Before diving into Programming within Micro-Manager, it is useful to review the general overview of the documentation as well as the overview of the software architecture.
Micro-Manager central component is the MMCore class encapsulating the entire automated microscope. MMCore API represents a high-level abstraction for any combination of standard components used in automated digital microscopy. A program written to the MMCore API should be able to successfully execute regardless of specific devices used, or in the worst case gracefully degrade if the minimal conditions are not satisfied. By using run-time configuration discovery features of the MMCore API, a program can automatically determine whether minimal conditions for its execution are satisfied, e.g. if required devices are present and if they have required capabilities.
The MMCore API enables the program designer to build user interface or automation protocol in a device-independent way and with minimal effort. MMCore provides implementations for the most of the common tasks that automated microscope is expected to perform in the laboratory or screening setting.
We are using the term "program" in a relatively loose sense, since MMCore implementation is in essence language agnostic. For example, a "program" can be C++ source code implementing complicated user interface or a simple and small Beanshell (Java-like) script to acquire a sequence of images. The MMCore API is designed with scripting transparency in mind. For purely practical reasons all examples in this guide are shown in Java programming language while API reference is specified in C++, but we assume that translation of both to any other programming environment is straightforward.
Micro-Manager is in principle both platform independent and language neutral. But, in practice MMCore component is intended to run only on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, and to be used from C++, Java, Matlab and Python programs. Setting up the environment is somewhat different for each language/OS combination.
MMCore Java API is contained in the MMCoreJ.jar. Any Java program using MMCore API must have MMCoreJ.jar in its class path. When CMMCore Java object is first created in the calling program it will automatically attempt to load native library MMCoreJ_wrap. This library must be visible to the Java run-time. Default locations and exact names of libraries are platform dependent.
On Windows, native library file is MMCoreJ_wrap.dll and it must reside either in the system path or in the current working directory of the program in order to be detected by the Java run-time.
In C++ MMCore can be used as a static library which needs to be linked to the calling program. Interface is specified in header files MMCore.h and Configuration.h. You only need to set up the C++ environment if you are editing device adapters or the MMCore code.
MMCore can be used in Matlab through its Java interface. After setting up the Java environment as described above, MMCoreJ.jar must be added to Matlab Java class path and the directory for the MMCore dynamic libraries (including MMCoreJ_wrap) must be added to the system path.
The current version of the MMCore does not support programming environments other than Java, Matlab and C++. Additional support for dynamic languages such as Python will be added in the future, if there is enough interest .
However, at this point MMCore can't do much more than that, because it does not know about any devices yet. In the next section we are going to try to use a camera by loading the appropriate device adapter.
In order to control a hardware device MMCore needs to load the corresponding device adapter. We use the term "adapter" rather than "driver" to make a distinction from the low-level software supplied by the device manufacturer. For example, digital cameras come with manufacturer's drivers which need to be installed independently from the Micro-Manager. adapters are relatively simple software components translating specific device driver API to common Micro-Manager plug-in interface. For simpler devices controlled by serial ports, there are no special manufacturer's drivers to install. In that case adapter is at the same time a device driver as well.
Device adapters are packaged as dynamic libraries and CMMCore loads them only when specifically requested by the calling program. Let's see how we can configure MMCore to control a camera.
The command above has three parameters: label, library and name. Device label is the name we want to assign to a specific device. It is completely arbitrary and entirely up to us. We chose to call our camera simply "Camera". "DemoCamera" is the dynamic library name where the adapter resides. "DCam" is the name of the device adapter we want to load.
The following program puts all of the above together: loads the camera adapter, initializes it and additionally snaps an image with exposure set to 50ms.
Each device loaded into the MMCore will expose a number of properties which we can read or change. A property is simply a named tag, or a field consisting of a name and value.
To get or set the property you have to supply two parameters: device label and property name. "getProperty" method will return the value, while in the "setProperty" method you have to supply the value as an additional, third parameter. All property values are always treated as strings regardless of the actual data type they represent.
If the getAllowedProperties() call returns empty vector, it means that the range of possible values is so broad that it is not practical to enumerate them, or that the device adapter does not have this information. You could interpret that as if any value is allowed. However, it is not guaranteed that the device will be able to accept any particular value in a given context. On the other hand, if the returned vector is not empty you can expect that setting any of the allowed values will succeed.
Complete Java code is here: Tutorial2.java.
By examining the two examples [content/code_examples/Tutorial1.java Tutorial1.java] and [content/code_examples/Tutorial2.java Tutorial2.java] you can get an insight on two different ways to control devices: device specific API and generalized property mechanism.
// in this case a camera.
core.setState("F1", 3); // works only for filter wheels, shutters, etc.
On the other hand, the property mechanism is very general and does not assume anything about the device. In this way you can use a very flexible conceptual model in which the entire system is just a collection of various devices and each device has a number of property tags which you read or change. The property mechanism makes possible to build robust user interfaces and programs which automatically re-configure based on specific run-time configuration of the system.
Also, the property mechanism allows us to control many details which are very specific to the device type. For example, some cameras will have an "Offset" property available and some will not.
Let us consider a somewhat more complicated system with four devices: camera, shutter, and two filter wheels.
System.out.println(" " + properties.get(j) + " = "
Complete Java code is here: Tutorial3.java.
Many devices use serial ports for communication with the host computer. For MMCore serial port is also a device with number of properties to manipulate.
The last parameter in both send and receive commands is a terminating sequence, in this case carriage return. The receive command getSerialPortAnswer() will wait until it detects the terminating sequence or times out.
Most of the devices use similar protocol and therefore in principle you can control any device supporting serial port communication even if you do not have device adapter. Just send and receive commands through the serial port. Of course, this way you won't be able to use many of the more advanced features of the Micro-Manager system (such as device synchronization, metadata) and your code will not portable.
State device is any device with a relatively small number of discrete states. The most common examples of state device are filter switchers (wheels) and objective turrets.
The code above looks fairly straightforward, but there are a couple of important points to consider here.
Micro-Manager device adapters do not take control of serial ports directly.
We first loaded serial port device "P1" on COM1 and then we just supplied the filter wheel devices "WA" and "WB" with the port label. Devices will use port labels through MMCore internal mechanisms to transmit and receive data from ports, and will not be able to lock them or take control of them.
You will notice that both devices "WA" and "WB" appear to be connected to the same port "P1". That's because they physically belong to the same controller box which uses single port to control multiple devices. This is a relatively common situation, but having each filter on a different port is also fine.
In all examples from previous sections we started manipulating properties only after we initialized the system either by initializeDevice() or initializeAllDevices(). In fact, most of the device properties are even not available before the device has been initialized. But, in the example above we set port related properties before initializing the system. We had to do it that way because these properties must be specified correctly in advance in order for initialization to succeed. Which properties, if any, are required or accessible before initialization depends on the specific device adapter. Camera adapters, for example, usually do need or expose any pre-initialization properties.
The order in which devices are loaded will be the same order in which they are going to be initialized in the initializeAllDevices() command. Therefore, port devices should be loaded before other devices using them.
Each time you execute setConfiguration("DAPI"), the three filters will be set to the defined positions. There is no limit in the number of devices or number of different properties you include in one configuration. You can set objectives, filters, stage positions, camera parameters in a single configuration command. Typically predefined configurations are automatically defined once at the initialization (when the program starts up) phase and used thereafter in the acquisition scripts or interactively.
Note the two new classes defined in the MMCoreJ: Configuration and PropertySetting. PropertySetting is a triplet of strings: DeviceLabel, PropertyName and PropertyValue. Configuration is just a collection of PropertySetting objects.
This command can return an empty string if the system current state does not match any of the defined configurations. getConfiguration command will return the matching configuration name (if any) even if the individual commands were used instead setConfiguration.
This section is not talking about hardware-triggered acquisitions using e.g. TTL pulses, which is called "hardware synchronization" in the publication at http://www.jbmethods.org/jbm/article/view/36/29 and elsewhere.
To further streamline synchronization tasks you can define all devices which must be non-busy before the image is acquired.
If the shutter is associated with the camera it usually needs to be opened before an image is taken and closed as soon as acquisition is done. If the "auto shutter" feature is turned on the system will automatically perform these operations in the snapImage command.
In this case MMConfig.cfg is a text file in containing a list of simple commands to build the desired system state: devices, labels, equipment, properties, and configurations. The format of this file and other topics related to configuring the system are covered in Configuration Guide.
The current system configuration can be saved by the complementary saveConfiguration() command. For example you can build-up the system by using script commands described in this Guide and when you verify that everything is working, you can save the configuration in the file so that it can be recalled in the future with the single command.


