Twenty-six mid to senior-ranking border security and management officials completed a staff course at the OSCE Border Management Staff College (BMSC) on 1 March in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. It was the 23rd such course offered by the College since its founding.
BRUSSELS, 6 March 2019 – OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger launched today in Brussels a report that gives a detailed picture of the physical, sexual and psychological violence many women and girls have had to endure in South-Eastern and Eastern Europe in the last decades.


text:
'OY BOWLING AB'
It means 'Bowling, Inc.' and possibly a good deal more to the U.S.
Victor Kalman
IF You were to walk down Ruusulankatu, one of Helsinki's main streets, you would have to look closely to see the sign, no larger than a doctor's bronze door plaque: "Oy Bowling Ab." It marks the only academy in Finland's capital—a mere ten lanes similar to the basement alleys that were the vogue in the United States a quarter-century ago. Yet it might well be the most important bowling establishment in the world.
It was in Oy Bowling Ab (which simply means Bowling, Inc.) that the stars of seven nations competed in the International Federation of Bowling championships in June. It is here—the sport's easternmost outpost in the free world—that the U.S. has a tremendous opportunity to enhance its prestige politically as well as athletically.
It's difficult, at first, to appreciate what bowling means to these people. Only 2,625 men and one woman throughout this country of 4,000,000 inhabitants compete regularly under the sanction of the Finnish Bowling Association, which has adopted the rules of the American Bowling Congress. But when the five best bowlers of Helsinki, say, roll a team from the western port of Turku, several hundred rooters travel with the visiting team, and thousands—literally hanging from rafters and shinnied up pillars—jam the alleys for the match.
MUSIC FOR BOWLERS
The international championships here were preceded by a parade and opened by the mayor of Helsinki before a throng that included most of the diplomatic corps. A 20-piece band played the national anthems of the winning teams and individuals as they stood at attention on Olympic pedestals to receive their gold, silver and bronze trophies and medals. Competition was in Classes A, B, C and D. Wire agencies flashed results to newspapers in Finland, Sweden, Western Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Saar and Yugoslavia, all of whom were represented.
"It was a bitter disappointment," reported Stockholm's most influential sportsnewspaper, "that the Americans, who sired the modern game of bowling, did not see fit to send a team." Oskar Holm, secretary of the Finnish Bowling Association, recognized that it would have cost a great deal for a U.S. team to come here, but he "deeply regretted" that the American Bowling Congress did not even deign to reply to an invitation to participate. The West Germans felt that at least GI's based in Germany could have represented their country in the championships.
GOODWILL FROM 1929
You see, the old-timers here still remember the great American team, built around national champion Joe Scribner of Detroit, which toured the capitals of Europe in 1929 and was feted by the late King Gustav of Sweden. Scandinavian bowling leaders still keep in touch with some of the men who accompanied the team—big, jovial Al Lattin, who later became president of the A.B.C. and now operates an academy at Lexington and 47th St., New York and Bill Landgraf, former president of the New York Bowling Association, who has done as much to promote the sport as any man in the U.S.
In 1952 at Zurich, Switzerland, the European nations organized the International Federation of Bowling. The federation has four divisions: (1) bowlers who follow A.B.C. rules; (2) those who roll outdoors on asphalt alleys; (3) those who roll ninepins or similar games in which scoring and equipment differ from tenpins, and (4) those who roll tenpins but not according to ABC rules. Prof. Ivan Krizanic of Yugoslavia is president of the federation. Sweden's Hans Berger is chairman of the division patterned after the A.B.C.
The Europeans have altered two A.B.C. regulations. In team competition the lead-off men of each quintet roll the entire ten frames (changing lanes after each frame) instead of one frame. This head-and-head bowling naturally leads to higher scores than the American system of rolling in turn. However, the rule change was necessary because in winter the alleys are not so well heated as in the States and contestants must wear heavy sweaters or coats when not bowling.
The second, more basic rule is: no cash awards. Bowling is strictly an amateur sport. But when you see a mature man on a pedestal, unashamed tears streaking down his face as his national anthem is played, and you sense his pride at having scored a victory for his country, the biggest sweepstakes prize in the U.S. seems cheap by comparison.
The A.B.C., the proprietors and the manufacturers could do themselves and America an immense service by sending a team to Oy Bowling Ab next summer and competing in the 1955 international championships in West Germany along the way.
THE DESERT FOX
Tex Rickard, owner of a Nevada gambling house, began his career as a fight promoter 48 years ago this week. He offered $30,000 in gold or a lightweight title match between champion Joe Gans and durable Batling Nelson at Goldfield, Nevada. Though eastern writers ridiculed him for promoting "in a desert," Rickard made a $30,000 profit on the fight, which Gans won in 42 rounds.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Fully sculpted, hand-painted scene of Jack and Sally bathed in blue "moonlight," sets aglow art on fabric shade. Mayor's car figurehead cat as finial.
If you've fallen in love with Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, then this lamp is certain to set your heart aglow!
Inspired by the most dreadfully romantic moments between Jack Skellington and Sally, Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Moonlight Lamp boasts a special design that brings the magical power of a moonlit rendezvous to any room in your home.
Licensed from Disney, this lamp is really two exciting works of art in one; the fully sculpted, hand-painted base is superbly handcrafted in artist's resin and stars Jack Skellington and Sally (followed by Zero, of course!), topped by a uniquely fringed lamp shade with even more romantic artwork. And every fabulously frightening detail is bathed in romantic blue "moonlight" emanating from the FREE blue standard light bulb that comes with your lamp!
Not a single feature has been overlooked. Standing at 20 inches tall, each sculpted element is flawlessly recreated from Tim Burton's brilliant designs, from the cobblestone walkway and grinning jack o' lanterns to the rock wall and spooky tree.
Jack and Sally are poised for a special dance, every nuance of their timeless expressions perfectly captured. The shade is crafted of real black cloth and showcases romantic artwork from the film's finale of Jack and Sally atop Spiral Hill, the entire scene set aglow by the blue light bulb within.
A silvery replica of the sculpted cat figurehead from the Mayor's car makes the perfect finial. Atop any table, as a bedside lamp, or proudly displayed on a mantel, any fan of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas is sure to be thrilled by the impact this lamp will make.


The ESA Clean Space Office wants to check the interest for a Life Cycle Assessment and Eco-design for Space Missions course to be organised in one of the ESA establishments for externals in 2018. Location, time and fee is to be confirmed based on your response!
How can sustainability be implemented in space missions, and what has been done on the topic of sustainability in the European space sector.
The course will contain both theory and practical exercises, and duration will be 2 days.
The price of the course is expected to be approximately 1000 EUR per participant (if held in an ESA premises), including course fee and administration, but not including travel, food or accommodation. Tentatively, the course would be before summer of 2018. This is to be determined based on the interest.
The course has not been issued yet as at minimum we will need 10 participants confirmations to run it. Therefore, we would appreciate the confirmation via email of your interest on the course if this is the case.
Please send an email to cleanspace@esa.int to announce your interest.
This sounds like an interesting initiative to improve sustainability of space missions. Being part of the value chain, Umicore is interested to be present.
Thank you for the vote of confidence. We appreciate it.


text:
Аласдер Грей (; 28 декабря 1934, Глазго — 29 декабря 2019) — шотландский писатель и художник. Литературные произведения Грея сочетают в себе элементы реализма, фэнтези, и научной фантастики; для них характерно особое концептуальное оформление и использование иллюстраций самого автора. Его самое известное произведение — роман «», создававшийся на протяжении почти тридцати лет и впервые опубликованный в 1981 году. На настоящий момент Ланарк считается классикой. Газета The Guardian назвала этот роман «одним из ориентиров в литературе 20-го столетия.» Другой роман Грея, «Бедные-несчастные» (1992), был отмечен наградами Whitbread Novel Award и Guardian Fiction Prize.

Всего Грей написал свыше восьми романов; а ещё несколько сборников рассказов, две книги стихов и множество пьес. Он также писал о политике (в поддержку социализма и независимости Шотландии) и об английской литературе.

Грей является автором множества картин и фресок. Одна из его фресок размещена в ресторане Ubiquitous Chip, что в Вест-Энде Глазго, другая — занимает потолок аудиториума в церкви Оран Мор, что на улице Байрс Роуд, также в Глазго (это произведение является одним из самых больших по размеру в Шотландии).

Писатель Уилл Селф называет Аласдера Грея "творческим эрудитом со всесторонним политико-философским видением " и "великим писателем, возможно величайшим из живущих сегодня на этом архипелаге.» Себя Грей называл «толстым, очкастым, лысеющим, неуклонно-стареющим пешеходом из Глазго».

Биография
Родился в пригороде  на востоке Глазго. Его отец, получивший ранение во время Первой мировой войны, работал на фабрике. Его мать работала в магазине. Во время Второй мировой войны Грея эвакуировали в округ Пертшир в центральной Шотландии, а затем в округ Ланаркшир. Опыт, который Грей при этом пережил, позже отразился в его литературных произведениях. Семья обитала в  (форма общественного или социального жилья). Образование, полученное будущим писателем, было комбинацией государственного обучения (средняя школа «Уайтхилл» в пригороде Глазго), посещения публичных библиотек, и ознакомления с общественно-правовым вещанием: «тип образования, который Британское правительство сейчас считает бесполезным, особенно для детей британского рабочего класса», как он позже замечал. С 1952 по 1957 год учился в «Школе Искусств Глазго», и преподавал здесь же с 1958 по 1962 год. Он был студентом, когда начал писать то, что позже стало романом «».

