarios, debtors get a reprieve for paying creditors while they propose and implement a restructuring plan. But unlike private citizens and companies, municipalities are sovereign entities, which present an unusual wrinkle, Adams says.
"Realistically, the court doesn't have as much power to force the city to do anything," Adams says. "So, unlike other provisions of the bankruptcy code where the creditors have a vote on the reorganization plan, the city has a lot more latitude."
Once a municipality is bankrupt, it can cut costs, which usually means fewer services such as firefighting, garbage collection and library branches. Or it can increase revenue by raising taxes. Usually, it's a combination of both, Adams says. But real change is often a matter of political will.
What happens to services?
"Municipal bankruptcies usually mean a reduction in the size, scope and quality of services because that's where the biggest costs are," says Adams.
But the bad economy has forced many cities to cut services to the bone, says Luis Salazar, a bankruptcy lawyer in Coral Gables, Fla., who served as a city councilman in Leonia, N.J., when that town faced a budget crisis in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
"A lot of these cities have already made severe cuts, so it's not clear how much worse services can get," Salazar says. "You still need cops, and you still need to put out fires."
But there is a silver lining in bankruptcy, according to Salazar. The city gets breathing room from creditors.
"Breathing room may not save services that are on the chopping block, but it makes it possible for the city to reset and eventually get back to a point where it can offer services at a lower cost," Salazar says.
What happens to taxes?
While increased revenue would be a boon to any city facing bankruptcy, it's unclear whether taxes would go up immediately. For one thing, "You're asking people to pay more at a time when they are getting fewer services," Salazar says.
Even if a city can muster the political will to raise taxes, doing so may not help revenues, says Dennis Hoffman, an economics professor at Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz.
"Increased taxes may come later on, but there's often a stigma associated with municipal bankruptcies, and that can mean an erosion of the tax base if people leave," Hoffman says.
Adams says the buck stops with the bankrupt municipality. County and state taxpayers aren't on the hook for a bankrupt municipality's debts. But in dire cases, it's possible for a city to dissolve.
"When that happens, the burden of providing services falls to the county, and in some areas, the state may have to pick up the slack," Adams says. "So, it's possible that those costs may be passed on indirectly to taxpayers elsewhere."
Borrowing money again
One big long-term consideration that can impact both services and taxes is how the municipal bond market treats a city that has filed for bankruptcy.
"Municipal bond issuers have a long memory," Hoffman says. "So it's possible that a bankrupt city will pay more to borrow or won't be able to borrow at all."
Salazar says that paying more to borrow or not being able to borrow at all can be a huge long-term blow to a city.
"Cities need to borrow to pay for infrastructure projects," he says. "But they also need to borrow to finance their day-to-day budgets because bonds are how many cities manage cash flow. Remember, tax revenues don't always come in when it's time to pay police and fire."
Increased borrowing costs may just be a fact of life for some cities in the years to come. But what really worries Hoffman is how the municipal bond market responds to cities that didn't file.
"Municipal bonds used to be considered a fairly conservative, safe place to park money," Hoffman says. "While that's still largely true, it's also possible that bond issuers will demand higher interest rates because a wave of big municipal bankruptcies may increase the perceived risk of lending to cities."
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1200 x 600 as in the attached pic. Do you think that the built-in braai will be a problem so close to the tank? I have put measurements on the pic. Any thoughts and advice wud be appreciated!
Only thing id worry about is smoke, so you'll have to make sure the tank is sealed.
I think when you using the braai it can possibly increase the tank temp, I doubt by much though. It will be a large volume of water.
the heat should not be a problem as the water would quickly act as a heatsink and move the heat away.
Problem would be access to the braai. The tank seems to be 1.2m wide. And the braai is 0.6m from the corn er. So the lid of the braai would barely open. You would not be able to stand in front of the braai doing what you should do.
Suggest getting a big box, or couple of boxes and assemble something as big and high as your tank would be. Just tape the boxes together. And then get your buddies over for a braai. See if you can actually still use the braai with the mock up tank in place. Can draw a couple of fishes on the box to set the mood.
Glass and braai fat don`t mix so gonna clean greasy glass after every braai. but must say it will look damn good there.
The tank will be flush with the wall and the 1200mm side will go into what is/was the dining room. A dining room is a waste of tank space i think haha.
oh, the tank goes into the dinning room?
Then the corner vertical line is drawn incorrectly, should be on the other corner of the doorway. The middle vertical line of the three you did draw.
Or do you want to enlarge the arch. Break down part of the wall. And that is the purpose of the teeth part at the top?
Haha sorry @RiaanP i just drew ot on my phone quick. The idea is to break open the wall up to door height and have the tank flush with the wall and the rest of it into the dining room. So the area "shaded" above the tank will be broken out.
some crucial information. Wall taken out.
On the placement of the tank. Yes can be done. At that position the tank in a straight line would be 800mm away from the braai. Corner to corner.
Yes there will be either a lintel put in or might have one cast. But that will be done before. You are correct, that is a load bearing wall.
So i assume that 800mm away is far enough?
Calculation Problems? Aquaforest has the solution.


text:
Q: Create an instance of struct using a function I need to create an instance using a function but I am getting an error by using the following code:
#lang racket

(struct Mdb(aname bname cname)#:mutable)
(define ainst(Mdb "aval" "bval" "cval"))

(define ff(λ (newname)
            (define newname(Mdb "xval" "xbval" "cbval"))))

begin (possibly implicit): no expression after a sequence of internal definitions in:   (begin (define newname (Mdx "" "" "")))
(define newname (Mdx "" "" ""))

A: What do you really want to do? Define a function that creates an instance of the struct? What is the newname parameter supposed to do? FYI, this isn't valid syntax, and doesn't make sense:
(define ff
  (λ (newname) ; what's the idea of this parameter?
    ; you need to return something after a `define`
    ; or else you'll get that "no expression after
    ; a sequence of internal definitions" error
    (define newname (Mdb "xval" "xbval" "cbval"))))

If you want to use a procedure for the heck of it, you can try this:
(define ff
  (λ () (Mdb "xval" "xbval" "cbval")))

(define newname (ff))

But that's just a contrived way of expressing this:
(define newname (Mdb "xval" "xbval" "cbval"))

And for the record: you can't use a function parameter as a variable name for define, it's not allowed, that's not how a variable definition works in Scheme.

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Maciej Zawadzki, co-founder of UrbanCode, talks through a risk calculus that demonstrates that shrinking release batch size lowers risk.
For more on release management, you should grab our white paper 7 Proven Practices to Strengthen Release Management.
Published at DZone with permission of Eric Minick , DZone MVB. See the original article here.


Hours for Spring/Summer Gardens season: 8:00 AM. - 4:00 PM Tuesday-Saturday. We are closed on Sundays and Mondays.
See the Plant Mail Order Shipping page for details.
Lunch is available 11:00 AM-2:00 PM to the public (Groups please call for lunch reservations).
For groups with reservations the Gardens are open year round for Weddings, Receptions, Reunions, and other events. Evening events can be scheduled for 40 or more guests. Bluegrass and Gospel music can be arranged by prior reservation. Lunch, dinner, and wagon tours are available by reservation also. We are normally closed to the public on Sundays and Mondays but events can be scheduled on those days.
Bakery shop is open during the Garden Visitation Season and re-opens from November 1st thru the day before Christmas Eve from Monday thru Friday 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM. We will be open some Saturdays in November and December but please call to be sure (Closed Sundays, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas). At other times the Bakery Sales Shop is open by appointment.
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text:
Jaguar F-Pace to launch in India in H2 2016 - IAB Report
30/09/2015 - 14:22 | Jaguar F-Pace, Jaguar | Anjan Ravi
European sales start in early-2016.
Jaguar revealed its first crossover, the F-Pace, at the Frankfurt Motor Show earlier this month. Set to be manufactured at the firm's Solihull plant in England, the F-Pace will launch in the UK and neighboring European markets in early-2016.
The F-Pace is based on the aluminium-intensive iQ architecture.
Speaking to IndianAutosBlog at the Frankfurt show, Mr. Rohit Suri, President, Jaguar Land Rover India Ltd (JLRIL), said that the F-Pace is planned for the Indian market in the second half of next year. Prior to that, reports state that the Tata-owned luxury carmaker will introduce the XE sedan, which will rival the likes of the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes C Class.
Mr. Suri said that the company was yet to decide on local assembly of the F-Pace. JLR India's Pune facility assembles the XF, XJ, Range Rover Evoque and the Land Rover Discovery Sport at the moment.
The range-topping 3.0-liter V6 petrol claims 0-100 km/h in 5.1 seconds.
Also read: 2016 Jaguar XF priced at 32,300 GBP in the UK
The F-Pace was announced with a 180 PS 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel, a 240 PS 2.0-liter petrol, a 300 PS 3.0-liter V6 diesel and a range-topping 3.0-liter V6 petrol in 340 PS and 380 PS tunes. The 2.0-liter diesel will get manual and automatic transmissions, whereas other engines are solely available with an automatic. Also, where the four-cylinder engines receive a standard rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive is standard on the six-cylinder variants.
Jaguar I-Pace Makes It To Indian Shores; Launching Soon in 2021
Jaguar J-Pace Electric SUV In The Works; Will Sit Above Jaguar I-Pace
Jaguar F-Type Heritage 60 Edition Celebrates 60 Years Of The Iconic E-Type!
Jaguar F-Pace SVR Facelifted For The International Market
New Jaguar XE (facelift) launched in India starting at INR 44.98 Lakh [Video]
New Jaguar XE (facelift) to be launched in India on 4 December
KTM 790 Adventure-based CFMoto MT800 (or 800MT?) officially revealed
Citroen Inaugurates 'La Maison Citroen' Concept Showroom in Ahmedabad, Gujarat