Broadly speaking, you can write about anything that you could post in Talk-Talk or Everything Linux, but consult an admin or mod if you're in doubt.
Use the Blogs link at the top of the page to see the current list of blogs. Above the list, there's a Create a Blog link. Use this to create a community blog; if you already have an external blog, you can link to it here. If you enable friendly URLs, you can reference your blog as https://mandrivausers.org/blog/username.


text:
New technology centre to accelerate digital innovation with the power of light
New Photonic Integration Technology Center (PITC) to advance innovations for global technological and societal challenges with revolutionary chip technology.
On 2 June 2021, the integrated photonics industry accelerator PhotonDelta, research institute TNO, Eindhoven University of Technology and University of Twente will sign a cooperation agreement for the new Photonic Integration Technology Center (PITC) in the Netherlands. This centre will speed up the commercialisation of Integrated Photonics for applications such as autonomous mobility, healthcare, data & communications. The signing will be part of an online launch event which is open to everyone who has registered through https://pitc.nl/launch/
Integrated Photonics represents a revolutionary technology that allows the development of chips that can sense, capture and process huge amounts of data using light instead of electricity. By using light we can create new types of devices and systems, complementary to those that use electronics. Photonic integrated circuits pave the way for devices and systems that are cheaper, faster, lighter, more robust and reliable while using less energy. This opens new perspectives for developing purposeful digital solutions.
Bridging the gap between research and application
The new PITC is an independent R&D and innovation centre that brings photonic technologies to industrial maturity, builds partnerships, strengthens the photonics ecosystem, and links it to a global customer base.
Accelerating commercial adoption of integrated photonics
Customers get access to technology and know-how at an early stage while sharing the costs and risk of new technology development. The jointly developed innovations will be extensively tested for reliability and stability, facilitating the route to production.
Integrated photonics is a key enabling technology with a wide spectrum of applications allowing to respond promptly and efficiently to societal challenges of today and tomorrow." says Carlos Lee, General Director of European Photonics Industry Consortium (EPIC), "The Photonic Integration Technology Center brings the integrated photonics to a level that it can be easily adopted by industry. This great ambition makes the PITC a perfect fit to the EPIC ecosystem."
PITC offering
Specific PITC tasks will be:
Developing technology in shared innovation programs
Ensuring a smooth path to manufacturing ans commercialisation
Providing access to high-tech infrastructure and facilities
Supporting talent development for skilled professionals that build tomorrow's high-tech ecosystem in the Netherlands.
PITC is a cooperation between PhotonDelta, TNO, University of Twente and Eindhoven University of Technology, and is enabled by Brainport Development, the Ministry of Economic Affairs & Climate, regional growth accelerators BOM and OostNL and the provinces of Noord-Brabant, Overijssel and Gelderland. PITC is located on the premises of Eindhoven University of Technology and University of Twente in the Netherlands.
Dutch version available here

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Willets Point United: What Should a Mayor de Blasio do on Willets Point?
What Should a Mayor de Blasio do on Willets Point?
It is looking more and more apparent that Bill de Blasio will be NYC's next mayor-although we should always be aware of the potential for the chaos of events to intercede. That being said, what should de Blasio do about the development of Willets Point? We have some very good suggestions.
In the first place, the development at Willets Point was intended to be one of Mayor Bloomberg's signature legacy projects-the "first green neighborhood," and all that palaver. Instead, owing to the good work of the team assembled by WPU, the original mega-deal was derailed and the current Rosemary's Baby was given birth. Instead of affordable housing, a living wage and traffic relieving ramps, we have been give the city's largest retail mall built on parkland. The property taken under the threat of eminent domain is now earmarked for a parking lot!
Put simply, Public Advocate de Blasio, this is not your deal. In fact, when you voted to approve the original deal in 2008 you were played by the Bloomberg administration. Since it isn't your deal-and the bastardized deal that has replaced the original involves turning over $200 million worth of city owned property to friends of the mayor-you should let the city council know that a mayor de Blasio doesn't approve of this kind of bait and switch corporate welfare. You should publicly argue that a new council leadership and a new mayor should be given the opportunity to craft a better deal for the city-one that better respects parkland and the rights of property owners and tenant businesses.
This was demonstrate real leadership-especially because we know that it is really tempting to allow the old guard to push this through so you can avoid the entanglements that the reconfigured deal certainly creates. But this would be, in our view, the coward's way out-and you have demonstrated courage and a real energy for changing the way we do business in NYC.
Shelving a deal that was promoted by an illegal lobbying scheme-and fraudulent environmental studies- and that ends up with a mall replacing 2,000 units of affordable housing, should be an easy call for a change administration. The current Willets West proposal is a bad deal for the citizens of Queens and the tax payers of the entire city. If we are going to use the condemnation process, then the end result should be something that significantly advances the public interest-as this land give away certainly does not.
So, Mayor de Blasio, send a signal to the city that there is a new sheriff in town and things are going to be done different. We are not going to unceremoniously shunt aside hard working small businesses to aggrandize the interests of the 1%. Say No to Willets West and set the tone for a different kind of politics.


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text:
Hans-Hartwig Ruthenberg (* 19. März 1928 in Danzig, Freistaat Danzig; † 19. Juli 1980 in Stuttgart) war ein deutscher Agrarwissenschaftler mit Forschungsschwerpunkt in der tropischen und subtropischen Landwirtschaft.

Leben
Ruthenberg studierte von 1949 bis 1954 Agrarwissenschaften an der Universität Göttingen und schloss mit der Promotion zum Dr. agr. ab. Ein Postgraduiertenstudium in den USA und ein Forschungsaufenthalt in Südostasien folgten. Er war dann Assistent am Institut für ausländische Landwirtschaft der Technischen Universität Berlin und absolvierte Forschungsaufenthalte in Ostafrika. 1965 habilitierte er sich an der Universität Göttingen und wurde Privatdozent. 1966 erhielt er einen Ruf auf den Lehrstuhl für Ökonomik der landwirtschaftlichen Produktion in den Tropen und Subtropen im Institut für landwirtschaftliche Betriebslehre der Landwirtschaftlichen Hochschule Hohenheim. 1974 war er Gastprofessor am Economic Development Institute der Weltbank und 1976 Berater der kenianischen Regierung. 1965–1975 war er Mitherausgeber der Afrika-Studien des IFO-Instituts München.
Er verstarb unerwartet im Jahr 1980.

Ruthenberg war verheiratet und hatte vier Kinder.

Forschung
Schwerpunkt der Forschung von Hans H. Ruthenberg ist die tropische und subtropische Landwirtschaft gewesen. Sein bekanntestes Werk trägt den Titel Farming Systems in the Tropics (1971). Weitere Veröffentlichungen sind: African Agricultural Production Development Policy in Kenya (1966) und Smallholder Farming and Smallholder Development in Tanzania (1968). Seine Lehr- und Forschungstätigkeit umfasste Bodennutzungssysteme der Tropen und Subtropen, landwirtschaftliche Entwicklungspolitik (Produktion) und Bewässerungsökonomie. Besonders hervorzuheben ist seine "Projektlehre".

Hans-Ruthenberg-Institut an der Universität Hohenheim
Am 18. Oktober 2016 wurde beim World Food Day Colloquium 2016 an der Universität Hohenheim offiziell das Institut für Tropische Agrarwissenschaften (Hans-Ruthenberg-Institut) an der Universität Hohenheim eröffnet. Mit mehr als 100 beteiligten Wissenschaftlern aus 10 Fachgebieten ist das Hans-Ruthenberg-Institut die größte Forschungseinrichtung im Bereich der tropischen Agrarforschung in Deutschland.

Hans H. Ruthenberg-Graduierten-Förderpreis
Der Hans H. Ruthenberg-Graduierten-Förderpreis wurde von 1999 bis 2009 von der Eiselen-Stiftung Ulm vergeben. Seit 2010 vergibt die Stiftung fiat panis den Preis. Ziel des Förderpreises ist es, "herausragende Diplom- oder Masterarbeiten auf dem Gebiet der Ernährungssicherung auszuzeichnen". Der Preis ist mit 7.500 Euro dotiert und ist von 1999 bis 2020 an insgesamt 59 Preisträger(innen) verliehen worden.

Literatur
 Über Produktionskostenrechnungen in der Landwirtschaft, Dissertation, Göttingen, 1954
 Landwirtschaft und anfängliche Kapitalbildung : die wirtschaftlichen Leistungsreserven der Landwirtschaft in Entwicklungsländern und Ansätze ihrer Nutzbarmachung für die Kapitalbildung, DLG-Verlags-Gesellschaft, Frankfurt (Main), 1964
 Organisationsformen der Bodennutzung und Viehhaltung in den Tropen und Subtropen dargestellt an ausgewählten Beispielen, Institut für Ausländische Landwirtschaft, Berlin, 1964
 Agricultural development in Tanganyika, Springer (Afrika-Studien 2), 1964
 African agricultural production : development policy in Kenya 1952 – 1965, Springer (Afrika-Studien 10), 1966
 Smallholder farming and smallholder development in Tanzania : ten case studies, Weltforum Verlag (Afrika-Studien 24), München, 1968
 Das Welternährungsproblem, Pesch-Haus Verlag, Mannheim, 1970
 Ein Rahmen zur Planung und Beurteilung landwirtschaftlicher Entwicklungsprojekte, zusammen veröffentlicht mit Shagi, El-Shagi el-, DLG-Verlag, Frankfurt (Main), 1970
 Farming systems in the tropics, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1971
 Landwirtschaftliche Entwicklungspolitik : ein Überblick über die Instrumente zur Steigerung der landwirtschaftlichen Produktion in Entwicklungsländern, DLG-Verlag, Frankfurt (Main), 1972
 Der Sinn wirtschaftlicher Entwicklung in den STIMMEN DER ZEIT Herder-Druckerei München, Band 191 Heft 2 – Februar 1973, 20 Seiten
 Farming systems in the tropics, 2. ed., Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1976
 Ländliche Armut in der Dritten Welt : Analyse des Problems und der Lösungsansätze am Beispiel Kenias, in: Stimmen der Zeit, Herder, Freiburg i. Br., 1979
 Farming systems in the tropics, 3. ed., Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1980
 Innovation policy for small farmers in the tropics : the economics of technical innovations for agricultural development, ed. by Hans E. Jahnke, : Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1985

Einzelnachweise

Agrarwissenschaftler (20. Jahrhundert)
Agrarökonom
Hochschullehrer (Universität Hohenheim)
Hochschullehrer (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen)
Deutscher
Geboren 1928
Gestorben 1980
Mann