После выпуска из университета работал как портретист и пейзажист, а также как независимый писатель и художник. Его первые пьесы вещались на радио и телевидении в 1968 году. С 1972 по 1974 год принимал участие в писательской группе, которую организовал  (). Здесь писатель повстречался с Джеймсом Келманом,  (),  (),  и .

С 1977 по 1979 год был «Писателем в резиденции» университета Глазго. В 2001 году, совместно с Томом Леонардом и Джеймсом Келманом, стал преподавателем творческого письма () в двух образовательных учреждениях города Глазго — университетах Глазго и Стрэтклайд.

В 2001 году «» представила Грея кандидатом на пост ректора Университета Глазго. Но его конкурент на пост, Грег Хемфилл (), с небольшим перевесом одержал над ним победу.

Был дважды женат. Первый раз на Инге Соренсон () — с 1961 по 1970 год. Второй раз на Мораг МакАлпин () — с 1991 года до конца жизни. У него был сын, Эндрю, который родился в 1964 году.

Политические взгляды
Грей — шотландский гражданский (или либеральный) националист (англ.) и республиканец. В своей книге «Почему Шотландией должны править шотландцы» (1992) он замечает: «Название этой книги может прозвучать угрожающе для тех, кто живёт в Шотландии, но родился и обучался в другом месте, так что уж лучше я объясню, что под словом "шотландцы" я имею в виду каждого в Шотландии, кто может участвовать в голосовании».

Ранее Грей поддерживал Шотландскую национальную () и Шотландскую социалистическую () партии. Однако в 2010 году, когда в Великобритании проходили всеобщие выборы, он поддержал местную кандидатку от Шотландской либерально-демократической партии () по имени Кэти Гордон ().

Интересные факты
 Писатель сам создавал иллюстрации к своим книгам.
 Грей часто цитировал фразу «Работай так, как будто живёшь в первые дни лучшей нации», которая выгравирована на стене Canongate Wall — здания шотландского Парламента (причём в приписке к этой фразе имя писателя выполнено с ошибкой — Алисдер (). По словам Грея, эта фраза на самом деле принадлежит Дэннису Ли (), английскому певцу и художнику.

Художественные произведения

Романы
  () — 1981 год (роман переведён на русский)
  () — 1984 год (роман переведён на русский)
  () — 1985 год
  () — 1990 год
 МакГротти и Людмила () — 1990 год
 Бедные-несчастные () — 1992 год (роман переведён на русский)
  () — 1994 год
 Мэйвис Белфрэйдж () — 1996 год
  () — 2007 год

Рассказы
 Из истории одного мира () — 1983 год, (рассказы переведены на русский)
  () — 1985 год, (в соавторстве с Джеймсом Келманом и Агнес Оуэнс ())
 Десять высоких и правильных историй () — 1993 год
 Мэйвис Белфрэйдж () — 1996 год
 Концы наших привязей: 13 грустных историй () — 2003 год

Поэзия
 Старые негативы () — 1989 год
 Шестнадцать случайных стихов () — 2000 год

В качестве иллюстратора
 Песни Шотландии (); (Автор — Вильма Паттерсон () — 1996 год

Драматургия (неполный список)

В театре
 Диалог — дуэт () — 1971 год
  () — 1973 год
 Привязаный к дому — трио для шовинисток () — 1973 год
 Сэм Лэнг и Мисс Уотсон — одноактовая сексуальная комедия в четырёх сценах () — 1973 год
 МакГротти и Людмила () — 1986 год
 Рабочие ноги: пьеса для тех, у кого их нет () — 1997 год
 Прощай, Джимми () — 2006 год
 Пятнышко () — 2008 год
 Сборник пьес Грея () — 2009 год

На телевидении
 Диалог — дуэт () — 1972 год
  ()
  () — 1972 год

На радио
 Диалог — дуэт ()
  () — 1973 год

Другие произведения
 Почему Шотландией должны править Шотландцы () — 1992 год; Исправленное издание — 1997 год.
  () — 2000 год
 Как нам нужно собой управлять () — 2005 год
 Жизнь в картинках () — 2010 год

Книги о писателе

Академические работы
 1991 — «Искусство Аласдера Грея» (), авторы — Роберт Кроуфорд () и Том Нэрн ()
 1999 — «Аласдер Грей», автор — Стивен Бернштейн (),
 2000 — «Аласдер Грей: уникальный шотландский маг» (), автор — Джой Хендри,
 2001 — «Аласдер Грей: критические оценки и библиография» (), автор — Фил Мурс () (ed.); при содействии самого Грея.

Биографии
 2008 — Аласдер Грей: биография от секретаря (), автор — Родж Гласс ()

Ссылки
 Статья об Аласдере Грее на сайте Дамский Клуб
 Произведения писателя на сайте LIB.RU

Источники

Драматурги Великобритании
Художники Великобритании
Писатели Великобритании XX века
Писатели Великобритании XXI века
Писатели-фантасты Великобритании
Поэты Великобритании
Эротические писатели Великобритании
Писатели-постмодернисты
Выпускники Школы искусств Глазго
Социалисты Великобритании
Лауреаты премии Коста