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Beautiful Buildings: The Lost Taj Mahal of The Bronx and The Hall of Fame
I have taught art at Bronx Community College now for 7 years. It is a struggling perpetually underfunded community college in the City University of New York system serving students from one of the poorest counties in the United States. My students are predominantly African American, Hispanic, and immigrants from everywhere, mostly from the Caribbean, West Africa, Latin America, and South Asia, with a substantial number from East Asia and Eastern Europe.
In the middle of the campus is the lost Taj Mahal of the Bronx, Gould Memorial Library, with what was once one of New York's most famous landmarks, and is now almost completely forgotten; the Hall of Fame. No, not just any hall of fame, THE Hall of Fame. All of the others are but copies and spinoffs of this one. It is officially known as the Hall of Fame of Great Americans inaugurated in 1900 on land donated to New York University by Helen Gould, a graduate of the university's law school, and a daughter of the notorious robber baron Jay Gould.
The project was initiated by a chancellor of NYU, Henry Mitchell McCracken, and built on top of a ridge overlooking the Harlem river toward Fort Tryon Park in Manhattan. The ridge was occupied by British forces in the invasion of New York in 1776. From there they shelled Fort Tryon and drove out the American defenders. McCracken said he wanted to occupy the ridge once again, only with a contingent of the best Americans ever, lead by Washington himself, and to hold it forever.
The once famous architect Stanford White was commissioned to build the new university campus and the Hall of Fame. The Gould Memorial Library was to be the centerpiece of the whole campus, and the central building around which the Hall of Fame was built.
Here is a photograph of Gould Memorial Library taken shortly after it was finished in 1899. The photo is probably from sometime around 1900. You can see on either side the newly finished Hall of Fame.
Here is Gould Memorial Library today. It was modeled on the Roman Pantheon, and more closely on Jefferson's Library for the University of Virginia campus (which White restored after a fire destroyed its dome and interior). It is not a large building. The dome is only about 80 feet high. But it is an extravagant little building.
The building is built of straw colored brick and limestone with amazingly elaborate copper and terra-cotta trim on the roof and around the outside of the dome.
At the time, this building was considered one of White's finest works. It is not only extravagant, but beautifully proportioned, tackling very elegantly the old problem of reconciling the Pantheon's square facade with its round dome and rotunda. The awkwardness of the original challenged all kinds of architects beginning with Palladio to come up with better solutions. White sticks closely to the original, adding a lengthy hall containing a grand staircase behind the columned portico. The triangular pediments seem to rise one behind the other easily and inevitably into the round copper dome.
Stanford White is now more famous for his lurid death than for his architecture. He was murdered in 1906 in his suite in the old Madison Square Garden by Henry Thaw, husband of White's former mistress, the famously beautiful Evelyn Nesbitt. The murder and subsequent trial was a tabloid sensation, the first of many trials "... of the century!" (the last "trial of the century" I suppose was OJ Simpson's).
White's own role as the lover of the beautiful under age Nesbitt cast him as a villain in all kinds of literature and in movies, most famously in EL Doctorow's Ragtime.
Stanford White may have been a scoundrel, but he really was a great architect. He was a leader in the American Renaissance movement to bring classical clarity and unity to American public architecture, which was formerly an extravagant mishmash of vaguely understood historical styles. The historicism of that movement, and his role in it, made him a villain again in the eyes of modernist criticism for decades. Many of his buildings were either torn down or modified to suit modernist taste. His most famous remaining buildings are the Boston Public Library and the Washington Square Arch in New York. It was White and the American Renaissance that first brought to the United States that William Morris Arts and Crafts Movement idea of the total integration of all the arts of architecture, sculpture, painting, and craft into single total works of art; an idea that would profoundly influence Frank Lloyd Wright and in turn, influence European International Modernists.
Here is a detail of an allegorical panel "Music" from a set of bronze doors added to the library after White's death as a memorial to him. They prepare us for the extravagance of the interior within.
Here is the interior of the rotunda of the Gould Library. The columns are of imported Irish green marble. The column capitals are all gilded. The surviving stained glass and other decoration is the creation of Tiffany's. This was once the main reading room. The stacks were originally in small rooms behind the columns on two levels. The circle in the floor was once a glass floor letting sunlight into the auditorium on the lower floor. The stack rooms and study rooms still have glass floors and ceilings for the sunlight. It is a splendid and opulent room, one of the most beautiful in New York, and that's saying a lot.
Here is the interior of the dome with statues of the Muses ringing the rim. In the top was once a magnificent skylight designed and built by the Tiffany firm. It was destroyed in 1969 when an antiwar anarchist detonated a firebomb in the auditorium below. The auditorium was almost totally destroyed. The blast broke through the glass floor and destroyed the skylight above. It has been covered over ever since making the room unnaturally dark. I hear there are plans to restore the skylight, though the fire department forbids the college from restoring the glass floor.
Here is the Hall of Fame added by White to the slope behind Gould Library in 1900. He may have intended this to be the main entrance to the college with big arched doorways to the right and left of the round podium. You can see one of those original entrances behind the tree to the right.
Here is the interior of the Hall, as restrained as the Library is extravagant. The view across the river into Fort Tryon Park and toward the New Jersey Pallisades is splendid. It is lined with bronze busts chosen by jury. Each occupies a single bay with a bronze plaque identifying them and their achievements.
I look at this beautifully simple hall with its almost perfect sense of interval and proportion, and I can only conclude that no one knows how to design anything quite like this anymore.
Here is the bust of Jefferson with Gould Library in the background. The Hall and the Library have fallen on hard times over the last 40 years. This began as NYU's main campus, but the decline of the surrounding Bronx neighborhood after World War II, and the expansion of the downtown campus (originally intended for night classes) caused the campus and buildings to suffer neglect. Also, critical fashion of the time frowned on White and his classicism. The last buildings built on that campus were a series of aggressively and brutally modernist buildings designed by Marcel Breuer of Bauhaus fame. They were built in the mid 1960s.
NYU sold the campus to CUNY in 1973 which made it the new campus of Bronx Community College. Bronx Community College never really neglected the buildings, but they've never had the funds to properly restore and care for them. There are cracked panes and broken light fixtures here and there.
The Hall of Fame itself has become somewhat controversial. It is very much a hall of dead white males reflecting the tastes and prejudices of a century ago. There are few women, and until recently, the only Black folk were Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver (a bust of Dr. ML King was added in the 1980s). There are few people among the bronze busts that look like the students at the college today. The college has decided to embrace the Hall anyway and create a Hall of Fame scholarship and a series of virtual halls of fame for women, African Americans, etc. The Hall of Fame foundation still exists, and the bays are not yet filled up, so it is still possible that more busts will be added.
I wonder if anyone will notice if that happens. Inductions into the Hall of Fame were once huge ceremonies attended by thousands and addressed by Presidents of the United States. I can't see anything like that happening again. I wonder if "Fame" really means anything in an age that produces so many people who are famous only for being famous (Paris Hilton anyone?). I wonder if "Fame" means anything in an age where people rarely distinguish between fame, celebrity, and notoriety (the pathetnoids responsible for the Columbine Massacre were apparently motivated by a psychotic craving for fame, no matter what kind it was).
Regardless with what our fickle and nihilistic little age does with concepts like "fame," the glories of these sadly neglected monuments will outlast it, and lend luster to others who will continue the roll call of the great in this country. Perhaps someday one of our own students will win a place in the Hall.
I love these buildings, and I doubt that I will ever get tired of them.
What an irony it is that the Hall of Fame is itself forgotten. Only the occasional very enterprising tourist ventures up to the Bronx and talks their way past security at the gate to see these buildings. Inscribed over one of the entrances is "They Live Forever." Indeed, this monument was designed and built to last forever. It has survived almost 50 years of neglect very gracefully; more so than Marcel Breuer's buildings which today look like yesterday's science fiction, and are a nightmare to maintain. It is remarkable that the founders of this project never imagined that the monument itself would be forgotten. They imagined that it would be the monument, and the honored company within, that would hallow names added to it for all time. They meant it to be a kind of Olympus of merit and achievement, something to inspire the ambitions of later generations. It was inspired by earlier very nationalistic monuments built in Germany in the early 19th century in the wake of Napoleon's occupation; monument's like Leo Von Klenze's Valhalla near Regensburg, a kind of temple to Germany's greats built by the King of Bavaria in his bid to try to unite Germany under Bavaria. We certainly can't deny the nationalist content of the Hall of Fame.
There are times when I've thought about the revival of the Hall of Fame, primarily as a historical tourist attraction to generate revenue for the college, but also the idea that the Hall represents something on-going, and maybe the occasional generational revisions and additions should be part of its continuing life. But, I wonder if fame and glory mean much anymore.
Ours is a celebrity culture, and celebrities, like everything else in a consumer economy, are product before they are people. They are celebrities, not because of some great accomplishment or contribution, but because we desire them for whatever reason. As George WS Trow once asked 25 years ago, is there any celebrity as successful as Coca Cola? Another problem is that so much success these days carries a taint of corruption; even when there's not, we are conditioned to assume that there is. That is true now even for historical figures. I suppose this is the equal and opposite reaction to so much dubious hero worship in the preceding century. It may also be another symptom of the nihilism of our age that worships power and money, not because they're so wonderful, but because we can't agree on anything else.
Posted by Counterlight at Friday, November 06, 2009
Rick+ said...
How gorgeous!
David G. said...
Their architecture is so peaceful, ... aesthetic wise,..and very classical. which I approve.
I wonder if anyone else notices the irony of the Hall of Fame being forgotten.
Joan Slepian said...
Thank you so very much for sharing these photos and also for your great essay. This is one of the very best blog posts that I've ever seen.
Splendid!
Thanks for your well written essay about this beautiful monument. You may be surprised to hear that neighborhood kids hung out in the hall of fame 58 years ago. We were in wonderment as to why it wasn't more famous and why not guarded? Back then that was the campus of NYU. I'm glad to hear it's still a college campus...I attended Bronx Community 41 years ago. My classes were held in the old Fordham skating rink!
I grew up across the river in the Dyckman Projects in the 50's & 60's..I lived on the 11th floor (213 Nagle Ave Bldg. 5) & had a bird's eye view of The Hall of Fame...It was always a "special" place...I could see the portico where the busts of the famous were...Wonderful memories..I will repost this article on Facebook "Dyckman Projects" so that others can read about it...Thanks
Geeji said...
Why not join us as the preservation effort to << Save Gould Library >> takes off ?
HCYourow@msn.com
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Securing the enterprise means securing the endpoint, not the network, says Harry Sverdlove, chief technology officer at Bit9. The advent of mobile devices has expanded the perimeter in an unpredictable way, he says.
How organizations can apply intelligence to ensure their networks and perimeters are secure.
Sverdlove has two decades of application design and analysis experience. He regularly publishes threat intelligence research, including "Java Vulnerabilities Write Once, Pwn Anywhere" (2013), "Pausing Google Play: More Than 100,000 Android Apps May Pose Security Risks" (2012) and "The Most Vulnerable Smartphones" (2011). Before joining Bit9, Sverdlove was principal research scientist for McAfee Inc.


text:
Fontes independentes, em jornalismo, direito penal e pesquisa, representam duas ou mais pessoas ou organizações que dão seu depoimento sobre certa informação. Por exemplo, duas pessoas que presenciaram um acidente de carro em primeira mão podem ser consideradas fontes independentes. Se uma pessoa presenciou um acidente e contou outra sobre o que viu, então as duas não são consideradas independentes porque uma dependeria da informação contada pela outra. Se duas testemunhas de um evento discutiram sobre o que presenciaram antes de serem consultadas e concordam em uma história consistente, elas não são mais independentes.