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
ALERT: Egyptian Parade of Pharaohs, the Most Expensive (500 million dollar) Occult Ritual in History is Preparing the Way for the Anti-Christ!
Steve Quayle: "For more than three millennia, the mystery schools of Egypt have been providing secret and arcane knowledge which originated from the Fallen Angels, both before Noah's flood, and after Noah's flood. All secret societies in the world owe their origins to legendary times and places such as the lost continent of Atlantis. With the abandonment of the Christian faith in practice and defense of the gospel, the old gods; the Fallen Angels and their offspring, are returning to the world stage.
One of the most unusual events in world history just took place this week in Egypt as an enormous ceremony celebrated the movement of 24 mummies from Cairo's main museum, along with all the pomp and splendor associated with the ancient pharaohs of Egypt!
"The ceremony snaked along the Nile corniche from the Egyptian Museum overlooking Tahrir Square to the newly opened National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat, Cairo, where Egypt's first Islamic capital was located." Full Story LINK: Parade_of_Pharaohs
The Egyptian Pharaohs claim to be the descendants of the gods, with the name Cairo literally meaning the encampment of Mars, or city of Marrs. The Egyptian Temple of Karnak (image below), and its huge statues, gives evidence of a Pre-Adamic, Fallen Angel Civilization so advanced (and large) in comparison to all the other civilizations of the world. It's no coincidence that the 'Face on Mars' and the Giza Plateau in Egypt share unique mathematical placement, along with their planetary alignments.
The Cumean Sybil, Greek Prophetess, foretold the coming of Jesus and more interesting at the time of her presence on earth spoke about the return of the old gods of mythology which Biblical Christianity had placed in the background of contemporary history. With all the prophetic events taking place at this time, mirroring the end of these prophecies about the Old and New Testaments in the book of revelation, the anti-Christ is now waiting in the wings to assume his rule and reign on Earth for 42 months!
With war looming in the Middle East and at the borders of Ukraine and Russia, we are poised in time and space to behold World War III beginning, and perhaps Ezekiel 38, where the 'Man of Peace', or the 'Son of Perdition', is revealed. As Moses withstood Pharaoh, who has always been a type of anti-Christ (see article excerpt below), the pomp and splendor portrayed on the streets of Egypt in their occult ritual, to parade the mummies of the pharaohs and queens, is a remarkable sign-post as to the lateness of the hour. Since the mystery religions of Egypt owe their existence to the ancient gods or Fallen Angels, it's quite telling that we've arrived at that point in time where the scriptures are being fulfilled awaiting the arrival of Satan's incarnation of the final Pharaoh!
It should be obvious that the combining of the star gods/fallen angels returning from their banishment amongst the stars may have already been announced on the streets of Cairo the city of Mars. Jesus told us that the deception will be so great that if it were possible even the elect would be deceived, yet because of His great love for us, He is shortening the days on our behalf. Watch the video link included in this blog-post a few times and pray that God will reveal to you how this extravaganza has just prepared the way for the 'Son of Perdition' as the last Pharaoh gets ready to conquer the world stage!"
TYPES OF ANTI-CHRISTS Full Article LINK: Pharaoh_Types
Pharaoh from the book of Exodus: His history and character are described at much greater length than the other personal types of the Antichrist which have been before us, and therefore more parallelisms are to be found here. We shall aim to be suggestive rather than exhaustive. First, Pharaoh was king of Egypt which, in Scripture, is the lasting symbol of the world. In like manner, the one whom he so strikingly prefigured will be Head of the world-kingdom. Second, the Pharaoh of Exodus came from Assyria (Isa. 52:4); so also will the Antichrist first rise in that land. Third, Ex. 1 presents him to our view as the merciless persecutor of the Hebrews, embittering their lives by hard bondage. Fourth, he is next seen as the one who sought to cut off Israel from being a nation, giving orders that all the male children should be slain in infancy. Fifth, he was the blatant defier of God. When Moses and Aaron appeared before him and said, "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let My people go, that they may hold a feast unto Me in the wilderness", his arrogant reply was, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go?" (Ex. 5:1,2). Sixth, God's two witnesses performed miracles before Pharaoh (Ex. 7:10); so, too, will God's two witnesses in the Tribulation period work miracles before the Beast (Rev. 11:6,7). Seventh, Pharaoh had magical resources at his disposal (Ex. 7:11), as the Antichrist will have at his (2 Thess. 2:9). Eighth, Pharaoh made fair promises to the Hebrews, only to break them (Ex. 8:8,15). In this, too, he foreshadowed the Antichrist in his perfidy and treachery toward Israel. Ninth, he met with a drastic end at the hands of God (Psa. 136:15). Tenth, he was overthrown at the time that Israel started out for the promised land: so Antichrist will be cast into the Lake of Fire just before Israel enters into everlasting possession of their promised inheritance. In all of these ten respects (and in others which the student may search out for himself) Pharaoh was a striking and accurate type of the Antichrist.
REGISTER RIGHT NOW for our virtual conference EXTINCTION PROTOCOLS at www.GenSix.com. Our panel of expert speakers will inform, warn, and equip you to handle what's coming over the coming months.
EXTINCTION PROTOCALS: Register today: www.GenSix.com
The Egyptian Mystery Schools
LINK: EgyptianMysterySchools
Plato Meets the Meteorite: Solon, Egypt and Atlantis February 22, 2014
LINK: Plato/Meteorite
Return of the Ancient Gods: The Resurgence of Paganism
LINK: Paganism_Returns
Pharaoh – Profile of the Antichrist
LINK: Pharaoh_AntiChrist
Precious Metals from Steve Quayle, Your Trusted Source!
LINK: PreciousMetals/Link
Darrin Geisinger
Violent Landscapes: Ancient Cataclysms and Coming Catastrophes – Part 1
The idea that an earthquake powerful enough to split our country in half is terrifying. Surely this ...
Treason and Treachery: The Takedown of America is Underway!
Steve Quayle: "In all the countless times that I've written a commentary or delivered a podcast, t...