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Nonprofit arts and culture organizations are dynamic and complicated institutions, constantly balancing artistic vision, service to the community, the needs and hopes of multiple stakeholder groups, financial resource constraints, and much more. Factor in a CEO transition, a void in board leadership, significant cash flow issues, labor strife, or any other complex situation that may occur, and an organization can easily find itself in what a volunteer leader recently described as "an extraordinary, tender, and unaligned intersection of principles and positions." How can organizations prepare to meet those challenges?
In this edition of Arts Insights, we will explore four interconnected practices and recommend a handful of activities to strengthen board resiliency, preparing boards of directors to successfully lead their organizations through difficult and delicate times.
Let's start with definitions. In Resilience: Why Things Bounce Back, Andrew Zolli and Ann Marie Healy "frame resilience in terms borrowed from both ecology and sociology as the capacity of a system, enterprise, or a person to maintain its core purpose and integrity in the face of dramatically changed circumstances." Similarly, the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation (Bechtel Foundation) considers organizational resiliency to be "the capacity to respond effectively to change, to adapt successfully to new and unforeseen conditions and circumstances - and to seize opportunity. It's an essential characteristic of organizations that are built for ongoing success." The resiliency of arts and culture boards of directors thus refers to the ability of those groups of volunteer leaders to guide their organizations through turbulent times, upholding mission, vision, and values through change and ensuring the long-term success of their organizations.
Zolli and Healy explore several themes related to resiliency. "The most important of these is the critical role of trust and cooperation - people's ability to collaborate when it counts." But how does a board enhance its sense of trust for one another and its ability to collaborate effectively in challenging situations? Research reported in Harvard Business Review looked at 55 large teams that demonstrated high levels of collaborative behavior. Several of that study's findings are directly applicable to boards of directors, including mentoring new board members; ensuring that the roles and responsibilities of individual board members, committees, and the board as a whole are clearly defined and well understood; and investing in building and maintaining social relationships. BoardSource's Leading with Intent: 2017 National Index of National Board Practices report affirms that "the board is a team, and teams work better when the members know each other." It also found "a strong relationship between perceived board impact on organizational performance and one particular area of board culture: the extent to which the board functions as a collaborative team working toward a common goal."
The Bechtel Foundation identifies a "culture of learning" as its first resiliency factor, acknowledging that "organizational resiliency is shaped in part by the depth of an organization's commitment to learning, improving, and adapting." Resilient boards of directors prioritize board education and seek opportunities to learn and explore together. Especially during those complicated situations previously mentioned, board members need to be practiced at thinking strategically and asking incisive questions to help them understand complex and often rapidly developing issues. As pointed out in Leading with Intent, a "commitment to ongoing reflection and learning is critical in an environment characterized by fast-paced change."
The composition of a nonprofit board of directors affects how it leads and therefore its resiliency. Leading with Intent asserts that "a board that is homogeneous in any way risks having blind spots that negatively impact its ability to make the best decisions and plans for the organization." Zolli and Healy put it this way: "Diversity plays an enormous role in resilience and is one of its most important correlates…increasing the diversity of a system's constituent parts ensures the widest palette of latent, ready responses to disruption." Board members who express differing perspectives - ones who ask questions from the lens of diverse backgrounds and expertise—stimulate broader thinking about issues facing an organization, thus enhancing the decision-making capacity of the board as a whole. A varied group of board members also helps ensure that members are aware of trends and changes across the breadth of the organization's external environment and how those trends are relevant to the organization. They provide what the Bechtel Foundation identifies as "context (outside-in thinking)." However, emphasizing the interconnectivity of these practices, diversity of perspective bears fruit only when board members are comfortable expressing and responding to minority or dissenting opinions, which relates back to building a team in which board members know and trust each other and have a track record of collaboration.
The Bechtel Foundation acknowledges that "…a leader's approach to guiding and aligning people's efforts…can enhance or inhibit an organization's resiliency." Indeed, when Zolli and Healy "found a resilient community or organization, [they] almost always found a very particular species of leader at or near its core…these translational leaders play a critical role…connecting constituencies, and weaving various networks, perspectives, knowledge systems, and agendas into a coherent whole." Similarly, the Harvard Business Review study identified that "at companies where the senior executives demonstrate highly collaborative behavior themselves, teams collaborate well." Boards of directors are more resilient when board chairs encourage collective leadership rather than acting as authority figures.
Practices 1 and 2: Schedule a behind-the-scenes board education activity. Attend rehearsal (maybe even sit on stage!) and have a discussion with the artistic director and/or an artist. Do a gallery walk with a senior curator. Adapt a hands-on youth education activity for board members.
Practices 1 and 3: Encourage the idea that board service can and should be rewarding and even fun. Invite board members and their spouses or partners to a social gathering before or after a performance or exhibit opening to build camaraderie, relationships, and a sense of team.
Practices 2, 3, and 4: Set aside time at a board meeting or summit for a discussion about the value of diversity of perspective on the board. Consider questions like: Whose voice is missing (or perhaps already there but unheard)? Why would those voices strengthen the board and its capacity to govern and lead? Are there any barriers to board service that need to be addressed in order to authentically bring these perspectives to the table?
History and experience, our understanding of organizational dynamics and development, and the complex world in which we operate—all of these elements assure us that nonprofit arts and culture organizations will face challenging and complicated situations that require volunteer board leaders to step up and lead with integrity and perseverance. To prepare for those worst of tender times, while also enhancing governance in the best of times, an investment in building board resiliency makes good sense.
 Zolli and Ann Marie Healy, Resilience: Why Things Bounce Back, (Free Press, 2012), 7.
 "Resiliency Guide," S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, March 2016, 3, http://sdbjrfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/ResiliencyGuide.pdf.
 Zolli and Healy, supra, 14-15.
 Lynda Gratton and Tamara J. Erickson, "Eight Ways to Build Collaborative Teams," Harvard Business Review, November 2007, https://hbr.org/2007/11/eight-ways-to-build-collaborative-teams.
 Leading with Intent: 2017 National Index of National Board Practices, BoardSource, 2017, 26 and 48.
 Leading With Intent: 2017 National Index of Nonprofit Board Practice, BoardSource, 2017, 12.
 Charlan Nemeth, In Defense of Troublemakers: The Power of Dissent in Life and Business, (Basic Books, 2018), 176.
Ms. Lambert joined ACG in November 2009 with more than 19 years of experience in performing arts management, planning, board development, policy formulation, union negotiations, artistic administration, operations, and program planning. Throughout her career, she has proven herself to be a thoughtful, creative, and flexible leader. Prior to joining ACG, Ms. Lambert held positions at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Young Musicians Foundation, the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra (now known as Hawaii Symphony Orchestra), and Symphony of Southeast Texas. From 1996 to 2003, Ms. Lambert served as Executive Director of the Eugene Symphony, where she completed eight concert seasons with surpluses and doubled the orchestra's endowment fund. During her tenure, the orchestra experienced unprecedented stability and artistic growth. Ms. Lambert also served on the board of directors of the League of American Orchestras and as faculty of the Orchestra Leadership Academy. She is a certified Strategic Management Professional and previously served as President of the board of directors of ShelterCare, an Oregon-based housing and human services organization. Ms. Lambert holds a bachelor of music degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, master of business administration from the Yale School of Organization and Management, and strategic management certificate from The George Washington University and Strategy Management Group.
build a more effective and resilient board of directors.


Known as 'kuih bahulu' in the Malay language, these are Asian madeleines found in Brunei, Singapore and also Malaysia. They are dainty fluffy cakes made with slightly crusty outer layer but soft on the inside.
Kuih bahulu is a traditional cake or snack usually baked in brass moulds. They usually come in all sorts of sizes and shapes like fishes, flowers and most commonly, sea shells as those shown in this video above. As the main ingredient is egg, kuih bahulu is sometimes known as egg sponge cake. Compared to many western cakes, kuih bahulu is much lighter, less densed and has a subtle sweetness. That makes it much healthier than the usual cakes we know.
Making these 'kuih bahulu' may seem simple but it is actually quite a daunting task, I must admit. Nevertheless, here are a few tips to help you along to achieving the perfect result.
Wheat flour used must be low in gluten. Before using the flour, it must be baked or 'dry fried' to reduce the moisture in the flour. To dry fry flour, pour flour in a clean and dry pan. At the lowest heat, carefully toss flour until its hot.
Sugar is a natural preservative for food. To ensure that kuih bahulu lasts longer, sugar needs to be heated up in a pan at low heat. Once it begins to melt, remove from heat and transfer sugar to the egg. This step will prolong the shelf life of kuih bahulu and it can last up to 1 month.
Mould must be heated in oven before using. Then, fill the mould with enough oil and heat it in the oven once again for 5 minutes before filling it with batter.
Another tip which was not mentioned in the video is to pour tamarind juice into the mould and leave overnight before you start using it. The next day, rinse the mould thoroughly with water. Then, place it a lightly heated oven until it dries completely. After that, continue with the baking process.
How long can kuih bahulu be stored?
Kuih bahulu must be left to cool until room temperature before storing them in air-tight containers. It can be kept unrefrigerated for up to a month if you follow the steps to longer lasting kuih bahulu.
Bake sifted flour in a preheated oven at 220 degrees Celsius for 3-5 minutes.
Heat sugar and remove once it begins to melt. Then, pour sugar into eggs and mix well. Start with the lowest speed and increase speed gradually. Optionally, add vanilla paste to the batter. Add baking powder to flour and fold into the batter.
Heat mould with oil for at least 5 minutes at 200 degrees Celcius. Remove oil from the heated mould. Pour batter into it and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove kuih bahulu and brush oil into the mould before proceeding with the rest of the batter. Allow kuih bahulu to cool before storing them.


The brain is the control center for all functions of the body. We use it to make decisions, remember directions and names, carry on conversations, and contemplate the universe. Supporting and nourishing our brain and nervous system is key to ensuring optimal cognitive functioning for our lives.
Directions for use: 2 capsules once per day. Can be taken with or without food or as recommended by your healthcare professional. 60 capsules per bottle.


Get your diet plan sorted out. A balanced diet might be the best for regular intake, but when you're working on your muscles, you'll need more. Focus mainly on proteins and remember to keep your distance from artificial drinks that promise to build your muscles. Take plenty of fruits and try not to cheat on your diet plan. You must also remember to avoid junk food at all costs. Once you follow a fixed diet (which could be prescribed by a trainer or dietician), your body should be ready for exercise, which is the next most important thing after eating healthy for building muscle.
Yes. Weights matter. Try various exercises with weights, increasing the load gradually as you train. Here's a tip – training with the guidance of a certified trainer generally yields the best results. Exercises such as the deadlift (lifting), overhead press and squats with weights are useful muscle boosters. Weighted hip thrusts (generally with the use of medicine balls or slab weights) strengthen your abdominal area. Finish off in style with a set of kettlebell swings. These work on your core.
This is really important. DO NOT strain yourself. If your muscles develop a fatigue and are too tired for exercise, you're doing yourself more harm than good. You could keep a training partner to keep you in check so that you don't cross the limit for your exercise. Heavy duty exercises may also ruin your posture and weaken your bones. It is a false belief that heavy exercise will have more effect on your muscles. Only gradual exercise is useful. Note this when you train.
Perhaps the most complete way to workout is through set training. Your set should cover a full body exercise, which covers important regions like your core, thighs, arms, and chest. Set training also ensures that you follow a fixed routine, thus your progress is constant. You can ask your trainer to chalk out a plan for you. Most professional bodybuilders and trainees follow a plan which involves a particular type of exercise, followed by a short break, before resuming with another type of activity.
We would never recommend that you take chemical supplements for muscle development. However, it is always a good idea to look for organic supplements, like juices, for example, that not only build your muscular framework but are healthy too! Approach a dietician or a nutritionist who could give you some idea about the most suitable supplements for your diet, based on your level of training.
If you have taken an initiative to develop your physique, we commend you for your decision. You can begin right now: grab a sipper, get into those gym shorts and plan out a unique strategy that suits you best. You can keep a role model as inspiration, lest you should lose interest. We know it'll definitely not be easy, but it's the motivation that will make a difference. While choosing your trainer, remember to explain your requirements and give them relevant information about your routine. In order to successfully shape your figure, you will need to struggle quite a lot, but the results will definitely be worth the effort. We wish you good luck!