Consultar várias fontes independentes é uma técnica comum para detectar erros ou fraudes, pois quaisquer divergências e contradições entre afirmações são prováveis indícios de um dos dois.

O padrão de publicação do New York Times é a existência de pelo menos duas fontes independentes que atestem o fato.

Direito penal
Jornalismo
Pesquisa
Fontes

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text:
Ducks mantra: "Keep calm and carry on"
SportsNHLAnaheim Ducks
PUBLISHED: May 8, 2013 at 12:00 a.m. | UPDATED: September 6, 2017 at 7:04 a.m.
ANAHEIM — The Ducks wiped the sleep from their eyes Tuesday morning, did their best to bury their disappointment over a 3-2 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series and hopped aboard their 4 -hour chartered flight to Los Angeles.
They went right back to work when they arrived at the Honda Center.
"Keep calm and carry on" seemed to be the Ducks' mantra when they met reporters after an optional skate in preparation for what figures to be a pivotal Game 5 tonight. The best-of-7 series is deadlocked at two victories apiece, and in a number of other ways, too.
"I'm far from frustrated right now," stone-faced team captain Ryan Getzlaf said. "This is playoff hockey. This is the best time of the year. We're in a best-of-3 series now. We always knew it was
going to be a long series. We're playing a good hockey team over there.
"We're just getting ready for (tonight). We need to keep an even keel. One goal the other way and everybody is happy as hell (Tuesday). So, that's the way it goes. It's playoff hockey. It's fun. We've just got to be ready for the next one."
Getzlaf, the Ducks' leading scorer in the playoffs with four points (two goals, two assists) after leading them with 49 points (15 goals, 34 assists) during the regular season, acknowledged there was a lingering sense of a missed opportunity.
"Any time you can get the upper hand on a team it's important," Getzlaf said, referring to squandered third-period leads of 1-0 and 2-1 in Game 4 at Joe Louis Arena. "We had the opportunity to do that in the last game and we failed."
In fact, the general consensus from neutral observers was the Red Wings outplayed the Ducks. The seventh-seeded Red Wings outshot the second-seeded Ducks 49-33, and won on a hustle play by rookie Damien Brunner at 15 minutes, 10 seconds of sudden-death overtime.
Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said Monday after the game that the team's best players were not their best players. He said, "I don't think, quite frankly, we had 20 guys playing. We had some passengers." He didn't back away from his comments Tuesday, but declined to name names.
However, Boudreau did speak at some length about the struggles of Corey Perry, Getzlaf's running-mate on the Ducks' top line. Perry, a former 50-goal scorer and league MVP, has recorded only one assist in the first four games of the series.
"If you know Corey Perry and you know how competitive he is, I'm sure he is pressing a little too much," Boudreau said. "He's just got to do what comes natural to him. When you're getting chances, you know things are going OK. "It's when you're not getting any chances and you're not getting any touches of the puck, then all of a sudden you start to worry about your game. But he had three really good chances (Monday) night. I'd venture to guess if he has those chances (tonight), he's going to put two of them in. "Said Perry of his missed opportunities: "They go in and we're not having this conversation."
Asked about regrouping for Game 5, Perry added: "I don't know if it's playing better. They had lots of shots, but you look at the chances we had, we had some great chances, too. They won the game in overtime. If we won the game, like I said, we wouldn't be having this conversation.
"We've got to come out and get some more chances and keep plugging away. We've got to get some ugly ones."
Lydman update
Ducks defenseman Toni Lydman continues to suffer from headaches after Detroit's Justin Abdelkader leveled him with a shoulder check to his head in Game 3, and he won't play tonight. Abdelkader received a two-game suspension from the NHL for the hit.


We knew it would be too good to be true. Spending a hurricane season in Florida without dealing with a tropical system. And along comes tropical storm, soon to be hurricane, Isaac. This will make for 17 named storms we have had to deal with living on our two most recent boats - 16 on Sea Trek and now our first on Beach House. To say we're practiced at preparation is an understatement. Much of what we did to prepare Sea Trek (read about it here.), we have also done to prepare Beach House for Issac as it approaches us. You can see the projected path of Issac and all other storms in our storm tracking widget in the left column of the blog. As of 11 A.M. this morning, the outermost bands are hitting us and the rain and winds are picking up.
The anticipated winds will be coming from the northeast initially and switch to the southeast, then south. That will put the heaviest winds on our stern and then switch to our port beam and blow steadily for at least two days. They are now expected to be at least tropical storm force with gusts to hurricane force. Docklines are our first line of defense, and placement is important to keeping the boat off the dock and pilings. Several good, sturdy spring lines are set up to keep us from getting pushed into the dock with the wind astern. It's always been our practice to use over-sized docklines at all times, so getting different lines for storm conditions is not necessary. But we do double and even triple up on lines depending on how strong we expect the storm to be. We always prepare for the worst possible conditions. Our docks are floating docks so they will rise and fall with the storm surge, but we still add lots of well-placed fenders.
Next we have added lines in anticipation of the strong southerly winds that will occur as the storm passes just west of us. Fortunately for us, the houseboat that was in the slip next to us was moved, and this gives us some breathing room and allows for longer docklines spread out like a spider web. This is always the best tactic if possible. A couple of fenders are also in place to protect us against a couple of pilings. Our neighbor has tied their skiff in the empty slip under our docklines.
A big concern for us is our new hardtop over the flybridge. The manufacturer assures us that it can handle most storm conditions but cautions us that the weak link is the attachment point for the original stainless steel bimini bows to which the hardtop is attached. Based on that information and the inability to remove it without major assistance, we have tied it down to the upper flybridge rails and ran several lines over the top and down to the lower handrail stanchions for extra security. Time will tell how well this works for us.
At this point the boat looks like some mutant spiders have crawled out of the Everglades and tried to entrap us in their web. This is a good reminder that we can't have too many lines aboard and they should all be of more than adequate strength. It's also a good reminder of why we carry at least two good sets of docklines at all times.
Everything that we can possibly remove has been taken off the decks and stowed away inside the boat or somewhere ashore. Covers have been placed over the seats in the flybridge and lashed down so they won't get blown off. The flybridge seats are large storage lockers with lots of tools, etc. in them. Heavy wind-blown rain can work its way under the seats and get everything inside wet if not covered. We covered the seats with small plastic tarps, put the regular seat covers over the tarps, then tied lines around the bottoms to keep it all in place.
Our final prep this morning as the winds starting picking up was to remove the last of the canvas covers off the windows. These can blow loose and the snaps can do damage to the wood and paint in 50- to 60-mile an hour winds. Our water tanks are full and the holding tank has been emptied. We have plenty of gas for our Honda portable generator. We're taking bets around the marina on how soon the power will go out. The fridge is stocked and the cars are full of gas if needed. The current forecast moves the storm a bit to the west as it passes and that will help. But with these storms, they don't always listen to the National Weather Service and prefer to do as they please. So once again, we have prepared for the worst, but will hope for the best. Our best scenario would be to have done all of this preparation for nothing. That really wouldn't make us feel bad. We'll post back after it's all over to report the results.
Nice job on your prep. Lived in Nantucket, kept a boat there over the winter also. Would have 70-80 mph winds come up unannounced. Most boats that break away have weak dock lines. You have done well, and I wish for your safe riding out....Roy Hansen, lurker.


5 Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, Beyhekim State Hospital, Konya, Turkey DOI : 10.5606/tftrd.2019.1931 Objectives: This study aims to compare the effects of neural therapy and exercise on pain, quality of life, depression, anxiety, and functioning status in patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS).
Patients and methods: This multi-center study included a total of 72 patients (60 females, 12 males; mean age: 39.2±9.5 years; range, 22 to 53 years) who were diagnosed with FMS according to the 1990 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria between January 2015 and June 2015. The patients were randomly divided into two groups: the first group (n=30) received an exercise program (strengthening, stretching, relaxation, and aerobic exercises, three days a week), and the second group (n=42) received a total of six sessions of neural therapy as one session a week in addition to the same exercise program. Pain severity was assessed with the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), emotional state with the Beck Depression Scale (BDS) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), quality of life with Short Form-36 (SF-36), and functioning status with the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ). The patients were evaluated at the end of treatment (week 6) and one month after the end of treatment.
Results: The mean disease duration was 34.3±9.3 months, the mean VAS score was 7.3±2.2, and the mean FIQ score was 58.4±13.2. There were significant improvements in the VAS, FIQ, SF-36, BDS, and BAI scores after the treatment in both groups (p<0.05). Post-treatment BDS and VAS scores were significantly lower in the neural therapy group (p=0.038; p=0.049; p<0.05). There was no significant difference in any parameter one month after the treatment between the groups (p>0.05).


text:
Neck Deep "The Peace And The Panic"
It's no doubt that Neck Deep is next in line to catapult like A Day To Remember or Parkway Drive if they stay focused with their hands on the handles. The band knows how to churn out pop punk gold that's infectious and contagious to the auditory experience. It's bubble gum tunes for the summer youth. It plays out well, but after a few releases it starts to sound stale. It takes time for the the group to break into album highlight "Parachute" and they stay sort of flat until they pick up again at "Critical Mistake." But even those two sound as if they've been captured a hundred times before, and Neck Deep is just paying an homage to the sources that created the scene in the first place.
To be an epic, career arena band there needs to be a justifiable catalogue in the arsenal to support such productions. While Neck Deep continues to perform in larger than life capacities and curate huge productions on stage, it's nice to see them beef up their library. Just don't expect "Can't Kick Up The Roots" to be played twelve times in a row. Some of these tracks just kind of go.


text:
Q: Is it possible to stop dpkg-reconfigure restarting services I'm building an install key for a Debian based system. The install key basically copies a disk image onto the system and then in a chroot installs a number of packages that are copied onto the install key during the build process.
One of the things the install key does is wipe the existing ssh keys (so we don't create a bunch of "identical" ssh servers). To try and stick with the debian way of doing things I run dpkg-reconfigure openssh-server to regenerate the keys but at the end of the reconfigure it attempts to restart the server which of course isn't running in the install key chroot.
Is it possible to tell debconf to reconfigure but don't restart services?