text:
Nightlife near Time
Time, 139 Oxford Street, Soho, London W1D 2JB
The Rialto Casino, Piccadilly
3-4 Coventry Street, W1D | 8 minutes walk from Time
Housed in a beautiful Grade II listed 1913 building, The Rialto Casino, Piccadilly puts the glamour into gambling. Formerly a cinematographic theatre, the grand venue... More
124 Cleveland Street, W1T | 11 minutes walk from Time
Tucked away behind Warren Street and just a few minutes walk from Tottenham Court Road and Goodge Street stations, The Remedy ... More
The Rivoli Bar
The Ritz Hotel, St James's, London W1J | 12 minutes walk from Time
The Rivoli Bar, an intimate cocktail lounge within the famous Ritz Hotel, re-opened in 2001 after a closure of some twenty years with interiors stylishly... More
The Reform Club
104 Pall Mall, St James's, London SW1Y | 12 minutes walk from Time
Located in the heart of London's traditional Clubland in Pall Mall, The Reform Club was founded in 1836 and was membership was initially restricted to those... More
The Rooftop St. James
2 Spring Gardens, SW1A | 13 minutes walk from Time
The Trafalgar Hotel was treated to a major upgrade in 2017, reopening as The Trafalgar St. James, and as a result, the rooftop bar was... More
2 Spring Gardens, Trafalgar Square, SW1A | 14 minutes walk from Time
This bar is all about location, location, location. Overlooking Trafalgar Square, the Rockwell bar within the Trafalgar St. James hotel is a lush affair from... More
The Red Bar
86-90 Park Lane, Marble Arch, Hyde Park, London W1K | 18 minutes walk from Time
With its vibrant red interior, the Red Bar at Grosvenor House Hotel is a distinctive destination and has become one of Mayfair's most iconic destinations.... More
48 Parliament Street, Whitehall, Westminster, London SW1A | 20 minutes walk from Time
Right across the street from the Houses of Parliament, the Red Lion is perfectly positioned for politicos to pop in for a pint after a... More
74-76 York Street, W1H | 22 minutes walk from Time
On 8th June 2018 Dan Doherty, chef, author and judge on BBC's Britain's Best Cook, announced on Instagram that he'd bought this... More
The Royal Exchange
26 Sale Place, W2 | 28 minutes walk from Time
Paddington Pub... More
Reserve Bar Stock Exchange
46 Gresham Street, City, London EC2V | 37 minutes walk from Time
Reserve Bar Stock Exchange in the City uses the stock market model to price its drinks - prices change in line with their popularity on... More
14 Winchester Walk, Borough, Bankside, London SE1 | 2.1 miles from Time
Rake's
40 Liverpool Street, City, London EC2M | 2.4 miles from Time
Great for a late night drink if you're staying at Andaz Liverpool Street Hotel, and a stylish place for a coffee or a cocktail even... More
Red Market
288-299 Old Street, Hoxton, London EC1V | 2.4 miles from Time
Combining an outdoor courtyard with urban art and pop up food kioks, 288 Old Street is host to a hip, summer-long pop-up where you can... More
10 Trinity Square, EC3N | 2.6 miles from Time
Ruby's Bar
76 Stoke Newington Road, N16 | 3.7 miles from Time
It may look like a cinema from the sign outside but Ruby's on the Stoke Newington/Dalston border is an intimate subterranean drinking den serving expertly... More
Ritzy Cafe
Brixton Oval, Brixton, London SW2 | 3.9 miles from Time
This funky little jazz bar is one of South London's hidden delights. Don't worry about the depressingly empty pub section you can see from the... More
The Red Lion & Sun
25 North Road, N6 | 4 miles from Time
As a pub for locals, this small award winning pub in Highgate was voted the best pub in the country at the 2018... More
Riverside Studios Bar
Crisp Road, W6 | 4.3 miles from Time
West London's excellent riverside cultural centre offers a cinema, West End standard theatre, cafe, and a comfortable bar with outdoor river terrace under one roof.... More
Rootdown
237 Lower Clapton Road, E5 | 4.5 miles from Time
Cocktails come in interesting combinations - coriander, basil and chilli margarita, anyone? - at Rootdown, a Clapton restaurant and cocktail bar with music... and a... More
375 Goldhawk Road, W6 | 4.9 miles from Time
Lovely, lively pub run by a very international crowd of young barkeeps and chefs who live in appalling conditions above the pub, but give the... More
The Royal Albert
460 New Cross Road, Deptford, SE14 | 5.5 miles from Time
Freehouse very well received by the locals who include Goldsmith's Art College students and indie kids. Under its previous guise (as the Paradise Bar), Bloc... More
Roof East
Level 8 Stratford Multi-storey Car Park, Great Eastern Way, Stratford, London E15 | 6.1 miles from Time
On top of a multi-storey car park in Stratford, Roof East is back for autumn/winter 2019 with an English boozer themed season. Pub... More
55 High Street, Wimbledon Village, SW19 | 7.2 miles from Time
Local, friendly pub at the heart of Wimbledon Village with a courtyard at the back and 13 hotel rooms. ... More
2 St. Annes Court, Soho, London W1F | 3 minutes walk from Time
Revolution is a chain of bars with venues across the UK. Most areas of this St Anne's Court bar in Soho can be reserved, catering... More
The Roxy
3-5 Rathbone Place, Fitzrovia, London W1T | 3 minutes walk from Time
Late night Soho bar with a cheap-as-chips Happy Hour serving up half price cocktails. Bar snacks are available, the Spanish Platter a particular favourite with... More
The Red Bar at Bam-Bou
1 Percy Street, Fitzrovia, London W1T | 4 minutes walk from Time
On the ground floor this sprawling Soho Georgian townhouse hosts Bam-Bou, an elegant French-Vietnamese restaurant. Tucked away at the top of the house, however, is... More
Refuel Bar
4 Richmond Mews, Soho, London W1D | 4 minutes walk from Time
This one-time multi-storey carpark is now a spacious groundfloor bar attached to the Soho Hotel. With a pewter bar and specially commissioned mural paying homage... More
14 Kingly Street, Soho, London W1B | 5 minutes walk from Time
Pub ... More
5 Kingly Street, Soho, London W1B | 5 minutes walk from Time
Near Time	 All London hotels
Near Time
Kirk Fletcher, Ben Poole
The 100 Club 1 minute walk from Time
A double bill of hotshot blues guitarists from each side of the pond. With support from The Bad Day Blues ...More
Jo Harrop With Denmark Street Big Band: Henry Mancini Show
Pizza Express Dean Street 3 minutes walk from Time
A tribute to the American composer and conductor, including his film and television music and songs he recorded with Sarah ...More
Natalie Williams Soul Family
Ronnie Scott's 5 minutes walk from Time
Jazz and soul from the London-based singer-songwriter and her accompanying musicians....More
Moonfield
The Spice Of Life 6 minutes walk from Time
Comedy | Until 20th January 2020
Leicester Square Theatre 8 minutes walk from Time
Bob Mortimer and Andy Dawson bring their podcast to the stage again, for the first time since 2017....More
99 Comedy Club Leicester Square
Ruby Blue 8 minutes walk from Time
Kae Kurd, Tez Ilyas and Mart Green hit the stage with their latest stories....More
The Comedy Store Players
Comedy Store 8 minutes walk from Time
Improvisational comedy from Richard Vranch, Lee Simpson, Neil Mullarkey, Niall Ashdown, Steve Edis and Ruth Bratt....More
Theatre | Until 24th May 2020
Cambridge Theatre 9 minutes walk from Time
The Royal Shakespeare Company's multiple award-winning musical adaptation of Roald Dahl's celebrated children's book Matilda is a big hit at ...More
For One Night And One Night Only Jennifer Hepburn
Arts Theatre 9 minutes walk from Time
Jennifer Hepburn, Caroline Deverill, Jodie Nolan, Natasha O'Brien and Daniel Clift perform in aid of the charity Refuge....More
British Museum 9 minutes walk from Time
From cheap budget places to stay to luxury 5 star suites see our deals for Time hotels, including DoubleTree by Hilton London - Marble Arch from 51% off.
Shops near Time
http://LondonTown.com/S/d_T2Rrz


text:
Governments struggle to catch up with needs of autism families
Governments struggle to catch up…
Canadian governments have done little to address the crisis faced by autism families across the country.
This sentiment was true in 2007 when it was put forward in the cross-party Senate report on the state of funding for the treatment of autism in Canada, aptly titled, Pay Now or Pay Later. And until recently, this sentiment could be used to sum up the role of the federal government which has largely left the crisis up to provincial ministries to manage.
But they are slowly coming on side. This month the federal government appointed a new "Autism Spectrum Disorder Working Group" with a two million dollar budget to develop a plan for a "Canadian Autism Partnership" that will address autism research, information sharing, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, among other issues.
It's a good step forward but much more is needed, particularly on the health and educational services side of the issue so that real families get real help, now. According to the first comprehensive autism needs assessment survey of caretakers and professionals across the country, Canadian autism families are struggling to get the health services they need but can't afford.
As governments in Canada struggle to catch up with the needs of autism families, here are a few things everyone should know:
1. Autism is not a mental illness, a mental health condition or a learning disability
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by impaired verbal and social communication; rigid, restrictive and repetitive behaviours; uneven intellectual development; sensitivity to sensory input; challenges with fine and gross motor skills; and gastrointestinal difficulties, among other characteristics.
Autism is more accurately referred to as 'autism spectrum disorder' (ASD) because each person on the spectrum can exhibit a differing array of these characteristics and with wide ranging severity. There's a favourite saying in the autism community: "If you've seen one person with autism, you've seen one person with autism."
There is no cure for autism, though there are several evidence-based interventions that can help address the challenges those with autism face.
2. The rate of autism in Canada is not yet fully known, but we have recent estimates
Canadian media reports often cite autism rates from the United States. Research from the U.S. Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network at the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention estimate 1 in 68 children in America has ASD. Since autism is five times more prevalent in boys than girls, they estimate 1 in 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls has ASD in the U.S.
So what are the rates in Canada? And are they on the rise?
"Our best estimate at this time is that ASD affects 1 in 94 children six to nine years of age," according to Dr. Hélène Ouellette-Kuntz, Professor in the Department of Health Sciences at Queen's University and Director of The National Epidemiologic Database for the Study of Autism in Canada (NEDSAC). This estimate is based on diagnostic and services data from Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and Southeastern Ontario from 2003-2010.
Many experts worry that the lower rates of autism in Canada may simply reflect, as Dr. Stuart Shanker of York University says, "the poorer number of autism services in the four regions where NEDSAC was able to conduct their research and collect their data." New, more comprehensive rates of autism in Canada are expected in the coming year using administrative data from Manitoba.
What we know so far from NEDSAC published materials suggests that autism rates are on the rise in Canada, though they vary widely across the studied regions. Even when you factor in increases due to the identification of previously undetected cases or diagnostic substitution (conditions that used to be labelled something else now being called autism), "we cannot rule out the possibility of a true increase in incidence," says Dr. Ouellete-Kuntz.
3. Families can often wait several years to access autism services covered by the public healthcare system. Government support for such services are widely uneven across the country.
It is not uncommon for families to wait several years to receive a diagnosis of autism for their child from publicly funded health services in most provinces.
And once a child is diagnosed, interventions with a strong evidence base, such as behavioural therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy, have wait times of several months up to several years in most places across the country.
Once services are received, families have access to these therapies for only limited time periods and often beyond the window of time that most experts believe optimal.
The wide range in disparity of publicly funded services for autism across the country has even generated a kind of 'medical migration' with several published accounts of families leaving their home provinces (most commonly, Atlantic, Ontario and Quebec) to move to Alberta or British Columbia where autism services are more readily available and/or more flexible.
It is also no longer uncommon to find Canadian families using crowd sourcing campaigns to fund their children's autism and related therapies. Many organizations and affected families across the country have been calling for a National Autism Strategy to address the critical lapses in health coverage.
4. 'Person with autism' or 'autistic'?
So should you say someone is 'autistic' or 'has autism' – or does it matter? For most medical disorders, the usual rule is to refer to the person first followed by the condition (e.g., person with Down Syndrome, person with Cerebral Palsy) because the disability does not define the individual.
Similarly, many affected families prefer the descriptor, 'someone with autism' since the individual is greater than their diagnosis. Specific traits can be described as 'autistic,' such as 'hand flapping,' but not the person.
However, there is also a growing movement – often referred to as the neuro-diversity movement – among those diagnosed with autism and other neurological disorders that prefers the label 'autistic' for the person, since they believe you cannot separate the individual from the autism.
If possible, opt for the preference of the affected person or families. But better still, refer to the individual by name.
A young boy with autism has arranged his toys in a row.
This article by Kathleen O'Grady appears courtesy of EvidenceNetwork.ca
Categories: Education, Health & Safety, Our Neighbourhoods, Politics, Science & TechnologyBy Kathleen O'Grady July 31, 2015
Author: Kathleen O'Grady
Kathleen O'Grady is a Research Associate at the Simone de Beauvoir Institute, Concordia University and Managing Editor of EvidenceNetwork.ca. You can follow her on Twitter at @kathleenogrady.
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Olympic athlete Jason Dorland on loving what you do


The Deak family, known for introducing the first electronic cigarettes to the American market place are at it once again, they are utilizing their vast knowledge and expertise in the vaping industry to launch a new brand line of vape juice and CBD e-liquids they call Hot Juice. Jon, Robert and there Sister Lula are responsible for the launch of the well-known e-cigarette brand SAFE CIG back in 2006 which quickly grew to be a multi-million dollar company servicing the needs of e cig smokers around the world through their ecommerce site.
After about a year of hard marketing consisting of door-to-door sales and social media awareness the Deaks opened up their first brick and mortar location in their hometown of Philidelphia, PA, needless to say it was an instant hit and the recognition of their brand exploded.
It wasn't too long before vape shops began to spring up around the country many of which were buying their products from directly SAFE Cig via their wholesale program, demand for Safe CIG vape supplies exploded exponentially and the Deaks found themselves scrambling to keep up to demand.
After several years in operation it became apparent to the Deaks that with the evolution of the vape industry there was a new demand and that demand was for quality Vape juices and eliquids that would enhance the vaping experience, and that's when Hot Juice was born.
In 2016, the Deak family sold their shares in the SAFE CIG company and set out on a journey to develop a line of standard vape juice and CBD juices that would set the standard for excellence in the industry, in doing so they understood the importance of using only the highest quality ingredients sourced locally and manufactured in FDA approved facilities.
I think we can safely say that given their extensive knowledge and years of experience in the vaping industry the Deak family is likely to hit this new product launch out of the park and it will not surprise us that one day soon Hot Juice will be a force to reckon with.
Grab a Bottle of Hot Juice — Visit the official HotJuice.com website today!