Faith Hill can now add reality television judge to her resume. Next year, Hill will join the judging panel of the new CBS talent competition The World's Best.
Actress Drew Barrymore and RuPaul's Drag Race host RuPaul Charles will join Hill as judges. James Corden, host of The Late Late Show, will serve as emcee.
The World's Best will feature talent from across the globe and from multiple genres. The show will feature 50 experts from across the world and from various fields of entertainment.
A CBS press release calls the show "a first-of-its-kind global talent competition that features acts from every genre imaginable, from every corner of the planet."
Hill shared her excitement for the new project on her Instagram Monday night.
"Thrilled to finally announce this! I'm honored to be joining my friends @drewbarrymore, @rupaulofficial and @j_corden on @theworldsbestcbs," Hill wrote. "So eager to share these amazing stories of talent and achievement from around the world with you."
The World's Best is the latest talent competition to feature a judge from the country music world. Luke Bryan is currently on the American Idol judging panel, a position previously held by Keith Urban. Blake Shelton is still holding court on NBC's The Voice, which has spawned a slew of country artists and seems to be continuing that streak in its 15th season.
Shania Twain, Jake Owen and Travis Tritt will serve as judges on the upcoming country music singing competition Real Country. Twain also serves as an executive producer on the show.
Hill recently celebrated her 22nd anniversary with husband Tim McGraw. The couple commemorated the day with sweet messages to one another. The couple released their first duets album, The Rest of Our Life, last year.


text:
Thandwe Airport är en flygplats i Myanmar.   Den ligger i regionen Rakhinestaten, i den sydvästra delen av landet,  km sydväst om huvudstaden Naypyidaw. Thandwe Airport ligger  meter över havet.

Terrängen runt Thandwe Airport är platt. Havet är nära Thandwe Airport åt sydväst. Den högsta punkten i närheten är  meter över havet,  km öster om Thandwe Airport. Runt Thandwe Airport är det ganska glesbefolkat, med  invånare per kvadratkilometer. I omgivningarna runt Thandwe Airport växer huvudsakligen savannskog.

Tropiskt monsunklimat råder i trakten. Årsmedeltemperaturen i trakten är  °C. Den varmaste månaden är april, då medeltemperaturen är  °C, och den kallaste är augusti, med  °C. Genomsnittlig årsnederbörd är  millimeter. Den regnigaste månaden är augusti, med i genomsnitt  mm nederbörd, och den torraste är januari, med  mm nederbörd.