A: From what this document says, you should create a /usr/sbin/policy-rc.d script in the chroot which does exit 101.

A: Worthy of note: a service won't be started by invoke-rc.d if you're not in a runlevel which shouldn't have that service running.  So one idea might be to convince the chroot that it's in single-user mode.

A: What you are asking isn't a function of debconf or dpkg-reconfigure, directly.  If you download the .deb for openssh-server and extract the files from control.tar.gz you will see that the 'postinst' script executes invoke-rc.d or /etc/init.d/ssh:
Line 418:
setup_init() {
  if [ -x /etc/init.d/ssh ]; then
    update-rc.d ssh start 16 2 3 4 5 . stop 84 1 . >/dev/null
    if [ -x /usr/sbin/invoke-rc.d ]; then
      invoke-rc.d ssh restart
    else
      /etc/init.d/ssh restart
    fi
  fi
}

A: I am using the following script that I put in /usr/sbin/policy-rc.d
#!/bin/sh

SERVICE_NAME="$(ps -o command= --ppid $PPID | cut -d ' ' -f 3 )"
for service in service1 service2 service3
do
  if [ $SERVICE_NAME = $service ]
  then
    exit 101 # Prevent service from running
  fi
done
exit 0 # allow service

*

*ps -o command= --ppid $PPID should return the full invoking command, something like /bin/sh /usr/sbin/invoke-rc.d service1 start

*cut -d ' ' -f 3 cut will split and select the third item, so here "service1".

The script will avoid running invoke-rc.d for service1, service2 and service3 but will leave it on for others.


text:
<?php
namespace Wechat\Model;
use Think\Model;
class ProductModel extends Model {
    public function getProduct($id) {
        return $this->where('id='.$id)->find();
    }

    public function getProductOfUser($openId) {
        $productGroup = D('ProductGroup')->getProductGroupOfUser($openId);
        if($productGroup !== null) {
            $products = array();
            $count = 0;
            foreach($productGroup as $p) {
                $products[$count] = $this->where('id='.$p['productId'])->find();
                $count = $count + 1;
            }
            return $products;
        }
        return null;
    }

    public function getProductNewsOfUser($openId) {
        $products = $this->getProductOfUser($openId);
        if($products !== null) {
            $product_news = array();
            $count = 0;
            foreach($products as $p) {
                $product_news[$count] = array(
                    'Title' => $p['id'].':'.$p['name'],
                    'Description'=> $p['description'],
                    'PicUrl'=> getWeChatImageUrl($p['picUrl']),
                    'Url'=> $p['url'] == null ? getWeChatDetailUrl($p['id'], 'product') : $p['url']
                );
                $count = $count + 1;
            }
            return $product_news;
        }
        return null;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
'Spencer02' Index links to: Lead / Letter
Families covered: Spencer of Althorp, Spencer of Marlborough, Spencer of Sunderland, Spencer of Wormleighton
Sir Robert Spencer of Althorp, 1st Lord of Wormleighton (b 1570, d 25.10.1627)
m. (15.02.1587) Margaret Willoughby (d 17.08.1597, dau of Sir Francis Willoughby of Woollaton)
1. John Spencer (dvpsp)
2. William Spencer of Althorp, 2nd Lord of Wormleighton (bpt 04.01.1591-2, d 19.12.1636)
m. (1617) Penelope Wriothesley (d 16.07.1667, dau of Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton)
A. Elizabeth Spencer (b 16.02.1617/8, d 11.08.1672)
m1. (04.12.1634) John Craven, Lord Craven of Ryton (bpt 10.06.1610, dsp before 26.02.1647-8)
m2. Hon. Henry Howard of Revesby (dsp 1663)
m3. William Crofts, Lord Crofts of Saxham (b c1611, dsp 11.08.1657)
B. Henry Spencer, 1st Earl of Sunderland (bpt 23.11.1620, d Newbury 20.09.1643)
m. (20.07.1639) Dorothy Sydney (d 05.02.1684, dau of Robert Sydney, Earl of Leicester)
i. Dorothy Spencer (b 1640, d 16.12.1670)
m. (29.12.1656) George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax (b 11.11.1633, d 05.04.1695)
ii. Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland (b 1640/1, d 28.09.1702)
m. (10.06.1665) Anne Digby (d 26.04.1715, dau of George Digby, 2nd Earl of Bristol)
a. Anne Spencer (b 1667, dsps 02.07.1690)
m. (05.01.1687-8) James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton, 1st Duke of Brandon (b 11.04.1658, d 15.11.1712)
b. Elizabeth Spencer (d 1704)
m. (1684) Donagh, 4th Earl of Clancarty (d 1734)
c. Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland (b 1675, d 19.04.1722)
m1. (12.01.1694-5) Arabella Cavendish (b 1673, d 04.06.1698, dau of Henry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newcastle)
(1) Frances Spencer (d 27.07.1742)
m. (27.11.1717) Henry Howard, 4th Earl of Carlisle (b 1684, d 03.09.1758)
m2. (14.09.1699) Anne Churchill (b 1683, d 15.04.1716, dau of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough)
(2) Robert Spencer, 4th Earl of Sunderland (b 24.10.1701, d unm 27.11.1729)
(3) Charles Spencer, 5th Earl of Sunderland, 3rd Duke of Marlborough (b 22.11.1706, d 28.10.1758)
m. (23.05.1732) Elizabeth Trevor (d 07.10.1761, dau of Thomas Trevor, 2nd Lord)
(A) George Spencer-Churchill, 4th Duke of Marlborough (b 26.01.1739, d 30.01.1817)
m. (1762) Caroline Russell (d 26.11.1811, dau of John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford)
(B) Charles Spencer (b 31.03.1740, d 16.06.1820)
m. (02.10.1762) Mary Beauclerk (d 13.01.1812, dau of Vere Beauclerk, Lord of Hanworth)
(i) John Spencer (b 21.12.1767, d 17.12.1831) had issue
m. (05.02.1790) Elizabeth Spencer (d 1812, dau of George Spencer-Churchill, 4th Duke of Marlborough)
(ii) William Robert Spencer (b 09.01.1769, d 23.10.1834) had issue
m. (13.12.1791) Susan Walwarth (dau of Ralph, Count Jenison Walworth)
(C) Robert Spencer (dsp 1831)
m. Henrietta Fawkener (dau of Sir E. Fawkener)
(D) Diana Spencer (d 1808)
m1. (08.09.1757, div 08.03.1768) Frederick St. John, 2nd Viscount Bolingbroke, 3rd Viscount St. John (b 1734, d 05.05.1787)
m2. (1768) Topham Beauclerk (b 1739, d 1780)
(E) Elizabeth Spencer (d 30.04.1831)
m. (23.03.1756) Henry Herbert, 10th Earl of Pembroke (b 03.07.1734, d 26.01.1794)
(4) John Spencer of Althorp (b 13.05.1708, d 19.06.1746)
m. (14.02.1733-4) Georgina Carolina Carteret (d 21.08.1780, dau of John Carteret, Earl Granville)
(A) John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer (b 19.12.1784, d 31.08.1783)
m. (20/7.12.1755) Georgiana Poyntz (d 18.03.1814, dau of Hon. Stephen Poyntz of Midgham)
(i) Georgiana Spencer (b 1757, d 30.03.1806)
m. (06.06.1774) William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire (b 14.12.1748, d 29.07.1811)
(ii) George John Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer (b 01.09.1758, d 10.11.1834) §R§
m. (06.03.1781) Lavinia Bingham (b 1762, d 08.06.1831, dau of Sir Charles Bingham, 1st Earl of Lucan)
((a)) John Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl Spencer (b 30.05.1782, dsp 01.10.1845, Chancellor)
m. (13.04.1814) Esther Acklom (b 09.1788, d 11.06.1818, dau of Richard Acklom of Wiseton Hall)
((b)) Sir Robert Cavendish Spencer (b 24.10.1791, d 04.11.1830, Captain RN)
((c)) Frederick Spencer, 4th Earl Spencer (b 14.04.1798, d 27.12.1857) had issue
m1. (23.02.1830) Elizabeth Georgina Poyntz (d 10.04.1851, dau of William Stephen Poyntz of Cowdray)
m2. (09.08.1854) Adelaide Horatia Elizabeth Seymour (b 1825, d 29.10.1877, dau of Sir Horace Beauchamp Seymour)
((d)) George Spencer (b 21.12.1799, d 01.10.1864, Passionist)
((e)) Sarah Spencer (d 13.04.1870)
m. (04.03.1813) William Henry Lyttelton, 3rd Lord (b 03.04.1782, d 30.04.1837)
((f)) Georgiana Charlotte Spencer (d 21.02.1823)
m. (14.04.1814) George Quin, previously Taylour (b 10.03.1792, d 06.02.1888)
(iii) Henrietta Frances Spencer (b 1761, d 14.11.1821)
m. (27.11.1780) Frederick Ponsonby, 3rd Earl of Bessborough (b 24.01.1758, d 03.02.1844)
(iv)+ other issue - Charlotte (b 1765, d 1766), Louisa (b/d 1769)
(B) Diana Spencer (b 1735, d 1743)
(5) Anne Spencer (b 1702, d 19.02.1769)
m. (1720) William, 1st Viscount Bateman (d 12.1744)
(6) Diana Spencer (b 1710, dsps 27.09.1735)
m. (11.10.1731) John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford (b 1710, d 15.01.1771)
m3. (05.12.1717) Judith Tichborne (d 17.05.1749, dau of Benjamin Tichborne)
(7)+ other issue - William (d infant), 2 others (d young)
d.+ other issue - Robert (b 1664, dsp 1688), 3 others (d young)
iii. Penelope Spencer (d infant)
C. Anne Spencer (b 1623)
m. Sir Robert Townsend
D. Alice Spencer (b 1625, d c1712)
m. Henry Moore, 1st Earl of Drogheda (d 11.01.1675-6)
E. Margaret Spencer (bpt 19.01.1627, dsp 1693)
m. (30.08.1655) Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury (b 22.07.1621, d 22.01.1683)
F. Robert Spencer, Viscount Teviot (bpt 02.02.1628, dsp 20.05.1694)
m. Jane Spencer (b c1657, d 10.06.1689, dau of Sir Thomas Spencer, 3rd Bart of Yarnton)
G. William Spencer of Ashton (d 1688)
m. Elizabeth Gerard (dau of Dutton Gerard, 3rd Lord of Gerard's Bromley)
i. Elizabeth Spencer (3rd dau)
m. Robert Hesketh of Rufford
ii.+ other issue - Margaret, Rachel
3. Sir Richard Spencer of Orpington (d 1661)
m. Mary Sandys (d 1675, dau of Sir Edwin Sandys)
4. Sir Edward Spencer of Boston (d 1666)
m. Mary Goldsmith (dau of John Goldsmith of Welby)
5. Elizabeth Spencer (d 1618)
m. (1617) Sir George Fane of Buston (d 1640)
6. Margaret Spencer (d 1613)
7. Mary Spencer (b 1588, d 1658)
m. Sir Richard Anderson of Penley (d 1632/53)
Main source(s):
(1) The Spencer Family web site at http://www.spencer-house.com
(2) BP1934 (Marlborough), BP1934 (Spencer)