My apologies for yet another hiatus…this one precipitated by the death of my adored mother, Sallie Gough–who inspired my love of cooking, art, and much more–on October 2. But I'm back and, hopefully, facing at least a year of no major losses. Yet and still, I live in a perpetual state of grace and gratefulness for the last two months of so many gestures of love and compassion that I couldn't pay them back in two lifetimes.
In fact, I created these muffins for my nextdoor neighbor, Sonny–who has been helping me out, especially with the new dogs, since Joe passed away–and his darling daughter the young soccer star. He came over this morning with his coffee and visited with me while I sipped tea and unloaded the dish washer, leaving with the muffins to waft under the nose of his adolescent daughter who loves to sleep in, especially on chilly fall mornings. They were a hit.
The love child of my vegan Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Butter Muffins and my Peanut Butter and Apple Muffins, this recipe makes the most of two of my favorite autumnal ingredients that I happened to have on hand: pumpkin puree and fresh local apples. Enjoy with a cup of hot tea or glass of cold soymilk.
Line muffin cups with papers or oil well with nonstick spray. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together pumpkin , canola oil, soy milk and vanilla until well combined. Whisk in sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt just until a smooth, thick batter forms. Then stir in grated apples only until incorporated. The moisture from the apples will loosen the batter a bit. Divide evenly among prepared muffin cups and bake for 20 to 23 minute or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean. Allow to cool about 10 minutes in the pan and then remove to cool completely or to enjoy while warm.
If you've not visited Go Dairy Free in a while, I recommend you click on the link and head on over, as I think you'll love the new format. New look. Same great information, ideas, recipes, and resources that is continually expanded.
The recipe is for my Savory Black Bean Cupcakes with Whipped Sweet Potato Frosting. Sound odd? Well, they are pretty unique, I have to say. Sort of like a bread, protein and starchy vegetable in one. In a word: delish, if I do say so. And so very pretty.
Please enjoy them with my wishes for a very Happy Halloween!
Chunky natural peanut butter spread on apple wedges is one of my favorite snacks from childhood. So, this week when I was craving a wholesome and nostalgic baked good, I figured the combination would be scrumptious in a moist muffin. And it is!
Normally, I would load up an apple batter with warm spices, but I didn't want them to overpower the peanut butter flavor and aroma. So I just used a pinch of allspice, cinnamon and cloves. But feel free to adjust to suit your taste.
Not too dense, but not light like a cupcake either these muffins are the epitome of balance in every way.
I know apples are not typically a spring fruit, but our farm market does have Virginia-grown ones in the warm months. You'll love this recipe whenever apples are in season in your area.
Line muffin cups with papers or oil well with nonstick spray. In a large mixing bowl, stir together peanut butter, canola oil, soy milk and vanilla until well combined. Stir in sugar, flour, baking powder and baking soda just until a smooth batter forms. Then stir in chopped apples only until incorporated. Divide evenly among prepared muffin cups and bake for 20 minute or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean. Allow to cool about 10 minutes in the pan and then remove to cool completely or to enjoy while warm.
Alisa Fleming, creator of "Go Dairy Free," posted a lovely review of The Blooming Platter Cookbook just a little while back. Her endorsement is very flattering for, through her work, she's seen more than her fair share of wonderful cookbooks.
But, with the change in seasons, she felt herself returning again to "The Platter" in search of what she calls "that depth of flavor that I love this time of year." What she found and dubbed "perfect fall comfort food" was my Farmstand Fruit Muffins. Follow the link for her intro, favorite apples recommendations, and the recipe.
Thank you, Alisa, for the post and for calling my cookbook a "creative collection of recipes"~enjoy everyone!
I can't believe it, but when I went to add the label for this post, I realized that I have no other muffin recipes posted. How can that be? I better get busy and rectify that situation and these moist extra-special "bakeshop" muffins are a fine place to start. Enjoy them with your morning coffee or tea or, heck, as I just did for an afternoon snack.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 15 muffin tins with muffin papers and set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine first 5 ingredients. In a small cup or bowl, combine apple butter and baking soda and stir until foamy. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the apple butter mixture, oil and soy milk. Stir with a wooden spoon just until completely combined. Using an ice cream scoop, place equal amounts of dough into each tin. Divide streusel evenly among muffins and make for 15-17 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Mix with fingers until all ingredients are uniformly combined.


text:
Q: OAuth2 Refresh token scopes I am implementing an OAuth2 server that supports refresh token however, there is something that I am not been able to understand fully.
When a user request for a new access token via the refresh_token grant_type and he/she requested lesser scope (3 out of the 5 scopes) than what the original access token has. Should the refresh token have the original scopes or should the refresh token have the new scopes requested?

*

*If the refresh token has the new scopes requested, does this mean that eventually, they will run out of scopes if they keep requesting lesser scopes?

*Should the refresh token keep the original scopes? This would mean that an access token returned would have different scopes as to what is stored in the refresh token, and the next request to get a new access token may result in more scopes than the current access token.
Can someone please enlighten me on this issue?
I have read the RFC docs and there is a point that states

If a new refresh token is issued, the refresh token scope MUST be
  identical to that of the refresh token included by the client in the
  request.

A: For a refresh token grant:

*

*The base behaviour is to receive only a new access token in the response

*The original refresh token is then reused a number of times.

Some authorization servers support refresh token rotation and may also:

*

*Issue a new 'rolling' refresh token

*This is bound to the original scopes and session time

At least that's the theory, though you need to test for your particular authorization server. Vendor support from the likes of Microsoft, AWS and others varies considerably.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Fairfield schools' food program to be spun off to outside vendor
The jobs of 72 food service workers in the public schools are at risk after a vote by the Board of Education to outsource the school district's food services program.
The 6-2 vote to subcontract the program and to authorize the school district's central office to prepare a "request for qualifications" from companies interested in running it followed a brief discussion at the school board's Aug. 27 meeting.
The motion to outsource the program wasn't on the school board's agenda Aug. 27, but the board voted 7-1 to add it to the agenda that night and then voted 6-2 to approve it after an eight-minute public discussion.
John Convertito, the board member who made the motion, said the food services program, which employs 16 cook managers -- one at each of the town's schools -- and 56 general workers, was supposed to be a self-funded program, but the board was funding health-care benefits and pension contributions out of the school board's budget.
According to Doreen Munsell, the school district's director of finance and business services, the program operated at a $70,000 loss in 2010-11, a $265,000 loss in 2011-12, and a $380,000 loss in 2012-13.
The Board of Education in June hiked the price of school lunches for this school year by a dime at the elementary schools and a quarter at the middle schools and high schools. But Superintendent of Schools David G. Title said at the time that the only way to eliminate the deficit would be to increase the number of students who bought lunches. "The only way to get out of this box is to increase participation. You can't price your way out of it. You couldn't charge enough," he said.
Convertito said another reason for his motion was the complexity of legislation regarding healthy food. "With the new legislations that have come forward in the last two years, it's become more and more obvious to me that we as a district cannot do this," he said. "I just think it's time we investigate outside vendors and we truly get in some good healthy lunch program in our schools, which I think are better served by an outside vendor."
Philip Dwyer, chairman of the Board of Education, also indicated that the complexity of legislation regarding healthy lunches is a reason for switching to an outside vendor to manage the program. "A specialized outside contractor would bring expertise with regulations, trends and best practices to the district," he said. He said an outside contractor also would have "a variety of resources, such as a broad base of experience in nutrition, software management practices and state and federal compliance issues."
"Our focus is on educating children and their professional focus is on delivering healthy, high-quality food," Dwyer said.
Dwyer said the Board of Education discussed asking an outside contractor to "provide an opportunity for our current food service employees to become the employees of the contractor going forward."
"Of course we cannot offer guarantees in this regard," he said.
The school board's decision to outsource the food services program came shortly after a vote to increase by 2 percent the pay of the 72 food service employees, who are not union members. After the 2 percent increase, the 11 cook managers at each elementary school are paid $19.66 an hour, the three middle school cook managers are paid $21.96 an hour, and the two high school cook managers make $23.99 an hour. Fifty-one of the general workers after the increase are paid $12.98 an hour and the other five are paid $14.24 an hour. The total estimated cost of the salary increases was $18,223.
Dwyer said the Board of Education would retain control over school lunch prices after the program is outsourced and that those prices are reviewed annually.
The board chairman said that a "request for proposals" from prospective food-services vendors is being drafted by the district's central office in consultation with a parent group that provides advice on nutrition. The RFP, he said, would include "specifications and standards to ensure quality health foods, which, of course, guide meals."
Dwyer said the town's Purchasing Department and the state Department of Education have to review the RFP. "Thus, the drafting of the RFP and selection of a contractor will take some time, and I personally believe any transition is likely to occur sometime in mid-year 2014," he said.
Robert Grady, a Shelton resident who has been following the issue because he has friends who work in Fairfield's food services program, said he was troubled by the process under which the board voted to go to an outside contractor. He said the board should have tabled the motion to its next meeting, instead of adding it to the agenda and voting on it in one meeting.
Grady, who contacted the media about the issue, said he was offended the board made its decision so quickly and that tabling the motion would have allowed the public to be aware of the issue and comment on it. No one in the audience at the board's Aug. 27 meeting offered a comment on Convertito's motion to outsource the program.
"To me, that's reasonable," Grady said of tabling the motion. "That's mindful people doing mindful things."
School board member Paul Fattibene, who voted against the motion to outsource the program as well as the motion to add it to the agenda, said the program "has certain, or currently appears to have certain, deficiencies because of the loss that was incurred in the last fiscal year and clearly some changes need to be made."
But Fattibene said he didn't believe he was given "sufficient information to make an informed decision as to whether this or not this course of action is the best to do at this time or not."
Jennifer Kennelly, a school board member who also voted against the motion to outsource the program, said she is concerned about the board losing accountability and control over the school lunch program. "I will also say concerns for the staff. Not having been through the RFP process, I'd be very concerned there are protections in place for our staff members that are strong and have some heft to them because they [food service employees] are part of what's making this district function."
Kennelly said the decision to outsource the program was "not just a dollars and cents issue."
"This is affecting an awful lot of our staff members, and I would want them protected," Kennelly said.
Dwyer said other school districts have found value in outsourcing their food service program -- Convertito had cited as examples Westport and Weston -- and said he doesn't think those districts only viewed the outsourced lunch program from a monetary perspective. Convertito said he believes the food service programs in Westport and Weston are better than Fairfield's and that lunch prices are comparable.
Kennelly asked if the board was bound to outsource the program if it didn't like responses from the RFP, and Dwyer said the board was "moving forward on this to go to an outside vendor."