Kommentarer

Källor

Flygplatser i Rakhinestaten


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Long hours for City crews pushing ice and snow from streets, alleys
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MUSCATINE, Iowa – Every storm is different and last week's winter storm was not any different. With over seven inches of snow mixed with sleet, rain, and freezing rain last week's storm was a difficult one to keep up with.
"We were prepared and had a good game plan to take on this storm," Brian Stineman, Public Works Director said. "But then we had a snow rate of nearly two inches per hour during the initial snowfall and that made us play catchup."
Crews working in 12-hour shifts worked tirelessly from Wednesday through Sunday salting the streets and pushing the slushy snow that was topped with freezing rain.
"The ice combined with the snow just made things more difficult for our drivers," Stineman said. "And it took longer to work the streets."
The combination of ice and snow was just one of the challenges faced by the snow plow drivers whether they were on the day shift or night shift. Drivers also had to work around cars parked on the street and the changing weather conditions.
Drivers came from all departments to help with the snow removal effort and accumulated over 50 hours of overtime.
"They are tired," Stineman said. "But I am very proud of their effort."
City crews were out early Wednesday with salt and sand and then turned their attention to plowing once the snow reached two inches. Five designated emergency routes were cleared first as crews cleared the driving lanes and then came back to push the snow further to the curb. Once the emergency routes were cleared, attention turned to the residential streets and alleys.
The City has a fleet of six snowplows that were backed up by one-ton trucks called into service to assist in the removal of the snow and ice.
Stineman noted that it normally takes four hours to complete a salt run on each route and approximately seven hours to complete plowing on each route. This removal effort extended those time estimates.
"And if you are on the end of one of these routes you may not see a truck until you have four inches or more or snow on the ground," Stineman said. "We do our best to get to everybody as quickly and safely as we can."
Mike Hartman, Assistant Fire Chief, eased concerns that emergency crews would not be able to get to an individual's' residence.
"Whatever it takes, we will get to you," Hartman said. "And we will get you to the help you need."
As crews worked to clear the streets, the Department of Public Works received phone calls of driveways being blocked by the ice and snow pushed to the curb.
"We ask the public's patience but at this time we do not have the equipment that would prevent driveways from being blocked," Stineman said.
That equipment, called a snow gate, is on the wish list for Stineman but using a snowplow or grader equipment with a snow gate would double the time needed to clear the streets.
There is a way that the public can help prevent the buildup of ice and snow in front of their drives and that is by clearing an area to the left of the driveway as pictured to the left in this graphic from the Maine Department of Transportation.
Since plows push the snow to the right as they move down the street, having an area cleared for the snow and ice to be deposited prevents that buildup in front of the driver, thus preventing a "second shovel".
The public can also help speed up the snow removal process by making sure that they utilize off-street parking when possible to give the snowplows plenty of room to push the snow and ice to the curb.
A parking plan for any snow event is part of the "Snow Emergency" procedure of the City of Muscatine and that includes parking on alternate sides of the street according to whether it is an odd or even day.
Another question posed to the Department of Public Works was why a "Snow Emergency" was not declared.
"Snow Emergencies mainly help with the clean up after the storm moves out," Stineman said. "It just brings enforcement measures into play for removing vehicles parked on the street."
With or without a snow emergency being declared, Stineman emphasized that the best way for the public to help ensure the efficient and safe removal of snow and ice is to park off-street or to adhere to the alternate side of parking if off-street is not an option.
Stineman added that there is always something learned from events like this and he will be meeting with his staff to discuss what could have been done better.
"With the way this storm and the second storm moved through our area, I believe our staff did an outstanding job despite the long hours," Stineman said.
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The end of 2009 brought a few company announcements that were particularly relevant to the investment community. Noteworthy among them were the sales of enterprise vendor QuadraMed and radiology systems vendor Amicas to private equity (aka PE, buy-out or leveraged buy-out – LBO – investors). When a public company is sold to an investment firm rather than another company in the same or adjacent sector (such as Sentillion's sale to Microsoft or CareMedic's sale to Ingenix), it's known as a "take-private" transaction.
When this happens, private equity investors, usually acting with the existing management team, are making the assumption that they can purchase the company at a premium to its current stock market value, make some changes over the course of a few years, and then sell it to another buyer at a premium to what they paid. Sometimes this is likely "Greater Fool Theory", but in many cases, it's quite logical. Readers who've not had the sometimes dubious pleasure of being involved in a process like this might wonder how it happens and what's the thinking behind it.
In my decade as a research analyst, I rarely heard a CEO say they thought their stock was fairly valued, and never heard one say it was overvalued — at least where anyone could hear them. This is because (a) they typically own a fair amount of said stock (or options); (b) they're inherently optimistic by nature (if not outright promotional); and (c) the same reason that my mom thinks all her children are both bright and attractive (well, perhaps she really is right). In many cases, the company has lost much of its sell-side analyst coverage, perhaps missed a few quarters' earnings estimates and has become a "single digit midget". All the while, its CEO and the board are thinking their stock is worth more than that silly stock market is willing to pay for it, and time passes. And more time passes. And still, the stock is worth less than they think it is.
Clearly, it's time for Action! At some point, they start to realize that if the stock market isn't according them their "fair" value, perhaps another entity will. It's time to call the bankers (or start returning their calls). Much like with an IPO (discussed in previous posts), the bankers show up and, using a dazzling array of PowerPoint and spreadsheets, confirm that, why golly, yes, your stock is undervalued! Clearly a transaction is called for: it's time to find a buyer for the entire company. In some cases, incidentally, the bid comes unsolicited, as PE firms have people whose primary job is to call companies to convince them to go private, but even then, some form of sale process is usually required to ensure a fair and appropriate price is paid.
Rather than enumerate yet another type of banking process for a posting (but readers can request it for a subsequent post if interested), let's skip that process for now and assume that no strategic buyers have opted to participate (at least at as high a value). What motivates a private equity investor to outbid a strategic buyer? A few key elements typically underlie their analysis.
Being public is expensive, often costing smaller companies over $1 million to cover their SEC requirements, insurance policies and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance costs, etc. Once private, all these costs fall straight to the bottom line.
Public markets are notoriously short-term focused. Many believe (I among them) that, freed of the requirement to manage on the instant gratification of a quarterly basis, company performance is likely to improve.
Sometimes it is best to take a hiatus from the public markets for other reasons. Emdeon used its "private time" to make substantial improvements to its operations, management, and other areas. TriZetto Group is moving to more of a subscription model. Netsmart Technologies did something or other. Etc.
If there are changes that should be made, why hasn't management already made them to benefit current shareholders rather than the new private investors?
Did the fact that typical senior management parachutes (inherent in change of control transactions) would inflate — plus their stock would now be worth more, plus they're likely to be re-loaded with new equity — impact their decisions?
What drives the new investors' confidence that they'll be able to sell later to a strategic buyer, when they presumably just outbid all of them?
All good questions, but, at the end of the day, two groups of smart PE investors looked at both QuadraMed and Amicas and decided that they could make a good return on their money by purchasing these companies, so clearly their spreadsheets, extensive diligence and planning supported them. I'll note that, besides the suppositions made above, their math was definitely helped by the fact that their fund likely only put up around 20-25% of the money; the rest was borrowed, substantially magnifying their returns (hence the term leveraged buy-out) and, further helping their math, significant transaction and management fees are often imposed on the newly acquired companies for the privilege of taking the money — often these fees run in the millions.
What about all the lawsuits that have been flying though? It seems that each company has been hit with about a dozen lawsuits (or threats), from apparently the same firms. It appears inevitable that, despite the fact that an auction was conducted, a bevy of class action lawyers will invariably announce investigations "on behalf of shareholders" alleging the unfairness of both the amount being paid and the process that was run. In my view, while the threat of these might be important to preserve the integrity of a process, the reality is 90% or so are merely opportunistic behavior on the part of the law firms. As a review of the proxy statements for either Amicas (also available in a nifty PowerPoint summary) or QuadraMed show, efforts were taken to ensure a fair price was paid.
In the case of QuadraMed, a fairly broad auction was conducted, which included a sizable number of PE firms and four unnamed strategic buyers. While Amicas responded to in-bound, apparently unsolicited interest, the agreement with the buyer allowed them to actively "shop" the bid to see if a higher bidder would emerge. Presumably, none did. By the way, as a student of the sector, I think these documents make for an interesting read, but that could just be me. For example, QuadraMed has apparently tried to sell a number of times over the past few years to no avail. It would also be interesting to contrast Amicas' slightly gloomy assessment of risks on its slide deck with its no doubt more bullish one that was likely given to potential investors a few weeks earlier.
Also, every time a public company is sold, its board is required to seek a Fairness Opinion to ensure a "fair" price is paid. A Fairness Opinion is provided by the seller's investment banker (typically the one who ran the sale process — and who stands to get a very sizable fee upon its success — but I'm sure there's zero conflict of interest there). In a Fairness Opinion, the bankers assess and determine that the amount being paid is "fair". How? By looking at how similar companies are currently valued in the public markets, what price (and what multiple of sales and profits) similar companies have sold for, and by using a discounted cash flow analysis (DCF) as an additional check on value, as well as what kind of premiums to current share price have been paid for similar public company sales.
It's actually a fairly rigorous analysis, and each firm has a special committee that vets it prior to issuance, as the issuing firm has some potential liability (which is part of why the fee for the Opinion is determined by the size of the transaction). Then again, the AOL-TimeWarner merger was considered "Fair" as well so, as the programmers can attest, Garbage In, Garbage Out. For more detail, please check the proxy links above, or just drop or post me a note.
And so, the public markets bid au revoir to these two players, wondering only if they'll resurface as strategic sales (like Healthvision, nee Quovadx — generating an outstanding return for Battery Ventures) or IPOs (like Emdeon). The final question, of course, is what does this mean to users or customers? It could well be a positive. As suggested, assuming responsible behavior on the part of the new PE firms, freed of the pressure and scrutiny of public investors, they'll both be able to focus more on running their business, supporting customers and developing new products — just like companies are supposed to do.
Post script: the action continues on Amicas. Readers of "the tape" will note a minor battle underway between Amicas and its competitor, Merge Technologies. After I submitted this to Mr. H, Merge has announced that it was bidding 13% more than the PE firm Thoma Bravo to buy Amicas. "Not so fast", Amicas responded later that day. "Do you really have the dough?" The plot has thickened with accusations flying both ways and a Massachusetts Supreme Court enjoinder on having the shareholder meeting.
Theoretically, regardless of management's preferences on the outcome, the board has a fiduciary responsibility to accept the highest quality bid. With the stock trading today between the Thoma Bravo bid and the one from Merge, the outcome appears uncertain, and will be likely continue to be played out on the tape and in the courts. In the meantime, I can only observe that this minor drama seems to support that the market is setting the prices here somewhat efficiently, notwithstanding the complaints of the class action bar "representing" QuadraMed's shareholders. Clearly when someone else wants to buy a company, they can emerge and do so.
What do investors do at HIMSS?
Aside from walk around looking for cool trinkets?
HIMSS is always great for the investor community. Most of the larger public companies in attendance have analyst meetings, or at least booth tours. It's a chance to talk to current and potential clients of the firms one covers. There are parties to attend and for both investment bankers and private investors (VC and PE) and a virtual feeding frenzy of business trolling opportunities.
Speaking of which, Mr. HIStalk's discussion of the HIMSS Venture Fair beat anything I could have done, but I will be attending and sharing a write up a week or so after, so watch this space for post-HIMSS thoughts.
See you at the HISTalk party, please come up and say hi.
Ben Rooks is the founder of ST Advisors, a strategic consultancy offering long-term and project-relationships to companies and financial sponsors. He earned an MBA in healthcare management from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, has done healthcare IT equity research, and has worked as an investment banker in over 25 successfully closed healthcare and medical technology transactions valued from $40 to $365 million.
Nice article. You allude to it later when you mention leverage but just to be clear, a big part of private equity is not just selling a company at a higher price (although that certainly helps), but the fact that you can (or could) borrow money to buy an asset and use that same asset's cash flow to pay down the loan. It would be like using $500K and borrowing $1M to buy a $1.5M apartment building, then using the rents you collect over time to pay down half the loan. Even if the value of the apartment is $1.5M when you sell it a few years later, you will have doubled your money just by the debt paydown.
These days the price of debt has gone up and banks will no longer lend the ridiculous amounts of leverage that were seen in 2006-2007 so buyouts need to be more focused on operational improvement and investors adding value in other ways (industry relationships that bring new customers, for example).
Thanks for making an excellent point, Rob. The leverage clearly magnifies returns (and with minimal risk for the investors). I'm a bit concerned that high leverage is being allowed again – recently heard about a dialysis company in the market that banks were offering stupid coverage on, but hoping that's the exception.
Clearly the better PE firms use more than simply financial engineering to generate their returns, and hopefully sellers take that, not just price, into account when evaluating bids.
The Private Equity firms' use of leveraged buy-outs is one of the sources of the current banking problems. Look at the situation at Spheris. The private equity company, Warburg Pincus, bought Spheris using over $200 million of debt. Now Spheris is bankrupt, and being sold for about $75 million.
As a result, the banks will lose at least $125 million, and possibly more. Warburg Pincus will lose about $20 milliion by comparison.
No wonder banks aren't making any loans. Their existing loans through private equity firms are killing them.
Leverage might be creeping back up but generally its limited to about 2X EBITDA. By contrast, VWR was leveraged about 11X EBITDA at the height of the boom. Because the banks charged fees of several percent on loans that could be measured in the billions, it was amazingly lucrative and competitive business, creating a race to the bottom for the banks. Most of this debt was then sold to investors in the form of bonds or CDOs so I am not sure how much debt is constraining their current lending as is the fact that there is nobody willing to offload it to. Ultimately this debt lived up to its old name – "junk bonds" but in the 2000's it had a more enticing name – "high yield" debt and there were lots of willing buyers.
CDOs – Financial firms turning someone's trash into fool's gold.
Rob, if you look at Spheris' debt, $125 million is unsecured, while $75 million is secured. Generally, unsecured debt is held by the banks and not sold to investors.. Basically, Spheris was sold for enough money to barely pay off the secured debt. That transaction will hurt some banks pretty badly. There are many deals like this Spheris that banks still have on their books. It's a significant problem.
Ben: I remember way back when you were a HCIT analyst, when MDRX and QSII were $80 million companies. It's been quite some time since we've had large deals in this space, the last being IDX. Seems to me that the big boys (ie, IBM, Oracle, MSFT, GE, MCK) really missed a gigantic opportunity to pick up HCIT assets for reasonable valuations in 2008 and 2009. Of course, these guys typically wait for prices to skyrocket before making a move. Do you foresee either sector consolidation or large cap acquisition of smaller HCIT assets?
CPSI and ATHN have taken some lumps recently. Could the depressed prices draw some interest?


text:
Formula 2 grid adds 11th team for 2020
Road to F1
The competition in Formula 2 is about to get even tougher, following the announcement that Hitech Grand Prix will become the championship's 11th team for the 2020 season.
British-based Hitech have history on the road to F1, competing in fellow feeder series F3 last year, finishing 2019 as runner-ups in the teams' standings.
WATCH: F2: Chasing the Dream documentary on F1 TV
Hitech joined F3 from the European F3 Championship following the merger between that and GP3 and instantly impressed, with four wins, one pole position and six podiums.
Hitech Grand Prix driver Juri Vips finished second in the 2019 FIA Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix
F2 CEO Bruno Michel said: "I am pleased to welcome Hitech Grand Prix to our 2020 F2 grid. As stated before, many teams continuously show interest in joining our Championship. Today's driver market combined with Hitech's prowess meant this addition to the new season became possible.
F2 PODCAST: The Road to F1 – Bruno Michel
"Hitech Grand Prix enjoyed a strong Formula 3 season in 2019 and I know that although they are joining late, they will be able to adapt quickly to Formula 2 in order to fight against the other teams."
They will make their first appearance in pre-season testing in Bahrain on March 1-3 and will aim to make the transition into F2 as smoothly as they did in F3.
For more on F2, visit the official F2 website.
Top 10: Best overtakes from the 2019 Formula 2 season
Virtual Grands Prix to return for 2021 after record-breaking year for F1 Esports Series
'We're on target' – Seidl pleased with progress as McLaren begin switch to Mercedes power