SUPERIOR, Wis. (June 1, 2018) – AMSOIL INC. is joining Menzies Motorsports to reinforce its focus on off-road racing.
Plans for 2018 include the introduction of the partnership coinciding with the 50thanniversary of the Baja 500. Menzies and his new co-driver, five-time Dakar Rally winner Cyril Despres, will race in a Bryce Menzies-prepared Trophy Truck on the perilous tracks around Baja. In addition to the AMSOIL announcement at the Baja 500, plans this season include Menzies' remaining scheduled North American races, events and appearances. Menzies will put AMSOIL products to the test in the desert, on short-course tracks – including the world-famous Crandon International Raceway – and in the chase and support vehicles that work behind the scenes to keep Menzies out front.
AMSOIL INC. supported Menzies Motorsports in 2011 when the team won the TORC PRO 2wd class championship as well as its first SCORE Baja 500 Championship. The team has continued to rely on AMSOIL synthetic lubricants since then.
Racing in general – and off-road racing specifically – are integral to the history of AMSOIL. From supporting 13-time Pike's Peak Hill Climb champion Bobby Unser Jr. in the company's early days to sponsoring Scott Douglas, Brad Lovell and others today, AMSOIL has been committed to off-road racing for decades. The company is excited to further grow its support of off-road racing in 2018.


This was actually the first Hawaiian BBQ I found or went to try while I was in Santa Ana. It was a bit further away but I didn't realize that L&L Hawaiian BBQ was closer. Ono Ono Hawaiian BBQ was nice and clean. They actually have a bigger space than L&L but after going to L&L I have to say that the food is better there. I think the menu at Ono Ono is bigger than the one offered at L&L.
All in all, I wasn't too impressed with this place. The first time I had Hawaiian BBQ was up North in Mountain View, which sadly no longer exists, but I just remembered that they had the best Macaroni Salad. Mmmm Mmmm good! ^_^ Maybe things are just always better in memory! Ever since I discovered L&L was closer, I decided to just go there instead. My Hawaiian classmates like that chain much more, although they are franchised and tweaked by their owners.


is a privately held self-funded ISO organization that is debt free. We helped thousands of businesses implement electronic payment solutions. Our business experience over the years has proven that one processor doesn't fit the need of all businesses. So, we have contracted with several of the top industry leaders to accommodate your specific payment needs.
Our philosophy is simple; we've asked merchants and resellers what they wanted over the years. Based on the feedback we designed programs to meet businesses needs in a cost effective and timely manner. Now you can work with a single point of contact for all your Electronic Payment needs - no matter how simple or complex your business is.
We specialize in working with all sized businesses. We offer solutions from the traditional point-of-sale transaction processing, electronic check conversion, gift and loyalty card processing to a proprietary ATM debit payroll / international funds transfer card. Additionally we can help with an array of ACH electronic debit services including file transmissions and a sophisticated WEB-based database platform for merchants to privately perform their own recurring debit activities. In other words, GDpay provides you the affordable information services you need to compete with the retail elite. Call us today to discuss your individual business needs!
Global Data Payments,LLC (GDPay) is pleased to introduce Craig Yox as a Managing Director.
His background has been in computer service sales and support for Bell Atlantic, Control Data and Sun Microsystems.
From 1992 to 2007 he was responsible for operating the Western Area Service Sales Business Unit at Sun Microsystems, a Fortune 100 Company, responsible for generating revenues of over $220 million a year.
Craig started working in the credit card processing service business with his son Kevin, in 2007.
As a managing partner at GDPay his oversight of training and support for new agents, superior customer service and executive leadership has been invaluable.
After twelve years in the merchant service industry as an agent, public speaker, author and website developer, I decided to incorporate my own company. When I started GDpay I wanted to operate a self funded debt free company having complete control to provide merchant services to my clients with a special emphasis on education, service and attention to details.
Our clients continue to applaud our commitment to ongoing support and service. We know that the highest form of compliment is when our clients reward us with continual referrals.
As the company grew, I invited my Father to join me as a managing partner to offer support and training to our growing network of agents.
The imprimis factor of our company is to develop lifetime relationships with our clients, agents and employees while maintaining integrity in the process.
is a family owned debt free Merchant Provider that is committed to helping merchants navigate through the market place to find the most intuitive processing solutions. Since 1996 we have helped thousands of merchants with credit card processing.
Get updates from our BLOG.
Read the latest news & buzz.


text:
Q: Show/ hide elements on page with conditional html selects This is most likely a duplicate, but I couldn't find snippets that help me out
I have a page with multiple images and two select fields. I want to show depending on the selection of the user different images. For the individual selects this is easy, but how can I achieve a dependency between both selects the easy way?
Example:
Items on Page: "A B", "A", "B"
User selection:
First select: A
Second select: B
Result: "A B"
User selection:
First select: A
Second select: empty
Result: "A"
I think you get the point.
The few snippets I've found are made with jQuery and I would really like to avoid jQuery and only use vanilla JS.
My current approach:

let redShown;
let blueShown;
let greenShown;

let oneShown;
let twoShown;
let threeShown;

// ColorFilter
function colorFilter(select) {
  if (select.value == "red") {
    redShown = true;
    blueShown = false;
    greenShown = false;
    // Show Red
    for (let i = 0; i < document.querySelectorAll(".box.red").length; i++) {
      document.querySelectorAll(".box.red")[i].style.display = "inherit";
    }
    // Hide everything else than red
    for (let i = 0; i < document.querySelectorAll(".box:not(.red)").length; i++) {
      document.querySelectorAll(".box:not(.red)")[i].style.display = "none";
    }
  } else if (select.value == "blue") {
    blueShown = true;
    redShown = false;
    greenShown = false;
    // Show Blue
    for (let i = 0; i < document.querySelectorAll(".box.blue").length; i++) {
      document.querySelectorAll(".box.blue")[i].style.display = "inherit";
    }
    // Hide everything else than blue
    for (let i = 0; i < document.querySelectorAll(".box:not(.blue)").length; i++) {
      document.querySelectorAll(".box:not(.blue)")[i].style.display = "none";
    }
  } else if (select.value == "green") {
    greenShown = true;
    redShown = false;
    blueShown = false;
    // Show Green
    for (let i = 0; i < document.querySelectorAll(".box.green").length; i++) {
      document.querySelectorAll(".box.green")[i].style.display = "inherit";
    }
    // Hide everything else than green
    for (let i = 0; i < document.querySelectorAll(".box:not(.green)").length; i++) {
      document.querySelectorAll(".box:not(.green)")[i].style.display = "none";
    }
  }
}

// Numberfilter
function numberFilter(select) {
  if (select.value == "one") {
    oneShown = true;
    twoShown = false;
    threeShown = false;
    // Show 1
    for (let i = 0; i < document.querySelectorAll(".box.one").length; i++) {
      document.querySelectorAll(".box.one")[i].style.display = "inherit";
    }
    // Hide everything else than 1
    for (let i = 0; i < document.querySelectorAll(".box:not(.one)").length; i++) {
      document.querySelectorAll(".box:not(.one)")[i].style.display = "none";
    }
  } else if (select.value == "two") {
    oneShown = false;
    twoShown = true;
    threeShown = false;
    // Show 2
    for (let i = 0; i < document.querySelectorAll(".box.two").length; i++) {
      document.querySelectorAll(".box.two")[i].style.display = "inherit";
    }
    // Hide everything else than 2
    for (let i = 0; i < document.querySelectorAll(".box:not(.two)").length; i++) {
      document.querySelectorAll(".box:not(.two)")[i].style.display = "none";
    }
  } else if (select.value == "three") {
    oneShown = false;
    twoShown = false;
    threeShown = true;
    // Show 3
    for (let i = 0; i < document.querySelectorAll(".box.three").length; i++) {
      document.querySelectorAll(".box.three")[i].style.display = "inherit";
    }
    // Hide everything else than 3
    for (let i = 0; i < document.querySelectorAll(".box:not(.three)").length; i++) {
      document.querySelectorAll(".box:not(.three)")[i].style.display = "none";
    }
  }
}
.flex-wrapper {
  display: flex;
  flex-wrap: wrap;
  justify-content: center;
  align-items: center;
 }

 .box {
   width: 100px;
   height: 100px;
   margin: 10px;
   display: flex;
   justify-content: center;
   align-items: center;
   font-size: 2rem;

 }

 .box.red {
   background: red;
 }

 .box.green {
   background: green;
 }

 .box.blue {
   background: blue;
 }
<select id="colorSelect" onchange="colorFilter(this)">
  <option disabled selected value="">Color</option>
  <option value="red">Red</option>
  <option value="blue">Blue</option>
  <option value="green">Green</option>
</select>

<select id="numberSelect" onchange="numberFilter(this)">
  <option disabled selected value="">Number</option>
  <option value="one">1</option>
  <option value="two">2</option>
  <option value="three">3</option>
</select>

1

2

3

1

2

3

1

2

3

Right now the selects overwrite each other, so they don't work together.
Also my code is super complex because I write out every possible combination by hand. There has to be a shorter version for this.