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text:
China plans to close 4,300 coal mines
21 January 2016	(Last Updated January 21st, 2016 18:30)
The Chinese Government is planning to close a total of 4,300 small or inefficient coal mines across the country.
China has agreed to provide of $4.6bn funds over the next three years to support the closures.
In addition, China is planning to slash production capacity by 700 million tonnes a year over the next three years.
"Coal consumption amounted to 64.4% of the country's total energy mix in 2015, a 1.7% fall compared with 2014."
State news agency Xinhua said that around one million workers will also be redeployed.
The latest move is part of China's efforts to cut the share of coal in its overall energy mix and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and follows a previous announcement to close more than 1,000 mines in in Guizhou, Yunnan, Heilongjiang and Jiangxi provinces.
Official data revealed that in 2015, total raw coal output in the country dropped 3.5% to 3.68 billion tonnes.
China's state planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission is reportedly inviting opinions from the industry ahead of the release of a plan to address overcapacity in the sector.
New mine approvals will also be banned for the next three years.
The National Energy Administration said that coal consumption amounted to 64.4% of the country's total energy mix in 2015, which represents a 1.7% fall compared with 2014. China aims to cut the rate to 62.6% in 2016.
Russell Mineral Equipment
Specialist Mining Equipment Design and Manufacture
Mineral Sizing Equipment, Technology and Services


Orchard Park, NY (WGR 550) - You will never question where Sean McDermott's focus is. When he was asked about using last season as a motivator, he said that was for the off season and now all he can focus on is the Baltimore Ravens.
If the Bills are going to have any success on offense this year, LeSean McCoy will have to have a big season. McDermott said, "In respect with LeSean, he's developing, I've watched him since he was younger, I appreciate his leadership, he's playing fast. He looks like he's in better shape than a year ago.
For the second time in three years, the Bills must start the season in Baltimore. They lost two years ago and McDermott thinks this time will also be a tough task, "The Ravens are a physical football team and coach Harbaugh preaches that. We have a lot of respect for what they do and how they do it and we work hard at fitting the run.
Ray-Ray McCloud did not practice and Julian Stanford was limited.


If you a looking for an Uber taxi in Chamonix then, sorry, it doesn't exist in Chamonix but………… you can download the Chamonixcabs Application on Apple or Android to order your Cab in just the same way.
The Chamonixcabs App is in English, it tells you where you are, or, you can choose an address.
You can pay by either Credit Card in advance or Cash in the vehicle AND it tells you how much it will cost BEFORE you book so that there are no hidden surprises.
So, if you are planning a trip to Chamonix and want to use Taxis to get around then please dont hesitate to use our App.