The findings showed that many of the plants consumed by herbivore dinosaurs had higher energy and nutrient levels than previously believed.
Nutritional value of herbivore dinosaurs' diet was measured by growing their food.
Vegetables consumed by herbivore dinosaurs 150 million years ago had a higher nutritional value than the ones human beings consume in the 21st century.
In a recent study, researchers have measured the nutritional value of herbivore dinosaurs' diet by growing their food in atmospheric conditions similar to that many years ago.
Previously, researchers believed that plants grown in an atmosphere with high carbon dioxide levels had low nutritional value.
But a new experimental approach led by Fiona Gill at the University of Leeds has shown that this is not necessarily true.
The team grew dinosaur food plants, such as horsetail and ginkgo, under high levels of carbon dioxide mimicking atmospheric conditions similar to when sauropod dinosaurs, the largest animals ever to roam Earth at that point of time.
An artificial fermentation system was used to simulate digestion of the plant leaves in the sauropods' stomachs, allowing the researchers to determine the leaves' nutritional value.
The findings showed that many of the plants had significantly higher energy and nutrient levels than previously believed.
This suggests that the megaherbivores would have needed to eat much less per day and the ecosystem could potentially have supported a significantly higher dinosaur population density, as much as 20 percent greater than previously estimated.
"The climate was very different in the Mesozoic era - when the huge brachiosaurus and diplodocus lived - with possibly much higher carbon dioxide levels. There has been the assumption that as plants grow faster and/or bigger under higher CO2 levels, their nutritional value decreases. Our results show this isn't the case for all plant species," Gill said.
"The large body size of sauropods at that time would suggest they needed huge quantities of energy to sustain them. When the available food source has higher nutrient and energy levels it means less food needs to be consumed to provide sufficient energy, which in turn can affect population size and density," he added.
The research didn't give the whole picture of dinosaur diet or cover the breadth of the plants that existed at this time, but a clearer understanding of how the dinosaurs ate helped scientists understand how they actually survived.
"The exciting thing about our approach to growing plants in prehistoric atmospheric conditions is that it can be used to simulate other ecosystems and diets of other ancient megaherbivores, such as Miocene mammals - the ancestors of many modern mammals," he further said.
The study appears in the Paleontology journal.


Human secreted Programmed Cell Death 1 Ligand 1 (PD-L1)-Fc fusion protein, also known as CD274, B7 homolog 1 (B7- H1), and PD-L1 Biotin-Labeled. GenBank Accession No. NM_014143, amino acids 19-239, fused at the Cterminus with the Fc portion of human IgG1, with C-terminal Avi-tag™ expressed in a HEK293 cell expression system and enzymatically biotin-labeled using Avi-tag™ technology. MW = 54 kDa.
PD-1-PD-L1 binding activity, measured using the using the PD-1:PDL1 [Biotinylated] Inhibitor Screening Assay Kit, BPS Bioscience, Catalog #72003.
At least 6 months at –80°C.
Useful for the study of protein-protein interaction and in vitro and in vivo protein function.
1. Freeman, G.J., et al., J Exp Med. 2000 Oct 2;192(7):1027-34.
2. Dong, H., et al., Nat Med. 1999 Dec;5(12):1365-9.
HiP™ indicates a high purity protein with ≥90% purity as measured by gel filtration.
This protein runs at a higher M.W. by SDS-PAGE due to glycosylation.
Avoid freeze/thaw cycles. Protein may be diluted to ≥ 100 μg/ml in PBS + glycerol and stored at -80°C.


Have the opportunity to have questions answered about your business.
We would like to provide you with this information at no cost or obligation on your part. Since 1980, our firm has provided tax seminars to educate home based business owners how to properly account their business information on their personal return.
We have traveled throughout the country, literally from coast to coast, including California, Florida and Alaska, to provide this information and are always looking to expand our business. We would like to establish business with you and your area associates. These seminars will provide much information concerning tax issues that affect your business. We also provide information about the best ways to organize and keep your business records.
Ultimately, we would like to help you and your consultants to do as well as possible, and provide you with the correct information regarding your taxes. We can provide an excellent recruiting tool in helping your recruits understand their business, teach them what is deductible, and answer difficult tax questions.
At our seminars, we make available several useful tools to help you properly prepare your tax return. We have our Tax Organizer Booklets for $5.00 (at the seminar or downloaded from our site), or $10.00 if mailed to you. We also have available a vehicle mileage log for $3.00.
A video of one of Jody's tax seminars for Mary Kay is also available. The video is available in DVD format for just $19.95 plus $3.00 shipping and handling. the videos will be mailed to you.
When we have seminars scheduled, we will update this section.
For more information concerning an upcoming seminar you may Contact Us by filling in our Contact Us form or by giving us a call at our office.


text:
//
//  FXW_TextDatePicker.h
//  KenshinPro
//
//  Created by kenshin on 2017/8/29.
//  Copyright © 2017年 Kenshin. All rights reserved.
//

#import "MFTextField.h"

@interface FXW_TextDatePicker : MFTextField

/**
 记录选择的时间值 单位s
 */
@property (nonatomic, assign) long  recodeSelectedTime;

@end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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property and the remnants of abandoned mining operations.
South to, L to R, Carson Peak, Mt. Wood, Mt Gibbs, and Tioga Peak.
safely up and down the mountain.
Prior generations also made it to the summit that day.
Diane checks out the relics of a bygone era on the way back.