A: You can attach the same event listener to both selects and set display properties of each box depending on the changed values of the number select and color select. PS: I tweaked HTML a little bit so it is easier to access box' variables (added data-color attribute for the color value and data-number attribute for the number value). In addition, I've changed numberSelect values from "one", "two" and "three" to "1", "2" and "3". Also, the code is 100% free of jQuery :-)
See the implementation below:

let colorSelect = document.getElementById('colorSelect');
let numberSelect = document.getElementById('numberSelect');
let boxWrapper = document.getElementById('boxWrapper');

function handleChange() {
  // Get new values for changed color
  // and changed number which user selected
  let changedColor = colorSelect.value;
  let changedNumber = numberSelect.value;

  // Get the list of all boxes inside our box wrapper div
  let boxes = boxWrapper.querySelectorAll('.box');

  // For each box check whether its display property
  // should be 'block' or 'none' based on changed values
  // in colorSelect and numberSelect
  boxes.forEach(box => {
    // Get color and number values from the current box
    let color = box.getAttribute('data-color');
    let number = box.getAttribute('data-number');

    // Check whether current box color and number values
    // comply to user changed values in selects
    let isColorValid = !changedColor || changedColor === color;
    let isNumberValid = !changedNumber || changedNumber === number;

    // If both color and number values comply - display the box
    // otherwise hide the box using display: none
    if (isColorValid && isNumberValid) {
        box.style.display = 'block';
    } else {
        box.style.display = 'none';
    }
  })
}

// Attach listeners to both colorSelect and numberSelect
colorSelect.addEventListener('change', () => handleChange());
numberSelect.addEventListener('change', () => handleChange());
.flex-wrapper {
  display: flex;
  flex-wrap: wrap;
  justify-content: center;
  align-items: center;
 }

 .box {
   width: 100px;
   height: 100px;
   margin: 10px;
   display: flex;
   justify-content: center;
   align-items: center;
   font-size: 2rem;

 }

 .box.red {
   background: red;
 }

 .box.green {
   background: green;
 }

 .box.blue {
   background: blue;
 }
<select id="colorSelect">
  <option disabled selected value="">Color</option>
  <option value="red">Red</option>
  <option value="blue">Blue</option>
  <option value="green">Green</option>
</select>

<select id="numberSelect">
  <option disabled selected value="">Number</option>
  <option value="1">1</option>
  <option value="2">2</option>
  <option value="3">3</option>
</select>

1

2

3

1

2

3

1

2

3


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text:
Current Affairs Quiz : July 9 2016
AC Team 1
Hello Aspirants. Welcome to Online Current Affairs July 2016 Quiz in AffairsCloud.com. Here we are creating quiz covering important event in Current Affairs, which is common for all the bank exams and other competitive exams.
Try our Current Affairs Quiz 2016
Read Our Current Affairs 2016
Click Here to Read Current Affairs July 9 2016
At what percent, the new Kerala government is planning to boost up the tax revenue this year on junk foods?
A.16%
B.11.7%
C.13%
D.14.5%
Answer & Explanation
Ans: D.14.5%
It is a first-of-its-kind move in the country, The newly-elected LDF government imposed 14.5% tax on selling items like tacos, pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, among others. This tax is supposed to add about Rs 10 crore to the tax revenue of state per year.
How much package is announced by the Kerala Government for the state in view of the Gulf crisis and recessionary trends in the state?
A.Rs. 11,000 crore
B.Rs. 12,000 crore
C.Rs. 10,000 crore
D.Rs. 20,000 crore
Ans: B.Rs. 12,000 crore
Kerala Government today announced a Rs 12,000-crore rescue package for the state in view of the Gulf crisis and recessionary trends in the state. Presenting the first budget of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF Government, Finance Minister Thomas Isaac said out of this package, around Rs 2,500 crore will be used this financial year.
Which controversial law is adopted by the lower and upper house of parliament of Russia under the President Vladimir Putin?
A.Big Brother Law
B.Anti Hijacking Law
C.Anti-Conversion Law
D.Model Shops and Establishments Bill
Ans: A.Big Brother Law
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the controversial "anti-terrorist" legislation adopted by the lower and upper houses of parliament in late June, despite the flurry of criticism from opposition-minded circles and the serious concerns expressed by Russian telecom and internet companies on July 7 in Russia.
Which country has successfully completed Asia's longest 16-km single tunnel that has double tracks for high-speed trains in northwest province of the country?
A.Mongolia
B.China
C.Nepal
D.Taiwan
Ans: B.China
China has successfully completed Asia's longest 16-km single tunnel that has double tracks for high-speed trains in northwest Shaanxi province of the country. The 643-km long line has a running speed of 250 km per hour, will slash the travel time between the two cities from 16 hours to just three hours.
For which country's visit Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari will at attracting billions of dollars in Foreign Direct Investment?
A.South Africa
B.England
C.United States
D.Bangladesh
Ans: C.United States
The visit aimed at consolidation and expanding India's relations with the US by improving bilateral cooperation in infrastructure sector. The minister will envisage investment opportunities in the Indian maritime sector and invite US investments in building ports, port-led industrialisation, coastal economic zones, and construction of new berths/terminals.
Which minister held a bilateral meeting with Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, UK, in New Delhi?
A.Nitin Gadkari, Road Transport and Highways
B.Sushma Swaraj, External Affairs
C.Rajnath Singh, Home Affairs.
D.Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Commerce and Industry
Ans: D.Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Commerce and Industry
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, held a bilateral meeting with Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, UK, in New Delhi. During the meeting both sides conveyed hope to take proactive steps to deepen their ties and engagement in near future. In the meeting range of issues had been discussed.
Which bank along with SIDBI entered into a partnership to guarantee 75% of loans of up to Rs. 15 crore extended to energy efficiency projects under the WORLD BANK initiative?
A.YES Bank
B.Indus Ind Bank
C.HDFC Bank
D.ICICI Bank
Ans: A.YES Bank
The main aim is to transform the energy efficiency (EE) market in India by promoting increased level of EE investments, particularly through energy service performance contracting (ESPC) delivered through Energy Service Companies (ESCOs). SIDBI, set up on April 2, 1990 under Small Industries Development Bank of India Act, 1989.
Which Securities has topped the Initial Public Offering (IPO) league table in the first half of 2016?
A.ICICI
B.HDFC
C.Birla Life
D.SBI
Ans: A.ICICI
According to data provided by Bloomberg, ICICI Securities has managed five IPOs to help rise around Rs 1,216 crore for companies getting listed. In 2015, ICICI Securities had ended sixth in the IPO league table. Kotak Investment Banking, which was in pole position last year, is currently second, with four deals worth Rs 1,036 crore.
Which government has joined hands with business-to-business (B2B) ecommerce firm Applicate IT Solutions to enable 35,000 e-mitra kiosks in the state for traders and retailers to procure products directly from manufacturers?
A.Maharashtra
B.Gujarat
C.Rajasthan
D.West Bengal
Ans: C.Rajasthan
As per the agreement entered between Rajasthan government's RajCOMP Info Services (RISL) and Bengaluru-based Applicate IT Solutions, 'Trade GINI', a proprietary platform of the company will be added to the e-mitra kiosks that will enable traders and retailers in towns, cities and villages to access products directly from the manufacturers and at best rates.
Who became the first woman in the world to receive the Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea from the International Maritime Organsiation (IMO)?
A.Swethika Krishnan
B.Radhika Menon
C.Avanthika Menon
D.Nirmala Naidu
Ans: B.Radhika Menon
Radhika Menon was at the helm of oil tanker 'Sampurna Swarajya' of Shipping Corporation of India. This is not the first time Radhika has proved her mettle. Five years ago, she became the first woman to captain a ship of the Indian Merchant Navy.
Who is the former Walmart executive is all set to leave his COO post at Microsoft after an 11-year stint with Microsoft to join Citadel Securities as the Chief Executive Officer?
A.Kunal Bahl
B.Jong-Kyun Shin
C.Binny Bansal
D.Kevin Turner
Ans: D.Kevin Turner
Citadel Securities is a Chicago-based investment company where Kevin likely to join in the job in September. Turner had led a team of more than 51,000 employees in 191 countries in Microsoft. He was the key behind the sales and marketing efforts of Office 365 and the extensive customer adoption of Azure cloud.
Which has been declared as the critically endangered according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)?
A.Bornean Orangutan
B.Jerdon's courser
C.Forest owlet
D.Himalayan quail
Ans: A.Bornean Orangutan
This change means that both species of orangutan now face an exceptionally high risk of extinction in the wild. The species has declared Endangered as a reason of deforestation, palm oil plantations and hunting posing a serious threat to its continued existence.
Which Indian squash player rose to a career high 10th position in the latest PSA world rankings, becoming the second Indian to break the top-10 barrier after longtime India teammate Dipika Pallikal?
A.Joshna Chinappa
B.Dipika Pallikal
C.Tushar Sahani
D.Deepika Kumari
Ans: A.Joshna Chinappa
Meanwhile Dipika stays put at 19th this month and Sachika Ingale of India has dropped one place to be 82nd. The newly-crowned Egyptian women's world champion has replaced England's Laura Massaro from the pinnacle to become the second-youngest World No.1.
Which renowned philanthropist has died after a long kidney illness at the age of 88?
A.Richard Jacobson
B.Andrew Carnegie
C.Azim Hashim Premji
D. Abdul Sattar Edhi
Ans: D. Abdul Sattar Edhi
Edhi was born in Gujarat in British India, Edhi and his Muslim family moved to Pakistan in 1947 during partition. The Edhi foundation was at the lead of the response last year when a devastating heat wave struck Karachi, a city of about 20 million people.
Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport located in?
A. Guwahati, Assam
B. Ahmedabad, Gujarat
C. Bengaluru, Karnataka
D. Kozhikode, Kerala
Ans: A. Guwahati, Assam
Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport aka Guwahati International Airport is the primary international airport of the North-Eastern States of India, situated at Borjhar in Guwahati, Assam, named after Gopinath Bordoloi, who was a freedom fighter and also the first Chief Minister of Assam after independence.
Current Affairs July Quiz 2016
Previous articleConfusing words with word meanings – 1
Next articleSBI PO Main 2016: English Test – Day 3
Current Affairs Quiz : July 15 2016


text:
Q: How do I convert the weekday of a particular date? I've been stuck for hours; could someone please help me figure this out?
Create a mini-web-application that tells the user the weekday of a particular date.
To determine the day of the week, you can use a function from the calendar module. The weekday function can be called like this:
weekday = calendar.weekday(y, m, d)
… assuming you have the year, month, and day in variables y, m, and d. This will put an integer 0–6 in the variable weekday, where 0 is Monday, 1 is Tuesday, and so on.
Use a series of if statements to produce output like this on the generated page (with the appropriate weekday, of course—this is what you'd produce if the weekday was 0):
This is my first post, and it won't let me upload my code because the formatting is different on here but I have the first part (import.cgi, import calendar, and
form = cgi.FieldStorage() part) then the content type and doctype, then CGI script
then the int codes
then the if statements for the weekday part
import.cgi
import calendar
form = cgi.FieldStorage()