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Communication Sciences & Disorders 2013; 18(2): 194-202.
The purpose of this study was to generate a Korean version of the Singing Voice Handicap Index (K-SVHI) and to test whether application of the K-SVHI would be plausible for patients with voice disorders.
Subjects who participated in the study were 130 vocalists, including 90 normal and 40 dysphonic vocalists. The group of normal vocalists consisted of 30 students majoring in vocal music, 30 members of the chorus and 30 performing musicians. The Korean version of SVHI was translated into Korean from the English version. Three different types of rating tools were used to document the subject's perception of the handicap of Korean vocalists: the first item of Iowa Patient's Voice Index (IPVI), VHI and K-SVHI. Internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability and concurrent validity were assessed as well as group differences.
The results of this study are summarized as follows. 1) There was a high internal consistency between items of K-SVHI. Test-retest reliability was extremely high. With regards to the concurrent validity, Spearman correlation between the K-SVHI and IPVI's first item was high in the dysphonic vocalists group. 2) Dysphonic vocalists had higher K-SVHI scores compared to normal vocalists. 3) Three normal vocalist groups showed significant differences from each other when analyzed with the ANOVA. Students majoring in vocal music received significantly higher scores than members of the chorus, and members of the chorus had higher scores than the performing musicians.
The K-SVHI seems to be a useful psychometric instrument for assessing the voice handicap of Korean vocalists with voice problems.
The traditional clinical assessment of voice disorders have been made based on objective acoustic/aerodynamic measures and subjective auditory-perceptual judgments of listeners. However, in order to measure the outcome of the treatment adequately, recent studies have additionally suggested clinical measurements of the impact of voice problems on the daily lives of individual patients as well as the perceived level of handicap resulting from voice problems (Kim et al., 2007).
The Voice Handicap Index (VHI) is a widely used instrument in some countries, including Korea, for scaling the severity of the perceived handicap felt by patients with voice problems (Yoon, Kim, Sohn, & Choi, 2008). VHI has been used for the clinical purpose to examine the treatment outcome by comparing patients' perception of handicap before and after treatment. Post-treatment change in the VHI scores reflects voice improvement which the patient has experienced in daily life through treatment (Colton et al., 2011). However, VHI has limitations in assessing singing voice problems because none of the 30 items are related to the singing voice.
Compared to non-singers, singers are exposed to a higher risk for voice problems and are more sensitive to their voice problems. In particular, professional singers have a higher level of perceived voice problems than those who are retired and are engaged in few social activities (Phyland, Oates, & Greenwood, 1999). Further, professional singers belonging to different groups feel a different level of stress from their voice problems. For this reason, in this study, we subdivided subjects into the following three groups: chorus, singing students and professional performers.
The Singing Voice Handicap Index (SVHI) is a newly developed tool for measuring voice handicap associated with singing voice problems (Cohen et al., 2007). SVHI is comprised of 36 questions. The patient completes the questionnaire by using a 5-point rating scale to indicate his/her response. The SVHI is an ordinal scale, each question of which is scored from 0 (never) to 4 (always); the total score ranges between a minimum of 0 and a maximum of 144. A higher score indicates that the patient's perception of disability caused by the voice problem is more severe. Recent studies reported that the SVHI is more reliable, valid and more sensitive to the VHI in detecting the changes in singers after voice treatment (Cohen Statham, Rosen, & Zullo, 2009). Therefore, it is a valuable instrument for measuring the handicap that results from singing voice disorders (Cohen et al., 2007).
The aims of this study were 1) to make a K-SVHI questionnaire by translating SVHI into Korean, and evaluate the Korean version of SVHI by assessing its validity and reliability, and 2) to assess the subjective perception and attitude toward voice disorders in Korean dysphonic vocalists by using the K-SVHI.
Subjects in the study included 130 vocalists, including 90 normal and 40 dysphonic vocalists. Ninety normal vocalists were divided into three groups of students majoring in vocal music, members of the chorus and performing musicians. Forty adult males and females over 20 years of age, who were diagnosed as dysphonic vocalists after receiving over five years of vocal training, were selected as experimental subjects. Dysphonic vocalists had not received medical or surgical treatment for dysphonia, and they did not carry any mental or physical disorders. Forty dysphonic vocalists consisted of 13 vocalists with vocal nodule, 5 with vocal cyst, 14 with muscle tension dysphonia, 4 with vocal polyp, 2 with spasmodic dysphonia, one with Reinke's edema, and one with laryngitis.
Ninety adult normal vocalists over 20 years of age with over five years of vocal training and no medical history of voice disorder were selected as experimental subjects. Normal vocalists did not particularly feel any voice problems, and have not visited the ENT clinic specializing on voice treatment in the last three months. Yoon (2007) sorted the normal group by using the first item of the Iowa Patient's Voice Index (IPVI). IPVI was developed by Verdolini and colleagues at the University of Iowa as a means of concisely documenting patients' perceptions of their own voice quality, vocal effort and impact of dysphonia on their lives (Karnell et al., 2007). The first item of the IPVI was administered to patients in order to rate voice quality on an equal-appearing interval scale (e.g., 0, normal or no impact; and 6, severe or great impact); moreover, Yoon (2007) excluded participants from the normal group if his/her mark was higher than 2.
However, we believed that it is inappropriate to use the first question of the IPVI solely as a screening test for professional singers, because the test is too simple for them. In order to complement this point, we used VHI-30, which is the most representative psychometric assessment along with the IPVI's first question.
We excluded participants from the normal group if his/her mark was higher than 2 in any question item of VHI-30 because we thought it conveyed the risk factors of voice disorders. Cohen et al. (2007) also assumed that subjects not feeling voice problems in their everyday lives made a negative response at 0, meaning "never," and at 1, meaning "almost never;" further, subjects recognizing the frequency of voice problems and severity of voice problems made a positive response at 2, implying "sometimes," and at 4, implying "always," in the VHI-30 questionnaire items.
The group of normal vocalists consisted of 30 students majoring in vocal music, 30 chorus members and 30 performing musicians. In a study by Phyland et al. (1999), singers were required to have sung more than 2 hours per month on average during the previous year; however, our study targets normal vocalists having received vocal training for over five years. Due to the fact that performing musicians usually practice two to three months for their stage performances, the target group for this study included performers participating in performances at least four times a year.
Three groups of subjects were selected for the following reasons.
In the case of chorus and professional performers, the authors thought that despite the fact that they all made an income by singing, the degree of stress between chorus and professional performers when singing would be different. Because singing students do not have a regular full-time job but make extra income by singing, we thought that they portrayed different aspects compared to chorus and performer groups.
Three bilingual users who speak Korean and English at the level of native speakers translated the SVHI. While two of them are specialists working at the voice clinic of otolaryngology, the other user is not a specialist. In addition, the concept of content validity was used to increase the accuracy of measurement. Three speech pathologists with experiences in voice disorder evaluation and treatment for at least five years and three vocalists who studied vocal music at universities and have over 20 years of experience in performance and vocal lessons were selected to perform content validity. Speech pathologists and three vocalists assisted in the translation of SVHI in order to help vocalists understand as well as to check the terminology. These three high profile specialists collaborated with one another for these reasons. K-SVHI is attached in Appendix 1.
The Korean version of the SVHI were reviewed and modified by three bilingual users, three speech pathologists and three vocalists.
Three different types of questionnaires were administered to all subjects in the order of IPVI's first question, VHI and K-SVHI. In this study, the first item of IPVI was used to examine the overall recognition degree of voice problems by dysphonic vocalists. After we distributed copies of surveys to subjects and briefly explaining the method of scoring, subjects were allowed to fill out the survey.
Data analysis was statistically conducted using the SPSS ver. 12.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Two independent samples t-tests were used to compare the distinctiveness between normal vocalists and dysphonic vocalists. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the three groups of normal vocalists-students majoring in vocal music, members of the chorus and performing musicians. Test-retest reliability was tested with Pearson correlation, and Spearman correlation coefficients calculated the validity of K-SVHI and the existing tests as well as the official validity. Approximately 10% of the subjects were asked to re-test in order to measure the reliability of the test tool. K-SVHI was completed at the initial presentation, and a second copy was mailed one week after the initial participants' visit. This timing was chosen so that the patients' vocal health state would not have changed and they would not remember their initial answers. As a result of conducting a retest of K-SVHI on 10% of the subjects, including 9 normal vocalists and 4 dysphonic vocalists, the degree of congruence within subjects in the Pearson correlation analysis was extremely high (r=.988, p<.01).
The internal consistency for the K-SVHI, as measured by Cronbach's α, was 0.911 for the normal vocalist group and 0.951 for the dysphonic vocalist group. The item-total score correlations calculated for all 36 items ranged from 0.18 to 0.83. Generally, higher item discrimination can be more reliable. According to Ebel's guidelines on the evaluation of item discrimination, more than 0.40 is 'good', 0.30 to 0.39 is 'okay', 0.20 to 0.29 is 'low', and 0.10 to 0.19 is 'poor' (Sung, 2004).
Concurrent validity was evaluated by comparing the K-SVHI scores to VHI and also by comparing the first item of IPVI using Spearman correlation analysis. Analysis on the validity of K-SVHI total score and the first item of IPVI for each of normal and dysphonic vocalist groups showed a relatively high correlation (normal vocalists: r=.675, p<.01; dysphonic vocalists: r=.783, p<.01). Analysis on the validity of the total score of K-SVHI and VHI for each normal and dysphonic vocalist groups showed a significant correlation (normal vocalist: r=.543, p<.01; dysphonic vocalist: r=.452, p<.01).
Dysphonic vocalists had higher K-SVHI scores than normal vocalists (t=-12.395, p<.05). The average K-SVHI score of the normal vocalist group was 19.84 (SD=12.84), whereas the average K-SVHI of the dysphonic vocalist group was 70.63 (SD=33.90). These results are presented in Figure 1.
In the dysphonic vocalist group, comparisons of total K-SVHI scores among diseases were shown in Figure 2. Reinke's edema of organic voice disorders and spasmodic dysphonia of neurological voice disorders are shown to have the highest scores. Of the functional voice disorders, vocal cyst, with a score of 103.6, is shown to have a high score compared with vocal nodule or vocal polyp. However, muscle tension dysphonia, which is in the same category of functional voice disorders, showed a relatively low score. Further, laryngitis of inflammatory voice disorders showed a low score.
Analysis of variance showed significant differences in K-SVHI scores among the three normal vocalist groups; students majoring in vocal music, members of the chorus and performing musicians (p<.05). The average K-SVHI was 30.17 (SD=11.02) for university students majoring in vocal music, 19.93 (SD=10.47) for members of the chorus and 9.43 (SD=7.23) for performers. According to the Scheffe F analysis, students majoring in vocal music attained significantly higher scores compared to members of the chorus, and the members of the chorus had higher scored compared to performing musicians (p<.001). These results are presented in Figure 3.
The SVHI translated in Korean has been proved to have good reliability and validity. For each group, the normal vocalist group and the dysphonic vocalist group showed 0.911 and 0.951 as Cronbach's α value. It indicates that there was a high internal consistency between items of K-SVHI; moreover, it verified that K-SVHI is composed of relatively uniform items. The high confidence level of test-retest reliability (r=.99) explained that subjects evaluated their voice problems coherently.
The normal vocalist group received significantly lower scores than did the dysphonic vocalist group. The K-SVHI discriminated between vocalists with vocal dysfunction and normal vocalists. This finding further supports its validity. With regard to the concurrent validity Spearman correlation between the K-SVHI and IPVI's first item was high (dysphonic vocalists group: r=.783, p< .01; normal vocalists group: r=.675, p<.01).
In this study, K-SVHI showed a higher correlation with IPVI's first item than that of the VHI. The VHI has not been specifically validated among singers and the individual question may not be sensitive enough to detect changes among singers with voice complaints (Hogikyan & Sethuraman, 1999; Jacobson et al., 1997; Murry, Zschommler, & Prokop, 2009; Rosen Lee, Osborne, Zullo, & Murry, 2004). On the other hand, the first item of IPVI is to examine the overall recognition degree of voice problems. It could be surmised that IPVI's first item was more sensitive to the voice problems of dysphonic vocalist group than to the VHI for these reasons. However, there were limitations in obtaining the concurrent validity by using a voice related psychometric evaluation of the existing instrument because there is no tool focused on the singing voice.