text:
Olivier Vernon: Pressure? What Pressure?
Inside The NFL Notebook
He signed the most lucrative deal ever for a defensive end and is expected to return the Giants D to glory, but the former Dolphin says he's ready to handle the heat. Plus other players who have to prove themselves in 2016, thoughts on the Luck contract, the college QB to watch this fall, and more
By Albert Breer
Meeting expectations won't be complicated for Olivier Vernon in New York. He just needs to become the next great Giants pass-rusher, restore a proud-but-dormant defensive tradition, get the team back into the playoffs after four years away and extend 35-year-old Eli Manning's championship window.
If he fails? Vernon gets real estate on the back pages in bank robber get-up.
That's what he signed up for when he put pen to paper on a record-breaking, five-year, $85 million deal with the Giants in March. He knows it. In fact, he sought it out. And if you ask him about the pressure, Vernon isn't exactly overcome by the prospect of having to live up to all that comes with
"It might sound crazy, but I'm moving at my own pace," Vernon said last week before heading off for Europe, his last break before things heat up at the end of the month. "It's how I've always been, never letting anything on the outside pressure me. I'm true to myself, and being the player that I am. I'm not gonna start doing things I haven't done before, step outside the box or anything like that.
"I know what type of player I am. And the main part of it is playing my game. I know if I play my game, I'll be OK."
Team-building season is now, for the most part, done. Free agency, the draft and 10 weeks of spring work are in the rear-view mirror. Everyone is undefeated. Everyone is in the best shape of his career. And everyones has a new, innovative plan that assures that, this time, things will be different.
Vernon's contract guarantees him $40 million, part of a major offseason outlay by the Giants to rebuild their defense.
Mel Evans/AP
All that changes in a few weeks. And for a select few, when camp opens in late July, the heat gets turned up.
Vernon isn't the only player on his own defense who fits into that category—the Giants, who ranked last in the league in total defense in 2015, committed $58 million in cash this year alone for Vernon, ex-Rams corner Janoris Jenkins and ex-Jets nosetackle Damon Harrison; then spent three of their first four draft picks on that side of the ball. The implication is obvious.
"This organization, they've been prestigious on defense," Vernon said. "The history they have, that's why the Giants selected us. They picked us to uphold that standard. And right now it's about putting those pads on and getting to work, and gelling together. Those teams had great chemistry, and that doesn't pop up overnight. It builds. We're trying to build something here."
• JAKE PLUMMER'S GUEST MMQB: The former Cards and Broncos QB on his friend Pat Tillman, his plan for pain relief and his message for Marshawn
But there's no question a lot of the burden will fall on the man Miami coaches called "Smooth," and the Giants' balance sheets explain that in a way that no coach or executive ever could. In March, the deal they gave the ex-Dolphin set marks for average per year ($17 million), one-, two- and three-year cash flow ($29 million, $41 million, $54 million) and full guarantee ($40 million) for a defensive end.
Will that change Vernon, as it has some other past free-agent bonus babies? One Dolphin coach put it like this: "He's not very talkative, he marches to the beat of his own drum, and that could be taken the wrong way in New York. He doesn't show emotion, and the media may spin that. But as far as the money going to his head, that won't happen at all. He'll want to prove they did the right thing. That'll be a motivator for him."
So here's some proof. A few weeks back, Vernon's agent, Dave Canter, had a weekend planned to celebrate 20 years in the business, and wanted to take all his clients with him. Vernon initially balked, worried it would mess up his workout plan. Eventually he was coaxed into going, but only after he and new Ravens safety Eric Weddle set up a plan to get early-morning lifts in.
Vernon (54) says he's been inspired by watching Eli work.
Frank Franklin II/AP
A little piece of that is how jacked Vernon is to get going after spending 10 weeks with his new team and, in particular, around Eli Manning. "How he carries himself, how he practices, he's the leader of the team," Vernon said. "Eli wants to win." But the bigger part is who Vernon has always been, in growing from third-round pick to valuable Cam Wake sidekick and now to defensive centerpiece.
"I've never changed anything about my work ethic," he said. "The last four years, I always had my foot on the gas pedal. I strive for greatness, to put my name in the books. That's what I want to establish. All I have is my last name. People see you, they go by your last name. I take a lot of pride in what that'll stand for."
The Giants have made a pretty healthy wager that his name will become much more well-known going forward than it was before he broke the bank. And they weren't the only team making that sort of bet in March or April.
• TOP 15 DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: On The MMQB podcast, Gary Gramling and Andy Benoit rank the pass rushers
As we turn to July and start thinking about the opening of training camps, here are a half-dozen others who'll be pivotal when things heat back up.
Brock Osweiler, QB, Texans: Houston's defense is bordering on championship ready, and the offense was juiced with speed (Will Fuller, Braxton Miller and Lamar Miller) this offseason to accentuate the big arm of the ex-Bronco and take the pressure off DeAndre Hopkins. Now, all that's left is for Osweiler to deliver.
Malik Jackson, DL, Jaguars: Another ex of the world champs, Jackson goes from a complementary part in Denver to a major building block in North Florida, where he'll be a veteran for a defense counting on a lot of young guys (Dante Fowler, Jalen Ramsey, Myles Jack) to keep up with their promising offensive counterparts.
Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Cowboys: Dallas COO Stephen Jones told me he viewed taking Elliott as similar to the team's all-in move to trade for Joey Galloway at the end of Troy Aikman's career. It's about maximizing their window with Tony Romo. Elliott was promising in OTAs. That's good, because the training wheels won't be on long.
Ryan Clady, LT, Jets: I asked Vernon about his goals for 2016. He shared one: "Main goal is to stay healthy." Suffice it to say, same goes across town for Clady. Once an elite young left tackle, Clady has missed 30 of 48 games the last three years. The issue here, if he can't turn that around, is that the Jets have very shaky depth behind him.
Fleener joins a TE-friendly system.
Gerald Herbert/AP
Ladarius Green, TE, Steelers: This one could loom large for a number of reasons. First, he replaces a mainstay in the retired Heath Miller. Second, with Martavis Bryant suspended for the season, the Steelers need others to take the heat off Antonio Brown. And third, he'll have more opportunity than he did when he was jockeying for snaps with Antonio Gates in San Diego.
Coby Fleener, TE, Saints: Coming out of Stanford and through four years in Indy, Fleener was pigeonholed by scouts as a "matchup" guy. Now he goes to the ultimate matchup offense, one that's hugely tight-end friendly and in need of middle-of-the-field options for Drew Brees. The Saints paid Fleener like they did (five years, $36 million) for a reason.
FOUR DOWNS
The Next Big Thing. There's been some question as to the depth of quarterback talent on the horizon coming out of college. But there's not much question, as far as I can tell, on which guy heads into the 2016 season with the highest NFL ceiling. With all due respect to Clemson's DeShaun Watson, a number of teams I've talked to over the last few months are already looking forward to 2018, when UCLA's Josh Rosen will be draft-eligible. And so I texted with Bruins coach Jim Mora last week to get some insight on how he sees his true sophomore as a prospect, given that the former Falcons and Seahawks coach spent 25 years working in the NFL. "His potential is unlimited," Mora said of Rosen. "He would have been the best QB in the draft this year. There's no question about his ability, only experience and, at this point, maturity. He's special. And he is smart, a leader, and very well respected by his teammates. He works hard and gets it. Just needs to continue to grow and not think he's arrived."
The college QB with the most NFL buzz in 2016: UCLA's Josh Rosen.
Jason O. Watson/Getty Images
That last part right there goes into the feedback I've gotten from NFL people who've asked around on him—they have questions about Rosen's maturity. As it's been explained to me, scouts will be keeping an eye on whether there's a sense of entitlement in how Rosen carries himself. This fall will provide a good test on that end, with UCLA going from a spread offense to a pro-style look, which should accentuate Rosen's strengths, but also will require plenty of work.
Luck's Big Deal. The idea of a football player striking a deal worth nearly $25 million per year when the previous standard was just over $22 million per certainly got the attention of a lot of people last week. But was it really that crazy? In 2012, Drew Brees became the first player to break the $20 million APY barrier, and that number represented 16.6 percent of that year's cap number ($120.6 million). In 2013, Aaron Rodgers moved the bar to $22 million APY, which was 17.8 percent of that year's cap figure ($123 million). Luck's new-money APY is $24.594 million. That's 15.8 percent of this year's cap figure ($155.27 million). So the argument could be made here that quarterback contracts aren't even keeping up with natural NFL inflation. And as for the argument that Luck's 2015 season should've given the Colts pause about doing a deal like this … please. Luck joined a cap-strapped and gutted team in 2012 and led it to the playoffs three years in a row. Last year the dam broke around the quarterback, but to juxtaposing his situation to the one, say, Russell Wilson walked into in 2012 or Joe Flacco entered in 2008 or Ben Roethlisberger came into in 2004 isn't even close to apples to apples.
Changing Seahawks dynamic. In the 2013 offseason, the Seahawks matched the noise they made the previous year by adding Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril and Percy Harvin to a burgeoning young roster that was on the cusp of being title ready. The result: a Super Bowl title. The challenge then for Pete Carroll and John Schneider was getting a group of relative neophytes ready. Doug Baldwin's contract last week shows that, now, the challenge is much different. During that championship season, the homegrown core of seven centerpieces (Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Baldwin, K.J. Wright, Kam Chancellor, Bobby Wagner) counted for a total of $10.274 million against the cap—a staggeringly low $1.47 million per player. That's the upshot of hitting on so many later-round picks (Thomas is the only first-rounder in the group), and it allowed the brass to aggressively supplement the nucleus with more young talent. Three years later, those seven players, all signed to new deals, are set to account for $70.854 million, or $10.122 million per player. And when you work in deals for Avril and Bennett, and the one they traded for when they brought in Jimmy Graham, it's easy to see that the pressure now, for Schneider and Carroll, has shifted. Now, the Seahawks brain trust has to find cheaper talent to fill holes, and that brings you right back to finding and developing young talent, which is how they had that core so cheap in the first place. Two areas to watch in that regard in 2016: offensive line and running back.
Buddy's legacy. Defensive innovation is always going to be the way that we link the late Buddy Ryan with his sons Rex and Rob, but with Rex in particular there's something else that stuck me when the elder Ryan passed away last week. The "30 for 30" on the 1985 Bears that came out late last year ended with players from that team receiving and then reading—or trying to read—a letter that an ailing Buddy sent them, calling the guys "my heroes." Several players broke down while struggling to narrate the contents of the letter. Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary, as he read the letter silently to himself, got too emotional to get the words there out. And that reminds you that, following Super Bowl XX, Ryan was carried off the field by those guys, something that never happens with an assistant coach.
• 'HE WAS A TOUGH SONOFAGUN': Rex Ryan on his father, Buddy
When I saw the clip from the "30 for 30" on ESPN, I thought about a conversation I had with Rex in 2010. He was pissed that Darrelle Revis didn't win Defensive Player of the Year for 2009, and he was still incensed after nine months—which included a nasty contract dispute—had passed. "When I was championing the cause for him to be Defensive Player of the Year, he earned it," Rex said. "I've never seen a guy earn it more than he did. I mean, he allowed us to do things you just can't do. And if he slips, it's a touchdown. Where was that? It doesn't even occur to us that anything like that can ever happen to him. He's just that competitive, he's got that much courage. It's not normal." He had Revis's back, which, of course, is why players like playing for Rex—not much different than why guys liked playing for Buddy.
THREE CHECKDOWNS
1. Changing attitudes about marijuana raise a question that needs to be asked: What's the value in the NFL testing for it at all anymore? This isn't to excuse guys who've been busted. They know the rules. It's on them if they can't pass a drug test. It's just getting harder to see the benefit in screening for a drug that's as legal as alcohol in four states. If guys get arrested for it where it's illegal, that's one thing. Actively trying to find out who's smoking is another.
• KEEPING UP WITH THE CARDINALS: Patrick Peterson on the new behind-the-scenes documentary
2. Déjà vu for the Cowboys—who'll be down at linebacker and defensive end early in the season for the second straight year. Last year Rod Marinelli's crew actually played well in Weeks 1 and 2 without Rolando McClain and Greg Hardy. The dam only really broke after Tony Romo went down and the defense had to prop up a suddenly deficient offense. This year McClain is suspended again, as are defensive ends Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence. So there's another reason why keeping Romo upright has to be a priority in 2016.
3. Credit to Jason Pierre-Paul for participating in public service announcements on fireworks leading up to the July 4 holiday. He's got no one to blame but himself for last year's incident, but you gotta be able to swallow your pride to take an embarrassing episode like that and use it to help others. Good for him.
TWO PLAYERS TO WATCH AT THE START OF CAMP
Bruce Irvin may be seeing time in a three-point stance with Oakland.
Eric Risberg/AP
Raiders OLB Bruce Irvin. Last year, new Oakland coach Jack Del Rio and defensive coordinator Ken Norton resolved to use Khalil Mack down as a defensive end on a more consistent basis to make the most of his best skill—getting after the passer. Suffice it to say, it worked. Mack had 15 sacks in 2015 and enters his third season as one of the NFL's most feared players on either side of the ball. And so, to make teams pay for throwing the kitchen sink at Mack, Oakland signed Irvin away from Seattle in March. The Raiders are listing him as a linebacker for now, but rival evaluators see something else coming. "His most productive NFL season came as a rookie, when he rushed from a three-point stance," said one NFC pro scouting director. "Playing opposite Khalil Mack, he'd see a lot of one-on-one matchups he can win [if they use him as an end]." And that's why the suspicion here is that Norton, who knows Irvin from having coached him in Seattle, could transition Irvin down like he did Mack last year.
• DR. Z WEEK: All the stories from The MMQB's tribute to the great Paul Zimmerman
Patriots OT Nate Solder. New England's offensive line wasn't exactly setting the world on fire early in the 2015 season, but things really came undone after Solder tore his biceps in Week 5. Opponents regarded Solder as far and away the team's most capable linemen, and the Patriots simply can't allow a 39-year-old Tom Brady to again take the kind of beating he did down the stretch last year. As one AFC exec put it, having Solder out there "should give Tom a feeling of security" that Brady lacked at the end of last year. "It's huge," said an opposing defensive coach. "When [Solder's] healthy, he's hard to beat." And it also could lead to less shuffling. "They had a lot of combinations they had to manage on the line—they even platooned at guard," said another AFC exec. "So to get as far as they did while managing that situation was commendable." Which is a nice way of saying that things will be a lot easier on homecoming line coach Dante Scarnecchia if Solder comes back solid as he was before. Which is also pretty obvious to anyone who watched the way last year ended for the Patriots.
With things shut down in the NFL over the last few weeks, I'm shutting it down here until the week before camp.
As always, keep the feedback coming.
This column started when I was at the Boston Globe, renting the Sunday Notes space that'll always be owned in those pages by the great Will McDonough. I liked doing it so much that I took it with me to NFL Network/NFL.com, and Peter King liked it enough there that he wanted me to keep it going here when I joined The MMQB.
But the strength of it has always been how it evolves. Every year it looks different. I'll add stuff. I'll take stuff out. I'll do what I need to make it entertaining and easy to get through. We'll definitely be adding some video elements once the season starts (we're toying with it already), and some other features could change too. So if you have any suggestions for what you'd like to see, hit me on Twitter (@AlbertBreer) or my public Facebook page (facebook.com/AlbertRBreer), or via email (albert.breer@simail.com). I'm pumped to see where we take this next.
Happy summer.
Campus Life with Jim Harbaugh
The Difference in Dallas
The Ongoing Growth of Griffin
Jake Plummer's Plan to Alleviate Pain for Players
Dr. Z's All-Time Team: Part I—Offense
by Paul Zimmerman
Dr. Z's All-Time Team: Part II—Defense and Special Teams
olivier vernon
josh rosen ucla
buddy ryan
marijuana testing in the NFL
giants defense