#CGI Script
print
year = int(form.getvalue("year"))
month = int(form.getvalue("month"))
day = int(form.getvalue("day"))
weekday = calendar.weekday(y, m, d)
if weekday == 0:
    print ("<p> That's monday </p>")
if weekday == 1:
    print ("<p> That's tuesday </p>")
if weekday == 2:
    print ("<p> That's wednesday </p>")
if weekday == 3:
    print ("<p> That's thursday </p>")
if weekday == 4:
    print ("<p> That's friday </p>")
if weekday == 5:
    print ("<p> That's saturday </p>")
if weekday == 6:
    print ("<p> That's sunday </p>")

A: Starting from your code, I had to replace y,m,d by year,month,day as arguments of calendar.weekday to get it to work. Is it the point where you were stuck ?
import calendar
year = 2015
month = 12
day = 3
weekday = calendar.weekday(year, month, day)
if weekday == 0:
   print ("<p> That's monday </p>")
if weekday == 1:
   print ("<p> That's tuesday </p>")
if weekday == 2:
   print ("<p> That's wednesday </p>")
if weekday == 3:
   print ("<p> That's thursday </p>")
if weekday == 4:
   print ("<p> That's friday </p>")
if weekday == 5:
   print ("<p> That's saturday </p>")
if weekday == 6:
   print ("<p> That's sunday </p>")

A: Python likes to provide things you're likely to need...so we can use what they have in their libraries.  Try this script:
import time
t = (2015, 12, 3, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0) # t is Dec 3 2015 -- replace with whatever you like
q = time.mktime (t)                 #convert to floating point rep, which is needed by...
r = time.gmtime (q)                 #convert to struct time, which is needed by...
print (time.strftime ("%A", r))     #formats time as a string.  %A means "weekday"

This will print Thursday, since 2015-12-3 is Thursday.
Adapt as needed to your own script.
For more on time.strftime, see http://www.tutorialspoint.com/python/time_strftime.htm .


text:
Chiara Corbelletto es una escultora nacida en Italia, que reside en Auckland , Nueva Zelanda, desde 1981.

Datos biográficos
Chiara Corbelletto nació y creció en Italia. Estudió en la Escuela de Arte Modigliani en Novara y posteriormente un título de grado en arquitectura en la Universidad de Milán.

En 1981 se trasladó a Auckland, Nueva Zelanda, donde reside y trabaja.

Obras

Entre las obras de Chiara Corbelletto se incluyen las siguientes:
Numbers are the language of nature, de 2005; escultura pública modular instalada en Auckland.
Twins, dos piezas modulares , en el Campus de la Universidad de Auckland.

Referencias

Enlaces externos

Escultoras de Italia
Escultores de Italia del siglo XX
Escultoras de Nueva Zelanda
Escultores de Italia en Nueva Zelanda
Escultores de Italia del siglo XXI


It becomes the sad office of the HERALD to chronicle the death of one who was very near and dear to the proprietor.
After a severe illness of about two weeks, from heart trouble, and weakened by la grippe, Mrs. C.M. Haller passed from life unto death between the hours of two and three o'clock, Saturday morning, December 23, 1893. Her death was very peaceful. For nearly 35 years the deceased has been a great sufferer at times, but never gave up in her efforts to minister to the wants of her family, persistently refusing to remain in bed, until her last illness. Still she was hopeful of a continuance of life, and thus encouraged the family to hope for her recovery. Before the anxious family retired Friday night, they did so feeling sure she would be living in the morning, as she seemed some better. This, together with their knowledge of her tenacity for life assured them that they would arise in the morning to minister to her temporal wants as usual. But alas, for human frailties, they were called 'together at an unusual hour to surround her lifeless form, reproaching themselves that they had not been more diligent in their watch over one whose watchfulness over them in time of sickness admitted not of rest for herself.
The writer, in view of the peculiar position he holds in the community, must of necessity, be guarded in his remarks upon the life and works of the deceased, more so at least than he would had he another subject with whom he was equally familiar, outside the family circle. It is scarcely necessary , however, for us to go into any details, as nearly every resident of the town and the readers of the article have known Mother Haller for these many years. Like all women she had her likes and dislikes, and chose her intimate friends among people in the humbler walks of life, may of whom will miss her keenly. She ministered to the wants and sufferings of the poor and needy rather than toady to the whims of the affluent and aristocratic, though she might have been a shining light in the higher social circles had she been ambitious to do so. Though she was remarkably fond of ___ntries and pretty things she denied herself many pleasures and comforts to alleviate the sufferings and [privations?] of others. She was preeminently [?] a home woman, caring little for the foibles and vanities of the world and society, entertaining royally and loving dearly the friends she chose. She embraced religion early in life, and has been a consistent member of the Lutheran church for more than half a century, and attended commendably to her religious duties, both in church and in the home circle.
She was loyal to her country during the war, in that she spent many hours in preparing food and other comforts for the boys in blue who braved the rebel bullets to defend the nation's honor.
At the request of her bereaved and aged husband, the funeral services took place Sunday afternoon, Dec. 24, at 2 o'clock, on the premises where she has spent more than half her life—at the residence of her son, a few yards distant from her own residence. The weather was quite favorable and many people came to pay their last respects. Rev. N. W. Lally [?] , her beloved pastor, conducted the services, and was ably assisted by Rev. E. K. Yenkel of the Evangelical church and Eld. J. A. Smith of the Advent faith.
After the sad ceremonies at the house had concluded, the remains were conveyed to the Hewitt cemetery in the south part of town, where mother was laid to rest from her weary toils of earth, in the family 'lot, where rest all her children who had preceeded her.
As neighbor and friend she was loved by all who knew her. As a wife and mother she has made such a record that the most cherished memories in the minds of her children are the precepts [?] and examples of her life in the home of their childhood. As a christian she needs no eulogy. Her life is the best record of her loyalty and love to the Lord.
She has left a legacy to husband and children, "A good name which is rather to be chosen than great riches." She was always more generous to others than just to herself. She put her [consciensous??] into her work and none [?] ever questioned the honesty of her efforts or the [purity?] of her purpose.
Elizabeth Nikirk was born in Washington County Maryland, June 16, 1829, and died in Forreston, Illinois, Saturday, December 23, 1893, aged 64 years, 6 months and 7 days. She was married to C. M. Haller, April 14, 1846, at the age of 18 years, and a few weeks later they emigrated to this county, in company with his parents, making the journey by team, camping by the wayside to prepare their frugal meals, and occupying 42 days in making the journey. On their arrival they located in Pine Creek Township. They resided with his parents, assisting on the farm, until the fall of 1847, when Mr. Haller engaged in teaching school at Phelp's Grove, and later in West Grove Schoolhouse. They came in possession of 80 acres of land in Mt. Morris Township, which they farmed until the fall of 1859, when they moved to Forreston, where they have made their residence ever since.
She was the daughter of Samuel and Susanna [Beeler] Nikirk. Her father was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and her mother in Washington County, Maryland. They were of German parentage and employed that language in the family during life. They moved to this county in 1855, locating in Adeline, where they lived until after the death of the father, which occurred Sept. 6, 1867, when the mother removed to Forreston. The mother died near Shannon, Carroll County, Ill., March 16, 1884. Of her parents' union seven children lived to attain the age of man and womanhood. Daniel E. went to California in 1853, and settled in Placer County, and at the outbreak of the rebellion enlisted in the 6th Cal., Vol. Inf and served until the close of the war. He died in the year 1866, his place of interrment being unknown to his family. Mary the wife of Jonathan Drenner, resides at Surphen's [?] Mill, Kansas. Frisby died in December, 1857, [maybe 1837??], at the age of 22 years. Samuel H. was born March 9, 1841. He enlisted in the 15th Ill. Inf and did valient service until June 20, 1865, having served four years and 26 days. At the battle of Altoona, Georgia, Oct. 4, he was taken prisoner and confined in the foulest of the foul prisons, until April 28, 1865, when he returned, to this county, and [resumed?] his trade of carpentry and building, after which, he removed to Junction City, Kansas, where he married Maria Anderson, July 2, 1869. He has been prosperous and has served several terms as County Judge in his county. Lydia Nikirk was the wife of Daniel Eichholtz of Shannon. She died December 29th 1890, at the age of 57 years. Francis M., the youngest, and but a mere boy at the breaking out of the rebellion, enlisted in the 55th Ill. Vol. Inf., and served until the close of the war. He is married to Caroline Erdman and lives in Forreston, where he follows carpentry and building as a profession.
She was the mother of seven children. Samuel, who died Jan. 25, 1856, aged 7 years and 6 months; Susan Abigail, who died Feb. 16, 1889 [?], aged 37 years; Lewis, who died Feb. 15, 1856, aged 3 years and 6 months; Theodore F., at present in the publishing business; George L., died Aug. 11 [?], 1873, aged 10 years [? – maybe 19?]; Chas. Martin and Edward E. are twins, the former is a resident of Salem, Oregon, and the latter in the drug and book business in Forreston.


On the way toward 4 o'clock sunsets, seemingly endless precipitation, but lacking snow, November is the most miserable month of the year.
At least if you live in the North. It's a pretty decent month in warmer climates in our hemisphere, as my own travel experience could attest.
But I live in the North.
Indeed, I didn't quite grasp the full extent of its dreariness until I moved from the Everlit Electric City to a small town, in which only a handful of central streets is adequately lit after sunset.
I don't quite live on one of such streets.
And so I am doomed to dampness, darkness, and deer rustling outside the window—stars or the Moon often obscured by heavy, though unseen cloud cover—reluctantly increasing my caffeine intake to fight the urge to hibernate and dreaming of another time.


text:
BEERG - EWCs: Bid by unions to boost EWC powers over 'restructuring'
Authors: Robbie Gilbert
Topics: Employee Relations, The UK and European Union
Robbie Gilbert writes: Make EWCs obligatory and provide them with better material, legal resources and access to expert – i.e. union – advice, says a new policy brief from the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI). One in three companies involved in European transnational restructuring in the last three years did not have a European Works Council; and even where they exist, EWCs are rarely capable of influencing restructuring measures, says the ETUI. Policy makers need to look in greater depth and breadth at what is really going on before buying that line.
The ETUI brief: what it says and what it means
As the EU Commission's evaluation of the implementation of the 2009 'Recast' EWC Directive nears completion we can see more clearly what key players hope it will bring. The author of this brief, Stan De Spiegelaere, is the leading analyst of EWCs on the union side. Formerly with KU Leuven's Research Institute with Work and Society, he is now employed by the ETUI looking at EWCs and related matters.
The brief begins by asserting that restructuring has become "a daily reality in today's globalised economy". New cases arrive every day.
Under EWC law "every announcement of a measure which has potential cross-border consequences, whether realised or not," should go to EWC employee representatives. Purely local information and consultation do not give full access to information about the decision and its implications. "Transnational restructuring is indisputably the core competence of the EWC." What counts as a transnational issue? "Every decision taken in another Member State, and by a higher level of management."
But, the study suggests – referencing an earlier ETUI study by the same author – no more than 40% of eligible firms have an EWC. And, looking at data from the European Restructuring Monitor (ERM) run by Eurofound (the Dublin-based EU Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions), the study estimates that in a third of the transnational restructuring cases captured by the ERM in 2015, there was no EWC. In 15 cases, possibly involving some 20,000 jobs, the employees had "no forum to discuss (and possibly prevent) the restructuring" at European level.
Citing further recent research, including that done by KU Leuven academics among managers, De Speigelaere says "most EWCs were only informed and involved after the final decision was taken and… the impact on restructuring was therefore mostly limited or non-existent." According to EWC coordinators (these are usually union-appointed) EWCs face many obstacles – information is incomplete or arrives late; while they have trouble accessing expertise, and few instruments to enforce compliance with the rules.
Policy, he says, should react to this now. As the Commission evaluates the 2009 Directive on the one hand, and says the development of 'Social Europe' is its priority on the other, it should consider
Making EWCs obligatory for companies of a certain size
Ensuring better enforcement of the rules
Providing EWCs with 'better material', legal resources and access to expert advice
Ensuring trade union involvement
Much of this is the familiar union agenda, which we've been seeing since the run-up to the 2009 Directive. What is new here is the close weaving into that narrative of the case for EWC law to give greater employee representative involvement in restructuring decisions by multinationals. This will be welcomed by other important players. The Commission itself accepted a need for more action in its 2013 Communication establishing an EU "Quality Framework for anticipation of change and restructuring", but stopped short of recommending legislation. Since then, the European Parliament has adopted the Cercas report on "information and consultation of workers, anticipation and management of restructuring", and has brought strong pressure on the Commission to bring forward legislation accordingly.
What we find here is that the European Trade Unions are seeing the current review of the EWC Directive as a means for furthering their agenda. This involves the development of EWCs as a vehicle for strengthening union involvement, creating at EU level an equivalent arrangement to comités d'entreprise on the French model. For many multinationals that is a nightmare prospect, threatening to add delays and insupportable costs to essential business decisions where timely action is required.
Some inconvenient truths
In this new age of 'alternative facts' it is vital to highlight for policy makers all the relevant facts, and to separate out heroic estimates and emotive hyperbole from the reality.
Restructuring is not a growing problem of job flight from Europe
Readers of this study might well assume that globalisation was leading to an inexorable and accelerating process that meant more and more jobs were being 'restructured' off-shore from the old heartland of EU manufacturing to the Far East and elsewhere. That's not what Eurofound's ERM annual report, "Globalisation slowdown? Recent evidence of offshoring and reshoring in Europe" finds.
"Just as the negative effects of globalisation on employment take centre stage of the political debate, it is surprising to observe that the rapid rise of globalisation, which was so striking in the two decades preceding the recession of 2008, has since abated significantly."
Both the number of offshoring cases from EU-located companies and the associated job losses are, even as the global economy has picked up, appreciably below pre-crisis levels and continue to decline, the Report continues, and "the last decade has also seen increased interest in the reshoring of economic activity previously offshored."
Nor is it mainly undertaken by multinationals
Close study of the chart below, taken from De Spiegelaere's own paper, actually shows the decline in restructuring activities to which the ERM Report refers. It can be seen in the fall from a peak of 1600 cases in 2009 to 1000 by 2012 and just 600 in 2015. It also shows how few are the cases associated with transnational restructuring – the light blue element, compared with those done at national level, which generally account for 90% or more of the instances captured by the ERM year by year (dark line shows around 10% or less of the cases to be EU restructuring).
EWCS are not charged with the responsibilities ETUI assigns to them
In its description of the responsibilities of EWCs, the Brief frequently strays into the territory of what the unions would like them to be rather than what the law prescribes. 'Transnational', for example means affecting every EU state or at least 2 member states according to the Articles in the Directive. Transnational restructuring is not a 'competence' of the EWC, but a matter on which the employer will seek to provide information and offer consultation to relevant employee representatives, normally through the select committee and – in urgent cases – via a conference call or Webex. The trigger for such discussions will be established in the EWC agreement. Some of the cases counted as giving 'limited or non-existent' involvement to the employee representatives may well have provided the arrangements exactly as agreed with the Special Negotiating Body that established the EWC.
The Commission is charged with reviewing only the implementation of the 2009 Directive
Finally, the Commission review currently underway is supposed to be a review of the implementation of the current Directive – not a reopening of the previous debate on the content of the Directive. The ETUI researcher complains that it is already evident that EWCs "are still rarely capable of really influencing the design or implementation of restructuring measures." Here and elsewhere there is a failure to distinguish between consultation on the detailed arrangements, which is normally covered by national law and local discussions, and sharing information, often confidential, on the strategic direction, which – though important – need not take so long and should not get in the way of the devolved discussions about jobs and people's futures.
The recast Directive does include significant new rights, but these take time to work through on the ground. It needs time for people to adopt and make use of provisions only put into national law five years ago. Most EWCs are unlikely to introduce changes before the review date for their agreement – which typically occurs only once in four years. So analyses based on information from 2013-2015 will not capture all the changed behaviour. EWCs take time to adjust behaviours: they rest on twin foundations of openness and trust, and it takes time and effort to bake these in. If you open the oven too early, as this study does, then you can expect to find a disappointing result.
The ETUI's agenda is an excessive over-reaction
There is understandable public concern when people lose their jobs without due consultation. The study implies that 20,000 people employed by multinational businesses did so in Europe in 2015. But that will most probably not be true. There will have been consultation locally, at establishment and quite likely higher levels nationally. These will include examination of the reasons for the redundancy, whether the numbers can be reduced and the support package to be provided. The figure, too, is highly questionable.
The ERM draws its data from media reports, which are notoriously unreliable. The media are quick to publicise the highest estimates of jobs. It counts cases where over 100 people are affected (or 10% of the workforce in businesses with over 250 employees); and the ETUI study treats every case that meets these criteria and is transnational as demanding the involvement of an EWC. But the law establishes size thresholds for businesses before they can be eligible to be covered by the Directive. Some of those counted by the ETUI would not meet the size thresholds for having an EWC.
It is also important to put some perspective around these numbers. Eurostat tells us that there are 245 million people of working age across the EU. 20.1 million of them are unemployed.
Restructuring, according to the study, affected perhaps 300,000 employees in 2015. That is 0.12% of the EU workforce. About a third, or 100,000, were transnational; and more than three-quarters of these were subject to EWC involvement. The study questions whether, at most, representatives of 20,000 jobs across the EU should have had more involvement through a European Works Council. That is less than 0.01% of the workforce across the whole year.
For comparative purposes, there are 20.1 million people unemployed across Europe. 1.3% of the workforce – 2.2 million people became unemployed in one quarter in 2015.
It surely cannot be reasonable to impose the considerable costs of having an EWC with an annual meeting and other facilities on what must be thousands of middle-size businesses. Nor has the case been made for extending the rights and duties of EWCs still further, when the true measure of the impact of the last set of changes cannot yet be properly assessed.
As a lesser alternative, the study recommends 'intensive awareness raising' about how EWCs can contribute to better anticipating and managing cross-border restructuring. The unspoken assumption is that, out there in factories and offices, shops and call-centres, there is an untapped demand for EWCs or, at least, EWCs structured along more powerful lines.
Employers will surely be wary of going along with this idea.
EWCs have been around for over 20 years. The Commission has repeatedly publicised their existence, and their operations have attracted a library full of academic and other studies. They have been given more powers, with little impact on the rate of take up. Meanwhile, the trade unions struggle in many countries to fill positions within businesses and workplaces.
The first question to be asked, surely, is why people at work seem to be so uninterested in representation that they do not avail themselves of this opportunity.
Report Link: https://www.etui.org/fr/Publications2/Policy-Briefs/European-Economic-Employment-and-Social-Policy/Company-restructuring-across-borders-with-or-without-European-Works-Councils
Download BEERG Newsletter #6 of 2017 as a PDF
Robbie Gilbert
Former Labour Affairs Director, BEERG
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The UK and European Union
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