Dysphonic vocalists in this study had higher K-SVHI scores than normal vocalists. In the previous study (Cohen et al., 2007), compared to the 112 singing patients, the control group of singers had lower SVHI scores; a median of 22 vs. a median of 61 (p≤.001, rank sum test). Also, the patients' SVHI scores were twice the control group's SVHI scores regardless of professional, income or classical singing status (p≤.001, rank sum test). The average K-SVHI score of the normal vocalist group was 19.84 (SD=12.84) while the average K-SVHI score of the dysphonic vocalist group was 70.63 (SD=33.90). Dysphonic vocalist groups showed three times higher scores than the normal vocalist groups. This result suggests that K-SVHI may be used as a tool for judging whether a vocalist has his/her own voice problems.
The three vocalist groups.students majoring in vocal music, members of the chorus and performing musicians.showed significant differences from each other. The students majoring in vocal music received significantly higher scores than members of the chorus, and members of the chorus had higher scores than the performing musicians. Students majoring in vocal music are thought to have shown the highest scores because they have not yet settled their voices completely and are in a learning/training period in which they learn to be a professional performer (Sim, 2013). In the case of chorus members, the tendency to place importance on harmony with other people's sound results in the difficulty of making desirable sounds (Gil, 2009). Lastly, because most performing musicians are equipped with a certain level of singing ability, they are confident about their singing and therefore are capable of making great sounds by resolving any unsatisfactory parts of their voice through many experiences and trials (Caruso & Tetrazzini, 1995). For example, singers through the trial and error experience would learn the appropriate location of the tongue and the larynx; thus, they can make the most effective sound (Caruso & Tetrazzini, 1995). However, there is a limit in generalizing the results of this study due to the small sample size of each group. In order to ensure homogeneity of the group, the same clinical diagnosis of the dysphonic group or similar severity will be needed for future research. If so, the study will be able to obtain more validity. Therefore, it is necessary to include a large number of groups in future studies.
In conclusion, the K-SVHI is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing Korean singer's perceived handicap of voice disorders. Consequently, the K-SVHI can aid in the assessment of dysphonic singers. However, there are limitations in generalizing the results for all vocal musicians as well as applying them to groups of singers with different styles and musical genres because this study only observed a small number of participants, all of whom are classical singers.
Comparison of Korean version of the Singing Voice Handicap Index (K-SVHI) score between normal vocalist group and dysphonic vocalist group.
Comparison of total Korean version of the Singing Voice Handicap Index (K-SVHI) score according to diagnosis group.
Comparison of Korean version of the Singing Voice Handicap Index (K-SVHI) scores of three vocalists groups.
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Cohen, SM., Jacobson, BH., Garrett, CG., Noordzij, JP., Stewart, MG., Attia, A., Ossoff, RH., & Cleveland, TF. (2007). Creation and validation of the Singing Voice Handicap Index. Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology. 116, 402–406.
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Colton, RH., Casper, JK., & Hirano, M. (2011). Understanding voice problems: a physiological perspective for diagnosis and treatment (4th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Gil, HJ. (2009). Influencing model for leaders of choirs and chorus (Master's thesis). Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
Jacobson, BH., Johnson, A., Grywalski, C., Silbergleit, A., Jacobson, G., & Benninger, MS. (1997). The Voice Handicap Index (VHI): development and validation. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. 6, 66–70.
Karnell, MP., Melton, SD., Childes, JM., Coleman, TC., Dailey, SA., & Hoffman, HT. (2007). Reliability clinician based (GRBAS and CAPE-V) and patient-based (V-RQOL and IPVI) documentation of voice disorders. Journal of Voice. 21, 576–590.
Kim, JO., Lim, SE., Park, SY., Choi, SH., Choi, JA., & Choi, HS. (2007). Validity and reliability of Korean-version of voice handicap index and voice- related quality of life. Korean Journal of Speech Sciences. 14, 111–125.
Murry, T., Zschommler, A., & Prokop, J. (2009). Voice handicap in singers. Journal of Voice. 23, 376–379.
Phyland, DJ., Oates, J., & Greenwood, KM. (1999). Self-reported voice problems among three groups of professional singers. Journal of Voice. 13, 602–611.
Rosen, CA., Lee, AS., Osborne, J., Zullo, T., & Murry, T. (2004). Development and validation of the Voice Handicap Index-10. Laryngoscope. 114, 1549–1556.
Sim, SY. (2013). A correlation between undergraduate music majors' self-efficacy and confidence in performance. (Master's thesis). Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea.
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Urban Land > Economy, Market & Trends > UL Interview: New York City CRE Owner Leslie Himmel on Finding "Brave Money" in a Down Cycle
UL Interview: New York City CRE Owner Leslie Himmel on Finding "Brave Money" in a Down Cycle
By Sibley Fleming
When Urban Land last spoke to New York City landlord Leslie Himmel of Himmel + Meringoff Properties in March, vacancy within the nation's largest office market was hovering just below 10 percent. While that still registers below the market's peak of 11.7 percent in 2010, according to Moody's, that rate has continued to drift upwards since March.
Leslie Himmel, founder and co-managing partner of Himmel + Meringoff Properties at the 2022 ULI Fall Meeting in Dallas.
For Himmel, this bumpy market is unsettling—for now. After all, the firm that she and her partner Stephen Meringoff have led since 1985—a privately held, long-term owner/developer of New York City office and industrial properties—has played a central role in this market, and that includes weathering many tricky market cycles.
Urban Land recently sat down with Himmel for a lively discussion about doing business in a recessionary market amid rising interest rates, and her ongoing search for what she calls "brave money."
UL: The last time we talked, you were the booster club for "returning to the office" in New York City. How has that worked out?
New York City is definitely in recovery mode, that's the good news, even if it's not progressing as swiftly as many people, including me, anticipated it would six months ago. But our occupancy rates are solid, and we're signing leases across the portfolio. It helps that we own many buildings in Chelsea and NoMad [Madison Square North], which are by far the cooler neighborhoods with tenants that typically need 10,000 to 20,000 feet (929-1858 sq m) —and this segment of end users has largely brought everybody back to the office. It's also worth noting that as a major New York City landlord, we never stopped working or surrendered to the 'woe is me' stance. Quite the opposite—our experience with adversity in the past really taught us how to navigate these tough cycles. I may sound repetitive to those who know me well, but I firmly believe you should never bet against New York City.
So overall, yes, New York City feels much better today than it did a year ago even if the general velocity and exponential curve of what's going on isn't great.
So, lease rates are still down a little bit and the leases are shorter?
Correct, except for the credit tenants we have leased to. There's a bifurcated [market]. If you're doing a tenant lease of 10,000 square feet (929 sq m), they're going to want to do a five-year deal with a five-year renewal rather than a 10-year deal with a comparable 10-year renewal.
But we've also been pleasantly surprised. At 462 Broadway, for example, we own a building that boasts beautiful architecture in a fantastic submarket. We did a very cool deal with DoubleVerify, a media meets tech [company], in late 2021. But now I think we have the huge headwinds of interest rates, and the recession around the corner if not already here. Just when we're gaining momentum, we have new challenges.
Another example of a long-term lease signed, amongst others, was a new 30-year lease at 525 West 57th Street (a life science property), with Mt. Sinai.
You have dealt with high interest rates in the past. What can those who have not been through this type of cycle expect?
I [recently] spoke to a group called RELA [Real Estate Lenders Association] a lenders group, and there were 99 lenders in the room for the lunch at the Yale Club. The average age of the audience was around 30 to 40 years old, so they had not experienced the fall of October 19, 1987 [Black Monday], or the change of legislation in the early '90s, where so many banks just stopped lending…. [then] 2001, of course, the terrible [attack on] the World Trade Center, and then the Great Recession.
From 2008 until recently, it's been much different with interest rates being so low—it hasn't totally been easy because we've had ups and downs—my comment to this group was 'I feel prepared to deal with the adversity of this market because I have been through difficult market cycles in the past, and successfully worked through them.' It's not fun, and I know a lot of people are just saying, 'Oh well, wait and see'— there is no wait and see.
One has to take the long-term view here—interest rates will come down again. It's just going to take time. My message to lenders is this: Work with your borrowers because COVID wasn't their fault, nor was it the borrower's fault that rates went from three and a half to roughly six percent and a half in a very short time.
A lot of loans will be hard to replace, which means it will be interesting to see what lenders ultimately do—will they 'kick the can down the road' and work with their borrowers, or will they instead start to sell their debt and foreclose? I don't know the answer. Not sure anyone does. But I suspect that they will choose to work with the borrowers rather than pursue more adversarial solutions. To bring it back to my luncheon with RELA, my message to these young lenders was 'you need to work with borrowers because if you own debt that's worth 100 million dollars that you can't really replace, you don't want to ignite a much more serious chain reaction such as what happened in the early 1990's.
What is your strategy going into a recession if we're not already in one?
Look, our company has been around a really long time. Recessions are nothing new to us. We're just going to continue to do what we have always done, and that means focus on our core business. We always improve the lobbies and elevators—keep things modern. We're just going to keep doing the same.
As far as new acquisitions—not time yet?
I think that within the next six months or so, there will be a lot more opportunities. Price discovery is still hard to gauge because, with interest rates going up so dramatically, many lenders are not actively in the market—at least not until things settle down. We need the Federal Reserve to signal that 'Now we're going to go back the other way.' I think everyone's concerned about whether the Fed will keep raising rates. And if the answer is yes, well, what happens next?
The good news is that pricing, at least in New York, has not really come down. Capitalization rates have not moved in lockstep with interest rates, and one could argue that perhaps they shouldn't. Opportunities will arise, especially for long-term, seasoned operators who have a battle-tested track record. I think the smaller owners with one or two properties who have frozen up by simply neglecting their business will struggle going forward. In addition, highly levered lenders with mezzanine debt may face challenges. Now is not the time to lose focus or succumb to panic; it's the opposite—you need to fully direct your attention on your core business, and you also have to work twice as hard today as you did five years ago.
What is your process?
I think it's extremely challenging to have interest rates shoot up against the backdrop of Covid and the work from home/hybrid trend. And then you have all of these other issues such as crime in the subways and the migration of people out of big cities. Well, I look at these macro trends and ask, 'What can I do about this? And do I want to double down with what I have because New York City always comes back?' The answer to that last question is emphatically 'yes'!
It also helps that I am very data driven. The same goes for my team: Andrea Himmel, our head of acquisitions, is even more data driven and analytical. She's a Wharton grad and she spends a lot of time studying trends because now is the time when you have to almost be your own McKinsey, so to speak—you have to take a step back and ask, 'Where are the opportunities, and how do I place myself in front of them?' Trying to be proactive by seeing trends around the corner is the key to getting through these uncharted times. A certain degree of courage also is vital. We're trying to raise new equity with groups that want to come in and be brave. You need really brave money to go forward.
Where is the brave money coming from?
When I find it, I'll let you know (laughs). It's not the traditional [sources]. Unfortunately, as of now, we've typically invested as partners with the traditional groups. And there's a little bit of this deer-in-the-headlights dynamic that's going on in which traditional [capital sources] such as private equity funds and pension funds have changed their underwriting plans. They were always a key source of financing. But you wait. They will get brave again.
But I also think that a number of the financial institutions are investing in commercial real estate—even if they're underwriting at such high rates that there's no equity. And I think if you can see the long view, there will be properties in New York and other areas that are going to struggle in a manner very similar to what occurred in the early '90s.
So, this is going to be family money…?
Maybe foreign, maybe family office money. It will be interesting to see who the brave ones are because they are the ones who will help this market fully bounce back. The only thing I can say for certain is that our firm will be brave and seize opportunities.


Welcome to our first gallery of presenters and workshops from our 2018 event.
All events took place in and around the Mangere East Community Centre, including the Metro Theatre and the Mangere East Library.
We gratefully thank all the presenters and supporters for making this, our first festival, such a great event.
Stay tuned for the 2019 festival!!