text:
Q: PostGIS ST_EuclideanDistance() not working. Wrong upperleftx and y? I'm trying to make this ST_EuclideanDistance() function work, but no success so far. I'm not getting the expected result because the raster seems to be drawn at a wrong location.
Documentation:
https://trac.osgeo.org/postgis/wiki/PostGIS_Raster_SoC_Idea_2012/Distance_Analysis_Tools
Firstly, I'm considering this test page to test the function:
https://trac.osgeo.org/postgis/wiki/PostGIS_Raster_SoC_Idea_2012/Distance_Analysis_Tools/test
When running the second test case:
CREATE TABLE test_source_raster_1 AS
SELECT
    1 AS rid, rast
  FROM
    (SELECT
       ST_MakeEmptyRaster(10,10,0,0,1,1,0,0,4326) AS rast
     ) foo;
CREATE TABLE test_source_geometry_1 AS
SELECT
    generate_series(1,10) AS id,
    ST_RandomPoints(the_geom,10) AS the_geom
  FROM
    (SELECT
       ST_SetSRID(ST_Extent(rast::geometry), 4326) AS the_geom
    FROM test_source_raster_1) foo;
CREATE TABLE test_ref_raster_1 AS
SELECT
  1 AS rid, rast
  FROM
    (SELECT
       ST_MakeEmptyRaster(10,10,0,0,1,1,0,0,4326) AS rast
    ) foo;
 CREATE TABLE test_eudist_1_a_i_1 AS
   (SELECT
      1 AS rid,
      ST_EuclideanDistance(
         rast,'32BF','public',
         'test_source_geometry_1', 'the_geom', True
       ) AS rast
     FROM test_ref_raster_1);

I'm getting this result (every raster pixel is null):

And this is the expected result I should have gotten:

A: I've found a way to make it work! I still don't know exactly what is the error, though.
These are the weird things that I found and changed:

*

*When calling st_CreateEmptyRaster, instead of setting upperleftx and upperlefty I'm actually passing bottomleftx and bottomlefty as values. This fixed the alignment. But why? Maybe because of using Web Mercator?

*Inside the ST_EuclideanDistance() function, there is a custom function called ST_NearestGridCentroid() that uses ST_World2RasterCoordX(). However, PostGIS only has ST_WorldToRasterCoordX(). Somehow, when executing altogether, PostGIS wasn't raising an exception at this point. I've changed to use the right one.

*There is another error inside of the ST_EuclideanDistance() that doesn't raise an exception and doesn't let the function work properly. However, I don't know what it is. I figured that out because instead of calling ST_EuclideanDistance() I'm directly calling ST_MapAlgebraFct() passing the right values to it and still using euclidean_distance_fct() as a callback function.
As I spent a lot of time trying to figure this out, and now that it is working well for me, I'm just moving on without knowing the exact reasons. I'd appreciate if someone could take a further look.
This is my final code (It's wrapped inside a Postgres function):
  v_rast_pixel_size = 50; -- 50 meters each pixel
  v_srid = 3857;

  -- The raster size and bounds will consider the extent of this geometry
  drop table if exists v_community_extent ;
  create temp table v_community_extent as
    select st_dumppoints(st_expand(st_extent(st_transform(shape, 3857)), 1000)) as dp from communities where name = 'Berlin';

  -- reference points to calculate the size of the extent
  SELECT (dp).geom into v_community_extent_minx_miny FROM (select * from v_community_extent) As foo where (dp).path[2] = 1;
  SELECT (dp).geom into v_community_extent_minx_maxy FROM (select * from v_community_extent) As foo where (dp).path[2] = 2;
  SELECT (dp).geom into v_community_extent_maxx_miny FROM (select * from v_community_extent) As foo where (dp).path[2] = 4;

  -- measuring how many pixels the raster will have
  v_rast_width = round(st_distance(v_community_extent_minx_miny, v_community_extent_maxx_miny) / v_rast_pixel_size) + 1;
  v_rast_height = round(st_distance(v_community_extent_minx_miny, v_community_extent_minx_maxy) / v_rast_pixel_size) + 1;

  -- Creating empty raster
  drop table if exists _tmp_ras_heatmap;
  create table _tmp_ras_heatmap as
    SELECT 1 as rid,
      ST_MakeEmptyRaster(
          v_rast_width::INTEGER, v_rast_height::INTEGER,
          st_x(v_community_extent_minx_miny)::DOUBLE PRECISION, st_y(v_community_extent_minx_miny)::DOUBLE PRECISION,
          v_rast_pixel_size, v_rast_pixel_size, 0, 0, v_srid
      ) AS rast;

  -- Initial Band and enabling QGIS visualization
  UPDATE _tmp_ras_heatmap SET rast = ST_AddBand(rast,'32BSI'::text, 0, -1);
  perform AddRasterConstraints('public'::name, '_tmp_ras_heatmap'::name, 'rast'::name,'srid','out_db','extent');

  drop table if exists _tmp_ras_heatmap_ed;
  CREATE TABLE _tmp_ras_heatmap_ed AS (
  SELECT 1 AS rid,
    ST_MapAlgebraFct(
        rast,null,'euclidean_distance_fct(float,integer[],text[])'::regprocedure,
        v_rast_width::text,v_rast_height::text,
        st_x(v_community_extent_minx_miny)::text,st_y(v_community_extent_minx_miny)::text,
        v_rast_pixel_size::text,v_rast_pixel_size::text,
        '0'::text, '0'::text,
        v_srid::text, '-1'::text,
        'public'::text,'source_points_table'::text,'shape'::text,
        true::text,'50000'::text
    ) AS rast FROM _tmp_ras_heatmap);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange